Good day, everyone, and welcome to the Genesco Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Conference Call. Just a reminder, today's call is being recorded. I will now turn the call over to Dave Slater, Vice President of FP and A and Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir.
Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us to discuss our Q2 fiscal 2022 results. Participants on the call expect to make forward looking statements. These statements reflect the participants' expectations as of today, but actual results could be different. Genesco refers you to this morning's earnings release and the company's SEC filings, including the most recent 10 Q And 10 ks filings for some of the factors, including the impact of COVID-nineteen that could cause differences from the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements made during the call today. Participants also expect to refer to certain adjusted financial measures during the call.
All non GAAP financial measures referred to in the prepared remarks are reconciled to their GAAP counterparts in the attachments to this morning's press release and in schedules available on the company's homepage under Investor Relations in the Quarterly Earnings section. I want to remind everyone we have posted a presentation summarizing our results that is accessible on our website. With me on the call today is Mimi Vaughn, our Board Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, who will begin our prepared remarks with highlights from the Q2 And Tom George, our Chief Financial Officer, who will review our Q2 results in more detail and provide direction for Q3. Now I'd like to turn it over to Mimi.
Thanks, Dave. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today. Following an incredibly strong start to fiscal 2022, we delivered an outstanding second quarter performance As our top line accelerated even further ahead of pre pandemic levels and we produced record Q2 EPS That well exceeded our expectations. With much stronger revenue highlighted by robust full price selling In good expense management, our 2nd quarter profit for our footwear businesses also set a new record. The levels at which our business performed during the first half of the year following a challenging fiscal 2021 Reflect the strong competitive positions of our retail and branded concepts, close connections with our customers And the compelling execution of our footwear focused strategy to transform our business and deliver these results.
We are a stronger company coming out of the pandemic. Our results highlight the work we've done to accelerate online sales And enhance our store and omni channel offerings as we create and curate leading footwear brands to be the destination for our consumers' Favorite fashion footwear. Our teams continue to do a superb job providing the right product our customers are looking for, Combined with exceptional service and differentiated shopping experiences, our outperformance was driven by better than Anticipated results across the board, with all businesses exceeding pre pandemic profit levels. As excited as we are with the progress we are making, we are even more excited about our strategy and our future opportunity To build upon this foundation and drive growth, profits and shareholder value. I'll begin by providing some highlights from the quarter.
Both revenue and adjusted operating income exceeded pre pandemic levels, increasing 14% delivered a record Q2 EPS of $1.05 compared with a loss of $1.23 last year And positive $0.15 2 years ago, all on an adjusted basis. Additional highlights include Delivering another strong quarter of digital results with double digit operating profit to achieve a 19% digital penetration. This was driven by a 97% increase in digital revenue compared to fiscal year 2020 as we retained almost 80% of last volume, which was elevated due to store closures. Next, driving much higher conversion and transaction size last year and 50 basis points compared to fiscal 2020, driven primarily by higher full price selling. Leveraging adjusted SG and A by 2 30 basis points compared to pre pandemic levels and further strengthening of our already strong As the vaccine rollout continued and economies on both sides of the Atlantic more broadly reopened, consumers aided by government stimulus Stepped up their footwear purchasing in the quarter and chose to shop with our brands to satisfy their pent up demand.
We were pleased that every channel contributed to the beat versus expectations. Digital has been a key strategic initiative and the investments we've made Have allowed us to double our e commerce business in 2 years. However, we've also talked about how much our customers enjoy our store experience And the important role of our stores as a strategic asset in a compelling omnichannel offering, which proved out once again this quarter. So turning now to discuss each business in more detail, beginning with Journeys. The Journeys team once again did a tremendous job Capitalizing on current market momentum and achieved record revenue and operating profit in the 2nd quarter, Marking the 3rd consecutive quarter with record profitability.
Journeys performance as we emerge from the pandemic Highlights the competitive advantage the business has built and how we are leveraging those advantages to further separate ourselves from the rest of the as the destination for fashion footwear for teens. Leaning into decades of experience and its unparalleled vendor partnerships, Journeys deftly navigated global supply chain disruptions to secure supply of the brands and styles most coveted by its customers. The current fashion cycle, which has been shifting more to casual product, plays into Journeys wheelhouse with strength in the assortment across the board, Highlighted by the balance in its top 10 brands, evenly split in the quarter between casual and fashion athletic. On trend merchandise assortment and effective consumer engagement through social and other channels fueled strong demand and full price selling With particular strength in women's and kids, both store and e com revenue were up compared to pre pandemic levels With digital leading the way, even with much higher conversion rates and transaction size driving store volume. Over in the U.
