Item 1. Business.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements address future events, developments and results and do not relate strictly to historical facts. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. They include statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “continue,” “plan,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” “target,” “estimate” or other similar words, phrases or expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. For example, our forward-looking statements include statements regarding:
•the anticipated impact to our business operations, consumer demand and supply chain due to the recent global pandemic of a novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19);
•our cash needs, including our ability to fund our future capital expenditures, working capital requirements and repurchases of Company common stock under our repurchase program;
•our relationships with vendors and the loss of key vendor support;
•our plans, expectations and estimates concerning the integration of City Gear, LLC (City Gear) and related costs;
•our ability to retain key personnel at Hibbett and City Gear;
•our anticipated net sales, comparable store net sales changes, net sales growth, gross margins, expenses and earnings;
•our business strategy, omni-channel platform, logistics structure, target market presence and the expected impact of such factors on our net sales growth;
•our store growth, including our plans to add, expand, relocate or close stores, our markets’ ability to support such growth, expected changes in total square footage, our ability to secure suitable locations for new stores and the suitability of our wholesale and logistics facility;
•our expectations regarding the growth of our online business and the role of technology in supporting such growth;
•our policy of leasing rather than owning stores and our ability to renew or replace store leases satisfactorily;
•the cost of regulatory compliance, including the costs and possible outcomes of pending legal actions and other contingencies;
•our analysis of our risk factors and their possible effect on financial results;
•our ability and plans to renew our credit facilities;
•our expectations regarding our capital expenditures and dividend policy;
•our seasonal sales patterns and assumptions concerning customer buying behavior;
•our expectations regarding competition;
•our estimates and assumptions as they relate to the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the purchase of City Gear, preferable tax and financial accounting methods, accruals, inventory valuations, long-lived assets, store closure charges, carrying amount and liquidity of financial instruments, fair value of options and other stock-based compensation, economic and useful lives of depreciable assets and leases, income tax liabilities, deferred taxes and uncertain tax positions;
•our expectations concerning future stock-based award types and the exercise of outstanding stock options;
•the possible effect of inflation, market decline and other economic changes on our costs and profitability;
•our assessment of the materiality and impact on our business of recent accounting pronouncements adopted by the Financial Accounting Standards Board;
•the possible effects of uncertainty within the capital markets, on the commercial credit environment and on levels of consumer confidence;
•our analyses of trends as related to marketing, sales and earnings performance;
•our ability to receive favorable brand name merchandise and pricing from key vendors;
•the future reliability of, and cost associated with, our sources of supply, particularly imported goods, including the actual and potential effect of tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by the United States and other potential impediments to imports;
•the impact of technology on our operations and business, including cyberattacks, cyberliability or potential liability for breaches of our privacy or information security systems; and
•our ability to mitigate the risk of possible business interruptions.
A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future results, events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial and business information and speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. For a discussion of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our future events, developments or results, you should carefully review the “Risk Factors” as well as “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We cannot assure you that the results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Moreover, new risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on our forward-looking statements.
We do not undertake to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, and you should not expect us to do so.
Investors should also be aware that while we do, from time to time, communicate with securities analysts and others, we do not, by policy, selectively disclose to them any material non-public information in connection with any statement or report issued by any analyst regardless of the content of the statement or report. We do not, by policy, confirm forecasts or projections issued by others. Thus, to the extent that reports issued by securities analysts contain any projections, forecasts or opinions, such reports are not our responsibility.
Our Company
Our Company began in 1945 under the name Dixie Supply Company in Florence, Alabama. Although we initially specialized primarily in the marine and small aircraft business, by 1960, we were solely in the sporting goods business. In 1965, we opened our second store, Dyess & Hibbett Sporting Goods, in Huntsville, Alabama. The following year, we opened another sporting goods store in Birmingham and by the end of 1980, we had 12 stores in central and northwest Alabama with a distribution center located in Birmingham and our central accounting office in Florence. We became a public company in October 1996. In Fiscal 2021, we will celebrate our 75th anniversary.
In November 2018, we acquired City Gear, a privately held city specialty retailer with over 130 stores. The City Gear acquisition provides us with substantially greater scale in the athletic specialty market and is an extension of our strategy to provide high demand, branded products to under-served markets. Today, we are a leading athletic-inspired omni-channel retailer operating stores primarily located in small and mid-sized communities, and e-commerce websites under hibbett.com and citygear.com. As of February 1, 2020, we operated a total of 1,081 stores consisting of 932 Hibbett stores (which includes our 18 Sports Addition stores) and 149 City Gear stores in 35 states. Overall, our stores average 5,600 square feet and are located primarily in strip centers frequently influenced by a major chain retailer.
Our primary merchandising strategy is to provide a broad assortment of quality brand name footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment at competitive prices in a conveniently located full-service environment. In July 2017, we successfully launched our e-commerce website. We continue to grow our online business aggressively, while enhancing our stores to improve the overall customer experience. We believe that the breadth and depth of our brand name merchandise consistently exceeds the product selection carried by most of our competitors, particularly in our smaller markets. Many of these brand name products are highly technical and require expert sales assistance. We continuously educate our sales staff on new products and trends through coordinated efforts with our vendors.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following table and accompanying narrative sets forth the name, age and business experience of our current executive officers:
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Michael E. Longo
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58
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President and Chief Executive Officer
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Scott R. Humphrey
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49
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Interim Chief Financial Officer
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Jared S. Briskin
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47
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Senior Vice President and Chief Merchant
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Robert J. Volke
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56
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Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance
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Ronald P. Blahnik
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61
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Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
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David M. Benck
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52
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Senior Vice President and General Counsel
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Benjamin A. Knighten
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49
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Senior Vice President of Operations
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William G. Quinn
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44
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Senior Vice President of Digital Commerce
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Michael E. Longo joined the Company as our Chief Executive Officer and President in December 2019. Formerly, he served as Chief Executive Officer for Memphis-based City Gear, LLC. from October 2006 to November 2018, where he oversaw the successful acquisition of the company in 2018 by Hibbett Sports. Prior to City Gear, he worked in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership with AutoZone, Inc. starting as a Vice President of Supply Chain in 1996 to Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, IT, Development, Mexico in 2005. Mr. Longo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard University.
Scott R. Humphrey was appointed our Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company in September 2019. Previously, Mr. Humphrey served as Chief Financial Officer for Ciner Resources, LP (Ciner), a publicly traded mining company located in Atlanta, Georgia from July 2017 to December 2018. Before being named Chief Financial Officer for Ciner, Mr. Humphrey served as Vice President Finance from August 2015 to July 2017, as well as Director of Investor Relations/Finance and Treasurer from August 2013 to August 2015. Prior to joining Ciner Resources, Mr. Humphrey served in senior treasury positions with Alpharetta-based Schweitzer-Mauduit International and Atlanta based HYCO International, Inc. He began his career in finance with General Electric in 1997. Mr. Humphrey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Boston College and an MBA from Georgetown University.
Jared S. Briskin was appointed our Senior Vice President and Chief Merchant in September 2014. Formerly, he served as Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager of Footwear and Equipment from March 2010 through September 2014 and Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager of Apparel and Equipment from June 2004 through March 2010. Prior to his appointment to Vice President in 2004, Mr. Briskin held various merchandising positions across multiple categories since joining the Company in April 1998.
Robert J. Volke was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance, effective as of April 13, 2020, and will succeed Scott R. Humphrey, the Company’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, as our new Chief Financial Officer immediately following the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Mr. Volke most recently served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of Fleet Farm LLC (“Fleet Farm”), a position he has held since March 2020, and as its Vice President, Accounting and Corporate Controller from August 2018 to February 2020. Prior to his service at Fleet Farm, Mr. Volke held various positions of increasing responsibility with Tractor Supply Company (Nasdaq: TSCO), including as its Vice President and Controller from March 2017 to August 2018, Vice President – Accounting and Reporting from February 2014 to February 2017, Director of General Accounting and Financial Reporting from February 2009 to January 2014, and Manager of General Accounting and Financial Reporting from May 2007 to February 2009. Mr. Volke earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indiana University.
Ronald P. Blahnik was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer in April 2019. Mr. Blahnik joined the Company in November 2016 as our Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Before joining our Company, he served as managing partner of Blahnik Consulting Services, LLC. from April 2011 to November 2016. Mr. Blahnik is a retired Army officer and has worked in the information technology field for more than 40 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.
David M. Benck was appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel in March 2020. Mr. Benck joined the Company in March 2005, and in April 2008 was appointed Vice President and General Counsel. In addition to his role with the Company, Mr.
