Kasia Davies
Research expert covering global shopping behavior market
lululemon athletica - statistics & facts
For a long time, the global sportswear market has been primarily dominated by brands from the United States and Germany. That is until a Canadian challenger entered the ring and became one of the biggest names in the industry. lululemon athletica Inc. is a manufacturer and retailer of yoga-inspired athletic apparel based in British Columbia. With annual revenue figures of about 350 million U.S. dollars back in 2008, lululemon’s global sales have grown consistently and reached over ten and a half billion U.S. dollars during its 2024 fiscal year. This is more than double the amount generated just four years earlier. Although the company is predominantly known for its up-market women’s leggings and yoga pants, lululemon also markets a menswear range, swimwear goods, and yoga equipment. Recently, lululemon even launched its first footwear products.
The country with the highest share of outlets unsurprisingly accounted for the highest share of revenue. Close to 65 percent of lululemon sales were generated in the headquarters' neighboring country of the United States alone. In fact, only about 20 percent of the company’s sales were made outside of these two countries. This distribution of net revenue also reflects lululemon's global workforce to a degree: of the roughly 39,000 people employed by lululemon athletica, just under half were based in the United States. And like the customer base, the majority of the company’s workforce was made up of women.
Despite all of its success, lululemon has faced some challenges in recent months. In their 2024 annual report, the forecast for the future was not as positive as many people expected which resulted in a fall in their stock prices. One factor that contributed to this was said to be the lack of brand awareness especially outside of the UK, the U.S., and Australia. Another hurdle that the company faced just a few weeks later was the announcement of tariffs from President Trump which again shook the company’s stock prices. The coming year will no doubt present challenges and uncertainty for the company, but they also have a loyal customer base who are likely to continue purchasing their products.
lululemon athletica worldwide
Since its foundation in 1998, lululemon has successfully expanded throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. As of January 2025 (the end of the company's 2024 financial year), the United States held almost 400 of the enterprise's international stores. Canada used to account for the second-highest number of locations, however, the country has recently been overtaken by China, which held over 150 stores. The number of lululemon retail stores worldwide came to more than 750 that year.The country with the highest share of outlets unsurprisingly accounted for the highest share of revenue. Close to 65 percent of lululemon sales were generated in the headquarters' neighboring country of the United States alone. In fact, only about 20 percent of the company’s sales were made outside of these two countries. This distribution of net revenue also reflects lululemon's global workforce to a degree: of the roughly 39,000 people employed by lululemon athletica, just under half were based in the United States. And like the customer base, the majority of the company’s workforce was made up of women.
The rise of e-commerce
Over the years, lululemon's e-commerce segment grew exponentially. 2020 marked the first time the company had generated more of its net revenue through its direct-to-consumer channel than with its corporate-owned stores. DTC sales made up just over half of the total, while the company's physical stores generated less than 40 percent of the revenue. While the coronavirus pandemic may have had a positive impact on lululemon's online sales that year, the spike was not simply a fad, as the DTC segment remained just as lucrative as the physical store segment ever since.Despite all of its success, lululemon has faced some challenges in recent months. In their 2024 annual report, the forecast for the future was not as positive as many people expected which resulted in a fall in their stock prices. One factor that contributed to this was said to be the lack of brand awareness especially outside of the UK, the U.S., and Australia. Another hurdle that the company faced just a few weeks later was the announcement of tariffs from President Trump which again shook the company’s stock prices. The coming year will no doubt present challenges and uncertainty for the company, but they also have a loyal customer base who are likely to continue purchasing their products.
