As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 12, 2016.
Registration No. 333-213333
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 2844 | 46-4464131 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
570 10 th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 778-7787
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrants principal executive offices)
Tarang P. Amin
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
570 10 th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 778-7787
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Tad J. Freese, Esq. Kathleen M. Wells, Esq. Latham & Watkins LLP 140 Scott Drive Menlo Park, CA 94025 Telephone: (650) 328-4600 Facsimile: (650) 463-2600 |
Thomas Holden, Esq. Ropes & Gray LLP Three Embarcadero Center San Francisco, CA 94111 Telephone: (415) 315-6300 Facsimile: (415) 315-6350 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ¨
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. ¨
Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ | |||||
Non-accelerated filer | x | (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered |
Amount to be Registered(1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Share |
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(2) |
Amount of
Registration Fee(3) |
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Common Stock, $ 0.01 par value per share |
9,583,333 | $ 16.00 | $ 153,333,328.00 | $ 15,440.67 | ||||
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(1) | Includes 1,250,000 shares that the underwriters have the option to purchase to cover overallotments, if any. |
(2) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
(3) | The Registrant previously paid $ 10,070.00 in connection with a prior filing of this Registration Statement on August 26, 2016. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to completion, dated September 12, 2016
Preliminary prospectus
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
8,333,333 Shares
This is an initial public offering of common stock of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. The selling stockholders are selling 4,333,333 shares of common stock, and we are selling 4,000,000 shares of our common stock in this offering. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. The estimated initial public offering price is between $ 14.00 and $ 16.00 per share. Currently, no public market exists for the shares.
We have been approved to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ELF.
We are an emerging growth company as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, and we have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings.
Per share | Total | |||||||
Initial public offering price |
$ | $ | ||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) |
$ | $ | ||||||
Proceeds to us, before expenses |
$ | $ | ||||||
Proceeds to selling stockholders, before expenses |
$ | $ | ||||||
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(1) | See Underwriting for additional information regarding underwriting compensation. |
The underwriters may also purchase up to an additional 1,250,000 shares from the selling stockholders, at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount for 30 days from the date of this prospectus.
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See Risk factors beginning on page 12.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The underwriters expect to deliver the shares to purchasers on or about , 2016.
J.P. Morgan | Morgan Stanley |
Piper Jaffray | Wells Fargo Securities |
William Blair | Cowen and Company | BMO Capital Markets | Stifel | SunTrust Robinson Humphrey |
The date of this prospectus is , 2016
HIGH QUALITY COSMETICS
at an extraordinary value
e.l.f.
Ability to engage YOUNG, DIVERSE MAKEUP ENTHUSIASTS
@glambyzana
@makeupwithjojo @lorenaurrea_makeup @beautybylex_19 @ashleyvera @stylewidsus @>courtney_laoexo @bellabriellc @melissajoy1987 @khirascottbouch @dardynraemura @kmkmakeup @blushandberries @alexiistherese @_tenaquin @readysetglamour @makemeupzo
@yooyuliya
e.l.f.
Our Mission
We make luxurious beauty accessible for all women to play beautifully®.
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F-1 |
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. Neither we, the selling stockholders nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, or any free writing prospectus, as the case may be, or any sale of shares of our common stock.
Through and including , 2016 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
For investors outside the United States: e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (the Company), the selling stockholders and the underwriters are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. Neither we, the selling stockholders nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the shares of common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
Numerical figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.
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Certain of the market data and other statistical information contained in this prospectus, such as the size, growth and share of the cosmetics industry and its constituent market segments, are based on information from independent industry organizations and other third-party sources, industry publications, surveys and forecasts. Some market data and statistical information contained in this prospectus are also based on managements estimates and calculations, which are derived from our review and interpretation of the independent sources, our internal market and brand research and our knowledge of the cosmetics industry. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties, and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information.
References to e.l.f.s share of the U.S. mass cosmetics market and top 10 U.S. cosmetics brands and the size and growth rates of the global and U.S. cosmetics category, segment, product and channel and skin care categories refer to retail sales in absolute dollar terms as tracked by Euromonitor International Limiteds Beauty and Personal Care 2016 edition system, published in March 2016 as part of its annual multi-client Passport research program, which includes food, drug and mass (FDM), department stores, direct and specialty channels; data reflects current prices and 2015 exchange rates fixed by Euromonitor. References to our retail sales from products launched in the last three years refer to U.S. retail sales across categories as tracked by Nielsens XAOC, including C-store database for the 52 weeks ended January 2, 2016 and prior years downloaded in April 2016, which includes the FDM channel. Other statements in this prospectus regarding market data, unless otherwise noted, are based on studies conducted by Calimesa Consulting Partners, LLC and MetrixLab, which we commissioned. These studies were based on surveys of a broad sampling of cosmetics consumers.
For the purposes of this prospectus:
| aided awareness is a measure of the number of people who express knowledge of a brand or product when prompted; |
| cosmetics market segment refers to the market segment defined as Color Cosmetics by Euromonitor International Limited and consists of face makeup, eye makeup, lip products, nail products and color cosmetics sets/kits; |
| e-commerce channel refers to the channel defined as Internet Retailing by Euromonitor International Limited; and FDM and specialty channels are per Company definitions based on Euromonitor International Limited data; |
| heaviest purchasers or users refers to consumers who identified themselves as professional, expert or enthusiast in the study conducted by MetrixLab; |
| incremental sales refer to consumers buying e.l.f. products as additional cosmetics purchases at retail stores as opposed to diverting sales from another brand; |
| prestige market segment refers to the market segment defined as Premium by Euromonitor International Limited; |
| retail sales refers to the purchase price paid by the end consumer; |
| share refers to e.l.f.s market share based on e.l.f.s net sales in comparison to retail sales in absolute dollar terms; and |
| unaided awareness is a measure of the number of people who express knowledge of a brand or product without prompting. |
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This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before deciding to invest in our common stock. You should read the entire prospectus carefully, including Risk factors and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. In this prospectus, the terms e.l.f., we, us, our and the Company refer to e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
e.l.f.: Changing the face of beauty
We are one of the fastest growing, most innovative cosmetics companies in the United States. Driven by our mission to make luxurious beauty accessible for all women to play beautifully ® , we have challenged the traditional belief that quality cosmetics are only available at high prices in select channels. e.l.f. offers high-quality, prestige-inspired beauty products for e yes, l ips and f ace at extraordinary value, with the majority of our items retailing for $ 6 or less. Our price points encourage trial and experimentation, while our commitment to quality and a differentiated consumer engagement model engender loyalty among a passionate and vocal group of consumers. We have built an authentic brand and a company with strong growth, margins and cash flow from operations.
We believe our success is rooted in our innovation process and ability to build direct consumer relationships. Born as an e-commerce company over a decade ago, we have created a modern consumer engagement and responsive innovation model that keeps our products on-trend and our consumers engaged as brand ambassadors. Our consumers provide us with real-time feedback through reviews and social media, which enables us to refine and augment our product portfolio in response to their needs. We leverage our fast-cycle product development and asset-light supply chain to launch high-quality products in as few as 20 weeks from concept, and 27 weeks on average. Our products are first launched on elfcosmetics.com, and distribution is generally only broadened to our retail customers after we receive strong consumer validation online. We believe this has led to our consistently strong retail sales per linear foot of shelf space, which we refer to as productivity. We are one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands at Target, Walmart and CVS.
Our brand appeals to some of the most sought after consumers in the category. We believe the combination of our affordable price points and on-trend, innovative product assortment encourages trial, offers a strong value proposition and appeals to a broad base of consumers. Relative to the overall cosmetics category, our brand over-indexes with Millennials, multi-cultural consumers and some of the heaviest users in the category. This attractive and loyal consumer base supports high sales per linear foot and higher category sales for our retail customers. By combining our strong relationships with leading retailers with integrated consumer engagement across our e.l.f. stores, e-commerce and social media, we are a true multi-channel brand.
Our net sales growth in the United States over the last three years was 20 times that of the mass cosmetics category on average. Our net sales still only represented 2.3% of the $ 8 billion U.S. mass cosmetics category in 2015. Our net sales grew from $ 144.9 million in the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period (as defined in Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations) to $ 191.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2015, and, over the same period, our Adjusted EBITDA grew from $ 28.1 million to $ 46.2 million, representing an increase of 32% and 64%, respectively. Over the same period, net income grew from an unaudited pro forma combined net loss of $ 2.9 million to a net profit of $ 4.4 million. In 2015, our Adjusted EBITDA margin was 24% and our net income margin was 2%. 1
1 | Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are not measurements of financial performance under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). See Summary consolidated financial data for a discussion of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin and their respective limitations and reconciliations to GAAP measures. |
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The cosmetics industry is large and attractive
We believe that the cosmetics category is highly attractive given its scale, growth dynamics and consumer demand trends. The U.S. and global cosmetics markets generated $ 14 billion and $ 57 billion, respectively, of retail sales in 2015. The cosmetics category primarily consists of face makeup, eye makeup, lip products, nail products and cosmetics sets/kits and excludes beauty tools and accessories such as brushes and applicators. The cosmetics category has experienced strong growth both in the United States and globally. In the United States, retail sales increased from $ 11 billion in 2010 to $ 14 billion in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% with each product category driving growth. Globally, retail sales increased from $ 43 billion in 2010 to $ 57 billion in 2015, representing a CAGR of 5%. Drivers of growth include innovation and new product launches, which span from new formulations that enhance performance, feel and fragrance, to new colors, delivery forms and packaging.
In the United States, the cosmetics category traditionally has been separated into two discrete segmentsprestige and mass. Prestige products, which accounted for 42% of U.S. cosmetics retail sales in 2015, are characterized by higher price points and are typically sold in department stores and in high-end specialty stores such as Sephora. They have historically been at the forefront of quality and innovation in the category but remain too expensive for many consumers in the United States, where the average disposable personal income is less than $ 15,000. Mass products, which generated 58% of 2015 U.S. cosmetics retail sales, are more affordable than their prestige counterparts but generally have not delivered the same level of quality or innovation. They are more broadly available than prestige products given their presence in the food, drug and mass (FDM) channel. As observed in recent years, consumers are increasingly purchasing both prestige and mass cosmetics products, and consistent with many other consumer categories, are purchasing online. e-commerce accounted for 10% of U.S. cosmetics retail sales in 2015 and grew at three times the rate of the broader category from 2010 to 2015.
We believe that a paradigm shift has occurred in cosmetics: todays cosmetics consumer is increasingly connected and informed, and purchasing decisions are often influenced by friends, beauty bloggers, social media and other online content. These sources provide consumers easy access to a breadth and depth of information formerly only available from beauty experts in assisted sales environments.
While most women regularly use cosmetics, the heaviest purchasers drive the category. These consumers represent 36% of cosmetics purchasers, yet accounted for 54% of U.S. cosmetics sales in 2014. For these women, cosmetics is a passion. They enjoy learning about and trying new products, and shopping for and wearing makeup. The entire experience is fun and an integral part of their lifestyle. We seek to fulfill their needs by delighting them with the quality and innovation they desire at prices they can afford.
Our strategic differentiation: how e.l.f. helps women to play beautifully
We are driven by what todays consumer wantsan assortment of high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics at extraordinary value. We do not define ourselves as strictly mass or prestige, or limit our product availability to select channels. Through our modern consumer engagement and responsive innovation model, we interact with our consumers instead of broadcasting at them. This allows us to stay in tune with their needs and build trust and loyalty. Our business model has multiple areas of competitive advantage:
Authentic brand that attracts some of the best consumers in the category. e.l.f. was founded to fill the gap between high-priced prestige beauty products and less innovative mass products. For over a decade, we have prioritized getting to know our consumers, and they in turn have provided us with valuable feedback, enabling us to address this gap and build e.l.f. into an authentic and trusted brand. By providing a comprehensive experiencefrom integrated engagement online, through social media and in our stores to our differentiated product offeringswe have drawn a strong following among the most sought after and heaviest users of cosmetic products. We also have strong appeal with Millennials and Hispanics, two of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Our consumers have also been our best advocates, growing the e.l.f. brand virally through strong word of mouth.
High-quality cosmetics at an extraordinary value enabled by flexible, asset-light operations. e.l.f. consumers recognize our ability to provide a broad assortment of high-quality products at an extraordinary value. The majority of our items retail for $ 6 or less, providing a low-risk way for consumers to try new products. Examples of our high-quality and extraordinary value innovations include e.l.f. Mineral Infused Face Primer at $ 6 versus a prestige primer at $ 36, e.l.f. Baked Eyeshadow Trio at $ 4 versus a competitive baked eyeshadow trio at $ 28 and e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator at $ 3 versus a similar type of lip
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treatment at $ 24. Our low price points are supported by our ability to source low cost, high-quality cosmetics quickly. As of August 2016, we had 48 e.l.f. professionals involved in sourcing, quality and innovation. We have longtime relationships with strategic vendors that pair a strong quality orientation with the ability to execute rapidly. Our supply chain is built for growth with asset-light operations, ample capacity and low capital requirements. This capability and commitment to an agile supply chain allows us to introduce a stream of on-trend innovation. Our consumers love of our high-quality, innovative products is shown through the online reviews posted on elfcosmetics.com, where 66% of 2015 reviews were five stars, the highest rating.
Fast-cycle innovation and validation model. We believe innovation is key to our success and that we are a leader in the industry in speed and new product introductions. We have built an innovation capability that can progress a new, high-quality e.l.f. product to online launch in as few as 20 weeks from concept, and 27 weeks on average. In 2015, we introduced over 50 new items across eyes, lips, face, tools, kits and skin care, and 40% of our retail sales came from products launched in the last three years (based on data from Nielsen). With 25 million visits per year and over 100,000 online reviews, elfcosmetics.com is a vehicle for refining products and determining best sellers. We are able to analyze sales results, reviews and feedback through social media to provide a quick indication of a products performance. Not only does this fast, high-output, testing methodology result in leading performance in retail, it also contributes to building our consumer relationships. We believe our active dialogue with our consumers provides us with a highly differentiated perspective on innovation and informs the continuous launch, validation and refinement of our products.
True multi-channel brand blurs the lines between mass and prestige. We are a true multi-channel brand with strength across e-commerce, national retailers and our e.l.f. stores. Our ability to engage our consumers across multiple touch points differentiates e.l.f. from traditional mass brands, which typically focus on one channel. We also leverage insights gained from each channel to drive performance across the business.
| e-commerce . elfcosmetics.com has the highest revenue, traffic, time spent on-site and units per transaction of any mass cosmetics brand website based on data from the Internet Retailer eCommerce 500 report and Alexa Internet Inc. Our e-commerce business serves as a strong source of sales and an important component of our engagement and innovation model. We have nurtured a loyal, highly active online community for over a decade. |
| National retailers . We currently sell our products in approximately 19,000 retail stores in the United States across mass, drug store, food and specialty retail channels. At Target, our longest-standing national retail customer and a key beauty destination for many consumers, we achieved double digit growth in retail sales from 2014 to 2015. We have also continued to expand with Walmart, the worlds largest retailer and an e.l.f. customer since 2012. We introduced e.l.f. at Old Navy in 2014 and at CVS in 2015 and expect to continue to grow distribution due to our compelling retailer value proposition. |
| e.l.f. stores. We were the first mass cosmetics brand with our own stores, which we believe serve as one of our most effective and efficient vehicles for marketing and consumer engagement. e.l.f. stores showcase a broad assortment of e.l.f. products, create an environment dedicated to play beautifully , and allow us to test and validate new products. As of August 2016, we had nine e.l.f. stores in the New York metro area located in high-traffic malls and urban areas. |
High-performance team and culture. Our CEO Tarang Amin joined us in January 2014, and under his leadership we have assembled a world-class management team that possesses an excellent track record of results and has successfully worked together for many years. During the teams prior tenure at Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. (New York Stock Exchange: SHF) (Schiff Nutrition), the company grew in enterprise value from $ 190 million to $ 1.5 billion in less than two years and was acquired by Reckitt Benckiser (London Stock Exchange: RB). With strong backgrounds from The Clorox Company, The Procter & Gamble Company, LOreal S.A., Mary Kay Inc., TPG Global, LLC (together with its affiliates, TPG) and other leading companies, our team has demonstrated skills in building brands, leading innovation, expanding distribution, making acquisitions and driving world-class operations. We operate with a high-performance team culture. We communicate with great candor and transparency in the spirit of helping the team succeed, make quick decisions and drive executional excellence. The combination of a talented team, strong culture and values and disciplined execution forms the foundation of our success.
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The e.l.f. growth strategy
We believe e.l.f. is one of the most disruptive brands in the cosmetics industry. We are in the early stages of development, with significant room to grow by converting more consumers to the brand, making e.l.f. products more widely available and offering more innovative products to our consumers. We expect the United States to be the largest source of our growth over the next few years and also see an opportunity to expand in select international markets. We also believe we have an opportunity to improve our margins through greater operating leverage and efficiency.
We have made substantial investments over the last two years and believe we are well positioned for continued growth driven by four strategies.
1. | Build a great brand |
Draw new consumers to the brand. We have a loyal consumer following, as illustrated by our repeat purchase rates which are among the highest in the industry: 58% of our consumers purchase one or more additional products within 12 months of initial purchase. We believe we can significantly grow this following of passionate consumers from current levels. Increasing brand awareness is a major growth driver for our company, as it has historically led to strong trial and high repeat purchase rates. e.l.f. is still unknown to many women, with only 6% unaided and 58% aided awareness as of August 2015. In contrast, many traditional brands have unaided awareness close to 40% and aided awareness close to 100%. We plan to continue to drive awareness and draw consumers to the brand.
Encourage current consumers to use more e.l.f. products. Our consumers loyalty to the e.l.f. brand drives growth through increased usage of our products across categories and advocacy of our brand to other potential consumers. Many of our consumers regularly visit elfcosmetics.com, where in 2015 they bought over nine units per transaction on average. We have designed our product assortment to encourage cross-category purchases across eyes, lips, face, tools and skin care. We find that consumers often enter the brand through one of our lower priced items and then purchase other e.l.f. products across categories once they understand our extraordinary value proposition. Our consumers also seek out our innovation, buying new products both online and in stores. We believe that through sustained innovation and efficient marketing, we will increase the number of e.l.f. items our consumers purchase.
2. | Lead innovation |
Use innovation to drive sales and margin . We have a track record of bringing prestige-inspired innovation quickly to the mass channel. We expect to continue to leverage our rapid innovation and flexible supply chain to introduce new products across the eyes, lips, face and tools categories. We believe our innovation has also led consumers to purchase products at higher price points while still delivering an extraordinary value. Many consumers who first tried a $ 1 item have now migrated to $ 3 to $ 8 items, which often have higher margins than our less expensive products.
Expand into skin care and relevant adjacencies . We have successfully brought a prestige-like approach to mass cosmetics at extraordinary value. We believe there are opportunities to use this same approach in other beauty categories, leveraging our brand equity and relationship with e.l.f. enthusiasts to extend our brand into adjacent segments. One such category is skin care, which generated $ 16 billion in retail sales in the United States and $ 110 billion globally in 2015. We recently introduced a high-quality skin care line retailing for just $ 4 to $ 12 per product, a fraction of the price of prestige brands. We plan to capitalize on our innovation expertise to develop new products in other adjacent categories.
3. | Expand brand penetration |
Grow space allocation with our existing national retailers. We have significant potential upside in deepening distribution with our existing retailers by continuing to leverage our productivity, innovation and growth to win more shelf space. Even at our largest customers, e.l.f. is currently in less than 6% of the space allocated to cosmetics despite having among the highest productivity in the category. While certain legacy cosmetics brands have an average of 15 to 18 feet of inline space in major retailers, e.l.f.s average is only five feet. We believe that our strong performance will enable our shelf presence in our current retailers to become larger over time.
Increase number of new customers. We are one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands at Target, Walmart and CVS, and our growth rates and productivity are among the highest in the industry. We have major distribution whitespace, as
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we are currently in only approximately 19,000 national retail stores in the United States and believe there are thousands of additional stores available to us.
Grow our direct-to-consumer business. We plan to grow elfcosmetics.com by driving traffic and conversion. In addition, our e.l.f. stores have been highly productive and profitable. As of August 2016, we operated nine stores in the New York metro area and we plan to selectively open more e.l.f. stores nationally in high-traffic areas.
Expand internationally. We operate in a number of countries outside the United States, which accounted for 7% of our net sales in 2015. Given the portability of the e.l.f. brand, we believe that we have a significant opportunity in international markets over the long term.
4. | Drive world-class operations |
Leverage high-performance team culture and execution capability . We have made significant investments in our business over the past two years by hiring top talent and building functional capabilities. Our management team comes from leading consumer packaged goods companies and has experience implementing growth strategies and driving operational improvements. We believe what differentiates us from many traditional cosmetics companies is our ability to make fast decisions and execute with excellence. We believe we have a major speed-to-market advantage over many other companies and are highly responsive to retail customer and consumer needs. We will continue to leverage our executional excellence as we seek to become the preferred partner of our key customers.
Drive operating margins and efficiencies . We have built a low-cost, quality-oriented supply chain with ample capacity to support future growth. We intend to grow our margins by pursuing additional cost savings opportunities and enhancing our product mix through innovation. We also expect to benefit from operating leverage as we scale the business.
Risks associated with our business
Investing in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described in Risk factors before making a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations would likely be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock would likely decline and you may lose part or all of your investment. Below is a summary of some of the principal risks we face:
| The cosmetics industry is highly competitive, and if we are unable to compete effectively our results will suffer. |
| Our new product introductions may not be as successful as we anticipate. |
| We depend on a limited number of retailers for a large portion of our net sales, and the loss of one or more of these retailers, or business challenges at one or more of these retailers, could adversely affect our results of operations. |
| Our success depends, in part, on the quality, performance and safety of our products. |
| We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy. |
| Our growth and profitability are dependent on trends that may change or not continue, and our historical growth may not be indicative of our future growth. |
| We may be unable to manage our growth effectively, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| Any damage to our reputation or brand may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| A disruption in our operations could materially and adversely affect our business. |
| We are dependent on third-party suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and other vendors. |
| We may not be able to adequately protect intellectual property and other proprietary rights in our products and may be subject to claims that we infringe or misappropriate the rights of others. |
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| We have significant operations in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business there. |
| We will not be required to comply with certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) for as long as we remain an emerging growth company. |
Implications of being an emerging growth company
We qualify as an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act). As a result, we are permitted to, and intend to, rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other companies that are not emerging growth companies. Accordingly, we have included compensation information for only our four most highly compensated executive officers and have not included a compensation discussion and analysis of our executive compensation programs in this prospectus. In addition, for so long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to:
| engage an independent registered public accounting firm to report on our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; |
| comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the PCAOB) regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the independent registered public accounting firms report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); |
| submit certain executive compensation matters to stockholder advisory votes, such as say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachutes; or |
| disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officers compensation to median employee compensation. |
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of:
| our reporting of $ 1.0 billion or more in annual gross revenue; |
| our issuance, in any three-year period, of more than $ 1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; |
| our becoming a large accelerated filer; and |
| the end of fiscal 2021. |
The JOBS Act permits an emerging growth company such as us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We are choosing to opt out of this provision, and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.
Our sponsor
TPG Growth II Management, LLC (TPG Growth or our Sponsor) has been our principal financial backer since its acquisition of the Company in January 2014. TPG Growth is the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, a leading global private investment firm founded in 1992 with approximately $ 73 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2016. With more than $ 7 billion in assets under management and committed capital, TPG Growth targets investments in a broad range of industries and geographies, with a significant focus on the United States and large, emerging markets such as China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Our corporate information
We were incorporated in Delaware on December 20, 2013 under the name J.A. Cosmetics Holdings, Inc. In April 2016, we changed our name to e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. Our principal offices are located at 570 10 th Street, Oakland, California 94607. Our telephone number is (510) 778-7787. We maintain a website at www.elfcosmetics.com. The reference to our website is intended to be an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus.
