Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis is intended to promote understanding of the results of operations and financial condition of the Company and MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and assumptions. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences are discussed in "Item 1A. Risk Factors".
We report on the basis of a 52- or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to the last day of January. Accordingly, references herein to "fiscal year 2022", "fiscal year 2021" and "fiscal year 2020" relate to the 52 weeks ended January 28, 2023, January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively.
Overview
BJ’s Wholesale Club is a leading warehouse club operator concentrated primarily on the east coast of the United States. We deliver significant value to our members, consistently offering 25% or more savings on a representative basket of manufacturer-branded groceries compared to traditional supermarket competitors. We provide a curated assortment focused on perishable products, continuously refreshed general merchandise, gasoline and other ancillary services to deliver a differentiated shopping experience that is further enhanced by our omnichannel capabilities.
Since pioneering the warehouse club model in New England in 1984, we have grown our footprint to 226 large-format, high volume warehouse clubs spanning 17 states. In our core New England markets, which have high population density and generate a disproportionate part of U.S. GDP, we operate almost three times the number of clubs compared to the next largest warehouse club competitor. In addition to shopping in our clubs, members are able to shop when and how they want through our website, bjs.com, and our highly rated mobile app, which allows them to use our BOPIC service, curbside delivery, same day home delivery or traditional ship-to-home service.
Our leadership team continues to implement significant cultural and operational changes to our business, including transforming how we use data to improve member experience, instilling a culture of cost discipline, adopting a more proactive approach to growing our membership base and building an omnichannel offering oriented towards making shopping at BJ’s more convenient. These changes continue to deliver results rapidly, evidenced by year-over-year income from continuing operations growth, consecutive quarter comparable club sales growth over the last three years and adjusted EBITDA growth over the last three years.
Our goal is to offer our members significant value and a meaningful return in savings on their annual membership fee. We have more than six million members paying annual fees to gain access to savings on groceries and general merchandise and services. The annual membership fee for our Inner Circle® membership is $55, and the annual membership fee for our BJ’s Perks Rewards® membership, which offers additional value-enhancing features, is $110. We believe that members can save over ten times their $55 Inner Circle membership fee versus what they would otherwise pay at traditional supermarket competitors when they spend $2,500 or more per year at BJ’s on manufacturer-branded groceries. In addition to providing significant savings on a representative basket of manufacturer-branded groceries, we accept all manufacturer coupons and also carry our own exclusive brands that enable members to save on price without compromising on quality. Our two private label brands, Wellsley Farms® and Berkley Jensen®, represent over $3.0 billion in annual sales, and are the largest brands we sell in terms of volume. Our customers recognize the relevance of our value proposition across economic environments, as demonstrated by over 20 consecutive years of membership fee income growth. Our membership fee income was $360.9 million for fiscal year 2021.
Our business is moderately seasonal in nature. Historically, our business has generally realized a slightly higher portion of net sales, operating income and cash flows from operations in the second and fourth fiscal quarters, attributable primarily to the impact of the summer and year-end holiday season, respectively. Our quarterly results have been, and will continue to be,
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affected by the timing of new club openings and their associated pre-opening expenses. As a result of these factors, our financial results for any single quarter or for periods of less than a year are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year.
On January 25, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of four distribution centers and the related private transportation fleet from Burris Logistics, which is expected to bring end-to-end perishable supply chain in-house. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 and the Company expects to finance the purchase price with a combination of available cash and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility. However, there is no assurance that the transaction will be completed on the time frame or the terms that we expect or that, following the closing of the transaction, we will not experience disruption in our logistics processes that could materially impact sales and profitability for the near term while we integrated the assets into our operations.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Despite the ongoing impact and evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to experience strong sales, growth in membership rates, and acceleration in traffic and ticket. During fiscal year 2021, our grocery division continued to drive higher sales performance as consumer trends continued with greater at-home food consumption.However, we have continued to face several operational challenges directly or indirectly related to the pandemic, including supply chain constraints, inflation, and wage inflation. Refer to "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for additional information.
Effective September 1, 2021, we increased wages for hourly club and warehouse team members. Additionally, we have continued to invest in health and safety practices, including providing personal protective equipment, enhancing sanitation measures and implementing social distancing protocols to ensure the safety of our members and team members.
The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and continuously evolving, and the long-term impacts on our financial condition and results of operations are still uncertain.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements, including the related notes, are presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). In addition to relevant GAAP measures we also provide non-GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA, comparable club sales, free cash flow, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share because management believes these metrics are useful to investors and analysts by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. These measures are customary for our industry and commonly used by competitors. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be reviewed in isolation or considered as an alternative to any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. In addition, adjusted EBITDA, comparable club sales, free cash flow, adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in our industry or across different industries.
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Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as income from continuing operations before interest expense, net, provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization, adjusted for the impact of certain other items, including stock-based compensation expense; pre-opening expenses; non-cash rent; strategic consulting; offering costs; club closing and impairment charges; reduction in force severance; acquisition and integration costs; and other adjustments. The following is a reconciliation of our income from continuing operations to Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales for the periods presented:
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands)
Acquisition and integration costs (3) 3,504 — —
Reduction-in-force severance (4) 2,300 — 3,994
Offering costs (5) — — 1,928
Club closing and impairment charges (6) — — 15,383
Strategic consulting (7) — — 11,349
Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales 5.4 % 5.7 % 4.5 %
__________
Comparable Club Sales and Merchandise Comparable Club Sales
Comparable club sales, also known as same-store sales, includes all clubs that were open for at least 13 months at the beginning of the period and were in operation during the entirety of both periods being compared, including relocated clubs and expansions.
Comparable club sales allow us to evaluate how our club base is performing by measuring the change in period-over-period net sales in clubs that have been open for the applicable period. Various factors affect comparable club sales, including consumer preferences and trends, product sourcing, promotional offerings and pricing, customer experience and purchase amounts, weather and holiday shopping period timing and length.
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Merchandise comparable club sales represents comparable club sales from all merchandise other than our gasoline operations for the applicable period. Refer to "Results of Operations" below for further discussion of comparable club sales and merchandise comparable club sales.
Free Cash Flow
We present free cash flow because we use it to report to our board of directors and we believe it assists investors and analysts in evaluating our liquidity. Free cash flow should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operations as a liquidity measure. We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities less additions to property and equipment, net of disposals, plus proceeds from sale leaseback transactions. The following is a reconciliation of our net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for the periods presented:
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands)
Free cash flow continues to be healthy. The decline year-over-year is a result of the timing of net working capital investments and capital spend in fiscal year 2021 as we opened five new clubs and seven new gas stations.
Adjusted Net Income
The adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share metrics are important measures used by management to compare the performance of core operating results between periods. We define adjusted net income as net income as reported adjusted for: stock-based compensation related to acceleration of stock awards; acquisition and integration costs; incremental home office expenses; loss on cash flow hedge; expenses related to debt payments; severance charges; offering costs; gains on sale leaseback transactions; club closing and impairment charges; and the tax impact of the foregoing adjustments on net income. We define adjusted net income per diluted share as adjusted net income divided by the weighted-average diluted shares outstanding.
We believe adjusted net income and adjusted net income per diluted share are useful metrics to investors and analysts because they present more accurate year-over-year comparisons for our net income and net income per diluted share because adjusted items are not the result of our normal operations.
Adjustments:
Stock-based compensation related to acceleration of stock awards (1) 17,494 — —
Acquisition and integration costs (2) 3,504 — —
Incremental home office expense (3) 552 — —
Offering costs (7) — — 1,928
Gains on sale leaseback transactions (8) — — (2,585)
Club closing and impairment charges (9) — — 15,383
Adjusted net income per diluted share (11) $ 3.25 $ 3.09 $ 1.46
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(7) Represents costs related to registered offerings by selling shareholders.
(8) Represents a gain from the sale leaseback of one of our Michigan locations.
Factors Affecting Our Business
Overall economic trends
The overall economic environment and related changes in consumer behavior have a significant impact on our business. In general, positive conditions in the broader economy promote customer spending in our clubs, while economic weakness, which generally results in a reduction of customer spending, may have a different or more extreme effect on spending at our clubs. Macroeconomic factors that can affect customer spending patterns, and thereby our results of operations, include employment rates, changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), government stimulus programs, tax legislation, business conditions, changes in the housing market, the availability of credit, interest rates, tax rates and fuel and energy costs. In addition, unemployment rates and benefits may cause us to experience higher labor costs.
Size and loyalty of membership base
The membership model is a critical element of our business. Members drive our results of operations through their membership fee income and their purchases. The majority of members renew within six months following their renewal date. Therefore, our renewal rate is a trailing calculation that captures renewals during the period seven to eighteen months prior to the reporting date. We have grown our membership fee income each year for the past two decades. Our membership fee income totaled $360.9 million in fiscal year 2021. Our membership renewal rate, a key indicator of membership engagement, satisfaction and loyalty, was 89% at the end of fiscal year 2021.
Effective sourcing and distribution of products and consumer demands
Our net sales and gross profit are affected by our ability to purchase our products in sufficient quantities at competitive prices. Recently, we have experienced challenges in the global supply chain, which we expect to continue for the foreseeable future. Further, our ability to maintain our appeal to existing customers and attract new customers primarily depends on our ability to originate, develop and offer a compelling product assortment responsive to customer preferences. As a result, our level of net sales could be adversely affected due to constraints in our supply chain, including our inability to procure and stock sufficient quantities of some merchandise in a manner that is able to match market demand from our customers.
Infrastructure investment
Our historical operating results reflect the impact of our ongoing investments to support our growth. We have made significant investments in our business that we believe have laid the foundation for continued profitable growth. We believe that strengthening our management team and enhancing our information systems, including our distribution center management and point-of-sale systems, and investing in hardware and digitally enabled shopping capabilities for convenience, such as BOPIC and curbside pickup, will enable us to replicate our profitable club format and provide a differentiated shopping experience. We expect these infrastructure investments to support our successful operating model across our club operations.
