As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2007

Registration No. 333-144405

 

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

 

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO

Form S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

 

 

 

1135 Arbor Drive
Romeoville, Illinois 60446
(630) 226-0020
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

 

Lynelle P. Kirby
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc.
1135 Arbor Drive
Romeoville, Illinois 60446
(630) 226-0020
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

 

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:   As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), check the following box.   o

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   o

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   o

 

 

 

 

		Per share			Total
Public offering price		$			$
Underwriting discounts and commissions		$			$
Proceeds to ULTA, before expenses		$			$
Proceeds to the selling stockholders, before expenses		$			$

JPMorgan	Wachovia Securities

Thomas Weisel Partners LLC

Cowen and Company

Piper Jaffray

 

Table of contents

 

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. We are offering to sell and seeking offers to buy shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our common stock.

 

Unless the context requires otherwise, the words “ULTA,” “we,” “company,” “us” and “our” refer to Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. For purposes of this prospectus, the term “stockholder” shall refer to the holders of our common stock.

•	Growing our store base to our long-term potential of over 1,000 stores.
•	Increasing our sales and profitability by expanding our prestige brand offerings.
•	Improving our profitability by leveraging our fixed costs.
•	Continuing to enhance our brand awareness to generate sales growth.
•	Driving increased customer traffic to our salons.
•	Expanding our online business.

•	We may be unable to compete effectively in our highly competitive markets.
•	If we are unable to gauge beauty trends and react to changing consumer preferences in a timely manner, our sales will decrease.
•	Our failure to retain our existing senior management team and to continue to attract qualified new personnel could adversely affect our business.
•	We intend to continue to open new stores, which could strain our resources and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
•	The capacity of our distribution and order fulfillment infrastructure may not be adequate to support our recent growth and expected future growth plans, which could prevent the successful implementation of these plans or cause us to incur costs to expand this infrastructure.
•	Any material disruption of our information systems could negatively impact financial results and materially adversely affect our business operations.

Common stock offered by us		7,666,667 shares

Common stock offered by the selling stockholders		881,091 shares

Common stock to be outstanding after the offering		56,673,119 shares

Use of proceeds		We intend to use the net proceeds of approximately $103.4 million from this offering to pay in full the approximately $93.4 million of accumulated dividends in arrears on our preferred stock and the approximately $4.8 million redemption price of the Series III preferred stock, and to use any remaining proceeds to reduce our borrowings under our third amended and restated loan and security agreement. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling stockholders.

 

Dividends		We have never paid any dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. See “Dividend policy.”
Preferred stock purchase rights		Each share of common stock offered hereby will have associated with it one preferred stock purchase right under the stockholder rights agreement which we intend to adopt in connection with this offering. Each of these rights will entitle its holder to purchase one one-thousandth of a share of Series A junior participating preferred stock at a purchase price specified in the stockholder rights agreement under the circumstances provided therein. See “Description of capital stock—Stockholder rights agreement.”
Proposed NASDAQ Global Select Market symbol		“ULTA”
Risk factors		See “Risk factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of some of the factors you should consider before deciding to purchase our common stock.

•	a 0.632-for-1 reverse split of our common stock, which will be effective upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, resulting in 7,482,453 shares outstanding as of August 4, 2007;

•	the conversion of all outstanding shares of our Series I, Series II, Series IV, Series V and Series V-1 preferred stock into an aggregate of 41,523,999 shares of common stock effective upon the consummation of this offering pursuant to the terms of our restated certificate of incorporation;

•	the redemption of all outstanding shares of our Series III preferred stock effective upon the consummation of this offering for an aggregate of approximately $4.8 million pursuant to the terms of our restated certificate of incorporation; and

•	no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase 1,282,164 additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments.

•	538,029 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options under our Second Amended and Restated Restricted Stock Option Plan, as amended, or the Old Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of $0.78 per share. No further awards will be made under the Old Plan; and

•	4,110,664 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options under our 2002 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2002 Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of $6.79.

		Fiscal year ended(1)										Six months ended
		January 29,				January 28,			February 3,			July 29,			August 4,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share and per square foot data)		2005				2006			2007			2006			2007
Consolidated income statement data:
Net sales(2)		$	491,152			$	579,075		$	755,113		$	322,026		$	394,562
Cost of sales			346,585				404,794			519,929			221,906			276,017
Gross profit			144,567				174,281			235,184			100,120			118,545
Selling, general, and administrative expenses			121,999				140,145			188,000			80,921			99,170
Pre-opening expenses			4,072				4,712			7,096			2,427			4,570
Operating income			18,496				29,424			40,088			16,772			14,805
Interest expense			2,835				2,951			3,314			1,457			2,158
Income before income taxes			15,661				26,473			36,774			15,315			12,647
Income tax expense			6,201				10,504			14,231			6,051			5,122
Net income		$	9,460			$	15,969		$	22,543		$	9,264		$	7,525
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic		$	(0.70	)		$	0.74		$	1.38		$	0.48		$	(0.01	)
Diluted		$	(0.70	)		$	0.33		$	0.45		$	0.19		$	(0.01	)
Weighted average number of shares:
Basic			3,180,611				4,094,233			5,770,601			4,823,169			7,289,310
Diluted			3,180,611				48,196,240			49,920,577			48,850,350			7,289,310

		Fiscal year ended(1)									Six months ended
		January 29,			January 28,			February 3,			July 29,			August 4,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share and per square foot data)		2005			2006			2007			2006			2007
Other operating data:
Comparable store sales increase(3)			8.0%			8.3%			14.5%			12.9%			7.8%
Number of stores end of period			142			167			196			177			211
Total square footage end of period			1,464,330			1,726,563			2,023,305			1,826,723			2,183,595
Total square footage per store(4)			10,312			10,339			10,323			10,320			10,349
Average total square footage(5)			1,374,005			1,582,935			1,857,885			1,710,371			2,029,412
Net sales per average total square foot(6)		$	357		$	366		$	398		$	375		$	408
Capital expenditures			34,807			41,607			62,331			18,370			42,889
Depreciation and amortization			18,304			22,285			29,736			12,241			19,103
Consolidated balance sheet data:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	3,004		$	2,839		$	3,645		$	3,116		$	3,165
Working capital			69,955			76,473			88,105			76,613			74,681
Property and equipment, net			114,912			133,003			162,080			138,209			196,919
Total assets			253,425			282,615			338,597			298,796			397,594
Total debt(7)			47,008			50,173			55,529			59,864			93,618
Total stockholders’ equity			105,308			123,015			148,760			133,583			161,007

(1)		Our fiscal year-end is the Saturday closest to January 31 based on a 52/53-week year. Each fiscal year consists of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added onto the fourth quarter every five or six years.
(2)		Fiscal 2006 was a 53-week operating year and the 53rd week represented approximately $16.4 million in net sales.
(3)		Comparable store sales increase reflects sales for stores beginning on the first day of the 14th month of operation. Remodeled stores are included in comparable store sales unless the store was closed for a portion of the current or comparable prior period.
(4)		Total square footage per store is calculated by dividing total square footage at end of period by number of stores at end of period.
(5)		Average total square footage represents a weighted average which reflects the effect of opening stores in different months throughout the period.
(6)		Net sales per average total square foot was calculated by dividing net sales for the trailing 12-month period by the average square footage for those stores open during each period. The fiscal 2006 and first quarter fiscal 2007 net sales per average total square foot amounts were adjusted to exclude the net sales effects of the 53rd week.
(7)		Total debt includes approximately $4.8 million related to the Series III redeemable preferred stock, which is presented between the liabilities section and the equity section of our consolidated balance sheet for all periods presented.

