Exhibit 99.1
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| For Immediate Release
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January 19, 2007 |
Crown Crafts, Inc. Announces Letter of Intent for Possible Sale of Churchill Weavers, Inc.
Gonzales, Louisiana Crown Crafts, Inc. (the Company) (OTCBB: CRWS) today announced that
it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent for the sale of substantially all of the assets
of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Churchill Weavers, Inc. (Churchill), to Bedford Cottage, LLC
(Bedford Cottage).
The letter of intent provides that Bedford Cottage will purchase all of Churchills assets, except
land and buildings (which will be leased to Bedford Cottage concurrent with the purchase of
Churchill by Bedford Cottage), and will assume Churchills current liabilities. The consummation
of this transaction is subject to certain conditions, including financing, due diligence and the
execution of a definitive agreement.
The Company had previously announced that it was assessing the value of Churchill and what the
financial impact would be were it to be sold or liquidated. Churchill has experienced a continuous
decline in sales and incurred operating losses for fiscal year 2006 and the first six months of
fiscal year 2007 of $402,000 and $341,000, respectively. Churchills operating loss for the first
six months of fiscal year 2007 ending October 1, 2006 reduced diluted income per share by $0.03.
Management initiated measures to reduce costs and improve sales. Although cost reductions were
achieved, sales have not increased. Management has now determined that if a sale is not completed
by the expiration of the letter of intent on February 28, 2007, the Company will begin the process
of liquidating Churchill.
Goodwill of $90,000 associated with the acquisition of Churchill was written-off in the quarter
ended July 2, 2006. In anticipation of the sale or liquidation of Churchill, the Company estimates
that it will record valuation allowances approximating $550,000 in the quarter ended December 31,
2006 to reflect the expected net realizable value of Churchills receivables, inventories and
prepaid expenses. Proceeds from the sale or liquidation of Churchill will generate positive cash
flow.
Churchill has been in business for approximately 85 years and has been part of Crown Crafts since
1996. It is managements hope that we can consummate a sale to preserve the long history of
Churchill, commented E. Randall Chestnut, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company. We have carefully examined all of our alternatives and believe that sale or liquidation
is in the best interest of the Company.
Crown Crafts, Inc. designs, markets and distributes infant and juvenile consumer products,
including bedding, blankets, bibs, bath items and accessories, and luxury hand-woven home décor.
Its subsidiaries include Hamco, Inc. in Louisiana, Crown Crafts Infant Products, Inc. in California,
and Churchill Weavers, Inc. in Kentucky. Crown Crafts is Americas largest distributor of infant
bedding, bibs and bath items. The Companys products include licensed and branded collections as
well as exclusive private label programs for certain of its customers.
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933,
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
statements are based upon managements current expectations, projections, estimates and
assumptions. Words such as expects, believes, anticipates and variations of such words and
similar expressions identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve
known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from
those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, among others, general
economic conditions, including changes in interest rates, in the overall level of consumer spending
and in the price of oil, cotton and other raw materials used in the Companys products, changing
competition, changes in the retail environment, the level and pricing of future orders from the
Companys customers, the Companys dependence upon third-party suppliers, including some located in
foreign countries, customer acceptance of both new designs and newly-introduced product lines,
actions of competitors that may impact the Companys business, disruptions to transportation
systems or shipping lanes used by the Company or its suppliers, and the Companys dependence upon
licenses from third parties. Reference is also made to the Companys periodic filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission for additional factors that may impact the Companys results of
operations and financial condition. The Company does not undertake to update the forward-looking
statements contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in our expectations, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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| Contact: |
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Olivia Elliott
(225) 647-9124 |