Citi Trends Inc - Quarter Report: 2020 May (Form 10-Q)

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Form 10-Q

(Mark One)

 

 

For the quarterly period ended May 2, 2020

 

 

OR

 

 

Commission File Number  000-51315

 

CITI TRENDS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (912) 236-1561

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  ☒   No  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes    ☒  No  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ☐  No  ☒

 

As of May 18, 2020, the registrant had 10,616,546 outstanding shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share.

 

 

CITI TRENDS, INC.

FORM 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Financial Statements.

Citi Trends, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

May 2, 2020 and February 1, 2020

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share data)

 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

Citi Trends, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

Thirteen Weeks Ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

Citi Trends, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Thirteen Weeks Ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019

(Unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

 

 

Citi Trends, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

Thirteen Weeks Ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019

(Unaudited)

(in thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements (unaudited).

Citi Trends, Inc.

Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

May 2, 2020

 

1. Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

Citi Trends, Inc. (collectively referred to herein with its wholly owned subsidiary as the “Company”) is a value-priced retailer of fashion apparel, accessories and home goods for the entire family.  As of May 2, 2020, the Company operated 574 stores in 33 states, including temporarily closed stores.

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim reporting and are unaudited.  In the opinion of management, the condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which are normal and recurring in nature, necessary for fair financial statement presentation.  The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of February 1, 2020 is derived from the audited financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 (the “2019 Form 10-K”).  These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2019 Form 10-K.  Operating results for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year, as a result of the seasonality of the business and the current uncertainty surrounding the economic impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic.

 

Fiscal Year

The following contains references to fiscal years 2020 and 2019, which represent fiscal years ending or ended on January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, respectively.  Fiscal 2020 and 2019 both have 52-week accounting periods.

 

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326), which introduced an expected credit loss model for the impairment of financial assets measured at amortized costs.  The model replaces the incurred loss model for those assets and broadens the information an entity must consider in developing its expected credit loss estimate for assets measured at amortized cost.  The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13 on February 2, 2020.  The adoption of the new standard did not have a material impact to the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

2. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

 

In December 2019, COVID-19 emerged and spread worldwide. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.  After closely monitoring and taking into consideration the guidance from federal, state and local governments, the Company temporarily closed all of its retail store locations and distribution centers effective March 20, 2020. The temporary closure of the Company’s stores has had an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.  The Company has taken several steps to increase its cash position and preserve financial flexibility in light of uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 20, 2020, the Company borrowed $43.7 million in principal amount under its revolving credit facility.  Other measures taken to mitigate the operating and financial impact of the pandemic, included (i) furloughing substantially all store and distribution center personnel, and a significant portion of the corporate staff starting as of April 3, 2020, with employee benefits for eligible employees continuing through the temporary furlough; (ii) implementing temporary tiered salary reductions for management level corporate employees and reducing the cash portion of non-employee director fees; (iii) extending payment terms with vendors and suppliers; (iv) abating payments of rent as appropriate; (v) executing substantial reductions in operating expenses, store occupancy costs, capital expenditures and other costs, including through reduced inventory purchases and eliminating the 401(k) plan match; (vi) suspending any repurchases of shares and payment of dividends; and (vii) amending the revolving credit facility to extend the term to August 2021.

   

Beginning April 24, 2020, the Company started to reopen stores in select states in accordance with state and local government guidelines.  As of May 2, 2020, the Company had reopened 16 stores.  As of June 9, 2020, the Company had reopened more than 530 stores, while also opening 4 new stores.

 

3. Cash and Cash Equivalents/Concentration of Credit Risk

 

For purposes of the condensed consolidated balance sheets and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities at date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents.  Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents.  The Company places its cash and cash equivalents in what it believes to be high credit quality banks and institutional money market funds.  The Company maintains cash accounts that exceed federally insured limits.

 

4. Earnings per Share

 

Basic earnings per common share amounts are calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share amounts are calculated using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the additional dilution for all potentially dilutive securities, such as nonvested restricted stock.  During loss periods, diluted loss per share amounts are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding, because the inclusion of common stock equivalents would be antidilutive.

 

The dilutive effect of stock-based compensation arrangements is accounted for using the treasury stock method.  The Company includes as assumed proceeds the amount of compensation cost attributed to future services and not yet recognized.  For the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019, there were 179,000 and 108,000 shares of nonvested restricted stock, respectively, excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because of antidilution.

