MONTRÉAL, May 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Le Château Inc. (TSX VENTURE:CTU), today reported that sales for the fourth quarter ended January 27, 2018 amounted to $56.0 million as compared with $62.6 million for the fourth ended January 28, 2017, a decrease of 10.6%, with 27 fewer stores in operation. Comparable store sales decreased 1.7% for the fourth quarter as compared to last year, with comparable regular store sales decreasing 0.5% and comparable outlet store sales decreasing 7.2% (see non-GAAP measures below). Included in comparable store sales are online sales which increased 23.5% for the fourth quarter. Considering the closure of a large number of non-performing stores in the past few years, comparable store sales of regular stores have levelled-off. However, the retail brick-and-mortar environment remains highly competitive and continues to be adversely impacted by reduced store traffic which reflects in part the increase in the digital shopping behavior of today’s consumer.

Adjusted EBITDA (see non-GAAP measures below) for the fourth quarter of 2017 amounted to $1.7 million, compared to $(2.9) million for the same period last year. The improvement of $4.6 million in adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was primarily attributable to the reduction of $5.8 million in selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses, partially offset by the decrease in gross margin dollars of $1.2 million. The decrease in SG&A expenses resulted primarily from the reduction in store operating expenses due mainly to store closures. The decrease of $1.2 million in gross margin dollars was the result of the 10.6% overall sales decline for the fourth quarter of 2017, partially offset by an increase in the gross margin percentage to 63.1% from 58.4% in 2016. The gross margin benefited from the closure of non-performing stores in recent quarters and improved inventory levels and quality, partially offset by the short-term liquidation process of store merchandise during the closing period of stores.

Net loss for the fourth quarter ended January 27, 2018 amounted to $3.0 million or $(0.10) per share compared to a net loss of $8.8 million or $(0.29) per share for the same period last year.

Year-end Results
Sales for the year ended January 27, 2018 amounted to $204.4 million as compared with $226.6 million last year, a decrease of 9.8%, with 27 fewer stores in operation. Comparable store sales decreased 2.6% versus the same period a year ago, with comparable regular store sales decreasing 1.4% and comparable outlet store sales decreasing 7.7%. Included in comparable store sales are online sales which increased 20.3% for the year ended January 27, 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended January 27, 2018 amounted to $(5.4) million, compared to $(16.3) million last year. The improvement of $10.9 million in adjusted EBITDA for 2017 was primarily attributable to the reduction of $19.5 million in SG&A expenses, partially offset by the decrease in gross margin dollars of $8.6 million. The decrease in SG&A expenses resulted primarily from the reduction in store operating expenses due mainly to store closures. The decrease of $8.6 million in gross margin dollars was the result of the 9.8% overall sales decline for 2017, partially offset by the increase in the gross margin percentage to 64.4% from 61.9% in 2016.

Net loss for the year ended January 27, 2018 amounted to $24.0 million or $(0.80) per share compared to a net loss of $37.2 million or $(1.24) per share the previous year.

Outlook
In light of the impact of e-commerce on consumer behavior, the execution of our business plan required a significant reduction in the number of stores and of retail square footage. Over the past two years, the Company has made significant progress. In the past fiscal year, the Company closed 27 stores as part of its retail right-sizing strategy. This represents the largest number of store closures in one year, surpassing the 25 closures in the previous year. In 2018, the Company is planning to close approximately 20 stores and expects its total square footage to decline from 896,000 square feet to approximately 800,000 square feet. Most of the executed store closures and those forecasted for this year are related to outlet stores. By the end of the current fiscal year the network optimization process will be mostly completed.

During the store closure process, the planned increase in promotional activities had a significant impact on store contribution as merchandise from those stores were heavily discounted, thus reducing our margins. Despite the impact of store closures, the gross margin improved by 250 basis point to 64.4% for the year ended January 27, 2018. For the current fiscal year, considering the significant decline in the number of non-performing stores in the network and the improved inventory level and quality, the Company’s gross margin should see further improvement.

For 2018, the projected capital expenditures are $3.0 to $3.5 million, of which $1.8 million is expected to be invested in the renovation of two existing stores, with $1.2 to $1.7 million to be used for investments in information technology and infrastructure.

Profile
Le Château de Montréal is a leading Canadian specialty retailer and manufacturer of exclusively designed apparel, footwear and accessories for contemporary and style-conscious women and men, with an extensive network of 151 prime locations across Canada and an e-com platform servicing Canada and the U.S. Le Château, committed to research, design and product development, manufactures approximately 30% of the Company’s apparel in its own Canadian production facilities. 

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 and intangible assets and accretion of First Preferred shares series 1 (“Adjusted EBITDA”). 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 fourth quarters and years ended January 27, 2018 and January 28, 2017:

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 consolidated statements of loss for the fourth quarters and years ended January 27, 2018 and January 28, 2017:

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