Reitmans closes Cassis

Article Excerpt

REITMANS (CANADA) LTD. $14.89 (Toronto symbol RET.A; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (514-384-1140; www.reitmans.com; Shares outstanding: 66.6 million; Market cap: $991.7 million; Dividend yield: 5.3%) has decided to convert its 25 Cassis stores to its other banners, including Reitmans, Penningtons, Smart Set, Addition Elle and Thyne Maternity. Cassis, which was launched in 2006, is the newest of Reitmans’ chains. Its stores sell business-casual clothing for women. Cassis supplies less than 2% of Reitmans’ yearly sales. However, the company will take a one-time charge of $4 million (after tax) in the current quarter to write down Cassis’ assets and pay severance to laid off workers. To put that in context, Reitmans earned $31.7 million in the latest quarter. The company has always closely monitored its regional markets, and opened and closed stores as necessary. This willingness to quickly address underperforming stores keeps Reitmans profitable, even in difficult economic conditions, and bodes well for its future growth. Reitmans is still a buy. buy…