Conn’s, Inc. (NASDAQ:CONN) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Vincent Caintic: Okay. Great. And so it sounds like for the eCommerce platform, transition is nearly complete. The lease-to-own in-house, is that — is the infrastructure already in place and so we should be seeing that rolled out pretty soon? Or are there other investments that could be made?

Norman Miller: No, we’re — I mean it’s all the IT, that’s the work that’s being done right now. But our expectation, as we said in the prepared remarks, is we expect our first lease agreements to be written in the first quarter of this calendar year. So over the next couple of months, we’re — I would say we’re rounding the top of the bend and coming toward the finish line there to be able to really start executing on that business. The infrastructure from an underwriting, from a model standpoint, from a collection standpoint, we already have that in place with our Conn’s in-house. And we have beefed that up in anticipation of this new credit offering that we expect to really start accelerating throughout next year.

George Bchara: And Vincent, it’s going to be a ramp throughout the — mostly the first half of next year from when we originate our first lease-to-own contract to when we’re originating more than half of our leases in-house.

Norman Miller: And I would say we have a great partner with AFF that works with us now that we would expect, at least through this next calendar year, they’ll continue to get a portion of the business. There’s value for us to do that from a Champion/Challenger standpoint and to have another look on what’s happening from a performance and a credit standpoint. So — but the vast majority of the lease-to-own business, ultimately, we will transfer that and start underwriting that in-house.

Vincent Caintic: Okay. Great. And second topic, on the funding side of the business, it’s great to hear about the credit amendment and getting an additional 6 months of room. Just wondering if you could talk broadly about your strategy and if there’s anything else that you would like to change in the capital structure. And then two, kind of a quick question, just if the amended credit agreement limits the stock buybacks and then if there’s any impact — earnings impact from selling the notes that was sold this quarter.

George Bchara: Yes. So Vincent, obviously, the ABS market remains a critical aspect of our business from a funding standpoint. We just sold the Class C bond from the 2022 transaction this past month in most subordinated tranche of that class, and we were able to execute that in a challenging market from an ABS standpoint. So I would tell you that, that gives us the confidence that we continue to access the market, that particular market, which is important for us from a funding standpoint. The other thing I would note is that we ended the month of November with $222 million of liquidity. So even with the liquidity buffer that’s in that — the ABL amendment, we believe we have enough access to capital to be able to not only fund the operating needs of the business but also to invest in the growth going forward.

Related to the — to your last question about the earnings impact, yes, there will be — relative to Q3, our interest expense will be higher in Q4 as a result of the sale of the Class C bond.

Operator: There are no further questions at this time. I would now like to hand the call back over to management for any closing remarks.

Norman Miller: Well, I want to thank everybody for their participation on the call and their interest in the company. I’m glad to be back. The leadership team is excited to execute on our priorities and be able to deliver stronger results going forward. So look forward to talking with everyone on our next call. Have a great day.

Operator: Thank you. This does conclude today’s teleconference. We appreciate your participation. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Enjoy the rest of your day.

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