The RealReal Announces Third Quarter 2021 Results


Third Quarter Gross Merchandise Value Increased 50% Year-Over-Year to $368 million
Third Quarter Total Revenue Increased 53% Year-Over-Year to $119 million
Third Quarter Gross Profit Per Order Improved $4 Year-Over-Year to $94 Per Order

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The RealReal (Nasdaq: REAL)—the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods—today reported financial results for its third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2021. The company reported strong top-line growth as well as solid bottom-line improvements. Gross merchandise value (GMV) increased 50% and 46% compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Third quarter gross profit per order was approximately $94, an increase of $4 per order, or a 4% improvement year-over-year. In addition, the company achieved leverage in all major expense categories in the third quarter of 2021 compared to prior year.

“We are pleased to announce strong results for the third quarter. Our product supply has ramped nicely driven by at-home concierge appointments and our expanded retail footprint. Based on what we know today, we believe the operational and supply impacts to our business from COVID-19 are effectively behind us, and we are well-positioned for a strong holiday season. Additionally, we believe The RealReal’s unique business model is largely insulated from the supply chain shortages and certain of the inflationary impacts many retailers are experiencing,” said Julie Wainwright, founder and CEO of The RealReal.

Wainwright continued, “Like many retailers, we experienced certain pressures to our operations during the third quarter, namely elevated shipping costs and staffing challenges in our authentication centers. To address, we implemented multiple initiatives, including shipping diversification and last-mile optimization as well as training and development programs and a continued focus on automation. The investments we made in 2019 and 2020 to move toward expanded automation in our authentication centers have already begun to show a strong return on investment.”

During the third quarter, The RealReal announced a new Chief Financial Officer, Robert Julian. As an operations- and strategy-focused CFO, Julian has a track record of driving shareholder value and building world-class finance organizations.

“Overall, our business is experiencing very positive trends and we believe these trends will continue through the end of the year and into 2022. While we are in the early innings of delivering operating expense leverage, we believe the company is starting to see the benefits of our previous investments, which will create leverage as we drive toward profitability in the coming quarters,” said Wainwright.

In mid-2021, the company began reporting GMV and average order value (AOV) results, among other top-line metrics, and the company committed to providing these results on a monthly basis through the end of 2021. The company intends to resume a more typical annual and quarterly guidance cadence in 2022 along with committing to a timeline to reach Adjusted EBITDA profitability.

Third Quarter Financial Highlights

  • GMV was $368 million, an increase of 50% and 46% compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
  • Total Revenue was $119 million, an increase of 53% and 46% compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
  • Net Loss was ($57 million) for the third quarter of 2021, compared to ($44 million) and ($25 million) in the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
  • Adjusted EBITDA was ($31.5 million) or (26.5%) of total revenue compared to (37.6%) of total revenue in the third quarter of 2020 and (26.0%) of total revenue in the third quarter of 2019. Adjusted EBITDA includes $0.4 million of COVID-related expenses and $1.4 million of redundant occupancy expenses and productivity ramp associated with our relocation of our authentication center from Brisbane, Calif., to Phoenix.
  • GAAP basic and diluted net loss per share was ($0.62).
  • Non-GAAP basic and diluted net loss per share was ($0.47).
  • At the end of the third quarter, cash and cash equivalents totaled $445 million.
  • GMV growth driven by strong supply growth and buyer engagement in the third quarter of 2021
    • Trailing 12-months (TTM) active buyers reached 772,000, an increase of 25% compared to the same period in 2020.
    • Orders reached 757,000, an increase of 38% compared to the same period in 2020.
    • AOV was $486, an increase of 9% compared to the same period in 2020. Higher AOV was driven by a 10% year-over-year increase in units per transaction (UPT), partially offset by slightly lower average selling price (ASP). UPT benefited from a seasonal shift toward women’s ready-to-wear categories.
    • GMV from repeat buyers was 84% compared to 83% in the third quarter of 2020.
  • Revenue growth driven by GMV growth and higher direct sales, partially offset by lower take rate
    • Consignment and Service Revenue was $89.5 million, an increase of 39% and 30% compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
    • Direct Revenue was $29.4 million, an increase of 115% and 139% compared to the same periods in 2020 and 2019, respectively.
    • Consignment Take Rate decreased 50 basis points year-over-year to 34.9%, but increased 40 basis points sequentially compared to the second quarter of 2021, reflecting normalized category mix partially offset by certain adjustments in the period.
  • Gross Profit per Order increases 4% year-over-year due to higher AOV and higher direct gross margins
    • Gross Profit was $71.1 million, an increase of 44% compared to the same period in 2020.
    • Gross Profit per Order improved $4 year-over-year to $94 per order.
  • Reducing fashion’s impact
    • Since The RealReal’s inception in 2011 through Sept. 30, 2021, consignment with The RealReal saved nearly 22,000 metric tons of carbon and more than 1 billion liters of water.

