Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration Nos. 333-188185 and 333-188607

LOGO

 

PROSPECTUS

Certain stockholders of Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc., including certain of our officers, directors and affiliates identified in this prospectus, are offering 8,673,900 shares of our common stock. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares to be offered in this offering.

Our shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RH.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on May 14, 2013 was $52.45 per share.

8,673,900 Shares of Common Stock

Investing in our common stock involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 16 of this prospectus.

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.

Public Offering Price Total $50.00 per share $433,695,000

Underwriting Discount (1) Total $2.125 per share $18,432,037

Proceeds (before expenses, to the selling stockholders) Total $47.875 per share $415,262,963

(1) We will pay the ?ling fee and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and disbursements) incident to securing any required review by the Federal Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. of the sale of the shares of our common stock. See “Underwriting”.

The date of this prospectus is May 14, 2013.

The underwriters may also exercise their option to purchase up to an additional 1,301,085 shares from the selling stockholders, at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, for 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

The shares will be ready for delivery on or about:

May 20, 2013

BofA Merrill Lynch

Baird William Blair

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Piper Jaffray Stifel


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LOGO

 

WE’RE NOT RETAILERS

WE’RE CURATORS

WE DON’T HAVE STORES

WE HAVE GALLERIES

WE’RE NOT JUST A BRAND

WE’RE A MOVEMENT

WE’RE NOT JUST A COMPANY

WE’RE A CAUSE

WE HAVE A CLEAR VISION OF WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE’RE GOING. TAKE A SEAT. BUT DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Basis of Presentation

     ii   

Prospectus Summary

     1   

Risk Factors

     16   

Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data

     38   

Use of Proceeds

     40   

Market Price for Common Stock

     41   

Dividend Policy

     42   

Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

     43   

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     51   

Business

     76   

Management

     96   

Executive Compensation

     104   

Principal and Selling Stockholders

     121   

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

     124   

Description of Certain Indebtedness

     129   

Description of Capital Stock

     131   

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

     135   

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to Non-U.S. Holders

     137   

Underwriting

     141   

Legal Matters

     147   

Experts

     147   

Where You Can Find More Information

     148   

Index To Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-1   

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus that we authorize to be delivered to you. Neither we nor the selling stockholders or underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with additional, different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

 

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION

We use a 52 – 53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to January 31. Fiscal years are identified in this prospectus according to the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which they end. For example, references to “2012,” “fiscal 2012” or similar references refer to the fiscal year ended February 2, 2013.

All of the outstanding capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. was acquired on June 16, 2008, by Home Holdings, LLC, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Acquisition.” Home Holdings’ equity interests are held by (i) CP Home Holdings, LLC, an investment entity managed by funds affiliated with Catterton Management Company, LLC, (ii) Tower Three Home LLC, an investment fund managed by Tower Three Partners, LLC, and (iii) funds affiliated with Glenhill Capital Management LLC. In this prospectus, we refer to CP Home Holdings, LLC and its affiliated funds as “Catterton,” we refer to Tower Three Home LLC and its affiliated funds as “Tower Three” and we refer to Glenhill Capital Management LLC and its affiliated funds as “Glenhill.” As a result of the Acquisition, a new basis of accounting was created beginning June 17, 2008. In this prospectus, the periods prior to the Acquisition are referred to as the “Predecessor” periods and the periods after the Acquisition are referred to as the “Successor” periods. The Predecessor periods presented in this prospectus for 2008 include the period from February 3, 2008 through June 16, 2008, reflecting approximately 19 weeks of operations, and the Successor periods presented in this prospectus for 2008 include the period from June 17, 2008 through January 31, 2009, reflecting approximately 33 weeks of operations. Due to the Acquisition, the financial statements presented in this prospectus for the Successor periods are not comparable to those of the Predecessor periods.

In this prospectus, when we refer to “store level cash contribution margin,” we mean store net revenues less product costs and cash operating costs related to store operations, divided by store net revenues.

In this prospectus, when we refer to “store demand” in a market, we mean the dollar value of orders booked by customers associated with that particular location for the specified period.

In this prospectus, when we refer to “direct demand” in a market, we mean the dollar value of orders booked by customers through catalogs and e-commerce in that market for the specified period.

In this prospectus, when we refer to “GAAP,” we mean accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights some of the key information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. You should read the following summary together with the entire prospectus carefully, including “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the more detailed information regarding our Company and the common stock being sold in this offering, as well as our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our common stock. Some of the statements in this prospectus constitute forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data.”

Except where the context otherwise requires or where otherwise indicated, the terms “Restoration Hardware,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our Company” and “our business” refer, prior to the Reorganization discussed below, to Restoration Hardware, Inc. and, after the Reorganization, to Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc., in each case together with its consolidated subsidiaries, including Restoration Hardware, Inc., as a combined entity. The term “Restoration Hardware Holdings” refers to Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. and the term “Home Holdings” refers to Home Holdings, LLC, and, in each case, not to any of their subsidiaries.

Our Company

We believe RH is one of the most innovative and fastest growing luxury brands in the home furnishings marketplace. We believe our brand stands alone and is redefining this highly fragmented and growing market, contributing to our superior sales growth and market share gains over the past several years as compared to industry growth rates. Our ability to innovate, curate and integrate products, categories, services and businesses with a completely authentic and distinctive point of view, then rapidly scale them across our fully integrated multi-channel infrastructure is a powerful platform for continued long-term growth. We evolved our brand to become RH, positioning our Company to curate a lifestyle beyond the four walls of the home. Our unique product development, go-to-market and supply chain capabilities, together with our significant scale, enable us to offer a compelling combination of design, quality and value that we believe is unparalleled in the marketplace.

Our business is fully integrated across our multiple channels of distribution, consisting of our stores, catalogs and websites. As of May 10, 2013, we operated a total of 70 retail stores, consisting of 62 Galleries, 5 Full Line Design Galleries and 3 Baby & Child Galleries, as well as 14 outlet stores throughout the United States and Canada. In fiscal 2012, we distributed approximately 32.7 million Source Books, and our websites logged over 18.9 million unique visits.

Over the last several years, we have achieved strong growth in sales and profitability, as illustrated by the following:

 

   

From fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2012, we increased our net revenues 91% to $1,193 million, our adjusted EBITDA 449% to $96.6 million and our adjusted EBITDA margin by 530 basis points to 8.1%.

 

   

From fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2012, we increased our adjusted net income by $56.2 million from an adjusted net loss of $18.5 million to adjusted net income of $37.7 million. Over the same time period, our GAAP net loss decreased from $28.7 million to a net loss of $12.8 million.

 

   

We have achieved 12 consecutive quarters of double-digit net revenue growth through our fiscal quarter ended February 2, 2013. We achieved this growth as we reduced our store base from 95 retail locations as of January 30, 2010 to 71 locations as of February 2, 2013.

See “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” for a discussion of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss), and a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) to net income (loss).

 

 

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Our Competitive Strengths

We attribute our success to the following competitive strengths:

Our Market-Redefining Luxury Brand. We believe RH stands alone as a leading luxury brand of inspired design, and is redefining the highly fragmented home furnishings market by offering a compelling combination of design, quality and value. We believe we are changing the home furnishings landscape by attracting affluent consumers from designer showrooms and high-end boutiques, as well as aspirational consumers trading up from department stores and other home furnishings retailers. In a market characterized by smaller, independent competitors, we believe our luxury positioning, superior quality and significant scale enable us to grow our market share.

Our Unique Development Model. We believe our unique approach to the development of new products, categories and services enables us to gain market share, adapt our business to emerging trends, stay relevant with our customers and enter into new businesses that leverage our strengths. The foundation of our unique development model is:

 

   

Innovation. We are dedicated to offering products and services that push established boundaries. The scope of our innovation is demonstrated in every aspect of our organization, including in our products and services, our stores and presentation, our channel-agnostic go-to-market strategy and our fully integrated supply chain and systems infrastructure.

 

   

Curation. At our core we are not designers, rather we are curators and composers of inspired design and experiences. We travel the world in search of people, ideas, items, experiences and inspiration, and then create a composition that is unique and entirely our own.

 

   

Integration. Everything we curate and compose must be beautifully and intelligently integrated, enhancing the appeal of our offering and experience. This process involves both “art and science” as we integrate new products, categories, services and businesses that enhance our existing offering, and as our supporting functions and infrastructure are integrated to achieve our goals.

Our ability to innovate, curate and integrate products, categories, services and businesses, then rapidly scale them across our fully integrated multi-channel infrastructure is a powerful platform for continued long-term growth.

Our Superior Capabilities. Our product development and multi-channel go-to-market capabilities, together with our fully integrated infrastructure and significant scale, enable us to offer a compelling combination of design, quality and value that we believe is unparalleled in the marketplace.

 

   

Highly Differentiated Product Development Capabilities. We have established a cross-functional organization centered on product leadership, with teams that collaborate across functions and work closely with our network of artisan partners. Our product development platform and significant scale have enabled us to introduce an increasing number of new products with each collection and dramatically shorten our product lead times, while allowing us to offer greater value to our customers.

 

   

Multi-Channel Go-To-Market Ability. We pursue a market-based rather than a channel-based sales strategy, where we size our stores to the potential of the area that each location serves and leverage our direct channels to provide access to our complete product offering. This approach is designed to enhance the customer experience, generate greater sales, increase our market share and deliver higher returns on invested capital.

 

   

Fully Integrated Infrastructure. Our infrastructure is integrated across our channels, providing strong direct sourcing capabilities, a centrally managed inventory and a reconfigured distribution network and new order management, warehouse management and point-of-sale systems. We believe our sophisticated operating platform provides us with significant capabilities to support our future growth.

 

 

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Our High-Performance Culture and Team. We have built a high-performance organization driven by a company-wide commitment to our core values of People, Quality, Service and Innovation. We believe our leadership team, led by our Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Alberini, is a key driver of our success and positions us to execute our long-term growth strategy. We also benefit from the vision and advice of Gary Friedman, our Chairman Emeritus, Creator and Curator.

Our Growth Strategy

Key elements of our growth strategy are to:

Transform Our Real Estate Platform. We believe we have an opportunity to significantly increase our sales by transforming our real estate platform from our existing retail footprint to a portfolio focused on Full Line Design Galleries. Our Full Line Design Galleries are sized based on the market potential and the size of our assortment. We currently have five Full Line Design Galleries that average approximately 21,600 selling square feet, more than three times the size of our average Gallery. Our Full Line Design Galleries allow consumers to experience a broader merchandise assortment in a highly differentiated retail setting. We have found that we experience higher sales across all of our channels when we showcase more of our assortment. We have identified approximately 50 key metropolitan markets where we can open new Full Line Design Galleries in iconic or high profile locations that are representative of our luxury brand positioning. We believe, based on our analysis of the market, that we have the opportunity to more than double our current selling square footage in the United States and Canada over the next 5 to 10 years as we transform our real estate platform by opening Full Line Design Galleries in these 50 identified markets.

We opened our first five Full Line Design Galleries in Los Angeles in June 2011, Houston in November 2011, Scottsdale in November 2012 and Boston and Indianapolis, both in April 2013. In the Los Angeles and Houston markets, store demand increased by approximately 90% and 60%, respectively, and direct demand increased by approximately 30% and 45%, respectively, in the first full year of operations of those Full Line Design Galleries. In the Scottsdale market, we experienced a greater than 85% increase in store demand and a greater than 60% increase in direct demand during the months from the store’s opening in November 2012 through the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2013. We plan to open new Full Line Design Galleries in Greenwich and Atlanta and we have identified locations and are in active lease discussions in approximately 20 markets including New York City, Chicago, Miami, Denver, Dallas and San Diego.

Expand Our Offering and Increase Our Market Share. We participate in the domestic housewares and home furnishings market, that based on our research we believe represented $143 billion in sales in 2010. Our annual net revenues currently represent less than 1% of this market, and we believe we have a significant opportunity to increase our market share by:

 

   

Growing our merchandise assortment and introducing new products and categories, including current initiatives in furniture, rugs, lighting, tableware, children’s furnishings and decorative accessories;

 

   

Expanding our service offerings, including interior design, product customization and gift registry services; and

 

   

Exploring and testing new business opportunities complementary to our core business that leverage our defining strengths of taste, style and innovation, such as the recent launch of our Contemporary Art business.

Increase Brand Awareness. We will continue to increase our brand awareness and customer loyalty through our real estate transformation, our circulation strategy, our digital marketing initiatives, and our increased advertising and public relations efforts. Our stores are a critical branding vehicle and we believe the transformation of our real estate platform to a portfolio focused on Full Line Design Galleries will contribute to

 

 

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increased brand awareness as our customers experience an enhanced expression of our luxury brand positioning. Our Source Books and other catalogs are also an important branding and advertising vehicle. Our Source Book strategy has contributed to an 81% increase in the number of catalog pages circulated and a 30% increase in net revenues for our direct business in fiscal 2012.

Pursue International Expansion. We plan to strategically expand our business into select countries outside of the United States and Canada over the next several years. We believe that our luxury brand positioning and unique aesthetic will have strong international appeal.

Increase Operating Margins. We have the opportunity to continue to improve our operating margins by leveraging our fixed occupancy costs and scalable infrastructure. We believe that our real estate transformation, specifically consolidating multiple Galleries into single Full Line Design Galleries, will allow us to better leverage our fixed occupancy costs.

For a discussion of risks that could adversely affect our growth strategies, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business.”

Our High-Performance Culture

Our culture is driven by our management team, which instills a company-wide commitment to our core values of People, Quality, Service and Innovation. We believe our distinct corporate culture allows us to attract highly talented team members who are passionate and driven and who share our vision.

Evolution of Our Business

In 2001, we began to reposition Restoration Hardware from a nostalgic, discovery-items business to a leading home furnishings brand. Over the last twelve years, we built a new company as we:

 

   

Elevated our brand positioning;

 

   

Enhanced our product development process;

 

   

Refined our go-to-market strategy;

 

   

Reconceptualized our stores and developed our Full Line Design Gallery format;

 

   

Built a new supply chain and systems infrastructure; and

 

   

Strengthened our management team.

We believe these initiatives have contributed to our recent strong performance and increased profitability, and position us for sustained growth and profitability.

Our Market

We participate in the large and growing domestic housewares and home furnishings market. Based on our research, we believe this market generated $143 billion in retail sales in 2010 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3% – 4% between 2011 and 2015. Our annual net revenues currently represent less than 1% of this market, providing us with a substantial opportunity to gain market share.

According to Euromonitor International, a market research and analysis firm, the U.S. housewares and home furnishings market is highly fragmented. The top 20 companies comprised only 20% of the total market in 2008, with the largest player representing less than 3% of the total market. As a result of the weakening housing market and economic downturn in 2007, many home furnishings retailers were forced to close stores, dramatically scale

 

 

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back operations or lower prices. While our sales results were also adversely affected during this period, this disruption also created an opportunity for us to differentiate our brand in the marketplace. We believe we are well positioned to gain market share in the current competitive environment as a result of our compelling combination of design, quality and value.

We target households with incomes of $200,000 and higher, which we believe drive a disproportionate share of spending in the home furnishings market. We believe that these consumers are highly attractive as they tend to be less impacted by an economic downturn and return to spending more quickly in an economic recovery.

Recent Developments

For the first quarter of fiscal 2013, ended May 4, 2013, we estimate net revenues in the range of $295 million to $300 million, representing 35% to 38% growth over the same period in the prior year. Comparable store sales growth for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 is expected to be 41%, on top of the 26% comparable store sales growth in the first quarter of fiscal 2012. Adjusted net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, excluding the impact of variable non-cash stock-based compensation charges of $3.3 million and $0.7 million of costs related to this offering net of estimated taxes of $1.4 million to $1.5 million, is expected to be in the range of $0.9 million to $1.5 million. Adjusted diluted earnings per share on the same basis is expected to be in the range of $0.02 to $0.04. On a GAAP basis, net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 is expected to be in the range of a loss of $1.8 million to a loss of $1.1 million and diluted earnings per share on the same basis is expected to be in the range of ($0.05) to ($0.03).

This financial information for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 is preliminary. Accordingly, we have not completed our normal quarter-end closing and review procedures. The results for this first fiscal quarter will be subject to quarter-end closing procedures and/or adjustments and should not be viewed as a substitute for full interim financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and reviewed by our auditors. These preliminary results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be achieved for the remainder of fiscal 2013 or any future period. This preliminary financial data has been prepared by, and is the responsibility of, our management. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the accompanying preliminary financial data. Accordingly, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. See “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” for a discussion of adjusted net income.

 

Summary Risk Factors

We are subject to a number of risks, including risks that may prevent us from achieving our business objectives or that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects. You should carefully consider the following risks, including the risks discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” before investing in our common stock:

 

   

Growth in our business may not be sustained and may not generate a corresponding improvement in our results of operations.

 

   

If we fail to successfully anticipate consumer preferences and demand, or to manage our inventory commensurate with demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

   

Our growth strategy and performance depend on our ability to purchase our merchandise in sufficient quantities at competitive prices, including our products that are produced by artisans and specialty vendors, and any disruptions we experience in our ability to obtain our products in a timely fashion or in the quantities required could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

   

We are undertaking a large number of business initiatives at the same time and if these initiatives are not successful, they may have a negative impact on our operating results.

 

 

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If any of our vendors is not able to meet our product requirements, we may not be able to develop relationships with new alternative vendors to replace those product requirements in a timely and satisfactory manner, which could lead to product shortages and customer backorders, which could harm our business.

 

   

We do not have exclusive relationships with most of our vendors, and there is a risk that our vendors may sell similar or identical products to our competitors, which could harm our business.

 

   

We may not have adequate remedies with our vendors for defective merchandise, which could damage our reputation and brand image and harm our business.

 

   

Changes in consumer spending or the housing market may significantly harm our revenue and results of operations.

 

   

If we lose key personnel or are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our business may be harmed.

 

   

Our operations have significant liquidity and capital requirements and depend on the availability of adequate financing on reasonable terms, and if we are unable to borrow sufficient capital, it could have a significant negative effect on our business.

 

   

A number of factors that affect our ability to successfully open new stores within the time frames we initially target or to optimize our store footprint are beyond our control, and these factors may harm our ability to execute our strategy of sizing stores to the potential of the market, which may negatively affect our results of operations.

 

   

Our operating results are subject to quarterly and seasonal fluctuations, and results for any quarter may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.

 

   

Our business depends in part on a strong brand image. We continue to invest in the development of our brand and the marketing of our business, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand or market our product offerings, we may be unable to attract a sufficient number of customers or sell sufficient quantities of our products.

 

   

We are exploring opportunities to expand into new categories or complementary businesses. If we are not successful in these new categories or business areas, it may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and our reputation.

 

   

Our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, recently resigned from these positions and as a director of the Company, following an investigation by a special committee of non-management directors of the board. There can be no assurance that this transition will not have an adverse impact on us.

Principal Equity Holders

Home Holdings’ equity interests are held by funds affiliated with Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill. In this prospectus, we refer to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill as our “Principal Equity Holders.”

Home Holdings is the single largest holder of our common stock. We entered into a stockholders agreement with Home Holdings in connection with our initial public offering. The stockholders agreement (and our certificate of incorporation) provide for a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine with respect to Home Holdings and its affiliates, including the Principal Equity Holders. If Home Holdings or its affiliates, including the Principal Equity Holders, participate in any such corporate opportunity, Thomas Mottola and Barry Sternlicht, two of our directors, will also be afforded a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine in connection

 

 

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with any participation by them in any such corporate opportunity. The stockholders agreement provides that, for so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, Home Holdings shall have the right to nominate a majority of the members of our board of directors and as long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, Home Holdings shall have the right to nominate two members of our board of directors. Home Holdings currently has designated two directors to our board of directors, one of which is designated by Catterton and one of which is designated by Tower Three. For so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders own a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, no action may be taken or vote approved by our board of directors or any committee thereof (other than the audit committee or any other committee of directors that may be created with the approval of Home Holdings as not being subject to this provision) without the affirmative vote of the Catterton and Tower Three designated directors. In addition, for so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, certain actions may not be taken without the approval of Home Holdings. Home Holdings will no longer hold a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock after consummation of this offering.

Catterton. Catterton is a leading private equity firm with an exclusive focus on providing equity capital in support of small to middle-market consumer companies that are positioned for attractive growth. Since its founding in 1989, Catterton has invested in approximately 80 companies and led equity investments totaling over $3.3 billion. Currently, Catterton is actively managing more than $2.5 billion of equity capital focused on all sectors of the consumer industry: food, beverage, retail, restaurants, consumer products, consumer services and media and marketing services. Catterton’s combination of investment capital, strategic operating skills and industry network has enabled it to become a highly sought after firm within this industry.

Tower Three. Tower Three is an operationally-focused private equity fund formed to create a concentrated portfolio of investments in U.S.-based middle-market businesses. Tower Three’s professionals are experienced with operational management, financial restructuring, private equity and credit markets. With long-term committed capital from major institutional investors, Tower Three has the flexibility to participate in a variety of transactions.

Glenhill. Glenhill is a privately owned investment partnership that invests primarily in public equity markets internationally. Founded in 2001, Glenhill is led by Glenn J. Krevlin, who has served as the managing member of Krevlin Advisors, LLC, an investment management firm, which is the general partner of Glenhill.

Funds affiliated with Catterton and Tower Three invested in Home Holdings in order to fund Home Holdings’ acquisition of Restoration Hardware, Inc. Funds associated with Glenhill acquired their interests in Home Holdings pursuant to a rollover agreement, pursuant to which such funds agreed to contribute a portion of their shares of Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s common stock in exchange for a pro rata equity interest in Home Holdings. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Our Principal Equity Holders are also in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Our Principal Equity Holders may also pursue acquisition opportunities that are complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. See “Risk Factors—Home Holdings, Catterton and Tower Three continue to have significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and their interests in our business may be different from yours.