6
Issuer |
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. |
Common stock offered by us |
4,000,000 shares. |
Common stock offered by the selling stockholders |
4,333,333 shares. |
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
44,379,833 shares. |
Underwriters option to purchase additional shares |
1,250,000 shares. |
Use of proceeds |
We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock in this offering by us will be approximately $ 52.3 million at an assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the mid-point of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
We currently expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock in this offering by us to repay existing indebtedness and any proceeds remaining thereafter will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. See Use of proceeds on page 41 for a more complete description of the intended use of proceeds from this offering. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. |
Directed share program |
At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to 5% of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus for sale, at the initial public offering price, to our directors, officers and other individuals associated with them, and our employees, to the extent permitted by local securities laws and regulations. The sales will be made at our direction by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, an underwriter of this offering, and its affiliates through a directed share program. We do not know if these persons will choose to purchase all or any portion of these reserved shares, but any purchases they do make will reduce the number of shares available to the general public. Any reserved shares not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. Any shares sold in the directed share program to our directors, executive officers or stockholders who have entered into lock-up agreements described in Underwriting shall be subject to the provisions of such lock-up agreements. Other participants in the directed share program shall be subject to substantially similar lock-up provisions with respect to any shares sold to them pursuant to the directed share program. |
Risk factors |
Investing in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See Risk factors beginning on page 12 of this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before investing in shares of our common stock. |
Trading symbol |
ELF. |
In this prospectus, the number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2016, and excludes:
| 4,796,225 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2016 under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the 2014 Equity Plan) at a weighted average exercise price of $ 2.01 per share (as adjusted for the special dividend declared on June 7, 2016 as described under Dividend policy); |
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| 1,583,466 shares of common stock reserved as of June 30, 2016 for future issuance under our 2014 Equity Plan; |
| 5,430,690 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2016 Equity Incentive Award Plan (the 2016 Plan), from which we will grant 596,217 restricted stock units in the aggregate and options to purchase an aggregate of 1,250,517 shares of our common stock with an exercise price per share equal to the initial public offering price to certain officers, employees and directors upon the pricing of this offering, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan, which will become effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| 905,115 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2016 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP), as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan, which will become effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; and |
| 220,800 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to the settlement of phantom shares issued pursuant to our 2014 Phantom Equity Plan (as amended, the Phantom Plan) in shares of our common stock. |
Unless otherwise indicated, this prospectus reflects and assumes:
| the conversion of all of our outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock as of June 30, 2016 into an aggregate of 37,271,375 shares of common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the adoption of our amended and restated bylaws, which will occur immediately prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares of common stock; |
| a 2.76:1 forward stock split of our common stock to be effected prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; and |
| no exercise of outstanding options after June 30, 2016. |
8
Summary consolidated financial data
The following table presents our summary consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The periods prior to and including January 31, 2014 include all of the accounts of e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc. (formerly known as J.A. Cosmetics US, Inc.) and its subsidiaries and are referred to in the following table as Predecessor, and all periods after January 31, 2014 include all of the accounts of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and its subsidiaries and are referred to in the following table as Successor. The summary consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, and for the period from January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014, the period from February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 and the year ended December 31, 2015, has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated financial data as of June 30, 2016, and for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2016, has been derived from the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were prepared on a basis consistent with our audited consolidated financial statements and include, in managements opinion, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for fair presentation of the financial information set forth in those statements. The summary consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2013 have been derived from the Predecessors audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in this prospectus and is presented in order to provide a reconciliation from net income to Adjusted EBITDA for these periods.
You should read the following financial information together with the information under Capitalization, Selected consolidated financial data and Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined(1) |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands, except share
and per share amounts) |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 9,810 | $ | 135,134 | $ | 144,944 | $ | 191,413 | $ | 75,194 | $ | 96,820 | ||||||||||||
Gross profit |
4,772 | 61,450 | 67,496 | 100,329 | 39,298 | 54,437 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
1,727 | 5,347 | 16,119 | 25,571 | 8,130 | 6,633 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
36 | (6,633 | ) | (6,597 | ) | (4,172 | ) | 3,254 | 1,964 | |||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(128 | ) | (11,545 | ) | (12,546 | ) | (12,721 | ) | (6,281 | ) | (6,396 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
1,635 | (12,831 | ) | (3,024 | ) | 8,678 | 5,103 | 2,201 | ||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(542 | ) | 3,545 | 143 | (4,321 | ) | (2,425 | ) | (1,112 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | (2,881 | ) | $ | 4,357 | $ | 2,678 | $ | 1,089 | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharebasic |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (709 | ) | $ | (512 | ) | $ | (1,560 | ) | $ | (116 | ) | $ | (200 | ) | |||||||
Net income (loss) per sharediluted |
$ | 1,088 | $ | (709 | ) | $ | (512 | ) | $ | (1,560 | ) | $ | (116 | ) | $ | (200 | ) | |||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingbasic |
1,000 | 27,593 | 27,593 | 30,523 | 27,593 | 651,268 | ||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingdiluted |
1,005 | 27,593 | 27,593 | 30,523 | 27,593 | 651,268 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
EBITDA(2) |
1,804 | 6,658 | 18,190 | 31,688 | 15,980 | 14,827 | ||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(2) |
2,087 | 26,013 | 28,100 | 46,178 | 16,300 | 19,964 | ||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA margin |
21.3% | 19.2% | 19.4% | 24.1% | 21.7% | 20.6% | ||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
41 | 7,944 | 8,668 | 10,289 | 4,595 | 6,230 | ||||||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
19 | 1,597 | 1,616 | 10,242 | 3,649 | 2,910 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
(1) | For the purpose of performing a comparison to the Successors year ended December 31, 2015, we have prepared Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Supplemental Financial Information for the year ended December 31, 2014, which gives effect to the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Predecessor by the Successor, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2014 (the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period). The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period is being discussed herein for informational purposes only and does not reflect any operating efficiencies or potential cost savings that may result from the consolidation of operations. The amounts in the Predecessor and Successor columns do not total to the amounts in the unaudited pro forma combined column due to the adjustments made in preparing the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period, which are described in Managements discussion and analysis of financial conditions and results of operationsRecent transactions and basis of presentation. |
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(2) | EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA further adjusted to exclude the impact of other items that management does not believe are reflective of the Companys ongoing operations (comprising transaction-related expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition of the Predecessor, the restructuring of our operations, including warehouse transition and reorganization of our operations in China, and the preparation for our initial public offering), stock-based compensation expense, management fees paid to our Sponsor, costs associated with e.l.f. stores incurred prior to the store opening (including legal-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses), costs associated with securing additional distribution space (including slotting expense, freight and certain costs related to installation of fixtures), costs related to the evaluation of an acquisition in 2014, certain non-cash losses and write-offs, and gains and losses on our foreign currency contracts as reflected in the reconciliation below. |
We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because our management uses these as supplemental measures in assessing our operating performance, and we believe they are helpful to investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating the performance of companies in our industry. We also believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful to management and investors, securities analysts and other interested parties as measures of our comparative operating performance from period to period. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP. They should not be considered as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities, as measures of liquidity, or as alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or any other measures of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. In addition, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP. Our definitions and calculations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies due to different methods of calculation.
The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss):
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) |
Year ended
December 31, 2012 |
Year ended
December 31, 2013 |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 9,897 | $ | 16,555 | $ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | (2,881 | ) | $ | 4,357 | $ | 2,678 | $ | 1,089 | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
610 | 1,637 | 128 | 11,545 | 12,546 | 12,721 | 6,281 | 6,396 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
6,275 | 9,211 | 542 | (3,545 | ) | (143 | ) | 4,321 | 2,425 | 1,112 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
395 | 538 | 41 | 7,944 | 8,668 | 10,289 | 4,595 | 6,230 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EBITDA |
$ | 17,177 | $ | 27,941 | $ | 1,804 | $ | 6,658 | $ | 18,190 | $ | 31,688 | $ | 15,980 | $ | 14,827 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Transaction-related expenses(a) |
| 194 | 63 | 9,759 | 94 | 705 | 579 | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost related to restructuring of operations(b) |
| | | 370 | 370 | 1,595 | 420 | 3,844 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Initial public offering preparation costs |
| | | | | 1,144 | 318 | 395 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
| 26 | | 287 | 287 | 503 | 197 | 1,155 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Management fee(c) |
233 | 250 | | 775 | 775 | 854 | 350 | 475 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-opening costs(d) |
| 118 | 15 | 180 | 195 | 64 | 59 | 229 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Customer expansion costs(e) |
| | | | | 1,191 | 879 | 350 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other miscellaneous items(f) |
| | | 1,104 | 1,104 | 530 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized losses (gains) on foreign currency contracts(g) |
| | 205 | 6,880 | 7,085 | 7,904 | (2,482 | ) | (1,311 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 17,410 | $ | 28,529 | $ | 2,087 | $ | 26,013 | $ | 28,100 | $ | 46,178 | $ | 16,300 | $ | 19,964 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(a) | Represents transaction-related expenses related to the acquisition of the Predecessor. |
(b) | Represents costs associated with the restructuring of our operations, including warehouse transition and reorganization of our operations in China. |
(c) | Represents management fees paid to our Sponsor. |
(d) | Represents costs associated with e.l.f. stores incurred prior to the store opening, including legal-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses. |
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(e) | Represents costs associated with securing additional distribution space, including slotting expense, freight and certain costs related to installation of fixtures. |
(f) | Represents costs related to evaluation of an acquisition in 2014 as well as other non-cash losses and write-offs. |
(g) | Represents non-cash (gains) / losses on our foreign currency contracts. |
Successor | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||||||||
Balance sheet data: |
||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 4,668 | $ | 14,004 | $ | 3,763 | ||||||
Net working capital(3) |
23,218 | 10,860 | 16,007 | |||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
2,125 | 9,854 | 14,281 | |||||||||
Total assets |
354,178 | 361,072 | 358,989 | |||||||||
Total bank debt, including current maturities(4) |
148,424 | 144,919 | 203,657 | |||||||||
Total liabilities |
222,656 | 224,175 | 295,389 | |||||||||
Convertible preferred stock |
145,328 | 197,295 | 262,385 | |||||||||
Total stockholders deficit |
(13,806 | ) | (60,398 | ) | (198,785 | ) | ||||||
|
(3) | Net working capital is defined as current assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents, minus current liabilities. |
(4) | Total bank debt, including current maturities, is net of $ 4.3 million, $ 3.2 million and $ 2.7 million of debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2014, December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, respectively. |
11
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider each of the following risk factors, as well as the other information in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, before deciding whether to invest in shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Please also see the Special note regarding forward-looking statements.
Risks related to our business
The cosmetics industry is highly competitive, and if we are unable to compete effectively our results will suffer.
We face vigorous competition from companies throughout the world, including large multinational consumer products companies that have many cosmetics brands under ownership and standalone cosmetics brands, including those that may target the latest trends or specific distribution channels. Competition in the cosmetics industry is based on the introduction of new products, pricing of products, quality of products and packaging, brand awareness, perceived value and quality, innovation, in-store presence and visibility, promotional activities, advertising, editorials, e-commerce and mobile-commerce initiatives and other activities. We must compete with a high volume of new product introductions and existing products by diverse companies across several different distribution channels.
Many multinational consumer companies have greater financial, technical or marketing resources, longer operating histories, greater brand recognition or larger customer bases than we do and may be able to respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than we can. Many of these competitors products are sold in a wider selection or greater number of retail stores and possess a larger presence in these stores, typically having significantly more inline shelf space than we do. Given the finite space allocated to cosmetic products by retail stores, our ability to grow the number of retail stores in which our products are sold, and expand our space allocation once in these retail stores, may require the removal or reduction of the shelf space of these competitors. We may be unsuccessful in our growth strategy in the event retailers do not reallocate shelf space from our competitors to us. Our competitors may attempt to gain market share by offering products at prices at or below the prices at which our products are typically offered, including through the use of large percentage discounts and buy one and get one free offers. Competitive pricing may require us to reduce our prices, which would decrease our profitability or result in lost sales. Our competitors, many of whom have greater resources than we do, may be better able to withstand these price reductions and lost sales.
It is difficult for us to predict the timing and scale of our competitors activities in these areas or whether new competitors will emerge in the cosmetics business. In addition, further technological breakthroughs, including new and enhanced technologies which increase competition in the online retail market, new product offerings by competitors and the strength and success of our competitors marketing programs may impede our growth and the implementation of our business strategy.
Our ability to compete also depends on the continued strength of our brand and products, the success of our marketing, innovation and execution strategies, the continued diversity of our product offerings, the successful management of new product introductions and innovations, strong operational execution, including in order fulfillment, and our success in entering new markets and expanding our business in existing geographies. If we are unable to continue to compete effectively, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our new product introductions may not be as successful as we anticipate.
The cosmetics industry is driven in part by fashion and beauty trends, which may shift quickly. Our continued success depends on our ability to anticipate, gauge and react in a timely and cost-effective manner to changes in consumer preferences for cosmetic products, consumer attitudes toward our industry and brand and where and how consumers shop for those products. We must continually work to develop, produce and market new products, maintain and enhance the recognition of our brand, maintain a favorable mix of products and develop our approach as to how and where we market and sell our products.
We have an established process for the development, evaluation and validation of our new product concepts. Nonetheless, each new product launch online, through our e.l.f. stores and through our retail customers involves risks, as well as the possibility of unexpected consequences. For example, the acceptance of new product launches and sales to our retail
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customers may not be as high as we anticipate, due to lack of acceptance of the products themselves or their price, or limited effectiveness of our marketing strategies. In addition, our ability to launch new products may be limited by delays or difficulties affecting the ability of our suppliers or manufacturers to timely manufacture, distribute and ship new products or displays for new products. Sales of new products may be affected by inventory management by our retail customers, and we may experience product shortages or limitations in retail display space by our retail customers. We may also experience a decrease in sales of certain existing products as a result of newly-launched products, the impact of which could be exacerbated by shelf space limitations or any shelf space loss. Any of these occurrences could delay or impede our ability to achieve our sales objectives, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As part of our ongoing business strategy we expect we will need to continue to introduce new products in our traditional product categories of eyes, lips, face and tools, while also expanding our product launches into adjacent categories in which we may have little to no operating experience. For example, we recently introduced a high-quality skin care assortment. The success of product launches in adjacent product categories could be hampered by our relative inexperience operating in such categories, the strength of our competitors or any of the other risks referred to above. Furthermore, any expansion into new product categories may prove to be an operational and financial constraint which inhibits our ability to successfully accomplish such expansion. Our inability to introduce successful products in our traditional categories or in adjacent categories could limit our future growth and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on a limited number of retailers for a large portion of our net sales, and the loss of one or more of these retailers, or business challenges at one or more of these retailers, could adversely affect our results of operations.
A limited number of our retail customers account for a large percentage of our net sales. Target and Walmart accounted for 28% and 23%, respectively, of our net sales in 2015. We expect Target, Walmart and a small number of other retailers will, in the aggregate, continue to account for the majority of our net sales for foreseeable future periods. Any changes in the policies or our ability to meet the demands of our retail customers relating to service levels, inventory de-stocking, pricing and promotional strategies or limitations on access to display space could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As is typical in our industry, our business with retailers is based primarily upon discrete sales orders, and we do not have contracts requiring retailers to make firm purchases from us. Accordingly, retailers, including Target and Walmart, could reduce their purchasing levels or cease buying products from us at any time and for any reason. If we lose a significant retail customer or if sales of our products to a significant retailer materially decrease, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because such a high percentage of our sales are made through our retail customers, our results are subject to risks relating to the general business performance of our key retail customers. Factors that adversely affect our retail customers businesses may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These factors may include:
| any reduction in consumer traffic and demand at our retail customers as a result of economic downturns, changes in consumer preferences or reputational damage as a result of, among other developments, data privacy breaches, regulatory investigations or employee misconduct; |
| any credit risks associated with the financial condition of our retail customers; |
| the effect of consolidation or weakness in the retail industry or at certain retail customers, including store closures and the resulting uncertainty; and |
| inventory reduction initiatives and other factors affecting retail customer buying patterns, including any reduction in retail space committed to cosmetics and retailer practices used to control inventory shrinkage. |
Our success depends, in part, on the quality, performance and safety of our products.
Any loss of confidence on the part of consumers in the ingredients used in our products, whether related to product contamination or product safety or quality failures, actual or perceived, or inclusion of prohibited ingredients, could tarnish the image of our brand and could cause consumers to choose other products. Allegations of contamination or other adverse
13
effects on product safety or suitability for use by a particular consumer, even if untrue, may require us to expend significant time and resources responding to such allegations and could, from time to time, result in a recall of a product from any or all of the markets in which the affected product was distributed. Any such issues or recalls could negatively affect our profitability and brand image.
If our products are found to be, or perceived to be, defective or unsafe, or if they otherwise fail to meet our consumers expectations, our relationships with consumers could suffer, the appeal of our brand could be diminished, we may need to recall some of our products and/or become subject to regulatory action, and we could lose sales or market share or become subject to boycotts or liability claims. In addition, safety or other defects in our competitors products could reduce consumer demand for our own products if consumers view them to be similar. Any of these outcomes could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy.
Our future growth, profitability and cash flows depend upon our ability to successfully implement our business strategy, which, in turn, is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to:
| build a great brand by attracting new consumers and encouraging our current consumers to use more e.l.f. products; |
| continue to use innovation to drive sales and margin and expand into relevant adjacencies; |
| expand brand penetration by growing our space allocations with our existing national retail customers, increasing the number of our retail customers, growing our direct-to-consumer business and expanding internationally; and |
| leverage our high-performance team culture and executional capability to drive operating margins and efficiencies. |
There can be no assurance that we can successfully achieve any or all of the above initiatives in the manner or time period that we expect. Further, achieving these objectives will require investments which may result in short-term costs without generating any current net sales and therefore may be dilutive to our earnings. We cannot provide any assurance that we will realize, in full or in part, the anticipated benefits we expect our strategy will achieve. The failure to realize those benefits could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth and profitability are dependent on a number of factors, and our historical growth may not be indicative of our future growth.
Although our net sales and profitability have grown rapidly from 2012 through 2015, this should not be considered as indicative of our future performance. We may not be successful in executing our growth strategy, and even if we achieve our strategic plan, we may not be able to sustain profitability. In future periods, our revenue could decline or grow more slowly than we expect. We also may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including the following risks and the other risks described in this prospectus, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors:
| we may lose one or more significant retail customers, or sales of our products through these retail customers may decrease; |
| the ability of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers to produce our products and of our distributors to distribute our products could be disrupted; |
| because all of our products are sourced and manufactured in China, our operations are susceptible to risks inherent in doing business there; |
| our products may be the subject of regulatory actions, including but not limited to actions by the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA), the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (the CPSC) in the United States; |
| we may be unable to introduce new products that appeal to consumers or otherwise successfully compete with our competitors in the cosmetics industry; |
| we may be unsuccessful in enhancing the recognition and reputation of our brand, and our brand may be damaged as a result of, among other reasons, our failure, or alleged failure, to comply with applicable ethical, social, product, labor or environmental standards; |
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| we may experience service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches which result in the disruption of our operating systems or the loss of confidential information of our consumers; |
| we may be unable to retain key members of our senior management team or attract and retain other qualified personnel; and |
| we may be affected by any adverse economic conditions in the United States or internationally. |
We may be unable to manage our growth effectively, which would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have grown rapidly, with our net sales increasing from $ 82.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2012 to $ 191.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2015. Our growth has placed, and will continue to place, a strain on our management team, financial and information systems, supply chain and distribution capacity and other resources. To manage growth effectively, we must continue to enhance our operational, financial and management systems, including our warehouse management, inventory control and in-store point-of-sale systems; maintain and improve our internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures; maintain and improve our information technology systems and procedures; and expand, train and manage our employee base.
We may not be able to effectively manage this expansion in any one or more of these areas, and any failure to do so could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our rapid growth also makes it difficult for us to adequately predict the expenditures we will need to make in the future. If we do not make the necessary overhead expenditures to accommodate our future growth, we may not be successful in executing our growth strategy, and our results of operations would suffer.
Any damage to our reputation or brand may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We believe that developing and maintaining our brand is critical and that our financial success is directly dependent on consumer perception of our brand. Furthermore, the importance of our brand recognition may become even greater as competitors offer more products similar to ours.
We have relatively low brand awareness among consumers when compared to other cosmetic brands, and maintaining and enhancing the recognition and reputation of our brand is critical to our business and future growth. Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, are important to maintaining our reputation and brand. These factors include our ability to comply with ethical, social, product, labor and environmental standards. Any actual or perceived failure in compliance with such standards could damage our reputation and brand.
The growth of our brand depends largely on our ability to provide a high-quality consumer experience, which in turn depends on our ability to bring innovative products to the market at competitive prices that respond to consumer demands and preferences. Additional factors affecting our consumer experience include our ability to provide appealing store sets in retail stores, the maintenance and stocking of those sets by our retail customers, the overall shopping experience provided by our retail customers, a reliable and user-friendly website interface and mobile applications for our consumers to browse and purchase products on elfcosmetics.com and an engaging environment in our e.l.f. stores. If we are unable to preserve our reputation, enhance our brand recognition or increase positive awareness of our products and in-store and Internet platforms, it may be difficult for us to maintain and grow our consumer base, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The success of our brand may also suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on our brands image or its ability to attract consumers. Further, our brand value could diminish significantly due to a number of factors, including consumer perception that we have acted in an irresponsible manner, adverse publicity about our products, our failure to maintain the quality of our products, product contamination, the failure of our products to deliver consistently positive consumer experiences, or the products becoming unavailable to consumers.
A disruption in our operations could materially and adversely affect our business.
As a company engaged in distribution on a global scale, our operations, including those of our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and delivery service providers, are subject to the risks inherent in such activities, including industrial accidents, environmental events, strikes and other labor disputes, disruptions in information systems, product quality control, safety,
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licensing requirements and other regulatory issues, as well as natural disasters, pandemics, border disputes, acts of terrorism and other external factors over which we and our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and delivery service providers have no control. The loss of, or damage to, the manufacturing facilities or distribution centers of our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and delivery service providers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend heavily on ocean container delivery to receive shipments of our products from our third-party manufactures located in China and contracted third-party delivery service providers to deliver our products to a single distribution facility located in Ontario, California, and from there to our retail customers. Further, we rely on postal and parcel carriers for the delivery of products sold directly to consumers through elfcosmetics.com. Interruptions to or failures in these delivery services could prevent the timely or successful delivery of our products. These interruptions or failures may be due to unforeseen events that are beyond our control or the control of our third-party delivery service providers, such as inclement weather, natural disasters or labor unrest. For example, in the fall of 2014, longshoreman work stoppages created a significant backlog of cargo containers at ports. We experienced delays in the shipment of our products as a result of this backlog and were unable to meet our planned inventory allocations for a limited period of time. As another example, in December 2015, a parcel carrier returned five pallets of holiday shipments to us based on their service backlog, causing significant delays in our holiday shipments. If our products are not delivered on time or are delivered in a damaged state, retail customers and consumers may refuse to accept our products and have less confidence in our services. Furthermore, the delivery personnel of contracted third-party delivery service providers act on our behalf and interact with our consumers personally. Any failure to provide high-quality delivery services to our consumers may negatively affect the shopping experience of our consumers, damage our reputation and cause us to lose consumers.
Our ability to meet the needs of our consumers, retail customers and our e.l.f. stores depends on the proper operation of our Ontario, California distribution facility, where most of our inventory that is not in transit is housed. Although we currently insure our inventory, our insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover the full extent of any loss or damage to our inventory or distribution facility, and any loss, damage or disruption of this facility, or loss or damage of the inventory stored there, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on third-party suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and other vendors, and they may not continue to produce products or provide services that are consistent with our standards or applicable regulatory requirements, which could harm our brand, cause consumer dissatisfaction, and require us to find alternative suppliers of our products or services.
We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We use multiple third-party suppliers and manufacturers based in China to source and manufacture all of our products. We engage our third-party suppliers and manufacturers on a purchase order basis and are not party to long-term contracts with any of them. The ability of these third parties to supply and manufacture our products may be affected by competing orders placed by other customers and the demands of those customers. If we experience significant increases in demand, or need to replace a significant number of existing suppliers or manufacturers, there can be no assurance that additional supply and manufacturing capacity will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or that any supplier or manufacturer will allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements.
In addition, quality control problems, such as the use of ingredients and delivery of products that do not meet our quality control standards and specifications or comply with applicable laws or regulations, could harm our business. These quality control problems could result in regulatory action, such as restrictions on importation, products of inferior quality or product stock outages or shortages, harming our sales and creating inventory write-downs for unusable products.
We have also outsourced significant portions of our distribution process, as well as certain technology-related functions, to third-party service providers. Specifically, we rely on third-party distributors to sell our products in a number of foreign countries, our sole distribution center in California is managed and staffed by a third-party service provider, we are dependent on a single third-party vendor for credit card processing and we utilize a third-party hosting and networking provider to host our web services, including elfcosmetics.com. The failure of one or more of these entities to provide the expected services on a timely basis, or at all, or at the prices we expect, or the costs and disruption incurred in changing these outsourced functions to being performed under our management and direct control or that of a third-party, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are not party to long-term contracts with some of our distributors, and upon expiration of these existing agreements, we may not be able to renegotiate the terms on a commercially reasonable basis, or at all.
