Conn’s, Inc. (NASDAQ/NM: CONN), a specialty retailer of consumer
electronics, home appliances, furniture, mattresses, computers and lawn
and garden products, today announced its net sales results for the
quarter ended July 31, 2009.
Net sales for the quarter ended July 31, 2009, of $190.3 million,
decreased $0.3 million, or 0.2%, as compared with the quarter ended July
31, 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
5.2% for the quarter ended July 31, 2009. Though same store sales were
impacted by increasingly challenging economic conditions during the
quarter, the Company believes it increased its consumer electronics and
home appliance market share, as retail sales for appliance and
electronics stores declined approximately 12% nationally during the
quarter ended June 30, 2009, as reported in U.S. Census Bureau News –
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail Trade and Food Services. The expected
market share gains are evidenced by the increase in total television
unit sales of 28.0% 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 August
27, 2009. The following table presents the makeup and changes in net
sales for the quarter:
|
|
Quarter ended July 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
% of Total
|
|
2008
|
|
% of Total
|
|
Change
|
|
% Change
|
|
|
(dollars in thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Consumer electronics
|
$
|
60,375
|
|
31.7
|
%
|
|
$
|
63,033
|
|
33.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
(2,658
|
)
|
|
-4.2
|
%
|
|
Home appliances
|
|
62,494
|
|
32.8
|
%
|
|
|
60,918
|
|
31.9
|
%
|
|
|
1,576
|
|
|
2.6
|
%
|
|
Track
|
|
23,142
|
|
12.2
|
%
|
|
|
23,183
|
|
12.1
|
%
|
|
|
(41
|
)
|
|
-0.2
|
%
|
|
Furniture and mattresses
|
|
18,323
|
|
9.6
|
%
|
|
|
16,558
|
|
8.7
|
%
|
|
|
1,765
|
|
|
10.7
|
%
|
|
Other
|
|
11,049
|
|
5.8
|
%
|
|
|
11,548
|
|
6.1
|
%
|
|
|
(499
|
)
|
|
-4.3
|
%
|
|
Total product sales
|
|
175,383
|
|
92.1
|
%
|
|
|
175,240
|
|
91.9
|
%
|
|
|
143
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service maintenance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
agreement commissions
|
|
8,858
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
9,912
|
|
5.2
|
%
|
|
|
(1,054
|
)
|
|
-10.6
|
%
|
|
Service revenues
|
|
6,052
|
|
3.2
|
%
|
|
|
5,488
|
|
2.9
|
%
|
|
|
564
|
|
|
10.3
|
%
|
|
Total net sales
|
$
|
190,293
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
190,640
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
(347
|
)
|
|
-0.2
|
%
|
The following is a summary of the key items impacting net sales during
the quarter:
-
The consumer electronics category sales declined despite continued
growth in unit sales of flat-panel televisions, led by LCD and plasma
televisions, offset by declines in average selling prices and
projection television unit sales,
-
The home appliance category sales grew during the quarter, though the
appliance market in general showed continued weakness, as increased
sales of air conditioners and refrigerators offset declines in laundry
and cooking,
-
The track sales decline was largely due to lower desktop computer,
camcorder and video game equipment sales, partially offset by higher
DVD player and laptop computer sales and the addition of netbooks,
-
The increase in furniture and mattresses sales was 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 as drought conditions continued in many of
the Company’s markets, in addition to reduced delivery revenues as
customers take advantage of the ability to carry out smaller
flat-panel televisions,
-
The service maintenance agreement commissions decreased due to reduced
emphasis on this product while the Company completed a thorough review
of the program offered to consumers and the training of its sales
associates, in response to the Texas Attorney General’s investigation.
The Company expects sales in this area to trend towards its historical
performance levels over time due to the enhancements made as a result
of the review, and
-
seven stores opened since May 1, 2008, reduced by the closure of the
San Antonio clearance center, partially offset the decrease in Total
net sales.
Net sales for the six months ended July 31, 2009, of $390.4 million,
increased $4.7 million, or 1.2%, as compared with the six months ended
July 31, 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 4.9% for the six months ended July 31, 2009.
The Company will host a conference call and audio webcast on Thursday,
August 27, 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 877-419-6596 or 719-325-4856.
About Conn’s, Inc.
The Company is a specialty retailer currently operating 75 retail
locations in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma: with 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, LED, 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 ability of the financial
institutions providing lending facilities to the Company or the QSPE to
fund their commitments; the effect on borrowing costs of downgrades by
rating agencies or changes in laws or regulations on the Company’s or
the QSPE’s financing providers; 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; 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 charges; the outcome of litigation or
government investigations; 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 filed on March 26, 2009. 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