GrowGeneration Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results; Provides First Quarter and Full Year 2024 Guidance

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Insights

The reported full year net revenue of $225.9 million surpassing guidance and a net loss of $46.5 million present a mixed financial health for GrowGeneration Corp. The revenue beat indicates resilience in their business model despite a notable 18.8% year-over-year decline. The gross profit margin improvement by 180 basis points suggests effective cost management and a strategic shift towards higher-margin proprietary products. However, investors should consider the significant net loss, which, although improved from the previous year, still reflects challenges in achieving profitability.

Furthermore, the reduction in operating expenses by $13.6 million and the lack of debt on the balance sheet are positive indicators of financial prudence. The company’s cash position of $65.0 million provides a cushion for future strategic initiatives. However, the forecast for 2024 with revenues expected to decline further could be a concern, indicating either a conservative outlook or underlying market challenges.

The decline in same-store sales by 19.3% is a critical metric indicating the company's organic growth challenges within existing locations. This metric, often used to gauge a retailer's health, suggests that GrowGeneration is facing competitive pressures or market saturation. The strategic decision to close and consolidate 14 retail locations aligns with efforts to optimize the operational footprint and may improve efficiency but also highlights the need to recalibrate market presence.

The company's pivot towards the home gardening market with The Harvest Company could signal an attempt to diversify revenue streams and reduce reliance on the cannabis sector's legislative volatility. This diversification could potentially open new customer segments and revenue channels, but it also requires careful navigation of consumer preferences and market dynamics.

The strategic review of MMI, the storage solutions business, suggests a focus on core competencies and potential divestiture to streamline operations. Engaging Lake Street Capital Markets indicates seriousness in exploring strategic opportunities, which could result in a sale or spin-off. The success of MMI, with $31.4 million in revenue and $8.9 million in operating profit, demonstrates its viability as a stand-alone entity or as an attractive acquisition target.

However, any transaction would be subject to regulatory approvals and market conditions. The outcome of this strategic exploration could have significant implications for GrowGeneration's capital allocation and focus on its Cultivation and Gardening segment. Stakeholders should monitor this process closely as it could impact the company's strategic direction and financial position.

03/13/2024 - 04:05 PM

Full Year Net Revenue of $225.9 million, Beating Guidance

Full Year Net Loss of $46.5 million and Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ Loss of $5.6 million, In Line with Guidance

2024 Outlook Calls for Revenue from $205 million to $215 million and Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ from a Loss of $2 million to a Profit of $3 million

Company to Review Strategic Opportunities for MMI

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GrowGeneration Corp. (NASDAQ: GRWG), (“GrowGen” or the “Company”), one of the largest retailers and distributors of specialty hydroponic and organic gardening products in the United States, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Highlights Compared to Prior Year

Net revenues decreased approximately 9% to $49.5 million, and same-store sales decreased 3.6%
Gross profit increased to $11.6 million, or 23.5% of net revenues, from $9.6 million, or 17.6% of net revenues
Net loss of $27.3 million, or $(0.44) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $15.0 million, or $(0.25) per diluted share, primarily due to non-cash impairment
Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ loss of $3.7 million, compared to a loss of $10.2 million

Full Year 2023 Highlights Compared to Prior Year

Net revenues decreased approximately 18.8% to $225.9 million, beating the Company’s previous guidance
Gross profit decreased to $61.3 million, or 27.1% of net revenues, from $70.3 million, or 25.3% of net revenues
Net loss of $46.5 million, or $(0.76) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $163.7 million, or $(2.69) per diluted share
Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ loss of $5.6 million, compared to earnings of $16.7 million
Reduced operating expense and selling, general, and administrative expense base by roughly $13.6 million through operating efficiencies and strategic cost rationalization
Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $65.0 million as of December 31, 2023, along with no debt
Generated $1.4 million of operating cash, primarily driven by reduction of inventory

Darren Lampert, GrowGen’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “I am pleased that our hard work and dedication to executing our strategic initiatives in 2023 allowed us to surpass our full year revenue guidance and be in line with our full year Adjusted EBITDA guidance. Our profit margins increased nearly 200 basis points as well, driven by more proprietary product sales and consumable product sales as a percent of total sales. Lastly, we ended 2023 with $65.0 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities and with no debt, positioning us well to continue to execute on our strategic initiatives in 2024.”

