GAP Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Feb 1, 2025

General

The Gap, Inc. (Gap Inc., the "Company," "we," and "our") is a house of iconic brands offering apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands.

Gap Inc. is an omni-channel retailer, with sales to customers both in stores and online, through Company-operated and franchise stores, websites, and third-party arrangements. As of February 1, 2025, we had Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. In fiscal 2022, we signed agreements with a third party, Baozun Inc. ("Baozun"), to operate Gap China and Gap Taiwan ("Gap Greater China") stores and the in-market website as a franchise partner. On January 31, 2023, the Gap China transaction closed with Baozun. The Gap Taiwan operations will continue to operate as usual until regulatory approvals and closing conditions are met.

We have franchise agreements to operate Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Under these agreements, third parties operate, or will operate, stores and websites that sell apparel and related products under our brand names. We also have licensing agreements with licensees to sell products using our brand names.

In addition to operating in the specialty, outlet, online, and franchise channels, we use our omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and physical stores. The shopping experience is further enhanced by our omni-channel services, including buy online pick-up in store, order-in-store, and ship-from-store, as well as enhanced mobile-enabled experiences, which allow our customers to shop seamlessly across our brands and channels. Our brands have shared investments in supply chain and inventory management, which allows us to optimize efficiency and responsiveness in our operations.

Old Navy. Old Navy is a North American value apparel brand that makes on-trend fashion accessible to everyone. The brand democratizes style through its combination of on-trend product, consistent quality, and affordable pricing. Old Navy is committed to creating a frictionless and delightful shopping experience across stores, online, and convenient omni-channel capabilities. Old Navy opened its first store in 1994 in the United States and since then has expanded to more than 1,200 Company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada, as well as franchise stores around the world.

Gap. Gap is a globally recognized icon of casual American style. Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap champions originality by creating loved essentials and delivering culturally-relevant experiences that celebrate individuality. Gap is an adult apparel and accessories brand that also offers GapKids, babyGap, Gap Maternity, GapBody and GapFit collections. The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively designed collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores. Gap is our namesake brand and connects with customers in Company-operated and franchise retail locations globally, online, and through licensing partnerships.

Banana Republic. Banana Republic is a storyteller's brand, outfitting the modern explorer with high-quality, expertly crafted collections and experiences to inspire and enrich their journeys. Founded in 1978 and acquired by Gap Inc. in 1983, Banana Republic connects with customers in Company-operated and franchise retail locations globally, and online.

Athleta. Athleta is a premium performance lifestyle brand that empowers women and girls to build confidence, strength, and belonging through movement – igniting the Power of She. Founded in 1998 and acquired by Gap Inc. in 2008, Athleta integrates technical features and innovative design to support all the ways she moves – from yoga and training to travel and recovery. Athleta's versatile performance apparel is designed for women by women, with inclusivity at its core. Since 2018, Athleta has been certified as a benefit corporation ("B Corp"), furthering its commitment to using the business as a force for good to drive social and environmental impact. Athleta apparel is available at Company-operated stores across the U.S. and Canada, franchise retail locations globally, and online.

We ended fiscal 2024 with 2,506 Company-operated stores and 1,063 franchise store locations. For more information on the number of stores by brand and region, see the table included in Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, of this Form 10-K.

Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta each have a private label credit card program and a co-branded credit card program through which customers receive benefits. Private label and co-branded credit cards are provided by a third-party financing company, with associated revenue sharing arrangements reflected in Gap Inc. operations. We also have an integrated loyalty program across the U.S. and Puerto Rico that aims to attract new customers and create enduring relationships by turning customers into lifelong loyalists. We are focused on increasing the lifetime value of our loyalty members through greater personalization, including leveraging first-party data and increasing promotions with targeted content, offers, and experiences. Although each brand expression has a different look and feel, customers can earn and redeem rewards across all of our brands. All of our brands also issue and redeem gift cards.

Product Development

We design, develop, market, and sell a wide range of apparel and accessory products reflecting a mix of basics and fashion items based on widely accepted fashion trends, striving to bring product to market quickly and provide unrivaled value to customers. We are committed to pursuing technology and product innovation that support our sustainability efforts while also delivering great quality products to our customers. Our product teams research, test, and iterate each season to deliver the latest styles in fabrics and silhouettes that are made to last while remaining conscious of the types of materials being sourced and the suppliers they work with. We leverage feedback and purchasing data from our customer database, along with market trend insights, to guide our product and merchandising decision-making. For additional information on risks related to product development, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Competition, Brand Relevance, and Brand Execution—We must successfully gauge apparel trends and changing consumer preferences to succeed” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Marketing and Advertising

We use a variety of marketing and advertising mediums to drive brand health, customer acquisition, and engagement. We leverage our customer database and respond to shopping behaviors and needs with personalized content across email, site, and digital media to drive relevance and urgency. Our diversified media mix spans traditional to digital to social media. We focus on productivity of demand generation investments to drive increased effectiveness. For additional information on risks related to our marketing efforts, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Competition, Brand Relevance, and Brand Execution—We must successfully implement our marketing efforts” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Merchandise Vendors

We purchase private label and non-private label merchandise from over 200 vendors. Our vendors have factories in about 30 countries. Our two largest vendors accounted for approximately 9 percent and 8 percent of the dollar amount of our total fiscal 2024 purchases. Of our merchandise purchased during fiscal 2024, substantially all purchases, by dollar value, were from factories outside North America. Approximately 27 percent of our fiscal 2024 purchases, by dollar value, were from factories in Vietnam. Approximately 19 percent of our fiscal 2024 purchases, by dollar value, were from factories in Indonesia. Product cost increases or events causing disruption of imports from Vietnam, Indonesia, or other foreign countries, including the imposition of additional import restrictions, tariffs, or taxes, or vendors temporarily closing or potentially failing due to political, financial, or regulatory issues, could have an adverse effect on our operations. Substantially all of our foreign purchases of merchandise are negotiated and paid for in U.S. dollars. For additional information on risks related to our merchandise vendors, see the below sections in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

• “Risks Related to Our Business Operations—Trade matters may disrupt our supply chain,”
• "Risks Related to Our Business Operations—Our business is subject to risks associated with global sourcing and manufacturing,"
• "Risks Related to Our Business Operations—Risks associated with importing merchandise from foreign countries, including failure of our vendors to adhere to our Code of Vendor Conduct, could harm our business," and
• “General Risks—Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, negative global climate patterns, or other catastrophic events.”

Seasonal Business and other Macroeconomic Conditions

Our business typically follows a seasonal pattern, with sales peaking during the end-of-year holiday period. Additionally, other macroeconomic conditions such as uncertainty surrounding inflationary pressures, global geopolitical instability, and changes related to government fiscal, monetary, and tax policies including changes in interest rates, tax rates, duties, tariffs, and other restrictions, have had and may continue to have an impact on customer behavior that could result in temporary changes in the seasonality of our business. For additional information on risks related to macroeconomic conditions, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions—Global economic conditions have and could continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Brand Building

Our ability to develop and evolve our existing brands is a key to our success. We believe our distinct brands are among our most important assets. Virtually all aspects of brand development, from product design and distribution to marketing, merchandising, and shopping environments, are controlled by Gap Inc. employees. We continue to invest in our business and enhance the customer experience through ongoing supply chain, digital, marketing, and omni-channel initiatives. For additional information on risks related to building our brands, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Strategic Transactions and Investments—Our investments in customer, digital, omni-channel, and other strategic initiatives may not deliver the results we anticipate” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Trademarks and Service Marks

We own the material trademarks used in connection with the marketing, distribution, and sale of our products, domestically and internationally, where our products are currently sold or manufactured. Our major trademarks include the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta trademarks and service marks, and certain other trademarks and service marks. We have obtained and continue to maintain registrations for these marks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, China, and numerous other countries throughout the world. In addition, we own domain names for our primary trademarks and numerous copyright registrations. We intend to continue to strategically register, both domestically and internationally, trademarks, domain names, and copyrights that we utilize today and those we may develop in the future. We will continue to aggressively police our intellectual property and pursue those who infringe our intellectual property rights, both domestically and internationally. We believe the distinctive trademarks we use in connection with our products are important in building our brand image and distinguishing our products from those of others.

Franchise and Licensing

We have franchise agreements to operate Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta in about 40 countries around the world. Under these agreements, third parties operate, or will operate, stores and websites that sell apparel and related products under our brand names. We also have licensing agreements with licensees to sell products using our brand names. For additional information on risks related to our franchise and licensing business, see the below sections in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

• “Risks Related to Strategic Transactions and Investments—Our franchise and licensing businesses are subject to certain risks not directly within our control that could impair the value of our brands,” and
• “Risks Related to Strategic Transactions and Investments—Our efforts to expand internationally may not be successful.”

Inventory

The nature of the retail business requires us to carry a significant amount of inventory, especially prior to the peak holiday selling season when we, along with other retailers, generally build up inventory levels. We maintain a large part of our inventory in distribution centers. We review our inventory levels in order to identify slow-moving merchandise and broken assortments (items no longer in stock in a sufficient range of sizes or colors) and we primarily use markdowns to clear merchandise. For additional information on risks related to our inventory, see the below sections in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

• “Risks Related to Competition, Brand Relevance and Brand Execution—We must successfully gauge apparel trends and changing consumer preferences to succeed,"
• "Risks Related to Our Business Operations—If we are unable to manage our inventory and fulfillment operations effectively, our results of operations could be adversely affected,"
• "Risks Related to Our Business Operations—Failure to protect our inventory from loss and theft may adversely affect our results of operations," and
• “General Risks—Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, negative global climate patterns, or other catastrophic events.”