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Gasoline prices
The market price of gasoline impacts our net sales and comparable club sales, and large fluctuations in the price of gasoline may produce a short-term impact on our margins. Retail gasoline prices are driven by daily crude oil and wholesale commodity market changes and are volatile, as they are influenced by factors that include changes in demand and supply of oil and refined products, global geopolitical events, regional market conditions and supply interruptions caused by severe weather conditions. Typically, the change in crude oil prices impacts the purchase price of wholesale petroleum fuel products, which in turn impacts retail gasoline prices at the pump. During times when prices are particularly volatile, differences in pricing and procurement strategies between the Company and its competitors may lead to temporary margin contraction or expansion, depending on whether prices are rising or falling, and this impact could affect our overall results for a fiscal quarter.
In addition, the relative level of gasoline prices from period to period may lead to differences in our net sales between those periods. Further, because we generally attempt to maintain a fairly stable gross profit per gallon, this variance in net sales, which may be substantial, may or may not have a significant impact on our operating income.
Inflation and deflation trends
Our financial results can be directly impacted by substantial increases in product costs due to commodity cost increases or general inflation, which could lead to a reduction in our sales, as well as greater margin pressure, as costs may not be able to be passed on to consumers. Changes in commodity prices and general inflation have impacted several categories of our business. This inflationary pressure is due primarily to supply chain disruptions complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to increasing commodity prices or general inflation, we seek to minimize the impact of such events by sourcing our merchandise from different vendors, changing our product mix or increasing our pricing when necessary.
Results of Operations
Information pertaining to fiscal year 2019 was included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 30, 2021 in Part II, Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Position and Results of Operations," which was filed with the SEC on March 19, 2021.
The following tables summarize key components of our results of operations for the periods indicated:
Statement of Operations Data (dollars in thousands): Fiscal Year Ended
Income from continuing operations before income taxes 557,879 558,007
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes (108) (152)
Operational Data:
Total clubs at end of period 226 221
Comparable club sales 6.5 % 15.9 %
Merchandise comparable club sales (0.5) % 21.3 %
Membership renewal rate 89 % 88 %
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Fiscal Year 2021 Compared to Fiscal Year 2020
Net Sales
Net sales are derived from direct retail sales to customers in our clubs and online, net of merchandise returns and discounts. Growth in net sales is impacted by opening new clubs and increases in comparable club sales. Net sales for fiscal year 2021 were $16.3 billion, an 8.0% increase from net sales reported for fiscal year 2020 of $15.1 billion. The increase was due primarily to a 6.5% increase in comparable club sales and incremental sales from new clubs opened over the past two years.
Comparable Club Sales and Merchandise Comparable Club Sales
We believe net sales is an important driver of our profitability, particularly comparable club sales. Comparable sales growth is a function of increasing shopping frequency from new and existing members and the amount they spend on each visit. Sales comparisons can be influenced by certain factors that are beyond our control such as changes in the cost of gasoline and macro-economic factors such as inflation. The higher comparable club sales, the more we can leverage certain of our selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, reducing them as a percentage of sales and enhancing profitability.
Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 29, 2022
Comparable club sales 6.5 %
Less: Contribution from gasoline sales 7.0 %
Merchandise comparable club sales (0.5) %
Merchandise comparable club sales decreased (0.5)% in fiscal year 2021. The decrease was driven by a decrease in sales of groceries of 1.7% and growth in sales of general merchandise and services of approximately 5.7%.
In grocery, sales decreased as a result of categories impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain challenges, including paper products, cleaning supplies, and dairy. In general merchandise and services, sales were strongest in apparel, toys, tires and indoor furniture.
Membership fee income
Our membership structure is pinnacle to our business and we continue to see growth in the size and quality of our membership base, primarily driven by renewals and favorable membership mix. Higher-tier membership penetration has increased year-over-year. This group consists of our most loyal members with the highest lifetime value.
Membership fee income was $360.9 million in fiscal year 2021, compared to $333.1 million in fiscal year 2020, an 8.4% increase. The growth in membership fee income was due to successful member acquisition efforts, improving our renewal rate to 89%, increasing higher tier membership penetration and improving the quality of memberships.
Costofsales
Cost of sales consists primarily of the direct cost of merchandise and gasoline sold at our clubs, including costs associated with operating our distribution centers, including payroll, payroll benefits, occupancy costs and depreciation; freight expenses associated with moving merchandise from vendors to our distribution centers and from distribution centers to our clubs, and vendor allowances, rebates and cash discounts. We continue to experience inflation across most categories and have invested in certain categories to preserve our member value proposition.
Cost of sales was $13.6 billion, or 83.3% of net sales, in fiscal year 2021, compared to $12.5 billion, or 82.5% of net sales, in fiscal year 2020. The 0.9% increase as a percentage of net sales was driven by higher penetration of gas sales. Merchandise gross margin rate increased approximately 20 basis points over fiscal year 2020. While merchandise margins benefited from strong sales performance, execution of our category profitability improvement initiatives and performance of our services businesses, these drivers were slightly offset by costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and cost inflation in certain commodities.
Selling,generaland administrative expenses
SG&A consists of various expenses related to supporting and facilitating the sale of merchandise in our clubs, including the following: payroll and payroll benefits for team members; rent, depreciation and other occupancy costs for retail and corporate locations; advertising expenses; tender costs, including credit and debit card fees; amortization of intangible assets; and consulting, legal, insurance, acquisition and integration costs, and other professional services expenses.
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SG&A includes both fixed and variable components and, therefore, is not directly correlated with net sales. We expect that our SG&A will increase in future periods due to investments to spur comparable club sales growth and our expanding footprint as we open new clubs. In addition, any future increases in wages, stock options or other stock-based grants or modifications will increase our SG&A expenses.
SG&A expenses were $2.4 billion, or 15.0% of net sales, in fiscal year 2021, compared to $2.3 billion, or 15.4% of net sales, in fiscal year 2020. The year-over-year increase in SG&A was primarily driven by $43.1 million in investments in club team member wages, $19.3 million in occupancy costs, $17.5 million of accelerated stock-based compensation expense related to a former executive, increased depreciation and amortization expense, and other operating costs related to volume and continued investments to drive strategic priorities.
Pre-openingexpenses
Pre-opening expenses include startup costs for new clubs. Expenses will vary based on the number of new club openings, geography of the club, whether the club is owned or leased, and timing of the opening relative to our fiscal year end.
Pre-opening expenses were $14.9 million in fiscal year 2021, compared to $9.8 million in fiscal year 2020. Pre-opening expenses for fiscal year 2021 included charges for new clubs and gas stations that opened in fiscal year 2021 and new club openings that are expected for fiscal year 2022.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net was $59.4 million for fiscal year 2021, compared to $84.4 million for fiscal year 2020. Interest expense, net for fiscal year 2021 included interest expense of $45.1 million related to debt service on outstanding borrowings and $0.7 million of fees and write-offs of deferred financing costs and original issue discounts associated with the partial prepayments of our First Lien Term Loan. Additionally, interest expense included $3.4 million of amortization expense on deferred financing costs and original issue discounts on our outstanding borrowings, $6.3 million of reclassified unrealized losses on interest rate swap agreements and $3.9 million of other interest charges.
Interest expense, net for fiscal year 2020 included interest expense of $65.3 million related to debt service on outstanding borrowings and $4.1 million of fees and write-offs of deferred financing costs and original issue discounts associated with the partial prepayments of our First Lien Term Loan in October and July of fiscal year 2020. Additionally, interest expense included $4.4 million of amortization expense on deferred financing costs and original issue discounts on our outstanding borrowings, $6.9 million of reclassified unrealized losses on interest rate swap agreements and $3.7 million of other interest charges.
Provision for income taxes
The Company’s effective income tax rate from continuing operations was 23.5% for fiscal year 2021 and 24.5% for fiscal year 2020. The decrease in the effective tax rate is primarily due to a higher excess tax benefit from exercises of stock-based awards in fiscal year 2021.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of liquidity are cash flows generated from club operations and borrowings from our ABL Facility. As of January 29, 2022, cash and cash equivalents totaled $45.4 million and we had $886.9 million of unused capacity under our ABL Facility. Our principal liquidity needs for the next twelve months and beyond are to fund normal recurring operational expenses and anticipated capital expenditures; fund pending and possible acquisitions, including the anticipated acquisition of assets from Burris Logistics; fund share repurchases and meet debt service and principal repayment obligations. We believe that our current resources, together with anticipated cash flows from operations and borrowing capacity under our ABL Facility, will be sufficient to finance our operations for at least the next twelve months.
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have, or are, in the opinion of management, reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our results of operations or financial position. We do, however, enter into letters of credit and purchase obligations in the normal course of our operations.
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Summary of Cash Flows
A summary of our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities is presented in the following table:
Fiscal Year Ended
(In thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 831,655 $ 868,546
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents $ 1,918 $ 13,314
Net Cash from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $831.7 million in fiscal year 2021, compared to $868.5 million in fiscal year 2020. The decrease in operating cash flow was due to timing of investments in net working capital.
Net Cash from Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities was $304.5 million in fiscal year 2021, compared to $192.4 million in fiscal year 2020. The increase was due to continued investments in new clubs, new gas stations and digital capabilities compared to the prior year.
Net Cash from Financing Activities
Cash used in financing activities in fiscal year 2021 was $525.2 million, compared to $662.8 million in fiscal year 2020. The decrease in fiscal year 2021 is due mainly to lower levels of repayment of outstanding borrowings on our First Lien Term Loan and ABL Facility, offset by higher share repurchases in fiscal year 2021 of $179.2 million.