Webcast and Conference Call

The RealReal will post a stockholder letter on its investor relations website at investor.therealreal.com/financial-information/quarterly-results and host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) to answer questions regarding its third quarter and year-to-date results. Investors and analysts can access the call by dialing (866) 996-5385 in the U.S. or (270) 215-9574 internationally. The passcode for the call is 1875975. The call will also be available via live webcast at investor.therealreal.com along with the stockholder letter and supporting slides.

An archive of the webcast conference call will be available shortly after the call ends at investor.therealreal.com.

About The RealReal, Inc.

The RealReal is the world’s largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods, with more than 24 million members. With a rigorous authentication process overseen by experts, The RealReal provides a safe and reliable platform for consumers to buy and sell their luxury items. We have hundreds of in-house gemologists, horologists and brand authenticators who inspect thousands of items each day. As a sustainable company, we give new life to pieces by thousands of brands across numerous categories—including women's and men's fashion, fine jewelry and watches, art and home—in support of the circular economy. We make selling effortless with free virtual appointments, in-home pickup, drop-off and direct shipping. We do all of the work for consignors, including authenticating, using AI and machine learning to determine optimal pricing, photographing and listing their items, as well as handling shipping and customer service. At our 18 retail locations, including our 15 shoppable stores, customers can sell, meet with our experts and receive free valuations.

Investor Relations Contact:
Caitlin Howe
Vice President, Investor Relations
IR@therealreal.com

Press Contact:
Erin Santy
Head of Communications
pr@therealreal.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, the future performance of The RealReal that are based on the company's current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future operating results, including the amounts of our operating expense and capital expenditure investments or reductions and our strategies, plans, commitments, objectives and goals, in particular in the context of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent social unrest. Actual results could differ materially from those predicted or implied and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Other factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent social unrest on our operations and our business environment, any failure to generate a supply of consigned goods, pricing pressure on the consignment market resulting from discounting in the market for new goods, failure to efficiently and effectively operate our merchandising and fulfillment operations and other reasons.

More information about factors that could affect the company's operating results is included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, a copy of which may be obtained by visiting the company's Investor Relations website at https://investor.therealreal.com or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to the company on the date hereof. The company assumes no obligation to update such statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our unaudited and condensed financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), this earnings release and the accompanying tables and the related earnings conference call contain certain non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of total net revenue ("Adjusted EBITDA Margin"), free cash flow, non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders, non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted, and Contribution Profit. We have provided a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in this earnings release.

We do not, nor do we suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors should also note that non-GAAP financial measures we use may not be the same non-GAAP financial measures, and may not be calculated in the same manner, as that of other companies, including other companies in our industry.

Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance measure that our management uses to assess our operating performance. Because Adjusted EBITDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis, we use this measure as an overall assessment of our performance, to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies and for business planning purposes. Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled metrics of other companies.

We calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net loss before interest income, interest expense, other (income) expense net, provision (benefit) for income taxes, depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation, employer payroll tax on employee stock transactions, and certain one-time expenses. The employer payroll tax expense related to employee stock transactions are tied to the vesting or exercise of underlying equity awards and the price of our common stock at the time of vesting, which may vary from period to period independent of the operating performance of our business. Adjusted EBITDA has certain limitations as the measure excludes the impact of certain expenses that are included in our statements of operations that are necessary to run our business and should not be considered as an alternative to net loss or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period basis and, in the case of exclusion of the impact of stock-based compensation and the related employer payroll tax on employee stock transactions, excludes an item that we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. Investors should, however, understand that stock-based compensation and the related employer payroll tax will be a significant recurring expense in our business and an important part of the compensation provided to our employees. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as net cash (used in) provided by operating activities less net cash used to purchase property and equipment and capitalized proprietary software development costs. We believe free cash flow is an important indicator of our business performance, as it measures the amount of cash we generate. Accordingly, we believe that free cash flow provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management.

Non-GAAP net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated as GAAP net loss plus stock-based compensation expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes, and non-recurring items divided by weighted average shares outstanding. We believe that adding back stock-based compensation expense and related payroll tax, provision (benefit) for income taxes, and non-recurring items as adjustments to our GAAP net loss, before calculating per share amounts for all periods presented provides a more meaningful comparison between our operating results from period to period.