Benck serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Birmingham Branch appointee, as a Council Member for the American Arbitration Association, as a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland), and as a member of the NCAA’s Independent Resolution Panel. Additionally, he is a Fellow in the National Association of Corporate Directors, and an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, and CIPM).
Benjamin A. Knighten was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Operations in March 2020. Mr. Knighten previously served as Chief Operating Officer of City Gear, LLC from July 2018 to March 2020 and as Vice President of Store Operations of City Gear from November 2006 to July 2018.
William G. Quinn was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Digital Commerce in April 2019. Mr. Quinn joined the Company in February 2016 as our Vice President of Digital Commerce and also manages our marketing teams. Prior to joining the Company, he served as Vice President, Digital for David's Bridal and as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for 24 Hour Fitness. Mr. Quinn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Vanderbilt University, his MBA at Duke University and also holds a Certificate of Web Design from Temple University.
Our Employees
As of February 1, 2020, we employed approximately 10,200 employees, of which approximately 3,500 are full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. The number of part-time employees fluctuates depending on seasonal needs. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good and have not experienced significant interruptions of operations due to labor disagreements. We have implemented programs in our stores and corporate offices to ensure that we hire and promote the most qualified employees in a non-discriminatory way.
In response to the significant ongoing uncertainty around the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective April 13, 2020, the Company has temporarily furloughed the majority of our store employee population.
Employee Development: We develop our training programs in a continuing effort to service the needs of our customers and employees. These programs primarily include online training in stores for the latest in technical detail of new products and new operational and customer service techniques. We also have onsite training classes, which are designed specifically for new store managers in addition to onsite training sessions for all or a specific group of employees as needed. Because we primarily promote or relocate current employees to serve as managers for new stores, training and assessment of our employees is essential to our sustained growth.
We strive to hire enthusiastic salespeople with an interest in sports and fashion. Our evolving and extensive training programs primarily focus on product knowledge and selling skills.
Our Business Strategy
We target small to mid-sized markets with branded products and provide a high level of customer service. This market strategy enables us to achieve significant cost benefits including lower corporate expenses, reduced logistics costs and increased economies of scale from marketing activities. We use information systems to maintain tight controls over inventory and operating costs and continually search for ways to improve efficiencies and the customer experience through information system upgrades. In addition, we establish greater customer, vendor and landlord recognition as a leading specialty retailer in these communities. We believe our ability to align our merchandising mix to local preferences and trends differentiates us from our national competitors.
Our Store Brands
Hibbett Sports: As of February 1, 2020, we operated 914 Hibbett Sports stores. These stores average approximately 5,800 square feet and are located primarily in strip centers, usually near a major chain retailer such as a Wal-Mart store. We operated 718 Hibbett Sports stores in strip centers, which include free-standing stores, and 196 stores in enclosed malls, the majority of which are the only enclosed malls in their county.
City Gear: In November 2018, we acquired 136 City Gear stores and as of February 1, 2020, operated 149 City Gear stores, which average 5,000 square feet and are located primarily in strip centers. We operated 109 City Gear stores in strip centers, which includes free-standing stores, and 40 stores in enclosed malls.
Sports Additions: We operate 18 Sports Additions (SA) stores, which average 2,800 square feet and are located primarily in enclosed malls. Approximately 90% of the merchandise carried in our SA stores is athletic footwear with the remainder consisting of headwear and apparel.
In selecting retail locations, we consider the size, demographics, quality of real estate and competitive conditions in each market. Our stores offer a core merchandising mix of localized footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment designed to appeal to a wide range of customers within each market. We strive to meet the technical and fashion demands of our consumer as well as respond quickly to major sporting events in college or professional team sports of local interest within our markets.
None of our store concepts meets the quantitative or qualitative requirements of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 280, Segment Reporting.
Our Growth Strategy
We identify markets for our stores under a clustered expansion program. This approach primarily focuses on opening new stores within close proximity of existing locations, allowing us to take advantage of efficiencies in logistics, marketing and regional management. It also aids us in building a better understanding of appropriate merchandise selection for the local market. In addition to proximity to existing stores, we also consider population, economic conditions, local competitive dynamics, availability of suitable real estate and potential for return on investment when evaluating potential markets.
Omni-channel strategy: We recognize that even though our customer is in under served markets, they are digitally savvy. Our customer has high expectations that are constantly evolving including the ability to engage with us in multiple ways. As a result, we continue to make investments in omni-channel as well as our core e-commerce experience. In Fiscal 2020, we refreshed our entire website and mobile apps, combined Hibbett and City Gear e-commerce, added additional payment flexibility for our customers and launched same-day delivery in several markets. We now offer greater shopping flexibility and convenience than ever before. This includes traditional physical shopping at a store, traditional e-commerce ship-to-home, buy online and pick up in store, reserve online and pick up in store, same-day delivery and using our mobile app process to win the right to purchase coveted launch shoes.
In Fiscal 2021, we will continue to grow our e-commerce and omni-channel business. Major initiatives include adding a ship-to-store option and making significant enhancements to our raffle process. We are focused on the growth of our digital business through innovation and a commitment to a robust road map of ongoing improvement and differentiation of the customer experience.
Our Logistics
We maintain a full-line wholesale and logistics facility in Alabaster, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham) where we receive and ship most of our merchandise. In addition, we utilize a third-party logistics facility in Memphis, Tennessee and a third-party consolidation center in southern California to improve efficiencies and to improve time to market. For key products, we maintain backstock at the Alabaster facility. This product is allocated and shipped to stores through an automatic replenishment system based on inventory levels and sales. Merchandise is delivered to stores via Company operated vehicles, small package carriers or third-party logistics providers. We believe strong logistics support for our stores is a critical element of our business strategy and that our current logistics structure will support our growth over the next several years.
Our Merchandise
Our merchandising strategy is to provide a broad assortment of premium brand name footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment at competitive prices in a full service omni-channel environment. We believe that the assortment of brand name merchandise we offer consistently exceeds the merchandise selection carried by most of our competitors, particularly in our smaller markets. Many of these brand name products have limited availability and/or are technical in nature requiring considerable sales assistance. We coordinate with our vendors to educate the sales staff at the store level on new products and trends.
Although the core merchandise assortment tends to be similar for each store, it is somewhat differentiated by the Hibbett Sports or City Gear brands. Each brand utilizes important demographic, local and/or regional considerations. Accordingly, we offer products that reflect preferences for particular demographics as well as interests from each community. Our knowledge of these interests, combined with access to leading brands, enables our merchandising staff to react quickly to emerging trends or special events, such as fashion shifts or athletic events.
Our merchandising staff, operations staff and management analyze current trends primarily through the lens of our store typing strategy. Information is largely gathered and analyzed utilizing business intelligence tools. Other strategic measures we utilize to recognize trends or changes in our industry include:
•maintaining close relationships with vendors and other retailers;
•studying other retailers for best practices in merchandising;
•attending various trade shows, both in our industry and outside as well as reviewing industry trade publications; and
•actively participating in industry associations such as the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA).
The merchandising staff works closely with store personnel to meet the requirements of individual stores for appropriate merchandise in sufficient quantities.
Our Vendor Relationships
The athletic specialty and city specialty retail businesses are brand-name-driven. Accordingly, we maintain positive relationships with a number of well-known vendors to satisfy customer demand. We believe that we offer a best-in-class omni-channel experience through physical locations, mobile apps and website and that we are among the primary retail distribution avenues for brand name vendors that seek to engage with consumers in secondary and tertiary markets. As a result, we are able to attract considerable vendor interest and establish long-term partnerships with vendors. As our vendors expand their product lines and grow in popularity, we expand sales of these products. In addition, as we continue to increase our store base and enter new markets, our vendors increase their brand presence within these regions. We also work with our vendors to establish favorable pricing and to receive cooperative marketing funds.
Our Information Systems
We use technology as an enabler of our business strategies. We implement and maintain systems targeted at improving financial control, cost management, inventory control, merchandise planning, logistics, replenishment, and product allocation. Our systems are designed to be flexible to meet the unique needs of each specific store location. We continue to evolve our digital channel experience and development of further channel integration for a more seamless and frictionless set of capabilities aimed at enhancing our customers shopping experience in-store, online and through our mobile solutions. In Fiscal 2020, we co-branded our web presence by integrating City Gear into our omni-channel experience.
