BELLEVILLE, Wis., Dec. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Duluth Holdings Inc. (dba, Duluth Trading Company) (“Duluth Trading” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:DLTH), a lifestyle brand of men’s and women’s casual wear, workwear and accessories, today announced its financial results for the fiscal third quarter ended October 29, 2017.

Highlights for the Third Quarter Ended October 29, 2017

• Net sales increased 25.0% to $83.7 million compared to $67.0 million in the prior-year third quarter
• Gross margin decreased 120 basis points (bps) to 56.6% compared to 57.8% in the prior-year third quarter
• Net loss of $0.8 million, or $0.03 per diluted share compared to net income of $0.5 million, or $0.01 per diluted share in the prior-year third quarter
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ decreased 24.9% to $1.9 million compared to $2.5 million in the prior-year third quarter
• During the third quarter, the Company opened three retail stores in St. Charles, MO, Thornton, CO and Avon, OH
• 31^st consecutive quarter of increased net sales year-over-year

¹See Reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA in the accompanying financial tables.

Management Commentary

“This marks our 31^st consecutive quarter of increased net sales year-over-year. Our 25% top line growth reflects our commitment to investing in our omnichannel model. We are growing our brand, attracting new customers, and the direct growth in our established store markets continues to perform well,” said Stephanie Pugliese, Chief Executive Officer of Duluth Trading.

“On the retail side of the business, we have completed our plan of opening 15 new stores in fiscal 2017. I am proud of our team’s execution of opening new stores on schedule and within budget. In total, we added approximately 173,000 selling square feet, and all our new stores are performing very well. We continue to attract new customers through our retail stores and during the third quarter, new customers acquired through retail was up 81%.”

“We remain committed to investing in our omnichannel model and believe it is vital to building brand awareness and delivering holistic growth to our Company. Based on our results to date, we are reaffirming our fiscal 2017 outlook.”

Operating Results for the Third Quarter Ended October 29, 2017

Net sales increased 25.0% to $83.7 million, compared to $67.0 million in the same period a year ago. The net sales increase was driven by a 3.6% growth in direct net sales and a 100.7% growth in retail net sales. Growth was achieved in virtually all product categories. The increase in retail net sales was primarily attributable to an increase of 12 stores in the third quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period a year ago.

Gross profit increased 22.4% to $47.4 million, or 56.6% of net sales, compared to $38.7 million, or 57.8% of net sales, in the corresponding prior-year period. The 120 basis point decrease in gross margin was primarily due to a continuing decline in shipping revenues coupled with an increase in freight cost from the Company’s distribution center to the retail stores. The Company’s product margins were up as compared to the prior-year period primarily due to improved initial mark-up and product mix.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 26.7% to $48.0 million, compared to $37.9 million in the same period a year ago. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses increased 80 basis points to 57.4%, compared to 56.6% in the corresponding prior-year period. As a percentage of net sales, advertising and marketing costs decreased 160 basis points to 20.2%, compared to 21.8% in the corresponding prior-year period, primarily attributable to a decline in digital advertising and catalog costs as percentage of net sales, which was partially offset by an increase in television and retail store advertising as a percentage of net sales. As a percentage of net sales, selling expenses increased 60 basis points to 15.8%, compared to 15.2% in the corresponding prior-year period, primarily due to an increase in customer service expenses due to retail store growth, which was partially offset by leverage in shipping expenses from an increase in the proportion of retail net sales. As a percentage of net sales, general and administrative expenses increased 170 basis points to 21.4%, compared to 19.7% in the corresponding prior-year period, primarily due to an increase in store occupancy and equipment expense, an expense in connection with the retirement of a senior management employee and an increase in depreciation expense.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

The Company ended the quarter with a cash balance of approximately $1.0 million, with net working capital of $86.6 million, and $9.9 million available on its $60.0 million revolving line of credit. Effective November 1, 2017, the Company’s borrowing availability under its revolving line of credit increased to $80.0 million through December 31, 2017.  On January 1, 2018, the Company’s borrowing availability under its revolving line of credit will decrease to $60.0 million through July 31, 2019.

Fiscal 2017 Outlook

The Company reaffirmed its fiscal 2017 outlook as follows:

• Net sales in the range of $455.0 million to $465.0 million
• Adjusted EBITDA¹ in the range of $47.0 million to $49.5 million
• EPS in the range of $0.66 to $0.71 per diluted share

The Company expects fiscal 2017 capital expenditures net of proceeds from finance lease obligations of $42.0 to $44.0 million².

