Soho House & Co Inc. Announces First Quarter 2025 Results

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2025--

Soho House & Co Inc. (NYSE: SHCO) (“SHCO,” “Company,” “we” or “our”), a global membership platform that connects a vibrant, diverse, and global group of members, today announced results for the first quarter ended March 30, 2025.

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First Quarter 2025 Highlights

“Our strong quarterly performance gives me confidence that our strategic priorities are resonating with our members around the world, with first quarter total revenues growing by 8% and significant growth in Adjusted EBITDA,” said Andrew Carnie, CEO of Soho House & Co.

"We continue to elevate the Soho House member experience across our existing Houses globally, and with new openings including Soho Farmhouse Ibiza this summer. Our operational transformation is starting to gain real traction and we’re seeing early signs of this in profitability, giving us further confidence in the potential that lies ahead of us."

"I want to thank our teams for their passion and commitment, and our members for their continued loyalty – especially those in Los Angeles who were affected by the devastating fires earlier this year."

Transaction Update

As previously announced on December 19, 2024, the Company received an offer from a third-party consortium to take the Company private for $9.00 per share. The Company set up a Special Committee to assess the offer and the parties continue to assess the offer and a potential transaction, however no assurances can be given that the Special Committee’s assessment will result in any change in strategy, or if a transaction will be undertaken. The Company will make a further public comment regarding these matters at such time as there is a material development in the process.

Summary of Unaudited Financial Results for the Quarter Ended March 30, 2025

We delivered the following highlights against our strategic priorities in the first quarter

1. Grow and Enhance Membership

2. Operational Excellence to Drive Profitability

Membership Summary for the Quarter Ended March 30, 2025

Memberships

Financing

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This presentation contains certain financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, House-Level Contribution and Margin, Other Contribution and Margin, Net Debt and certain financial measures presented on a Constant Currency basis that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (‘GAAP’). We refer to these measures as ‘non-GAAP financial measures.’ We use these non-GAAP financial measures when planning, monitoring and evaluating our performance. While we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating our business, this information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant as a substitute for revenues or net income (loss), in each case as recognized in accordance with GAAP. In addition, other companies may calculate one or more of these measures differently, which reduces the usefulness of any such measure as a comparative measure. See below for a definition of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

We provide earnings guidance using both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA guidance to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure cannot be provided without unreasonable efforts and is not provided herein because of the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliations, including adjustments that are made for future changes in foreign exchange and the other adjustments reflected in our reconciliation of historical non-GAAP financial measures, the amounts of which, could be material.

The information in this presentation should be read in conjunction with our Annual and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and other information that we file with the SEC. The reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures are an integral part of the information presented herein. You can access these documents on our website, www.sohohouseco.com, free of charge, as well as any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into, and should not be considered a part of, this presentation.

In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including the Company, that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.

The non-GAAP financial measures we use herein are defined by us as follows:

ADJUSTED EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental measure of our performance. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Net income (loss) before Depreciation and amortization, Interest expense, net, Income tax (expense) benefit, adjusted to take account of the impact of certain non-cash and other items that we do not consider in our evaluation of ongoing operating performance. These other items include, but are not limited to, Gain (loss) on sale of property and other, net, Share of loss (profit) of equity method investments, Foreign exchange, Share of equity method investments adjusted EBITDA, Share-based compensation expense, impairment of long-lived assets, and other applicable items. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure of operating performance because it eliminates the impact of expenses (income) that do not relate to ongoing business performance.

HOUSE-LEVEL CONTRIBUTION AND MARGIN. House-Level Contribution is defined as House Revenues less In-House operating expenses, which includes expense items such as food and beverage costs, labor costs, variable overheads and fixed costs, such as rent. It does not reflect the impact of depreciation, amortization, impairment, gain or loss on sale of property, general and administrative expenses or other applicable items. House-Level Contribution Margin is defined as House-Level Contribution as a percentage of our House Revenues and is a key determinant of our performance and profitability and our return on the investment we make in each of our Houses. Given that all costs associated with providing our members with the Soho House experience, including the costs associated with maintaining our Houses and providing services to members while in the Houses, are included in In-House operating expenses, we use House Revenues (inclusive of House Membership Revenues) in calculating House-Level Contribution and House-Level Contribution Margin to assess the overall profitability of our Houses. Accordingly, our management considers House-Level Contribution and House-Level Contribution Margin to be an important management measure to evaluate the performance of each House, and growth in aggregate House-Level Contribution allows us to leverage our general and administrative costs and improve overall profitability.

