Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risks described below highlight some of the factors that could materially affect our operations. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, prospects and/or operating results may be adversely affected. These are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we currently consider immaterial or are not presently known to us may also adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to our Industry and Macroeconomic Conditions
Our business and financial condition are heavily influenced by general economic and market conditions which are outside of our control.
We are a consumer products company and are highly dependent on consumer discretionary spending and retail traffic patterns, particularly in the United States. The demand for apparel products changes as regional, domestic and international economic conditions change and may be significantly impacted by trends in consumer confidence and discretionary consumer spending patterns. These trends may be influenced by employment levels; recessions; inflation and increased interest rates; fuel and energy costs; tax rates; personal debt levels; savings rates; stock market and housing market volatility; shifting social ideology; and general uncertainty about the future. The factors impacting consumer confidence and discretionary consumer spending patterns are outside of our control and difficult to predict, and, often, the apparel industry experiences longer periods of recession and greater declines than the general economy.
In recent months, we have seen increased uncertainty about current and future economic conditions, which has led to heightened concerns about inflation, a global economic recession, geopolitical issues, the stability of the U.S. banking system, the availability and cost of credit and continued increases in interest rates. These conditions are creating a complex and challenging retail environment, which may impact consumer spending and consumer preferences. For instance, entering Fiscal 2023, these concerns have led to conservative purchase order decisions for future seasons by
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many of our wholesale customers. A decline in consumer confidence or change in discretionary consumer spending patterns could reduce our sales, increase our inventory levels, result in more promotional activities and/or lower our gross margins, any or all of which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may in the future have, a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, financial condition and results of operations.
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous uncertainty and disruption in the global economy and has had an adverse impact on our business, revenues and results of operations. In Fiscal 2020, we experienced a net sales decline of 33% from Fiscal 2019 and incurred a net loss of $96 million. While our bricks and mortar operations largely resumed normal operations during most of Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2022, we did continue to experience temporary closures of our physical locations due to one or more employees testing positive for COVID-19, and our operations were impacted by various health and safety guidelines and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. There can be no assurance that distribution centers, restaurants and/or retail stores will not close in the future, including for extended periods, upon additional COVID-19 outbreaks, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, financial condition and results of operations.
We also rely on suppliers outside of the United States to manufacture our products. As a result of COVID-19 and the measures designed to contain the spread of the virus, our third party suppliers, who are concentrated in Asia, have been, and may in the future be, impacted by materials, capacity, capability or labor constraints. The failure to timely deliver products to us in accordance with our specifications negatively impacts our inventory levels and our ability to have fresh, in-season product available for sale, which may adversely impact our revenues. In addition, we engage freight forwarders, logistics providers and third party shipping vendors to deliver products to us, our retail locations and/or our customers. Service delays or disruptions, restrictions on services available to us or price increases imposed by these vendors due to increased demand or operational challenges has and may continue to exacerbate these challenges, which could also result in lost sales, returns, requests for refunds or cancellation of orders, any or all of which could harm our reputation and relationships with our customers.
The rapid development and fluidity of the pandemic prevents us from making any prediction as to its ultimate impact. The full extent of the impact of COVID-19 on our future revenues, operations, financial condition and results of operations continues to remain uncertain. Furthermore, other public health crises, including any outbreak of other diseases or pandemics, could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
We operate in a highly competitive industry with significant pricing pressures and heightened customer expectations.
We operate in a highly competitive industry in which the principal competitive factors are the reputation, value and image of brand names; design of differentiated, innovative or otherwise compelling product; consumer preference; price; quality; marketing (including through rapidly shifting digital and social media vehicles); product fulfillment capabilities; and customer service. The highly competitive apparel industry is characterized by low barriers to entry, with new competition entering the marketplace regularly. There are numerous domestic and foreign apparel designers, distributors, importers, licensors and retailers. Some of these companies may be significantly larger or more diversified than us and/or have significantly greater financial resources than we do.
Competition in the apparel industry is particularly enhanced in the digital marketplace for our rapidly growing e-commerce businesses, where there are new entrants in the market, greater pricing pressure and heightened customer expectations and competitive pressure related to, among other things, customer engagement, delivery speed, shipping charges and return privileges. In addition, fast fashion, value fashion and off-price retailers have shifted customer expectations of pricing for well-known brands and have contributed to additional promotional pressure in recent years.
These and other competitive factors within the apparel industry may result in reduced sales, increased costs, lower prices for our products and/or decreased margins.
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Failure to anticipate and adapt to changing fashion trends and consumer preferences could harm our reputation and financial performance.
We believe that our ability to compete successfully is directly related to our proficiency in foreseeing changes and trends in fashion and consumer preference and presenting appealing products for consumers when and where they seek it. Although certain of our products carry over from season to season, the apparel industry is subject to rapidly changing fashion trends and shifting consumer expectations. The increasing shift to digital brand engagement and social media communication, as well as the attempted replication of our products by competitors, presents emerging challenges for our business. The apparel industry is also impacted by changing consumer preferences regarding spending categories generally, including shifts away from traditional consumer product spending and towards “experiential” spending and sustainable products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully evaluate and adapt our products to align with evolving trends. Any failure on our part to develop and market appealing products could harm the reputation and desirability of our brands and products and/or result in weakened financial performance.
Our operations and those of our suppliers, vendors and wholesale customers may be affected by changes in weather patterns, natural or man-made disasters, public health crises, war, terrorism or other catastrophes.
Our sales volume and operations and the operations of third parties on whom we rely, including our suppliers, vendors, licensees and wholesale customers, may be adversely affected by unseasonable or severe weather conditions, natural or man-made disasters, hurricanes, public health crises, war, terrorist attacks, including heightened security measures and responsive military actions, or other catastrophes which may cause consumers to alter their purchasing habits or result in a disruption to our operations. Our business may also be adversely affected by instability, disruption or destruction, regardless of cause. These events may result in closures of our retail stores, restaurants, offices or distribution centers and/or declines in consumer traffic, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Because of the seasonality of our business, the concentration of a significant proportion of our retail stores and wholesale customers in certain geographic regions, including a resort and/or coastal focus for most of our lifestyle brands, and the concentration of our sourcing and distribution center operations, the occurrence of such events could disproportionately impact our business, financial condition and operating results.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has adversely affected the global economy, resulted in heightened economic sanctions against Russia from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the international community, and has resulted in geopolitical instability and market disruption. Although we do not have operations or generate revenues in the impacted regions, the geopolitical tensions related to the war could result in broader impacts that expand into other markets, cyberattacks, supply chain and logistics disruptions and lower consumer demand, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
Risks Related to our Business Strategy and Operations
Failure to maintain the reputation or value of our brands could harm our business operations and financial condition.
Our success depends on the reputation and value of our brand names. The value of our brands could be diminished by actions taken by us or by our licensees, wholesale customers or others who have an interest in our brands. Actions that could cause harm to our brands include failing to respond to emerging fashion trends or meet consumer quality expectations; selling products bearing our brands through distribution channels that are inconsistent with customer expectations; becoming overly promotional; or setting up consumer expectations for promotional activity for our products. In addition, social media is a critical marketing and customer acquisition and customer retention strategy in today’s technology-driven retail environment, and the value of our brands could be adversely affected if we do not effectively and accurately communicate our brand message through social media vehicles, including with respect to our social responsibility and environmental sustainability initiatives. The concentration in our portfolio heightens the risks we face if one of our larger brands is adversely impacted by actions we or third parties take with respect to that brand.
The improper or detrimental actions of a licensee or wholesale customer, including a third party distributor in an international market, or for example, the operator of the planned Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa targeted
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to open in late Fiscal 2023, which is an unproven concept with previously untested brand and operating standards, could also significantly impact the perception of our brands. While we enter into comprehensive license and similar collaborative agreements with third party licensees covering product design, product quality, brand standards, sourcing, social compliance, distribution, operations, manufacturing and/or marketing requirements and approvals, there can be no guarantee our brands will not be negatively impacted through our association with products or concepts outside of our core apparel products and by the market perception of the third parties with whom we associate. In addition, we cannot always control the marketing and promotion of our products by our wholesale customers, and actions by such parties that adversely affect the appeal of our products could diminish the value or reputation of one or more of our brands and have an adverse effect on our sales, gross margins and business operations.
The appeal of our brands may also depend on the perceived relevance and success of our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) initiatives and our commitments to operating our business in a socially responsible fashion. ESG risks include increased stakeholder focus on social and environmental sustainability matters, including forced labor, chemical use, energy and water use, packaging and waste, animal welfare and land use. ESG risks may also include increased pressure to expand our disclosures in these areas, make commitments, set targets or establish additional goals and take actions to meet them, which could expose us to market, operational and execution costs or risks. The metrics we disclose may not meet stakeholder expectations and may impact our reputation and the value of our brands, and a failure to achieve progress on our metrics on a timely basis, or at all, could adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Our inability to execute our direct to consumer and portfolio-level strategies in response to shifts in consumer shopping behavior could adversely affect our financial results and operations.
One of our key long-term initiatives over the last several years has been to grow our branded businesses through distribution strategies that allow our consumers to access our brands whenever and wherever they choose to shop. Our ability to anticipate and transform our business in response to the manner in which consumers seek to transact business and access products requires us to introduce new retail, restaurant and other concepts in suitable locations; anticipate and implement innovations in sales and marketing technology to align with our consumers’ shopping preferences; invest in appropriate digital and other technologies; establish the infrastructure necessary to support growth; maintain brand specific websites and mobile applications that offer the functionality and security customers expect; and effectively enhance our advertising and marketing activities, including our social media presence, to maintain our current customers and attract and introduce new consumers to our brands and offerings.
For the last several years, the retail apparel market has been evolving very rapidly in ways that are disruptive to traditional fashion retailers. These changes included sustained declines in bricks and mortar retail traffic; entry into the fashion retail space by large e-commerce retailers and others with significant financial resources and enhanced distribution capabilities; increased costs to attract and retain consumers; increased investment in technology and multi-channel distribution strategies by large, traditional bricks and mortar and big box retailers; ongoing emphasis on off-price and fast fashion channels of distribution, in particular those who offer brand label products at clearance; and increased appeal for consumers of products that incorporate sustainable materials and processes in the supply chain and/or otherwise reflect their social or personal values. In response, fashion retailers and competing brands have increasingly offered greater transparency for consumers in product pricing and engaged in increased promotional activities, both online and in-store. These trends accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and are likely to continue to evolve in ways that may not yet be evident.
In response to these evolving and rapidly changing trends in consumer shopping behavior, we have made and expect to continue to make significant investments in expanding our digital capabilities and technologies in three key areas: mobile technology; digital marketing; and the digital customer experience. Although we have experienced significant growth in our e-commerce businesses in recent years, there is no assurance that we will realize a return on these investments, be successful in continuing to grow our e-commerce businesses over the long term or that any increase we may see in net sales from our e-commerce business will not cannibalize, or be sufficient to offset any decreases in, net sales from bricks and mortar retail stores.
