(BSNS WIRE) PFSweb December Quarter Results Ahead of Target; Service Fee PFSweb December Quarter Results Ahead of Target; Service Fee Revenues Grow 350 Percent to $14.0 Million Business Editors & Technology Writers PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000--PFSweb, Inc. (Nasdaq:PFSW), a leading e-commerce transaction management services company for both traditional and e-commerce companies, today reported its results for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1999. PFSweb is an 80% owned subsidiary of Daisytek International Corporation (Nasdaq:DZTK), which has announced its intention to spin-off PFSweb in the year 2000. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR FINANCIAL COMPARISON: The accompanying financial data in this press release includes certain adjusted financial data as well as the historical financial performance of PFSweb. We believe the adjusted financial data provided in Schedule I is more reflective of the ongoing operations of PFSweb. The historical financial statements (Schedule II) are only of limited use in evaluating our current and future financial performance as a result of PFSweb's initial public offering (IPO) in December 1999, Daisytek's planned spin-off of PFSweb, modifications to the IBM agreements and the new transaction management services agreement between PFSweb and Daisytek, as well as certain other adjustments. We believe that beginning with our March 2000 quarter, our reported financial results will be more reflective of the ongoing operations. "Our adjusted service fee revenues of $14.0 million exceeded our target this quarter, and reflects growth of 351% over the prior year (as adjusted)," said Mark C. Layton, President and CEO of PFSweb. "The significant increase was a result of new client activity, the addition of Daisytek as a client, and strong growth in Internet based holiday sales volume. We were fortunate to have added approximately 15 new clients during calendar year 1999, of which the majority became operational in the last four months of the year. Our adjusted gross profit percentage for the three months ended Dec. 31, 1999, was 33.1%, which represents a slight decline versus previous sequential quarters. This decline was expected as a result of changes in customer mix as well as incremental investments in personnel, technology, capacity and infrastructure during the latter half of 1999." Adjusted service fee revenues and gross profit reflect, retroactively, what PFSweb's service fee revenue and gross profit would have been if (i) PFSweb's modified agreement with IBM had been in effect during the periods presented, (ii) our new agreement with Daisytek had been in effect for the entire calendar year of 1999, (iii) the acquisition by PFSweb of certain assets and liabilities from Daisytek which was effective upon completion of the IPO had occurred as of the beginning of the periods presented, and (iv) for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1999, an adjustment to the costing methodology applied to start-up activity on new client implementations. PFSweb provides a full suite of e-commerce transaction management services to both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce entities. PFSweb's comprehensive outsourcing solution provides both traditional and web-based companies with a virtual back-end infrastructure that facilitates the rapid implementation of their e-commerce strategies. PFSweb's services include order management, customer care services, billing services, distribution services and information management. PFSweb's clients include more than 30 retailers, e-tailers and manufacturers such as American Eagle Outfitters (Nasdaq:AEOS), Thomson Direct (Nasdaq:TMS), Apple Computer (Nasdaq:AAPL), Global Sports Interactive (Nasdaq:GSPT), Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HWP), IBM (NYSE:IBM), Nokia Mobile Phones (NYSE:NOK), Sharper Image (Nasdaq:SHRP) and Daisytek International (Nasdaq:DZTK). "PFSweb's service offering is designed specifically to focus on solving the significant supply chain and customer service challenges that arise when conducting business electronically," said Layton. "It is critical for companies with e-commerce strategies to realize that the infrastructure to support such initiatives is much different than what is required in a traditional business environment. PFSweb aims to provide this high-quality infrastructure and allow our clients to focus on their core competencies. Today, PFSweb provides unique, comprehensive and fully integrated services to over 30 clients in the United States, Canada and in Europe. We provide our clients with outstanding benefits; quick access to the e-commerce market, a world-class call center and distribution infrastructure, a high-quality e-experience for their clients and international scope and scale. We truly provide everything from 'the click of the mouse to the knock at the house.'