Ethan Allen Reports Results for Quarter Ended March 31, 2012

DANBURY, CT - Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. ("Ethan Allen", the "Company", "We", or "Our") /quotes/zigman/127730/quotes/nls/eth ETH -0.33% reported that net sales for the third quarter ended March 31, 2012 increased by 8.0% to 175.9 million and excluding special items, diluted earnings per share increased to $0.14 compared to $0.07 in the previous year quarter.

Farooq Kathwari, Chairman and CEO commented, "During our third quarter ended March 31st with an 8% increase in sales, our adjusted net income per share doubled reflecting continued operating leverage from our vertically integrated structure. Our dividend was increased to $0.09, an increase of 29%. Our Retail division's written (booked) orders during the quarter increased 11% including comparable design center growth of 8%. Our written (booked) orders for our Retail Division were $30 million greater than our shipments during the quarter."

Mr. Kathwari further stated, "The recession has further accelerated our focus on major initiatives in all areas of our enterprise including a 60% change in our product offerings in less than one year. In addition, we continue to invest in acquiring talented interior design associates and management in our Retail division. While increasing our expenses, this investment provides an opportunity to grow our sales by enhancing our competitive advantage of providing complimentary interior design services."

Three Months Ended March 31, 2012

Net sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 increased 8.0% over the prior year to $175.9 million. The Company's Retail division net sales increased 12.3% to $131.4 million including comparable design center net sales growth of 9.4%. Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 was $27.5 million or $0.94 per diluted share compared with the prior year of $3.5 million or $0.12 per diluted share. During the quarter the Company reversed deferred tax asset valuation allowances and certain other tax reserves resulting in $23.9 million in non-cash tax benefits in the quarter. Excluding these benefits and other special items in both periods, net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 was $4.0 million or $0.14 per diluted share compared with $2.0 million or $0.07 per diluted share in the prior year period.

Nine Months Ended March 31, 2012

Net sales for the nine months ended March 31, 2012 increased 8.6% over the prior year to $544.1 million. The Company's Retail division net sales increased 12.6% to $415.7 million including comparable design center net sales growth of 10.2%. Written orders booked during the nine month period by the Retail division were 11.5% greater than the prior year quarter including comparable design center order growth of 8.7%.

Net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2012 was $42.4 million or $1.46 per diluted share compared with the prior year of $22.1 million or $0.76 per diluted share. Excluding the non-cash tax benefits and other special items in both periods, net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2012 was $19.7 million or $0.68 per diluted share compared with $10.8 million or $0.37 per diluted share in the prior year period.

Mr. Kathwari concluded, "During the fourth quarter we will complete the launch of new products. In addition, we will launch in June "Ethan Allen Express", a new major initiative. The objective of this initiative is to expand our reach to more consumers. The program will consist of selected products with good price points and fast deliveries from our five lifestyles. Our plan is to strongly market this program during the next six months. As we stated in our previous press release, while recognizing the uncertain macro-economic conditions, we remain cautiously optimistic due to our many initiatives."

Analyst Conference Call

The Company will conduct a conference call at 11:00 AM (Eastern) on Tuesday, April 24th to discuss the financial results and its business initiatives. The live webcast and replay are accessible via the Company's website at http://ethanallen.com/investors .

About Ethan Allen

Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. is a leading interior design company and manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings. The company offers free interior design service to its clients and sells a full range of furniture products and decorative accessories through ethanallen.com and a network of approximately 300 Design Centers in the United States and abroad. Ethan Allen owns and operates eight manufacturing facilities including five manufacturing plants and one sawmill in the United States plus two plants in Mexico and Honduras. Approximately seventy percent of its products are made in its United States plants. For more information on Ethan Allen's products and services, visit ethanallen.com.

This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2011 (the "2011 Form 10-K") and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release and related discussions contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations concerning future events and results of the Company, and are subject to various assumptions, risks and uncertainties including specifically, and without limitation, those set forth in Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" of the 2011 Form 10-K. Accordingly, actual future events or results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update or provide revision to any forward-looking statement at any time for any reason.


Source: Ethan Allens Interiors, Inc.

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