Celebrate Express, Inc. Updates Fiscal 2006 Financial Guidance
June 08 2006 - 5:05PM
PR Newswire (US)
KIRKLAND, Wash., June 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Celebrate
Express, Inc. (NASDAQ:BDAY), a leading online and catalog retailer
of celebration products for families, today announced updated
guidance for its fiscal year ended May 31, 2006. The Company now
expects revenue for the fiscal year to be between $86.5 million and
$87.0 million, compared with previous guidance provided on March
30, 2006 of between $87.5 and $88.0 million. Net income is expected
to be between $0.03 and $0.05 per diluted share for the year,
compared with previous guidance of between $0.25 to $0.27 per
diluted share. Revenues and operating results for the fourth fiscal
quarter and full year ended May 31, 2006 will be announced on July
26, 2006, after completion of the Company's financial statements
and the related audit of its year-end financial results. The
Company's final results could vary from those projected. The
primary factors cited for the change in guidance for the fiscal
year ending May 31, 2006 were as follows: -- Softer than
anticipated sales starting in April -- Increased fulfillment
expenses resulting from distribution center inefficiencies -- Lower
gross margins due primarily to shipping costs and revenue mix The
Company's recently appointed president & CEO, Kevin Green,
stated "I continue to be excited about the opportunities to build
upon the core Celebrate Express family of brands -- Birthday
Express, Costume Express and the newer titles, First Wishes and
Party Destinations. I have quickly recognized that in order for
Celebrate Express to provide the level of consistent customer
satisfaction that will result in long-term customer loyalty, we
will need to strengthen our foundation, primarily in the form of
fulfillment and systems and in solidifying the senior management
team. Our clear focus will be on helping busy parents simply and
easily celebrate their lives and the lives of their children." The
Company also announced that it would immediately begin an orderly
discontinuation of its Storybook Heirlooms brand, which is expected
to represent approximately 10% of the Company's Fiscal 2006 net
revenues. Mr. Green said, "After years of losses and a strategic
evaluation of the marketplace for girls' special occasion clothing,
we have reached a decision to quickly wind down the operations of
Storybook Heirlooms. Our evaluation indicated that the Company and
its shareholders would be better served by reallocating internal
resources previously directed to Storybook to focus on Birthday
Express and the larger growth opportunity present in Costume
Express. We expect this decision will have a favorable impact on
fiscal 2007 earnings." Mr. Green stated, "Revenues in the month of
April fell short of our targets and we were unable to make up the
difference in May. Despite the softness that we, like other
retailers, experienced in April, we achieved strong year over year
revenue growth for the fourth fiscal quarter, which we expect will
range from 21% to 23%. We are aware that recent volatility in
consumer demand may continue into the first quarter of our new
fiscal year. However, we remain confident about the strength of our
brands and the opportunity for strong, sustained revenue growth as
we continue to increase our market share and cross-market our
brands to our growing customer base." The Company reported that
fulfillment expenses and shipping costs were pressured by
inefficiencies in the distribution center related to the ongoing
transition to the new picking system. Mr. Green continued, "The
installation of the initial phase of the new picking process in our
distribution center for Birthday Express is progressing. The
transition has taken longer and been more expensive than originally
planned causing higher fulfillment expenses and higher cost of
goods sold. The Company remains focused on creating distribution
efficiencies and we are confident that the new processes installed
in the warehouse is a worthwhile investment in the future and will
help us leverage our fulfillment expenses over time." Also
contributing to the margin pressure was a change in the mix of
revenues. Mr. Green explained "The softer revenues we experienced
in our full-price catalogs were partially offset by Storybook
Heirlooms sale catalog efforts, thereby eroding the overall gross
margin." CONFERENCE CALL TODAY Company management will be holding a
conference call today at 5:00 p.m. ET/ 2:00 pm PT to discuss this
announcement. The conference call will be broadcast via live
webcast and may be accessed at
http://investor.celebrateexpress.com/. Listeners may also access
the call by dialing 1-866-825-1692 and entering password 66014291.
A replay of the call will be available for 30 days by dialing
1-888-286-8010, password 41766713. Forward-Looking Statements This
press release contains forward-looking statements, including,
without limitation, all statements related to plans, future events,
financial guidance and future performance. Forward-looking
statements are identifiable by words such as "believe,"
"anticipate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "will," "may" and other
similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to
expectations, projections or other characterizations of future
events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which
could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed
in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Our actual
results and timing of events could differ materially, including
demand for our products, our ability to manage our costs and
fulfill orders, competition from other retailers, the strength of
our brands, and other risks detailed in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2005. You are cautioned
not to place undue reliance on these forward- looking statements,
which reflect only an analysis and speak only as of the date of
this press release. Celebrate Express undertakes no obligation to
revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events
or circumstances after the date hereof. About Celebrate Express,
Inc. Celebrate Express is a leading e-commerce provider of
celebration products. The Company currently operates three business
to consumer brands: Birthday Express, which markets children's
party products; Storybook Heirlooms, which offers girls' special
occasion and specialty apparel; and Costume Express, which markets
costumes and matching accessories. The Company utilizes its branded
Web sites, BirthdayExpress.com, Storybook.com and
CostumeExpress.com, complemented by branded catalogs to offer
products as complete coordinated solutions. The Company's goal is
to help families celebrate the special moments in their lives. For
more information, please visit http://www.celebrateexpress.com/.
CONTACT: Celebrate Express, Inc. Darin White (Investor Relations)
425-250-1064 x186 Katie Manning (Media Relations) 425-250-1064 x136
DATASOURCE: Celebrate Express, Inc. CONTACT: Darin White, Investor
Relations, +1-425-250-1064, ext. 186, or , or Katie Manning, Media
Relations, +1-425-250-1064, ext. 136, or , both of Celebrate
Express, Inc. Web site: http://www.celebrateexpress.com/
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