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8-K - YCC HOLDINGS LLC 8-K 11-8-2012 - YCC Holdings LLCform8-k.htm

Exhibit 99.1
 
P.O. Box 110     Route 5     South Deerfield     MA     01373-0110

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lisa McCarthy
(413) 665-8306, Ext. 4670

The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. Reports
Fiscal 2012 Third Quarter Results


South Deerfield, MA – November 8, 2012 – Yankee Holding Corp. and The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. (collectively, “Yankee Candle” or the “Company”) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 29, 2012.  Yankee Holding Corp., a direct subsidiary of YCC Holdings LLC, is a holding company formed in connection with the Company's Merger with an affiliate of Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC on February 6, 2007 (the “Merger”), and is the parent company of The Yankee Candle Company, Inc.

Sales for the third quarter of 2012 were $201.7 million, an increase of $6.6 million or 3.4% from the prior year third quarter.  Retail sales were $93.1 million, an increase of $8.2 million or 9.7% from the prior year third quarter. Sales from the Company’s Wholesale segment were $83.6 million, an increase of $0.4 million or 0.5% versus the prior year third quarter.  Sales in the Company’s International segment were $25.0 million, a decrease of $2.0 million or 7.3% from the prior year third quarter.

The Company recorded net income of $12.3 million, or 6.1% of net sales for the third quarter of 2012 compared to net income of $12.5 million, or 6.4% of net sales for the third quarter of 2011.

The Company presents Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below) to provide investors with additional information to evaluate the Company’s operating performance and its ability to service its debt.  Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2012 decreased by 2.6% to $43.0 million, or 21.3% of sales, as compared to Adjusted EBITDA for the prior year third quarter of $44.1 million, or 22.6% of sales. Reconciliations of third quarter results to Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, are included at the end of this press release.

“We were pleased with the continued momentum and positive comps delivered by our Retail business in the third quarter, as well as the continued strong performance in our Consumer Direct and Fundraising businesses,” said Harlan Kent, Chief Executive Officer of Yankee Candle.  “We believe that the investments we are making, including those in consumer insights, digital marketing, talent and infrastructure, are continuing to drive our growth initiatives.  While we continue to see steady year over year order growth in our International business, we did see a decrease in our International sales in the third quarter due to order management and shipping delays related to our implementation of a new ERP system for our International subsidiary in the UK.  We believe we have taken the necessary steps to stabilize the systems and our shipping operations, and fully expect our International business to resume delivering strong growth going forward.”

 
 

 

2012 Third Quarter Highlights:

 
·
Retail sales were $93.1 million in the third quarter of 2012 compared to $84.9 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of $8.2 million or 9.7%.  The increase in sales was driven primarily by an increase in comparable store sales, increased sales in our Consumer Direct business and sales from Yankee Candle retail stores opened after the third quarter of 2011.
 
 
·
Total Retail comparable sales, including the Consumer Direct business, increased by 5.8% compared to the prior year third quarter.  Comparable store sales in the 530 Yankee Candle retail stores, including the South Deerfield and Williamsburg flagship stores, that have been open for more than one year increased by 3.4%.  The increase in comparable store sales was driven by an increase in average ticket price of 10.6%, offset by a decrease in transactions of 7.2%.  Comparable sales in the Consumer Direct business increased by 28.4% over the prior year third quarter.

 
·
Wholesale sales were $83.6 million in the third quarter of 2012 compared to $83.2 million in the prior year quarter, an increase of $0.4 million or 0.5% from the prior year third quarter.  The increase was primarily a result of increased sales to our “All Other” channel, which consists of various accounts outside of our major core channels, coupled with increased sales from our specialty and department store channel.  Those increases were partially offset by lower sales in our premium mass channel driven largely by the anniversarying of the initial launch of our Scent Beads line into a large customer during the third quarter of 2011, and decreased sales in our gift channel.

 
2

 
 
 
·
International sales were $25.0 million in the third quarter of 2012 as compared to $27.0 million in the prior year quarter, a decrease of $2.0 million or 7.3%.  The decrease was attributable to decreased sales in our European wholesale and concession business due primarily to order management and shipping delays in connection with the implementation of a new ERP system for our UK-based International subsidiary.

Nine Months Ended September 29, 2012 Highlights:

 
·
Retail sales were $255.8 million, an increase of $23.1 million or 9.9% over the prior year period, driven primarily by increased sales in our Consumer Direct business, increased comparable store sales, sales from stores opened after the third quarter of 2011, and increased sales in our Fundraising division.

