Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results

In FY 2021, the Postal Service had a net loss from operations of $2.7 billion, a $0.9 billion improvement from FY 2020. The decrease in net operating losses for FY 2021 was primarily due to $4.0 billion more revenue than in FY 2020. When non-operating expenses are included, the Postal Service had a total net loss of $4.9 billion in FY 2021—an improvement of $4.2 billion compared to FY 2020. While the Postal Service realized an overall improvement in total net losses in FY 2021, continued losses have expanded the gap between the Postal Service’s assets and liabilities. Total assets at the end of FY 2021 were $46.4 billion versus total liabilities of $122.1 billion. A significant portion of the Postal Service’s liabilities was driven by unpaid retiree health benefit (RHB) liabilities totaling $57.0 billion at the end of FY 2021. The recent enactment of the Postal Service Reform Act removes this $57.0 billion liability of past due RHB obligations and eliminates annual payments for the RHB normal costs and the Retiree Health Benefits Fund amortization. Market Dominant revenue decreased in FY 2021 by $97 million or 0.2 percent from FY 2020. Increases in revenue per piece for overall Market Dominant products were not enough to offset declines in volume and fluctuation in mail mix and signal the severity of the effects of the pandemic during that time. In FY 2021, Market Dominant volume declined while package volumes rose as a result of continued growth in e-commerce that included record holiday volume. These changes in volume affected overall revenues and cost in addition to workforce and workhour changes in response to pandemic-related labor costs.

The company’s second quarter fiscal year 2021 net sales of $4.2 billion were up 5% compared to 2019. Gross profit: $1.82 billion, an increase of $267 million or 17%. Gross margin: 43.3%, an increase of 440 basis points. Comparable sales were up 3% year-over-year, and up 12% versus 2019. The comparable sales calculation reflects online sales and comparable sales days for stores that were open on the same days in both the current and prior comparable period. Old Navy Global: Net Sales were up 21% versus 2019, with Old Navy maintaining its position as the #2 apparel brand in the U.S.1 Comparable sales were flat to last year and up 18% versus 2019. Gap Global: Net Sales declined 10% versus 2019, with permanent store closures resulting in an estimated 14% sales decline, and international COVID-closures driving an estimated 1% decline on a 2-year basis. Global comparable sales declined 5% year-over-year and increased 3% versus 2019. Banana Republic Global: Net Sales declined 15% versus 2019, with permanent store closures resulting in an estimated 10% sales decline, and international COVID-closures driving an estimated 1% decline on a 2-year basis. Comparable sales were up 41% year-over-year and down 5% versus 2019. Athleta: Net Sales were up 35% versus 2019. Comparable sales grew 13% year-over-year and 27% versus 2019.

Cost-cutting and outright closures continue to afflict print publishing. For instance, The Fort Wayne (Indiana) Journal Gazette is eliminating its Sunday edition and placing that content in a new weekend edition that will appear on Saturdays. Last Friday, the paper announced, “All of the features readers have come to expect on Sundays – exclusive enterprise reporting, stand-alone Sports, Metro, Perspective, Business, Living and Classified/Home sections – will move to the Saturday Weekend Edition, along with color comics, puzzles, advice columns and the weekly advertising insert package."