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Any inability on our part to effectively adapt to rapidly evolving consumer behavioral trends may result in lost sales, increase our costs and/or adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition, reputation and credibility.
We may be unable to grow our business through organic growth, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
A key component of our business strategy is organic growth in our brands. Organic growth may be achieved by, among other things, increasing sales in our direct to consumer channels; selling our products in new markets; increasing our market share in existing markets; expanding the demographic appeal of our brands; expanding our margins through product cost reductions, price increases or otherwise; expanding the customer reach of our brands through new and enhanced advertising initiatives; and increasing the product offerings and concepts within our various operating groups, such as the opening of additional Marlin Bars at Tommy Bahama and owned retail stores at Southern Tide and TBBC. Successful growth of our business is also subject to our ability to implement plans for expanding and/or maintaining our existing businesses at satisfactory levels. We may not be successful in achieving suitable organic growth, and our inability to grow our business may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
In addition, investments we make in technology, advertising and infrastructure, retail stores and restaurants, office and distribution center facilities, personnel and elsewhere may not yield the full benefits we anticipate, and sales growth may be outpaced by increases in operating costs, putting downward pressure on our operating margins and adversely affecting our results of operations. If we are unable to increase our revenues organically, we may be required to pursue other strategic initiatives, including reductions in costs and/or acquisitions, in order to grow our business. These initiatives may not be available to us on desirable terms, inhibiting our ability to increase profitability.
The acquisition of new businesses is inherently risky, and we cannot be certain that we will realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition.
Growth of our business through acquisitions of lifestyle brands that fit within our business model is a key component of our long-term business strategy, as evidenced by our acquisition of Johnny Was in September 2022. Johnny Was is an affordable luxury, artisan-inspired bohemian apparel, accessories and home goods brand that is exposed to similar industry, macroeconomic, operational, cybersecurity and information technology, sourcing, regulatory and other general risks as our other businesses.
Integrating an acquired business is a complex, time-consuming and expensive process and is even more challenging for a larger, rapidly growing business such as Johnny Was. The integration process could create a number of challenges and adverse consequences for us associated with the integration of product lines, support functions, employees, sales teams and outsourced manufacturers; employee turnover, including key management and creative personnel of the acquired business and our existing businesses; disruption in product cycles for newly acquired product lines; maintenance of acceptable standards, controls, procedures and policies; operating a business in new geographic territories; diversion of the attention of our management from other areas of our business; and the impairment of relationships with customers of the acquired and existing businesses. We are still relatively early in the process of integrating the operations of Johnny Was, and there can be no assurance that we will not encounter unexpected costs or liabilities arising from the Johnny Was business or the integration process. As a result of these challenges or other factors, the benefits of an acquisition may not materialize to the extent or within the time periods anticipated.
In addition, the competitive climate for desirable acquisition candidates drives higher market multiples, and we may pay more to consummate an acquisition than the value we ultimately derive from the acquired business. Acquisitions may cause us to incur debt, as we did in connection with the Johnny Was acquisition, or make dilutive issuances of our equity securities, and may result in certain impairment or amortization charges in our statements of operations. In addition, we may not complete a potential acquisition for a variety of reasons but still incur material, unrecoverable costs in the preliminary stages of evaluating and pursuing an acquisition. Additionally, as a result of acquisitions, we may become responsible for unexpected liabilities that we failed or were unable to discover in the course of performing due diligence.
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As the fashion retail environment evolves, our investment criteria for acquisitions has grown to include smaller brands and non-controlling investments in burgeoning brands seeking debt or equity financing. The limited operating history, less experienced management teams and less sophisticated systems, infrastructure and relationships generally associated with such brands may heighten the risks associated with acquisitions generally. Minority investments present additional risks, including the potential disproportionate distraction to our management team relative to the potential financial benefit; the potential for a conflict of interest; the damage to our reputation of associating with a brand which may take actions inconsistent with our values; and the financial risks associated with making an investment in an unproven business model.
The divestiture or discontinuation of businesses and product lines could result in unexpected liabilities and adversely affect our financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
From time to time, we may also divest or discontinue businesses, product lines and/or wholesale relationships that do not align with our strategy or provide the returns that we expect or desire, such as our Fiscal 2021 exit of the Lanier Apparel business. Such dispositions and/or discontinuations may result in underutilization of our retained resources if the exited operations are not replaced with new lines of business, either internally or through acquisition. In addition, we may become responsible for unexpected liabilities, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Our business could be harmed if we fail to maintain proper inventory levels.
Many factors, such as economic conditions, fashion trends, consumer preferences, the financial condition of our wholesale customers and weather, make it difficult to accurately forecast demand for our products. In order to meet the expected demand for our products in a cost-effective manner, we make commitments for production several months prior to our receipt of goods and almost entirely without firm commitments from our customers. Depending on the demand for our products, we may be unable to sell the products we have ordered or that we have in our inventory, which may result in inventory markdowns or the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices and through off-price channels. These events could significantly harm our operating results and impair the image of our brands. Conversely, if we underestimate the timing or extent of demand for our products or if we are unable to access our products when we need them, for example due to a third party manufacturer’s inability to source materials or produce goods in a timely fashion or as a result of delays in the delivery of products to us, issues which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we may experience inventory shortages, which might result in lost sales, unfilled orders, negatively impacted customer relationships, and diminished brand loyalty, any of which could harm our business. These risks relating to inventory may also escalate as our direct to consumer sales, for which we do not have any advance purchase commitments, continue to increase as a proportion of our consolidated net sales.
We are subject to risks associated with leasing real estate for our retail stores and restaurants.
We lease all of our retail store and restaurant locations. Successful operation of our retail stores and restaurants depends, in part, on our ability to identify desirable, brand appropriate locations; the overall ability of the location to attract a consumer base sufficient to make sales volume profitable; our ability to negotiate satisfactory lease terms and employ qualified personnel; and our ability to timely construct and complete any build out and open the location in accordance with our plans, which could be delayed due to supply chain constraints, delays in permitting and government approval processes and/or labor or materials shortages. A decline in the volume of consumer traffic at our retail stores and restaurants, due to economic conditions, shifts in consumer shopping preferences or technology, a decline in the popularity of malls or lifestyle centers in general or at those in which we operate, the closing of anchor stores or other adjacent tenants or otherwise, could have a negative impact on our sales, gross margins and results of operations. Our growth may be limited if we are unable to identify new locations with consumer traffic sufficient to support a profitable sales level or the local market reception to a new retail store opening is inconsistent with our expectations.
Our retail store and restaurant leases generally represent long-term financial commitments, with substantial costs at lease inception for a location’s design, leasehold improvements, fixtures and systems installation and recurring fixed costs. On an ongoing basis, we review the financial performance of our retail and restaurant locations in order to determine whether continued operation is appropriate. Even if we determine that it is desirable to exit a particular
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location, we may be unable to close an underperforming location due to continuous use clauses and/or because negotiating an early termination would be cost prohibitive. In addition, due to the fixed-cost structure associated with these operations, negative cash flows or the closure of a retail store or restaurant could result in impairment of leasehold improvements, impairment of operating lease assets and/or other long-lived assets, severance costs, lease termination costs or the loss of working capital, which could adversely impact our business and financial results. Furthermore, as each of our leases expire, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, including as a result of shifts in how shopping center operators seek to merchandise the particular center’s lineup, which could force us to close retail stores and/or restaurants in desirable locations.
Furthermore, a deterioration in the financial condition of shopping center operators or developers could, for example, limit their ability to invest in improvements and finance tenant improvements for us and other retailers and lead consumers to view these locations as less desirable. In addition, if our e-commerce businesses continue to grow, they may do so in part by attracting existing customers, rather than new customers, who choose to purchase products from us online through our websites rather than from our physical stores, thereby reducing the financial performance of our bricks and mortar operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
We make use of debt to finance our operations, which could expose us to risks that adversely affect our business, financial position and operating results.
Our levels of debt vary as a result of the seasonality of our business, investments in our operations, acquisitions we undertake and working capital needs. As of January 28, 2023, we had $119 million of borrowings under our U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement, which was primarily driven by our acquisition of Johnny Was.
In the future, our debt levels may increase under our existing facility or potentially under new facilities, or the terms or forms of our financing arrangements may change. Our indebtedness under the U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement includes certain obligations and limitations, including the periodic payment of principal, interest and unused line fees, maintenance of certain covenants and certain other limitations. The negative covenants in the U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement limits our ability to, among other things, incur debt, guaranty certain obligations, incur liens, pay dividends, repurchase common stock, make investments, sell assets or make acquisitions. These obligations and limitations may increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to any competitors that may be less leveraged and limit our flexibility in carrying out our business plans and planning for, or reacting to, change.
In addition, we are subject to interest rate risk on the indebtedness under our variable rate U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement, particularly in the current macroeconomic environment. An increase in the interest rate environment, such as the recent increases in interest rates implemented by the Federal Reserve, would require us to pay a greater amount towards interest on our borrowings.
The continued growth of our business depends on our access to sufficient funds. If the need arises in the future to finance expenditures in excess of those supported by our U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement, we may need to seek additional funding through debt or equity financing. Our ability to obtain that financing will depend on many factors, including prevailing market conditions, our financial condition and our ability to negotiate favorable terms and conditions. The terms of any such financing or our inability to secure such financing could adversely affect our ability to execute our strategies, and the negative covenants in our debt agreements, now or in the future, may increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions and/or limit our flexibility in carrying out our business strategy and plans.
The loss of one or more of our key wholesale customers, or a significant adverse change in a customer’s financial position, could negatively impact our net sales and profitability.
We generate a material percentage of our wholesale sales, which was 20% of our net sales in Fiscal 2022, from a few key customers. Although our largest customer only represented 4% of our consolidated net sales in Fiscal 2022, the failure to increase or maintain our sales with our key customers as much as we anticipate would have a negative
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impact on our growth prospects and any decrease or loss of these customers’ business could result in a decrease in our net sales and operating income if we are unable to capture these sales through our direct to consumer operations or other wholesale accounts. Over the last several years, department stores and other large retailers have faced increased competition from online competitors, declining sales and profitability and tightened credit markets, resulting in store closures, bankruptcies and financial restructurings. Restructuring of our customers’ operations, continued store closures or increased direct sourcing by customers could negatively impact our net sales and profitability.
