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1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) Reports Strong EBITDA and EPS Growth on Revenues of $334.2 Million for its Fiscal 2008 Second Quarter

-- Net income for the quarter increased 13.8 percent, or $2.3 million, to $19.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared with $16.9 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, in the prior year period. -- EBITDA* for the quarter improved 14.2 percent, or $4.8 million, to $38.6 million compared with $33.8 million in the prior year period. (*Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization. A reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA is included as part of the tables attached to this release.) -- Total revenues for the quarter increased 1.3 percent, or $4.3 million, to $334.2 million, compared with $329.9 million in the prior year period. -- Company increases its stock repurchase plan.

CARLE PLACE, N.Y., Jan 24, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLWS), the world's leading florist and a provider of specialty gifts for all occasions, today reported revenues of $334.2 million for its fiscal second quarter ended December 30, 2007, representing an increase of 1.3 percent compared with revenues of $329.9 million reported in the prior year period. Total revenue growth reflected the challenging economic climate during the key year-end holiday period with the majority of growth achieved attributable to the Company's BloomNet Wire Service business, which grew 32.1 percent during the quarter.

Highlighting the fiscal second quarter results was the improved operating leverage the Company achieved, enabling it to reduce its operating expense ratio (which excludes depreciation and amortization) by 160 basis points to 34.2 percent compared with 35.8 percent in the prior year period. Gross profit margin for the quarter was 45.8 percent compared with 46.1 percent in the prior year period, reflecting the increased promotional nature of this holiday season.

The combination of these factors resulted in an EBITDA improvement for the quarter of $4.8 million, or 14.2 percent, to $38.6 million compared with $33.8 million in the prior year period. Net income for the quarter increased 13.8 percent to $19.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, compared with $16.9 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, in the prior year period.

Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, said, "During our fiscal second quarter, we continued to focus on our strategy of leveraging our business platform to drive profitable growth while reducing our operating expense ratio. As a result, we were able to deliver EBITDA and net income growth of approximately 14 percent despite a very challenging consumer environment."

McCann said macro market conditions throughout the quarter were characterized by very cautious consumer spending and aggressive promotional activity by competitors across the gift spectrum. "Revenue growth for the quarter in part reflects our conscious decision not to chase top-line growth. Throughout the period, we were judicious in our promotional efforts, limiting the use of free shipping offers to higher margin items and larger order sizes and thereby minimizing the impact on gross profit margin. This strategy, combined with our enhanced operating expense leverage, enabled us to maintain strong contribution margins in our Consumer Floral and Gourmet Gifts categories as well as significantly improve the year-over-year bottom-line results in our Home and Children's Gifts category."

McCann noted that during the fiscal second quarter, the Company's BloomNet Wire Service continued to achieve strong top- and bottom-line growth. "BloomNet continued to capture market share, growing both revenues and contribution margin by more than 30 percent during the quarter. This reflects the better value proposition offered by BloomNet, as well as our expanded suite of products and services that, together, are helping our florists not just survive, but to thrive."

During the fiscal second quarter, the Company attracted approximately 1.3 million new customers, of whom 67 percent, or more than 845,000, came to the Company through its online channels. These customers were attracted by the strength of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM brand as well as its expanded Specialty Brands gift offerings. Approximately 2.8 million customers placed orders during the quarter, of which 54.4 percent were repeat customers. This reflects the Company's ongoing focus on deepening the relationship with its existing customers as their trusted source for gifts and services for all of their celebratory occasions.

McCann said the Company's outlook for the second half of its fiscal year is positive. "Unlike many other specialty retailers, in addition to our profitable second quarter, we expect to have two profitable quarters ahead of us; the current fiscal third quarter, which includes the Valentine holiday, and this year Easter, followed by our fiscal fourth quarter with the key Mother's Day holiday as well as Administrative Professionals Week and Father's Day. In addition, we are excited about the upcoming April launch of our partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., in which we are creating an exclusive co-branded floral, plant and gift basket program called Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com(R). This partnership will leverage the best of both brands - lifestyle icon Martha Stewart's unparalleled design talent with our Company's relationships with our millions of customers and our unique same-day, any-day distribution capabilities."

