N E W S R E
L EA S E
Contact: Peter
D. Brown
Vice President, Treasurer and Investor Relations
Foot Locker, Inc.
(212)720-4254
FOOT
LOCKER, INC. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER SALES
·
Third
Quarter Total Sales Increased 6.6 Percent
·
Third
Quarter Comparable-Store Sales Increased 0.4 Percent
·
Third
Quarter Earnings Per Share Expected to Exceed Current Analysts’ Estimates
of $0.31-to-$0.33 Per Share
NEW
YORK, NY, November 6, 2003 – Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL), the New York-based
specialty athletic retailer, today reported sales for the 13-week period ended
November 1, 2003 of $1,194 million, versus $1,120 million in the comparable
period last year, an increase of 6.6 percent.
For this same 13-week period, comparable store sales increased 0.4
percent.
For
the 39-week period ended November 1, 2003, sales increased 4.6 percent to
$3,445 million, from $3,295 million in the Company’s corresponding period last
year. Comparable-store sales for the
Company’s first nine months of its 2003 fiscal year decreased 2.2 percent.
Excluding
the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, total sales for the same 13-week
period and 39-week period increased 3.3 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.
“We
are very encouraged that our comparable store sales in our U.S. operations
improved significantly during the third quarter versus the previous six months
of the current year,” stated Matthew D. Serra, Foot Locker, Inc.’s President
and Chief Executive Officer. “Our third
quarter results are also expected to reflect the benefits of a higher gross
margin rate and tight expense controls -- a continuation of a trend also
enjoyed during the first six months of this year. Therefore, we currently anticipate our third quarter 2003 per share
income from continuing operations to exceed our previous guidance and Wall
Street analysts’ estimates of $0.31-to-$0.33 per share.”
Foot
Locker, Inc. plans to report third quarter 2003 and year-to-date results on
Wednesday, November 19, 2003. A conference
call is scheduled for November 20, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. EST to discuss these
results and provide guidance with regard to its earnings outlook for the
balance of 2003. This conference call
may be accessed live from the Investor Relations section of the Foot Locker,
Inc. website at http://www.footlocker-inc.com. Please log-on to the website at least 15
minutes prior to the call in order to download any necessary software. The webcast conference call will be
available for replay until 5:00 p.m. Monday, November 24, 2003. News releases are also available on the
Internet at http://www.prnewswire.com
or on Foot Locker Inc.’s website at http://www.footlocker-inc.com.
Foot
Locker, Inc. is a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,600
stores in 16 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker,
Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its
direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com/Eastbay, the Company is the leading
provider of athletic footwear and apparel.
Disclosure Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release
contains forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s current views
of future events and financial performance.
These forward-looking statements are based on many assumptions and
factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including the effects of currency fluctuations, customer demand,
fashion trends, competitive market forces, uncertainties related to the effect
of competitive products and pricing, customer acceptance of the Company’s
merchandise mix and retail locations, the Company’s reliance on a few key
vendors for a majority of its merchandise purchases (including a significant
portion from one key vendor), unseasonable weather, risks associated with
foreign global sourcing, including political instability, changes in import
regulations and the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome, economic
conditions worldwide, any changes in business, political and economic
conditions due to the threat of future terrorist activities in the United
States or in other parts of the world and related U.S. military action
overseas, and the ability of the Company to execute its business plans
effectively with regard to each of its business units, including its plans for
the marquee and launch footwear component of its business. Any changes in such assumptions or factors
could produce significantly different results.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise.
###