We also extend credit to most of our key wholesale customers without requiring collateral, which results in a large amount of receivables from just a few customers. A significant adverse change in a customer’s financial position or ability to satisfy its obligations to us could cause us to limit or discontinue business with that customer, in some cases after we have already made product purchase commitments for inventory; require us to assume greater credit risk relating to that customer’s receivables; or limit our ability to collect amounts related to shipments to that customer. In addition, a decision by one or more of our key wholesale customers to terminate its relationship with us or to reduce its purchases, whether motivated by competitive considerations, a change in desired product assortment, quality or style issues, financial difficulties, economic conditions or otherwise, could also adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Cybersecurity and Information Technology
Cybersecurity attacks and/or breaches of information security or privacy could disrupt our operations, cause us to incur additional expenses, expose us to litigation and/or cause us financial harm.
Cybersecurity attacks continue to become increasingly sophisticated, and experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our assets, including confidential information, or disrupt our systems. We collect, use, store and transmit sensitive and confidential personal information of our customers, employees, suppliers and others as an ongoing part of our business operations, and we are regularly subject to attempts by attackers to gain unauthorized access to our networks, systems and data, or to obtain, change or destroy confidential information. In addition, customers may use devices or software that are beyond our control environment to purchase our products, which may provide additional avenues for attackers to gain access to confidential information.
Despite our implementation of security measures, if an actual or perceived data security breach occurs, whether as a result of cybersecurity attacks, computer viruses, vandalism, ransomware, human error or otherwise, or if there are perceived vulnerabilities in our systems, the image of our brands and our reputation and credibility could be damaged, and, in some cases, our continued operations may be impaired or restricted. Ongoing and increasing costs to enhance cybersecurity protection and prevent, eliminate or mitigate vulnerabilities and comply with required security or other measures under state, federal and international laws, which may include deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees and engaging third party experts and consultants, are significant. Although we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, our operations may be adversely affected by an actual or perceived data security breach. Costs to resolve any litigation or to investigate and remediate any actual or perceived breach could result in significant financial losses and expenses, as well as lost sales. While we continue to evolve and modify our business continuity plans, there can be no assurance in an escalating threat environment that they will be effective in avoiding disruption and business impacts.
As part of our routine operations, we also contract with third party service providers to store, process and transmit personal information of our customers and employees. Although we may contractually require that these providers implement reasonable security measures, we cannot control third parties and cannot guarantee that a security breach will not occur at their location or within their systems. Privacy breaches of confidential information stored or used by our third party service providers or disruptions in their systems may expose us to the same risks as a breach of our own systems, including negative publicity, potential out-of-pocket costs and adverse effects on our business and customer relationships.
Our operations are reliant on information technology, and any interruption or other failure could have an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.
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The efficient operation of our business depends on information technology. This requires us to devote significant financial and employee resources to information technology initiatives and operations. Information systems are used in all stages of our operations and as a method of communication, both internally and with our customers, service providers and suppliers. Many of our information technology solutions are operated and/or maintained by third parties, including our use of cloud-based solutions. Additionally, each of our operating groups uses e-commerce websites, point-of-sale systems, enterprise order management systems, warehouse management systems and wholesale ordering systems to acquire, manage, sell and distribute goods. Our management also relies on information systems to provide relevant and accurate information in order to allocate resources, manage operations and forecast, account for and report our operating results. Service interruptions may occur as a result of a number of factors, including power outages, consumer traffic levels, computer viruses, sabotage, hacking or other unlawful activities by third parties, human error, disasters or failures to properly install, upgrade, integrate, protect, repair or maintain our various systems, networks and e-commerce websites. All of these events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In light of the current geopolitical environment, there are heightened risks that our information technology systems, as well as those of third parties on whom we rely in order to conduct our operations, could be compromised by threat actors.
Reliance on outdated technology or failure to upgrade our information technology systems and capabilities could impair the efficient operation of our business and our ability to compete.
Any failure to timely upgrade our technology systems and capabilities may impair our ability to market, sell and deliver products to our customers, efficiently conduct our operations, facilitate customer engagement in today’s digital marketplace and/or meet the needs of our management. We regularly evaluate upgrades or enhancements to our information systems to more efficiently and competitively operate our businesses, including periodic upgrades to digital commerce and marketing, warehouse management, guest relations, omnichannel and/or enterprise order management systems in our businesses. Digital commerce and marketing have continued to increase in importance to our business, and we have invested and will continue to invest significant capital in the digital strategies, systems, expertise and capabilities necessary for us to compete effectively in this arena. Upgrades to our systems may be expensive undertakings, may not be successful and/or could be abandoned, as we did in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2020 with a Tommy Bahama information technology project. We may also experience difficulties during the implementation, upgrade or subsequent operation of our systems, including the risk of introducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities into our systems or the loss of certain functionality, information from our legacy systems and/or efficient interfaces with third party and continuing systems. Temporary processes or solutions, including manual operations, which may be required to be instituted in the short term could also significantly increase the risk of loss or corruption of data and information. Additionally, if such upgraded information technology systems fail to operate or are unable to support our growth, our store operations and websites could be severely disrupted, and we could be required to make significant additional expenditures to remedy any such failure.
Remote work arrangements could inhibit our ability to effectively operate our business and result in enhanced cybersecurity risks.
We anticipate continuing to implement remote work arrangements for a substantial portion of our employees in the future. If remote work arrangements negatively impact the performance or management of our employees, whether as a result of technological challenges, unsuitable work environments or other limitations, our ability to carry out key functions and successfully manage our operations could be compromised. In addition, remote work arrangements could exacerbate our existing cybersecurity and privacy risks, including by introducing vulnerabilities in our systems due to the use of laptops, mobile devices and remote work environments. Cybersecurity attacks or data security incidents resulting from a failure to manage these risks could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
Risks Related to our Sourcing and Distribution Strategies
Our reliance on third party producers in foreign countries to meet our production demands exposes us to risks that could disrupt our supply chain, increase our costs and negatively impact our operations.
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We source substantially all of our products from non-exclusive, third party producers located in foreign countries. Although we place a high value on long-term relationships with our suppliers, we do not have long-term supply contracts but instead conduct business on an order-by-order basis. Therefore, we compete with other companies for the production capacity of independent manufacturers. We also depend on the ability of these third party producers to secure a sufficient supply of raw materials, adequately finance the production of goods ordered and maintain sufficient manufacturing and shipping capacity, and in some cases, the products we purchase and the raw materials that are used in our products are available only from one source or a limited number of sources. Although we monitor production in third party manufacturing locations, we cannot be certain that we will not experience operational difficulties with our manufacturers, such as the reduction of available production capacity, errors in complying with product specifications, insufficient quality control, failures to meet production deadlines or increases in manufacturing costs. In addition, we may experience disruptions in our supply chain as we continue to diversify the jurisdictions from which we source products. Any such difficulties may impact our ability to deliver quality products to our customers on a timely basis, increase our costs, negatively impact our customer relationships and result in lower net sales and profits.
Our operations are dependent on the global supply chain, and the impact of supply chain constraints may adversely impact our business and operating results.
Our operations in recent years have been, and may continue to be, impacted by supply chain constraints, labor shortages and raw material shortages, resulting in increased costs for raw materials, longer lead times, port congestion and increased freight costs caused, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic, increased consumer demand, the uncertain economic environment, and other macroeconomic trends. As a result of these factors within the global supply chain, our gross margins were negatively impacted during Fiscal 2021 and, to a lesser extent in Fiscal 2022. We also rely on logistics providers to transport our products to our distribution centers. Delays in shipping may cause us to have to use more expensive air freight or other more costly methods to ship our products. Failure to adequately produce and timely ship our products to customers could lead to increased costs and lost sales, negatively impact our relationships with customers, and adversely impact our brand reputation.
Any disruption or failure in our primary distribution facilities may materially adversely affect our business or operations.
We rely on our primary distribution facilities in order to support our direct to consumer and wholesale operations, meet customer fulfillment expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve operating efficiencies. We may have a greater risk than our peers due to the concentration of our distribution facilities, as substantially all of our products for each operating group are distributed through one or two principal distribution centers. Although we continue to enhance our enterprise order management capabilities to deliver products from other physical locations, our ability to effectively support our direct to consumer and wholesale operations, meet customer expectations, manage inventory and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies depends on the proper operation of these distribution facilities, each of which manages the receipt, storage, sorting, packing and distribution of finished goods.
If any of our primary distribution facilities were to shut down or otherwise become inoperable or inaccessible for any reason, including as a result of natural or man-made disasters, pandemics or epidemics, human error, or cybersecurity attacks or computer viruses, or if we are unable to receive or ship the goods in a distribution center, as a result of a technology failure, labor shortages or otherwise, we could experience a substantial loss of inventory, a reduction in sales, higher costs, insufficient inventory at our retail stores to meet consumer expectations and longer lead times associated with the distribution of our products. In addition, for the distribution facilities that we operate, there are substantial fixed costs associated with these large, highly automated distribution centers, and we could experience reduced operating and cost efficiencies during periods of economic weakness. Any disruption to our distribution facilities or in their efficient operation could negatively affect our operating results and our customer relationships.
Fluctuations and volatility in the cost and availability of raw materials, labor and freight may materially increase our costs.
We and our third party suppliers rely on the availability of raw materials at reasonable prices. The principal fabrics used in our business are cotton, silk, linen, leather, tencel, and other natural and man-made fibers, or blends of
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two or more of these materials. The prices paid for these fabrics depend on the market price for raw materials used to produce them. The cost of the materials and components that are used in our manufacturing process, such as oil-related commodity prices and other raw materials, such as dyes and chemicals, and other costs, can fluctuate. We historically have not entered into any futures contracts to hedge commodity prices. In Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2022, we saw increased costs of raw materials, including cotton, that impacted our production costs. These price increases could continue in future years.
Employment costs represented more than 40% of our consolidated SG&A in Fiscal 2022, and we have seen increases in the cost of labor in our retail, restaurant and distribution center operations as well as at many of our suppliers in recent years, which intensified during the last two years. Employment costs are affected by labor markets, as well as various federal, state and foreign laws governing matters such as minimum wage rates, overtime compensation and other requirements. In addition, in recent years, there has been significant political pressure and legislative action to increase the minimum wage rate in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. We have also experienced increases in freight costs and distribution and logistics functions and may continue to see such cost and capacity pressures. Although we attempt to mitigate the effect of increases in our cost of goods sold, labor costs, occupancy costs, other operational costs and SG&A items through sourcing initiatives and by selectively increasing the prices of our products, we may be unable to fully pass on these costs to our customers, and material increases in our costs may reduce the profitability of our operations and/or adversely impact our results of operations.
Labor-related matters, including labor disputes, may adversely affect our operations.
