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Thursday, October 31, 2002 |
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QRS Corporation Returns to Profitability in Third Quarter 2002
RICHMOND, Calif., Oct. 30 --
QRS Corporation (Nasdaq: QRSI), a leading provider of collaborative commerce
solutions for the extended supply chain, announced today that it has returned
to profitability within the time frame targeted by the Company`s management.
The Company reported revenues of $33.5 million for the quarter ended
September 30, 2002, compared to revenues of $35.1 million for the quarter
ended June 30, 2002 and $35.8 million for the quarter ended September 30,
2001.
Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2002 was $0.6 million, or
4 cents per share diluted, compared with a net loss of $2.4 million, or
15 cents per share diluted, for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and a net
loss of $15.2 million, or 98 cents per share diluted, for the quarter ended
September 30, 2001.
The Company also reported a gross margin of 48% for the quarter ended
September 30, 2002. This gross margin compares to a gross margin of 45% for
the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and a gross margin of 36% for the quarter
ended September 30, 2001.
Operating expenses for the quarter ended September 30, 2002 fell to
$15.6 million, compared to $18.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2002,
and $33.9 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2001. Cash and
marketable securities decreased by $2.3 million during the quarter ended
September 30, 2002 to $37.4 million due to several expected one-time payments.
"We are very pleased to have delivered profitability in the third quarter
and to have achieved our fourth quarter gross margin goal of 48% ahead of
schedule, despite a challenging economic environment," said Liz Fetter,
president and CEO of QRS. "We accomplished these results thanks to demand for
our collaborative commerce solutions and continued execution of our focused
cost management plans. We will continue to demonstrate operational discipline
as we pursue our plans for future growth."
Revenues from Software Applications, which include both enterprise and
hosted applications, were $8.6 million for the quarter ended September 30,
2002, compared with $9.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and $9.0
million for the quarter ended September 30, 2001. Third quarter Software
Application results reflected the impact of the anticipated business
consolidation within the May Company. Revenues for Trading Community
Management were $18.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2002,
compared to $18.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and $20.0
million for the quarter ended September 30, 2001. Revenues for Global Services
were $6.1 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2002, compared to $7.5
million for the quarter ended June 30, 2002, and $6.9 million for the quarter
ended September 30, 2001.
Third quarter highlights for QRS include:
-- Profitability achieved. QRS attained its goal of returning to
profitability in the second half of the year. The Company achieved
profitability through continued demand for the Company`s solutions, as
well as significant improvements to the Company`s overall cost
structure.
-- Customer wins and renewals. During the quarter ended September 30,
2002, QRS secured wins and agreement extensions with more than 90
retailers and vendors across multiple retail verticals, including
Meijer, J & J Foods, Conair Corporation, OshKosh B`Gosh, Longs Drugs,
Guess?, Inc., Schnuck Markets, Block Sportswear and Stride Rite.
-- Geographic expansion. QRS initiated the rollout of QRS Catalogue(TM) to
the European supplier and manufacturer community in September with the
launch of a trading community program that will ultimately reach the
more than 2,500 trading partners of Selfridges plc, one of the top
department store groups in Europe. Earlier this month, at a conference
hosted by QRS and Selfridges, more than 100 representatives from
leading European suppliers and retailers learned how Selfridges will be
electronically synchronizing product content using QRS Catalogue to
increase revenue and decrease costs across their entire supply chain.
The Company expects to maintain profitability and the current gross margin
level in the fourth quarter. Revenues for the full year 2002 are expected to
be approximately 5% below 2001 revenues. The Company expects to end 2002 with
cash balances in line with where it began the year.
Conference Call Information
In conjunction with the earnings release, the Company will hold a
conference call at 2:00 p.m. PST (5:00 p.m. EST) Wednesday, October 30, 2002.
For those who wish to participate, the conference call can be accessed via
telephone at 1-877-580-9103 with pass code QRS. The call also will be Web-cast
and can be accessed at www.qrs.com.
Telephone replay will be available beginning Wednesday, October 30, 2002,
7:00 p.m. EST at 1-800-685-1820 (toll-free) and 402-998-1697 (international).
The replay of the Web cast will also remain available at www.qrs.com.
About QRS
QRS Corporation has been building, automating and managing retail trading
relationships through innovative software applications and services since
1988.
Today, QRS is an established leader in providing collaborative commerce
solutions for the extended supply chain. QRS offers scalable trading community
connectivity; product content management; real-time, synchronized transaction
delivery; and Web-enabled sourcing and procurement. QRS solutions are used by
more than 8,000 retail industry customers* representing the world`s top
retailers, vendors and manufacturers, including Federated Department Stores
Inc., Selfridges plc, Sears, Roebuck and Co., LVMH LLC, Group Clarins USA and
Jones Apparel Group Inc. With QRS collaborative commerce solutions, retail
industry customers can transform their extended supply chain in response to
marketplace dynamics, drive process efficiency and achieve superior profit.
Learn more about QRS Corporation at www.qrs.com.
*Based on total, unique QRS corporate customers that purchased or licensed
QRS products and services between April 2001 and May 2002.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements regarding future
events and the future financial performance of QRS Corporation that involve
risks and uncertainties, including statements about future profitability,
revenue, gross margins, and cash and marketable securities positions. Readers
are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and
may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are
referred to the documents filed by QRS Corporation with the SEC, specifically
the most recent reports on Form 10-K, 8-K, and 10-Q, each as it may be amended
from time to time, which identify important factors that could cause actual
results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements,
including risks associated with general economic conditions; specific
conditions in the retail industry; competition; changes in our senior
management; rapid technological change in our industry; dependence upon key
customers and their trading partners; ability to introduce and market
acceptance of new products and services; the ability to successfully integrate
and manage acquired businesses and technologies; and dependence upon IBM for
e-commerce services, among others. QRS assumes no obligation to update the
forward-looking information contained in this news release.
NOTE: QRS, the QRS logo, QRS Catalogue, QRS Exchange, QRS Compliance
Link, QRS Managed EC, QRS Merchandising, QRS Retail Intelligence Services, QRS
Showroom and QRS Sourcing are trademarks or registered trademarks of QRS
Corporation in the United States and other countries. Trademarks of third
parties are owned by their respective owners.
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