 

 

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Corporate and Other Information

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. Our corporate headquarters is located at 15 Koch Road, Suite J, Corte Madera, CA 94925. Our telephone number is (415) 924-1005. Our principal website addresses are www.restorationhardware.com and www.rh.com. We also operate a website for our Baby & Child brand at www.rhbabyandchild.com. The information on any of our websites is not deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus or to be part of this prospectus.

This prospectus includes our trademarks, such as “Restoration Hardware,” “RH” and “Restoration Hardware Baby & Child,” which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Restoration Hardware. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM 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 and trade names.

 

 

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The Offering

 

Common stock offered by the selling stockholders

8,673,900 shares

 

Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering

38,142,135 shares

 

Use of proceeds

The selling stockholders, which include certain of our officers, directors and employees, will receive all of the proceeds from this offering and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares in this offering. See “Principal and Selling Stockholders.”

 

Principal stockholders

Immediately following the completion of this offering, Home Holdings will own 18,340,340 shares, or 47.2%, of our outstanding common stock (such percentage calculation includes in the number of outstanding shares 737,507 outstanding unvested shares not held by Home Holdings). Of that amount, Catterton will beneficially own 8,332,376 shares, or 21.5%, of our outstanding common stock, Tower Three will beneficially own 7,859,148 shares, or 20.2%, of our outstanding common stock and Glenhill will beneficially own 2,148,816 shares, or 5.5%, of our outstanding common stock.

 

  Home Holdings has certain approval rights. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement.”

 

Dividend policy

We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business, and therefore we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. We are a holding company, and substantially all of our operations are carried out by our subsidiary, Restoration Hardware, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s ability to pay dividends to us is limited by the terms of its credit agreement, which may in turn limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred securities of ours or of our subsidiaries. See “Dividend Policy.”

 

Risk factors

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 16 of this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in our common stock.

 

Symbol for trading on the NYSE

“RH”

 

 

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Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus relating to the shares outstanding as of May 14, 2013:

 

   

includes 38,142,135 shares of common stock outstanding as of May 14, 2013;

 

   

excludes an aggregate of 737,507 shares of unvested common stock issued to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman under the Restoration Hardware 2012 Equity Replacement Plan, which we refer to as the Replacement Plan, in connection with the Reorganization, which shares begin to vest during the 36-month period following our initial public offering when the ten-day trailing price of our common stock exceeds a price per share of $37.92 per share for at least ten consecutive trading days, and such shares shall fully vest when the price our common stock reaches a price per share of $46.50 for at least ten consecutive trading days (with proportional vesting in between);

 

   

excludes options to purchase an aggregate of 1,374,412 shares of our common stock granted under the Restoration Hardware 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (which we refer to as the 2012 Stock Incentive Plan), with a weighted-average exercise price equal to $27.38 per share (the shares issuable upon exercise of these options are subject to selling restrictions that will lapse over time);

 

   

excludes options to purchase an aggregate of 875,389 shares of our common stock granted under the Restoration Hardware 2012 Stock Option Plan, which we refer to as the Option Plan, with an exercise price of $29.00 per share (the shares issuable upon exercise of these options are subject to selling restrictions that will lapse over time);

 

   

excludes options to purchase an aggregate of 5,953,652 shares of our common stock granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman under the Option Plan, with an exercise price per share of $46.50, with restrictions on sale that will lapse in increments when our stock price reaches specified levels ranging from $50.75 to $111.25;

 

   

excludes 41,713 restricted stock units granted under the 2012 Stock Incentive Plan;

 

   

excludes 4,350,844 additional shares of common stock reserved for future grants under the 2012 Stock Incentive Plan; and

 

   

assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 1,301,085 additional shares from the selling stockholders.

 

 

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Summary Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

The following tables present Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.’s summary historical consolidated financial and operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. was formed as a Delaware corporation on August 18, 2011. On November 7, 2012, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. completed an initial public offering and acquired all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. In connection with the initial public offering, common stock of Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. was issued to Home Holdings and in replacement of prior unit awards under the Team Resto Ownership Plan. These transactions are referred to as the “Reorganization.” Prior to the Reorganization, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. had not engaged in any business or other activities except in connection with its formation and the Reorganization. Accordingly, all financial and other information herein relating to periods prior to the completion of the Reorganization is that of Restoration Hardware, Inc.

All of the outstanding capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. was acquired on June 16, 2008, by Home Holdings, which we refer to in this prospectus as the “Acquisition.”

The summary consolidated financial data for the fiscal years ended January 29, 2011, January 28, 2012, February 2, 2013 and as of February 2, 2013, were derived from Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated financial data for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2010 was derived from Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements for such year not included herein.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our accounting policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense which has been applied retrospectively to the periods presented below. For further discussion, see footnote 1 to the table below.

The summary historical consolidated data presented below should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and other financial data included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

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     Year Ended  
     January 30,
2010
    January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
    February 2,
2013
 
    

(dollars in thousands, excluding share, per share and

per square foot data)

 

Statement of Operations Data:

        

Net revenues

   $ 625,685      $ 772,752      $ 958,084      $ 1,193,046   

Cost of goods sold

     412,629        501,132        601,735        756,597   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     213,056        271,620        356,349        436,449   

Selling, general and administrative expenses (1)

     238,889        274,836        329,506        505,485   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (25,833     (3,216     26,843        (69,036

Interest expense

     (3,241     (3,150     (5,134     (5,776
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (29,074     (6,366     21,709        (74,812

Income tax expense (benefit) (2)

     (423     685        1,121        (62,023
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   $ (28,651   $ (7,051   $ 20,588      $ (12,789
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of basic and diluted shares outstanding

     100        100        468        9,428,828   

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share

   $ (286,510   $ (70,510   $ 43,991      $ (1.36

Other Financial and Operating Data:

        

Growth in net revenues:

        

Stores (3)

     (6 )%      15     22     20

Direct

     (15 )%      37     27     30

Total

     (10 )%      24     24     25

Retail (4):

        

Comparable store sales change (5)

     (7 )%      19     25     28

Retail stores open at end of period

     95        91        74        71   

Total leased square footage at end of period (in thousands)

     1,015        970        808        768   

Total leased selling square footage at end of period (in thousands) (6)

     642        613        516        501   

Retail sales per leased selling square foot (7)

   $ 525      $ 635      $ 846      $ 1,143   

Direct:

        

Catalogs circulated (in thousands) (8)

     31,336        46,507        26,052        32,712   

Catalog pages circulated (in millions) (8)

     4,418        6,260        8,848        16,029   

Direct as a percentage of net revenues (9)

     39     43     44     46

Capital expenditures

   $ 2,024      $ 39,907      $ 25,593      $ 49,058   

Adjusted EBITDA (10)

   $ 17,596      $ 41,097      $ 80,154      $ 96,571   

Adjusted net income (loss) (10)

   $ (18,483   $ 3,025      $ 26,451      $ 37,739   

Pro forma diluted weighted-average shares used in calculating adjusted diluted net income per share (11)

           37,242,178   

Adjusted diluted net income per share (10)

         $ 1.01   

 

 

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     As of February 2, 2013  
     (in thousands)  

Balance Sheet Data:

  

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 8,354   

Working capital (excluding cash and cash equivalents) (12)

   $ 267,905   

Total assets

   $ 789,613   

Revolving line of credit

   $ 82,501   

Term loan

     —     

Total debt (including current portion) (13)

   $ 87,029   

Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 451,611   

 

(1) In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense from the graded method of accounting to the straight-line method of accounting for our pre-Reorganization time-based units (or service-only awards). This change in accounting had the same impact on our selling, general and administrative expenses and net income (loss) for all periods presented. The table below presents the impact to our net income (loss) as a result of this change in accounting policy. The impact to fiscal 2009 was immaterial and there was no impact for years prior to 2009. See Note 3–Change in Accounting Principle–Stock-Based Compensation to our audited consolidated financial statements.

 

     Year Ended  
     January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)—as reported

   $ (8,074   $ 20,341   

Change in accounting policy adjustment

     1,023        247   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)—as revised

   $ (7,051   $ 20,588   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(2) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits (adjusted for permanent differences) for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods, provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the three and twelve months ended February 2, 2013, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance of $57.2 million against net deferred tax assets.
(3) Stores data represents retail stores plus outlet stores.
(4) Retail data has been calculated based upon our retail stores and excludes our outlet stores.
(5) Comparable store sales have been calculated based upon retail stores that were open at least fourteen full months as of the end of the reporting period and did not change square footage by more than 20% between periods. If a store is closed for seven days during a month, that month will be excluded from comparable store sales. Comparable store net revenues exclude revenues from outlet stores. Because fiscal 2012 was a 53-week year, comparable store sales percentage for fiscal 2012 excludes the extra week of sales.
(6) Leased selling square footage is retail space at our stores used to sell our products. Leased selling square footage excludes backrooms at retail stores used for storage office space or similar matters. Leased selling square footage excludes exterior sales space located outside a store, such as courtyards, gardens and rooftops. Leased selling square footage for fiscal 2010, fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 includes approximately 4,500 square feet related to one owned store location.
(7) Retail sales per leased selling square foot is calculated by dividing total net revenues for all retail stores, comparable and non-comparable, by the average leased selling square footage for the period.
(8) The catalogs and catalog pages circulated from period to period do not take into account different page sizes per catalog distributed. Page sizes and page counts vary for different catalog mailings and we sometimes mail different versions of a catalog at the same time. Accordingly, period to period comparisons of catalogs circulated and catalog pages circulated do not take these variations into account.

 

 

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(9) Direct revenues include sales through our catalogs and websites.
(10) EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted net income per share are supplemental measures of financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define EBITDA as consolidated net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes. We define adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss), adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. We define adjusted diluted net income per share as adjusted net income divided by our pro forma diluted weighted-average shares as of February 2, 2013. Reconciliations of these measures to the equivalent measures under GAAP are set forth below in “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data.”

We believe that EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income are useful measures of operating performance, as they eliminate expenses that are not reflective of the underlying business performance, facilitate a comparison of our operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provide for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. We also use adjusted EBITDA as one of the primary methods for planning and forecasting overall expected performance and for evaluating on a quarterly and annual basis actual results against such expectations, and as the basis of our Management Incentive Plan (“MIP”), which is our cash based-incentive compensation program designed to motivate and reward annual performance for eligible employees. Additionally, EBITDA is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. We use EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, alongside other GAAP measures such as gross profit, operating income (loss) and net income (loss), to measure profitability, as a key profitability target in our annual and other budgets, and to compare our performance against that of peer companies.

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted net income per share are not GAAP measures of our financial performance or liquidity and should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) or net income (loss) per share as a measure of financial performance, cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and they should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Additionally, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are not intended to be measures of free cash flow for management’s discretionary use, as they do not consider certain cash requirements such as tax payments and debt service requirements and certain other cash costs that may recur in the future. EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA contain certain other limitations, including the failure to reflect our cash expenditures, cash requirements for working capital needs and cash costs to replace assets being depreciated and amortized. In addition, these non-GAAP measures exclude certain non-recurring and other charges.

In evaluating these non-GAAP measures, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in these non-GAAP measures. Our presentation of these non-GAAP measures should not be construed to imply that our future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and by using these non-GAAP only supplementally. These non-GAAP measures are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to different methods of calculation.

(11) On a pro forma basis, basic and diluted shares outstanding include (1) the impact of the Reorganization, as well as (2) the 4,782,609 shares of common stock that we issued and sold on November 7, 2012 in our initial public offering, as if such events had been completed as of the beginning of the respective periods and the common stock resulting therefrom was outstanding for the respective periods.

 

 

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(12) Working capital is defined as current assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents, less current liabilities, excluding the current portion of long term debt.
(13) Total debt (including current portion) includes amounts outstanding under the Restoration Hardware, Inc. revolving line of credit, term loan and capital lease obligations.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

This offering and an investment in our common stock involve a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes contained elsewhere in this prospectus, before you decide to purchase shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks or uncertainties actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. As a result, the price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment in our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Business

Growth in our business may not be sustained and may not generate a corresponding improvement in our results of operations.

We may not be able to maintain or improve the levels of growth that we have experienced in the recent past. In addition, although we have recently experienced strong comparable store sales, if our future comparable store sales fail to meet market expectations or decline, the price of our common stock could decline. Various factors affect comparable store sales, including the number, size and location of stores we open, close, remodel or expand in any period, the overall economic and general retail sales environment, consumer preferences and demand, our ability to efficiently source and distribute products, changes in our product offerings, competition, current local and global economic conditions, changes in catalog circulation and the success of marketing programs. These factors may cause our comparable store sales results to be materially lower than recent periods and our expectations, which could harm our results of operations and result in a decline in the price of our common stock.

Although we have recently experienced sales growth as a result of a number of new business initiatives, this sales growth may not continue and the level of our sales could decrease if customer response to our product offerings is not sustained. Many factors can influence customer response to our product offerings and store formats including responses from our competitors, who may introduce similar products or merchandise formats. In addition, sales levels for particular merchandise or product categories may not continue over time if customer demand levels are not sustained. The level of customer response to our Full Line Design Galleries may vary in different markets and store locations. Similarly, the level of customer response to our Source Book catalog format, in which we display a greater percentage of our product assortment, may vary in different markets. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to migrate customer demand successfully when we choose to close a store in a particular location in favor of a Full Line Design Gallery in the same or an adjacent market location. While our objective is to retain a high percentage of customer demand from store locations that we close, there can be no assurance that we will retain a high percentage of sales from stores closed in the future or that we will continue to retain a high percentage of sales from stores previously closed.

In addition, these developments in our business could result in material changes in our operating costs, including increased merchandise inventory costs and costs for paper and postage associated with the mailing and shipping of catalogs and products. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in offsetting these expenses with increased efficiency or that cost increases associated with our business will not have an adverse effect on our financial results.

If we fail to successfully anticipate consumer preferences and demand, or to manage our inventory commensurate with demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to originate and define home product trends, as well as to anticipate, gauge and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. Our products must appeal to a range of consumers whose preferences cannot always be predicted with certainty. We cannot assure you that we

 

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will be able to continue to develop products that customers positively respond to or that we will successfully meet consumer demands in the future. Any failure on our part to anticipate, identify or respond effectively to consumer preferences and demand could adversely affect sales of our products. If this occurs, our sales may decline significantly, and we may be required to mark down certain products to sell the resulting excess inventory or to sell such inventory through our outlet stores, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we must manage our merchandise in stock and inventory levels to track consumer demand. Much of our merchandise requires that we provide vendors with significant ordering lead time, frequently before market factors are known. In addition, the seasonal nature of our products requires us to carry a significant amount of inventory prior to peak selling seasons. If we are not able to anticipate consumer demand for our different product offerings, or successfully manage inventory levels for products that are in demand, we may experience:

 

   

back orders, order cancellations and lost sales for products that are in high demand for which we did not stock adequate inventory; and

 

   

overstock inventory levels for products that have lower consumer demand, requiring us to take markdowns or other steps to sell slower-moving merchandise.

As a result of these and other factors, we are vulnerable to demand and pricing shifts and to misjudgments in the selection and timing of merchandise purchases.

Changes in consumer spending or the housing market may significantly harm our revenue and results of operations.

Our business depends on consumer demand for our products and, consequently, is sensitive to a number of factors that influence consumer spending in the retail home furnishings sector, including, among other things, the general state of the economy, capital and credit markets, consumer confidence, general business conditions, the availability and cost of consumer credit, the level of consumer debt, interest rates, level of taxes affecting consumers, housing prices, new construction and other activity in the housing sector and the state of the mortgage industry and other aspects of consumer credit tied to housing, including the availability and pricing of mortgage refinancings and home equity lines of credit. We believe that a number of these factors have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on the retail home furnishings sector, and have also affected our business and results, and these factors may make it difficult for us to accurately predict our operating and financial results for future periods. The housing market may be commencing a recovery after a prolonged downtrend, and rising levels of home purchases and remodelings, in turn, may increase consumer spending on home furnishings. However, the overall economic outlook remains uncertain and there can be no assurance that any economic or housing recovery will be sustained or that our business will continue to perform well even in a stronger housing market.

We are undertaking a large number of business initiatives at the same time and if these new initiatives are not successful, they may have a negative impact on our operating results.

We are experiencing rapid growth and undertaking a large number of new business initiatives. For example, we have developed and continue to refine and enhance our Full Line Design Gallery format which involves larger store square footage. We plan to continue to open Full Line Design Galleries in select major metropolitan markets and we expect to close a number of our older stores and replace them with the Full Line Design Gallery format. We also continue to add new product categories and to expand product assortments. For example, we introduced our new Tableware category in Spring 2013. We are currently contemplating other new product lines and extensions and complementary brand-enhancing businesses, as well as expanding sales to international markets. In addition, we are continuing a number of new initiatives in other areas of our business, including product sourcing and distribution and management information systems. For example, we have reduced the use of third-party buying agents in most foreign locations. Further, we continue to evolve our Source Book strategy. We may incur costs for these new initiatives before we realize any corresponding revenue.

 

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The number of current business initiatives could strain our financial, operational and management resources. In addition, these initiatives may not be successful. If we are not successful in managing our current growth and the large number of new initiatives that are underway, we might experience an adverse impact on our financial performance and results of operations. All of the foregoing risks may be compounded in any economic downturn. If we fail to achieve the intended results of our current business initiatives, or if the implementation of these initiatives is delayed or abandoned, diverts management’s attention or resources from other aspects of our business or costs more than anticipated, we may experience inadequate return on investment for some of our business initiatives, which would have a negative effect on our operating results.

Our growth strategy and performance depend on our ability to purchase our merchandise in sufficient quantities at competitive prices, including our products that are produced by artisans and specialty vendors, and any disruptions we experience in our ability to obtain our products in a timely fashion or in the quantities required could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We instead purchase all of our merchandise from a large number of vendors, many of which are the sole sources for particular products. Our growth strategy includes expanding the amount of products we sell, and our performance depends on our ability to purchase our merchandise in sufficient quantities at competitive prices. However, many of our key products are produced by artisans, specialty vendors and other vendors that may have limited production capacity. In addition, some of our vendors are small and undercapitalized firms. A number of our vendors, particularly our artisan vendors, may have limited resources, production capacities and operating histories. As a result, the capacity of some of our vendors to meet our supply requirements has been, and may in the future be, constrained at various times and our vendors may be susceptible to production difficulties or other factors that negatively affect the quantity or quality of their production during future periods. A disruption in the ability of our significant vendors to access liquidity could also cause serious disruptions or an overall deterioration of their businesses, which could lead to a significant reduction in their ability to manufacture or ship products to us.

Any difficulties that we experience in our ability to obtain products in sufficient quality and quantity from our vendors could have a material adverse effect on our business. In fiscal 2012, we purchased approximately 85% of our merchandise from vendors that are located abroad. Our ability to obtain desired merchandise in sufficient quantities could be impaired by events that adversely affect our vendors or the locations in which they operate, such as difficulties or problems associated with our vendors’ operations, business, finances, labor, economic environment, importation of products, costs, production, insurance and reputation. Failure of vendors to produce adequate quantities of merchandise in a timely manner has resulted in back orders and lower revenue in certain periods of our business operation. While we believe our vendors have the capacity to meet our demand, we cannot assure you that our vendors will be able to produce adequate quantities of merchandise in a timely manner in the future.

We also do not have long-term contracts or other contractual assurances of continued supply, pricing or access to new products with our vendors, and generally we transact business with our vendors on an order-by-order basis. Therefore, any vendor could discontinue selling to us at any time. Any disruptions we experience in our ability to obtain our products in a timely fashion or in the quantities required could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may not be able to locate and develop relationships with a sufficient number of new vendors, which could lead to product shortages and customer backorders, which could harm our business.

In the event that one or more of our vendors is unable to meet the quantity or quality of our product requirements, we may not be able to develop relationships with new vendors in a manner that is sufficient to supply the shortfall. Even if we do identify such new vendors, we may experience product shortages and customer backorders as we transition our product requirements to incorporate the alternative suppliers. In addition, we cannot assure you that any new vendor with which we do business, particularly any new vendor abroad, would not be subject to the same or similar quality and quantity risks as our existing suppliers.

 

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We do not have exclusive relationships with most of our vendors, and there is a risk that our vendors may sell similar or identical products to our competitors, which could harm our business.

Our arrangements with our vendors are generally not exclusive. As a result, most of our vendors might be able to sell similar or identical products to certain of our competitors, some of which purchase products in significantly greater volume. Our competitors may enter into arrangements with suppliers that could impair our ability to sell those suppliers’ products, including by requiring suppliers to enter into exclusive arrangements, which could limit our access to such arrangements or products. Our vendors could also initiate or expand sales of their products through their own stores or through the Internet to the retail market and therefore compete with us directly or sell their products through outlet centers or discount stores, increasing the competitive pricing pressure we face.

We may not have adequate remedies with our vendors for defective merchandise, which could damage our reputation and brand image and harm our business.

If products that we purchase from vendors are damaged or prove to be defective, we may not be able to return products to these vendors and obtain refunds of our purchase price or obtain other indemnification from them. Our vendors’ limited capacities may result in a vendor’s inability to replace any defective merchandise in a timely manner. In addition, our vendors’ limited capitalization or liquidity may mean that a vendor that has supplied defective merchandise will not be able to refund the purchase price to us or pay us any penalties or damages associated with any defects.

In addition, our vendors may not adhere to our quality control standards, and we might not identify a quality deficiency before merchandise ships to our stores or customers. Our vendors’ failure to manufacture or import quality merchandise in a timely and effective manner could damage our reputation and brand image, and could lead to an increase in product returns or exchanges or customer litigation against us and a corresponding increase in our routine and non-routine litigation costs. Further, any merchandise that does not meet our quality standards or other government requirements could become subject to a recall, which could damage our reputation and brand image and harm our business.

Our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, resigned from these positions and as a director of the Company last year. There can be no assurance that these developments will not have an adverse impact on us.

