Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. said fourth fiscal quarter comparable store sales through Jan. 4, (the "Holiday Period") were flat on a continuing operations basis, excluding online sales. The company stated that with the growing relevance of online sales in the marketplace, it will hereafter include online sales in its comparable store sales. Including online sales, comparable store sales during the Holiday Period increased 1 percent compared to the same period a year ago, on a continuing operations basis.
"After a strong start to the holiday season in November, the first three weeks of December were significantly below our expectations primarily due to a decrease in traffic and softness in denim. Business picked up in the final few days prior to Christmas and then finished the month strong as self-shoppers came back to the mall. Overall, it has been a choppy holiday season and we now expect fourth quarter comparable store sales to be flat to 1 percent, compared to last year," said Gary H. Schoenfeld, president and chief executive officer.
Based on these recent trends, the company now expects non-GAAP loss per diluted share from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 to be in the range of 21 to 18 cents a share, which after adjusting for the 53rd week retail calendar shift, compares to $(0.20) last year.
The revised fourth quarter non-GAAP loss from continuing operations per diluted share guidance range is based on the following assumptions:
Comparable store sales, including online sales, from flat to 1 percent;Revenue from $211 million to $214 million;Gross margin rate, including buying, distribution and occupancy, of 19 percent to 20 percent;SG&A expenses in the range of $58 million to $59 million; andApplicable non-GAAP adjustments are tax effected using a normalized annual income tax rate of approximately 37 percent.As of Jan. 9, 2014, the company operated 629 stores in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. PacSun's website address is www.pacsun.com.
