National Vision Holdings, Inc.

National Vision Holdings, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2017 Financial Results

Duluth, Ga. -- Mar. 8, 2018 -- National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE) ("National Vision" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 30, 2017 and is providing its outlook for fiscal 2018.

Fourth Quarter Summary:

Fiscal 2017 Summary:

Reade Fahs, chief executive officer, stated, "The fourth quarter represented a strong finish to another record year of revenues and profitability for National Vision. The team delivered its 64th consecutive quarter of positive comparable store sales growth, once again driven by increases in customer transactions, with same store sales gains in all of our brands. Our fourth quarter results reinforce our belief that our strong value message continues to resonate with our cost-conscious patients and customers. We successfully opened 17 stores this quarter and continue to see a long runway for store growth. Every day our nearly 11,000 associates, including our 2,000 optometrists practicing in or next to our over 1,000 stores, work hard to make quality eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses more affordable in communities throughout the United States. We continue to believe that, as long as we provide great prices and great service to our patients and customers, we should be well-positioned in 2018 and beyond."

This release uses the measures adjusted comparable store sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income and EBITDA, which are not measures recognized under generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Please see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for more information.

Fourth Quarter 2017 Highlights

Note: Unless indicated otherwise, the information in this release has been adjusted to give effect to a 1.96627-for-one reverse stock split of the Company's common stock effected on October 24, 2017 in connection with the Company's initial public offering ("IPO").

of 2017 were both approximately $1.5 million lower than the fourth quarter of 2016, and there was an immaterial impact on net income.

Fiscal 2017 Highlights

of interest expense, net, primarily results from the additional principal outstanding under the first lien credit agreement to fund the February 2, 2017 recapitalization dividend.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights as of December 30, 2017

The Company is providing the following outlook for the fiscal year ending December 29, 2018:

The fiscal 2018 outlook information provided above includes Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income guidance, which are non-GAAP financial measures management uses in measuring performance. The Company is not able to reconcile these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to GAAP without unreasonable efforts because it is not possible to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty the actual impact of certain items and unanticipated events, including taxes and non-recurring items, which would be included in GAAP results. The impact of such items and unanticipated events could be potentially significant.

The fiscal 2018 outlook is forward-looking, subject to significant business, economic, regulatory and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and its management, and based upon assumptions with respect to future decisions, which are subject to change. Actual results may vary and those variations may be material. As such, the Company's results may not fall within the ranges contained in its fiscal 2018 outlook. The Company uses these forward looking metrics internally to assess and benchmark its results and strategic plans.

Conference Call Details

A conference call to discuss the fourth quarter 2017 financial results is scheduled for today, March 8, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The U.S. toll free dial-in for the conference call is 866-754-6931 and the international dial-in is 636-812-6625. The conference passcode is 1679439. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the "Investor" section of the Company's website www.nationalvision.com/investors, where presentation materials will be posted prior to the conference call.

A telephone replay will be available shortly after the broadcast through Thursday, March 15, 2018, by dialing 855-859-2056 from the U.S. or 404-537-3406 from international locations, and entering conference passcode 1679439. A replay of the audio webcast will also be archived on the "Investors" section of the Company's website.

About National Vision Holdings, Inc.

National Vision Holdings, Inc. is one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States with over 1,000 retail stores in 44 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. With a mission of helping people by making quality eye care and eyewear more affordable and accessible, the Company operates five retail brands: America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Vision Centers inside select Walmart stores, and Vista Opticals inside Fred Meyer stores and on select military bases, offering a variety of products and services for customers' eye care needs.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements contained under "Fiscal 2018 Outlook" as well as other statements related to our expectations regarding the performance of our industry, growth strategy, goals and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other financial and operating information. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook," "guidance," "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seeks," "projects," "predicts," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including our ability to open and operate new stores in a timely and cost-effective manner and to successfully enter new markets; our ability to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow from our operations to grow; our ability to recruit and retain vision care professionals for our stores; state, local and federal vision care and healthcare laws and regulations; our relationships with managed vision care companies, vision insurance providers and other third-party payors; our operating relationships with our host and legacy partners; the risk of loss or disruption in our distribution centers and optical laboratories; risks associated with vendors and suppliers from whom our products are sourced; competition in the optical retail industry; risks associated with information technology systems and the security of personal information and payment card data collected by us and our vendors; macroeconomic factors and other factors impacting consumer spending beyond the Company's control; our growth strategy's impact on our existing resources and performance of our existing stores; our ability to retain senior management and attract new personnel; our ability to manage costs; the success of our marketing, advertising and promotional efforts; risks associated with leasing substantial amounts of space; product liability, product recall or personal injury issues; risks associated with managed vision care laws and regulations; our increasing reliance on third-party coverage and reimbursement; issues regarding inventory management; risks related to our e-commerce business; seasonal fluctuations in our business; technological advances that may reduce demand for our products; we may incur losses arising from our investments in technological innovators in the optical retail industry; legal regulatory risks, including adverse judgments or settlements from legal proceedings; our ability to protect our intellectual property; the impact our leverage has on our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations; our credit agreement contains restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business; risks related to our debt agreements; our ability to comply with requirements to design and implement and maintain effective internal controls; and risks related to being a controlled company. Additional information about these and other factors that could cause National Vision's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in filings by National Vision with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and in our filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company's financial information presented in accordance with GAAP and aid understanding of the Company's business performance, the Company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures, namely "EBITDA," "Adjusted EBITDA," "Adjusted EBITDA Margin" and "Adjusted Net Income." We believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income assist investors and analysts in comparing our operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in highlighting trends in our operating performance, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which we operate and capital investments. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to supplement GAAP measures of performance in the evaluation of the effectiveness of our business strategies, to make budgeting decisions, to establish discretionary annual incentive compensation and to compare our performance against that of other peer companies using similar measures. Management supplements GAAP results with non-GAAP financial measures to provide a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the business than GAAP results alone.

