Ralph Lauren Corporation (RL)

Ralph Lauren's newest filing of note is a Form 8-K of 3 September 2026 about a change in its senior team 1. Halide Alagoz, now Chief Product & Merchandising Officer, becomes Chief Operating & Product Officer on 29 November 2026, after Bob Ranftl retires as Chief Operating Officer 1.

The company said the new role also gives Alagoz leadership of its AI strategy and its architecture and design group 2. The chief financial officer adds real estate and logistics, and the chief marketing officer adds the licensing business 2.

The latest results are for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, released on 6 August 2026: revenue rose 14 percent to $2.0 billion, and diluted earnings per share were $4.28, up 22 percent 3.

Asia revenue grew 24 percent, with China up more than 40 percent, and the average price per item sold in its own stores and online rose 15 percent 310. Gross margin, the share of sales left after product costs, reached 73.7 percent despite tariffs 3.

The company expects fiscal 2027 revenue to grow about 5 percent to 6 percent in constant currency, which strips out exchange-rate swings 3. It expects second-quarter revenue growth centered around the same range 3.

Ralph Lauren was founded in 1967 by Ralph Lauren and has been controlled by the Lauren family since 4. It sells apparel, handbags, fragrances, home goods and hospitality under one brand family 4.

The pandemic was the low point of the recent past, and revenue was $4,400.8 million in fiscal 2021 8. It rose 41.3 percent to $6.219 billion in fiscal 2022 as store closures and other COVID-19 disruptions eased 8.

The recovery came with a trim of the portfolio 4. The company sold Club Monaco as part of its restructuring in the year ended April 2, 2022 4. It also moved Chaps to a fully licensed model 8.

Growth then slowed, and revenue rose 2.9 percent to $6.631 billion in fiscal 2024, driven by the international businesses 7. North America fell 2.3 percent as the company managed sell-ins to wholesale customers to match consumer demand 7.

Fiscal 2025 revenue grew 6.8 percent to $7.079 billion, and comparable store sales, which count only stores open a year or more, rose 10 percent 6. Store count shrank by 20 as concession shops closed in Asia and lower-tier outlets closed in North America 6.

On 16 September 2025 the company presented a three-year plan called Next Great Chapter: Drive, built on three growth drivers: elevating the brand, driving core products, and winning in key cities 9.

Fiscal 2026 was the strongest year of the stretch, with revenue up 14.6 percent to $8.115 billion, including $201.9 million from favorable currency 4. Net income rose to $941.1 million from $742.9 million 4.

Higher prices per item did much of the work, as North America and Asia retail grew on mid-teens growth in average unit retail, the average selling price per item 4. Gross margin rose to 69.9 percent from 68.6 percent 4.

Tariffs shaped the year: in February 2026 the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the IEEPA tariffs applied to the company's imports, and a new round followed 4. The company said there is no assurance it will receive refunds 4.

What it sells

Ralph Lauren designs, markets and distributes luxury lifestyle products in six categories: apparel, handbags, footwear and accessories, fragrances, home, and hospitality 4. Hospitality means restaurants such as The Polo Bar in New York City and the Ralph's Coffee concept 4.

Its brands are grouped as Ralph Lauren Luxury (Collection and Purple Label), Polo Ralph Lauren (including Double RL and the RLX performance line), Lauren Ralph Lauren, and Chaps 4. Ralph Lauren Collection and Purple Label are made predominantly in Italy 4.

How it sells

The company runs 594 retail stores and 644 concession-based shop-within-shops, which sit inside department stores, plus its own websites 4. Wholesale reaches about 9,500 doors, mostly specialty stores, and international licensing partners operate 135 more stores 4.

Licensees make products the company does not: L'Oreal fragrances, Luxottica eyewear and Visual Comfort lighting, each paying royalties on its sales 4. The licensing business sits in the non-reportable segments, about 2 percent of fiscal 2026 revenue 4.

The three regions

North America made up about 41 percent of fiscal 2026 revenue at $3,329.6 million, up 9.2 percent 4. Europe was about 31 percent at $2,538.9 million, up 16.7 percent, of which currency helped $173.8 million 4.

Asia was about 26 percent at $2,103.5 million, up 23.1 percent, led by comparable store sales growth and higher traffic 4. In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, Asia operating margin was 33.5 percent, the highest of the three regions 3.

People, places and suppliers

The company had about 23,600 employees on 28 March 2026, of whom about 9,400 were in the U.S. 4. Patrice Louvet is President and Chief Executive Officer, and Ralph Lauren is Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer 3.

It owns a distribution and call center site in High Point, North Carolina, and leases most other space, including its offices at 650 Madison Avenue in New York 4. Cesar Conde of NBCUniversal News Group joined the board on 15 January 2026, making 12 directors 11.

The company owns no factories, and about 300 suppliers make its goods, none above 5 percent of products, with about 21 percent sourced from Vietnam, 16 percent from Cambodia and 11 percent from India 4.

Rivals and problems

The company says competition is very strong and that some rivals are significantly larger and have more resources, naming no rivals 4. It competes on brand strength, timeless style, quality, value and service 4.

Tariffs and department store troubles are named pressures: the filing notes consolidations, bankruptcies and store closures in that sector 4. Legal matters are described as incidental, with no material effect expected by management 4.

The umbrella, in words

The brand directory runs from Ralph Lauren Collection and Purple Label, through Polo, Double RL, RLX and Lauren, to Chaps and the Pink Pony cancer campaign 4. Exhibit 21.1 lists the subsidiaries by place, among them companies formed in Delaware, France, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Brazil 5.

As of 28 March 2026, Ralph Lauren or entities controlled by the Lauren family held about 85 percent of the voting power 4. All of the Class B shares are owned by Ralph Lauren and entities controlled by the family 4.

For fiscal 2027 the company expects constant-currency revenue growth centered around 5 percent to 6 percent and operating margin expansion of about 60 to 80 basis points, up from its earlier outlook 3. A basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point 3.

Fiscal 2027 is a 53-week year, and the company expects the extra week to add about 1 point to revenue growth 3. It expects a tax rate of about 21 percent to 22 percent and capital spending of about 4 percent to 5 percent of revenue 3.

For the second quarter, the company expects operating margin to expand about 80 to 100 basis points in constant currency, led by gross margin 3. It expects margin gains to be stronger in the first half of the year 3.

The three-year plan from September 2025 expects revenue to grow at a compound annual rate of mid-single digits in constant currency from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2028 9. It expects operating margin to expand about 100 to 150 basis points by fiscal 2028 9.

The company plans to return at least $2 billion to shareholders through fiscal 2028 via dividends and share repurchases, subject to board approval 9. The Next Generation Transformation project, a multi-year overhaul of its systems, is expected to continue over several years 4.

The leadership changes take effect on 29 November 2026 1. The company opened 22 owned and partnered stores in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 and said it is developing key city ecosystems in every region 3.