CARTERS INC

Current report

Our business could be negatively impacted by political and economic risks, including from the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran and related geopolitical instability, that we are exposed to as a result of our global operations.

Current report

We are subject to general political and economic risks in connection with our global operations, including political instability (both in the United States and globally, including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the related economic and retaliatory measures), frequent hostilities between Israel and Hamas, persistent conflict in the Red Sea region, terrorist attacks, and changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, any of which may have a significant adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Economic uncertainty in the United States and abroad has led to growing concerns about the systemic impact of rising energy costs, geopolitical issues, or the availability and cost of credit and higher interest rates, which could further lead to increased market volatility, decreased consumer confidence, and diminished growth expectations in the U.S. economy and abroad. As our customers react to global economic conditions we have seen and may see customers reduce spending on our products and take additional precautionary measures to limit or delay expenditures and preserve capital and liquidity, thereby adversely affecting our customers’ ability or willingness to purchase our products.

Current report

In addition, in late February 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran, which retaliated with missile attacks across the region. Although we do not have material operations in the Middle East, the ongoing conflict and any further escalation, including additional military actions, retaliatory measures, sanctions, disruptions to trade or transportation routes, cyberattacks, or other governmental or market responses, has caused, and could continue to cause, significant disruptions of global energy supplies and increases in global energy prices, heightened inflationary pressures on our input costs and supply chain, negative effects on global supply chains, energy markets, commodity prices, currency exchange rates, financial markets and overall macroeconomic conditions, and adversely impact customer spending patterns in markets in which we operate. While we expect the impacts of conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran to continue to have an effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, we are unable to predict the extent or nature of these impacts at this time.

Previous report

We may not fully realize the expected benefits of our restructuring plans or other operating or cost-saving initiatives, which may negatively impact our profitability.

Previous report

We have recently announced a restructuring plan designed to more closely align our financial resources against the critical priorities of our business and rebalance our cost base to further improve future profitability. We have also implemented several changes to our operating model and continue to refine our operating model in response to business and market conditions. We may not achieve the operational improvements and efficiencies that we targeted in our restructuring plans and operating model changes, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Implementing any restructuring plan or operating model change presents significant potential risks including, among others, higher than anticipated implementation costs, management distraction from ongoing business activities, failure to maintain adequate controls and procedures while executing our restructuring plans and operating model changes, damage to our reputation and brand image and workforce attrition beyond planned reductions. If we fail to achieve targeted operating improvements and/or cost reductions, our profitability and results of operations could be negatively impacted, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term.

Previous report

We face risks related to the uncertainty regarding the future of international trade agreements and the United States’ position on international trade. Significant political, trade, regulatory developments, and other circumstances beyond our control, are expected to have a material impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations if we are unable to successfully implement various mitigating actions.

Previous report

We sell products outside the United States through our multichannel global business model, and we rely on a network of global suppliers, primarily located in Asia. We estimate that Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India will collectively represent approximately 75%, and China less than 3%, of our product sourcing spend in fiscal 2025. In addition, 60% of the fabric that was used in the manufacture of our products in fiscal 2024 was sourced from China. As a result of the tariffs announced on April 2, 2025 by the Trump Administration, we are anticipating increased supply chain challenges, cost volatility, and consumer and economic uncertainty due to rapid changes in global trade policies. We continue to analyze the impact of these tariffs on our business and actions we can take to minimize their impact. We expect these new tariffs to have a material impact on our business and results of operations in fiscal year 2025 and in the longer term if we are unable to successfully implement various mitigating actions noted below.

Previous report

Uncertainty regarding policies of the Trump Administration with respect to the future of trade partnerships and relations, including as a result of the tariffs announced on April 2, 2025 and additional tariffs that may be announced or implemented in the future, are expected to impact our market share, revenue and gross margins and reduce our competitiveness in countries that will be affected by those policies. In addition, these developments may also negatively impact the carrying value of our reporting units and our indefinite-lived tradename assets.

Previous report

As a result of the tariffs announced on April 2, 2025 or additional tariffs or other restrictions, quotas, embargoes, or safeguards that are placed on goods imported into the United States, or any related counter-measures that are taken by other countries, we expect to take actions which may include, but not be limited to, changes to our product assortments, cost sharing with our vendor partners, changes to the mix of production by country, and raising prices to end consumers and our wholesale customers. The actions that we take may not fully offset the impact of tariffs and, as a result, our market share, revenue, gross margins, and results of operations may be materially harmed.