Competitors

The global apparel retail industry is highly competitive. We compete with local, national, and global apparel retailers. For additional information on risks related to competition, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—“Risks Related to Competition, Brand Relevance and Brand Execution—Our business is highly competitive” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Human Capital

As of February 1, 2025, we had a workforce of approximately 82,000 employees. We also hire seasonal employees, primarily during the peak holiday selling season. As of February 1, 2025, approximately 84 percent of employees worked in retail locations, approximately 8 percent of employees worked in distribution centers, and approximately 8 percent of employees worked in headquarters locations. In addition, as of that date, approximately 82 percent of employees were located in the U.S. and approximately 18 percent of employees were located outside of the U.S., with a majority of those non-U.S. based employees located in Canada and Japan.

We are powered by passionate people who strive to inspire authentic self-expression and keep our brands at the forefront of culture. We know that in order to remain competitive in the retail apparel industry, we must attract, develop, and retain skilled employees in our design, merchandising, supply chain, marketing, information technology, and other functions, as well as in our stores and distribution centers. We value the importance of our human capital and prioritize developing our talent; creating an inclusive workplace and fostering a strong sense of belonging for our employees; pay equity; gathering and actioning on employee feedback; and supporting our employees' health, well-being, and safety.

Talent Development. We provide our employees with resources, experiences, and support to help expand our employees’ skills and shape their careers. Our structured training programs include our Retail Academy, which combines classroom, e-learning, and experiential learning for early-in-career talent; our Rotational Management Program, which develops leaders across a range of corporate functions; our IGNITE leadership training in distribution centers and contact centers, which connects leaders in these functions to support a high-performance culture; and specific skills-building programs for field and store leaders. We have ongoing initiatives to transition seasonal employees to full-time roles in our distribution centers, and to promote store and distribution center employees into corporate functions. All full-time U.S. employees who have completed one year of employment also qualify for an annual tuition reimbursement benefit.

Inclusion and Belonging. As a global company, we believe it is important to promote a culture of inclusion and belonging for our employees, customers, and communities. We strive to foster a workplace where our employees feel valued, respected, and equipped to reach their full potential. We also strive to support our employees so that they feel a strong sense of belonging and connection to our company, and are able to bring their authentic selves to work. We aim to develop leaders who model and promote inclusive behaviors, which we believe creates stronger teams. We also offer opportunities for our employees to celebrate culture throughout the year through heritage month programming and our employee resource groups.

Pay Equity. We continue to conduct internal pay equity reviews to help ensure that our pay practices are fair and competitive.

Employee Feedback. We value our employees' feedback and use opinion surveys to understand what is important to our employees, and to inform ongoing programs and strategies – all to help us foster a thriving, productive work environment, while identifying opportunities for year-over-year enhancements to the employee experience.

Health, Well-being, and Safety. Our employees' health, well-being, and safety are top priorities. We provide an array of financial incentives and health, well-being, and leave benefits to help our employees optimize their professional and personal lives. Our store and distribution center employees are trained on safe work practices and learn procedural knowledge through on-the-job training programs that are aligned to industry and occupational health and safety standards. Dedicated teams analyze risks and collaborate with operational leaders to understand and adjust business practices to align with emerging trends, and our Internal Audit team gauges procedural compliance at distribution centers and stores.

Human Capital Management Oversight. Our Board of Directors (the "Board") through its Compensation and Management Development Committee oversees human capital management issues. The Compensation and Management Development Committee has formal oversight over the Company's policies and strategies relating to its human capital management function, including policies, processes, and strategies relating to employee recruitment, retention, appraisal, and development; talent management; workplace culture and employee engagement; workforce inclusion and belonging, and any risks or goals related thereto; and the Company's general approach to broad-based compensation, benefits, workplace, and employment practices, as outlined in its charter. The Compensation and Management Development Committee receives reports on talent management, succession planning, and inclusion and belonging, and engages on compensation program design for employees at all levels.

For additional information on risks related to our human capital management, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business Operations—Our failure to manage key executive succession and retention and to continue to attract qualified personnel could adversely affect our results of operations” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Government Regulation

As a company with global operations, we are subject to the laws of the United States and the multiple foreign jurisdictions in which we operate and the rules, reporting obligations, and regulations of various governing bodies, which may differ among jurisdictions. Compliance with these laws, rules, reporting obligations, and regulations, which can change, could result in significant costs but has not had, and is not expected to have, a material effect on our capital expenditures, results of operations, or competitive position as compared to prior periods. For additional information on risks related to regulation, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—General Risks—Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and changes in the regulatory or administrative landscape, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Available Information

We make available on our website (www.gapinc.com (http://www.gapinc.com)) under “Investors, Financial Information, SEC Filings” our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish them to the SEC.

Committee charters for each standing committee of our Board (the Audit and Finance, Compensation and Management Development, and Governance and Sustainability Committees) and Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on our website under “Investors, Governance.” Our Code of Business Conduct is available on our website under “Investors, Corporate Compliance.” Any waivers to the Code of Business Conduct will be publicly disclosed on the website.

Environmental, Social, and Governance ("ESG")

Information about our ESG efforts is available on our website (www.gapinc.com (http://www.gapinc.com)) under "Impact, ESG Resources" which provides information on our public commitments, policies, social and environmental programs, ESG strategy, and ESG data. Also available are downloads of our reporting standards and frameworks – Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD"), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board ("SASB") and Global Reporting Index ("GRI") – and our annual ESG reports.

For additional information on risks related to our ESG efforts, see the section entitled “Risks Related to Sustainability and Climate Change” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

The information contained in, or referred to, on our website is not deemed to be incorporated into this Annual Report unless otherwise expressly noted.

Information about our Executive Officers

The following are our executive officers:

Name, Age, Position, and Principal Occupation:

Horacio Barbeito, 54, President and Chief Executive Officer, Old Navy effective August 2022; President and CEO, Walmart Canada from November 2019 to July 2022; President and CEO, Walmart Argentina and Chile from February 2015 to November 2019; and President and CEO, Walmart Argentina from February 2012 to February 2015.

Chris Blakeslee, 47, President and Chief Executive Officer, Athleta effective August 2023; President, BELLA+CANVAS and Alo Yoga from January 2020 to July 2023; and Executive Vice President, Color Image Apparel from October 2017 to December 2019.

Mark Breitbard, 57, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gap brand effective September 2020; President and Chief Executive Officer, Specialty Brands from March 2020 to September 2020; President and Chief Executive Officer, Banana Republic from May 2017 to March 2020; Chief Executive Officer, The Gymboree Corporation from January 2013 to April 2017; President, Gap North America from 2012 to January 2013; Executive Vice President, Gap North America Merchandising from 2011 to 2012; and Executive Vice President, GapKids and babyGap from 2010 to 2011.

Eric Chan, 48, Executive Vice President, Chief Business and Strategy Officer effective January 2024; Chief Financial Officer, LA Clippers from August 2018 to December 2023; Chief Operating Officer, Bouqs Company from February 2017 to August 2018; and Chief Financial Officer, Loot Crate from October 2015 to February 2017.

Richard Dickson, 56, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gap Inc. effective August 2023; President and Chief Operating Officer, Mattel, Inc. from 2015 to 2023; Chief Brands Officer, Mattel, Inc. from 2014 to 2015; and President and Chief Executive Officer, Branded Businesses of The Jones Group (now Premier Brands Group Holdings), which owned a portfolio of premier apparel, footwear, and accessories brands, from 2010 to 2014.

Sally Gilligan, 52, Executive Vice President, Chief Supply Chain and Transformation Officer effective January 2024; Chief Supply Chain, Strategy and Transformation Officer from March 2023 to January 2024; Chief Growth Transformation Officer from April 2021 to March 2023; Chief Information Officer & Head of Strategy from April 2018 to March 2021; and Senior Vice President, Product Operations and Supply Chain from 2015 to April 2018.

Julie Gruber, 59, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary effective May 2021; Executive Vice President, Chief Legal, Compliance and Sustainability Officer, and Corporate Secretary from March 2020 to May 2021; and Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer from February 2016 to March 2020. Ms. Gruber previously held various senior roles within the Company's Legal department.

Katrina O'Connell, 55, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer effective March 2020; Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Innovation, Old Navy from January 2017 to March 2020; and Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Strategy, Banana Republic from March 2015 to January 2017. Ms. O'Connell has previously held various roles at the Company focused on both financial budgeting and forecasting for the Company's portfolio of brands, as well as roles in Supply Chain, IT, Treasury and Investor Relations.

Amy Thompson, 49, Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer effective January 2024; Chief People Officer, Mattel, Inc. from 2017 to 2023; and Chief People Officer, TOMS Shoes from 2012 to 2017. Ms. Thompson previously held several executive and leadership roles at Starbucks Coffee Company from 2006 to 2012.

Our past performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance because actual future results and trends may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the risks and uncertainties discussed below and in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in Part II, Item 7A of this Form 10-K. In addition, historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. The occurrence of any of the following risks or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In such case, the market price of our common stock could decline.

Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions

Global economic conditions have and could continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our business is affected by global economic conditions and the related impact on consumer spending worldwide. Global economic conditions have impacted and could continue to impact our business. Some of the factors that may influence consumer spending patterns include higher unemployment levels; pandemics and other health crises; extreme weather conditions and natural disasters; higher consumer debt levels; inflationary pressures; recession or fear of recession; global geopolitical instability (including in Europe and the Middle East); reductions in net worth based on market declines and uncertainty; home foreclosures and reductions in home values; fluctuating interest and foreign currency exchange rates and credit availability; government austerity measures; changes and uncertainties related to government fiscal, monetary, and tax policies including changes in interest rates, tax rates, duties, tariffs, and other restrictions; fluctuating fuel and other energy costs; fluctuating commodity prices; and reduced consumer confidence and general uncertainty regarding the overall future economic environment. Historically, consumer purchases of discretionary items, including our merchandise, generally decline during recessionary periods when disposable income is lower or during other periods of economic instability or uncertainty.

Deteriorating economic conditions or geopolitical instability in any of the regions in which we and our franchisees sell our products could reduce consumer confidence and negatively impact consumer spending, and thereby could adversely affect our sales and results of operations. In challenging and uncertain economic environments, we cannot predict whether or when such circumstances may improve or worsen, or what impact, if any, such circumstances could have on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, or on the price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Competition, Brand Relevance, and Brand Execution

Our business is highly competitive.

