Saturday, September 5, 2026
Markets

Lululemon Just Cut Guidance Again. The $100 Leggings Brand Is in Trouble.

Lululemon cut its full-year outlook for the second time and shares tumbled hard before the open. Americas sales fell 8%. A new CEO takes over next week with a brand that shoppers are walking past.

The expensive yoga pants just lost the room

Lululemon did not softly miss. It cut full-year guidance again, and the stock got crushed in premarket trading on Friday.

This is the second guidance cut in a row. Management now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to fall about 5% to 7%, after previously guiding flat to slightly down. Americas revenue fell 8% in the latest quarter. China, once the bright spot, slipped too.

Shares fell on the order of 15% to 18% before the cash open. That is not a blip. That is a brand losing the fight for the closet.

Why your wallet cares

Lululemon built a fortune on $100-plus leggings and the idea that premium athleisure was recession-proof fashion.

The kitchen-table read is simpler. Shoppers are trading down, shopping rivals, or just buying less. Comparable sales fell hard. Core bottoms, the heart of the brand, got hit even harder in recent commentary around the slowdown.

When a name like this cuts twice and the stock freefalls into a CEO handoff, it is not only a Wall Street story. It is a receipt on how picky and tired the high-end casual shopper has become.

New boss, old problem

Heidi O'Neill, a former Nike executive, takes the helm next week. Her job is not a gentle brand refresh. It is winning back North America and proving the product still matters when wallets feel tight and competitors are everywhere.

Interim leadership already admitted the response to new product has been inconsistent. That is code for: the old magic is not landing clean.

Final Thoughts

This is a company-story Money Idea, not a buy-or-sell note.

Watch whether the new CEO talks like a turnaround or like a holding pattern. Watch whether the brand keeps cutting the year. And watch whether premium leisure stays a status buy or becomes the first thing households quietly drop.

The $100 leggings brand just told on its customers. The customers answered by walking away.

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