“Fiscal 2021 is off to a record-setting start with our best first quarter net sales and best earnings per share of any quarter since becoming a public company in May 2012,” commented Ed Thomas, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The second quarter is also off to a great start with a 30% increase in comparable net sales compared to fiscal 2019’s pre-pandemic second quarter. We believe these results are being driven by a compelling merchandise offering and excellent execution by our corporate and store teams, as well as several favorable environmental factors, including increased consumer activity generally, the impact of federal stimulus checks on consumer spending, a return to in-person learning in many schools, and the reopening of public venues.”
First Quarter Results Overview
The following comparisons refer to operating results for the first quarter of fiscal 2021 versus the first quarter of fiscal 2020 ended May 2, 2020:
*Total net sales were $163.2 million, a record for a first quarter, which represented an increase of $85.9 million or 111.1%, compared to $77.3 million last year.
*Gross profit was $54.8 million, or 33.6% of net sales, compared to $1.6 million, or 2.1% of net sales, last year. Product margins improved 930 basis points as a percentage of net sales primarily due to the prior year impact of an estimated inventory reserve of $4.7 million recorded during last year’s store shutdown period which represented 600 basis points of the comparative increase. Setting aside the prior year inventory reserve impact, the remaining product margin improvement of 330 basis points was primarily attributable to a lower total markdown rate. Buying, distribution and occupancy costs improved by 2220 basis points collectively, despite increasing by $1.5 million in total, due to leveraging these costs against a much higher level of net sales this year compared to last year’s store shutdown period. Occupancy costs improved by 1700 basis points as a percentage of net sales and were reduced by $0.5 million compared to last year. Distribution expenses improved by 450 basis points as a percentage of net sales despite increasing by $1.6 million. Buying costs improved by 70 basis points as a percentage of net sales despite increasing by $0.5 million.
*Operating income improved to $14.9 million, or 9.1% of net sales, compared to an operating loss of $(28.4) million, or (36.7)% of net sales, last year as a result of the combined impact of the factors described above.
*Net income improved to $11.0 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, records for a first quarter since the Company became publicly-traded, compared to a net loss of $(17.4) million, or $(0.59) per share, last year. Weighted average shares were 30.5 million this year compared to 29.7 million last year.
details at: https://tillys.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/tillys-inc-announces-fiscal-2021-first-quarter-operating-results