We may be adversely affected as a result of labor disputes in our own operations or in those of third parties with whom we work. Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely manner, and our new retail store and restaurant growth is dependent on timely construction of our locations. While we are not subject to any organized labor agreements and have historically enjoyed good employee relations, there can be no assurance that we will not experience work stoppages or other labor problems in the future with our non-unionized employees. In addition, potential labor disputes at independent factories where our goods are produced, shipping ports or transportation carriers create risks for our business, particularly if a dispute results in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak manufacturing, shipping and selling seasons. Further, we plan our inventory purchases and forecasts based on the anticipated timing of retail store and restaurant openings, which could be delayed as a result of a number of factors, including labor disputes among contractors engaged to construct our locations or within government licensing or permitting offices or the unavailability of qualified contractors due to labor shortages. Any potential labor dispute, either in our own operations or in those of third parties on whom we rely, could materially affect our costs, decrease our sales, harm our reputation or otherwise negatively affect our operations.
Our geographic concentration of retail stores, restaurants and wholesale customers exposes us to certain regional risks.
Our operations and retail and restaurant locations are heavily concentrated in the United States and certain geographic areas within the United States, including Florida, California, Texas and Hawaii for our Tommy Bahama operations; Florida for our Lilly Pulitzer operations; California for our Johnny Was operations; and Florida for our Emerging Brands operations. Additionally, the wholesale sales for our businesses are also geographically concentrated, including in geographic areas where we have concentrations of our own retail store locations. Due to these concentrations, as well as our brands’ association with the resort lifestyle and destinations, we have heightened exposure to factors that impact these regions, including general economic conditions, weather patterns, natural disasters, public health crises, changing demographics and other factors.
Our international operations, including foreign sourcing, result in an exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
We are exposed to certain currency exchange risks in conducting business outside of the United States. Substantially all of our product purchases are from foreign vendors and are denominated in U.S. dollars. If the value of the U.S. dollar decreases relative to certain foreign currencies in the future, then the prices that we negotiate for products could increase and we may be unable to pass this increase on to customers, which would negatively impact our margins.
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However, if the value of the U.S. dollar increases between the time a price is set and payment for a product, the price we pay may be higher than that paid for comparable goods by competitors that pay for goods in local currencies, and these competitors may be able to sell their products at more competitive prices. An increase in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to other currencies in which we have sales could also result in lower levels of sales and earnings reported in our consolidated statements of operations and lower gross margins. Additionally, currency fluctuations could also disrupt the business of our independent manufacturers by making their purchases of raw materials more expensive and difficult to finance.
Risks Related to Regulatory, Tax and Financial Reporting Matters
Our business is subject to various federal, foreign, state and local laws and regulations, and the costs of compliance with, or the violation of, such laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our costs or operations.
We are subject to stringent standards, laws and other regulations, including those relating to labor, employment, privacy and data security, consumer protection, marketing, health, product performance, content and safety, anti-bribery, taxation, customs, logistics and other operational matters. These laws and regulations, in the United States and abroad, are complex and often vary widely by jurisdiction, making it difficult for us to ensure that we are currently or will in the future be compliant with all applicable laws and regulations in all the states and countries in which we operate. In addition to the local laws of the foreign countries in which we operate, we are subject to certain anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. If any of our international operations, or our employees or agents, violates such laws, we could become subject to sanctions or other penalties that could negatively affect our reputation, business and operating results.
We may be required to make significant expenditures and devote significant time and management resources to comply with existing or future laws or regulations, and a violation of applicable laws and regulations by us, or any of our suppliers or licensees, may restrict our ability to import products, require a recall of our products, lead to fines or otherwise increase our costs, negatively impact our ability to attract and retain employees or materially limit our ability to operate our business. In addition, regardless of whether any allegations of violations of the laws and regulations governing our business are valid or whether we ultimately become liable, we may be materially affected by negative publicity as a result of such allegations.
In addition, the regulatory environment governing our use of individually identifiable data is complex, and compliance with new and modified state, federal and international privacy and security laws may require us to modify our operations and/or incur costs to make necessary systems changes and implement new administrative processes. In addition, because we process and transmit payment card information, we are subject to the payment card industry data security standard and card brand operating rules, which provide for a comprehensive set of rules relating to the retention and/or transmission of payment card information. If we do not comply with the applicable standards, we may be subject to fines or restrictions on our ability to accept payment cards, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Changes in international trade regulation could increase our costs and/or disrupt our supply chain.
Due to our international sourcing activities, we are exposed to risks associated with changes in the laws and regulations governing the importing and exporting of apparel products into and from the countries in which we operate. These risks include imposition of additional or new antidumping, countervailing or other duties, tariffs, taxes or quota restrictions; government-imposed restrictions as a result of public health issues; changes in customs procedures for importing apparel products; restrictions on the transfer of funds to or from foreign countries; and the issuance of sanctions and trade orders. Any of these factors may disrupt our supply chain, and we may be unable to offset any associated cost increases by shifting production to suitable manufacturers in other jurisdictions in a timely manner or at acceptable prices, and future regulatory actions or changes in international trade regulation may provide our competitors with a material advantage over us or render our products less desirable in the marketplace.
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There has been heightened trade tension between the United States and China, from which we sourced 36% of our products in Fiscal 2022 and from which Johnny Was has sourced more than 90% of its products in recent years, with multiple rounds of increased U.S. tariffs on China-imported goods implemented in 2018 and 2019. It is unclear what, if any, additional actions might be considered or implemented, particularly in the current geopolitical environment. Significant tariffs or other restrictions placed on Chinese imports and any related countermeasures that are taken by China could have an adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Any violation or perceived violation of our codes of conduct or environmental and social compliance programs, including by our manufacturers or vendors, could have a material adverse effect on our brands.
We have a robust legal, social and environmental compliance program, including codes of conduct and vendor compliance standards. The reputation of our brands could be harmed if we or our third-party manufacturers and vendors, substantially all of which are located outside the United States, fail to meet appropriate product safety, product quality and social and environmental compliance standards. Despite our efforts, we cannot ensure that our manufacturers and vendors will at all times conduct their operations in accordance with ethical practices or that the products we purchase will always meet our safety and quality control standards, and any failure to do so could disrupt our supply chain and adversely affect our business operations.
The presence or perception of forced labor in our supply chain in spite of our efforts to ensure that our third party manufacturers and vendors meet human rights and labor standards could result in adverse impacts on our business, including the detention of goods at U.S. ports of entry, challenges in identifying replacement vendors and harm to our reputation. While we have diversified the jurisdictions from which we source products and product inputs, our manufacturing operations remain concentrated in China, cotton is among the principal raw materials used in many of our goods and even the cotton used in our products manufactured outside of China largely originates from Chinese fabric mills. Starting in Fiscal 2020, the U.S. Government issued withhold release orders in response to concerns regarding forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (the “XUAR”) of China. The XUAR is a globally significant source of cotton production, much of which is controlled by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corporation (“XPCC”) and its affiliates. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”), which was enacted in 2021, created a rebuttable presumption that goods produced in whole or in part in the XUAR or connected with certain listed companies, including the XPCC and its affiliates, were produced using forced labor and are, therefore, barred from entry into the United States. Requirements for enhanced supply chain traceability, monitoring and risk screening, including pursuant to the UFLPA, have increased our compliance costs. Furthermore, while we do not knowingly source any products or product inputs from the XUAR, we have no known involvement with the XPCC, its affiliates or other entity list companies and we prohibit our suppliers from using forced labor, our supply chain is complex, and we may not have the ability to completely map and monitor it. We could be subject to penalties, fines or sanctions if any of the manufacturers from which we purchase goods is found or suspected to have dealings, directly or indirectly, with the XUAR or entity list companies, and any actions taken by customs officials to block the import of products suspected of being manufactured with forced labor, whether or not founded, could adversely impact our operations and financial results.
Furthermore, consumers are increasingly attuned to the environmental and social impact of the products they purchase and companies with which they do business. A failure to effectively convey our core principles to our customers and investors or to accurately communicate our social responsibility and environmental sustainability initiatives and respond to concerns raised about them, including through our social media channels, could result in a negative public perception of our brands and products and negatively impact our business.
As a multi-national apparel company, we may experience fluctuations in our tax liabilities and effective tax rate.
As a multi-national apparel company, we are subject to income taxes in the United States and various foreign jurisdictions. We record our income tax liability based on an analysis and interpretation of local tax laws and regulations, which requires a significant amount of judgment and estimation. In addition, we may from time to time modify our operations in an effort to minimize our consolidated income tax expense. Our effective income tax rate in any particular period or in future periods may be affected by a number of factors, including a shift in the mix of revenues, income and/or losses among domestic and international sources during a year or over a period of years; changes in tax laws and regulations and/or international tax treaties; the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions; the difference
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between the income tax deduction and the previously recognized income tax benefit related to the vesting of equity-based compensation awards; and the resolution of uncertain tax positions, any of which could adversely affect our effective income tax rate and profitability. Further, changes to U.S. and foreign tax laws and compliance with new tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our tax expense, cash flows and operations.
Impairment charges for goodwill or intangible assets could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.
The carrying values of our goodwill and intangible assets, including those recorded in connection with our acquisition of a business or our bricks and mortar operations, are subject to periodic impairment testing. In connection with our acquisition of Johnny Was, we preliminarily recognized $135 million of intangible assets and $97 million of goodwill associated with those operations. Impairment testing of goodwill and intangible assets requires us to make estimates about future performance and cash flows that are inherently uncertain and can be affected by numerous factors, including changes in economic conditions, income tax rates, our results of operations and competitive conditions in the industry. For example, in Fiscal 2020, we recognized $60 million of non-cash impairment charges for goodwill and intangible assets, which reflected the impact of COVID-19 on the operations, plans and strategy of the Southern Tide business. Future impairment charges may have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
Any failure to maintain liquor licenses or comply with applicable regulations could adversely affect the profitability of our restaurant operations.
The restaurant industry requires compliance with a variety of federal, state and local regulations. In particular, all of our Tommy Bahama restaurants and Marlin Bars serve alcohol and, therefore, maintain liquor licenses. Our ability to maintain our liquor licenses and other permits depends on our compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The loss of a liquor license or other critical permits would adversely affect the profitability of that restaurant. Additionally, as a participant in the restaurant industry, we face risks related to food quality, food-borne illness, injury, health inspection scores and labor relations. The negative impact of adverse publicity relating to allegations of actual or perceived violations at one of our restaurants may extend beyond the restaurant involved to affect some or all of our other restaurants, as well as the image of the Tommy Bahama brand as a whole.
General Risks
Our business depends on our senior management and other key personnel, and failure to successfully attract, retain and implement succession of our senior management and key personnel or to attract, develop and retain personnel to fulfill other critical functions may have an adverse effect on our operations and ability to execute our strategies.
