Le Chateau Reports Second Quarter Results

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 9, 2016) - Le Château Inc. (TSX:CTU.A), today reported that sales for the second quarter ended July 30, 2016 amounted to $59.9 million as compared with $63.3 million for the second quarter ended August 1, 2015, a decrease of 5.3%, with 20 fewer stores in operation. Comparable store sales decreased 0.3% for the second quarter as compared to last year, with comparable regular store sales increasing 2.0% and comparable outlet store sales decreasing 8.5% (see non-GAAP measures below). Included in comparable store sales are online sales which increased 43.0% for the second quarter. The continued success with our online sales is consistent with the shift in consumer shopping habits over the last few years and continues to reinforce our strategy of rightsizing our retail network of stores.

Earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, write-off and/or impairment of property and equipment ("Adjusted EBITDA") (see non-GAAP measures below) for the second quarter of 2016 amounted to $(1.1) million, compared to $2.2 million for the same period last year. The decrease of $3.3 million in adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was primarily attributable to the decrease of $4.1 million in gross margin dollars, offset by the reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses of $800,000. The decrease of $4.1 million in gross margin dollars was the result of the decline in gross margin percentage to 63.5% from 66.6% in 2015 due to increased promotional activity primarily in outlet stores and in stores scheduled to be closed, combined with the 5.3% overall sales decline for the second quarter. As for the regular stores, they reported a slight increase in gross margin dollars when compared with the same period last year, despite the pressure of the weaker Canadian dollar on merchandise purchased.

Net loss for the second quarter ended July 30, 2016 amounted to $6.2 million or $(0.21) per share compared to a net loss of $4.0 million or $(0.13) per share for the same period last year.

Six-month Results

Sales for the six months ended July 30, 2016 amounted to $108.5 million as compared with $114.0 million last year, a decrease of 4.8%, with 20 fewer stores in operation. Comparable store sales decreased 1.0% versus the same period a year ago, with comparable regular store sales increasing 0.7% and comparable outlet store sales decreasing 7.1%. Included in comparable store sales are online sales which increased 48.3% for the six months ended July 30, 2016.

Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended July 30, 2016 amounted to $(10.2) million, compared to $(4.9) million last year. The decrease of $5.3 million in adjusted EBITDA for the first six months of 2016 was primarily attributable to the decrease of $6.3 million in gross margin dollars, offset by the reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses of $1.0 million. The decrease of $6.3 million in gross margin dollars was the result of the decline in gross margin percentage to 63.1% from 65.6% in 2015 due to increased promotional activity primarily in outlet stores and in stores scheduled to be closed, combined with the 4.8% overall sales decline for the first half of 2016.

Net loss for the six-month period ended July 30, 2016 amounted to $20.5 million or $(0.68) per share compared to a net loss of $16.4 million or $(0.55) per share the previous year.

Over the past few years, the retail landscape has evolved and consumer shopping habits have changed significantly with e-commerce. In light of this evolution, the high concentration of stores in large urban markets - a successful model in the pre-digital world - is no longer required. Consequently, in light of these changes and situation, our strategy is to continue to review our retail network and close underperforming stores. To date, we have made significant progress on our plan and expect our rightsizing objectives to be largely reached in three years considering the expiry of leases.

During the first six months of 2016, the Company renovated one existing location and, as planned, closed 11 underperforming stores. As at July 30, 2016, the Company operated 200 stores (including 66 fashion outlet stores) compared to 220 stores (including 65 fashion outlet stores) as at August 1, 2015. Total square footage for the Le Château network as at July 30, 2016 amounted to 1,097,000 square feet (including 439,000 square feet for fashion outlet stores), compared to 1,203,000 square feet (including 462,000 square feet for fashion outlet stores) as at August 1, 2015. In 2016, the Company is planning to close approximately 20 stores and expects its total square footage to reach approximately 1,070,000 square feet.

Third Quarter of 2016

For the third quarter up to September 8, 2016, total retail sales decreased 5.3%, with 20 fewer stores in operation. Comparable store sales decreased 0.2% compared to the same period last year, with comparable regular store sales increasing 2.5% and comparable outlet store sales decreasing 10.3%. Included in comparable store sales are online sales which increased 50.0%.

Profile

Le Château is a leading Canadian brand in specialty retailing, offering a broad array of contemporary fashion apparel, accessories and footwear for style-conscious women and men. The Le Château brand is sold exclusively through the Company's 197 retail stores located in Canada. The Company's retail locations are primarily found in major urban shopping malls, as well as street-front locations with high pedestrian traffic. In addition, Le Château's web-based marketing is further broadening the Company's customer base among internet shoppers in both Canada and the United States. With its 57-year tradition of vertical integration, emphasizing a design and manufacturing approach to retailing, Le Château is unique among Canadian fashion merchants. 

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to discussing earnings measures in accordance with IFRS, this press release provides adjusted EBITDA as a supplementary earnings measure, which is defined as earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, write-off and/or impairment of property and equipment. Adjusted EBITDA is provided to assist readers in determining the ability of the Company to generate cash from operations and to cover financial charges. It is also widely used for valuation purposes for public companies in our industry.

The following table reconciles adjusted EBITDA to loss before income taxes for the three and six-month periods ended July 30, 2016 and August 1, 2015:

The Company also discloses comparable store sales which are defined as sales generated by stores that have been open for at least one year on a comparable week basis. Comparable store sales exclude sales from stores converted to outlet or clearance stores during the year of conversion.

The following table reconciles comparable store sales to total sales disclosed in the unaudited interim condensed consolidated statements of loss for the three and six-month periods ended July 30, 2016 and August 1, 2015:

The above measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements relating to the Company and/or the environment in which it operates that are based on the Company's expectations, estimates and forecasts. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and/or are beyond the Company's control. A number of factors may cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed. These factors also include those set forth in other public filings of the Company. Therefore, readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. In addition, these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and the Company disavows any intention or obligation to update or revise any such statements as a result of any event, circumstance or otherwise except to the extent required under applicable securities law.

Factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things: the ability of the Company to successfully implement its business initiatives and whether such business initiatives will yield the expected benefits; competitive conditions in the businesses in which the Company participates; changes in consumer spending; general economic conditions and normal business uncertainty; seasonality and weather patterns; changes in the Company's relationship with its suppliers; credit facility renewal; lease renewals; information technology security and loss of customer data; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; interest rate fluctuations; liquidity risk and changes in laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company. The foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect our results.

The Company's unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the second quarter ended July 30, 2016 are available online at www.sedar.com.