 

The following table provides a reconciliation of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate basic earnings per share to the number of common shares and common stock equivalents outstanding used in calculating diluted earnings per share:

 

 

 

5. Fair Value Measurement

 

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the principal or most advantageous market at the measurement date. Fair value is established according to a hierarchy that prioritizes observable and unobservable inputs used to measure fair value into three broad levels, which are described below:

 

Level 1:  Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for assets or liabilities. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs.

 

Level 2:  Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets, but corroborated by market data.

 

Level 3:  Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. Level 3 inputs are given the lowest priority in the fair value hierarchy.

 

As of May 2, 2020, the Company’s investment securities are classified as held-to-maturity since the Company has the intent and ability to hold the investments to maturity.  Such securities are carried at amortized cost plus accrued interest and consist of the following (in thousands):

 

As of February 1, 2020, the Company’s investment securities were classified as held-to-maturity and consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

The amortized cost and fair market value of investment securities as of February 1, 2020 by contractual maturity were as follows (in thousands):

 

 

During the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in order to enhance its liquidity position, the Company sold substantially all of its investment securities which were classified as held-to-maturity as of February 1, 2020.  Net gains from the sales of investment securities were $38,300 and $12,500 for short-term and long-term investment securities, respectively.

 

6.  Impairment of Assets

 

If facts and circumstances indicate that a long-lived asset or operating lease right-of-use asset may be impaired, the carrying value is reviewed. If this review indicates that the carrying value of the asset will not be recovered as determined based on projected undiscounted cash flows related to the asset over its remaining life, the carrying value of the asset is reduced to its estimated fair value.  In the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020, non-cash impairment expense related to an underperforming store totaled $0.3 million, comprised of $0.2 million for an operating lease right-of-use asset and $0.1 million for leasehold improvements and fixtures and equipment.  There was no impairment expense recorded in the thirteen weeks ended May 4, 2019.

 

7.  Revolving Credit Facility

 

On October 27, 2011, the Company entered into a five-year, $50 million credit facility with Bank of America.  The facility was amended on August 18, 2015, extending the maturity date to August 18, 2020.  The facility was amended again on May 12, 2020, extending the maturity date to August 18, 2021.  The amended facility provides a $50 million credit commitment and a $25 million uncommitted “accordion” feature that under certain circumstances could allow the Company

to increase the size of the facility to $75 million.  The facility is secured by the Company’s inventory, accounts receivable and related assets, but not its real estate, fixtures and equipment, and it contains one financial covenant, a fixed charge coverage ratio, which is applicable and tested only in certain circumstances.  The facility has an unused commitment fee of 0.25% and permits the payment of cash dividends subject to certain limitations, including a requirement that there were no borrowings outstanding in the 30 days prior to the dividend payment and no borrowings are expected in the 30 days subsequent to the payment.   Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility will bear interest (a) for Eurodollar Loans, at a rate equal to LIBOR plus either 2.25% or 2.5%, or (b) for Base Rate Loans, at a rate equal to the highest of (i) the prime rate, (ii) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5% or (iii) LIBOR for a period of one month plus 1.0%, plus, in each case either 1.25% or 1.5%, based in any such case on the average daily availability for borrowings under the facility.  On March 20, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company borrowed $43.7 million on the credit facility to enhance its liquidity position.  Such borrowings accrued interest ranging from 1.625% to 3.5%. 

 

8.  Income Taxes

 

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.  In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. 

 

For the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020, the Company utilized the discrete effective tax rate method to determine its tax expense based upon interim period results.  The Company concluded that the use of the discrete method was more appropriate than the annual effective tax rate method because the full-year tax rate is not reliably predictable.

 

The effective income tax rate was 24.0% for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020, compared to 14.2%  for the thirteen weeks ended May 4, 2019.  The difference in the effective income tax rate was due to a pretax loss for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020 compared to pretax income in the prior year.

 

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted into law.  The CARES Act includes several significant business tax provisions that, among other things, would eliminate the taxable income limit for certain net operating losses (“NOLs”) and allow businesses to carry back NOLs arising in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to the five prior tax years, reduce the business interest limitation under section 163(j), and fix the qualified improvement property regulations in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result of the CARES Act, to the extent that there are taxable losses at the end of fiscal 2020, the Company estimates that it will be able to obtain a tax refund from the carryback of federal NOLs.