Our senior management has substantial experience in the apparel and related industries, with our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Thomas C. Chubb III having worked with our company for more than 30 years, including in various executive management capacities. Our success depends on disciplined execution at all levels of our organization, including our senior management, and continued succession planning. Competition for qualified personnel is intense, and we compete to attract and retain these individuals with other companies that may have greater financial resources than us. While we believe that we have depth within our management team, the unexpected loss of any of our senior management, or the unsuccessful integration of new leadership, could harm our business and financial performance. In addition, we may be unable to retain or recruit qualified personnel in key areas such as product design, sales, marketing (including individuals with key insights into digital and social media marketing strategies), distribution, technology, sourcing and other support functions, which could result in missed sales opportunities and harm to key business relationships.
During Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2022, we experienced staffing shortages, higher turnover rates and challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified employees at all levels of our organization, which may continue in the future. Our inability or failure to recruit and retain skilled personnel could adversely impact our business, financial performance, reputation, ability to keep up with the needs of our customers and overall customer satisfaction.
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We may be unable to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property.
We believe that our trademarks and other intellectual property rights have significant value and are important to our continued success and our competitive position due to their recognition by consumers and retailers. Substantially all of our consolidated net sales are attributable to branded products for which we own the trademark. Therefore, our success depends to a significant degree on our ability to protect and preserve our intellectual property. We rely on laws in the United States and other countries to protect our proprietary rights. However, we may not be able to sufficiently prevent third parties from using our intellectual property without our authorization, particularly in those countries where the laws do not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States. We have also experienced inherent, expanding challenges with enforcing our intellectual property rights on third party e-commerce websites, especially those based in foreign jurisdictions. The use of our intellectual property or similar intellectual property by others could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage we have developed, causing us to lose sales or otherwise harm the reputation of our brands.
We devote significant resources to the registration and protection of our trademarks and to anti-counterfeiting efforts. Despite these efforts, we regularly discover products that infringe our proprietary rights or that otherwise seek to mimic or leverage our intellectual property. Counterfeiting and other infringing activities typically increase as brand recognition increases, and association of our brands with inferior counterfeit reproductions or third party labels could adversely affect the integrity and reputation of our brands.
Additionally, there can be no assurance that the actions that we have taken will be adequate to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as violations of proprietary rights. As we extend our brands into new product categories and new product lines and expand the geographic scope of the sourcing, distribution and marketing of our brands’ products, we could become subject to litigation or challenge based on allegations of the infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties, including by various third parties who have acquired or claim ownership rights in some of our trademarks internationally. In the event a claim of infringement against us is successful or would otherwise affect our operations, we may be required to pay damages, royalties, license fees or other costs to continue to use intellectual property rights that we had been using, or we may be unable to obtain necessary licenses from third parties at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable time. Litigation and other legal action of this type, regardless of whether it is successful, could result in substantial costs to us and diversion of the attention of our management and other resources.
We are subject to periodic litigation, which may cause us to incur substantial expenses or unexpected liabilities.
From time to time, we are involved in litigation matters, which may relate to employment practices, consumer protection, intellectual property infringement, product liability and contract disputes, and which may include a class action, and we are subject to various claims and pending or threatened lawsuits in the ordinary course of our business operations. Often, these cases raise complex factual and legal issues and, due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. Regardless of the outcome or whether the claims have merit, legal proceedings may be expensive and require significant management time.
Our common stock price may be highly volatile, and we may be unable to meet investor and analyst expectations.
Our common stock, which is currently listed on the New York Stock Exchange, may be subject to extreme and unpredictable fluctuations in price. The market price of our common stock may decline if the results of our operations or projected results do not meet the expectations of securities analysts or our shareholders, investors are unreceptive to an announcement of changes in our business or our strategic initiatives or securities analysts who follow our company change their ratings or estimates of our future performance. Our stock price may also change suddenly as a result of other factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions, new or modified legislation impacting our industry, announcements by our competitors, or sales of our stock by existing shareholders.
The stock market has also experienced periods of general volatility which result in fluctuations in stock prices unrelated or disproportionate to operating performance. We cannot provide assurances that there will continue to be an
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active trading market for our stock, and the price of our common stock may also be affected by illiquidity or perceived illiquidity of our shares. In addition, although we have paid dividends in each quarter since we became a public company in July 1960, we may discontinue or reduce dividend payments based upon several factors, including the terms of our credit facility and applicable law, the need for funding for our strategic initiatives or other capital expenditures and our future cash needs. Any modification or suspension of dividends could cause our stock price to decline. We also may be subject, from time to time, to legal and business challenges or disruptions in the operation of our company due to actions instituted by activist shareholders or others.
Other factors may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Other risks, many of which are beyond our ability to control or predict, could negatively impact our business and financial performance, including changes in social, political, labor, health and economic conditions; changes in the operations or liquidity of any of the parties with which we conduct our business, or in the access to capital markets for any such parties; increasing costs of customer acquisition, activation and retention; consolidation in the retail industry; and other factors. Any of these risks, and others of which we are not aware or that we currently consider to be immaterial, could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
We lease and own space for our direct to consumer locations, distribution centers, and sales/administration offices in various locations. We believe that our existing properties are well maintained, are in good operating condition and will be adequate for our present level of operations. We also own one property located in Merida, Mexico that was previously used in our Lanier Apparel manufacturing operations.
In the ordinary course of business, we enter into lease agreements for our direct to consumer operations, including leases for full-price retail store, food and beverage and outlet store space. The leases have varying terms and expirations and may have provisions to extend, renew or terminate the lease agreement, among other terms and conditions. At times, we may determine that it is appropriate to close certain direct to consumer or other locations that no longer meet our investment criteria, by either not renewing the lease, exercising an early termination option, negotiating an early termination or otherwise. For existing leases in desirable locations, we anticipate that we will be able to extend our leases, to the extent that they expire in the near future, on terms that are satisfactory to us, or if necessary, locate substitute properties on acceptable terms. The terms and conditions of lease renewals or relocations may not be as favorable as existing leases.
Details of the principal administrative, sales and distribution facilities used in our operations, including approximate square footage, are as follows:
Square Lease
Location Primary Use Operating Group Footage Expiration
Seattle, Washington Sales/administration Tommy Bahama 125,000 2026
Auburn, Washington Distribution center Tommy Bahama 335,000 2025
Los Angeles, California Sales/administration Johnny Was 30,000 2032
Atlanta, Georgia Sales/administration Corporate/Other 30,000 2024
Lyons, Georgia Distribution center Various 420,000 Owned
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Item 3. Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we are a party to litigation and regulatory actions arising in the ordinary course of business. These actions may relate to trademark and other intellectual property, employee relations matters, real estate, licensing arrangements, importing or exporting regulations, product safety requirements, taxation or other topics. We are not currently a party to any litigation or regulatory action or aware of any proceedings contemplated by governmental authorities that we believe could reasonably be expected to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, our assessment of any litigation or other legal claims could potentially change in light of the discovery of additional factors not presently known or determinations by judges, juries, or others which are not consistent with our evaluation of the possible liability or outcome of such litigation or claims.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market and Dividend Information
Our common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "OXM." As of March 24, 2023, there were 262 record holders of our common stock.
On March 21, 2023, our Board of Directors approved a cash dividend of $0.65 per share payable on April 28, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on April 14, 2023. Although we have paid dividends each quarter since we became a public company in July 1960, we may discontinue or modify dividend payments at any time if we determine that other uses of our capital, including payment of outstanding debt, funding of acquisitions, funding of capital expenditures or repurchases of outstanding shares, may be in our best interest; if our expectations of future cash flows and future cash needs outweigh the ability to pay a dividend; or if the terms of our credit facility, other debt instruments or applicable law limit our ability to pay dividends. We may borrow to fund dividends or repurchase shares in the short term subject to the terms and conditions of our credit facility, other debt instruments and applicable law. All cash flow from operations will not be paid out as dividends or repurchases of our common stock. For details about limitations on our ability to pay dividends, see the discussion of our $325 million Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (as amended, the “U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement”) in Note 5 of our consolidated financial statements and Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, both contained in this report.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
We did not sell any unregistered equity securities during Fiscal 2022.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
During the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022, we repurchased the following shares of our common stock:
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Total Number of Dollar Value
Shares (000s) of Shares
Average Purchased as That May Yet be
Total Number Price Part of Publicly Purchased Under
of Shares Paid per Announced Plans the Plans or
Fiscal Month Purchased Share or Programs Programs
As disclosed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021, and in subsequent filings, on December 7, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized us to spend up to $150 million to repurchase shares of our stock. This authorization superseded and replaced all previous authorizations to repurchase shares of our stock and has no automatic expiration. Pursuant to the Board of Directors’ authorization, we entered into a $100 million open market stock repurchase program (Rule 10b5-1 plan) to acquire shares of our stock, under which we repurchased shares of our stock totaling: (1) $8 million in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021, (2) $43 million in the First Quarter of Fiscal 2022, (3) $30 million in the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022, (4) $14 million in the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022 and (5) $5 million in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022, which completed the purchases pursuant to the open market stock repurchase program. Over the life of the $100 million open market repurchase program we repurchased 1.1 million, or 6%, of our outstanding shares at the commencement of the program, for an average price of $90 per share.
After considering the repurchases during Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2022 as of January 28, 2023, there were no amounts remaining under the open market repurchase program and $50 million remaining under the Board of Directors’ authorization.
Also, we have certain stock incentive plans as described in Note 8 of our consolidated financial statements included in this report, all of which are publicly announced plans. Under the plans, we can repurchase shares from employees to cover employee tax liabilities related to the vesting of shares of our stock. No shares were repurchased from employees during the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022.
Stock Price Performance Graph
The graph below reflects cumulative total shareholder return (assuming an initial investment of $100 and the reinvestment of dividends) on our common stock compared to the cumulative total return for a period of five years,
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beginning February 3, 2018 and ending January 28, 2023, of (1) The S&P SmallCap 600 Index and (2) The S&P 500 Apparel, Accessories and Luxury Goods.
INDEXED RETURNS
Base Period Years Ended
Item 6. Reserved
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and capital resources compares Fiscal 2022 to Fiscal 2021 and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements contained in this report.
The results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and capital resources for Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 are not included in this report on Form 10-K. For a discussion of our results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and capital resources for Fiscal 2021 compared to Fiscal 2020 and certain other financial information related to Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2020, refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II. Item 7 of our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2022, which is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and under the Investor Relations section of our website at www.oxfordinc.com.
OVERVIEW
Business Overview
We are a leading branded apparel company that designs, sources, markets and distributes products bearing the trademarks of our portfolio of lifestyle brands: Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Johnny Was, Southern Tide, TBBC and Duck Head.
