Manuel J. Perez De La Mesa
Analyst · Robert W
Thank you, Mark, and good morning to all on the call. The second quarter reflects 2 distinctly different results. In the year-round Blue markets and our Green business, results were at or modestly better than expectations. Here, our Blue business sales were up 8.3% and our Green business sales were up 10.2%. So far, so good. Our Blue business sales in seasonal markets though were affected by much cooler-than-normal temperatures, coupled with higher precipitation levels that deferred pool openings and both remodeling, replacement and new construction activity. Altogether, these market sales were up only 0.3%. At this juncture, it's safe to assume that the lost sales from the weather impact in the seasonal markets are largely, if not entirely, lost for the year. The second half, though, should be intact with our revised expectations assuming average weather as the great majority of pools ultimately have been opened. Turning to gross margin. A significant factor for the margin percent decrease was product mix, both in terms of higher growth, lower margin percent discretionary items and higher-priced, lower margin percent products being sold, accentuated by the lower sales of higher-margin percent, nondiscretionary items. While the higher growth of lower margin percent items was expected, we also had expected growth on higher-margin percent items as well. The difference here is entirely attributable to the late start of the season. These same conditions affect customer mix with a greater percentage of sales to larger customers compared to customers that focus on pool maintenance and repair. Geographic mix with a higher percentage of total sales in year-round markets also contributed to the margin decline. This adverse mix impact should moderate in the second half of the year, although lower margin percent discretionary items and higher-priced, lower margin percent items should continue to grow at a faster rate than nondiscretionary items. Given the circumstances, sales to our focused customer segment retail were down 3.6% year-to-date, while our strategic priority product segment of building materials were up 14.4% year-to-date. We believe that both the retail customer segment and the building materials product segment provide us the opportunity for accelerated sales and profit dollar growth. Expenses were under control and reflective of a challenging sales environment in seasonal markets. Overall, base business expenses were up 1.1% in the quarter, despite our investment in 10 new centers since last June, including 7 new centers opened this year to further our local service level in existing markets. These investments demonstrate our ongoing commitment to addressing market opportunities, given our focus on long-term return on invested capital, while understanding that these investments may adversely affect short-term results. Year-to-date, base business expenses were flat, as well as our operating margin despite the headwinds of adverse weather and our ongoing investments. We expect base business operating margins to expand in the second half and future years as we leverage our infrastructure and continuously strive to operate more effectively. Mark will cover the balance sheet and cash flow, but before closing my prepared comments, I'd like to commend our entire team. While the results in the year-round markets speak for themselves, our people in the seasonal markets continue their resolve to provide exceptional value to our customers and suppliers, despite the challenges presented this year. It is through all of their outstanding commitment to serve that we are able to realize record results. Now, I'll open the call for questions. Chad?