Debt and Borrowing Capacity
Our primary sources of borrowing capacity are the ABL Facility, which is comprised of a $950.0 million revolving credit facility and a $50.0 million term loan, and is scheduled to mature on August 17, 2023, and the First Lien Term Loan, a senior secured first lien term loan that matures on February 3, 2024. For a further description of the ABL Facility and First Lien Term Loan, see Note 5, "Debt and Credit Arrangements" of our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
On April 30, 2021, the Company used $100.0 million of cash and cash equivalents to pay $100.0 million of the principal amount outstanding on the First Lien Term Loan. In connection with the payment, the Company expensed $0.7 million of previously capitalized debt issuance costs and original issue discount.
At January 29, 2022, there was $50.0 million outstanding in loans under the ABL Facility and $12.7 million in outstanding letters of credit. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility was 1.23%, the interest rate on the term loan was 2.10% and unused capacity was $886.9 million.
At January 29, 2022, there was $701.9 million outstanding under the First Lien Term Loan and the interest rate, before the effect of the interest rate swaps, was 2.11%.
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Material Cash Commitments
The following table summarizes our material cash commitments as of January 29, 2022:
(Dollars in thousands) Total
Outstanding borrowings and interest (1) $ 783,117
Financing leases including interest 30,648
(1)Total interest payments associated with these borrowings are included within this amount and are estimated to be $31.2 million based on the interest rate of 2.11% on the First Lien Term Loan and 2.10% on the ABL term loan, which were the rates in effect as of January 29, 2022.
(2)Includes our material unconditional cash commitments. For cancellable agreements, any penalty due upon cancellation is included. These commitments do not exceed our projected requirements and are in the normal course of business. Examples include firm commitments for merchandise purchase orders, capital expenditures, gasoline and information technology.
In addition, On January 25, 2022, we entered into an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of four distribution centers and the related private transportation fleet from Burris Logistics. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 and we expect to finance the purchase price with a combination of available cash and borrowings under the ABL Facility.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We review our estimates on an ongoing basis and make judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities based on a number of factors. These factors include historical experience and assumptions made by management that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Although management believes the judgment applied in preparing estimates is reasonable based on circumstances and information known at the time, actual results could vary materially from estimates based on assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. This section summarizes critical accounting policies and the related judgments involved in their application.
Workers’ Compensation and General Liability Self-insurance Reserves
We are primarily self-insured for workers’ compensation and general liability claims. Amounts in excess of certain levels, which range from $0.3 million to $1.0 million per occurrence, are insured as a risk reduction strategy to mitigate the impact of catastrophic losses on net income. Reported reserves for claims are derived from estimated ultimate costs based upon individual claim file reserves and estimates for incurred but not reported claims. The estimates are developed utilizing actuarial methods and are based on historical claims experience and other actuarial assumptions related to loss development factors. The inherent uncertainty of future loss projections could cause actual claims to differ from our estimates. When historical losses are not a good measure of future liability, such as in the event of COVID-19, we base our estimates of ultimate liability on our interpretation of current law, claims filed to date and other relevant factors which are subject to change. These accruals, if any, are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other non-current liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" of our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to changes in market interest rates and these changes in rates will impact our net interest expense and our cash flow from operations. Substantially all our borrowings carry variable interest rates. An increase in interest rates could have a material impact on our cash flow.
In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority announced it intended to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. In March 2021, the ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator of LIBOR, announced its intention to cease publication of certain LIBOR settings after 2021, while continuing to publish overnight and one-, three-, six-, and twelve-month U.S. dollar LIBOR rates through June 30, 2023. While this announcement extended the transition period to June 2023, the United States Federal Reserve Board and other regulatory bodies concurrently issued guidance encouraging banks and other financial market participants to cease entering into new contracts that use U.S. dollar LIBOR as a reference rate as soon as practicable and in any event no later than December 31, 2021. In the U.S., the Alternative Reference Rates Committee ("AARC"), which was convened by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has recommended that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") plus a recommended spread adjustment as its preferred alternative to USD-LIBOR. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities.
We expect that all LIBOR settings relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. As a result, any of our LIBOR-based borrowings that extend beyond such date will need to be converted to a replacement rate, including our ABL Facility and First Lien Term Loan. Certain risks may arise in connection with transitioning contracts to SOFR or any other alternative variable rate, including any resulting value transfer that may occur. The value of loans, securities, or derivative instruments tied to LIBOR could also be impacted. However, for some instruments, the method of transitioning to an alternative rate may be challenging, as they may require substantial negotiation with each respective counterparty. If a contract is not transitioned to an alternative variable rate and LIBOR is discontinued, the impact is likely to vary by contract.
The discontinuation of LIBOR will not affect our ability to borrow or maintain already outstanding borrowings or swaps, but if our contracts indexed to LIBOR, including certain contracts governing our variable rate debt, including our ABL Facility and First Lien Term Loan, and our interest rate swaps, are converted to SOFR, the differences between LIBOR and SOFR, plus the recommended spread adjustment, could result in interest costs that are higher than if LIBOR remained available. Additionally, although SOFR is the AARC’s recommended replacement rate, it is also possible that lenders may instead choose alternative replacement rates that may differ from LIBOR in ways similar to SOFR or in ways that would result in higher interest costs for us. It is not yet possible to predict the magnitude of LIBOR’s end on our borrowing costs given the remaining uncertainty about which rates will replace LIBOR.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 238) 45
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021 47
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 51
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.
Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021,and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, of shareholders' equity (deficit) and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 29, 2022, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”).We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, and the results of itsoperations and itscash flows for each of the three years in the period ended January 29, 2022in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 29, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013)issued by the COSO.
Change in Accounting Principle
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for leases in 2019.
Basis for Opinions
The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A.Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidatedfinancial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and
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expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Workers’ Compensation and General Liability Reserves
As described in Notes 2, 14 and 15 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company is primarily self-insured for workers’ compensation and general liability claims. As of January 29, 2022, workers’ compensation and general liability reserves were approximately $99 million within other non-current liabilities and a significant portion of insurance reserves of $48 million within accrued expenses and other current liabilities. The reported reserves for workers’ compensation and general liability claims are derived from estimated ultimate costs based upon individual claim file reserves and estimates for incurred but not reported claims. The estimates are developed utilizing actuarial methods and are based on historical claims experience and other actuarial assumptions related to the loss development factors.
The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to workers’ compensation and general liability reserves is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the estimated workers’ compensation and general liability reserves; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and in evaluating audit evidence related to the actuarial methods and significant assumptions related to loss development factors; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.
Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s estimate of workers’ compensation and general liability reserves, including controls over the actuarial methods and significant assumptions related to the loss development factors. These procedures also included, among others (i) the involvement of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in developing an independent estimate for the accrual for workers’ compensation and general liability reserves and (ii) comparing the independent estimate to management’s estimate to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s estimate. Developing the independent estimate involved (i) testing the completeness and accuracy of underlying data provided by management and (ii) independently developing the loss development factors and applying actuarial methods.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
March 17, 2022
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1996.
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BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 54,734 48,649
Property and equipment:
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization (1,090,809) (1,158,929)
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt $ — $ 260,000
Current portion of operating lease liabilities 141,453 131,513
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 748,245 651,625
Commitments and contingencies (see Note 8)
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Preferred stock; $0.01 par value; 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued — —
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 1,305 (20,528)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
Loss from discontinued operations, net of income taxes (108) (152) (581)
Basic income per share
Income from continuing operations $ 3.15 $ 3.09 $ 1.38
Loss from discontinued operations — — (0.01)
Diluted income per share
Income from continuing operations $ 3.09 $ 3.03 $ 1.35
Loss from discontinued operations — — —
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Amounts reclassified from other comprehensive income, net of tax 9,526 6,081 —
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
(Amount in thousands)
Shares Amount Shares Amount
Postretirement medical plan adjustment, net of tax — — — — (990) — — (990)
Unrealized loss on cash flow hedge, net of tax — — — — (14,281) — — (14,281)
Dividends paid — — (25) — — — — (25)
Common stock issued under stock incentive plans 2,536 25 (25) — — — — —
Common stock issued under ESPP plan 88 1 1,728 — — — — 1,729
Stock compensation expense — — 18,796 — — — — 18,796
Net cash received on option exercises — — 11,072 — — — — 11,072
Cumulative effect of change in accounting principle — — — 11,568 — — — 11,568
Postretirement medical plan adjustment, net of tax — — — — (33) — — (33)
Unrealized loss on cash flow hedge, net of tax — — — — 10 — — 10
Dividends paid — — (25) — — — — (25)
Common stock issued under stock incentive plans 2,598 26 (26) — — — — —
Common stock issued under ESPP plan 107 1 2,675 — — — — 2,676
Stock compensation expense — — 32,150 — — — — 32,150
Net cash received on option exercises — — 17,985 — — — — 17,985
Postretirement medical plan adjustment, net of tax — — — — (110) — — (110)
Unrealized loss on cash flow hedge, net of tax — — — — 12,417 — — 12,417
Dividends paid — — (25) — — — — (25)
Common stock issued under stock incentive plans 1,915 19 (19) — — — — —
Common stock issued under ESPP plan 108 1 3,821 — — — — 3,822
Stock compensation expense — — 53,837 — — — — 53,837
Net cash received on option exercises — — 18,713 — — — — 18,713
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Amounts in thousands)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Debt extinguishment and refinancing charges 657 4,077 2,167
Impairment charges — — 13,306
Changes in operating leases and other non-cash items 9,226 9,389 2,028
Increase (decrease) in cash due to changes in:
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Debt issuance costs paid — — (21)
Net cash received from Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) 3,822 2,676 1,728
Supplemental cash flow information:
Non-cash financing and investing activities:
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
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BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
NOTES TO AUDITED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. Description of Business
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the "Company" or "BJ’s") is a leading warehouse club operator concentrated primarily on the east coast of the United States of America. As of January 29, 2022, BJ’s operated 226 warehouse clubs in 17 states.
BJ’s business is moderately seasonal in nature. Historically, the Company has realized a slightly higher portion of net sales, operating income and cash flows from operations in the second and fourth fiscal quarters, attributable primarily to the impact of the summer and year-end holiday season, respectively. The quarterly results have been, and will continue to be, affected by the timing of new club openings and their associated pre-opening expenses. As a result of these factors, the financial results for any single quarter or for periods of less than a year are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year.
The novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic has severely impacted the economies of the U.S. and other countries around the world. In the preparation of these financial statements and related disclosures we have assessed the impact that COVID-19 has had on our estimates, assumptions and accounting policies and made additional disclosures, as necessary.
On January 25, 2022, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire the assets and operations of four distribution centers and the related private transportation fleet from Burris Logistics. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 and the Company expects to finance the purchase price with a combination of available cash and borrowings under the Company’s revolving credit facility.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The consolidated financial statements include the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. Fiscal year 2021 ("2021") consists of the 52 weeks ended January 29, 2022, fiscal year 2020 ("2020") consists of the 52 weeks ended January 30, 2021 and fiscal year 2019 ("2019") consists of the 52 weeks ended February 1, 2020.
Secondary Offerings
On March 11, 2019, certain selling shareholders completed a registered sale (the "March 2019 Secondary Offering") of 19,550,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a public offering price of $25.08 per share. Of the 19,550,000 shares sold, 2,550,000 shares represented the underwriters’ exercise of their overallotment option. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the March 2019 Secondary Offering or incur underwriters’ discounts or commissions on the sale. The Company incurred transaction costs of $1.2 million primarily for legal, accounting and printer services related to the March 2019 Secondary Offering.
On June 6, 2019, certain selling shareholders completed a registered sale (the "June 2019 Secondary Offering") of 17,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a public offering price of $24.65 per share. The Company did not receive any proceeds from the June 2019 Secondary Offering or incur underwriters’ discounts or commissions on the sale. The Company incurred immaterial transaction costs related to the June 2019 Secondary Offering.
On June 27, 2019, the Company completed a registered sale of 9,977,024 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $25.41 per share. In connection with this offering, the Company repurchased 2,500,000 shares at $25.41 per share. The Company did not receive any proceeds from this offering or incur underwriters’ discounts or commissions on the sale. The Company incurred immaterial transaction costs related to the June 27, 2019 offering.
Estimates Included in Financial Statements
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the
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reporting period. The significant estimates relied upon in preparing these consolidated financial statements are estimating workers’ compensation and general liability self-insurance reserves. The inherent uncertainty of future loss projections could cause actual claims to differ from our estimates.
Segment Reporting
The Company’s retail operations, which include retail club and other sales procured from our clubs and DC’s, represent substantially all of the consolidated total revenues, and are the only reportable segment. All of the Company’s identifiable assets are located in the United States. The Company does not have significant sales outside the United States, nor does any customer represent more than 10% of total revenues for any period presented.
The following table summarizes the percentage of net sales by category:
Fiscal Year
General merchandise and services 14 % 14 % 15 %
Gasoline and other 15 % 9 % 13 %
Concentration Risk
An adverse change in the Company’s relationships with its key suppliers could have a material effect on the business and results of operations of the Company. Currently, one distributor, Burris Logistics, consolidates a substantial majority of perishables for shipment to the clubs. The Company has entered into an agreement to acquire four distribution centers and related private transportation fleet from Burris Logistics, which is expected to bring end-to-end perishable supply chain in-house. However, disruption in logistics processes could materially impact sales and profitability for the near term while the Company is integrating the assets into its operations.
The warehouse clubs are primarily located in the eastern United States. Sales from the New York metropolitan area made up approximately 23% of net sales in fiscal year 2021 and approximately 25% in fiscal years 2020 and 2019.
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk principally consist of cash held in financial institutions. The Company considers the credit risk associated with these financial instruments to be minimal. Cash is held by financial institutions with high credit ratings and the Company has not historically sustained any credit losses associated with its cash balances.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase are considered to be cash equivalents. Book overdrafts not subject to offset with other accounts with the same financial institution are classified as accounts payable.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable consists primarily of credit card receivables and receivables from vendors related to rebates and coupons and is stated net of allowances for credit losses of $4.9 million and $3.1 million at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively. The determination of the allowance for credit losses is based on BJ’s historical experience applied to an aging of accounts and a review of individual accounts with a known potential for write-off.
Merchandise Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and determined under the average cost method, or net realizable value. The Company recognizes the write-down of slow-moving or obsolete inventory in cost of sales when such write-downs are probable and estimable. The Company writes down inventory for estimated shrinkage for the period between physical inventories based on historical results of previous physical inventories, shrinkage trends or other judgments management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. Property and equipment which is not ready for its intended use is recorded as construction in progress. Buildings and
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improvements are depreciated over estimated useful lives of 33 years. Interest related to the development of buildings is capitalized during the construction period. Leasehold costs and improvements are amortized over the remaining lease term (which includes renewal periods that are reasonably assured) or the asset’s estimated useful life, whichever is shorter. Furniture, fixtures and equipment are depreciated over estimated useful lives, ranging from three to ten years. Depreciation expense was $170.1 million in fiscal year 2021, $155.6 million in fiscal year 2020 and $143.5 million in fiscal year 2019.
Certain costs incurred in connection with developing or obtaining computer software for internal use are capitalized. Capitalized software costs are included in furniture, fixtures, and equipment and are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the software, which is three years. Software costs not meeting the criteria for capitalization are expensed as incurred.
Expenditures for betterments and major improvements that significantly enhance the value and increase the estimated useful life of the assets are capitalized and depreciated over the new estimated useful life. Repairs and maintenance costs on all assets are expensed as incurred.
Deferred Issuance Costs
The Company defers costs directly associated with acquiring third-party financing. Debt issuance costs related to the term loans are recorded as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the debt. Debt issuance costs associated with the ABL Facility (as defined in Note 5) are recorded within other assets. Debt issuance costs are amortized over the term of the related financing arrangements on a straight-line basis, which is materially consistent with the effective interest method. Amortization of deferred debt issuance costs is recorded in interest expense and was $2.2 million in fiscal year 2021, $2.5 million in fiscal year 2020 and $2.7 million in fiscal year 2019.
Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
Goodwill and indefinite-lived trade name intangible assets are not subject to amortization. The Company assesses the recoverability of its goodwill and trade name annually in the fourth quarter or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate it may be impaired. The Company has determined it has one reporting unit for goodwill impairment testing purposes.
The Company may assess its goodwill for impairment initially using a qualitative approach ("step zero") to determine whether conditions exist to indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If management concludes, based on its assessment of relevant events, facts and circumstances that it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s carrying value is greater than its fair value, then a quantitative analysis will be performed to determine if there is any impairment. The Company may also elect to initially perform a quantitative analysis instead of starting with step zero. The quantitative assessment for goodwill requires comparing the carrying value of a reporting unit, including goodwill, to its fair value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill is not considered to be impaired and no further testing is required. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge is recorded to write down goodwill to its implied fair value and is recorded as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses ("SG&A"). The Company assessed the recoverability of goodwill in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019 and determined that there was no impairment.
The Company assesses the recoverability of its trade name whenever there are indicators of impairment, or at least annually in the fourth quarter. If the recorded carrying value of the trade name exceeds its estimated fair value, the Company records a charge to write the intangible asset down to its estimated fair value as a component of SG&A. The Company assessed the recoverability of the BJ’s trade name and determined that its estimated fair value exceeded its carrying value and that no impairment was necessary in fiscal years 2021, 2020 or 2019.
Test for Recoverability of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews the realizability of long-lived assets periodically and whenever a triggering event occurs that indicates an impairment loss may have been incurred using fair value measurements with unobservable inputs (Level 3). Current and expected operating results and cash flows and other factors are considered in connection with management’s reviews. For purposes of evaluating the recoverability of long-lived assets, the recoverability test is performed using undiscounted net cash flows of individual clubs and consolidated net cash flows for long-lived assets not identifiable to individual clubs. Impairment losses are measured as the difference between the carrying amount and the estimated fair value of the assets being evaluated. In fiscal years 2021 and 2020, the Company recorded no impairment charges. In fiscal year 2019, the Company recorded $13.3 million of impairment charges to lower the carrying value of the assets to their estimated fair value. The total impairment charges consisted of $1.7 million related to IT assets, $2.0 million related to fixed assets and $9.6 million related to operating lease right of use ("ROU") assets. The fixed asset impairment charges and operating lease
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ROU asset impairment charges related to four club locations. The combined fixed assets and ROU asset carrying value of these four locations after the impairment charge was $10.5 million.
Asset Retirement Obligations
An asset retirement obligation represents a legal obligation associated with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset that is incurred upon the acquisition, construction, development or normal operation of that long-lived asset. The Company recognizes asset retirement obligations in the period in which they are placed in service, if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. The asset retirement obligation is subsequently adjusted for changes in fair value. The associated estimated asset retirement costs are capitalized in leasehold improvements and depreciated over their useful life. The Company’s asset retirement obligations relate to the future removal of gasoline tanks and solar panels installed at leased clubs and the related assets associated with the gas stations and solar panel locations. See Note 13 for further information on the amounts accrued.
Workers’ Compensation and General Liability Self-insurance Reserves
We are primarily self-insured for workers’ compensation and general liability claims. Amounts in excess of certain levels, which range from $0.3 million to $1.0 million per occurrence, are insured as a risk reduction strategy to mitigate the impact of catastrophic losses on net income. Reported reserves for claims are derived from estimated ultimate costs based upon individual claim file reserves and estimates for incurred but not reported claims. The estimates are developed utilizing actuarial methods and are based on historical claims experience and other actuarial assumptions related to loss development factors. The inherent uncertainty of future loss projections could cause actual claims to differ from our estimates. When historical losses are not a good measure of future liability, such as in the event of COVID-19, we base our estimates of ultimate liability on our interpretation of current law, claims filed to date and other relevant factors which are subject to change. These accruals, if any, are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other non-current liabilities in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Revenue Recognition - Performance Obligations
The Company identifies each distinct performance obligation to transfer goods (or bundle of goods) or services. The Company recognizes revenue as it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control of the goods or services to the customer.