Our business strategy is to develop and market compelling lifestyle brands and products that evoke a strong emotional response from our target consumers. We consider lifestyle brands to be those brands that have a clearly defined and targeted point of view inspired by an appealing lifestyle or attitude. Furthermore, we believe lifestyle brands that create an emotional connection can command greater loyalty and higher price points and create licensing opportunities. We believe the attraction of a lifestyle brand depends on creating compelling product, effectively communicating the respective lifestyle brand message and distributing products to consumers where and when they want them. We believe the principal competitive factors in the apparel industry are the reputation, value, and image of brand names; design of differentiated, innovative or otherwise compelling product; consumer preference; price; quality; marketing (including through rapidly shifting digital and social media vehicles); product fulfillment capabilities; and customer service. Our ability to compete successfully in the apparel industry is dependent on our proficiency in foreseeing changes and trends in fashion and consumer preference and presenting appealing products for consumers. Our design-led, commercially informed lifestyle brand operations strive to provide exciting, differentiated fashion products each season as well as certain core products that consumers expect from us.
During Fiscal 2022, 80% of our consolidated net sales were through our direct to consumer channels of distribution, which consist of our brand specific full-price retail stores, e-commerce websites and outlets, as well as our Tommy Bahama food and beverage operations. The remaining 20% of our net sales was generated through our wholesale distribution channels, which complement our direct to consumer operations and provide access to a larger base of consumers. Our wholesale operations consist of sales of products bearing the trademarks of our lifestyle brands to various specialty stores, better department stores, Signature Stores, multi-branded e-commerce retailers and other retailers.
For additional information about our business and each of our operating groups, see Part I, Item 1. Business included in this report. Important factors relating to certain risks which could impact our business are described in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of this report.
Industry Overview
We operate in a highly competitive apparel market that continues to evolve rapidly with the expanding application of technology to fashion retail. No single apparel firm or small group of apparel firms dominates the apparel industry, and our competitors vary by operating group and distribution channel. The apparel industry is cyclical and very dependent on the overall level and focus of discretionary consumer spending, which changes as consumer preferences and regional, domestic and international economic conditions change. Also, in recent years consumers have chosen to
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spend less of their discretionary spending on certain product categories, including apparel, while spending more on services and other product categories. Further, negative economic conditions often have a longer and more severe impact on the apparel industry than on other industries due, in part, to apparel purchases often being more of a discretionary purchase.
This competitive and evolving environment requires that brands and retailers approach their operations, including marketing and advertising, very differently than they have historically and may result in increased operating costs and investments to generate growth or even maintain existing sales levels. While the competition and evolution present significant risks, especially for traditional retailers who fail or are unable to adapt, we believe it also presents a tremendous opportunity for brands and retailers to capitalize on the changing consumer environment.
We believe our lifestyle brands have true competitive advantages, and we continue to invest in and leverage technology to serve our consumers when and where they want to be served. We continue to believe that our lifestyle brands, with their strong emotional connections with consumers, are well suited to succeed and thrive in the long term while managing the various challenges facing our industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on overall economic conditions and our operations in recent years and accelerated or exacerbated many of the changes in the industry. Further, negative economic conditions often have a longer and more severe impact on the apparel industry than on other industries due, in part, to apparel purchases often being more of a discretionary purchase. The current macroenvironment, with heightened concerns about inflation, a global economic recession, geopolitical issues, the stability of the U.S. banking system, the availability and cost of credit and continued increases in interest rates, is creating a complex and challenging retail environment, which may impact our businesses and exacerbate some of the inherent challenges to our operations. There remains significant uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment, and the impact of these and other factors could have a major effect on our businesses.
Johnny Was Acquisition
On September 19, 2022, we acquired the Johnny Was California lifestyle brand and related operations, which includes the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of collections of affordable luxury, artisan-inspired bohemian apparel, accessories and home goods. Johnny Was products are sold through the Johnny Was website and full-price retail stores and outlets as well as select department stores and specialty stores.
The purchase price for the acquisition of Johnny Was totaled $270 million in cash, subject to adjustment based on net working capital as of the closing date of the acquisition. We used cash and short-term investments on hand and borrowings under our U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement to finance the transaction. Refer to Note 12 of our consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information about the acquisition of Johnny Was.
In the 12 months ended on January 28, 2023, the Johnny Was business generated approximately $207 million of net sales. We anticipate that gross margins in the future for Johnny Was will be approximately 65%, as we do not anticipate any subsequent inventory step-up charges related to purchase accounting. We also anticipate Johnny Was’ earnings before interest and taxes will be in the high single digit percentage of net sales range, which includes $14 million of expected amortization of intangible assets in Fiscal 2023, or the mid teen percentage of net sales range absent the amortization of intangible assets. We expect that the business will continue to grow as each channel of distribution grows. During the 12 months ended on January 28, 2023, e-commerce, retail and wholesale represented 40%, 35% and 25%, respectively, of the net sales of Johnny Was.
The financial information included in the results of operations discussion below for Fiscal 2022, includes the 19 weeks from the September 19, 2022 acquisition date through January 28, 2023 only. Therefore, the amounts included in the results of operations below are not indicative of results for a full fiscal year.
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Share Repurchase Program
As disclosed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021, and in subsequent filings, on December 7, 2021, our Board of Directors authorized us to spend up to $150 million to repurchase shares of our stock. This authorization superseded and replaced all previous authorizations to repurchase shares of our stock and has no automatic expiration. Pursuant to the Board of Directors’ authorization, we entered into a $100 million open market stock repurchase program (Rule 10b5-1 plan) to acquire shares of our stock, under which we repurchased shares of our stock totaling: (1) $8 million in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021, (2) $43 million in the First Quarter of Fiscal 2022, (3) $30 million in the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022, (4) $14 million in the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022, and (5) $5 million in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022, which completed the purchases pursuant to the open market stock repurchase program. Over the life of the $100 million open market repurchase program we repurchased 1.1 million, or 6%, of our outstanding shares at the commencement of the program for an average price of $90 per share.
After considering the repurchases during Fiscal 2021 and Fiscal 2022 as of January 28, 2023, there were no amounts remaining under the open market repurchase program and $50 million remaining under the Board of Directors’ authorization.
Lanier Apparel Exit
In Fiscal 2021, we exited our Lanier Apparel business, which had been focused on moderately priced tailored clothing and related products. This decision aligns with our stated business strategy of developing and marketing compelling lifestyle brands. It also took into consideration the increased macroeconomic challenges faced by the Lanier Apparel business, many of which were magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The operating results of the Lanier Apparel business in Fiscal 2021 largely consisted of activities associated with the wind down of operations following our Fiscal 2020 decision to exit the business. Refer to Note 11 and Note 2 of our consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information about the Lanier Apparel exit and Fiscal 2021 operating results.
Key Operating Results
The following table sets forth our consolidated operating results (in thousands, except per share amounts) for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021:
Net earnings per diluted share $ 10.19 $ 7.78
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted 16,259 16,869
Net earnings per diluted share were $10.19 in Fiscal 2022 compared to $7.78 in Fiscal 2021. The 31% increase in net earnings per diluted share was primarily due to a 26% increase in net earnings as well as a 4% reduction in weighted average shares outstanding due to our share repurchase program which commenced in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021 and was completed in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022. The increased net earnings was primarily due to higher net sales and gross margin, partially offset by increased SG&A, a decrease in royalties and other income, a higher effective tax rate and increased interest expense. The increased net earnings include higher operating income in both Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer partially offset by a reduction in operating income in Lanier Apparel, a larger operating loss in Corporate and Other, the operating loss of Johnny Was and lower operating income in Emerging Brands. Each of these changes are discussed further below.
During Fiscal 2022 we generated $126 million of cash flows from operations, which exceeded our cash used for capital expenditures and dividends. With our long history of strong positive cash flows from operations exceeding cash requirements for capital expenditures and dividends and our strong balance sheet, we believe our anticipated future cash flows from operations will provide sufficient cash over both the short and the long term to satisfy our ongoing operating cash requirements, ample funds to continue to invest in our lifestyle brands, direct to consumer initiatives and
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information technology projects, additional cash flow to repay outstanding debt and sufficient cash for other strategic initiatives.
OPERATING GROUPS
We identify our operating groups based on the way our management organizes the components of our business for purposes of allocating resources and assessing performance. Our operating group structure reflects a brand-focused management approach, emphasizing operational coordination and resource allocation across each brand’s direct to consumer, wholesale and licensing operations, as applicable. With our acquisition of Johnny Was on September 19, 2022, our business is organized as our Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, Johnny Was and Emerging Brands operating groups. Operating results for periods prior to Fiscal 2022 also include the Lanier Apparel operating group, which we exited in Fiscal 2021. For a more extensive description of our reportable operating groups and Corporate and Other, see Part I, Item 1. Business and Note 2 of our consolidated financial statements, both included in this report.
COMPARABLE SALES
We often disclose comparable sales in order to provide additional information regarding changes in our results of operations between periods. Our disclosures of comparable sales include net sales from our full-price retail stores and e-commerce sites, excluding sales associated with e-commerce flash clearance sales. We believe that the inclusion of both full-price retail stores and e-commerce sites in the comparable sales disclosures is a more meaningful way of reporting our comparable sales results, given similar inventory planning, allocation and return policies, as well as our cross-channel marketing and other initiatives for the direct to consumer channels. For our comparable sales disclosures, we exclude (1) outlet store sales and e-commerce flash clearance sales, as those clearance sales are used primarily to liquidate end of season inventory, which may vary significantly depending on the level of end of season inventory on hand and generally occur at lower gross margins than our non-clearance direct to consumer sales, and (2) food and beverage sales, as we do not currently believe that the inclusion of food and beverage sales in our comparable sales disclosures is meaningful in assessing our branded apparel businesses. Comparable sales information reflects net sales, including shipping and handling revenues, if any, associated with product sales.
For purposes of our disclosures, comparable sales consists of sales through e-commerce sites and any physical full-price retail store that was owned and open as of the beginning of the prior fiscal year and which did not have during the relevant periods, and is not within the current fiscal year scheduled to have, (1) a remodel or other event which would result in a closure for an extended period of time (which we define as a period of two weeks or longer), (2) a greater than 15% change in the size of the retail space due to expansion, reduction or relocation to a new retail space or (3) a relocation to a new space that is significantly different from the prior retail space. For those stores which are excluded based on the preceding sentence, the stores continue to be excluded from comparable sales until the criteria for a new store is met subsequent to the remodel, relocation, or other event. A full-price retail store that is remodeled will generally continue to be included in our comparable sales metrics as a store is not typically closed for longer than a two-week period during a remodel; however, a full-price retail store that is relocated generally will not be included in our comparable sales metrics until that store has been open in the relocated space for the entirety of the prior fiscal year because the size or other characteristics of the store typically change significantly from the prior location. Any stores that were closed during the prior fiscal year or current fiscal year, or which we expect to close or vacate in the current fiscal year, as well as any pop-up or temporary store locations, are excluded from our comparable sales metrics.
