Conn’s, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM: CONN), a specialty retailer of home appliances,
consumer electronics, computers, lawn and garden products, furniture and
mattresses, today announced its net sales results for the quarter ended
April 30, 2009.
Net sales for the quarter ended April 30, 2009, of $200.1 million,
increased $5.1 million, or 2.6%, as compared with the quarter ended
April 30, 2008. Net sales represent total product sales, service
maintenance agreement commissions and service revenues. Same store sales
(sales recorded in stores operated for the entirety of both periods)
decreased 4.6% for the quarter ended April 30, 2009. Though same store
sales were impacted by Circuit City’s liquidation sale during the
quarter, the Company believes it increased its consumer electronics and
appliance market share. The expected market share gains are evidenced by
the increase in total television unit sales of 34.5% and increase in
total appliance sales, as compared to the same period in the prior year.
Total revenues for the quarter, including revenues from finance charges
and other, will be reported in the Company's earnings release and
conference call scheduled for June 4, 2009. The following table presents
the makeup and changes in net sales for the quarter:
|
|
|
Quarter ended April 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
% of Total
|
|
2008
|
|
% of Total
|
|
Change
|
|
% Change
|
|
|
|
(dollars in thousands)
|
|
|
Consumer electronics
|
|
$
|
78,537
|
|
39.2
|
%
|
|
$
|
73,799
|
|
37.8
|
%
|
|
$
|
4,738
|
|
|
6.4
|
%
|
|
Home appliances
|
|
|
57,112
|
|
28.5
|
%
|
|
|
55,184
|
|
28.3
|
%
|
|
|
1,928
|
|
|
3.5
|
%
|
|
Track
|
|
|
21,409
|
|
10.7
|
%
|
|
|
23,086
|
|
11.8
|
%
|
|
|
(1,677
|
)
|
|
-7.3
|
%
|
|
Furniture and mattresses
|
|
|
19,061
|
|
9.5
|
%
|
|
|
17,713
|
|
9.1
|
%
|
|
|
1,348
|
|
|
7.6
|
%
|
|
Other
|
|
|
8,696
|
|
4.4
|
%
|
|
|
10,129
|
|
5.2
|
%
|
|
|
(1,433
|
)
|
|
-14.1
|
%
|
|
Total product sales
|
|
|
184,815
|
|
92.3
|
%
|
|
|
179,911
|
|
92.2
|
%
|
|
|
4,904
|
|
|
2.7
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service maintenance agreement commissions
|
|
|
9,790
|
|
4.9
|
%
|
|
|
9,970
|
|
5.1
|
%
|
|
|
(180
|
)
|
|
-1.8
|
%
|
|
Service revenues
|
|
|
5,544
|
|
2.8
|
%
|
|
|
5,192
|
|
2.7
|
%
|
|
|
352
|
|
|
6.8
|
%
|
|
Total net sales
|
|
$
|
200,149
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
195,073
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
5,076
|
|
|
2.6
|
%
|
The following is a summary of the key items impacting net sales during
the quarter:
-
The consumer electronics category showed continued growth driven by
flat-panel televisions, led by LCD and plasma televisions, partially
offset by declines in average selling prices and projection television
unit sales,
-
The home appliance category grew during the quarter, though the
appliance market in general showed continued weakness, as the Company
focused on improving its performance in this category and benefited in
the markets directly impacted by Hurricane Ike,
-
Track sales declines were largely due to lower computer, digital
camera, camcorder and portable audio sales, partially offset by higher
DVD player and accessory sales,
-
The increase in furniture and mattresses sales were driven by expanded
brand offerings and improved in-store displays,
-
The decrease in other product sales was due primarily to lower lawn
and garden equipment sales,
-
The service maintenance agreement commissions decrease was due in part
to a reduced percentage of sales being financed on the Company’s
in-house credit programs, and
-
seven stores opened since February 1, 2008, contributed to the
increase in Total net sales.
The Company will host a conference call and audio webcast on Thursday,
June 4, 2009, at 10:00AM, CDT, to fully discuss its earnings and
operating performance for the quarter. The webcast will be available
live at www.conns.com
and will be archived for one year. Participants can join the call by
dialing 877-440-5803 or 719-325-4891.
About Conn’s, Inc.
The Company is a specialty retailer currently operating 75 retail
locations in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma: 23 stores in the Houston
area, 19 in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, nine in San Antonio, five
in Austin, five in Southeast Texas, one in Corpus Christi, four in South
Texas, six in Louisiana and three in Oklahoma. It sells home appliances,
including refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, dishwashers and
ranges, and a variety of consumer electronics, including LCD, plasma and
DLP televisions, camcorders, digital cameras, computers and computer
accessories, Blu-ray and DVD players, video game equipment, portable
audio, MP3 players, GPS devices and home theater products. The Company
also sells lawn and garden products, furniture and mattresses, and
continues to introduce additional product categories for the home to
help respond to its customers' product needs and to increase same store
sales. Unlike many of its competitors, the Company provides flexible
in-house credit options for its customers. In the last three years, the
Company financed, on average, approximately 61% of its retail sales.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements generally can
be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may,"
"will," "expect," "intend," "could," "estimate," "should," "anticipate,"
or "believe," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar
terminology. Although the Company believes that the expectations
reflected in such forward-looking statements will prove to be correct,
the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to
be correct. The actual future performance of the Company could differ
materially from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute
to such differences include, but are not limited to: the Company's
growth strategy and plans regarding opening new stores and entering new
markets; the Company's intention to update, relocate or expand existing
stores; the Company's estimated capital expenditures and costs related
to the opening of new stores or the update, relocation or expansion of
existing stores; the Company's ability to introduce additional
product categories; the Company’s ability to offer flexible financing
programs; the Company's ability to fund operations, debt repayment and
expansion from cash flow from operations, borrowings on its
revolving lines of credit and proceeds from securitizations and from
accessing equity or debt markets; the ability of the Company and the
QSPE to obtain additional funding for the purpose of funding the
receivables generated by the Company, including limitations on the
ability of the QSPE to obtain financing through its commercial
paper-based funding sources and its ability to maintain the current
credit ratings of its securities; the cost of any renewed or replacement
credit facilities; growth trends and projected sales in the home
appliance and consumer electronics industry and the Company's ability to
capitalize on such growth; the pricing actions and promotional
activities of competitors; relationships with the Company's key
suppliers; the results of the Company's litigation; interest rates;
general economic conditions; weather conditions in the Company's
markets; delinquency and loss trends in the receivables portfolio;
changes in the assumptions used in the calculation of the fair value of
its interests in securitized assets; potential goodwill impairment;
changes in the Company's stock price; and the actual number of shares of
common stock outstanding. Further information on these risk factors is
included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K to be
filed later today. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of
this press release. Except as required by law, the Company is not
obligated to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking
statements to reflect the events or circumstances after the date of this
press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
CONN-F

Conn's, Inc., Beaumont
Chief Financial Officer
Michael J.
Poppe, 409-832-1696 Ext. 3359