Company Expects 50 New Experience Locations for Fiscal 2026
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 3 days ago
0mins
For fiscal 2026, the company continues to expect: Net new unit growth of at least 50 experience locations through a combination of corporately-managed, partner-operated, and franchise business models; Commercial revenue growth of at least 20%; Capital expenditures of $22M-$25M; Depreciation and amortization to approximate $16M; Income tax rate to approximate 24%, excluding discrete items.
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Analyst Views on BBW
Wall Street analysts forecast BBW stock price to rise
2 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 38.900
Low
70.00
Averages
70.00
High
70.00
Current: 38.900
Low
70.00
Averages
70.00
High
70.00
About BBW
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an experiential specialty retailer. It creates its own stuffed animals by participating in the stuffing, dressing, accessorizing, and naming of its own teddy bears and other plush toys based on the Company’s own intellectual property and in conjunction with a variety of licenses. Its segments include direct-to-consumer (DTC), commercial, and international franchising. Its DTC segment includes the operating activities of corporately managed stores, other retail-delivered operations and online sales. Its commercial segment includes transactions with other businesses and comprises wholesale sales of merchandise, supplies and fixtures, licensing the Company’s intellectual properties for third-party use, and entertainment activities. Its international franchising segment includes the activities of franchisees who operate store locations in certain countries and includes development fees, sales-based royalties, merchandise, supplies and fixture sales.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Build-A-Bear Workshop Q1 2026 Earnings Call Insights
- Leadership Transition: Build-A-Bear's CEO Sharon John will step down on June 11, yet she will remain engaged as a board member, ensuring continuity in leadership and providing stability for the company's future development.
- Weak Sales Performance: Q1 total revenue was $125.3 million, falling short of expectations primarily due to a 7% decline in domestic traffic and a 26.1% drop in e-commerce demand, indicating the company's vulnerability amid macroeconomic shifts that could impact future market share.
- Commercial Growth Highlights: Despite retail sales pressure, the commercial segment saw a 34% increase in sales, partially offsetting retail declines, showcasing the company's success in diversifying revenue streams, particularly driven by new product launches and nostalgia-driven collections.
- Adjusted Financial Outlook: The company lowered its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $530 million to $550 million while raising pretax income guidance to $72 million to $78 million, reflecting cautious optimism about future profitability despite facing an uncertain market environment.
See More
Build-A-Bear (BBW) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
See More
Build-A-Bear Adjusts 2026 Revenue Guidance
- Revenue Guidance Adjustment: Build-A-Bear Workshop now expects total revenue for 2026 to be between $530 million and $550 million, reflecting considerations of tariffs, labor costs, freight expense changes, and ongoing inflationary challenges, which could impact future profitability.
- Negative Market Reaction: In Thursday's pre-market trading, BBW's stock price fell by $2.00, or 5.29%, indicating investor concerns about the company's outlook, which may lead to decreased market confidence.
- Significant Cost Pressures: The company noted that changes in labor costs and freight expenses will directly affect its profit margins, highlighting the severe challenges faced by the retail sector in the current economic environment.
- Ongoing Inflation Impact: Build-A-Bear emphasized that persistent inflationary challenges will exert pressure on its overall operations, potentially forcing the company to implement more aggressive cost control measures to maintain profitability.
See More
Build-A-Bear Q1 Earnings Beat Expectations
- Earnings Performance: Build-A-Bear reported a Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $1.03, beating expectations by $0.28, indicating strong profitability despite slight revenue decline, showcasing operational resilience.
- Revenue Decline: The company’s Q1 revenue of $125.3 million fell 2.4% year-over-year, missing estimates by $4.33 million, reflecting challenges from increased market competition and slowing consumer spending, which may impact future growth strategies.
- Fiscal 2026 Outlook: For fiscal 2026, Build-A-Bear expects total revenue between $530 million and $550 million, with pre-tax income projected at $72 million to $78 million, demonstrating confidence in future growth despite market uncertainties.
- Expansion Plans: The company aims to add at least 50 experience locations in fiscal 2026 through a mix of corporately-managed, partner-operated, and franchise models, with commercial revenue growth expected to exceed 20%, highlighting its commitment to market expansion.
See More
Build-A-Bear Reports Q1 Earnings Growth Amid Revenue Decline
- Earnings Growth: Build-A-Bear Workshop reported a first-quarter profit of $18.29 million, translating to earnings per share of $1.45, which marks a significant increase from last year's $15.32 million and $1.17 per share, indicating improved profitability.
- Adjusted Earnings: Excluding special items, the company reported adjusted earnings of $12.96 million or $1.03 per share, demonstrating stable profitability despite a decline in overall revenue, reflecting effective cost control measures.
- Revenue Decline: Total revenue for the first quarter was $125.27 million, down 2.4% from $128.39 million last year, indicating challenges in market demand that may impact future sales strategies.
- Full-Year Revenue Guidance: The company provided full-year revenue guidance of $530 million to $550 million, showing management's optimism about future growth despite short-term revenue pressures, reflecting confidence in market recovery.
See More
Build-A-Bear to Announce Q1 Earnings on May 28
- Earnings Announcement Date: Build-A-Bear Workshop is set to release its Q1 earnings on May 28 before market open, with a consensus EPS estimate of $0.75, reflecting a significant year-over-year decline of 35.9%, indicating potential profitability challenges ahead.