Our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, resigned from these positions and as a director of the Company, effective October 20, 2012, following an investigation by a special committee of non-management directors of the board assisted by independent counsel prompted by disclosure that Mr. Friedman and a Company employee were engaged in a personal relationship, described by the parties as consensual. The investigation concluded that Mr. Friedman engaged in activities that were inconsistent with the board of directors’ expectations for executive conduct as previously communicated by the board of directors and failed to comply with certain Company policies. We incurred $4.8 million of expenses related to the investigation. There can be no assurance that we will not incur expenses or claims in the future related to the conduct that was the subject of the investigation or similar conduct that has occurred in the past or, given Mr. Friedman’s continued involvement with the Company in his new roles, may occur in the future.

In connection with his resignation as Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer and a director, Mr. Friedman and the Company entered into an advisory services agreement that provides for Mr. Friedman to advise the Company in a role described as the Creator and Curator with respect to product development, merchandising and other creative matters as more specifically outlined in “Executive Compensation—Employment and Other Agreements.” In addition, in connection with our initial public offering, Home Holdings agreed to invest $5 million, consisting of $2.5 million in an initial tranche and $2.5 million in one or more additional tranches, directly or indirectly, in Hierarchy, LLC (“Hierarchy”), a recently formed entity in which Mr. Friedman has a

 

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controlling interest. If requested by Home Holdings and agreed to by us, we may make such subsequent tranche investments. We will have the right to acquire all or a portion of Home Holdings’ interest in Hierarchy between the second and third anniversaries of our initial public offering, at the greater of the then fair market value and the price paid by Home Holdings. Further, Home Holdings has assigned to us its right of first offer and co-sale right over the sale by Mr. Friedman of his interests in Hierarchy, its right of first offer over the sale of Hierarchy or any of its lines of business and its preemptive rights on issuances of additional interests in Hierarchy. Unless otherwise agreed by Home Holdings, for two years from the date of the Hierarchy operating agreement, Hierarchy’s lines of business will be limited to apparel and apparel related businesses. In addition, Hierarchy will be permanently prohibited from entering into lines of business in which we are engaged and certain lines of business in which we may become engaged (other than luggage, which Hierarchy may enter into after such two year period). The agreements among Hierarchy, Home Holdings, Mr. Friedman and the Company contemplate that we will enter into an agreement to provide Hierarchy with back office, logistics, supply chain and administrative support, with pricing determined based on the fair market value of such services. We also transferred to Hierarchy our minimal apparel-related assets at fair market value, as more specifically outlined in “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Arrangements with Hierarchy”. Mr. Friedman is also a significant stockholder in the Company and will continue to advise the board of directors in an observer capacity, with the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus.

Mr. Friedman’s leadership and creative talents were important contributors to the Company’s performance during his tenure as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. While we believe that Mr. Alberini, the current sole Chief Executive Officer, and the other management team members can continue to effectively lead the Company, and we expect to continue to benefit from Mr. Friedman’s contributions as the Company’s Creator and Curator on an advisory basis, and as Chairman Emeritus, there can be no assurance that the absence of Mr. Friedman in his former roles will not have an adverse impact on us.

If we lose key personnel or are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our business may be harmed.

The success of our business depends upon the continued service of our key personnel, including our Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Alberini. In addition, the leadership and creative talents of Gary Friedman, our Chairman Emeritus, who currently serves as our Creator and Curator on an advisory basis, have been and are expected to continue to be important contributors to our performance. The loss of the services of our key personnel or advisor could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals. In addition, we do not maintain key man life insurance policies on any of our key personnel. As a result, we may not be able to cover the financial loss we may incur in losing the services of any of our key personnel.

Mr. Alberini’s and Mr. Friedman’s equity ownership in our Company may give them a substantial amount of personal wealth. As a result, it may be difficult for us to continue to retain and motivate them, and this wealth could affect their decisions about whether or not they continue to perform services for us. If we do not succeed in retaining and motivating Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman, we may be unable to achieve our historical growth rates.

Competition for qualified employees and personnel in the retail industry is intense. We may be unable to retain other existing personnel that are important to our business or hire additional qualified personnel. The process of locating personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our goals is often lengthy. Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified management, marketing and sales personnel, in particular store managers, and upon the continued contributions of these people. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in attracting and retaining qualified executives and personnel.

In addition, our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain a sufficient number of store employees who understand and appreciate our corporate culture and customers. Turnover in the retail industry is generally high. Excessive store employee turnover will result in higher employee costs associated

 

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with finding, hiring and training new store employees. If we are unable to hire and retain store personnel capable of consistently providing a high level of customer service, our ability to open new stores may be impaired, the performance of our existing and new stores could be materially adversely affected and our brand image may be negatively impacted.

Our operations have significant liquidity and capital requirements and depend on the availability of adequate financing on reasonable terms, and if we are unable to borrow sufficient capital, it could have a significant negative effect on our business.

Our operations have significant liquidity and capital requirements. Among other things, the seasonality of our businesses requires us to purchase merchandise well in advance of the outdoor selling season in our second fiscal quarter and the holiday selling season in our fourth fiscal quarter. In addition, we have invested significant capital expenditures in remodeling and opening new stores and these capital expenditures have increased and will continue to increase in fiscal 2013 and succeeding fiscal periods as we open additional Full Line Design Galleries, which may require us to undertake upgrades to historical buildings or construction of new buildings. During fiscal 2012, we spent $27.8 million for capital expenditures related to new stores and remodeling, and we incurred $21.3 million of additional capital expenditures related to supply chain investments and systems infrastructure. We anticipate our capital expenditure requirements to be approximately $95 million to $100 million for fiscal 2013. We plan to continue our growth and expansion, including opening Full Line Design Galleries in select major metropolitan markets, pursuing category extensions of our brand, and exploring new business areas. We purchased the building and land for our store in San Francisco but we have relied upon leases with landlords for our other locations to date. As we develop new stores in the future, we may explore other models for our real estate which could include joint ventures or other forms of equity ownership in the real estate interests associated with new sites and buildings. These approaches might require greater capital investment than a traditional store lease with a landlord.

We depend on our ability to generate cash flows from operating activities, as well as revolving borrowings under the Restoration Hardware, Inc. revolving line of credit, to finance the carrying costs of our inventory, to pay for capital expenditures and operating expenses and to support our growth strategy. As of February 2, 2013, we had borrowed $82.5 million under the revolving line of credit and had $188.5 million available for borrowing. Various factors may impact our lenders’ willingness to provide funds to us, including:

 

   

our continuing compliance with the terms of our revolving line of credit;

 

   

the amount of availability under the revolving line of credit, which depends on various factors, including the amount of collateral available under the revolving line of credit, which relies on a borrowing base formula tied principally to the value of our assets, including our inventory; and

 

   

our lenders’ financial strength and ability to perform under the revolving line of credit.

If the cash flows from our operating activities are not sufficient to finance the carrying costs of inventory and to pay for capital expenditures and operating costs, and if we are unable to borrow a sufficient amount under the revolving line of credit to finance or pay for such expenditures and costs, it could have a significant negative effect on our business.

We currently believe that our cash flow from operations and funds available under the revolving line of credit will satisfy our capital and operating requirements for the next twelve months. However, any weakening of, or other adverse developments concerning our sales performance or adverse developments concerning the availability of credit under the revolving line of credit, could limit the overall amount of funds available to us.

In addition, we may experience cash flow shortfalls in the future, and we may otherwise require additional external funding, or we may need to raise funds to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, to make acquisitions of other businesses or companies or to respond to changing business conditions or unanticipated

 

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competitive pressures. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to raise funds on favorable terms, if at all, or that future financing requirements would not be dilutive to holders of our capital stock. If we fail to raise sufficient additional funds, we may be required to delay or abandon some of our planned future expenditures or aspects of our current operations.

A number of factors that affect our ability to successfully open new stores within the time frames we initially target or optimize our store footprint are beyond our control, and these factors may harm our ability to execute our strategy of sizing stores to the potential of the market, which may negatively affect our results of operations.

We are focused on sizing our assortments and our stores to the potential of the market by adjusting the square footage and number of stores on a geographic market-by-market basis. We plan to optimize our real estate by continuing to open larger square footage Full Line Design Galleries in key markets and relocating or closing selected stores in these or adjacent markets. When we address the introduction of new stores in a particular market or changes to, or closure of, existing stores, we must make a series of decisions regarding the size and location of new stores (or the existing stores slated to undergo changes or closure) and the impact on our other existing stores in the area.

Our ability to maximize the productivity of our retail store base, depends on many factors, including, among others, our ability to:

 

   

identify suitable locations, the availability of which is largely outside of our control;

 

   

size the store locations to the market opportunity;

 

   

retain customers in certain geographic markets when we close stores in that market;

 

   

negotiate acceptable new lease terms or lease renewals, modifications or terminations;

 

   

efficiently build and equip new stores or further remodel existing locations;

 

   

source sufficient levels of inventory to meet the needs of changes in our store footprint on a timely basis;

 

   

successfully integrate changes in our store base into our existing operations and information technology systems;

 

   

obtain or maintain adequate capital resources on acceptable terms;

 

   

avoid construction or local permit delays and cost overruns in connection with the opening of new stores or the expansion or further remodeling of existing stores;

 

   

maintain adequate distribution facilities, information systems and other operational systems to serve our new stores and remodeled stores; and

 

   

address competitive, merchandising, marketing, distribution and other challenges encountered in connection with expansion into new geographic areas and markets.

We have experienced delays in opening some new stores within the time frames we initially targeted, and may continue to experience such delays in the future. Any of these challenges could delay or prevent us from completing store openings or the additional remodeling of existing stores or hinder the operations of stores we open or remodel. If any of these challenges delays the opening of a store, our results of operations will be negatively affected as we will incur leasing and other costs during the delay without associated store revenue at such location. New or remodeled stores may not be profitable or achieve our target return on investment. Unfavorable economic and business conditions and other events could also interfere with our plans to expand or modify store footprints. Our failure to effectively address challenges such as those listed above could adversely affect our ability to successfully open new stores or change our store footprint in a timely and cost-effective manner and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

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Our operating results are subject to quarterly and seasonal fluctuations, and results for any quarter may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.

Our quarterly results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate significantly in the future, depending upon a variety of factors, including, among other things, our product offerings, the timing and level of markdowns, promotional events, store openings, store closings, the weather, remodeling or relocations, shifts in the timing of holidays, timing of catalog releases or sales, timing of delivery of orders, competitive factors and general economic conditions.

In addition, we historically have realized, and expect to continue to realize, higher net revenue and profitability in the fourth quarter of our fiscal year due to the holiday selling season and to a lesser extent in the second quarter due to the outdoor selling season. In fiscal 2012, we recorded net revenues of $292.9 million and $398.1 million in the second and fourth fiscal quarters or 24.6% and 33.4%, respectively, of our fiscal 2012 net revenue. In fiscal 2012, our gross profit for the second and fourth quarters was $114.1 million and $145.2 million or 26.1% and 33.3% of our fiscal 2012 gross profit, respectively. In anticipation of increased sales activity for the outdoor selling season during our second fiscal quarter and the holiday selling season during our fourth fiscal quarter, our working capital requirements are typically higher in the first and third fiscal quarters due to inventory-related working capital requirements for the outdoor selling season and the holiday selling season.

Accordingly, our results of operation may fluctuate on a seasonal basis and relative to corresponding periods in prior years. We may take certain pricing, merchandising or marketing actions that could have a disproportionate effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations in a particular quarter or selling season. For example, we periodically engage in sales promotional activities that are designed to increase our sales but can have the effect of reducing our gross margins. These initiatives and promotional activities may disproportionately impact results in a particular quarter and we believe that period to period comparisons of our operating results are not necessarily meaningful and cannot be relied upon as indicators of future performance.

Our business depends in part on a strong brand image. We continue to invest in the development of our brand and the marketing of our business, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand or market our product offerings, we may be unable to attract a sufficient number of customers or sell sufficient quantities of our products.

We believe that the brand image we have developed, and the lifestyle image associated with our brand, have contributed significantly to the success of our business to date. We also believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand is integral to our business and to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. This will require us to continue to make investments in areas such as marketing and advertising, as well as the day-to-day investments required for store operations, catalog mailings, website operations and employee training. Our brand image may be diminished if new products, services or other businesses fail to maintain or enhance our distinctive brand image. Furthermore, our reputation could be jeopardized if we fail to maintain high standards for merchandise and service quality, if we fail to maintain high ethical, social and environmental standards for all of our operations and activities, if we fail to comply with local laws and regulations or if we experience other negative events that affect our image or reputation. Any failure to maintain a strong brand image could have an adverse effect on our sales and results of operations.

We are exploring opportunities to expand into new categories or complementary businesses. If we are not successful in these new categories or business areas, it may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and our reputation.

We are engaged in ongoing efforts to explore new business opportunities that we believe can leverage our current business platform. We have developed a number of new product categories and extensions over the last several years, including Garden & Outdoor, Baby & Child and Small Spaces. We also have introduced other merchandise categories that enhance the customer experience in our Full Line Design Galleries, including fresh

 

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cut flowers, magazines and tea. We plan further brand-enhancing offerings, such as a café, wine bar or restaurant adjacent to, or inside of, select Full Line Design Galleries. We are incubating a number of other new ideas for potential expansion of our business, some of which may become new core categories or new store concepts and others of which may be primarily offered as enrichment of the customer experience.

Developing and testing new business opportunities will involve us in business operations and areas of expertise that would be new to our organization and may require management time and resources. We may not achieve wide market acceptance or generate revenue sufficient to recoup the cost of developing and operating such new concepts, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Any new businesses we enter may expose us to additional laws, regulations and risks, including the risk that we may incur ongoing operating expenses in such businesses in excess of revenues, which could harm our results of operations and financial condition. The financial profile of any such new businesses may be different than our current financial profile, which could affect our financial performance and the market price for our common stock.

Competition in the home furnishings sector of the retail market may adversely affect our future financial performance.

The home furnishings sector within the retail market is highly competitive. We compete with the interior design trade and specialty stores, as well as antique dealers and other merchants that provide unique items and custom-designed product offerings at higher price points. We also compete with national and regional home furnishing retailers and department stores. In addition, we compete with mail order catalogs and online retailers focused on home furnishings. We compete with these and other retailers for customers, suitable retail locations, vendors, qualified employees and management personnel. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do and therefore may be able to adapt to changes in customer preferences more quickly, devote greater resources to the marketing and sale of their products, generate greater national brand recognition or adopt more aggressive pricing policies than we can. In addition, increased catalog mailings by our competitors may adversely affect response rates to our own catalog mailings. Moreover, increased competition may result, and has resulted in the past, in potential or actual litigation between us and our competitors relating to such activities as competitive sales, hiring practices and other matters. As a result, increased competition may adversely affect our future financial performance, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully in the future.

We believe that our ability to compete successfully is determined by several factors, including, among other things, the quality of our product selection, our brand, our merchandise presentation and value proposition, customer service, pricing and store locations. We may not ultimately succeed in competing with other retailers in our market.

Disruptions in the global financial markets may make it difficult for us to borrow a sufficient amount of capital to finance the carrying costs of inventory and to pay for capital expenditures and operating costs, which could negatively affect our business.

Disruptions in the global financial markets and banking systems have made credit and capital markets more difficult for companies to access, even for some companies with established revolving or other credit facilities. Under the credit agreement governing the Restoration Hardware, Inc. revolving line of credit, each financial institution that is part of the syndicate for the revolving line of credit is responsible for providing a portion of the loans to be made under the revolving line of credit. Factors that have previously affected our borrowing ability under the revolving line of credit have included the borrowing base formula limitations, adjustments in the appraised value of our inventory used to calculate the borrowing base and the availability of each of our lenders to advance its portion of requested borrowing drawdowns under the facility. If, in connection with a disruption in the global financial markets or otherwise, any participant, or group of participants, with a significant portion of the commitments in the revolving line of credit fails to satisfy its obligations to extend credit under the facility, and if we are unable to find a replacement for such participant or group of participants on a timely basis (if at all), then our liquidity and our business may be materially adversely affected.

 

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Reductions in the volume of mall traffic or closing of shopping malls as a result of unfavorable economic conditions or changing demographic patterns could significantly reduce our sales and leave us with unsold inventory.

Most of our stores are currently located in shopping malls. Sales at these stores are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic in those malls. These stores benefit from the ability of the malls’ “anchor” tenants, generally large department stores and other area attractions, to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores and the continuing popularity of the malls as shopping destinations. Unfavorable economic conditions, particularly in certain regions, have adversely affected mall traffic and resulted in the closing of certain anchor stores and have threatened the viability of certain commercial real estate firms which operate major shopping malls. A continuation of this trend, including failure of a large commercial landlord or continued declines in the popularity of mall shopping generally among our customers, could reduce our sales and leave us with excess inventory. We may respond by increasing markdowns or initiating marketing promotions to reduce excess inventory, which would further adversely impact our results of operations.

Our business depends upon the successful operation of our distribution facilities, furniture home delivery hubs and customer service center, as well as our ability to fulfill orders and to deliver our merchandise to our customers in a timely manner.

Our business depends upon the successful operation of our distribution centers, furniture home delivery hubs and customer service center, as well as our order management and fulfillment services and the re-stocking of inventories within our stores. The efficient flow of our merchandise requires that our facilities have adequate capacity to support our current level of operations, and any anticipated increased levels that may follow from any growth of our business.

If we encounter difficulties associated with any of our facilities or if any of our facilities were to shut down for any reason, including as a result of fire, earthquakes (to which our California-based distribution and home delivery facilities in Tracy and Mira Loma and our corporate headquarters in Corte Madera are particularly vulnerable), power outages or other natural disasters, we could face shortages of inventory resulting in “out of stock” conditions in our stores, significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with distributing our products to both our stores and online customers and the inability to process orders in a timely manner or ship goods to our customers. Further, any significant interruption in the operation of our customer service center, including the call center, could also reduce our ability to receive and process orders and provide products and services to our stores and customers, which could result in lost sales, cancelled sales and a loss of loyalty to our brand.

In January 2012, we opened a furniture home delivery hub in Avenel, New Jersey and, in February 2012, we opened a furniture distribution center in North East, Maryland. We also recently expanded our West Coast distribution center in Mira Loma, California, reduced the size of our furniture delivery hub in Tracy, California and have entered into a lease in connection with a planned distribution center in Grand Prairie, Texas. We are also planning to expand into an additional 400,000 square feet at our West Jefferson, Ohio distribution center in May 2013, and in-sourcing three home furniture delivery facilities in 2013. As a result of these and other efforts with respect to our distribution facilities, we may encounter operational difficulties with respect to our facilities, such as disruptions in transitioning fulfillment orders to the new distribution facilities and problems associated with operating new facilities or reducing the size and changing functions of existing facilities, and any such difficulties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our results may be adversely affected by fluctuations in raw materials and energy costs.

Increases in the prices of the components and raw materials used in our products could negatively affect the sales of our merchandise and our product margins. These prices may fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including: commodity prices including prices for oil, lumber and cotton, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, anti-dumping duties,

 

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currency exchange rates and government regulation. In addition, energy costs have fluctuated dramatically in the past. These fluctuations may result in an increase in our transportation costs for freight and distribution, utility costs for our retail stores and overall costs to purchase products from our vendors. Accordingly, changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to foreign currencies may increase our vendors’ cost of business and ultimately our cost of goods sold and our selling, general and administrative costs. If we are unable to pass such cost increases on to our customers or the higher cost of the products results in decreased demand for our products, our results of operations would be harmed. Any such cost increase could reduce our earnings to the extent we are unable to adjust the prices of our products.

We are subject to risks associated with our dependence on foreign imports for our merchandise.

Based on total volume dollar purchases, in fiscal 2012 we purchased approximately 85% of our merchandise from vendors located outside the United States, including 78% from Asia, the majority of which originated from China. In addition, some of the merchandise we purchase from vendors in the United States also depends, in whole or in part, on vendors located outside the United States. As a result, our business highly depends on global trade, as well as trade and cost factors that impact the specific countries where our vendors are located, including Asia. Our future success will depend in large part upon our ability to maintain our existing foreign vendor relationships and to develop new ones. While we rely on our long-term relationships with our foreign vendors, we have no long-term contracts with them and transact business on an order by order basis. Additionally, many of our imported products are subject to existing duties, tariffs, anti-dumping duties and quotas that may limit the quantity of some types of goods which we may import into the United States. Our dependence on foreign imports also makes us vulnerable to risks associated with products manufactured abroad, including, among other things, risks of damage, destruction or confiscation of products while in transit to our distribution centers located in the United States, charges on or assessment of additional import duties, tariffs, anti-dumping duties and quotas, loss of “most favored nation” trading status by the United States in relation to a particular foreign country, work stoppages, including without limitation as a result of events such as longshoremen strikes, transportation and other delays in shipments, including without limitation as a result of heightened security screening and inspection processes or other port-of-entry limitations or restrictions in the United States, freight cost increases, economic uncertainties, including inflation, foreign government regulations, trade restrictions, including the United States retaliating against protectionist foreign trade practices and political unrest, increased labor costs and other similar factors that might affect the operations of our vendors in specific countries such as China.

An interruption or delay in supply from our foreign sources, or the imposition of additional duties, taxes or other charges on these imports, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations unless and until alternative supply arrangements are secured.

In addition, there is a risk that compliance lapses by our vendors could occur which could lead to investigations by U.S. government agencies responsible for international trade compliance. Resulting penalties or enforcement actions could delay future imports/exports or otherwise negatively impact our business. In addition, there remains a risk that one or more of our foreign vendors will not adhere to applicable legal requirements or our global compliance standards such as fair labor standards, the prohibition on child labor and other product safety or manufacturing safety standards. The violation of applicable legal requirements by any of our vendors or the failure to adhere to labor, manufacturing safety and other laws by any of our vendors, or the divergence of the labor practices followed by any of our vendors from those generally accepted in the United States, could disrupt our supply of products from our vendors or the shipment of products to us, result in potential liability to us and harm our reputation and brand and subject us to boycotts by our customers or activist groups, any of which could negatively affect our business and operating results.

