Second quarter sales growth of 25.3% to C$41.1 million; comparable sales increase of 5.1%

Reiterates Fiscal 2016 outlook

MONTREAL, Sept. 07, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  DAVIDsTEA Inc. (Nasdaq:DTEA) today announced financial results for the three months and six months ended July 30, 2016.

For the three months ended July 30, 2016:

• Sales increased by 25.3% to C$41.1 million from C$32.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Comparable sales increased by 5.1%.
• Gross profit increased by 23.6% to C$19.9 million from C$16.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, while gross profit as a percent of sales decreased to 48.5% from 49.0% in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. The decrease in gross profit as a percent of sales was driven primarily by the adverse impact of the stronger U.S. dollar on U.S. dollar denominated purchases, partially offset by supply chain efficiencies. On a constant currency basis, gross profit as a percent of sales increased 10 basis points to 49.1%.
• Selling, general and administration expenses (“SG&A”) increased to C$22.8 million from C$18.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, due primarily to the hiring of additional staff to support the growth of the Company, higher store operating expenses to support the operations of 208 stores as of July 30, 2016 as compared to 165 stores as of August 1, 2015, as well as newly incurred public company costs. As a percent of sales, SG&A decreased to 55.5% from 55.6% in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, SG&A increased to C$22.8 million from C$17.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. As a percent of sales, SG&A excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period increased to 55.5% from 54.6%.
• Results from operating activities were C$(2.9) million as compared to C$(2.2) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, results from operating activities decreased to C$(2.9) million from C$(1.9) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
• The Company opened 10 net new stores in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 and ended the quarter with a total of 208 stores in Canada and the U.S. This represents an increase of 26% from the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
• Net income was C$(2.3) million compared to C$(52.1) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015 which, as previously stated, includes a C$50.2 million non-cash loss associated with the embedded derivative on Series A, A-1 and A-2 preferred shares as all preferred shares were converted into common shares in conjunction with the IPO transaction (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table). Adjusted net income, which excludes IPO-related and other one-time income or expenses in the prior year period (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table), was C$(2.3) million compared to C$(1.6) million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
• Adjusted EBITDA was C$0.2 million compared to C$0.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Adjusted EBITDA excludes IPO-related and other non-cash or one-time costs (see Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA table).
• Fully diluted income per common share was C$(0.09) compared to C$(2.73) in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Adjusted fully diluted income per common share, which is adjusted net income on an adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding basis (see Reconciliation of fully diluted weighted average common shares outstanding table), was C$(0.09) per share compared to C$(0.07) per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.

Sylvain Toutant, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are pleased with our second quarter results which are a testament to the strength of our brand and the progress we continue to make on our goals. In the U.S., strong e-commerce sales were offset by our store sales which were lower than expected. We continue to refine the U.S. model, learn from our customers and remain enthusiastic and focused on the expansion opportunity we see for our brand.”

Mr. Toutant concluded, “Given our first half performance and our outlook for the rest of the year, we are reaffirming our previously provided FY16 guidance. We are excited about our innovative product pipeline and marketing line-up for holiday that we believe will resonate with our customers, and we remain focused on delivering continued progress against our strategic priorities of building the brand, growing our store base and e-commerce footprint, driving profitability and realizing the significant potential we believe exists for this business.”

For the six months ended July 30, 2016:

• Sales increased by 24.6% to C$85.5 million from C$68.6 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Comparable sales increased by 5.0%.
• Gross profit increased by 22.8% to C$43.1 million from C$35.1 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015, while gross profit as a percent of sales decreased to 50.3% from 51.2% in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. The decrease in gross profit as a percent of sales was driven primarily by the adverse impact of the stronger U.S. dollar on U.S. dollar denominated purchases, partially offset by supply chain efficiencies. On a constant currency basis, gross profit as a percent of sales increased 60 basis points to 51.8%.
• Selling, general and administration expenses (“SG&A”) increased to C$43.9 million from C$35.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015, due primarily to the hiring of additional staff to support the growth of the Company, higher store operating expenses to support the operations of 208 stores as of July 30, 2016 as compared to 165 stores as of August 1, 2015, as well as newly incurred public company costs. As a percent of sales, SG&A increased to 51.4% from 51.3% in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, SG&A increased to C$43.9 million from C$34.9 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. As a percent of sales, SG&A excluding the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period increased to 51.4% from 50.9%.
• Results from operating activities were C$(0.9) million as compared to C$(4.1) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Excluding the stock-based compensation expense related to cashless exercise and the loss on disposal of property and equipment in the prior year period, results from operating activities decreased to C$(0.9) million from C$0.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
• The Company opened 15 net new stores in the comparable period in fiscal 2016 and ended the period with a total of 208 stores in Canada and the U.S. This represents an increase of 26% from the end of the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
• Net income was C$(0.8) million compared to net income of C$(145.3) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015 which, as previously stated, includes a C$140.9 million non-cash loss associated with the embedded derivative on Series A, A-1 and A-2 preferred shares as all preferred shares were converted into common shares in conjunction with the IPO transaction (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table). Adjusted net income, which excludes IPO-related and other one-time income or expenses in the prior year period (see Reconciliation of IFRS basis to Adjusted net income (loss) table), was C$(0.8) million compared to C$(0.5) million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.
• Adjusted EBITDA was C$4.7 million compared to C$4.2 million in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Adjusted EBITDA excludes IPO-related and other non-cash or one-time costs (see Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA table).
• Fully diluted income per common share was C$(0.03) compared to C$(9.35) in the comparable period in fiscal 2015. Adjusted fully diluted income per common share, which is adjusted net income on an adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding basis (see Reconciliation of fully diluted weighted average common shares outstanding table), was C$(0.03) per share compared to C$(0.02) per share in the comparable period in fiscal 2015.

