JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie Stores here said Monday that net income rose in the company's fiscal third quarter, compared with a year ago, despite slight declines in same-store sales and overall sales.
The company posted net income of $13.4 million for the 12-week quarter, which ended April 6, up about 5.3% over year-ago third-quarter results. Sales were about flat at $1.62 billion. Identical-store sales fell 0.5% in the quarter, reflecting a 1.7% decrease in number of transactions and a 1.3% gain in average basket size.
"Overall, we are pleased with our third-quarter results," said Peter Lynch, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We strategically managed our promotional activity and merchandising efforts in this inflationary environment to drive improvements in both adjusted EBITDA and gross margin, while still offering good value to our guests."
He said the company remains on track to meet its financial projections for the fiscal year.
Through the 40-week, year-to-date period, Winn-Dixie posted a loss of $75.7 million, vs. net income of $14.9 million in the year-ago, 40-week span. Sales through the first three quarters of the current fiscal year were $5.26 billion, down less than 1% vs. a year ago. ID sales were down 1.1% year to date, vs. a year ago, with transactions off 1.7% and basket size up 0.6%.
