L.A. Gear’s 3rd Quarter Shows $11-Million Loss : Retailing: It also plans fourth-quarter write-offs to cover the costs of restructuring.
L.A. Gear, the beleaguered Marina del Rey footwear company, reported an $11.4-million third-quarter loss Friday and said it plans write-offs in the current quarter to cover costs of its current restructuring program.
L.A. Gear’s loss of 57 cents per share in the fiscal quarter ended Aug. 31 compares to a profit of $14.3 million, or 71 cents per share, in the 1990 quarter. Sales declined 38.8% to $183.8 million from $300.3 million in the year-ago period.
The nation’s third-largest athletic shoe maker said its results were hurt by heavy price discounting of its sneakers and other footwear.
The loss is the latest indication of the ailing company’s decline and provides evidence that its recent second round of executive changes has yet to result in a profit, analysts said.
L.A. Gear’s stock closed Friday unchanged at $13 per share, after trading as low as $12 on news of the expected write-offs. It is undergoing organizational and structural changes and has been reviewing business strategies, all expected to result in write-offs and increases in reserves that could adversely effect its fourth quarter, the company said.
To stem further losses, the company has named Mark R. Goldston, a former marketing executive at rival Reebok International Ltd., as president and chief operating officer. Goldston starts his duties in the newly created post Monday.
Company representatives would not disclose possible business strategies or the impact of the latest loss.
“There are times when you can’t comment beyond a news release,†spokesman Steve Stern said. “This is one of those times.â€
Last month, Trefoil Capital Investors gave L.A. Gear $100 million in exchange for preferred stock that can be converted into a 30% stake in the sneaker company. Trefoil is an investment fund established by Roy E. Disney and associates to buy into failing companies.
The company’s ailing performance began last year when it overestimated the number of shoes it would market, leaving it with a huge inventory that it attempted to sell through discount retailers. The discounted sales hurt L.A. Gear’s relationship with retailers, who were selling the same sneakers at regular prices.
Analysts said they anticipated L.A. Gear’s latest loss and predicted a less significant loss for the fourth quarter, but a gradual turnaround in 1992.
“This is not surprising when considering new management,†said Gary M. Jacobson, vice president of Kidder, Peabody & Co. “Changes are just beginning, and ’92 will be a profitable year for L.A. Gear.â€
Other industry watchers were more wary of a speedy turnaround.
The latest loss “is not a good sign,†said Meg Rottman, who followed L.A. Gear for nine years at Footwear News, a trade publication. “I don’t think this loss reflects on the new management. The next quarter is going to be much more telling.â€
For the first nine months of its fiscal year, L.A. Gear lost $27.9 million, or $1.41 per share, on sales of $537.5 million.
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