PriceSmart Announces First Quarter Results of Operations;

New Trinidad Club and December Sales Also Announced

 

 

San Diego, California (January 9, 2008) – PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) today announced its results of operations for the first quarter of fiscal year 2008 which ended on November 30, 2007.

For the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, net warehouse sales increased 23.8% to $245.2 million from $198.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2007.  Total revenue for the first quarter was $250.4 million compared to $202.5 million in the prior year.  The Company had 24 warehouse clubs in operation as of November 30, 2007 compared to 23 warehouse clubs in operation as of November 30, 2006.

The Company recorded operating income in the quarter of $10.2 million, compared to operating income of $7.2 million in the prior year.  Net income was $6.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2008 compared to $4.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2007.

On December 13, 2007, the Company successfully opened its third warehouse club in Trinidad.  This brings to 25 the number of warehouse clubs in operation for the Company.

The Company also announced that for the month of December 2007, net sales increased 25.3% to $122.6 million from $97.8 million in December a year earlier.  For the four months ended December 31, 2007, net sales increased 24.3% to $367.8 million from $296.0 million in the same period last year.  There were 25 warehouse clubs in operation at the end of December 2007 compared to 23 warehouse clubs in operation in December 2006.

For the four weeks ended December 30, 2007, comparable warehouse sales for warehouse clubs open at least 12 full months increased 19.8% compared to the same four-week period last year.  For the seventeen-week period ended December 30, 2007, comparable warehouse sales increased 21.6% compared to the comparable seventeen-week period a year ago.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Central America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise at low prices to PriceSmart members. PriceSmart now operates 25 warehouse clubs in 11 countries and one U.S. territory (four each in Panama and Costa Rica; three each in Guatemala and Trinidad, two each in Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Honduras; and one each in Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Nicaragua and the United States Virgin Islands).

This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Company's anticipated future revenues and earnings, adequacy of future cash flow and related matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements containing the words "expect," "believe," "will," "may," "should," "project," "estimate," "scheduled," and like expressions, and the negative thereof. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the following risks: the Company had substantial net losses in fiscal 2003, 2004 and 2005, and may not be able to sustain the profitability it achieved in fiscal 2006 in future periods; the Company’s financial performance is dependent on international operations which exposes the Company to various risks; any failure by the Company to manage its widely dispersed operations could adversely affect the Company’s business; although the Company has taken and continues to take steps to improve significantly its internal controls, there may be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that the Company has not yet identified; the Company faces significant competition; the Company faces difficulties in the shipment of and inherent risks in the importation of merchandise to its warehouse clubs; the Company is exposed to weather and other risks associated with international operations; declines in the economies of the countries in which the Company operates its warehouse clubs would harm its business; a few of the Company’s stockholders have control over the Company's voting stock, which will make it difficult to complete some corporate transactions without their support and may prevent a change in control; the loss of key personnel could harm the Company’s business; the Company is subject to volatility in foreign currency exchange; the Company faces the risk of exposure to product liability claims, a product recall and adverse publicity; a determination that the Company's long-lived or intangible assets have been impaired could adversely affect the Company's future results of operations and financial position; and the Company faces increased costs and compliance risks associated with compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; as well as the other risks detailed in the Company's SEC reports, including the Company's Form 10-K filed pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on November 29, 2007. We assume no obligation and expressly disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this presentation or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

For further information, please contact Robert E. Price, Chief Executive Officer (858) 551-2336; or John M. Heffner, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (858) 404-8826.

 

 


PRICESMART, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(UNAUDITED—AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended November 30,

 

 

 

2007

 

 

2006

 

Revenues:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Sales:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Net warehouse club

  

$

245,189

 

  $

198,100

 

Export

  

 

367

 

  

95

 

Membership income

 

 

3,742

 

 

3,241

 

Other income

  

 

1,113

 

  

1,061

 

                            Total revenues

  

 

250,411

 

  

202,497

 

Operating expenses:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Cost of goods sold:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Net warehouse club

  

 

208,511

 

  

168,498

 

Export

  

 

349

 

  

92

 

Selling, general and administrative:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Warehouse club operations

  

 

23,227

 

  

20,293

 

General and administrative

  

 

7,316

 

  

5,968

 

Preopening expenses

  

 

772

 

  

232

 

Asset impairment and closure costs

 

 

19

 

 

191

 

                            Total operating expenses

  

 

240,194

 

  

195,274

 

Operating income

  

 

10,217

 

  

7,223

 

Other income (expense):

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Interest income

  

 

410

 

  

364

 

Interest expense

  

 

(59)

 

  

(355

)

Other income (expense), net

  

 

(47)

 

  

14

 

                            Total other income

  

 

304

 

  

23

 

Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes, loss of unconsolidated affiliate and minority interest

  

 

10,521

 

  

7,246

 

Provision for income taxes

  

 

(3,715)

 

  

(2,973

)

Loss of unconsolidated affiliate

  

 

 

 

(85)

 

Minority interest

  

 

(130)

 

  

(134

)

Income from continuing operations

 

 

6,676

 

 

4,054

 

Discontinued operations, net of tax

 

 

18

 

 

18

 

Net income

  

$

6,694

 

  $

4,072

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

Basic income per share:

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

      Continuing operations

  

$

0.23

 

  $

0.14

 

      Discontinued operations, net of tax

  

$

 

  $

 

      Net income

  

0.23

 

  $

0.14

 

Diluted income per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Continuing operations

 

$

0.23

 

  $

0.14

 

      Discontinued operations, net of tax

  

$

 

  $

 

      Net income

 

$

0.23

 

  $

0.14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares used in per share computations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Basic

 

 

28,781

 

 

28,429

 

      Diluted

 

 

29,494

 

 

29,105

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


PRICESMART, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED - AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE DATA)

 

 

November 30, 2007

 

August 31, 2007

 

ASSETS

 

 

Current Assets:

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents..................................................................................................................................................

$        19,269

$        32,065

Short-term restricted cash...................................................................................................................................................

           8,155

           8,046

Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $8 and $3 in 2007 and 2006, respectively....................................................

           2,429

           2,705

Merchandise inventories.....................................................................................................................................................

        120,872

         95,979

Prepaid expenses and other current assets...............................................................................................................................

         16,907

         15,777

Assets of discontinued operations........................................................................................................................................

           1,491

           1,380

 

 

 

Total current assets......................................................................................................................................................................

        169,123

        155,952

Long-term restricted cash....................................................................................................................................................

              457

              477

Notes receivable................................................................................................................................................................

           2,085

           2,086

Property and equipment, net...............................................................................................................................................

        197,479

        179,985

Goodwill.........................................................................................................................................................................

         31,594

         31,652

Deferred tax assets.............................................................................................................................................................

         19,396

         19,535