Net sales—The Company recognizes net sales at clubs and gas stations when the customer takes possession of the goods and tenders payment. Sales tax is recorded as a liability at the point of sale. Revenue is recorded at the point of sale based on the transaction price on the shelf sign, net of any applicable discounts, sales tax and expected refunds. For e-commerce sales, the Company recognizes sales when control of the merchandise is transferred to the customer, which is typically at the shipping point. The following table summarizes the Company’s point of sale transactions at clubs and gas stations, excluding sales tax, as a percentage of both net sales and total revenues.
Fiscal Year Ended
BJ’s Perks Rewards and My BJ’s Perks programs— The Company’s BJ’s Perks Rewards® membership program allows participating members to earn 2% cash back, up to a maximum of $500 per year, on qualified purchases made at BJ’s. The Company also offers a co-branded credit card program, the My BJ’s Perks® program, which allows My BJ’s Perks® Mastercard credit card holders to earn up to 5% cash back on eligible purchases made at BJ’s and up to 2% cash back on purchases made with the card outside of BJ’s. Cash back is in the form of electronic awards issued in $10 increments that may be used online or in-club at the register and expire six months from the date issued.
Earned awards may be redeemed on future purchases made at the Company. The Company recognizes revenue for earned awards when customers redeem such awards as part of a purchase at one of the Company’s clubs or the Company’s website. The Company accounts for these transactions as multiple element arrangements and allocates the transaction price to separate performance obligations using their relative fair values. The Company includes the fair value of award dollars earned in deferred revenue at the time the award dollars are earned. This liability was $30.3 million at January 29, 2022 and $25.5 million at January 30, 2021.
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Royalty revenue received in connection with the My BJ’s Perks co-brand credit card program is variable consideration and is considered deferred until the card holder makes a purchase. The Company’s total deferred royalty revenue related to the outstanding My BJ’s Perks credit card program was $17.8 million and $13.5 million at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively. The timing of revenue recognition of these awards is driven by actual customer activities, such as redemptions and expirations. At January 29, 2022, the Company expects to recognize $17.3 million of the deferred revenue in fiscal year 2022, and expects the remainder will be recognized in the years thereafter.
Membership—The Company charges a membership fee to its customers. That fee allows customers to shop in the Company’s clubs, shop on the Company’s website and purchase gasoline at the Company’s gas stations for the duration of the membership, which is generally 12 months. Because the Company has the obligation to provide access to its clubs, website and gas stations for the duration of the membership term, the Company recognizes membership fees on a straight-line basis over the life of the membership. The Company’s deferred revenue related to membership fees was $174.9 million and $155.6 million at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively.
Gift Card Programs—The Company sells BJ’s gift cards that allow customers to redeem the card for future purchases equal to the amount of the original purchase price of the gift card. Revenue from gift card sales is recognized upon redemption of the gift card because the Company’s performance obligation to redeem the gift card for merchandise is satisfied when the gift card is redeemed. Deferred revenue related to gift cards was $11.8 million and $10.3 million at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively. The Company recognized revenue from gift card redemptions of approximately $39.7 million in fiscal year 2021, $39.7 million in fiscal year 2020 and $49.1 million in fiscal year 2019.
Warranty Programs
The Company passes on any manufacturers’ warranties to members. In addition, BJ’s includes an extended warranty on tires sold at the clubs, under which BJ’s customers receive tire repair services or tire replacement in certain circumstances. This warranty is included in the sale price of the tire and it cannot be declined by the customers. The Company is fully liable for claims under the tire warranty program. As the primary obligor in these arrangements, associated revenue is recognized on the date of sale and an estimated warranty obligation is accrued based on claims experience. The liability for future claims under this program is not material to the financial statements.
Extended warranties are also offered on certain types of products such as appliances, electronics and jewelry. These warranties are provided by a third party at fixed prices to BJ’s. No liability is retained to satisfy warranty claims under these arrangements. The Company is not the primary obligor under these warranties, and as such net revenue is recorded on these arrangements at the time of sale. Revenue from warranty sales is included in net sales on the income statement.
Determine the Transaction Price
The transaction price is the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive under the arrangement. The Company is required to estimate variable consideration (if any) and to factor that estimate into the determination of the transaction price. The Company may offer sales incentives to customers, including discounts. The Company has significant experience with return patterns and relies on this experience to estimate expected returns when determining the transaction price.
Returns and Refunds—The Company’s products are generally sold with a right of return and may provide other credits or incentives, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize. The Company records an allowance for returns based on current period revenues and historical returns experience. The Company analyzes actual historical returns, current economic trends, changes in sales volume and acceptance of the Company’s products when evaluating the adequacy of the sales returns allowance in any accounting period.
The sales returns reserve, which reduces sales and cost of sales for the estimated impact of returns, was $6.7 million in fiscal year 2021, $7.2 million in fiscal year 2020 and $6.5 million in fiscal year 2019.
Customer Discounts—Discounts given to customers are usually in the form of coupons and instant markdowns and are recognized as redeemed and recorded in contra-revenue accounts, as they are part of the transaction price of the merchandise sale. Manufacturer coupons that are available for redemption at all retailers are not reduced from the sale price of merchandise.
Agent Relationships
The Company enters into certain agreements with service providers that offer goods and services to the Company’s members. These service providers sell goods and services including home improvement services and cell phones to the Company’s customers. In exchange, the Company receives payments in the form of commissions and other fees. The Company
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evaluates the relevant criteria to determine whether they serve as the principal or agent in these contracts with customers, in determining whether it is appropriate in these arrangements to record the gross amount of merchandise sales and related costs, or the net amount earned as commissions. When the Company is considered the principal in a transaction, revenue is recorded gross; otherwise, revenue is recorded on a net basis. Commissions received from these service providers are considered variable consideration and are constrained until the third-party customer makes a purchase from one of the service providers.
Significant Judgments
Standalone Selling Prices—For arrangements that contain multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis.
Policy Elections
In addition to those previously disclosed, the Company made the following accounting policy elections and practical expedients:
Portfolio Approach—The Company uses the portfolio approach when multiple contracts or performance obligations are involved in the determination of revenue recognition.
Taxes—The Company excludes from the transaction price any taxes collected from customers that are remitted to taxing authorities.
Shipping and Handling Charges—Charges that are incurred before and after the customer obtains control of goods are deemed to be fulfillment costs.
Time Value of Money—The Company’s payment terms are less than one year from the transfer of goods. Therefore, the Company does not adjust promised amounts of consideration for the effects of the time value of money.
Disclosure of Remaining Performance Obligations—The Company does not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations for contracts that are one year or less in term. Additionally, the Company does not disclose the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations when the transaction price is allocated entirely to a wholly unsatisfied performance obligation or to a wholly unsatisfied promise to transfer a good or service that forms part of a series of distinct goods or services.
Cost of Sales
The Company’s cost of sales includes the direct costs of sold merchandise, which includes customs, taxes, duties and inbound shipping costs, inventory shrinkage and adjustments and reserves for excess, aged and obsolete inventory. Cost of goods sold also includes certain distribution center costs and allocations of certain indirect costs, such as occupancy, depreciation, amortization, labor and benefits.
Presentation of Sales Tax Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities
In the ordinary course of business, sales tax is collected on items purchased by the members that are taxable in the jurisdictions when the purchases take place. These taxes are then remitted to the appropriate taxing authority. These taxes collected are excluded from revenues in the financial statements.
Vendor Rebates and Allowances
The Company receives various types of cash consideration from vendors, principally in the form of rebates, based on purchasing or selling certain volumes of product, time-based rebates or allowances, which may include product placement allowances or exclusivity arrangements covering a predetermined period of time, price protection rebates and allowances for retail price reductions on certain merchandise and salvage allowances for product that is damaged, defective or becomes out-of-date.
Such vendor rebates and allowances are recognized based on a systematic and rational allocation of the cash consideration offered to the underlying transaction that results in progress by BJ’s toward earning the rebates and allowances, provided the amounts to be earned are probable and reasonably estimable. Otherwise, rebates and allowances are recognized only when predetermined milestones are met. The Company recognizes product placement allowances as a reduction of cost of sales in the period in which the product placement is completed. Time-based rebates or allowances are recognized as a reduction of cost of
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sales over the performance period on a straight-line basis. All other vendor rebates and allowances are recognized as a reduction of cost of sales when the merchandise is sold or otherwise disposed.
Cash consideration is also received for advertising products in publications sent to BJ’s members. Such cash consideration is recognized as a reduction of SG&A to the extent it represents a reimbursement of specific, incremental and identifiable SG&A costs incurred by BJ’s to sell the vendors’ products. If the cash consideration exceeds the costs being reimbursed, the excess is characterized as a reduction of cost of sales. Cash consideration for advertising vendors’ products is recognized in the period in which the advertising takes place.
Manufacturers’ Incentives Tendered by Consumers
Consideration from manufacturers’ incentives (such as rebates or coupons) is recorded gross in net sales when the incentive is generic and can be tendered by a consumer at any reseller and the Company receives direct reimbursement from the manufacturer, or clearinghouse authorized by the manufacturer, based on the face value of the incentive. If these conditions are not met, such consideration is recorded as a decrease in cost of sales.
Leases
The Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 842, Leases ("ASC 842") using the modified retrospective method at the beginning of fiscal year 2019. The adoption of this standard had a $11.6 million impact on beginning retained earnings in fiscal year 2019 primarily associated with the impact of the Company’s deferred gain on prior years’ sale leaseback transactions, net of tax.
In accordance with ASC 842, the Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception or modification of a contract and classifies each lease as either an operating or finance lease at commencement. The Company only reassesses lease classification subsequent to commencement upon a change to the expected lease term or the contract being modified. The Company has operating and finance leases for the Company’s clubs, and operating leases for the Company’s distribution centers, home office, and stand-alone gas stations.