THE REALREAL, INC.
Statements of Operations
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)

 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2021 2020 2021 2020
Revenue:       
Consignment and service revenue$89,451   $64,152   $246,985   $176,006  
Direct revenue29,387   13,645   75,582   37,111  
Total revenue118,838   77,797   322,567   213,117  
Cost of revenue:       
Cost of consignment and service revenue22,714   16,304   64,352   47,253  
Cost of direct revenue25,025   11,964   65,365   31,678  
Total cost of revenue47,739   28,268   129,717   78,931  
Gross profit71,099   49,529   192,850   134,186  
Operating expenses:       
Marketing15,708   15,186   44,378   37,747  
Operations and technology61,135   40,578   172,906   117,858  
Selling, general and administrative44,912   35,384   132,504   101,937  
Legal settlement500      11,788   1,110  
Total operating expenses (1)122,255   91,148   361,576   258,652  
Loss from operations(51,156)  (41,619)  (168,726)  (124,466) 
Interest income55   448   249   2,350  
Interest expense(6,072)  (2,406)  (15,374)  (2,810) 
Other income (expense), net5      22   (89) 
Loss before provision for income taxes(57,168)  (43,577)  (183,829)  (125,015) 
Provision (benefit) for income taxes28   (17)  83   38  
Net loss attributable to common stockholders$(57,196)  $(43,560)  $(183,912)  $(125,053) 
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted$(0.62)  $(0.50)  $(2.02)  $(1.43) 
Weighted average shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted91,859,603   87,869,321   90,995,285   87,176,677  
        
(1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows:       
Marketing$628   $705   $1,924   $1,228  
Operating and technology5,543   2,892   15,789   7,222  
Selling, general and administrative6,421   3,775   18,611   8,461  
Total$12,592   $7,372   $36,324   $16,911  


THE REALREAL, INC.
Condensed Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)

 September 30,
2021
 December 31,
2020
Assets   
Current assets   
Cash and cash equivalents$444,809   $350,846  
Short-term investments   4,017  
Accounts receivable, net6,770   7,213  
Inventory63,876   42,321  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets22,319   17,072  
Total current assets537,774   421,469  
Property and equipment, net83,928   63,454  
Operating lease right-of-use assets146,852   118,136  
Other assets2,857   2,050  
Total assets$771,411   $605,109  
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity   
Current liabilities   
Accounts payable$8,246   $14,346  
Accrued consignor payable60,366   57,053  
Operating lease liabilities, current portion15,229   14,999  
Other accrued and current liabilities84,921   61,862  
Total current liabilities168,762   148,260  
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion145,787   115,084  
Convertible senior notes, net344,245   149,188  
Other noncurrent liabilities1,900   1,284  
Total liabilities660,694   413,816  
Stockholders’ equity:   
Common stock, $0.00001 par value; 500,000,000 shares
   authorized as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020;
   92,289,799 and 89,301,664 shares issued and outstanding
   as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020,
   respectively
1   1  
Additional paid-in capital826,649   723,302  
Accumulated other comprehensive income   11  
Accumulated deficit(715,933)  (532,021) 
Total stockholders’ equity110,717   191,293  
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$771,411   $605,109  


THE REALREAL, INC.
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)

 Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2021 2020
Cash flows from operating activities:   
Net loss$(183,912)  $(125,053) 
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities:   
Depreciation and amortization17,840   13,673  
Stock-based compensation expense36,324   16,911  
Reduction of operating lease right-of-use assets14,765   12,003  
Bad debt expense637   661  
Accrued interest on convertible notes1,525   1,496  
Accretion of debt discounts and issuance costs9,854   1,268  
Loss on retirement of property and equipment404     
Other adjustments10   (75) 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:   
Accounts receivable, net(194)  2,559  
Inventory(21,555)  4,927  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets(5,330)  (4,626) 
Other assets(807)  578  
Operating lease liability(12,548)  (8,710) 
Accounts payable(6,220)  (4,164) 
Accrued consignor payable3,313   (8,330) 
Other accrued and current liabilities21,951   1,015  
Other noncurrent liabilities556   (150) 
Net cash used in operating activities(123,387)  (96,017) 
Cash flow from investing activities:   
Purchases of short-term investments   (73,280) 
Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments4,000   222,217  
Proceeds from sale of short-term investments   7,932  
Capitalized proprietary software development costs(7,455)  (6,640) 
Purchases of property and equipment(30,303)  (15,685) 
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities(33,758)  134,544  
Cash flow from financing activities:   
Proceeds from issuance of 2025 convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs   166,278  
Purchase of capped calls in conjunction with the issuance of the 2025 convertible senior notes   (22,546) 
Proceeds from issuance of 2028 convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs278,234     
Purchase of capped calls in conjunction with the issuance of the 2028 convertible senior notes(33,666)    
Proceeds from exercise of stock options5,452   7,135  
Proceeds from issuance of stock in connection with the Employee Stock Purchase Program1,092     
Taxes paid related to restricted stock vesting(4)  (748) 
Net cash provided by financing activities251,108   150,119  
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents93,963   188,646  
Cash and cash equivalents   
Beginning of period350,846   154,446  
End of period$444,809   $343,092  

The following table reflects the reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated (in thousands):