CATEGORY RESULTS:

The Company provides selected financial results for its Floral and Specialty Brands business categories in the tables attached to this release and as follows:

FLORAL:

-- 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Consumer Floral: During the second quarter, revenues were $114.1 million, compared with $114.7 million in the prior year period. Gross profit margin for the quarter was 39.4 percent compared with 39.7 percent in last year's second quarter. The slightly lower gross margin was offset by enhanced operating expense leverage resulting in category contribution margin of $13.6 million, compared with $13.5 in the prior year period. (The Company defines category contribution margin as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and before allocation of corporate overhead expenses.)

-- BloomNet Wire Service: Revenues increased 32.1 percent, or $3.1 million, to $12.7 million compared with $9.6 million in the year ago period. Gross margin was 57.1 percent compared with 59.9 percent in the prior year period. Category contribution margin increased 36.9 percent to $4.5 million compared with $3.3 million in last year's second quarter.

SPECIALTY BRANDS:

-- Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets: Revenues increased 1.6 percent to $110.6 million compared with $108.9 million in the prior year period. Gross profit margin was 49.1 percent, compared with 48.4 percent in the year ago period. The increase in gross margin was offset by an increase in operating expenses, specifically marketing and selling, resulting in category contribution margin of $24.9 million compared with $25.3 million in the prior year period.

-- Home and Children's Gifts: Consistent with management's plan, revenues for the quarter were essentially flat compared with the prior year period at $98.0 million. Gross profit margin was 47.5 percent compared with 48.8 percent in the prior year period. The lower gross margin, reflecting the promotional nature of this holiday period, was more than offset by a significant improvement in operating expenses, specifically a reduction in marketing and selling. As a result, category contribution margin increased to $8.7 million, representing an improvement of 124.5 percent, or $4.8 million, compared with $3.9 million in the prior year period.

Company Guidance:

The Company reiterated its EBITDA and EPS guidance for fiscal 2008 which calls for EBITDA growth in a range of 20-to-25 percent and EPS growth of 30-to-35 percent compared with fiscal 2007. Based on the lower revenue growth achieved during the fiscal second quarter and the outlook for a challenging consumer economy, the Company has revised its forecast for revenue growth to a range of two-to-four percent for the fiscal year. Regarding its current fiscal third quarter, which includes the Valentine and Easter holidays, the Company expects the period will represent approximately 23-to-25 percent of full-year revenues.

McCann noted that the Company finished the fiscal second quarter with more than $65 million in cash and no debt outstanding on its revolving credit facility. "We have a strong balance sheet and we anticipate generating ample free cash flow going forward. In addition, we believe we are well positioned to leverage our business platform - including our market-leading brand strength and the deepening relationships we have with our more than 25 million customers - to drive profitable growth during the second half of our fiscal year while reducing our operating expense ratio and thereby achieving our bottom-line growth goals for the year.

"With that said, we believe our current share price level offers us a compelling return on capital. As a result, we have obtained authorization from our Board of Directors for an increase in our stock repurchase plan which, added to the funds remaining on our earlier authorization, provides us with $15 million to become active in the market during open trading windows," he added.

Definitions:

EBITDA: Net income (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Company presents EBITDA because it considers such information a meaningful supplemental measure of its performance and believes it is frequently used by the investment community in the evaluation of similarly situated companies. The Company also uses EBITDA as one of the factors used to determine the total amount of bonuses available to be awarded to executive officers and other employees. The Company's credit agreement uses EBITDA (with additional adjustments) to measure compliance with covenants such as interest coverage and debt incurrence. EBITDA is also used by the Company to evaluate and price potential acquisition candidates. EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the Company's results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are: (a) EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, the Company's working capital needs; (b) EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on the Company's debts; and (c) although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such capital expenditures. Because of these limitations, EBITDA should only be used on a supplemental basis combined with GAAP results when evaluating the Company's performance.

About 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R)