 

Risk factors

 

Investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk and uncertainty. You should carefully consider the following risks and all of the other information contained in this prospectus before making an investment decision. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations or future growth could suffer. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks described below are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks not presently known to us or which we currently consider immaterial also may adversely affect our company.

 

Risks related to our business

 

We may be unable to compete effectively in our highly competitive markets.

 

The markets for beauty products and salon services are highly competitive with few barriers to entry. We compete against a diverse group of retailers, both small and large, including regional and national department stores, specialty retailers, drug stores, mass merchandisers, high-end and discount salon chains, locally owned beauty retailers and salons, Internet businesses, catalog retailers and direct response television, including television home shopping retailers and infomercials. We believe the principal bases upon which we compete are the quality of merchandise, our value proposition, the quality of our customers’ shopping experience and the convenience of our stores as one-stop destinations for beauty products and salon services. Many of our competitors are, and many of our potential competitors may be, larger and have greater financial, marketing and other resources and therefore may be able to adapt to changes in customer requirements more quickly, devote greater resources to the marketing and sale of their products, generate greater national brand recognition or adopt more aggressive pricing policies than we can. As a result, we may lose market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we are unable to gauge beauty trends and react to changing consumer preferences in a timely manner, our sales will decrease.

 

We believe our success depends in substantial part on our ability to:

 

 

If we are unable to anticipate and fulfill the merchandise needs of the regions in which we operate, our net sales may decrease and we may be forced to increase markdowns of slow-moving merchandise, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to retain our existing senior management team and continue to attract qualified new personnel, such failure could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business requires disciplined execution at all levels of our organization. This execution requires an experienced and talented management team. Ms. Kirby, our President and Chief Executive Officer since December 1999, is of key importance to our business, including her relationships with our vendors and influence on our sales and marketing. If we lost Ms. Kirby’s services or if we were to lose the benefit of the experience, efforts and abilities of other key executive and buying personnel, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have entered into employment agreements with Ms. Kirby and Mr. Barkus, our Chief Operating Officer, expiring in February 2008 and February 2009, respectively. For more information on our management team and their employment agreements and severance agreements, see “Management.” Furthermore, our ability to manage our retail expansion will require us to continue to train, motivate and manage our associates and to attract, motivate and retain additional qualified managerial and merchandising personnel and store associates. Competition for this type of personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting, assimilating and retaining the personnel required to grow and operate our business profitably.

 

We intend to continue to open new stores, which could strain our resources and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

 

Our continued and future growth largely depends on our ability to successfully open and operate new stores on a profitable basis. During 2006, we opened 31 new stores, and we are on track to open approximately 50 new stores in 2007. We intend to continue to grow our number of stores for the foreseeable future, and believe we have the long-term potential to grow our store base to over 1,000 stores in the United States over the next 10 years. During fiscal 2006, the average investment required to open a typical new store was approximately $1.4 million. This continued expansion could place increased demands on our financial, managerial, operational and administrative resources. For example, our planned expansion will require us to increase the number of people we employ as well as to monitor and upgrade our management information and other systems and our distribution infrastructure. These increased demands and operating complexities could cause us to operate our business less efficiently, have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance and slow our growth.

 

The capacity of our distribution and order fulfillment infrastructure may not be adequate to support our recent growth and expected future growth plans, which could prevent the successful implementation of these plans or cause us to incur costs to expand this infrastructure, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We currently operate a single distribution facility (including an overflow facility), which houses the distribution operations for ULTA retail stores together with the order fulfillment operations of our Internet business. We have identified the need for a second distribution facility, which we expect will be operational in the first half of 2008, as well as the need to upgrade our existing information systems in order to support the addition of the second distribution facility. If we are unable to successfully implement the expansion of our distribution infrastructure and upgrade of our information systems, the efficient flow of our merchandise could be disrupted. In order to support our recent and expected future growth and to maintain the efficient operation of our business, additional distribution centers may need to be added in the future.

Our failure to expand our distribution capacity on a timely basis to keep pace with our anticipated growth in stores could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Any significant interruption in the operations of our single distribution facility could disrupt our ability to deliver merchandise to our stores in a timely manner, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We currently distribute products to our stores from only one distribution facility, without supplementing such deliveries with direct-to-store arrangements from vendors or wholesalers. This dependence on one distribution facility, combined with the fact that we are a retailer carrying approximately 21,000 beauty products that change on a regular basis in response to beauty trends, makes the success of our operations particularly vulnerable to disruptions in our distribution system. Any significant interruption in the operation of our distribution infrastructure, including an interruption caused by our failure to successfully open our second distribution facility in the first half of 2008 or events beyond our control, such as disruptions in our information systems, disruptions in operations due to fire or other catastrophic events, labor disagreements, or shipping problems, could drastically reduce our ability to receive and process orders and provide products and services to our stores. Given our merchandising strategy and our dependence on only one distribution facility, this could result in lost sales and a loss of customer loyalty, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Any material disruption of our information systems could negatively impact financial results and materially adversely affect our business operations.

 

We are increasingly dependent on a variety of information systems to effectively manage the operations of our growing store base and fulfill customer orders from our Internet business. In addition, we have identified the need to expand and upgrade our information systems to support recent and expected future growth, including the planned opening of our second distribution facility in the first half of 2008. As part of this planned expansion of our information systems, we expect to construct a new data center and modify our warehouse management system software to support our second distribution facility. Any interruption during the transition of our information systems to the new data center and the modification of our warehouse management system software could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The failure of our information systems to perform as designed, including the failure of our warehouse management software system to operate as expected during the holiday season or to support our planned second distribution facility, could have an adverse effect on our business and results of our operations. Any material disruption of our systems could disrupt our ability to track, record and analyze the merchandise that we sell and could negatively impact our operations, shipment of goods, ability to process financial information and credit card transactions, and our ability to receive and process Internet orders or engage in normal business activities. Moreover, security breaches or leaks of proprietary information, including leaks of customers’ private data, could result in liability, decrease customer confidence in our company, and weaken our ability to compete in the marketplace, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our Internet operations, while relatively small, are increasingly important to our business. We plan to go live with a new version of our website in the first half of 2008 or earlier. In addition to changing consumer preferences and buying trends relating to Internet usage, the re-launch

of our website will occur before a peak holiday season and before we have had time to conduct full and extensive testing, which makes us particularly vulnerable to website downtime and other technical failures. The re-launch of our website is important to our marketing efforts because the new website will serve as a more effective extension of ULTA’s marketing and prospecting strategies (beyond catalogs, newspaper inserts and national advertising) by better exposing potential new customers to the ULTA brand and product offerings. Our failure to successfully respond to these risks and uncertainties could reduce Internet sales and damage our brand’s reputation.

 

A downturn in the economy may affect consumer purchases of discretionary items such as prestige beauty products and premium salon services, which could delay our growth strategy and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, profitability and cash flows.

 

We appeal to a wide demographic consumer profile and offer a broad selection of prestige beauty products at higher price points than mass beauty products. We also offer a wide selection of premium salon services. A downturn in the economy could adversely impact consumer purchases of discretionary items such as prestige beauty products and premium salon services. Factors that could affect consumers’ willingness to make such discretionary purchases include general business conditions, levels of employment, interest rates and tax rates, the availability of consumer credit and consumer confidence in future economic conditions. In the event of an economic downturn, consumer spending habits could be adversely affected and we could experience lower than expected net sales, which could force us to delay or slow our growth strategy and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, profitability and cash flows.

 

Increased costs or interruption in our third-party vendors’ overseas sourcing operations could disrupt production, shipment or receipt of some of our merchandise, which would result in lost sales and could increase our costs.

