Caleres Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results

• Net sales were $647.5 million, down 18.3 percent from the third quarter of fiscal 2019
  • Direct-to-consumer sales represented 71.4 percent of total net sales;
  • A 12.3 percent sales decline in the Famous Footwear segment;
  • A 25.6 percent sales decline in the Brand Portfolio segment;
  • Total company owned ecommerce website sales increased 24.6 percent, with ecommerce penetration rising to 25.4 percent of net sales;

• Gross profit was $257.0 million, while gross margin was 39.7 percent;
• SG&A expense of $236.9 million, down $38.4 million compared to the third quarter of 2019;
• Net income of $14.4 million, or earnings of $0.38 per diluted share, compared to net income of $28.0 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Earnings of $0.38 per share includes $0.10 of adjustments related to the fair value adjustment to the Blowfish purchase obligation;
• Adjusted net income was $18.2 million, or adjusted earnings of $0.48 per diluted share compared to adjusted net income of $31.6 million, or adjusted earnings of $0.78 per diluted share, in the third quarter of fiscal 2019;
• Generated $34.2 million in cash from operations and ended the third quarter with $124.3 million of cash on hand;
• Reduced inventory levels approximately 21 percent year-over-year, reflecting ongoing actions taken to liquidate seasonal orders;
• Reduced credit facility borrowings by $50 million from the second quarter of 2020 to end the third quarter at $300 million;
• Returned $2.7 million to shareholders during the quarter through its long-standing quarterly dividend.

Strategic Realignment to Drive Digital Growth

In an effort to continue to improve future profitability and allow greater focus on high-growth, digital channels, the company has commenced a strategic realignment of the Naturalizer retail locations in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to the store closures, Caleres will right-size the back-office infrastructure to better align with the reduced store footprint, shift talent to amplify our digital presence, capture consumers where they want to shop and reallocate capital to further enhance our ecommerce platform and capabilities.

“Like the rest of the industry we have seen a structural shift in the shopping behavior of the consumer – a change that has been further accelerated by the global health crisis,” said Sullivan. “With a larger percentage of Naturalizer’s sales originating online, now is the opportune time to shed the legacy stores and evolve it to be more profitable. We are confident this step will better align the brand with the Naturalizer consumer of the future and position the brand for growth and further success.”

The company plans to close approximately 133 Naturalizer stores by the end of fiscal year 2020. The company expects pre-tax charges in the fourth quarter of 2020 of between $20 million and $25 million. Once complete, Caleres expects an annual pre-tax benefit of between $10 million and $12 million.

“Caleres is adjusting rapidly to the current and evolving market environment and I am excited about the value-creating potential of the business going forward,” said Sullivan. “The actions we have taken in recent months to fortify our financial position; leverage our digital investments to capitalize on shifting consumer behaviors; further align our merchandise mix to reflect ever-changing consumer desires; and right-size our cost structure and capital budget provide a strong and durable foundation upon which to build and grow. Moving forward, we plan to drive innovation in our brands, lean into our consumer insights, enhance our already significant digital capabilities still further, and continuously strengthen and hone our portfolio to expand greater cash generation and value creation in the future.”

Investor Conference Call

Caleres will host an investor conference call at 5:00 p.m. ET today, Thursday, November 19. The webcast and associated slides will be available at investor.caleres.com/news/events. A live conference call will be available at (877) 217-9089 for analysts in North America or (706) 679-1723 for international analysts by using the conference ID 7391019. A replay will be available at investor.caleres.com/news/events/archive for a limited period. Investors may also access the replay by dialing (855) 859-2056 in North America or (404) 537-3406 internationally and using the conference ID 7391019 through Wednesday, December 2.

Definitions

All references in this press release, outside of the condensed consolidated financial statements that follow, unless otherwise noted, related to net earnings (loss) attributable to Caleres, Inc. and diluted earnings (loss) per common share attributable to Caleres, Inc. shareholders, are presented as net earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per diluted share, respectively.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this press release, the company’s financial results are provided both in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and using certain non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, the company provides historic and estimated future gross profit, operating earnings (loss), net earnings (loss) and earnings (loss) per diluted share adjusted to exclude certain gains, charges and recoveries, which are non-GAAP financial measures. These results are included as a complement to results provided in accordance with GAAP because management believes these non-GAAP financial measures help identify underlying trends in the company’s business and provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of the company’s core operating results. These measures should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and expectations regarding the company’s future performance and the performance of its brands. Such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks include (i) the coronavirus outbreak and its adverse impact on our business operations, store traffic and financial condition (ii) changing consumer demands, which may be influenced by consumers’ disposable income, which in turn can be influenced by general economic conditions and other factors; (iii) impairment charges resulting from a long-term decline in our stock price; (iv) rapidly changing fashion trends and consumer preferences and purchasing patterns; (v) intense competition within the footwear industry; (vi) political and economic conditions or other threats to the continued and uninterrupted flow of inventory from China and other countries, where the company relies heavily on third-party manufacturing facilities for a significant amount of its inventory; (vii) imposition of tariffs; (viii) the ability to accurately forecast sales and manage inventory levels; (ix) cybersecurity threats or other major disruption to the company’s information technology systems; (x) customer concentration and increased consolidation in the retail industry; (xi) transitional challenges with acquisitions; (xii) a disruption in the company’s distribution centers; (xiii) foreign currency fluctuations; (xiv) changes to tax laws, policies and treaties; (xv) the ability to recruit and retain senior management and other key associates; (xvi) compliance with applicable laws and standards with respect to labor, trade and product safety issues; (xvii) the ability to maintain relationships with current suppliers; (xviii) the ability to attract, retain, and maintain good relationships with licensors and protect our intellectual property rights; and (xix) the ability to secure/exit leases on favorable terms. The company’s reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission contain detailed information relating to such factors, including, without limitation, the information under the caption Risk Factors in Item 1A of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 1, 2020, which information is incorporated by reference herein and updated by the company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The company does not undertake any obligation or plan to update these forward-looking statements, even though its situation may change.

About Caleres

Caleres is a diverse portfolio of global footwear brands. Our products are available virtually everywhere – in the more than 1,100 retail stores we operate, in hundreds of major department and specialty stores, on our branded e-commerce sites, and on many additional third-party retail websites. Famous Footwear offers great casual and athletic brands for the entire family with convenient, curated, affordable collections. Sam Edelman keeps expressive women in step with the latest trends in a playful, whimsical way. Naturalizer shoes are beautiful from the inside out, with elegant simplicity and legendary fit re-imagined for today’s consumer. Allen Edmonds combines old world craft with new world technology to create luxe footwear for the discerning man who wants sophisticated, modern classics. Rounding out our family of brands are Vionic, Vince, Franco Sarto, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, LifeStride, Blowfish Malibu, Bzees, Circus by Sam Edelman and Ryka. Combined, these brands make Caleres a company with both a legacy and a mission. Our legacy is our more than 140 years of craftsmanship and our passion for fit, while our mission is to continue to inspire people to feel great… feet first. Visit caleres.com to learn more about us.

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