Ethan Allen Q1 FY'14 sales down 3.2%

First Quarter Highlights:

- Net sales of $181.7 million with adjusted operating profit margin of 9.2%

- Retail division written orders increased 11.4% including an increase of 13.8% in comparable design center written orders on top of 9.1% comparable growth the prior year first quarter

- Cash and securities of $120 million, an increase of $20 million over the prior year

- Major focus on getting ready for the launch of our new initiative under the umbrella of “The New Eclecticism” starting in Fall 2013

Farooq Kathwari, Chairman and CEO commented, “We are pleased with our progress in re-positioning our brand from a leader in furniture to a leader in home fashion. Our written business by our retail division increased 11.4% with comparable written increasing 13.8% despite the uncertainty expressed by our clients as a result of the recent government shutdown.”

Mr. Kathwari continued, “Our net sales of $181.7 million compared to $187.4 million in the prior year reflected the lower backlogs we had at the beginning of the quarter this year, a comparison to a strong quarter the previous year, and higher clearance sales during this quarter to make room for new products for our October launch.”

Mr. Kathwari concluded, “We are very pleased with our progress of re-introducing Ethan Allen as a fashion brand and reaching a larger customer base. We have a strong marketing program that started in October.

"The “bickering” in Washington made consumers nervous otherwise we believe we would have had an opportunity to have even higher written business in the first quarter. We also saw continued hesitancy in the first two weeks of October. We now see our clients starting to get more focused on decorating their homes and as a result we remain cautiously optimistic as we move forward.”

Financial Results:

Net sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 decreased 3.1% over the prior year to $181.7 million. The Company’s Retail division net sales decreased 4.9% to $141.8 million including a comparable design center net sales decline of 3.0%.

Retail division written orders recorded during the fourth quarter increased 11.4% including an increase of 13.8% in comparable design center written orders. Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 was $9.0 million or $0.31 per diluted share compared with $10.1 million or $0.35 per diluted share in the prior year quarter. Adjusted earnings for the quarter were $0.33 per diluted share or $9.5 million compared to $0.38 per diluted share or $11.1 million in the prior year quarter.

Ethan Allen