Kathmandu lifts first-half profit 6.4%, beating guidance after cutting costs

Tuesday 21st March 2017

Kathmandu Holdings lifted first-half profit 6.4 percent, just beating earnings guidance the outdoor equipment chain gave last month after clamping down on costs and exerting greater control over inventory.

Net profit rose to $10 million, or 4.9 cents per share, in the six months ended Jan. 31 from $9.4 million, or 4.6 cents, a year earlier, the Christchurch-based company said in a statement. That was just ahead of the $9.9 million guidance Kathmandu provided on Feb. 7 and ahead of Forsyth Barr analyst Chelsea Leadbetter's forecast of $9.5 million.

Sales edged up 0.2 percent to $196 million as previously projected, and increased 3 percent on a constant currency basis. Kathmandu trimmed operating expenses 1 percent to $69 million through cutbacks in advertising, support office costs and retail labour, and lowered finance costs by a third to $1.2 million as it cut net debt to $48.9 million.

"The results for the first half of FY2017 were overall in line with our expectations," chief executive Xavier Simonet said. "We achieved strong same-store sales growth in Australia, which is our largest market, as we maintained rigorous cost control and continued to drive working capital efficiency."

Kathmandu's annual profit rebounded in 2016 from a slump a year earlier after a build-up of inventory forced it into aggressive discounting at lower margins to rid itself of excess stock. Under the management of Simonet, who was appointed to the role in January 2015, the company has been taking a more cautious approach to sales and keeping expenses under control.

Gross margins shrank to 61.6 percent from 62.8 percent a year earlier as the retailer was on the wrong side of currency movements and large clearance sales squeezed margins. Inventory fell 6.7 percent to $96.4 million, which the company said was down to more accurate buying as it spent more on its forecasting and planning technology.

The board declared an interim dividend of 4 cents per share, payable on June 16 to shareholders on the register on June 2. That's up from a 3 cents per share payment last year. The dividend will be unfranked for Australian shareholders and fully imputed for New Zealand investors.

The shares last traded at $1.93 and have slipped 1 percent so far this year.

Kathmandu's operating cash flow shrank to $10 million in the half from $24.2 million a year earlier. A $6.8 million outflow for investment spending and a $7.6 million outflow to repay debt and dividends left it with cash and equivalents of $2.7 million at the Jan. 31 balance date.

The Australian unit, which accounts for about 61 percent of sales, lifted revenue 6 percent to A$121.1 million, although earnings before interest and tax fell 8.7 percent to A$4.2 million. The New Zealand division's sales increased 0.9 percent to $68.8 million while earnings slipped 1.7 percent to $11.9 million. The UK unit, which now has one store after two closures, posted a 58 percent fall in revenue to 700,000 pounds to break even in the half, compared to a loss of 200,000 pounds a year earlier.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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