 

We directly source the majority of our gift-with-purchase and other promotional products through third-party vendors using foreign factories. In addition, many of our vendors use overseas sourcing to varying degrees to manufacture some or all of their products. Any event causing a sudden disruption of manufacturing or imports from such foreign countries, including the imposition of additional import restrictions, unanticipated political changes, increased customs duties, legal or economic restrictions on overseas suppliers’ ability to produce and deliver products, and natural disasters, could materially harm our operations. We have no long-term supply contracts with respect to such foreign-sourced items, many of which are subject to existing or potential duties, tariffs or quotas that may limit the quantity of certain types of goods that may be imported into the United States from such countries. Our business is also subject to a variety of other risks generally associated with sourcing goods from abroad, such as political instability, disruption of imports by labor disputes and local business practices.

 

Our sourcing operations may also be hurt by health concerns regarding infectious diseases in countries in which our merchandise is produced, adverse weather conditions or natural disasters that may occur overseas or acts of war or terrorism in the United States or worldwide, to the extent these acts affect the production, shipment or receipt of merchandise. Our future operations and performance will be subject to these factors, which are beyond our control, and these factors could materially hurt our business, financial condition and results of operations or may require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased costs.

Recent volatility in the global oil markets has resulted in rising fuel and freight prices, which many shipping companies are passing on to their customers. Our shipping costs have increased, and these costs may continue to increase. We may be unable to pass these increased costs on to our customers, which will reduce our profitability. Additionally, recent increased demand for shipping capacity between the United States and Asia will further increase our costs for merchandise sourced from Asia, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

A reduction in traffic to, or the closing of, the other destination retailers in the shopping areas where our stores are located could significantly reduce our sales and leave us with unsold inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

As result of our real estate strategy, most of our stores are located in off-mall shopping areas known as power centers or lifestyle centers, which also accommodate other well-known destination retailers. Power centers typically contain three to five big-box anchor stores along with a variety of smaller specialty tenants, while lifestyle centers typically contain a variety of high-end destination retailers but no large anchor stores. As a consequence of most of our stores being located in such shopping areas, our sales are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic generated by the other destination retailers and the anchor stores in the lifestyle centers and power centers where our stores are located. Customer traffic to these shopping areas may be adversely affected by the closing of such destination retailers or anchor stores, or by a reduction in traffic to such stores resulting from a regional economic downturn, a general downturn in the local area where our store is located, or a decline in the desirability of the shopping environment of a particular power center or lifestyle center. Such a reduction in customer traffic would reduce our sales and leave us with excess inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may respond by increasing markdowns or initiating marketing promotions to reduce excess inventory, which would further decrease our gross profits and net income.

 

Diversion of exclusive salon products, or a decision by manufacturers of exclusive salon products to utilize other distribution channels, could negatively impact our revenue from the sale of such products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The retail products that we sell in our salons are meant to be sold exclusively by professional salons and authorized professional retail outlets. However, incidents of product diversion occur, which involve the selling of salon exclusive haircare products to unauthorized channels such as drug stores, grocery stores or mass merchandisers. Diversion could result in adverse publicity that harms the commercial prospects of our products (if diverted products are old, tainted or damaged), as well as lower product revenues should consumers choose to purchase diverted product from these channels rather than purchasing from one of our salons. Additionally, the various product manufacturers could in the future decide to utilize other distribution channels for such products, therefore widening the availability of these products in other retail channels, which could negatively impact the revenue we earn from the sale of such products.

 

We rely on our good relationships with vendors to purchase prestige, mass and salon beauty products on reasonable terms. If these relationships were to be impaired, or if certain vendors were unable to supply sufficient merchandise to keep pace with our growth plans, we may not be able to obtain a sufficient selection or volume of merchandise on reasonable terms, and we may not be able to respond promptly to changing trends in beauty products, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, our business and financial performance.

 

We have no long-term supply agreements or exclusive arrangements with vendors and, therefore, our success depends on maintaining good relationships with our vendors. Our business depends to a significant extent on the willingness and ability of our vendors to supply us with a sufficient selection and volume of products to stock our stores. Some of our prestige vendors may not have the capacity to supply us with sufficient merchandise to keep pace with our growth plans. We also have strategic partnerships with certain core brands, which has allowed us to benefit from the growing popularity of such brands. Any of our other core brands could in the future decide to scale back or end its partnership with us and strengthen its relationship with our competitors, which could negatively impact the revenue we earn from the sale of such products. If we fail to maintain strong relationships with our existing vendors, or fail to continue acquiring and strengthening relationships with additional vendors of beauty products, our ability to obtain a sufficient amount and variety of merchandise on reasonable terms may be limited, which could have a negative impact on our competitive position.

 

During fiscal 2006, merchandise supplied to ULTA by our top ten vendors accounted for approximately 35% of our net sales. The loss of or a reduction in the amount of merchandise made available to us by any one of these key vendors, or by any of our other vendors, could have an adverse effect on our business.

 

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our brand and reputation could be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We regard our trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how and similar intellectual property as critical to our success. Our principal intellectual property rights include registered trademarks on our name, “ULTA,” copyrights in our website content, rights to our domain name www.ulta.com and trade secrets and know-how with respect to our ULTA branded product formulations, product sourcing, sales and marketing and other aspects of our business. As such, we rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with certain of our employees, consultants, suppliers and others to protect our proprietary rights. If we are unable to protect or preserve the value of our trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets or other proprietary rights for any reason, or if other parties infringe on our intellectual property rights, our brand and reputation could be impaired and we could lose customers.

 

If our manufacturers are unable to produce products manufactured uniquely for ULTA, including ULTA branded products and gift-with-purchase and other promotional products, consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, we could suffer lost sales and be required to take costly corrective action, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and therefore depend upon independent third-party vendors for the manufacture of all products manufactured uniquely for ULTA , including ULTA branded products and gift-with-purchase and other promotional products. Our third-party manufacturers of ULTA products may not maintain adequate controls with respect to product specifications and quality and may not continue to produce products that are consistent with applicable regulatory requirements. If we or our third-party manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, we could be required to take costly corrective action. In addition, sanctions under the FDC Act may include seizure of products, injunctions against future shipment of products, restitution and disgorgement of profits, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution. The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, does not have a pre-market approval system for cosmetics, and we believe we are permitted to market our cosmetics and have them manufactured without submitting safety or efficacy data to the FDA. However, the FDA may in the future determine to regulate our cosmetics or the ingredients included in our cosmetics as drugs. These events could interrupt the marketing and sale of our ULTA products, severely damage our brand reputation and image in the marketplace, increase the cost of our products, cause us to fail to meet customer expectations or cause us to be unable to deliver merchandise in sufficient quantities or of sufficient quality to our stores, any of which could result in lost sales, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We, as well as our vendors, are subject to laws and regulations that could require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In our U.S. markets, numerous laws and regulations at the federal, state and local levels can affect our business. Legal requirements are frequently changed and subject to interpretation, and we are unable to predict the ultimate cost of compliance with these requirements or their effect on our operations. If we fail to comply with any present or future laws or regulations, we could be subject to future liabilities, a prohibition on the operation of our stores or a prohibition on the sale of our ULTA branded products. In particular, failure to adequately comply with the following legal requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations:

 

 

operate makes it increasingly difficult to stay abreast of changes in, and requirements of, local building codes and local building and fire inspectors’ interpretations of such building codes. Moreover, our landlords have occasionally been unable, due to the requirements of local zoning laws, to obtain in a timely manner a certificate of occupancy with respect to the shell of our stores and/or the larger shopping centers and/or common areas (which certificate of occupancy is required by local building codes for us to open our store), causing us in some instances to delay store openings. As the number of local building codes and local building and fire inspectors to which we and our landlords are subject increases, we may be increasingly vulnerable to increased construction costs and delays in store openings caused by our or our landlords’ compliance with local building codes and local building and fire inspectors’ interpretations of such building codes, which increased construction costs and/or delays in store openings could increase our store opening costs, cause us to incur lost sales and profits, and damage our public reputation.