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Further, our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and distributors may:
| have economic or business interests or goals that are inconsistent with ours; |
| take actions contrary to our instructions, requests, policies or objectives; |
| be unable or unwilling to fulfill their obligations under relevant purchase orders, including obligations to meet our production deadlines, quality standards, pricing guidelines and product specifications, and to comply with applicable regulations, including those regarding the safety and quality of products and ingredients; |
| have financial difficulties; |
| encounter raw material or labor shortages; |
| encounter increases in raw material or labor costs which may affect our procurement costs; |
| disclose our confidential information or intellectual property to competitors or third parties; |
| engage in activities or employ practices that may harm our reputation; and |
| work with, be acquired by, or come under control of, our competitors. |
The occurrence of any of these events, alone or together, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, such problems may require us to find new third-party suppliers, manufacturers or distributors, and there can be no assurance that we would be successful in finding third-party suppliers, manufacturers or distributors meeting our standards of innovation and quality.
The management and oversight of the engagement and activities of our third-party suppliers, manufacturers and distributors requires substantial time, effort and expense of our employees, and we may be unable to successfully manage and oversee the activities of our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. If we experience any supply chain disruptions caused by our manufacturing process or by our inability to locate suitable third-party manufacturers or suppliers, or if our manufacturers or raw material suppliers experience problems with product quality or disruptions or delays in the manufacturing process or delivery of the finished products or the raw materials or components used to make such products, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
If we fail to manage our inventory effectively, our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity may be materially and adversely affected.
Our business requires us to manage a large volume of inventory effectively. We depend on our forecasts of demand for and popularity of various products to make purchase decisions and to manage our inventory of stock-keeping units (SKUs). Demand for products, however, can change significantly between the time inventory or components are ordered and the date of sale. Demand may be affected by seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, product defects, promotions, changes in consumer spending patterns, changes in consumer tastes with respect to our products and other factors, and our consumers may not purchase products in the quantities that we expect. It may be difficult to accurately forecast demand and determine appropriate levels of product or componentry. We generally do not have the right to return unsold products to our suppliers. If we fail to manage our inventory effectively or negotiate favorable credit terms with third-party suppliers, we may be subject to a heightened risk of inventory obsolescence, a decline in inventory values, and significant inventory write-downs or write-offs. In addition, if we are required to lower sale prices in order to reduce inventory level or to pay higher prices to our suppliers, our profit margins might be negatively affected. Any of the above may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. See also Our quarterly results of operations fluctuate due to seasonality, order patterns from key retail customers and other factors, and we may not have sufficient liquidity to meet our seasonal working capital requirements.
Our substantial indebtedness may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As of June 30, 2016, we had a total of $ 206.4 million of indebtedness, consisting of amounts outstanding under our credit facilities and capital lease obligations, and a total availability of $ 22.8 million under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined under Description of certain indebtedness). Our indebtedness could have significant consequences, including:
| requiring a substantial portion of our cash flows to be dedicated to debt service payments instead of funding growth, working capital, capital expenditures, investments or other cash requirements; |
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| reducing our flexibility to adjust to changing business conditions or obtain additional financing; |
| exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as our borrowings are at variable rates; |
| making it more difficult for us to make payments on our indebtedness; |
| subjecting us to restrictive covenants that may limit our flexibility in operating our business, including our ability to take certain actions with respect to indebtedness, liens, sales of assets, consolidations and mergers, affiliate transactions, dividends and other distributions and changes of control; |
| subjecting us to maintenance covenants which require us to maintain specific financial ratios; and |
| limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements and general corporate or other purposes. |
Our quarterly results of operations fluctuate due to seasonality, order patterns from key retail customers and other factors, and we may not have sufficient liquidity to meet our seasonal working capital requirements.
We generate a significant portion of our net sales in the third and fourth quarters of our fiscal year as a result of higher sales during the holiday season, and adverse events that occur during the third or fourth quarter could have a disproportionate effect on our results of operations for the entire fiscal year. As a result of higher sales during the third and fourth quarters, our working capital needs are greater during the second and third quarters of the fiscal year. In addition to holiday seasonality, we may experience variability in net sales and net income throughout the year as a result of the size and timing of orders from our retail customers. Because a limited number of our retail customers account for a large percentage of our net sales, a change in the order pattern of one or more of our large retail customers could cause a significant fluctuation of our quarterly results or reduce our liquidity. Furthermore, product orders from our large retail customers may vary over time due to changes in their inventory or out-of-stock policies. If we were to experience a significant shortfall in sales or profitability or internally generated funds, we may not have sufficient liquidity to fund our business. As a result of quarterly fluctuations caused by these and other factors, comparisons of our operating results across different fiscal quarters may not be accurate indicators of our future performance. Any quarterly fluctuations that we report in the future may differ from the expectations of market analysts and investors, which could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly.
We are increasingly dependent on information technology, and if we are unable to protect against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, our operations could be disrupted.
We rely on information technology networks and systems to market and sell our products, to process, transmit and store electronic and financial information, to manage a variety of business processes and activities and to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. We are increasingly dependent on a variety of information systems to effectively process retail customer orders, manage the operations of our e.l.f. store base and fulfill consumer orders from our e-commerce business. We depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing activities and for electronic communications among our e.l.f. stores, personnel, retail customers, consumers, manufacturers and suppliers around the world. These information technology systems, some of which are managed by third parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, telecommunication failures, user errors or catastrophic events. Any material disruption of our systems, or the systems of our third-party service providers, could disrupt our ability to track, record and analyze the products that we sell and could negatively impact our operations, shipment of goods, ability to process financial information and transactions, and our ability to receive and process retail customers and e-commerce orders or engage in normal business activities. If our information technology systems suffer damage, disruption or shutdown and we do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results.
Our e-commerce operations are important to our business. Our website serves as an effective extension of our marketing strategies by exposing potential new consumers to our brand, product offerings and enhanced content. Due to the importance of our website and e-commerce operations, we are vulnerable to website downtime and other technical failures. Our failure to successfully respond to these risks could reduce e-commerce sales and damage our brands reputation.
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We must successfully maintain and upgrade our information technology systems, and our failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have identified the need to significantly expand and improve our information technology systems and personnel to support recent and expected future growth. As such, we are in process of implementing, and will continue to invest in and implement, significant modifications and upgrades to our information technology systems and procedures, including replacing legacy systems with successor systems, making changes to legacy systems or acquiring new systems with new functionality, hiring employees with information technology expertise and building new policies, procedures, training programs and monitoring tools. These types of activities subject us to inherent costs and risks associated with replacing and changing these systems, including impairment of our ability to leverage our e-commerce channels, fulfill customer orders, potential disruption of our internal control structure, substantial capital expenditures, additional administration and operating expenses, acquisition and retention of sufficiently skilled personnel to implement and operate the new systems, demands on management time and other risks and costs of delays or difficulties in transitioning to or integrating new systems into our current systems. These implementations, modifications and upgrades may not result in productivity improvements at a level that outweighs the costs of implementation, or at all. Additionally, difficulties with implementing new technology systems, delays in our timeline for planned improvements, significant system failures, or our inability to successfully modify our information systems to respond to changes in our business needs may cause disruptions in our business operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to adopt new technologies or adapt our website and systems to changing consumer requirements or emerging industry standards, our business may be materially and adversely affected.
To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our Internet platform, including our e-commerce website and mobile applications. Our competitors are continually developing innovations and introducing new products to increase their consumer base and enhance user experience. As a result, in order to attract and retain consumers and compete against our competitors, we must continue to invest resources to enhance our information technology and improve our existing products and services for our consumers. The Internet and the online retail industry are characterized by rapid technological evolution, changes in consumer requirements and preferences, frequent introductions of new products and services embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices, any of which could render our existing technologies and systems obsolete. Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to identify, develop, acquire or license leading technologies useful in our business, and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices in a cost-effective and timely way. The development of our website and other proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. There can be no assurance that we will be able to properly implement or use new technologies effectively or adapt our website and systems to meet consumer requirements or emerging industry standards. If we are unable to adapt in a cost-effective and timely manner in response to changing market conditions or consumer requirements, whether for technical, legal, financial or other reasons, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Failure to protect sensitive information of our consumers and information technology systems against security breaches could damage our reputation and brand and substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We collect, maintain, transmit and store data about our consumers, suppliers and others, including personally identifiable and financial information, as well as other confidential and proprietary information. We also employ third-party service providers that collect, store, process and transmit proprietary, personal and confidential information, including credit card information, on our behalf.
Advances in technology, the expertise of criminals, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, acts or omissions by our employees, contractors or service providers or other events or developments could result in a compromise or breach in the security of confidential or sensitive information. We and our service providers may not be able to prevent third parties, including criminals, competitors or others, from breaking into or altering our systems, conducting denial-of-service attacks, attempting to gain access to our systems, information or monetary funds through phishing or social engineering campaigns, installing viruses or malicious software on our website or devices used by our employees or contractors, or carrying out other activity intended to disrupt our systems or gain access to confidential or sensitive information in our or our service providers systems. Furthermore, such third parties may further engage in various other illegal activities using such information, including credit card fraud, which may cause additional harm to us, our consumers and our brand. We also may be vulnerable to error or malfeasance by our own employees or other insiders. Third parties may attempt to fraudulently
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induce our or our service providers employees to misdirect funds or to disclose information in order to gain access to personal data we maintain about our consumers or website users. In addition, we have limited control or influence over the security policies or measures adopted by third-party providers of online payment services through which some of our consumers may elect to make payment for purchases at our website. Contracted third-party delivery service providers may also violate their confidentiality obligations and disclose or use information about our consumers inadvertently or illegally.
If any breach of information security were to occur, our reputation and brand could be damaged, our business may suffer, we could be required to expend significant capital and other resources to alleviate problems caused by such breaches, and we could be exposed to a risk of loss, litigation or regulatory action and possible liability. Actual or anticipated attacks may cause us to incur increasing costs, including costs to deploy additional personnel and protection technologies, train employees and engage third-party experts and consultants. In addition, any party who is able to illicitly obtain a subscribers password could access the subscribers financial, transaction or personal information. Any compromise or breach of our security measures, or those of our third-party service providers, may violate applicable privacy, data security and other laws, and cause significant legal and financial exposure, adverse publicity and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Although we maintain privacy, data breach and network security liability insurance, we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms, or at all. We may need to devote significant resources to protect against security breaches or to address problems caused by breaches, diverting resources from the growth and expansion of our business.
Payment methods used on our Internet platform subject us to third-party payment processing-related risks.
We accept payments from our consumers using a variety of methods, including online payments with credit cards and debit cards issued by major banks in the United States, and payment through third-party online payment platforms such as PayPal. We also rely on third parties to provide payment processing services. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower our profit margins. We may also be subject to fraud and other illegal activities in connection with the various payment methods we offer, including online payment options. For online consumers, these are card-not-present transactions, so they present a greater risk of fraud. Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as unauthorized use of credit or debit cards and bank account information. To the extent we are an online seller, requirements relating to consumer authentication and fraud detection are more complex. We may ultimately be held liable for the unauthorized use of a cardholders card number in an illegal activity and be required by card issuers to pay charge-back fees. Charge-backs result not only in our loss of fees earned with respect to the payment, but also leave us liable for the underlying money transfer amount. If our charge-back rate becomes excessive, card associations also may require us to pay fines or refuse to process our transactions. In addition, we may be subject to additional fraud risk if third-party service providers or our employees fraudulently use consumer information for their own gain or facilitate the fraudulent use of such information. Overall, we may have little recourse if we process a criminally fraudulent transaction.
We are subject to payment card association operating rules, certification requirements and various rules, regulations and requirements governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. As our business changes we may also be subject to different rules under existing standards, which may require new assessments that involve costs above what we currently pay for compliance. If we fail to comply with the rules or requirements of any provider of a payment method we accept, or if the volume of fraud in our transactions limits or terminates our rights to use payment methods we currently accept, or if a data breach occurs relating to our payment systems, among other things, we may be subject to fines and higher transaction fees and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our consumers, process electronic funds transfers or facilitate other types of online payments, and our reputation and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We have significant operations in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business there.
We currently source and manufacture all of our products from third-party suppliers and manufacturers in China. As of August 2016, we had a team of 54 employees in China to manage our supply chain. With the rapid development of the Chinese economy, the cost of labor has increased and may continue to increase in the future. Our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected if our labor costs, or the labor costs of our suppliers and manufacturers, increase significantly. In addition, we and our manufacturers and suppliers may not be able to find a sufficient number of qualified workers due to the intensely competitive and fluid market for skilled labor in China. Furthermore, pursuant to Chinese labor laws, employers in China are subject to various requirements when signing labor contracts, paying remuneration,
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determining the term of employees probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. These labor laws and related regulations impose liabilities on employers and may significantly increase the costs of workforce reductions. If we decide to change or reduce our workforce, these labor laws could limit or restrict our ability to make such changes in a timely, favorable and effective manner. Any of these events may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Operating in China exposes us to political, legal and economic risks. In particular, the political, legal and economic climate in China, both nationally and regionally, is fluid and unpredictable. Our ability to operate in China may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations such as those related to, among other things, taxation, import and export tariffs, environmental regulations, land use rights, intellectual property, currency controls, employee benefits and other matters. In addition, we may not obtain or retain the requisite legal permits to continue to operate in China, and costs or operational limitations may be imposed in connection with obtaining and complying with such permits. In addition, Chinese trade regulations are in a state of flux, and we may become subject to other forms of taxation, tariffs and duties in China. Furthermore, the third parties we rely on in China may disclose our confidential information or intellectual property to competitors or third parties, which could result in the illegal distribution and sale of counterfeit versions of our products. If any of these events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
If our cash from operations is not sufficient to meet our current or future operating needs, expenditures and debt service obligations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
We may require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any marketing initiatives, investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. To the extent we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow, we may be forced to cancel, reduce or delay these activities. Alternatively, if our sources of funding are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to obtain an additional credit facility or sell additional equity or debt securities. The sale of additional equity securities would result in dilution of our existing stockholders. The incurrence of additional indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and operating and financing covenants that could restrict our operations.
Our ability to generate cash to meet our operating needs, expenditures and debt service obligations will depend on our future performance and financial condition, which will be affected by financial, business, economic, legislative, regulatory and other factors, including potential changes in costs, pricing, the success of product innovation and marketing, competitive pressure and consumer preferences. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations and other cash needs, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our credit facilities may restrict our ability to take these actions, and we may not be able to affect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, the lenders under our Senior Credit Facility can terminate their commitments to loan money under our Revolving Credit Facility, and our lenders under our Senior Credit Facility and, subject to the terms of the intercreditor agreement, Second Lien Credit Facility (as such terms are defined under Description of certain indebtedness) can declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable and foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Furthermore, it is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends, in part, on our retention of key members of our senior management team and ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to retain our key employees, including our executive officers, senior management team and development, operations, finance, sales and marketing personnel. We are a small company that relies on a few key employees, any one of whom would be difficult to replace, and because we are a small company, we believe that the loss of key employees may be more disruptive to us than it would be to a large, international company. Our success also depends, in part, on our continuing ability to identify, hire, train and retain other highly qualified personnel. In addition, we may be unable to effectively plan for the succession of senior management, including our chief executive officer. The loss of key personnel or the failure to attract and retain qualified personnel may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Increasing the number of e.l.f. stores may not be successful and will subject us to risks associated with long-term non-cancelable leases and increased capital requirements that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our growth strategy is dependent in part on our ability to open and operate new brick-and-mortar e.l.f. stores in high-traffic areas in the United States. The success of this strategy is dependent upon, among other factors, the identification of suitable markets and sites for store locations, the negotiation of acceptable lease terms, the hiring, training and retention of competent sales personnel, the successful integration of these stores into our existing operations and information technology systems and making capital expenditures for these stores.
As a result of our limited experience in operating direct-to-consumer retail stores, e.l.f. stores may be less successful than we expect. Our current strategy includes pursuing continued expansion of e.l.f. stores in the United States at a steady or increased pace. The effect of these stores, particularly in growing numbers, on our business and results of operations is uncertain and dependent on various factors. Falling short in our pursuit of expansion could potentially lead to a negative impact on our growth plan while incurring significant financial costs, expenses and investments.
All of our e.l.f. stores are located on leased premises, and we expect that any new e.l.f. stores will also be located on leased premises. The leases for our stores generally have initial terms of 10 years and typically provide for a single renewal option in five-year increments as well as for rent escalations. We generally cannot terminate these leases before the end of the initial lease term and our ability to assign or sublease is subject to certain conditions. Additional sites that we lease are likely to be subject to similar long-term, non-terminable leases. If we close a store, we nonetheless may be obligated to perform our monetary obligations under the applicable lease, including, among other things, payment of the base rent for the balance of the lease term. In addition, if we fail to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, as each of our leases expires we could be forced to close stores in desirable locations.
We depend on cash flows from operations to pay our lease expenses and to fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities, and sufficient funds are not otherwise available to us from borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility or other sources, we may not be able to service our lease expenses or fund our other liquidity and capital needs, which would materially affect our business.
We plan to make capital expenditures to open additional e.l.f. stores. Furthermore, the commitments associated with any expansion will increase our operating expenses and may be costly to terminate if we decide to close a store or change our strategy. We are likely to incur costs associated with these investments earlier than some of the anticipated financial and other benefits, and the return on these investments may be lower, or may develop more slowly, than we expect. As a result, the carrying value of the related assets may be subject to an impairment charge, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
Adverse U.S. or international economic conditions could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Consumer spending on cosmetic products is influenced by general economic conditions and the availability of discretionary income. Adverse U.S. or international economic conditions or periods of inflation or high energy prices may contribute to higher unemployment levels, decreased consumer spending, reduced credit availability and declining consumer confidence and demand, each of which poses a risk to our business. A decrease in consumer spending or in retailer and consumer confidence and demand for our products could have a significant negative impact on our net sales and profitability, including our operating margins and return on invested capital. These economic conditions could cause some of our retail customers or suppliers to experience cash flow or credit problems and impair their financial condition, which could disrupt our business and adversely affect product orders, payment patterns and default rates and increase our bad debt expense.
The results of the United Kingdoms referendum on withdrawal from the European Union may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business.
In June 2016, a majority of voters in the United Kingdom elected to withdraw from the European Union in a national referendum. The referendum was advisory, and the terms of any withdrawal are subject to a negotiation period that could last at least two years after the government of the United Kingdom formally initiates a withdrawal process. Nevertheless, the referendum has created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, including with respect to the laws and regulations that will apply as the United Kingdom determines which European Union laws to replace or replicate in the event of a withdrawal. The referendum has also given rise to calls for the
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governments of other European Union member states to consider withdrawal. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, have had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global market liquidity and restrict the ability of key market participants to operate in certain financial markets. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict our access to capital, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to international business uncertainties.
Net sales from outside the United States comprised 9%, 7% and 6% of our net sales in the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period, the year ended December 31, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively. Further, our third-party suppliers and manufacturers are located in China. We intend to maintain our relationships in China and may establish additional relationships in other countries to grow our operations. The substantial up-front investment required, the lack of consumer awareness of our products in jurisdictions outside of the United States, differences in consumer preferences and trends between the United States and other jurisdictions, the risk of inadequate intellectual property protections and differences in packaging, labeling, cosmetics and related laws, rules and regulations are all substantial matters that need to be evaluated prior to doing business in new territories. We cannot be assured that our international efforts will be successful. International sales and increased international operations may be subject to risks such as:
| difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations; |
| burdens of complying with a wide variety of laws and regulations, including more stringent regulations relating to data privacy and security, particularly in the European Union; |
| adverse tax effects and foreign exchange controls making it difficult to repatriate earnings and cash; |
| political and economic instability; |
| terrorist activities and natural disasters; |
| trade restrictions; |
| differing employment practices and laws and labor disruptions; |
| the imposition of government controls; |
| an inability to use or to obtain adequate intellectual property protection for our key brands and products; |
| tariffs and customs duties and the classifications of our goods by applicable governmental bodies; |
| a legal system subject to undue influence or corruption; |
| a business culture in which illegal sales practices may be prevalent; |
| logistics and sourcing; |
| military conflicts; and |
| acts of terrorism. |
The occurrence of any of these risks could negatively affect our international business and consequently our overall business, financial condition and results of operations.
New laws, regulations, enforcement trends or changes in existing regulations governing the introduction, marketing and sale of our products to consumers could harm our business.
There has been an increase in regulatory activity and activism in the United States, and the regulatory landscape is becoming more complex with increasingly strict requirements. If this trend continues, we may find it necessary to alter some of the ways we have traditionally manufactured and marketed our products in order to stay in compliance with a changing regulatory landscape, and this could add to the costs of our operations and have an adverse impact on our business. To the extent federal, state, local or foreign regulatory changes regarding consumer protection, or the ingredients, claims or safety of our products occur in the future, they could require us to reformulate or discontinue certain of our
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products, revise the product packaging or labeling, or adjust operations and systems, any of which could result in, among other things, increased costs, delays in product launches, product returns or recalls and lower net sales, and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Noncompliance with applicable regulations could result in enforcement action by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, including but not limited to product seizures, injunctions, product recalls, and criminal or civil monetary penalties, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In the United States, the FDA does not currently require pre-market approval for products intended to be sold as cosmetics. However, the FDA may in the future require pre-market approval, clearance or registration/notification of cosmetic products, establishments or manufacturing facilities. Moreover, such products could also be regulated as both drugs and cosmetics simultaneously, as the categories are not mutually exclusive. The statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to drugs are extensive and require significant resources and time to ensure compliance. For example, if any of our products intended to be sold as cosmetics were to be regulated as drugs, we might be required to conduct, among other things, clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of these products. We may not have sufficient resources to conduct any required clinical trials or to ensure compliance with the manufacturing requirements applicable to drugs. If the FDA determines that any of our products intended to be sold as cosmetics should be classified and regulated as drug products and we are unable to comply with applicable drug requirements, we may be unable to continue to market those products. Any inquiry into the regulatory status of our cosmetics and any related interruption in the marketing and sale of these products could damage our reputation and image in the marketplace.
In recent years, the FDA has issued warning letters to several cosmetic companies alleging improper claims regarding their cosmetic products. If the FDA determines that we have disseminated inappropriate drug claims for our products intended to be sold as cosmetics, we could receive a warning or untitled letter, be required to modify our product claims or take other actions to satisfy the FDA. In addition, plaintiffs lawyers have filed class action lawsuits against cosmetic companies after receipt of these types of FDA warning letters. There can be no assurance that we will not be subject to state and federal government actions or class action lawsuits, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additional state and federal requirements may be imposed on consumer products as well as cosmetics, cosmetic ingredients, or the labeling and packaging of products intended for use as cosmetics. For example, several lawmakers are currently focused on giving the FDA additional authority to regulate cosmetics and their ingredients. This increased authority could require the FDA to impose increased testing and manufacturing requirements on cosmetic manufacturers or cosmetics or their ingredients before they may be marketed. We are unable to ascertain what, if any, impact any increased statutory or regulatory requirements may have on our business.
We sell a number of products as over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, which are subject to the FDA OTC drug regulatory requirements because they are intended to be used as sunscreen or to treat acne. The FDA regulates the formulation, manufacturing, packaging and labeling of OTC drug products. Our sunscreen and acne drug products are regulated pursuant to FDA OTC drug monographs that specify acceptable active drug ingredients and acceptable product claims that are generally recognized as safe and effective for particular uses. If any of these products that are marketed as OTC drugs are not in compliance with the applicable FDA monograph, we may be required to reformulate the product, stop making claims relating to such product or stop selling the product until we are able to obtain costly and time-consuming FDA approvals. We are also required to submit adverse event reports to the FDA for our OTC drug products, and failure to comply with this requirement may subject us to FDA regulatory action.
We also sell a number of consumer products, which are subject to regulation by the CPSC in the United States under the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act, as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. These statutes and the related regulations ban from the market consumer products that fail to comply with applicable product safety laws, regulations, and standards. The CPSC has the authority to require the recall, repair, replacement or refund of any such banned products or products that otherwise create a substantial risk of injury and may seek penalties for regulatory noncompliance under certain circumstances. The CPSC also requires manufacturers of consumer products to report certain types of information to the CPSC regarding products that fail to comply with applicable regulations. Certain state laws also address the safety of consumer products, and mandate reporting requirements, and noncompliance may result in penalties or other regulatory action.