Our communications networks send and receive critical business data to and from stores, third-party cloud providers, and managed hosting facilities (data centers). Our Company’s information is processed in a secure environment to protect both the actual data and the physical assets. We attempt to mitigate the risk of cyber-security threats and business interruptions by maintaining strong security protocols, threat monitoring, regular risk reviews, and a detailed disaster recovery plan. While many of these same controls are utilized by City Gear systems that are not yet fully integrated, we plan to update the City Gear systems where warranted to the above stated aspects of security to be more closely aligned across all our operations. In early Fiscal 2021, we consolidated the City Gear data center into our St. Louis hosted facility, which accomplished the alignment of controls over data.
We strive to maintain highly qualified and motivated third-party partners and teams of individuals to support our information systems, which includes security, help desk, engineering, operations, quality assurance, business analysis, solution development, analytics and project management. Our systems are monitored 24 hours a day, and management believes that our current systems and practice of implementing regular updates will continue to support current needs and future growth. We use a strategic information systems planning process that involves senior management and is integrated into our overall business planning and enterprise risk management. Information systems projects are prioritized based upon strategic, financial, regulatory and other business criteria.
Our Marketing and Promotion
We focus on marketing opportunities that drive traffic and sales to our stores and digital business. For the last few years, digital marketing has been the major growth area of our marketing budget. We have also maintained more traditional elements of our portfolio. Investments such as direct mail continue to be an important part of our marketing mix. Fiscal 2021 is our 75th anniversary and we are excited to celebrate the occasion by amplifying our brand presence in our home state of Alabama through tactics including television advertisements and philanthropic efforts.
We continued to see growth from our customer loyalty program and our Rewards program represented a significant portion of overall sales in Fiscal 2020. In addition to email, text messaging, direct mail and social media marketing, we continue to explore opportunities to further improve our Rewards program to drive member acquisition and sales. We are focused on continuous improvements that promote ease of use, perceived value and meaningful recognition to the customer while allowing members to save valuable time and receive exceptional service both in our stores and on our e-commerce site.
Our Competition
The business in which we are engaged is highly competitive. The marketplace for athletic specialty merchandise is highly fragmented as many different brick and mortar and online retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of formats and merchandising strategies. We compete with specialty shoe stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers, athletic and sporting good brands, and, in some of our large and mid-size markets, national sporting goods superstores. In addition, we face competition from vendors that sell directly to consumers.
Although we face competition from a variety of competitors, we believe that our stores are able to compete effectively by providing a premium assortment of footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment. Additionally, we differentiate our store experience through extensive product knowledge, customer service and convenient locations. We believe we compete favorably with respect to these factors in the smaller markets predominantly in the South, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States.
Our Trademarks
Our Company, by and through subsidiaries, is the owner or licensee of trademarks that are very important to our business. Generally, trademarks are valid as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained. Registrations of trademarks can generally be renewed indefinitely as long as the trademarks are in use.
Following is a list of active trademarks registered and owned by the Company:
•Hibbett Sports, Registration No. 2717584
•Sports Additions, Registration No. 1767761
•Hibbett, Registration No. 3275037
•City G.E.A.R, Registration No. 4398655
•City G.E.A.R., Registration No. 4413864
•CITY GEAR, Registration No. 4675462
•City GEAR, Registration No. 5008316
•DEVEROES, Registration No. 3479737
•GRINDHOUSE, Registration No. 5107399
•GRINDHOUSE DENIM, Registration No. 5107398
Governmental Regulations
We must comply with various federal, state and local regulations, including regulations relating to consumer products and consumer protection, advertising and marketing, labor and employment, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, the environment and tax. In addition, we must comply with United States customs laws and similar laws of other countries associated with the import and export of merchandise. Ensuring our compliance with these various laws and regulations, and keeping abreast of changes to the legal and regulatory landscape present in our industry, requires us to expend considerable resources.
Seasonality
We have historically experienced seasonal fluctuations. We typically experience higher net sales in early spring due to spring sports and annual tax refunds, late summer due to back-to-school shopping and winter due to holiday shopping. In addition, our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, including the timing of new store openings, the amount and timing of net sales contributed by new stores, weather fluctuations, merchandise mix, demand for merchandise driven by local interest in sporting events, and the timing of sales tax holidays and annual tax refunds.
Available Information
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), are
available free of charge through our website www.hibbett.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Our website is the primary source of publicly disclosed news about Hibbett Sports, Inc. In addition to accessing copies of our reports online, you may request a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020, at no charge, by writing to: Investor Relations, Hibbett Sports, Inc., 2700 Milan Court, Birmingham, Alabama 35211.
In addition, we make available, through our website, the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Corporate Governance Guidelines and the written charters of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Information contained on our website is not included as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The occurrence of one or more of the circumstances or events described in this section could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or on the trading prices of our common stock. The risks and uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not known to us at this time or that we currently believe are immaterial also may adversely affect our business and operations.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
The recent COVID-19 outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and has spread to the United States and many other parts of the world and is adversely affecting, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business operations, store traffic, employee availability, financial condition, liquidity and cash flow.
The outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and related government and private sector responsive actions have, and are expected to continue to, adversely affect our business operations, store traffic, employee availability, financial condition, liquidity and cash flow. Public health officials have recommended and mandated precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including prohibitions on congregating in heavily populated areas and shelter-in-place orders or similar measures. The vast majority of our store locations are temporarily closed to the public as a result of shopping mall closures and government imposed business activity restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, although a large portion of these stores are still able to ship merchandise through our e-commerce platform. The COVID-19 pandemic may require us to take additional actions to mitigate its impact including, but not limited to, extending store closures, further cost reductions, and/or discounting of the pricing of our product. Our results will be adversely impacted by these store closures and other actions taken to contain or treat the impact of COVID-19, and the extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time. These uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the adverse impact of the pandemic on the economy, our supply chain partners, travel and transportation services, our employees and customers, customer sentiment in general, and traffic within the shopping centers containing our stores.
In response to the significant ongoing uncertainty around the severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, effective April 13, 2020, the Company has temporarily furloughed the majority of our store employee population.
The COVID-19 pandemic is also adversely affecting, and is expected to continue to affect, our operations, supply chains and distribution systems, and we have experienced and expect to continue to experience, unpredictable reductions in demand for certain of our products. While we expect the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, the extent of such impact will depend on future developments, including the severity and transmission rate of COVID-19 and the extent and effectiveness of containment actions taken, which cannot be accurately predicted at this time. Such adverse impacts could include, but not be limited to, our near-term and long-term revenues, earnings, liquidity and cash flows as well as the valuation of long-lived assets, indefinite-lived intangibles, goodwill and the contingent earnout liability related to the City Gear acquisition.
Additionally, since the outbreak, the market price per share of our common stock has declined. If the stock price continues to be depressed or decreases further, it may cause a trigger event for impairment testing of fair-valued assets, including goodwill, long-lived assets and tradename intangible.
In recognition of the significant threat to the liquidity of financial markets posed by COVID-19, the Federal Reserve and Congress have taken dramatic actions to provide liquidity to businesses and the banking system in the U.S. For example, on March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), a sweeping stimulus bill intended to bolster the U.S. economy, among other things, and provide emergency assistance to qualifying
businesses and individuals. There can be no assurance that these interventions by the government will be successful, and the financial markets may experience significant contractions in available liquidity. While the Company may receive financial, tax or other relief and other benefits under and as a result of the CARES Act, it is not possible to estimate at this time the need, availability, extent or impact of any such relief.
Disruptions in the economy and in financial markets could adversely affect consumer purchases of discretionary items, which could reduce our net sales.
In general, our sales represent discretionary spending by our customers. Discretionary spending is affected by many factors that are outside our control, including, among others, general business conditions, interest rates, prices of non-discretionary consumer goods, inflation, household income, consumer debt levels, the availability of consumer credit, tax rates and tax refunds, sales tax holidays, energy prices, widespread health emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment trends, home influence consumer confidence and spending. Disruptions in the U.S. economy, financial markets or other economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income may reduce the level of consumer spending and inhibit consumers’ use of credit, which may adversely affect our revenues, profits, liquidity and capital resources. In recessionary periods or periods of slow growth, we may have to increase the number of promotional sales or otherwise dispose of inventory for which we have previously paid to manufacture or committed to purchase and/or increase our marketing and promotional expenses in response to lower than anticipated levels of demand for our products, which could adversely affect our profitability. Additionally, a reduction in customer traffic to our stores or a shift in customer spending to products other than those sold by us or to products sold by us that are less profitable could result in lower net sales, decreases in inventory turnover or a reduction in profitability due to lower margins. Our financial performance may also be particularly susceptible to economic and other conditions in regions or states where we have a significant number of stores.