 

 

9.  Commitments and Contingencies

 

The Company from time to time is involved in various legal proceedings incidental to the conduct of its business, including claims by customers, landlords, employees or former employees.  Once it becomes probable that the Company will incur costs in connection with a legal proceeding and such costs can be reasonably estimated, it establishes appropriate reserves. While legal proceedings are subject to uncertainties and the outcome of any such matter is not predictable, the Company is not aware of any legal proceedings pending or threatened against it that it expects to have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

 

10. Stock Repurchase Program and Cash Dividends

 

Repurchases of Common Stock

In November 2018, the Company’s board of directors approved a program that authorized the repurchase of up to $25.0 million in shares of the Company’s common stock.  During the thirteen weeks ended May 4, 2019, the Company repurchased 82,312 shares of its common stock at an aggregate cost of $1.6 million.

 

In November 2019, the Company’s board of directors approved a new program that authorized the repurchase of up to $25.0 million in shares of the Company’s common stock.  During the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020, the Company repurchased 260,254 shares of its common stock at an aggregate cost of $6.3 million. 

 

On March 13, 2020, the Company’s board of directors approved another new program that authorized the repurchase of up to $30.0 million in shares of the Company’s common stock.  Due to the current economic uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has temporarily suspended any repurchases as of March 23, 2020 and plans to continue to monitor the situation based on business conditions and regard for its financial liquidity needs.

 

Dividends

On February 18, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a dividend of $0.08 per common share, which was paid on March 17, 2020 to stockholders of record as of March 3, 2020.  On April 28, 2020, the Company announced the suspension of future cash dividends due to the current economic uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Any determination to declare and pay cash dividends for future quarters will be made by the Company’s board of directors.    

 

11.  Revenue

 

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s primary source of revenue is derived from the sale of clothing and accessories to its customers with the Company’s performance obligations satisfied immediately when the customer pays for their purchase and receives the merchandise.  Sales taxes collected by the Company from customers are excluded from revenue.  Revenue from layaway sales is recognized at the point in time when the merchandise is paid for and control of the goods is transferred to the customer, thereby satisfying the Company’s performance obligation.  The Company defers revenue from the sale of gift cards and recognizes the associated revenue upon the redemption of the cards by customers to purchase merchandise.

 

Sales Returns

The Company allows customers to return merchandise for up to thirty days after the date of sale.  Expected refunds to customers are recorded based on estimated margin using historical return information.

 

Disaggregation of Revenue

The Company’s retail operations represent a single operating segment based on the way the Company manages its business.  Operating decisions and resource allocation decisions are made at the Company level in order to maintain a consistent retail store presentation.  The Company’s retail stores sell similar products, use similar processes to sell those products, and sell their products to similar classes of customers.

 

In the following table, the Company’s revenue from contracts with customers is disaggregated by major product line.  The percentage of net sales related to each classification of its merchandise assortment was approximately:

 

 

12.  Leases

 

The Company leases its retail store locations and certain office space and equipment.  Leases for store locations are typically for a term of five years with options to extend for one or more five-year periods. The Company analyzes all leases at inception to determine if a right-of-use asset and lease liability should be recognized. Leases with an initial term of 12 

months or less and leases with mutual termination clauses are not included on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. The lease liability is measured at the present value of future lease payments as of the lease commencement date.

 

Total lease cost is comprised of operating lease costs, short-term lease costs, and variable lease costs, which include rent paid as a percentage of sales, common area maintenance, real estate taxes and insurance for the Company’s real estate leases. Lease costs consisted of the following (in thousands):

 

 

Future minimum lease payments as of May 2, 2020 are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

Certain operating leases provide for fixed monthly rents, while others provide for contingent rents computed as a percentage of net sales and others provide for a combination of both fixed monthly rents and contingent rents computed as a percentage of net sales.

 

Supplemental cash flows and other information related to operating leases are as follows (in thousands, except for weighted average amounts):

 

 

 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

Except for specific historical information, many of the matters discussed in this Form 10-Q may express or imply projections of revenues or expenditures, statements of plans and objectives for future operations, growth or initiatives, statements of future economic performance, capital allocation expectations or statements regarding the outcome or impact of pending or threatened litigation. These, and similar statements, are forward-looking statements concerning matters that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual performance of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. All forward-looking information should be evaluated in the context of these risks, uncertainties and other factors. The words “believe,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “estimate,” “objective,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “could,” “will likely result,” or “will continue” and similar words and expressions generally identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such language. The Company believes the assumptions underlying these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore, actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

 

