Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. reported operating results for the three and six months ended December 31, 2009.
Three Months Ended December 31, 2009
Net delivered sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 amounted to $143.3 million as compared to $189.6 million in the prior year quarter. Net delivered sales for the Company’s Retail division were $107.1 million compared with $147.2 million the prior year quarter. Wholesale net sales were $84.5 million versus $108.8 million the prior year quarter. Comparable Ethan Allen design center net delivered sales were 25.3% lower than the prior year quarter while comparable written orders were 6.1% lower. The Company’s Retail backlog has increased 34% and the Wholesale backlog is up 54% from the prior year second quarter.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2009, diluted loss per share amounted to $0.12 on a loss of $3.3 million, which includes $3.9 million in transition costs and a $0.8 million restructuring and impairment charge for previously announced actions. This compares to diluted earnings per share and net income of $0.19 and $5.5 million, respectively, for the prior year. Excluding the impact of the transition costs and restructuring and impairment charges and the impact of tax valuation allowances recorded, diluted loss per share amounted to $0.06 for the current quarter.
Six Months Ended December 31, 2009
For the six months ended December 31, 2009, net delivered sales totaled $279.5 million as compared to $395.4 million in the prior year comparable period. Net delivered sales for the Company’s Retail division were $210.3 million compared with $303.1 million the prior year. Wholesale net sales were $165.8 million versus $230.1 million the prior year.
For the six months ended December 31, 2009, diluted loss per share amounted to $0.58 on a loss of $16.9 million, which includes $12.4 million in transition costs and a $1.6 million restructuring and impairment charges for previously announced actions. This compares to diluted earnings per share and net income of $0.45 and $12.9 million, respectively, for the prior year, which included a restructuring benefit of $1.6 million due to the gain on the sale of properties closed in fiscal 2008. Excluding the impact of the transition costs and restructuring and impairment charges in both periods and the impact of tax valuation allowances recorded, diluted loss per share amounted to $0.25 in the current period compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.41 in the prior year comparable period.
Farooq Kathwari, Chairman, President and CEO commented, “The challenges of the past year have provided us an opportunity to significantly strengthen many elements of our vertically integrated enterprise while at the same time increasing our cash position from June 30 by 44% to $76 million at December 31, 2009.”
Mr. Kathwari continued, “The consolidation and restructuring initiatives did result in lower delivered sales in the December quarter while increasing our backlogs. Our plants, retail and logistics have absorbed most of the operational changes and transition costs during the last six months. This includes the training of 274 new upholstery associates and the conversion of our case goods products to custom. We expect to significantly lower these costs in the third and fourth quarters of this fiscal year."
Mr. Kathwari added, “We have strong marketing initiatives in place. While we need to remain cautious, we are continuing with our plans to increase production in both our domestic wood and upholstery products. We will discuss these efforts as well as our other initiatives in detail during our conference call.”
About Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. is a leading interior design company and manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings. The Company offers free interior design service to its clients and sells a full range of furniture products and decorative accessories through ethanallen.com and a network of approximately 300 Design Centers in the United States and abroad. Ethan Allen owns and operates six manufacturing facilities in the United States, which includes one sawmill, and one manufacturing facility in Mexico, and manufactures approximately sixty-five percent of its products in its United States plants. For more information on Ethan Allen’s products and services, visit ethanallen.com.