Press Release
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. Reports Fiscal 2006 First Quarter Results
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 27, 2006--Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW):
- First quarter earnings per diluted share were $0.41 including stock-based compensation expense of $0.02, vs. $0.40 in fiscal 2005.
- Fiscal 2006 earnings guidance remains $1.44 to $1.53 per diluted share. Guidance includes UK acquisition impacts of approximately $0.10 to $0.13 per diluted share, stock-based compensation expense of approximately $0.08 per diluted share and distribution center transition cost of approximately $0.04 per diluted share.
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW), an interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals, announced that total revenue for the fiscal 2006 first quarter (13 weeks ended April 1, 2006) increased 14.6% to $98.6 million, compared to $86.1 million in the prior year's first quarter (13 weeks ended April 2, 2005).
First quarter net income increased 4.7% to $8.3 million, or $0.41 per diluted share. These results, which include the impact of $0.02 per share for stock-based compensation expenses, compare to net income of $8.0 million, or $0.40 per diluted share in last year's first quarter.
"We are pleased with our performance and progress in the first quarter, especially since the first quarter of last year included sales generated by the Easter Holiday. This year, the Easter holiday fell in April and is in our second quarter," said Maxine Clark, chairman and chief executive bear. "Results were in-line with our plans, and we also made progress on several important strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of The Bear Factory and our franchisee in the United Kingdom. In addition, construction of our new Ohio distribution center remains on schedule and on budget with plans to become operational this fall. Finally, we added Singapore to our international franchise family. With new store openings, new ballpark stadium stores, our first store in a zoo, and over 25 event visits scheduled for our Build-A-Bear Workshop On Tour mobile store, we continue to take our brand to wherever families go to have fun."
Fiscal 2006 First Quarter
Fiscal 2006 first quarter total revenue includes net retail sales of $97.7 million, an increase of $12.0 million or 14.0% compared to last year's first quarter. Net retail sales growth was primarily driven by the addition of new stores opened during the past twelve months and an increase in Internet sales of 16.6% to $2.5 million. Comparable store sales declined 3.8%. First quarter total revenue includes revenue from international franchise fees and third-party licensing totaling $901,000, an increase of $565,000 compared to last year's first quarter.
First quarter net income growth of $0.4 million, compared to the fiscal 2005 first quarter, was driven primarily by higher net retail sales, lower store preopening costs, and higher interest income, partially offset by higher stock-based compensation expense. Retail gross margin rate decreased to 49.0%, down from 50.5% in the fiscal 2005 first quarter. Selling, general and administrative expense as a percent of total revenue increased to 35.9% from 34.7% primarily due to higher stock-based compensation and performance-based bonus expenses.
Fiscal 2006 first quarter results include the impact of stock-based compensation expense of $0.5 million pretax ($0.3 million net of tax or $0.02 per diluted share). Fiscal 2005 first quarter results include the impact of stock-based compensation expense of $61,000 pretax ($38,000 net of tax and no per share impact).
During the 2006 first quarter, the company opened two new Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) retail stores in the United States and Canada, as planned. This compares to opening three new Build-A-Bear Workshop stores during the 2005 first quarter. In addition, the company opened one new ballpark store - in San Francisco's AT&T Park - the first store in a zoo at the Saint Louis Zoo, and one new friends 2B made store in the newly remodeled and expanded Myrtle Beach South Carolina Build-A-Bear Workshop store. A second new ballpark store at the new Busch Stadium - home of the St. Louis Cardinals - in St. Louis opened in early April along with three ballpark store reopenings in Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
Build-A-Bear Workshop stores at the end of the first quarter totaled 193 in the United States and nine in Canada. During the quarter the international franchisees opened no new international stores; international stores totaled 30 at the end of the first quarter.
U.K. Acquisition Update
On April 3, 2006, the company announced that it had completed the acquisition of The Bear Factory Limited, a United Kingdom-based stuffed animal retailer, and the acquisition of Amsbra, Ltd., its franchisee in the U.K.
The acquisition includes 29 Bear Factory stores - 28 stores in the UK and one in the Irish Republic - and 11 Amsbra stores. The company will convert the Bear Factory stores to Build-A-Bear Workshop stores starting in May and complete the store conversion in time for the 2006 holiday season.
International Franchising
In February, the company signed a franchise agreement to open Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in Singapore. This recent agreement brings the total number of international countries with franchise agreements to fourteen. Those countries include Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, India, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Singapore, South Korea, Sweden and Thailand. In fiscal 2005, revenue from international franchise fees totaled $2.0 million. The company expects fiscal 2006 international franchise fee revenue to total approximately $3.0 million. International franchise fee revenue excludes U.K.-based stores which are now reflected in retail sales following the acquisition of Amsbra, Ltd.