The factors that may result in actual results differing from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and associated containment and remediation efforts; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and foreign sourcing; the impacts of COVID-19 on the Company’s financial condition, business operation and liquidity, including the reopening of the Company’s retail stores; transportation and distribution delays or interruptions; changes in freight rates; the Company’s ability to negotiate effectively the cost and purchase of merchandise; inventory risks due to shifts in market demand; the Company’s ability to gauge fashion trends and changing consumer preferences; changes in consumer spending on apparel; changes in product mix; interruptions in suppliers’ businesses; a deterioration in general economic conditions, whether caused by acts of war, terrorism, political or social unrest (including any resulting store closures, damage or loss of inventory), or other factors; the results of pending or threatened litigation; temporary changes in demand due to weather patterns; seasonality of the Company’s business; delays associated with building, opening and operating new stores; delays associated with building, opening or expanding new or existing distribution centers; and other factors described in the section titled “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020 and in Part II, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any amendments thereto and in the other documents the Company files with the SEC, including reports on Form 8-K.

 

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-Q. Except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this Form 10-Q or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are advised, however, to read any further disclosures the Company may make on related subjects in its public disclosures or documents filed with the SEC, including reports on Form 8-K.

 

Overview

 

We are a value-priced retailer of fashion apparel, accessories and home goods for the entire family. Our merchandise offerings are designed to appeal to the fashion preferences of value-conscious consumers, particularly African-Americans. We operated 574 stores in both urban and rural markets in 33 states as of May 2, 2020, including temporarily closed stores.

 

Current Material Development

 

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) emerged and spread worldwide. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.  After closely monitoring and taking into consideration the guidance from federal, state and local governments, we temporarily closed all of our retail store locations and distribution centers effective March 20, 2020. The temporary closure of our stores has had and, as some stores remain closed or are closed again in the future, may continue to have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.  We have taken several steps to increase our cash position and preserve financial flexibility in light of uncertainties resulting

from the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 20, 2020, we borrowed $43.7 million in principal amount under our revolving credit facility.  Other measures taken to mitigate the operating and financial impact of the pandemic, included (i) furloughing substantially all store and distribution center personnel, and a significant portion of the corporate staff starting as of April 3, 2020, with employee benefits for eligible employees continuing through the temporary furlough; (ii) implementing temporary tiered salary reductions for management level corporate employees and reducing the cash portion of non-employee director fees; (iii) extending payment terms with vendors and suppliers; (iv) abating payments of rent as appropriate; (v) executing substantial reductions in operating expenses, store occupancy costs, capital expenditures and other costs, including through reduced inventory purchases and eliminating the 401(k) plan match; (vi) suspending any repurchases of shares and payment of dividends; and (vii) amending the revolving credit facility to extend the term to August 2021. 

 

Beginning April 24, 2020, we started to reopen stores in select states in accordance with state and local government guidelines.  As of June 9, 2020, we have reopened more than 530 of our 574 stores, while also opening 4 new stores.  Starting in late May 2020, there have been demonstrations in cities throughout the United States.  While they have generally been peaceful, in some locations demonstrations have become violent and resulted in governmental restrictions.  We plan to continue to reopen our closed stores in a phased approach as more states reopen for retail businesses and conditions permit.  As we reopen stores, we have taken numerous measures to protect the health of our associates, customers and communities we serve.  Such measures include implementing occupancy limits, providing personal protective equipment for our associates and customers, encouraging social distancing, adjusting our processes for merchandise returns and implementing new cleaning procedures.  We are planning to incur incremental costs going forward for personal protective equipment, including masks, gloves and hand sanitizer for our associates and customers, as well as additional cleaning supplies.

 

Accounting Periods

 

The following discussion contains references to fiscal years 2020 and 2019, which represent fiscal years ending or ended on January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, respectively.  Fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 both have 52-week accounting periods.  This discussion and analysis should be read with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto contained in Part 1, Item 1 of this report. 

 

Results of Operations

 

The following discussion of the Company’s financial performance is based on the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements set forth herein. The nature of the Company’s business is seasonal. Historically, sales in the first and fourth quarters have been higher than sales achieved in the second and third quarters of the fiscal year. Expenses and, to a greater extent, operating income, vary by quarter. Results of a period shorter than a full year may not be indicative of results expected for the entire year, particularly in light of the current uncertainty surrounding the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Furthermore, as a result of the closure of our stores for at least five weeks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, comparisons of expense ratios and year-over-year trends are not a meaningful way to evaluate our operating results for the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020.