We extend unsecured credit to our vendors.

Some of our vendors have limited cash flows and/or access to capital and require us to advance payments in order for them to be able to meet our supply requirements. We typically advance a portion of the payments to be

 

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made to such vendors under our purchase orders prior to the delivery of the ordered products. These advance payments are unsecured. These vendors may become insolvent and their failure to repay our advances, and any related failure to deliver products to us, could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We rely upon independent third-party transportation providers for the majority of our product shipments.

We currently rely upon independent third-party transportation providers for our product shipments to our stores and to our customers outside of certain areas. Our utilization of their delivery services for shipments, or those of any other shipping companies we may elect to use, is subject to risks, including increases in fuel prices, which would increase our shipping costs, and strikes, work stoppages and inclement weather, which may impact the shipping companies’ abilities to provide delivery services that adequately meet our shipping needs. If we change shipping companies, we could face logistical difficulties that could adversely affect deliveries and we would incur costs and expend resources in connection with such change. Moreover, we may not be able to obtain terms as favorable as those received from the third-party transportation providers we currently use, which in turn would increase our costs.

We may be exposed to risks and costs associated with protecting the integrity and security of our customers’ information.

A significant number of customer purchases from us across all of our channels are made using credit cards. Additionally, a significant number of our customer orders are placed through our websites. In order for our business to function successfully, we and other market participants must be able to handle and transmit confidential information, including credit card information, securely. We are not fully compliant with Payment Card Industry, or PCI, Data Security Standards and there can be no assurance that in the future we will be able to operate our facilities and our customer service and sales operations in accordance with PCI or other industry recommended practices. We intend to obtain compliance with PCI Data Security Standards and will incur additional expenses to attain and maintain PCI compliance. Further, there is increased litigation over personally identifiable information and we may be subject to one or more claims or lawsuits related to intentional or unintentional exposure of our customer’s personally identifiable information. Even if we are compliant with such standards, we still may not be able to prevent security breaches involving customer transaction data. Any breach could cause consumers to lose confidence in the security of our website and choose not to purchase from us. If a computer hacker or other criminal is able to circumvent our security measures, he or she could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our operations. Any security breach could expose us to risks of data loss, fines, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and harm our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business. In addition to the possibility of fines, lawsuits and other claims, we could be required to change our business practices or modify our service offerings in connection with the protection of personally identifiable information, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, states and the federal government have enacted additional laws and regulations to protect consumers against identity theft, including laws governing treatment of personally identifiable information. We collect and store personal information from consumers in the course of doing business. These laws have increased the costs of doing business and, if we fail to implement appropriate safeguards or we fail to detect and provide prompt notice of unauthorized access as required by some of these laws, we could be subject to potential claims for damages and other remedies. If we were required to pay any significant amounts in satisfaction of claims under these laws, or if we were forced to cease our business operations for any length of time as a result of our inability to comply fully with any such law, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Material damage to, or interruptions in, our information systems as a result of external factors, staffing shortages and difficulties in updating our existing software or developing or implementing new software could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

We depend largely upon our information technology systems in the conduct of all aspects of our operations, many of which we have only adopted and implemented within the past five years in connection with rebuilding

 

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our supply chain and infrastructure. Such systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches and natural disasters. Damage or interruption to our information systems may require a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim. Management information system failures or telecommunications system problems may disrupt operations. In addition, costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems could also disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations. Any material interruptions or failures in our systems may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

We also rely heavily on our information technology staff. If we cannot meet our staffing needs in this area, we may not be able to fulfill our technology initiatives while continuing to provide maintenance on existing systems.

We rely on certain software vendors to maintain and periodically upgrade many of these systems so that they can continue to support our business. The software programs supporting many of our systems were licensed to us by independent software developers. The inability of these developers or us to continue to maintain and upgrade these information systems and software programs would disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations if we were unable to convert to alternate systems in an efficient and timely manner.

We are vulnerable to various risks and uncertainties associated with our websites, including changes in required technology interfaces, website downtime and other technical failures, costs and technical issues as we upgrade our website software, computer viruses, changes in applicable federal and state regulation, security breaches, legal claims related to our website operations and e-commerce fulfillment and other consumer privacy concerns. Our failure to successfully respond to these risks and uncertainties could reduce website sales and have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Our failure to successfully manage the costs of our catalog and promotional mailings could have a negative impact on our business.

Catalog mailings are an important component of our business. Increases in costs relating to paper, printing, postal rates and other catalog distribution costs would affect the cost of our catalog mailings. In 2012, we significantly expanded the page counts of our catalogs, increased the number of households receiving our catalogs and reduced the number of catalog mailings. We rely on customary discounts from the basic postal rate structure that are available for our catalog mailings, which could be changed or discontinued at any time. The market price for paper has fluctuated significantly during the past three fiscal years and may continue to fluctuate in the future. Future increases in postal rates, paper costs or printing costs would have a negative impact on our operating results to the extent that we are unable to offset such increases by raising prices, by implementing more efficient printing, mailing, delivery and order fulfillment systems or by using alternative direct-mail formats.

We have historically experienced fluctuations in customer response to our catalogs. Customer response to our catalogs depends substantially on product assortment, product availability and creative presentation, the selection of customers to whom the catalogs are mailed, changes in mailing strategies, the page size, page count, frequency and timing of delivery of the catalogs, as well as the general retail sales environment and current domestic and global economic conditions. The failure to effectively produce or distribute our catalogs could affect the timing of catalog delivery. The timing of catalog delivery has been and can be affected by postal service delays. Any delays in the timing of catalog delivery could cause customers to forgo or defer purchases. If the performance of our catalogs declines, if we misjudge the correlation between our catalog circulation and net sales, or if our catalog circulation optimization strategy is not successful, our results of operations could be negatively impacted.

 

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Our failure to successfully anticipate merchandise returns might have a negative impact on our business.

We record a reserve for merchandise returns based on historical return trends together with current product sales performance in each reporting period. If actual returns are greater than those projected and reserved for by management, additional sales returns might be recorded in future periods. In addition, to the extent that returned merchandise is damaged, we often do not receive full retail value from the resale or liquidation of the merchandise. Further, the introduction of new merchandise, changes in merchandise mix, changes in consumer confidence or other competitive and general economic conditions may cause actual returns to exceed merchandise return reserves. Adverse economic conditions in the past have resulted in an increase in our merchandise returns. Any significant increase in merchandise returns that exceeds our reserves could harm our business and operating results.

Certain of our products may be subject to recalls or other actions by regulatory authorities, and any such recalls or similar actions could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Certain of the products we sell are subject to regulation by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission and similar state and international regulatory authorities, which require certification and testing of certain regulated substances, among other requirements. For example, in August 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, or CPSIA, was signed into law. In general, the CPSIA bans the sale of children’s products containing lead in excess of certain maximum standards, and imposes other restrictions and requirements on the sale of children’s products, including importing, testing and labeling requirements. Our products have, from time to time, been subject to recall for product safety reasons, and issues of product safety could result in future product recalls, other actions by applicable government authorities or product liability claims. Product safety concerns may also require us, whether on a voluntary or involuntary basis, to remove selected products from our stores, particularly with respect to our Baby & Child brand. Product recalls and removal of products and defending such product liability claims can result in, among other things, lost sales, diverted resources, potential harm to our reputation and increased customer service costs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

There are claims made against us and/or our management from time to time that can result in litigation or regulatory proceedings which could distract management from our business activities and result in significant liability.

From time to time we and/or our management are involved in litigation, claims and other proceedings relating to the conduct of our business, including but not limited to consumer protection class action litigation, claims related to our collection of reproductions, claims related to our employment practices, claims of intellectual property infringement, including with respect to trademarks and trade dress, and claims asserting unfair competition and unfair business practices by third parties. In addition, from time to time, we are subject to product liability and personal injury claims for the products that we sell and the stores we operate. Subject to certain exceptions, our purchase orders generally require the vendor to indemnify us against any product liability claims; however, if the vendor does not have insurance or becomes insolvent, we may not be indemnified. In addition, we could face a wide variety of employee claims against us, including general discrimination, privacy, labor and employment, ERISA and disability claims. Any claims could result in litigation against us and could also result in regulatory proceedings being brought against us by various federal and state agencies that regulate our business, including the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Often these cases raise complex factual and legal issues, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and which could require significant management time. Our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Alberini was employed by Guess?, Inc., which has been subject to a tax audit and assessment proceeding in Italy. There is a related proceeding by a prosecutor in Italy that has been initiated with respect to several current and former members of the Guess Europe management team as well as Mr. Alberini. There can be no assurance as to the exact timing or outcome of the Italian prosecutorial proceeding or that it will not require Mr. Alberini to devote substantial time in addressing this matter prior to its final resolution. Guess?, Inc. has reported a settlement of this tax proceeding in Italy and we

 

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expect that the related proceeding regarding Mr. Alberini will be resolved favorably. Litigation and other claims and regulatory proceedings against us or our management could result in unexpected expenses and liability and could also materially adversely affect our operations and our reputation.

Labor activities could cause labor relations difficulties for us.

Currently none of our employees is represented by a union. However, our employees have the right at any time to form or affiliate with a union, and union organizational activities have occurred previously at our Baltimore distribution center. We cannot predict the negative effects that any future organizational activities will have on our business and operations. If we were to become subject to work stoppages, we could experience disruption in our operations and increases in our labor costs, either of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Intellectual property claims by third parties or our failure or inability to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our brand and weaken our competitive position.

Third parties have and may in the future assert intellectual property claims against us, particularly as we expand our business to include new products and product categories and move into other geographic markets. Our defense of any claim, regardless of its merit, could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management resources. Successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability and prevent us from selling some of our products. In addition, resolution of claims may require us to redesign our products, license rights from third parties or cease using those rights altogether, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We currently rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, trade dress and unfair competition laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements, to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We believe that our trademarks and other proprietary rights have significant value and are important to identifying and differentiating certain of our products and brand from those of our competitors and creating and sustaining demand for certain of our products. We also cannot assure you that the steps taken by us to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent infringement of such rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand. If we are unable to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished and our competitive position could suffer.

We are subject to risks associated with occupying substantial amounts of space, including future increases in occupancy costs. We may choose in the future to acquire some of our store locations, which will subject us to additional risks.

We lease all but one of our retail store locations and we also lease our outlet stores, our corporate headquarters and our seven distribution and delivery facilities. The initial lease term of our retail stores generally ranges from ten to fifteen years, and certain leases contain renewal options for up to fifteen years. Most leases for our retail stores provide for a minimum rent, typically including escalating rent increases, plus a percentage rent based upon sales after certain minimum thresholds are achieved, as well as common area maintenance charges, real property insurance and real estate taxes. We purchased the building and land for our store in San Francisco, but to date we have relied upon leases with landlords for our other locations. As we develop new stores in the future, we may explore other models for our real estate which could include joint ventures or other forms of equity ownership in the real estate interests associated with new sites and buildings. These approaches might require additional capital investment and could present different risks than a traditional store lease with a landlord, including greater financial exposure if a new store location is not as successful as we originally target in our plans.

If we decide to close an existing or future store, we may nonetheless have continuing obligations with respect to that property pursuant to the applicable lease or ownership arrangements, including, among other

 

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things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Our ability to re-negotiate favorable terms on an expiring lease, to arrange for the sale of an owned property or to negotiate favorable terms for a suitable alternate location could depend on conditions in the real estate market, competition for desirable properties, our relationships with current and prospective landlords and other factors that are not within our control. Our inability to enter into new leases or renew existing leases on terms acceptable to us or be released from our obligations under leases or other obligations for stores that we close could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Compliance with laws may be costly, and changes in laws could make conducting our business more expensive or otherwise change the way we do business.

We are subject to numerous regulations, including labor and employment, customs, truth-in-advertising, consumer protection, privacy, safety, environmental and zoning and occupancy laws and other laws, including consumer protection regulations that regulate retailers generally or govern our business. If these regulations were to change or were violated by us or our vendors or buying agents, the costs of certain goods could increase, or we could experience delays in shipments of our goods, be subject to fines or penalties, or suffer reputational harm, which could reduce demand for our products and harm our business and results of operations.

In addition to increased regulatory compliance requirements, changes in laws could make ordinary conduct of our business more expensive or require us to change the way we do business. For example, as a retail business, changes in laws related to employee benefits and treatment of employees, including laws related to limitations on employee hours, supervisory status, leaves of absence, mandated health benefits or overtime pay, could negatively impact us by increasing compensation and benefits costs for overtime and medical expenses. In addition, newly enacted United States health care laws and potential global and domestic greenhouse gas emission requirements and other environmental legislation and regulations could result in increased direct compliance costs for us (or may cause our vendors to raise the prices they charge us in order to maintain profitable operations because of increased compliance costs), increased transportation costs or reduced availability of raw materials.

Because of our international operations, we could be adversely affected by violations of applicable U.S. federal and state or foreign laws and regulations, such as the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-kickback laws.

We source substantially all of our products abroad, and we are increasing the level of our international sourcing activities in an effort to obtain more of our products directly from vendors located abroad. Additionally, we have expanded our business-to-business sales. The foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable to our operations are complex and may increase the costs of regulatory compliance, or limit or restrict the products or services we sell or subject our business to the possibility of regulatory actions or proceedings. The United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other similar laws and regulations, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign governmental officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While our policies mandate compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including anti-bribery laws and other anti-corruption laws, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in preventing our employees or other agents from taking actions in violation of these laws or regulations. Such violations, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our operations are subject to risks of natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism or widespread illness, any one of which could result in a business stoppage and negatively affect our operating results.

Our business operations depend on our ability to maintain and protect our facilities, computer systems and personnel. Our operations and consumer spending may be affected by natural disasters or other similar events, including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, widespread illness or fires. In particular, our corporate headquarters is located in Northern California, and other parts of our operations including distribution facilities are located in

 

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Northern and Southern California, each of which is in a seismically active region susceptible to earthquakes that could disrupt our operations and affect our operating results. Many of our vendors are also located in areas that may be affected by such events. Moreover, geopolitical or public safety conditions which affect consumer behavior and spending may impact our business. Terrorist attacks in the United States or threats of terrorist attacks in the United States in the future, as well as future events occurring in response to or in connection with them, could again result in reduced levels of consumer spending. Any of these occurrences could have a significant impact on our operating results, revenue and costs.

We have experienced net losses in the past and we may experience net losses in the future.

We experienced a net loss of $7.1 million in fiscal 2010. We achieved profitability in fiscal 2011 with net income of $20.6 million. We experienced a GAAP net loss of $12.8 million in fiscal 2012 as a result of certain non-recurring and other items. We may experience net losses in the future, and we cannot assure you that we will return to profitability in future periods.

Fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate and realization of our deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards, may result in volatility of our operating results.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions. We record income tax expense based on our estimates of future payments, which include reserves for uncertain tax positions in multiple tax jurisdictions, and valuation allowances related to certain net deferred tax assets, including net operating loss carryforwards. At any one time, many tax years are subject to audit by various taxing jurisdictions. The results of these audits and negotiations with taxing authorities may affect the ultimate settlement of these issues. Under United States federal and state income tax laws, if over a rolling three-year period, the cumulative change in our ownership exceeds 50%, our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards to offset future taxable income may be limited. Changes in ownership can occur due to transactions in our stock or the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or, in certain circumstances, securities convertible into our common stock. Certain transactions we have completed, including our going private transaction in June 2008, and the sale of shares contemplated in our initial public offering and this offering may impact the timing of the utilization of our net operating loss carryforwards. Furthermore, it is possible that transactions in our stock that may not be within our control may cause us to exceed the 50% cumulative change threshold and may impose a limitation on the utilization of our net operating loss carryforwards in the future. Any such limitation on the timing of utilizing our net operating loss carryforwards would increase the use of cash to settle our tax obligations. We expect that throughout the year there could be ongoing variability in our quarterly tax rates as events occur and exposures are evaluated.

In addition, our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period may be materially impacted by changes in the mix and level of earnings, timing of the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards, changes in the valuation allowance for deferred taxes or by changes to existing accounting rules or regulations. Further, tax legislation may be enacted in the future that could negatively impact our current or future tax structure and effective tax rates.

Changes to accounting rules or regulations may adversely affect our results of operations.

New accounting rules or regulations and varying interpretations of existing accounting rules or regulations have occurred and may occur in the future. A change in accounting rules or regulations may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective, and future changes to accounting rules or regulations or the questioning of current accounting practices may adversely affect our results of operations. For example, in August 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an exposure draft outlining proposed changes to current lease accounting in FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification” or “ASC”) 840, “Leases.” In July 2011, the FASB made the decision to issue a revised exposure draft, which is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2013. The proposed new accounting pronouncement, if

 

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ultimately adopted in its proposed form, could result in significant changes to current accounting, including the capitalization of leases on the balance sheet that currently are recorded off balance sheet as operating leases. While this change would not impact the cash flow related to our store leases, it could adversely impact our balance sheet and could therefore impact our ability to raise financing from banks or other sources.

Our total assets include intangible assets with an indefinite life, goodwill and trademarks, and substantial amounts of long lived assets, principally property and equipment. Changes to estimates or projections used to assess the fair value of these assets, or operating results that are lower than our current estimates at certain store locations, may cause us to incur impairment charges that could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our total assets include intangible assets with an indefinite life, goodwill and trademarks, and substantial amounts of property and equipment. We make certain estimates and projections in connection with impairment analyses for these long lived assets. We also review the carrying value of these assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. We will record an impairment loss when the carrying value of the underlying asset, asset group or reporting unit exceeds its fair value. These calculations require us to make a number of estimates and projections of future results. If these estimates or projections change, we may be required to record additional impairment charges on certain of these assets. If these impairment charges are significant, our results of operations would be adversely affected. In that regard, we recorded a $2.1 million impairment charge on long-lived assets of certain underperforming stores in fiscal 2010, and we recorded charges amounting to $3.2 million related to retail store closures in fiscal 2011. No such related charges were recorded in fiscal 2012.

If we are unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timeliness of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.

We recently initiated steps to implement, evaluate, and test our internal control over financial reporting. We have not completed these procedures and until these controls are fully implemented and tested there is a possibility that a material misstatement would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We are not currently required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), and are therefore not currently required to make an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls. Our first assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls will be included within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending February 1, 2014. During the evaluation and testing processes, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending February 1, 2014. Even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated, or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. Material weaknesses may be identified during the audit process or at other times. During the course of the evaluation, documentation, or attestation, we or our independent registered public accounting firm may identify weaknesses and deficiencies that we may not be able to remedy in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for compliance with Section 404.

Our reporting obligations as a public company will place a significant strain on our management and our operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. If we fail to timely achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to produce reliable financial reports. Our failure to achieve and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could prevent us from filing our periodic reports on a timely basis, which could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, harm our business, and negatively impact the trading price of our common stock.

 

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We incur new costs as a newly public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance matters.

As a newly public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses, including costs resulting from public company reporting obligations under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations regarding corporate governance practices, including those under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and the listing requirements of the stock exchange on which our securities are listed. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with all of these requirements. The reporting requirements, rules, and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly.

These rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit and compensation committees, or as executive officers.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our common stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance.

The market price for our common stock may be volatile. As a retailer, our results are significantly affected by factors outside our control, particularly consumer spending and consumer confidence, which can significantly affect our stock price. In addition, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of other factors, including those described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section, as well as the following:

 

   

quarterly variations in our operating results compared to market expectations;

 

   

changes in preferences of our customers;

 

   

announcements of new products or significant price reductions by us or our competitors;

 

   

size of the public float;

 

   

stock price performance of our competitors;

 

   

fluctuations in stock market prices and volumes;

 

   

default on our indebtedness;

 

   

actions by competitors or other shopping center tenants;

 

   

changes in senior management or key personnel;

 

   

changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or failure to meet their expectations;

 

   

actual or anticipated negative earnings or other announcements by us or other retail companies;

 

   

downgrades in our credit ratings or the credit ratings of our competitors;

 

   

natural disasters or other similar events;

 

   

issuances or expected issuances of capital stock; and

 

   

global economic, legal and regulatory changes unrelated to our performance.

In addition, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many retail companies. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business.

 

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Our filings and public disclosures have attracted the attention of a hedge fund manager whose investment strategies we believe include making investments that increase in value when stock prices decline. The fund manager has informed us of the fund’s negative view of our Company and business and has threatened to publicize those views. There can be no assurance that this fund manager will not attempt to influence the broader investment community or otherwise attempt to disparage our Company or our brand, which could negatively affect our stock price.

Substantial future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional shares. All of our unregistered shares of common stock outstanding are freely tradable, except for (i) any shares of our common stock that are held or acquired by our directors, executive officers and other affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), which are restricted securities under the Securities Act, (ii) 2,322,983 shares issued under our Replacement Plan that are subject to additional resale restrictions as described further below in “Executive Compensation—Employee Benefit and Stock Plans—2012 Equity Replacement Plan,” (iii) 4,368,467 shares held by certain stockholders who have executed our registration rights agreement that are subject to additional resale restrictions as described below in “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Registration Rights Agreement,” and (iv) 737,507 unvested shares held by Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman subject to additional resale restrictions as described below in “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Long-Term Equity Compensation.” Under the registration rights agreement, Home Holdings, Catterton and Tower Three have registration rights whereby Home Holdings, Catterton or Tower Three can require us to register under the Securities Act any shares owned by Home Holdings, Catterton or Tower Three as of the date of our initial public offering. If our existing stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or if the public perceives that such sales could occur, this could have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock, even if there is no relationship between such sales and the performance of our business.

We, our executive officers and directors and the selling stockholders have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell or transfer any common stock, or securities convertible into, exchangeable for, exercisable for or repayable with common stock, for 90 days after the date of this prospectus, without first obtaining written consent of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and Goldman, Sachs & Co., representatives of the underwriters. See “Underwriting.”