 

 

In addition, the formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, distribution, sale and storage of our vendors’ products and our ULTA products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, and state attorneys general in the United States. If we, our vendors or the manufacturers of our ULTA products fail to comply with those regulations, we could become subject to significant penalties or claims, which could harm our results of operations or our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretations of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs or discontinuation of product sales and may impair the marketability of our vendors’ products or our ULTA products, resulting in significant loss of net sales. Our failure to comply with FTC or state regulations that cover our vendors’ products or our ULTA product claims and advertising, including direct claims and advertising by us, may result in enforcement actions and imposition of penalties or otherwise harm the distribution and sale of our products.

 

Our ULTA products and salon services may cause unexpected and undesirable side effects that could result in their discontinuance or expose us to lawsuits, either of which could result in unexpected costs and damage to our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Unexpected and undesirable side effects caused by our ULTA products for which we have not provided sufficient label warnings, or salon services which may have been performed negligently, could result in the discontinuance of sales of our products or of certain salon services or prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected products and services. Such side effects could also expose us to product liability or negligence lawsuits. Any claims brought against us may exceed our existing or future insurance policy coverage or limits. Any judgment against us that is in excess of our policy limits would have to be paid from our cash reserves, which would reduce our capital resources. Further, we may not

have sufficient capital resources to pay a judgment, in which case our creditors could levy against our assets. These events could cause negative publicity regarding our company, brand or products, which could in turn harm our reputation and net sales, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Legal proceedings or third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may require us to spend time and money and could prevent us from developing certain aspects of our business operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our technologies, promotional products purchased from third-party vendors, or ULTA products or potential products in development may infringe rights under patents, patent applications, trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights of third parties in the United States and abroad. These third parties could bring claims against us that would cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if successful, could cause us to pay substantial damages. Further, if a third party were to bring an intellectual property infringement suit against us, we could be forced to stop or delay development, manufacturing, or sales of the product that is the subject of the suit.

 

As a result of intellectual property infringement claims, or to avoid potential claims, we may choose to seek, or be required to seek, a license from the third party and would most likely be required to pay license fees or royalties or both. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product or be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations if, as a result of actual or threatened intellectual property infringement claims, we are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms. Even if we were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which would give our competitors access to the same intellectual property. The inability to enter into licenses could harm our business significantly.

 

In addition to infringement claims against us, we may become a party to other patent or trademark litigation and other proceedings, including interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, proceedings before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and opposition proceedings in the European Patent Office, regarding intellectual property rights with respect to promotional products purchased from third-party vendors or our ULTA branded products and technology. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings better than us because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of intellectual property litigation or other proceedings could impair our ability to compete in the marketplace. Intellectual property litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Increases in the demand for, or the price of, raw materials used to build and remodel our stores could hurt our profitability.

 

The raw materials used to build and remodel our stores are subject to availability constraints and price volatility caused by weather, supply conditions, government regulations, general economic conditions and other unpredictable factors. As a retailer engaged in an active building and remodeling program, we are particularly vulnerable to increases in construction and remodeling costs. As a result, increases in the demand for, or the price of, raw materials could hurt our profitability.

Increases in costs of mailing, paper and printing will affect the cost of our catalog and promotional mailings, which will reduce our profitability.

 

Postal rate increases and paper and printing costs affect the cost of our catalog and promotional mailings. In fiscal 2006, approximately 23% of our selling, general, and administrative expenses were attributable to such costs. Recent changes in postal rates resulted in an average 14% increase in the cost of our catalog mailings and a 5% increase in the cost of mailing our newspaper inserts. In response to any future increases in mailing costs, we may consider reducing the number and size of certain catalog editions. In addition, we rely on discounts from the basic postal rate structure, such as discounts for bulk mailings and sorting by zip code and carrier routes. We are not a party to any long-term contracts for the supply of paper. The cost of paper fluctuates significantly, and our future paper costs are subject to supply and demand forces that we cannot control. Future additional increases in postal rates or in paper or printing costs would reduce our profitability to the extent that we are unable to pass those increases directly to customers or offset those increases by raising selling prices or by reducing the number and size of certain catalog editions.

 

Our secured revolving credit facility contains certain restrictive covenants that could limit our operational flexibility, including our ability to open stores.

 

We have a $150 million secured revolving credit facility, or credit facility (expandable under an accordion option to a maximum of $200 million), with a term expiring May 2011. Substantially all of our assets are pledged as collateral for outstanding borrowings under the agreement. Outstanding borrowings bear interest at the prime rate or the Eurodollar rate plus 1.00% up to $100 million and 1.25% thereafter. The credit facility agreement contains usual and customary restrictive covenants relating to our management and the operation of our business. These covenants, among other things, restrict our ability to grant liens on our assets, incur additional indebtedness, pay cash dividends and redeem our stock, enter into transactions with affiliates and merge or consolidate with another entity. These covenants could restrict our operational flexibility, including our ability to open stores, and any failure to comply with these covenants or our payment obligations would limit our ability to borrow under the credit facility and, in certain circumstances, may allow the lenders thereunder to require repayment. For more information regarding our credit facility, see “Description of indebtedness.”

 

We will need to raise additional funds to pursue our growth strategy or continue our operations, and we may be unable to raise capital when needed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

From time to time, in addition to this offering, we will seek additional equity or debt financing to provide for capital expenditures and working capital consistent with our growth strategy. Based on our current growth strategy, we expect it to be necessary to exercise the $50 million accordion option of our credit facility during fiscal 2008. In addition, if general economic, financial or political conditions in our markets change, or if other circumstances arise that have a material effect on our cash flow, the anticipated cash needs of our business as well as our belief as to the adequacy of our available sources of capital could change significantly. Any of these events or circumstances could result in significant additional funding needs, requiring us to raise additional capital to meet those needs. If financing is not available on satisfactory terms or at all, we may be unable to execute our growth strategy as planned and our results of operations may suffer.

Failure to maintain adequate financial and management processes and controls could lead to errors in our financial reporting and could harm our ability to manage our expenses.

 

Reporting obligations as a public company and our anticipated growth are likely to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel. In addition, as a public company we will be required to document and test our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 so that our management can periodically certify as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to render an opinion on management’s assessment and on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting by the time our annual report for fiscal 2008 is due and thereafter, which will require us to further document and make additional changes to our internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, we have been required to improve our financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures and have incurred and will continue to incur expenses to test our systems and to make such improvements. If our management is unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls or if our independent registered public accounting firm cannot render an opinion on management’s assessment and on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, or if material weaknesses in our internal controls are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our stock price and adversely affect our ability to raise capital.

 

Risks related to this offering

 

The market price for our common stock may be volatile, and you may not be able to sell our stock at a favorable price or at all.

 

The market price of our common stock is likely to fluctuate significantly from time to time in response to factors including:

 

 

In addition, public announcements by our competitors and vendors concerning, among other things, their performance, strategy, or accounting practices could cause the market price of our common stock to decline regardless of our actual operating performance.

 

Our comparable store sales and quarterly financial performance may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, which could result in a decline in the price of our common stock.

