Press Release Details

ORLANDO, Fla., March 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Franchise Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRG) (“Franchise Group” or the “Company”) today announced the results of its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 26, 2020. For the fourth quarter of 2020, total reported revenue for Franchise Group was $496.3 million, net loss was $4.2 million or $0.12 per share, Adjusted EBITDA was $28.8 million and Supplemental Information encompassing cost synergies and other acquisition impacts was $5.2 million.

For the full fiscal year 2020, total reported revenue for Franchise Group was $2.15 billion, net income was $25.1 million or $0.70 per share, and Adjusted EBITDA was $227.6 million with Supplemental Information of $32.4 million. Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter was reduced by approximately $1 million from the previously reported Buddy’s refranchising transaction completed in November 2020.  

Brian Kahn, Franchise Group’s President and CEO stated, “Our management teams, associates and franchisees overcame challenging obstacles in 2020 and adapted in a manner that has strengthened our brands and positioned them favorably for the future. In the fourth quarter of 2020, we continued to enhance our cash flow by driving revenue and cost synergies from an increasingly diverse set of operating brands. We expect to carry this momentum into 2021.”

The Company has four reportable segments: American Freight; The Vitamin Shoppe; Liberty Tax and Buddy’s. The following table summarizes Revenue, Net Income/(Loss), Adjusted EBITDA and Supplemental Information for each of these segments. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income/(Loss), the most comparable GAAP measure, is included below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Metrics.”

Outlook

For the fiscal year 2021, the Company expects revenue of $3.0 - $3.1 billion, net income of at least $40 million or $1.00 per share, Adjusted EBITDA of at least $310 million and Non-GAAP EPS of at least $3.25 per share. In calculating EPS, the Company is using 40 million weighted average shares outstanding. Non-GAAP EPS is calculated by adding the tax effected impact of adjustments to EBITDA to net income on a per share basis. In calculating Non-GAAP EPS, the Company is currently using an effective tax rate of 26%. Actual cash taxes are expected to be minimal in 2021.

In formulating guidance, the Company is: (i) removing Liberty Tax since it is expected to become a discontinued operation in 2021; (ii) including Pet Supplies Plus from March 10, 2021, the acquisition date; (iii) excluding approximately $10 million of Adjusted EBITDA generated by Pet Supplies Plus in 2021 prior to March 10, 2021; (iv) including the impact of the 47 store Buddy’s refranchising transaction in November 2020 which equates to a reduction of approximately $6 million of Adjusted EBITDA annually; and (v) excluding the impact of any additional acquisitions, divestitures or refranchising activity.

The Company does not provide quantitative reconciliation of forward-looking, Non-GAAP financial measures such as forecasted Adjusted EBITDA or Supplemental Information to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure because it is difficult to reliably predict or estimate the relevant components without unreasonable effort due to future uncertainties that may potentially have significant impact on such calculations, and providing them may imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or potentially misleading. Supplemental Information adjustments represent realized and unrealized synergies consistent with the Company’s credit agreement. Estimates exclude potential acquisitions, divestitures or refranchising activities. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Metrics.”

Conference Call Information
Franchise Group will conduct a conference call on March 10^th at 4:30 P.M. ET to discuss its business, review financial results for the fourth quarter of 2020 and discuss its outlook for 2021. A real-time webcast of the conference call will be available on the Events page of Franchise Group’s website at www.franchisegrp.com. The conference call can also be accessed live via telephone at (877) 784-1793. The passcode is 2193847. Please dial in 5-10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

About Franchise Group, Inc.
Franchise Group is an owner and operator of franchised and franchisable businesses that continually looks to grow its portfolio of brands while utilizing its operating and capital allocation philosophies to generate strong cash flow for its shareholders. Franchise Group’s business lines include Pet Supplies Plus, American Freight, The Vitamin Shoppe, Buddy’s Home Furnishings, and Liberty Tax Service. On a combined basis, Franchise Group currently operates over 4,600 locations predominantly located in the U.S. and Canada that are either Company-run or operated pursuant to franchising agreements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Metrics
In order to conform with SEC rules consistent with concepts in Article 11 of Regulation S-X for non-GAAP reporting, Franchise Group will no longer report synergies and other acquisition costs as part of Pro Forma Adjusted EBITDA. The Company expects to continue to report Adjusted EBITDA in the same format as it has in the past and will provide Supplemental Information that reflects cost synergies and other acquisition impacts as discussed below. The specific amounts included in each measure are fully discussed in detail below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Metrics.”

Adjusted EBITDA and Supplemental Information are financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP. Management believes the presentation of these measures is useful to investors as supplemental measures in evaluating the aggregate performance of our operating businesses and in comparing our results from period to period because they exclude items that we do not believe are reflective of our core or ongoing operating results. These measures are used by our management to evaluate performance and make resource allocation decisions each period. Adjusted EBITDA is also the primary operating metric used in the determination of executive management's compensation. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net income or other income statement information prepared in accordance with GAAP and our presentation of these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Management defines and calculates Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization adjusted for certain non-core or non-operational items related to executive severance and related costs, stock-based compensation, shareholder litigation costs, corporate governance costs, accrued judgements and settlements, net of estimated revenue, store closures, rebranding costs, acquisition costs, inventory fair value step up amortization and prepayment penalty on early debt repayment. Adjusted EBITDA and Supplemental Information are financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Below is a reconciliation of Net Income/(Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA for the three months and full fiscal year ended December 26, 2020.

Supplemental Information: Cost Synergies and Acquisition Impacts
The following supplemental information reflects the estimated cost savings related to various management actions taken at our acquired businesses and other impacts of our acquisitions. It primarily presents the realized and unrealized cost synergies assuming such actions were taken as of December 29, 2019. The majority of the cost synergies or dis-synergies have been realized. Management believes this information is useful to investors as it provides relevant information regarding the status of the Company's transformation activities and the estimated impacts during the period. Reasonable estimates were made by considering the cost reductions from contract termination charges or modifications to achieve more favorable pricing, reductions in duplicative costs upon integration and optimization activities that reduce overall spend. As these amounts are estimates and certain activities have not been fully implemented, these amounts are subject to change. Management believes that there is a reasonable basis for its estimates and they fairly present the estimated effects of management actions related to the Company’s acquisitions.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, projections, predictions, expectations, or beliefs about future events or results and are not statements of historical fact. Such statements may include statements regarding the Company’s results of operation and financial condition, its performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its strategy and outlook for fiscal 2021. Such forward-looking statements are based on various assumptions as of the time they are made, and are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often accompanied by words that convey projected future events or outcomes such as “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “will,” “may,” “view,” “opportunity,” “potential,” or words of similar meaning or other statements concerning opinions or judgment of the Company or its management about future events. Although the Company believes that its expectations with respect to forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its existing knowledge of its business and operations, there can be no assurance that actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company will not differ materially from any projected future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual future results, performance or achievements may differ materially from historical results or those anticipated depending on a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. We refer you to the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2020, and comparable sections of the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings, which have been filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements contained or referred to herein. The actual results or developments anticipated may not be realized or, even if substantially realized, they may not have the expected consequences to or effects on the Company or its business or operations. Readers are cautioned not to rely on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update, revise or clarify these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contact:
Andrew F. Kaminsky
EVP & Chief Administrative Officer
Franchise Group, Inc.
akaminsky@franchisegrp.com
(914) 939-5161

Source: Franchise Group, Inc.