The global apparel retail industry is highly competitive. We and our franchisees compete with local, national, and global department stores, mass-market retailers, specialty and discount store chains, independent retail stores, and digital businesses that market similar lines of merchandise. The apparel retail industry is characterized by low barriers to entry which allow for the introduction of new competitors and products at a rapid pace. We face a variety of competitive challenges in an increasingly complex and fast-paced environment, including:

• anticipating and quickly responding to changing apparel trends and customer demands;
• attracting customer traffic both in stores and on our e-commerce platform;
• competitively pricing our products and achieving customer perception of value;
• maintaining favorable brand recognition, establishing relationships with athletes, performers, influencers, and other celebrities to promote our brands and products, and effectively marketing our products to customers in diverse market segments and geographic locations;
• anticipating and responding to changing customer shopping preferences and practices, including the increasing shift to digital brand engagement, social media communication, and digital shopping;
• developing innovative, high-quality products in sizes, colors, and styles that appeal to customers of varying demographics and tastes;
• purchasing and stocking merchandise to match seasonal weather patterns, and our ability to react to shifts in weather that impact consumer demand;
• sourcing and allocating merchandise efficiently;
• successfully managing our order-taking and fulfillment operations in our distribution centers and on our e-commerce platform;
• adapting to changes in technology, including the successful utilization of data science and artificial intelligence; and
• improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our processes in order to deliver cost savings to fund growth.

If we or our franchisees are not able to respond effectively to competitive pressures, changes in retail markets, or customer expectations in the United States or internationally, our results of operations would be adversely affected.

We must successfully gauge apparel trends and changing consumer preferences to succeed.

Our success is largely dependent upon our ability to gauge and anticipate the tastes of our customers and to provide merchandise that satisfies customer demand in a timely manner. However, lead times for many of our design and purchasing decisions may make it more difficult for us to respond rapidly to new or changing apparel trends or consumer acceptance of our products. In addition, transportation shortages, factory closures, labor shortages, port congestion, and other supply chain disruptions have in the past and may in the future lead to prolonged delays in receiving inventory. The global apparel retail business fluctuates according to changes in consumer preferences, dictated in part by apparel trends and season. To the extent we misjudge the market for our merchandise or the products suitable for local markets, or fail to execute trends and deliver products to the market as timely as our competitors, our sales will be adversely affected, and the markdowns required to move the resulting excess inventory will adversely affect our gross margins and results of operations.

We must maintain our reputation and brand image.

Our brands have wide recognition, and the success of our business depends in large part on our ability, and the ability of our franchisees and licensees, to maintain, enhance, and protect our brand image and reputation and our customers’ connection to our brands. We must also adapt to a rapidly changing media environment, including our increasing reliance on social media and online dissemination of advertising campaigns. Even if we, or our franchisees or licensees, react appropriately to negative posts or comments about us or our brands on social media and online, our customers’ perception of our brand image and our reputation could be negatively impacted. Customer sentiment could also be shaped by our partnerships with athletes, performers, influencers, and other celebrities, as well as our sustainability policies and related sourcing and operations decisions. Our, or our franchisees' or licensees', failure to maintain, enhance, and protect our brand image could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We must successfully implement our marketing efforts.

Customer transactions and demand for our merchandise are influenced by our marketing efforts. We use various marketing channels to drive customer awareness and consideration of and interest in shopping our brands with the aim of increasing sales, and we are increasingly using digital advertising to drive sales and traffic to our e-commerce platform. Some of our competitors may spend more for their marketing programs than we do, or use different approaches than we do, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. In addition, we may not be able to effectively develop or implement digital advertising strategies for rapidly evolving social media and other digital channels. Partnerships with athletes, performers, influencers, and other celebrities may expose us to reputational or other risks. We have experienced fluctuations in our customers’ response to our marketing efforts. If we fail to successfully implement our marketing efforts, if our marketing efforts are not successful in driving expected increases in sales, or if our competitors’ marketing programs are more effective than ours, our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations

If we are unable to manage our inventory and fulfillment operations effectively, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Fluctuations in the global apparel retail markets impact the levels of inventory maintained by apparel retailers. The nature of the global apparel retail business requires us to carry a significant amount of inventory, especially prior to the peak holiday selling season when we build up our inventory levels. Merchandise usually must be ordered well in advance of the applicable selling season and frequently before apparel trends are confirmed by customer purchases. Transportation shortages, factory closures, labor shortages, port congestion, and other supply chain disruptions have in the past and may in the future lead to prolonged delays in receiving inventory. As a result, we are vulnerable to demand and pricing shifts and to suboptimal selection and timing of merchandise purchases. We have not always predicted our customers’ preferences and acceptance levels of our trend items with accuracy. If sales do not meet expectations, too much inventory may cause excessive markdowns and, therefore, lower-than-planned margins. We could also be required to take significant impairment charges on delayed or unproductive inventory, which we experienced in 2022. Conversely, if we underestimate or are unable to satisfy consumer demand for our products, we may experience inventory shortages, which could result in lower than anticipated sales, delayed shipments to customers, and negative impacts on consumer relationships and brand loyalty. Any of these risks could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are continuing to invest in strategic initiatives designed to optimize our inventory levels and increase the efficiency and responsiveness of our supply chain, including vendor fabric platforming, product testing, and in-season response to demand. We are also developing additional capabilities to analyze customer behavior and demand, which we believe will allow us to better localize assortment and improve store-level allocations to further tailor our assortments to customer needs and increase sell-through. These capabilities involve changes to our inventory management systems and processes. If we are unable to implement these initiatives and integrate these additional capabilities successfully, we may not realize the return on our investments that we anticipate, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.

We must also maintain efficient and uninterrupted fulfillment operations to timely and effectively deliver merchandise to our stores and e-commerce customers. In particular, our e-commerce business depends on our ability to maintain efficient and uninterrupted order-taking and fulfillment operations in our distribution centers and on our e-commerce platform. Industries that are seasonal, like ours, face a higher risk of harm from operational disruptions during peak sales seasons. Any disruption to our order-taking and fulfillment operations could adversely affect our sales and results of operations.

Failure to protect our inventory from loss and theft may adversely affect our results of operations.

Risk of loss or theft of assets, including inventory shortage, is inherent in the retail business. Loss may be caused by error or misconduct of employees, customers, vendors, or other third parties including through organized retail crime and professional theft, which may be further impacted by macroeconomic factors, including the enforcement environment. In addition, retail theft may impact guest perceptions regarding the safety of our stores. Our inability to effectively prevent or minimize the loss or theft of assets, or to accurately predict and accrue for the impact of those losses, could adversely affect our results of operations.

Trade matters may disrupt our supply chain.

Our operations are subject to complex trade and customs laws, regulations, and tax requirements. The countries in which our products are manufactured or imported, or may be manufactured or imported in the future, may from time to time impose duties, tariffs, or other restrictions on our imports or adversely change existing restrictions. For example, the United States has imposed substantial tariffs and bans on goods imported from China (including the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act) and has imposed or proposed imposing substantial tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, Canada, the European Union, and from other countries that impose tariffs on U.S. products. In fiscal 2024, less than 10 percent of our merchandise, by dollar value, was purchased from factories in China, and less than 1 percent of our merchandise, by dollar value, was purchased from factories in Mexico and Canada combined. The current political landscape, including with respect to the United States’ foreign policy priorities and relations with trading partners, has introduced greater uncertainty with respect to future tax and trade policy. We are unable to determine the impact that changes in tax and trade policy could have on our global sourcing operations, but it could be material.

Our sourcing operations could also be adversely affected by geopolitical and financial instability in our sourcing countries, as well as U.S. or foreign labor strikes, work stoppages, or boycotts, resulting in the disruption of trade from our sourcing countries, significant fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, restrictions on the transfer of funds, or other trade disruptions. Changes in tax and trade policy, such as the imposition of new duties or tariffs on imported products, or disruptions to our sourcing operations in our sourcing countries, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of apparel available to us and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our business is subject to risks associated with global sourcing and manufacturing.

Independent third parties manufacture all of our products for us. As a result, we are directly impacted by increases in the cost of those products.

If we experience significant increases in demand or need to replace an existing vendor, there can be no assurance that additional manufacturing capacity will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us or that any vendor would allocate sufficient capacity to us to meet our requirements. In addition, for any new manufacturing source, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our vendors in our methods and products, as well as our quality control, environmental, labor, health, and safety standards. Moreover, in the event of a significant disruption in the supply of the fabrics or raw materials used by our vendors in the manufacture of our products, our vendors might not be able to locate alternative suppliers of materials of comparable quality or at an acceptable price. Any delays, interruptions, or increased costs in the manufacture of our products could impact our ability to source product and result in lower than anticipated sales.

A large portion of our global sourcing comes from a few specific countries. For example, in fiscal 2024, approximately 27 percent and approximately 19 percent of our merchandise, by dollar value, was purchased from factories in Vietnam and Indonesia, respectively. Delays in production and added costs in these countries have in the past and may in the future adversely affect our results of operations.

Because independent vendors manufacture almost all of our products outside of our principal sales markets, third parties must transport our products over large geographic distances. Increases in transportation costs or delays in the shipment or delivery of our products due to the availability of transportation, work stoppages, port strikes, port and infrastructure congestion, public health crises, social unrest, changes in local economic conditions, geopolitical instability, or other factors, and costs and delays associated with transitioning between vendors, could adversely affect our results of operations. For example, global trade flows were recently impacted by attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea, and port strikes in the United States. Operating or manufacturing delays, transportation delays, or unexpected demand for our products may require us to use faster, but more expensive, transportation methods such as air freight, which have in the past and may in the future adversely affect our gross margins. In addition, the cost of fuel is a significant component of transportation costs, so increases in the price of petroleum products (including due to inflationary pressures, geopolitical instability, or regulation of energy inputs and greenhouse gas emissions) could adversely affect our gross margins.

