Mail Delivery Remains Strong as Holiday Season Nears

•Comparable store sales decreased 6.1% as compared with the prior year period. •Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expense decreased $20.7 million as compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2016. •Net loss in the current year second quarter was $33.2 million, or $1.64 per share, compared with net loss of $38.7 million, or $1.95 per share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. •Adjusted EBITDA totaled $9.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2017. Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2016 was $2.5 million. Click Read More below for additional detail.

“We are delighted to have achieved these record results with sales up 15% to £264.1 million and profit up 16% to £31.1 million. Compared to two years ago, sales are up 43% and profits up 62%. Our growth outperformed the industry which was up 4%1. These results demonstrate the strength of our strategy to publish for both the consumer and the academic markets, unusual in our industry, and to grow digital revenues while expanding globally. In challenging economic times, readers are turning to books as affordable as they cut back on more expensive forms of diversion. Our long-term strategy to invest in digital content, which has delivered strong growth and cash, which enables future strategic investment in both our academic and consumer markets and potential acquisitions – the flywheel of Bloomsbury.

Fourth-quarter highlights • Total revenue was a record $152.1 billion, an increase of $10.4 billion, or 7.3%. Excluding currency2, total revenue would have increased 7.5% to reach $152.3 billion. • Walmart U.S. comp sales1 increased 8.6% with strength across most key categories. • Walmart U.S. eCommerce sales increased 69% with strong results across all channels. • Sam’s Club comp sales1 increased 10.8% and eCommerce sales grew 42%. Reduced tobacco sales negatively affected comp sales by approximately 410 basis points. Membership income increased 12.9%, the strongest growth in six years. • Walmart International net sales were $34.9 billion, an increase of 5.5%. Net sales in constant currency2 increased 6.3%, led by Flipkart, Mexico and Canada. Changes in currency rates negatively affected net sales by approximately $0.3 billion. • Consolidated gross profit rate increased 29 basis points with positive contributions from each operating segment, led by the U.S.