OTHER CONTRIBUTION AND MARGIN. Other Contribution is defined as Other revenues plus Non-House Membership Revenues less Other operating expenses, which includes expense items not related to the operation of Houses, such as labor costs, variable overheads and fixed costs, such as rent. It does not reflect the impact of depreciation, amortization, impairment, gain or loss on sale of property, general and administrative expenses, pre-opening expenses, foreign exchange gain/loss, Share-based compensation expense and other applicable items. Other Contribution Margin defined as Other Contribution as a percentage of our Other revenues and is a key determinant of our performance and profitability and our return on the investment in our non-House business. Our management considers Other Contribution and Contribution Margin to be an important management measure.

NET DEBT. Net Debt reflects the total debt, comprising long-term debt, property mortgage loans and related party loans, less cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Net Debt is an important measure to monitor leverage and evaluate the balance sheet. A limitation associated with using Net Debt is that it subtracts Cash and cash equivalents and Restricted cash and therefore may imply that there is less Company debt than the most comparable GAAP measure indicates. Management believes that investors may find it useful to monitor leverage and evaluate the balance sheet.

CONSTANT CURRENCY. Some of our financial and operational data that we disclose in this release is presented on a ‘constant currency’ basis to isolate the effect of currency changes during the period. Where we refer to a measure being calculated in ‘constant currency,’ we are calculating the dollar change and the percentage change as if the exchange rate that is being used in the current period was in effect for all prior periods presented. We believe that this calculation provides a more meaningful indication of actual year over year performance and eliminates any fluctuations from currency exchange rates.

While we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in evaluating our business, this information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant as a substitute for revenues or net income (loss), in each case as recognized in accordance with GAAP. In addition, other companies may calculate one or more of these measures differently, which reduces the usefulness of any such measure as a comparative measure.

A reconciliation of Net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the 13 weeks ending March 30, 2025 and March 31, 2024 is set forth below:

A reconciliation of Operating income (loss) to House-Level Contribution & Other Contribution for the 13 weeks ending March 30, 2025 and March 31, 2024 is set forth below:

Condensed Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations for the 13 weeks ended March 30, 2025 and March 31, 2024:

Condensed Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash flows for the 13 weeks ended March 30, 2025 and March 31, 2024:

Condensed Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash flows for the 13 weeks ended March 30, 2025 and March 31, 2024 (Continued):

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 30, 2025 (Unaudited) and December 29, 2024:

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 30, 2025 (Unaudited) and December 29, 2024 (Continued):

Key Performance and Operating Metrics Evaluated by Management

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of operating and financial measures. These key measures include:

HOUSE MEMBERSHIP REVENUES. House Membership Revenues are comprised primarily of annual membership fees and one-time legacy registration fees from Soho House members which are amortized over 20 years. The one-time registration fee is no longer applicable to new members admitted from April 4, 2022.

New members admitted from April 4, 2022 have been required to purchase House Introduction Credits as part of their membership, per the House rules. House Introduction Credits are credits of an equivalent value to cash within Houses and are redeemable to purchase food and beverage items, and bedroom stays, at the Houses. House Introduction Credits expire after the first three months from the date of issuance, where legally permitted in the regions we operate, if not utilized or if the Company terminates a member’s House membership. House Introduction Credits are recognized upon issuance as deferred revenue on our consolidated balance sheets. Revenue from House Introduction Credits are recognized as In-House revenues when redeemed by members, and as breakage revenue within Membership revenues upon expiration or in the period that we are able to reliably estimate expected breakage to the extent that they are unredeemed, are recognized.

IN-HOUSE REVENUES. In-House revenues include all revenues realized within our Houses, including food and beverage, accommodation and spa products and treatments.