K, Schuh delivered a solid top line increase compared to the Q2 2 years ago As government mandated lockdowns were lifted and the retail sector experienced its Q1 of mostly uninterrupted operations For the first time since before Christmas, 2 store business rebounded steadily driven by pent up demand And our successful efforts to drive sales of multiple payers. And even as consumers increasingly return to physical shopping, Schuh retained much of the online gains from a year ago, resulting in online contributing almost 45% of total sales. The U. K. Retail market is going through a highly disruptive phase with strong consumer propensity to shop online and with many retail bankruptcies reshaping the landscape.
The Schuh team is taking advantage of this disruption, utilizing its advanced digital offering To strengthen consumer connections during the lockdown and those efforts are paying off as the market reopens and shoppers once again Have the choice to engage with the brand either online or in store. Many of the product and brand trends driving Schuh's performance As usual, are the same as Journeys, but with a slightly heavier tilt toward fashion athletic. Another highlight of the Q2 was the more rapid than expected pace of Johnston and Murphy's recovery, boosted by an improving market environment strong demand for many of the brand's newest product offerings. With the number of social events and family gatherings increasing And more customers returning to in person shopping, retail traffic improved each successive month during the Q2, Building upon the gains in the Q1. At the same time, e commerce revenue grew strongly, increasing over 50% We were especially pleased with the performance of J and M's new athletically inspired casual assortment.
Sell throughs were very strong with many new items selling out in both our direct to consumer channels as well as in the wholesale channel Where J and M gains significant market share. These product launches accompanied by enhanced marketing campaigns Are attracting a younger customer, validating our efforts to reimagine the storied J and M brand beyond its dressier roots Into a modern lifestyle brand with broad consumer reach. With 2nd quarter sales nearing pre pandemic levels combined with Strong full price selling, J and M's operating profit exceeded pre pandemic levels, a remarkable turnaround compared to last year. These trends are adding to our optimism for continued improvement whenever America begins the return to office phase hopefully later this year. Rounding up the highlights from the quarter, Licensed Brands revenue more than doubled versus a year ago, reflecting the growing contribution Although not at the rate we expected due to higher freight costs, which are temporarily pressuring near term margins.
We continue to be very pleased with how Levi's product is selling in accounts ranging from department stores to Journeys Kids to Family Footwear. This has led to a strong order book for the back half and reinforces our excitement About the potential to create value by combining powerful brand licenses with our fully integrated footwear sourcing capabilities. Turning now to the current quarter. We have been pleased with our results to date as sales tracked ahead of pre pandemic levels In August, and we are several weeks into the all important back to school selling season. Last year's back to school was like none before Since most children began the school year learning remotely, this year, the vast majority of students are beginning the school year in person, Which is driving more robust sales.
While the Delta variant, back to work timing and other factors will drive different patterns of consumption in the back half. With a healthy and resilient consumer and the strength of our offerings, We remain confident in our ability to drive sales above fiscal 2020 level for the remainder of the year. We will work hard to continue to successfully implement strategies to overcome the inventory, supply chain, labor, cost pressure and other headwinds that are endemic in our industry today. Tom will give additional details on our outlook. Shifting gears, our footwear focused strategy is working and is delivering results.
This strategy implemented before the pandemic leverages our strong direct to consumer capabilities Across footwear retail and brands and the synergies between platforms. Driving this strategy are 6 Strategic pillars that emphasize continued investment in digital and omnichannel, deepening our consumer insights, Driving product innovation, reshaping our cost base and pursuing synergistic acquisitions, All to transform our business and exceed the expectation of today's consumer whose needs have rapidly advanced. In addition, COVID has provided us the real opportunity to transform our business at a faster rate, And we are on a very good pace to deliver growth and improved operating margins. While each of the 6 pillars is important to achieving our future I'd like to expand on just a few of our initiatives, which are driving results, while Tom will discuss reshaping the cost base. Our strong digital growth highlights the progress we're making with this key strategic initiative.
