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    Blake Anderson

    Research Analyst at Jefferies

    Blake Anderson is an Equity Research Associate at Jefferies, specializing in supporting research and analysis within the financial sector. While his primary expertise lies in equity research, specific companies or coverage areas, performance metrics, and notable rankings are not publicly detailed. Anderson's career at Jefferies reflects experience in analytical roles, but further information regarding previous positions, quantified track record, or professional licenses is not currently available. No evidence of FINRA securities licenses or major industry recognition is accessible from public sources at this time.

    Blake Anderson's questions to RALPH LAUREN (RL) leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to RALPH LAUREN (RL) leadership • Q1 2026

    Question

    Blake Anderson of Jefferies & Company Inc. asked about key SG&A investment areas for the remainder of the year and whether the guidance implies deleverage in the second half. He also inquired about the revenue growth level needed to achieve SG&A leverage.

    Answer

    CFO Justin Picicci reiterated a philosophy of balanced reinvestment, with key areas being marketing, key city ecosystems, new stores, and digital. He noted that while the cautious second-half outlook is a pressure point on leverage, the company has a proven 'productivity muscle' and can flex variable costs if necessary, highlighting the ability to balance profitability with strategic investment.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to KOHLS (KSS) leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to KOHLS (KSS) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Blake Anderson asked how Kohl's is prioritizing growth between its existing loyal customers and new customer acquisition. He also inquired about recent conversations with national brand partners and the strategy for adding new brands.

    Answer

    CFO Jill Timm clarified that while new customer growth is strong, the primary focus is on re-engaging the core loyal customer by correcting 'self-inflicted' issues, such as reintroducing jewelry and petites and re-emphasizing proprietary brands. Interim CEO Michael Bender added that the current priority is rebalancing the assortment toward proprietary labels, which customers are asking for, rather than adding many new national brands.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to Macy's (M) leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to Macy's (M) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Blake Anderson of Jefferies & Company Inc. inquired about Macy's full-year sales guidance, asking for the company's confidence level and the expected cadence between Q2 and the second half, given the Q1 outperformance. He also asked for more details on the strategic pricing decisions being made to offset tariff impacts.

    Answer

    Chairman & CEO Tony Spring responded that the company reaffirmed its annual guide, viewing it as cautiously optimistic and appropriately reflecting the current uncertainty. He noted stronger performance in March/April and into May. Regarding pricing, Spring explained it's a work in progress, emphasizing the company's optionality across its multi-brand, multi-category model to negotiate with partners and avoid items that are not priced fairly, ensuring they can hold price points where necessary.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to Macy's (M) leadership • Q3 2025

    Question

    Blake Anderson of Jefferies, on for Ashley Helgans, questioned the performance drivers (AUR vs. traffic) in 'First 50' stores and asked about the profile of new customers these locations might be attracting.

    Answer

    CEO Antony Spring stated that the biggest performance drivers have been AUR growth and average order value growth, with existing customers spending more and visiting more frequently. He noted that while some new customers are appearing, most new customer acquisition still occurs through the digital channel. COO & CFO Adrian Mitchell reinforced this, pointing to improved NPS scores and accelerated performance in test categories as proof points of the strategy's success and replicability.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to Macy's (M) leadership • Q2 2024

    Question

    Blake Anderson, on for Ashley Helgans, asked about the consumer assumptions embedded in the second-half sales guide and requested the Q3 comp guidance. He also asked about the full-year gross margin impact from the shift to cost accounting.

    Answer

    COO and CFO Adrian Mitchell clarified that the sales guidance for H2 reflects uncertainty in discretionary spending but also incorporates expected outperformance from 'First 50' locations and digital enhancements. He stated that the impact of the cost accounting transition is not material on an annual basis, advising analysts to focus on the full-year outlook. For Q3, he guided for a gross margin rate of approximately 40.3% to 40.5%.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to Macy's (M) leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Blake Anderson of Jefferies & Company Inc. asked about Macy's confidence in its full-year sales guidance given consumer pressures and the cadence for the rest of the year. He also asked for more detail on strategic pricing decisions intended to offset tariff impacts.

    Answer

    Chairman & CEO Tony Spring expressed cautious optimism, stating the guide reflects current uncertainty but that performance improved through Q1 and into May. He noted the company is well-positioned with inventory and marketing. On pricing, Spring emphasized a surgical, multi-faceted approach involving negotiations with partners, holding key price points, and leveraging Macy's multi-brand portfolio, rather than implementing broad price increases.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to MYTE leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to MYTE leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Asked about trends with the aspirational customer, the marketing spend outlook for H2, and the slight decline in top customers versus the increase in AOV.

