BlueLinx Holdings Inc., Atlanta, GA, distributor of building products, reported sales of $4.9 billion, down 12.9% from $5.62 billion a year ago, reflecting lower structural product prices and unit volume. Profit was $15.8 million, compared with $44.6 million a year ago.
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CEO Stephen Macadam said:  ; As a distributor of building products, we continued to experience a sharp drop in demand that began earlier in the year as housing starts continued their slowdown and prices for wood-based structural products remained sharply below year-ago levels. The fall-off in demand was exacerbated by ongoing inventory reductions throughout the supply chain, and by the normal seasonal business slowdown associated with the winter months.
Macadam said the housing market shows no signs of improvement in the near future and the outlook for the company’s other end-user markets remains mixed. BlueLinx plans to focus on specialty products to expand margins, to manage its structural business for profitability and to aggressively manage costs.
As reported earlier, for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 30, 2006, sales were $940.3 million, down 29.3% from the prior-year period. BlueLinx recorded a net loss for the quarter totaling $5.9 million, compared with a profit of $14.5 million a year ago.
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