If our vendors, or any raw material suppliers on which our vendors rely, suffer prolonged manufacturing or transportation disruptions due to pandemics and public health crises, extreme weather conditions and natural disasters, geopolitical instability, or other unforeseen events, our ability to source product could be adversely impacted which would adversely affect our sales and results of operations.

Risks associated with importing merchandise from foreign countries, including failure of our vendors to adhere to our Code of Vendor Conduct, could harm our business.

We purchase merchandise from third-party vendors in many different countries, and we require those vendors to adhere to a Code of Vendor Conduct, which includes anti-corruption, environmental, labor, health, and safety standards. From time to time, our vendors and their suppliers may not be in compliance with these standards or applicable local laws. Significant or continuing noncompliance with such standards and laws by one or more of our vendors, suppliers or other third parties could subject us to liability, and could adversely affect our reputation, business, and results of operations.

Our failure to manage key executive succession and retention and to continue to attract qualified personnel could adversely affect our results of operations.

The loss of one or more of our key personnel or the inability to effectively identify a suitable successor to a key role could adversely affect our business. We made significant changes to our executive leadership team in recent years and are currently searching for a new brand president for Banana Republic. The failure to successfully transition and assimilate key employees, the effectiveness of our leaders, and any further transitions could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business and future success depends in part on our ability to attract and retain key personnel in our design, merchandising, sourcing, marketing, and other functions. In addition, executing strategic initiatives may require us to hire and develop employees with appropriate and specialized experience. We must also attract, develop, and retain a sufficient number of qualified field and distribution center personnel. Competition for talent is intense and the turnover rate in the retail industry is generally high. Furthermore, we have experienced a shortage of labor for field and distribution center positions, and we cannot be sure that we will be able to attract and retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel for these and other positions in future periods. Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling costs is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates and competitive wage pressures, minimum wage legislation, and overtime and paid leave regulations. Failing to offer competitive wages or benefits, or to manage our workforce effectively, could adversely affect our ability to attract or retain appropriate talent sufficient to meet the needs of our business. Moreover, shifts in U.S. immigration policy could negatively impact our ability to attract, hire, and retain skilled employees who are from outside the United States.

In addition, there has been an increase in workers exercising their right to form or join a union, both generally and in the retail industry, and the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued decisions making it easier for employees to organize. Although none of our U.S. and Canadian employees are currently covered by collective bargaining agreements, we have experienced union organizing activity from time to time, and there can be no assurance that our employees will not elect to be represented by labor unions in the future. If a significant portion of our work force were to become unionized, our culture and operating model could change and our labor costs could increase. Our responses to any union organizing efforts could also impact how our Company and brands are perceived by customers and employees.

Traditional geographic competition for talent has changed as a result of the shift to remote work. If our employment proposition is not perceived as favorable compared to other companies, including due to our requirements or expectations about when or how often certain employees work on-site or remotely, it could negatively impact our ability to attract and retain talent.

If we are unable to retain, attract, and motivate talented employees with the appropriate skill sets, we may not achieve our objectives and our business could be adversely affected.

The global market for real estate is competitive.

Our ability to effectively obtain real estate to open new stores, distribution centers, and corporate offices nationally and internationally depends on the availability of real estate that meets our criteria for traffic, square footage, co-tenancies, lease economics, demographics, and other factors. We also must be able to effectively renew our existing store leases. In addition, we may seek to downsize, consolidate, reposition, relocate, or close some of our real estate locations, which in most cases requires a modification or termination of an existing store lease. For example, we recently completed our initiative to rationalize the Gap and Banana Republic store fleet by closing, net of openings, 344 Gap and Banana Republic stores in North America from the beginning of fiscal 2020 to the end of fiscal 2023. Failure to secure adequate new locations, successfully modify or exit existing locations, or effectively manage the profitability of our existing fleet of stores, could adversely affect our results of operations.

Additionally, the economic environment may at times make it difficult to determine the fair market rent of real estate properties within the United States and internationally. This could impact the quality of our decisions to enter into leases, exercise lease options or renew expiring leases at negotiated rents. Any adverse effect on the quality of these decisions could impact our ability to retain real estate locations adequate to meet our targets or efficiently manage the profitability of our existing fleet of stores, and could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Strategic Transactions and Investments

Our franchise and licensing businesses are subject to certain risks not directly within our control that could impair the value of our brands.

We have entered into franchise agreements to operate stores and websites in many countries around the world. Under these agreements, third parties operate, or will operate, stores and websites that sell apparel and related products under our brand names. We have also entered into licensing agreements to sell products using our brand names. The effect of these arrangements on our business and results of operations is uncertain and will depend upon various factors, including the demand for our products in international markets, the demand for new product categories and our ability to successfully identify appropriate third parties to act as franchisees, licensees, distributors, or in a similar capacity. In addition, certain aspects of these arrangements are not directly within our control, such as franchisee and licensee financial stability and the ability of these third parties to meet their projections regarding store locations, store openings, and sales.

Additionally, certain of our franchisees have in the past and may in the future be unable to make payments to landlords, distributors and suppliers, as well as payments to service any debt they may have outstanding, including to us. We have also provided loan guarantees to various lenders on behalf of certain franchisees, and have guaranteed or are contingently liable for certain franchisees' leases. These arrangements could have an adverse effect on our liquidity and results of operations.

Other risks that may affect our franchisees and licensees include general economic conditions in specific countries or markets, foreign exchange rates, changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, restrictions on the transfer of funds, and geopolitical instability. The value of our brands could be impaired to the extent that our franchisees and licensees do not operate their stores or websites or sell our branded products in a manner consistent with our requirements regarding our brand identities and customer experience standards. Failure to protect the value of our brands, or any other harmful acts or omissions by a franchisee or licensee, could also adversely affect our results of operations and our reputation.

Our efforts to expand internationally may not be successful.

Our current business strategies include pursuing selective international expansion in a number of countries around the world through several channels. This includes our franchisees opening additional stores internationally. We have limited experience operating or franchising in some of these locations. In many of these locations, we face major established competitors. In addition, in many of these locations, real estate, employment and labor, transportation and logistics, and other operating requirements differ dramatically from those in the places where we have more experience. Consumer tastes and trends may differ in these locations and, as a result, the sales of our products may not be successful, or we may not achieve the results we anticipate. If our international expansion plans are unsuccessful or do not deliver an appropriate return on our investments, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our investments in customer, digital, omni-channel, and other strategic initiatives may not deliver the results we anticipate.

One of our strategic priorities is to further develop an omni-channel shopping experience for our customers through the integration of our store and digital shopping channels. Our omni-channel initiatives include cross-channel logistics optimization and exploring additional ways to develop an omni-channel shopping experience, including further digital integration and customer personalization. These initiatives may involve significant investments in information technology systems, data science and artificial intelligence initiatives, and significant operational changes. Our competitors are also investing in omni-channel initiatives, some of which may be more successful than our initiatives. If the implementation of our customer, digital, and omni-channel initiatives is not successful, or we do not realize the return on our investments in these initiatives that we anticipate, our results of operations would be adversely affected.

We have made and will continue to make investments in other strategic initiatives across our business. These initiatives involve, among others, significant investments in product design and development; marketing and media; store operations; supply chain and inventory management; and technology including automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. In addition, we have and may continue to pursue initiatives to simplify and increase efficiencies across our business. These initiatives are subject to many estimates and assumptions, and we cannot guarantee that we will realize any or all of the intended returns, benefits, efficiencies, or cost savings from these initiatives to the extent or on the timelines expected.

Our strategic initiatives also include accelerating growth in certain high-potential product categories, including activewear. We compete with other retailers in these categories, some of which may be larger than us and more established in these categories, and competition is intense, as described above. There can be no assurance that our expansion in these categories will be successful.

We have and may continue to engage in or seek to engage in strategic transactions, such as acquisitions, partnerships, divestitures, and other dispositions, that are subject to various risks and uncertainties and which could disrupt or adversely affect our business.

We have and may continue to engage in or seek to engage in strategic transactions, such as acquisitions, partnerships, divestitures, or other dispositions. In recent years, we transferred our Europe, Mexico, and China businesses to a partnership model, and are awaiting regulatory approvals to transfer our Taiwan business.

We may not be able to complete strategic transactions on anticipated terms or time frames or at all, and such transactions may not generate any or all of the expected strategic, financial, operational, or other benefits if and when completed on anticipated time frames or at all. In addition, these transactions may be complex, and unanticipated developments or changes, including changes in law, the macroeconomic environment, market conditions, the retail industry, or political conditions may affect our ability to complete such transactions. In addition, the process of completing these transactions may be time-consuming and involve considerable costs and expenses, which may be significantly higher than anticipated and may not yield a benefit if the transactions are not completed successfully. Executing these transactions may require significant time and attention from our senior management and employees, which could disrupt our ongoing business and adversely affect our results of operations. We may also experience increased difficulties in attracting, retaining, and motivating employees and/or attracting and retaining customers during the pendency or following the completion of any of these transactions, which could harm our business.

Risks Related to Information Security and Technology

We are subject to data and security risks, which could adversely affect our operations and consumer confidence in our security measures or result in liability.

As part of our normal operations, we receive and maintain confidential, proprietary, and personally identifiable information, including credit card information, and information about our customers, our employees, job applicants, and other third parties. The secure operation of our networks and systems, and those of our business partners, suppliers, and third-party service providers, including those on which this type of information is stored, processed, and maintained is critical to our business operations. These networks and systems are subject to an increasing threat of continually evolving data and security risks, which we must manage.