Outlook for 2006
The company reaffirmed its previous guidance for fiscal 2006 (52 weeks ended Dec. 30, 2006) of earnings per share (EPS) to be in the range of $1.44 to $1.53. This guidance includes the anticipated U.K. acquisition impacts of approximately $0.10 to $0.13 per diluted share, stock-based compensation expense of approximately $0.08 per diluted share ($2.7 million pretax, $1.7 million net of tax) and distribution center transition costs of approximately $0.04 per diluted share ($1.4 million pretax, $0.9 million net of tax).
The U.K. acquisition impacts primarily reflect costs associated with rebranding, store conversion, and integration of the Bear Factory stores, as well as a reduction in franchise fee revenue and lower interest income.
Build-A-Bear Workshop expects to open approximately 30 new Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in the United States and Canada and approximately five new friends 2B made(R) stores in fiscal 2006. Fourteen of the new U.S. and Canada stores are planned to open in the second quarter. In the UK, the company plans to open three to five new Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in fiscal 2006; international franchisees expect to open up to 20 new stores.
Other News
Build-A-Bear Workshop will host its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Thursday, May 11, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. local time (CDT) at the McDonnell Center at River Camp at the Saint Louis Zoo, in St. Louis, Missouri. The company will broadcast the meeting over the Internet via webcast. The webcast will be accessible through the Investor Relations page of the Build-A-Bear Workshop corporate web site, http://ir.buildabear.com. Following the live meeting, a replay of the webcast will be available until the next annual meeting.
Today's Conference Call Webcast
Today at 10:00 a.m. EDT, Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) will host a live audio webcast of its discussion with the investment community regarding the company's fiscal 2006 first quarter results. The webcast can be accessed at http://ir.buildabear.com. Following the live discussion, a replay of the webcast will be available until the next quarterly conference call.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, the company currently operates more than 240 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The addition of franchise stores in Europe, Asia and Australia make Build-A-Bear Workshop the leader in interactive retail. In November 2004, the company expanded the make-your-own concept from stuffed animals to dolls with the opening of its first friends 2B made(R) stores, where Guests can make their own doll friends. In April 2006, Build-A-Bear Workshop acquired The Bear Factory Limited and Amsbra, Ltd. adding company-owned stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $362 million in fiscal 2005. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning Web sites at www.buildabear.com and www.friends2bmade.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the federal securities laws) which represent the Build-A-Bear Workshop's expectations or beliefs with respect to future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Those factors include, without limitation: we may not realize some of the expected benefits of the acquisition of Amsbra and The Bear Factory; we may be unable to construct and/or effectively run our own warehouse and distribution center; we may be unable to generate comparable store sales growth; our marketing initiatives may not generate sufficient brand awareness and sales; we may be unable to effectively manage our international franchises or comply with changing laws relating thereto; we may be unable to generate demand for our retail experience, or to respond to consumer preferences; customer mall traffic may decrease, as a result of various factors, including a reduction of consumer confidence because of terrorism or war; general economic conditions may worsen; our market share could be adversely affected by competitors; we may lose key personnel, or be unable to hire qualified additional personnel; vendor deliveries may be disrupted; the availability and costs of our products could be impacted by international manufacturing and trade issues; our warehousing and distribution vendors may perform poorly; we may fail to protect our intellectual property and may have infringement, misappropriation or other disputes or litigation with third parties; we may be unable to open new stores, renew or replace our store leases, enter into leases for new stores on favorable terms, or continue to comply with our current leases; we may experience communications or information systems failures; we may suffer negative publicity or be sued due to alleged violations of labor laws, employee regulations or unethical practices, either by the Company or its merchandise manufacturers; and we may violate or be accused of violating privacy or security laws by reason of improperly obtaining or failing to adequately protect Guest information. These and other applicable risks, cautionary statements and factors that could cause actual results to differ from the Company's forward-looking statements are included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including as described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized.
BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
13 Weeks 13 Weeks
Ended Ended
April 1, % of April 2, % of
2006 Total 2005 Total
Revenues Revenues
(1) (1)
----------- --------------- ---- -------
Revenues:
Net retail sales $ 97,730 99.1%$ 85,723 99.6%
Franchise fees 690 0.7 306 0.4
Licensing revenue 211 0.2 30 0.0
----------- ------- ----------- --------
Total revenues 98,631 100.0 86,059 100.0
----------- ------- ----------- --------
Costs and expenses:
Cost of merchandise sold 49,860 51.0 42,397 49.5
Selling, general and
administrative 35,451 35.9 29,845 34.7
Store preopening 615 0.6 1,188 1.4
Interest expense (income),
net (866) (0.9) (368) (0.4)
----------- ------- ----------- --------
Total costs and expenses 85,060 86.2 73,062 84.9
----------- ------- ----------- --------
Income before income taxes 13,571 13.8 12,997 15.1
Income tax expense 5,225 5.3 5,029 5.8
----------- ------- ----------- --------
Net income $ 8,346 8.5 $ 7,968 9.3
=========== ===========
Earnings per common share:
Basic $ 0.42 $ 0.41
=========== ===========
Diluted $ 0.41 $ 0.40
=========== ===========
Shares used in computing common per share amounts:
Basic 20,078,876 19,274,625
Diluted 20,401,378 20,123,927
(1) Selected statement of operations data expressed as a percentage
of total revenues, except cost of merchandise sold which is
expressed as a percentage of net retail sales.
Percentages will not total due to cost of merchandise sold being
expressed as a percentage of net retail sales and rounding.
BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)
April 1, December
31,
2006 2005
--------- ---------
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $43,398 $90,950
Cash in escrow 36,893 -
Inventories 43,591 40,157
Receivables 7,297 6,629
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 7,344 6,839
Deferred tax assets 3,347 3,232
--------- ---------
Total current assets 141,870 147,807
Property and equipment, net 95,194 89,973
Note receivable from franchisee 4,517 4,518
Other intangible assets, net 1,340 1,454
Other assets, net 2,443 2,356
--------- ---------
Total Assets $245,364 $246,108
========= =========
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable $32,265 $34,996
Accrued expenses 12,371 15,792
Gift cards and customer deposits 16,116 22,865
Deferred revenue 7,795 7,508
--------- ---------
Total current liabilities 68,547 81,161
--------- ---------
Deferred franchise revenue 2,740 2,306
Deferred rent 33,116 30,687
Other liabilities 550 586
Deferred tax liabilities 278 1,011
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share 204 201
Additional paid-in capital 85,246 85,259
Treasury stock (211) -
Retained earnings 55,046 46,700
Notes receivable from officers (152) (151)
Unearned compensation - (1,652)
--------- ---------
Total stockholders' equity 140,133 130,357
--------- ---------
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $245,364 $246,108
========= =========
BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(dollars in thousands)
13 Weeks 13 Weeks
Ended Ended
April 1, April 2,
2006 2005
---------- ----------
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income $8,346 $7,968
Adjustments to reconcile net income to
net cash from operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization 4,782 4,165
Deferred taxes (847) (686)
Tax benefit from stock option exercises (405) 2,095
Loss (gain) on disposal of property and
equipment (13) 112
Stock-based compensation 493 61
Change in assets and liabilities:
Inventories (3,435) (28)
Receivables (667) 319
Prepaid expenses and other assets (504) 289
Accounts payable (2,731) (3,884)
Accrued expenses and other liabilities (6,772) (5,240)
---------- ----------
Net cash provided by (used in) operating
activities (1,753) 5,171
---------- ----------
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment (9,662) (5,501)
Purchases of other assets (301) (270)
Escrow deposit (36,893) -
---------- ----------
Net cash used in investing activities (46,856) (5,771)
---------- ----------
Cash flows from financing activities:
Exercise of employee stock options and employee
stock purchases 652 2,237
Collection of note receivable from officer - 1,645
Tax benefit from stock option exercises 405 -
---------- ----------
Net cash provided by financing activities 1,057 3,882
---------- ----------
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents (47,552) 3,282
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 90,950 67,327
---------- ----------
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $43,398 $70,609
========== ==========
BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Selected Financial and Store Data
(dollars in thousands, except square foot data)
13 Weeks 13 Weeks
Ended Ended
April 1, April 2,
2006 2005
---------- ---------
Other financial data:
Gross margin ($) (1) $ 47,870 43,326
Gross Margin (%) (1) 48.98% 50.54%
Capital expenditures $ 9,662 5,501
Depreciation and amortization $ 4,782 4,165
Store data (2):
Number of stores at end of period 202 173
Store square footage at end of period 623,360 522,630
Comparable store sales change (%) (3) (3.8)% 5.4%
(1) Gross margin represents net retail sales less cost of merchandise
sold. Gross margin percentage represents gross margin divided by
net retail sales.
(2) Excludes our webstore and seasonal and event-based locations.
(3) Comparable store sales percentage changes are based on net retail
sales and stores are considered comparable beginning in their
thirteenth full month of operation.
CONTACT: Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc., St. Louis
Investors:
Molly Salky, 314.423.8000 x5353
or
Media:
Jill Saunders, 314.423.8000 x5293
SOURCE: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.