- Revenue Expectations: The anticipated revenue for Q1 stands at $129.63 million, representing a modest year-over-year growth of 1.0%, which, while limited, suggests some resilience in the market that may attract investor interest.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Build-A-Bear has surpassed EPS estimates 88% of the time and revenue estimates 63% of the time, indicating a degree of reliability in its financial performance that could bolster investor confidence.
- Revision Trends Observation: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions to EPS estimates, with two downward adjustments, and one downward revision for revenue estimates, suggesting a cautious market outlook regarding the company's future performance.
See More
Build-A-Bear Workshop Q1 2026 Earnings Call Insights
- Leadership Transition: Build-A-Bear's CEO Sharon John will step down on June 11, yet she will remain engaged as a board member, ensuring continuity in leadership and providing stability for the company's future development.
- Weak Sales Performance: Q1 total revenue was $125.3 million, falling short of expectations primarily due to a 7% decline in domestic traffic and a 26.1% drop in e-commerce demand, indicating the company's vulnerability amid macroeconomic shifts that could impact future market share.
- Commercial Growth Highlights: Despite retail sales pressure, the commercial segment saw a 34% increase in sales, partially offsetting retail declines, showcasing the company's success in diversifying revenue streams, particularly driven by new product launches and nostalgia-driven collections.
- Adjusted Financial Outlook: The company lowered its full-year revenue guidance to a range of $530 million to $550 million while raising pretax income guidance to $72 million to $78 million, reflecting cautious optimism about future profitability despite facing an uncertain market environment.
See More
Build-A-Bear (BBW) Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript
See More
Build-A-Bear Adjusts 2026 Revenue Guidance
- Revenue Guidance Adjustment: Build-A-Bear Workshop now expects total revenue for 2026 to be between $530 million and $550 million, reflecting considerations of tariffs, labor costs, freight expense changes, and ongoing inflationary challenges, which could impact future profitability.
- Negative Market Reaction: In Thursday's pre-market trading, BBW's stock price fell by $2.00, or 5.29%, indicating investor concerns about the company's outlook, which may lead to decreased market confidence.
- Significant Cost Pressures: The company noted that changes in labor costs and freight expenses will directly affect its profit margins, highlighting the severe challenges faced by the retail sector in the current economic environment.
- Ongoing Inflation Impact: Build-A-Bear emphasized that persistent inflationary challenges will exert pressure on its overall operations, potentially forcing the company to implement more aggressive cost control measures to maintain profitability.
See More
Build-A-Bear Q1 Earnings Beat Expectations
- Earnings Performance: Build-A-Bear reported a Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $1.03, beating expectations by $0.28, indicating strong profitability despite slight revenue decline, showcasing operational resilience.
- Revenue Decline: The company’s Q1 revenue of $125.3 million fell 2.4% year-over-year, missing estimates by $4.33 million, reflecting challenges from increased market competition and slowing consumer spending, which may impact future growth strategies.
- Fiscal 2026 Outlook: For fiscal 2026, Build-A-Bear expects total revenue between $530 million and $550 million, with pre-tax income projected at $72 million to $78 million, demonstrating confidence in future growth despite market uncertainties.
- Expansion Plans: The company aims to add at least 50 experience locations in fiscal 2026 through a mix of corporately-managed, partner-operated, and franchise models, with commercial revenue growth expected to exceed 20%, highlighting its commitment to market expansion.
See More
Build-A-Bear Reports Q1 Earnings Growth Amid Revenue Decline
- Earnings Growth: Build-A-Bear Workshop reported a first-quarter profit of $18.29 million, translating to earnings per share of $1.45, which marks a significant increase from last year's $15.32 million and $1.17 per share, indicating improved profitability.
- Adjusted Earnings: Excluding special items, the company reported adjusted earnings of $12.96 million or $1.03 per share, demonstrating stable profitability despite a decline in overall revenue, reflecting effective cost control measures.
- Revenue Decline: Total revenue for the first quarter was $125.27 million, down 2.4% from $128.39 million last year, indicating challenges in market demand that may impact future sales strategies.
- Full-Year Revenue Guidance: The company provided full-year revenue guidance of $530 million to $550 million, showing management's optimism about future growth despite short-term revenue pressures, reflecting confidence in market recovery.
See More
Build-A-Bear to Announce Q1 Earnings on May 28
- Earnings Announcement Date: Build-A-Bear Workshop is set to release its Q1 earnings on May 28 before market open, with a consensus EPS estimate of $0.75, reflecting a significant year-over-year decline of 35.9%, indicating potential profitability challenges ahead.
- Revenue Expectations: The anticipated revenue for Q1 stands at $129.63 million, representing a modest year-over-year growth of 1.0%, which, while limited, suggests some resilience in the market that may attract investor interest.
- Historical Performance Review: Over the past two years, Build-A-Bear has surpassed EPS estimates 88% of the time and revenue estimates 63% of the time, indicating a degree of reliability in its financial performance that could bolster investor confidence.
- Revision Trends Observation: In the last three months, there have been no upward revisions to EPS estimates, with two downward adjustments, and one downward revision for revenue estimates, suggesting a cautious market outlook regarding the company's future performance.
See More