Security breaches and vulnerabilities impacting our systems and those of our business partners and third-party service providers could cause harm to our systems or compromise data stored on our networks or those of our business partners and third-party service providers, and could expose us to remedial, legal, and other costs which could be material. The retail industry, in particular, has been the target of recent cyberattacks. Our efforts to take appropriate measures to safeguard our information security and privacy environment from security breaches and vulnerabilities, and to train our employees to identify security threats as part of our security efforts, vary in maturity across our business. The constantly changing nature of the cyber threats landscape means that we are not able to anticipate or prevent all types of cyberattacks, and our logging processes may not be sufficient to fully investigate a cyberattack. Additionally, as cybercriminals become more sophisticated, the cost of proactive defensive measures continues to increase. Like our peers, we have been targeted by cyberattacks, which in some cases have been successful.

Actual or anticipated cyberattacks and vulnerabilities may disrupt or impair our operations, and may cause us to incur costs, including costs to deploy additional personnel and protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants. Advances in technological capabilities, new technological discoveries, or other developments may result in the technology used by us to protect transactions and other data being more easily breached or compromised. Measures we implement to protect against cyberattacks and address vulnerabilities may also have the potential to impact our customers’ shopping experience or decrease activity on our e-commerce platform by making it more difficult to use. Data and security breaches can also occur as a result of non-technical issues, including intentional or inadvertent breaches by our employees or by persons with whom we have commercial relationships that result in the unauthorized release of personal or confidential information.

The global regulatory environment surrounding data privacy and cybersecurity is increasingly demanding, and we are required to comply with new and constantly evolving laws, such as various state-level privacy laws in the United States and international laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union and United Kingdom, which give consumers the right to control how their personal information is collected, used, shared, and retained. Our failure to comply with these and other data privacy laws or to secure personal or confidential information could result in significant legal and financial exposure, and a loss of consumer confidence in our security measures, which could adversely affect our results of operations and our reputation.

Failures of, or updates or changes to, our information technology systems may disrupt operations.

We maintain a complex technology platform consisting of both legacy and modern systems. We also increasingly rely on third-party service providers for public cloud infrastructure that powers our e-commerce platform and other systems. Our owned and operated systems require continual maintenance, upgrades, and changes, some of which are significant. Upgrades may involve replacing existing systems with successor systems, making changes to existing systems, or acquiring new systems with new functionality. We are also undertaking significant upgrades to our digital and information technology systems to, among other things, advance our data analytics capabilities; enhance our in-store and e-commerce experiences; improve our product design and development, and supply chain and inventory management capabilities; enable us to more effectively personalize our marketing; enhance the security of and reduce risks associated with our technology systems; streamline our information technology operations; and enable us to work more efficiently. Many of these efforts depend on the continued integration of data science and artificial intelligence within our information technology systems. We have limited back-up systems and redundancies, and our technology systems and e-commerce platform have experienced system failures in the past which have disrupted our business.

There are inherent risks associated with maintaining and replacing these systems, including accurately capturing data and addressing system disruptions. We may not successfully maintain or launch these systems as planned or implement them without disruptions to our operations. Information technology system disruptions or failures, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, or failure to successfully implement new or upgraded systems, could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our results of operations. As we continue to move to their platforms, our reliance on third-party systems means that any downtime or security issues they experience poses a greater risk of a single point of failure. Any failure by our third-party service providers could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our technology systems that support our e-commerce platform may not be effective or function properly.

Many of our customers shop with us through our e-commerce platform, including on our websites and mobile app. Increasingly, customers are using smart devices to shop with us and with our competitors and to compare our products with those of our competitors. We are also increasingly using social media and our mobile app to interact with customers and enhance their shopping experience. We must provide an attractive, effective, reliable, and user-friendly e-commerce platform that offers a wide assortment of merchandise with rapid delivery options and that continually meets the changing expectations of digital shoppers. Our failure to do so, or any failure of our e-commerce platform due to disruptions in telephone or network services, power outages, inadequate system capacity, system hardware or software issues, computer viruses, security breaches, human error, or disruptions due to updates or changes to our information technology systems, could place us at a competitive disadvantage, result in lost e-commerce sales, or harm our brands’ reputations, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Financial Risks

Reductions in income and cash flow from our private label and co-branded credit card programs could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

A third party, Barclays Bank Delaware ("Barclays"), currently issues and services our private label and co-branded credit cards for our Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. Our arrangement with Barclays provides for certain payments to be made by Barclays to us, including a share of revenues from the performance of the credit card portfolios. The income and cash flow that we receive from Barclays depends upon a number of factors, including the level of sales on private label and co-branded accounts; the level of balances carried on the accounts; payment rates on the accounts; finance charge rates and other fees on the accounts; the level of credit losses for the accounts; Barclays’ ability to extend credit to our customers; as well as the cost of customer rewards programs. All of these factors can vary based on changes in federal and state credit card, banking, and consumer protection laws. The factors affecting the income and cash flow that we receive from our credit card arrangement can also vary based on a variety of economic, legal, social, and other factors that we cannot control. If the income and cash flow that we receive from our credit card arrangement decreases significantly, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our business is exposed to the risks of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and our hedging strategies may not be effective in mitigating those risks.

We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to our sales, operating expenses, profits, assets, and liabilities generated or incurred in foreign currencies as well as inventory purchases in U.S. dollars for our foreign subsidiaries. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could also impact consumer spending or adversely affect the profitability of our foreign operations or those of our franchisees and licensees. Global economic and geopolitical uncertainty have in the past and may in the future result in volatility in foreign exchange rates. Financial instruments that we use to hedge certain foreign currency risks may not succeed in fully offsetting the negative impact of foreign currency rate movements and generally only delay the impact of adverse foreign currency rate movements on our business and results of operations.

We experience fluctuations in our comparable sales and margins, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock, our credit ratings, and our liquidity.

Our success depends in part on our ability to grow comparable sales and improve margins. A variety of factors affect comparable sales and margins, including but not limited to apparel trends; competition; current economic conditions (including macroeconomic pressures and geopolitical instability); the timing of new merchandise releases and promotional events; changes in our merchandise mix; the success of our marketing programs (including our loyalty program); supply chain disruptions and transitory costs; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; industry traffic trends; and weather conditions. These factors may cause our comparable sales results and margins to differ materially from prior periods and from financial market expectations. Our comparable sales, including comparable online sales, have fluctuated significantly in the past on an annual and quarterly basis. Over the past four fiscal years, our reported annual comparable sales have ranged from a high of 6 percent in fiscal 2021 to a low of negative 7 percent in fiscal 2022. Over the same period, our reported gross margins have ranged from a high of 41.3 percent in fiscal 2024 to a low of 34.3 percent in fiscal 2022, and our reported operating margins have ranged from a high of 7.4 percent in fiscal 2024 to a low of negative 0.4 percent in fiscal 2022.

Our ability to deliver strong comparable sales results and margins depends in large part on accurately forecasting demand and apparel trends; selecting effective marketing techniques; providing an appropriate mix of merchandise for our broad and diverse customer base; managing inventory effectively; using effective pricing strategies; and optimizing store and online performance. Fluctuations in our comparable sales and margins or failure to meet financial market expectations in one or more future periods could reduce the market price of our common stock, cause our credit ratings to decline, and negatively impact our liquidity.

Our level of indebtedness may adversely affect our ability to operate and expand our business.

We have a secured asset-based revolving credit agreement (the "ABL Facility"). As of February 1, 2025, we had $2.2 billion in principal amount of undrawn commitments available for borrowings under the ABL Facility, subject to borrowing base availability. We also have $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of Senior Notes due 2029 and 2031 (the “Senior Notes”) outstanding. As a result, we are subject to risks relating to our indebtedness.

Our level of indebtedness could impact our business in the following ways:

• make it more difficult for us to satisfy our debt obligations, including with respect to the Senior Notes and ABL Facility;
• increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and external conditions;
• impair our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, or general corporate or other purposes;
• require us to dedicate a material portion of our cash flows from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flows to fund working capital needs, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes;
• expose us to the risk of increased interest rates for borrowings under the ABL Facility, which bear interest at a variable rate;
• limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
• place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness; and
• limit our ability to adjust to changing market conditions.

Any of these risks could impact our ability to operate and expand our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Furthermore, we may in the future incur additional indebtedness, which could intensify these risks and make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and fund our working capital and capital expenditures, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

We may be required to dedicate a substantial portion of cash flows from operations to the payment of principal and interest under our indebtedness. We generated net cash from operating activities of $1.5 billion in fiscal 2024 and ended fiscal 2024 with $2.6 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments on our balance sheet.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on our indebtedness depends upon our future operating performance and on our ability to generate cash flows in the future, which is subject to general economic, financial, business, competitive, legislative, regulatory, and other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flows from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to fund our debt service obligations and other liquidity needs.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investment and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity financing, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We may not be able to effect any such alternative measures (including due to restrictions in our indebtedness agreements), if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all and, even if successful, such alternative actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

If we cannot make scheduled payments on our indebtedness, we will be in default and, as a result, our lenders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, could terminate their commitments to loan money to us, and could foreclose against any assets securing our indebtedness under the ABL Facility, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Covenants in the ABL Facility may restrict our business and could limit our ability to implement our business plan.

The ABL Facility includes covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to do the following under certain circumstances:

• grant or incur liens;
• sell or otherwise dispose of assets, including capital stock of subsidiaries;
• make investments in certain subsidiaries;
• pay dividends, make distributions, or redeem or repurchase capital stock; and
• consolidate or merge with or into, or sell substantially all of our assets to, another entity.

Compliance with these and the other covenants in the ABL Facility may restrict our ability to implement our business plan, finance future operations, respond to changing business and economic conditions, secure additional financing, and engage in strategic transactions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with our financial or other covenants under the ABL Facility or that any covenant violations would be waived in the future. Any violation that is not waived could result in an event of default and, as a result, our lenders under the ABL Facility could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, could suspend commitments to make any advances, or could require any outstanding letters of credit to be collateralized by an interest bearing cash account, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Changes in our credit profile or deterioration in market conditions may limit our access to the capital markets and adversely impact our business and financial condition.

