UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020

-OR-

For the transition period from to                      to                     .

Commission File Number: 001-09769

 

Lands’ End, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

(608) 935-9341

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

 

 

 

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:

None

 

(Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    YES  ☒    NO   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    YES  ☒    NO  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, "smaller reporting company", and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    YES  ☐    NO  ☒

The aggregate market value (based on the closing price of the registrant's common stock quoted on the NASDAQ Stock Market) of the registrant's common stock owned by non-affiliates, as of August 2, 2019, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $112.4 million.

As of March 18, 2020, the registrant had 32,381,612 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding.

 

 

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LANDS’ END, INC.

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

Table of Contents

 

 

 

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, references to the "Company", "Lands' End", "we", "us", "our" and similar terms refer to Lands' End, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Our fiscal year ends on the Friday preceding the Saturday on or closest to January 31. Other terms commonly used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are defined as follows:

Lands' End is a leading uni-channel retailer of casual clothing, accessories, footwear and home products. Operating out of America’s heartland, we believe our vision and values make a strong connection with our core customers.  We offer products online at www.landsend.com, on third party online marketplaces and through retail locations. We are a classic American lifestyle brand with a passion for quality, legendary service and real value, and seek to deliver timeless style for women, men, kids and the home.

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Lands' End was founded in 1963 by Gary Comer and his partners to sell sailboat hardware and equipment by catalog. While our product focus has shifted significantly over the years, we have continued to adhere to our founder's motto as one of our guiding principles: "Take care of the customer, take care of the employee and the rest will take care of itself."

Lands’ End seeks to provide a common customer experience regardless of whether they are interacting with us on our company websites, third party marketplaces, at Company Operated stores or other distribution channels.  

We have one external reportable segment and identify our operating segments according to how our business activities are managed and evaluated. Our operating segments consist of U.S. eCommerce, Retail, Lands' End Outfitters ("Outfitters"), Europe eCommerce and Japan eCommerce. We have determined that each of our operating segments share similar economic and other qualitative characteristics, and therefore the results of our operating segments are aggregated into one external reportable segment.

Lands' End's product channels are eCommerce, Retail and Outfitters.  eCommerce offers products through the Company's eCommerce websites, third party online marketplaces and direct mail catalogs.  Retail sells products and services through Company Operated stores.  Outfitters sells products to end consumers, located primarily in the United States, through negotiated arrangements with client organizations to make specific styles or embroidered products available to members of client organizations, as well as through the Company's eCommerce websites.  In Fiscal 2019, we generated revenue of approximately $1.45 billion. Our revenue is generated worldwide with operations based in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Japan. This network reinforces and supports sales across the channels in which we do business. Net revenue is presented by product channel in the following table:

 

 

In Fiscal 2019, we fulfilled orders to customers in approximately 174 countries outside the United States, totaling approximately 14.0% of revenue.

Revenue by the geographical location where the product is shipped is as follows:  

 

Long-lived assets by geographical location are as follows:  

 

 

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Strategy

In Fiscal 2019, we continued to leverage our iconic American brand, which was founded on the principles of delivering great quality, uncompromising service and exceptional value to our customers. In Fiscal 2020 we plan to continue to focus on our four major growth initiatives, as we have over the past several years:

Product. The soul of the Lands’ End brand has always been products with a purpose. We are focused on delivering key items, made of quality materials, in iconic styles that offer great value to our customers and their families.  We provide an assortment of products leveraging our key item strategy with a focus on delivering comfort, style and value with emphasis on major categories.  In Fiscal 2020 we plan to continue to leverage customer data to drive decisions around our merchandise assortment, fabrics, silhouettes and price points that our customer desires. We have worked to drive consistency in our fits across multiple categories and classifications.  We are also focused on key relationships, including growing our uniform business with innovative products to meet the needs of our partners.

Digital. We are focused on utilizing digital technologies to obtain new customers and improve the overall customer experience, including leveraging data analytics to better tailor and personalize the shopping experience for each customer. We are a digitally-led organization, applying technology as we adapt to ongoing shifts in customer shopping behaviors. During Fiscal 2019, we improved our search engine optimization, improved mobile site speed and expanded price clarity. We enhanced our website with updated product descriptions that better align with the language that our customers use when searching for products. We also enhanced our smartphone experience, as this is the device our customer increasingly uses for shopping. As part of our Fiscal 2020 initiatives we are focused on continuing to improve the customer’s smartphone experience, including improved product presentation.