Mr. Lampert continued, “2023 was a year of strategic execution and resilience for GrowGen, and we continue into 2024 laser-focused on positioning the business for long-term, profitable growth. One key pillar for growth is continuing to enhance our brand portfolio, including launching new products and increasing sales in our higher margin proprietary brands. We are also expanding into the home gardening market with The Harvest Company, which we launched earlier this year. We believe GrowGen’s expertise in advanced cultivation technologies and sustainable practices developed within the cannabis industry will allow us to succeed in this new market, where consumers are seeking home gardening products to grow healthy, organic, and sustainable microgreens, fruits, and vegetables. Lastly, we remain focused on creating and sustaining operational efficiencies to position ourselves to capitalize on market opportunities as they arise, and I believe they will arise sooner than later as the legislative landscape around cannabis continues to become more favorable.”

Reporting Segments Update

During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company realigned its operating and reportable segments to correspond with changes to its operating model, management structure, and internal reporting, and to better align with how the Chief Executive Officer makes operating decisions, allocates resources, and assesses performance. Accordingly, the Company identified two operating segments, each its own reportable segment, based on its major lines of business: the Cultivation and Gardening segment; and the Storage Solutions segment.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Consolidated Results

Net revenues decreased $5.0 million, or 9%, to $49.5 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to $54.5 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2022. The decline was driven primarily by a 3.6% decrease in same-store sales. Net revenues for same-store sale locations open for the same period in 2022 and 2023 were $35.6 million in the fourth quarter 2023, compared to $37.0 million in the fourth quarter 2022.

Gross profit was $11.6 million for the fourth quarter 2023, an increase of $2.1 million, compared to gross profit of $9.6 million for the fourth quarter 2022. Gross profit margin was 23.5% for the fourth quarter 2023, compared to 17.6% for the fourth quarter 2022, an increase of 600 basis points, primarily due to improvements in product mix and corresponding margin performance.

GAAP net loss was $27.3 million in the fourth quarter 2023, a decrease of $12.3 million, compared to a net loss of $15.0 million in the fourth quarter 2022. Net loss was $0.44 per diluted share in the fourth quarter 2023, compared to a net loss of $0.25 per diluted share in the fourth quarter 2022. The decrease in GAAP net loss was primarily due to a $15.7 million non-cash impairment recorded in the fourth quarter 2023 of goodwill and intangible assets related to prior acquisitions.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ was a loss of $3.7 million in the fourth quarter 2023, compared to a loss of $10.2 million in the fourth quarter 2022. The increase to Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ was primarily driven by improvements in gross profit and reductions in operating and corporate expenses relating to our strategic cost rationalization.

Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of December 31, 2023 were $65.0 million.

Full Year 2023 Consolidated Results

Net revenues decreased $52.3 million, or 18.8%, to $225.9 million for the full year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $278.2 million for the full year ended December 31, 2022. The decline was driven primarily by a 19.3% decrease in same-store sales.

Gross profit was $61.3 million for the full year 2023, a decrease of $9.0 million, compared to gross profit of $70.3 million for the full year 2022. Gross profit margin was 27.1% for the full year 2023, compared to 25.3% for the full year 2022, an improvement of 180 basis points. The improvement to gross margin on a percentage basis was primarily due to stronger penetration of private label as a percent of sales.

GAAP net loss was $46.5 million for the full year 2023, a decrease of $117.3 million, compared to net loss of $163.7 million for the full year 2022. Net loss was $0.76 per diluted share for the full year 2023, compared to net loss of $2.69 per diluted share for the full year 2022. The improvement in net income was primarily attributable to 186 basis point improvement in gross margin percent, $13.6 million in annualized expense reductions, along with $112.2 million dollar reduction in impairment related charges. To offset, revenue decreased by $52.3 million.

Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ was a loss of $5.6 million for the full year 2023, compared to a loss of $16.7 million for the full year 2022. The improvement in Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ was primarily driven by improvements in the operating and corporate expense structure compared to the prior year.

Geographic Footprint

The Company’s geographic footprint for its Cultivation and Gardening segment spans approximately 942,000 square feet of retail and warehouse space across 18 states. During 2023, the Company acquired or opened 5 new locations and expanded its physical retail presence into 2 new states. The Company also reduced redundancies in cost structure by closing and consolidating 14 retail locations in 2023, where we were generally able to serve the same customer base through a single location. To date in 2024, the Company further closed and consolidated 3 additional stores and may consider additional store consolidations in the future.

First Quarter and Full Year 2024 Outlook⁽²⁾

Full year 2024 net revenues in the range of $205 million to $215 million
Full year 2024 Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ from a $2 million loss to a $3 million profit
First quarter 2024 net revenues in the range of $45 million to $48 million with Adjusted EBITDA⁽¹⁾ between a $2 million loss and breakeven

Exploring Strategic Opportunities for MMI

The Company also announced today that it is exploring strategic opportunities for its benching, racking, and storage solutions business, MMI, which was acquired by the Company in late 2021 and currently constitutes the Company’s Storage Solutions segment.

