Reitmans (Canada) Limited announces its results for the 13 and 52 weeks ended February 1, 2020

MONTREAL, May 1, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - The Company's operating results for the 13 weeks ended February 1, 2020 ("fourth quarter of 2020") and the 52 weeks ended February 1, 2020 ("fiscal 2020") have not met the Company's expectations. This is primarily due to the disappointing financial performance of the Company's plus-size banners. Strategic brand changes implemented at the beginning of the fiscal year failed to resonate with the banners' customer base. Although a variety of corrective measures were implemented to improve profitability, the implementation of these corrective strategies occurred late in fiscal 2020 and were not expected to, and did not, have an impact on the operating results.

Unless otherwise indicated, the Company's results for the fourth quarter of 2020 and the results for fiscal 2020 reflect the impact of the implementation of IFRS 16, as described below under "Adoption of IFRS 16 – Leases".

52 weeks ended February 1, 2020

Sales for fiscal 2020 decreased by $53.5 million or 5.8%, to $869.5 million, as compared with the 52 weeks ended February 2, 2019 ("fiscal 2019"). The decrease is primarily attributable to lower sales in the plus-size banners, a net reduction of 18 stores and unseasonable weather conditions that were prevalent during the early portion of fiscal 2020. The Company continues to execute on its plan of selling in the omnichannel retail environment by reducing its store presence in select markets while enhancing its e-commerce capabilities. Comparable sales¹, which include in-store and e-commerce sales, decreased 1.3%. The decrease was primarily due to store traffic being down by 2.2% for fiscal 2020. The Company continues to experience strong growth through its online channel.

Gross profit for fiscal 2020 decreased $65.1 million or 12.8%, to $444.4 million as compared with $509.5 million for fiscal 2019. Gross profit as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2020 decreased to 51.1% from 55.2% for fiscal 2019 primarily due to increased promotional activity mainly in the plus-size banners, partially offset by a positive foreign exchange impact on U.S. dollar denominated purchases included in cost of goods sold.

Results from operating activities for fiscal 2020, which included an $11.8 million goodwill impairment charge, were a loss of $51.5 million as compared to a profit of $18.2 million for fiscal 2019. Excluding the goodwill impairment charge, results from operating activities in fiscal 2020 were a loss of $39.7 million. The decrease in results from operating activities before impairment of goodwill of $ 57.9 million in fiscal 2020 as compared to fiscal 2019 is primarily attributable to lower sales and the decrease in gross profit, partially offset by reduced store operating costs.

Net loss for fiscal 2020 was $87.4 million ($1.56 basic and diluted loss per share) as compared with $6.8 million net earnings ($0.11 basic and diluted earnings per share) for fiscal 2019. This unfavourable change of $94.2 million included an unfavourable impact of IFRS 16 of $3.1 million. Excluding this $3.1 million impact of IFRS 16, the deterioration in net earnings of $91.1 million is primarily attributable to lower sales, the decrease in gross profit, the goodwill impairment charge and an increase in income tax expense, partially offset by reduced store operating costs.

Excluding the impact of the impairment of goodwill in fiscal 2020, net loss for fiscal 2020 was $75.6 million ($1.35 basic and diluted loss per share) compared to $6.8 million net earnings ($0.11 basic and diluted earnings per share) for fiscal 2019.

Adjusted EBITDA¹ for fiscal 2020 was $63.0 million as compared with $57.7 million for fiscal 2019. The increase in adjusted EBITDA includes a favourable impact from the adoption of IFRS 16 of $72.8 million. Excluding this $72.8 million impact of IFRS 16, adjusted EBITDA for fiscal 2020 was ($9.8) million as compared with $57.7 million for fiscal 2019, a decrease of $67.5 million. The decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in gross profit.

13 weeks ended February 1, 2020

Sales for the fourth quarter of 2020 increased by $2.3 million or 1.0% to $229.2 million as compared with the 13 weeks ended February 2, 2019 ("fourth quarter of 2019"), primarily attributable to sales growth in the Company's e-commerce channel, despite a net reduction of 18 stores. The Company continues to execute against a plan of selling in the omnichannel retail environment by reducing its store presence in select markets while enhancing its e-commerce capabilities. Comparable sales, which include in-store and e-commerce sales, increased 5.0%. This increase was primarily due to the overall number of transactions increasing by 3.1%. The Company continues to experience strong growth through its online channel.

Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2020 decreased $15.1 million or 12.7%, to $104.0 million as compared with $119.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Gross profit as a percentage of sales decreased to 45.4% from 52.5% for the fourth quarter of 2019 primarily due to increased promotional activity mainly in the plus-size banners, partially offset by a positive foreign exchange on U.S. dollar denominated purchases included in cost of goods sold.

Results from operating activities for fourth quarter of 2020 were a loss of $21.1 million as compared with a loss of $1.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, an increased loss of $19.2 million. The decrease in results from operating activities is primarily attributable to the decrease in gross profit and an increase in selling, distribution and administrative costs.

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $51.7 million ($1.06 basic and diluted loss per share) as compared with a net loss of $8.9 million ($0.14 basic and diluted loss per share) for the fourth quarter of 2019. The unfavourable change of $42.8 million included an unfavourable impact of IFRS 16 of $0.3 million. Excluding this $0.3 million impact of IFRS 16, the deterioration in net earnings of $42.5 million is primarily attributable to the increase in income tax expense, a decrease in gross profit and an increase in selling, distribution and administrative costs, partially offset by a decrease in net finance costs.

Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $3.5 million as compared with $7.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, a decrease of $3.5 million. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA includes a favourable impact from the adoption of IFRS 16 of $18.0 million. Excluding this $18.0 million impact of IFRS 16, adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2020 was ($14.5) million as compared with $7.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, a decrease of $21.5 million. The decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in gross profit.

Adoption of IFRS 16 - Leases

The Company adopted IFRS 16 – Leases, replacing IAS 17 – Leases and related interpretations, using the modified retrospective approach, effective for the annual reporting period beginning on February 3, 2019. As a result, the Company's results for the fourth quarter of 2020 and fiscal 2020 reflect lease accounting under IFRS 16. Comparative figures for the fourth quarter of 2019 and fiscal 2019 have not been restated and continue to be reported under IAS 17 – Leases. Refer to Note 3 of the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for fiscal 2020 for additional details on the implementation of IFRS 16.

Current developments

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (the "outbreak") is having significant impacts for the Company as it was required to close all of its retail locations across the country effective March 17, 2020 until further notice. From March 18, 2020, the Company's only sales are derived from its e-commerce channel. The duration and impact of the outbreak is unknown and may influence consumer shopping behavior and consumer demand including online shopping. Given all the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak, the Company is currently unable to predict when it will reopen all of its retail locations.

Based on the Company's liquidity position as of the date of this press announcement, including the termination and reduction in availabilities under the Company's credit facilities detailed in note 26 to the consolidated financial statements, and in light of the uncertainty surrounding the outbreak, the Company estimates that it will need financing to meet its current and future financial obligations. The Company is actively seeking additional financing and is also exploring various alternatives. However, there is no assurance that financing can be obtained in the limited time period required and in the quantum needed. If the Company is unable to obtain such financing in the limited time period required, it may be unable to continue as a going concern. The Company's ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on its ability to resume normal operations, generate future revenues and profitable operations and obtain financing. As a result, these conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern and, therefore, realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business.

The consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2020 have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes the Company will continue its operations for the foreseeable future and will be able to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2020 do not include any adjustments to the carrying amounts and classification of assets, liabilities and reported expenses that may otherwise be required if the going concern basis was not appropriate. Such adjustments could be material.

It is not possible to reliably estimate the length and severity of the outbreak and the impact on the financial results and financial condition of the Company in future periods.  In fiscal 2021, the Company will take into consideration the most recent developments and impacts of the outbreak including updated assessments of future cash flows. Any additional impacts resulting from the outbreak will be reflected in the financial results of fiscal 2021, if applicable.

Dividends

At the Board of Directors meeting held on May 1, 2020, to conserve cash to finance its ongoing operations, the Board decided to continue to suspend the quarterly cash dividend. The Company will continue to assess potential future dividend levels on a quarterly basis.

About Reitmans (Canada) Limited

The Company is a leading women's wear specialty apparel retailer with retail outlets throughout Canada. The Company operates 582 stores consisting of 260 Reitmans, 111 Penningtons, 77 Addition Elle, 80 RW & CO. and 54 Thyme Maternity.

¹Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company has identified several key operating performance measures and non-GAAP financial measures which management believes are useful in assessing the performance of the Company; however, readers are cautioned that some of these measures may not have standardized meanings under IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar terms used by other companies.