Distribution. We utilize uni-channel distribution including eCommerce and retail stores, to engage our customer where and how they choose to shop. Our stores represent the Lands’ End American Heritage aesthetic, making it easy for our customers to find our products in an inviting, brand appropriate setting.  For Fiscal 2020, we plan to continue applying a customer analytics-driven distribution strategy, where we leverage our data to refine product assortment, target new store locations, and explore opportunities with third party marketplaces and traditional wholesale.

Business Processing. We continue to focus on building strategic competencies through improved business processes that are based on standardization and efficiency.  We plan to focus on optimizing our business processing capabilities, which will further enable us to upgrade the way we take, process and fulfill orders across our channels and improve how we interface with our partners.  Additionally, we plan to continue to upgrade our inventory planning process and data analytic capabilities as we focus on growing the business and operating as a global uni-channel retailer.

Key Capabilities

Lands' End was founded on certain principles of doing business that are embodied in our goal to deliver great quality, uncompromising service and exceptional value to our customers. These core principles of quality, service and value are the foundation of what we believe distinguish us from our competitors, including:

Customer base. Lands' End is an iconic American brand with a large and loyal customer base. Operating out of Wisconsin, in the heartland of the United States, we believe our vision and values make a strong connection with our core customer.  We believe that a principal indicator of our success to date has been the continued growth of our buyer file, with increases in new and retained customers.

Product innovation. We seek to develop new, innovative products for our customers by utilizing modern fabrics and quality construction to create timeless, affordable styles with excellent fits. We also seek to present our

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products in an engaging and inspiring way. We believe that our typical customers expect quality, seek good value for their money and are looking to add classics to their wardrobe while also placing an emphasis on comfort, functionality and product innovation that supports their lifestyle. From a design and merchandising perspective, we believe that we have had success adding relevant items into our product assortment, many of which have become customer favorites. We devote significant time and resources to quality assurance, fit testing and product compliance. Our in-house team manages all product specifications and seeks to ensure brand integrity by providing our customers with the consistent, high-quality merchandise for which Lands' End is known. We are a vertically integrated retailer that manages most aspects of our design, marketing and distribution in-house.

Customer service. We are committed to building on Lands' End's legacy of strong customer service. We believe we have a strong track record of improving the customer service experience through innovation. Lands' End is focused on using our extensive customer data to make the shopping experience as effortless and personalized as possible, regardless of whether our customers shop online or in one of our retail locations. Our operations include a return policy that is frequently mentioned as one of the best in the industry, service agents who are available through retail locations, on the phone, and via chat, email or social media, and an ever-evolving digital self-service platform.  These all have contributed to our award-winning customer service, which we believe is one of our core strengths and a key point of differentiation from our competitors.  We have received many accolades over the years and most recently, received the following:

Marketing

We believe that our most important asset is our brand. The Lands' End brand is well-recognized with a deeply rooted tradition of offering excellent quality, value and service.  We also invest significantly in brand development through our focus on providing excellent customer service and our emphasis on digital transformation and innovative product development. We believe that this commitment to our brand has helped to generate our large and loyal customer base for over fifty years.

We attempt to build on our brand recognition through multi-channel marketing campaigns including an eCommerce website, www.landsend.com, catalog distribution, digital marketing and social media. Creative designs for these marketing platforms are primarily developed in-house by our creative team. We strive to be efficient in our overall spend, enabling us to invest in initiatives that we believe will yield benefits over the longer-term. We believe we will generate near term return on investment with the majority of our marketing spend allocated to digital marketing and our catalog, which continues to be a productive vehicle to drive customers to our website and stores.  We are also seeking to enhance our branding initiatives by investing in strategic partnerships designed to showcase our apparel and personalizing promotions offered to customers.