Definitions and calculations of comparable sales differ among retail companies, and therefore comparable sales metrics disclosed by us may not be comparable to the metrics disclosed by other companies.
DIRECT TO CONSUMER LOCATIONS
The table below provides information about the number of direct to consumer locations for our brands as of the dates specified. For acquired businesses, locations are only included subsequent to the date of acquisition. The amounts below include our permanent locations and exclude any pop-up or temporary store locations which have an initial lease term of 12 months or less.
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January 28, January 29, January 30, February 2,
Tommy Bahama retail-food & beverage locations 21 21 20 16
Lilly Pulitzer full-price retail stores 59 58 59 61
Johnny Was full-price retail stores 65 — — —
Johnny Was outlets 2 — — —
Total Johnny Was locations 67 — — —
Southern Tide full-price retail stores 6 4 3 1
TBBC full-price retail stores 3 1 — —
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth the specified line items in our consolidated statements of operations both in dollars (in thousands) and as a percentage of net sales. We have calculated all percentages based on actual data, but percentage columns may not add due to rounding.
Net earnings (loss) per share $ 10.19 $ 7.78 $ (5.77)
Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted 16,259 16,869 16,576
The following table presents the proportion of our consolidated net sales, including any net sales of Johnny Was and Lanier Apparel, by distribution channel for each period presented. We have calculated all percentages below on actual data, and percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Food & beverage 8 % 8 % 6 %
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FISCAL 2022 COMPARED TO FISCAL 2021
The discussion and tables below compare certain line items included in our consolidated statements of operations for Fiscal 2022 to Fiscal 2021, except where indicated otherwise. Each dollar and share amount included in the tables is in thousands except for per share amounts. We have calculated all percentages based on actual data, and percentage columns in tables may not add due to rounding. Individual line items of our consolidated statements of operations, including gross profit, may not be directly comparable to those of our competitors, as classification of certain expenses may vary by company.
Net Sales
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Consolidated net sales were $1.4 billion in Fiscal 2022 compared to net sales of $1.1 billion in Fiscal 2021. The 24% increase in net sales included double-digit percentage increases in each of our Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer, and Emerging Brands operating groups as well as $73 million of sales for Johnny Was, which we acquired during the Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022. These increases were partially offset by a $25 million decrease in sales for Lanier Apparel, which we exited in Fiscal 2021. In Fiscal 2021, and particularly in the First Quarter of Fiscal 2021, consumer traffic and our operations had only partially rebounded from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as we still had certain store closures and operating restrictions in certain regions, wholesale customer demand was still soft and most of the consumer traffic improvement occurred after the First Quarter of Fiscal 2021. The higher net sales in Fiscal 2022 were due to a combination of increased volume as well as price increases, which were implemented during Fiscal 2022 in order to mitigate increased product and other costs.
The increase in net sales by distribution channel consisted of the following:
● an increase in e-commerce flash clearance sales of $22 million, or 68%;
● an increase in food and beverage sales of $13 million, or 14%; and
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Tommy Bahama:
Tommy Bahama net sales increased $156 million, or 22%, in Fiscal 2022, with an increase in each channel of distribution. The increase in net sales in Tommy Bahama included increases in (1) full-price retail store sales of $62 million, or 22%, (2) wholesale sales of $43 million, or 41%, with higher full-price and off-price sales, (3) e-commerce sales of $30 million, or 16%, (4) food and beverage sales of $13 million, or 14%, with low double-digit percentage increases in locations open the full year in both periods as well as increased sales at the New York and Palm Desert locations, which were not open the full year in Fiscal 2021, and (5) outlet sales of $8 million, or 14%. The following table presents the proportion of net sales by distribution channel for Tommy Bahama for each period presented:
Food & beverage 13 % 13 %
Lilly Pulitzer:
Lilly Pulitzer net sales increased $40 million, or 14%, in Fiscal 2022, with an increase in the e-commerce flash, retail store and wholesale sales channels. The increase in net sales in Lilly Pulitzer included increases in (1) e-commerce flash clearance sales of $22 million, or 68%, as Lilly Pulitzer had increased levels of inventory available for the e-commerce flash clearance sales in Fiscal 2022 after having more limited end of season inventory in Fiscal 2021, (2) full-price retail store sales of $11 million, or 11%, and (3) wholesale sales of $8 million, or 16%, with higher full-price sales and lower off-price sales. Full-price e-commerce sales were generally consistent with the prior year amounts. The following table presents the proportion of net sales by distribution channel for Lilly Pulitzer for each period presented:
Johnny Was:
Johnny Was net sales were $73 million in the 19 weeks from September 19, 2022 through the end of the fiscal year. As the net sales are for a period of less than a full year, the net sales and percentage of net sales by distribution channel are not necessarily indicative of the net sales or proportion of net sales that are typical for a full year. The following table presents the proportion of net sales by distribution channel for Johnny Was for the 19 week period ended January 28, 2023:
Retail 36 % — %
E-commerce 42 % — %
Wholesale 22 % — %
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During the 12 months ended on January 28, 2023, retail, e-commerce and wholesale represented 35%, 40% and 25%, respectively, of the net sales of Johnny Was.
Emerging Brands:
Emerging Brands net sales increased $26 million, or 29%, in Fiscal 2022, with an increase in each of the TBBC, Southern Tide and Duck Head businesses comprising Emerging Brands. By brand, the increase in net sales included increases in (1) TBBC of $15 million, or 49%, to $45 million, (2) Southern Tide of $9 million, or 16%, to $63 million, and (3) Duck Head of $3 million, or 50%, to $9 million. By distribution channel, the $26 million increase included increases of (1) $14 million, or 39%, in e-commerce, (2) $10 million, or 20%, in wholesale, and (3) $2 million, or 60%, in the Southern Tide and TBBC retail businesses, as those brands continue to open new full-price retail locations. The following table presents the proportion of net sales by distribution channel for Emerging Brands for each period presented:
Retail 6 % 5 %
Lanier Apparel:
There were no Lanier Apparel net sales in Fiscal 2022, compared to $25 million of net sales in Fiscal 2021.
Corporate and Other:
Corporate and Other net sales primarily consist of net sales to third parties for our Lyons, Georgia distribution center operations as well as net sales of our Oxford America business, which we exited in Fiscal 2022. The decrease in net sales was primarily due to lower sales in Oxford America.
Gross Profit
The tables below present gross profit by operating group and in total for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021, as well as the change between those two periods and gross margin by operating group and in total. Our gross profit and gross margin, which is calculated as gross profit divided by net sales, may not be directly comparable to those of our competitors, as the statement of operations classification of certain expenses may vary by company.
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Notable items included in amounts above:
LIFO adjustments in Corporate and Other $ 2,667 $ 15,870
Inventory step-up charge included in Johnny Was $ 4,230 $ —
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Johnny Was 61.7 % — %
Lanier Apparel — % 49.3 %
Corporate and Other NM % NM %
Consolidated gross margin 63.0 % 61.8 %
The increased gross profit of 26% was primarily due to the 24% increase in net sales as well as increased consolidated gross margin. The higher gross margin in Fiscal 2022 included the benefit of (1) a $13 million lower LIFO accounting charge in Fiscal 2022 compared to Fiscal 2021 as discussed below, (2) lower incremental freight costs of $7 million as compared to Fiscal 2021 after incurring approximately 160 basis points of incremental freight in Fiscal 2021, but still 60 basis points of incremental freight in Fiscal 2022 as compared to pre-pandemic levels, (3) a change in sales mix with the exit of the lower gross margin Lanier Apparel business and addition of the higher gross margin Johnny Was business, and (4) improved initial product margins, as certain sales prices were increased more than the increased product costs. These items were partially offset by (1) the impact of the Lilly Pulitzer e-commerce flash sale, which represented a larger proportion of net sales and had lower gross margins in Fiscal 2022, (2) increased inventory markdowns in the Emerging Brands businesses, (3) the $4 million inventory step up charge related to the Johnny Was acquisition in Fiscal 2022, and (4) the absence of a favorable adjustment of Lanier Apparel exit charges in cost of goods sold after recognizing a $3 million favorable adjustment of Lanier Apparel exit charges in cost of goods sold in Fiscal 2021.
During Fiscal 2022, LIFO accounting had a $3 million unfavorable impact on gross profit, primarily due to an $8 million increase in the LIFO reserve in Fiscal 2022, which was partially offset by a $5 million increase in inventory markdowns, which are generally reversed in Corporate and Other as part of LIFO accounting. The inventory markdowns in Fiscal 2022 primarily related to the Emerging Brands business. During Fiscal 2021, LIFO accounting had a $16 million unfavorable impact on gross profit, primarily due to (1) a $9 million charge resulting from a reduction in inventory markdown reserves related to the sale of inventory marked down in prior years as well as a reduction of the Lanier Apparel inventory markdown reserves and (2) a $7 million increase in the LIFO reserve in Fiscal 2021.
In the Third Quarter and Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021, freight costs increased significantly from prior periods, including rate increases for both ocean and air shipments as well as the increased utilization of air freight on inbound products as we navigated our need for inventory and the supply chain challenges. The increased inbound freight rates and utilization of air freight moderated in Fiscal 2022 and returned closer to pre-pandemic levels in the Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022 due to the easing of pricing pressures and a more accelerated timeline we implemented for inventory purchases to reduce the risk of late delivery of our products.
Tommy Bahama:
The higher gross margin for Tommy Bahama was primarily due to reduced freight costs in Fiscal 2022, after significantly higher freight costs were incurred in the Third and Fourth Quarters of Fiscal 2021, as well as improved initial product margins. These items were partially offset by a change in sales mix with wholesale sales representing a higher proportion of net sales.
Lilly Pulitzer:
The lower gross margin for Lilly Pulitzer was primarily due to (1) a change in sales mix with e-commerce flash clearance sales, which typically have gross margins in the low 40% range, representing a larger proportion of net sales and (2) lower gross margins on the e-commerce flash clearance sales, as the gross margin achieved in Fiscal 2021 was higher than typical e-commerce flash clearance sales gross margins due to less end of season inventory available in Fiscal 2021. The impact of the e-commerce flash clearance sales was partially offset by (1) reduced freight costs, (2) improved initial product margins and (3) better gross margin on wholesale off-price sales.
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Johnny Was:
The Johnny Was gross profit and gross margin for the 19 weeks from September 19, 2022 through the end of the fiscal year was unfavorably impacted by $4 million of incremental cost of goods sold resulting from the charge related to the step up of inventory to fair value at acquisition. Thus, we do not believe the gross profit or gross margin in the 19 week period is indicative of the gross profit or gross margin for the full year of Fiscal 2022 or any other fiscal period for Johnny Was. On a going forward basis, Johnny Was gross margins are expected to be approximately 65%.
