Best Buy Confirms Significant Decline in Fiscal Third Quarter 2013 Earnings

Updated

Best Buy Confirms Significant Decline in Fiscal Third Quarter 2013 Earnings

Previously Announced on October 24

Adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted EPS of $0.03


GAAP EPS of ($0.04)

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYS: BBY) today announced a GAAP net loss from continuing operations of $13 million, or $0.04 per share, for the three months ended November 3, 2012 compared to net earnings from continuing operations of $173 million, or $0.47 per diluted share for the prior-year period. Excluding previously announced restructuring charges, adjusted (non-GAAP) net earnings from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 were $10 million, or $0.03 per diluted share compared to $173 million and $0.47 for the prior-year period. Comparable store sales were down during the quarter and adjusted (non-GAAP) operating income declined significantly.

Three Months Ended

Nov. 3, 2012

Oct. 29, 2011

Change

Comparable store sales % change1

(4.3%)

(0.7%)

(360bps)

Adjusted (non-GAAP) operating income2

$48

$381

(87%)

GAAP Operating income

$12

$381

(97%)

Adjusted (non-GAAP) diluted EPS from continuing operations2

$0.03

$0.47

(94%)

GAAP EPS from continuing operations

($0.04)

$0.47

--

Adjusted return on invested capital3

10.1%

10.7%

(60bps)

"In line with trends experienced over the last three years, Best Buy's third quarter financial performance was clearly unsatisfactory. On November 13, we shared our candid assessment of Best Buy's situation and unveiled Renew Blue, a set of priorities to begin re-invigorating the company's performance and rejuvenating Best Buy. The results we are reporting today only strengthen our sense of urgency and purpose," said Hubert Joly, Best Buy president and CEO.

Domestic Segment

Operating Income

Excluding restructuring charges primarily related to previously announced store closures, the Domestic segment operating income for the three months ended November 3, 2012 declined to $50 million ($16 million on a GAAP basis) from $249 million in the prior-year period. The decline was due to a lower gross profit rate, higher SG&A expense and lower revenue.

Revenue

The Domestic segment revenue was $7.7 billion and declined 4.7 percent compared to the prior year period. The Domestic segment revenue decline reflected a 4.0 percent comparable store sales decline and the impact of store closures.

Best Buy recorded revenue of $431 million in its online business, with growth in excess of 10 percent, and registered positive comparable store sales growth in mobile phones, appliances and tablets/eReaders. This growth was more than offset by comparable store sales declines in notebooks, gaming, digital imaging and televisions. The company believes that tablet and notebook comparable store sales were negatively impacted by slower consumer purchasing in anticipation of major product launches.

Gross Profit

Domestic segment gross profit was $1.9 billion and decreased 9 percent, reflecting a rate decline of 100 basis points compared to the prior-year period. The gross profit dollars were helped by the growth of mobile phones but the rate suffered from unfavorable product mix in mobile phones and televisions, as well as from the impact of product transitions ahead of key new launches.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses ("SG&A")4

Domestic segment SG&A expense was $1.8 billion and increased 1 percent compared to the prior-year period. This increase was due to increased training and higher compensation costs for sales associates, as well as executive transition costs. Excluding the impact of these costs and the absence of the Best Buy Mobile profit share payment, Domestic SG&A expense was approximately flat compared to the prior-year period.

International Segment

Operating Income

Excluding previously announced restructuring charges, the International segment reported an adjusted operating loss of $2 million ($4 million on a GAAP basis) for the three months ended November 3, 2012. The decline was due to Canada, Europe and China, driven by lower revenue in Canada and China and lower gross profit in Europe.

Revenue

The International segment revenue was $3.1 billion and declined less than one percent compared to the prior-year period. Comparable store sales declined 5.2 percent, as comparable store sales growth in Europe was more than offset by declines in Canada and China.

Gross Profit

International segment gross profit was $731 million and declined 11 percent, reflecting a rate decline of 280 basis points compared to the prior-year period. The rate decline was driven primarily by Europe and due largely to increased mix of lower-margin wholesale sales, and a price competitive environment for mobile phones coupled with mix into more expensive handsets.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses4

International segment SG&A expense was $733 million and increased 7 percent compared to the prior-year period. Excluding the impact from the absence of the Best Buy Mobile profit share payment, International SG&A expense was flat compared to the prior-year period.

Please see the table titled "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" attached to this release for more detail.

Dividends

On October 2, 2012, the company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per common share outstanding, or $57 million in the aggregate.

Fiscal 2013 Financial Guidance

The company currently expects to generate free cash flow5 in the range of $850 million to $1.05 billion for fiscal 2013. This amount compares with the company's previously communicated range of $1.25 to $1.5 billion that had been provided on August 21, 2012. The company's free cash flow guidance excludes the impact of previously announced restructuring activities and includes a change in restricted cash related to working capital.

Holiday Sales Results

The company is planning to announce revenue results for the nine weeks ending January 5, 2013 (fiscal November and December) on January 11, 2013.

