Nordstrom Reports First Quarter 2023 Earnings

• Company reports loss of $1.27 per share, adjusted earnings of $0.07 per share¹
• Results reflect progress on Company's key priorities of Nordstrom Rack improvement, inventory productivity and supply chain optimization
• Reaffirms fiscal 2023 revenue and adjusted earnings outlook

SEATTLE, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today reported a first quarter net loss of $205 million and loss per diluted share of $1.27. Excluding charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations, the Company reported adjusted earnings per diluted share ("EPS") of $0.07.¹

For the first quarter ended April 29, 2023, net sales decreased 11.6 percent versus the same period in fiscal 2022, including a 175 basis point negative impact from the wind-down of Canadian operations, and gross merchandise value ("GMV") decreased 11.9 percent. Nordstrom banner net sales decreased 11.4 percent and GMV decreased 11.8 percent. Net sales for Nordstrom Rack decreased 11.9 percent.

The Company's first quarter results reflected progress on its key priorities. Nordstrom Rack sales trends improved late in the quarter, with the strongest performance in April, primarily driven by increased penetration of strategic brands in its merchandise mix. Gross profit margin expanded by 110 basis points over last year, reflecting the Company's focus on increasing inventory productivity. In addition, the Company continued to deliver efficiencies through its supply chain initiatives, which contributed over 100 basis points of improvement in variable costs within selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses, helping to mitigate the impact of deleverage on lower sales.

"We are pleased with the progress we're making against the key priorities we laid out for 2023 as we continue to enhance our overall customer experience, improve Nordstrom Rack performance, increase inventory productivity and optimize our supply chain operations," said Erik Nordstrom, chief executive officer of Nordstrom, Inc. "We're encouraged by our momentum, especially given the uncertain macroeconomic environment. We remain focused on executing with agility and delivering long-term value to our shareholders."

"Our focus on these key priorities allows us to better serve our customers through great brands at great prices at the Rack and more product newness and better flow across our banners, while also positioning us for more profitable growth," said Pete Nordstrom, president and chief brand officer of Nordstrom, Inc. "We're grateful to our team for their hard work and focus, and we're excited to serve our customers with new and fresh selections from the best brands at our upcoming Anniversary Sale."

Most categories in the U.S. were down in the first quarter versus 2022, which benefited from strong pent-up demand for a return to occasions after the pandemic. Active was the strongest category, while beauty and men's apparel performed above average.

As previously announced, on May 17, 2023 the board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share, payable on June 14, 2023, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 30, 2023.

FIRST QUARTER 2023 SUMMARY

• Total Company net sales decreased 11.6 percent and GMV decreased 11.9 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2022. The wind-down of Canadian operations had a negative impact on total Company net sales of 175 basis points. The first quarter of 2023 included one month of sales from Canadian operations, compared with a full quarter of sales from Canadian operations in the first quarter of 2022.
• For the Nordstrom banner, net sales decreased 11.4 percent and GMV decreased 11.8 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2022. The wind-down of Canadian operations had a negative impact on Nordstrom banner net sales of 270 basis points.
• For the Nordstrom Rack banner, net sales decreased 11.9 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2022. Eliminating store fulfillment for Nordstrom Rack digital orders during the third quarter of fiscal 2022 negatively impacted first quarter Rack banner sales by approximately 600 basis points.
• Digital sales decreased 17.4 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2022. Collectively, eliminating store fulfillment for Nordstrom Rack digital orders during the third quarter of fiscal 2022 and sunsetting Trunk Club earlier in fiscal 2022 negatively impacted first quarter digital sales by approximately 800 basis points. Digital sales represented 36 percent of total sales during the quarter.
• Gross profit, as a percentage of net sales, of 33.8 percent increased 110 basis points compared with the same period in fiscal 2022, reflecting the Company's focus on increasing inventory productivity.
• Ending inventory decreased 7.8 percent compared with the same period in fiscal 2022, versus an 11.6 percent decrease in sales.
• SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net sales, of 36.0 percent increased 240 basis points compared with the same period in fiscal 2022. Excluding 120 basis points from a gain on the sale of the Company's interest in a corporate office building and an impairment charge related to costs associated with the wind-down of Trunk Club in the first quarter of fiscal 2022, SG&A expenses increased 120 basis points primarily due to deleverage from lower sales, partially offset by improvements in variable costs from supply chain efficiency initiatives.
• During the first quarter, the Company recorded $309 million of estimated pre-tax charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations, consistent with its previously estimated range of $300 million to $350 million. The Company's first quarter 2023 results include Canadian operations through March 2, 2023, when it discontinued support for Nordstrom Canada.² The Company is early in the wind-down process and actual results may vary from estimates.
• Loss before interest and tax was $259 million in the first quarter of 2023, compared with earnings before interest and tax ("EBIT") of $73 million during the same period in fiscal 2022. Adjusted EBIT of $50 million in the first quarter of 2023 excluded one-time charges of $309 million related to the wind-down of Canadian operations. Adjusted EBIT of $32 million in the first quarter of 2022 excluded a $51 million gain on the sale of the Company's interest in a corporate office building and a $10 million impairment charge related to costs associated with the wind-down of Trunk Club.³
• Interest expense, net, of $28 million decreased from $35 million during the same period in fiscal 2022 due to higher interest income.
• Income tax benefit was $82 million, or 28.6 percent of pretax loss, compared with income tax expense of $18 million, or 46.8 percent of pretax earnings, in the same period in fiscal 2022. Excluding the approximately 22 percentage point impact of the wind-down of Canadian operations, income tax expense in the first quarter of 2023 was 50.7 percent of pretax earnings. Income tax expense in the first quarters of 2023 and 2022, respectively, each included discrete tax expense, primarily related to stock-based compensation, which increased the quarterly effective tax rates by 29.4 percentage points and 19.3 percentage points, respectively.
• The Company ended the first quarter with $1.4 billion in available liquidity, including $581 million in cash and the full $800 million available on its revolving line of credit.