HOUSE REVENUES. House Revenues is defined as Membership revenues plus In-House revenues less Non-House Membership Revenues. Our management views House Membership Revenues and In-House revenues as interrelated and their aggregation as important in tracking House performance. Although there is no minimum spend for any member on In-House offerings, nevertheless in practice most members consume food and beverage, accommodations and other offerings at our Houses. The pricing of our In-House offerings is reflective of the fact that the significant majority of In-House offerings that generate In-House revenues are consumed by members who also pay a membership fee in relation to that House, with pricing of such In-House offerings being identical for both members and non-members.

NUMBER OF SOHO HOUSES. The number of Soho Houses reflects the total number of Soho Houses in operation in any period, irrespective of whether each House is (i) controlled by us, (ii) operated through a non-controlling interest in a joint venture or (iii) operated through a management contract.

We review the number of members from all Houses to assess new member growth, total House Revenues, and House-Level Contribution.

TOTAL MEMBERS. Total members is defined as Soho House members plus Other members.

NUMBER OF SOHO HOUSE MEMBERS. Our Soho House membership model is an integral part of our business and has a significant impact on our profitability and financial performance. Typically, members hold an Every House membership or a Local House membership. Member count is the primary driver of Membership Revenues and is also a critical factor in In-House Revenues as members utilize the offerings that are provided within the Houses. Soho House members include all active, frozen and non-paying members.

The extent to which we achieve growth in our membership base, retain existing members and periodically increase our membership fee rates will impact our profitability. We have historically enjoyed strong member loyalty, reflected by very high retention rates. Robust demand for our memberships is also evidenced by considerable wait lists for our Houses.

NUMBER OF OTHER MEMBERS. Other members include members of Soho Works and Soho Friends and are key to our growth strategy and enhancing our Soho House member experience. Prior to August 2022, HOME+ membership, which is now included in Soho Friends, was also included. Like Soho House members, other memberships are an integral part of our business and we believe will have a significant impact on our profitability and financial performance in the future.

SOHO HOUSE MEMBER RETENTION. Soho House Member Retention is defined as the number of Adult Paying Members (being all Soho House members excluding child members and complimentary members) at the beginning of a period less the number of Adult Paying Members who canceled their membership during that same period (without giving any effect to Adult Paying Members who froze their memberships during such period), as a proportion of total Adult Paying Members at the beginning of such period.

FROZEN MEMBERS. Frozen Members refers to Soho House members who have elected to suspend their membership payments on a six, nine- or twelve-month basis during which period the member is not able to gain access to a Soho House site as a member, access our membership Apps, or book bedrooms or Cowshed treatments or products on discounted member rates. Frozen Members are not included in Adult Paying Members, but are included in the total number of Soho House members.

MEMBERSHIP REVENUES. Membership revenues are comprised of House Membership Revenues (as defined below) and Non-House Membership Revenues (as defined below). House Membership Revenues and Non-House Membership Revenues are each comprised primarily of annual membership fees and one-time registration fees which are amortized over 20 years. Membership revenues are a function of the number of members, membership mix, and membership pricing. For GAAP, we report Membership revenues only from Houses and sites in which we own a controlling interest. Our membership pricing varies by geographic segment and membership offering and, as such, our mix of House and Soho Works club openings can affect our revenue growth and profitability over time. Prices are generally higher in North America and the rest of the world compared with the UK and Europe. Membership revenues provide a stable and recurring source of revenues which have few direct costs and, as such, is a reliable and predictable source of cash flow.

HOUSE MEMBERSHIP REVENUES. House Membership Revenues is an important performance indicator and is defined above in the Non-GAAP reconciliation.

IN-HOUSE REVENUES. In-House revenues refer to all revenues realized within our Houses, and primarily includes revenues from food and beverage, accommodation, and spa products and treatments.

HOUSE REVENUES. House Revenues is an important performance indicator and is defined in “Non-GAAP Financial Measures."