In Q2, we welcomed 48,000,000 visitors to our website and new e commerce customers increased 80% from pre pandemic levels. Data driven consumer insights, more robust CRM and enhanced marketing are key to increasing consumer engagement and driving our next big wave of growth. Schuh is taking advantage of the market disruption brought on by the pandemic to invest Further in new customer prospecting through digital marketing designed to target weakened competitors' customers As well as geotargeting where competitors' physical locations have closed. These efforts have helped contribute to an increase New online customers of more than 100% compared to pre pandemic levels. Journeys marketing efforts are gaining leverage By focusing on influencers, who the team consumer views as more authentic, creating a more organic experience That further builds upon the trust Journeys has established with its customer.
This content is being delivered through social media channels and SMS, Helping to drive a significant increase of 50 plus percent of new online customers. In addition, Journeys continues to make progress implementing an Upgraded integrated customer database with enhanced CRM capabilities, which will improve customer retention and acquisition And provide a clearer view of customer lifetime value. To keep up with this increase in digital demand, Journeys is wrapping up testing and bringing online another bespoke e commerce fulfillment module, which doubles capacity ahead of the ramp up of demand online orders during holiday. We are underway rolling out North America new point of sale hardware and software Along with new tablets, advancing our efforts to digitize our stores and enhance the omni channel shopping experience. For consumers, tablets facilitate easy access to the full assortment anywhere in our system and upgrade our clienteling efforts.
And mobile checkout allows consumers to skip the checkout line. For employees, this new technology creates efficiencies With J and M's accelerating recovery, we can put greater focus on the next phase, reimagining the brand. Product innovation and technology is at the center of differentiating J and M's casual product and commanding more premium price points. Launches of the athletically inspired Amherst and Activate collections and the expansion of the J and M Golf collection were highly successful this spring And another major set moving the brand beyond its dress shoe origins. J and M's design team is focused on expanding its Technology toolbox with innovation including the AXIS chassis system, which offers optimal support, comfort and flexibility TruFoam, which delivers superior cushioning and lightweight comfort and Smart Degree, which is temperature regulation technology.
New product design and technology coupled with consumer insights and amplified marketing messaging will be the winning formula to grow J and M as a Fresh Lifestyle brand with broader consumer reach. Turning to ESG, we continue to advance these efforts, Including the establishment of our Board's ESG subcommittee, and we are working toward publication of a comprehensive ESG report next year. Again, these are just a few of the initiatives that are driving positive transformation for Genesco. We look forward to updating you on our continued progress And on other initiatives. Before turning the call over to Tom, I would like to thank and congratulate all our people across our company for your excellent execution, hard work and great success in the first half of this year.
You continue to superbly navigate a dynamic and challenging environment with the health and safety of each other in mind, And I continue to be amazed by your drive and determination. Genesco's future is so bright because of you all. Finally, our thoughts are with our neighbors to the west of us in Nashville affected by the devastating floods last week and those impacted this week by Hurricane Ida. Now I'll turn it over to Tom.
Thanks, Mimi. As Mimi mentioned, total Q2 results far exceeded Our expectations and last year across the board. For comparison purposes, we believe that comparing to 2 years ago, Our fiscal 2020 provides the most meaningful assessment of current performance and the return of our business to pre pandemic levels. However, when comparing to fiscal 2020, I would like to remind everyone how our strategy has changed our business. E Commerce has become a larger percentage of sales and our Licensed Brands segment has become a larger piece of the total as well Due to the acquisition of TOGAST and strong Levi's sales.
These changes come with an overall lower gross margin rate Due to the impact of direct shipping expense and the expansion of our wholesale volume, which should be more than offset with lower SG and A from these businesses. While these changes will reshape the P and L, they have a positive impact on operating margins I'm pleased to report that not only did the 2nd quarter continue, but it accelerated the sequential improvement of our operating results since The onset of the pandemic. Higher revenue and gross margin combined with SG and A that remains well managed Led to significantly higher operating income versus fiscal 2020 and Q2 adjusted earnings per share of $1.05 compared to $0.15 in fiscal 2020. In terms of the specifics for the quarter, Consolidated revenue was $555,000,000 up 14% compared to fiscal 2020, Driven by continued strength in e commerce, which is up 97% versus fiscal 2020, Taking overall digital sales to 19% of our retail business compared to 10% in fiscal 2020. Digital growth combined with much higher wholesale revenue drove strong sales improvements for Journeys, Shoe and licensed brands compared to pre pandemic levels, while J and M made significant strides narrowing its revenue gap.