To supplement the Company's comparable store sales growth presented in accordance with GAAP, the Company provides "Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth," which is a non-GAAP financial measure we believe is useful because it provides timely and accurate information relating to the two core metrics of retail sales: number of transactions and value of transactions. Management uses Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth as the basis for key operating decisions, such as allocation of advertising to particular markets and implementation of special marketing programs. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth provides timely and accurate information relating to the operational health and overall performance of each brand. We also believe that, for the same reasons, investors find our calculation of Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth to be meaningful.

EBITDA: We define EBITDA as net income, plus interest expense, income tax provision and depreciation and amortization.

Adjusted EBITDA: We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, further adjusted to exclude stock compensation expense, costs associated with debt refinancing, asset impairment, non-cash inventory write-offs, management fees, new store pre-opening expenses, non-cash rent, litigation settlement and other expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin: We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by net revenue.

Adjusted Net Income: We define Adjusted Net Income as net income, plus stock compensation expense, costs associated with debt refinancing, asset impairment, non-cash inventory write-offs, management fees, new store pre-opening expenses, non-cash rent, litigation settlement, amortization of acquisition intangibles and deferred financing costs and other expenses, tax legislation adjustment, less the tax effect of these adjustments.

Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth: We measure Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth as the increase or decrease in sales recorded by the comparable store base in any reporting period, compared to sales recorded by the comparable store base in the prior reporting period, which we calculate as follows: (i) sales are recorded on a cash basis (i.e. when the order is placed and paid for, compared to when the order is delivered), utilizing cash basis point of sale information from stores; (ii) stores are added to the calculation in their 13th full month; (iii) closed stores are removed from the calculation for time periods that are not comparable; (iv) sales from partial months of operation are ignored when stores do not open or close on the first day of the month; and (v) when applicable, we adjust for the effect of the 53rd week. Quarterly, year-to-date and annual adjusted comparable store sales are aggregated using only sales from all whole months of operation included in both the current reporting period and the prior reporting period. When a partial month is excluded from the calculation, the corresponding month in the subsequent period is also excluded from the calculation.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth are not recognized terms under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or the ratio of net income (loss) to net revenue as a measure of financial performance, cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity, comparable store sales growth as a measure of operating performance, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, these measures are not intended to be a measure of free cash flow available for management's discretionary use as they do not consider certain cash requirements such as interest payments, tax payments and debt service requirements. The presentations of these measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Because not all companies use identical calculations, the presentations of these measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies and can differ significantly from company to company.

Please see "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures used in this release to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

National Vision Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

As of December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

In Thousands, Except Par Value

National Vision Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the Three Months and Years Ended December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

In Thousands, Except Earnings Per Share

National Vision Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the Years Ended December 30, 2017, December 31, 2016, and January 2, 2016

National Vision Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Net Income

For the Three Months and Fiscal Years Ended December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

Note: Percentages reflect line item as a percentage of net revenue

National Vision Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Reconciliation of Adjusted Comparable Store Sales Growth to Total Comparable Store Sales Growth

For the Three Months and Fiscal Years Ended December 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

National Vision Holdings, Inc.

David Mann, CFA, Vice President of Investor Relations

National Vision Holdings, Inc.

Kristina Gross, Director of Communications