J.Jill, Inc. Sees Significant Improvement in Q2 2026 Results, Raises Guidance for the Year
The company's second quarter 2026 results indicate a meaningful step forward and reflect the progress made across each of its three strategic priorities: evolving the product assortment, enhancing the customer journey, and advancing the way it works.
According to Mary Ellen Coyne, CEO and President, the company delivered results that exceeded expectations and represented a significant improvement in trend from the first quarter. This momentum has carried over into the start of the third quarter, giving the company confidence to raise its guidance for the year, while strategically deploying tariff refunds to invest in the business.
Net sales for the second quarter increased compared to last year, supported by an improving trend in the full price business across both stores and direct. The direct channel benefited from increased markdowns given the seasonal sale period, while stores saw positive traffic for the quarter where teams effectively engaged existing, returning, and new customers.
In terms of profitability, the company delivered adjusted EBITDA of $20.1 million, excluding the benefit of tariff refunds and the actions initiated in the quarter to strategically invest in the business. Coyne emphasized that her confidence in the quarter's results goes deeper than the numbers to the source of the progress, including meaningful improvement in customer acquisition and more effective marketing, stronger product execution, a stabilizing customer file, and accelerating new to brand acquisition.
The company's three areas of strategic focus are evolving the product assortment, enhancing the customer journey, and advancing the way it works. In terms of evolving the product assortment, Coyne highlighted meaningful strength in categories such as outerwear and accessories. The Luxe Lounge collection and the relaunch of denim assortments saw great early results, while customer purchasing behavior and direct feedback pointed to an appetite for more color and more breadth.
The company is constantly evaluating the assortment to ensure it serves both loyal existing customers and newer customers attracted into the brand. Coyne also mentioned modernizing the sub-brand portfolio by consolidating the best-selling pieces of the Wearever sub-brand into the core J.Jill assortment in a way that preserves what customers love about it.
The company's Q2 results demonstrated its ability to adapt and respond to customer needs, with a focus on driving sustainable long-term growth. As Coyne noted, the company is still in the early stages of this evolution, and each quarter brings new learnings, sharper assortment strategies, and continued strengthening of capabilities.