We did not provide overall or store comp results for Q2 as our comp policy removes any stores that are closed for 7 With stores open for 97% of the possible days in the quarter, overall store revenue was down only 1% versus fiscal 2020. Consolidated gross margin was 49.1%, Up 50 basis points from fiscal 2020, driven by full price selling, partially offset by the mix shift towards licensed brands And higher shipping costs from higher penetration of e commerce. While e commerce puts pressure on our gross margin rate, As I mentioned, it comes with a lower cost structure and double digit operating income. Journeys gross margin increased 220 basis points, driven by lower markdowns in both stores and online. Schuh's gross margin decreased 200 basis points due entirely to the higher Shipping expense from the shift in e commerce channel mix.
J and M's gross margin increased 5.70 basis points, Benefiting from fewer markdowns taken on pack and hold inventory and higher full price selling. Finally, the revenue growth of licensed brands, typically our lowest gross margin rate Negatively impacted the overall mix by 90 basis points. Adjusted SG and A expense was 45.3 percent, a 230 basis point improvement compared to fiscal 2020 As we leverage from higher revenue and ongoing actions around expense management. The largest year over year savings came from occupancy cost driven by the UK government program, which provides property tax relief, rent concession across our businesses And ongoing rent savings on renewals. The next largest areas of savings came from the reduction in store salaries, Thanks to the effective use of workforce management tools to drive higher conversion in the face of significant wage pressure.
These savings were partially offset by higher incentive compensation driven by improved profitability And increased marketing expenses needed to drive traffic in both stores and online. As the multi year shift in consumer traffic continues towards online and away from brick and mortar, Our organization has been intently focused on the critical effort to right size occupancy costs to be in line with store traffic. The pandemic has exacerbated the transition to digital and we continue to have even greater traction on rent reductions. Year to date through Q2, we have negotiated 75 renewals and achieved a 29% reduction in rent expense In North America, this is on top of a 22% reduction for 123 renewals last year. These renewals are for even shorter term, averaging approximately 2 years compared to the 3 year average we have seen in recent years.
With over 40% of our fleet coming up for renewal in the next couple of years, this will remain a key priority for us going forward. In summary, the 2nd quarter's adjusted operating income was $21,100,000 versus fiscal 2020's $4,700,000 All operating divisions achieved higher operating income compared to fiscal 2020, Led by Journeys nearly 170% increase. Our adjusted non GAAP tax rate for the 2nd quarter was 25%. Turning now to the balance sheet. Q2 total inventory was down 27% compared to fiscal 2020 On sales that were up 14%, as we remain challenged, keeping pace with the consumer demand levels and with delivery delays.
Our ending net cash position was $284,000,000 $70,000,000 higher than the first quarter's level, Driven by strong cash generation from operations. As a reminder, we currently have $90,000,000 remaining on our board authorized share repurchase plan and we have a solid track record of returning cash to our shareholders. Capital expenditures were $8,000,000 as our spend remains focused on digital and omnichannel And depreciation and amortization was $11,000,000 We closed 8 stores and opened 3 during the 2nd quarter. We will not be providing guidance for the Q3 or full fiscal 2022. However, I would like to provide some color around our expectations Using the pre pandemic fiscal 2020 as the reference point.
As we transition into Q3, Thus far, we have experienced a more normalized back to school selling season for Journeys and Schuh. But as expected, The impact from stimulus has moderated. And due to the spread of the Delta variant, there are more questions around when Customers will begin returning to their offices, which will impact J and M's trend and whether Delta will disrupt in store shopping. Supply chain disruptions persist pressuring both the top line and product cost. Now getting to more specifics of Q3, starting with revenue.
We expect higher revenue compared to fiscal 2020 levels, Given the strength of our assortment, this is mainly due to continued strength from the Levi's business And growth at Journeys and Schuh. J and M will likely remain under fiscal 2020's level. Directionally, the overall sales increase for Q3 compared to fiscal 2020 Could be up mid to high single digits. From a channel perspective, the highest growth will once again come from wholesale and direct. We expect gross margin rates for Q3 will be somewhat under fiscal 2020 levels Due to substantial pressure from import freight increases at J&M and Licensed Brands from supply chain disruptions, We expect the retail promotional environment to remain favorable, offsetting the ongoing pressure from higher E commerce penetration and the higher shipping costs that come with it, as well as the impact of licensed brands growth On our business model as previously discussed, we expect that Q3 adjusted SG and A We'll be a little better as a percentage of sales than in fiscal 2020.