If we lose any of our key vendors or any of our key vendors fail to supply us with quality brand name merchandise at competitive prices, we may not be able to meet the demand of our customers and our net sales and profitability could decline.
We are a retailer of manufacturers’ branded items and are thereby dependent on the availability of key products and brands. Our business is dependent upon close relationships with our vendors and our ability to purchase brand name merchandise at competitive prices. Our top three vendors accounted for approximately 80% of our total inventory purchases during Fiscal 2020. During Fiscal 2020, approximately 70% of our inventory was purchased from one vendor, Nike, who accounted for approximately 70% of our net sales. Our inability to obtain merchandise in a timely manner from major suppliers as a result of business decisions by suppliers or disruptions in the global transportation network, such as a port strike, weather conditions, the emergence of widespread health emergencies or pandemics, work stoppages, or other labor unrest could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Because of our strong dependence on Nike, any adverse development in Nike’s distribution strategy, financial condition, or results of operations, or the inability of Nike to develop and manufacture products that appeal to our target customers, could also have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. As a retailer, we cannot control the supply, design, function or cost of many of the products we offer for sale. Moreover, certain merchandise that is in high demand may be allocated by vendors based upon the vendors’ internal criteria, which is beyond our control.
As a result, our sales could decline if we are not provided with a sufficient allocation of high demand merchandise from one or more of our key vendors or if the vendor’s merchandise were to decline in quantity, quality or desirability to our customers. Our profits could decline if we are unable to pass along any increases in the cost of brand merchandise from our key vendors, including costs resulting from higher tariffs or taxes on imported merchandise. In addition, many of our vendors provide us with return privileges, volume purchasing allowances and cooperative marketing funds such that any changes to such benefits could have an adverse effect on our business.
We believe that we have long-standing and strong relationships with our vendors and that we have adequate sources of brand name merchandise on competitive terms. However, the loss or decline of key vendor support could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurances that we will be able to acquire such merchandise at competitive prices or on competitive terms in the future.
We also rely on services and products from non-merchandise vendors. A disruption in these services or products due to the financial condition or inefficient operations of these vendors could adversely affect our business operations.
Integrating City Gear’s operations with ours may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated benefits, synergies and cost savings of the acquisition may not be realized.
The overall success of the City Gear acquisition (the Acquisition), including anticipated benefits, synergies and cost savings, will depend, in part, on our ability to successfully combine and integrate the businesses and cultures of City Gear into our Company. It is possible that key integration processes will take longer than anticipated and could result in the loss of key employees, higher
than expected costs, ongoing diversion of management attention, increased competition, the disruption of our ongoing business or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers, vendors and employees. If we experience difficulties with the integration process, the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected. In addition, the actual cost savings of the Acquisition could be less than anticipated.
We might not be successful in achieving expected operating efficiencies and sustaining or improving operating expense reductions, and might experience business disruptions and adverse tax consequences associated with our strategic realignment.
Beginning in Fiscal 2020, we initiated a strategic realignment that includes the closure of approximately 95 underperforming Hibbett stores while opening approximately 10 to 15 new Hibbett Sports and City Gear stores. While we expect to realize efficiencies from these actions, these activities might not produce the full efficiency and cost reduction benefits we expect. Further, such benefits might be realized later than expected, and the ongoing costs of implementing these measures might be greater than anticipated. If these measures are not successful or sustainable, we might undertake additional realignment and cost reduction efforts, which could result in future charges. Moreover, our ability to achieve our other strategic goals and business plans, including continued growth in our omni-channel business, might be adversely affected and we could experience business disruptions with customers or vendors and elsewhere if our realignment efforts and our cost reduction activities prove ineffective. Further, our results of operations could be adversely affected by the underperforming stores’ liquidation process through reduced gross margin rates and increased operating costs.
If we are unable to identify and capitalize on retail trends or provide an omni-channel experience for our customers that is comparable to our competitors, we may not be able to compete effectively, and our sales and profitability may be adversely affected.
Competition in the e-commerce market continues to intensify as the internet continues to facilitate competitive entry into the market and comparison shopping by consumers. As a result, a growing portion of total consumer expenditures with retailers is occurring through digital platforms rather than traditional retail stores as consumers increasingly embrace shopping online and through mobile commerce applications. Our future success could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to identify and capitalize on retail trends, including technology, e-commerce and other process efficiencies, to gain market share and better service our customers, or if we are unable to provide an omni-channel experience for our customers that is comparable to our competitors, including larger, more established e-commerce companies such as Amazon.
Our omni-channel platform integrates digital commerce with our stores to provide a seamless experience for our customers. Our mobile apps, buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) and reserve online pickup in store (ROPIS) complements our e-commerce site and provides our customers with customized advanced features and shopping experiences. We cannot give any assurances that our omni-channel platform, including our mobile apps, BOPIS and ROPIS, will perform in a manner that will give us the ability to attract and retain customers, increase sales and successfully compete with other online retailers. If we do not successfully provide a relevant and up-to-date digital experience or cannot attract online buyers through our omni-channel platform, our sales and profitability could be adversely affected.
We continue to increase the use of social media as a means of interacting and enhancing the shopping experiences of our customers. If we are unable to attract and retain team members or contract third parties with the specialized skills to support our omni-channel platform or are unable to implement improvements to our customer-facing technology in a timely manner, our ability to compete and our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if our website and our other customer-facing technology systems do not function as designed, the customer experience could be negatively affected, resulting in a loss of customer confidence and satisfaction, as well as lost sales, which could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.
Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could adversely impact our business.
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including blogs, chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of internet-based communications that allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other persons. The popularity of social media and other consumer-oriented technologies has increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination. The dissemination of negative information via social media could harm our business, brand, reputation, marketing partners, financial condition, and results of operations, regardless of the information’s accuracy. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to occurrences of negative publicity through social media or otherwise, the Company may suffer declines in customer loyalty and traffic, vendor relationship issues, diversion of management’s time to respond and other adverse effects, all of which could negatively impact the Company’s operations, financial results and reputation.
In addition, we frequently use social media to communicate with consumers and the public in general. Failure to use social media effectively or properly, or misuse of social media by our employees or vendors, could lead to a decline in brand value and revenue. Other risks associated with the use of social media include improper disclosure of proprietary information, exposure of personally identifiable information, fraud, hoaxes or malicious dissemination of false information.
Pressure from our competitors may force us to reduce our prices or increase our spending on marketing and promotion, which could lower our net sales, gross profit and operating income.
The business in which we are engaged is a highly competitive and evolving market. The marketplace for athletic specialty merchandise is highly fragmented as many different brick and mortar and online retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of formats and merchandising strategies. We compete directly and indirectly with specialty stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers, athletic and sporting good brands and, in some of our large and mid-size markets, national sporting goods superstores. In addition, we face increasing competition from vendors that sell directly to consumers, especially Nike. Direct sales by vendors may adversely affect our market share and reduce our revenues.
Many of our competitors have greater financial, marketing, distribution and delivery resources than we do, which enable them to spend significantly more on marketing and other initiatives. In addition, many of our competitors employ price discounting policies that, if intensified, may make it difficult for us to reach our sales goals without reducing our prices. Should our competitors increase spending on marketing and other initiatives such as additional discounting, if our marketing funds decrease for any reason, or should our marketing, promotions or initiatives be less effective than our competitors, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. As a result, we may also need to spend more on marketing, promotions and initiatives than we anticipate. Inadequate marketing that is less effective than our competitors could inhibit our ability to maintain relevance in the market place and drive increased sales.
We cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to compete successfully against existing or future competitors. Expansion into markets served by our competitors, entry of new competitors or expansion of existing competitors into our markets could be detrimental to our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our inability to identify and anticipate changes in consumer demands and preferences and our inability to respond to such consumer demands in a timely manner could reduce our net sales or profitability.
Our products appeal to a broad range of consumers whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to rapid change. Our success depends on our ability to identify product trends as well as to anticipate and respond to changing merchandise trends and consumer demand in a timely manner. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to offer assortments of products that appeal to our customers or that we will satisfy changing consumer demands in the future. Accordingly, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if:
•we are unable to identify and respond to emerging trends, including shifts in the popularity of certain products;
•we miscalculate either the market for the merchandise in our stores and on our website or our customers’ purchasing habits; or
•consumer demand unexpectedly shifts away from athletic footwear or our more profitable apparel lines.
In addition, we must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully. However, we also must guard against accumulating excess inventory. If we fail to accurately anticipate either the market for the merchandise in our stores and on our website or our customers’ purchasing habits, we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow moving inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, by, for example, decreasing our profitability.