 

Our comparable store sales and quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past, and we expect them to continue to fluctuate in the future. A variety of other factors affect our comparable store sales and quarterly financial performance, including:

 

 

Accordingly, our results for any one fiscal quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any other quarter, and comparable store sales for any particular future period may decrease. In that event, the price of our common stock would likely decline. For more information on our quarterly results of operations, see “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations.”

 

No public market for our common stock currently exists, and we cannot assure you that an active, liquid trading market will develop or be sustained following this offering.

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. An active, liquid trading market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained following this offering. As a result, you may not be able to sell your shares of our common stock quickly or at the market price. The initial public offering price of our common stock will be determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters based upon a number of factors and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail following the consummation of this offering. The market price of our common stock may decline below the initial public offering price, and you may not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the initial offering price and may suffer a loss on your investment.

 

You will experience an immediate and substantial book value dilution after this offering, and will experience further dilution with the future exercise of stock options.

 

The initial public offering price of our common stock will be substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of the outstanding common stock based on the historical adjusted net book value per share as of August 4, 2007. Based on an assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of

this prospectus) and our net tangible book value as of August 4, 2007, if you purchase our common stock in this offering you will pay more for your shares than existing stockholders paid for their shares and you will suffer immediate dilution of approximately $11.91 per share in pro forma net tangible book value. As a result of this dilution, investors purchasing stock in this offering may receive significantly less than the full purchase price that they paid for the shares purchased in this offering in the event of a liquidation.

 

As of August 4, 2007, there were outstanding options to purchase 4,648,693 shares of our common stock, of which 2,032,966 were vested, at a weighted average exercise price for all outstanding options of $6.09 per share. From time to time, we may issue additional options to associates, non-employee directors and consultants pursuant to our equity incentive plans. These options generally vest commencing one year from the date of grant and continue vesting over a four-year period. You will experience further dilution as these stock options are exercised.

 

Approximately 84% of our total outstanding shares are restricted from immediate resale, but may be sold into the market in the near future. The large number of shares eligible for public sale or subject to rights requiring us to register them for public sale could depress the market price of our common stock.

 

The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market after this offering, and the perception that these sales could occur may also depress the market price. Upon completion of this offering, we will have 56,673,119 shares of our common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the common stock sold in this initial public offering will be freely tradable, except for any shares purchased by our “affiliates” as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. The holders of approximately 84% of our outstanding common stock are obligated, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock during the 180-day period following the date of this prospectus. After the expiration of the lock-up period, these shares may be sold in the public market, subject to prior registration or qualification for an exemption from registration, including, in the case of shares held by affiliates, compliance with the volume restrictions of Rule 144.

 

Upon the consummation of this offering, stockholders owning 42,355,055 shares are entitled, under contracts providing for registration rights, to require us to register our common stock owned by them for public sale.

 

Sales of our common stock as restrictions end or pursuant to registration rights may make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. These sales also could cause our stock price to fall and make it more difficult for you to sell shares of our common stock.

 

Our current principal stockholders will continue to have significant influence over us after this offering, and they could delay, deter, or prevent a change of control or other business combination or otherwise cause us to take action with which you might not agree.

 

Upon the consummation of this offering, our principal stockholders will own, in the aggregate, approximately 55% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders will be able to exercise control over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, amendment of our certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions and will have significant control over our management and policies. Such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a

change of control or other business combination that might otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, the significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning shares in companies with controlling stockholders.

 

We did not register our stock options as required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, as a result, we may face potential claims under federal and state securities laws.

 

As of the last day of fiscal 2001, options granted under the Old Plan and the Restricted Stock Option Plan–Consultants, or the Consultants Plan, were held by more than 500 holders. Subsequently, these options also included options granted under the 2002 Plan. As a result, we were required to file a registration statement registering the options pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 no later than 120 days following the last day of fiscal 2001. We did not file a registration statement within this time period.

 

If we had filed a registration statement pursuant to Section 12(g), we would have become subject to the periodic reporting requirements of Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 upon the effectiveness of that registration statement. We have not filed any periodic reports, including annual or quarterly reports on Form 10-K or Form 10-Q, and periodic reports on Form 8-K, during the period since 120 days following the last day of fiscal 2001.

 

Our failure to file these periodic reports could give rise to potential claims by present or former option holders based on the theory that such holders were harmed by the absence of such public reports. If any such claim or action were to be asserted, we could incur significant expenses and management’s attention could be diverted in defending these claims.

 

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents, stockholder rights agreement and Delaware law may discourage or prevent a change in control, even if a sale of the company would be beneficial to our stockholders, which could cause our stock price to decline and prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws contain provisions that may delay or prevent a change in control, discourage bids at a premium over the market price of our common stock and harm the market price of our common stock and diminish the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock. These provisions include:

 

 

As permitted by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws, upon the consummation of this offering we will have a stockholder rights agreement, sometimes known as a “poison pill,” which provides for the issuance of a new series of preferred stock to holders of common stock. In the event of a takeover attempt, this preferred stock gives rights to holders

of common stock other than the acquirer to buy additional shares of common stock at a discount, leading to the dilution of the acquirer’s stake.

 

We are also subject to provisions of Delaware law that, in general, prohibit any business combination with a beneficial owner of 15% or more of our common stock for three years after the stockholder becomes a 15% stockholder, subject to specified exceptions. Together, these provisions of our certificate of incorporation, by-laws and stockholder rights agreement and of Delaware law could make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our common stock.

 

Special note regarding forward-looking statements

 

Some of the statements under “Prospectus summary,” “Risk factors,” “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations,” “Business” and elsewhere in this prospectus may contain forward-looking statements which reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and financial performance. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words such as “outlook,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “predicts,” “project,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “future” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based upon our historical performance and on current plans, estimates and expectations. The inclusion of this forward-looking information should not be regarded as a representation by us, the underwriters or any other person that the future plans, estimates or expectations contemplated by us will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under “Risk factors.” These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this prospectus. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

 

If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary materially from what we may have projected. Any forward-looking statements you read in this prospectus reflect our current views with respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, financial condition, growth strategy and liquidity. You should specifically consider the factors identified in this prospectus that could cause actual results to differ before making an investment decision.

 

Use of proceeds

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from our sale of 7,666,667 shares of common stock in this offering will be approximately $103.4 million, based on the assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, which are payable by us. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to pay in full the approximately $93.4 million of accumulated dividends in arrears on our preferred stock, which will satisfy all amounts due with respect to accumulated dividends, and the approximately $4.8 million redemption price of the Series III preferred stock, and to use any remaining proceeds to reduce our borrowings under our third amended and restated loan and security agreement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock by the selling stockholders.

 

Dividend policy

 

We do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to repay existing indebtedness and to fund the operation, development and growth of our business. In addition, the terms of our credit facility currently, and any future debt or credit facility may, restrict our ability to pay dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain from your purchase of our common stock for the foreseeable future.

 

Capitalization

 

The following table shows our capitalization as of August 4, 2007:

 

 

 

This table should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes to those consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

 

 

 

The outstanding share information set forth above is as of August 4, 2007, and excludes:

 

 

 

Dilution

 

If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock and the net tangible book value per share of common stock upon the completion of this offering.

 

Calculations relating to shares of common stock in the following discussion and tables assume the following have occurred as of August 4, 2007: (i) the conversion of all outstanding shares of our preferred stock, other than our Series III preferred stock, into 41,523,999 shares of common stock (ii) a 0.632-for-1 reverse split of our common stock, including all common stock issuable upon conversion of our preferred stock and exercise of our stock options, and (iii) the redemption of all outstanding shares of our Series III preferred stock.

