RealReal Rises After Losing Less Than Expected in Earnings Debut

(Bloomberg) -- The RealReal Inc. rose in late trading after the seller of secondhand luxury goods reported quarterly results for the first time since it’s public offering.

• Revenue rose 51% to $71 million in the second quarter, The RealReal said, beating the estimate of $70.1 million from analysts. The company still posted a net loss, however, although it was slightly narrower than expected.

Key Insights

• The RealReal, which resells luxury goods such as clothing, handbags and jewelry, has carved out space in the high end of a busy pre-owned fashion market. It’s investing heavily, including on its technology platform, and that’s weighing down profits.

• The company provided guidance for the full year, including an expected EBITDA margin range that implies improving profitability as the year progresses. Investors looking for more insight on the near-term will have to wait for the conference call for more.

• Secondhand clothing has been a magnet for investment, with more than $1.1 billion in venture capital raised across the industry in recent years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Competitors include ThredUp, Poshmark and Rebag. Chief Executive Officer Julie Wainwright said the company is working to “instill trust in our marketplace.”

Market Reaction

• The shares rose as much as 20% to $20.42 in late trading Tuesday. That would put it above its IPO price of $20 after a recent decline pushed it below that level.
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To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Bhasin in New York at kbhasin4@bloomberg.net;Olivia Rockeman in New York at orockeman1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anne Riley Moffat at ariley17@bloomberg.net, Jonathan Roeder

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