EXIBIT 99.1 BOOKS-A-MILLION News Release 402 Industrial Lane Birmingham, AL 35211 205-942-3737 Contact: Richard S. Wallington Chief Financial Officer 205) 942-3737 BOOKS-A-MILLION, INC. ANNOUNCES FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS __________________________________________________________ Net Income Increases 20.3% Comparable Store Sales Increase 2.7% Announces Restatement For Lease Accounting BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 9, 2005) Books-A-Million, Inc. (Nasdaq/NM:BAMM) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 29, 2005. Net sales for the 13-week period ended January 29, 2005, increased 2.9% to $149.4 million from sales of $145.2 million for the 13-week period ended January 31, 2004. Comparable store sales for the quarter increased 2.7%. Net income for the quarter was $9.2 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, compared with net income of $7.6 million, or $0.44 per diluted share, in the year-earlier period. In the Company's January 2005 holiday sales press release it was stated that the fourth quarter would include a gain on insurance recoveries related to stores damaged by hurricanes. Due to the timing of the completion of rebuilding those stores and the related collection of the proceeds, the insurance gain will not be recorded until fiscal 2006. The Company expects to report a gain of $0.03 to $0.05 per diluted share at that time. For the 52-week period ended January 29, 2005, net sales increased 3.7% to $475.2 million, compared with $458.3 million in the prior year. Comparable store sales increased 2.5% when compared with the same 52-week period of the prior year. For fiscal 2005, the Company reported net income of $10.2 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, compared to $7.1 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, for fiscal 2004. Commenting on the results, Sandra B. Cochran, Chief Executive Officer and President, said, "We are pleased with the positive trends from the holiday season, which, combined with solid execution in the stores, gave us momentum going into January and delivered a strong finish to the fiscal year. Our balance sheet reflects the continued progress we are making in inventory management, margin improvement and debt reduction. Sales in several categories helped drive the business in the fourth quarter: Jon Stewart's America: The Book fueled growth in the humor category, and we saw gains in children's books due to the success of the Series Of Unfortunate Events and Polar Express movies. Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now was a huge bestseller in the inspirational book category, and Michael Crichton, John Grisham, Jimmy Buffett and James Patterson contributed bestsellers in fiction." Books-a-Million has evaluated its lease accounting practices as a result of a clarification issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 7, 2005, in a letter to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and has corrected its accounting for leases. Specifically, the Company has corrected its computation of depreciation for leasehold improvements, the accounting for rent holidays and the classification of landlord allowances related to leasehold improvements. The Company will provide comparable historical results by restating its prior financial statements. The financial results released today include the impact of these lease accounting adjustments. For the first nine months of fiscal 2005, the impact of the adjustments on net income after taxes was an additional expense of $55,000. The impact on net income after taxes for the five fiscal years from fiscal 2000 through fiscal 2004 was additional (income) or expense of $22,000, ($32,000), ($25,000), $48,000 and $74,000, respectively. As of year-end fiscal 2005, property and equipment on the balance sheet will increase by approximately $9.5 million and other long-term liabilities will increase by approximately the same dollar amount. This restatement will not have an impact on historical or future net cash flows. In previous periods, the Company had depreciated leasehold improvements over a period of 10 years, regardless of the term of the lease for the store. The Company has changed its depreciable life for leasehold improvements to the lesser of the economic useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Also, when calculating the straight-line rent expense per store, the Company had previously used the store opening date as the starting date for the rent expense calculation. The Company has changed this calculation to start straight-line rent expense on the date the Company takes possession of the building for initial set-up of fixtures and merchandise. The Company also corrected its method of classification of landlord allowances. For certain new stores, the Company receives funding from landlords for the construction of leasehold improvements. Historically, landlord allowances have been