Operating leases, net of accumulated amortization, are included in operating lease ROU assets, and current and non-current operating lease liabilities, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, and other non-current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Lease liabilities are calculated using the effective interest method, regardless of classification, while the amortization of the ROU assets varies depending upon classification. Finance lease classification results in a front-loaded expense recognition pattern over the lease term, which amortizes the ROU assets by recognizing interest expense and amortization expense as separate components of lease expense and calculates the amortization expense component on a straight-line basis. Conversely, operating lease classification results in a straight-line expense recognition pattern over the lease term and recognizes lease expense as a single expense component, which results in amortization of the ROU assets that equals the difference between lease expense and interest expense.
Lease expense for finance and operating leases are included in SG&A on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Please refer to Note 4 for additional information.
Pre-opening Expenses
Pre-opening expenses consist of direct incremental costs of opening or relocating a facility and are expensed as incurred.
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs generally consist of efforts to acquire new members and typically include media advertising (some of which is vendor-funded). BJ’s expenses advertising as incurred as a component of SG&A. Advertising expenses were approximately 0.5%, 0.6% and 0.6% of net sales in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Stock-based Compensation
The fair value of service-based employee awards is recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award. The fair value of the performance-based awards is recognized as compensation expense ratably over the service period of each performance tranche. The fair value of the stock-based awards is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Determining the fair value of options at the grant date requires judgment, including estimating the expected term that stock options will be outstanding prior to exercise and the associated volatility.
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The Company’s common stock is listed on the NYSE and its value is determined by the market price on the NYSE. See Note 9 for additional description of the accounting for stock-based awards.
Earnings Per Share
Basic income per share is calculated by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Basic income from continuing operations per share is calculated by dividing income from continuing operations by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Basic loss from discontinuing operations per share is calculated by dividing loss from discontinuing operations by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period.
Diluted income per share is calculated by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted income from continuing operations per share is calculated by dividing income from continuing operations by the diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted loss from discontinuing operations per share is calculated by dividing loss from discontinuing operations by the diluted weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying values and their respective tax bases, using enacted tax rates expected to be applicable in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded in the provision for income taxes. The Company evaluates the realizability of its deferred tax assets and establishes a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Potential for recovery of deferred tax assets is evaluated by estimating the future taxable profits expected, scheduling of anticipated reversals of taxable temporary differences, and considering prudent and feasible tax planning strategies.
The Company records liabilities for uncertain income tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is recognition, where an individual tax position is evaluated as to whether it has a likelihood of greater than 50% of being sustained upon examination based on the technical merits of the position, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. For tax positions that are currently estimated to have less than a 50% likelihood of being sustained, no tax benefit is recorded. For tax positions that have met the recognition threshold in the first step, the Company performs the second step of measuring the benefit to be recorded. The amount of the benefit that may be recognized is the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized on ultimate settlement. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from the estimates. In future periods, changes in facts, circumstances and new information may require the Company to change the recognition and measurement estimates regarding individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recorded in income tax expense and liability in the period in which such changes occur.
Any interest or penalties incurred related to unrecognized tax benefits are recorded as a component of the provision for income tax expense.
Derivative Financial Instruments
All derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and measurement of these instruments is at fair value. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portions of changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income and are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations when the hedged item affects earnings. Any portion of the change in fair value that is determined to be ineffective is immediately recognized in earnings as SG&A. Derivative gains or losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income are reclassified into earnings at the time the hedged transaction occurs as a component of SG&A.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Certain assets and liabilities are carried at fair value in accordance with GAAP. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date.
The Company uses a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. Financial assets and liabilities
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carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:
•Level 1 - Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
•Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1 such as quoted market prices for markets that are not active or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.
•Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income is a measure of net income and all other changes in equity that result from transactions other than with equity holders, and would normally be recorded in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income consists of unrealized gains and losses from derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges and postretirement medical plan adjustments.
Treasury Stock
The Company records the repurchase of shares of common stock at cost based on the settlement date of the transaction. These shares are classified as treasury stock, which is a reduction to shareholders’ equity. Treasury stock is included in authorized and issued shares but excluded from outstanding shares.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Business Combinations (ASU 2021-08)
In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2021-08, "Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers". ASU 2021-08 improves the accounting for acquired revenue contracts with customers in a business combination by addressing the diversity in practice and inconsistency related to the recognition of an acquired contract liability and payment terms and their effect on subsequent revenue recognized by the acquirer. The amendments in this ASU require acquirers to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in the business combination in accordance with Topic 606 as if it had originated the contracts. The standard is effective for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 25, 2023, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect adoption of this standard to have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
Income Taxes (ASU 2019-12)
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (Topic 740). This standard simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions to the guidance in ASC 740 related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The standard also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The standard is effective for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted this standard prospectively as of January 31, 2021. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
3. Related Party Transactions
One of the Company’s suppliers, Advantage Solutions Inc., was determined to be a related party of the Company. Advantage Solutions Inc. is a provider of in-club product demonstration and sampling services. Currently, the Company engages them from time to time to provide ancillary support services, including temporary club labor as needed. The Company incurred approximately $2.9 million, $13.5 million and $42.6 million of costs payable to Advantage Solutions for services rendered during fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The demonstration and sampling service fees are fully funded by merchandise vendors who participate in the program.
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4. Leases
The Company adopted ASC 842 as of February 3, 2019, using the modified retrospective method and applying transitional relief allowing entities to initially apply the requirements at the adoption date by recognizing a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption.
In accordance with ASC 842, the Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception or modification of a contract and classifies each lease as either an operating or finance lease at commencement. The Company only reassesses lease classification subsequent to commencement upon a change to the expected lease term or the contract being modified. The Company has operating and finance leases for the Company’s clubs, and operating leases for the Company’s distribution centers, home office, and stand-alone gas stations. Operating leases, net of accumulated amortization, are included in operating lease ROU assets, and current and non-current operating lease liabilities, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, and other non-current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Lease liabilities are calculated using the effective interest method, regardless of classification, while the amortization of the ROU assets varies depending upon classification. Finance lease classification results in a front-loaded expense recognition pattern over the lease term, which amortizes the ROU assets by recognizing interest expense and amortization expense as separate components of lease expense and calculates the amortization expense component on a straight-line basis. Conversely, operating lease classification results in a straight-line expense recognition pattern over the lease term and recognizes lease expense as a single expense component, which results in amortization of the ROU assets that equals the difference between lease expense and interest expense. Lease expense for finance and operating leases are included in SG&A on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income. Leases with an initial term of twelve months or less are not recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Company is generally obligated for the cost of property taxes, insurance, and maintenance relating to its leases, which are often variable lease payments. Such costs are presented as occupancy costs for finance and operating leases included in SG&A on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income.
Certain of the Company’s lease agreements provide for lease payments based on future sales volumes at the leased location, or include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation or based on an index, which are not measurable at the inception of the lease. The Company expenses such variable amounts in the period incurred, which is the period in which it becomes probable that the specified target that triggers the variable lease payments will be achieved. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.
ROU assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and lease liabilities represent the obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the reasonably certain lease term. The operating lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option.
Where the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses a collateralized incremental borrowing rate ("IBR") to determine the present value of lease payments. The collateralized IBR is based on a synthetic credit rating that is externally prepared on an annual basis at the measurement date, and that the Company adjusts quarterly with a yield curve that approximates the Company’s market risk profile.
In calculating the present value of the lease payments, the Company has elected to utilize its estimated IBR based on the original lease term and not the remaining lease term. The initial primary term of the Company’s operating leases ranges from 5 to 44 years, with most of these leases having an initial term of 20 years. The initial primary term of the Company’s three finance leases are 20 years.
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The following table summarizes the Company’s finance and operating lease liabilities and ROU assets as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021 (in thousands):
Finance Leases:
Operating Leases:
There were no impairments of ROU assets in fiscal year 2021 or fiscal year 2020. In fiscal year 2019, the Company recorded an ROU asset impairment charge of $9.6 million.
The following table is a summary of the components of net lease costs for the years ended January 29, 2022, January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 (in thousands):
Finance lease cost:
The weighted-average remaining lease term and weighted-average discount rate for operating and finance leases as of January 29, 2022 were as follows:
Operating Leases Finance Leases
Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years) 8.9 11.2
Weighted-average discount rate 7.8 % 7.7 %
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Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):
Financing cash flows paid for principal portion of finance leases 1,112 984 612
Future lease commitments to be paid by the Company as of January 29, 2022 were as follows (in thousands):
Fiscal Year Operating Leases Finance Leases
As of January 29, 2022, the Company had certain executed real estate and gas station leases that have not yet commenced and therefore are not reflected in the tables above. These leases are expected to commence in fiscal year 2022 with lease terms ranging from 6 years to 20 years. We estimate future lease commitments for these leases to be approximately $437.4 million.
5. Debt and Credit Arrangements
Debt consisted of the following at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021 (in thousands):
Unamortized debt discount and debt issuance costs (3,352) (5,745)
Less: Current portion — (260,000)
ABL Facility
The ABL Facility is comprised of a $950.0 million revolving credit facility and a $50.0 million term loan. The ABL Facility is secured on a senior basis by certain "liquid assets" of the Company and secured on a junior basis by certain "fixed assets" of the Company. The $50.0 million term loan payment terms are restricted in that the term loan cannot be repaid unless all loans outstanding under the ABL Facility are repaid, and once repaid, cannot be re-borrowed. The availability under the $950.0 million revolving credit facility is restricted based on eligible monthly merchandise inventories and receivables as defined in the facility agreement. As amended, interest on the revolving credit facility is calculated either at LIBOR plus a range of 125 to 175 basis points or a base rate plus a range of 25 to 75 basis points; and interest on the term loan is calculated at LIBOR plus a range of 200 to 300 basis points or a base rate plus a range of 100 to 150 basis points, in all cases based on excess availability. The applicable spread of LIBOR and base rate loans at all levels of excess availability steps down by 12.5 basis points upon achieving total net leverage of 3.00 to 1.00. The ABL Facility also provides a sub-facility for issuance of letters of credit subject to certain fees defined in the ABL Facility agreement. The ABL Facility is subject to various commitment fees during the term of the facility based on utilization of the revolving credit facility, which is scheduled to mature on August 17, 2023.