 
·
Total Retail comparable sales, including the Consumer Direct business, increased by 5.6% compared to the first nine months of the prior year.  Comparable store sales in the 530 Yankee Candle retail stores, including the South Deerfield and Williamsburg flagship stores, that have been open for more than one year increased by 2.7%.  The increase in comparable store sales was driven by an increase in average ticket price of 5.1% offset by decreased transactions of 2.4%.  Comparable sales in the Consumer Direct business increased by 31.2% over the prior year.

 
·
Wholesale sales were $174.3 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012, an increase of $5.5 million or 3.3% from the prior year period.  The increase was primarily a result of  increased sales to our “All Other” channel and increased sales in our specialty and department store channel, partially offset by decreased sales in our premium mass channel and gift store channel.

 
·
International sales were $72.0 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to $67.6 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2011, an increase of $4.4 million or 6.5%.  The increase was driven by sales growth in our retail concession business, increased sales to distributors primarily in Europe, Asia and Latin America and increased sales in our European wholesale business outside of the United Kingdom, slightly offset by decreased sales in our United Kingdom wholesale business in the third quarter attributable primarily to order management and shipping delays in connection with the implementation of a new ERP system for our UK-based International subsidiary.

 
3

 
 
 “As we look ahead, we continue to see challenging consumer trends, volatility in consumer spending and general uncertainty over the economy which is further heightened in an election year,” said Kent.  “We are also in the early days of assessing the long term impact of Superstorm Sandy on our business, the consumer in general and the holiday retail environment in particular.  That said, we have a strong Holiday product assortment and have plans in place to support that line-up with promotional programs at levels similar to last year.  In addition, our digital marketing and consumer insights initiatives will be key to our brand building efforts during this important time of year. We will be focused on flawless execution across all of our businesses throughout the Holiday season.”

For the thirteen weeks ending September 29, 2012, YCC Holdings LLC (the parent of Yankee Holding Corp.)  reported net income of $6.7 million, compared to the above-referenced net income recorded by the Company of $12.3 million.  The difference in the net income between the Company and YCC Holdings LLC is primarily a result of additional interest expense recorded during the third quarter of 2012 at YCC Holdings LLC of $8.7 million related to the $315.0 million 10.25%/11.0% Senior Notes due 2016 (the “Senior PIK Notes”), offset by tax benefits related to such interest expense of $3.2 million.

Neither Yankee Holding Corp. nor The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. have any obligations with respect to the Senior PIK Notes.  During the first nine months of 2012, Yankee Holding Corp paid dividends of $32.4 million to YCC Holdings LLC.  Such dividends were used primarily to pay for interest incurred during 2011 and 2012 related to the Senior PIK notes.

Earnings Conference Call:

The Company will host a conference call to be broadcast via the Internet at 11:00 a.m. (EST) this morning to more fully discuss its third quarter results.  The dial-in number is (800) 860-2442, for International Calls the dial-in number is (412) 858-4600.  When greeted by the operator, request the conference by stating the Company and the host’s last name (Yankee Candle/Kent) or reference the conference title (Q3 2012 Yankee Candle Earnings Conference Call).  This call is being webcast by MultiVu and can be accessed at The Yankee Candle Company's web site at www.yankeecandle.com.   Click on the “About Us” link, select the “Investor Information” link, and then select the “Events Calendar” link.  Enter your registration information ten minutes prior to the start of the conference.

 
4

 

About Yankee Candle
 
The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. is the leading designer, manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of premium scented candles, based on sales, in the giftware industry.  Yankee Candle has a 42-year history of offering distinctive products and marketing them as affordable luxuries and consumable gifts.  The Company sells its products through a North American wholesale customer network of approximately 27,800 store locations, a growing base of Company owned and operated retail stores (564 Yankee Candle Stores located in 46 states and 1 province in Canada as of September 29, 2012), direct mail catalogs, and its Internet website (www.yankeecandle.com). Outside of North America, the Company sells its products primarily through its subsidiary, Yankee Candle Company (Europe), Ltd., which has an international wholesale customer network of approximately 5,900 store locations and distributors covering a combined 57 countries.
 