Sequentially, we will not see the large SG and A leverage we saw in Q2 as revenue growth will be lower and the benefits from some government relief programs will be less than Q2. That being said, compared to fiscal 2020, higher revenue will boost leverage in both occupancy and selling salaries, Partially offset by higher marketing and performance based compensation as we anticipate higher bonus expense than fiscal 2020. In summary, we expect the operating income to be similar to fiscal year 2020 levels and the margin rate To be somewhat lower than fiscal year 2020 due to these factors, in particular, the increased import freight in our branded businesses. For taxes, we expect the Q3 tax rate to be around the 25% we saw in Q2. The annual tax rate is expected to be approximately 30%.
In addition, when comparing results, We had some expense pickups like rent abatements in the back half of fiscal twenty twenty one, particularly in Q4. We don't expect to recur in the back half this year. Next, I would like to provide a brief update on our cost savings initiative. Given the shift of our business from stores to digital, accelerated by the impact from the pandemic, we continue to make progress on reshaping our cost structure And allocating resources towards digital growth. As a reminder, our target for the year is to identify savings and operating expenses Of $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 on an annualized basis or approximately 3% of total operating expenses.
The entire organization is focused on this critical initiative, and I'm pleased to report that we've made significant progress towards our target. The teams have identified over $20,000,000 of savings with the largest amount coming from rent And the remainder in several areas, including increased selling salary productivity, travel conventions, inter store freight, marketing compensation and other overheads. These savings benefit primarily the Store channel and its profitability. The cost savings initiative is a key pillar in our strategy to transform our business, Designed to reflect a more capital efficient model, focusing on driving further improvements and return on invested capital In allowing for improved flexibility in our operating model, going forward, we see opportunities to be less dependent on store capital expenditures, Have lower lease obligations and continue to drive efficient use of inventory. In conclusion, I would like to thank All our employees for such an incredible start to the fiscal year.
These results emphasize that we have the right team and the right strategy To continue to drive shareholder value. This concludes our prepared remarks, and I would like to turn the call back over to the operator for questions.
Thank you. At this time, we'll be conducting a question and answer session. Our first question is from the line of Mitch Kummetz with Pivotal Research. Please proceed with your question.
Yes, congrats on the quarter and thanks for taking my questions. Let me start with the guidance or the outlook for Q3, so I think you said sales up mid to high single digits on a 2 year basis. Can you say kind of where August
Sure. Let me hi, Mitch, it's Mimi. Let me start and then turn it over to Tom. I think that it's important to put August And the dimension of what happened last year with back to school and also this year. So things were a lot different a year ago.
We Estimated that 2 thirds of students attended school only virtually to start the year. This year, we estimated that was a real push to get kids back into school and we're estimating that essentially all students went back in person. And so, we had a great second quarter and coming into the quarter, we thought that back to school also Would be positive and we have continued to see we've been pleased with the results so far. We've got the right assortment. We've been pleased With what we have seen, one important note is that the Labor Day this year compared to fiscal year 2020 and We keep comparing to is 1 week later.
So we're going to know basically this weekend what the comparison We also think that there is a likelihood of back to school having a longer tail in September October like it did last year. We didn't see a lot of sales in July August last year, But people waited to see exactly what might happen with schools and there was more purchasing later on. And Tom, I don't know if you had anything to add to that.
No, I think that's a good summary. We feel really good how we're tracking so far. And keep in mind, we have more of a wholesale business this year as well relative to 2 years ago. So that tracks really at a different pace than the retail business. And we do expect Some good growth out of our direct channel as well, this year relative to 2 years ago.
So feel really good where we're tracking so far.
Yes. And I'd also remind you, Mitch, that August is a really important month. That's over 40% of the Q3 because of how heavy back to school it is. So it's good to have that month behind us.
Okay. And then Tom on gross margin, you mentioned that you expect gross margin to be Below 2020 levels for the quarter you just reported, I think you're up around 50 bps ahead of 2 years ago. So Is the difference all on freight or are there other factors that are putting a little bit more pressure on Q3 Versus Q2 on a 2 year basis?
Yes. The big difference there is freight. There's a significant amount of freight in the second quarter.
I mean,
we're planning on approximately rounded numbers around $7,000,000 of additional freight in the 3rd quarter and that has a big impact And a big impact on our operating income results relative to 2 years ago.