The industry in which we operate is dependent upon fashion trends, customer preferences, product innovations, and other fashion-related factors.
The athletic footwear and apparel industry, especially at the premium end of the price spectrum, is subject to changing fashion trends and customer preferences. In addition, retailers in the athletic industry rely on their suppliers to maintain innovation in the products they develop. We cannot guarantee that our merchandise selection will accurately reflect customer preferences when it is offered for sale or that we will be able to identify and respond quickly to fashion changes, particularly given the long lead times for ordering much of our merchandise from suppliers. Our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately in a timely manner to changes in fashion trends that would make athletic footwear or athletic apparel less attractive to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on key personnel, the loss of which may adversely affect our ability to run our business effectively and our results of operations.
We benefit from the leadership and performance of our senior management team and other key employees. If we lose the services of any of our principal executive officers or other skilled and experienced personnel, we may not be able to fully implement our business strategy or run our business effectively and operating results could suffer. The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors reviews, on a regular basis, a succession plan prepared by senior management that addresses the potential loss of key personnel positions. The goal of the succession plan is to have a contingency plan that minimizes disruptions in the workplace until a suitable replacement can be found, but no assurance can be given that we will be able to retain existing or attract additional qualified personnel when needed.
In March 2019, our prior President and Chief Executive Officer, Jeffry O. Rosenthal, announced his retirement and resignation as a member of the Board upon the naming of his successor. At the time of Mr. Rosenthal’s retirement in December 2019, Michael E. Longo was appointed as our President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board. Additionally, in March 2020, Benjamin A. Knighten, the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President, of City Gear, was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations to replace Cathy Pryor, and in April 2020, Robert J. Volke was appointed as our Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance, and he will succeed our Interim Chief Financial Officer, Scott R. Humphrey, as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer following Mr. Humphrey’s planned resignation upon the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Such leadership transitions can be inherently difficult to manage, and an inadequate transition may cause disruption to our business, including to our relationships with our customers, suppliers, vendors and employees.
Further, as our business grows, we will need to attract and retain additional qualified personnel in a timely manner and develop, train and manage an increasing number of management-level sales associates and other employees. We have invested, and plan to continue to invest, in an environment in which our employees can deliver their best every day, and we endeavor to empower them by providing ongoing training, growth opportunities, and competitive compensation and benefits packages. Competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages and benefits to attract a sufficient number of qualified employees and increases in the minimum wage or other employee benefit costs could increase our operating expense. An inability to attract and retain personnel as needed in the future could negatively impact our net sales growth and operating results.
Security threats, including physical and cyber-security threats, and unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential information could harm our business and reputation with our consumers.
The protection of Company, customer and employee data is critical to us. Through our sales, marketing activities and use of third-party information, we collect and retain certain personally identifiable information that our customers provide to purchase products, enroll in promotional programs, register on our website, or otherwise communicate and interact with us. This may include, but is not limited to, names, addresses, phone numbers, driver license numbers, email addresses, contact preferences, personally identifiable information stored on electronic devices, and payment account information, including credit and debit card information. We also gather and retain information about our employees in the normal course of business. Furthermore, our online operations depend upon the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks, such as information permitting cashless payments. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of all such data, including confidential information.
Ever-evolving threats mean we must continually evaluate and adapt our systems and processes. We have security measures designed to protect against the misappropriation or corruption of our systems, intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential information or disruption of our operations. Our risk remediation procedures include an annual IT risk assessment based on the SANS Institute Critical Security Controls framework, which prioritizes security functions that are effective against the latest advanced targeted threats while emphasizing security controls that have demonstrated real world effectiveness. While we maintain insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and exclusions, cover certain aspects of our cyber risks, such
insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover our losses or all types of claims that may arise in the continually evolving area of cyber risk.
Even so, these security measures may be compromised as a result of third-party breaches, burglaries, cyber-attacks, errors by employees or employees of third-party vendors, faulty password management, misappropriation of data by employees, vendors or unaffiliated third parties, or other irregularity, and result in persons obtaining unauthorized access to our data or accounts. Despite such safeguards for the protection of such information, we cannot be certain that all of our systems and those of our vendors and unaffiliated third parties are entirely free from vulnerability to attack or compromise. During the normal course of our business, we have experienced and we expect to continue to experience attempts to breach our systems. There is no assurance that our security controls and practices will prevent the improper disclosure of confidential, proprietary or sensitive data, and we may be unable to protect sensitive data and the integrity of our systems or to prevent fraudulent purchases. Moreover, an alleged or actual security breach that affects our systems or results in the unauthorized release of personally identifiable information could:
•materially damage our reputation and negatively affect customer satisfaction and loyalty;
•expose us to negative publicity, individual claims or consumer class actions, administrative, civil or criminal investigations or actions; and
•cause us to incur substantial costs, including but not limited to, costs associated with remediation for stolen assets or information, litigation costs, lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information or the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack, and increased cyber protection costs.
We are subject to payment-related risks that could increase our operating costs, subject us to potential liability, and potentially disrupt our business.
We collect customer data, including encrypted and tokenized credit card information, in our stores and online. For our sales channels to function successfully, we and third parties involved in processing customer transactions for us must be able to transmit confidential information, including credit card information, securely over public networks. While we have measures in place designed to prevent a breach or unauthorized use or disclosure of customer data and other sensitive personal information, we cannot guarantee that any of our security measures or the security measures of third parties with whom we work will effectively prevent others from obtaining unauthorized access to our customers’ information or other personally identifiable information. Further, the standards for systems currently used for transmission and approval of electronic payment transactions, and the technology utilized in electronic payment themselves, all of which can put electronic payment data at risk, are determined and controlled by the payment card industry, not by us. If someone is able to circumvent our data security measures or that of third parties with whom we do business, he or she could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our operations. If such a breach were to occur, customers could lose confidence in our ability to secure their information and choose not to purchase from us. Any unauthorized use of or access to customer information could expose us to data loss or manipulation, litigation and legal liability, and could seriously disrupt operations, negatively impact our marketing capabilities, cause us to incur significant expenses to notify customers of the breach and for other remediation activities, and harm our reputation and brand, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, state, federal, and foreign governments are increasingly enacting laws and regulations to protect consumers against identity theft and consumer privacy. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to uncertain application, interpretation or enforcement standards that could result in claims, changes to our business practices, data processing and security systems, penalties, increased operation costs or other impacts on our business. These laws and regulations will likely increase the costs of doing business, and if we fail to implement appropriate procedures, security measures, or detect and provide prompt notice of unauthorized access as required by some of these laws and regulations, we could be subject to potential claims for damages and other remedies, government enforcement actions, liability for monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We rely heavily on information systems to conduct our business. Problems with our information systems could disrupt our operations and negatively impact our financial results and materially adversely affect our business operations.
Our ability to manage and operate our business depends significantly on information technology systems. Specifically, we rely on our information systems to effectively manage our sales, logistics, merchandise planning and replenishment, to process financial information and sales transactions and to optimize our overall inventory levels. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from:
•fire, flood and other natural disasters;
•failed system implementations or integrations;
•power loss, computer system failures, internet and telecommunications or data network failures, operator negligence, improper operation by employees;
•third-party vendor system failures;
•physical and electronic loss of data, security breaches, misappropriation, data theft and similar events; and
•external threats such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses or intrusions.
Although we attempt to mitigate the risk of possible business interruptions through change control protocols and a disaster recovery plan, which includes storing critical business information off-site, the failure of these systems to operate effectively and support growth and expansion could materially adversely impact the operation of our business.
Most of our information system infrastructure is centrally located, and we rely on third-party service providers for certain system applications that are hosted remotely or on cloud-based platforms. There is a risk that we may not have adequately addressed risks associated with using third-party providers or cloud-based platforms. Such risks include security issues such as adequate encryption and intrusion detection; user access control; data separation; the impact of technical problems such as server outages or server failures; vendor disaster recovery capabilities; and transition or exit strategies. A service provider disruption or failure in any of these areas could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Integration of technology and systems related to the Acquisition could be more difficult or more costly than anticipated.
In addition, insufficient investment in technology, inadequate preventive maintenance, investment in the wrong technology, delayed replacement of obsolete equipment, shifts in technology, the failure to attract and retain highly qualified IT personnel and inadequate policies to identify our technology needs could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our inability or failure to protect our intellectual property rights, or any claimed infringement by us of third-party intellectual rights, could have a negative impact on our operating results.