(SM) "This past Christmas season we shipped over 1/2 million packages. PFSweb took orders on behalf of our clients until December 23rd and was able to deliver merchandise to their customers on the 24th," said Layton. "We answered nearly 200,000 phone calls in December with an average answer time of 28 seconds and completed over 70,000 secure credit card transactions. We now hold in stock over 80,000 different products for our clients ranging from clothing to outdoor advertising materials. We are now operating approximately 1.5 million sq. feet of distribution space and on an annual run rate this past quarter we moved more than $1.2 billion worth of our clients' product. "Over the next few months we are committing significant resources to enhance and further increase the reliability of our operating environment in preparation for new customers and continuing growth within many of our clients," Layton added. "Specifically, we are adding further web interfacing capability and stability, we are implementing the latest in credit card fraud detection from Cybersource (Nasdaq:CYBS), bringing on-line an additional 25,000 packages per day of fully automated distribution capacity in the U.S. and in Europe and planning ahead for even more. "Over the next several months, we expect to provide you with further details in regards to recent client additions, recent expansions of existing client relationships, and new strategic alliance partnerships. Unfortunately, due to nondisclosure arrangements, we are not able to provide any further information on these developments at this time," Layton added. "Our ongoing sales pipeline and marketing efforts continue to be very strong, both here in North America as well as in Europe, and we continue to target service revenue growth of more than 40% for calendar year 2000, and it is our objective to operate our business profitably during this period. To achieve this growth, we are executing the following five growth strategies: 1. Target clients with major brand names. 2. Expanding existing client relationships. 3. Promote our PFSweb brand. 4. Seek strategic alliances and acquisitions. 5. Expand our international presence. "As a result of the proceeds from the initial public offering, PFSweb's balance sheet is very attractive, currently operating with between $20-25 million of cash and minimal debt," Layton added. "This places us in a strong financial position to drive these growth initiatives." Daisytek, which continues to own 80% of PFSweb, also announced that it currently expects to receive a response to its ruling request with the Internal Revenue Service with regards to the tax-free status of the PFSweb spin-off within four to six months. Daisytek is proceeding diligently with its previously announced plans to complete the spin-off of its remaining ownership of PFSweb in calendar year 2000. More information about the impact of this process is available at daisytek.com. Layton, PFSweb president and CEO, recently relinquished his roles as Daisytek's president and CEO to assume full-time duties with PFSweb. Layton will continue to serve as chairman of Daisytek. Currently, the two companies continue to operate with a common board of directors, but company officials said they expect each company to have a separate board going forward as part of the spin-off. About PFSweb, Inc. PFSweb is a leading international provider of transaction management and e-commerce logistics business services. PFSweb's comprehensive outsourcing solution provides both traditional and Web-based companies with a virtual back-end infrastructure that facilitates the rapid implementation of their e-commerce strategies. PFSweb's services include order management, customer care services, billing services, distribution services and information management. PFSweb provides everything "from the click of the mouse to the knock at the house."(SM) The matters discussed in this news release and, in particular, information regarding future revenue, earnings and business plans and goals, consist of forward-looking information under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to and involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our reliance on the fees generated by the transaction volume or product sales of our clients; trends in the market for our services; trends in e-commerce; whether we can continue and manage growth; changes in the trend toward outsourcing; increased competition; effects of changes in profit margins; the unknown effects of possible system failures and rapid changes in technology; trends in government regulation; and our relationship with and separation from Daisytek. A description