(Source: Business Wire)

Jones Soda Co. (the Company) (NASDAQ:JSDA), a leader in the premium soda
category and known for its unique branding and innovative marketing,
today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. The
Company reported a net loss of $1.5 million, or ($0.06) per share, for
the third quarter 2009, an improvement of 72% over the third quarter
2008 net loss of $5.3 million, or ($0.20) per share.
"Our third quarter bottom-line results show meaningful improvement over
the same period last year and represent our best performance in the last
nine quarters, underscoring the positive progress we have made during
the past 12 months to streamline our business," commented Joth Ricci,
President & Chief Executive Officer.
Third Quarter Review
Revenue decreased 18% to $7.2 million for the quarter ended September
30, 2009, compared to $8.7 million in the third quarter of 2008.
Gross profit increased 57% to $1.5 million or 21% of sales for the
quarter ended September 30, 2009, compared to $966,000, or 11% of
sales in the corresponding period a year ago.
Operating expenses decreased 51% to $3.0 million, compared to the
corresponding period a year ago and were benefited by cost containment
measures undertaken over the last year, including an additional
reduction in workforce during the third quarter of approximately 30%.
Cash used in operations during the quarter decreased significantly to
$823,000, versus cash used in operations of $3.8 million during the
prior year period.
"With emphasis on higher margin sales opportunities for our Jones Soda
glass bottles along with the restructuring of our sales and marketing
platform, we have been able to drive improved bottom-line results on
planned lower case volumes," continued Mr. Ricci. "Importantly, several
new product extensions within our core glass business have performed
well at retail, including Jones Jumble and Jones Refresco de Caña Pura.
Additionally, our gross margin and operating expenses are both
dramatically improved versus a year ago, and as a result, we
significantly reduced our use of cash in the quarter."
Mr. Ricci, concluded, "We are proud of our year-over-year performance
and are encouraged by a number of recent distribution wins. With the
upcoming launch of new packaging and products, we are striving to
generate top-line momentum as we head into next year."
Balance Sheet
As of September 30, 2009, the Company had cash and cash-equivalents of
approximately $6.1 million and working capital of $11.3 million. Cash
used in operations during the nine months ended September 30, 2009
totaled $6.2million, of which $823,000 was used in the quarter ended
September 30, 2009. The Company traditionally uses more cash in the
first half of the year as inventory is built to support the historically
seasonally-stronger shipping months of April through September, and
expects the amount of cash used by operating activities to decrease in
the second half of the year as receivables generated during its stronger
shipping months are collected. As of September 30, 2009, inventories
were $3.9 million compared to $6.8 million as of September 30, 2008; the
$3.9 million does not include the long term portion of GABA raw
materials purchased in conjunction with the Company's Pharma GABA supply
agreement which is classified in other assets.
Conference Call
The Company will discuss its results for the quarter ended September 30,
2009 and its business outlook on its scheduled conference call today,
November 5, 2009 at 1:30 p.m., Pacific time (4:30 p.m. ET). The live web
cast of the conference call can be accessed from the Investor Relations
section of the Jones Soda Web site at www.jonessoda.com.
The replay will be available starting three hours after the call and
remain in effect until September 2010.
About Jones Soda Co.
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Jones Soda Co.