Can anybody stop them..............................................?????????? ????????

[Chris Ryser]

Coastal Contacts Reports Record Revenue in Fiscal 2011 Coastal Contacts Reports Record Revenue in Fiscal 2011 Download this Press Release VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 14, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Download this Press Release
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 14, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coastal Contacts Inc. ("Coastal" or "the Company") (TSX:COA), the planet's biggest online eyewear company, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended October 31, 2011. For the fourth quarter ended October 31, 2011: Sales increased 24% to $50.1 million from $40.5 million during the same period of 2010. Total eyeglasses sales increased 88% to $11.3 million from $6.0 million during the same period in 2010. Total contact lens sales increased 12% to $38.8 million from $34.5 million during the same period in 2010. Gross profit increased 22% to $14.4 million and as a percentage of sales, gross margin remained constant at 29% of sales. Adjusted EBITDA was $0.5 million compared with $2.0 million during the same period in 2010. Loss for the period was $1.0 million compared with earnings of $1.4 million during the same period in 2010. Cash and equivalents of $16.9 million compared with $18.3 million at the end of the same period in 2010. 53% of eyeglasses sales were Coastal's proprietary brands. For the year ended October 31, 2011: Sales increased 20% to $184.1 million, a $30.9 million increase from $153.2 million during the same period in 2010. Total eyeglasses sales increased 103% to $40 million from $20 million during the same period in 2010. Total contact lens sales increased 8% to $144.5 million from $133.7 million during the same period in fiscal 2010. Gross profit increased 25% to $54.7 million and gross margin grew to 30% compared with 29% during the same period in 2010. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.3 million compared with $7.8 million during the same period in 2010. The Company noted the following operating highlights for 2011: Total order volume was approximately 2.2 million orders in fiscal 2011, a 36% increase over fiscal 2010. Coastal grew its base of active customers by approximately 500,000 or 15% to 3.3 million. Orders to new customers accounted for 33% of total orders. Eyeglasses shipments grew to 789,000 pairs, an increase of 197% over 2010. Successfully launched Splash™, Coastal's proprietary contact lens brand. Mr. Roger Hardy, Coastal's Founder and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased with the progress Coastal has made throughout the year, as we executed on our strategy of investing to build the dominant brand in the large and growing online eyewear category. Coastal's emerging eyeglasses business is driving top line growth in multiple markets, increasing to $40 million or 103% over 2010, while the overall business grew 20% to $184 million. In addition, our contact lens business grew organically 8% to $145 million, outpacing the growth of the contact lens category overall, providing Coastal with a growing and predictable revenue stream. On a personal note I would to thank the entire Coastal team for their many contributions this year in continuing to build the planet's largest online eyewear company." Key figures: Adjusted EBITDA for fiscal 2011 was $1.3 million compared with $7.8 million for fiscal 2010. Loss for the fiscal year was $4.9 million or $0.09 per share compared with earnings of $3.1 million or $0.05 per share in fiscal 2010. Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2011 increased 24% to $50.1 million versus $40 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Adjusted EBITDA during the quarter was $0.5 million compared to $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Loss for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $1.0 million or $0.02 per share, compared with earnings of $1.4 million, or $0.02 per share in the fourth quarter of 2010. source: http://investors.coastalcontacts.com...6-1a5050ead337

[Uncle Fester]

Chris- Help me out here-- is Coastal making money for investors yet?

[Fezz]

$.02???

[Chris Ryser]

Chris- Help me out here-- is Coastal making money for investors yet?

It does not look like it,.................but however they sell the products big time as it looks, and employ over 300 people........................and who is interested to get involved with real big time optical product retail sellers and then make profits ????????????????????? take an educated guess.

Their shares are public and who could make a good profit taking them over in a little while down the road..........................My guess would be a huge optical manufacturing corporation. Either one or the other.

[Perry]

The contact lens companies must be supplying Coastal directly. How else could they acquire so many
boxes of lenses to ship each day. Of course they say they aren't.

[Chris Ryser]

The contact lens companies must be supplying Coastal directly. How else could they acquire so many
boxes of lenses to ship each day. Of course they say they aren't.

If you were a primary contact lens company would you refuse to sell to them ? If you could have a few million Dollars sales to one customer you for sure not refuse to sell. So we can easily assume that they all do. So do also all other optical manufacturers if they can.

For the year ended October 31, 2011:
Sales increased 20% to $184.1 million, a $30.9 million increase from $153.2 million during the same period in 2010. Total eyeglasses sales increased 103% to $40 million from $20 million during the same period in 2010. Total contact lens sales increased 8% to $144.5 million from $133.7 million during the same period in fiscal 2010. Gross profit increased 25% to $54.7 million and gross margin grew to 30% compared with 29% during the same period in 2010.

So now we are 17 days into the New Year and at last years rate they would have sold $ 504,000. That is a lot of glasses the ECP is not selling and it is only one onliner. Essilor's "Frames Direct" probably does as much, probably even more plus you get all the others.
However this post probably will fall on deaf ears and leave no impression...................until a lot of affected retailers will have a rough wakeup call.

[Patrick888]

Every e-commerce company evolve in the same route: lose money and invest this money to expand the market share, waiting for most of the competitors to leave the market, then the top ones win. Coastal is following the same route. Online eyeglasses business is still in its infancy, so whatever amount of money they are losing or making, it does not matter. From a source of insiders of FramesDirect.com, they are also thinking of entering the low-end market Zenni is doing now, by outsourcing its lab in China. Coastal is in the middle-end market.

The impact of online optical will not be too big on independent stores. For example, each 1000 pairs of sales online will only reduce the sales of independents and chains for about 200 pairs. 800 pairs are incremental due to the affordability and easier accessibility.

[idispense]

study the financial statements of the BC Regulatory College to see the impact of Coastal , if the revenue base declines at the regulator it may be due to license renewals dropping off, yet their cash balances may increase but that will be due to savings by not prosecuting anyone therefore their legal bills will be lower. if anyone can dispense without a license, then why would you discipline your own ?

the refraction they won is of very limited value compared to losing the dispensing portion. even EyeLogic could not find enough buyers in BC for their "goldmine refraction equipment" . the refraction win was a loss .

same thing will happen in Ontario and other proovinces ,as none of them are actively pursuing discipline cases . read their mission statements and you can sense the change of mandate. they are only fee collection agencies now with hollow words .

[MEB]

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