Conference Call

Best Buy is scheduled to conduct an earnings conference call at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Central Time) on November 20, 2012. A webcast of the call is expected to be available on its Web site at www.investors.bestbuy.comboth live and after the call. A telephone replay is also available starting at approximately 12:00 pm Eastern Time (11:00 a.m. Central Time) on November 20 through November 27. The dial-in number for the replay is 800-406-7325 (domestic) or 303-590-3030 (international), and the access code is 4573748.

(1)Best Buy's comparable store sales is comprised of revenue at stores, call centers, and websites operating for at least 14 full months as well as revenue related to other comparable sales channels. Relocated stores, as well as remodeled, expanded, and downsized stores closed more than 14 days, are excluded from the comparable store sales calculation until at least 14 full months after reopening. Acquired stores are included in the comparable store sales calculation beginning with the first full quarter following the first anniversary of the date of the acquisition. The portion of the calculation of the comparable store sales percentage change attributable to the International segment excludes the effect of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The method of calculating comparable store sales varies across the retail industry. As a result, Best Buy's method of calculating comparable store sales may not be the same as other retailers' methods.

(2) The company defines adjusted operating income for the periods presented as its reported operating income for those periods calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP") adjusted to exclude the effects of previously announced restructuring charges. In addition, the company defines adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share for the periods presented as its reported net earnings and diluted earnings per share calculated in accordance with GAAP adjusted to exclude the effects of the restructuring charges.

These non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with an understanding of the company's operating income, net earnings, and diluted earnings per share adjusted to exclude the effect of the items described above. These non-GAAP financial measures assist investors in making a ready comparison of the company's operating income, net earnings, and diluted earnings per share for its fiscal quarter ended November 3, 2012, against the company's results for the respective prior-year periods and against third party estimates of the company's diluted earnings per share for those periods that may not have included the effect of such items. Additionally, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures as an internal measure to analyze trends, allocate resources, and analyze underlying operating performance. Please see "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" attached to this release for more detail.

(3) The company defines adjusted return on invested capital ("ROIC") as adjusted net operating profit after taxes divided by average invested capital for the periods presented (including both continuing and discontinued operations). Adjusted net operating profit after taxes is defined as our operating income for the periods presented calculated in accordance with GAAP adjusted to exclude the effects of: (i) operating lease interest; (ii) investment income; (iii) net earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests; (iv) income taxes; (v) all restructuring charges in costs of goods sold and operating expenses, goodwill and tradename impairments, and costs related to the purchase of CPW's share of the Best Buy Mobile profit share agreement ("Best Buy Europe transaction costs"); and (vi) the noncontrolling interest impact of the restructuring charges, Best Buy Europe transaction costs and the purchase of CPW's share of the Best Buy Mobile profit share agreement. Average invested capital is defined as the average of our total assets for the trailing four quarters in relation to the periods presented adjusted to: (i) exclude excess cash and cash equivalent and short-term investments; (ii) include capitalized operating lease obligations calculated using a multiple of eight times rental expenses; (iii) exclude our total liabilities, less our outstanding debt; and (iv) exclude equity of noncontrolling interests.

This non-GAAP financial measure provides investors with a supplemental measure to evaluate how effectively the company is investing its capital and deploying its assets. Management uses this non-GAAP financial measure to assist in allocating resources, and trends in the measure may fluctuate over time as management balances long-term initiatives with possible short-term impacts. Our ROIC calculation utilizes total operations in order to provide a measure that includes the results of and capital invested in all operations, including those businesses that are no longer continuing operations. Please see "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" attached to this release for more detail.

(4) As a reminder, year-over-year SG&A comparisons for both Domestic and International segments were impacted by the absence of the Best Buy Mobile profit share payment in fiscal 2013 as a result of the purchase of Carphone Warehouse Group plc's ("CPWs") share of the Best Buy Mobile profit share agreement in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. These intercompany profit share payments previously increased Domestic segment SG&A expense while lowering International segment SG&A and had no impact on the company's consolidated SG&A.

(5) Best Buy defines free cash flow as total cash (used in) provided by operating activities less additions to property and equipment. This non-GAAP financial measure assists investors in making a ready comparison of the company's expected free cash flow for the year ending February 2, 2013, against the company's results for the respective prior-year periods and against management's previously provided expectations. The company's free cash flow guidance excludes the impact of previously announced restructuring activities and includes an expected benefit from a change in restricted cash related to working capital, which is included within investing activities on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that reflect management's current views and estimates regarding future market conditions, company performance and financial results, business prospects, new strategies, the competitive environment and other events. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project," "guidance," "plan," "outlook," and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Among the factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in such forward-looking statements are the following: general economic conditions, changes in consumer preferences, credit market constraints, acquisitions and development of new businesses, divestitures, product availability, sales volumes, pricing actions and promotional activities of competitors, profit margins, weather, natural or man-made disasters, changes in law or regulations, foreign currency fluctuation, availability of suitable real estate locations, the company's ability to react to a disaster recovery situation, the impact of labor markets and new product introductions on overall profitability, failure to achieve anticipated benefits of announced transactions, integration challenges relating to new ventures and unanticipated costs associated with previously announced or future restructuring activities. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in the company's annual report and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Best Buy's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on May 1, 2012. Best Buy cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not complete, and any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Best Buy assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement that it may make.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYS: BBY) is the global leader in consumer electronics, with more than 1,400 large and small-format locations, more than 160,000 employees, $50B in annual revenue and the 11th largest retail website in the United States. Our "Blue Shirt" sales associates and Geek Squad agents are the authority on consumer electronics, delivering unbiased, knowledgeable advice hundreds of millions of times a year and offering unmatched support for the lifetime of the products we sell. Shop our competitively priced products and services at http://www.bestbuy.com/ or stop by one of our Best Buy or Best Buy Mobile stores to touch, test and try the latest technology. To learn more about Best Buy, visit us at http://www.investors.bestbuy.com/. Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bestbuy and follow us on Twitter at @BestBuy.

BEST BUY CO., INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS

($ in millions, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited and subject to reclassification)

Three Months Ended

Nine Months Ended

Nov. 3, 2012

Oct. 29, 2011

Nov. 3, 2012

Oct. 29, 2011

Revenue

$

10,753

$

11,145

$

32,910

$

33,370

Cost of goods sold

8,167

8,292

24,853

24,834

Gross profit

2,586

2,853

8,057

8,536

Gross profit %

24.0

%

25.6

%

24.5

%

25.6

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses

2,538

2,472

7,496

7,431

SG&A %

23.6

%

22.2

%

22.8

%

22.3

%

Restructuring charges

36

-

254

4

Operating income

12

381

307

1,101

Operating income %

0.1

%

3.4

%

0.9

%

3.3

%

Other income (expense):

Investment income and other

13

-

25

25

Interest expense

(31

)

(37

)

(94

)

(98

)

(Loss) earnings from continuing operations before income tax expense and equity in loss of affiliates

(6

)

344

238

1,028

Income tax (benefit) expense

(2

)

122

84

364

Effective tax rate

34.7

%

35.6

%

35.4

%

35.4

%

Equity in loss of affiliates

(1

)

(2

)

(5

)

(3

)

Net (loss) earnings from continuing operations

(5

)

220

149

661

Gain (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax

6

(46

)

(3

)

(137

)

Net earnings including noncontrolling interest

1

174

146

524

Net (earnings) loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests

(8

)

(47

)

11

(83

)

Net (earnings) loss from discontinued operations attributable to noncontrolling interests

(3

)

29

3

55

Net (loss) earnings attributable to Best Buy Co., Inc.

$

(10

)

$

156

$

160

$

496

Amounts attributable to Best Buy Co., Inc.

Net (loss) earnings from continuing operations

$

(13

)

$

173

$

160

$

578

Net earnings (loss) from discontinued operations

3

(17

)

-

(82

)

Net (loss) earnings attributable to Best Buy Co., Inc.

$

(10

)

$

156

$

160

$

496

Basic (loss) earnings per share attributable to Best Buy Co., Inc.

Continuing operations

$

(0.04

)

$

0.48

$

0.47

$

1.53

Discontinued operations

$

0.01

$

(0.05

)

$

-

$

(0.21

)

Basic (loss) earnings per share

$

(0.03

)

$

0.43

$

0.47

$

1.32

Diluted (loss) earnings per share attributable to Best Buy Co., Inc.(1)

Continuing operations

$

(0.04

)

$

0.47

$

0.47

$

1.51

Discontinued operations

$

0.01

$

(0.05

)

$

-

$

(0.21

)

Diluted (loss) earnings per share

$

(0.03

)

$

0.42

$

0.47

$

1.30

Dividends declared per Best Buy Co., Inc. common share

$

0.17

$

0.16

$

0.49

$

0.46

Weighted average Best Buy Co., Inc. common shares outstanding (in millions)

Basic

337.2

363.4

339.3

376.9

Diluted

337.2

372.4

340.4

386.2

(1) The calculation of diluted earnings per share assumes the conversion of the company's previously outstanding convertible debentures due in 2022 into 8.8 million shares common stock in the three and nine months ended October 29, 2011, and adds back the related after-tax interest expense of $1.4 and $4.2 for the three and nine months ended October 29, 2011, respectively.

BEST BUY CO., INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

($ in millions)

(Unaudited and subject to reclassification)

Nov. 3, 2012

Oct. 29, 2011

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$

309

$

2,073

Short-term investments

-

20

Receivables

2,250

1,968

Merchandise inventories

8,156

7,780

Other current assets

1,131

1,098

Total current assets

11,846

12,939

Net property & equipment

3,407

3,697

Goodwill

1,344

2,447

Tradenames

131

131

Customer relationships

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