    Answer

    Aspirational customer demand is starting to improve, but top customers remain the key growth driver. The slight decline in the top customer base is a result of lower, more performance-focused marketing spend a year ago. The company is now increasing upper-funnel marketing investment to drive future customer growth, expecting the marketing cost ratio to return to normal levels of around 12-12.5% in H2.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to MYTE leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Questioned the company's guidance philosophy regarding seasonal EBITDA weakness, the potential for outperforming the EBITDA margin guidance given strong Q1 gross margin, and the preparatory work being done for the tech integration related to the YNAP acquisition.

    Answer

    The company confirmed that Q1 and Q3 are seasonally weaker for EBITDA margin, but Q1 showed significant year-over-year improvement and is in line with the full-year guidance of 3-5%. They are sticking to the guidance and not changing strategy ahead of the YNAP deal. Regarding the tech integration, preparatory work on Mytheresa's own tech stack can begin based on due diligence, but direct collaboration with YNAP must wait for regulatory approval.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to MYTE leadership • Q4 2024

    Question

    Asked about the key factors that would determine performance at the low versus high end of the sales guidance range, and for more commentary on the performance of the aspirational customer segment.

    Answer

    The company stated that the guidance range is primarily dependent on macroeconomic and political factors rather than specific company initiatives. They noted that the aspirational customer segment is recovering slowly and remains weak, with a full recovery not expected for another 3-4 seasons. Growth is being driven by top customers, while the overall customer count is flat.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to JWN leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to JWN leadership • Q3 2025

    Question

    Asked for commentary on traffic trends at each banner and whether the new Rack stores are attracting a different type of customer or seeing different shopping behaviors compared to existing stores.

    Answer

    Executives reported that traffic was up across both banners with conversion about flat. The new Rack stores attract a similar customer profile to existing stores, one who is drawn to the unique offering of brands associated with Nordstrom. They noted that the Rack customer is more convenience-driven and shops locally, which is why new store openings are a key growth driver.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to JWN leadership • Q2 2025

    Question

    Asked about the performance and inventory position of the designer category, as well as details on initiatives to drive growth at the Nordstrom banner, such as assortment and price point adjustments.

    Answer

    The designer category remains challenging, and inventory is being managed cautiously. Growth at the Nordstrom banner is being driven by a focus on customer service, in-store events, a balanced merchandise assortment, and digital enhancements including the new Marketplace.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to JWN leadership • Q1 2025

    Question

    Asked about the drivers of Rack's performance (value vs. newness), new customer growth, and trends in full-price sales.

    Answer

    The company stated that for the Rack customer, value and newness are linked through great brands; the brand recognition establishes the value. New customer acquisition is strong, meeting or exceeding expectations with new store openings. While not quantifying full-price sales, they emphasized that margin health is driven by a focus on regular price sell-through, which has been strong.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to JWN leadership • Q4 2024

    Question

    Inquired about the 2024 sales guidance breakdown by banner, expectations for AUR versus transactions, the drivers of the EBIT margin guidance, and what is needed for future margin expansion.

    Answer

    The company expects growth from the Rack and digital channels, with Nordstrom stores remaining flattish. AUR is hard to predict but helped drive sales in 2023 despite soft traffic. The 2024 EBIT margin will see some gross margin improvement offset by SG&A investments in new Rack stores and labor inflation.

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    Blake Anderson's questions to Rent the Runway (RENT) leadership

    Blake Anderson's questions to Rent the Runway (RENT) leadership • Q2 2024

    Question

    Blake Anderson of Jefferies inquired about the company's willingness to increase marketing spend to stimulate growth, the most exciting second-half marketing initiatives, and key learnings from reducing promotions amid a challenged consumer environment.

    Answer

    CFO Siddharth Thacker and CEO Jennifer Hyman both responded. Thacker noted a critical evaluation of paid channels to improve efficiency and reinvest savings into brand initiatives. Hyman elaborated on the strategic shift from bottom-of-funnel to full-funnel marketing, including in-real-life events and ambassador programs, to drive organic traffic and reactivate brand love. Regarding promotions, Thacker explained the move to single-month offers and discontinuing less effective promotions, which impacted Q2 subscriber counts but improved business health. Hyman added that the Reserve business's strong growth without new promotions validates their focus on customer experience and value.

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