News Details

Systemax Reports Third Quarter 2009 Sales up 6% on Constant Currency Basis; EPS up 13%

November 10, 2009
Company Release - 11/10/2009 4:09 PM ET

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Systemax Inc. (NYSE:SYX) today announced financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2009.

Financial highlights for the quarter ended September 30, 2009:

  • Consolidated sales grew 2% to $753.9 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 6%.
  • Consumer sales grew 10% to $426.2 million in U.S. dollars. On a constant currency basis, sales grew 12%.
  • "Same store" consumer sales grew 6%.
  • Business to business sales were $327.7 million in U.S. dollars, a 7% decline. On a constant currency basis, sales declined 1%.
  • One-time pre-tax charges were $1.0 million, or approximately $0.02 per diluted share after tax, for costs related to the WStore acquisition and exiting the Hosted Software business.
  • Diluted earnings per share grew 13% to $0.34.
Performance Summary

(U.S. dollars in millions, except per share data)

Highlights                  Quarter Ended Sept 30,  Nine Months Ended Sept 30,

                            2009    2008            2009      2008

Sales                       $753.9  $739.5          $2,227.7  $2,220.3

Gross profit                $112.8  $115.4          $327.4    $343.9

Gross margin                15.0%   15.6%           14.7%     15.5%

Operating income            $19.4   $20.4           $43.1     $67.6

Operating margin            2.6%    2.8%            1.9%      3.0%

Diluted earnings per share  $0.34   $0.30           $0.74     $1.14

One time charges, pre-tax   $1.0    -               $7.3      $0.8

One-time charges, after     $0.02   -               $0.12     $0.01
tax, per diluted share



Richard Leeds, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Systemax posted solid overall third quarter results, growing top line sales on a U.S. dollar basis as well as on a constant currency basis. We did see some erosion in overall gross margin, resulting from the continued impact of discounted shipping and product mix changes; however gross margin for the quarter was up sequentially. We carefully controlled our operating costs, despite headcount growth for new retail stores and one-time charges, which resulted in strong bottom line earnings growth."

Channel sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009:

Channel Sales Summary

(in millions)

                       Quarter Ended Sept 30,  Nine Months Ended Sept 30
Channel
                       2009    2008            2009      2008

Consumer1              $426.2  $389.2          $1,310.3  $1,154.4

Business to business2  $327.7  $350.3          $917.4    $1,065.9

Consolidated sales     $753.9  $739.5          $2,227.7  $2,220.3



1Includes sales from retail stores, consumer websites, printed catalogs and television shopping

2Includes sales from managed business relationships, including outbound call centers and extranets

Comparable "same store" channel sales growth for the three months ended September 30, 2009 versus the three months ended September 30, 2008:

   Channel3                Change

   Consumer                6.0%

   Business to business    -4.0%



3Comprised of revenue at retail stores, websites and call centers operating for at least 14 full months. The calculation of the comparable store sales percentage change excludes the effect of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The method of calculating comparable store and channel sales varies across the retail and direct marketing industry. As a result, Systemax's method of calculating comparable sales may not be the same as other companies' methods.

Richard Leeds continued, "Our consumer channels in North America reported our strongest results. We are broadening our reach in the consumer electronics market, both through our retail stores and our e-Commerce websites. CompUSA recently opened two new brick and mortar stores, with another planned to open later this month. We have also signed leases for stores in several new markets that will open in the coming months, and we are continuing the conversion of our existing stores to our proprietary Retail 2.0 format. Circuit City has successfully reactivated many of its former customers, and sales from CircuitCity.com contributed to our overall sales growth. We remain very optimistic about the long-term possibilities for this valuable asset. As in the past, TigerDirect continues to be a market leader in the online retailing of computer and consumer electronics."

"Our business to business channel operations - including MISCO in Western Europe and Global Industrial in the U.S. - are still generally impacted by the worldwide economic slowdown; however, we are now cautiously optimistic that we have seen the bottom. We continue making prudent investments to improve our positioning while carefully controlling our costs. During the quarter we completed the acquisition of WStore Europe, a B2B supplier of IT products with operations in France and in the United Kingdom, significantly strengthening our presence in those markets. In our Industrial business, we recently deployed an entirely new ecommerce website (www.globalindustrial.com) that we believe is generationally more advanced than the sites of any other company in the sector."

Supplemental product category sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009:

Product Category Sales Summary

(in millions)

                        Quarter Ended Sept 30,  Nine Months Ended Sept 30,
Product Category
                        2009    2008            2009      2008

Computers               $183.5  $141.5          $559.1    $369.6

Consumer electronics    $172.6  $161.5          $521.2    $509.4

Computer components     $130.1  $132.1          $363.7    $411.8

Computer accessories &  $200.2  $225.6          $431.1    $696.3
software

Industrial products     $52.0   $63.2           $146.5    $182.2

Other                   $15.5   $15.6           $206.1    $51.0

Consolidated sales      $753.9  $739.5          $2,227.7  $2,220.3



Business unit sales for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009:

Business Unit Sales Summary

(in millions)

                       Quarter Ended Sept. 30,  Nine Months Ended Sept. 30,
Business Unit
                       2009    2008             2009      2008