At January 29, 2022, there was $50.0 million outstanding in borrowings under the ABL Facility and $12.7 million in outstanding letters of credit. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility was 1.23%, the interest rate of the term loan was 2.10% and unused capacity was $886.9 million.
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At January 30, 2021, there was $310.0 million outstanding in borrowings under the ABL Facility and $15.0 million in outstanding letters of credit. The interest rate on the revolving credit facility was 1.25%, the interest rate on the term loan was 2.14% and unused capacity was $641.1 million.
First Lien Term Loan
The First Lien Term Loan matures on February 3, 2024. Voluntary prepayments are permitted. Principal payments must be made on the First Lien Term Loan pursuant to an annual excess cash flow calculation when the net leverage ratio exceeds 3.50 to 1.00. The First Lien Term Loan is subject to certain affirmative and negative covenants but no financial covenants. It is secured on a senior basis by certain "fixed assets" of the Company and on a junior basis by certain "liquid" assets of the Company.
On November 1, 2019, the Company borrowed $200.0 million from the ABL Facility. The proceeds from the Company’s borrowing were used to pay a portion of the principal amount due on the First Lien Term Loan. In connection with the payment, the Company expensed $2.0 million of previously capitalized deferred debt issuance costs and original issue discount.
On January 29, 2020, the Company amended its First Lien Term Loan to reduce the applicable interest rates. As amended, the First Lien Term Loan has an initial principal amount of $1,315.2 million and interest is calculated either at LIBOR plus 225 basis points basis or a base rate plus 125 basis points and provided for a 25 basis point step down in the interest rate upon the achievement of certain debt ratings upgrades. Total fees associated with the refinancing were approximately $1.7 million. The Company wrote off $0.1 million of previously capitalized debt issuance costs and original issue discount and expensed $1.7 million of new third-party fees.
On July 13, 2020, the Company paid $150.0 million of the principal amount due on the First Lien Term Loan. In connection with the payment, the Company expensed $1.3 million of previously capitalized deferred debt issuance costs and original issue discount. On July 29, 2020, due to upgrades in credit ratings, the base rate was reduced to LIBOR plus 200 basis points.
On October 30, 2020, the Company borrowed $260.0 million from the ABL Facility. The proceeds from the Company’s borrowing, as well as $100.0 million of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, were used to pay $360.0 million of the principal amount due on the First Lien Term Loan. In connection with the payment, the Company expensed $2.8 million of previously capitalized deferred debt issuance costs and original issue discount.
On April 30, 2021, the Company used $100.0 million of cash and cash equivalents to pay $100.0 million of the principal amount outstanding on the First Lien Term Loan. In connection with the payment, the Company expensed $0.7 million of previously capitalized debt issuance costs and original issue discount.
There were $701.9 million and $801.9 million outstanding on the First Lien Term Loan at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively. Interest rates for the First Lien Term Loan were 2.11% and 2.13% at January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, respectively.
Future minimum payments
Scheduled future minimum principal payments on debt as of January 29, 2022 are as follows (in thousands):
Fiscal Year: Principal Payments
Thereafter —
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6. Interest Expense, Net
The following details the components of interest expense for the periods presented (in thousands):
Capitalized interest (87) (9) (12)
7. Intangible Assets and Liabilities
Intangible assets and liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):
Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount
Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization:
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization:
Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Amount
Intangible Assets Not Subject to Amortization:
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization:
The Company records amortization expenses of intangible assets as a component of SG&A. Member relationships are amortized over 15.3 years and private label brands are amortized over 12 years. Member relationships will be amortized through fiscal year 2026 and private label brands will be amortized through fiscal year 2023.
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The Company recorded amortization expenses of $10.5 million, $11.9 million and $13.5 million as a component of SG&A for the fiscal years ended January 29, 2022, January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, respectively. The Company estimates that amortization expenses related to intangible assets will be as follows in each of the next five fiscal years (in thousands):
Intangible Assets
8. Commitment and Contingencies
The Company is involved in various legal proceedings that are typical of a retail business. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, an accrual will be established for legal proceedings if and when those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable. The Company does not believe the resolution of any current proceedings will result in a material loss to the consolidated financial statements.
9. Stock Incentive Plans
On June 13, 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted, and its shareholders approved, the BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. 2018 Incentive Award Plan (the "2018 Plan"). The 2018 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock, dividend equivalents, stock payments, restricted stock units, performance shares, other incentive awards, stock appreciation rights, and cash awards. Prior to the adoption of the 2018 Plan, the Company granted stock-based compensation to employees and non-employee directors, respectively, under the Fourth Amended and Restated 2011 Stock Option Plan of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Beacon Holdings, Inc.), as amended (the "2011 Plan"), and the 2012 Director Stock Option Plan of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Beacon Holding Inc.), as amended (the "2012 Director Plan"). No further grants will be made under 2011 Plan or the 2012 Director Plan.
The 2018 Plan authorizes the issuance of 13,148,058 shares, including 985,369 shares that were reserved but not issued under the 2011 Plan and the 2012 Director Plan. If an award under the 2018 Plan, 2011 Plan or 2012 Director Plan is forfeited, expires or is settled for cash, any shares subject to such award may, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration or cash settlement, be used again for new grants under the 2018 Plan. Additionally, shares tendered or withheld to satisfy grant or exercise price, or tax withholding obligations associated with an award under the 2018 Plan, the 2011 Plan or the 2012 Director Plan will be added to the shares authorized for grant under the 2018 Plan. The following shares may not be used again for grant under the 2018 Plan: (1) shares subject to a stock appreciation right ("SAR"), that are not issued in connection with the stock settlement of the SAR on its exercise and (2) shares purchased on the open market with the cash proceeds from the exercise of options under the 2018 Plan, 2011 Plan or 2012 Director Plan. As of January 29, 2022, there were 5,544,648 shares available for future issuance under the 2018 Plan.
On April 16, 2021, the Compensation Committee approved a modification to the equity awards agreements under the 2011 Plan, 2012 Director Plan and 2018 Plan. In the event that an employee is terminated due to death or disability, the modified equity award agreements provide for: (i) full vesting of all time-based awards, including restricted stock awards and stock options, (ii) pro-rata vesting of all performance-based awards, including performance share units, based on actual performance as of the end of the applicable performance period, pro-rated based on the period of employment during the applicable performance period, and (iii) the extension of the post-termination exercise window for vested stock options. The Company recognized $17.5 million of stock-based compensation expense due to the accelerated vesting of equity awards, related to the passing of a former executive.
The Company recognized $53.8 million ($38.8 million post-tax), $32.2 million ($23.2 million post-tax) and $18.8 million ($13.5 million post-tax) of total stock-based compensation for fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of January 29, 2022, there was approximately $49.5 million of unrecognized compensation cost, which is expected to be recognized over the next three years.
Stock option awards are generally granted with vesting periods of three years. All options have a contractual term of ten years. No options were granted during fiscal year 2021. The fair value of the options granted in fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year
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2019 was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions (no dividends were expected).
Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 30, 2021 Fiscal Year EndedFebruary 1, 2020
Risk-free interest rate 0.44% 2.36%
Expected volatility 25.0 % 25.8 %
Weighted-average expected option life (in years) 5.75 - 6.0 6.0
Weighted-average grant-date fair value $6.16 - $6.29 $ 8.37
The risk-free interest rate was based on United States Treasury yields in effect at the time of the grant for notes with terms comparable to the awards. The expected option life represents an estimate of the period of time options are expected to remain outstanding based upon an average of the vesting and contractual terms of the options. Forfeitures are recorded as incurred.
Presented below is a summary of the stock option activity and weighted-average exercise prices for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022:
Outstanding, beginning of period 3,673 $ 17.50
Granted — —
Forfeited — —
Vested and expected to vest, end of period 2,282 19.68 6.6
The total intrinsic value of options exercised in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019 was $55.2 million, $45.0 million and $37.1 million, respectively. The Company received a tax benefit related to these option exercises of approximately $15.5 million, $12.6 million and $10.4 million in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of January 29, 2022, the total intrinsic value of options vested and expected to vest was $87.3 million.
Presented below is a summary of our non-vested restricted shares, restricted stock units and performance stock and weighted-average grant-date fair values for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022:
Restricted Stock Restricted Stock Units Performance Stock
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As it relates to performance stock, the table above reflects a 100% payout, but the ultimate payout could be up to 200%.
The fair value as of the vesting date was $46.9 million for restricted stock and $1.3 million for restricted stock units.
2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
On June 14, 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted and and its shareholders approved the BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP"), which became effective the day prior to the first day of public trading of the Company's equity securities. The aggregate number of shares of common stock that was be reserved for issuance under our ESPP was be equal to the sum of (i) 973,014 shares and (ii) an annual increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning in 2019 and ending in 2028 equal to the lesser of (A) 486,507 shares, (B) 0.5% of the shares outstanding (on an as converted basis) on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (C) such smaller number of shares as determined by the board of directors. The offering under the ESPP commenced on January 1, 2019. The amount of expense recognized in the fiscal years ended January 29, 2022, January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020 was $0.8 million, $0.6 million and $0.4 million, respectively.
10. Treasury Shares and Share Repurchase Programs
Treasury Shares Acquired on Restricted Stock Awards
On June 27, 2019, the Company completed an offering of 9,977,024 shares of the Company’s common stock and, in connection with the offering, the Company repurchased 2,500,000 shares of common stock at a price of $25.41 per share. These repurchased shares are being held in treasury.
