Operating Income
Operating income was $399.5 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $14.7 million, or 3.5% lower than operating income of $414.1 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. Operating income as a percentage of net sales decreased to 26.3% for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 from 33.3% for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. Operating income for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 decreased primarily as a result of the decrease in the gross profit as a percentage of net sales as well as the increase in operating expenses. Operating income was $71.5 million and $96.8 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, for our operations in EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Operating income for the Monster Energy® Drinks segment, exclusive of corporate and unallocated expenses, was $454.6 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $10.3 million, or 2.2% lower than operating income of $464.8 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. The decrease in operating income for the Monster Energy® Drinks segment was primarily the result of a decrease in gross profit as a percentage of net sales as well as an increase in operating expenses.
Operating income for the Strategic Brands segment, exclusive of corporate and unallocated expenses, was $57.2 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, an increase of approximately $12.1 million, or 26.7% higher than operating income of $45.1 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. The increase in operating income for the Strategic Brands segment was primarily the result of an increase in net sales.
Operating loss for the Alcohol Brands segment, exclusive of corporate and unallocated expenses, was $5.0 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022. Inventory purchased as part of the CANarchy Transaction was recorded at fair value.The inventory acquired was subsequently sold in the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and was recognized through cost of goods sold at fair value (purchased cost), resulting in no recognized profits on the associated sales. Operating income was negatively impacted by approximately $3.8 million during the three-months ended March 31, 2022 as a result. As of March 31, 2022, all purchased inventory recorded at fair value had been sold.
Operating income for the Other segment, exclusive of corporate and unallocated expenses, was $1.1 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of approximately $0.7 million, or 37.5% lower than operating income of $1.8 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021.
Interest and Other Expense, net
Interest and other non-operating expense, net, was $7.3 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, as compared to interest and other non-operating expense, net, of $0.8 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. Foreign currency transaction losses were $8.4 million and $0.8 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Interest income was $1.5 million and $1.1 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Provision for Income Taxes
Provision for income taxes was $98.0 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of $0.2 million, or 0.2% lower than the provision for income taxes of $98.2 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. The effective combined federal, state and foreign tax rate increased to 25.0% from 23.8% for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in effective tax rate was primarily attributable to the increase in the net losses in certain foreign subsidiaries that have no related income tax benefits as a result of the prior establishment of valuation allowances on their deferred tax assets.
Net Income
Net income was $294.2 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of $21.0 million, or 6.7% lower than net income of $315.2 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2021. The decrease in net income for the three-months ended March 31, 2022 was primarily due to the decrease in the gross profit percentage of net sales as well as the increase in operating expenses.