 

Our net tangible book value as of August 4, 2007 equaled approximately $165.8 million, or $3.38 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares of common stock outstanding. After giving effect to the sale of 7,666,667 shares of common stock offered by us in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value, as adjusted, as of August 4, 2007, would have equaled approximately $175.0 million, or $3.09 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate decrease in net tangible book value of $0.29 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $11.91 per share to new investors of common stock in this offering. The following table illustrates this per share dilution to new investors purchasing our common stock in this offering. The table assumes no issuance of shares of common stock under our stock plans after August 4, 2007. As of August 4, 2007, 4,648,693 shares were subject to outstanding options, of which 2,032,966 were vested, at a weighted average exercise price for all outstanding options of $6.09 per share. To the extent outstanding options are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors.

 

 

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share would increase (decrease) the adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering by approximately $0.13, and dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors by approximately $0.13 assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses.

 

The following table as of August 4, 2007 summarizes the differences between our existing stockholders and new investors with respect to the number of shares of common stock issued in this offering, the total consideration paid and the average price per share paid. The calculations with respect to shares purchased by new investors in this offering reflect the assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus).

 

 

Selected consolidated financial data

 

The following selected income statement data for each of the fiscal years ended January 29, 2005, January 28, 2006 and February 3, 2007 and the selected balance sheet data as of January 28, 2006 and February 3, 2007 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected income statement data for the fiscal years ended February 1, 2003 and January 31, 2004 and the balance sheet data as of February 1, 2003 and January 31, 2004, have been derived from unaudited consolidated financial statements not included in this prospectus. The selected balance sheet data as of January 29, 2005 has been derived from our audited financial statements not included in this prospectus. The selected balance sheet data as of July 29, 2006 has been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The selected balance sheet data as of August 4, 2007 and the selected income statement data for the six months ended July 29, 2006 and August 4, 2007 have been derived from our unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Our unaudited selected consolidated financial data as of July 29, 2006 and August 4, 2007 and for the six months then ended, have been prepared on the same basis as the annual audited consolidated financial statements and includes all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of this data in all material respects. The results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for a full fiscal year.

 

The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with our “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” and consolidated financial statements and related notes, included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

 

Management’s discussion and analysis of
financial condition and results of operations

 

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the “Selected consolidated financial data” section of this prospectus and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, such as those set forth under “Risk factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

 

Overview

 

We were founded in 1990 as a discount beauty retailer at a time when prestige, mass and salon products were sold through separate distribution channels. In 1999, we embarked on a multi-year strategy to understand and embrace what women want in a beauty retailer and transform ULTA into the shopping experience that it is today. We pioneered what we believe to be our unique combination of beauty superstore and specialty store attributes. We believe our strategy provides us with the competitive advantages that have contributed to our strong financial performance.

 

We are currently the largest beauty retailer that provides one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and salon services in the United States. We combine the unique elements of a beauty superstore with the distinctive environment and experience of a specialty retailer. Key aspects of our beauty superstore strategy include our ability to offer our customers a broad selection of over 21,000 beauty products across the categories of cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools, as well as salon haircare products. We focus on delivering a compelling value proposition to our customers across all of our product categories. Our stores are conveniently located in high-traffic, off-mall locations such as power centers and lifestyle centers with other destination retailers. As of August 4, 2007, we operated 211 stores across 26 states. In addition to these fundamental elements of a beauty superstore, we strive to offer an uplifting shopping experience through what we refer to as “The Four E’s”: Escape , Education , Entertainment and Esthetics .

 

Over the past seven years, we believe we have demonstrated our ability to deliver profitable sales and square footage growth. From fiscal 1999 to fiscal 2006, we grew our net sales and square footage at a compounded annual growth rate of 20.3% and 16.0%, respectively, while delivering increases in net income at a compounded annual growth rate of 51.6%. In addition, we have achieved 29 consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales growth since fiscal 2000. In fiscal 2006, we achieved net sales and net income of $755.1 million and $22.5 million, respectively.

 

The continued growth of our business and any future increases in net sales, net income, and cash flows is dependent on our ability to execute our growth strategy, including growing our store base, expanding our prestige brand offerings, driving incremental salon traffic, expanding our online business, and continuing to enhance our brand awareness. We believe that the steadily expanding U.S. beauty products and services industry, the shift in distribution of prestige beauty products from department stores to specialty retail stores, coupled with ULTA’s competitive strengths, positions us to capture additional market share in the industry through successful execution of our growth strategy.

 

While we believe our growth strategy and the changes occurring in the beauty industry offer significant opportunities, they also present significant risks and challenges including, among others, the risk that we may not be able to open new stores in accordance with our growth plans, that our current distribution infrastructure and future expansion plans may not be adequate to support our growth plans, that we may not be able to hire and train qualified sales associates and that we may not be able to gauge beauty trends and changes in consumer preferences in a timely manner or ensure that our key vendors can service our future growth requirements, which could result in lower sales volume and profitability. In addition, our growth plans will require additional funds for capital expenditures and working capital for new stores and related infrastructure investments and we may be unable to raise capital for these investments when needed. For a more complete discussion of the risks associated with our business, see “Risk factors”.

 

With the successful development and execution of ULTA’s consumer experience strategy over the last several years, we began to accelerate our store unit growth in fiscal 2007 to approximately 25%, compared to the average growth rate of 17% achieved in fiscal 2005 and 2006, respectively. In fiscal 2007, we implemented our remodel program. To support this rate of store unit growth in fiscal 2007 and execute our future growth strategy, we have made and will continue to make the necessary infrastructure investments and therefore do not expect to sustain the net income growth rates of 68% and 40%, respectively, achieved in fiscal 2005 and 2006. We plan to finance investments in new and remodeled ULTA stores and our infrastructure with cash flows from operations and borrowings under our credit facility, when necessary. Several factors, including the availability of the appropriate real estate locations could impact our ability to open new stores contemplated by our growth strategy on a timely and consistent basis.

 

Comparable store sales is a key metric that is monitored closely within the retail industry. We do not expect our future comparable store sales increases to reflect the levels experienced in the fourth fiscal quarter 2005 and in fiscal 2006. This is due in part to the difficulty in improving on such significant increases in subsequent periods.

 

We seek to increase our total net sales through increases in our comparable store sales and by opening new stores. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales is expected to be consistent with historical rates given our planned distribution infrastructure investments and the impact of the rate of new store growth. We plan to continue to improve our operating results by leveraging our fixed costs and decreasing our selling, general, and administrative expenses, as a percentage of our net sales.

 

The Company adopted a structured stock option compensation program in July 2007. The award of stock options under this program will result in increased stock-based compensation expense in future periods as compared to the expense reflected in our historical financial statements. During fiscal 2006, we recorded approximately $665,000 of share-based compensation expense. At the end of fiscal 2006, there was approximately $2.6 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested options.

 

During fiscal 2007, the Company has granted an additional 958,112 employee stock options, the majority of which were granted in July 2007. We have recognized approximately $464,000 of share-based compensation expense through the six months ended August 4, 2007. The July, 2007 employee option grants included two 316,000 grants to our Chief Executive Officer of which 25% of the fair value of each grant will vest upon the consummation of an initial public offering which will cause a significant increase in our selling, general, and administrative

expense in our fiscal 2007 third quarter. In connection with the expected completion of this offering, we expect to recognize approximately $1.5 million and $1.1 million of share-based compensation in our fiscal 2007 third and fourth quarters, respectively. At August 4, 2007, there was approximately $8.7 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested stock options. The cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately three years.