Forward Looking Statements
 
This press release may contain certain information constituting “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the statements contained herein with respect to management’s current estimates of the Company’s financial and operating results for Fiscal 2012 and any quarter thereof, and any other statements concerning the Company’s or management’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, expectations, estimates, beliefs or projections, or any other statements concerning future performance or events.  Actual results could differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the following: the current economic conditions and uncertain future outlook, including continued softness in consumer confidence and spending; the risk that our substantial level of indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and operations; that we may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to service all of our indebtedness; that any failure to protect our reputation could have a material adverse effect on our brand image; the risk of loss of one of our manufacturing or distribution facilities;  that we may be unable to maintain our historical growth rates; that our profitability may be affected by increases in the cost of raw materials or that further increases in wax prices above the rate of inflation may negatively impact our cost of goods sold and margins; that any shortages in refined oil supplies could impact our wax supply; the effects of competition in the giftware industry; that there may be a failure of our information technology systems; that a material decline in consumers’ discretionary income could cause our sales and income to decline; that current environmental laws and regulations, or those enacted in the future, could result in additional liabilities and costs; that we may be unable to continue to open new stores successfully or renew leases for existing locations; the risk of a loss or significant deterioration in the financial condition of a significant wholesale customer, or a bankruptcy filing and subsequent bankruptcy proceedings by such a customer; the failure or delay of a third party to supply goods to our customers could adversely impact our business; sustained interruptions in the supply of products from overseas; that restrictive covenants in the indenture governing the Senior PIK Notes, the indentures governing Yankee Candle’s Senior Notes and Senior Subordinated Notes and Yankee Candle’s Term Loan Facility and ABL Facility could restrict our operating flexibility; risks associated with the ability of YCC Holdings and Holding Corp. to repay their debt, which is dependent on cash flow generated by Yankee Candle and its subsidiaries; that restrictions in our subsidiaries' debt instruments and under applicable law limit their ability to provide funds to us; that the interests of our controlling stockholders may differ from the interests of the noteholders; that because we are not a diversified company and are primarily dependent upon one industry, we have less flexibility in reacting to unfavorable consumer trends, adverse economic conditions or business cycles; the risk that we lose our senior executive officers, or are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business; that our international operations subject us to a number of risks, including unfavorable regulatory, labor, tax and political conditions in foreign countries; that we may be required to recognize additional impairment charges against goodwill or intangible assets in the future; seasonal, quarterly and other fluctuations in our business, and general industry and market conditions; the risk of product liability claims; and other factors described or contained in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Any forward-looking statements represent our views only as of today and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date.  While we may elect to update certain forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so even if experience or future events may cause the views contained in any forward-looking statements to change.

 
5

 
 
Yankee Holding Corp. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)

   
Thirteen Weeks
     
Thirteen Weeks
   
   
Ended
     
Ended
   
   
September 29, 2012
     
October 1, 2011
   
Sales:
                       
Retail
  $ 93,050   46.14 %     $ 84,860   43.49 %  
Wholesale
    83,574   41.44 %       83,230   42.66 %  
International
    25,037   12.42 %       27,019   13.85 %  
Total sales
    201,661   100.00 %       195,109   100.00 %  
                             
Cost of sales
    92,305   45.77 %       87,958   45.08 %  
Gross profit
    109,356   54.23 %       107,151   54.92 %  
                             
Selling expenses: (A)
                           
Retail
    46,739   50.23 %
(B)
    45,912   54.10 %
(B)
Wholesale
    3,069   3.67 %
(C)
    6,504   7.81 %
(C)
International
    6,835   27.30 %
(D)
    5,449   20.17 %
(D)
                             
Total selling expenses
    56,643   28.09 %       57,865   29.66 %  
                             
General & administrative expenses
    16,862   8.36 %       15,273   7.83 %  
                             
Income from operations
    35,851   17.78 %       34,013   17.43 %  
Interest expense
    18,266   9.06 %       17,847   9.15 %  
Other income
    (2,097 ) -1.04 %       (2,372 ) -1.22 %  
                             
Income before provision for income taxes
    19,682   9.76 %       18,538   9.50 %  
Provision for income taxes
    7,389   3.66 %       6,044   3.10 %  
Income from continuing operations
    12,293   6.09 %       12,494   6.40 %  
                             
Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
    (31 ) -0.02 %       (42 ) -0.02 %  
Net income
  $ 12,262   6.08 %     $ 12,452   6.38 %  

(A) Includes purchase accounting costs that are reflected in the unallocated/corporate/other column within the segment disclosure of the Company's 10-Q.
(B) Retail selling expenses as a percentage of retail sales.
(C) Wholesale selling expenses as a percentage of wholesale sales.
(D) International selling expenses as a percentage of international sales.