Our trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, domain names, social media handles, and other intellectual property are valuable assets that are critical to our success. The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our intellectual property could diminish the value of our brands or goodwill and cause a decline in our revenue. In addition, any infringement or other intellectual property claim made against us could be time-consuming to address, result in costly litigation, or result in our loss of ownership or use of the intellectual property.
Our failure to effectively manage our real estate portfolio may negatively impact our operating results.
Effective management of our real estate portfolio is critical to our omni-channel strategy. All of our stores are subject to leases and, as such, it is essential that we effectively evaluate a range of considerations that may influence the success of our long-term real estate strategy. Such considerations include, but are not limited to:
•changing patterns of customer behavior from physical store locations to online shopping in the context of an evolving omni-channel retail environment;
•the appropriate number of stores in our portfolio;
•the formats, sizes and interior layouts of our stores;
•the locations of our stores, including the demographics and economic data of each store;
•the local competition in and around our stores;
•the primary lease term of each store and occupancy cost of each store relative to market rents; and
•distribution considerations for each store location.
If we fail to effectively evaluate these factors or negotiate appropriate terms or if unforeseen changes arise, the consequences could include, for example:
•having to close stores and abandon the related assets while retaining the financial commitments of the leases;
•incurring costs to remodel or transform our stores;
•having stores or distribution channels that no longer meet the needs of our business; and
•bearing excessive lease or occupancy expenses.
These consequences could have a materially adverse impact on our profitability, cash flows and liquidity. The financial impact of exiting a leased location can vary greatly depending on, among other factors, the terms of the lease, the condition of the local real estate market, demand for the specific property and our relationship with the landlord. It is difficult for us to influence some of these factors, and the costs of exiting a property can be significant. In addition to rent, we could still be responsible for the maintenance, taxes, insurance and common area maintenance charges for vacant properties until the lease commitment expires or is terminated.
Our ability to attract customers to our stores that are located in malls or other shopping centers depends heavily on the success of these malls and shopping centers, and continued decreases in customer traffic in these malls or shopping centers, whether due to the growing preference for online shopping or otherwise, could cause our net sales and our profitability to be less than expected.
A significant number of our stores are located in malls and other shopping centers and many of these malls and shopping centers have been experiencing declines in customer traffic. Our sales at these stores are dependent, to a significant degree, upon the volume of traffic in those shopping centers and the surrounding area; however, our costs associated with these stores are essentially fixed. In times of declining traffic and sales, our ability to leverage these costs and our profitability are negatively impacted. Our stores benefit from the ability of a shopping center’s other tenants to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores and the continuing popularity of the shopping center as a shopping destination. Our sales volume and traffic has been, and we expect will continue to be, adversely affected by, among other things, the decrease in popularity of malls or other shopping centers in which our stores are located, the closing of anchor stores important to our business, and declines in popularity of other stores in the malls or shopping centers in which our stores are located. Furthermore, a deterioration in the financial condition of shopping center operators or developers could, for example, limit their ability to invest in improvements and finance tenant improvements for us and other retailers and lead consumers to view these locations as less desirable. Further reduction in consumer traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on us.
Our success depends substantially on the value and perception of the brand name merchandise we sell.
Our success is largely dependent on our consumers’ perception and connection to the brand names we carry, such as Nike, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Under Armour, Reebok, Easton, The North Face, etc. Brand value is based in part on our consumer’s perception on a variety of subjective qualities so that even an isolated incident could erode brand value and consumer trust, particularly if there is considerable publicity or litigation. Consumer demand for our products or brands could diminish significantly in the event of erosion of consumer confidence or trust, resulting in lower sales, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We would be materially and adversely affected if all or a portion of our primary wholesale and logistics facility was shut down.
Our primary wholesale and logistics facility is located in Alabaster, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, where we receive and ship a significant portion of our merchandise. Any natural disaster or other serious disruption to this facility would damage a portion of our inventory and could impair our ability to adequately stock our stores and process returns of products to vendors and could adversely affect our net sales and profitability. In addition, we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with shipping our products to our stores during the time it takes for us to reopen or replace the facility.
Further, because we rely heavily on our primary wholesale and logistics facility, our growth could be limited if the facility reaches full capacity. Such restraint could result in a loss of market share and our inability to execute our business strategy and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
A disruption in the flow of imported merchandise or an increase in the cost of those goods could significantly decrease our net sales and operating income.
Many of our largest vendors source a majority of their products from foreign countries. Imported goods are generally less expensive than domestic goods and contribute significantly to our favorable profit margins. Our ability to provide quality imported merchandise on a profitable basis may be subject to political and economic factors and influences that we cannot control. National or international events, including changes in government trade or other policies, could increase our merchandise costs and other costs that are critical to our operations. If imported merchandise becomes more expensive, we may find it difficult to pass the increase on to customers. If imported merchandise becomes unavailable, the transition to alternative sources by our vendors may not occur in time to meet our demands or the demands of our customers. Products from alternative sources may also be more expensive or may be of lesser quality than those our vendors currently import. Risks associated with reliance on imported goods include:
•increases in the cost of purchasing or shipping foreign merchandise resulting from, for example:
•import tariffs, taxes or other governmental actions affecting trade, including the United States imposing antidumping or countervailing duty orders, safeguards, remedies or compensation and retaliation due to illegal foreign trade practices;
•foreign government regulations;
•rising commodity prices;
•increased costs of oceanic shipping;
•changes in currency exchange rates or policies and local economic conditions; and
•trade restrictions, including import quotas or loss of “most favored nation” status with the United States.
•disruptions in the flow of imported goods because of factors such as:
•raw material shortages, work stoppages, widespread health emergencies or pandemics, labor availability and political unrest;
•problems with oceanic shipping, including blockages or labor union strikes at U.S. or foreign ports; and
•economic crises and international disputes.
In addition, to the extent that any foreign manufacturer from whom our vendors are associated may directly or indirectly utilize labor practices that are not commonly accepted in the United States, we could be affected by any resulting negative publicity.
Increases in transportation or shipping costs and other factors may negatively impact our results of operations.
We rely upon various means of transportation, including ship and truck, to deliver products to our primary wholesale and logistics facility, our stores and our customers. Consequently, our results can vary depending upon the price of fuel. The price of oil has fluctuated significantly over the last few years. Any increases in fuel costs would increase our transportation costs.
In addition, general labor shortages or strikes in the transportation or shipping industries could negatively affect transportation and shipping costs and our ability to supply our stores in a timely manner. We also rely on efficient and effective operations within our primary wholesale and logistics facility to ensure accurate product delivery to our stores. Failure to maintain such operations could adversely affect net sales.
Legislative or regulatory initiatives related to climate change concerns may negatively affect our business.
Greenhouse gases may have an adverse effect on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. Concern over climate change may result in new or additional legal, legislative, and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment, which could result in future tax, transportation, and utility increases, which could adversely affect our business. There is also increased focus, including by investors, customers, and other stakeholders on these and other sustainability matters, including the use of plastic, energy, waste, and worker safety. Our reputation could be damaged if we do not (or are perceived not to) act responsibly with respect to sustainability matters, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.
Imposition of tariffs and export controls on the products we buy may have a material adverse effect on our business.
A significant portion of the products that we purchase, including the portion purchased from domestic suppliers, as well as most of our private brand merchandise, is manufactured abroad. We may be affected by potential changes in international trade agreements or tariffs, such as new tariffs imposed on certain Chinese-made goods imported into the U.S. Furthermore, China or other countries may institute retaliatory trade measures in response to existing or future tariffs imposed by the U.S. that could have a negative effect on our business. If any of these events occur as described, we may be obligated to seek alternative suppliers for our private brand merchandise, raise prices or make changes to our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability, results of operations and financial condition.
We may face difficulties in meeting our labor needs to effectively operate our business.
We are heavily dependent upon our labor workforce in the geographic areas where we conduct our business. Our compensation packages are designed to provide benefits commensurate with our level of expected service. However, within our retail and logistics operations, we face the challenge of filling many positions at wage scales that are appropriate to the industry and competitive factors. In addition, there is the risk that prevailing wage rates for our labor workforce will increase in the future and that the costs of employee benefits will rise, resulting in increased expenses that could adversely affect our profitability. We also face other risks in meeting our labor needs, including competition for qualified personnel and overall unemployment levels. Changes in any of these factors, including a shortage of available workforce in areas in which we operate, could interfere with our ability to adequately service our customers or to open suitable locations and could result in increasing labor costs.
Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly fluctuations. Furthermore, our quarterly operating results, including comparable store net sales, will fluctuate and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.
