Torrid Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CURV) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Operator: Our next question is from Mark Altschwager with Baird. Please proceed.

Mark Altschwager: Good afternoon. Thank you for taking my question. I guess, first, with respect to the revenue guidance, it does imply a strengthening trend as we move through the year. Can you talk a little bit more about what’s giving you the confidence there? And key drivers you’d call out aside from the timing of the store openings and the 53rd week as you mentioned? And then just also on the revenues, any color on your underlying expectations on customer growth versus spend per customer?

Tim Martin: So we do expect that we will have easier comparisons, by the way, in the second half of the year. The new store growth will be an opportunity. And then we’re seeing that we’re getting more and more receptivity to new product launches, and I think we’re excited about sort of what we’re going to see that contribute over the course of the year. So it’s a combination of all of those things. So the easier comparison being one of the major aspects of it.

Mark Altschwager: Okay, thank you. And then on gross margin for the fourth quarter, results were a little bit better than we were looking for and it seems like you beat perhaps your plans. I know the quarter was really about clearing the inventory to set you up for a better 2023, but curious what drove the upside or the better trend maybe than expected in the fourth quarter? And if there’s, any takeaways from some of the test and learning that you’re doing on new promotional tactics that you would call out?

Lisa Harper: I think that it was less – there was less pressure to clear than there had been in third quarter, number one. So – and because receipts mitigated at the end of the year. We really had our early spring receipts as we mentioned in the body of the comments. We also are starting to see some positive movement in gross margin efforts. So some of the promotional and marketing strategies that we have put in place are starting see some leverage in gross margin. And so, I think the rate was slightly better than we anticipated. And that – just by smidge, but we’re still making better progress and less of a delta on a year-over-year quarterly gross margin basis. So I think – the nice news on that is some – for us internally some when we didn’t have the excess inventory that was overwhelming at the level of business we are actually able to employ some of our strategies to see some margin improvement and that’s positive as we move forward.

Mark Altschwager: Great, thank you for all the detail.

Lisa Harper: Thank you.

Operator: Our next question is from Corey Tarlowe with Jefferies. Please proceed.

Corey Tarlowe: Hi, good afternoon and thanks for taking my questions. So Lisa, I wanted to ask you on new customer acquisition, you have clearly emphasized that doors serve as a great way to acquire new customers. But I’m just curious over the last quarter, what has worked from a marketing or product perspective obviously outside of stores that has really helped to drive some new customers into the Torrid brand?