classified on the Company's balance sheets as reductions of property and equipment and as a reduction in capital expenditures in the Company's statements of cash flows. However, the Company will now classify landlord allowances as a deferred rent liability in the balance sheets and as an operating activity in the statements of cash flows. Excluding the gain from insurance recoveries that will be recorded in fiscal 2006, the Company is projecting net income for fiscal 2006 in the range of $0.67 to $0.69 per diluted share versus the fiscal 2005 net income of $0.59 per diluted share. Projected net income for the year, including the one-time insurance gain, is $0.70 to $0.74 per diluted share. Net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2006 is expected to be in the range of $0.03 to $0.05 per diluted share versus last year's net income of $0.07 per diluted share. The lower projected first quarter net income for fiscal 2006 is partially due to increased new store opening costs during the first quarter. Also, there will be a shift of inventory counting costs to the first quarter from later quarters for the current year. Books-A-Million is one of the nation's leading book retailers and sells on the Internet at www.booksamillion.com. The Company presently operates 207 stores in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The Company operates four distinct store formats, including large superstores operating under the names Books-A-Million and Books & Co., traditional bookstores operating under the names Books-A-Million and Bookland, and Joe Muggs Newsstands. BOOKS-A-MILLION, INC. Unaudited Consolidated Financial Highlights (In thousands, except per share data) 13 Weeks Ended 52 Weeks Ended --------------------- --------------------- (as restated) (as restated) Jan. 29, Jan. 31, Jan. 29, Jan. 31, 2005 2004 2005 2004 --------- --------- --------- --------- NET SALES $ 149,398 $ 145,225 $ 475,226 $ 458,290 Cost of sales (including warehouse, distribution and store occupancy costs) 103,123 101,492 339,851 330,909 --------- --------- --------- --------- GROSS PROFIT 46,275 43,733 135,375 127,381 Operating, selling and administrative expenses 26,889 26,374 99,399 94,155 Depreciation and amortization 4,461 4,556 17,792 18,068 --------- --------- --------- --------- OPERATING INCOME 14,925 12,803 18,184 15,158 Interest expense, net 366 445 1,874 2,909 --------- --------- --------- --------- INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES 14,559 12,358 16,310 12,249 Income tax provision 5,387 4,696 6,035 4,648 --------- --------- --------- --------- INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 9,172 7,662 10,275 7,601 DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS: Loss from discontinued operations (including loss on disposal) (28) (88) (121) (754) Income tax benefit 11 33 45 279 --------- --------- --------- --------- LOSS FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (17) (55) (76) (475) --------- --------- --------- --------- NET INCOME $ 9,155 $ 7,607 $ 10,199 $ 7,126 ========= ========= ========= ========= NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE: Basic: Income from continuing operations $ 0.56 $ 0.46 $ 0.62 $ 0.47 Loss from discontinued operations -- -- -- (0.03) --------- --------- --------- --------- Net income $ 0.56 $ 0.46 $ 0.62 $ 0.44 ========= ========= ========= ========= Diluted: Income from continuing operations $ 0.54 $ 0.44 $ 0.59 $ 0.45 Loss from discontinued operations -- -- -- (0.03) --------- --------- --------- --------- Net income $ 0.54 $ 0.44 $ 0.59 $ 0.42 ========= ========= ========= ========= Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 16,290 16,371 16,453 16,279 ========= ========= ========= ========= Diluted 17,029 17,132 17,178 16,789 ========= ========= ========= ========= Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results, performance, achievements of the Company, or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the competitive environment in the book retail industry in general and in the Company's specific market area; inflation; economic conditions in general and in the Company's specific market areas; the number of store openings and closings; the profitability of certain product lines, capital expenditures and future liquidity; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; uncertainties related to the Internet and the Company's Internet initiative. In addition, such forward-looking statements are necessarily dependent upon assumptions, estimates and dates that may be incorrect or imprecise and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Accordingly, any forward-looking statements included herein do not purport to be predictions of future events or circumstances and may not be realized. Given these uncertainties, shareholders and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligations to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events or developments.