 

Net sales increased $72.6 million, or 22.5%, to $394.6 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $322.0 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. During the six months ended August 4, 2007, we opened fifteen new stores and our comparable store sales increase was 7.8%. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales decreased 1.1 percentage points to 30.0% for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to 31.1% for the six months ended July 29, 2006. The decease is primarily due to accelerated depreciation on store assets as a result of our remodel strategy and distribution center expense incurred in connection with the start-up of our new Warehouse Management (WM) software system. Net income decreased $1.8 million, or 18.8%, to $7.5 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $9.3 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. Net income for the six months ended August 4, 2007 was negatively impacted by $3.0 million of planned accelerated depreciation related to our store remodel program and $2.8 million of WM related costs.

 

Fiscal 2006 net sales increased $176.0 million, or 30.4%, to $755.1 million, compared to $579.1 million in fiscal 2005. Fiscal 2006 was a 53-week operating year and the 53rd week represented approximately $16.4 million of the net sales increase. Adjusted for the 53rd week, fiscal 2006 net sales increased $159.6 million, or 27.6%, compared to fiscal 2005. We added 31 new stores in fiscal 2006 and our comparable store sales increase was $82.4 million, or 14.5%. Our gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased 1.0 percentage point to 31.1% and total gross profit increased 34.9% to $235.2 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $174.3 million in fiscal 2005. Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $188.0 million, representing a $47.9 million, or 34.2%, increase compared to $140.1 million in fiscal 2005. Selling, general, and administrative expenses in fiscal 2006 included a non-recurring stock compensation charge of $2.8 million ($1.7 million net of income taxes). Net income was $22.5 million, a $6.5 million, or 41.2%, increase over fiscal 2005. Cash flow from operations increased $18.0 million, or 48.0%, to $55.6 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $37.6 million in fiscal 2005.

 

Fiscal 2005 net sales increased $87.9 million, or 17.9%, to $579.1 million compared to $491.2 million in fiscal 2004. We added 25 new stores in fiscal 2005 and our comparable store sales increase was 8.3%. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased 0.7 percentage point to 30.1% and total gross profit increased $29.7 million, or 20.5%, to $174.3 million compared to $144.6 million in fiscal 2004. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $18.1 million or 14.9% to $140.1 million, compared to $122.0 million in fiscal 2004. Cash flow from operations increased $8.3 million, or 28.5%, to $37.6 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $29.3 million in fiscal 2004.

 

Basis of presentation

 

Net sales include store and Internet merchandise sales as well as salon service revenue. Salon service revenue represents less than 10% of our combined product sales and services revenues and therefore, these revenues are combined with product sales. We recognize merchandise revenue at the point of sale, or POS, in our retail stores and the time of shipment in the case of Internet sales. Merchandise sales are recorded net of estimated returns. Salon service revenue is

recognized at the time the service is provided. Gift card sales revenue is deferred until the customer redeems the gift card. Company coupons and other incentives are recorded as a reduction of net sales.

 

Comparable store sales reflect sales for stores beginning on the first day of the 14th month of operation. Therefore, a store is included in our comparable store base on the first day of the period after it has cycled its grand opening sales period which generally covers the first month of operation. Non-comparable store sales include sales from new stores that have not yet completed their 13th month of operation and stores that were closed for part or all of the period in either year as a result of remodel activity. Remodeled stores are included in comparable store sales unless the store was closed for a portion of the current or prior period. There may be variations in the way in which some of our competitors and other retailers calculate comparable or same store sales. As a result, data herein regarding our comparable store sales may not be comparable to similar data made available by our competitors or other retailers.

 

Comparable store sales is a critical measure that allows us to evaluate the performance of our store base as well as several other aspects of our overall strategy. Several factors could positively or negatively impact our comparable store sales results:

 

 

Cost of sales includes:

 

 

Our cost of sales may be impacted as we open an increasing number of stores. We also expect that cost of sales as a percentage of net sales will be negatively impacted in the next several years as a result of accelerated depreciation related to our store remodel program. The program was adopted in third quarter fiscal 2006. We have accelerated depreciation expense on assets to be disposed of during the remodel process such that those assets will be fully depreciated at the time of the planned remodel. Changes in our merchandise mix may also have an impact on cost of sales.

This presentation of items included in cost of sales may not be comparable to the way in which our competitors or other retailers compute their cost of sales.

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses include:

 

 

This presentation of items in selling, general, and administrative expenses may not be comparable to the way in which our competitors or other retailers compute their selling, general, and administrative expenses.

 

Pre-opening expenses includes non-capital expenditures during the period prior to store opening for new and remodeled stores including store set-up labor, management and employee training, and grand opening advertising. Pre-opening expenses also includes rent during the construction period related to new stores.

 

Interest expense includes interest costs associated with our credit facility which is structured as an asset based lending instrument. Our interest expense will fluctuate based on the seasonal borrowing requirements associated with acquiring inventory in advance of key holiday selling periods and fluctuation in the variable interest rates we are charged on outstanding balances. Our credit facility is used to fund seasonal inventory needs and new and remodel store capital requirements in excess of our cash flow from operations. Our credit facility interest is based on a variable interest rate structure which can result in increased cost in periods of rising interest rates.

 

Income tax expense reflects the federal statutory tax rate and the weighted average state statutory tax rate for the states in which we operate stores.

Results of operations

 

Our fiscal year is the 52 or 53 weeks ending on the Saturday closest to January 31. The company’s fiscal years ended January 29, 2005, January 28, 2006, and February 3, 2007, were 52, 52, and 53 week years, respectively, and are hereafter referred to as fiscal 2004, fiscal 2005, and fiscal 2006.

 

Our quarterly periods are the 13 weeks ending on the Saturday closest to April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. The company’s second quarters in fiscal 2006 and 2007 ended on July 29, 2006 and August 4, 2007, respectively.

 

The following tables present the components of our results of operations for the periods indicated:

 

 

 

Six months ended August 4, 2007 versus six months ended July 29, 2006

 

Net sales

 

Net sales increased $72.6 million, or 22.5%, to $394.6 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $322.0 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. This increase is due to an additional 35 stores operating since second quarter 2006, one store closure and a 7.8% increase in comparable store sales. Noncomparable stores contributed $48.6 million of the net sales increase while comparable stores contributed $24.0 million of the total net sales increase. Our comparable store sales growth in 2007 was driven by growth in existing brands as well as new brands which were introduced in fiscal 2006 and resulted in increased customer traffic and growth in average transaction value.

 

Gross profit

 

Gross profit increased $18.4 million, or 18.4%, to $118.5 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $100.1 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales decreased 1.1 percentage points to 30.0% for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to 31.1% for the six months ended July 29, 2006. The gross profit decrease as a percentage of net sales is attributed to a 0.7 percentage point increase in our distribution center expense which is mainly due to additional costs incurred in connection with the start-up of our new WM software system which went live in late January 2007. During the six month period 2007 we incurred approximately $2.8 million in incremental costs associated with increased warehouse labor resulting from the initial stage software system operating inefficiencies. During the six month period 2007, we also incurred $3.0 million, or 0.7 percentage point, of incremental planned accelerated depreciation expense related to our store remodel program. The program was adopted in third quarter 2006. We recognize accelerated depreciation expense on assets to be disposed of during the remodel process such that those assets will be fully depreciated at the time of the planned remodel.

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $18.3 million, or 22.6%, to $99.2 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $80.9 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general, and administrative expenses was 25.1% for the six months ended August 4, 2007 and July 29, 2006.

 

Pre-opening expenses

 

Pre-opening expenses increased $2.2 million, or 88.3%, to $4.6 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $2.4 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. During the six months ended August 4, 2007, we opened fifteen new stores and remodeled seven stores as compared to eleven new store openings and two remodels during the six months ended July 29, 2006.