Our products are also subject to state laws and regulations, such as the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, also known as Prop 65, and failure to comply with such laws may also result in lawsuits and regulatory enforcement that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers are subject to regulation under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the FDCA) and FDA implementing regulations.
Our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers are subject to regulation under the FDCA and FDA implementing regulations. The FDA may inspect all of our facilities and those of our third-party manufacturers periodically to determine if we and our third-party manufacturers are complying with provisions of the FDCA and FDA regulations. In addition, third-party manufacturers facilities for manufacturing OTC drug products are required to comply with FDAs drug good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that require us and our manufacturers to maintain, among other things, good manufacturing processes, including stringent vendor qualifications, ingredient identification, manufacturing controls and record keeping.
Our operations could be harmed if regulatory authorities make determinations that we, or our vendors, are not in compliance with these regulations. If the FDA finds a violation of GMPs, it may enjoin our manufacturers operations, seize product, and impose administrative, civil or criminal penalties. If we or our third-party manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, we could be required to take costly corrective actions, including suspending manufacturing operations, changing product formulations, suspending sales, or initiating product recalls. In addition, compliance with these regulations has increased and may further increase the cost of manufacturing certain of our products as we work with our vendors to assure they are qualified and in compliance. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government regulations and private party actions relating to the marketing and advertising of our products and services may restrict, inhibit or delay our ability to sell our products and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government authorities regulate advertising and product claims regarding the performance and benefits of our products. These regulatory authorities typically require a reasonable basis to support any marketing claims. What constitutes a reasonable basis for substantiation can vary widely from market to market, and there is no assurance that the efforts that we undertake to support our claims will be deemed adequate for any particular product or claim. The most significant area of risk for such activities relates to improper or unsubstantiated claims about our products and their use or safety. If we are unable to show adequate substantiation for our product claims, or our promotional materials make claims that exceed the scope of allowed claims for the classification of the specific product, whether cosmetics, OTC drug products or other consumer products that we offer, the FDA, the FTC or other regulatory authorities could take enforcement action or impose penalties, such as monetary consumer redress, requiring us to revise our marketing materials, amend our claims or stop selling certain products, all of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any regulatory action or penalty could lead to private party actions, which could further harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is subject to complex and evolving U.S. and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy, data protection and other matters. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, monetary penalties, increased costs of operations or otherwise harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and abroad that involve matters central to our business, including privacy and data protection, intellectual property, advertising, marketing, distribution, consumer protection and online payment services. The sale of products outside the U.S., the introduction of new products or expansion of our activities in certain jurisdictions may subject us to additional laws and regulations. These U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations, which can be enforced by private parties or government entities, are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. For example, in 2015, the European Union High Court of Justice invalidated the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor regarding the transfer of personal information between the United States and the European Union. European and U.S. negotiators agreed in February 2016 on a new framework, the Privacy Shield, which would replace the Safe Harbor framework. However, it is not known whether the European Commission will accept the new, stricter requirements as adequate. Although we sell our products on a UK website, we do not have personnel or operations based in Europe. We have not historically relied on the former Safe Harbor framework to justify the collection, storage and processing of European consumer data on our servers in the United States. If we were to in the future it is already clear that under the new framework, companies which rely on the new Privacy Shield framework will face more stringent obligations and the sanctions for non-compliance with the principles of the framework will be more robust. In addition, the European Union is significantly amending its data protection laws in ways that may limit our ability to collect or use information or increase our
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potential liability for misuse, loss or a breach of security in data of EU residents. The application, interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations may be uncertain, and may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and inconsistently with our current policies and practices. Moreover, consumer data privacy remains a matter of interest to lawmakers and regulators, and a number of other proposals are pending before federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies that could significantly affect our business. These existing and proposed laws and regulations can be costly to comply with and can delay or impede our ability to market and sell our products, result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, and subject us to inquiries or investigations, claims or other remedies, including fines or demands that we modify or cease existing business practices.
Furthermore, foreign data protection, privacy and other laws and regulations are often more restrictive than those in the United States. The European Union, for example, traditionally has imposed stricter obligations under its laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection than the United States. Under the present regime, individual EU member countries have discretion with respect to their interpretation and implementation of these laws and the penalties for breach and have their own regulators with differing attitudes towards enforcement, which results in varying privacy standards and enforcement risks from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Legislation and regulation in the European Union and some EU member states require companies to give specific types of notice and in some cases seek consent from consumers before using their data for certain purposes, including some marketing activities. In the majority of EU member countries, consent must be obtained prior to setting cookies or other tracking technologies. Outside of the European Union, there are many countries with data protections laws, and new countries are adopting data protection legislation with increasing frequency. Many of these laws also require consent from consumers for the collection and use of data for various purposes, including marketing, which may reduce the ability to market our products. In particular, these laws may have an impact on our ability to conduct business through websites we and our partners may operate outside the U.S. There is no harmonized approach to these laws and regulations globally although several frameworks exist. Consequently, the potential risk of non-compliance with applicable foreign data protection laws and regulations will increase as we continue our international expansion. We may need to change and limit the way we use consumer information in operating our business and may have difficulty maintaining a single operating model that is compliant. Compliance with such laws and regulations will result in additional costs and may necessitate changes to our business practices and divergent operating models, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are involved, and may become involved in the future, in disputes and other legal or regulatory proceedings that, if adversely decided or settled, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are, and may in the future become, party to litigation, regulatory proceedings or other disputes. In general, claims made by or against us in disputes and other legal or regulatory proceedings can be expensive and time consuming to bring or defend against, requiring us to expend significant resources and divert the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel from our business operations. These potential claims include but are not limited to personal injury and class action lawsuits and regulatory investigations relating to the advertising and promotional claims about our products. Any adverse determination against us in these proceedings, or even the allegations contained in the claims, regardless of whether they are ultimately found to be without merit, may also result in settlements, injunctions or damages that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be required to recall products and may face product liability claims, either of which could result in unexpected costs and damage our reputation.
We sell products for human use. Our products intended for use as cosmetics are not generally subject to pre-market approval or registration processes, so we cannot rely upon a government safety panel to qualify or approve our products for use. A product may be safe for the general population when used as directed but could cause an adverse reaction for a person who has a health condition or allergies, or who is taking a prescription medication. While we include what we believe are adequate instructions and warnings and we have historically had low numbers of reported adverse reactions, previously unknown adverse reactions could occur. If we discover that any of our products are causing adverse reactions, we could suffer further adverse publicity or regulatory/government sanctions.
Potential product liability risks may arise from the testing, manufacture and sale of our products, including that the products fail to meet quality or manufacturing specifications, contain contaminants, include inadequate instructions as to their proper use, include inadequate warnings concerning side effects and interactions with other substances or for persons
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with health conditions or allergies, or cause adverse reactions or side effects. Product liability claims could increase our costs, and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As we continue to offer an increasing number of new products, our product liability risk may increase. It may be necessary for us to recall products that do not meet approved specifications or because of the side effects resulting from the use of our products, which would result in adverse publicity, potentially significant costs in connection with the recall and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, plaintiffs in the past have received substantial damage awards from other cosmetic and drug companies based upon claims for injuries allegedly caused by the use of their products. Although we currently maintain general liability insurance, any claims brought against us may exceed our existing or future insurance policy coverage or limits. Any judgment against us that is in excess of our policy coverage or limits would have to be paid from our cash reserves, which would reduce our capital resources. In addition, we may be required to pay higher premiums and accept higher deductibles in order to secure adequate insurance coverage in the future. Further, we may not have sufficient capital resources to pay a judgment, in which case our creditors could levy against our assets. Any product liability claim or series of claims brought against us could harm our business significantly, particularly if a claim were to result in adverse publicity or damage awards outside or in excess of our insurance policy limits.
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and our business may be adversely affected.
We rely on trademark, copyright, trade secret, patent and other laws protecting proprietary rights, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other practices, to protect our brands and proprietary information, technologies and processes. Our principal intellectual property assets include the registered trademarks e.l.f., eyes lips face and play beautifully. Our trademarks are valuable assets that support our brand and consumers perception of our products. Although we have existing and pending trademark registrations for our brands in the United States and in many of the foreign countries in which we operate, we may not be successful in asserting trademark or trade name protection in all jurisdictions. We also have not applied for trademark protection in all relevant foreign jurisdictions and cannot assure you that our pending trademark applications will be approved. Third parties may also oppose our trademark applications domestically or abroad, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products in some parts of the world, which could result in the loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands.
We have limited patent protection, and currently own a United States design patent and have several United States utility and design patent applications pending. We may in the future pursue other patent protection. Limited patent protection for our products limits our ability to protect our products from competition. We primarily rely on know-how to protect our products. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar know-how, which may allow them to sell products similar to ours. If others obtain access to our know-how, our confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use of such information, which could harm our competitive position.
The efforts we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient or effective. In addition, effective trademark, copyright, patent and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited for certain of our intellectual property in some foreign countries. Other parties may infringe our intellectual property rights and may dilute our brands in the marketplace. We may need to engage in litigation or other activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others. Any such activities could require us to expend significant resources and divert the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel from our business operations. If we fail to protect our intellectual property or other proprietary rights, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our success depends on our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, patents, copyrights and other proprietary rights of third parties.
Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary rights of others. We cannot be certain that the conduct of our business does not and will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate such rights. In addition, third parties may involve us in intellectual property disputes as part of a business model or strategy to gain competitive advantage. While we are not involved in any currently active intellectual property litigation, from time to time we receive allegations of trademark or patent infringement and third parties have filed claims against us with allegations of intellectual property infringement.
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To the extent we gain greater visibility and market exposure as a public company or otherwise, we may also face a greater risk of being the subject of such claims and litigation. For these and other reasons, third parties may allege that our products or activities infringe, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate their trademark, patent, copyright or other proprietary rights. Defending against allegations and litigation could be expensive, occupy significant amounts of time, divert managements attention from other business concerns and have an adverse impact on our ability to bring products to market. In addition, if we are found to infringe, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate third-party trademark, patent, copyright or other proprietary rights, our ability to use brands to the fullest extent we plan may be limited, we may need to obtain a license, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or we may need to redesign or rebrand our marketing strategies or products, which may not be possible. We may also be required to pay substantial damages or be subject to an order prohibiting us and our retail customers from importing or selling certain products or engaging in certain activities. Our inability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, patents, copyrights and proprietary rights of others could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Use of social media may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.
We rely to a large extent on our online presence to reach consumers, and we offer consumers the opportunity to rate and comment on our products on our website. Negative commentary regarding us or our products may be posted on our website or social media platforms and may be adverse to our reputation or business. Our target consumers often value readily available information and often act on such information without further investigation and without regard to its accuracy. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. In addition, we may face claims relating to information that is published or made available through the interactive features of our website. For example, we may receive third-party complaints that the comments or other content posted by users on our platforms infringe third-party intellectual property rights or otherwise infringe the legal rights of others. While the Communications Decency Act (CDA) and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) generally protect online service providers from claims of copyright infringement or other legal liability for the self-directed activities of its users, if it were determined that we did not meet the relevant safe harbor requirements under either law, we could be exposed to claims related to advertising practices, defamation, intellectual property rights, rights of publicity and privacy, and personal injury torts. We could incur significant costs investigating and defending such claims and, if we are found liable, significant damages. If any of these events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We also use third-party social media platforms as marketing tools. For example, we maintain Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Google+ accounts. As e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools, our ability to acquire new consumers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms and devices, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms and devices could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and result of operations.
In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product promotion and marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations.
Volatility in the financial markets could have a material adverse effect on our business.
While we currently generate significant cash flows from our ongoing operations and have had access to credit markets through our various financing activities, credit markets may experience significant disruptions. Deterioration in global financial markets could make future financing difficult or more expensive. If any financial institution party to our credit facilities or other financing arrangements were to declare bankruptcy or become insolvent, they may be unable to perform under their agreements with us. This could leave us with reduced borrowing capacity, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Exchange rate fluctuations may affect the costs that we incur in our operations. The main currencies to which we are exposed are the Chinese renminbi, the British pound and the Canadian dollar. The exchange rates between these currencies
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and the U.S. dollar in recent years have fluctuated significantly and may continue to do so in the future. A depreciation of these currencies against the U.S. dollar will decrease the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts derived from foreign operations reported in our consolidated financial statements, and an appreciation of these currencies will result in a corresponding increase in such amounts. The cost of certain items, such as raw materials, manufacturing, employee salaries and transportation and freight, required by our operations may be affected by changes in the value of the relevant currencies. To the extent that we are required to pay for goods or services in foreign currencies, the appreciation of such currencies against the U.S. dollar will tend to negatively affect our business. There can be no assurance that foreign currency fluctuations will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Future acquisitions or investments could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.
In the future we may pursue acquisitions or investments that we believe will help us achieve our strategic objectives. The process of integrating an acquired business, product or technology can create unforeseen operating difficulties, expenditures and other challenges such as:
| potentially increased regulatory and compliance requirements; |
| implementation or remediation of controls, procedures and policies at the acquired company; |
| diversion of management time and focus from operation of our then-existing business to acquisition integration challenges; |
| coordination of product, sales, marketing and program and systems management functions; |
| transition of the acquired companys users and customers onto our systems; |
| retention of employees from the acquired company; |
| integration of employees from the acquired company into our organization; |
| integration of the acquired companys accounting, information management, human resources and other administrative systems and operations into our systems and operations; |
| liability for activities of the acquired company prior to the acquisition, including violations of law, commercial disputes and tax and other known and unknown liabilities; and |
| litigation or other claims in connection with the acquired company, including claims brought by terminated employees, customers, former stockholders or other third parties. |
If we are unable to address these difficulties and challenges or other problems encountered in connection with any future acquisition or investment, we might not realize the anticipated benefits of that acquisition or investment and we might incur unanticipated liabilities or otherwise suffer harm to our business generally.
To the extent that we pay the consideration for any future acquisitions or investments in cash, it would reduce the amount of cash available to us for other purposes. Future acquisitions or investments could also result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities or the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, increased interest expenses or impairment charges against goodwill on our consolidated balance sheet, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We have previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements, and we or our independent registered public accounting firm may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, which could adversely impact our investors confidence and our stock price.
Prior to our initial public offering, we were a private company and were not required to test our internal controls on a systematic basis. As an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act, our management will be required to report upon the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act beginning with the annual report for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2017. Our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until the date we are no longer an emerging growth company and reach accelerated filer status.
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In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014, we, in conjunction with our independent registered public accounting firm, identified a material weakness in the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weakness was primarily related to a lack of adequate review processes and controls within our accounting and finance organization and a lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with the technical expertise to appropriately account for complex, non-routine transactions including business combinations, foreign currency transactions and derivative contracts. The material weakness resulted in post-closing adjustments to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the eleven months ended December 31, 2014. During 2015, we took certain actions that remediated the material weakness, which included hiring management-level personnel with technical accounting expertise, designing adequate review procedures in our accounting and finance organization, and identifying and implementing improved processes and controls.
Further, we are in the process of designing and implementing the system of internal control over financial reporting required to comply with our future obligations and to strengthen our overall control environment. This initiative will be time consuming, costly, and might place significant demands on our financial and operational resources, as well as our information technology systems.
Our current efforts to design and implement an effective control environment may not be sufficient to remediate or prevent future material weaknesses or significant deficiencies from occurring. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance that the control systems objectives will be met. Moreover, any such changes do not guarantee that we will be effective in maintaining the adequacy of our internal controls, and any failure to maintain that adequacy, or consequent inability to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis, could increase our operating costs and harm our business. Furthermore, investors perceptions that our internal controls are inadequate or that we are unable to produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis may harm our stock price.
Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, other applicable anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, and applicable trade control laws could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We currently manufacture our products in China and sell our products in several countries outside of the United States. Our operations are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the FCPA), as well as the anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws in the countries where we do business. The FCPA prohibits covered parties from offering, promising, authorizing or giving anything of value, directly or indirectly, to a foreign government official with the intent of improperly influencing the officials act or decision, inducing the official to act or refrain from acting in violation of lawful duty, or obtaining or retaining an improper business advantage. The FCPA also requires publicly traded companies to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions, and to have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. In addition, other applicable anti-corruption laws prohibit bribery of domestic government officials, and some laws that may apply to our operations prohibit commercial bribery, including giving or receiving improper payments to or from non-government parties, as well as so-called facilitation payments. In addition, we are subject to U.S. and other applicable trade control regulations that restrict with whom we may transact business, including the trade sanctions enforced by the U.S. Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
While we have implemented policies, internal controls and other measures reasonably designed to promote compliance with applicable anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws and regulations, and certain safeguards designed to ensure compliance with U.S. trade control laws, our employees or agents may engage in improper conduct for which we might be held responsible. Any violations of these anti-corruption or trade controls laws, or even allegations of such violations, can lead to an investigation and/or enforcement action, which could disrupt our operations, involve significant management distraction, and lead to significant costs and expenses, including legal fees. If we, or our employees or agents acting on our behalf, are found to have engaged in practices that violate these laws and regulations, we could suffer severe fines and penalties, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation, bans on transacting government business, delisting from securities exchanges and other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our brand and reputation, our sales activities or our stock price could be adversely affected if we become the subject of any negative publicity related to actual or potential violations of anti-corruption, anti-bribery or trade control laws and regulations.
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Government regulation of the Internet and e-commerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to comply with these regulations could substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws as well as regulations and laws specifically governing the Internet and e-commerce. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growth of the Internet, e-commerce or mobile commerce. These regulations and laws may involve taxes, tariffs, privacy and data security, anti-spam, content protection, electronic contracts and communications, consumer protection, social media marketing and gift cards. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes and consumer privacy apply to the Internet as the vast majority of these laws were adopted prior to the advent of the Internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by the Internet or e-commerce. It is possible that general business regulations and laws, or those specifically governing the Internet or e-commerce, may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. We cannot be sure that our practices have complied, comply or will comply fully with all such laws and regulations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation, a loss in business and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. Any such proceeding or action could hurt our reputation, force us to spend significant amounts in defense of these proceedings, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business and decrease the use of our sites by consumers and suppliers and may result in the imposition of monetary liability. We may also be contractually liable to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any such laws or regulations. In addition, it is possible that governments of one or more countries may seek to censor content available on our sites or may even attempt to completely block access to our sites. Adverse legal or regulatory developments could substantially harm our business. In particular, in the event that we are restricted, in whole or in part, from operating in one or more countries, our ability to retain or increase our consumer base may be adversely affected, and we may not be able to maintain or grow our net sales and expand our business as anticipated.
Our business relies heavily on email and other messaging services, and any restrictions on the sending of emails or messages or an inability to timely deliver such communications could materially adversely affect our net revenue and business.
Our business is highly dependent upon email and other messaging services for promoting our brand, products and e-commerce platforms. We provide emails and push communications to inform consumers of new products, shipping specials and other promotions. We believe these messages are an important part of our consumer experience. If we are unable to successfully deliver emails or other messages to our subscribers, or if subscribers decline to open or read our messages, our net revenue and profitability would be materially adversely affected. Changes in how web and mail services block, organize and prioritize email may reduce the number of subscribers who receive or open our emails. For example, Googles Gmail service has a feature that organizes incoming emails into categories (for example, primary, social and promotions). Such categorization or similar inbox organizational features may result in our emails being delivered in a less prominent location in a subscribers inbox or viewed as spam by our subscribers and may reduce the likelihood of that subscriber reading our emails. Actions by third parties to block, impose restrictions on or charge for the delivery of emails or other messages could also adversely impact our business. From time to time, Internet service providers or other third parties may block bulk email transmissions or otherwise experience technical difficulties that result in our inability to successfully deliver emails or other messages to consumers. Changes in the laws or regulations that limit our ability to send such communications or impose additional requirements upon us in connection with sending such communications would also materially adversely impact our business. Our use of email and other messaging services to send communications to consumers may also result in legal claims against us, which may cause us increased expenses, and if successful might result in fines and orders with costly reporting and compliance obligations or might limit or prohibit our ability to send emails or other messages. We also rely on social networking messaging services to send communications and to encourage consumers to send communications. Changes to the terms of these social networking services to limit promotional communications, any restrictions that would limit our ability or our consumers ability to send communications through their services, disruptions or downtime experienced by these social networking services or decline in the use of or engagement with social networking services by consumers could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
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Risks related to this offering and ownership of our common stock
Our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will continue to have significant influence over us after this offering, including control over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, which could limit the ability of our other stockholders to influence matters requiring stockholder approval and could adversely affect our other stockholders.
Under our Amended Stockholders Agreement (as defined in Certain relationships and related party transactionsStockholders Agreement), our Sponsor will have the right to designate up to three members of our board of directors so long as it holds at least 30% of our outstanding common stock, two members of our board of directors so long as it holds less than 30% but greater than or equal to 20% of our outstanding common stock, and one member of our board of directors so long as it holds less than 20% but greater than or equal to 5% of our outstanding common stock. Also under our Amended Stockholders Agreement, J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will have the right to designate one member of our board of directors so long as it holds at least 10% of our outstanding common stock. Together, our Sponsors and J.A. Cosmetics Corp.s designees currently comprise half of our board of directors. In addition, our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will hold approximately 62% of our common stock and may be deemed to beneficially own approximately 78% of our common stock after the completion of this offering. Accordingly, the Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will continue to exert a significant degree of influence or actual control over our management, business policies and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval.
In addition, the Amended Stockholders Agreement will provide that for as long as our Sponsor owns or holds, directly or indirectly, at least 30% of the shares of our outstanding common stock, we must obtain the consent of our Sponsor before we or our subsidiaries are permitted to take any of the following actions:
| authorize, issue or enter into any agreement providing for the issuance (contingent or otherwise) of (x) any notes or debt securities with options, warrants or other rights to acquire equity securities or otherwise containing profit participation features or (y) any equity securities other than equity securities issued to employees, directors, consultants or advisors pursuant to a plan, agreement or arrangement approved by our board of directors; |
| liquidate, dissolve or effect a recapitalization or reorganization in any form of transaction or series of transactions; |
| incur any indebtedness in an aggregate amount in excess of $ 50.0 million (other than indebtedness under the terms and provisions of the Senior Secured Credit Facility); and |
| increase or decrease the size of our board of directors. |
Until such time as our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. cease collectively to beneficially own more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock, our Sponsor will have the ability to call a special stockholder meeting, and our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will have the ability to take stockholder action by written consent without calling a stockholder meeting.
Furthermore, for so long as they continue to collectively hold a majority of the outstanding voting power, our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will have the ability to approve amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and to take other actions without the vote of any other stockholder. Investors in this offering will not be able to affect the outcome of any stockholder vote during such time. As a result, our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will have the ability to control all such matters affecting us, including:
| the composition of our board of directors and, through our board of directors, any determination with respect to our business plans and policies; |
| any determinations with respect to mergers, acquisitions and other business combinations; |
| our acquisition or disposition of assets; |
| our financing activities, including the issuance of additional equity securities; |
| determinations with respect to the enforcement of rights we may have against third parties; |
| the payment of dividends on our common stock; and |
| the number of shares available for issuance under our stock plans for our existing and prospective employees. |
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This concentrated control will limit the ability of other stockholders to influence corporate matters and, as a result, we may take actions that our other stockholders do not view as beneficial. Our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp.s combined voting control may also discourage or block transactions involving a change of control of our company, including transactions in which you as a holder of our common stock might otherwise receive a premium for your shares over the then-current market price. For example, this concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or otherwise discouraging a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could cause the market price of our common stock to decline or prevent our stockholders from realizing a premium over the market price for their common stock.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, until such time as our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. cease collectively to beneficially own more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock, we will not be subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the DGCL), which prohibits persons deemed to be interested stockholders from engaging in a business combination with a publicly-held Delaware corporation for three years following the date these persons become interested stockholders unless the business combination is, or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder was, approved in a prescribed manner or another prescribed exception applies. Generally, an interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of a corporations voting stock. Because we have elected to opt out of Section 203 of the DGCL until such time as our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. cease collectively to beneficially own more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock, generally any business combination transaction between our company and either our Sponsor or J.A. Cosmetics Corp. will not be subject to the statutory protection otherwise afforded under Section 203 of the DGCL subject to prescribed exceptions.
Moreover, our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. are not prohibited from selling a controlling interest in us to a third party and may do so without your approval and without providing for a purchase of your shares of common stock. Accordingly, your shares of common stock may be worth less than they would be if our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. did not maintain voting control over us.
For additional information about our relationship with our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp., please see Certain relationships and related party transactions elsewhere in this prospectus.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions renouncing our interest and expectation to participate in certain corporate opportunities identified by or presented to our Sponsor.