For more than 30 years, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc. - "Your Florist of Choice(R)" - has been providing customers around the world with the freshest flowers and finest selection of plants, gift baskets, gourmet foods, confections and plush stuffed animals perfect for every occasion. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) offers the best of both worlds: exquisite, florist-designed arrangements individually created by some of the nation's top floral artists and hand-delivered the same day, and spectacular flowers shipped overnight "Fresh From Our Growers(sm)." Customers can "call, click or come in" to shop 1-800-FLOWERS.COM 24/7 at 1-800-356-9377 or www.1800flowers.com. As always, 100 percent satisfaction and freshness are guaranteed. The 1-800-FLOWERS.COM collection of brands also includes home decor and children's gifts from Plow & Hearth(R) (1-800-627-1712 or www.plowandhearth.com), Wind & Weather(R) (www.windandweather.com), HearthSong(R) (www.hearthsong.com) and Magic Cabin(R) (www.magiccabin.com); gourmet gifts including popcorn and specialty treats from The Popcorn Factory(R) (1-800-541-2676 or www.thepopcornfactory.com); exceptional cookies and baked gifts from Cheryl&Co.(R) (1-800-443-8124 or www.cherylandco.com); premium chocolates and confections from Fannie May Confections Brands(R) (www.fanniemay.com and www.harrylondon.com); gourmet foods from GreatFood.com(R) (www.greatfood.com); wine gifts from Ambrosia.com (www.ambrosia.com); gift baskets from 1-800-BASKETS.COM(R) (www.1800baskets.com) and the BloomNet(R) international floral wire service, which provides quality products and diverse services to a select network of florists. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under ticker symbol FLWS.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's expectations or beliefs concerning future events and can generally be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "estimate," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "foresee," "likely," "will," "goal," "target" or similar words or phrases. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's expectations for continued improvement in revenues, EBITDA and EPS and the Company's guidance with respect to fiscal 2008, including its fiscal third quarter. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, among others: the Company's ability to achieve its revenue and profitability growth guidance for fiscal year 2008, including the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2008; its ability to reduce costs and enhance its profit margins; its ability to manage the increased seasonality of its businesses; its ability to effectively integrate and grow its acquired companies; its ability to cost effectively acquire and retain customers; its ability to compete against existing and new competitors; its ability to manage expenses associated with sales and marketing and necessary general and administrative and technology investments; its ability to cost efficiently manage inventories; its ability to leverage its operating infrastructure; and general consumer sentiment and economic conditions that may affect levels of discretionary customer purchases of the Company's products. For a more detailed description of these and other risk factors, please refer to the Company's SEC filings including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 1, 2007 and its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements made in this release or in any of its SEC filings except as may be otherwise stated by the Company.

Conference Call:

The Company will conduct a conference call to discuss the attached financial results today, Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. (EST). The call will be "web cast" live via the Internet and can be accessed from the Investor Relations section of the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM web site at www.1800flowers.com A recording of the call will be posted on the Investor Relations section of the Company's web site within 2 hours of the call's completion. A replay of the call can be accessed via telephone beginning at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on 1/24/08 through midnight on 1/25/08 at: 1-888-203-1112 (domestic) or 1-719-457-0820 (international). Enter replay pass code #: 60311945.

(Note: Attached tables are an integral part of this press release without which the information presented in this press release should be considered incomplete.)

               1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Subsidiaries
                Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
                            (In thousands)

                                                 December 30, July 1,
                                                     2007       2007
                                                 ------------ --------
                                                 (unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
     Cash and equivalents                             $65,412  $16,087
     Receivables, net                                  27,293   17,010
     Inventories                                       62,650   62,051
     Deferred income taxes                             10,138   19,260
     Prepaid and other                                  9,920    9,576
                                                 ------------ --------
     Total current assets                             175,413  123,984

Property, plant and equipment, net                     62,209   62,561
Goodwill                                              111,714  112,131
Other intangibles, net                                 51,416   52,750
Other assets                                              866    1,081
                                                 ------------ --------
    Total assets                                     $401,618 $352,507
                                                 ============ ========

Liabilities and stockholders' equity
Current liabilities:
     Accounts payable and accrued expenses            $96,931  $62,433
     Current maturities of long-term debt and
      obligations under capital leases                 11,516   10,132
                                                 ------------ --------
     Total current liabilities                        108,447   72,565

Long-term debt and obligations under capital
 leases                                                61,625   68,000
Deferred income taxes                                   8,230    8,230
Other liabilities                                       2,563    2,681
                                                 ------------ --------
     Total liabilities                                180,865  151,476
Total stockholders' equity                            220,753  201,031
                                                 ------------ --------
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity           $401,618 $352,507
                                                 ============ ========

               1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Subsidiaries
                    Selected Financial Information
            Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
              (In thousands, except for per share data)

                      Three Months Ended         Six Months Ended
                   ------------------------- -------------------------
                   December 30, December 31, December 30, December 31,
                       2007         2006         2007         2006
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Net revenues:
  E-commerce
   (combined
   online and
   telephonic)        $274,168     $270,159     $388,671     $379,418
  Other                 60,034       59,707       91,341       87,580
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

