Lands' End Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Results


DODGEVILLE, Wis., Sept. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lands' End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended August 3, 2018.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Highlights:

  • Net revenue for the second quarter increased 1.9% to $307.9 million from $302.2 million in the second quarter last year. Direct segment net revenue increased 6.4% to $276.6 million, as compared to the same period last year. Retail segment net revenue decreased 25.8% to $31.3 million, primarily attributable to the reduction of 57 of our Lands' End Shops at Sears locations combined with a same store sales decline of 5.8%. Same store sales in Lands' End Shops at Sears locations declined 6.7% for the quarter while same store sales in our Company operated stores declined 0.6%.
     
  • Gross margin of 44.4% was up slightly compared to the second quarter last year.
     
  • Net loss was $5.3 million, or $0.16 loss per diluted share, as compared to Net loss of $3.9 million, or $0.12 loss per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2017.
     
  • Adjusted EBITDA(1) grew 13.1% to $7.7 million compared to $6.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2017.

Jerome S. Griffith, Chief Executive Officer and President, stated, "Our second quarter results reflect our fifth consecutive quarter of revenue growth and our fourth straight quarter of adjusted EBITDA growth. Overall, we continue to see evidence that our strategic initiatives are taking hold with product and marketing efforts both resonating with our customer. Looking ahead, we will remain intently focused on our four key focus areas of product, digitization, uni-channel distribution and infrastructure."

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights

Cash and cash equivalents were $194.4 million on August 3, 2018, compared to $177.0 million on July 28, 2017. Net cash provided by operations was $24.8 million for the 26 weeks ended August 3, 2018, compared to net cash used in operations of $13.2 million for the same period last year.

Inventory was $349.6 million as of August 3, 2018, and $370.5 million as of July 28, 2017.

The Company had $160.1 million of availability under its asset-based senior secured credit facility and had $484.4 million of Long-term debt, net as of August 3, 2018.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, September 6, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. ET to review its second quarter financial results and related matters. The call may be accessed through the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://investors.landsend.com.

About Lands' End, Inc.

Lands' End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) is a leading multi-channel retailer of casual clothing, accessories, footwear and home products. We offer products through catalogs, online at www.landsend.com and affiliated specialty and international websites, and through retail locations. We are a classic American lifestyle brand with a passion for quality, legendary service and real value, and seek to deliver timeless style for women, men, kids and the home.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements about our progress implementing our strategic initiatives and the effectiveness of those initiatives; the results of our product and marketing efforts; and our plans to focus on product, digitalization, uni-channel distribution, and infrastructure. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, those with respect to our goals, plans, expectations and strategies set forth herein are forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: we may be unsuccessful in implementing our strategic initiatives, or our initiatives may not have their desired impact on our business; our ability to offer merchandise and services that customers want to purchase; changes in customer preference from our branded merchandise; customers' use of our digital platform, including customer acceptance of our efforts to enhance our e-commerce websites; customer response to our marketing efforts across all types of media; our maintenance of a robust customer list; our dependence on information technology and a failure of information technology systems, including with respect to our e-commerce operations, or an inability to upgrade or adapt our systems; the success of our ERP and Enterprise Order Management systems implementations; fluctuations and increases in costs of raw materials; impairment of our relationships with our vendors; our failure to maintain the security of customer, employee or company information; our failure to compete effectively in the apparel industry; if Sears Holdings Corporation sells or disposes of its retail stores, including pursuant to the recapture rights granted to Seritage Growth Properties, and other parties or if its retail business does not attract customers or does not adequately provide services to the Lands’ End Shops at Sears; legal, regulatory, economic and political risks associated with international trade and those markets in which we conduct business and source our merchandise; our failure to protect or preserve the image of our brands and our intellectual property rights; increases in postage, paper and printing costs; failure by third parties who provide us with services in connection with certain aspects of our business to perform their obligations; our failure to timely and effectively obtain shipments of products from our vendors and deliver merchandise to our customers; reliance on promotions and markdowns to encourage customer purchases; our failure to efficiently manage inventory levels; unseasonal or severe weather conditions; the adverse effect on our reputation if our independent vendors do not use ethical business practices or comply with applicable laws and regulations; assessments for additional state taxes; incurrence of charges due to impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets; the impact on our business of adverse worldwide economic and market conditions, including economic factors that negatively impact consumer spending on discretionary items; the failure of Sears Holdings or its subsidiaries to perform under various agreements or our failure to have necessary systems and services in place when such agreements expire; potential indemnification liabilities to Sears Holdings pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement in connection with our separation from Sears Holdings; the ability of our principal shareholders to exert substantial influence over us; potential liabilities under fraudulent conveyance and transfer laws and legal capital requirements; and other risks, uncertainties and factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2018. We intend the forward-looking statements to speak only as of the time made and do not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law.