Our Sponsor and its affiliates may engage in activities similar to our lines of business or have an interest in the same areas of corporate opportunities as we do. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our Sponsor and its affiliates will not have any duty to refrain from (i) engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us, including those business activities or lines of business deemed to be competing with us or (ii) doing business with any of our clients, customers or vendors. In the event that our Sponsor or any of its affiliates acquires knowledge of a potential business opportunity which may be a corporate opportunity for us, they will have no duty to communicate or offer such corporate opportunity to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, neither our Sponsor nor any of its affiliates will be liable to us, for breach of any fiduciary duty or otherwise, by reason of the fact that our Sponsor or any of its affiliates direct such corporate opportunity to another person, or otherwise does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to us, and we will waive and renounce any claim that such business opportunity constituted a corporate opportunity that should have been presented to us. In addition, any member of our board of directors designated by our Sponsor pursuant to the Amended Stockholders Agreement may consider both the interests of our Sponsor and our Sponsors obligations under the Amended Stockholders Agreement in exercising such board members powers, rights and duties as a director of our company. The Amended Stockholders Agreement will contain similar provisions with respect to corporate opportunities as the provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation described above. These potential conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects if attractive business opportunities are allocated by our Sponsor to itself, its affiliates or third parties instead of to us. See Description of capital stockCorporate opportunities.
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We will incur increased costs and become subject to additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a newly public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance matters.
As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), which will require, among other things, that we file with the SEC annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently adopted by the SEC and the stock exchange on which our securities are listed to implement provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, impose significant requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Further, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the SEC has adopted additional rules and regulations in these areas, such as mandatory say-on-pay voting requirements that will apply to us when we cease to be an emerging growth company. Stockholder activism, the current political environment and the current high level of government intervention and regulatory reform may lead to substantial new regulations and disclosure obligations, which may lead to additional compliance costs and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot currently anticipate.
We expect the rules and regulations applicable to public companies to substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. If these requirements divert the attention of our management and personnel from other business concerns, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The increased costs will decrease our net income or increase our net loss, and may require us to reduce costs in other areas of our business or increase the prices of our products or services. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.
There may not be an active trading market for shares of our common stock, which may cause shares of our common stock to trade at a discount from the initial offering price and make it difficult to sell the shares of common stock you purchase.
Prior to this offering, there has not been a public trading market for shares of our common stock. It is possible that after this offering an active trading market will not develop or continue. If an active trading market is developed, it may not be sustained, which would make it difficult for you to sell your shares of common stock at an attractive price or at all. The initial public offering price per share of common stock will be determined by agreement among us, the selling stockholders and the representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of the price at which shares of our common stock will trade in the public market after this offering. The market price of our common stock may decline below the initial offering price, and you may not be able to sell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid in this offering, or at all.
The market price of shares of our common stock may be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.
Even if a trading market develops, the market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. Securities markets often experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our common stock in spite of our operating performance. In addition, our results of operations could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including variations in our quarterly results of operations, additions or departures of key management personnel, changes in consumer preferences or cosmetic trends, announcements of new products or significant price reductions by our competitors, failure to meet analysts earnings estimates, publication of research reports about our industry, litigation and government investigations, changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof affecting our business, adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, changes in market valuations of similar companies or speculation in the press or investment community, announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions,
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dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments, adverse publicity about our industry, the level of success of releases of new products and the number of stores we open, close or convert in any period, and in response the market price of shares of our common stock could decrease significantly. You may therefore be unable to resell your shares of common stock at or above the initial public offering price.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a companys securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managements attention and resources.
Because we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors. Our board of directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us, including restrictions under the Senior Secured Credit Facility, the Second Lien Credit Facility and other indebtedness we may incur, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant.
You may be diluted by the future issuance of additional common stock in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise.
After this offering we will have approximately 205.6 million shares of common stock authorized but unissued. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to become effective immediately prior to the consummation of this offering authorizes us to issue these shares of common stock and options relating to common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our board of directors in its sole discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise. We have reserved shares for issuance under the 2014 Plan, the 2016 Plan and the ESPP. See Executive compensation. Any common stock that we issue, including under the 2014 Plan, the 2016 Plan, the ESPP or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, would dilute the percentage ownership held by the investors who purchase common stock in this offering.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or our existing stockholders in the public market following this offering could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.
The sale of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, including sales by our Sponsor, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. Upon completion of this offering we will have a total of 44,379,833 shares of our common stock outstanding. Of the outstanding shares, the 8,333,333 shares sold or issued in this offering (or 9,583,333 shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act, except that any shares held by our affiliates, as that term is defined under Rule 144 of the Securities Act, may be sold only in compliance with the limitations described in Shares eligible for future sale.
Approximately 36,046,500 shares of common stock held by our existing owners after this offering will be subject to certain restrictions on resale. We, our executive officers, directors and certain of our existing stockholders, including the selling stockholders, will sign lock-up agreements with the underwriters that will, subject to certain customary exceptions, restrict the sale of the shares of our common stock and certain other securities held by them for 180 days following the date of this prospectus. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC may, in their sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the shares or securities subject to any such lock-up agreements. See Underwriting for a description of these lock-up agreements.
Upon the expiration of the lock-up agreements described above, all of such 36,046,500 shares (or 34,796,500 shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option to purchase additional shares in full) will be eligible for resale in a public market, subject, in the case of shares held by our affiliates, to volume, manner of sale and other limitations under Rule 144. We expect that our Sponsor will be considered an affiliate 180 days after this offering based on its expected share ownership (consisting of 20,228,152 shares), as well as their participation on our board of directors. Certain other of our stockholders will also be considered affiliates at that time.
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After giving effect to this offering, the holders of 31,969,252 shares of our common stock, or 72% of our outstanding common stock based on shares outstanding after the completion of this offering, will be entitled to rights with respect to registration of such shares under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration rights agreement. In addition, each of our Sponsor, J.A. Cosmetics Corp. and certain family trusts of our Chief Executive Officer Tarang Amin will have the right, subject to certain conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering its or their shares or to include its or their shares in other registration statements that we may file. Please see Certain relationships and related party transactionsRegistration rights.
In addition, we intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of our common stock issued pursuant to the 2014 Plan, the 2016 Plan and the ESPP. Any such Form S-8 registration statements will automatically become effective upon filing. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statements will be available for sale in the open market. We expect that the initial registration statement on Form S-8 will cover 11,839,600 shares of our common stock.
As restrictions on resale end, the market price of our shares of common stock could drop significantly if the holders of these restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of our shares of common stock or other securities.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws to become effective immediately prior to the consummation of this offering will contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. Among other things:
| although we do not have a stockholder rights plan, these provisions would allow us to authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock in connection with a stockholder rights plan or otherwise, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of common stock; |
| these provisions provide for a classified board of directors with staggered three-year terms; |
| these provisions require advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders, subject to the Amended Stockholders Agreement, and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings; |
| these provisions prohibit stockholder action by written consent after such time as our Sponsor and J.A. Cosmetics Corp. cease collectively to beneficially own (directly or indirectly) more than 50% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock (the Trigger Event); |
| these provisions provide for the removal of directors only for cause and only upon affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the shares of common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors from and after the Trigger Event; and |
| these provisions require the amendment of certain provisions only by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the shares of common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors from and after the Trigger Event. |
Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, which may impair a takeover attempt that our stockholders may find beneficial, provided that we will not be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL until after such time as the Trigger Event occurs. See Description of capital stockDelaware anti-takeover statute. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions under Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.
We are an emerging growth company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We qualify as an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As a result, we are permitted to, and intend to, rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other companies that are not emerging growth
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companies. Accordingly, we have included compensation information for only our four most highly compensated executive officers and have not included a compensation discussion and analysis of our executive compensation programs in this prospectus. In addition, for so long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to:
| engage an independent registered public accounting firm to report on our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; |
| comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB, regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the independent registered public accounting firms report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); |
| submit certain executive compensation matters to stockholder advisory votes, such as say-on-pay, say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachutes; or |
| disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officers compensation to median employee compensation. |
We may remain an emerging growth company until the fiscal year-end following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this initial public offering, though we may cease to be an emerging growth company earlier under certain circumstances, including (i) if we become a large accelerated filer, (ii) if our gross revenue exceeds $ 1.0 billion in any fiscal year or (iii) if we issue more than $ 1.0 billion in non-convertible notes in any three-year period.
The exact implications of the JOBS Act are still subject to interpretations and guidance by the SEC and other regulatory agencies, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of the JOBS Act. In addition, investors may find our common stock less attractive if we rely on the exemptions and relief granted by the JOBS Act. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may decline and/or become more volatile.
Our board of directors is authorized to issue and designate shares of our preferred stock in additional series without stockholder approval.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize our board of directors, without the approval of our stockholders, to issue 30.0 million shares of our preferred stock, subject to limitations prescribed by applicable law, rules and regulations and the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as shares of preferred stock in series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The powers, preferences and rights of these additional series of preferred stock may be senior to or on parity with our common stock, which may reduce its value.
Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds we receive in this offering and might not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of your investment.
We estimate that net proceeds of the sale of the common stock that we are offering will be approximately $ 52.3 million. Our management will have broad discretion to use our net proceeds from this offering, and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of these proceeds. Our management might not apply the net proceeds of this offering in ways that increase the value of your investment. Our management might not be able to yield any return on the investment and use of these net proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to influence our decisions on how to use the proceeds.
If securities analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This provision may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
You will suffer immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the common stock you purchase.
The initial public offering price of our common stock is substantially higher than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock immediately after the completion of this offering. Purchasers of common stock in this offering will experience immediate dilution of approximately $ 18.59 per share, assuming an initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus. In the past, we issued options to acquire common stock at prices significantly below the initial public offering price. To the extent these outstanding options are ultimately exercised, investors purchasing common stock in this offering will sustain further dilution. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see Dilution.
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Special note regarding forward-looking statements
This prospectus includes forward-looking statements that reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, our operations and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are included throughout this prospectus, including in the sections entitled Prospectus summary, Risk factors, Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and Business and relate to matters such as our industry, business strategy, goals and expectations concerning our market position, future operations, margins, profitability, capital expenditures, liquidity and capital resources and other financial and operating information. We have used the words anticipate, assume, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, foreseeable, future, intend, may, plan, potential, predict, project, seek, will and similar terms and phrases to identify forward-looking statements in this prospectus.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on managements current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. We cannot assure you that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to changes in global, regional or local economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that these factors include but are not limited to those described under Risk factors. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this prospectus. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements.
Any forward-looking statement made by us in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of this prospectus. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, investments or other strategic transactions we may make. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.
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Trademarks, trade names and service marks
This prospectus includes our trademarks, trade names and service marks, such as e.l.f., eyes lips face and play beautifully, as well as the e.l.f. logo, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are our property. This prospectus also contains trademarks, trade names and service marks of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names and service marks referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® , TM or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, trade names and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.
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We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of 4,000,000 shares of common stock that we are selling in this offering will be approximately $ 52.3 million at an assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus), after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders in this offering.
Each $ 1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions, by approximately $ 3.7 million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same. We may also increase or decrease the number of shares we are offering. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 in the number of shares we are offering would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions, by approximately $ 14.0 million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price stays the same. The pro forma as adjusted information is illustrative only, and we will adjust this information based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. We do not expect that a change in the offering price or the number of shares by these amounts would have a material effect on our intended uses of the net proceeds from this offering, although it may affect the amount of time prior to which we may need to seek additional capital.
We currently expect to use $ 40.4 million of our net proceeds from this offering to repay existing indebtedness (subject to our ability to obtain a requisite waiver from the lender to do so), including a related pre-payment penalty of 1%, and any proceeds remaining thereafter will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes. The interest rates on our existing indebtedness under the Term Loan Facility and the Second Lien Term Loan were 6.25% and 11%, respectively, as of June 30, 2016. The maturity date of each of the Term Loan Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility is January 31, 2019, and the maturity date of the Second Lien Term Loan is July 31, 2019. On June 7, 2016, we entered into an amendment to our Senior Secured Credit Facility, pursuant to which we incurred an additional $ 64.0 million of indebtedness under the Term Loan Facility to fund, in part, the $ 72.0 million special dividend to stockholders, as described under Dividend policy.
Our management will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering. The amounts and timing of our expenditures will depend upon numerous factors.
Pending the use of the proceeds from this offering, we intend to invest the net proceeds in interest-bearing, investment-grade securities, certificates of deposit or government securities.
41
On June 7, 2016, our board of directors declared a special dividend to our preferred stockholders participating on an as-converted basis and our common stockholders in an amount equal to $ 1.79 per share of common stock (approximately $ 72.0 million in the aggregate). Holders of restricted common stock received a dividend of $ 4.1 million, which offset outstanding employee notes receivable. Prior to this dividend, we had never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock.
We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, to fund the development and expansion of our business and we do not anticipate paying any additional cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, our Senior Secured Credit Facility and Second Lien Credit Facility limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Any future determination related to dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial conditions, future prospects, contractual restrictions and covenants and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
42
The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of June 30, 2016, on:
| an actual basis; |
| on a pro forma basis to give effect to: (i) the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 37,271,375 shares of common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering and (ii) the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which will occur immediately prior to the consummation of this offering; and |
| on a pro forma as adjusted basis to give further effect to: (i) the proceeds from the sale of 4,000,000 shares of common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus), after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, (ii) the use of proceeds of this offering as further described in Use of proceeds, (iii) the acceleration of vesting on certain time-based vesting options that will become exercisable immediately prior to this offering and the acceleration of certain performance-based awards, for which the performance condition will have been met upon consummation of this offering, and may become exercisable shortly after completion of this offering, assuming achievement of a minimum rate of return, and (iv) the repayment of the 2016 Notes (as defined in note 8 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus), which occurred in August 2016. |
You should read this table together with Prospectus summarySummary consolidated financial data, Selected consolidated financial data, Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations, Underwriting and our audited consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The following table reflects a 2.76:1 forward stock split of our common stock to be effected prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Successor | ||||||||||||
As of June 30, 2016 | ||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts) | Actual | Pro Forma |
Pro Forma As Adjusted |
|||||||||
Balance sheet data: |
||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 3,763 | $ | 3,763 | $ | 22,053 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Capital lease obligations (1) |
2,938 | $ | 2,938 | $ | 2,938 | |||||||
Bank debt, including current portion: |
||||||||||||
Senior Secured Credit Facility (2) |
163,430 | 163,430 | 163,430 | |||||||||
Second Lien Term Loan |
40,000 | 40,000 | | |||||||||
Less: debt issuance costs |
(2,711 | ) | (2,711 | ) | (2,143 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total bank debt (3) |
200,719 | 200,719 | 161,287 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total debt, net of issuance costs |
203,657 | 203,657 | 164,225 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Convertible preferred stock, par value of $ 0.01 per share; 200,000 shares authorized, 37,271,375 shares issued and outstanding, actual; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted |
262,385 | | | |||||||||
Stockholders equity (deficit) |
||||||||||||
Preferred stock, par value of $ 0.01 per share; no shares authorized, issued and outstanding, actual; 30,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted |
| | | |||||||||
Common stock, par value of $ 0.01 per share; 13,800,000 shares authorized; 3,108,458 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 250,000,000 shares authorized, 40,379,833 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma; 250,000,000 shares authorized, 44,379,833 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma as adjusted |
8 | 381 | 421 | |||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
1,040 | 263,052 | 319,642 | |||||||||
Employee loan receivable |
(6,390 | ) | (6,390 | ) | | |||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(193,443 | ) | (193,443 | ) | (197,226 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total stockholders equity (deficit) |
(198,785 | ) | 63,600 | 122,837 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total capitalization |
$ | 267,257 | $ | 267,257 | $ | 287,062 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | In connection with the transition of a warehouse and distribution center from New Jersey to California, we entered into certain capital leases during the six months ended June 30, 2016. The capital leases are primarily related to equipment and fixtures required to prepare the new facility for use. |
(2) | As of June 30, 2016, the Senior Secured Credit Facility consisted of a $ 169.0 million term loan and a $ 25.0 million revolving line of credit. As of June 30, 2016, there were borrowings of $ 2.0 million and an undrawn letter of credit of $ 0.2 million outstanding under the revolving line of credit. |
(3) | Total bank debt is presented net of debt issuance costs which have been recorded as a reduction to the gross carrying amount on the consolidated balance sheets. |
43
If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your interest will be immediately diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering. As of June 30, 2016, we had a historical net tangible book deficit of $ 473 million, or $ 152.23 per share of common stock. Our net tangible book deficit represents total tangible assets less total liabilities and convertible preferred stock, all divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding on June 30, 2016. Our pro forma net tangible book deficit as of June 30, 2016, before giving effect to this offering, was $ 211 million, or $ 5.22 per share of our common stock. Pro forma net tangible book value, before the issuance and sale of shares in this offering, gives effect to:
| the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 37,271,375 shares of common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering; |
| a 2.76:1 forward stock split of our common stock to be effected prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; and |
| the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which will occur immediately prior to the consummation of this offering. |
After giving effect to the sale of shares of common stock by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book deficit as of June 30, 2016 would have been approximately $ 159.5 million, or $ 3.59 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $ 1.63 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $ 18.59 per share to new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Assumed initial public offering price per share |
$ | 15.00 | ||
Historical net tangible book deficit per share as of June 30, 2016 |
152.23 | |||
Pro forma decrease in net tangible book deficit per share |
147.01 | |||
Pro forma net tangible book deficit per share as of June 30, 2016 |
5.22 | |||
Decrease in pro forma net tangible book deficit per share attributable to new investors |
1.63 | |||
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering |
3.59 | |||
|
|
|||
Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering |
18.59 | |||
|
A $ 1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2016 after this offering by approximately $ 3.5 million, or approximately $ 0.08 per share, and would decrease (increase) dilution to investors in this offering by approximately $ 0.08 per share, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We may also increase or decrease the number of shares we are offering. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 in the number of shares we are offering would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2016 after this offering by approximately $ 13.5 million, or approximately $ 0.38 per share, and would decrease (increase) dilution to investors in this offering by approximately $ 0.38 per share, assuming the assumed initial public offering price per share remains the same, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma as adjusted information is illustrative only, and we will adjust this information based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.
If the underwriters fully exercise their option to purchase additional shares, pro forma as adjusted net tangible book deficit after this offering would decrease to approximately $ 0.47 per share, and there would be an immediate dilution of approximately $ 18.12 per share to new investors.
To the extent that outstanding options with an exercise price per share that is less than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share, before giving effect to the issuance and sale of shares in this offering, are exercised, new investors will experience further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or
44
strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.
The following table shows, as of June 30, 2016, on a pro forma as adjusted basis, after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above, the number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price paid per share by existing stockholders and by new investors purchasing common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $ 15.00 per share (the midpoint of the range set forth on the cover of this prospectus), before deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us (in thousands, except share and per share amounts and percentages):
Shares purchased | Total consideration |
Average
price per share |
||||||||||||||||||
Number | Percent | Amount | Percent | |||||||||||||||||
Existing stockholders |
40,379,833 | 91% | $ | 146,284 | 71% | $ | 3.62 | |||||||||||||
Investors participating in this offering |
4,000,000 | 9% | $ | 60,000 | 29% | $ | 15.00 | |||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Total |
44,379,833 | 100% | $ | 206,284 | 100% | $ | 4.65 | |||||||||||||
|
The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on the number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2016 and excludes the following:
| 4,796,225 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of stock options outstanding as of June 30, 2016 under our 2014 Equity Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of $ 2.01 per share (as adjusted for the special dividend declared on June 7, 2016 as described under Dividend policy); |
| 1,583,466 shares of common stock reserved as of June 30, 2016 for future issuance under our 2014 Equity Plan; |
| 5,430,690 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under the 2016 Plan, from which we will grant 596,217 restricted stock units in the aggregate and options to purchase an aggregate of 1,250,517 shares of our common stock with an exercise price per share equal to the initial public offering price to certain officers, employees and directors upon the pricing of this offering, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan, which will become effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| 905,115 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under the ESPP, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under this plan, which will become effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; and |
| 220,800 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to the settlement of phantom shares issued pursuant to the Phantom Plan in shares of our common stock. |
Sales by the selling stockholders in this offering will cause the number of shares held by existing stockholders to be reduced to 36,046,500 shares or 81% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering. If the underwriters overallotment option is exercised in full, the number of shares held by the existing stockholders after this offering would be reduced to 78% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering, and the number of shares held by new investors would increase to 9,583,333 or 22% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering.
45
Unaudited pro forma condensed financial information
The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information presented below has been derived from e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.s historical consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and gives effect to the following transactions (collectively the Transactions):
| incurrence of an incremental $ 64.0 million in borrowings to fund, in part, a $ 72.0 million dividend to shareholders (the Dividend recapitalization); |
| the conversion of all of our outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 37,271,375 shares of common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering, the acceleration of vesting on certain time-based vesting options that will become exercisable immediately prior to this offering and the acceleration of certain performance-based awards, for which the performance condition will have been met upon consummation of this offering, and may become exercisable shortly after completion of this offering, assuming achievement of a minimum rate of return (the IPO-related transactions); and |
| the issuance of 2,957,680 shares of common stock in this offering and the application of $ 40.4 million of the net proceeds from the sale of such shares (assuming the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus) to repay existing indebtedness under the Second Lien Term Loan, including a pre-payment penalty of 1%, less underwriting discounts and commissions, as described in Use of proceeds (the IPO transactions). |
The unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet gives effect to the Transactions as if they occurred on June 30, 2016. The unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, gives effect to the Transactions as if they occurred on January 1, 2015.
The historical financial statements have been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed financial information to give effect to pro forma events that are (i) directly attributable to the Transactions; (ii) factually supportable; and (iii) with respect to the unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations, expected to have a continuing impact on the combined results.
The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent what the actual consolidated results of operations or the consolidated financial position of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. would have been had the Transactions occurred on the dates assumed, nor is it necessarily indicative of future consolidated results of operations or consolidated financial position. The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. included elsewhere in this prospectus.
46
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and subsidiaries
Unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet
As of June 30, 2016
(in thousands)
Historical (1) | Pro forma | |||||||||||||||||||||||
June 30,
2016 |
Dividend
recapitalization(2) |
IPO-related
transactions(3) |
IPO
transactions(4) |
June 30,
2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Assets |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 3,763 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 3,763 | ||||||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
21,611 | | | | 21,611 | |||||||||||||||||||
Inventory |
32,371 | | | | 32,371 | |||||||||||||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
10,574 | | | | 10,574 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total current assets |
68,319 | | | | 68,319 | |||||||||||||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
14,281 | | | | 14,281 | |||||||||||||||||||
Intangible assets, net |
117,144 | | | | 117,144 | |||||||||||||||||||
Goodwill |
157,264 | | | | 157,264 | |||||||||||||||||||
Deferred tax assets |
262 | | | | 262 | |||||||||||||||||||
Other assets |
1,719 | | | | 1,719 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total assets |
$ | 358,989 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 358,989 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Liabilities, convertible preferred stock and stockholders equity (deficit) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current portion of long-term debt and capital lease obligations |
$ | 6,583 | $ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 6,583 | ||||||||||||||
Accounts payable |
21,470 | | | | 21,470 | |||||||||||||||||||
Accrued expense and other current liabilities |
15,079 | | | | 15,079 | |||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency forward contracts |
5,417 | | | | 5,417 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total current liabilities |
48,549 | | | | 48,549 | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations |
197,074 | | | (39,432 | ) | 4a | 157,642 | |||||||||||||||||
Deferred tax liabilities |
40,215 | | (1,515 | ) | 3b | | 38,700 | |||||||||||||||||
Other long-term liabilities |
9,551 | | | | 9,551 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
295,389 | (1,515 | ) | (39,432 | ) | 254,442 | ||||||||||||||||||
Convertible preferred stock |
262,385 | | (262,385 | ) | 3a | | | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stockholders equity (deficit): |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock |
8 | | 373 | 3a | 30 | 4c | 411 | |||||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
1,040 | | 266,342 | 3a, 3b | 40,370 | 4c | 307,752 | |||||||||||||||||
Employee loan receivable |
(6,390 | ) | | | | (6,390 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(193,443 | ) | | (2,815 | ) | 3b | (968 | ) | 4b | (197,226 | ) | |||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total stockholders equity (deficit) |
(198,785 | ) | | 263,900 | 39,432 | 104,547 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Total liabilities and shareholders equity (deficit) |
$ | 358,989 | $ | | | $ | | $ | 358,989 | |||||||||||||||
|
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed financial information.