 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2021 2020 2021 2020
Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation:       
Net loss$(57,196)  $(43,560)  $(183,912)  $(125,053) 
Depreciation and amortization6,034   4,917   17,840   13,673  
Stock-based compensation12,592   7,372   36,324   16,911  
Payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions (1)245      967     
Legal fees reimbursement benefit (2)(500)     (500)    
Legal settlement (3)500      11,788   1,110  
Restructuring charges (4)811   72   2,314   514  
Interest income(55)  (448)  (249)  (2,350) 
Interest expense6,072   2,406   15,374   2,810  
Other (income) expense, net(5)     (22)  89  
Provision for income taxes28   (17)  83   38  
Adjusted EBITDA$(31,474)  $(29,258)  $(99,993)  $(92,258) 

(1) We exclude employer payroll tax expense related to employee stock-based transactions because we believe that excluding this item provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our operating results. In particular, this expense is dependent on the price of our common stock at the time of vesting or exercise, which may vary from period to period, and other factors that are beyond our control and do not correlate to the operation of the business. When evaluating the performance of our business and making operating plans, we do not consider these items. Similar charges were not adjusted in prior periods as they were not material.
(2) During the nine months ended 9/30/21, we received insurance reimbursement of $3.2 million related to legal fees for a certain matter, of which $2.7 million have been applied to the current year's legal expenses.
(3) On November 5, 2021, a stipulation of settlement was filed with the federal court to settle the putative shareholder class action filed against us, our officers and directors, and the underwriters for the Company’s initial public offering. The stipulation of settlement is subject to preliminary and final approval by the court. The financial terms of the settlement stipulation provide that the Company will pay $11.0 million within thirty (30) days of the later of preliminary approval of the settlement or plaintiff’s counsel providing payment instructions. Also on November 5, 2021, a stipulation of settlement was filed in the derivative case filed against us as a nominal defendant and our officers and directors as defendants. The stipulation of settlement is subject to preliminary and final approval by the court. The financial terms of the settlement stipulation provide that the Company will pay $0.5 million within thirty (30) days of the later of preliminary approval of the settlement or plaintiff’s counsel providing payment instructions.
(4) The restructuring charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 comprise of the costs to transition operations from the Brisbane warehouse to our new Phoenix warehouse. The restructuring charges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 consist of COVID-19 related costs including employee severance.


A reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, in order to calculate non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders per share, basic and diluted, is as follows (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2021 2020 2021 2020
Net loss$(57,196)  $(43,560)  $(183,912)  $(125,053) 
Stock-based compensation12,592   7,372   36,324   16,911  
Payroll tax expense on employee stock transactions245      967     
Legal fees reimbursement benefit(500)     (500)    
Legal settlement500      11,788   1,110  
Restructuring charges811   72   2,314   514  
Provision for income taxes28   (17)  83   38  
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders$(43,520)  $(36,133)  $(132,936)  $(106,480) 
Weighted-average common shares outstanding used to calculate Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders per share, basic and diluted91,859,603   87,869,321   90,995,285   87,176,677  
Non-GAAP net loss attributable to common stockholders per share, basic and diluted$(0.47)  $(0.41)  $(1.46)  $(1.22) 


The following table presents a reconciliation of net cash used in operating activities to free cash flow for each of the periods indicated (in thousands):

 Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
 2021 2020 2021 2020
Net cash used in operating activities$(35,071)  $(9,436)  $(123,387)  $(96,017) 
Purchase of property and equipment and capitalized proprietary software development costs(12,295)  (7,685)  (37,758)  (22,325) 
Free Cash Flow$(47,366)  $(17,121)  $(161,145)  $(118,342) 


Key Financial and Operating Metrics:

 September 30,
2019
 December 31,
2019
 March 31,
2020
 June 30,
2020
 September 30,
2020
 December 31, 2020 March 31,
2021
 June 30,
2021
 September 30,
2021
    
GMV$252,766  $302,975  $257,606  $182,771  $245,355  $301,219  $327,327  $350,001  $367,925 
NMV$186,617  $219,508  $184,625  $139,797  $189,059  $223,390  $244,162  $256,509  $273,417 
Consignment and Services Revenue$69,067  $81,386  $65,086  $46,768  $64,152  $71,320  $75,082  $82,452  $89,451 
Direct Revenue$12,271  $11,209  $12,942  $10,523  $13,645  $15,512  $23,735  $22,460  $29,387 
Number of Orders577  637  574  438  550  671  690  673  757 
Take Rate36.8% 36.2% 36.2% 36.0% 35.4% 35.7% 34.3% 34.5% 34.9%
Active Buyers543  582  602  612  617  649  687  730  772 
AOV$438  $476  $449  $417  $446  $449  $474  $520  $486 
% of GMV from Repeat Buyers81.8% 82.9% 84.4% 82.3% 82.9% 82.4% 83.6% 84.5% 84.1%