The Company has not reconciled the non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA and
adjusted diluted earnings per share forward-looking guidance alluded to in this release to the most directly comparable GAAP measures because this cannot be done without unreasonable effort due to the variability and low visibility with respect to
taxes and non-recurring items, which are potential adjustments to future earnings. The Company expects the variability of these items to have a potentially unpredictable, and a potentially significant, impact
on the Companys future GAAP financial results.
Non-GAAP Financial Information
In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, management and the Board of Directors use EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and
adjusted earnings per share as supplemental key metrics to assess the Companys financial performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are also frequently used by analysts, investors and other
interested parties to evaluate the Company and other companies in the Companys industry. Management believes it is useful to investors and analysts to evaluate these non-GAAP measures on the same basis
as management uses to evaluate the Companys operating results. Management uses these non-GAAP measures to supplement GAAP measures of performance to evaluate the effectiveness of the Companys
business strategies, to make budgeting decisions and to compare the Companys performance against that of other peer companies using similar measures. In addition, the Company uses adjusted EBITDA to supplement GAAP measures of performance to
evaluate performance in connection with compensation decisions. Management believes that excluding items from operating income, net income and net income per diluted share that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, the Companys core
operating results, and that may vary in frequency or magnitude, enhances the comparability of the Companys results and provides additional information for analyzing trends in the Companys business.
Management defines EBITDA as net income before net interest expense, income taxes and depreciation and amortization expenses. Adjusted EBITDA represents
EBITDA adjusted to exclude share-based compensation expense, loss on debt extinguishment and modification, asset impairment and gain or loss on disposition, acquisition and integration costs, costs related to the amortization of inventory purchase
accounting asset step-ups and certain other expenses that may not be indicative of, or are unrelated to, the Companys core operating results, and that may vary in frequency or magnitude. Adjusted net
income represents net income adjusted for the previously mentioned adjusted EBITDA adjustments, further adjusted for the amortization of property and equipment purchase accounting asset step-ups and deferred
financing costs, tax adjustment to normalize the effective tax rate, and tax effect of total adjustments. Basic adjusted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net income, as defined above, and basic weighted average shares outstanding.
Diluted adjusted earnings per share is calculated using adjusted net income, as defined above, and diluted weighted average shares outstanding.
These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similar measures reported by other companies and have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of the
Companys results as reported under GAAP. The Company addresses the limitations of the non-GAAP measures through the use of various GAAP measures. In the future the Company will incur expenses or charges
such as those added back to calculate adjusted EBITDA or adjusted net income. The presentation of these non-GAAP measures should not be construed as an inference that future results will be unaffected by the
adjustments used to derive such non-GAAP measures.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in
this release other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding the Companys future operating results and financial position, including expected results for the fiscal 2024 third quarter and full year, the Companys
CEO search process, the Companys business strategy and plans and shareholder returns may constitute forward-looking statements. Words such as anticipate, believe, estimate, expect,
intend, may, outlook, plan, project, seek, will, and similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements
are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements, including the following: failure of suppliers to consistently
supply the Company with opportunistic products at attractive pricing; inability to successfully identify trends and maintain a consistent level of opportunistic products; failure to maintain or increase comparable store sales; loss of key personnel
or inability to attract, train and retain highly qualified personnel, including the ongoing recruitment for a permanent CEO and CFO; any significant disruption to the Companys distribution network, the operations of its distributions centers
and timely receipt of inventory; inflation and other changes affecting the market prices of the products the Company sells; risks associated with newly opened or acquired stores; failure to open, relocate or remodel stores on schedule and on budget;
costs and successful implementation of marketing, advertising and promotions; failure to maintain the Companys reputation and the value of its brand, including protecting intellectual property; inability to maintain sufficient levels of cash
flow from operations; risks associated with leasing substantial amounts of space; failure to properly integrate any acquired businesses; natural or man-made disasters, climate change, power outages, major
health epidemics, pandemic outbreaks, terrorist acts, global political events or other serious catastrophic events and the concentration of the Companys business operations; failure to participate effectively in the growing online retail
marketplace; unexpected costs and negative effects if the Company incurs losses not covered by insurance; difficulties associated with labor relations and shortages; failure to remediate material weakness in the Companys internal control over
financial reporting; risks associated with economic conditions; competition in the retail food industry; movement of consumer trends toward private labels and away from name-brand products; risks associated with deploying the Companys own
private label brands; inability to attract and retain qualified independent operators of the Company (IOs); failure of the IOs to successfully manage their business; failure of the IOs to repay notes outstanding to the Company; inability
of the IOs to avoid excess inventory shrink; any loss or changeover of an IO; legal proceedings initiated against the IOs; legal challenges to the IO/independent contractor business model; failure to maintain positive relationships with the IOs;
risks associated with actions the IOs could take that could harm the Companys business; material disruption to information technology systems, including risks associated with any continued impact from the