of these factors, as well as other factors, which could affect the Company's business, is set forth in the Company's Prospectus dated December 2, 1999. This news release and more information about PFSweb are available at www.pfsweb.com. PFSweb is a registered trademark. Daisytek is a registered trademark of Daisytek, Incorporated. All rights reserved. -0- *T PFSweb, Inc. and Subsidiaries SCHEDULE I Unaudited Adjusted Financial Data (In Thousands, Except Per Share Data) In order to show how we will present our financial statements in the future because of our new arrangements with IBM and Daisytek, we have set forth below an adjusted presentation of our total historical revenue and cost of revenue. This presentation shows, retroactively, what our service fee revenue and cost of service fee revenue would have been if (i) our modified agreement with IBM had been in effect during the periods presented, (ii) our new agreement with Daisytek had been in effect for the entire calendar year ended 1999, (iii) our acquisition of the assets and liabilities that Daisytek transferred to us upon completion the IPO had occurred as of the beginning of the periods presented, and (iv) for the quarter and year ended December 31, 1999, an adjustment to the costing methodology applied to start-up activity on new client implementations. Three Months Ended December 31, ------------------ 1999 1998 (A) Growth % ---------- ---------- ---------- Service fee revenue $ 13,965 $ 3,094 351.4% Cost of service fee revenue 9,349 1,724 442.3% Service fee gross profit 4,616 1,370 236.9% Service fee gross profit margin 33.1% 44.3% Calendar Year Ended December 31, ------------------ 1999 1998 (A) Growth % ---------- ---------- ---------- Service fee revenue $ 42,287 $ 8,901 375.1% Cost of service fee revenue 26,781 5,332 402.3% Service fee gross profit 15,506 3,569 334.5% Service fee gross profit margin 36.7% 40.1% (A) The adjusted operating results for 1998 periods do not reflect our new agreement with Daisytek or our acquisition of the assets and liabilities that Daisytek transferred to us upon completion of the IPO had occurred as of the beginning of the respective periods presented. Had the transactions with Daisytek been reflected during the 1998 periods presented, the adjusted financial operating data would have reflected service fee revenue of $7,808 and $29,323 for the three months and year ended December 31, 1998. Service fee gross profit would have been $3,254 (41.7%) and $11,979 (40.9%), respectively. PFSweb based the following adjusted operating data on available information and certain estimates and assumptions. PFSweb believes that such assumptions provide a reasonable basis for presenting the results of PFSweb, adjusting for the transactions described above. This adjusted financial information does not reflect what our operating income or net income would have been during the periods presented or what our results of operations may be in the future. PFSweb, Inc. and Subsidiaries SCHEDULE II Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations (In Thousands, Except Per Share Data) Historical Financial Presentation --------------------------------- We believe our historical financial statements are only of minimal use in evaluating its current and future financial performance for the reasons described below. In 1996, PFSweb entered into an agreement with the printer supplies division of IBM. Under this agreement, PFSweb provided IBM with various transaction management services, such as call center services and order fulfillment and distribution. PFSweb also served as an IBM master distributor of printer supply products. Under this master distributor arrangement, PFSweb purchased the printer supply products from IBM and resold them to IBM customers. Following its initial agreement with the printer supplies division, PFSweb entered into several similar agreements with other divisions of IBM, both in the U.S. and Europe, and expanded its existing agreements to include more product lines. During the quarter ended September 30, 1999, PFSweb, Daisytek and IBM entered into new agreements to conform to PFSweb's current business model. Under these new agreements, Daisytek will act as the master distributor of the IBM products and PFSweb will continue to provide various transaction management services. As part of this restructuring, PFSweb transferred to Daisytek the IBM product inventory which PFSweb held as the master distributor, together with its customer accounts receivable and its accounts payable owing to IBM in respect of the product inventory. The purpose of the restructuring was to separate the master distributor and transaction management responsibilities between PFSweb and Daisytek so that each could focus on its core competencies. As a result of the