 

Key Operating Statistics

 

We measure performance using key operating statistics. One of the main performance measures we use is comparable store sales growth. We define a comparable store as a store that has been opened for an entire fiscal year. Therefore, a store will not be considered a comparable store until its 13th month of operation at the earliest or until its 24th month at the latest. As an example, stores opened in fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 are not considered comparable stores in fiscal 2020. Relocated and expanded stores are included in the comparable store sales results. We also use other operating statistics, most notably average sales per store, to measure our performance. As we typically occupy existing space in established shopping centers rather than sites built specifically for our stores, store square footage (and therefore sales per square foot) varies by store. We focus on overall store sales volume as the critical driver of profitability.

 

In addition to sales, we measure cost of sales as a percentage of sales and store operating expenses, with a particular focus on labor, as a percentage of sales. These results translate into store level contribution, which we use to evaluate overall

performance of each individual store. Finally, we monitor corporate expenses against budgeted amounts.  All of the statistics discussed below are critical components of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and Adjusted EBITDA (comprised of EBITDA, excluding non-cash asset impairment expense, CEO transition expenses and expenses related to proxy contests), which are considered our most important operating statistics.  We believe that excluding these expenses from our financial results reflects operating results that are more indicative of our ongoing operating performance while improving comparability to prior and future periods, and as such, provides an enhanced understanding of our past financial performance and prospects for the future.

 

Although non-GAAP measures such as EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide useful information on an operating cash flow basis, they are limited measures in that they exclude the impact of cash requirements for capital expenditures, income taxes and interest expense and should not be regarded as comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.  Therefore, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should be used as supplements to results of operations and cash flows as reported under U.S. GAAP and should not be used as a singular measure of operating performance or as a substitute for U.S. GAAP results.

 

Provided below is a reconciliation of net income (loss) to EBITDA and to Adjusted EBITDA for the thirteen week periods ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019 (in thousands):

 

 

Provided below is a reconciliation of net income (loss), the closest comparable GAAP measure, to (i) net income (loss) adjusted for non-cash asset impairment expenses, CEO transition related expenses and proxy contest expenses (“Adjusted net income (loss)”) and (ii) diluted Adjusted net income (loss) per common share.  We believe that excluding these expenses and their related tax effects from our financial results reflects operating results that are more indicative of our ongoing operating performance while improving comparability to prior periods, and as such, may provide investors with an enhanced understanding of our past financial performance and prospects for the future.  These non-GAAP measures should be used as a supplement to net income (loss) and diluted net income (loss) per common share as reported under GAAP and should not be used as the only measures of operating performance or as a substitute for GAAP results.

 

 

 

Thirteen Weeks Ended May 2, 2020 and May 4, 2019

 

Net Sales.  Net sales decreased $88.9 million, or 43.4%, to $116.1 million in the thirteen weeks ended May 2, 2020 from $205.0 million in the thirteen weeks ended May 4, 2019.  The decrease in sales was due to a 44.5% decrease in comparable store sales and the impact of closing seven stores since the end of the first quarter last year, partially offset by the opening of 15 new stores since the end of the first quarter last year.  The decrease in comparable store sales was due to closing all 574 of our stores as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from March 20 until April 23, at which point we began to gradually reopen certain stores.  Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, comparable store sales increased 3.1% from the beginning of the first quarter through March 7, 2020.

 

Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation).  Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation) decreased $43.9 million, or 34.2%, to $84.4 million in the first quarter of 2020 from $128.2 million in the first quarter of 2019.  Cost of sales as a percentage of sales increased to 72.7% in the first quarter of 2020 from 62.5% in last year’s first quarter, due primarily to a 1000 basis points increase in merchandise markdowns, as more markdowns were needed on transitional or seasonal merchandise due to our store closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.  Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $9.4 million, or 14.8%, to $54.1 million in the first quarter of 2020 from $63.4 million in the first quarter of 2019.  The decrease was due primarily to lower payroll costs as a result of furloughing substantially all of our store and distribution center personnel and a significant portion of the corporate staff, combined with a decrease in other variable costs such as credit card processing fees and travel expenses, as well as $1.0 million of expenses incurred in the first quarter of 2019 in connection with a proxy contest.  As a percentage of sales, selling, general and administrative expenses increased to 46.6% in the first quarter of 2020 from 30.9% in the first quarter of 2019.

 

Depreciation.  Depreciation expense increased $0.3 million, or 7.2%, to $4.9 million in the first quarter of 2020 from $4.6 million in the first quarter of 2019.

 

Asset Impairment.  Impairment charges related to an underperforming store totaled $0.3 million in the first quarter of 2020, comprised of $0.2 million for an operating lease right-of-use asset and $0.1 million for leasehold improvements and fixtures and equipment.  There was no impairment expense recorded in the first quarter of 2019.