Information Technology

Our information technology systems provide comprehensive support for the design, merchandising, importing, marketing, distribution, sales, order processing and order fulfillment of our Lands' End products.  We have a dedicated information technology team that provides strategic direction, application development, infrastructure services and systems support for the functions and processes of our business. The information technology team contracts with third-party consulting firms to provide cost-effective staff augmentation services and partners with leading hardware, software and cloud-based technology firms to provide the infrastructure necessary to run and

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operate our systems. Our core software applications are comprised of a combination of internally developed and packaged third-party systems. The eCommerce solutions powering www.landsend.com, the Outfitters websites, and our international Lands' End websites are operated out of our own internal data centers, as well as through hosting relationships with third parties and industry-leading cloud providers.

We are in the process of implementing new information technology systems as part of a multi-year plan to expand and upgrade our information technology platforms and infrastructure. We intend to build off these core systems to drive future improvements in our operations including efficiencies within our internal processes and reporting. Implementation of new systems is highly dependent on coordination of numerous software, hardware, cloud and system integration providers. See also Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Competition

We operate primarily in the apparel industry which is highly competitive. We compete with a diverse group of direct-to-consumer companies and retailers, including national department store chains, women's and men's specialty apparel chains, outdoor specialty stores, apparel catalog businesses, sportswear marketers and online apparel businesses that sell similar lines of merchandise. We compete principally on the basis of merchandise value (quality and price), product innovation, our established customer list and award-winning customer service.

Seasonality

We experience seasonal fluctuations in our net revenue and operating results and historically have realized a significant portion of our net revenue and earnings for the year during our fourth fiscal quarter. We generated 37.9%, 34.6% and 36.3% of our net revenue in the fourth fiscal quarter of Fiscal 2019, Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017, respectively. Thus, lower than expected fourth quarter net revenue could have an adverse impact on our annual operating results.

Working capital requirements typically increase during the second and third quarters of the fiscal year as inventory builds to support peak shipping/selling periods and, accordingly, working capital requirements typically decreases during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year as inventory is shipped/sold. Cash provided by operating activities is typically higher in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year due to reduced working capital requirements during that period.

Vendors

Our products are produced globally by independent manufacturers who are selected, monitored and coordinated by the Lands' End Global Sourcing team based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin and other third-party buying agents. Our products are manufactured in approximately 26 countries and the majority are imported from Asia and South America, depending on the nature of the product mix. In Fiscal 2019 our top 10 vendors accounted for approximately 47% of the value of our merchandise purchases and we worked with approximately 145 vendors that manufactured substantially all of our products. We generally do not enter into long-term merchandise supply contracts. We continue to take advantage of opportunities to more efficiently source our products worldwide, consistent with our high standards of quality and value. Significant areas of non-product spend include transportation, information systems, marketing, packaging and catalog paper and print.

It is important to us that our partners share the same values in business as we do, therefore, we require that the vendors comply with applicable legal requirements, agree to our global compliance requirements and meet our product quality standards. Our vendors are required to provide us with full access to their facilities and to relevant records relating to their employment practices, such as, but not limited to, child labor, wages and benefits, forced labor, discrimination, freedom of association, unlawful inducements, safe and healthy working conditions and other

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business practices so that we may monitor their compliance with ethical and legal requirements relating to the conduct of their business.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

We purchase, in the ordinary course of business, raw materials and supplies essential to our operations from numerous suppliers around the world, including in the United States. There have been no recent significant availability problems or supply shortages.  See Item IA, Risk Factors, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See also Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Distribution

We own and operate three distribution centers in Wisconsin. Our Dodgeville facility is approximately 1.1 million square feet and is a full-service distribution center, including monogramming, hemming and embroidery services. Our Reedsburg location is approximately 400,000 square feet and offers all order fulfillment services except hemming. Our Stevens Point distribution center is approximately 150,000 square feet and primarily focuses on embroidery services. Customer orders are shipped via third party carriers.

We own and operate a distribution center in the United Kingdom based in Oakham, a community north of London. Order fulfillment and specialty services for our European businesses are performed at this facility, which opened in 1998 and totals approximately 175,000 square feet. We also lease a 56,000 square foot distribution center in Fujieda, Japan.

