Highlights:
* Highest full-year sales in history, with consolidated net sales of
* Highest full-year earnings per diluted share in history, with earnings per diluted share of
* Fourth quarter consolidated net sales of
* Earnings per diluted share of
Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2021 Results
For the fourth quarter (thirteen weeks) ended
Consolidated net sales were
Net sales in
Our online sales decreased 25.0%(+) compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and increased 29.1% compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019.
As a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Company's stores in fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2020 and the Company's policy of excluding extended store closures from its comparable sales calculation, the Company does not believe that comparable store sales is a meaningful metric to present for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Consolidated gross margin was 57.0%, a decrease of 230(+) basis points, compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. TCS gross margin decreased 10(+) basis points to 57.0%(+) primarily due to increased freight and commodity costs, partially offset by less promotional activity and decreased shipping costs as a result of a lower mix of online sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021. Elfa gross margin decreased 750 basis points primarily due to higher direct material costs.
Consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses ('SG&A') increased by 3.0%(+) to
Consolidated net interest expense decreased 14.8%(+) to
The effective tax rate was 31.5% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, as compared to 25.8%(+) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The increase in the effective tax rate was primarily due to the impact of discrete items on lower pre-tax income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
Net income was
Adjusted EBITDA* was
For the fiscal year (fifty-two weeks) ended
Consolidated net sales were
Net sales for the TCS segment were
Our online sales decreased 35.5%(+) compared to fiscal 2020 and increased 35.1% compared to fiscal 2019.
Elfa third-party net sales were
Consolidated gross margin was 58.2%, an increase of 60(+) basis points compared to fiscal 2020. TCS gross margin increased 150 basis points(+) to 57.6%, primarily due to less promotional activity and decreased shipping costs as a result of a lower mix of online sales, partially offset by increased freight and commodity costs in fiscal 2021. Elfa gross margin decreased 900 basis points primarily due to higher direct material costs.
Consolidated SG&A increased by 10.5%(+) to
Consolidated net interest expense decreased 26.1%(+) to
The effective tax rate was 27.5% for fiscal 2021 as compared to 27.9%(+) in fiscal 2020. The decrease in the effective tax rate is primarily due to the impact of discrete items on higher pre-tax income in fiscal 2021.
Net income was
Adjusted EBITDA* was
See Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures table.
(+) Amount or percentage is inclusive of a 53rd week in fiscal 2020:
New and Existing Stores
During fiscal 2021, the Company opened one new store in
Balance sheet and liquidity highlights:
(1)Planned smaller footprint store openings in fiscal 2022 are as follows:
Long-Term Financial Targets
As part of today's enhanced earnings event, the Company provided long-term financial targets. The Company expects to achieve
Conference Call Information
A conference call to discuss fourth quarter and full year fiscal 2021 financial results is scheduled for today,
A taped replay of the conference call will be available within two hours of the conclusion of the call and can be accessed both online and by dialing (844) 512-2921 (international callers please dial (412) 317-6671). The pin number to access the telephone replay is 13728571. The replay will be available until
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our future opportunities; our goals, strategies, priorities and initiatives; sales trends, momentum and targets; and our anticipated financial performance and long term targets.