 
6

 
 
Yankee Holding Corp. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in thousands)
(Unaudited)

   
Thirty-Nine Weeks
     
Thirty-Nine Weeks
   
   
Ended
     
Ended
   
   
September 29, 2012
     
October 1, 2011
   
Sales:
                           
Retail
  $ 255,827       50.96 %     $ 232,708       49.60 %  
Wholesale
    174,276       34.71 %       168,802       35.98 %  
International
    71,952       14.33 %       67,626       14.42 %  
Total sales
    502,055       100.00 %       469,136       100.00 %  
                                     
Cost of sales
    227,488       45.31 %       211,112       45.00 %  
Gross profit
    274,567       54.69 %       258,024       55.00 %  
                                     
Selling expenses: (A)
                                   
Retail
    135,317       52.89 %
(B)
    128,875       55.38 %
(B)
Wholesale
    10,160       5.83 %
(C)
    18,811       11.14 %
(C)
International
    19,880       27.63 %
(D)
    15,369       22.73 %
(D)
                                     
Total selling expenses
    165,357       32.94 %       163,055       34.76 %  
                                     
General & administrative expenses
    51,714       10.30 %       47,891       10.21 %  
Restructuring charge
    1,725       0.34 %       -       0.00 %  
                                     
Income from operations
    55,771       11.11 %       47,078       10.04 %  
Interest expense
    54,053       10.77 %       53,303       11.36 %  
Loss on extinguishment of debt
    13,376       2.66 %       -       0.00 %  
Other income
    (4,923 )     -0.98 %       (5,332 )     -1.14 %  
                                     
Loss before benefit from income taxes
    (6,735 )     -1.34 %       (893 )     -0.19 %  
Benefit from income taxes
    (2,047 )     -0.41 %       (848 )     -0.18 %  
Loss from continuing operations
    (4,688 )     -0.93 %       (45 )     -0.01 %  
                                     
Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
    (105 )     -0.02 %       (227 )     -0.05 %  
Net loss
  $ (4,793 )     -0.95 %     $ (272 )     -0.06 %  

(A) Includes purchase accounting costs that are reflected in the unallocated/corporate/other column within the segment disclosure of the Company's 10-Q.
(B) Retail selling expenses as a percentage of retail sales.
(C) Wholesale selling expenses as a percentage of wholesale sales.
(D) International selling expenses as a percentage of international sales.

 
7

 
 
Yankee Holding Corp. And Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands)
(unaudited)
 
ASSETS
 
September 29,
   
December 31,
 
   
2012
   
2011
 
             
             
Current Assets:
           
Cash
  $ 9,620     $ 50,833  
Accounts receivable, net
    81,072       57,013  
Inventory
    126,521       75,563  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    26,516       4,924  
Deferred tax assets
    8,948       8,724  
Total Current Assets
    252,677       197,057  
Property and Equipment, net
    123,649       118,402  
Deferred Financing Costs
    13,501       11,006  
Other Assets
    914,248       915,039  
          Total Assets
  $ 1,304,075     $ 1,241,504  
                 
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
               
                 
 Current Liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 27,379     $ 21,109  
Accrued payroll
    10,446       6,910  
Accrued income taxes
    -       7,269  
Other accrued liabilities
    44,029       59,647  
Current portion of long-term debt
    7,250       12,042  
Total Current Liabilities
    89,104       106,977  
Long-Term Debt
    986,572       889,083  
Deferred Rent
    13,052       12,833  
Deferred Tax Liabilities
    114,035       107,123  
Other Long-Term Liabilities
    9,410       6,577  
Stockholder's Equity
    91,902       118,911  
Total Liabilities And Stockholder's Equity
  $ 1,304,075     $ 1,241,504  

 
8

 
 
Yankee Holding Corp.
September 29, 2012  Earnings Release
Supplemental Data
 
   
Quarter
   
Year to Date
   
Total
 
YCC Retail Stores
    7 (5)     12 (5)     564  
Wholesale Customer Locations - North America
    (419 )     (976 ) (5)     27,815  
Wholesale Customer Locations - Europe
    71       224       5,889  
Square Footage - Gross
    12,497 (5)     18,380 (5)     1,063,929  
Square Footage - Selling
    8,959 (5)     11,190 (5)     814,562  
Total Comp Stores & Consumer Direct Sales Change %
    5.8 %     5.6 %        
YCC Retail Comp Store Count
    530       530       530  
Sales per Square Foot (1)
          $ 526          
Store Count
            534          
Average store square footage, gross (2)
            1,626          
Average store square footage, selling (2)
            1,232          
Gross Profit (3) (6)
                       
Retail $
  $ 61,483     $ 164,699          
Retail %
    66.1 %     64.4 %        
Wholesale $
  $ 39,835     $ 82,571          
Wholesale %
    47.7 %     47.4 %        
International $
  $ 8,025     $ 27,284          
International %
    32.1 %     37.9 %        
Segment Profit (3) (6)
                       