In the future, we may also issue our securities in connection with a capital raise or acquisitions. The amount of shares of our common stock issued in connection with a capital raise or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of our common stock, which would result in dilution.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our Company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. These provisions:

 

   

establish a classified board of directors so that not all members of our board of directors are elected at one time;

 

   

authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock, 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;

 

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after the date on which Home Holdings no longer holds a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, prohibit stockholder action by written consent, which requires all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of our stockholders;

 

   

provide that our board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our bylaws; and

 

   

establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

Our certificate of incorporation also contains a provision that provides us with protections similar to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), and prevents us from engaging in a business combination with a person who acquires at least 15% of our common stock for a period of three years from the date such person acquired such common stock unless board or stockholder approval is obtained prior to the acquisition, except that Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill and any persons to whom Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill sell their common stock will be deemed to have been approved by our board of directors, and thereby not subject to these restrictions. 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, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. 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 do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future.

We do not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends on shares of our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. Accordingly, realization of a gain on your investment will depend on the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur. Investors seeking cash dividends in the foreseeable future should not purchase our common stock.

Home Holdings, Catterton and Tower Three continue to have significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and their interests in our business may be different from yours.

After the completion of this offering, Home Holdings will own approximately 18.3 million shares, or 47.2%, of our outstanding common stock (such percentage calculation includes in the number of outstanding shares certain outstanding unvested shares not held by Home Holdings). Of that amount, Catterton will beneficially own approximately 8.3 million shares, or 21.5%, of our outstanding common stock, Tower Three will beneficially own approximately 7.9 million shares, or 20.2%, of our outstanding common stock, and Glenhill will beneficially own approximately 2.1 million shares, or 5.5%, of our outstanding common stock.

Home Holdings, and through Home Holdings, Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill, have significant influence over our reporting and corporate management and affairs and are able to control certain matters requiring stockholder approval. It is possible that the interests of our Principal Equity Holders may in some circumstances conflict with the interests of our other stockholders, including you. We have entered into a stockholders agreement with Home Holdings that provides for certain approval rights for Home Holdings and designation of directors by Home Holdings. The stockholders agreement provides that, for so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, Home Holdings shall have the right to nominate a majority of the members of our board of directors and as long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, Home Holdings shall have the right to nominate two members of our board of directors. For so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders own a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, no action may be taken or vote approved by our board of directors or any committee thereof (other than the audit committee or any other committee of directors that may be created with the approval of Home Holdings as not being subject to this provision) without the affirmative vote of the Catterton and Tower Three designated directors. In addition, for so long as Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock, certain

 

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actions may not be taken without the approval of Home Holdings. Home Holdings will no longer hold a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock after the consummation of this offering. The stockholders agreement (and our certificate of incorporation) also provides for a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine with respect to Home Holdings and its affiliates, including the Principal Equity Holders. If Home Holdings or its affiliates, including the Principal Equity Holders, participate in any such corporate opportunity, Thomas Mottola and Barry Sternlicht, two of our directors, will also be afforded a waiver of the corporate opportunity doctrine in connection with any participation by them in any such corporate opportunity.

Our Principal Equity Holders are also in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Our Principal Equity Holders may also pursue acquisition opportunities that are complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. So long as Home Holdings or our Principal Equity Holders, or other funds controlled by or associated with our Principal Equity Holders, continue to indirectly own a significant amount of our outstanding common stock, even if such amount represents less than a majority, Home Holdings and our Principal Equity Holders will continue to be able to strongly influence our decisions. The concentration of ownership in the hands of our Principal Equity Holders may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change of control of our Company, could deprive stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our Company and might ultimately affect the market price of our common stock.

We will no longer be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules upon consummation of this offering. However, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements during a one-year transition period.

Home Holdings will no longer control a majority of our voting common stock upon consummation of this offering. As a result, we will no longer qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. The NYSE rules require that we appoint a majority of independent directors to our board of directors within one year of the date we no longer qualify as a “controlled company.” The NYSE rules also require that we appoint at least one independent member to each of the compensation and nominating and governance committees prior to the date we no longer qualify as a “controlled company,” at least a majority of independent members to such committees within 90 days of such date and compensation and nominating and governance committees composed entirely of independent directors within one year of such date. During these transition periods, we may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements, including:

 

   

the requirement that a majority of our board of directors consists of independent directors;

 

   

the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

   

the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

Accordingly, during these transition periods, stockholders will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such corporate governance requirements. In addition, although we will no longer be a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE rules following the consummation of this offering, our Principal Equity Holders will continue to be able to significantly influence or effectively control our decisions. See “Management—Selection Arrangements,” “Management—Corporate Governance” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement.”

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND MARKET DATA

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. For example, forward-looking statements include statements we make relating to:

 

   

anticipated demand in given markets, market growth projections and our expected increased market share, store sales and brand awareness;

 

   

our real estate platform transformation, including planned store openings, closings, relocations, remodelings, anticipated store demand, square footage, sales per square foot and occupancy costs, and expected inventory investments, opening expenses and initial investment payback periods for new stores;

 

   

plans and expectations regarding merchandise assortments, product designs, product category introductions and increased merchandise margins;

 

   

plans and expectations relating to growing our direct business through our Source Book catalog circulation strategy and by implementing our digital and social marketing initiative and increased advertising and public relations efforts;

 

   

our intention to expand customer services, such as by offering consultations and customization, and to explore and test new complementary business opportunities, such as a café, wine bar or restaurant adjacent to, or inside of, select Full Line Design Galleries;

 

   

our plan to strategically expand our business in select countries outside of the United States and Canada and our belief that we will have strong international appeal;

 

   

other plans and objectives for future operations, growth, initiatives or strategies, including anticipated personnel hiring and planned investments in capital;

 

   

our intention to continue to strengthen our supply chain operations and enhance our technology systems;

 

   

our belief that our vendors have, or will have, adequate capacity to meet our anticipated demand;

 

   

our expectations regarding consumer spending, the housing market and the North American economy; and

 

   

estimated and projected costs, expenditures, cash flows, growth rates, operating margins and financial results.

These and other forward-looking statements are subject to risk and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected. We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, or cautionary statements, are disclosed under the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this prospectus. All forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements, as well as other cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this prospectus in the context of these risks and uncertainties.

 

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We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our operations in the way we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

We obtained the industry, market and competitive position data throughout this prospectus from (i) our own internal estimates and research, (ii) industry and general publications and research or (iii) studies and surveys conducted by third parties. Industry publications, research, studies and surveys generally do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. While we believe that the information included in this prospectus from such publications, research, studies and surveys is reliable, we have not independently verified data from these third-party sources. While we believe our internal estimates and research are reliable and the definitions of our market and industry are appropriate, neither such estimates and research nor such definitions have been verified by any independent source.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The selling stockholders, who include certain of our directors, officers and employees, will receive all of the proceeds from this offering and we will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares in this offering. See “Principal and Selling Stockholders.”

 

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MARKET PRICE FOR COMMON STOCK

Our common stock began trading on the NYSE under the symbol “RH” on November 2, 2012. The price range per share of common stock presented below represents the highest and lowest closing prices for our common stock on the NYSE for each full quarterly period since our initial public offering.

 

     Highest      Lowest  

Fiscal 2012

     

Fourth Quarter (from November 2, 2012)

   $ 37.99       $ 31.10   

Fiscal 2013

     

First Quarter

   $ 39.58       $ 32.75   

Second Quarter (through May 14, 2013)

   $ 52.45       $ 39.55   

The closing price of our common stock as of May 14, 2013 was $52.45 per share, and the number of stockholders of record of our common stock as of May 14, 2013 was 115. This number excludes stockholders whose stock is held in nominee or street name by brokers.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business, and therefore we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. We are a holding company, and substantially all of our operations are carried out by our subsidiary, Restoration Hardware, Inc., and its subsidiaries. Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s ability to pay dividends to us is limited by the terms of its credit agreement, which may in turn limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. Our ability to pay dividends may also be restricted by the terms of any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred securities of ours or of our subsidiaries.

 

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SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

The following tables present Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.’s consolidated financial and operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.

Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. was formed as a Delaware corporation on August 18, 2011. On November 7, 2012, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. completed an initial public offering and acquired all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. Prior to the Reorganization, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. had not engaged in any business or other activities except in connection with its formation and the Reorganization. Accordingly, all financial and other information herein relating to periods prior to the completion of the Reorganization is that of Restoration Hardware, Inc.

All of the outstanding capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. was acquired on June 16, 2008, by Home Holdings, which we refer to as the “Acquisition.” As a result of the Acquisition, a new basis of accounting was created beginning June 17, 2008. The period prior to the Acquisition is referred to as the “Predecessor” period and the periods after the Acquisition are referred to as the “Successor” periods. The Predecessor period presented includes the period from February 3, 2008 through June 16, 2008, reflecting approximately 19 weeks of operations, and the Successor periods include the period from June 17, 2008 through January 31, 2009, reflecting approximately 33 weeks of operations. Due to the Acquisition, the financial statements for the Successor periods are not comparable to those of the Predecessor period.

The selected consolidated financial data as of January 28, 2012 and February 2, 2013 and for the fiscal years ended January 29, 2011, January 28, 2012 and February 2, 2013, were derived from Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements included herein. The selected consolidated financial data as of January 29, 2011 and as of and for the periods ended June 16, 2008, January 31, 2009 and January 30, 2010, were derived from Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s consolidated financial statements for such years not included herein.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our accounting policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense which has been applied retrospectively to the periods presented below. For further discussion, see footnote 1 to the table below.

 

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The selected historical consolidated data presented below should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and other financial data included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

    Predecessor          Successor  
    Period from
February 3,
2008
Through
June 16,
2008
         Period
from
June 17,
2008
Through
January 31,
2009
    Year Ended  
        January 30,
2010
    January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
    February 2,
2013
 
    (dollars in thousands, excluding share, per share and per square foot data)  

Statement of Operations Data:

               

Net revenues

  $ 195,437          $ 498,581      $ 625,685      $ 772,752      $ 958,084      $ 1,193,046   

Cost of goods sold

    140,088            308,448        412,629        501,132        601,735        756,597   
 

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

    55,349            190,133        213,056        271,620        356,349        436,449   

Selling, general and administrative expenses (1)

    75,396            213,011        238,889        274,836        329,506        505,485   
 

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

    (20,047         (22,878     (25,833     (3,216     26,843        (69,036

Interest expense

    (2,731         (4,907     (3,241     (3,150     (5,134     (5,776
 

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

    (22,778         (27,785     (29,074     (6,366     21,709        (74,812

Income tax expense (benefit) (2)

    508            (201     (423     685        1,121        (62,023
 

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

  $ (23,286       $ (27,584   $ (28,651   $ (7,051   $ 20,588      $ (12,789
 

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average number of basic and diluted shares outstanding

    38,969,000            100        100        100        468        9,428,828   

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share

  $ (0.60       $ (275,840   $ (286,510   $ (70,510   $ 43,991      $ (1.36

Other Financial and Operating Data:

               

Growth in net revenues:

               

Stores (3)

    —             —         (6 )%      15     22     20

Direct

    —             —         (15 )%      37     27     30

Total

    —             —         (10 )%      24     24     25

Retail (4):

               

Comparable store sales change (5)

    (12 )%          (8 )%      (7 )%      19     25     28

Retail stores open at end of period

    100            99        95        91        74        71   

Total leased square footage at end of period (in thousands)

    1,061            1,057        1,015        970        808        768   

Total leased selling square footage at end of period (in thousands) (6)

    671            670        642        613        516        501   

Retail sales per leased selling square foot (7)

  $ 147          $ 406      $ 525      $ 635      $ 846      $ 1,143   

Direct:

               

Catalogs circulated (in thousands) (8)

    13,771            26,831        31,336        46,507        26,052        32,712   

Catalog pages circulated (in millions) (8)

    2,168            3,507        4,418        6,260        8,848        16,029   

Direct as a percentage of net revenues (9)

    43         41     39     43     44     46

Capital expenditures

  $ 3,821          $ 13,428      $ 2,024      $ 39,907      $ 25,593      $ 49,058   

Adjusted EBITDA (10)

  $ (8,219       $ 4,386      $ 17,596      $ 41,097      $ 80,154      $ 96,571   

Adjusted net income (10)

          $ (18,483   $ 3,025      $ 26,451      $ 37,739   

Pro forma diluted weighted-average shares used in calculating adjusted diluted net income per share (11)

                  37,242,178   

Adjusted diluted net income per share (10)

                $ 1.01   

 

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     January 31,
2009
     January 30,
2010
     January 29,
2011
     January 28,
2012
     February 2,
2013
 
     (in thousands)  

Balance Sheet Data:

              

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 8,603       $ 13,186       $ 13,364       $ 8,512       $ 8,354   

Working capital (excluding cash and cash equivalents) (12)

     102,850         57,058         103,894         156,506         267,905   

Total assets

     494,773         431,528         501,991         586,810         789,613   

Revolving line of credit

     110,696         57,442         111,837         107,502         82,501   

Term loan

     —          —           —           14,798         —     

Total debt (including current portion) (13)

     117,515         61,652         116,995         131,040         87,029   

Total stockholders’ equity

     238,670         221,079         215,804         250,463         451,611   

 

(1) In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense from the graded method of accounting to the straight-line method of accounting for our pre-Reorganization time-based units (or service-only awards). This change in accounting had the same impact on our selling, general and administrative expenses and net income (loss) for all periods presented. The table below presents the impact to our net income (loss) as a result of this change in accounting policy. The impact to fiscal 2009 was immaterial and there was no impact for years prior to 2009. See Note 3– Change in Accounting Principle–Stock-Based Compensation to our audited consolidated financial statements.

 

     Year Ended  
     January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)—as reported

   $ (8,074   $ 20,341   

Change in accounting policy adjustment

     1,023        247   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)—as revised

   $ (7,051   $ 20,588   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(2) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits (adjusted for permanent differences) for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods, provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the three and twelve months ended February 2, 2013, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance of $57.2 million against net deferred tax assets.
(3) Stores data represents retail stores plus outlet stores.
(4) Retail data has been calculated based upon our retail stores and excludes our outlet stores.
(5) Comparable store sales have been calculated based upon retail stores that were open at least fourteen full months as of the end of the reporting period and did not change square footage by more than 20% between periods. If a store is closed for seven days during a month, that month will be excluded from comparable store sales. Comparable store net revenues exclude revenues from outlet stores. Because fiscal 2012 was a 53-week year, comparable store sales percentage for fiscal 2012 excludes the extra week of sales.
(6) Leased selling square footage is retail space at our stores used to sell our products. Leased selling square footage excludes backrooms at retail stores used for storage office space or similar matters. Leased selling square footage excludes exterior sales space located outside a store, such as courtyards, gardens and rooftops. Leased selling square footage for fiscal 2012, fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010 includes approximately 4,500 square feet related to one owned store location.
(7) Retail sales per leased selling square foot is calculated by dividing total net revenues for all retail stores, comparable and non-comparable, by the average leased selling square footage for the period.
    

Average leased selling square footage for the 2008 Predecessor period is calculated by adding the average leased selling square footage for the first quarter of the year ended January 31, 2009, and for the period

 

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  May 4, 2008, through June 16, 2008, and dividing by two. Average leased selling square footage for the period May 4, 2008, through June 16, 2008, is calculated by taking the total leased selling square footage at the beginning of the period plus the total leased selling square footage at the end of the period and dividing by two.

 

     Average leased selling square footage for the 2008 Successor period is calculated by adding the average leased selling square footage for three periods, being the period June 17, 2008, through August 2, 2008, the third quarter of the year ending January 31, 2009, and the fourth quarter of the year ended January 31, 2009, and dividing by three. Average leased selling square footage for the period June 17, 2008, through August 2, 2008, is calculated by taking the total leased selling square footage at the beginning of the period plus the total leased selling square footage at the end of the period and dividing by two.
(8) The catalogs and catalog pages circulated from period to period do not take into account different page sizes per catalog distributed. Page sizes and page counts vary for different catalog mailings and we sometimes mail different versions of a catalog at the same time. Accordingly, period to period comparisons of catalogs circulated and catalog pages circulated do not take these variations into account.
(9) Direct revenues include sales through our catalogs and websites.
(10) EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted net income per share are supplemental measures of financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define EBITDA as consolidated net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes. We define adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss), adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. We define adjusted diluted net income per share as adjusted net income divided by our pro forma diluted weighted-average shares as of February 2, 2013.

 

     We believe that EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income are useful measures of operating performance, as they eliminate expenses that are not reflective of the underlying business performance, facilitate a comparison of our operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provide for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. We also use adjusted EBITDA as one of the primary methods for planning and forecasting overall expected performance and for evaluating on a quarterly and annual basis actual results against such expectations, and as the basis of our Management Incentive Plan (“MIP”), which is our cash based-incentive compensation program designed to motivate and reward annual performance for eligible employees. Additionally, EBITDA is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate companies in our industry. We use EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, alongside other GAAP measures such as gross profit, operating income (loss) and net income (loss), to measure profitability, as a key profitability target in our annual and other budgets, and to compare our performance against that of peer companies.

 

     EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted net income per share are not GAAP measures of our financial performance or liquidity and should not be considered as alternatives to net income (loss) or net income (loss) per share as a measure of financial performance, cash flows from operating activities as a measure of liquidity, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and they should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Additionally, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are not intended to be measures of free cash flow for management’s discretionary use, as they do not consider certain cash requirements such as tax payments and debt service requirements and certain other cash costs that may recur in the future. EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA contain certain other limitations, including the failure to reflect our cash expenditures, cash requirements for working capital needs and cash costs to replace assets being depreciated and amortized. In addition, these non-GAAP measures exclude certain non-recurring and other charges.

 

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     In evaluating these non-GAAP measures, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in these non-GAAP measures. Our presentation of these non-GAAP measures should not be construed to imply that our future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. Management compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and by using these non-GAAP only supplementally. These non-GAAP measures are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to different methods of calculation.

A reconciliation of net income (loss) to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA is set forth below:

 

     Predecessor (a)          Successor  
     Period
from
February 3,
2008
Through
June 16,
2008
         Period
from
June 17,
2008
Through
January 31,
2009
    Year Ended  
           January 30,
2010
    January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
     February 2,
2013
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)

   $ (23,286       $ (27,584   $ (28,651   $ (7,051   $ 20,588       $ (12,789

Depreciation and amortization

     7,934            50,222        43,065        31,263        29,186         26,748   

Interest expense

     2,731            4,907        3,241        3,150        5,134         5,776   

Income tax expense (benefit)

     508            (201     (423     685        1,121         (62,023
  

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

EBITDA

     (12,113         27,344        17,232        28,047        56,029         (42,288

Management and pre-IPO board fees (b)

     91            1,985        4,620        4,793        10,715         4,258   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (c)

     2,319            —          592        1,119        7,907         116,157   

Terminated operations (d)

     884            3,821        2,604        352        1,580         —     

Severance and other transaction costs (e)

     600            368        1,521        1,797        621         —     

Impairment of long-lived assets (f)

     —              3,868        2,304        2,115        —           —     

Lease termination costs (g)

     —              —          —          —          3,110         (386

Amortization of inventory fair value adjustment (h)

     —              (35,075     (12,780     —          —           —     

Non-capitalized IPO costs (i)

     —              —          —          2,351        —           —     

Special committee investigation and remediation (j)

     —              —          —          —          —           4,778   

Initial public offering costs (k)

     —              —          —          —          —           10,755   

Anti-dumping exposure (l)

     —              —          —          —          —           3,250   

Other adjustments allowable under our agreements with our stockholders (m)

     —              2,075        1,503        523        192         47   
  

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ (8,219       $ 4,386      $ 17,596      $ 41,097      $ 80,154       $ 96,571   
  

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a) We have presented adjusted EBITDA for the Predecessor periods consistently with the Successor periods to present information on a comparable basis for those periods.
  (b) Includes fees and expenses paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings in the Successor periods, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our board of directors prior to the initial public offering in both the Predecessor and Successor periods.
  (c) Fiscal 2012 includes a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman. Fiscal 2011 includes a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment. In addition, amounts include stock-based compensation expense incurred prior to the initial public offering.
  (d) Includes the impact of divesting our Brocade Home brand, closing four temporary clearance centers operated from October 2008 to March 2010, costs related to closing of The Michaels Furniture Company and costs related to the restructuring of our Shanghai office location.
  (e) Amounts in the 2008 Predecessor period and the 2008 Successor period include severance costs, and transaction costs associated with our Acquisition by Home Holdings. Amounts in fiscal 2009, fiscal 2010, and fiscal 2011 generally include executive severance and other related costs.
  (f) Includes costs related to impairment of long-lived assets related to our retail store operations.
  (g) Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The amount in fiscal 2012 relates to changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.
  (h) Represents non-cash impact of amortizing the net fair value adjustment to inventory recorded in connection with the purchase price allocation for the Acquisition over the period of the inventory turn.
  (i) Represents costs related to our efforts to pursue an initial public offering.
  (j) Represents legal and other professional fees, incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (k) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.

 

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  (l) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
  (m) Represents items which management believes are not indicative of our ongoing operating performance. The 2008 Successor period includes consulting fees related to organizational matters following the Acquisition. Fiscal 2009 adjustments include one-time start-up costs associated with Baby & Child and occupancy costs for corporate office space exited by us as part of the Acquisition. Fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2011 adjustments include consulting fees related to organizational matters and state franchise tax amounts. All periods include foreign exchange gains and losses.

A reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted net income is set forth below:

 

     Year Ended  
     January 30,
2010
    January 29,
2011
    January 28,
2012
    February 2,
2013
 
     (In thousands)  

GAAP net income (loss)

   $ (28,651   $ (7,051   $ 20,588      $ (12,789
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjustments (pre-tax):

        

Management and pre-IPO board fees (a)

   $ 4,620      $ 4,793      $ 10,715      $ 4,258   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (b)

     —         —         6,350        115,055   

Terminated operations (c)

     2,604        352        1,580        —    

Severance and other transaction costs (d)

     1,521        1,797        621        —    

Impairment of long-lived assets (e)

     2,304        2,115        —         —    

Lease termination costs (f)

     —         —         3,110        (386

Amortization of inventory fair value adjustment (g)

     (12,780     —         —         —    

Non-capitalized initial public offering costs (h)

     —         2,351        —         —    

Special committee investigation and remediation (i)

     —         —         —         4,778   

Initial public offering costs (j)

     —         —         —         10,755   

Anti-dumping exposure (k)

     —         —         —         3,250   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal adjusted items

     (1,731     11,408        22,376        137,710   

Impact of income tax items (l)

     11,899        (1,332     (16,513     (87,182
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted net income (loss) (m)

   $ (18,483   $ 3,025      $ 26,451      $ 37,739   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a) Represents fees paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our Board of Directors prior to the initial public offering. All management fees were paid in full at the time of the initial public offering. Board fees and expenses subsequent to the initial public offering are not included in the above adjustments and are included in both the GAAP and adjusted net income amounts.
  (b) The three and twelve months ended February 2, 2013 include a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman. The twelve months ended January 28, 2012 includes a $6.4 million non-cash compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment.
  (c) Represents costs related to the restructuring of our Shanghai office location.
  (d) Amounts include executive severance and other related costs.
  (e) Includes costs related to impairment of long-lived assets related to our retail store operations.
  (f) Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The amount in the twelve months ended February 2, 2013 relate to changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.
  (g) Represents non-cash impact of amortizing the net fair value adjustment to inventory recorded in connection with the purchase price allocation for the Acquisition over the period of the inventory turn.
  (h) Represents costs related to our efforts to pursue an initial public offering.
  (i) Represents legal and other professional fees, incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the Board of Directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (j) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.
  (k) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

 

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  (l) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the three and twelve months ended February 2, 2013, we released all of our valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets for the U.S. In addition, income tax items exclude the tax benefit related to the resolution of our Canada Revenue Agency examination in the twelve months ended February 2, 2013, exclude the tax benefit from the utilization of federal and state net operating losses, and assume a normalized tax rate of 40% for all periods presented.
  (m) Adjusted net income is a supplemental measure of financial performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss) adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. Adjusted net income is included in this prospectus because management believes that adjusted net income provides meaningful supplemental information for investors regarding the performance of our business and facilitates a meaningful evaluation of actual results on a comparable basis with historical results. Our management uses this non-GAAP financial measure in order to have comparable financial results to analyze changes in our underlying business from quarter to quarter.

A reconciliation of diluted net loss per share to adjusted diluted net income per share is set forth below:

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

   $ (1.36

Pro forma weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share (a)

     37,242,178   

Pro forma diluted net loss per share

   $ (0.34

EPS impact of adjustments (pre-tax):

  

Management and pre-IPO board fees (b)

   $ 0.10   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (c)

     3.09   

Special committee investigation and remediation (d)

     0.13   

Initial public offering costs (e)

     0.29   

Anti-dumping exposure (f)

     0.09   
  

 

 

 

Subtotal adjusted items

     3.70   

Impact of income tax items (g)

     (2.35
  

 

 

 

Adjusted diluted net income per share

   $ 1.01   
  

 

 

 
  (a) On a pro forma basis, basic and diluted shares outstanding include (1) the impact of the Reorganization, as well as (2) the 4,782,609 shares of common stock that we issued and sold on November 7, 2012 in our initial public offering, as if such events had been completed as of the beginning of the respective periods and the common stock resulting therefrom was outstanding for the respective periods.
  (b) Represents fees and expenses paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our Board of Directors prior to the initial public offering. All management fees were paid in full at the time of the initial public offering. Board fees and expenses subsequent to the initial public offering are not included in the above adjustments and are included in both the GAAP and adjusted net income amounts.
  (c) The twelve months ended February 2, 2013 include a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman.
  (d) Represents legal and other professional fees, incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the Board of Directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (e) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.
  (f) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
  (g) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the twelve months ended February 2, 2013, we released all of our valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets for the U.S. In addition, income tax items exclude the tax benefit related to the resolution of our Canada Revenue Agency examination in the twelve months ended February 2, 2013, exclude the tax benefit from the utilization of federal and state net operating losses, and assume a normalized tax rate of 40% for all periods presented.

 

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(11) On a pro forma basis, basic and diluted shares outstanding include (1) the impact of the Reorganization, as well as (2) the 4,782,609 shares of common stock that we issued and sold on November 7, 2012 in our initial public offering, as if such events had been completed as of the beginning of the respective periods and the common stock resulting therefrom was outstanding for the respective periods.
(12) Working capital is defined as current assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents, less current liabilities, excluding the current portion of long-term debt.
(13) Total debt (including current portion) includes the revolving line of credit, term loan, and capital lease obligations.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview

We are a leading luxury retailer in the home furnishings marketplace. Our collections of timeless, updated classics and reproductions are presented consistently across our sales channels in sophisticated and unique lifestyle settings that we believe are on par with world-class interior designers. We offer dominant merchandise assortments across a growing number of categories, including furniture, lighting, textiles, bathware, décor, outdoor and garden, tableware and children’s furnishings. Our business is fully integrated across our multiple channels of distribution, consisting of our stores, catalogs and websites. We position our stores as showrooms for our brand, while our catalogs and websites act as virtual extensions of our stores. As of May 10, 2013, we operated 62 Galleries, 5 Full Line Design Galleries, 3 Baby & Child Galleries, as well as 14 outlet stores throughout the United States and Canada.

In order to drive growth across our business, we are focused on the following key strategies:

 

   

Transform Our Real Estate Platform. We believe we have an opportunity to significantly increase our sales by transforming our real estate platform from our existing retail footprint to a portfolio focused on Full Line Design Galleries. Our Full Line Design Galleries are sized based on the market potential and the size of our assortment. We currently have five Full Line Design Galleries that average approximately 21,600 selling square feet, more than three times the size of our average Gallery. We have found that we experience higher sales across all of our channels when we showcase more of our assortment. We have identified approximately 50 key metropolitan markets where we can open new Full Line Design Galleries in iconic or high-profile locations that are representative of our luxury brand positioning.

We opened our first five Full Line Design Galleries in Los Angeles in June 2011, Houston in November 2011, Scottsdale in November 2012 and Boston and Indianapolis, both in April 2013. In the Los Angeles and Houston markets, store demand increased by approximately 90% and 60%, respectively, and direct demand increased by approximately 30% and 45%, respectively, in the first full year of operations of those Full Line Design Galleries. In the Scottsdale market, we experienced a greater than 85% increase in store demand and a greater than 60% increase in direct demand during the months from the store’s opening in November 2012 through the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2013.

 

   

Expand Our Offering and Increase Our Market Share. We believe we have a significant opportunity to increase our market share by:

 

   

Growing our merchandise assortment and introducing new products and categories, including current initiatives in furniture, rugs, lighting, tableware, children’s furnishings and decorative accessories;

 

   

Expanding our service offerings, including interior design, product customization and gift registry services; and

 

   

Exploring and testing new business opportunities complementary to our core business that leverage our defining strengths of taste, style and innovation, such as the recent launch of our Contemporary Art business.

 

   

Increase Brand Awareness. We will continue to increase our brand awareness and customer loyalty through our real estate transformation, our circulation strategy, our digital marketing initiatives, and our increased advertising and public relations efforts.

 

   

Pursue International Expansion. We plan to strategically expand our business into select countries outside of the United States and Canada over the next several years. We believe that our luxury brand positioning and unique aesthetic will have strong international appeal.

 

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Increase Operating Margins. We have the opportunity to continue to improve our operating margins by leveraging our fixed occupancy costs and scalable infrastructure.

Our fiscal 2012 results reflect the ongoing strength of our business. We have continued to take market share, and at the same time invested in our infrastructure and supply chain to support future growth. Key financial achievements of fiscal 2012 include:

 

   

Net revenues increased 25% to $1.2 billion, on top of a 24% increase in fiscal 2011 and a 24% increase in fiscal 2010.

 

   

Comparable store sales increased 28% on top of a 25% increase in fiscal 2011 and a 19% increase in fiscal 2010.

 

   

Direct net revenues increased 30% on top of a 27% increase in fiscal 2011 and a 37% increase in fiscal 2010.

 

   

The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 marked our 12th consecutive quarter of double digit revenue growth.

 

   

Our GAAP net loss was $12.8 million. Our adjusted net income increased 43% to $37.7 million.

Factors Affecting Our Operating Results

Various factors affected our results for the periods presented in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” including the following:

Overall Economic Trends. The industry in which we operate is cyclical, and consequently our revenues are affected by general economic conditions. For example, reduced consumer confidence and lower availability and higher cost of consumer credit reduces demand for our products and limits our ability to increase prices or sustain price increases. We expect that some of the economic factors that have been in place for the last several years, including the continuing economic uncertainty (particularly in the housing market in the United States) may continue in future periods. Based on our research, we believe that the domestic housewares and home furnishings market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3 – 4% between 2011 and 2015. However, there can be no assurance that the market will grow at this rate. The growth rate of the market could be affected by macroeconomic conditions in the United States. Although we believe our annual net revenues currently represent less than 1% of the domestic housewares and home furnishings market and therefore we have opportunities to grow market share in future periods, slower rates of growth could negatively impact our results. For more information, see “Risk Factors—Changes in consumer spending or the housing market may significantly harm our revenue and results of operations.

Our Strategic Initiatives. We are in the process of implementing a number of significant business initiatives that have had and will continue to have an impact on our results of operations, including the development of new larger Full Line Design Galleries in a number of new locations, the optimization of our store sizes to better fit anticipated demand in a given market, the expansion of our product categories and services and changes in the ways in which we market with our catalogs. Although these initiatives are designed to create growth in our business and continuing improvement in our operating results, the timing of expenditures related to these initiatives, as well as the achievement of returns on our investments, may affect our results of operation in future periods, and we may not achieve the desired benefits. Opening Full Line Design Galleries will require significant capital expenditures, and retail store closures may lead to charges including lease termination and other exit costs. These changes could affect our results of operation in future periods. In addition, the investments required to continue our strategic initiatives may have a negative impact on cash flows in future periods and could create pressure on our liquidity if we do not achieve the desired results from these initiatives in a timely manner. We expect that we will continue to incur significant capital expenditures as part of our initiative to open more Full Line Design Galleries over the next several years, and that these expenditures will have an impact on our cash flows during this time. For fiscal 2012, we incurred total capital expenditures of $49.1 million and we anticipate our capital expenditure requirements to be approximately $95 million to $100 million for fiscal 2013.

 

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Consumer Preferences and Demand. Our ability to maintain our appeal to existing customers and attract new customers depends on our ability to originate, develop and offer a compelling product assortment responsive to customer preferences and design trends. We have successfully introduced a large number of new products during recent periods, which we believe has been a contributing factor in our sales and operating results. Periods in which our products have achieved strong customer acceptance generally have had more favorable results. If we misjudge the market for our products, we may be faced with excess inventories for some products and may be required to become more promotional in our selling activities, which would impact our net revenues and gross profit.

Our Ability to Source and Distribute Products Effectively. Our net revenue and gross profits are affected by our ability to purchase our merchandise in sufficient quantities at competitive prices. While we believe our vendors have adequate capacity to meet our current and anticipated demand, our level of net revenues have been adversely affected in prior periods by constraints in our supply chain, including the inability of our vendors to produce sufficient quantities of some merchandise in a manner that was able to match market demand from our customers, leading to higher levels of customer back orders and lost sales.

Seasonality. Our business is seasonal. As a result, our net revenues fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which often affects the comparability of our results between periods. Net revenues are historically higher in the second and fourth fiscal quarters due primarily to the impact of the outdoor selling season and the holiday selling season, respectively. Cash requirements are typically higher in the first and third quarters due to inventory-related working capital requirements for the outdoor and holiday selling periods. See “Risk Factors—Our operating results are subject to quarterly and seasonal fluctuations, and results for any quarter may not necessarily be indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.

How We Assess the Performance of Our Business

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of financial and operating measures that affect our operating results, including net revenues, gross profit, selling, general and administrative expenses, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income.

Net Revenues. Net revenues reflect our sale of merchandise plus shipping and handling revenue collected from our customers, less returns and discounts. Revenues are recognized upon receipt of product by our customers.

Gross Profit. Gross profit is equal to our net revenues less cost of goods sold. Gross profit as a percentage of our net revenues is referred to as gross margin. Cost of goods sold include the direct cost of purchased merchandise; inventory shrinkage; inventory adjustments due to obsolescence, including excess and slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market reserves; inbound freight; all freight costs to get merchandise to our stores; design, buying and allocation costs; occupancy costs related to store operations, such as rent and common area maintenance; depreciation and amortization of leasehold improvements, equipment and other assets in our stores and distribution centers; and all logistics costs associated with shipping product to our customers, which are only partially offset by shipping income collected from customers. We expect gross profit to increase to the extent that we successfully grow our net revenues and leverage the fixed portion of cost of goods sold.

Our gross profit can be favorably impacted by sales volume increases, as occupancy and certain other costs that are largely fixed do not necessarily increase proportionally with volume increases. Changes in the mix of our products may also impact our gross profit. We review our inventory levels on an ongoing basis in order to identify slow-moving merchandise and use product markdowns and our outlet stores to efficiently sell these products. The timing and level of markdowns are driven primarily by customer acceptance of our merchandise. The primary drivers of the costs of individual goods are raw materials costs, which fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including commodity prices, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, competition, import duties, tariffs and government regulation, logistics costs (which may increase in

 

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the event of, for example, expansions of or interruptions in the operation of our distribution centers, furniture home delivery hubs and customer service center or damage or interruption to our information systems) and labor costs in the countries where we source our merchandise. We place orders with merchandise vendors primarily in United States dollars and, as a result, are not exposed to significant foreign currency exchange risk.

Our gross profit may not be comparable to other specialty retailers, as some companies may not include all or a portion of the costs related to their distribution network and store occupancy in calculating gross profit as we and many other retailers do, but instead may include them in selling, general and administrative expenses.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses include all operating costs not included in cost of goods sold. These expenses include all payroll and payroll-related expenses, store expenses other than occupancy and expenses related to many of our operations at our headquarters, including utilities, depreciation and amortization, credit card fees and marketing expense, which primarily includes catalog production, mailing and print advertising costs. All store pre-opening costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and are expensed as incurred. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues is usually higher in lower-volume quarters and lower in higher-volume quarters because a significant portion of the costs are relatively fixed.

Our recent revenue growth has been accompanied by increased selling, general and administrative expenses. The most significant components of these increases are marketing and payroll costs. We expect these expenses to continue to increase as we continue to open new stores, develop new product categories and otherwise grow our business.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income. We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income are useful measures of operating performance, as the adjustments eliminate non-recurring and other items that are not reflective of underlying business performance, facilitate a comparison of our operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provide for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. We also use adjusted EBITDA as one of the primary methods for planning and forecasting overall expected performance and for evaluating on a quarterly and annual basis actual results against such expectations, and as the basis of our MIP.

We define adjusted EBITDA as consolidated net income (loss) before depreciation and amortization, interest expense and provision for income taxes, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. Because adjusted EBITDA omits non-cash items, we feel that it is less susceptible to variances in actual performance resulting from depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges and is more reflective of other factors that affect our operating performance.

We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss), adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance.

Purchase Accounting

All of the outstanding capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. was acquired on June 16, 2008, by Home Holdings, which we refer to as the “Acquisition,” through a transaction that was accounted for under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 141, “Business Combinations.” The purchase price was allocated to state our assets and liabilities at fair value, which took into account work performed by an independent third-party valuation firm. The allocation of the purchase price had the net effect of reducing the carrying amount of inventory by $47.9 million, increasing property and equipment by $17.6 million and increasing amortizable intangible assets by $55.7 million. The $47.9 million decrease in inventory value was due to the prevailing adverse economic situation at the date of the Acquisition and the application of a market participant approach to the valuation of inventory on hand. Such decrease was amortized to cost of goods sold over approximately nine

 

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months and resulted in increased gross profit during fiscal 2009. We are depreciating the $17.6 million increase in property and equipment over the useful life of each asset, which has had the effect of reducing gross profit and increasing selling, general and administrative expenses subsequent to the Acquisition. The $55.7 million increase in amortizable intangible assets is being amortized over the remaining life of each asset and has had the effect of reducing gross profit and increasing selling, general and administrative expenses subsequent to the Acquisition. We also recorded intangible assets with an indefinite life, which consisted of goodwill and trademarks, at their fair values of $122.3 million and $47.1 million, respectively.

The following table summarizes the financial impact of purchase accounting adjustments on gross profit and selling, general and administrative expenses in dollars, and as a percentage of net revenues, in fiscal 2012, fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010:

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
    January 28,
2012
    January 29,
2011
 
     (dollars in thousands)  

Net revenues

   $  1,193,046        100   $  958,084        100   $  772,752        100
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit increase (decrease)

            

Depreciation related to step up of property and equipment

   $ (1,253     (0.1 )%    $ (1,783     (0.2 )%    $ (3,076     (0.4 )% 

Amortization of intangible related to net fair value of leases

     (879     (0.1 )%      (1,507     (0.1 )%      (1,975     (0.3 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ (2,132     (0.2 )%    $ (3,290     (0.3 )%    $ (5,051     (0.7 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Selling general and administrative increase (decrease)

            

Amortization of intangible related to core technologies

   $ 1,316        0.1   $ 1,316        0.1   $ 1,316        0.2

Depreciation related to step up of property and equipment

     —         —       —         —       150        —  

Amortization of intangible related to net fair value of leases

     (9     —       (21     —       140        —  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
   $ 1,307        0.1   $ 1,295        0.1   $ 1,606        0.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basis of Presentation and Results of Operations

On November 7, 2012, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. completed an initial public offering and acquired all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Restoration Hardware, Inc. In connection with the initial public offering, common stock of Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. was issued in replacement of prior unit awards under the Team Resto Ownership Plan. These transactions are referred to as the “Reorganization.” Prior to the Reorganization, Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. had not engaged in any business or other activities except in connection with its formation and the Reorganization. Accordingly, all financial and other information herein relating to periods prior to the completion of the Reorganization is that of Restoration Hardware, Inc.

 

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The following table sets forth our statement of operations and other financial and operating data.

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
    January 28,
2012
    January 29,
2011
 
     (dollars in thousands, excluding per
square foot store data)
 

Statement of Operations Data:

      

Net revenues

   $ 1,193,046      $ 958,084      $ 772,752   

Cost of goods sold

     756,597        601,735        501,132   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     436,449        356,349        271,620   

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     505,485        329,506        274,836   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (69,036     26,843        (3,216

Interest expense

     (5,776     (5,134     (3,150
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (74,812     21,709        (6,366

Income tax expense (benefit)

     (62,023     1,121        685   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

   $ (12,789   $ 20,588      $ (7,051
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other Financial and Operating Data:

      

Growth in net revenues:

      

Stores (1)

     20     22     15

Direct

     30     27     37

Total

     25     24     24

Retail (2):

      

Comparable store sales change (3)

     28     25     19

Retail stores open at beginning of period

     74        91        95   

Stores opened

     5        5        4   

Stores closed

     8        22        8   

Retail stores open at end of period

     71        74        91   

Total leased square footage at end of period (in thousands)

     768        808        970   

Total leased selling square footage at end of period (in thousands) (4)

     501        516        613   

Retail sales per leased selling square foot (5)

   $ 1,143      $ 846      $ 635   

Direct:

      

Catalogs circulated (in thousands) (6)

     32,712        26,052        46,507   

Catalog pages circulated (in millions) (6)

     16,029        8,848        6,260   

Direct as a percentage of net revenues (7)

     46     44     43

Capital expenditures

   $ 49,058      $ 25,593      $ 39,907   

Adjusted net income (8)

   $ 37,739      $ 26,451      $ 3,025   

 

(1) Stores data represents retail stores plus outlet stores. Net revenues for outlet stores for fiscal 2012, fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010 were $54.3 million, $43.9 million and $31.2 million, respectively.
(2) Retail data has been calculated based upon retail stores, which includes our Baby & Child stores, and exclude outlet stores.
(3) Comparable store sales have been calculated based upon retail stores that were open at least fourteen full months as of the end of the reporting period and did not change square footage by more than 20% between periods. If a store is closed for seven days during a month, that month will be excluded from comparable store sales. Comparable store net revenues exclude revenues from outlet stores. Because fiscal 2012 was a 53-week year, comparable store sales percentage for fiscal 2012 excludes that extra week of sales.
(4) Leased selling square footage is retail space at our stores used to sell our products. Leased selling square footage excludes backrooms at retail stores used for storage office space or similar matters. Leased selling square footage excludes exterior sales space located outside a store, such as courtyards, gardens and rooftops. Leased selling square footage includes approximately 4,500 square feet related to one owned store location.

 

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(5) Retail sales per leased selling square foot is calculated by dividing total net revenues for all retail stores, comparable and non-comparable, by the average leased selling square footage for the period.
(6) The catalogs and catalog pages circulated from period to period do not take into account different page sizes per catalog distributed. Page sizes and page counts vary for different catalog mailings and we sometimes mail different versions of a catalog at the same time. Accordingly, period to period comparisons of catalogs circulated and catalog pages circulated do not take these variations into account.
(7) Direct revenues include sales through our catalogs and websites.
(8) Adjusted net income is a supplemental measure of financial performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss), adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. Adjusted net income is included in this prospectus because management believes that adjusted net income provides meaningful supplemental information for investors regarding the performance of our business and facilitates a meaningful evaluation of actual results on a comparable basis with historical results. Our management uses this non-GAAP financial measure in order to have comparable financial results to analyze changes in our underlying business from quarter to quarter. The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to adjusted net income for the periods indicated below.