47
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and subsidiaries
Unaudited pro forma condensed statement of operations
For the six months ended June 30, 2016
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Historical(1) | Pro forma | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Six months ended
June 30, 2016 |
Dividend
recapitalization(2) |
IPO-related
transactions(3) |
IPO
transactions(4) |
Six months ended
June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 96,820 | $ | 96,820 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
42,383 | 42,383 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
54,437 | 54,437 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
47,804 | 47,804 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
6,633 | 6,633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
1,964 | 1,964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(6,396 | ) | (2,000 | ) | 2a | 2,310 | 4d | (6,086 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
2,201 | (2,000 | ) | 2,310 | 2,511 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(1,112 | ) | 700 | 2c | (809 | ) | 4e | (1,221 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,089 | $ | (1,300 | ) | $ | 1,501 | $ | 1,290 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharebasic(5) |
$ | (200.43 | ) | $ | 0.03 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharediluted(5) |
$ | (200.43 | ) | $ | 0.02 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingbasic(5) |
651,268 | 41,922,643 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingdiluted(5) |
651,268 | 44,614,061 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed financial information.
48
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and subsidiaries
Unaudited pro forma condensed statement of operations
For the year ended December 31, 2015
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Historical(1) | Pro forma | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Dividend
recapitalization(2) |
IPO-related
transactions(3) |
IPO
transactions(4) |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 191,413 | $ | 191,413 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
91,084 | 91,084 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
100,329 | 100,329 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
74,758 | 74,758 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
25,571 | 25,571 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
(4,172 | ) | (4,172 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(12,721 | ) | (4,644 | ) | 2b | 4,620 | 4d | (12,745 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
8,678 | (4,644 | ) | 4,620 | 8,654 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(4,321 | ) | 1,625 | 2c | (1,617 | ) | 4e | (4,313 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 4,357 | $ | (3,019 | ) | $ | 3,003 | $ | 4,341 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharebasic(5) |
$ | (1,559.80 | ) | $ | 0.11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharediluted(5) |
$ | (1,559.80 | ) | $ | 0.10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstanding
|
30,523 | 41,301,898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingdiluted(5) |
30,523 | 42,972,032 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
See accompanying notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed financial information.
49
Notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed financial information
1. Basis of presentation
The unaudited pro forma condensed financial information was prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and pursuant to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-X Article 11, and presents the pro forma financial position and results of operations of the Transactions based upon historical information after giving effect to adjustments described in these Notes to the Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Financial Information. An unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet as of June 30, 2016 is presented as if the Transactions had occurred on June 30, 2016. The unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015 and for the six months ended June 30, 2016 are presented as if the Transactions had occurred on January 1, 2015.
2. Dividend recapitalization
Unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet
The dividend recapitalization has already been reflected in our historical consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2016. Therefore, this transaction does not require further adjustment within the June 30, 2016 unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet presented herein.
Unaudited pro forma condensed statement of operations
a. | This adjustment reflects the impact of the incremental borrowings on interest expense for the six months ended June 30, 2016, as computed below: |
(1) | Does not reflect the impact of scheduled amortization payments. A 1/8% change in the interest rate would change our interest expense for the six month period by $ 0.1 million. |
b. | This adjustment reflects the impact of the incremental borrowings on interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015, as computed below: |
(1) | Does not reflect the impact of scheduled amortization payments. A 1/8% change in the interest rate would change our annual interest expense by $ 0.3 million. |
c. | To record the tax effects associated with the pro forma adjustments by applying a 35% federal statutory rate. |
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3. IPO-related transactions
Unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet
a. | To record the conversion of all of our outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 37,271,375 shares of common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering. |
b. | To record the unrecognized compensation cost related to certain time-based vesting awards for which vesting will be accelerated immediately prior to the consummation of this offering and certain performance-based awards, for which satisfaction of the performance condition will have been met upon consummation of this offering. The acceleration of vesting will result in a $ 4.3 million increase to APIC, a $ 1.5 million decrease to deferred tax liabilities and the recognition of a $ 2.8 million charge in accumulated deficit. |
Unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations
The unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, have not been adjusted to reflect the incremental stock-based compensation expense of $ 3.4 million and $ 2.9 million, respectively, related to the acceleration of vesting on certain time-based vesting awards and the acceleration of vesting of certain performance-based awards, as these amounts are expected to have a one-time impact on the pro forma net income (loss) in the twelve months following the Transactions.
4. IPO transactions
Unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet
The unaudited pro forma condensed balance sheet reflects the IPO transactions, specifically the pro forma effects of the issuance of 2,957,680 shares of common stock and the application of $ 40.4 million of the net proceeds from the sale of such shares to repay existing indebtedness under the Second Lien Term Loan, including a pre-payment penalty of 1%, less underwriting discounts and commissions, as described in Use of proceeds as if these events had occurred on June 30, 2016, as follows:
a. | To record the repayment of $ 40.0 million of outstanding debt with proceeds from this offering less unamortized debt issuance costs of $ 0.6 million. |
b. | To record the $ 0.4 million pre-payment penalty of 1% on the $ 40.0 million of the Second Lien Term Loan and the write-off of $ 0.6 million in unamortized debt issuance costs upon repayment of the Second Lien Term Loan. |
c. | To record the issuance of shares of common stock to repay $ 40.4 million of outstanding debt, including the related pre-payment penalty of 1%, less associated underwriting discounts and commissions. |
Unaudited pro forma condensed statements of operations
d. | To record the $ 4.6 million and $ 2.3 million decrease to interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the six months ended June 30, 2016, respectively, related to the application of $ 40.4 million of the net proceeds from the offering to repay outstanding debt, including the related pre-payment penalty of 1%. |
e. | To record the tax effects associated with the pro forma adjustments by applying a 35% federal statutory rate. |
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5. Pro forma basic and diluted net income per share:
Pro forma basic and diluted net income per share reflects (i) the application of the proceeds from the sale of 4,000,000 shares from the proposed initial public offering (assuming the mid-point of the initial public offering price range) that are necessary to cover a portion of the $ 72.0 million dividend paid to stockholders on June 7, 2016, which was in excess of the Companys historical earnings and (ii) the effect of the conversion of the outstanding convertible preferred stock into common stock at the applicable conversion prices immediately prior to, and conditioned upon, the closing of the Companys initial public offering.
Pro forma basic and diluted net income per share is computed as follows (in thousands except share and per share data):
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six months ended
June 30, 2016 |
|||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Pro forma net income |
$ | 4,341 | $ | 1,291 | ||||
Adjustment to interest on debt |
$ | 16 | $ | (202 | ) | |||
|
|
|||||||
Net income attributable to common stockholders-basic and diluted |
4,357 | 1,089 | ||||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Basic: |
||||||||
Weighted-average number of shares outstanding - Basic |
30,523 | 651,268 | ||||||
Add: Assumed conversion of convertible preferred stock |
37,271,375 | 37,271,375 | ||||||
Add: Common shares offered hereby to fund the dividend in excess of earnings |
4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Pro forma weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic |
41,301,898 | 41,922,643 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Diluted: |
||||||||
Pro forma weighted average number of shares outstanding - Basic |
41,301,898 | 41,922,643 | ||||||
Add: Weighted average effect of dilutive securities: |
||||||||
Service-based stock options |
1,670,134 | 2,691,417 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Pro forma weighted average number of shares outstanding - Diluted |
42,972,032 | 44,614,061 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Pro forma net income per share: |
||||||||
Basic |
0.11 | 0.03 | ||||||
Diluted |
0.10 | 0.02 | ||||||
|
Notes:
Assumes the conversion of preferred stock occurred as of the beginning of the period.
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Selected consolidated financial data
The following table presents our selected consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. The periods prior to and including January 31, 2014 include all of the accounts of e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc. (formerly known as J.A. Cosmetics US, Inc.) and its subsidiaries and are referred to in the following table as Predecessor, and all periods after January 31, 2014 include all of the accounts of e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. and its subsidiaries and are referred to in the following table as Successor. The selected consolidated financial data as of December 31, 2014 and 2015, and for the period from January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014, the period from February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 and the year ended December 31, 2015, has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected consolidated financial data as of June 30, 2016, and for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2016, has been derived from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were prepared on a basis consistent with our audited consolidated financial statements and include, in managements opinion, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for fair presentation of the financial information set forth in those statements. The selected consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2013 have been derived from the Predecessors audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in this prospectus and is presented in order to provide a reconciliation from net income to Adjusted EBITDA for these periods.
You should read the following financial information together with the information under Capitalization and Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined(1) |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands, except
share and per share amounts) |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 9,810 | $ | 135,134 | $ | 144,944 | $ | 191,413 | $ | 75,194 | $ | 96,820 | ||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
4,772 | 61,450 | 67,496 | 100,329 | 39,298 | 54,437 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
1,727 | 5,347 | 16,119 | 25,571 | 8,130 | 6,633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
36 | (6,633 | ) | (6,597 | ) | (4,172 | ) | 3,254 | 1,964 | |||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(128 | ) | (11,545 | ) | (12,546 | ) | (12,721 | ) | (6,281 | ) | (6,396 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
1,635 | (12,831 | ) | (3,024 | ) | 8,678 | 5,103 | 2,201 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(542 | ) | 3,545 | 143 | (4,321 | ) | (2,425 | ) | (1,112 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | (2,881 | ) | $ | 4,357 | $ | 2,678 | $ | 1,089 | ||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharebasic |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (709 | ) | $ | (512 | ) | $ | (1,560 | ) | $ | (116 | ) | $ | (200 | ) | |||||||||||
Net income (loss) per sharediluted |
$ | 1,088 | $ | (709 | ) | $ | (512 | ) | $ | (1,560 | ) | $ | (116 | ) | $ | (200 | ) | |||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingbasic |
1,000 | 27,593 | 27,593 | 30,523 | 27,593 | 651,268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Weighted average number of shares outstandingdiluted |
1,005 | 27,593 | 27,593 | 30,523 | 27,593 | 651,268 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Other data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EBITDA(2) |
1,804 | 6,658 | 18,190 | 31,688 | 15,980 | 14,827 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(2) |
2,087 | 26,013 | 28,100 | 46,178 | 16,300 | 19,964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA margin |
21.3% | 19.2% | 19.4% | 24.1% | 21.7% | 20.6% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
41 | 7,944 | 8,668 | 10,289 | 4,595 | 6,230 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
19 | 1,597 | 1,616 | 10,242 | 3,649 | 2,910 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(1) |
For the purpose of performing a comparison to the Successors year ended December 31, 2015, we have prepared Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Supplemental Financial Information for the year ended December 31, 2014, which gives effect to the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Predecessor by the Successor, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2014. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period is being discussed herein for informational purposes only and does not reflect any operating efficiencies or potential cost savings that may result from the consolidation of operations. See Managements discussion and analysis of financial conditions and results of |
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operationsRecent transactions and basis of presentation for a description of the adjustments made in preparing the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period. |
(2) | EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus interest expense, provision (benefit) for income taxes and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA further adjusted to exclude the impact of other items that management does not believe are reflective of the Companys ongoing operations (comprising transaction-related expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition of the Predecessor, the restructuring of our operations, including warehouse transition and reorganization of our operations in China, and the preparation for our initial public offering), stock-based compensation expense, management fees paid to our Sponsor, costs associated with e.l.f. stores incurred prior to the store opening (including legal-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses), costs associated with securing additional distribution space (including slotting expense, freight and certain costs related to installation of fixtures), costs related to the evaluation of an acquisition in 2014, certain non-cash losses and write-offs, and gains and losses on our foreign currency contracts as reflected in the reconciliation below. |
We present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because our management uses these as supplemental measures in assessing our operating performance, and we believe they are helpful to investors, securities analysts and other interested parties in evaluating the performance of companies in our industry. We also believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful to management and investors, securities analysts and other interested parties as measures of our comparative operating performance from period to period. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP. They should not be considered as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities, as measures of liquidity, or as alternatives to net income as a measure of our operating performance or any other measures of performance derived in accordance with GAAP. In addition, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as substitutes for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP. Our definitions and calculations of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies due to different methods of calculation.
The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss):
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) |
Year ended
December 31, 2012 |
Year ended
December 31, 2013 |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 9,897 | $ | 16,555 | $ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | (2,881 | ) | $ | 4,357 | $ | 2,678 | $ | 1,089 | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
610 | 1,637 | 128 | 11,545 | 12,546 | 12,721 | 6,281 | 6,396 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
6,275 | 9,211 | 542 | (3,545 | ) | (143 | ) | 4,321 | 2,425 | 1,112 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
395 | 538 | 41 | 7,944 | 8,668 | 10,289 | 4,595 | 6,230 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EBITDA |
$ | 17,177 | $ | 27,941 | $ | 1,804 | $ | 6,658 | $ | 18,190 | $ | 31,688 | $ | 15,980 | $ | 14,827 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Transaction-related expenses(a) |
| 194 | 63 | 9,759 | 94 | 705 | 579 | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost related to restructuring of operations(b) |
| | | 370 | 370 | 1,595 | 420 | 3,844 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Initial public offering preparation costs |
| | | | | 1,144 | 318 | 395 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
| 26 | | 287 | 287 | 503 | 197 | 1,155 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Management fee(c) |
233 | 250 | | 775 | 775 | 854 | 350 | 475 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-opening costs(d) |
| 118 | 15 | 180 | 195 | 64 | 59 | 229 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Customer expansion
|
| | | | | 1,191 | 879 | 350 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other miscellaneous
|
| | | 1,104 | 1,104 | 530 | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized losses (gains) on foreign currency contracts(g) |
| | 205 | 6,880 | 7,085 | 7,904 | (2,482 | ) | (1,311 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 17,410 | $ | 28,529 | $ | 2,087 | $ | 26,013 | $ | 28,100 | $ | 46,178 | $ | 16,300 | $ | 19,964 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(a) | Represents transaction-related expenses related to the acquisition of the Predecessor. |
(b) | Represents costs associated with the restructuring of our operations, including warehouse transition and reorganization of our operations in China. |
(c) | Represents management fees paid to our Sponsor. |
(d) | Represents costs associated with e.l.f. stores incurred prior to the store opening, including legal-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses. |
(e) | Represents costs associated with securing additional distribution space, including slotting expense, freight and certain costs related to installation of fixtures. |
(f) | Represents costs related to evaluation of an acquisition in 2014 as well as other non-cash losses and write-offs. |
(g) | Represents non-cash (gains) / losses on our foreign currency contracts. |
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Successor | ||||||||||||
As of December 31, | As of June 30, | |||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||||||||
Balance sheet data: |
||||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 4,668 | $ | 14,004 | $ | 3,763 | ||||||
Net working capital(3) |
23,218 | 10,860 | 16,007 | |||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
2,125 | 9,854 | 14,281 | |||||||||
Total assets |
354,178 | 361,072 | 358,989 | |||||||||
Total bank debt, including current maturities(4) |
148,424 | 144,919 | 203,657 | |||||||||
Total liabilities |
222,656 | 224,175 | 295,389 | |||||||||
Convertible preferred stock |
145,328 | 197,295 | 262,385 | |||||||||
Total stockholders deficit |
(13,806 | ) | (60,398 | ) | (198,785 | ) | ||||||
|
(3) | Net working capital is defined as current assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents, minus current liabilities. |
(4) | Total bank debt, including current maturities is net of $ 4.3 million, $ 3.2 million and $ 2.7 million of debt issuance costs as of December 31, 2014, December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, respectively. |
55
Managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with Selected consolidated financial data and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion and analysis and other parts of this prospectus contain forward-looking statements that reflect our current plans, expectations, estimates and beliefs that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions, such as statements regarding our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and projections. Our actual results and the timing of selected events may differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. You should carefully read the Risk factors section of this prospectus to gain an understanding of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements. Please also see the sections entitled Special note regarding forward-looking statements and Industry and market data.
Overview
We are one of the fastest growing, most innovative cosmetics companies in the United States. Driven by our mission to make luxurious beauty accessible for all women to play beautifully, we have challenged the traditional belief that quality cosmetics are only available at high prices in select channels. e.l.f. offers high-quality, prestige-inspired beauty products for eyes, lips and face at extraordinary value, with the majority of our items retailing for $ 6 or less. Our price points encourage trial and experimentation, while our commitment to quality and a differentiated consumer engagement model engender loyalty among a passionate and vocal group of consumers. We have built an authentic brand and a company with strong growth, margins and cash flow from operations.
We believe our success is rooted in our innovation process and ability to build direct consumer relationships. Born as an e-commerce company over a decade ago, we have created a modern consumer engagement and responsive innovation model that keeps our products on-trend and our consumers engaged as brand ambassadors. Our consumers provide us with real-time feedback through reviews and social media, which enables us to refine and augment our product portfolio in response to their needs. We leverage our fast-cycle product development and asset-light supply chain to launch high-quality products in as few as 20 weeks from concept, and 27 weeks on average. Our products are first launched on elfcosmetics.com, and distribution is generally only broadened to our retail customers after we receive strong consumer validation online. We believe this has led to our consistently strong productivity at retail.
We sell our products in national and international retailers (with international primarily serviced by distributors) and direct-to-consumer channels, which include e-commerce and e.l.f. stores. We currently sell our products in approximately 19,000 retail stores in the United States across mass, drug store, food and specialty retail channels. Our largest customers, Walmart, Target and CVS, accounted for 28%, 23% and 10%, respectively, of our net sales in 2015. National and international retailers comprised 87% of our total net sales in 2015. The remaining 13% came from our direct-to-consumer channels, the substantial majority of which was comprised of e-commerce, with the balance from e.l.f. stores. We believe the combination of our affordable price points and on-trend, innovative product assortment encourages trial, offers a strong value proposition and appeals to a broad base of consumers. By combining our strong relationships with leading retailers with integrated consumer engagement across our e.l.f. stores, e-commerce and social media, we are a true multi-channel brand.
The primary market for our products is the United States, which accounted for 93% of our net sales in 2015 and 94% of our net sales for the six months ended June 30, 2016. The remaining 7% and 6% were attributable to international markets. e.l.f. products are sold in a number of international markets, including Australia, Canada and France.
Components of our results of operations and trends affecting our business
Net sales
We develop, market and sell cosmetic products under the e.l.f. brand through national retailers, e-commerce and our e.l.f. stores. Our net sales are derived from sales of cosmetic products, net of provisions for sales discounts and allowances, product returns, markdowns and price adjustments.
Our growth in net sales is driven by a number of trends, including the broader economic environment, levels of consumer spending, and increasing awareness of and demand for our products. Within our existing national retailers, we are able to drive growth by growing space allocation and increasing sales per linear foot, supported by our continued innovation, including our ability to introduce new first-to-mass products in our existing categories and new products in adjacent
56
categories such as skin care. While we have distribution with a number of key retail accounts, we expect to continue to grow through increased penetration into additional stores within existing accounts as well as the addition of new retail customers and retail stores.
These factors have fueled our growth at a faster rate than the overall cosmetics industry. However, our results of operations and business face challenges and uncertainties, including our ability to introduce new products that will appeal to a broad consumer base, our ability to service demand, the ability of our major retail customers to keep products in stock, our ability to continue to grow our customer base and competitive threats from other cosmetics companies.
Gross profit
Gross profit is our net sales less cost of sales. Cost of sales reflects the aggregate costs to procure our products, including the amounts invoiced by our third-party contractors for finished goods as well as costs related to transportation to our distribution center, customs and duties. Cost of sales also includes the effect of changes in the balance of reserves for excess and obsolete inventory and the write-off of inventory not previously reserved. Gross margin measures our gross profit as a percentage of net sales.
We have an extensive network of third-party manufacturers in China where we purchase finished goods. Over the past two years, we have worked to evolve our supply chain to increase capacity and technical capabilities while maintaining or reducing overall costs as a percentage of sales.
Over the past year, we have improved our gross margin largely through changes in pricing, our product mix, purchasing efficiencies and cost reductions in our supply chain, and expect to continue leveraging our innovation and sourcing capabilities to drive increased margin in future periods.
Selling, general and administrative
Our selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses, including salaries, bonuses, fringe benefits and stock-based compensation. Prior to our initial public offering, our stock-based compensation is highly impacted by the changes in the estimated value of our common stock. See Critical accounting policies and estimatesStock-based compensation for more detail regarding stock-based compensation. Other significant SG&A expenses include warehousing, freight, advertising, professional fees for accounting, auditing, consulting and legal services, travel and overhead expenses, depreciation and amortization of intangible assets.
SG&A expenses have increased over the past year, primarily driven by investments in headcount and investment in our corporate infrastructure to support our continued scale and growth, partially offset by leveraging the balance of our general overhead expenses at a slower pace than net sales.
In the near term, we expect SG&A expense to increase as we invest to support our growth initiatives, including investments in the e.l.f. brand and infrastructure as well as the expansion of our e.l.f. store and international footprints. After the consummation of this offering, there will also be an increase in our SG&A expenses as a result of the additional reporting and compliance costs associated with being a public company. Over time, we expect our SG&A expenses to grow at a slower rate than our net sales growth as we leverage our past investments.
Interest expense
Interest expense primarily consists of cash interest and fees on our outstanding indebtedness. See Financial condition, liquidity and capital resources and Description of indebtedness.
Other income
Our purchases are largely in Chinese renminbi (RMB), and, as such, we are exposed to periodic fluctuations in that currency. While we do not have an active hedging program, we have a number of legacy exchange rate forward contracts that are in the process of runoff. We do not follow hedge accounting, and therefore the periodic impact of these legacy hedging activities is calculated on a mark-to-market basis. Other income is primarily driven by fluctuations in the exchange rate in the RMB to the U.S. dollar.
57
Provision for income taxes
The provision for income taxes represents federal, foreign, state and local income taxes. The effective rate differs from statutory rates due to the effect of state and local income taxes, tax rates in foreign jurisdictions and certain nondeductible expenses. Our effective tax rate will change from quarter to quarter based on recurring and nonrecurring factors including, but not limited to, the geographical mix of earnings, enacted tax legislation, state and local income taxes, tax audit settlements and the interaction of various tax strategies.
Net income (loss)
Our net income for future periods will be affected by the various factors described above.
Recent transactions and basis of presentation
On January 31, 2014, e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (the Successor) acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of capital stock of e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc. (the Predecessor and the Acquisition). Accordingly, the accompanying consolidated financial statements presented elsewhere in this prospectus as of and for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2015 reflect periods both prior and subsequent to the Acquisition. The consolidated financial statements for December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015 are presented separately for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 (the Predecessor 2014 Period), the Successor period from February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 (the Successor 2014 Period) and the year ended December 31, 2015 (the Successor 2015 Period), with the periods prior to the Acquisition being labeled as Predecessor and the periods subsequent to the Acquisition labeled as Successor. The financial position and results of the Successor reflect the application of purchase accounting in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 805, Business Combinations (ASC 805) .
For the purpose of performing a comparison to the Successor 2015 Period, we have prepared Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Supplemental Financial Information for the year ended December 31, 2014, which gives effect to the Acquisition as if it had occurred on January 1, 2014 (the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period). The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period discussed herein has been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X, does not purport to represent what our actual consolidated results of operations would have been had the Acquisition actually occurred on January 1, 2014, nor is it necessarily indicative of future consolidated results of operations. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period is being discussed herein for informational purposes only and does not reflect any operating efficiencies or potential cost savings that may result from the consolidation of operations.
58
In preparing the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period, we combined the Predecessor 2014 Period and Successor 2014 Period and adjusted the historical results within these periods to give effect to pro forma events that are (i) directly attributable to the Acquisition; (ii) factually supportable; and (iii) expected to have a continuing impact on the combined financial results. The pro forma adjustments made to give effect to the Acquisition, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2014, are summarized in the table below:
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined |
||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Pro forma
adjustments |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 9,810 | $ | 135,134 | $ | | $ | 144,944 | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
5,038 | 73,684 | (1,274 | )(a) | 77,448 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
4,772 | 61,450 | 1,274 | 67,496 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
3,045 | 56,103 | (7,771 | )(b)(d) | 51,377 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
1,727 | 5,347 | 9,045 | 16,119 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
36 | (6,633 | ) | | (6,597 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(128 | ) | (11,545 | ) | (873 | )(c) | (12,546 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Loss before provision for income taxes |
1,635 | (12,831 | ) | 8,172 | (3,024 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(542 | ) | 3,545 | (2,860 | )(e) | 143 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | 5,312 | $ | (2,881 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
(a) | Represents the exclusion of $ 1.3 million in non-recurring charges recorded in cost of sales from the fair value step-up on inventory related to the Acquisition. |
(b) | Represents $ 0.7 million in incremental amortization expense within SG&A related to intangible assets recorded at the time of the Acquisition. |
(c) | Represents $ 0.9 million in incremental net interest expense related to new financing facilities. |
(d) | Represents the exclusion of non-recurring items that were directly related to the Acquisition and did not have a continuing impact on the combined pro forma results, including $ 5.4 million in compensation expense recorded within SG&A associated with a change in control payment to a former employee and $ 3.1 million in transaction costs recorded within SG&A, including professional fees. |
(e) | Represents $ 2.9 million in incremental tax expense based on statutory rates and associated with the pro forma adjustments. |
As the Predecessor and Successor have the same accounting policies, no conforming accounting policy adjustments were necessary. Nor were any reclassifications necessary to conform the Predecessors historical financial statements presentation to that of the Successor.
