US footwear company Crocs has revised up its annual financial forecast after reporting a robust start to the 2026 financial year. The company reported sales of $921 million (787.28 million euros) in the first quarter, Crocs said on Thursday. This was supported by strong performance in direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels across the brand portfolio.
Despite a consolidated decline in sales of 1.7 percent compared to the same period last year, or four percent on a currency-adjusted basis, the group exceeded internal forecasts. Growth was primarily driven by the DTC segment, which grew 12.1 percent and reached 10.2 percent on a constant currency basis. In contrast, wholesale sales recorded a decline of 9.9 percent.
International growth offsets decline in North America
The main Crocs brand reported a slight increase in sales of 0.8 percent to $767 million. The brand’s sales in North America fell 6.1 percent to $346 million, but international markets provided the necessary compensation. International sales grew 7.2 percent to $421 million, reflecting the casual footwear label’s global reach.
Crocs Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andrew Rees said the results were “driven by the broad relevance of both brands among consumers and the disciplined execution of our strategy.” Rees noted that the company is encouraged by consumer response to product innovations across categories.
Heydude brand faces challenges in wholesale
The Italian-founded Heydude brand, which was acquired by the group in 2022, experienced a more difficult quarter with a 12.3 percent decline in sales to $ 154 million. This decline was primarily due to a 24.7 percent drop in wholesale sales. However, Heydude’s DTC channel remained a bright spot, growing 8.6 percent to $71 million.
For the full year 2026, Crocs now expects sales to be between a decrease of one percent and an increase of one percent compared to the full year 2025. This is an improvement over the previous forecast, which suggested a more conservative outlook. The group also raised its adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) forecast to a range of $13.20 to $13.75.
In the second quarter of 2026, the company expects Crocs brand sales to increase by between one and three percent. For Heydude, however, a further decline of twelve percent to 14 percent is expected.
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