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
    January 28,
2012
    January 29,
2011
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)

   $ (12,789   $ 20,588      $ (7,051

Adjustments pre-tax:

      

Management and pre-IPO board fees (a)

     4,258        10,715        4,793   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (b)

     115,055        6,350        —     

Terminated operations (c)

     —          1,580        352   

Severance and other transaction costs (d)

     —          621        1,797   

Impairment of long-lived assets (e)

     —          —          2,115   

Lease termination costs (f)

     (386     3,110        —     

Non-capitalized IPO costs (g)

     —          —          2,351   

Special committee investigation and remediation (h)

     4,778        —          —     

Initial public offering costs (i)

     10,755        —          —     

Anti-dumping exposure (j)

     3,250        —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal adjusted items

     137,710        22,376        11,408  

Impact of income tax items (k)

     (87,182     (16,513     (1,332
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted net income

   $ 37,739      $ 26,451      $ 3,025   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a) Includes fees and expenses paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our board of directors prior to the initial public offering.
  (b) The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman. The third quarter of fiscal 2011 includes a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment.
  (c) Includes costs related to the restructuring of our Shanghai office location.
  (d) Generally includes executive severance and other related costs.
  (e) Includes costs related to impairment of long-lived assets related to our retail store operations.
  (f) Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The lease termination amount in fiscal 2012 includes changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.

 

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  (g) Represents costs related to our efforts to pursue an initial public offering.
  (h) Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (i) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.
  (j) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
  (k) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in fiscal 2012, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets. In addition, income tax items exclude the tax benefit related to the resolution of our Canada Revenue Agency examination in fiscal 2012, exclude the tax benefit from the utilization of federal and state net operating losses, and assume a normalized tax rate of 40% for all periods.

The following table sets forth our consolidated statement of operations data as a percentage of total revenues.

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
    January 28,
2012
    January 29,
2011
 

Statement of Operations Data:

      

Net revenues

     100.0     100.0     100.0

Cost of goods sold

     63.4        62.8        64.9   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     36.6        37.2        35.1   

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     42.4        34.4        35.5   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

     (5.8     2.8        (0.4

Interest expense

     (0.5     (0.5     (0.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (6.3     2.3        (0.8

Income tax expense (benefit)

     (5.2     0.1        0.1   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

     (1.1 )%      2.2     (0.9 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

We operate a fully integrated distribution model through our stores, catalogs and websites. The following table shows a summary of our Stores revenues, which include all sales for orders placed in retail stores as well as sales through outlet stores, and our Direct revenues which include sales through our catalogs and websites.

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
     January 28,
2012
     January 29,
2011
 
     (in thousands)  

Stores

   $ 643,306       $ 534,411       $ 438,463   

Direct

     549,740         423,673         334,289   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net revenues

   $ 1,193,046       $ 958,084       $ 772,752   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Fiscal 2012 Compared to Fiscal 2011

Net revenues

Net revenues increased $234.9 million, or 24.5%, to $1,193.0 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $958.1 million in fiscal 2011. We had 71 and 74 retail stores open at February 2, 2013 and January 28, 2012, respectively. Stores sales increased $108.9 million, or 20.4%, to $643.3 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $534.4 million in fiscal 2011 due in large part to our comparable store sales increase of 28% in fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011, partially offset by having fewer stores open during fiscal 2012 compared to fiscal 2011. Direct sales increased $126.0 million, or 29.8%, to $549.7 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $423.7 million in fiscal 2011. We believe that the increase in both comparable store and direct sales was due primarily to our customers’ favorable reaction to our merchandise assortment, including the expansion of existing product categories, new product categories, and an increase in catalog pages circulated.

Gross profit

Gross profit increased $80.1 million, or 22.5%, to $436.4 million in fiscal 2012 from $356.3 million in fiscal 2011. As a percentage of net revenues, gross margin decreased 0.6% to 36.6% of net revenues in fiscal 2012 from 37.2% of net revenues in fiscal 2011.

In fiscal 2012, we incurred a $3.3 million charge related to increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. Excluding the impact associated with this obligation, gross margin decreased 0.3% to 36.9% of net revenues in fiscal 2012 from 37.2% in fiscal 2011. This decrease was primarily driven by changes in product mix, strategic pricing on new product introductions and increased promotional activity. In addition, gross margin decreased due to increased freight costs resulting from a higher percentage of furniture sales during the period, as furniture deliveries require greater shipping costs than our other products. These decreases in gross margins as a percentage of net revenues were partially offset by improvement in occupancy costs from improved leverage on the fixed portion of our store and distribution center occupancy costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $176.0 million, or 53.4%, to $505.5 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $329.5 million in fiscal 2011. Selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2012 included (i) a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization and initial public offering, (ii) a $23.1 million non-cash compensation charge related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman in connection with the Reorganization and initial public offering, (iii) $10.8 million of costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million, and (iv) $4.8 million of legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to Mr. Friedman and our subsequent remedial actions. Selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2011 included a $6.4 million non-cash compensation charge related to the repayment of loans to Mr. Friedman from Home Holdings through the reclassification by Home Holdings of certain pre-Reorganization ownership units in Home Holdings held by Mr. Friedman at that time.

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses, excluding the one-time and non-cash compensation items mentioned above, was primarily related to advertising and marketing costs associated with increased catalog circulation, an increase in employment costs, an increase in credit card fees increased due to growth in revenues and an increase in occupancy costs.

 

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Excluding the one-time and non-cash compensations items mentioned above, selling, general and administrative expenses were 31.8% of net revenues in fiscal 2012 compared to 33.7% of net revenues in fiscal 2011. The improvement in selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues was primarily driven by reductions in employment costs, professional fees and occupancy costs, in each case as a percentage of net revenues, due to leverage on the fixed portion of these expenses. These reductions were partially offset by an increase in advertising and marketing costs associated with increased catalog circulation.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $5.8 million in fiscal 2012 compared to $5.1 million in fiscal 2011. This increase was primarily due to the higher interest rate under the modified revolving line of credit agreement entered into in August 2011, higher borrowings under the revolving line of credit, as well as interest related to the term loan entered into in January 2012.

Income tax expense (benefit)

Income tax benefit increased $63.1 million to a $62.0 million benefit in fiscal 2012 compared to an expense of $1.1 million in fiscal 2011. Our effective tax rate was 82.9% in fiscal 2012 compared to 5.2% in fiscal 2011. The increase in the tax benefit was primarily attributable to the reversal of the U.S. valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets, resulting in a $57.2 million benefit in our provision for income taxes. By the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits (adjusted for permanent differences) for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods, provided assurance that our future tax benefits are more likely than not to be realized. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets.

Fiscal 2011 Compared to Fiscal 2010

The following table summarizes the financial impact of purchase accounting adjustments on gross profit and selling, general and administrative expenses in dollars, and as a percentage of net revenues, for fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010:

 

     Fiscal Year Ended     Increase (Decrease)  
     January 28, 2012     January 29, 2011    
     (dollars in thousands)  

Net revenues

   $ 958,084        100.0   $ 772,752        100.0   $ 185,332     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Gross profit excluding purchase accounting adjustments

   $ 359,639        37.5   $ 276,671        35.8   $ 82,968        1.7

Decrease in gross profit from purchase accounting adjustments

     (3,290     (0.3 )%      (5,051     (0.7 )%      1,761        0.4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

   $ 356,349        37.2   $ 271,620        35.1   $ 84,729        2.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses excluding purchase accounting adjustments

   $ 328,211        34.3   $ 273,230        35.3   $ 54,981        (1.0 )% 

Increase in selling, general and administrative expenses from purchase accounting adjustments

     1,295        0.1     1,606        0.2     (311     (0.1 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

   $ 329,506        34.4   $ 274,836        35.5   $ 54,670        (1.1 )% 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net revenues

Net revenues increased $185.3 million, or 24.0%, to $958.1 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $772.8 million in fiscal 2010. We had 74 and 91 retail stores open at January 28, 2012, and January 29, 2011, respectively. This decrease in the number of retail stores was part of our strategy to consolidate stores in markets

 

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where we open new Full Line Design Galleries and to close stores that do not meet our profitability objectives. In fiscal 2011, we opened five stores and closed 22 stores. Of the 22 closed stores, 16 were closed at the expiration of the lease, while six were closed prior to the expiration of the lease. We incurred charges of $3.1 million related to the early closures. Stores sales increased $95.9 million, or 21.9%, to $534.4 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $438.5 million in fiscal 2010 due in large part to our comparable store sales increase of 25% in fiscal 2011 compared to fiscal 2010. Direct sales increased $89.4 million, or 26.7%, to $423.7 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $334.3 million in fiscal 2010. We believe that the increase in both comparable store and direct sales was due primarily to our customers’ favorable reaction to our merchandise assortment, including expansions of existing product categories and new product categories, an increase in circulated catalog pages and positive customer reaction to our Full Line Design Gallery format.

Gross profit

Gross profit increased $84.7 million, or 31.2%, to $356.3 million in fiscal 2011 from $271.6 million in fiscal 2010. As a percentage of net revenues, gross margin increased 2.1%, to 37.2% of net revenues in fiscal 2011 from 35.1% of net revenues in fiscal 2010. Gross profit in fiscal 2011 included $3.3 million of unfavorable gross profit impact due to purchase accounting compared to $5.1 million of unfavorable gross profit impact due to purchase accounting in fiscal 2010.

Excluding the impact of purchase accounting, gross margin increased 1.7%. This increase was primarily driven by an improvement in occupancy costs achieved due to improved leverage on the fixed portion of our store and distribution center occupancy costs, partially offset by one-time costs associated with the opening of a new distribution center during fiscal 2011. The overall increase in gross margin was also partially offset by higher freight costs due to a change in shipping rates charged to customers as we moved to flat rate shipping fees and experienced a higher percentage of furniture sales, which incurs greater shipping costs than our other products, and due to increased promotional activity.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $54.7 million, or 19.9%, to $329.5 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $274.8 million in fiscal 2010. Selling, general and administrative expenses in fiscal 2011 included $1.3 million of unfavorable impact due to purchase accounting compared to $1.6 million of unfavorable impact due to purchase accounting in fiscal 2010. Excluding the effect of purchase accounting adjustments, the increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was primarily related to an increase in employment costs associated with the growth of our operations, a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans between Mr. Friedman and Home Holdings via the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s pre-Reorganization ownership units, an increase in advertising and marketing costs associated with increased circulated catalog pages, an increase in management fees to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill and an increase in credit cards fees due to the growth in sales revenues. During fiscal 2011, we closed four retail store locations in advance of the related lease termination dates resulting in a charge of $3.2 million. In addition, in fiscal 2011 we recorded a $1.6 million restructuring charge associated with our Shanghai office, increased travel-related expenses and an increase in retail store pre-opening expenses.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were 34.4% of net revenues in fiscal 2011 compared to 35.5% of net revenues in fiscal 2010. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues included 0.1% of unfavorable impact of purchase accounting in fiscal 2011 compared to 0.2% of unfavorable impact of purchase accounting in fiscal 2010. The improvement in selling, general and administrative expenses excluding the effect of purchase accounting adjustments was driven largely by increased net revenues during fiscal 2011 compared to fiscal 2010, which resulted in a reduction of employment costs, a reduction in advertising and marketing costs, as well as a reduction in professional fees, in each case as a percentage of net revenues. These reductions were partially offset by an increase in costs as a percentage of net revenues related to corporate office costs, due in part to the restructuring charge associated with our Shanghai office and pre-opening

 

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expenses related to new retail store locations we opened in fiscal 2011, as well as an increase in occupancy expense as a percentage of net revenues primarily related to the closure of four retail store locations prior to the related lease termination dates.

Interest expense

Interest expense increased $1.9 million to $5.1 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $3.2 million in fiscal 2010. This increase was primarily due to the higher interest rate under the modified revolving line of credit agreement entered into in August 2011, as well as an increase in the amount of borrowings under the revolving line of credit in fiscal 2011 as compared to fiscal 2010 primarily due to increased inventory levels.

Income tax expense

Income tax expense increased $0.4 million to $1.1 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $0.7 million in fiscal 2010. Our effective tax rate was 5.2% for fiscal 2011 compared to (10.8)% for fiscal 2010. The increase in our tax expense was primarily due to an increase in taxable income for state and foreign jurisdictions. The state taxable income was primarily generated as a result of certain states disallowing the utilization of net operating loss carryovers.

Quarterly Results and Seasonality

The following table sets forth our historical quarterly consolidated statements of income for each of the last eight fiscal quarters ended through February 2, 2013. This quarterly information has been prepared on the same basis as our annual audited financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and includes all adjustments that we consider necessary to present fairly the financial information for the fiscal quarters presented. The quarterly data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included herein.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our accounting policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense which has been applied retrospectively to the periods presented below. See footnote 1 to the table below for further detail.

Our business is seasonal and we have historically realized a higher portion of our net revenues and net income in the second and fourth fiscal quarters due primarily to the outdoor selling season in the second fiscal quarter and the holiday selling season in the fourth fiscal quarter. Working capital requirements are typically higher in the first and third fiscal quarters due to inventory-related working capital requirements in advance of the outdoor selling season and the holiday selling season. During these peak periods of working capital requirements, we have historically increased our borrowings under the Restoration Hardware, Inc. revolving line of credit. As such, results of a period shorter than a full year may not be indicative of results expected for the entire year. Furthermore, the seasonal nature of our business may affect comparisons between periods.

 

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Table of Contents
    Fiscal 2011     Fiscal 2012  
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter (1)
    Fourth
Quarter
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter (2)
    Third
Quarter (2)
    Fourth
Quarter (3)
 
    (dollars in thousands)  

Net revenues

  $ 184,760      $ 235,623      $ 232,459      $ 305,242      $ 217,914      $ 292,906      $ 284,171      $ 398,055   

Cost of goods sold

    121,576        144,377        148,066        187,716        142,646        178,779        182,291        252,881   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

    63,184        91,246        84,393        117,526        75,268        114,127        101,880        145,174   

Selling, general, and administrative expenses (4)

    68,707        81,688        88,496        90,615        77,365        94,465        99,886        233,769   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

    (5,523     9,558        (4,103     26,911        (2,097     19,662        1,994        (88,595

Interest expense

    (899     (989     (1,598     (1,648     (1,575     (1,479     (1,544     (1,178
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

    (6,422     8,569        (5,701     25,263        (3,672     18,183        450        (89,773

Income tax expense (benefit)

    (204     987        (871     1,209        56        567        (1,235     (61,411
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

  $ (6,218   $ 7,582      $ (4,830   $ 24,054      $ (3,728   $ 17,616      $ 1,685      $ (28,362
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA (5)

  $ 5,333      $ 22,414      $ 11,102      $ 41,305      $ 6,159      $ 28,738      $ 12,973      $ 48,701   

Adjusted net income (loss) (6)

  $ (2,118   $ 8,003      $ 1,076      $ 19,490      $ (1,324   $ 12,245      $ 2,662      $ 24,156   

Comparable store sales (7)

    25     17     36     22     26     31     29     26

 

(1) The third quarter of fiscal 2011 includes a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment.
(2) The second and third quarters of fiscal 2012 include $2.0 million and $2.8 million, respectively, of legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, and our subsequent remedial actions.
(3) The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes (i) a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, (ii) a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman, (iii) costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million and (iv) $3.3 million incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. In addition, as of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits (adjusted for permanent differences) for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods, provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance of $57.2 million against net deferred tax assets.
(4) In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense from the graded method of accounting to the straight-line method of accounting for our pre-Reorganization time-based units (or service-only awards). This change in accounting had the same impact on our selling, general and administrative expenses and net income (loss) for all periods presented. The table below presents the impact to our net income (loss) as a result of this change in accounting policy. See Note 3–Change in Accounting PrincipleStock-Based Compensation to our audited consolidated financial statements.

 

     Fiscal 2011     Fiscal 2012  
     First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
     Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)—as reported

   $ (6,327   $ 7,467       $ (4,857   $ 24,058      $ (3,764   $ 17,753   

Change in accounting policy adjustment

     109        115         27        (4     36        (137
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)—as revised

   $ (6,218   $ 7,582       $ (4,830   $ 24,054      $ (3,728   $ 17,616   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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(5) The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated below. For further discussion of the use of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA, see footnote 10 to the table included in “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data.”

 

    Fiscal 2011     Fiscal 2012  
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
 
    (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)

  $ (6,218   $ 7,582      $ (4,830   $ 24,054      $ (3,728   $ 17,616      $ 1,685      $ (28,362

Depreciation and amortization

    7,386        7,597        7,373        6,830        6,424        6,468        6,593        7,263   

Interest expense

    899        989        1,598        1,648        1,575        1,479        1,544        1,178   

Income tax expense (benefit)

    (204     987        (871     1,209        56        567        (1,235     (61,411
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA

    1,863        17,155        3,270        33,741        4,327        26,130        8,587        (81,332

Management and pre-IPO board fees (a)

    1,198        1,198        1,149        7,170        889        1,198        1,198        973   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (b)

    389        487        6,687        344        387        351        364        115,055   

Terminated operations (c)

    1,666        —          14        (100     —          —          —          —     

Severance and other related costs (d)

    28        —          443        150        —          —          —          —     

Lease termination costs (e)

    —          3,571        (461     —          575        (961     —          —     

Special committee investigation (f)

    —          —          —          —          —          1,989        2,789       

  

Initial public offering costs (g)

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          10,755   

Anti-dumping exposure (h)

    —          —          —          —          —          —          —          3,250   

Other adjustments allowable under our agreements with our stockholders (i)

    189        3        —          —          (19     31        35        —     
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 5,333      $ 22,414      $ 11,102      $ 41,305      $ 6,159      $ 28,738      $ 12,973      $ 48,701   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a) Includes fees and expenses paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our board of directors prior to the initial public offering.
  (b) The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman. The third quarter of fiscal 2011 includes a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment. In addition, amounts include stock-based compensation expense incurred prior to the initial public offering.
  (c) Includes costs related to the restructuring of our Shanghai office location.
  (d) Generally includes executive severance and other related costs.
  (e) Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The lease termination amounts in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and the first and second quarters of fiscal 2012 include changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.
  (f) Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (g) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.
  (h) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

 

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  (i) Represents items which management believes are not indicative of our ongoing operating performance. The second quarter of fiscal 2011 adjustments include consulting fees related to organizational matters. The fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 and the first quarter of fiscal 2011 include state franchise tax amounts. All periods include foreign exchange gains and losses.

 

(6) Adjusted net income (loss) is a supplemental measure of financial performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income (loss), adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. Adjusted net income (loss) is included in this prospectus because management believes that adjusted net income (loss) provides meaningful supplemental information for investors regarding the performance of our business and facilitates a meaningful evaluation of actual results on a comparable basis with historical results. Our management uses this non-GAAP financial measure in order to have comparable financial results to analyze changes in our underlying business from quarter to quarter. The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss), the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, to adjusted net income (loss) for the periods indicated below.

 

     Fiscal 2011     Fiscal 2012  
     First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
    First
Quarter
    Second
Quarter
    Third
Quarter
    Fourth
Quarter
 
     (in thousands)  

Net income (loss)

   $ (6,218   $ 7,582      $ (4,830   $ 24,054      $ (3,728   $ 17,616      $ 1,685      $ (28,362

Adjustments pre-tax:

                

Management and pre-IPO board fees (j)

     1,198        1,198        1,149        7,170        889        1,198        1,198        973   

Non-cash and other one-time compensation (k)

     —          —          6,350        —          —          —          —          115,055   

Terminated operations (l)

     1,666        —          14        (100     —          —          —          —     

Severance and other related costs (m)

     28        —          443        150        —          —          —          —     

Lease termination costs (n)

     —          3,571        (461     —          575        (961     —          —     

Special committee investigation (o)

     —          —          —          —          —          1,989        2,789        —     

Initial public offering costs (p)

     —          —          —          —          —          —          —          10,755   

Anti-dumping exposure (q)

     —          —          —          —          —          —          —          3,250   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Subtotal adjusted items

     2,892        4,769        7,495       7,220       1,464        2,226        3,987        130,033  

Impact of income tax items (r)

     1,208        (4,348     (1,589     (11,784 )     940        (7,597     (3,010     (77,515 )
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted net income (loss)

   $ (2,118   $ 8,003      $ 1,076      $ 19,490      $ (1,324   $ 12,245      $ 2,662      $ 24,156   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (j) Includes fees and expenses paid in accordance with our management services agreement with Home Holdings, as well as fees and expense reimbursements paid to our board of directors prior to the initial public offering.
  (k) The fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 includes a $92.0 million non-cash compensation charge related to equity grants at the time of the Reorganization, as well as a non-cash compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman. The third quarter of fiscal 2011 includes a $6.4 million compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Gary Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership units into an equal number of Class A Prime and Class A-1 Prime ownership units. Mr. Friedman served as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer at the time of such loan repayment.
  (l) Includes costs related to the restructuring of our Shanghai office location.
  (m) Generally includes executive severance and other related costs.
  (n) Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The lease termination amounts in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and the first and second quarters of fiscal 2012 include changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.
  (o) Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with the investigation conducted by the special committee of the board of directors relating to our former Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Gary Friedman, and our subsequent remedial actions.
  (p) Represents costs incurred in connection with our initial public offering, including a fee of $7.0 million to Catterton, Tower Three and Glenhill in accordance with our management services agreement, payments of $2.2 million to certain former executives and bonus payments to employees of $1.3 million.

 

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  (q) Represents expense incurred as a result of increased tariff obligations of one of our foreign suppliers following the U.S. Department of Commerce’s review of the anti-dumping duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
  (r) As of the end of fiscal 2012, our U.S. operations achieved a position of cumulative profits for the most recent three-year period. We concluded that this record of cumulative profitability in recent years, coupled with our business plan for profitability in future periods, provided assurance that our future tax benefits more likely than not would be realized. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, we released all of our U.S. valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets. In addition, income tax items exclude the tax benefit related to the resolution of our Canada Revenue Agency examination in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, exclude the tax benefit from the utilization of federal and state net operating losses and assume a normalized tax rate of 40% for all periods.

