Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Reports $5.0 Million in Net Income or $0.29 Per Diluted Share for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2014

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) today reported results for the 2014 first quarter ended March 29, 2014.

First Quarter 2014 Highlights (13 weeks ended March 29, 2014):

• Consolidated net retail sales were $96.8 million with 17 fewer stores at quarter’s end compared to $102.9 million in the 2013 first quarter;
• Consolidated comparable store sales decreased 2.2%, reflecting the shift of Easter to the fiscal second quarter from the fiscal first quarter of 2013, which included a 1.9% decrease in North America and a 3.2% decrease in Europe;
• Retail gross margin improved to 43.5% from 41.5% in the 2013 first quarter;
• Net income of $5.0 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, improved from net income of $13,000, or $0.00 per diluted share in the 2013 first quarter; and
• Adjusted net income was $5.4 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $2.3 million, or $0.14 per diluted share in the 2013 first quarter. (See Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income.)

Sharon John, Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “I am pleased with the execution of our strategies in the first quarter, which led to an increase in net income of $5.0 million, or $3.1 million on an adjusted basis. A combination of real estate optimization, retail gross margin expansion and SG&A reduction drove the profitability increase. With these results, we now have five consecutive quarters of operating improvement and we look forward to continuing our progress through the balance of the year.”

Additional First Quarter Operating Highlights (13 weeks ended March 29, 2014):

• Total revenues were $97.9 million with 17 fewer stores at quarter’s end compared to $104.3 million in the 2013 first quarter; and
• Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) totaled $37.8 million, or 38.6% of total revenues, including $0.4 million in management transition and store closing expenses. This compares to $43.7 million or 41.9% of total revenues in the 2013 first quarter including $2.3 million in management transition and store closing expenses. Excluding these costs in both periods, SG&A improved 160 basis points to 38.1% of total revenues in the 2014 first quarter.

Store Activity

During the quarter, the Company closed seven stores to end the period with 316 company-owned stores, including 256 in North America and 60 in Europe. (See Company-Owned Store Activity Schedule.) The Company’s international franchisees ended the 2014 first quarter with 83 stores in 14 countries. Separately, the Company announced today the signing of a new franchise agreement in Turkey with the first store expected to open this June.

Balance Sheet

The Company ended the 2014 first quarter with cash and cash equivalents totaling $41.9 million and no borrowings under its revolving credit facility. Total inventory at quarter end was $44.1 million. Inventory per square foot increased 24% as the Company prepared for the Easter selling season and followed a 10% decrease in inventory per square foot in the first quarter last year.

The Company repurchased approximately 90,000 shares of its common stock at a total cost of $0.7 million, leaving $6.4 million of availability under the current stock repurchase program at quarter end.

In 2014, the Company expects capital expenditures to be between $12 million and $15 million and depreciation and amortization is expected to be approximately $18 million.

2014 Key Strategic Objectives:

To increase shareholder value, the Company expects to continue to:

• Optimize real estate to improve store productivity. In fiscal 2014, the Company expects to close approximately 15 stores, primarily in North America, and transfer a portion of sales to other stores in the same markets. In conjunction with lease renewals, the Company will selectively upgrade stores with key features while reducing the cost of capital that is needed for the improvements. The Company expects to strategically open new stores on an opportunistic basis.
• Refine the consumer value equation by continuing to reposition its marketing programs. The Company expects to expand its integrated brand building marketing initiatives and to increase the impact of its loyalty program which currently has over 4 million active members.
• Rationalize expense structure to leverage its SG&A expenses and enhance product margins with end-to-end improvements in its supply chain and ongoing value engineering of product designs.
• Build on core competencies and leverage brand equity into new revenue streams. The Company expects to make continual improvements to its high touch retail service model and customizable product offerings. It expects to lay the ground work to further leverage the strength of the Build-A-Bear brand as it begins to develop new product categories to generate incremental profit and revenue streams.

Today’s Conference Call Webcast

Build-A-Bear Workshop will host a live Internet webcast of its quarterly investor conference call at 9 a.m. ET today. The audio broadcast may be accessed at the Company’s investor relations Web site, http://IR.buildabear.com. The call is expected to conclude by 10 a.m. ET.

A replay of the conference call webcast will be available in the investor relations Web site for one year. A telephone replay will be available beginning at approximately noon ET today until midnight ET on May 15, 2014. The telephone replay is available by calling (858) 384-5517. The access code is 13580086.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.:

Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. There are approximately 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico. The Company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list for the sixth year in a row in 2014. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $379.1 million in fiscal 2013. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the Investor Relations section of its award-winning Web site at buildabear.com^®.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and the Company’s actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013, as filed with the SEC, and the following:

• general global economic conditions may continue to deteriorate, which could lead to disproportionately reduced consumer demand for its products, which represent relatively discretionary spending;
• customer traffic may decrease in the shopping malls where the Company’s stores are located, and which it depends on to attract guests to its stores;
• the Company may be unable to generate interest in and demand for its interactive retail experience, or to identify and respond to consumer preferences in a timely fashion;
• the marketing and on-line initiatives may not be effective in generating sufficient levels of brand awareness and guest traffic;
• the Company may be unable to generate comparable store sales growth;
• the Company is subject to a number of risks related to disruptions, failures or security breaches of its information technology infrastructure and may we improperly obtain, or fail to protect, its data or violate privacy or security laws or expectations;
• the Company may be unable to effectively operate or manage the overall portfolio of its company-owned stores;
• the Company may be unable to renew or replace its store leases, or enter into leases for new stores on favorable terms or in favorable locations, or may violate the terms of its current leases;
• the Company may not be able to operate its company-owned stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland profitably;
• the availability and costs of its products could be adversely affected by risks associated with international manufacturing and trade, including foreign currency fluctuation;
• its products could become subject to recalls or product liability claims that could adversely impact its financial performance and harm its reputation among consumers;
• the Company may lose key personnel, be unable to hire qualified additional personnel, or experience turnover of its management team;
• the Company is susceptible to disruption in its inventory flow due to its reliance on a few vendors;
• the Company may be unable to effectively manage its international franchises or laws relating to those franchises may change;
• the Company may fail to renew, register or otherwise protect its trademarks or other intellectual property or may be sued by third parties for infringement or, misappropriation of their proprietary rights;
• the Company is subject to risks associated with technology and digital operations;
• the Company may suffer negative publicity or be sued due to violations of labor laws or unethical practices by manufacturers of its merchandise;
• the Company may be unable to operate its company-owned distribution center efficiently or its third-party distribution center providers may perform poorly;
• high petroleum products prices could increase the Company’s inventory transportation costs and adversely affect its profitability;
• the Company’s market share could be adversely affected by a significant, or increased, number of competitors;
• the Company may suffer negative publicity or negative sales if the non-proprietary toy products it sells in its stores do not meet its quality or sales expectations;
• poor global economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity and capital resources;
• fluctuations in the Company’s quarterly results of operations could cause the price of its common stock to substantially decline; and
• the Company may be unable to repurchase shares of its common stock at the times or in the amounts it currently anticipates or the results of the share repurchase program may not be as beneficial as it currently anticipates.

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