OTHER REVENUES. Other revenues are defined as total revenues that are not realized within our Houses, including revenues from Scorpios, Soho Works and our stand-alone restaurants, procurement fees from Soho House Design, Soho Home and Cowshed retail products and other revenues from products and services that we provide outside of our Houses, as well as management fees from The Ned sites and The LINE and Saguaro hotels.

ADJUSTED OTHER REVENUES. Adjusted Other Revenues is defined as Other Revenues plus non-House Membership Revenues.

NON-HOUSE MEMBERSHIP REVENUES. Non-House Membership Revenues are comprised of Soho Works membership revenue, Soho Friends membership revenue and SOHO HOME+ membership revenue which was merged into Soho Friends membership at the beginning of August 2022.

ACTIVE APP USERS. Active App Users is defined as unique users who have logged into any of our membership Apps within the last three months.

AVERAGE DAILY RATE. is Average Daily Rate represents the average rental income per paid occupied room.

REVENUE PER AVAILABLE ROOM (RevPAR). The key industry standard for measuring hotel-operating performance is RevPAR, which is calculated by multiplying the percentage of occupied rooms to available rooms by the average daily rate realized. Where this is presented on a like-for like basis, RevPAR is adjusted for new or divested sites, for example Houses that were not open in the comparison period.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expected financial performance and operational performance for the remainder of fiscal 2025, as well as statements that include the words “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimate,” “may,” “should,” “anticipate” and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our annual report on form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2024 and as such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, we operate in rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements that we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release are inherently uncertain and may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. In addition, the forward-looking statements made in this release relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this release. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

About Soho House & Co:

Soho House & Co (SHCO) is a global membership platform of physical and digital spaces that connects a vibrant, diverse and global group of members. These members use the Soho House & Co platform to work, socialize, connect, create and flourish all over the world. We began with the opening of the first Soho House in 1995 and remain the only company to have scaled a private membership network with a global presence. Members around the world engage with Soho House & Co through our global collection, as at March 30, 2025 of 45 Soho Houses, 8 Soho Works, Scorpios Beach Clubs in Mykonos and Bodrum, Soho Home – our interiors and lifestyle retail brand – and our digital channels. The Ned in London, New York and Doha, The LINE and Saguaro hotels in North America also form part of Soho House & Co's wider portfolio.

For more information, please visit www.sohohouseco.com.

Source: Soho House & Co (SHCO)

Shoreditch House

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powellsaid Sunday the Department of Justice has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony this summer about the Fed’s building renovations.

The move represents an unprecedented escalation in President Donald Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he's repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as sharply as he prefers. The renewed fight will likely rattle financial markets Monday and could over time escalate borrowing costs for mortgages and other loans.

The subpoenas relate to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June, the Fed chair said, regarding the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings, a project Trump has criticized as excessive.

Here's the latest:

London’s murder rate fell in 2025 to its lowest level in decades, officials said Monday. Mayor Sadiq Khan said the figures disprove claims spread by President Trump and others on the political right that crime is out of control in Britain’s capital.

Police recorded 97 homicides in London in 2025, down from 109 in 2024 and the fewest since 2014. The Metropolitan Police force says the rate by population is the lowest since comparable records began in 1997, at 1.1 homicides for every 100,000 people.

That compares to 1.6 per 100,000 in Paris, 2.8 in New York and 3.2 in Berlin, the force said.

“There are some politicians and commentators who’ve been spamming social media with an endless stream of distortions and untruths, painting an image of a dystopian London,” Khan told The Associated Press. “And nothing could be further from the truth.”

▶ Read more about crime in London

The Democratic Party regained the partisanship edge when independents were asked whether they lean more toward the Democratic or Republican Party in a new Gallup poll.

Nearly half, 47%, of U.S. adults now identify as Democrats or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 42% are Republicans or lean Republican.

This is an indication of how Americans are feeling about their political affiliations, and it may not be reflected in voters’ actual registration.

Independents appear to be driven by their unhappiness with the party in power. That’s a dynamic that could be good for Democrats for now, but it doesn’t promise lasting loyalty. Attitudes toward the party haven’t gotten warmer, suggesting the Democrats’ gains are probably more related to independents’ sour views of President Trump.