 

(7) Comparable store sales have been calculated based upon retail stores that were open at least fourteen full months as of the end of the reporting period and did not change square footage by more than 20% between periods. If a store is closed for seven days during a month, that month will be excluded from comparable store sales. Comparable store net revenues exclude revenues from outlet stores. Because the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was a 14-week quarter, comparable store sales percentage for fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 excludes the extra week of sales.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

General

Our business relies on cash flows from operations and the revolving line of credit as our primary sources of liquidity. Our primary cash needs are for merchandise inventories, Source Books and other catalogs, payroll, store rent, capital expenditures associated with opening new stores and updating existing stores, as well as infrastructure and information technology. The most significant components of our working capital are cash and cash equivalents, merchandise inventories, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other current liabilities. Our working capital is seasonal as a result of building inventory and paying for catalog costs for the key selling seasons, and as a result, our borrowings are generally higher during these periods when compared to the rest of our fiscal year. Our borrowings generally increase in our first fiscal quarter as we prepare for the outdoor selling season, which is in our second fiscal quarter, and they generally increase in the third fiscal quarter as we prepare for the holiday selling season, which is in our fourth fiscal quarter. We believe that cash expected to be generated from operations, and borrowing availability under the revolving line of credit or other financing arrangements, will be sufficient to meet working capital requirements, anticipated capital expenditures and payments due under our revolving line of credit for at least the next 12 – 24 months. Our investments in capital expenditures for fiscal 2012 totaled $49 million, of which $28 million was for construction of new stores and $21 million was for our infrastructure, including supply chain, information technology and renovations to our corporate headquarters. We expect to have capital expenditures of approximately $95 million to $100 million in fiscal 2013, primarily related to our efforts to continue our growth and expansion, including construction of Full Line Design Galleries and infrastructure investments.

Cash Flow Analysis

A summary of operating, investing, and financing activities is shown in the following table:

 

     Year Ended  
     February 2,
2013
    January 28,
2012
    January 29,
2011
 
     (in thousands)  

Provided by (used in) operating activities

   $ (3,864   $ 17,121      $ (11,810

Used in investing activities

     (49,368     (25,593     (39,907

Provided by financing activities

     53,052        3,371        51,601   

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     (158     (4,852     178   

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

     8,354        8,512        13,364   

 

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Net Cash Used In Operating Activities

Cash from operating activities consists primarily of net income (loss) adjusted for non-cash items including depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation and the effect of changes in working capital and other activities.

For fiscal 2012, net cash used in operating activities was $3.9 million and consisted of an increase in working capital and other activities of $73.0 million and a net loss of $12.8 million, offset by non-cash items of $81.9 million. Non-cash items of $81.9 million include a $92.0 million compensation charge related to equity activity at the time of the Reorganization, a compensation charge of $23.1 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Alberini and Mr. Friedman subsequent to the Reorganization and depreciation and amortization of $26.7 million, offset by the release of our U.S. valuation allowance in fiscal 2012 of $57.2 million and a decrease in our non-cash income tax adjustments of $4.7 million. The increase in working capital and other activities consisted primarily of increases in inventory of $107.5 million as part of our strategy to improve our inventory position to meet demand levels, prepaid expenses of $24.5 million primarily due to an increase in catalog costs associated with the Source Book strategy and accounts receivable of $5.3 million due to timing of payments received related to our credit card receivables. These uses of cash from working capital components were partially offset by increases in accrued liabilities and accounts payable of $36.2 million primarily due to timing of payments, increases in deferred revenue and customer deposits of $16.2 million due to the timing of shipments made at fiscal year end, as well as increases in deferred rent and lease incentives of $10.9 million primarily due to entering into new lease agreements for Full Line Design Gallery locations.

For fiscal 2011, net cash provided by operating activities was $17.1 million and consisted of net income of $20.6 million and non-cash items of $48.6 million, offset by an increase in working capital and other activities of $52.1 million. Non-cash items of $48.6 million include expenses of $6.4 million related to the repayment of the executive loan by Mr. Friedman and $6.0 million for the management fee to the Principal Equity Holders, both incurred by Home Holdings on our behalf and reflected as capital contributions. The increase in working capital and other activities consisted primarily of increases in inventory of $39.5 million in anticipation of future demand and as a result of the increased capacity due to opening a new distribution center in fiscal 2011, prepaid expenses of $36.4 million primarily due to an increase in catalog costs associated with the Source Book strategy and accounts receivable of $7.3 million due to timing of payments received related to our credit card receivables. These uses of cash from working capital components were offset by sources of cash from increases in accrued liabilities and accounts payable of $14.4 million primarily due to timing of payments, increases in deferred revenue and customer deposits of $11.4 million due to the timing of shipments made at fiscal year end, as well as increases in other current liabilities of $3.9 million primarily due to an increase in gift certificate-related liabilities.

For fiscal 2010, net cash used in operating activities was $11.8 million and consisted of an increase in working capital and other activities of $39.0 million, and a net loss of $7.1 million partially offset by non-cash expenses included in the net loss of $34.3 million. Working capital and other activities consisted primarily of increases in inventory of $57.1 million, partially offset by increases in deferred rent and lease incentives of $8.6 million, accrued liabilities and accounts payable of $5.5 million primarily due to timing of payments, other current liabilities of $3.4 million primarily due to an increase in gift certificate related liabilities and deferred revenue and customer deposits of $2.5 million primarily due to an increase in special orders as well as timing of shipments made at period end.

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

Investing activities consist primarily of investments in capital expenditures related to new store openings and improvements and in supply chain and systems infrastructure.

For fiscal 2012, net cash used in investing activities was $49.4 million primarily as a result of investments in new stores of $27.8 million and investment in supply chain and systems infrastructure of $21.3 million and the purchase of a new domain name for $0.3 million.

 

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For fiscal 2011, capital expenditures were $25.6 million as a result of investments in new stores of $15.7 million and investment in supply chain and systems infrastructure of $9.9 million.

For fiscal 2010, capital expenditures were $39.9 million as a result of investments in approximately 80 Gallery store conversions of $21.2 million, new stores of $11.0 million and investment in supply chain and systems infrastructure of $7.7 million.

Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities

Financing activities consist primarily of borrowings and repayments related to the revolving line of credit, term loan and capital contributions.

For fiscal 2012, net cash provided by financing activities was $53.1 million primarily due to the issuance of common stock which generated proceeds of $106.8 million, partially offset by issuance costs of $9.1 million. This overall increase in cash provided by the initial public offering was partially offset by net repayments under the revolving line of credit of $25.0 million, the repayment in full of the term loan of $15.0 million and payments on capital lease obligations of $4.2 million.

For fiscal 2011, net cash provided by financing activities was $3.4 million primarily due to entering into an amendment to Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s credit agreement, for the purpose of incorporating a term loan facility for $15.0 million in January 2012. This increase is offset by net repayments under the revolving line of credit of $4.6 million, debt issuance costs related to the amended credit agreement and term loan of $2.8 million, as well as payments on capital lease obligations of $4.2 million.

For fiscal 2010, net cash provided by financing activities was $51.6 million primarily due to an increase in net borrowing under the revolving line of credit of $54.2 million resulting from an increase in inventory purchases made during the period. This overall increase in cash provided by financing activities was partially offset by payments on capital lease obligations of $2.6 million.

Revolving Line of Credit and Term Loan

In August 2011, Restoration Hardware, Inc., along with its Canadian subsidiary, Restoration Hardware Canada, Inc., entered into a credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and certain other lenders. This credit agreement modified a previous facility under which Restoration Hardware, Inc. had a revolving line of credit for up to $190.0 million, as of July 30, 2011. As a result of the modification, the unamortized deferred financing fees of $0.2 million related to the previous line of credit on the date of the modification will be amortized over the life of the new revolving line of credit, which has a maturity date of August 3, 2016. Under the credit agreement, Restoration Hardware, Inc. has a revolving line of credit available of up to $417.5 million (following Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s exercise of the commitment increase option on November 1, 2012, as described below), of which $10.0 million is available to Restoration Hardware Canada, Inc. The credit agreement was further amended in January 2012 to add a $15.0 million term loan facility with a maturity date of July 6, 2015, which was repaid in full on November 7, 2012, as described below.

Under the credit agreement’s commitment increase provision, Restoration Hardware, Inc. had the option to increase the amount of the revolving line of credit by up to an additional $100.0 million, provided that, among other things, the existing lenders or additional lenders agreed to participate in the increased loan commitments under the revolving line of credit, no default under the credit agreement then existed or would result from such increase and sufficient borrowing base collateral was available to support increased loan amounts. On November 1, 2012, Restoration Hardware, Inc. increased the amount of the revolving line of credit by $100.0 million pursuant to this commitment increase provision.

 

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On November 7, 2012, Restoration Hardware, Inc. made payments of $75.7 million on its revolving line of credit and repaid its outstanding term loan of $15.0 million in full. Such payments were funded from the proceeds received as a result of our initial public offering. Upon the repayment of the term loan in full, we expensed the remaining debt issuance costs of $0.2 million related to the term loan.

The availability of credit at any given time under the revolving line of credit is limited by reference to a borrowing base formula based upon numerous factors, including the value of eligible inventory, eligible accounts receivable, eligible real estate, and, in the case of the term loan, registered trade names and reserves established by the administrative agent. As a result of the borrowing base formula, the actual borrowing availability under the revolving line of credit could be less than the stated amount of the revolving line of credit (as reduced by the actual borrowings and outstanding letters of credit under the revolving line of credit). All obligations under the credit agreement are secured by substantially all of Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s assets, including accounts receivable, inventory, intangible assets, property, equipment, goods and fixtures.

Borrowings under the revolving line of credit are subject to interest, at the borrowers’ option, at either the bank’s reference rate or LIBOR (or the BA Rate or the Canadian Prime Rate, as such terms are defined in the credit agreement, for Canadian borrowings denominated in Canadian dollars or the United States Index Rate or LIBOR for Canadian borrowings denominated in United States dollars) plus an applicable margin rate, in each case. The weighted-average interest rate for the revolving line of credit was 2.5% as of February 2, 2013.

As of February 2, 2013, $82.5 million was outstanding under the revolving line of credit. As of February 2, 2013, Restoration Hardware, Inc.’s undrawn borrowing availability under the revolving line of credit was $188.5 million and there were $19.5 million in outstanding letters of credit.

The credit agreement contains various restrictive covenants, including, among others, limitations on the ability to incur liens, make loans or other investments, incur additional debt, issue additional equity, merge or consolidate with or into another person, sell assets, pay dividends or make other distributions or enter into transactions with affiliates, along with other restrictions and limitations typical to credit agreements of this type and size. The credit agreement does not contain any significant financial or coverage ratio covenants unless the availability under the revolving line of credit is less than the greater of (i) $17.5 million and (ii) 10% of the lesser of (A) the aggregate maximum commitments under the revolving line of credit and (B) the domestic borrowing base. If the availability under the revolving line of credit is less than the foregoing amount, then Restoration Hardware, Inc. is required to maintain a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of at least one to one. Such ratio is approximately the ratio on the last day of each month on a trailing twelve-month basis of (a) (i) consolidated EBITDA (as defined in the agreement) minus (ii) capital expenditures, minus (iii) the income taxes paid in cash to (b) the sum of (i) debt service charges plus (ii) certain dividends and distributions paid. As of February 2, 2013, Restoration Hardware, Inc. was in compliance with all covenants, and if the availability under the revolving line of credit were less than the amount described above, Restoration Hardware, Inc. would have been in compliance with the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio described in the previous sentence. The credit agreement requires a daily sweep of cash to prepay the loans under the credit agreement while (i) an event of default exists or (ii) the availability under the revolving line of credit for extensions of credit to Restoration Hardware, Inc. is less than the greater of (A) $20.0 million and (B) 15% of the lesser of the aggregate maximum commitments and the domestic borrowing base.

 

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Contractual Obligations

We enter into long term contractual obligations and commitments, primarily debt obligations and non-cancelable operating leases, in the normal course of business. As of February 2, 2013, our contractual cash obligations over the next several periods were as follows:

 

     Payments Due by Period  
     Total      2013      2014–2015      2016–2017      Thereafter  
     (in thousands)  

Revolving line of credit (1)

   $ 82,501       $ —         $ —         $ 82,501       $ —     

Other long-term obligations (2)

     4,710         3,070         1,598         42         —     

Operating leases (3)

     472,836         62,343         103,056         83,042         224,395   

Letters of credit

     19,466         19,466         —           —           —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 579,513       $ 84,879       $ 104,654       $ 165,585       $ 224,395   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Excludes estimated interest under the revolving line of credit. Interest costs for the revolving line of credit have been estimated based on interest rates in effect for our indebtedness as of February 2, 2013, as well as estimated borrowing levels in the future based upon planned inventory purchases. Actual borrowing levels and interest costs may differ. The revolving line of credit has a maturity date of August 3, 2016.
(2) Other long-term obligations consist of capital lease obligations.
(3) We enter into operating leases in the normal course of business. Most lease arrangements provide us with the option to renew the leases at defined terms. The future operating lease obligations would change if we were to exercise these options, or if we were to enter into additional new operating leases. Amounts above do not include estimated contingent rent due under operating leases of $1.5 million at February 2, 2013.

The liability of $1.8 million as of February 2, 2013, for unrecognized tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions (see Note 10—Income Taxes to our audited consolidated financial statements) has not been included in the contractual obligations table above because we are not able to reasonably estimate when cash payments for these liabilities will occur or the amount by which these liabilities will increase or decrease over time.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no material off balance sheet arrangements as of February 2, 2013.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and related notes, as well as the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management evaluates its accounting policies, estimates, and judgments on an on-going basis. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions and such differences could be material to the consolidated financial statements.

Management evaluated the development and selection of its critical accounting policies and estimates and believes that the following involve a higher degree of judgment or complexity and are most significant to reporting our results of operations and financial position, and are therefore discussed as critical. The following critical accounting policies reflect the significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. With respect to critical accounting policies, even a relatively minor variance between actual and expected experience can potentially have a materially favorable or unfavorable impact on subsequent results of operations. However, our historical results for the periods presented in the consolidated financial statements have not been materially impacted by such variances. More information on all of our

 

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significant accounting policies can be found in Note 4—Significant Accounting Policies to our audited consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenues and the related cost of goods sold when merchandise is received by our customers. Revenues from “cash-and-carry” store sales are recognized at the point of sale in the store. Revenues from direct-to-customer and home-delivered sales are recognized when the merchandise is delivered to the customer. Discounts provided to customers are accounted for as a reduction of sales.

We recognize shipping and handling fees as revenue when the merchandise is received by our customers. Costs of shipping and handling are included in cost of goods sold.

Sales tax collected is not recognized as revenue as it is ultimately remitted to governmental authorities.

We reserve for projected merchandise returns based on actual, historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. Actual merchandise returns are monitored regularly and have not been materially different from the estimates recorded. Merchandise returns are granted for various reasons, including delays in product delivery, product quality issues, customer preference and other similar matters. Product returned often represents merchandise that can be resold. Amounts refunded to customers are generally made by issuing the same payment tender as used in the original purchase. Merchandise exchanges of the same product and price are not considered merchandise returns and, therefore, are excluded when calculating the sales returns reserve.

Gift Certificates and Merchandise Credits

We sell gift certificates and issue merchandise credits to our customers in our stores and through our websites and product catalogs. Such gift certificates and merchandise credits do not have expiration dates. Revenue associated with gift certificates and merchandise credits is deferred until either (i) redemption of the gift certificate and merchandise credits or (ii) when the likelihood of redemption is remote and there exists no legal obligation to remit the value of unredeemed gift certificates or merchandise credits to the relevant jurisdictions (breakage). The breakage rate is based on monitoring of certificates issued, actual certificate redemptions and our analysis of when we believe it is remote that redemptions will occur.

Redeemed gift certificates and merchandise credits are recorded in net revenues. The liability for unredeemed gift certificates and merchandise credits is reversed to selling, general and administrative expenses when it is determined that certificates will not be redeemed.

Merchandise Inventories

Our merchandise inventories are composed of finished goods and are carried at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a weighted-average cost method and market determined based on the estimated net realizable value. To determine if the value of inventory should be marked down below original cost, we consider current and anticipated demand, customer preference and the merchandise age. The inventory value is adjusted periodically to reflect current market conditions, which requires management judgments that may significantly affect the ending inventory valuation, as well as gross margin. The significant estimates used in inventory valuation are obsolescence (including excess and slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or market reserves) and estimates of inventory shrinkage. We adjust our inventory for obsolescence based on historical trends, aging reports, specific identification and our estimates of future retail sales prices.

Reserves for shrinkage are estimated and recorded throughout the period as a percentage of net sales based on historical shrinkage results and current inventory levels. Actual shrinkage is recorded throughout the year based upon periodic cycle counts and the results of our annual physical inventory count. Actual inventory

 

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shrinkage and obsolescence can vary from estimates due to factors including the mix of our inventory (which ranges from large furniture to decorative accessories) and execution against loss prevention initiatives in our stores, distribution centers, off-site storage locations and with third-party transportation providers.

Due to these factors, our obsolescence and shrinkage reserves contain uncertainties. Both estimates have calculations that require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding a number of factors, including market conditions, the selling environment, historical results and current inventory trends. If actual observed obsolescence or periodic updates of our shrinkage estimates differ from our original estimates, we adjust our inventory reserves accordingly throughout the period. Management does not believe that changes in the assumptions used in these estimates would have a significant effect on our net income or inventory balances. We have not made any material changes to our assumptions included in the calculations of the obsolescence and shrinkage reserves during the periods presented or recorded significant adjustments related to the physical inventory process.

Impairment of Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets

Goodwill

We evaluate goodwill annually to determine whether it is impaired. Goodwill is also tested between annual impairment tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Conditions that may indicate impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in customer demand or business climate that could affect the value of an asset; general economic conditions, such as increasing Treasury rates or unexpected changes in gross domestic product growth; a change in our market share; budget-to-actual performance and consistency of operating margins and capital expenditures; a product recall or an adverse action or assessment by a regulator; or changes in management or key personnel. If an impairment indicator exists, we test the intangible asset for recoverability. We have identified only one single reporting unit. We selected the fourth fiscal quarter to perform our annual goodwill impairment testing.

We qualitatively assess goodwill impairment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. During fiscal 2012, we performed a qualitative analysis examining key events and circumstances affecting fair value and determined it is more likely than not that the reporting unit’s fair value is greater than its carrying amount. As such, no further analysis was required for purposes of testing of our goodwill for impairment.

For goodwill not qualitatively assessed, a two-step quantitative approach is used. In the first step, we compare the fair value of the reporting unit, generally defined as the same level as or one level below an operating segment, to its carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets assigned to that unit, goodwill is considered not impaired and we are not required to perform further testing. If the carrying value of the net assets assigned to the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then we must perform the second step of the impairment test in order to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. If the carrying value of a reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its implied fair value, then we would record an impairment loss equal to the difference. The assumptions used in such valuations are subject to volatility and may differ from actual results.

Our tests for impairment of goodwill resulted in a determination that the fair value of the Company substantially exceeded the carrying value of our net assets as of February 2, 2013. We do not anticipate any material impairment charges in the near term.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and intangible assets subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an

 

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asset may not be recoverable. Conditions that may indicate impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in customer demand or business climate that could affect the value of an asset, a product recall or an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows related to the asset are less than the carrying value, we recognize a loss equal to the difference between the carrying value and the fair value, usually determined by the estimated discounted cash flow analysis of the asset.

We evaluate long-lived tangible assets at an individual store level, which is the lowest level at which independent cash flows can be identified. We evaluate corporate assets or other long-lived assets that are not store-specific at the consolidated level.

Since there is typically no active market for our long-lived tangible assets, we estimate fair values based on the expected future cash flows. We estimate future cash flows based on store-level historical results, current trends, and operating and cash flow projections. Our estimates are subject to uncertainty and may be affected by a number of factors outside our control, including general economic conditions and the competitive environment. While we believe our estimates and judgments about future cash flows are reasonable, future impairment charges may be required if the expected cash flow estimates, as projected, do not occur or if events change requiring us to revise our estimates.

Stock-Based Compensation

In the third quarter of fiscal 2012, we changed our policy for recognizing stock-based compensation expense from the graded method of accounting to the straight-line method of accounting for our time-based units (or service-only) awards. Based on research and analysis, we believe the straight-line method of accounting for stock-based compensation expense for service-only awards is the predominant method used in our industry. In order for our results of operations to be comparable to our peers, we have concluded that the straight-line method of accounting for stock-based compensation is a preferable accounting method in accordance with ASC 250-10-45.

We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with applicable guidance which requires the fair value of stock-based payments to be recognized in the consolidated financial statements as compensation expense over the requisite service period. For service-only awards compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis, net of forfeitures, over the requisite service period for the fair value of awards that actually vest. Fair value for restricted stock units is valued using the closing price of our stock on the date of grant. The fair value of each option award granted under our award plans subsequent to our initial public offering is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes Merton option pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

   

Expected volatility—Based on the lack of historical data for our own shares, we base our expected volatility on a representative peer group that takes into account industry, market capitalization, stage of life cycle and capital structure.

 

   

Expected term—Represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding. We elected to calculate the expected term of the option awards using the “simplified method”. This election was made as we do not have sufficient historical exercise data to provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate expected term. Under the “simplified” calculation method, the expected term is calculated as an average of the vesting period and the contractual life of the options.

 

   

Risk-free interest rate—Based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bond rate with a remaining term approximate of the expected term of the option.

 

   

Dividend yield—As we have not paid dividends, nor do we currently plan to pay dividends in the future, the assumed dividend yield is zero.

 

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Prior to the Reorganization, Home Holdings had granted performance-based units that vested and became deliverable upon achievement or satisfaction of performance conditions specified in the performance agreement or upon the return on investment attained by certain of the equity investors in Home Holdings at defined liquidity events, including an initial public offering or certain sale or merger transact