We currently have corporate credit ratings of BB with a positive outlook from Standard & Poor's and Ba2 with a stable outlook from Moody’s. Any reduction in our credit ratings could result in reduced access to the credit and capital markets, more restrictive covenants in future financing documents and higher interest costs, and potentially increased lease or hedging costs. In addition, market conditions such as increased volatility or disruption in the credit markets could adversely affect our ability to obtain financing or refinance existing debt on terms that would be acceptable to us.

Risks Related to Sustainability and Climate Change

Our business is subject to evolving regulations and expectations with respect to environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") matters that could expose us to numerous risks.

Increasingly regulators, customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders are focusing on ESG matters and related disclosures. These developments have resulted in, and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and increased management time and attention spent complying with or meeting ESG-related requirements and expectations. For example, developing and acting on ESG-related initiatives, including design, sourcing, and operations decisions, and collecting, measuring, and reporting ESG-related information and metrics can be costly, difficult, and time consuming, and is subject to evolving reporting standards, including climate and sustainability reporting requirements in the United States and European Union. We may also communicate certain ESG-related initiatives and goals in our SEC filings or in other public disclosures. These ESG-related initiatives and goals could be difficult and expensive to implement, the technologies needed to implement them may not be cost effective and may not advance at a sufficient pace, and we could be criticized or sued for the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of our disclosures. Separately, there is increased scrutiny of companies’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Negative perception of our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, whether due to perceived over or under pursuit of such initiatives, may likewise result in criticism as well as potential litigation or other adverse impacts.

Further, statements about our ESG-related initiatives and goals, and progress against those goals, may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future. In addition, we could be criticized for the scope or nature of such initiatives or goals, or for any revisions to these goals. If our ESG-related data, processes, and reporting are incomplete or inaccurate, or if we fail to achieve progress with respect to our ESG-related goals on a timely basis, or at all, our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Climate change may have an adverse impact on our business.

Our properties and operations, and those of our franchisees, vendors, and other business partners, may be vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, which may include an increase in the frequency and severity of weather conditions and other natural cycles such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, and droughts, as well as shifts in climate patterns. The physical changes prompted by climate change could result in increased regulation or changes in consumer preferences and spending patterns. Such events have the potential to disrupt our operations and those of our franchisees, vendors, and other business partners, cause store and factory closures, and impact our customers, employees, and workers in our supply chain, all of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

General Risks

Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, negative global climate patterns, or other catastrophic events.

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, droughts, and other extreme weather conditions; unforeseen public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics; political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war, labor unrest, and other political instability; negative global climate patterns, especially in water stressed regions; or other catastrophic events or disasters occurring in or impacting the areas in which our stores, distribution centers, corporate offices, or our vendors’ manufacturing facilities are located, whether occurring in the United States or internationally, could disrupt our operations and the operations of our vendors and other third-party partners. Our disaster recovery and business continuity planning may not be sufficient in all instances to respond to the impact of such catastrophic events.

In particular, these types of events could impact our supply chain from or to the impacted regions, and could impact our ability or the ability of our franchisees and other third-party partners to operate stores or websites. These types of events could also negatively impact consumer spending in the impacted regions or globally, depending upon the severity. Disasters occurring at our vendors’ manufacturing facilities could impact our reputation and our customers’ perception of our brands. To the extent any of these events occur, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and changes in the regulatory or administrative landscape, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Laws and regulations at the local, state, federal, and international levels frequently change, and the ultimate cost of compliance cannot be precisely estimated. In addition, we cannot predict with assurance the impact that may result from changes in the regulatory or administrative landscape. Such laws and regulations are complex and often subject to differing interpretations, which can lead to unintentional or unknown instances of non-compliance.

Our failure, or the failure of our employees, franchisees, licensees, vendors, or other business partners, to comply with applicable laws and regulations, and any changes in laws or regulations, the imposition of additional laws or regulations, or the enactment of any new or more stringent legislation that impacts employment and labor, anti-corruption, trade, product safety, transportation and logistics, health care, tax, cybersecurity, privacy, operations, or environmental issues, among others, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes, and claims from time to time, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

As a multinational company, we are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes, and claims (“Actions”) arising in the ordinary course of our business. Many of these Actions raise complex factual, tax, and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. Actions filed against us from time to time include commercial, intellectual property, customer, employment, securities, and data privacy claims, including class action lawsuits. The plaintiffs in some Actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. In addition, we have filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court to defend research credits taken in prior years. Actions are in various procedural stages and some may be covered in part by insurance. We cannot predict with assurance the outcome of Actions brought against us. Additionally, defending against or pursuing Actions may involve significant expense and diversion of management's attention and resources. Accordingly, developments, settlements, or resolutions may occur and impact income in the quarter of such development, settlement, or resolution. An unfavorable outcome could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Risk Management and Strategy

Safeguarding our information systems as well as the information that we receive and store about our customers, employees, vendors, and others is a priority for Gap Inc. We maintain a cybersecurity program with technical and organizational safeguards that is designed to identify, assess, manage, mitigate, and respond to cybersecurity threats, including threats associated with the use of third-party systems. The program leverages our overall enterprise risk management and business continuity planning processes. Cybersecurity risk management processes are also embedded within our operating procedures, internal controls, and information systems.

Annually, employees receive cybersecurity training, and we provide additional targeted cybersecurity awareness and education activities throughout the year. In partnership with external consultants, we periodically conduct “tabletop” exercises with management, our Board and members of our Information Security, Information Technology, and Privacy teams during which we simulate real-life cybersecurity incident scenarios to assess our preparedness, test our incident response plan and highlight potential areas for improvement. Audits of our cybersecurity risk management processes are conducted periodically in order to test the effectiveness of controls designed to prevent and respond to cyberattacks at different levels within Gap Inc. In addition, we maintain cybersecurity risk insurance.

Our Information Security and Information Technology teams manage and monitor our cybersecurity environment. These teams track cybersecurity incidents across Gap Inc., our vendors and third-party service providers to remediate and resolve incidents. Incidents are escalated as appropriate based on a risk assessment framework, including as needed to senior management. Gap Inc.’s Privacy team is involved to the extent data privacy concerns are implicated. We maintain an incident response plan to coordinate activities taken to respond to and remediate cybersecurity incidents. We consult with outside counsel as appropriate, including on materiality analysis and disclosure matters, and senior management makes final materiality determination and disclosure decisions.

Our cybersecurity risk management processes are based on industry-recognized standards. We partner with leading cybersecurity companies to leverage third-party technology and expertise, and we engage with these partners to support monitoring and maintaining the performance and effectiveness of controls implemented in our environment.

To date, our business strategy, results of operations, and financial condition have not been materially affected by risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of previously identified cybersecurity incidents, but we cannot provide assurance that they will not be materially affected in the future by such risks or any future material incidents. For more information on our cybersecurity-related risks, see “Risks Related to Information Security and Technology” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

Governance

Gap Inc.’s Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) oversees the cybersecurity program. The CISO reports to the Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”) and is responsible for assessing and maintaining the Company’s cybersecurity risk management processes. The CISO informs senior management regarding the prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity incidents. The CISO, CTO, and members of the Information Security, Information Technology, and Privacy teams have broad experience and expertise in selecting, deploying, and operating cybersecurity technologies, initiatives and processes around the world. Our CISO has nearly 25 years of experience in the information security and information technology fields. Our CTO has nearly 35 years of experience in these fields, including in technology leadership roles for large companies across multiple industries.

Our Board understands the importance of maintaining a robust and effective cybersecurity program. The Audit and Finance Committee of the Board oversees the Company’s cybersecurity program as well as risk exposures and steps taken by management to monitor and mitigate cybersecurity risks. The CISO provides a quarterly update on the cybersecurity program, on an alternating basis to the Audit and Finance Committee or the full Board.

Our Internal Audit department facilitates an annual enterprise risk assessment ("ERA") that is designed to gather information regarding key enterprise risks, emerging risks, and critical risk events that could impact our objectives and strategies. The Internal Audit department partners with our Information Security, Information Technology, and Privacy teams to gather information about risks related to cybersecurity threats. The ERA is presented to the Board and provides the foundation for the annual Internal Audit plan, management’s monitoring and risk mitigation efforts, and ongoing Board-level oversight. On a quarterly basis, Gap Inc.’s Chief Audit Executive updates the Audit and Finance Committee on the Internal Audit plan. The Audit and Finance Committee also reviews updates to the Company’s enterprise risk profile, including identified cybersecurity risks, throughout the year. Additionally, key third-party dependencies are monitored as part of our overall business continuity planning, with the Audit and Finance Committee receiving periodic updates.

As of February 1, 2025, we had 2,506 Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan, which totaled approximately 30.1 million square feet. Almost all of these stores are leased, typically with one or more renewal options after the initial term. Terms vary by type and location of store.

We own approximately 0.8 million square feet of corporate office space located in: San Francisco, Pleasanton, and Rocklin, California. We lease approximately 0.5 million square feet of corporate office space located in: San Francisco, California; New York, New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Hyderabad, India. We also lease regional offices in North America and in various international locations. We own approximately 9.6 million square feet of distribution space located in: Fresno, California; Fishkill, New York; Groveport, Ohio; Gallatin, Tennessee; Brampton, Ontario, Canada; and Longview, Texas. We also have a distribution center in construction in London, Ontario, Canada with estimated occupancy in fiscal 2025. We lease approximately 0.5 million square feet of distribution space located in: Phoenix, Arizona and Hebron, Kentucky. Third-party logistics companies provide logistics services to us through distribution warehouses in: Chiba, Japan; Hong Kong, China; and New Taipei City, Taiwan. We also use a number of distribution facilities located globally that are leased and operated by third-party logistics providers related to our franchise business.