       Total net
        revenues       334,202      329,866      480,012      466,998

Cost of revenues       181,146      177,889      267,075      260,207
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Gross profit           153,056      151,977      212,937      206,791

Operating
 expenses:
  Marketing and
   sales                93,594       99,037      136,373      141,407
  Technology and
   development           5,419        5,201       10,654       10,362
  General and
   administrative       15,448       13,931       30,666       27,274
  Depreciation and
   amortization          4,967        3,834        9,837        8,578
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

       Total
        operating
        expenses       119,428      122,003      187,530      187,621
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Operating income        33,628       29,974       25,407       19,170

Other income
 (expense):
   Interest income         295          254          473          591
   Interest
    expense             (1,737)      (2,425)      (3,282)      (4,253)
   Other                    12           (7)          30            4
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Total other income
 (expense), net         (1,430)      (2,178)      (2,779)      (3,658)
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Income before
 income taxes           32,198       27,796       22,628       15,512
Income taxes           (12,942)     (10,874)      (9,162)      (6,009)
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Net income              19,256       16,922      $13,466       $9,503
                   ============ ============ ============ ============

Net income per
 common share:
          Basic          $0.31        $0.26        $0.21        $0.15
                   ============ ============ ============ ============
          Diluted        $0.29        $0.26        $0.20        $0.14
                   ============ ============ ============ ============
Weighted average
 shares used in
 the calculation
 of net income per
 common share:
          Basic         63,020       65,094       62,825       65,144
                   ============ ============ ============ ============
          Diluted       66,050       66,089       66,026       66,103
                   ============ ============ ============ ============

               1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Subsidiaries
                    Selected Financial Information
                Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
                            (In thousands)
                             (unaudited)

                                                 Six Months Ended
                                             -------------------------
                                             December 30, December 31,
                                                 2007         2006
                                             ------------ ------------

Operating activities
Net income                                       $13,466       $9,503
Reconciliation of net income to net cash
 provided by operations:
  Depreciation and amortization                    9,837        8,578
  Deferred income taxes                            9,122        6,831
  Bad debt expense                                 1,363          734
  Stock based compensation                         2,305        2,009
  Other non-cash items                               171          199
  Changes in operating items:
       Receivables                               (11,646)     (17,994)
       Inventories                                  (696)      (6,182)
       Prepaid and other                            (344)        (836)
       Accounts payable and accrued expenses      34,498       29,263
       Other assets                                  350         (734)
       Other liabilities                            (118)       1,054
                                             ------------ ------------

 Net cash provided by operating activities        58,308       32,425

Investing activities
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired                   230         (347)
Dispositions                                          25          630
Capital expenditures                              (8,279)     (10,477)
Other                                                 81         (163)
                                             ------------ ------------

 Net cash used in investing activities            (7,943)     (10,357)
Financing activities
Acquisition of treasury stock                          -      (15,689)
Proceeds from employee stock options               3,951          270
Proceeds from bank borrowings                     80,000       65,000
Repayment of notes payable and bank
 borrowings                                      (84,971)     (69,954)
Repayment of capital lease obligations               (20)        (296)
                                             ------------ ------------

 Net cash used in financing activities            (1,040)     (20,669)
                                             ------------ ------------

Net change in cash and equivalents                49,325        1,399
Cash and equivalents:
  Beginning of period                             16,087       24,599
                                             ------------ ------------

  End of period                                  $65,412      $25,998
                                             ============ ============

               1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Subsidiaries
                    Selected Financial Information
                         Category Information
                            (in thousands)
                              (unaudited)

                  Three Months Ended            Six Months Ended
             ---------------------------- ----------------------------
             December  December           December  December
              30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change  30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change
             --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- --------

Net revenues:
 1-800-
  Flowers.com
  Consumer
  Floral     $114,070  $114,725   (0.6%)  $201,669  $197,393    2.2%
 BloomNet
  Wire
  Service      12,732     9,640   32.1%     22,623    16,806   34.6%
 Gourmet Food
  & Gift
  Baskets     110,605   108,910    1.6%    133,767   131,134    2.0%
 Home &
  Children's
  Gifts        98,013    98,145   (0.1%)   122,748   123,012   (0.2%)
 Corporate
  (*)             585       121  383.5%      1,710     1,036   65.1%
 Intercompany
  elim-
 inations      (1,803)   (1,675)  (7.6%)    (2,505)   (2,383)  (5.1%)
             --------- ---------          --------- ---------
Total net
 revenues    $334,202  $329,866    1.3%   $480,012  $466,998    2.8%
             ========= =========          ========= =========