¹See Reconciliation of forecasted net income to forecasted EBITDA and forecasted EBITDA to forecasted Adjusted EBITDA in the accompanying financial tables.

²Fiscal 2017 capital expenditures primarily include the opening of 15 stores and information technology investments.

The table below recaps the Company’s fiscal 2017 stores opened and signed new store leases and the anticipated opening timeframe.

Conference Call Information

A conference call and audio webcast with analysts and investors will be held on Thursday, December 7, 2017 at 9:30 am Eastern Time, to discuss the results and answer questions.

• Live conference call: 844-875-6915 (domestic) or 412-317-6711 (international)
• Conference call replay available through December 21, 2017: 877-344-7529 (domestic) or 412-317-0088 (international)
• Replay access code: 10114399
• Live and archived webcast: ir.duluthtrading.com

The Company is enabling investors to pre-register for the earnings conference call so that they can expedite their entry into the call and avoid the need to wait for a live operator. In order to pre-register for the call, investors can visit http://dpregister.com/10114399 and enter in their contact information. Investors will then be issued a personalized phone number and pin to dial into the live conference call. Individuals can pre-register any time prior to the start of the conference call on December 7^th.

About Duluth Trading

Duluth Trading is a rapidly growing lifestyle brand for the Modern, Self-Reliant American. Based in Belleville, Wisconsin, we offer high quality, solution-based casual wear, workwear and accessories for men and women who lead a hands-on lifestyle and who value a job well-done. We provide our customers an engaging and entertaining experience.  Our marketing incorporates humor and storytelling that conveys the uniqueness of our products in a distinctive, fun way, and our products are sold exclusively through our content-rich website, catalogs, and “store like no other” retail locations. We are committed to outstanding customer service backed by our “No Bull Guarantee” - if it’s not right, we’ll fix it. Visit our website at www.duluthtrading.com.

Non-GAAP Measurements

Management believes that non-GAAP financial measures may be useful in certain instances to provide additional meaningful comparisons between current results and results in prior operating periods. Within this release, including the tables attached hereto, reference is made to adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).  See attached Table “Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA and EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA,” for a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended October 29, 2017, versus the three and nine months ended October 30, 2016.  See also attached Table “Reconciliation of Forecasted Net Income to Forecasted EBITDA and Forecasted EBITDA to Forecasted Adjusted EBITDA,” for a reconciliation of forecasted net income to forecasted EBITDA and forecasted EBITDA to forecasted Adjusted EBITDA for the fiscal year ending January 28, 2018. Adjusted EBITDA is a metric used by management and frequently used by the financial community, which provides insight into an organization’s operating trends and facilitates comparisons between peer companies, since interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization can differ greatly between organizations as a result of differing capital structures and tax strategies. Adjusted EBITDA excludes certain items that are unusual in nature or not comparable from period to period.  The Company provides this information to investors to assist in comparisons of past, present and future operating results and to assist in highlighting the results of on-going operations.  While the Company’s management believes that non-GAAP measurements are useful supplemental information, such adjusted results are not intended to replace the Company’s GAAP financial results and should be read in conjunction with those GAAP results.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts included in this press release, including statements concerning Duluth Trading's plans, objectives, goals, beliefs, business strategies, future events, business conditions, its results of operations, financial position and its business outlook, business trends and certain other information herein are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Duluth Trading’s ability to execute on its growth strategies, statements under the heading “Fiscal 2017 Outlook” and the forecasted results of operations in the Table “Reconciliation of Forecasted Net Income to Forecasted EBITDA to Forecasted Adjusted EBITDA.” You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” ”might,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “target,” “predict,” “intend,” “future,” “budget,” “goals,” “potential,” “continue,” “design,” “objective,” “forecasted,” “would” and other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based upon Duluth Trading's current expectations, beliefs, estimates, and projections, and various assumptions, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond Duluth Trading's control. Duluth Trading's expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith, and Duluth Trading believes there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that management's expectations, beliefs, estimates, and projections will be achieved and actual results may vary materially from what is expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, among others, the risks, uncertainties, and factors set forth under Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 22, 2017, and other factors as may be periodically described in Duluth Trading’s subsequent filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. Duluth Trading assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, subsequent events or circumstances or other changes affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.

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