Citi Trends, Inc. operates as a value retailer of fashion apparel, accessories, and home goods. It offers apparel, such as fashion sportswear and footwear for men and ladies, as well as apparel for kids, including newborns, infants, toddlers, boys, and girls; sleepwear, lingerie, and scrubs for ladies; and kids uniforms and accessories. The company also provides accessories and beauty products that include handbags, luggage, hats, belts, sunglasses, jewelry, and watches, as well as undergarments and outerwear for men and women. In addition, it offers home and lifestyle products comprising home products for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and decorative accessories; and food, tech, team sports, and health products, as well as seasonal items, books, and toys. The company provides its products primarily to African American and Latinx families in the United States. As of January 29, 2022, it operated 609 stores in urban and rural markets in 33 states. The company was formerly known as Allied Fashion, Inc. and changed its name to Citi Trends, Inc. in 2001. Citi Trends, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Savannah, Georgia.
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- Ross Dress for Less or Burlington, but primarily focused on value-priced fashion and home goods for urban communities.
- A fashion-focused Dollar General or Family Dollar, specializing in discounted apparel and home goods for the entire family.
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- Apparel: Offers a wide selection of fashion apparel for the entire family, including men, women, and children.
- Accessories: Provides a variety of fashion accessories such as shoes, handbags, jewelry, and other items to complement outfits.
- Home Goods: Sells an assortment of affordable home décor, linens, and other household essentials.
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Citi Trends (symbol: CTRN) is a specialty value retailer that sells primarily to **individuals** through its network of retail stores. As such, it does not have major corporate customers.
The company primarily serves the following categories of customers:
- Value-conscious urban and rural families: Citi Trends targets families in underserved communities who are looking for affordable fashion, accessories, and home goods.
- African American and multicultural consumers: The company's merchandising, marketing, and store locations are strategically focused on serving this demographic.
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Kenneth D. Seipel Chief Executive Officer
Kenneth D. Seipel was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Citi Trends on November 18, 2024, after serving as Interim CEO since June 1, 2024, and as a member of the Board of Directors since 2019. He is described as a Senior Retail Executive with experience in public and private equity-backed ownership companies, as well as Fortune 500 retail companies. Seipel's background includes leadership in large-scale growth, concept development, expansion, and business turnarounds. Prior to Citi Trends, he served as CEO (and co-owner) of West Marine from 2018 to 2021 and held senior positions at Gabriel Brothers, Wet Seal, Pamida Stores, and Old Navy.
Heather L. Plutino Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Heather L. Plutino was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Citi Trends effective June 27, 2022. Before joining Citi Trends, Ms. Plutino served as Senior Vice President of Enterprise Financial Planning & Analysis and Commercial Finance at Bed Bath & Beyond. Her previous experience also includes roles as Group Vice President of Finance and Treasury at Sally Beauty Holdings and Vice President and Treasurer at Ascena Retail Group. She also held various finance roles at Target Corporation.
Lisa A. Powell Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer
Lisa A. Powell serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer at Citi Trends.
Katrina George Vice President of Human Resources
Katrina George holds the position of Vice President of Human Resources at Citi Trends.
Kyle Koenig Vice President of Stores & Real Estate
Kyle Koenig is the Vice President of Stores & Real Estate for Citi Trends.
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The key risks to Citi Trends (CTRN) business primarily revolve around the sensitive nature of its target customer base to economic fluctuations, the successful execution of its strategic growth initiatives, and underlying profitability challenges.
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Macroeconomic Uncertainties and Consumer Sensitivity: Citi Trends' core customer demographic, primarily individuals with an income of less than $25,000 per year, is highly susceptible to macroeconomic pressures such as inflation, rising interest rates, and potential recessions. A downturn in consumer spending within this segment can directly impact the company's sales, store traffic, and overall profitability, particularly given its relatively high fixed costs.
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Execution of Strategic Initiatives and Operational Complexity: The company is actively pursuing several strategic initiatives, including the implementation of AI-driven inventory systems, extensive store remodels, and ambitious plans for new store expansion. The seamless and effective execution of these initiatives is crucial. Delays, technical issues with new systems, or underperformance of remodeled and new stores could disrupt inventory management, negatively affect the customer experience, and potentially strain the company's liquidity.
