Stitch Fix quarterly results top estimates; adds kid's line, new chief marketing officer

Stitch Fix on Thursday reported quarterly revenue and profit that blew past Wall Street estimates, as it added more subscribers to its personalised online clothing service, triggering a 12 percent rise in its shares.

Stitch Fix, which uses a mix of algorithms and suggestions from expert stylists to select and ship bespoke outfits for customers, said subscriptions surged 30 percent in the third quarter and that it now had 2.7 million active clients.

The company also said it would launch Stitch Fix Kids, a personalised platform to shop for children’s apparel.

Stitch Fix started out in womenswear before expanding into men’s in 2016. In 2017, it launched plus sizes and contemporary looks, with intimates coming into play this year, making the entry into the kid's segment a natural progression for the company.

The subscription service said that instead of the usual five items sent to adults as a baseline, kids will get eight to 12 per 'fix'.

Stitch Fix posted a profit of $9.5 million, or 9 cents per share, in the three months ended April 28 from a loss of $9.6 million, or 38 cents per share, a year earlier.

Net sales rose 29 percent to $316.7 million.

Analysts were expecting a profit of 3 cents per share and revenue of $306.4 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Along with the results, Stitch Fix said it has appointed Deirdre Findlay, who joins as chief marketing officer.

Previously at Google, Findlay will oversee marking, creative and communications at Stitch Fix. Prior to Google she was senior vice president at Digitas, whose clients include Ebay, Whirlpool Brands and Allstate Insurance.