CONTACTS:

Lands' End, Inc.
James Gooch
Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
(608) 935-9341

Investor Relations:
ICR, Inc.
Jean Fontana
(646) 277-1214
Jean.Fontana@icrinc.com

 
-Financial Tables Follow-
 
LANDS’ END, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
 
(in thousands, except share data) August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017 February 2, 2018*
ASSETS      
Current assets      
Cash and cash equivalents $194,391  $176,955  $195,581 
Restricted cash 1,953  3,300  2,356 
Accounts receivable, net 25,925  24,632  49,860 
Inventories, net 349,597  370,470  332,297 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 40,967  36,216  26,659 
Total current assets 612,833  611,573  606,753 
Property and equipment, net 142,261  126,825  136,501 
Goodwill 110,000  110,000  110,000 
Intangible asset, net 257,000  257,000  257,000 
Other assets 8,349  17,007  13,881 
TOTAL ASSETS $1,130,443  $1,122,405  $1,124,135 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
Current liabilities      
Accounts payable $186,207  $181,685  $155,874 
Other current liabilities 91,747  85,415  100,257 
Total current liabilities 277,954  267,100  256,131 
Long-term debt, net 484,350  488,146  486,248 
Long-term deferred tax liabilities 58,420  91,015  59,137 
Other liabilities 10,494  14,144  15,526 
TOTAL LIABILITIES 831,218  860,405  817,042 
Commitments and contingencies      
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
Common stock, par value $0.01 authorized: 480,000,000
     shares; issued and outstanding: 32,212,290, 32,087,532
     and 32,101,793, respectively
 320  320  320 
Additional paid-in capital 349,338  345,139  347,175 
Accumulated deficit (36,665) (72,172) (29,810)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (13,768) (11,287) (10,592)
Total stockholders’ equity 299,225  262,000  307,093 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’
     EQUITY
 $1,130,443  $1,122,405  $1,124,135 
 
*Derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 2, 2018.
 


 
LANDS’ END, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
 
  13 Weeks Ended 26 weeks ended
(in thousands, except per share data) August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017 August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017
Net revenue $307,945  $302,190  $607,770  $570,555 
Cost of sales (excluding depreciation and
     amortization)
 171,179  168,025  337,979  313,748 
Gross profit 136,766  134,165  269,791  256,807 
         
Selling and administrative 129,041  127,336  253,041  248,682 
Depreciation and amortization 6,897  6,175  13,058  12,683 
Other operating (income) expense, net (47) 480  290  1,988 
Operating income (loss) 875  174  3,402  (6,546)
Interest expense 7,001  6,167  13,913  12,292 
Other (income) expense, net (412) (494) 3,452  (1,236)
Loss before income taxes (5,714) (5,499) (13,963) (17,602)
Income tax benefit (429) (1,619) (6,048) (5,883)
NET LOSS $(5,285) $(3,880) $(7,915) $(11,719)
NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE        
Basic: $(0.16) $(0.12) $(0.25) $(0.37)
Diluted: $(0.16) $(0.12) $(0.25) $(0.37)
         
Basic weighted average common shares
     outstanding
 32,212  32,079  32,168  32,054 
Diluted weighted average common shares
     outstanding
 32,212  32,079  32,168  32,054 
             

Use and Definition of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

(1)Adjusted EBITDA - In addition to our Net income, for purposes of evaluating operating performance, we use an Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”), which is adjusted to exclude certain significant items as set forth below.

Our management uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate the operating performance of our business for comparable periods, and as an executive compensation metric. Adjusted EBITDA should not be used by investors or other third parties as the sole basis for formulating investment decisions as it excludes a number of important cash and non-cash recurring items.

While Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measurement, management believes that it is an important indicator of operating performance, and is useful to investors, because:

  • EBITDA excludes the effects of financings, investing activities and tax structure by eliminating the effects of interest, depreciation and income tax costs or benefits.
  • Other significant items, while periodically affecting our results, may vary significantly from period to period and have a disproportionate effect in a given period, which affects comparability of results. We have adjusted our results for these items to make our statements more comparable and therefore more useful to investors as the items are not representative of our ongoing operations.
    — Transfer of corporate functions - severance and contract losses associated with a transition of certain corporate activities from our New York office to our Dodgeville headquarters.
    — Gain or loss on property and equipment - management considers the gains or losses on asset valuation, including impairments, to result from investing decisions rather than ongoing operations.
 
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Information to GAAP
(Unaudited)
 
  13 Weeks Ended 26 weeks ended
  August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017 August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017
(in thousands) $’s % of Net
revenue
 $’s % of Net
revenue
 $’s % of Net
revenue
 $’s % of Net
revenue
NET LOSS $(5,285) (1.7)% $(3,880) (1.3)% $(7,915) (1.3)% $(11,719) (2.1)%
Income tax benefit (429) (0.1)% (1,619) (0.5)% (6,048) (1.0)% (5,883) (1.0)%
Other (income) expense,
     net
 (412) (0.1)% (494) (0.2)% 3,452  0.6% (1,236) (0.2)%
Interest expense 7,001  2.3% 6,167  2.0% 13,913  2.3% 12,292  2.2%
Operating income (loss) 875  0.3% 174  0.1% 3,402  0.6% (6,546) (1.1)%
Depreciation and
     amortization
 6,897  2.2% 6,175  2.0% 13,058  2.1% 12,683  2.2%
Transfer of corporate
     functions
 5  % 480  0.2% 6  % 1,926  0.3%
(Gain) loss on property
     and equipment
 (52) %   % 284  % 62  %
Adjusted EBITDA(1) $7,725  2.5% $6,829  2.3% $16,750  2.8% $8,125  1.4%
 


 
LANDS’ END, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Unaudited)
 
  26 Weeks Ended
(in thousands) August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES    
Net loss $(7,915) $(11,719)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:    
Depreciation and amortization 13,058  12,683 
Amortization of debt issuance costs 965  856 
Loss on property and equipment 284  62 
Stock-based compensation 2,696  1,800 
Deferred income taxes 128  (88)
Change in operating assets and liabilities:    
Inventories (20,223) (43,493)
Accounts payable 33,678  22,434 
Other operating assets 18,545  5,603 
Other operating liabilities (16,384) (1,333)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities 24,832  (13,195)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES    
Purchases of property and equipment (22,203) (20,223)
Net cash used in investing activities (22,203) (20,223)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES    
Payments on term loan facility (2,575) (2,575)
Payments of employee withholding taxes on share-based compensation (533) (629)
Net cash used in financing activities (3,108) (3,204)
Effects of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted
     cash
 (1,114) 469 
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND
     RESTRICTED CASH
 (1,593) (36,153)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH,
     BEGINNING OF PERIOD
 197,937  216,408 
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH, END OF
     PERIOD
 $196,344  $180,255 
SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW DATA    
Unpaid liability to acquire property and equipment $4,990  $4,438 
Income taxes paid, net of refunds $1,349  $3,802 
Interest paid $12,938  $11,257 
         

Financial information by segment is presented in the following tables for the 13 Weeks Ended and 26 Weeks Ended August 3, 2018, and July 28, 2017.

     
  13 Weeks Ended 26 weeks ended
(in thousands) August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017 August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017
Net revenue:        
Direct $276,602  $259,938  $549,975  $488,228 
Retail 31,343  42,252  57,795  82,327 
Total net revenue              $307,945  $302,190  $607,770  $570,555 
 


     
  13 Weeks Ended 26 weeks ended
(in thousands) August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017 August 3, 2018 July 28, 2017
Adjusted EBITDA(1):        
Direct $15,761  $13,080  $38,095  $24,918 
Retail 398  1,859  (4,168) (1,288)
Corporate / other (8,434) (8,110) (17,177) (15,505)
Total Adjusted EBITDA(1) $7,725  $6,829  $16,750  $8,125