These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition; our ability to continue to lease space on favorable terms; costs and risks relating to new store openings; quarterly and seasonal fluctuations in our operating results; cost increases that are beyond our control; our inability to protect our brand; our failure or inability to protect our intellectual property rights; overall decline in the health of the economy, consumer spending, and the housing market; our inability to source and market new products to meet consumer preferences; failure to successfully anticipate consumer preferences and demand; competition from other stores and internet-based competition; vendors may sell similar or identical products to our competitors; our and our vendors' vulnerability to natural disasters and other unexpected events; disruptions at our Elfa manufacturing facilities; deterioration or change in vendor relationships or events that adversely affect our vendors or their ability to obtain financing for their operations, including COVID-19; product recalls and/or product liability, as well as changes in product safety and other consumer protection laws; risks relating to operating multiple distribution centers; our dependence on foreign imports for our merchandise; our reliance upon independent third party transportation providers; our inability to effectively manage our online sales; effects of a security breach or cyber-attack of our website or information technology systems, including relating to our use of third-party web service providers; damage to, or interruptions in, our information systems as a result of external factors, working from home arrangements, staffing shortages and difficulties in updating our existing software or developing or implementing new software; our indebtedness may restrict our current and future operations, and we may not be able to refinance our debt on favorable terms, or at all; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; our inability to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow to meet growth expectations; our fixed lease obligations; disruptions in the global financial markets leading to difficulty in borrowing sufficient amounts of capital to finance the carrying costs of inventory to pay for capital expenditures and operating costs; changes to global markets and inability to predict future interest expenses; our reliance on key executive management; our inability to find, train and retain key personnel; labor relations difficulties; increases in health care costs and labor costs; violations of the
These and other important factors discussed under the caption 'Risk Factors' in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
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https://investor.containerstore.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2022/The-Container-Store-Group-Inc.-Announces-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Fiscal-Year-2021-Financial-Results/default.aspx
Note Regarding Non-GAAP Information
This press release includes financial measures that are not calculated in accordance with GAAP, including adjusted net income, adjusted net income per common share - diluted, Adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow. The Company has reconciled these non-GAAP financial measures with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures in a table accompanying this release. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered as alternatives to net income as a measure of financial performance or cash flows from operations as a measure of liquidity, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and they should not be construed as an inference that the Company's future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. These non-GAAP measures are key metrics used by management, the Company's board of directors, and
The Company presents adjusted net income, adjusted net income per common share - diluted, and Adjusted EBITDA because it believes they assist investors in comparing the Company's performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that the Company does not believe are indicative of its core operating performance and because the Company believes it is useful for investors to see the measures that management uses to evaluate the Company. These non-GAAP measures are also frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in the Company's industry. In evaluating these non-GAAP measures, you should be aware that in the future the Company will incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in this presentation. The Company's presentation of these non-GAAP measures should not be construed to imply that its future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. Management compensates for these limitations by relying on our GAAP results in addition to using non-GAAP measures supplementally. These non-GAAP measures are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to different methods of calculation.
The Company defines adjusted net income as net income before restructuring charges, charges related to the impact of COVID-19 on business operations, credits pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security ('CARES') Act, severance charges associated with COVID-19, acquisition-related costs, charges related to the closure of
The Company defines EBITDA as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated in accordance with its credit facilities and is one of the components for performance evaluation under its executive compensation programs. Adjusted EBITDA reflects further adjustments to EBITDA to eliminate the impact of certain items, including certain non-cash and other items that the Company does not consider in its evaluation of ongoing operating performance from period to period as discussed further below. The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA in connection with covenant compliance and executive performance evaluations, and to supplement GAAP measures of performance to evaluate the effectiveness of its business strategies, to make budgeting decisions and to compare its performance against that of other peer companies using similar measures. The Company believes it is useful for investors to see the measures that management uses to evaluate the Company, its executives and its covenant compliance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are also frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in the Company's industry.
The Company presents free cash flow, which the Company defines as net cash provided by operating activities in a period minus payments for property and equipment made in that period, because it believes it is a useful indicator of the Company's overall liquidity, as the amount of free cash flow generated in any period is representative of cash that is available for debt repayment, investment, and other discretionary and non-discretionary cash uses. Accordingly, we believe that free cash flow provides useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating our liquidity in the same manner as management. Our definition of free cash flow is limited in that it does not solely represent residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures due to the fact that the measure does not deduct the payments required for debt service and other contractual obligations. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flow as a measure that provides supplemental information to our Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Although other companies report their free cash flow, numerous methods may exist for calculating a company's free cash flow. As a result, the method used by our management to calculate our free cash flow may differ from the methods used by other companies to calculate their free cash flow.
Additionally, this press release refers to the change in Elfa third-party net sales after the conversion of Elfa's net sales from Swedish krona to
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(unaudited)
The table below reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted net income and adjusted net income per common share - diluted with the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures of GAAP net income and GAAP net income per common share - diluted.
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or
Media:
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