Emerging Brands:
The lower gross margin for Emerging Brands was primarily due to more inventory markdowns and increased freight costs partially offset by a change in sales mix with direct to consumer sales representing a greater proportion of net sales.
Lanier Apparel:
There was no gross profit for Lanier Apparel in Fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2021 for Lanier Apparel included the gross profit impact of net sales as we were exiting the business, as well as the favorable impact of a reduction in inventory markdowns associated with the Lanier Apparel exit.
Corporate and Other:
The gross profit in Corporate and Other primarily includes the impact of LIFO accounting adjustments, the sales of the Lyons, Georgia distribution center operations to third parties and the sales of the Oxford America business. The primary driver for the improved gross profit was the $13 million lower LIFO accounting charge. The LIFO accounting impact in Corporate and Other in each period includes the net impact of (1) a charge in Corporate and Other when inventory that had been marked down in an operating group in a prior period was ultimately sold, (2) a credit in Corporate and Other when inventory had been marked down in an operating group in the current period, but had not been sold as of period end and (3) the change in the LIFO reserve.
SG&A
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
SG&A (as a % of net sales) 49.0 % 50.2 %
Notable items included in amounts above:
Tommy Bahama lease termination charge $ — $ 4,850
Amortization of Johnny Was intangible assets $ 5,194 $ —
Lanier Apparel exit charges in SG&A $ — $ 3,788
SG&A was $692 million in Fiscal 2022 compared to SG&A of $574 million in Fiscal 2021. The increase includes the net impact of approximately $46 million of SG&A associated with Johnny Was, including $5 million of amortization of intangible assets, in Fiscal 2022, and $10 million of SG&A associated with Lanier Apparel, including $4 million of Lanier Apparel exit charges, in Fiscal 2021. These amounts for Johnny Was and Lanier Apparel are included in the changes in each category noted in the following paragraph, as applicable.
The 21% increase in SG&A in Fiscal 2022 included (1) increased employment costs of $54 million, including increases in retail store, food and beverage and distribution center operations and other functions, as well as higher stock compensation, employee benefits and bonus amounts, (2) a $22 million increase in advertising expense, (3) an $18 million increase in variable expenses related to higher sales, including credit card transaction fees, supplies,
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commissions, royalties and other expenses, (4) a $12 million increase in occupancy expenses, including increases in percentage rent, occupancy related operating costs and base rent, (5) a $5 million increase in amortization of intangible assets expense, due to the amortization associated with Johnny Was, (6) $3 million of higher travel expenses, (7) $3 million of charges related to transaction expenses and integration costs associated with the Johnny Was acquisition, (8) a $3 million increase in administrative expenses including professional fees and other items, and (9) a $2 million increase in depreciation expense. These items were partially offset by the absence of $5 million of Tommy Bahama lease termination charges and $1 million of TBBC change in fair value of contingent consideration incurred in Fiscal 2021.
Royalties and other operating income
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Notable items included in amounts above:
Gain on sale of Lanier Apparel distribution center $ — $ (2,669)
Royalties and other operating income typically consist of royalty income received from third parties from the licensing of our brands, but Fiscal 2021 also included a $12 million gain on sale of investment in unconsolidated entity and a $3 million gain on the sale of the Lanier Apparel distribution center in Toccoa, Georgia. Royalty income in Fiscal 2022 increased by $4 million primarily due to increased royalty income in both Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer.
Operating income
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Notable items included in amounts above:
LIFO adjustments in Corporate and Other $ 2,667 $ 15,870
Inventory step-up charge included in Johnny Was $ 4,230 $ —
Tommy Bahama lease termination charge $ — $ 4,850
Amortization of Johnny Was intangible assets $ 5,194 $ —
Lanier Apparel exit charges in SG&A $ — $ 3,788
Gain on sale of Lanier Apparel distribution center $ — $ (2,669)
Gain on sale of investment in unconsolidated entity $ — $ (11,586)
Operating income was $219 million in Fiscal 2022 compared to $166 million in Fiscal 2021. The increased operating income was primarily due to higher net sales and gross margin offset by increased SG&A and lower royalties and other operating income. By operating group, the increased operating income was due to higher operating income in Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer partially offset by lower operating income (loss) in our other operating groups as well as Corporate and Other. Changes in operating income (loss) by operating group are discussed below.
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Tommy Bahama:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Operating income as % of net sales 19.6 % 15.4 %
Notable items included in amounts above:
Tommy Bahama lease termination charge $ — $ 4,850
The increased operating income for Tommy Bahama was primarily due to higher sales, gross margin and royalty income partially offset by increased SG&A. The increased SG&A was primarily due to (1) $32 million of increased employment costs, including increases in retail store and food and beverage operations and other functions, as well as higher incentive compensation amounts, (2) $9 million of increased variable expenses related to higher sales, including credit card transaction fees, supplies, commissions, royalties and other expenses, (3) a $5 million increase in advertising expense, (4) a $4 million increase in occupancy expenses including increases in percentage rent, occupancy related operating costs and base rent, (5) a $4 million increase in administrative expenses including professional fees, foreign currency expense and other items, and (6) $1 million higher travel expenses. These SG&A increases were partially offset by (1) the absence of $5 million of Tommy Bahama lease termination charges in Fiscal 2022 and (2) a $2 million reduction in depreciation expense.
Lilly Pulitzer:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Gross margin 66.3 % 67.3 %
Operating income as % of net sales 19.8 % 21.3 %
The increased operating income for Lilly Pulitzer was primarily due to higher sales and royalty income partially offset by increased SG&A and lower gross margin. The increased SG&A was primarily due to (1) $7 million of increased advertising expense, (2) $6 million of increased employment costs, with increased headcount, salaries and wages partially offset by lower incentive compensation amounts, (3) $4 million of increased variable expenses related to higher net sales including credit card transaction fees, supplies and other expenses, (4) $1 million of higher depreciation expense, (5) $1 million of increased occupancy expenses and (6) $1 million of higher travel expenses.
Johnny Was:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Gross margin 61.7 % — %
Operating loss as % of net sales (2.1) % — %
Notable items included in amounts above:
Inventory step-up charge included in Johnny Was $ 4,230 $ —
Amortization of Johnny Was intangible assets $ 5,194 $ —
The Johnny Was operating loss in the 19 weeks from September 19, 2022 through the end of the fiscal year included $4 million of inventory step-up charges as well as $5 million of amortization of intangible assets, which
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negatively impacted the operating results of Johnny Was. As the operating results for Johnny Was are for only 19 weeks and include the non-recurring impact of the inventory step-up charges in Fiscal 2022, the operating results for this period are not indicative of the Johnny Was operating results for the full year of Fiscal 2022 or future periods.
Emerging Brands:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Gross margin 45.5 % 52.9 %
Operating income as % of net sales 13.4 % 18.5 %
Notable items included in amounts above:
The lower operating income for Emerging Brands was primarily due to lower gross margin and higher SG&A partially offset by higher net sales. The increased SG&A included (1) higher SG&A associated with the Southern Tide and TBBC full-price retail store operations expansion, including related employment, occupancy and other retail operating costs, (2) increased variable expenses resulting from increased sales, (3) higher advertising expense and (4) increased administrative expenses associated with the growing Emerging Brands businesses. These increases in SG&A were partially offset by the absence of a TBBC change in fair value of contingent consideration in Fiscal 2022 after incurring a $1 million charge for TBBC change in fair value of contingent consideration in Fiscal 2021 and lower incentive compensation amounts in Fiscal 2022.
Lanier Apparel:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Gross margin — % 49.3 %
Operating income as % of net sales — % 19.7 %
Notable items included in amounts above:
Lanier Apparel exit charges in SG&A $ — $ 3,788
Gain on sale of Lanier Apparel distribution center $ — $ (2,669)
There was no operating income for Lanier Apparel in Fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2021 for Lanier Apparel included the operating income resulting from the net sales, cost of goods sold and SG&A as we were exiting the Lanier Apparel business, as well as a $3 million gain on sale of the Lanier Apparel distribution center and the net charge related to Lanier Apparel exit charges of $1 million. The Lanier Apparel exit charges are discussed in Note 11 of our consolidated financial statements included in this report.
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Corporate and Other:
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Notable items included in amounts above:
LIFO adjustments in Corporate and Other $ 2,667 $ 15,870
The lower operating results in Corporate and Other were primarily due to (1) Fiscal 2021 including a $12 million gain on sale of an investment in an unconsolidated entity, with no such gain in Fiscal 2022, (2) $3 million of transaction expenses and integration costs associated with the Johnny Was acquisition and (3) increased SG&A of $3 million, including increased employment costs, insurance costs and other operating expenses. The impact of these items was partially offset by a $13 million favorable impact of LIFO accounting as well as a $2 million reduction in estimated provisions for preference payment exposure.
Interest expense, net
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
The higher interest expense in Fiscal 2022 was primarily due to borrowings pursuant to our U.S. Revolving Credit Agreement to fund a portion of the September 2022 acquisition of Johnny Was. There was no debt outstanding in Fiscal 2021, with interest expense primarily consisting of unused line fees and amortization of deferred financing fees. During Fiscal 2023, we expect interest expense to be between $5 million and $6 million, with about half of that interest expense in the first quarter. We expect to significantly reduce debt levels after the first quarter of Fiscal 2023.
Income taxes
Fiscal 2022 Fiscal 2021 $ Change % Change
Effective tax rate 23.2 % 20.2 %
Both Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 benefitted from the net favorable impact of certain items that resulted in a lower tax rate than the more typical annual effective tax rate of between 25% and 26%. Thus, the effective tax rates for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021 are not indicative of the effective tax rate expected in future periods. Refer to Note 10 of our consolidated financial statements included in this report for our income tax rate reconciliation and other information about our income tax expense for Fiscal 2022 and Fiscal 2021.
The income tax expense in Fiscal 2022 included the benefit of the reversal of $2 million of valuation allowances associated with net operating loss carry-forward amounts, the utilization of net operating loss carry-forward amounts to offset current year income in certain jurisdictions, a favorable provision to return adjustment and the impact of the vesting of employee stock awards. These favorable items were partially offset by various unfavorable items related to non-deductible amounts associated with executive compensation, changes in the fair value of life insurance policies associated with our deferred compensation plans and other items, which were more significant in Fiscal 2022 than Fiscal 2021.
The income tax expense in Fiscal 2021 included the utilization of benefits associated with certain capital losses to substantially offset the gain recognized on the sale of an investment in an unconsolidated entity, the benefit of a $2 million net reduction in uncertain tax positions resulting from the settlement of those uncertain tax position amounts, the
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