restructuring of the IBM agreements, PFSweb's historical financial statements may not provide a meaningful comparison to its future financial statements. This is because, as a master distributor under its prior agreement, PFSweb recorded revenue as product revenue as PFSweb sold the product to IBM customers. Similarly, PFSweb's gross profit was based upon the difference between its revenue from product sales and the cost of purchasing the product from IBM. In the future, however, PFSweb's revenue under the new IBM agreements will be service fee revenue that will be payable by Daisytek and will be based upon a variable percentage of Daisytek's gross profit arising from its IBM product sales. As a result of this restructuring of PFSweb's IBM agreements, PFSweb's total revenues arising under its new IBM agreements will be reduced, as compared to the total revenues arising under the prior IBM agreements. However, PFSweb's gross profit margin as a percent of service fee revenue under the new IBM agreements is anticipated to be significantly higher as compared to PFSweb's gross profit margin as a percent of product revenue under the prior IBM agreements. In addition, upon completion of the IPO on December 2, 1999, PFSweb entered into a new transaction management services agreement with Daisytek. Under this agreement, PFSweb provides transaction management services for Daisytek's U.S. wholesale consumable computer supplies business. PFSweb receives service fee revenue based upon a percentage of Daisytek's shipped product revenue. Consequently, PFSweb's historical financial statements reflect the service fee revenue PFSweb received from Daisytek under this new agreement for only one month in the three and nine months results ended December 31. PFSweb's historical data for the three and nine months ended December 31, 1999, included incremental costs on new contract implementations as well as certain incremental charges including certain costs applicable to the PFSweb separation from Daisytek. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended December 31, December 31, -------------------- -------------------- 1999 1998 1999 1998 --------- --------- --------- --------- Revenues: Product revenue $ -- $ 23,635 $ 55,778 $ 64,962 Service fee revenue 10,868 2,026 17,872 4,787 --------- --------- --------- --------- Total revenues 10,868 25,661 73,650 69,749 Costs of revenues: Cost of product revenue -- 22,265 52,639 61,508 Cost of service fee revenue 9,772 1,317 14,670 3,472 --------- --------- --------- --------- Total costs of revenues 9,772 23,582 67,309 64,980 --------- --------- --------- --------- Gross profit 1,096 2,079 6,341 4,769 Selling, general and administrative expenses 6,593 1,850 12,464 4,426 --------- --------- --------- --------- Income (loss) from operations (5,497) 229 (6,123) 343 Interest expense (income) 137 (52) 787 87 --------- --------- --------- --------- Income (loss) before income taxes (5,634) 281 (6,910) 256 Provision (benefit) for income taxes (857) 117 (1,360) 108 --------- --------- --------- --------- Net income (loss) $ (4,777) $ 164 $ (5,550) $ 148 ========= ========= ========= ========= Net income (loss) per share: Basic and diluted $ (0.31) $ 0.01 $ (0.38) $ 0.01 ========= ========= ========= ========= Weighted average number of shares outstanding: Basic and diluted 15,447 14,305 14,687 14,305 ========= ========= ========= ========= SEE IMPORTANT NOTE FOR FINANCIAL COMPARISON PFSweb, Inc. and Subsidiaries SCHEDULE III Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheet Data (In Thousands) December 31, March 31, 1999 1999 ------------ ------------ Cash $ 30,798 $ 587 Trade accounts receivable, net $ 8,260 $ 22,190 Inventories $ -- $ 29,856 Net property and equipment $ 17,674 $ 2,711 Total assets $ 67,106 $ 69,057 Trade accounts payable $ 7,207 $ 38,329 Payable to Daisytek $ 6,613 $ 29,029 Shareholders' equity $ 48,074 $ 581 As a result of PFSweb's IPO in December 1999, the Company raised net proceeds of approximately $53 million. The company used a portion of the proceeds to repay the intercompany payable to Daisytek of approximately $28 million. Additionally, Daisytek transferred to PFSweb fixed assets and other assets which will be used in PFSweb's business. PFSweb paid Daisytek a portion of the net proceeds of the IPO (approximately $5 million) and assumed capital and operating lease obligations related to these assets. *T --30--na/da* CONTACT: PFSweb, Inc. Mark C. Layton/Thomas J. Madden, 972/881-2900 mlayton@pfsweb.com tmadden@pfsweb.com or Michael A. Burns & Associates Craig McDaniel, 214/521-8596 or 214/616-7186 mobile cmcdaniel@mbapr.com KEYWORD: TEXAS INDUSTRY KEYWORD:E-COMMERCE RETAIL EARNINGS Today's News On The Net - Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: businesswire.com |