Retail $
  $ 14,744     $ 29,382          
Retail %
    15.8 %     11.5 %        
Wholesale $
  $ 36,766     $ 72,412          
Wholesale %
    44.0 %     41.5 %        
International $
  $ 1,190     $ 7,405          
International %
    4.8 %     10.3 %        
Depreciation & Amortization (3)
  $ 7,580     $ 23,902          
Inventory per Store (2)
          $ 34,255          
Inventory Turns (4)
            3.1          
Capital Expenditures (3)
  $ 5,475     $ 21,739          
 
(1)Trailing 12 months, stores open for full 12 months, excluding S. Deerfield/Williamsburg Flagships. 
(2) Excludes S. Deerfield/Williamsburg Flagships.
(3) Dollars in thousands. 
(4) Based on a 13 month average inventory divided by 12 month rolling COGS.
(5) Net of closures.
(6) Includes purchase accounting costs that are reflected in the unallocated/corporate/other column within the segment disclosure of the Company's 10-Q.

 
9

 

Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA

In addition to the results reported in accordance with GAAP, the Company has provided information regarding “Adjusted EBITDA” as defined which is a non-GAAP financial measure.  Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings/loss from continuing operations before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization adjusted to remove the affects of equity-based compensation, MDP advisory fees, purchase accounting, restructuring, loss on debt extinguishment and realized (gains) losses on foreign currency transactions.  Under the Company’s Term Loan Facility, Consolidated EBITDA is defined as net income plus, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, further adjusted to add back extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring losses, non-cash stock option expense, fees and expenses related to the Merger, fees and expenses under the Management Agreement with our equity sponsor, restructuring charges or reserves, as well as other non-cash charges, expenses or losses, and further adjusted to subtract extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring gains, other non-cash income or gains, and certain cash contributions to our common equity.  Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to represent cash flow from operations as defined by GAAP and should not be used as an alternative to net income (loss) as an indicator of operating performance or to cash flow as a measure of liquidity.  We believe the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors regarding our results of operations because such presentation assists in analyzing and benchmarking the performance value of our business.  We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it helps enable investors to evaluate our business in the same manner as our management evaluates our business, and because this measure is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies with substantial financial leverage.  In addition, because Adjusted EBITDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis, we also use Adjusted EBITDA for business planning purposes, to incent and compensate our management personnel and to measure our performance relative to that of our competitors.  While Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used as a measure of operating performance and the ability to meet debt service requirements, it is not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation.  In evaluating our operating performance these measures should be used in conjunction with GAAP measures.

 
10

 
 
Adjusted EBITDA was calculated as follows:

   
Thirteen Weeks
 Ended
   
Thirteen Weeks
Ended
   
Thirty-nine Weeks
Ended
   
Thirty-nine Weeks
Ended
 
   
September 29, 2012
   
October 1, 2011
   
September 29, 2012
   
October 1, 2011
 
                         
Net income (loss)
  $ 12,262     $ 12,452     $ (4,793 )   $ (272 )
Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
    31       42       105       227  
Provision for (Benefit from) income taxes
    7,389       6,044       (2,047 )     (848 )
Interest expense, net - excluding amortization of deferred financing fees
    15,016       14,604       44,777       45,926  
Amortization of deferred financing fees
    1,161       1,043       3,445       3,045  
Depreciation
    6,361       6,136       19,093       18,359  
Amortization
    56       3,056       1,363       9,166  
                                 
EBITDA from continuing operations
    42,276       43,377       61,943       75,603  
Equity-based compensation (a)
    148       241       572       3,733  
MDP advisory fees
    375       375       1,125       1,125  
Purchase accounting (b)
    206       260       1,022       826  
Restructuring (c)
    -       -       1,725       -  
Loss on extinguishment of debt (d)
    -       -       13,376       -  
Realized (gains) losses on foreign currency (e)
    (51 )     (166 )     813       (968 )
                                 
Adjusted EBITDA
  $ 42,954     $ 44,087     $ 80,576     $ 80,319  

(a) Equity based compensation for the thirty-nine weeks ended October 1, 2011 included a $3.0 million payment to management and director equity holders.

(b) Represents purchase accounting adjustments as a result of the Merger in 2007.

(c) Includes costs for employee severance associated with restructuring the wholesale and retail operations and changes in the internal reporting structure during the first quarter of 2012; and costs associated with the consolidation and relocation of our logistics operations and corporate headquarters for our foreign subsidiary during the second quarter of 2012.

(d) Represents loss on extinguishment of debt attributable to the refinancing of the $338.1 million outstanding under the prior Senior Secured Credit Facility and $315.0 million of its Senior Notes due 2015 that occurred during the second quarter of 2012.

(e) Represents transaction (gains) losses on settlements of our intercompany receivable with our foreign subsidiary and transaction (gains) losses from foreign vendors and customers.
 
 
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