And just to be clear, is that $7,000,000 more than 2 years ago or $7,000,000 more than what you saw in Q2? Just how
does that work? Relative to 2 years ago and it's a combination of additional vessel charges, it's a combination of air freight, things like that Get the product into our consumers' hands. So it's a big difference relative to 2 years ago. It's just a part of the Results of some of the supply chain challenges out there, but we think we've got our hands around it to manage it and we think we've got Our exposure included in the back half projection. And we also have some in the 4th quarter as well that we've got In our projections, just to be cautious.
Okay.
Do you know offhand what the added freight was in Q2 versus 2 years ago?
Yes. It was more minimal. And it was more minimal. I mean, we really started to see the backup of the supply chain. And particularly in our branded business, we are having to airfreight more product and that's pretty meaningful.
I think you've seen So it's really much more pressure in the Q3 than it was in the 2nd quarter.
And Mitch, in the Q2, it was almost $2,000,000
Okay. And then lastly, just on the supply How much longer do you think these disruptions will occur? I mean, does this linger through like the first half of next year? And can you speak to Kind of your ability to get product maybe versus some of your competition, I know that for a lot of your brands, you're The largest or one of the larger customers. And I'm just wondering kind of how much of a competitive advantage that is
Todd, this is not a new problem. We've been managing through supply chain challenges really since the onset of the pandemic. And we've been chasing inventory all the way through. Basically last quarter what came in went right back out and You know, yet sales were strong and sales have just continued to be strong. So in our retail business, we're seeing good product flow right now, but it's lower than we would like.
We have worked on mitigating the risk by ordering higher sales in our projections, so that would help us. And we so that we can get caught up with some suppliers and we also ordered early and strong certainly on some core retail styles. We're an important partner to our brands. They've worked with us as much as possible. Journey is always gets more than its Fair share of product.
So we've got the window to re inventory before holiday and think that it will certainly be A challenge through holiday. And from what we can see right now, even into the spring possibly, but there's a lot of time between here and there. Factories have been the latest situation, and there is time to address some of the situation there. And then everybody is Focused on clearing up some of the problems in the supply chain, but certainly through holiday and perhaps into spring as well.
And I think maybe I'd add because we are such a strong strategic partner to our key suppliers. We Took advantage of that and ordered early and higher on some key styles for fall.
Perfect. All right. Thanks. Good luck.
Thank you.
Thanks. The next question is from the line of Steve Marotta with CL King. Please proceed with your questions.
Good morning, Mimi and Tom. Let me offer my congrats too on the 2nd quarter.
Can you please remind us
the $25,000,000 to $30,000,000 of cost savings, can you talk about how that will be Realized and what the cadence is there. And if there's possible that there's anything behind that you've alluded to in prepared remarks, Continued ways of making the business less capital intensive? Thanks.
Yes. Steve, so good progress. We've identified 2020. That's on an annualized basis. And we believe In the back half, we could realize half of that in the form of those items I outlined on the call, our occupancy expenses, better selling, Salary productivity, we have fewer stores.
We're going to have savings in depreciation. We've got some procurement initiatives. Roughly half of that $20,000,000 will be realized over the back half. And on the capital light model, I We've got a good wholesale business now. You can manage our inventories well.
Our situation we have with the Togast acquisition, It's a very capital light model. Fewer capital expenditures evolved obviously with the wholesale business because you're not opening up stores. Another driver of the Capital Light model is our digital business. It's a very variable cost model and we've made investments Historically, we're leveraging off those investments going forward. So, we feel really good how Capital efficient, the models come and we'll continue to look at cost savings as well as working on the capital base to continue to drive good returns on invested capital.
That's helpful. And we're seeing across the space when cost savings like this are being implemented, A lot of that is being reinvested in digital marketing and demand creation investments. Is that your intent here as well? Or Is it literally a net number coming right out of the P and L?
Yes. So Steve, Certainly, we are investing a lot in digital marketing and in demand creation. And we have to do that for both our websites and to our stores. I think the key here is that our e commerce channel is profitable. And the investments that we're making in digital marketing are When we think about the brick and mortar side, the challenges there really are to reduce occupancy expense and that's why we've been so focused on that.
And if you think about, if we can align occupancy to the appropriate level of traffic right now and we are spending a little bit more on advertising. So part of the way we're thinking about Being able to fund that advertising is through the rent reduction. So the way we're thinking about this is channel on a channel specific basis.