Seasonality
Our results of operations are subject to seasonal fluctuations, with net sales in the third and fourth fiscal quarters typically being higher than in the first and second fiscal quarters. The higher net sales in our third and fourth fiscal quarters are largely attributable to the increased levels of purchasing by retailers for the holiday season, and adverse events that occur during the third or fourth quarter could have a disproportionate effect on our results of operations for the entire fiscal year. As a result of higher sales during the third and fourth quarters, our working capital needs are greater during the second and third quarters of the fiscal year. Fluctuations throughout the year are also driven by the timing of product restocking or rearrangement by our major customers as well as our expansion into new customers. Because a limited number of our retail customers account for a large percentage of our net sales, a change in the order pattern of one or more of our large retail customers could cause a significant fluctuation of our quarterly results or reduce our liquidity.
59
Results of operations
The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations data in dollars and as a percentage of net sales for the periods presented:
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands, except percentages) |
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Statement of operations data: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 9,810 | $ | 135,134 | $ | 144,944 | $ | 191,413 | $ | 75,194 | $ | 96,820 | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
5,038 | 73,684 | 77,448 | 91,084 | 35,896 | 42,383 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
4,772 | 61,450 | 67,496 | 100,329 | 39,298 | 54,437 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
3,045 | 56,103 | 51,377 | 74,758 | 31,168 | 47,804 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
1,727 | 5,347 | 16,119 | 25,571 | 8,130 | 6,633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
36 | (6,633 | ) | (6,597 | ) | (4,172 | ) | 3,254 | 1,964 | |||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(128 | ) | (11,545 | ) | (12,546 | ) | (12,721 | ) | (6,281 | ) | (6,396 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
1,635 | (12,831 | ) | (3,024 | ) | 8,678 | 5,103 | 2,201 | ||||||||||||||||||||
(Provision) benefit for income taxes |
(542 | ) | 3,545 | 143 | (4,321 | ) | (2,425 | ) | (1,112 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 1,093 | $ | (9,286 | ) | $ | (2,881 | ) | $ | 4,357 | $ | 2,678 | $ | 1,089 | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Predecessor | Successor |
Unaudited
pro forma combined |
Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
December 31, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2015 |
Six
months ended June 30, 2016 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
% of net sales |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost of sales |
51% | 55% | 53% | 48% | 48% | 44% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
49% | 45% | 47% | 52% | 52% | 56% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
31% | 42% | 35% | 39% | 41% | 49% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income |
18% | 4% | 11% | 13% | 11% | 7% | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Other income (expense), net |
0% | (5% | ) | (5% | ) | (2% | ) | 4% | 2% | |||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(1% | ) | (9% | ) | (9% | ) | (7% | ) | (8% | ) | (7% | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes |
17% | (9% | ) | (2% | ) | 5% | 7% | 2% | ||||||||||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
(6% | ) | 3% | 0% | (2% | ) | (3% | ) | (1% | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
11% | (7% | ) | (2% | ) | 2% | 4% | 1% | ||||||||||||||||||||
Comparison of six months ended June 30, 2016 to six months ended June 30, 2015
Net sales
Net sales increased $ 21.6 million, or 29%, to $ 96.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, from $ 75.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. The increase was primarily driven by growth in existing national retailers due to expanding space allocation and improved productivity as well as the full-year impact of the establishment of new retailer relationships during 2015.
Gross profit
Gross profit increased $ 15.1 million, or 39%, to $ 54.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $ 39.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. Increased volume accounted for $ 11.3 million of the increase in gross profit,
60
with the remaining $ 3.8 million primarily attributable to favorable sales mix changes and cost improvements. Gross margin improved from 52% for the six months ended June 30, 2015 to 56% for the six months ended June 30, 2016, primarily as a result of favorable sales mix changes and cost improvements.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
SG&A expenses were $ 47.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, up $ 16.6 million, or 53%, from $ 31.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales increased to 49% in the six months ended June 30, 2016 from 41% in the six months ended June 30, 2015. The increase was primarily a result of higher warehouse and distribution costs related to the relocation of our distribution center from New Jersey to California, additional investments in sales and marketing to support growth, higher information technology costs to support infrastructure improvements and increased costs related to preparation for our initial public offering, such as professional fees and additions to headcount.
Other income (expense), net
Other income decreased $ 1.3 million from $ 3.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015 to $ 2.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016. Favorable exchange rate changes resulted in positive mark-to-market adjustments on our foreign currency forward contracts in each period. The decrease in other income is primarily attributable to the reduction in the notional value of our outstanding forward contracts during the six months ended June 30, 2016 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2015.
Interest expense
Interest expense increased $ 0.1 million, or 2%, to $ 6.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $ 6.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. This increase was due to incremental borrowings under our Term Loan Facility related to the June 2016 Dividend recapitalization, partially offset by lower borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility.
Net income (loss)
As a result of the factors above, net income decreased $ 1.6 million to $ 1.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2016, compared to $ 2.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015.
Comparison of the Successor 2015 Period to the Successor 2014 Period, the Predecessor 2014 Period and the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Period for the year ended December 31, 2014
The results of operations discussion herein focuses on the comparison of the Successor 2015 Period to the Successor 2014 Period, the Predecessor 2014 Period and the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period.
We believe that a discussion of results of operations for the Predecessor 2014 Period and the Successor 2014 Period on a standalone basis is not meaningful as the Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination in accordance with ASC 805, and the resulting new basis of accounting is reflected in the Companys consolidated financial statements for all periods beginning on or after January 31, 2014, and therefore, the two periods are not comparable. Except for the specific pro forma adjustments made to arrive at the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period, the underlying drivers for the change in 2015 as compared to 2014, both actual 2014 results and the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period results, are the same. We believe that the comparison of the Successor 2015 Period to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period provides for a more meaningful discussion of the 2015 and 2014 results of operations for potential investors and users of the financial statements.
Net sales
Net sales were $ 191.4 million for the Successor 2015 Period, as compared to $ 135.1 million for the Successor 2014 Period and $ 9.8 million for the Predecessor 2014 Period. This represents a 32% increase as compared to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period. This increase was fairly evenly attributable to expanding space allocation within our existing national retailers and the establishment of additional distribution space through new retailer relationships.
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Gross profit
As compared to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period, gross profit increased $ 32.8 million, or 49%, to $ 100.3 million for the Successor 2015 Period. Increased volume accounted for $ 21.6 million of the increase in gross profit, with the remaining $ 11.2 million primarily attributable to favorable sales mix changes. Gross margin improved from 47% for the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period to 52% for the Successor 2015 Period, primarily as a result of favorable sales mix changes in sales to national retailers.
Selling, general and administrative expenses
SG&A expenses were $ 74.8 million for the Successor 2015 Period, compared to $ 56.1 million for the Successor 2014 Period and $ 3.0 million for the Predecessor 2014 Period. SG&A expenses increased $ 23.4 million, or 46%, as compared to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A expenses increased from 35% in the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period to 39% in 2015. The increase was primarily driven by additions to our headcount and bonus incentives, increased warehouse and distribution costs to support revenue growth and incremental marketing and e-commerce costs primarily related to expenditures to support incremental traffic to our e-commerce site.
Other income (expense), net
Other income (expense) was $ (4.2 million) for the Successor 2015 Period, compared to $ (6.6 million) for the Successor 2014 Period and $ 36,000 for the Predecessor 2014 Period. The decrease in expense was primarily due to a $ 2.8 million reduction in unrealized losses on forward currency contracts and a $ 3.3 million decrease in transaction losses on foreign currency denominated payables, offset by a $ 3.7 million increase in realized losses related to settlement of forward currency contracts. These fluctuations are the result of the volatility in the currency exchange market for the RMB as the U.S. dollar strengthened versus the RMB in the respective periods, particularly in the third and fourth quarters of 2015.
Interest expense
Interest expense was $ 12.7 million for the Successor 2015 Period, as compared to $ 11.5 million for the Successor 2014 Period and $ 0.1 million for the Predecessor 2014 Period. This increase was due to the new credit facilities entered into as of January 31, 2014 as well as additional borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility during the Successor 2015 Period as compared to the Successor 2014 Period.
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Unaudited quarterly statement of operations data
The following table sets forth certain unaudited quarterly statement of operations data for each quarter from April 1, 2014 through June 30, 2016. The unaudited quarterly statement of operations data includes all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the information presented. This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full fiscal year. Our results of operations are subject to seasonal fluctuations. For additional information regarding the impact of seasonality, see Seasonality.
Successor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) |
Q2 2014 |
Q3 2014 |
Q4 2014 |
Q1 2015 |
Q2 2015 |
Q3 2015 |
Q4 2015 |
Q1 2016 |
Q2 2016 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net sales |
$ | 28,006 | $ | 33,027 | $ | 54,210 | $ | 38,941 | $ | 36,253 | $ | 50,783 | $ | 65,436 | $ | 52,673 | $ | 44,147 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
12,890 | 15,146 | 24,437 | 20,190 | 19,108 | 26,002 | 35,029 | 29,300 | 25,137 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) |
(2,600 | ) | 1,403 | 8,450 | 6,007 | 2,123 | 6,504 | 10,937 | 6,191 | 442 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
(5,264 | ) | (1,431 | ) | 3,048 | 1,315 | 1,363 | (748 | ) | 2,427 | 3,804 | (2,715 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 3,757 | $ | 5,312 | $ | 13,099 | $ | 10,151 | $ | 6,149 | $ | 12,308 | $ | 17,570 | $ | 11,567 | $ | 8,397 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Successor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) |
Q2 2014 |
Q3 2014 |
Q4 2014 |
Q1 2015 |
Q2 2015 |
Q3 2015 |
Q4 2015 |
Q1 2016 |
Q2 2016 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | (5,264 | ) | $ | (1,431 | ) | $ | 3,048 | $ | 1,315 | $ | 1,363 | $ | (748 | ) | $ | 2,427 | $ | 3,804 | $ | (2,715 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
3,069 | 3,117 | 3,312 | 3,149 | 3,132 | 3,194 | 3,246 | 3,061 | 3,335 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
(2,104 | ) | (452 | ) | 1,144 | 1,154 | 1,272 | (114 | ) | 2,009 | 2,916 | (1,804 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
2,207 | 2,152 | 2,214 | 2,268 | 2,327 | 2,796 | 2,898 | 2,980 | 3,250 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EBITDA |
$ | (2,092 | ) | $ | 3,386 | $ | 9,718 | $ | 7,886 | $ | 8,094 | $ | 5,128 | $ | 10,580 | $ | 12,761 | $ | 2,066 | |||||||||||||||||
Transaction-related expenses(a) |
2,363 | 1,595 | 1,535 | 507 | 72 | 126 | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost related to restructuring of operations(b) |
| | 370 | 227 | 193 | 1,168 | 7 | 1,182 | 2,662 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Initial public offering preparation costs |
| | | 87 | 231 | 316 | 510 | 179 | 216 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
65 | 92 | 104 | 95 | 102 | 158 | 148 | 187 | 968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Management fee(c) |
252 | 157 | 266 | 251 | 99 | 312 | 192 | 225 | 250 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pre-opening costs(d) |
32 | 29 | 88 | 20 | 39 | 5 | | 62 | 167 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Customer expansion costs(e) |
| | | | 879 | (124 | ) | 436 | 350 | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other miscellaneous items(f) |
1,032 | 72 | | | | 122 | 408 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unrealized losses on foreign currency contracts(g) |
2,105 | (19 | ) | 1,018 | 1,078 | (3,560 | ) | 5,097 | 5,289 | (3,379 | ) | 2,068 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 3,757 | $ | 5,312 | $ | 13,099 | $ | 10,151 | $ | 6,149 | $ | 12,308 | $ | 17,570 | $ | 11,567 | $ | 8,397 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
(a) | Represents transaction-related expenses related to the acquisition of the Predecessor. |
(b) | Represents costs associated with the restructuring of the Companys operations, including warehouse transition and reorganization of our operations in China. |
(c) | Represents management fees paid to our Sponsor. |
(d) | Represents costs associated with e.l.f. stores incurred prior to the store opening, including legal-related costs, rent and occupancy expenses, marketing and other store operating supply expenses. |
(e) | Represents costs associated with securing additional distribution space, including slotting expense, freight and certain costs related to installation of fixtures. |
(f) | Represents costs related to evaluation of an acquisition in 2014 as well as other non-cash losses and write-offs. |
(g) | Represents non-cash (gains) / losses on our foreign currency contracts. |
63
Financial condition, liquidity and capital resources
Overview
As of June 30, 2016, we held $ 3.8 million of cash and cash equivalents. In addition, as of June 30, 2016, we had borrowing capacity of $ 22.8 million under our Revolving Credit Facility.
Our primary cash needs are for capital expenditures and working capital. Capital expenditures typically vary depending on strategic initiatives selected for the fiscal year, including investments in infrastructure, expansion into new national retailer doors and expansion of our e.l.f. store base. We expect to fund ongoing capital expenditures from cash generated from operations and, if necessary, draws on our Revolving Credit Facility.
Our primary working capital requirements are for product and product-related costs, the payment of payroll, rent, distribution costs and advertising and marketing. Fluctuations in working capital are primarily driven by the timing of when a retailer rearranges or restocks its products, expansion of space within our existing retailer base, expansion into new retail stores and the general seasonality of our business. As of June 30, 2016, we had working capital, excluding cash, of $ 16.0 million, compared to $ 10.9 million as of December 31, 2015. Working capital, excluding cash and debt, was $ 22.6 million and $ 21.2 million as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.
We believe that our operating cash flow and cash on hand will be adequate to meet our operating, investing and financing needs for the next 12 months. If necessary, we may borrow funds under our Revolving Credit Facility to finance our liquidity requirements, subject to customary borrowing conditions. To the extent additional funds are necessary to meet our long-term liquidity needs as we continue to execute our business strategy, we anticipate that they will be obtained through the incurrence of additional indebtedness, additional equity financings or a combination of these potential sources of funds; however, such financing may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. Our ability to meet our operating, investing and financing needs depends to a significant extent on our future financial performance, which will be subject in part to general economic, competitive, financial, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control, including those described elsewhere in this prospectus under the heading Risk Factors. In addition to these general economic and industry factors, the principal factors in determining whether our cash flows will be sufficient to meet our liquidity requirements will be our ability to provide innovative products to our customers and consumers and manage production and our supply chain.
Cash flows
Predecessor | Successor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Period from
January 1, 2014 through January 31, 2014 |
Period from
February 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 |
Year ended
2015 |
Six months
ended
|
Six months
ended
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by (used in): |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating activities |
$ | 908 | $ | (8,415 | ) | $ | 24,519 | $ | 5,831 | $ | 7,858 | |||||||||||||||||
Investing activities |
(19 | ) | (239,488 | ) | (10,242 | ) | (3,749 | ) | (2,826 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Financing activities |
| 252,571 | (4,941 | ) | (4,263 | ) | (15,274 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash: |
$ | 889 | $ | 4,668 | $ | 9,336 | $ | (2,181 | ) | $ | (10,242 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
Cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2016 compared to the six months ended June 30, 2015
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2016, net cash provided by operating activities was $ 7.9 million. This included net income, before deducting depreciation, amortization and other non-cash items, of $ 2.1 million as well as favorable reductions in net working capital of $ 5.8 million during this period. The favorable reductions in net working capital were largely driven by continued focus on working capital optimization and primarily attributable to a $ 7.9 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses.
For the six months ended June 30, 2015, net cash provided by operating activities was $ 5.8 million. This included net income, before deducting depreciation, amortization and other non-cash items, of $ 3.6 million as well as favorable
64
reductions in working capital of $ 2.2 million during this period. The favorable reductions in working capital were primarily driven by a reduction in accounts receivable of $ 9.6 million, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $ 6.3 million and were partially offset by a $ 12.3 million increase in inventory and a $ 1.3 million increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets.
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2016, net cash used in investing activities was $ 2.9 million, compared to $ 3.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2015. The decrease was driven primarily by lower purchases of property and equipment related to store fixtures to support expanded shelf space at national retailers, offset in part by the build-out of new e.l.f. stores scheduled to open during the second half of 2016.
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities
For the six months ended June 30, 2016, net cash used in financing activities was $ 15.2 million, driven primarily by a $ 68.0 million dividend paid to stockholders, $ 7.0 million of net debt repayments related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below) and the payment of $ 3.1 million of deferred offering costs, partially offset by $ 62.3 million in net proceeds from the issuance of additional debt under the Term Loan Facility described below.
For the six months ended June 30, 2015, net cash used in financing activities was $ 4.3 million, consisting of net repayments of debt related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility.
Cash flows for the Successor 2015 Period compared to the Successor 2014 Period and the Predecessor 2014 Period
Cash provided by (used in) operating activities
For the Successor 2015 Period, net cash provided by operating activities was $ 24.5 million. Net income before deducting depreciation, amortization and other non-cash items generated cash of $ 18.1 million and further benefitted from favorable reductions in net working capital of $ 6.4 million during this period. The favorable reductions in net working capital were largely driven from an increased focus on working capital optimization and were primarily attributable to a decrease of $ 4.4 million in accounts receivable, a $ 0.9 million increase in prepaid expenses and a $ 4.3 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other liabilities being only partially offset by a $ 2.1 million increase in inventories and a $ 1.1 million decrease in due to related parties during the period.
For the Successor 2014 Period, net cash used in operating activities was $ 8.4 million. Net income before deducting depreciation, amortization and other non-cash items generated cash of $ 7.4 million. This was offset by a net increase in working capital of $ 15.8 million. The most significant drivers of the net increase in working capital were a $ 11.0 million increase in accounts receivable, a $ 4.8 million increase in inventory and a $ 2.1 million increase in prepaid expenses and other assets. These increases were primarily due to net sales and inventory builds to support ongoing operational demands as the business scaled during this period. The significant drivers of the net increase in working capital were partially offset by a $ 2.1 million aggregate increase in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities during the period.
For the Predecessor 2014 Period, net cash provided by operating activities was $ 0.9 million. Net income before deducting depreciation, amortization and other non-cash items generated cash of $ 3.1 million. This was partially offset by a net increase in working capital of $ 2.2 million. The most significant drivers of the net increase in working capital were a $ 5.5 million decrease in accounts receivable being offset by a $ 1.5 million increase in inventory, a $ 0.2 million increase in prepaid expenses and other assets and a $ 6.0 million decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses during the period.
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities
For the Successor 2015 Period, net cash used in investing activities was $ 10.2 million, consisting primarily of purchases of property and equipment to support the continued scaling of our business infrastructure during this period.
For the Successor 2014 Period, net cash used in investing activities was $ 239.5 million, consisting of $ 237.9 million used for our Acquisition of the Predecessor and $ 1.6 million used for purchases of property and equipment during this period.
65
Cash provided by (used in) financing activities
For the Successor 2015 Period, net cash used in financing activities was $ 4.9 million, consisting primarily of debt repayments related to our Senior Secured Credit Facility (as defined below).
For the Successor 2014 Period, net cash provided by financing activities was $ 252.6 million, consisting of $ 149.4 million in net proceeds, after issuance costs, from borrowings on our Senior Secured Credit Facility, $ 105.1 million in proceeds from the issuance of our common and preferred stock and a $ 2.0 million repayment on our long-term debt. The proceeds from the Senior Secured Credit Facility and the issuance of the common and preferred stock were utilized to finance the Acquisition of the Predecessor during this period.
Description of indebtedness
Senior Secured Credit Facility
In conjunction with our acquisition of the Predecessor on January 31, 2014, and as amended in conjunction with the one-time extraordinary cash dividend declared on June 7, 2016 as described under Dividend policy, we entered into a five-year, senior secured credit agreement (as amended, the Senior Secured Credit Facility) with a syndicate consisting of several large financial institutions. The Senior Secured Credit Facility originally consisted of a $ 20 million revolving line of credit (the Revolving Credit Facility) and a $ 105 million term loan facility (the Term Loan Facility). On June 7, 2016, we entered into an amendment to our Senior Secured Credit Facility, pursuant to which we incurred an additional $ 64 million of indebtedness under the Term Loan Facility and increased the size of our Revolving Credit Facility to $ 25 million.
All amounts under the Revolving Credit Facility are available for draw until the maturity date on January 31, 2019. The Revolving Credit Facility is collateralized by substantially all of our assets and has a commitment fee of 0.5% of unused balance, payable quarterly in arrears. The Revolving Credit Facility also provides for sub-facilities in the form of a $ 5 million letter of credit and a $ 2 million swing line loan; however, the aggregate amounts under the Revolving Credit Facility cannot exceed $ 25 million.
The Term Loan Facility will mature on January 31, 2019 and is also collateralized by substantially all of our assets. The Term Loan Facility will be repaid in quarterly installments equal to (i) $ 656,250 plus (ii) starting with fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2016, $ 400,000, with the remaining outstanding balance of the Term Loan Facility due upon the maturity date. The Term Loan Facility can be prepaid at any time without penalty and is subject to mandatory prepayments upon (i) the receipt of excess cash flow; (ii) asset dispositions that, individually, result in net proceeds in excess of $ 1 million, or, in aggregate, in excess of $ 2 million during a year; or (iii) the issuance of additional debt. The Term Loan Facility requires an annual administrative fee of $ 50,000.
Both the Revolving Credit Facility and the Term Loan Facility carry interest, at our option, at (i) a rate per annum equal to the greater of an adjusted London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) (subject to a minimum floor of 1.25%) plus an applicable margin or (ii) a floating base rate plus an applicable margin. The interest rate on both the Revolving Credit Facility and the Term Loan Facility was 6.25% per annum as of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016.
The Senior Secured Credit Facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to (subject to certain exceptions) pay dividends and distributions or repurchase our capital stock, incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, create liens on assets, engage in mergers or consolidations and sell or otherwise dispose of assets. The Senior Secured Credit Facility also includes maintenance covenants that require us to comply with certain consolidated total net leverage ratios and consolidated interest coverage ratios. As of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, we were in compliance with all financial covenants. For more information related to the covenants in the Senior Secured Credit Facility, see the section entitled Description of certain indebtednessSenior Secured Credit Facility.
Second Lien Credit Facility
In conjunction with our entry into the Senior Secured Credit Facility, and as amended in conjunction with the special dividend declared on June 7, 2016 as described under Dividend policy, we entered into a second lien credit agreement (as amended, the Second Lien Credit Facility) which provided a $ 40 million second lien term loan (the Second Lien Term Loan). The Second Lien Term Loan does not require any principal payments until maturity on July 31, 2019. The Second Lien Term Loan requires prepayment penalties if prepaid prior to the maturity date, other than in conjunction with a change in control, in the amount of 4% of amounts prepaid in year one, 2% in year two and 1% in year three; and requires
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prepayment penalties of 1% if prepaid on or prior to end of year three in conjunction with a change in control. The Second Lien Term Loan carries interest equal to Adjusted LIBOR plus 10% per annum, with an adjusted LIBOR equal to the higher of (i) the London interbank offered rate for U.S. dollars adjusted for customary Eurodollar reserve requirements, if any, and (ii) 1%. As of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, the Second Lien Term Loan carried interest at a rate per annum of 11%.
The Second Lien Credit Facility contains substantially similar covenants as the Senior Secured Credit Facility, including maintenance covenants requiring compliance with certain consolidated total net leverage ratios and consolidated interest coverage ratios. As of December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016, we were in compliance with all financial covenants. For more information related to the covenants in the Second Lien Credit Facility, see the section entitled Description of certain indebtednessSecond Lien Credit Facility.