Mr. Lampert commented, “MMI has continued to exceed our expectations, with full year 2024 revenue of $31.4 million and $8.9 million in operating profit, reflecting the tremendous strength and potential of this business. We believe MMI is now in a place where it makes sense to consider strategic opportunities for the business, and we recently engaged Lake Street Capital Markets to advise us in this process. While we are happy having MMI within our portfolio, we also believe that the right strategic opportunity for MMI would better position GrowGen to build upon its achievements and capitalize on additional opportunities within its core Cultivation and Gardening business.”

Footnotes

(1)		Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization as adjusted for certain items as set forth in the reconciliation table of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP information and is a measure calculated and presented on the basis of methodologies other than in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information herein for further discussion and reconciliation of this measure to GAAP measures.
(2)		Sales and Adjusted EBITDA(1) guidance metrics are inclusive of acquisitions and store openings completed in 2023 and 2022, but do not include any unannounced acquisitions.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call today, March 13, 2024, at 4:30 PM Eastern Time to discuss financial results for fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023. To participate in the call, please dial (888) 664-6392 (domestic) or (416) 764-8659 (international). The conference code is 80413128. The call will also be webcast and can be accessed here or in the Investor Relations section of the GrowGen website at: ir.growgeneration.com.

A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and remain available for approximately 90 calendar days.

About GrowGeneration Corp.

GrowGen is a leading developer, marketer, retailer, and distributor of products for both indoor and outdoor hydroponic and organic gardening, as well as customized storage solutions. GrowGen carries and sells thousands of products, such as nutrients, additives, growing media, lighting, environmental control systems, and benching and racking, including proprietary brands such as Charcoir, Drip Hydro, Power Si, Ion lights, The Harvest Company, and more. Incorporated in Colorado in 2014, GrowGen is the largest chain of specialty retail hydroponic and organic garden centers in the United States. The Company also operates an online superstore for cultivators at growgeneration.com, as well as a wholesale business for resellers, HRG Distribution, and a benching, racking, and storage solutions business, Mobile Media or MMI.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may include predictions, estimates, or other information considered forward-looking within the meaning of applicable securities laws. While these forward-looking statements represent current judgments, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect opinions only as of the date of this release. Please keep in mind that the Company does not have an obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. When used herein, words such as “look forward,” “believe,” “continue,” “building,” “may,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “plans,” “projected,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “hopes,” or the negative of these or similar terms, or variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements made by us herein are often discussed in filings made with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, available at: www.sec.gov, and on the Company’s website at: www.growgeneration.com.


ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS GROWGENERATION CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands except shares)

	December 31, 2023			December 31, 2022
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	29,757		$	40,054
Marketable securities		35,212			31,852
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $1.4 million and $0.7 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022		8,895			8,336
Notes receivable, current, net of allowance for credit losses of $1.7 million and $1.3 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022		193			1,214
Inventory		64,905			77,091
Prepaid income taxes		516			5,679
Prepaid and other current assets		7,973			6,455
Total current assets		147,451			170,681
Property and equipment, net		27,052			28,669
Operating leases right-of-use assets, net		39,933			46,433
Notes receivable, long term		106			—
Intangible assets, net		16,180			30,878
Goodwill		7,525			15,978
Other assets		843			803
TOTAL ASSETS	$	239,090		$	293,442
LIABILITIES & STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	11,666		$	15,728
Accrued liabilities		2,530			1,535
Payroll and payroll tax liabilities		2,169			4,671
Customer deposits		5,359			4,338
Sales tax payable		1,185			1,341
Current maturities of lease liability		8,021			8,131
Current portion of long-term debt		—			50
Total current liabilities		30,930			35,794
Operating lease liability, net of current maturities		34,448			40,659
Other long-term liabilities		317			593
Total liabilities		65,695			77,046
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ Equity:
Common stock; $.001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 61,483,762 and 61,010,155 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively		61			61
Additional paid-in capital		373,433			369,938
Retained earnings (deficit)		(200,099	)		(153,603	)
Total stockholders’ equity		173,395			216,396
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$	239,090		$	293,442

GROWGENERATION CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Three Months Ended December 31,

Twelve Months Ended December 31,

2023

2022

2023

2022

(Unaudited)

Net sales

49,452

54,456

225,882

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