STORES UPDATE

During and subsequent to the first quarter of 2023, the Company opened or relocated eight stores:

The Company has also announced plans to open the following stores:

The Company had the following store counts as of quarter-end:

As of the first quarter of 2023, the Company removed the six Nordstrom stores and seven Nordstrom Rack stores in Canada from the table above as operations are being wound down.

FISCAL YEAR 2023 OUTLOOK

The Company reaffirmed its revenue and adjusted financial outlook for fiscal 2023, which includes a 53rd week and now reflects the estimated charges from the wind-down of Canadian operations and related tax impacts recorded in the first quarter:

• Revenue decline, including retail sales and credit card revenues, of 4.0 to 6.0 percent versus fiscal 2022, including an approximately 250 basis point negative impact from the wind-down of Canadian operations and an approximately 130 basis point positive impact from the 53rd week
• EBIT margin (including the negative impact of charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations) of 1.5 to 2.0 percent of sales
• Adjusted EBIT margin (excluding charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations) of 3.7 to 4.2 percent of sales⁴
• Income tax rate of approximately 6 percent, including an approximately 2,100 basis point favorable impact primarily from the one-time Canada charges
• EPS (including the negative impact of charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations) of $0.60 to $1.00, excluding the impact of share repurchase activity, if any
• Adjusted EPS (excluding charges related to the wind-down of Canadian operations) of $1.80 to $2.20, excluding the impact of share repurchase activity, if any⁴

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

The Company's senior management will host a conference call to provide a business update and to discuss first quarter 2023 financial results and fiscal 2023 outlook at 4:45 p.m. EDT today. To listen to the live call online and view the speakers' prepared remarks and the conference call slides, visit the Investor Relations section of the Company's corporate website at investor.nordstrom.com. An archived webcast with the speakers' prepared remarks and the conference call slides will be available in the Quarterly Results section for one year. Interested parties may also dial 201-689-8354. A telephone replay will be available beginning approximately three hours after the conclusion of the call by dialing 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415 and entering Conference ID 13738446, until the close of business on June 7, 2023.

ABOUT NORDSTROM

At Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), we exist to help our customers feel good and look their best. Since starting as a shoe store in 1901, how to best serve customers has been at the center of every decision we make. This heritage of service is the foundation we're building on as we provide convenience and true connection for our customers. Our digital-first platform enables us to serve customers when, where and how they want to shop – whether that's in-store at more than 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local and Nordstrom Rack locations or digitally through our Nordstrom and Rack apps and websites. Through it all, we remain committed to leaving the world better than we found it.

Certain statements in this press release contain or may suggest "forward-looking" information (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involves risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different from expectations. The words "will," "may," "designed to," "outlook," "believes," "should," "targets," "anticipates," "assumptions," "plans," "expects" or "expectations," "intends," "estimates," "forecasts," "guidance" and similar expressions identify certain of these forward-looking statements. The Company also may provide forward-looking statements in oral statements or other written materials released to the public. All statements contained or incorporated in this press release or in any other public statements that address such future events or expectations are forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2023, and our Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 29, 2023, to be filed with the SEC on or about June 7, 2023. In addition, forward-looking statements contained in this release may be impacted by the actual outcome of events or occurrences related to the wind-down of business operations in Canada. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date made, and, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events, new information or future circumstances. In addition, the actual timing, price, manner and amounts of future share repurchases, if any, will be subject to the discretion of our board of directors, contractual commitments, market and economic conditions and applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

NORDSTROM, INC.
ADJUSTED EBIT, ADJUSTED EBITDA, ADJUSTED EBIT MARGIN AND ADJUSTED EPS
(NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES)
(unaudited; amounts in millions, except per share amounts)

The following are key financial metrics and, when used in conjunction with GAAP measures, we believe they provide useful information for evaluating our core business performance, enable comparison of financial results across periods and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management for financial and operational decision-making. Adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBIT margin and adjusted EPS exclude certain items that we do not consider representative of our core operating performance. The financial measure calculated under GAAP which is most directly comparable to adjusted EBIT and adjusted EBITDA is net earnings. The financial measure calculated under GAAP which is most directly comparable to adjusted EPS is diluted EPS.

Adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBIT margin and adjusted EPS are not measures of financial performance under GAAP and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, net earnings, net earnings as a percent of net sales, operating cash flows, earnings per share, earnings per diluted share or other financial measures performed in accordance with GAAP. Our method of determining non-GAAP financial measures may differ from other companies' financial measures and therefore may not be comparable to methods used by other companies.

The following is a reconciliation of net (loss) earnings to adjusted EBIT and adjusted EBITDA and net earnings as a percent of net sales to adjusted EBIT margin:

The following is a reconciliation of diluted EPS to adjusted EPS:

NORDSTROM, INC.
SUMMARY OF NET SALES
(unaudited; dollars in millions)

Our Nordstrom brand includes Nordstrom.com, Nordstrom U.S. stores, Nordstrom Local and ASOS | Nordstrom. Nordstrom also included Canada operations prior to March 2023, inclusive of Nordstrom.ca, Nordstrom Canadian stores and Nordstrom Rack Canadian stores; and TrunkClub.com prior to October 2022. Our Nordstrom Rack brand includes NordstromRack.com, Nordstrom Rack U.S. stores and Last Chance clearance stores. The following table summarizes net sales for the first quarter of 2023, compared with the first quarter of 2022:

NORDSTROM, INC.
FISCAL YEAR 2023 FORWARD-LOOKING NON-GAAP MEASURES
(NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES)
(unaudited)

Our adjusted EBIT as a percent of net sales ("adjusted EBIT margin") and adjusted EPS outlook for fiscal year 2023 excludes the impacts from certain items that we do not consider representative of our core operating performance. These items include charges from the wind-down of Canadian operations recognized in the first quarter of 2023.

The following is a reconciliation of expected net earnings as a percent of net sales to expected adjusted EBIT margin included within our Fiscal Year 2023 Outlook:

The following is a reconciliation of expected diluted EPS to expected adjusted EPS included within our Fiscal Year 2023 Outlook:

NORDSTROM, INC.
ADJUSTED RETURN ON INVESTED CAPITAL ("ADJUSTED ROIC")
(NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE)
(unaudited; dollars in millions)

We believe that Adjusted ROIC is a useful financial measure for investors in evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the capital we have invested in our business to generate returns over time. In addition, we have incorporated it in our executive incentive measures and we believe it is an important indicator of shareholders' return over the long term. 

Adjusted ROIC is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, return on assets, net earnings, total assets or other GAAP financial measures. Our method of calculating a non-GAAP financial measure may differ from other companies' methods and therefore may not be comparable to those used by other companies. The financial measure calculated under GAAP which is most directly comparable to Adjusted ROIC is return on assets. The following shows the components to reconcile the return on assets calculation to Adjusted ROIC:

NORDSTROM, INC.
ADJUSTED DEBT TO EBITDAR (NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE)
(unaudited; dollars in millions)

Adjusted debt to earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent ("EBITDAR") is one of our key financial metrics and we believe that our debt levels are best analyzed using this measure, as it provides a reflection of our creditworthiness which could impact our credit ratings and borrowing costs. This metric is calculated in accordance with the updates in our Revolver covenant and is a key component in assessing whether our revolving credit facility is secured or unsecured, as well as our ability to make dividend payments and share repurchases. Our goal is to manage debt levels to achieve and maintain investment-grade credit ratings while operating with an efficient capital structure.

Adjusted debt to EBITDAR is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, debt to net earnings, net earnings, debt or other GAAP financial measures. Our method of calculating a non-GAAP financial measure may differ from other companies' methods and therefore may not be comparable to those used by other companies. The financial measure calculated under GAAP which is most directly comparable to Adjusted debt to EBITDAR is debt to net earnings. The following shows the components to reconcile the debt to net earnings calculation to Adjusted debt to EBITDAR:

NORDSTROM, INC.
FREE CASH FLOW (NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE)
(unaudited; amounts in millions)

Free Cash Flow is one of our key liquidity measures and, when used in conjunction with GAAP measures, we believe it provides investors with a meaningful analysis of our ability to generate cash from our business. 

Free Cash Flow is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, operating cash flows or other financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Our method of calculating a non-GAAP financial measure may differ from other companies' methods and therefore may not be comparable to those used by other companies. The financial measure calculated under GAAP which is most directly comparable to Free Cash Flow is net cash provided by operating activities. The following is a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow:

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SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.