Orders are generally filled on a current basis, and order backlog is not material to our business. See also Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Intellectual Property

Lands' End owns or has rights to use certain word and design trademarks, service marks, and trade names that are registered or exist under common law in the United States and other jurisdictions. The Lands' End® trade name and trademark are used both in the United States and internationally, and are material to our business. Trademarks that are important in identifying and distinguishing our products and services are Guaranteed. Period.®, Lands’ End Lighthouse®, Square Rigger™,  Squall®, Super-T™, Drifter™, Outrigger®, Marinac®, and Beach Living®, all of which are owned by us, as well as the licensed marks Supima®, No-Gape®, and others. Other recognized trademarks owned by Lands' End include SwimMates™, Starfish™, Iron Knees®, Hyde Park®, Year’ Rounder®, ClassMate®, Pink Thread Project®, Willis & Geiger® and ThermaCheck®. Lands' End's rights to some of these trademarks are limited to select markets.

Employees

We employ approximately 5,100 employees throughout our operations: approximately 4,300 employees in the United States and approximately 800 employees outside the United States. This workforce is comprised of approximately 19% salaried employees, 42% hourly employees and 39% part-time employees. With the seasonal nature of the retail industry, over 2,000 additional, flexible, part-time employees join us each year to support our varying peak seasons, including the fourth quarter holiday shopping season.

Pledged Assets

All obligations under the Debt Facilities are unconditionally guaranteed by Lands' End, Inc. and, subject to certain exceptions, each of its existing and future direct and indirect wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries. The ABL Facility is secured by a first priority security interest in certain working capital of the borrowers and guarantors

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consisting primarily of accounts receivable and inventory. The Term Loan Facility is secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral, with certain exceptions.

The Term Loan Facility also is secured by a first priority security interest in certain property and assets of the borrowers and guarantors, including certain fixed assets and stock of subsidiaries. The ABL Facility is secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral.

Corporate Citizenship

Sustainability Initiatives. Lands' End is working towards improving its sustainable footprint through key practices like waste reduction, purchasing recycled consumables and through corporate partnerships. Lands' End hopes to inspire customers and other corporations to increase sustainability awareness and initiatives.

We have a focus on raising awareness and educating associates on reducing our internal use of consumables and natural resources. In addition, we have a broad range of recycling and waste management initiatives at our corporate office and distribution centers to address our use of paper products, aluminum cans, glass, electronics and plastic as well as maintenance operations, disposal of non-recyclables with composting and water management.

Lands’ End also participates in industry educational workshops and initiatives. We have formed strategic partnerships with organizations like the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, bluesign, National Forest Foundation, where we have helped plant over 1 million trees, and the Clean Lakes Alliance, where we help protect and improve maintenance of local lakes in Wisconsin. These partnerships, which respectively operate globally, nationally, and locally, allow us to engage at a variety of levels.

History

We were founded in 1963, incorporated in Delaware in 1986 and our common stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange from 1986 to 2002. On June 17, 2002, we became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Roebuck. Sears Holdings distributed 100 percent of the outstanding common stock of Lands' End to its stockholders on April 4, 2014 and our common stock was listed on NASDAQ.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 1 Lands' End Lane, Dodgeville, Wisconsin 53595. Our telephone number is (608) 935-9341.

Available Information, Internet Address and Internet Access to Current and Periodic Reports and Other Information

Our website address is www.landsend.com. References to www.landsend.com do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information at www.landsend.com, and such information is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We file our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports electronically with the SEC, and they are available on the SEC's web site (www.sec.gov). We also make our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports available through our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the charters of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors, our Related Party Transactions Policy, our Director Compensation Policy, our Code of Conduct, and our Board of Directors Code of Conduct are available at the "Investor Relations" link under "Corporate Governance" at www.landsend.com.

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Information about our Executive Officers

The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers, including their positions.

 

 

Jerome Griffith joined Lands' End as Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of the Board of Directors in March 2017. He served as the Chief Executive Officer and President and as a member of the board of directors of Tumi Holdings, Inc., a manufacturer and retailer of consumer goods including business bags, luggage, apparel and other travel-related goods, from April 2009 until its sale to Samsonite International S.A. in August 2016. From 2002 to February 2009, he was employed at Esprit Holdings Limited, a global fashion brand, where he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and appointed to the board in 2004, then promoted to President of Esprit North and South America in 2006. From 1999 to 2002, he worked as an executive vice president at Tommy Hilfiger, a global fashion brand. From 1998 to 1999, he worked as the president of retail at the J. Peterman Company, a catalog-based apparel and retail company. From 1989 through 1998, he worked in various positions of increasing responsibility at Gap, Inc., a global clothing and accessories retailer. He has served as a member of the board of Vince Holding Corp. since November 2013, Samsonite International S.A. since August 2016, and Parsons School of Design, which is part of the New School, since September 2013.