Very helpful. Thank you.
Our next question is from the line of Jonathan Komp with Baird.
Are there scenarios you're hearing from your brands where there might be a shortage of product to sell even more than more so than what you've Faced so far, just wanted to get your current assessment of the situation with the factory closures and the impact it might have?
Sure. Thanks for that question, John. I think that when you think about both Journeys and Schuh's business, which represent probably 80% of our business, The key is that we are diversified across a number of suppliers. And I think that that Gives us a real advantage and we've talked a little bit about how important we are to our suppliers, the great partnerships that we have had and the prioritization that we get As a result of that, how important we are to them. And so the key for us is just the diversification that all
Okay, great. Thank you. Maybe a bigger picture topic then on really The sustainability of the margin performance, I mean, coming off of a first half where you're typically not very profitable and you were Quite profitable this year. How should we think about really the ongoing ability to drive higher margin with everything you've talked about And the increased focus on being a footwear portfolio, but how are you thinking about what sort of sustainable versus Other benefits that maybe we shouldn't expect to continue and how that relates to your broader margin opportunity?
Sure. So John, it's a great question. And I think we're so pleased with the results that we had in the first half. There's no question that there were unique factors in terms of the consumer being in a really great place to spend because of stimulus and other government help. There was pent up demand as well.
But I think if you look at what specifically we are doing to drive the business, The first thing is around digital and we've talked about how digital is such a profitable part of our overall business. We were able to double the size of the e com business through the course of the pandemic, which means significantly more profit contribution and that will be in every quarter of the year. We've also talked about rent expense and how important an initiative that is To improve the profitability on the brick and mortar side. And Tom said today, our improvements are just a little under 30%, and that's compounding on a 20 plus Last year compounding on 8% to 10% in prior years. So through a compounding effect That helps as well.
And so we feel like there is a real path to be able with those couple of things plus the growth The branded side of our business, those licensed brands and really this opportunity to reimagine Johnston and Murphy, We saw the same thing coming out of the Great Recession. We had a chance to really take the brand up to the next level. And we think there is tremendous opportunity to do that through And so we saw a doubling of Johnston and Murphy's brand, really coming out of the Great Recession. We think there's an opportunity again to take Johnston and Murphy the next level. So I think the combination of those three things give us great earnings potential going forward, irrespective Of the things that were unique to the first half of the year.
And I think I'd add, Again, with being a key asset to all the major relevant brands in the retail side of our business, we have the ability because Another strength we have is our ability to merchandise product and service product and convert sales. We got the ability, think everything else being equal to drive some really good gross margins going forward to continue to do that. And with Johnson and Murphy In our Licensed Brands business, we have the ability to drive good gross margins and some improvement in those going forward. And then just a reminder in the wholesale business On the operating income level, we've got visibility in line of sight that the wholesale business as well is going to be double digit operating margin going forward.
Okay, great. Just last one for me. The incentive compensation piece, can you just Sorry if I missed this, but can you give us an update where you're tracking this year, given the increase in the corporate expenses that we can see? And then how should we think about kind of the normalized level after this year? Thank you.
Yes. So thanks for that question. So I think an important point to make is that we paid no incentive compensation last year. The way that our Program works is that since the pandemic caused substantial disruption to our operating results, even though Our team navigated the pandemic so well, constraining expenses and capital and improving liquidity that Because we didn't have year over year improvement, no performance compensation was paid. This year, there is a substantial improvement in earnings on a lower And our plan is designed to be highly aligned with shareholder interest as the bonus is generated for the incremental improvement.
And so part of what you are seeing in the corporate expense is, the booking of bonus, a higher level of bonus this year versus 2 years ago. And we will see a little bit of that in the back half as well. But given the strong performance, That's how the bonus set is at being booked in the Q2.
Any willingness to Quantify just so we can understand the moving pieces in the SG and A?
No. We normally don't get into that level of Detail, John. I think another point to be made though is reinforce just the huge year over year improvement we had in economic value added, because we did have big year over year improvement earnings on a much lower capital base that this year would be a year that The bonus related incentive compensation would be higher than we'd normally expect in future years.
Thank you. At this time, we've reached the end of the question and answer session. And I'll now turn the call over to Mimi Vaughn for closing remarks.
Great. Thank you for joining us today. We look forward to talking to you again at the end of our Q3.
Thank you. This concludes today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.