We experience seasonal fluctuations in our net sales and results of operations. We typically experience higher net sales in early spring due to spring sports and annual tax refunds, late summer due to back-to-school shopping and winter due to holiday shopping. In addition, our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, including the timing of new store openings, the amount and timing of net sales contributed by new stores, weather fluctuations, merchandise mix, demand for merchandise driven by local interest in sporting events, and the timing of sales tax holidays and annual tax refunds. Any of these events, particularly in the fourth quarter, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results for the entire fiscal year.
Comparable store net sales vary from quarter to quarter, and an unanticipated decline in comparable store net sales may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly. Factors that could affect our comparable store net sales results include:
•shifts in consumer tastes and fashion trends;
•calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods;
•the timing of income tax refunds to customers;
•increases in personal income taxes paid by our customers;
•calendar shifts or cancellations of sales tax-free holidays in certain states;
•the success or failure of college and professional sports teams or the cancellation of sporting events within our core regions;
•changes in or lack of tenants in the shopping centers in which we are located;
•pricing, promotions or other actions taken by us or our existing or possible new competitors; and
•unseasonable weather conditions, widespread health emergencies or pandemics, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, or natural disasters.
We cannot assure you that comparable store net sales will increase at the rates achieved in prior periods or that rates will not decline.
We are subject to regional risks due to our stores within the South, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States.
Our stores are heavily concentrated in certain regions of the United States. We are subject to regional risks, such as the regional economy, population shifts from rural areas and smaller cities to urban population centers, weather conditions and natural disasters, increasing costs of electricity, oil and natural gas, as well as government regulations specific in the states and localities within which we operate. In addition, falling oil prices may adversely affect employment and consumer spending in those states that are within our regions that rely on oil revenues as a significant part of the economies of those states. We sell a significant amount of merchandise that can be adversely affected by significant weather events that postpone the start of or shorten sports seasons or that limit participation of fans and sports enthusiasts.
Unforeseen events, including public health issues (including the current COVID-19 pandemic) and natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow or ice storms, floods and heavy rains could disrupt our operations or the operations of our suppliers; significantly damage or destroy our retail locations; prohibit consumers from traveling to our retail locations; or prevent us from resupplying our stores or wholesale and logistics facility. We believe that we take reasonable precautions to prepare for such events; however, our precautions may not be adequate to deal with such events in the future. If such events occur in areas in which we have our wholesale and logistics facility or a concentration of retail stores, or if they occur during peak shopping seasons, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We sell licensed team sports merchandise, the sale of which may be subject to fluctuations based on the success or failure of such teams. The poor performance by college and professional sports teams within our core regions of operations, as well as professional team lockouts, could cause our financial results to fluctuate year over year.
We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions as a component of our growth strategy. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or we may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, which could disrupt our operations and adversely impact our business and operating results.
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire complementary businesses to grow our company, such as the acquisition of City Gear in 2018. In the future, we expect to continue to pursue acquisitions of complementary businesses as a component of
our growth strategy. Acquisitions involve certain known and unknown risks that could cause our actual growth or operating results to differ from our expectations. For example:
•we may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, in the retail space or otherwise, or to consummate such acquisitions on acceptable terms;
•we compete with others to acquire complementary businesses, which may result in decreased availability of, or increased price for, suitable acquisition candidates;
•we may not be able to obtain the necessary financing, on favorable terms or at all, to finance any or all of our potential acquisitions;
•we may ultimately fail to consummate an acquisition even if we announce that we plan to acquire a business; and
•acquired businesses may not perform as we expect and we may fail to realize anticipated revenue and profits.
In addition, our acquisition strategy may divert management’s attention away from our existing business, resulting in the loss of key vendors and employees, and expose us to unanticipated problems or legal liabilities, including responsibility as a successor for undisclosed or contingent liabilities of acquired businesses or assets.
Our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if new businesses are not implemented effectively, may preclude the realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of new businesses may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses. In addition, even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities that we expect.
Risks Related to Our Capital Structure
We manage cash and cash equivalents beyond federally insured limits per financial institution and purchase investments not fully guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), subjecting us to investment and credit availability risks.
We manage cash and cash equivalents in various institutions at levels beyond federally insured limits per institution, and we purchase investments not guaranteed by the FDIC. Accordingly, there is a risk that we will not recover the full principal of our investments or that their liquidity may be diminished. In an attempt to mitigate this risk, our investment policy emphasizes preservation of principal and liquidity. We cannot be assured that we will not experience losses on our deposits or investments.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition, limit our ability to obtain additional financing, restrict our operations and make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures. In addition, we face risk that financial institutions may fail to fulfill commitments under our credit facilities.
In connection with the acquisition of City Gear, we expanded our two credit facilities from $30 million each to $50 million each which, if borrowed against in any substantial amount, could adversely affect our ability to fulfill our obligations and have a negative impact on our financing options and liquidity position. As of February 1, 2020, we had no debt outstanding under our facilities, however, in March 2020, we borrowed $50.0 million under our credit facilities as a precautionary measure in order to increase our cash position and preserve financial flexibility in light of current uncertainty in the global markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 16, 2020, we entered into the Second Amended and Restated Note with Regions Bank (Amended Credit Facility) that provides for an aggregate amount of credit available to us of $75.0 million. The Amended Credit Facility supersedes the Regions Bank credit agreement dated October 2018, terminated the Bank of America credit agreement dated October 2018, matures on April 19, 2021 and is secured by all assets of the Company with the exception of real property.
Borrowing under the Amended Credit Facility may use London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) as a benchmark for establishing the interest rate. LIBOR has been the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform, and the financial industry is currently transitioning away from LIBOR as a benchmark for the interbank lending market. The consequences of these developments cannot be entirely predicted, but could include an increase in the cost of our variable rate indebtedness. Additionally, to address the future transition in the financial markets away from the LIBOR, the Amended Credit Facility includes a provision related to the replacement of LIBOR with an alternate interest rate index. Changing to an alternate interest index may lead to additional volatility in interest rates and could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
In addition, Regions Bank is committed to continue providing loans under the Amended Credit Facility. There is a risk that this institution cannot deliver against its obligation in a timely matter, or at all. If Regions Bank were to default on its obligation to fund the commitments under the Amended Credit Facility, this loan would not be available to us, which could adversely affect our
liquidity and financial condition. For discussion of our credit facilities, including the Amended Credit Facility, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Item 7 and Notes 6 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock, like the stock market in general, is likely to be highly volatile. Factors that could cause fluctuation in our common stock price may include, among other things:
•actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results;
•changes in financial estimates by investment analysts and our inability to meet or exceed those estimates;
•additions or departures of key personnel;
•market rumors or announcements by us or by our competitors of significant acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures, strategic partnerships, large capital commitments or other strategic initiatives;
•changes in retail sales data that indicate consumers may spend less on discretionary purchases; and
•sales of our common stock by key personnel or large institutional holders.
Many of these factors are beyond our control and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, regardless of our operating performance.
Significant stockholders or potential stockholders may attempt to effect changes or acquire control over our Company, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Stockholders may from time to time attempt to effect changes, engage in proxy solicitations or advance stockholder proposals. Responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist stockholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupting our operations and diverting the attention of our Board of Directors and senior management from the daily operations of our business or pursuing our business strategies. As a result, activist stockholder campaigns could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, and the perceived uncertainty as to our future direction resulting from activist strategies could also affect the market price and volatility of the Company’s common stock.
There can be no assurance that we will continue to repurchase our common stock or that we will repurchase our common stock at favorable prices.
In November 2018, our Board of Directors authorized the continuation of our existing stock repurchase program (the Repurchase Program) until January 29, 2022 under which we may purchase up to $300.0 million of our outstanding common stock. The purchases may be made from time to time in the open market (including, without limitation, the use of Rule 10b5-1 plans), depending on a number of factors, including our evaluation of general market and economic conditions and the trading price of our common stock. The Repurchase Program may be extended, modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. We expect to fund the Repurchase Program with existing cash on hand, cash generated from operations, and/or borrowings under our credit facilities. A reduction in, or the completion or expiration of, our Repurchase Program could have a negative effect on our stock price. We can provide no assurance that we will repurchase our common stock at favorable prices, or at all.
Risks Related to Governance, Regulatory, Legislative and Legal Matters
Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law might deter acquisition bids for us.
Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may be deemed to have anti-takeover effects and may discourage, delay or prevent a takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest. These provisions, among other things:
•classify our Board of Directors into three classes, each of which serves for different three-year periods;
•provide that a director may be removed by stockholders only for cause by a vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of our shares entitled to vote;
•provide that all vacancies on our Board of Directors, including any vacancies resulting from an increase in the number of directors, may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the number is less than a quorum;
•provide that special meetings of the common stockholders may only be called by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or upon the demand of the holders of a majority of the total voting power of all outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote at any such special meeting; and
•call for a vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote in order to amend the foregoing provisions and certain other provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
In addition, our Board of Directors, without further action of the stockholders, is permitted to issue and fix the terms of preferred stock, which may have rights senior to those of common stock. We are also subject to the Delaware business combination statute, which may render a change in control of us more difficult. Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Laws would be expected to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the Board of Directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
Changes in federal, state or local laws, or our failure to comply with such laws, could increase our expenses and expose us to legal risks.
Our Company is subject to numerous laws and regulatory matters relating to the conduct of our business. In addition, certain jurisdictions have taken a particularly aggressive stance with respect to certain matters and have stepped up enforcement, including fines and other sanctions. Such laws and regulatory matters include:
•The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other emerging privacy laws;
•The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) provisions that regulate telemarketing, auto-dialed and pre-recorded calls as well as text messages and unsolicited faxes;
•Labor and employment laws that govern employment matters such as minimum wage, exempt employment status, overtime, family leave mandates and workplace safety regulations, including the Fair Labor Standards Act rules and any laws related to COVID-19, such as the CARES Act;
•Securities and exchange laws and regulations;
•New or changing laws relating to cyber-security, privacy, cashless payments and consumer credit, protection and fraud;
•New or changing laws and regulations concerning product safety or truth in advertising;
•The Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas;
•New or changing federal and state immigration laws and regulations;
•The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions;
•New or changing environmental regulations, including measures related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions;
•New or changing laws relating to state and local taxation and licensing, including sales and use tax laws, withholding taxes and property taxes; and
•Regulations administered by various youth sports leagues and organizations.
Our operations will continue to be subject to federal, state and local governmental regulation. Uncertainty with respect to the U.S. presidential administration and Congress and potential changes that may be made in laws, regulations and policies could exacerbate the risks above. Changes in domestic policy, including significant changes in tax, trade, healthcare and other laws and regulations could affect our operations. For example, tax proposals may include changes, which could, if implemented, have an adverse or a beneficial impact on our operations, including a “border adjustment tax” or new import tariffs, which could adversely affect us because we sell imported products. Proposals to modify or repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, if implemented, may also affect us. Unknown matters, new laws and regulations or stricter interpretations of existing laws or regulations may affect our business or operations in the future and could lead to government enforcement and resulting litigation by private litigants. Increasing regulations could expose us to a challenging enforcement environment or to third-party liability (such as monetary recoveries and recoveries of attorney’s fees) and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our corporate legal department monitors regulatory activity and is active in notifying and updating applicable departments and personnel on pertinent matters and legislation. Our Human Resources (HR) Department leads compliance training programs to ensure our field managers are kept abreast of HR-related regulatory activity that affects their areas of responsibility. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental and other laws and regulations, and although no assurances can be given, we do not foresee the need for any significant expenditures in this area in the near future.
Changes in privacy laws could adversely affect our ability to market our products effectively.
We rely on a variety of direct marketing techniques, including email, text messages and postal mailings. Any new or emerging restrictions in federal or state laws regarding marketing and solicitation or data protection laws that govern these activities could adversely affect the continuing effectiveness of email, text messages and postal mailing techniques and could force changes in our marketing strategies. If this occurs, we may need to develop alternative marketing strategies, which may not be as effective and could impact the amount and timing of our revenues. Further, any new or emerging privacy laws could include onerous and expensive compliance obligations regarding consent, retention, deletion, and anti-discrimination and require us to modify our data processing practices and policies that could lead to regulatory actions or litigation, and potentially fines and damages for non-compliance.
Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is subject to the risk of litigation by employees, consumers, suppliers, competitors, stockholders, government agencies or others through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions or other litigation. The outcome of litigation, particularly class action lawsuits and regulatory actions, is difficult to assess or quantify. We may incur losses relating to these claims, and, in addition, these proceedings could cause us to incur costs and may require us to devote resources to defend against these claims that could adversely affect our results of operations. For a description of current legal proceedings, see “Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings.”
Product liability claims or product recalls can adversely affect our business reputation, expose us to lawsuits or increased scrutiny by federal and state regulators and may not be fully covered by insurance.
We sell products, particularly athletic equipment, which entails an inherent risk of product liability and product recall and the resultant adverse publicity. We may be subject to significant claims if the purchase of a defective product from any of our stores causes injury or death. Our merchandise could be subject to a product recall, which could reflect negatively on our business reputation. We cannot be assured that product liability claims will not be asserted against us in the future. Any claims made may create adverse publicity that would have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.
We and our vendors maintain insurance with respect to certain of these risks, including product liability insurance and general liability insurance, but in many cases such insurance is expensive, difficult to obtain and no assurance can be given that such insurance can be maintained in the future on acceptable terms, or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to any such events, or at all. Moreover, even though our insurance coverage may be designed to protect us from losses attributable to certain events, it may not adequately protect us from liability and expenses we incur in connection with such events.
We cannot be assured that we will not experience pressure from labor unions or become the target of labor union campaigns.
While we believe we maintain good relations with our employees, we cannot provide any assurances that we will not experience pressure from labor unions or become the target of labor union campaigns. The potential for unionization could increase in the United States if federal legislation or regulatory changes are adopted that would facilitate labor organization. Significant union representation would require us to negotiate wages, salaries, benefits and other terms with many of our employees collectively and could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our labor costs or otherwise restricting our ability to maximize the efficiency of our operations.
Changes in rules related to accounting for income taxes, changes in tax laws in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate or adverse outcomes from audits by taxing authorities could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate.
We operate our business in numerous tax jurisdictions. As a result, our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of the federal rate and applicable tax rates in the various states in which we operate. Our effective tax rate may be lower or higher than our tax rates have been in the past due to numerous factors, including the sources of our income and the tax filing positions we take. We base our estimate of an effective tax rate at any given point in time upon a calculated mix of the tax rates applicable to our Company and on estimates of the amount of business likely to be done in any given jurisdiction. Changes in rules related to accounting for income taxes, changes in tax laws in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, expiration of tax credits formerly available, failure to manage and utilize available tax credits, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We own our corporate office building in Birmingham, Alabama, and our wholesale and logistics facility in Alabaster, Alabama. In addition, we lease administrative offices in Memphis, Tennessee, and lease all our existing 1,081 store locations and expect that our policy of leasing rather than owning will continue for new store openings. Our leases typically provide for terms of five to ten years with options on our part to extend. Most leases also contain a kick-out clause if projected sales levels are not met and an early termination/remedy option if co-tenancy and exclusivity provisions are violated. We believe this leasing strategy enhances our flexibility to pursue various expansion opportunities resulting from changing market conditions and to periodically reevaluate store locations.
As current leases expire, we believe we will either be able to obtain lease renewals for present store locations or to obtain leases for equivalent or better locations in the same general area. We believe our wholesale and logistics facility is suitable and adequate to support our operations for many years.
Store Locations
As of February 1, 2020, we operated 1,081 stores in 35 contiguous states. Of these stores, 251 are in enclosed malls, 32 are free-standing and 798 are in strip-shopping centers, which are frequently near a major chain retailer such as Wal-Mart. The following shows the number of locations by state as of February 1, 2020:
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|
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|
|
|
|
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|
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|
|
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Alabama
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98
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Kentucky
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46
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Oklahoma
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34
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Arkansas
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39
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Louisiana
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62
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Pennsylvania
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5
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Arizona
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7
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Maryland
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5
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South Carolina
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41
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California
|
15
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Minnesota
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1
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South Dakota
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2
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Colorado
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4
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Mississippi
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72
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Tennessee
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69
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Delaware
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1
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Missouri
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36
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Texas
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116
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Florida
|
60
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Nebraska
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9
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Utah
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3
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Georgia
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119
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New Jersey
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2
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Virginia
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20
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Illinois
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30
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New Mexico
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15
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West Virginia
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8
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Indiana
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23
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New York
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4
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Wisconsin
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3
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Iowa
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17
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North Carolina
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55
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Wyoming
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2
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Kansas
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23
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Ohio
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35
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TOTAL
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1,081
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As of April 3, 2020, we operated 1,080 stores in 35 states.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Information relating to material legal proceedings is set forth in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.