Press Releases
Signet Reports First Quarter EPS of $0.96, up 10.3%, Achieved Double Digit Comps Over Important Mother's Day Period
24 May 2012
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Click here to download the slides for the conference call (483KB PDF)
HAMILTON, Bermuda, May 24, 2012 – Signet Jewelers Limited ("Signet") (NYSE and LSE: SIG), the largest specialty retail jeweler in the US and UK, today reported sales and earnings growth for the 13 weeks ended April 28, 2012 ("Q1 Fiscal 2013").
- Same store sales up 1.2%
- Income before income taxes $128.5 million, up 9.1%
- Diluted earnings per share $0.96, up 10.3%
Mike Barnes, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We delivered strong financial results in the first quarter and increased our earnings per share by 10.3% to $0.96 as we anticipated the impact of the Mother's Day promotional calendar shift and managed our business accordingly. I would like to thank all at Signet who contributed to these results.
In the second quarter to date, which benefited from the calendar shift, our same store sales, including Mother's Day, were up strong double-digits reflecting the customer's broad acceptance of our merchandise offerings, our great customer experience and the effectiveness of our advertising in this important gift giving period. Our results year to date, combined with our focus on competitive strengths and our consistent ability to execute our initiatives, leave us well positioned to meet the challenges of the current economic environment and achieve our objectives for the year."
Second quarter Fiscal 2013 guidance:
- Guidance is being provided for the second quarter due to the complexity of the calendar shift. Same store sales in the second quarter are expected to be in the mid to high single digit range and fully diluted earnings per share are expected to range from $0.78 - $0.84 based on an estimated 84 million weighted average shares outstanding.
Conference Call
There will be a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. BST and 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time) and a simultaneous audio webcast and slide presentation available at www.signetjewelers.com. The slides are available to be downloaded from the website ahead of the conference call. To help ensure the conference call begins in a timely manner, all participants should dial in 5 to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The call details are:
| US dial-in: | +1 (212) 444 0896 | Access code: 1545796 |
| European dial-in: | +44 (0)20 7784 1036 | Access code: 1545796 |
A replay of the conference call and a transcript of the call will be posted on Signet's website as soon as is practical after the call has ended and will be available for one year.
| Enquiries: | Tim Jackson, Investor Relations Director, Signet Jewelers | +1 (441) 296 5872 |
| Press: | Alecia Pulman, ICR, Inc. | +1 (203) 682 8224 |
| Jonathan Glass, Brunswick | +44 (0)20 7404 5959 |
Signet operated 1,851 specialty retail jewelry stores at April 30, 2012, these included 1,320 stores in the US, where its store concepts include "Kay Jewelers", "Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry" and a number of regional names. At the same date, Signet also operated 531 stores in the UK, where its store concepts are "H.Samuel," "Ernest Jones," and "Leslie Davis". Further information on Signet is available at www.signetjewelers.com. See also www.kay.com, www.jared.com, www.hsamuel.co.uk, and www.ernestjones.co.uk.
Investor Relations Program Details
Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
The annual general meeting is to be held at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 15, 2012 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn, 3180 West Market Street, Akron, OH, 44333, USA.
Second Quarter Results
The second quarter results for the 13 weeks ending July 28, 2012 are expected to be announced on Thursday, August 23, 2012.
IR Day and Store Visits, New York
Signet will be hosting an IR Day and store visits for professional investors in New York on Monday, October 1, 2012. Details will be available in due course on www.signetjewelers.com.
This release contains statements which are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, based upon management's beliefs and expectations as well as on assumptions made by and data currently available to management, appear in a number of places throughout this release and include statements regarding, among other things, Signet's results of operation, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which Signet operates. The use of the words "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimates," "predicts," "believes," "should," "potential," "may," "forecast," "objective," "plan," or "target," and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to general economic conditions, the merchandising, pricing and inventory policies followed by Signet, the reputation of Signet and its brands, the level of competition in the jewelry sector, the cost and availability of diamonds, gold and other precious metals, regulations relating to consumer credit, seasonality of Signet's business, financial market risks, deterioration in consumers' financial condition, exchange rate fluctuations, changes in consumer attitudes regarding jewelry, management of social, ethical and environmental risks, security breaches and other disruptions to Signet's information technology infrastructure and databases, inadequacy in and disruptions to internal controls and systems, changes in assumptions used in making accounting estimates relating to items such as extended service plans and pensions, and risks relating to Signet being a Bermuda corporation.
For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially, see the "Risk Factors" section of Signet's Fiscal 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 2012. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Signet undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.
