The company has seen two consecutive quarters of lower inventory as it works to clear excess apparel purchased last year. Inventory volumes declined 27% from a year earlier, according to Chief Financial Officer Katrina O’Connell.

Gap, like many retailers, sped up its ordering as consumer demand surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, only to be left with piles of unsold inventory as spending normalized.

“It was an okay quarter that was better than expected or feared,” said CFRA Research analyst Zachary Warring.
Since September, the retailer has eliminated about 2,300 corporate positions in two rounds of layoffs, joining a set of big U.S. companies that are downsizing in earnest as high inflation eats into consumer wallets.

Interim CEO Bob Martin in a post earnings call said job cuts should contribute to nearly $550 million in estimated annualized savings on a cumulative basis.

Executives pointed to lower spending on salaries and other operating costs in a bid to improve margins, along with efforts to reduce inventories.

The company will have closed about 350 underperforming Gap and Banana Republic

Still, sales for all Gap’s four brands declined in the quarter as the retailer struggled to update inventory and match consumer trends.

“I feel like they’ve picked a lot of the low-hanging fruit in terms of closing stores and cutting costs,” said Mari Shor, a senior equity analyst at Columbia

“Now you really need AthletaOld Navy

Like major retailers, including Target

“Sales and sales guidance is worse than peers, but it looks like they are focused on profitability,” Warring said.
Gap reported first-quarter adjusted profit of 1 cent, compared with estimates for a loss of 16 cents, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

The company’s net sales fell 6% to $3.28 billion. Analysts were expecting $3.29 billion.

Gap maintained its annual sales forecast and expects second-quarter sales to fall in the mid- to high-single digit range. Analysts on average expect second-quarter sales to decline 4.95%.