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Profitability Challenges and Potential Market Saturation: Despite recent sales growth, Citi Trends has exhibited negative returns on equity (ROE) and assets (ROA), indicating ongoing profitability challenges. Furthermore, the aggressive plan to open numerous new stores in the South and Southeast regions could lead to market saturation, resulting in diminishing returns from existing locations and potentially hindering the overall profitability and growth of the business.
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The rapid expansion and market penetration of ultra-fast fashion online retailers such as Shein and Temu, which offer extremely low prices, vast selection, and direct-to-consumer convenience, posing a significant challenge to traditional brick-and-mortar value apparel retailers like Citi Trends.
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The addressable markets for Citi Trends' main products and services are as follows, representing the overall U.S. market size for each category:
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Apparel: The U.S. apparel market was valued at approximately $564.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 3% during 2023-2028. Another estimate places the U.S. apparel garment industry at around $395 billion as of 2025.
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Footwear: The U.S. footwear market size reached approximately $97.72 billion in 2024 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.80% from 2025-2034, reaching a value of around $141.89 billion by 2034. Other estimates for the U.S. footwear market size in 2024 range from $94.7 billion to $95.1 billion.
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Home Decor: The U.S. home decor market generated a revenue of approximately $237.87 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $392.56 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.9% from 2025 to 2030. Another source estimates the U.S. home decor market size at $215.21 billion in 2025, expected to reach $263.21 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 4.11%.
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Beauty and Personal Care Products: The U.S. beauty and personal care products market size was estimated at $102.73 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2025 to 2030, reaching $155.44 billion by 2030.
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Expected Drivers of Future Revenue Growth for Citi Trends (CTRN)
Over the next two to three years, Citi Trends (CTRN) is anticipated to drive future revenue growth through several key initiatives:
* Strategic Transformation and Operational Enhancements: Citi Trends is undergoing a strategic transformation focused on improving its product offering, inventory management, and overall operational efficiency. This includes tighter assortment discipline, opportunistic buying, and faster inventory turnover, aided by the introduction of a new AI-based allocation system. These foundational improvements are expected to continue driving comparable store sales and enhancing the customer experience, leading to increased traffic, basket size, and conversion rates.
* Store Remodels and New Store Expansion: The company plans to open new stores and remodel a significant portion of its existing fleet. Remodeled stores have demonstrated improved performance, and new store openings, with 25-40 planned for 2026, will focus on attractive expansion opportunities identified through geolocation and transactional analyses.
* Expansion of Product Categories and Assortment: Citi Trends sees substantial growth potential in broadening its product categories. This includes expanding offerings in areas such as plus-sizes for women and extended sizes for big men. The company is also focused on growing its "extreme value" segment, aiming for it to contribute an incremental 10% of top-line sales over time by offering branded products at significant discounts.
* Capitalizing on Off-Price and Extreme Value Opportunities: Leveraging its off-price business model, Citi Trends is well-positioned to capitalize on a dynamic retail environment. This involves aggressively pursuing off-price and extreme value opportunities by sourcing alternative goods and taking advantage of disruptions in the supply chain to offer compelling deals to its value-oriented customer base.
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Share Repurchases
- In December 2020, Citi Trends authorized a new $30 million share repurchase program, with approximately $11.9 million remaining from a prior program.
- The company returned $3.8 million to shareholders through share repurchases in fiscal 2024.
- As of the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (May 3, 2025), $40.0 million remained available under the company's share repurchase program.
Share Issuance
- Citi Trends issues restricted stock and performance-based restricted stock units to key team members and non-employee directors.
- A performance-based restricted stock award valued at $3.36 million was granted to the Chief Executive Officer on November 18, 2024.
- As of August 29, 2025, the company had 8,305,912 outstanding shares of common stock.
Capital Expenditures
- Capital expenditures in fiscal 2024 were $12.1 million, a decrease mainly attributed to opening fewer stores.
- For the fiscal year ending February 1, 2026 (fiscal 2025), anticipated capital expenditures are in the range of $22 million to $25 million.
- These expenditures are primarily focused on remodeling approximately 60 stores, opening up to 3 new stores, and continued investments in systems and distribution centers, including an AI-based allocation system.
