Oxford Industries, Inc. (NYSE: OXM) announced yesterday financial results for its fiscal quarter ended November 30, 2007, the second quarter of its eight month transition period ending February 2, 2008. Consolidated net sales for the fiscal quarter increased to $294.5 million from $291.0 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007, which ended December 1, 2006. Diluted earnings from continuing operations per common share for the quarter ended November 30, 2007 were $0.71 compared to $0.68 in the second quarter of fiscal 2007.

    For the first six months of the eight month transition period ending February 2, 2008, consolidated net sales decreased to $532.4 million from $575.1 million in the same six month period last year. Diluted earnings from continuing operations per common share in the first six months decreased to $0.98 from $1.31 in the same period last year.

    "We are pleased to deliver results from operations that exceeded last year's second quarter and were in line with our expectations," commented J. Hicks Lanier, Chairman and CEO of Oxford Industries, Inc. "However, the holiday season has been challenging for our industry and in our retail stores. At present, we expect these conditions to persist and, as a result, we are planning conservatively and managing inventory risk prudently."

    Mr. Lanier added, "Our long-term strategy remains unchanged. We will continue to invest in the Tommy Bahama and Ben Sherman brands with additional retail stores, direct to consumer expansion, and enhancements to our infrastructure to support long-term growth in our international business. We remain focused on refining our operations and reducing our exposure to low- margined businesses, and remain committed to developing our portfolio of branded businesses. We are committed to providing value to shareholders and, among our other efforts, are pleased to have had the opportunity during the second quarter to enter into a $60 million accelerated share repurchase program."

    Tommy Bahama reported a net sales increase of 2.3% to $110.3 million for the second quarter of transition period 2008 from $107.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. The sales increase was driven by additional retail stores and the launch of the e-commerce site. Tommy Bahama's operating income for the second quarter of transition period 2008 increased to $14.3 million from $13.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. The increase in operating income was due to increased sales and an increase in royalty income, partially offset by higher selling, general and administrative expenses associated with operating additional retail stores.

    Ben Sherman reported a net sales increase of 4.0% to $45.6 million for the second quarter of transition period 2008 compared to $43.8 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007 due primarily to favorable foreign currency exchange translation rates. Operating income for Ben Sherman increased to $5.8 million in the second quarter of transition period 2008 from $4.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. The improvement in operating income was primarily due to increased royalty income for the brand.

    Net sales for Lanier Clothes were $51.2 million in the second quarter of transition period 2008, flat as compared to the $51.1 million reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Operating income for Lanier Clothes declined to $2.0 million in the second quarter of transition period 2008 from $3.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. This decline in operating income was due to lower gross margins caused by weak demand in the moderate tailored clothing market, particularly in the chain and department store channels of distribution.

    Oxford Apparel reported net sales of $87.1 million for the second quarter of transition period 2008, down 1.2% from $88.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Operating income for Oxford Apparel was $7.3 million for the second quarter of transition period 2008, an increase of 39.4% from $5.2 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. Efforts by Oxford Apparel to focus on key product categories, exit certain underperforming lines of business and make improvements to the cost structure generated a significant improvement in operating margin.

    The Corporate and Other expenses increased to $4.9 million for the second quarter of transition period 2008 from $2.6 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. The increase was due to the impact of LIFO accounting adjustments, the discontinuation of transition services fees related to the disposition of the Company's Womenswear business, and the closure of the Company's internal trucking operation.

    Consolidated gross margins for the second quarter of transition period 2008 increased to 39.0% from 38.4% in the second quarter of 2007. The improvement in gross margin was driven primarily by a higher proportion of branded and retail sales, which generally have higher margins than wholesale sales.

    Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A, for the second quarter of transition period 2008 increased to $94.7 million, or 32.2% of net sales, from $89.1 million, or 30.6% of net sales, in the second quarter of fiscal 2007. The increase in SG&A was due primarily to the operation of additional retail stores.

    Royalty and other operating income for the second quarter of transition period 2008 grew 40.6% to $5.5 million from $3.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2007 primarily due to increases in both Tommy Bahama and Ben Sherman royalty income.

    As previously announced, the Company entered into a $60 million accelerated share repurchase agreement on November 8, 2007 to purchase shares of its common stock. The share repurchase was funded through borrowings under the Company's revolving credit facility. As of the end of the second quarter of transition period 2008, approximately 1.9 million shares had been delivered to the Company. The Company may receive additional shares upon completion of the term of the agreement. Due to the timing of receipt of shares and the interest expense incurred by the Company, the share repurchase did not have a material impact on the Company's diluted earnings per common share for the second quarter of transition period 2008.

    The Company moderated its expectations for the two month period commencing December 1, 2007 and ending February 2, 2008. Mr. Lanier commented, "December and January are typically not heavy shipping months in our wholesale businesses. That, coupled with a weak holiday performance by most of our wholesale customers, has dampened our expectations for this period. Our own retail performance did not meet expectations in December and we do not expect a significant improvement in January." As a result, the Company now expects net sales for the two month period to be slightly below the comparable period last year and net earnings for the two month period to be in the range of breakeven to a modest profit. For the two months ended February 2, 2007, net sales were $164.4 million and diluted earnings from continuing operations per common share were $0.16. The Company expects to provide guidance for its fiscal year ending January 31, 2009 in the first week of February, 2008.

    The Company also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.18 per common share payable on February 29, 2008 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 15, 2008. This will be the 191st consecutive quarterly cash dividend since the Company became publicly-owned in 1960.

    The Company will hold a conference call with senior management to discuss its financial results at 4:30PM ET today. A live web cast of the conference call will be available on the Company's website at http://www.oxfordinc.com. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes before the call to register for the teleconference web cast and download any necessary
software. A replay of the call will be available through January 22, 2008. To access the telephone replay, participants should dial (719) 457-0820. The access code for the replay is 9227984. A replay of the web cast will also be available following the teleconference on the Company's website at http://www.oxfordinc.com.

    Oxford Industries, Inc. is a producer and marketer of branded and private label apparel for men, women and children. Oxford provides retailers and consumers with a wide variety of apparel products and services to suit their individual needs. Oxford's brands include Tommy
Bahama(R), Indigo Palms(R), Island Soft(R), Ben Sherman(R), Arnold Brant(R), Ely & Walker(R) and Oxford Golf(R). The Company also holds exclusive licenses to produce and sell certain product categories under the Tommy Hilfiger(R), Kenneth Cole(R), Nautica(R), Geoffrey Beene(R), Dockers(R), Oscar de la Renta(R) and O Oscar(TM) labels. Oxford's wholesale customers are found in every major channel of distribution, including national chains, specialty catalogs, mass merchants, department stores, specialty stores and Internet retailers. The Company also operates retail stores, restaurants and Internet websites for some of its brands.

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