                  Three Months Ended            Six Months Ended
             ---------------------------- ----------------------------
             December  December           December  December
              30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change  30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change
             --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- --------

Gross profit:
 1-800-
  Flowers.com
  Consumer
  Floral      $44,924   $45,575   (1.4%)   $79,020   $77,026    2.6%
                 39.4%     39.7%              39.2%     39.0%

 BloomNet
  Wire
  Service       7,273     5,777   25.9%     12,882     9,877   30.4%
                 57.1%     59.9%              56.9%     58.8%

 Gourmet Food
  & Gift
  Baskets      54,298    52,706    3.0%     63,781    61,225    4.2%
                 49.1%     48.4%              47.7%     46.7%

 Home &
  Children's
  Gifts        46,591    47,904   (2.7%)    56,797    58,246   (2.5%)
                 47.5%     48.8%              46.3%     47.3%

 Corporate
  (*)             256        75  241.3%        763       521   46.4%
                 43.8%     62.0%              44.6%     50.3%

 Intercompany
  elim-
 inations        (286)      (60)              (306)     (104)
             --------- ---------          --------- ---------
Total gross
 profit      $153,056  $151,977    0.7%   $212,937  $206,791    3.0%
             ========= =========          ========= =========
                 45.8%     46.1%              44.4%     44.3%
             ========= =========          ========= =========

                  Three Months Ended            Six Months Ended
             ---------------------------- ----------------------------
             December  December           December  December
              30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change  30, 2007  31, 2006 % Change
             --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- --------

Category
 Contribution
 Margin:
 1-800-
  Flowers.com
  Consumer
  Floral      $13,561   $13,451    0.8%    $25,506   $21,321   19.6%
 BloomNet
  Wire
  Service       4,458     3,256   36.9%      7,022     4,958   41.6%
 Gourmet Food
  & Gift
  Baskets      24,912    25,326   (1.6%)    23,057    23,752   (2.9%)
 Home &
  Children's
  Gifts         8,747     3,896  124.5%      6,451     2,018  219.7%
             --------- ---------          --------- ---------
Category
 Contribution
 Margin
 Subtotal      51,678    45,929   12.5%     62,036    52,049   19.2%
 Corporate
  (*)         (13,083)  (12,121)  (7.9%)   (26,792)  (24,301) (10.3%)
             --------- ---------          --------- ---------
EBITDA        $38,595   $33,808   14.2%    $35,244   $27,748   27.0%
             ========= =========          ========= =========

(*) Corporate expenses consist of the Company's enterprise shared
 service cost centers, and include, among other items, Information
 Technology, Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Legal, Executive
 and Customer Service Center functions, as well as Share-Based
 Compensation. In order to leverage the Company's infrastructure,
 these functions are operated under a centralized management platform,
 providing support services throughout the organization. The costs of
 these functions, other than those of the Customer Service Center,
 which are allocated directly to the above categories based upon
 usage, are included within corporate expenses as they are not
 directly allocable to a specific category.

               1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and Subsidiaries
                    Selected Financial Information
        Appendix A - Reconciliations of Historical Information
                            (In thousands)
                             (unaudited)

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA:

                      Three Months Ended         Six Months Ended
                   ------------------------- -------------------------
                   December 30, December 31, December 30, December 31,
                       2007         2006         2007         2006
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

Net income             $19,256       $16,922     $13,466       $9,503
Add:
   Interest
    expense              1,737         2,425       3,282        4,253
   Depreciation
    and
    amortization         4,967         3,834       9,837        8,578
   Income tax
    expense             12,942        10,874       9,162        6,009
   Other expense
    (income)               (12)            7         (30)          (4)
Less:
   Interest income         295           254         473          591
                   ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

EBITDA                  38,595       $33,808     $35,244      $27,748
                   ============ ============ ============ ============

SOURCE: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

Investors:
Joseph D. Pititto, 516-237-6131
invest@1800flowers.com
OR
Media:
Steven Jarmon, 516-237-4675
sjarmon@1800flowers.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008

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