In addition to discussing earnings in accordance with IFRS, this press announcement provides adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("adjusted EBITDA") as a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings before income tax expense/recovery, dividend income, interest income, net change in fair value and loss on disposal of marketable securities, interest expense, impairment of goodwill, depreciation, amortization and net impairment charges. The following table reconciles the most comparable GAAP measure, net earnings or loss, to adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that adjusted EBITDA is an important indicator of the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund working capital needs and fund capital expenditures and uses the metric for this purpose. The exclusion of dividend income, interest income and expense and the net change in fair value and loss on disposal of marketable securities eliminates the impact on earnings derived from non-operational activities. The exclusion of depreciation, amortization and impairment charges eliminates the non-cash impact. The intent of adjusted EBITDA is to provide additional useful information to investors and analysts. The measure does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS. Although depreciation, amortization and impairment charges are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, as such, adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for these replacements. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered either as discretionary cash available to invest in the growth of the business or as a measure of cash that will be available to meet the Company's obligations. Other companies may calculate adjusted EBITDA differently. From time to time, the Company may exclude additional items if it believes doing so would result in a more effective analysis of underlying operating performance. The exclusion of certain items does not imply that they are non-recurring. Adjusted EBITDA should not be used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS or as an alternative to net earnings, net cash provided by operating, investing or financing activities or any other financial statement data presented as indicators of financial performance or liquidity, each as presented in accordance with IFRS. Although adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by securities analysts, lenders and others in their evaluation of companies, it has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of the Company's results as reported under IFRS.

The Company considers results from operating activities a useful measure of the Company's performance from its retail operations. Given that the Company has recorded a goodwill impairment charge in fiscal 2020, it has also determined that a useful non-GAAP financial measure would be results from operating activities before impairment of goodwill, as noted in the "OPERATING RESULTS FOR FISCAL 2020 COMPARED TO FISCAL 2019" and "SUMMARY OF QUARTERLY RESULTS" sections of the Management's Discussion and Analysis for fiscal 2020. Additionally, (loss) earnings per share excluding impairment of goodwill both on a basic and diluted basis have been presented, which removes the impact of impairment of goodwill on net (loss) earnings used for calculation purposes. Both of these non-GAAP financial measures are considered useful information and should not be considered in isolation or used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The Company uses a key performance indicator ("KPI"), comparable sales, to assess store performance and sales growth. The Company engages in an omnichannel approach in connecting with its customers by appealing to their shopping habits through either online or store channels. This approach allows customers to shop online for home delivery, purchase in any of our store locations or ship to home from another store when the products are unavailable in a particular store. Due to customer cross-channel behaviour, the Company reports a single comparable sales metric, inclusive of store and e-commerce channels. Comparable sales are defined as sales generated by stores that have been continuously open during both of the periods being compared and include e-commerce sales. Comparable sales exclude sales from wholesale accounts. The comparable sales metric compares the same calendar days for each period. Although this KPI is expressed as a ratio, it is a non-GAAP financial measure that does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Management uses comparable sales in evaluating the performance of stores and online sales and considers it useful in helping to determine what portion of new sales has come from sales growth and what portion can be attributed to the opening of new stores. Comparable sales is a measure widely used amongst retailers and is considered useful information for both investors and analysts. Comparable sales should not be considered in isolation or used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

The following table reconciles net (loss) earnings to adjusted EBITDA:

Forward-Looking Statements

All of the statements contained herein, other than statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date of this Press Announcement. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current estimates, beliefs and assumptions, which are based on management's perception of historical trends, current conditions and currently expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes, are appropriate in the circumstances. This Press Announcement contains forward-looking statements about the Company's objectives, plans, goals, aspirations, strategies, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, performance, prospects, opportunities and legal and regulatory matters. Specific forward-looking statements in this Press Announcement include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's belief in its strategies and its brands and their capacity to generate long-term profitable growth, future liquidity, planned capital expenditures, amount of pension plan contributions, status and impact of systems implementation, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives as well as the impact of such initiatives. These specific forward-looking statements are contained throughout the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A") including those listed in the "Operating Risk Management" and "Financial Risk Management" sections of the Company's MD&A. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "strive", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company and its management.

Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed, implied or projected in the forward-looking statements.  Please refer to the "Forward-Looking Statements" section of the Company's MD&A for fiscal 2020.

Other risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company presently believes are not material could also cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The reader should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein. These statements speak only as of the date made and the Company is under no obligation and disavows any intention to update or revise such statements as a result of any event, circumstances or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable securities law.

The Company's complete financial statements including notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis for fiscal 2020 are available online at www.sedar.com.

Montreal, May 1, 2020

Stephen F. Reitman
President and Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: (514) 384-1140
Corporate Website: www.reitmanscanadalimited.com

SOURCE Reitmans (Canada) Limited