Technology Products -  $500.0  $448.9           $1,500.7  $1,314.1
North America

Technology Products -  $201.8  $227.2           $579.3    $723.7
Europe

Industrial Products    $52.0   $63.2            $146.5    $182.2

Software Solutions     $0.1    $0.2             $1.2      $0.3

Consolidated Sales     $753.9  $739.5           $2,227.7  $2,220.3



Working capital as of September 30, 2009 was $256.8 million, including cash and cash equivalents of $102.1 million. The Company has an undrawn credit facility of $120.0 million and total cash and available liquidity of approximately $199.0 million. Short term debt totaled approximately $18.8 million at September 30, 2009 and included approximately $17.1 million in revolving debt assumed as part of the WStore acquisition as well as capitalized lease obligations. Cash flow provided by operations for the first nine months of 2009 was approximately $14.2 million and capital expenditures were $13.7 million. The Company's effective tax rate for the first nine months of 2009 was 36.3%, down from 37.3% last year. Included in the 2009 rate is a reversal of tax reserves of approximately $1.0 million as the result of statute expirations. Excluding this reserve reversal, the Company's effective tax rate in 2009 was 38.7%. This higher effective tax rate this year is primarily the result of a higher percentage of taxable income in the U.S. where corporate tax rates for the Company are typically highest.

Earnings Conference Call Details

Systemax Inc. will host a teleconference to discuss its third quarter and the first nine months of 2009 results today, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To access the teleconference, please dial 877-604-9673 (U.S. callers) or 719-325-4790 (Int'l callers) and reference passcode 7435037 ten minutes prior to the start time. The teleconferencing will also be available via live webcast on the Company's Web site at www.systemax.com. A replay of the conference call will be available through Tuesday, November 17, 2009. It can be accessed by dialing 888-203-1112 (U.S. callers) or 719-457-0820 (Int'l callers), passcode 7435037. The webcast will also be archived on www.systemax.com for approximately 90 days.

About Systemax Inc.

Systemax Inc. (http://www.systemax.com), a Fortune 1000 company, sells personal computers, computer supplies, consumer electronics and industrial products through a system of branded e-Commerce web sites, retail stores, relationship marketers and direct mail catalogs in North America and Europe. The primary brands are TigerDirect, CompUSA, Circuit City, MISCO, WStore and Global Industrial.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company's performance. These statements are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. The Company assumes no obligation to update these statements. Actual results may differ materially from results expressed or implied in these statements as the result of risks, uncertainties and other factors including, but not limited to: (a) unanticipated variations in sales volume, (b) economic conditions and exchange rates, (c) actions by competitors, (d) the continuation of key vendor relationships, (e) the ability to maintain satisfactory loan agreements with lenders, (f) risks associated with the delivery of merchandise to customers utilizing common carriers, (g) the operation of the Company's management information systems, and (h) unanticipated legal and administrative proceedings. Please refer to "Risk Factors" and the Forward Looking Statements sections contained in the Company's Form 10-K for a more detailed explanation of the inherent limitations in such forward-looking statements.

SYSTEMAX INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - Unaudited

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

                                     Quarter Ended       Nine Months Ended

                                     September 30*       September 30*

                                     2009      2008      2009        2008

Net sales                            $753,880  $739,479  $2,227,747  $2,220,251

Cost of sales                        641,117   624,060   1,900,380   1,876,329

Gross profit                         112,763   115,419   327,367     343,922

Gross margin                         15.0%     15.6%     14.7%       15.5%

Selling, general and administrative  93,394    94,997    284,309     276,349
expenses

Operating income                     19,369    20,422    43,058      67,573

Operating margin                     2.6%      2.8%      1.9%        3.0%

Interest and other (income)          (952)     1,782     (589)       (843)
expense, net

Income before income taxes           20,321    18,640    43,647      68,416

Provision for income taxes           7,723     7,367     15,860      25,541

Effective tax rate                   38.0%     39.5%     36.3%       37.3%

Net income                           $12,598   $11,273   $27,787     $42,875

Net margin                           1.7%      1.5%      1.3%        1.9%

Net income per common share:

Basic                                $.34      $0.30     $.76        $1.16

Diluted                              $.34      $0.30     $.74        $1.14

Weighted average common and

common equivalent shares:

Basic                                36,703    37,079    36,669      36,972

Diluted                              37,319    37,801    37,310      37,774



SYSTEMAX INC.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands)

                                            (Unaudited)

                                            September 30*  December 31

                                            2009           2008

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents                   $102,117       $115,967

Accounts receivable, net                    213,170        182,532

Inventories                                 315,977        290,594

Prepaid expenses and other current assets   28,574         22,225

Total current assets                        659,838        611,318

Property, plant and equipment, net          63,046         48,465

Goodwill, intangibles and other assets      60,660         42,361

Total assets                                $783,544       $702,144

Current liabilities:

Short-term debt                             $18,770        $773

Accounts payable and accrued expenses       384,222        357,453

Total current liabilities                   402,992        358,226

Long-term debt                              1,233          1,411

Other liabilities                           7,986          8,552

Shareholders' equity                        371,333        333,955

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity  $783,544       $702,144



* Systemax manages its business and reports using a 52-53 week fiscal year that ends at midnight on the Saturday closest to December 31. For clarity of presentation, fiscal years and quarters are described as if they ended on the last day of the respective calendar month. The actual fiscal nine month period and quarter ended on October 3, 2009. The third quarters of both 2009 and 2008 included 13 weeks and the nine month periods both included 39 weeks.

 

    Source: Systemax Inc.
Contact: Investors / Media: Brainerd Communicators, Inc. Denise Roche / Bill Douglass 212-986-6667 [email protected] [email protected]