Balance sheet highlights as of July 30, 2016:

• Cash: C$60.6 million.
• Total liquidity (cash plus availability on a C$20.0 million revolving facility): C$80.6 million.

Third Quarter and Fiscal 2016 Outlook:

For the third quarter of fiscal 2016, sales are expected to be in the range of C$43.0 million to C$44.0 million based on opening 15 new stores and assuming a comparable sales increase in the low-single digit range. This low-single digit expected comp range is due to an August technical issue, which has since been resolved, with our e-mail distribution during which a significant portion of our marketing emails were not being delivered to our customers. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of C$0.6 million to C$0.9 million. Net loss  is expected to be in the range of C$(2.0) million to C$(2.3) million, with fully diluted income per common share in the range of C$(0.08) to C$(0.09) on approximately 24.8 million fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

For fiscal 2016, sales are expected to be in the range of C$215.0 million to C$219.0 million based on opening 40 new stores for the full year and assuming a comparable sales increase in the mid-single digit range. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be in the range of C$31.0 million to C$33.0 million. Adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of C$13.0 million to C$14.0 million, with an adjusted fully diluted income per common share range of C$0.50 to C$0.54 on approximately 26.1 million adjusted fully diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

Conference Call Information:

A conference call to discuss the second quarter of fiscal 2016 financial results is scheduled for today, September 7, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The conference call will be webcast and may be accessed via the Company’s Investor Relations section of its website at www.davidstea.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available within two hours of the conclusion of the call and will remain available for one year.

Non-IFRS Information:

This press release includes non-IFRS measures including Adjusted results from operating activities, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are not presentations made in accordance with IFRS, and the use of the terms Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share may differ from similar measures reported by other companies. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share provide investors with useful information with respect to our historical operations. We present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share as supplemental performance measures because we believe they facilitate a comparative assessment of our operating performance relative to our performance based on our results under IFRS, while isolating the effects of some items that vary from period-to-period. Specifically, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss) and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share allow for an assessment of our operating performance and our ability to service or incur indebtedness without the effect of non-cash charges of the period or other one-time charges, such as depreciation, amortization, impairment costs, costs related to onerous contracts or contracts where we expect the costs of the obligations to exceed the economic benefit and non-recurring expenses relating to our initial public offering. These measures also function as benchmarks to evaluate our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are not measurements of our financial performance under IFRS and should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net income, 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. We understand that although Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share are frequently used by securities analysts, lenders and others in their evaluation of companies, they have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. Some of these limitations are:

• Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; and
   
• Although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements.

Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted net income(loss), and Adjusted fully diluted income(loss) per share should not be considered as discretionary cash available to us to reinvest in the growth of our business or as a measure of cash that will be available to us to meet our obligations.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “plan,” “could,” “may,” “will,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “goal,” “project,” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address various matters including management’s beliefs about the Company’s growth prospects, product offerings and financial guidance for the coming fiscal quarter and fiscal year. The Company cannot assure investors that future developments affecting the Company will be those that it has anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to risks and uncertainties including: the Company’s ability to maintain and enhance its brand image, particularly in new markets; the Company’s ability to compete in the specialty tea and beverage category; the Company’s ability to expand and improve its operations; levels of foot traffic in locations in which the Company’s stores are located; changes in consumer trends and preferences; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; general economic conditions and consumer confidence; minimum wage laws; the importance of the Company’s first fiscal quarter to results of operations for the entire fiscal year; and other risks set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K dated April 12, 2016 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 13, 2016. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the Company’s assumptions prove incorrect, the Company’s actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this release speaks only as of the date on which the Company makes it. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

About DAVIDsTEA:

DAVIDsTEA is a fast-growing retailer of specialty tea, offering a differentiated selection of proprietary loose-leaf teas, pre-packaged teas, tea sachets and tea-related gifts, accessories and food and beverages, primarily through 208 company-operated DAVIDsTEA stores throughout Canada and the United States as of July 30, 2016, and its website, davidstea.com. The Company is headquartered in Montréal, Canada.

Investor Contact
ICR Inc.Farah Soi/Rachel Schacter
(203)-682-8200
investors@davidstea.com