We do not believe that the outcome of any current Action would have a material effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our Business

We are a house of iconic brands offering apparel, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children under the Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta brands. As of February 1, 2025, we had Company-operated stores in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. Our products are available to customers both in stores and online, through Company-operated and franchise stores, websites, and third-party arrangements. We also have franchise agreements to operate Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Under these agreements, third parties operate, or will operate, stores and websites that sell apparel and related products under our brand names. In addition to operating in the specialty, outlet, online, and franchise channels, we use our omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and physical stores. The shopping experience is further enhanced by our omni-channel services, including buy online pick-up in store, order-in-store, and ship-from-store, as well as enhanced mobile-enabled experiences, which allow our customers to shop seamlessly across our brands and channels. Our brands have shared investments in supply chain and inventory management, which allows us to optimize efficiency and responsiveness in our operations. Most of the products sold under our brand names are designed by us and manufactured by independent sources.

Overview

Fiscal 2024 consisted of 52 weeks versus 53 weeks in fiscal 2023. Fiscal 2023 net sales and operating results, as well as other metrics derived from the Consolidated Statement of Operations, include the impact of the additional week.

Financial results for fiscal 2024 are as follows:

• Net sales for fiscal 2024 increased 1 percent to $15.1 billion compared with $14.9 billion for fiscal 2023.
• Store and franchise sales for fiscal 2024 were flat compared with fiscal 2023 and online sales for fiscal 2024 increased 4 percent compared with fiscal 2023.
• Gross profit for fiscal 2024 was $6.2 billion compared with $5.8 billion for fiscal 2023. Gross margin for fiscal 2024 was 41.3 percent compared with 38.8 percent for fiscal 2023.
• Operating income for fiscal 2024 was $1.1 billion compared with $560 million for fiscal 2023.
• Effective tax rate for fiscal 2024 was 25.8 percent compared with 9.7 percent for fiscal 2023.
• Net income for fiscal 2024 was $844 million compared with $502 million for fiscal 2023.
• Diluted earnings per share was $2.20 for fiscal 2024 compared with $1.34 for fiscal 2023.
• Merchandise inventory as of fiscal 2024 increased 4 percent compared with fiscal 2023.

While we continue to transform, we remain focused on the following strategic priorities in the near term:

• maintaining and building upon financial and operational rigor, through an optimized cost structure and disciplined inventory management;
• reinvigorating our brands to drive relevance and an engaging omni-channel experience;
• strengthening and evolving our operating platform with a digital-first mindset to drive scale and efficiency;
• energizing our culture by attracting and retaining strong talent; and
• continuing to integrate social and environmental sustainability into business practices to support long-term growth.

Macroeconomic factors, including uncertainty surrounding inflationary pressures, global geopolitical instability, and changes related to government fiscal, monetary, and tax policies including changes in interest rates, tax rates, duties, tariffs, and other restrictions, continue to create a complex and challenging retail environment. The macroeconomic environment has had and may continue to have an impact on consumer behavior. We anticipate continued uncertainty related to the macroeconomic environment during fiscal 2025, and we will continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, including consumer behavior and the impact of these factors on consumer demand. For additional information on the risks and uncertainties to our business caused by macroeconomic factors, see the section entitled “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions—Global economic conditions have and could continue to adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations” in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of this Form 10-K.

We identify our operating segments according to how our business activities are managed and evaluated. As of February 1, 2025, our operating segments included Old Navy Global, Gap Global, Banana Republic Global, and Athleta Global. Our brands have similar products, suppliers, customers, methods of distribution, and regulatory environment. We have determined that each of our operating segments share similar qualitative and economic characteristics, and, therefore, the results of our operating segments are aggregated into one reportable segment.

Results of Operations

A discussion regarding our results of operations for fiscal year 2024 compared with fiscal year 2023 is presented below. A discussion regarding our results of operations for fiscal year 2023 compared with fiscal year 2022 can be found under Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in our Annual Report on the Form 10-K for the year ended February 3, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 19, 2024.

Net Sales

See Note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for net sales disaggregation.

Comparable Sales ("Comp Sales")

Fiscal 2024 consisted of 52 weeks versus 53 weeks in fiscal 2023. Due to the 53rd week in fiscal 2023, in order to maintain consistency, Comp Sales for the 52 weeks ended February 1, 2025 are compared to the 52 weeks ended February 3, 2024.

Comp Sales include the results of Company-operated stores and sales through our online channel. The calculation of Comp Sales excludes the results of the franchise and licensing business.

A store is included in the Comp Sales calculations when it has been open and operated by the Company for at least one year and the selling square footage has not changed by 15 percent or more within the past year. A store is included in the Comp Sales calculations on the first day it has comparable prior year sales. Stores in which the selling square footage has changed by 15 percent or more as a result of a remodel, expansion, or reduction are excluded from the Comp Sales calculations until the first day they have comparable prior year sales.

A store is considered non-comparable (“Non-comp”) when it has been open and operated by the Company for less than one year or has changed its selling square footage by 15 percent or more within the past year.

A store is considered “Closed” if it is temporarily closed for three or more full consecutive days or it is permanently closed. When a temporarily closed store reopens, the store will be placed in the Comp/Non-comp status it was in prior to its closure. If a store was in Closed status for three or more days in the prior year, the store will be in Non-comp status for the same days the following year.

Current year foreign exchange rates are applied to both current year and prior year Comp Sales to achieve a consistent basis for comparison.

The percentage change in Comp Sales by global brand and for The Gap, Inc., as compared with the preceding year, is as follows:

27

Store count, openings, closings, and square footage for our stores are as follows:

(1) The 89 Gap China stores that were transitioned to Baozun during the period are not included as store closures or openings for Company-operated and Franchise store activity. The ending balance for Gap Asia excludes Gap China stores and the ending balance for Franchise includes Gap China locations transitioned during the period.

Outlet and factory stores are reflected in each of the respective brands.

Net Sales Discussion

Our net sales for fiscal 2024 increased $197 million, or 1 percent, compared with fiscal 2023, despite the loss of sales attributable to the incremental 53rd week during fiscal 2023. The increase was primarily due to improved Comp Sales driven by Old Navy Global and Gap Global.

Cost of Goods Sold and Occupancy Expenses

($ in millions)

28

Cost of goods sold and occupancy expenses decreased 2.5 percentage points as a percentage of net sales in fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023.

• Cost of goods sold decreased 2.1 percentage points as a percentage of net sales in fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily driven by lower commodity costs. Additionally, there was a benefit from incremental income related to our revenue sharing arrangement from our credit card agreement primarily recognized in the second quarter of fiscal 2024.
• Occupancy expenses decreased 0.4 percentage points as a percentage of net sales in fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily driven by an increase in net sales without a corresponding increase in occupancy expenses.

Operating Expenses and Operating Margin

($ in millions)

Operating expenses decreased $100 million, or 1.1 percentage points as a percentage of net sales during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

• a decrease in advertising expenses of $102 million;
• restructuring expenses of $89 million incurred during fiscal 2023 as a result of actions taken to simplify and optimize our operating model and structure; and
• a decrease in payroll expenses related to our operating model and structure changes; partially offset by
• an increase in performance-based compensation; and
• a gain on sale of building of $47 million that occurred during the first quarter of fiscal 2023.

Interest Expense

($ in millions)

Interest expense primarily includes interest on outstanding borrowings and obligations mainly related to our Senior Notes and tax-related interest expense.

Interest Income

($ in millions)

Interest income increased $26 million during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023 primarily due to higher cash balances, partially offset by a decrease in tax-related interest income.

Income Taxes

($ in millions)

29

The change in the effective tax rate for fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023 was primarily due to changes in valuation allowances in the prior year, tax benefits recognized in the prior year from a U.S. transfer pricing settlement related to our sourcing activities, and changes in the amount and mix of jurisdictional earnings, partially offset by a favorable impact from stock-based compensation.

See Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for further details.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We consider the following to be measures of our liquidity and capital resources:

($ in millions)

As of February 1, 2025, the majority of our cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments were held in the United States and are generally accessible without any limitations.

We are also able to supplement near-term liquidity, if necessary, with our senior secured asset-based revolving credit agreement (the "ABL Facility") or other available market instruments. There were no borrowings under the ABL Facility as of February 1, 2025 and February 3, 2024. See Note 6 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for disclosures on the ABL Facility.

Our largest source of operating cash flows is cash collections from the sale of our merchandise. Our primary uses of cash include merchandise inventory purchases, lease and occupancy costs, personnel-related expenses, purchases of property and equipment, shipping costs, and payment of taxes. In addition, we may have dividend payments and share repurchases. As our business typically follows a seasonal pattern, with sales peaking during the end-of-year holiday period, we fund inventory expenditures during normal and peak periods through cash flows from operating activities and available cash. The seasonality of our operations, in addition to the impact of global economic conditions such as uncertainty surrounding inflationary pressures, global geopolitical instability, and changes related to government fiscal, monetary, and tax policies including changes in interest rates, tax rates, duties, tariffs, and other restrictions, may lead to significant fluctuations in certain asset and liability accounts as well as cash inflows and outflows between fiscal year-end and subsequent interim periods.

Our voluntary supply chain finance ("SCF") program provides certain suppliers with the opportunity to sell their receivables due from us to participating financial institutions at the sole discretion of both the suppliers and the financial institutions. We are not a party to the agreements between our suppliers and the financial institutions and our payment terms are not impacted by whether a supplier participates in the SCF program. See Note 17 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K, for disclosures on the Company's SCF program.

We are party to many contractual obligations involving commitments to make payments to third parties. These obligations impact our short-term and long-term liquidity and capital resource needs. Certain contractual obligations are reflected on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of February 1, 2025, while others are considered future obligations. Our contractual obligations primarily consist of operating leases, purchase obligations and commitments, long-term debt and related interest payments, and income taxes. See Notes 6 and 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for information related to our debt and operating leases, respectively.

Purchase obligations and commitments consist of open purchase orders to purchase inventory as well as commitments for products and services used in the normal course of business. As of February 1, 2025, our purchase obligations and commitments were approximately $4 billion. We expect that the majority of these purchase obligations and commitments will be settled within one year.

Our contractual obligations related to income taxes are primarily related to unrecognized tax benefits. See Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for information related to income taxes.