That comes a day after President Trump threatened the Caribbean island in the wake of the U.S. attack on Venezuela.

Díaz-Canel posted a flurry of brief statements on X after Trump suggested Cuba “make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not say what kind of deal.

Díaz-Canel wrote that for “relations between the U.S. and Cuba to progress, they must be based on international law rather than hostility, threats, and economic coercion.”

The island’s communist government has said U.S. sanctions cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025.

Díaz-Canel added: “We have always been willing to hold a serious and responsible dialogue with the various US governments, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of International Law, and mutual benefit without interference in internal affairs and with full respect for our independence.”

Cuba’s president stressed on X that “there are no talks with the U.S. government, except for technical contacts in the area of migration.”

About 8 in 10 U.S. adults said the Federal Reserve Board should be independent of political control, according to Marquette/SSRS polling from September, while roughly 2 in 10 said the president should have more influence over setting interest rates and monetary policy. There was bipartisan consensus that the Fed should remain independent. About 9 in 10 Democrats and about two-thirds of Republicans said the Fed should not be subjected to political control.

That poll found about 3 in 10 Americans said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in The Federal Reserve Board. Nearly half — 45% — had some confidence, and roughly one-quarter had “very little” confidence or “none at all.”

Stocks are falling on Wall Street after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Department of Justice had served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony about the Fed’s building renovations.

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% in early trading Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 384 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%.

Powell characterized the threat of criminal charges as pretexts to undermine the Fed’s independence in setting interest rates, its main tool for fighting inflation. The threat is the latest escalation in President Trump’s feud with the Fed.

▶ Read more about the financial markets

She says she had “a very good conversation” with Trump on Monday morning about topics including “security with respect to our sovereignties.”

Last week, Sheinbaum had said she was seeking a conversation with Trump or U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the U.S. president made comments in an interview that he was ready to confront drug cartels on the ground and repeated the accusation that cartels were running Mexico.

Trump’s offers of using U.S. forces against Mexican cartels took on a new weight after the Trump administration deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Sheinbaum was expected to share more about their conversation later Monday.

A leader of the Canadian government is visiting China this week for the first time in nearly a decade, a bid to rebuild his country’s fractured relations with the world’s second-largest economy — and reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States, its neighbor and until recently one of its most supportive and unswerving allies.

The push by Prime Minster Mark Carney, who arrives Wednesday, is part of a major rethink as ties sour with the United States — the world’s No. 1 economy and long the largest trading partner for Canada by far.

Carney aims to double Canada’s non-U.S. exports in the next decade in the face of President Trump’s tariffs and the American leader’s musing that Canada could become “the 51st state.”

▶ Read more about relations between Canada and China

The comment by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson came in response to a question at a regular daily briefing. President Trump has said he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from taking it over.

Tensions have grown between Washington, Denmark and Greenland this month as Trump and his administration push the issue and the White House considers a range of options, including military force, to acquire the vast Arctic island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO.

▶ Read more about the U.S. and Greenland

Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.

“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”

During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.

Some, however, weren’t convinced.

“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.

An ExxonMobil spokesperson did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

▶ Read more about Trump’s comments on ExxonMobil

Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

▶ Read more about the “suspicious object”

Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

▶ Read more about the possible negotiations and follow live updates

Fed Chair Powell said Sunday the DOJ has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony this summer about the Fed’s building renovations.

The move represents an unprecedented escalation in Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he has repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as sharply as he prefers. The renewed fight will likely rattle financial markets Monday and could over time escalate borrowing costs for mortgages and other loans.

The subpoenas relate to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June, the Fed chair said, regarding the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings, a project that Trump has criticized as excessive.

Powell on Sunday cast off what has up to this point been a restrained approach to Trump’s criticisms and personal insults, which he has mostly ignored. Instead, Powell issued a video statement in which he bluntly characterized the threat of criminal charges as simple “pretexts” to undermine the Fed’s independence when it comes to setting interest rates.

▶ Read more about the subpoenas

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while in flight on Air Force One to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump waves after arriving on Air Force One from Florida, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)