In addition, 376,758 shares and 212,173 shares were reacquired to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon the vesting of restricted stock awards in fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2020, respectively. These reacquired shares were recorded as $16.8 million and $6.5 million of treasury stock in fiscal years 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Share Repurchase Programs
On December 19, 2019, the Company’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to $250.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock from time to time as market conditions warrant (the "2019 Repurchase Program"). The 2019 Repurchase Program was fully exhausted on November 17, 2021.
On November 16, 2021, the Company’s board of directors approved a new share repurchase program (the "2021 Repurchase Program"), effective immediately, that allows the Company to repurchase up to $500.0 million of its outstanding common stock. The 2021 Repurchase Program expires in January 2025. The Company initiated the 2019 Repurchase Program and the 2021 Repurchase Program to mitigate potentially dilutive effects of stock options and shares of restricted stock granted by the Company, in addition to enhancing shareholder value.
As of January 29, 2022, $471.2 million remained available to purchase under the 2021 Repurchase Program. In fiscal year 2021, the Company repurchased 3,331,956 shares of common stock totaling $179.2 million, including 2,880,614 shares of common stock totaling $150.4 million under the 2019 Repurchase Program.
11. Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes from continuing operations includes the following (in thousands):
Federal:
State:
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A reconciliation of the statutory federal income tax rate with the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows:
Statutory federal income tax rates 21.0 % 21.0 % 21.0 %
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit 5.8 6.1 5.7
Work opportunity and solar energy tax credit (0.8) (0.6) (1.0)
Charitable contributions (0.3) (0.2) (0.2)
Prior year adjustments — (0.2) 0.1
Excess tax benefit related to share-based payments (2.4) (1.5) (2.7)
Effective income tax rate 23.5 % 24.5 % 23.0 %
Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities as of January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021 are as follows (in thousands):
Deferred tax assets:
Deferred tax liabilities:
The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the Company’s ability to generate sufficient taxable income during the periods in which the temporary differences become deductible. The Company has determined that it is more likely than not that the results of future operations and the reversals of existing taxable temporary differences will generate sufficient taxable income to realize the deferred tax assets. Therefore, no valuation allowance has been recorded. In making this determination, the Company considered historical levels of income as well as projections for future periods.
A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in thousands):
Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 29, 2022 Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 30, 2021
Balance, beginning of period $ 2,201 $ 2,161
Additions for tax positions taken during the current year 105 97
Lapses in statute of limitations (43) (57)
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The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits, reflective of federal tax benefits at both January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021 that, if recognized, would favorably affect the effective tax rate was $2.0 million and $1.9 million, respectively.
As of January 29, 2022, management has determined it is reasonably possible that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits could decrease within the next twelve months by $1.0 million, due to the expiration of statute of limitations and expected resolution of state tax audits. The Company’s tax years from 2017 forward remain open and are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service or various state taxing jurisdictions.
The Company classifies interest expense and any penalties related to income tax uncertainties as a component of income tax expense, which is consistent with the recognition of these items in prior reporting periods. For the periods ended January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, the Company recognized no interest income or expense. For the period ended February 1, 2020, the Company recognized $0.3 million of interest income. As of both January 29, 2022 and January 30, 2021, the Company had $0.2 million of accrued interest related to income tax uncertainties.
12. Retirement Plans
Under the Company's 401(k) savings plans, participating employees may make pretax contributions up to 50% of covered compensation subject to federal limits. The Company matches employee contributions at 50% of the first six percent of covered compensation. The Company’s expense under these plans was $11.1 million, $11.6 million and $10.0 million for fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The Company has a non-contributory defined contribution retirement plan for certain key employees. Under this plan, the Company funds annual retirement contributions for the designated participants on an after-tax basis. The Company’s contributions equaled 5% of the participants’ base salary. Participants become fully vested in their contribution accounts at the end of the fiscal year in which they complete four full fiscal years of service. Pretax expense under this plan was $1.8 million, $2.8 million and $2.6 million in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
13. Asset Retirement Obligations
The following is a summary of activity relating to the liability for asset retirement obligations, which the Company will incur primarily in connection with the expected future removal of solar panels, gasoline tanks and the related infrastructure. The following is included in other non-current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands):
Liabilities incurred during the year 629 874 794
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14. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities
The major components of accrued expenses and other current liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
Utilities, advertising and accrued interest 21,699 22,809
Membership fee income sales reserves and legal reserves 14,870 12,360
Accrued federal and state income taxes 10,875 788
The following table summarizes membership fee income activity for each of the last two fiscal years (in thousands):
Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 29, 2022 Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 30, 2021
Deferred membership fee income, beginning of period $ 155,580 $ 143,969
Deferred membership fee income, end of period $ 174,916 $ 155,580
15. Other Non-current Liabilities
The major components of other non-current liabilities are as follows (in thousands):
Workers’ compensation and general liability $ 98,851 $ 88,982
Interest rate swap liability — 25,279
Deferred wage taxes — 20,593
16. Derivative Financial Instruments
Interest Rate Swaps
On November 13, 2018, the Company entered into three forward starting interest rate swaps (the "Interest Rate Swaps"), which were effective starting on February 13, 2019 and fixed the LIBOR component of $1.2 billion of its floating rate debt at a rate of approximately 3.0% from February 13, 2019 until February 13, 2022. The Company elected hedge accounting for the
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interest rate swap agreements, and, as such, the effective portion of the gains or losses were recorded as a component of other comprehensive income and the ineffective portion of gains or losses were recorded as interest expense.
On October 30, 2020, the Company borrowed $260.0 million from the ABL Facility. The proceeds from the Company’s borrowing, as well as $100.0 million of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents, were used to pay $360.0 million of the principal amount due on the First Lien Term Loan. Due to the payment of debt principal on the First Lien Term Loan, the Company determined that certain interest payments are no longer probable and that a portion of one of the interest rate swap agreements would be ineffective as a result of the payment of debt principal, and as such reclassified $5.1 million of losses recorded in other comprehensive income to interest expense.
On November 10, 2020, the Company terminated one of the Interest Rate Swaps, which fixed $360.0 million of its floating rate debt at a rate of approximately 3.0%. An additional interest rate swap, which fixed $240.0 million of its floating rate debt at 3.0% was determined to be ineffective. Gains and losses on the ineffective interest rate swap agreement will be recorded as interest expense.
On April 30, 2021, the Company used $150.0 million of its cash and cash equivalents to pay $100.0 million of the principal amount outstanding on the First Lien Term Loan and $50.0 million of the outstanding amounts on the ABL Facility. The Company accelerated the release of unrealized losses into earnings on the ineffective interest rate swap agreements and reclassified $4.7 million recorded in other comprehensive income to interest expense, net of tax.
On July 30, 2021, the Company used $210.0 million of its cash and cash equivalents to pay $210.0 million of the principal amount outstanding on the ABL Facility. The Company accelerated the release of unrealized losses into earnings on the ineffective interest rate swap agreements and reclassified $3.5 million recorded in other comprehensive income to interest expense, net of tax.
The Interest Rate Swaps are recorded as a liability of $2.2 million and $26.4 million in fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2020, respectively. The net of tax amount for the effective and ineffective Interest Rate Swaps recorded in other comprehensive income and interest expense, respectively.
There were $24.2 million and $1.7 million of unrealized gains recorded in fiscal years 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The fair value of derivative instruments included on the Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands):
17. Fair Value Measurements
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The fair values of the Company’s derivative instruments are based on quotes received from third-party banks and represent the estimated amount the Company would pay to terminate the agreements taking into consideration current interest rates as well as the creditworthiness of the counterparties. These inputs are considered to be Level 2.
Financial Assets and Liabilities
The gross carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt at January 29, 2022 are as follows (in thousands):
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Carrying Amount Fair Value
The gross carrying amount and fair value of the Company’s debt at January 30, 2021 are as follows (in thousands):
Carrying Amount Fair Value
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Non-recurring Basis
The Company measures certain non-financial assets and liabilities, including long-lived assets, at fair value on a non-recurring basis. See Note 2 for further information.
The Company believes that the carrying amounts of its other financial instruments, including cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximates their carrying value due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.
18. Earnings Per Share
The table below reconciles basic weighted-average common shares outstanding to diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding for fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019:
Plus: Incremental shares of potentially dilutive securities:
The table below summarizes restricted shares and stock options that were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings for fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, as their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:
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19. Condensed Financial Information of Registrant (Parent Company Only)
BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
(PARENT COMPANY ONLY)
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(Amounts in thousands)
Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 29, 2022 Fiscal Year EndedJanuary 30, 2021
ASSETS
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB HOLDINGS, INC.
(PARENT COMPANY ONLY)
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income per share:
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
A statement of cash flows has not been presented as BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. did not have any cash as of, or for, the years ended January 29, 2022, January 30, 2021 or February 1, 2020.
Basis of Presentation
These condensed parent company-only financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Rule 12-04, Schedule I of Regulation S-X, as the restricted net assets of the subsidiaries of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (as defined in Rule 4-08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X) exceed 25% of the consolidated net assets of the Company. The ability of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.’s operating subsidiaries to pay dividends may be restricted due to terms of the subsidiaries’ First Lien Term Loan and ABL Facility, as defined in Note 5. For example, the covenants of the ABL Facility restrict the payment of dividends to, among other exceptions, (i) a $25.0 million general basket, (ii) a basket for unlimited dividends and distributions if there is no event of default, availability under the ABL Facility is greater than 12.5% of the lesser of the commitments under the ABL Facility and the borrowing base under the ABL Facility for 6 months following such dividend or distribution and, if availability is less than 20% of the lesser of the commitments under the ABL Facility and the borrowing base under the ABL Facility, a 1.00 to 1.00 (or higher) fixed charge coverage ratio for 12 months after giving effect to such dividend or distribution, and (iii) a basket for up to 6.0% per annum of the net proceeds received by or contributed to the borrower’s common stock from certain of such public offerings. The covenants of the First Lien Term Loan restrict the payment of dividends and distributions to, among
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