We believe our existing balances of cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, along with our cash flows from operations, and instruments mentioned above, provide sufficient funds for our business operations as well as capital expenditures, dividends, share repurchases, and other liquidity requirements associated with our business operations over the next 12 months and beyond.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $46 million during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

Net income

• an increase in net income;

Non-cash item

• an increase of $91 million related to the recognition of deferred tax expense in fiscal 2024 compared with deferred tax benefit in fiscal 2023;

Change in operating assets and liabilities

• a decrease of $471 million related to merchandise inventory driven by a slight increase in inventory at the end of fiscal 2024 primarily due to the timing of receipts compared with a significant reduction in inventory in fiscal 2023 as a result of an elevated opening balance of inventory in that fiscal year.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used for investing activities increased $358 million during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

• $247 million of net purchases of short-term investments during fiscal 2024; and
• $69 million less in net proceeds from the sale of property during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023.

In fiscal 2024, cash used for purchases of property and equipment was $447 million primarily related to store investments, information technology, and supply chain to support the customer experience.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash used for financing activities decreased $246 million during fiscal 2024 compared with fiscal 2023, primarily due to the following:

• $350 million for repayments of revolving credit facility borrowings during fiscal 2023; partially offset by
• $75 million in repurchases of common stock during fiscal 2024 compared with no repurchases during fiscal 2023.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure. We believe free cash flow is an important metric because it represents a measure of how much cash a company has available for discretionary and non-discretionary items after the deduction of capital expenditures. We require regular capital expenditures including technology improvements as well as building and maintaining our stores and distribution centers. We use this metric internally, as we believe our sustained ability to generate free cash flow is an important driver of value creation. However, this non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to supersede or replace our GAAP results.

The following table reconciles free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, from net cash provided by operating activities, a GAAP financial measure.

($ in millions)

Debt and Credit Facilities

Certain financial information about the Company's debt and credit facilities is set forth under the headings "Debt and Credit Facilities" in Note 6 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

Dividend Policy

In determining whether and at what level to declare a dividend, our Board considers a number of factors including sustainability, operating performance, liquidity, and market conditions.

We paid an annual dividend of $0.60 per share in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023. In February 2025, the Board authorized a dividend of $0.165 per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2025.

Share Repurchases

Certain information about the Company's share repurchases is set forth under the heading "Share Repurchases" in Note 9 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") requires management to adopt accounting policies and make significant judgments and estimates to develop amounts reflected and disclosed in the financial statements.

Our significant accounting policies can be found under the heading "Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" in Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K. The policies and estimates discussed below include the financial statement elements that are either judgmental or involve the selection or application of alternative accounting policies and are material to our financial statements.

Inventory Valuation

We value inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value (“LCNRV”), with cost determined using the weighted-average cost method. We review our inventory levels in order to identify slow-moving merchandise and broken assortments (items no longer in stock in a sufficient range of sizes or colors), and we primarily use markdowns to clear merchandise. We record an adjustment to inventory when future estimated selling price is less than cost. Our LCNRV adjustment calculation requires management to make assumptions to estimate the selling price and amount of slow-moving merchandise and broken assortments subject to markdowns, which is dependent upon factors such as historical trends with similar merchandise, inventory aging, forecasted consumer demand, and the promotional environment.

We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to calculate our LCNRV. However, if estimates regarding consumer demand are inaccurate, or if global economic conditions change beyond what is currently estimated by management, our operating results could be affected.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, which primarily consist of property and equipment and operating lease assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Events that result in an impairment review include a significant decrease in the operating performance of the long-lived asset, the decision to close a store, corporate facility, or distribution center, or adverse changes in business climate.

Long-lived assets are considered impaired if the carrying amount exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset or asset group over the estimated remaining useful life. The asset group is defined as the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are available and largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. For our Company-operated stores, the individual store generally represents the lowest level of independent identifiable cash flows and the asset group is comprised of both property and equipment and operating lease assets.

For impaired assets, we recognize a loss equal to the difference between the carrying amount of the asset or asset group and its estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the asset or asset group is based on discounted future cash flows of the asset or asset group using a discount rate commensurate with the related risk. For operating lease assets, the Company determines the estimated fair value of the assets by comparing the discounted contractual rent payments to estimated market rental rates using available valuation techniques.

Our estimate of future cash flows requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment, including forecasting future sales and gross profits and estimating useful lives of the assets. These estimates can be affected by factors such as future sales results, real estate market conditions, store closure plans, economic conditions, business interruptions, interest rates and government regulations that can be difficult to predict. If actual results and conditions are not consistent with the estimates and assumptions used in our calculations, we may be exposed to additional impairments of long-lived assets.

See Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for additional information and disclosures about impairment of long-lived assets.

Income Taxes

We are a multinational company operating in multiple domestic and foreign locations with different tax laws and regulations. The Company's management is required to interpret and apply these tax laws and regulations in determining the amount of its income tax liability for financial statement purposes. We record valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of such deferred tax assets will not be realized. In determining the need for valuation allowances, management is required to make assumptions and to apply judgment, including tax planning strategies, forecasting future income, taxable income, and the geographic mix of income or losses in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period may also be materially impacted by changes in the geographic mix and level of income or losses, changes in the expected or actual outcome of audits, changes in deferred tax valuation allowances, or new tax legislation.

On a recurring basis, we assess the need for valuation allowances related to our deferred income tax assets, which includes consideration of both positive and negative evidence to determine, based on the weight of the available evidence, whether it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. In our assessment, we consider recent financial operating results, the scheduled expiration of our net operating losses, potential sources of taxable income, the reversal of existing taxable differences, taxable income in prior carryback years (if permitted under tax law), and tax planning strategies.

It is possible that there will be changes in our business structure, our performance, our industry or otherwise that cause results to differ materially in future periods. If the changes result in significant and sustained reductions in our pre-tax income or utilization of existing tax carryforwards in future periods, additional valuation allowances may be required with corresponding adverse impacts on results of operations. Such adverse impacts may be material.

At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. These audits include reviews of our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income between tax jurisdictions. When an uncertain tax position is identified, we recognize a benefit only if we believe it is more likely than not that the tax position based on its technical merits will be sustained upon examination by the relevant tax authorities. We recognize a benefit for tax positions using the highest cumulative tax benefit that is more likely than not to be realized. We establish a liability for tax positions that do not meet this threshold. The evaluation of uncertain tax positions requires management to apply specialized skill and knowledge related to tax laws and regulations and to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as possible assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolutions of tax audits. To the extent we prevail in matters for which a liability has been established or are required to pay amounts in excess of our established liability, our effective income tax rate in a given financial statement period could be materially affected.

See Note 4 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for additional information on income taxes.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenues primarily include merchandise sales at stores, online, and through franchise and licensing agreements. We also receive revenue sharing from our credit card agreement for private label and co-branded credit cards, and breakage revenue related to our gift cards, merchandise return cards, and outstanding loyalty points, which are realized based upon historical redemption patterns. For online sales, the Company has elected to treat shipping and handling as fulfillment activities and not a separate performance obligation. Accordingly, we recognize revenue for our single performance obligation related to online sales at the time control of the merchandise passes to the customer, which is generally at the time of shipment. Revenues are presented net of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities.

We record sales return allowances and a right of returns asset on a gross basis for expected future merchandise returns, based on historical return patterns, merchandise mix, and recent trends. The actual amount of customer returns, which are inherently uncertain, may differ from our estimates. Sales return allowances are recorded within accrued expenses and other current liabilities and the right of returns asset is recorded within other current assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We also defer revenue when cash payments are received in advance of performance for unsatisfied obligations related to our gift cards, licensing agreements, outstanding loyalty points, and reimbursements of loyalty program rewards associated with our credit card agreement.

See Note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for related revenue disclosures.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See "Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" in Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K for recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Certain financial information about the Company's derivative financial instruments is set forth under the heading "Derivative Financial Instruments" in Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

We have performed a sensitivity analysis as of February 1, 2025 based on a model that measures the impact of a hypothetical 10 percent adverse change in foreign currency exchange rates to the U.S. dollar (with all other variables held constant) on our underlying estimated major foreign currency exposures, net of derivative financial instruments. The foreign currency exchange rates used in the model were based on the spot rates in effect as of February 1, 2025. The sensitivity analysis indicated that a hypothetical 10 percent adverse movement in foreign currency exchange rates would have an unfavorable impact on the underlying cash flow, net of our foreign exchange derivative financial instruments, of $18 million as of February 1, 2025.

Debt

Certain financial information about the Company's debt is set forth under the heading "Debt and Credit Facilities" in Note 6 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

Our Senior Notes have fixed interest rates and are exposed to interest rate risk that is limited to changes in fair value. Changes in interest rates do not impact our cash flows.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments

Certain financial information about the Company's cash equivalents and short-term investments is set forth under the heading "Fair Value Measurements" in Note 7 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, of this Form 10-K.

We have highly liquid fixed and variable income investments classified as cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. All highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the time of purchase are classified as cash and cash equivalents on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Our cash equivalents are comprised of money market funds and time deposits recorded at amortized cost, which approximates fair value, as well as debt securities recorded at fair value using market prices for identical or similar assets. We also have highly liquid investments with original maturities of greater than three months and less than two years that are classified as short-term investments on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. These debt securities are also recorded at fair value using market prices for identical or similar assets.

Changes in interest rates impact the fair value of our debt securities. As of February 1, 2025, we had $253 million in short-term investments which were recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. There were no material realized or unrealized gains or losses or impairment charges related to short-term investments during fiscal 2024. The Company held no short-term investments as of February 3, 2024.

Changes in interest rates also impact the interest income derived from our cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments. In fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, we earned interest income of $112 million and $86 million, respectively.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining an adequate system of internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Management conducted an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (released in 2013). Based on the assessment, management concluded that as of February 1, 2025, our internal control over financial reporting is effective. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of February 1, 2025 has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.