 

Interest expense

 

Interest expense increased by $0.7 million, or 48.1%, to $2.2 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $1.5 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. This increase is due to an increase in the average debt outstanding on our credit facility compared to the same period last year.

 

Income tax expense

 

Income tax expense of $5.1 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007 represents an effective tax rate of 40.5%, compared to $6.1 million of tax expense representing an effective tax rate of 39.5% for the six months ended July 29, 2006. The increase in the effective tax rate is primarily due to the increasing number of stores in states with higher income tax rates and the non-deductibility of certain stock-based compensation expense in fiscal 2007.

 

Net income

 

Net income decreased $1.8 million, or 18.8%, to $7.5 million for the six months ended August 4, 2007, compared to $9.3 million for the six months ended July 29, 2006. The decrease resulted from a $2.2 million increase in pre-opening expenses and an $18.3 million increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses. These increased expenses were partially offset by an increase in gross profit of $18.4 million driven by a comparable store sales increase of 7.8%, net of increased expenses of $2.8 million of WM related costs and $3.0 million of planned accelerated depreciation for our remodel store program.

Fiscal year 2006 versus fiscal year 2005

 

Net sales

 

Net sales increased $176.0 million, or 30.4%, to $755.1 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $579.1 million in fiscal 2005. Fiscal 2006 was a 53-week operating year and the 53rd week represented approximately $16.4 million in net sales. Adjusted for the 53rd week, fiscal 2006 net sales increased $159.6 million, or 27.6% compared to fiscal 2005. This increase is due to the opening of 31 new stores in 2006, two store closures, and a 14.5% increase in comparable store sales. Non-comparable stores, which include stores opened in fiscal 2006 as well as stores opened in fiscal 2005 which have not yet turned comparable, contributed $77.3 million of the net sales increase while comparable stores contributed $82.3 million of the total net sales increase. Our comparable store sales growth in fiscal 2006 was driven by strong performance of existing and new brands. We introduced several new fragrance brands in the first half of the year which resulted in increased customer traffic and growth in average transaction value.

 

Gross profit

 

Gross profit increased $60.9 million, or 34.9%, to $235.2 million in fiscal 2006, compared to $174.3 million, in fiscal 2005. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased 1.0 percentage point to 31.1% in fiscal 2006 from 30.1% in fiscal 2005. The increase in gross profit resulted from:

 

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $47.9 million, or 34.2%, to $188.0 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $140.1 million in fiscal 2005. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general, and administrative expenses increased 0.7 percentage point to 24.9% for fiscal 2006 compared to 24.2% in fiscal 2005. This increase in the selling, general, and administrative percentage resulted from:

 

 

 

Pre-opening expenses

 

Pre-opening expenses increased $2.4 million, or 50.6%, to $7.1 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $4.7 million in fiscal 2005. During fiscal 2006, we opened 31 new stores and remodeled seven stores. During fiscal 2005, we opened 25 new stores and remodeled one store.

 

Interest expense

 

Interest expense increased $0.3 million, or 12.3%, to $3.3 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $3.0 million in fiscal 2005 primarily due to an increase in the interest rates on our variable rate credit facility.

 

Income tax expense

 

Income tax expense of $14.2 million in fiscal 2006 represents an effective tax rate of 38.7%, compared to fiscal 2005 tax expense of $10.5 million which represents an effective tax rate of 39.7%. The decrease in the effective tax rate is primarily due to an adjustment to reflect the state tax effects of our net operating loss carry forwards.

 

Net income

 

Net income increased $6.5 million, or 41.2%, to $22.5 million in fiscal 2006 compared to $16.0 million in fiscal 2005. The after-tax impact of the non-recurring stock compensation charge was approximately $1.7 million. The increase in net income of $6.5 million resulted from an increase in gross profit of $60.9 million driven by a comparable store sales increase of 14.5% and a 1.0 percentage point increase in gross profit as a percentage of sales. The increase in gross profit was partially offset by a $47.9 million (including the $2.8 million non-recurring stock compensation charge) increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses related to operating costs for new stores opened in fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2006 as well as costs incurred to support the infrastructure necessary to manage current and future store growth.

 

Fiscal year 2005 versus fiscal year 2004

 

Net sales

 

Net sales increased $87.9 million, or 17.9%, to $579.1 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $491.2 million in fiscal 2004. This increase is due to the addition of 25 new stores in fiscal 2005 and an 8.3% increase in comparable store sales. Our comparable store growth for fiscal 2004 was 8.0%. Non-comparable stores, which include stores opened in fiscal 2005 as well as stores opened in fiscal 2004 which have not yet turned comparable, contributed $48.5 million of the net sales increase while comparable stores contributed $39.4 million of the total net sales increase. Our comparable store sales growth was primarily due to increased penetration of the prestige, salon styling tools, and private label product categories, which drove increased traffic and an increase in average transaction value.

Gross profit

 

Gross profit increased $29.7 million, or 20.5%, to $174.3 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $144.6 million in fiscal 2004. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased 0.7 percentage point to 30.1% in fiscal 2005 compared to 29.4% in fiscal 2004. The increase in gross profit resulted from:

 

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased $18.1 million, or 14.9%, to $140.1 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $122.0 million in fiscal 2004. As a percentage of net sales, selling, general, and administrative expenses decreased 0.6 percentage point to 24.2% in fiscal 2005 compared to 24.8% in fiscal 2004, respectively. This increase in expenses resulted from:

 

 

Pre-opening expenses

 

Pre-opening expenses increased $0.6 million, or 15.7%, to $4.7 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $4.1 million in fiscal 2004. During fiscal 2005, we opened 25 new stores and remodeled one store. During fiscal 2004, we opened 20 new stores and remodeled none.

 

Interest expense

 

Interest expense increased $0.2 million, or 4.1%, to $3.0 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $2.8 million in fiscal 2004 primarily due to an increase in the interest rates on our variable rate credit facility.

 

Income tax expense

 

Income tax expense of $10.5 million in fiscal 2005 represents an effective tax rate of 39.7%, compared to income tax expense of $6.2 million in fiscal 2004 which represents an effective tax rate of 39.6%.

 

Net income

 

Net income increased $6.5 million, or 68.8%, to $16.0 million in fiscal 2005 compared to $9.5 million in fiscal 2004. The increase in net income of $6.5 million resulted from an increase in gross profit of $29.7 million driven by a comparable store sales increase of 8.3% and additional sales from new stores opened during fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005 as well as a 0.7 percentage point increase in gross profit as a percentage of net sales. The increase in gross

profit was partially offset by an $18.1 million increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses which resulted from expenses to operate new stores opened in fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005 as well as costs incurred to support the infrastructure necessary to manage current and future store growth.

 

Seasonality and unaudited quarterly statements of operations

 

Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuation. Significant portions of our net sales and profits are realized during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year due to the holiday selling season. To a lesser extent, our business is also affected by Mothers’ Day as well as the “Back to School” period and Valentines’ Day. Any decrease in sales during these higher sales volume periods could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results for the entire fiscal year.

 

The following tables set forth our unaudited quarterly results of operations for each of the quarters in fiscal 2005 and fiscal 2006 and the first and second quarters in fiscal 2007. The information for each of these periods has been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements included in this prospectus. This information includes all adjustments, which consist only of normal and recurring adjustments that management considers necessary for the fair presentation of such data. We use a 13 week (14 week in fourth quarter fiscal 2006) fiscal quarter ending on the last Saturday of the quarter. The data should be read in conjunction with the audited and unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our quarterly results of operations have varied in the past and are likely to do so again in the future. As such, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.

 

 

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