Contractual obligations and commitments
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2015:
Payments due by period | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total |
Less than
one year |
1-3 Years | 3-5 Years |
More than
5 years |
||||||||||||||||
Bank debt(1) |
$ | 148,106 | $ | 10,325 | $ | 5,250 | $ | 132,531 | $ | | ||||||||||
Interest on bank debt(2) |
34,903 | 10,791 | 21,023 | 3,089 | | |||||||||||||||
Operating lease obligations |
14,886 | 2,564 | 5,605 | 4,682 | 2,035 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Total contractual obligations(3) |
$ | 197,895 | $ | 23,680 | $ | 31,878 | $ | 140,302 | $ | 2,035 | ||||||||||
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(1) | Long-term debt payments include scheduled principal payments only. |
(2) | Assumes an annual interest rate of 6.25% and 11% on the senior secured credit facility and second lien term loan, respectively, over the terms of the loans. |
(3) | We have excluded our liability for uncertain tax positions from the table above because we are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the timing of payments. |
Off-balance sheet arrangements
As of June 30, 2016, our off-balance sheet arrangements consisted of operating leases for e.l.f. stores and office and warehouse space. See Note 7 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for more information regarding these operating leases.
Critical accounting policies and estimates
Our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, we believe that the following accounting policies and estimates are critical to our business operations and understanding of our financial results.
Revenue recognition
We recognize revenues when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the product has been shipped, when title passes, when all risks and rewards of ownership have transferred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Delivery is considered to have occurred at the time the title and risk of loss passes to the customer.
In the normal course of business, we offer various incentives to customers. We maintain a provision for sales discounts, markdowns, shortages and price adjustments, which are reflected as reductions to our net sales. The provision for these reductions is established based on our best estimate at the time of sale. We regularly review and revise, when deemed necessary, our estimates of sales incentives and other required reserves based primarily upon the historical rate of realization. These revenue reductions are reflected on the consolidated balance sheet as a sales allowance against accounts receivable.
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Business combinations
We allocate the purchase price of acquired companies to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values. The valuation methodologies used are based on the nature of the asset or liability.
For purposes of our acquisition of the Predecessor, the fair value of the trade name is estimated using the relief from royalty method, an income approach to valuation, which includes projecting net sales and other estimates. Customer relationships are valued based on an estimate of future revenues and costs related to the respective contracts over the remaining expected lives. Favorable leases are recorded based on differences between contractual rents under the respective lease agreements and prevailing market rents at the lease acquisition date.
Determining an acquired intangible assets useful life requires management judgment and is based on an evaluation of a number of factors, including the expected use of the asset, consumer awareness, trade name history and future expansion expectations, as well as any contractual provisions that could limit or extend an assets useful life. We estimate the useful lives of the intangible assets based on the expected period over which we anticipate generating economic benefit from the asset. We consider the trade name that we acquired to have an indefinite useful life, based upon its history of strong revenue and cash flow performance, and the intent and our ability to support the trade name with marketplace spending for the foreseeable future.
Impairment of long-lived assets, including goodwill and intangible assets
We assess potential impairments to our long-lived assets, which include property and equipment and amortizable intangible assets, whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of an asset is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. There were no impairment charges recorded on long-lived assets during the Predecessor 2014 Period, the Successor 2014 Period or the Successor 2015 Period.
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles have been assigned to our reporting units for purposes of impairment testing. Historically we had a single reporting unit for the purpose of performing our goodwill impairment test. During the third quarter of 2015, we made structural and reporting changes to our internal organization. This reorganization aligned the internal management and functional support around our primary sales channels, which report into the chief operating decision maker. These changes resulted in the identification of three reporting units that met the definition in ASC 350, IntangiblesGoodwill and Other , of components of the Companys one operating segment: (i) retail customers; (ii) e.l.f. stores; and (iii) e-commerce. In accordance with ASC 350 , on October 1, 2015, we reallocated the goodwill to the three reporting units using a relative fair value approach. As a result of the internal reorganization, we performed a quantitative goodwill impairment test immediately before and a quantitative goodwill impairment test immediately after this change in reporting units and noted no indication of impairment.
The goodwill impairment test consists of a comparison of each reporting units fair value to its carrying value. The fair value of a reporting unit is an estimate of the amount for which the unit as a whole could be sold in a current transaction between willing parties. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, goodwill is written down to its implied fair value. Fair value of a reporting unit is estimated based on a combination of comparative market multiples and discounted cash flow valuation approaches. We are also permitted to make a qualitative assessment of whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value prior to applying the quantitative assessment. If based on our qualitative assessment it is more likely than not that the carrying value of the reporting unit is less than its fair value, then a quantitative assessment may be required.
We evaluate our indefinite-lived intangible asset to determine whether current events and circumstances continue to support an indefinite useful life. In addition, our indefinite-lived intangible asset is tested for impairment annually. The indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of each asset with its carrying value, with any excess of carrying value over fair value being recognized as an impairment loss. We are also permitted to make a qualitative assessment of whether it is more likely than not an indefinite-lived intangible assets fair value is less than its carrying value prior to applying the quantitative assessment. If based on our qualitative assessment it is more likely than not that the carrying value of the asset is less than its fair value, then a quantitative assessment may be required.
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We have selected October 1 as the date on which to perform our annual impairment tests for goodwill. We also test for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the fair value of such indefinite-lived intangible asset has been impaired. No impairment of goodwill or our indefinite-lived intangible asset was recorded during the Predecessor 2014 Period, the Successor 2014 Period or the Successor 2015 Period.
Stock-based compensation
Stock-based compensation cost is measured at grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized on a straight-line method over the requisite service period for awards expected to vest. We estimate the fair value of employee stock-based payment awards subject to only a service condition on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The Black-Scholes model requires the use of highly subjective and complex assumptions, including the options expected term and the price volatility of the underlying stock. We estimate the fair value of employee stock-based payment awards subject to both a market condition and the occurrence of a performance condition on the date of grant using a Monte Carlo simulation model that assumes the performance criteria will be met and the target payout levels will be achieved. We will continue to use the Black-Scholes and Monte Carlo models for option pricing following the consummation of this offering.
Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. We recognize compensation expense for awards expected to vest with only a service condition on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the awards vesting period. Vesting of these awards is accelerated for certain employees in the event of a change in control or an initial public offering. Compensation expense for employee stock-based awards whose vesting is subject to the fulfillment of both a market condition and the occurrence of a performance condition is recognized on a graded-vesting basis at the time the achievement of the performance condition becomes probable.
The expected stock price volatility for the common stock was estimated by taking the average historic price volatility for industry peers based on daily price observations over a period equivalent to the expected term of the stock option grants. Industry peers consist of several public companies in our industry which are of similar size, complexity and stage of development. The risk-free interest rate for the expected term of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury implied yield at the date of grant. The weighted-average expected term is determined with reference to historical exercise and post-vesting cancellation experience and the vesting period and contractual term of the awards. The forfeitures rate is estimated based on historical experience and expected future activity.
The fair value of shares of common stock underlying the stock options has historically been the determined by our board of directors, with input from management. Because there has been no public market for our common stock, the board of directors determined the fair value of common stock at the time of grant by considering a number of objective and subjective factors including independent third-party valuations of our common stock, operating and financial performance, the lack of liquidity of our capital stock and general and industry specific economic outlook, among other factors. Following the consummation of this offering, the fair value of our common stock will be the closing price of our common stock as reported on the date of grant.
We have no current plans to pay a regular dividend.
JOBS Act
We qualify as an emerging growth company pursuant to the provisions of the JOBS Act. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We currently intend to opt out of the extended transition period with respect to new or revised accounting standards and, as a result, we will comply with any such new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies.
Quantitative and qualitative disclosure about market risk
We are exposed to certain market risks arising from transactions in the normal course of our business. Such risk is principally associated with interest rates and foreign exchange.
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Interest rate risk
We are exposed to changes in interest rates because the indebtedness incurred under our Senior Secured Credit Facility and Second Lien Credit Facility are variable rate debt. Interest rate changes generally do not affect the market value of our Senior Secured Credit Facility or our Second Lien Credit Facility; however, they do affect the amount of our interest payments and, therefore, our future earnings and cash flows. As of December 31, 2015, we had variable rate debt of $ 148.1 million under our Senior Secured Credit Facility and Second Lien Credit Facility. An interest rate increase of 1% would have increased our interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015 by $ 1.4 million.
Foreign exchange risk
We are exposed to foreign exchange risk as we have contracts with suppliers in China for future purchases of inventories denominated in RMB. While we do not have an active hedging program, we have a number of legacy exchange rate forward contracts that are in the process of runoff. We neither use these foreign currency forward contracts for trading purposes nor do we follow hedge accounting, and therefore the periodic impact of these legacy hedging activities is calculated on a mark-to-market basis. Accordingly, the foreign currency forward contracts are carried at their fair value either as an asset or liability on the consolidated balance sheet with changes in fair value being recorded in other income (expense), net in our consolidated statements of operations.
Information regarding the Companys foreign currency forward contracts, all of which mature in 2016, is as follows (in thousands):
Forward contracts (FC) |
Avg. contractual rate $ /FC |
Original U.S. dollar
notional amount |
Asset/(Liab.) fair value December 31, 2015 |
|||||||||
Buy Chinese Renminbi / Sell USD |
6.2152 | $ | 148,978 | $ | (10,702 | ) | ||||||
|
Controls and procedures
Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. We are currently in the process of reviewing, documenting and testing our internal control over financial reporting.
We have not performed an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, nor have we engaged an independent registered public accounting firm to perform an audit of our internal control over financial reporting as of any balance sheet date or for any period reported in our consolidated financial statements. Our management is not presently required to perform an annual assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. This requirement will first apply to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2017. For as long as we are an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. When we lose our status as an emerging growth company and reach an accelerated filer threshold, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014, we, in conjunction with our independent registered public accounting firm, identified a material weakness in the design and operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The material weakness was primarily comprised of deficiencies related to a lack of technical accounting skills and a lack of adequate review processes and controls within our accounting and finance organization. This material weakness was remediated in 2015. For additional information on this material weakness and the steps we took to remediate it, see Risk factorsRisks related to our businessWe have previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we are unable to maintain effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements, and we or our independent registered public accounting firm may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, which could adversely impact our investors confidence and our stock price.
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e.l.f.: Changing the face of beauty
We are one of the fastest growing, most innovative cosmetics companies in the United States. Driven by our mission to make luxurious beauty accessible for all women to play beautifully , we have challenged the traditional belief that quality cosmetics are only available at high prices in select channels. e.l.f. offers high-quality, prestige-inspired beauty products for eyes, lips and face at extraordinary value, with the majority of our items retailing $ 6 or less. Our price points encourage trial and experimentation, while our commitment to quality and a differentiated consumer engagement model engender loyalty among a passionate and vocal group of consumers. We have built an authentic brand and a company with strong growth, margins and cash flow from operations.
We believe our success is rooted in our innovation process and ability to build direct consumer relationships. Born as an e-commerce company over a decade ago, we have created a modern consumer engagement and responsive innovation model that keeps our products on-trend and our consumers engaged as brand ambassadors. Our consumers provide us with real-time feedback through reviews and social media, which enables us to refine and augment our product portfolio in response to their needs. We leverage our fast-cycle product development and asset-light supply chain to launch high-quality products in as few as 20 weeks from concept, and 27 weeks on average. Our products are first launched on elfcosmetics.com, and distribution is generally only broadened to our retail customers after we receive strong consumer validation online. We believe this has led to our consistently strong productivity. We are one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands at Target, Walmart and CVS.
Our brand appeals to some of the most sought after consumers in the category. We believe the combination of our affordable price points and on-trend, innovative product assortment encourages trial, offers a strong value proposition and appeals to a broad base of consumers. Relative to the overall cosmetics category, our brand over-indexes with Millennials, multi-cultural consumers and some of the heaviest users in the category. This attractive and loyal consumer base supports high sales per linear foot and higher category sales for our retail customers. By combining our strong relationships with leading retailers with integrated consumer engagement across our e.l.f. stores, e-commerce and social media, we are a true multi-channel brand.
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Our net sales growth in the United States over the last three years was 20 times that of the mass cosmetics category on average. Our net sales still only represented 2.3% of the $ 8 billion U.S. mass cosmetics category in 2015. Our net sales grew from $ 144.9 million in the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined 2014 Period to $ 191.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2015, and, over the same period, our Adjusted EBITDA grew from $ 28.1 million to $ 46.2 million, representing an increase of 32% and 64%, respectively. Over the same period, net income grew from an unaudited pro forma combined net loss of $ 2.9 million to a net profit of $ 4.4 million. In 2015, our Adjusted EBITDA margin was 24% and our net income margin was 2%. 2
Our history
We were founded in 2004 by father-son entrepreneurs Alan and Joey Shamah. Having spent over 30 collective years in the apparel business, they noted the changes being driven by the advent of fast-fashion players. They believed that a similar opportunity existed in cosmetics, where the traditional beauty model of high prices, long product cycles and traditional advertising was out of touch with changing consumer behavior. Utilizing sourcing relationships in China, they rapidly created prestige-inspired products at an affordable price. Bypassing traditional channels, they connected directly with consumers and launched elfcosmetics.com, where the first products sold for $ 1 each.
From those early days onward, we sought to delight our consumers with luxurious beauty at an extraordinary value. Our affordable, on-trend offering coupled with our direct approach resonated with young, diverse makeup enthusiasts, who became loyal e.l.f. consumers and helped build the brand through digital engagement and strong word of mouth. We spent the first few years nurturing this small and loyal consumer base. We grew virally and by 2006 found ourselves with a few hundred thousand orders and a vibrant community that valued our quality, affordable prices and honest approach.
Consumers told us what they did and did not like, as well as what other products they wanted to see from the brand. And we listened. We established deep, genuine connections with our consumers as they informed, inspired and motivated us. We broadened our assortment and expanded our price range up to $ 6 while staying true to our promise to provide extraordinary value relative to comparable prestige products. e.l.f. brought a degree of sophistication that was not present at these price points, and the industry took notewe won our first Allure Best of Beauty award in 2008 for our Shimmering Facial Whip, building credibility behind our promise of affordable, luxurious beauty.
In 2008, Target, a key beauty destination for many consumers, decided to test e.l.f. in its stores. Once at Target, we brought incremental sales to Targets cosmetic category and the highest sales per linear foot across the entire cosmetics department. We believe the Target guest appreciated not having to choose between quality and affordable prices, and the e.l.f. cosmetics brand has exhibited strong sales growth in this account ever since. Over the next several years, we nurtured our vibrant community and expanded our distribution to other leading retailers such as Walmart. We gained chain-wide distribution in Target stores in 2013 and in that same year, we opened our first e.l.f. store to add another dimension to the brand experience and further bring our accessible beauty vision to life.
In January 2014, TPG Growth, a leading global private equity firm, acquired a controlling interest in e.l.f. to further scale and transform the company. Concurrent with the acquisition, Tarang Amin was appointed as CEO. The objective was to grow the business by enhancing the management team, building the e.l.f. brand, driving industry-leading innovation, expanding distribution and improving operational efficiency.
2 | Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are not measurements of financial performance under GAAP. See Summary consolidated financial data for a discussion of Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin and their respective limitations and reconciliations to GAAP measures. |
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Over the past two years, we have made significant investments in our business by adding top talent and building our functional capabilities. We have developed strong consumer relationships and a new brand strategy behind play beautifully; accelerated our first-to-mass innovation capability, including our first category adjacency in skin care; expanded our distribution to approximately 19,000 retail stores, including Walmart, CVS and Old Navy; and significantly strengthened our operations, including transforming our China team and supplier base to deliver even higher quality. Our efforts have made e.l.f. one of the fastest-growing cosmetics companies in the United States. Womens Wear Daily, a leading beauty industry publication, awarded e.l.f. Mass Brand of the Year in 2014 in recognition of our strong growth and impact on the overall cosmetics industry.
We are proud of the progress we have made to date and believe that we are in the early stages of brand development with significant room to grow. Many of the traditional brands in cosmetics have been in business 50 to 100 years. We are still building our brand and customer base and will continue to seek to shift industry paradigms. We aim to make the world a place where women can play beautifully every day.
Our mission
Every word of this mission is meaningful to us. We believe that women should not have to choose between quality and price, so we take great pride in making prestige-inspired cosmetics accessible to all women. We understand our consumers and their desire to do more than look good. We share in their joy of makeup and strive to deliver them the beauty experience they desire. Our mission to play beautifully fosters a deep, authentic connection with our consumer.
Play beautifully is more than a trademarked slogan. It is an invitation to celebrate our consumers love of makeup, passion to explore new products and techniques, and desire to look and feel beautiful every day. From natural to classic to bold, e.l.f. gives our consumers endless possibilities so that they can have fun creating the looks they want.
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The cosmetics industry is large and attractive
We believe that the cosmetics category is highly attractive given its scale, growth dynamics and consumer demand trends. The U.S. and global cosmetics markets generated $ 14 billion and $ 57 billion, respectively, of retail sales in 2015. The cosmetics category primarily consists of face makeup, eye makeup, lip products, nail products and cosmetics sets/kits and excludes beauty tools and accessories such as brushes and applicators.
| Face makeup . Face makeup products include BB/CC creams, blush, bronzer and highlighter, foundation, concealer and powder. Estimated U.S. retail sales of face makeup were $ 5 billion in 2015. |
| Eye makeup . Eye makeup products include eyeliner/pencil, eye shadow and mascara. Estimated U.S. retail sales of eye makeup were $ 4 billion in 2015. |
| Lip products . Lip products include lip gloss, lip liner/pencil and lipstick. Estimated U.S. retail sales of lip products were $ 3 billion in 2015. |
| Nail products . Nail products include nail polish, nail treatments/strengthener and nail polish remover. Estimated U.S. retail sales of nail products were $ 1 billion in 2015. |
| Cosmetics sets/kits . Cosmetics sets/kits include multiple cosmetics items of the same brand line packaged together in a set and priced at an advantageous price compared to purchasing the items separately. Estimated U.S. retail sales of cosmetics sets/kits were $ 1 billion in 2015. |
The following chart illustrates cosmetics sales in the United States by product type in 2015:
U.S. Cosmetics Retail Sales by Product 2015
Source: Euromonitor International Limited
The cosmetics category has experienced strong growth both in the United States and globally. In the United States, retail sales increased from $ 11 billion in 2010 to $ 14 billion in 2015, representing a CAGR of 5%, with each product category driving growth. Globally, retail sales increased from $ 43 billion in 2010 to $ 57 billion in 2015, representing a CAGR of 5%. Drivers of growth include innovation and new product launches, which span from new formulations that enhance performance, feel and fragrance, to new colors, delivery forms and packaging.
Cosmetics appeal broadly to women of all ages and ethnic groups, with penetration reaching 82% of U.S. women in 2014. Given the importance of cosmetics in a womans daily regimen and the availability of products across price points, the category has demonstrated resiliency through economic cycles. For example, during the most recent recessionary period of 2008 to 2009, the cosmetics category remained stable while broader gross domestic product declined 3%. We expect cosmetics to continue to be among the fastest growing and most consistent consumer categories.
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Channels
Cosmetics are broadly sold through food, drug, and mass channels, which accounted for 46% of U.S. cosmetics retail sales in 2015. Cosmetics are also distributed through department stores, direct and specialty channels accounting for 27%, 20% and 7% of retail sales, respectively, in 2015. The following chart illustrates cosmetics retail sales in the United States by channel in 2015:
U.S. Cosmetics Retail Sales by Channel 2015
Source: Euromonitor International Limited data, Company channel definitions
FDM stores are typically considered to be the mass channel and include a diverse set of retailers, including grocery retailers such as Kroger, drug retailers such as CVS and mass merchandisers such as Target and Walmart. This channel is a key beauty destination for many consumers that seek affordable cosmetics and find that the large store footprints and multi-category offerings provide added convenience. From 2010 to 2015, cosmetics retail sales in FDM stores grew at a 4% CAGR.
Department stores typically utilize an assisted sales model for selling prestige cosmetics: products are stored in locked cabinets and consumers must ask a store associate to hand them products they would like to purchase. In this channel, store associates are able to provide beauty advice, product recommendations and facilitate product trial. From 2010 to 2015, cosmetics retail sales in department stores grew at a 7% CAGR.
The specialty channel includes multi-brand beauty retailers such as Sephora and Ulta. The cosmetics specialty channel also includes mono-brand beauty retailers such as e.l.f., Benefit Cosmetics and MAC Cosmetics. While beauty specialty retailers utilize an open sell model in which consumers are able to directly select product from shelves, stores are also staffed by sales associates who are able to provide advice, recommendations and promote product trial. In addition, many also offer salon services such as brow bars and spa services such as facials. Some specialty retailers in apparel and other segments, such as Old Navy, also offer cosmetics. From 2010 to 2015, cosmetics retail sales in specialty channels grew at a 3% CAGR.
The direct channel includes e-commerce, home shopping and direct selling. e-commerce sales accounted for 10% of the U.S. cosmetics market in 2015. From 2010 to 2015, while retail sales in the direct channel grew at a 6% CAGR, e-commerce sales grew at a 15% CAGR, three times the rate of the broader cosmetics category. We believe that beauty bloggers, social media and other online content enable consumers to be educated about cosmetics online and that growth rates in this channel will continue to outpace the broader category.
e.l.f. participates in the FDM, specialty and direct channels and has a strong track record of delivering above category average growth.
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Market segments
In the United States, the cosmetics category traditionally has been separated into two discrete segmentsprestige and masswhich generally represent higher and lower price points and are associated with certain channels. The following chart illustrates cosmetics sales in the United States by market segment in 2015:
U.S. Cosmetics Retail Sales by Segment 2015
Source: Euromonitor International Limited
Prestige products, which accounted for 42% of U.S. cosmetics retail sales in 2015, are characterized by higher price points and are typically sold in department stores and in high-end specialty stores such as Sephora. They have historically been at the forefront of quality and innovation in the category but remain too expensive for many consumers in the United States, where the average disposable personal income is less than $ 15,000. From 2010 to 2015, retail sales in the prestige segment grew at a 9% CAGR.
Mass products, which generated 58% of 2015 U.S. cosmetics retail sales, are more affordable than their prestige counterparts but generally have not delivered the same level of quality or innovation. They are more broadly available than prestige products given their presence in FDM and direct channels. From 2010 to 2015, retail sales in the mass segment grew at a 3% CAGR.
We believe that a paradigm shift has occurred in cosmetics: todays cosmetics consumer is increasingly connected and informed, and purchasing decisions are often influenced by friends, beauty bloggers, social media and other online content. These sources provide consumers easy access to a breadth and depth of information formerly only available from beauty experts in assisted sales environments. The growth of specialty retailers like Ulta that carry both mass and prestige products has blurred the lines between segments and influenced consumers perceptions of each. As a result, consumers have shown a propensity to seek the most innovative products across prestige and mass to maximize their experience and budget.
Competitive landscape
The cosmetics industry is relatively concentrated. In 2015, over 60% of cosmetics retail sales in the United States were generated by brands owned by LOreal S.A., The Estee Lauder Companies Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company, Revlon Inc. and Shiseido Company, Limited. These large multinational companies own many brands across mass and prestige cosmetics. Of the nearly 30 cosmetics brands with retail sales exceeding $ 100 million in the United States in 2015, e.l.f. is one of only four that are independent. In addition to the traditional brands against which we compete, small independent companies continue to enter the market with new brands and customized product offerings. At less than 1% of total cosmetics retail sales, there is low private-label penetration in this highly branded category.
Among other areas, we believe that we compete against other cosmetics brands on price, quality of products and packaging, perceived value, innovation, in-store presence and visibility, and e-commerce and mobile commerce initiatives. e.l.f.s share of the U.S. mass cosmetics market was 2.3% in 2015, ranking us as the eighth largest mass cosmetics brand in the United States excluding brands primarily focused on nails.
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In 2015, e.l.f.s retail sales grew at 43%, which is almost five times faster than the next fastest top-10 mass cosmetics brand based on size, excluding brands primarily focused on nails, as illustrated by the chart below:
2015 Sales Growth for Top 10 U.S. Mass Cosmetics Brands Based on Size (1)
Source: e.l.f. retail sales growth rate per Nielsen and e.l.f. internal data; other brands retail sales growth rates per Euromonitor
(1) | Excludes Sally Hansen, which is primarily a nail brand. |
Our strategic differentiation: how e.l.f. helps women to play beautifully
We are driven by what todays cosmetics consumer wantsan assortment of high-quality, prestige-inspired cosmetics at extraordinary value. We do not define ourselves as strictly mass or prestige, or limit our product availability to select channels. Through our modern consumer engagement and responsive innovation model, we interact with our consumers instead of broadcasting at them. This allows us to stay in tune with their needs and build trust and loyalty. Our business model has multiple areas of competitive advantage: