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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration No. 333-189819

 

PROSPECTUS

Certain stockholders of Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc., including certain of our officers, directors and affiliates identified in this prospectus, are offering 8,000,000 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 July 11, 2013 was $71.33 per share.

Our director, Thomas Mottola, is purchasing 100,000 shares of our common stock in this offering at the public offering price.

8,000,000 Shares

of Common Stock

Investing in our common stock involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 14 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 $70.00 per share

Underwriting Discount $2.1875 per share

Proceeds (1) (before expenses, to the selling stockholders) $67.8125 per share

Total $560,000,000

Total $17,500,000

Total $542,500,000

(1) We will pay the filing 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 July 11, 2013.

The underwriters may also exercise their option to purchase up to an additional 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:

July 17, 2013

BofA Merrill Lynch

Baird William Blair Jefferies

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Piper Jaffray Stifel Wells Fargo Securities

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
Basis of Presentation			ii
Prospectus Summary			1
Risk Factors			14
Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data			36
Use of Proceeds			38
Market Price for Common Stock			39
Dividend Policy			40
Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data			41
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			49
Business			78
Management			98
Executive Compensation			106
Principal and Selling Stockholders			123
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions			126
Description of Certain Indebtedness			131
Description of Capital Stock			133
Shares Eligible for Future Sale			136
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to Non-U.S. Holders			138
Underwriting			142
Legal Matters			149
Experts			149
Where You Can Find More Information			150
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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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:

 

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

 

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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 and other sectors in which we may compete, 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. If we fail to successfully manage and execute our strategy involving substantially larger store square footage, our results of operations may be adversely affected. We also continue to add new product categories and to expand product assortments. For example, we introduced our new Tableware category in Spring 2013 and plan to launch RH Kitchen in 2014. 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

 

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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.

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.

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, Small Spaces, Tableware, and Objects of Curiosity as well as our planned launch of RH Kitchen, RH Contemporary Art, RH Antiques & Artifacts, Leather and Rugs. We also have introduced other merchandise categories that enhance the customer experience in our Full Line Design Galleries, including fresh cut flowers, magazines and tea. We plan further brand-enhancing offerings, such as in hospitality or a café, wine bar or restaurant adjacent to, or inside of, select Full Line Design Galleries. We also plan to develop RH Atelier, a curated, artisan-crafted luxury brand that will focus on the development of apparel, accessories, footwear and jewelry. 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 significant time and resources that may divert management’s attention from other business activities. 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.

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

 

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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.

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.

 

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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.

Gary Friedman was recently re-appointed as our Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Friedman previously resigned from his positions as Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer in October 2012 following an investigation by a special committee of non-management directors of the board and thereafter served as our advisor for approximately eight months. There can be no assurance that this transition will not have an adverse impact on us.

Effective July 2, 2013, Gary Friedman serves as our Co-Chief Executive Officer with Carlos Alberini. Mr. Friedman also serves as Creator and Curator, and as Chairman of our Board of Directors. Mr. Friedman previously served as Chairman and as Co-Chief Executive Officer with Mr. Alberini from June 2010 through October 2012. Prior to June 2010, Mr. Friedman was our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. In October 2012, Mr. Friedman resigned as Co-Chief Executive Officer and as a director and agreed to serve in an advisory capacity as our Creator and Curator 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, may occur in the future. There can be no assurance that this transition 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 Co-Chief Executive Officers, Gary Friedman and Carlos Alberini. The loss of the services of our key personnel 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 has given 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.

 

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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 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, of which $9.7 million was spent during the first three months of 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 May 4, 2013, we had borrowed $114.0 million under the revolving line of credit and had $138.5 million available for borrowing. Various factors may impact our lenders’ willingness to provide funds to us, including:

 

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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

 

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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.

 

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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 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 each market, which may negatively affect our results of operations.

We are focused on sizing our assortments and our stores to the potential of each 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:

 

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

 

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size the store locations to the market opportunity;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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obtain or maintain adequate capital resources on acceptable terms;

 

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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;

 

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

 

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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

 

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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.

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.

Competition in the home furnishings sector of the retail market and other sectors in which we may compete may adversely affect our future financial performance.

The home furnishings sector within the retail market is highly competitive. We currently compete with the interior design trade and specialty stores, as well as antique dealers and other merchants that provide unique

 

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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.

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.

 

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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 also expanded into an additional 400,000 square feet at our West Jefferson, Ohio distribution center in May 2013, and we are planning to in-source home furniture delivery services in two additional markets 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, 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

 

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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 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.

 

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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 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.

 

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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.

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.

 

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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 Co-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 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.

 

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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 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

 

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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 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.

 

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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 was issued in May 2013. The comment period for the Exposure Draft ends on September 13, 2013. The proposed new accounting pronouncement, if 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 consolidated financial statements 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

 

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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.

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

 

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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.

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

 

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through the sale of additional shares. Assuming the sale of the full number of shares to be sold in this offering as set forth in “Principal and Selling Stockholders,” all of our outstanding shares of common stock are freely tradable, except for (i) 350,317 shares issued under our 2012 Equity Replacement Plan that are subject to additional time-based resale restrictions, as described further below in “Executive Compensation—Employee Benefit and Stock Plans—2012 Equity Replacement Plan” and (ii) any other 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. 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 75 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;

 

•

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

 

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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 10.0 million shares, or 25.6%, of our outstanding common stock. Of that amount, Catterton will beneficially own approximately 4.5 million shares, or 11.6%, of our outstanding common stock, Tower Three will beneficially own approximately 4.3 million shares, or 11.0%, of our outstanding common stock, and Glenhill will beneficially own approximately 1.2 million shares, or 3.0%, 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, 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. 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. The stockholders agreement terminates when Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders no longer hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. Home Holdings and the Principal Equity Holders will no longer hold at least 30% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock after consummation of this offering and the stockholders agreement therefore will automatically terminate at such time.

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 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

 

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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.

Effective May 20, 2013, we ceased to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules. However, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements during a one-year transition period until May 20, 2014.

Effective May 20, 2013, Home Holdings ceased to control a majority of our voting common stock. As a result, we ceased to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. In accordance with NYSE requirements, before we ceased to be a “controlled company,” we appointed at least one independent member to each of the compensation and nominating and governance committees. NYSE rules also require that we appoint at least a majority of independent members to such committees within 90 days of the date we ceased to be a “controlled company,” or August 13, 2013, and that we appoint compensation and nominating and governance committees composed entirely of independent directors and appoint a majority of independent directors to our board of directors within one year of such date, or May 20, 2014. 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. 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 in hospitality or a café, wine bar or restaurant adjacent to, or inside of, select Full Line Design Galleries, as well as our planned launch of RH Contemporary Art, RH Atelier, RH Kitchen and RH Antiques & Artifacts;

 

•

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, compensation charges, 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 (from February 2, 2013)		$	39.58			$	32.75
Second Quarter (through July 11, 2013)		$	77.18			$	39.55

The closing price of our common stock as of July 11, 2013 was $71.33 per share, and the number of stockholders of record of our common stock as of July 5, 2013 was 67. 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.

The selected consolidated financial data for the three months ended April 28, 2012, and May 4, 2013, and as of May 4, 2013, were derived from Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc.’s unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements were prepared on a basis consistent with that used in preparing our audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring items, that we consider necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations for the unaudited periods. The unaudited financial information for the twelve months ended April 28, 2012, has been derived by adding our financial information for the year ended January 28, 2012, to the financial information for the three months ended April 28, 2012, and subtracting the financial information for the three months ended April 30, 2011. The unaudited financial information for the twelve months ended May 4, 2013, has been derived by adding our financial information for the year ended February 2, 2013, to the financial information for the three months ended May 4, 2013, and subtracting the financial information for the three months ended April 28, 2012. The twelve-month period ended April 28, 2012 consisted of 52 weeks, and the twelve-month period ended May 4, 2013 consisted of 53 weeks. We believe that presentation of unaudited financial information for these twelve-month periods is useful to investors because it presents information about how our business has performed in the twelve-month period immediately preceding the date of our most recent interim financial statements, which allows investors to review our current performance trends over a full year period, and because it presents results for four consecutive quarters, which presentation compensates for seasonal factors that might influence results in a particular quarter within the year.

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.

 

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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 2 to the table below.

 

		Predecessor						Successor
		Period from February  3, 2008 Through June 16, 2008						Period from June 17, 2008 Through January 31, 2009				Year Ended																Three Months Ended								Last Twelve Months Ended (1)
												January 30, 2010				January 29, 2011				January 28, 2012				February 2, 2013				April 28, 2012				May 4, 2013				April 28, 2012				May 4, 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			$	217,914			$	301,337			$	991,238			$	1,276,469
Cost of goods sold			140,088						308,448				412,629				501,132				601,735				756,597				142,646				199,460				622,805				813,411
Gross profit			55,349						190,133				213,056				271,620				356,349				436,449				75,268				101,877				368,433				463,058
Selling, general and administrative expenses (2)			75,396						213,011				238,889				274,836				329,506				505,485				77,365				101,366				338,164				529,486
Income (loss) from operations			(20,047	)					(22,878	)			(25,833	)			(3,216	)			26,843				(69,036	)			(2,097	)			511				30,269				(66,428	)
Interest expense			(2,731	)					(4,907	)			(3,241	)			(3,150	)			(5,134	)			(5,776	)			(1,575	)			(840	)			(5,810	)			(5,041	)
Income (loss) before income taxes			(22,778	)					(27,785	)			(29,074	)			(6,366	)			21,709				(74,812	)			(3,672	)			(329	)			24,459				(71,469	)
Income tax expense (benefit) (3)			508						(201	)			(423	)			685				1,121				(62,023	)			56				(168	)			1,381				(62,247	)
Net income (loss)		$	(23,286	)				$	(27,584	)		$	(28,651	)		$	(7,051	)		$	20,588			$	(12,789	)		$	(3,728	)		$	(161	)		$	23,078			$	(9,222	)
Weighted-average number of basic and diluted shares outstanding			38,969,000						100				100				100				468				9,428,828				1,000				38,076,026				693				18,767,986
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share		$	(0.60	)				$	(275,840	)		$	(286,510	)		$	(70,510	)		$	43,991			$	(1.36	)		$	(3,728	)		$	—			$	33,302			$	(0.49	)
Other Financial and Operating Data:
Growth in net revenues:
Stores (4)			—						—				(6	)%			15	%			22	%			20	%			16	%			39	%			20	%			25	%
Direct			—						—				(15	)%			37	%			27	%			30	%			20	%			38	%			20	%			33	%
Total			—						—				(10	)%			24	%			24	%			25	%			18	%			38	%			20	%			29	%
Retail (5):
Comparable store sales change (6)			(12	)%					(8	)%			(7	)%			19	%			25	%			28	%			26	%			41	%			25	%			32	%
Retail stores open at end of period			100						99				95				91				74				71				74				70				74				70
Total leased square footage at end of period (in thousands)			1,061						1,057				1,015				970				808				768				802				796				802				796
Total leased selling square footage at end of period (in thousands) (7)			671						670				642				613				516				501				522				521				522				521
Retail sales per leased selling square foot (8)		$	147					$	406			$	525			$	635			$	846			$	$1,143				200			$	284			$	903			$	1,229
Direct:
Catalogs circulated (in thousands) (9)			13,771						26,831				31,336				46,507				26,052				32,712				14,906				—				33,001				17,846
Catalog pages circulated (in millions) (9)			2,168						3,507				4,418				6,260				8,848				16,029				7,363				—				14,101				8,640
Direct as a percentage of net revenues (10)			43	%					41	%			39	%			43	%			44	%			46	%			47	%			47	%			45	%			46	%
Capital expenditures		$	3,821					$	13,428			$	2,024			$	39,907			$	25,593			$	49,058			$	6,193			$	9,737			$	28,209			$	52,602
Adjusted EBITDA (11)		$	(8,219	)				$	4,386			$	17,596			$	41,097			$	80,154			$	96,571			$	6,159			$	11,231			$	80,980			$	101,643
Adjusted net income (loss) (11)												$	(18,483	)		$	3,025			$	26,451			$	37,739			$	(1,325	)		$	2,257			$	27,244			$	41,320
Pro forma weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma diluted net income (loss) per share (12)																									37,242,178				36,971,500				38,671,785
Adjusted diluted net income (loss) per share (11)																								$	1.01			$	(0.04	)		$	0.06

 

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		January 31, 2009				January 30, 2010				January 29, 2011				January 28, 2012				February 2, 2013				May 4, 2013
		(in thousands)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	8,603			$	13,186			$	13,364			$	8,512			$	8,354			$	9,669
Working capital (excluding cash and cash equivalents) (13)			102,850				57,058				103,894				156,506				267,905				289,377
Total assets			494,773				431,528				501,991				586,810				789,613				859,622
Revolving line of credit			110,696				57,442				111,837				107,502				82,501				113,994
Term loan			—				—				—				14,798				—				—
Total debt (including current portion) (14)			117,515				61,652				116,995				131,040				87,029				117,681
Total stockholders’ equity			238,670				221,079				215,804				250,463				451,611				455,050

 

(1)

The unaudited financial information for the twelve months ended April 28, 2012, has been derived by adding our financial information for the year ended January 28, 2012, to the financial information for the three months ended April 28, 2012, and subtracting the financial information for the three months ended April 30, 2011. The unaudited financial information for the twelve months ended May 4, 2013, has been derived by adding our financial information for the year ended February 2, 2013, to the financial information for the three months ended May 4, 2013, and subtracting the financial information for the three months ended April 28, 2012. The twelve-month period ended April 28, 2012 consisted of 52 weeks, and the twelve-month period ended May 4, 2013 consisted of 53 weeks.

(2)

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.

 

 

(3)

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.

(4)	Store data represents retail stores plus outlet stores.

(5)	Retail data has been calculated based upon retail stores, which includes our Baby & Child stores and excludes outlet stores.

(6)

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 and for the twelve months ended May 4, 2013 excludes the extra week of sales.

(7)

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, fiscal 2012, the three months ended April 28, 2012 and May 4, 2013, and the twelve months ended April 28, 2012 and May 4, 2013 includes approximately 4,500 square feet related to one owned store location.

(8)	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 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.

(9)

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.

(10)	Direct revenues include sales through our catalogs and websites.

 

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(11)

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted diluted net income (loss) 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 (loss) 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 (loss) per share as adjusted net income (loss) divided by our pro forma diluted weighted-average shares. Reconciliations of these measures to the equivalent measures under GAAP are set forth below.

 

We believe that EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) 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 (loss) and adjusted diluted net income (loss) 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.

 

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

 

 

(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)

The three months ended May 4, 2013 includes a non-cash compensation charge of $3.3 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Friedman. 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 non-cash compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Mr. Friedman, through the reclassification by Home Holdings of Mr. Friedman’s Class A and Class A-1 ownership

 

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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 amounts in fiscal 2012 relate 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 Mr. 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.

(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 the People’s Republic of China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

(m)

Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with our secondary offering.

(n)

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 (loss) is set forth below:

 

 

(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.

 

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(b)

The three months ended May 4, 2013 includes a non-cash compensation charge of $3.3 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Friedman. 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 non-cash compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Mr. 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)

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 amounts in fiscal 2012 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 Mr. Friedman, 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 the People’s Republic of China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

(l)

Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with our secondary offering.

(m)

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.

(n)

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 (loss) 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.

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

 

 

(a)

On a pro forma basis, diluted shares outstanding for fiscal 2012 and the three months ended April 28, 2012 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

 

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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 three months ended May 4, 2013 includes a non-cash compensation charge of $3.3 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Friedman. 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.

(d)

Includes lease termination costs for retail stores that were closed prior to their respective lease termination dates. The amounts in fiscal 2012 relate to changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.

(e)

Represents 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.

(f)

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.

(g)

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 the People’s Republic of China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

(h)

Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with our secondary offering.

(i)

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.

 

(12)

On a pro forma basis, diluted shares outstanding for fiscal 2012 and the three months ended April 28, 2012 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.

(13)	Working capital is defined as current assets, excluding cash and cash equivalents, less current liabilities, excluding the current portion of long-term debt.

(14)	Total debt (including current portion) includes amounts outstanding under 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 July 5, 2013, we operated 62 Galleries, 5 Full Line Design Galleries, 3 Baby & Child Galleries, as well as 15 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 product assortment. We have identified over 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 addition, net revenues for the first quarter of 2013 increased in the Los Angeles and Houston markets by 52% and 53%, respectively. 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 opening date 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, leather, 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 planned launch of RH Contemporary Art in 2013 as well as our planned introduction of RH Kitchen, RH Antiques & Artifacts and RH Atelier.

 

•

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.

 

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•

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.

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 first quarter of fiscal 2013 marked our 13th 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

 

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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, of which $9.7 million was spent during the first three months of fiscal 2013.

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

 

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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 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 (Loss). We believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) 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

 

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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 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 the three months ended May 4, 2013 and April 28, 2012, respectively, and fiscal 2012, fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010:

 

		Three Months Ended																Year Ended
		May 4, 2013								April 28, 2012								February 2, 2013								January 28, 2012								January 29, 2011
		(dollars in thousands)
Net revenues		$	301,337				100	%		$	217,914				100	%		$	1,193,046				100	%		$	958,084				100	%		$	772,752				100	%
Gross profit increase (decrease)
Depreciation related to step up of property and equipment			(273	)			(0.1	)%			(320	)			(0.2	)%			(1,253	)			(0.1	)%			(1,783	)			(0.2	)%			(3,076	)			(0.4	)%
Amortization of intangible related to net fair value of leases			(185	)			(0.1	)%			(236	)			(0.1	)%			(879	)			(0.1	)%			(1,507	)			(0.1	)%			(1,975	)			(0.3	)%
		$	(458	)			(0.2	)%		$	(556	)			(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			329				0.1	%			329				0.1	%			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			—				—	%			(5	)			—	%			(9	)			—	%			(21	)			—	%			140				—	%
		$	329				0.1	%		$	324				0.1	%		$	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

 

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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.

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

 

		Three Months Ended								Year Ended
		May 4, 2013				April 28, 2012				February 2, 2013				January 28, 2012				January 29, 2011
		(dollars in thousands, excluding per square foot store data)
Statement of Operations Data:
Net revenues		$	301,337			$	217,914			$	1,193,046			$	958,084			$	772,752
Cost of goods sold			199,460				142,646				756,597				601,735				501,132
Gross profit			101,877				75,268				436,449				356,349				271,620
Selling, general and administrative expenses			101,366				77,365				505,485				329,506				274,836
Income (loss) from operations			511				(2,097	)			(69,036	)			26,843				(3,216	)
Interest expense			(840	)			(1,575	)			(5,776	)			(5,134	)			(3,150	)
Income (loss) before income taxes			(329	)			(3,672	)			(74,812	)			21,709				(6,366	)
Income tax expense (benefit)			(168	)			56				(62,023	)			1,121				685
Net income (loss)		$	(161	)		$	(3,728	)		$	(12,789	)		$	20,588			$	(7,051	)
Other Financial and Operating Data:
Growth in net revenues:
Stores (1)			39	%			16	%			20	%			22	%			15	%
Direct			38	%			20	%			30	%			27	%			37	%
Total			38	%			18	%			25	%			24	%			24	%
Retail (2):
Comparable store sales change (3)			41	%			26	%			28	%			25	%			19	%
Retail stores open at beginning of period			71				74				74				91				95
Stores opened			2				3				5				5				4
Stores closed			3				3				8				22				8
Retail stores open at end of period			70				74				71				74				91
Total leased square footage at end of period (in thousands)			796				802				768				808				970
Total leased selling square footage at end of period (in thousands) (4)			521				522				501				516				613
Retail sales per leased selling square foot (5)		$	284			$	200			$	1,143			$	846			$	635
Direct:
Catalogs circulated (in thousands) (6)			—				14,906				32,712				26,052				46,507
Catalog pages circulated (in millions) (6)			—				7,363				16,029				8,848				6,260
Direct as a percentage of net revenues (7)			47	%			47	%			46	%			44	%			43	%
Capital expenditures		$	9,737			$	6,193			$	49,058			$	25,593			$	39,907
Adjusted net income (loss) (8)		$	2,257			$	(1,325	)		$	37,739			$	26,451			$	3,025

 

(1)

Store data represents retail stores plus outlet stores. Net revenues for outlet stores for the three months ended May 4, 2013 and April 28, 2012 were $14.4 million and $10.9 million, respectively. Net revenues for outlet stores 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 excludes 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

 

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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.

(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 (loss) is a supplemental measure of financial performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted net income (loss) 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.

 

 

(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.

 

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(b)

The three months ended May 4, 2013 includes a non-cash compensation charge of $3.3 million related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Friedman. 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 non-cash compensation charge related to the repayment of loans owed to Home Holdings by Mr. 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 amounts in fiscal 2012 relate to changes in estimates regarding liabilities for future lease payments for closed stores.

(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 Mr. 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 the People’s Republic of China for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.

(k)

Represents legal and other professional fees incurred in connection with our secondary offering.

(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 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.

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

 

		Three Months Ended								Year Ended
		May 4, 2013				April 28, 2012				February 2, 2013				January 28, 2012				January 29, 2011
Statement of Operations Data:
Net revenues			100.0	%			100.0	%			100.0	%			100.0	%			100.0	%
Cost of goods sold			66.2				65.5				63.4				62.8				64.9
Gross profit			33.8				34.5				36.6				37.2				35.1
Selling, general and administrative expenses			33.6				35.5				42.4				34.4				35.5
Income (loss) from operations			0.2				(1.0	)			(5.8	)			2.8				(0.4	)
Interest expense			(0.3	)			(0.7	)			(0.5	)			(0.5	)			(0.4	)
Income (loss) before income taxes			(0.1	)			(1.7	)			(6.3	)			2.3				(0.8	)
Income tax expense (benefit)			(0.1	)			—				(5.2	)			0.1				0.1
Net income (loss)			—	%			(1.7	)%			(1.1	)%			2.2	%			(0.9	)%

 

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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.

 

		Three Months Ended								Year Ended
		May 4, 2013				April 28, 2012				February 2, 2013				January 28, 2012				January 29, 2011
										(in thousands)
Stores		$	159,313			$	114,676			$	643,306			$	534,411			$	438,463
Direct			142,024				103,238				549,740				423,673				334,289
Net revenues		$	301,337			$	217,914			$	1,193,046			$	958,084			$	772,752

First Three Months of Fiscal 2013 Compared to First Three Months of Fiscal 2012

Net revenues

Net revenues increased $83.4 million, or 38.3%, to $301.3 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to $217.9 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012. We had 70 and 74 retail stores open at May 4, 2013 and April 28, 2012, respectively. Stores sales increased $44.6 million, or 38.9%, to $159.3 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to $114.7 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012 due in large part to our comparable store sales increase of 41% in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to the three months ended April 28, 2012. Direct sales increased $38.8 million, or 37.6%, to $142.0 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to $103.2 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012. 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 and the introduction of new product categories.

Gross profit

Gross profit increased $26.6 million, or 35.4%, to $101.9 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 from $75.3 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012. As a percentage of net revenues, gross margin decreased 0.7% to 33.8% of net revenues in the three months ended May 4, 2013 from 34.5% of net revenues in the three months ended April 28, 2012.

This decrease was primarily driven by changes in product mix and strategic pricing on new product introductions. In addition, gross margin decreased due to increased freight costs resulting from a higher percentage of furniture sales during the period, which 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 leverage on the fixed portion of our store and distribution center occupancy costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $24.0 million, or 31.0%, to $101.4 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to $77.4 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended May 4, 2013 included (i) a $3.3 million non-cash compensation charge related to the performance-based vesting of certain shares granted to Mr. Friedman in connection with the Reorganization and initial public offering and (ii) $0.8 million of costs incurred in connection with our secondary offering.

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

 

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Excluding the one-time and non-cash compensations items for the three months ended May 4, 2013 mentioned above, selling, general and administrative expenses were 32.3% of net revenues for the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to 35.5% of net revenues for the three months ended April 28, 2012. The improvement in adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues was primarily driven by leverage on the fixed portion of advertising and marketing costs, employment costs and professional fees, in each case as a percentage of net revenues.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $0.8 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to $1.6 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012. This decrease was primarily due to the repayment of the term loan in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, a decrease in the average borrowings under the revolving line of credit in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to the three months ended April 28, 2012, as well as an increase in capitalized interest expense associated with capital projects.

Income tax expense (benefit)

Income tax benefit was $0.2 million in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to income tax expense of $0.1 million in the three months ended April 28, 2012. Our effective tax rate was 51.06% in the three months ended May 4, 2013 compared to (1.51)% in the three months ended April 28, 2012. The increase in our effective tax rate was primarily due to no longer recording a U.S. valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets, as well as non-deductible stock-based compensation charges.

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.

 

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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.

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.

 

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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 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.

 

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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 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 r