James Gooch joined the Company as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2016. He also served as our Co-Interim Chief Executive Officer from September 2016 to March 2017. From March 2014 until December 2014, he served as Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of DeMoulas Supermarkets, Inc., a regional supermarket chain. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of RadioShack Corporation, an electronics retailer, from May 2011 to October 2012, as President and Chief Financial Officer of RadioShack Corporation from January 2011 to May 2011, and as Chief Financial Officer of RadioShack Corporation from August 2006 to January 2011. Earlier in his career he was employed by Helene Curtis, The Quaker Oats Company, Kmart Corporation, and Sears Holdings.

Peter L. Gray joined Lands' End as Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in May 2017. Mr. Gray served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Tumi Holdings, Inc., a manufacturer and retailer of consumer goods including business bags, luggage, apparel and other travel-related goods, from December 2013 until November 2016. He was employed by ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc. (formerly CMGI, Inc.), a supply chain business process management company from June 1999 to October 2013. Beginning in March 2002, he was ModusLink's Executive Vice President and General Counsel, additionally becoming its Secretary in December 2005 and its Chief Administrative Officer in June 2012. Prior to joining ModusLink, Mr. Gray was Assistant General Counsel at Cambridge Technology Partners (Massachusetts), Inc., and a junior partner at Hale and Dorr LLP. Mr. Gray also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tufts University Hillel Foundation.

Kelly Ritchie joined Lands' End in 1985 and became Vice President, Employee Services in 1995.  In 2003, she became Senior Vice President, Employee Services and continues to hold that position today.  She assumed responsibility for our distribution centers from 2005 to 2015 and was responsible for Customer Service from 2005 until 2019. Between 1985 and 1995 she held various other Customer Service and Employee Services roles.

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Chieh Tsai joined Lands’ End in May 2016 and has served as the Company’s Chief Product Officer since January 2019.  From September 2017 to January 2019 she served as Senior Vice President of Design and from May 2016 to August 2017 she served as Vice President of Design.  Prior to joining Lands' End, Ms. Tsai served in multiple leadership roles with AnnTaylor, Inc. from May 2005 until May 2015, most recently as the Vice President of Design.  Ms. Tsai served as the Design Director for CK Calvin Klein from March 2004 until May 2005 and as Senior Designer of Nine West from August 2000 until March 2004.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the following risks and other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in evaluating our company and our common stock. Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Actual or threatened epidemics, pandemics, outbreaks, or other public health crises may adversely affect our customers’ financial condition and the operations of our business.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by the risks, or the public perception of the risks, related to an epidemic, pandemic, outbreak, or other public health crisis, such as the recent outbreak of novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”). The risk of a pandemic, or public perception of the risk, could cause customers to avoid public places, including retail properties, and could cause temporary or long-term disruptions in our supply chains and/or delays in the delivery of our inventory. Further, such risks could also adversely affect our customers' financial condition, resulting in reduced spending for the merchandise we sell. Moreover, an epidemic, pandemic, outbreak or other public health crisis, such as COVID-19, could cause employees to avoid our properties, which could adversely affect our ability to adequately staff and manage our businesses. “Shelter-in-place” or other such orders by governmental entities could also disrupt our operations, if employees who cannot perform their responsibilities from home, are not able to report to work.  Risks related to an epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis, such as COVID-19, could also lead to the complete or partial closure of one or more of our stores, facilities or operations of our sourcing partners.  If our Wisconsin operations are closed, we would not be able to fulfill orders to our customers, which would delay our sales and could cause our customers to cancel their orders.  The ultimate extent of the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis on our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information that may emerge concerning the severity of such epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis and actions taken to contain or prevent their further spread, among others. These and other potential impacts of an epidemic, pandemic or other health crisis, such as COVID-19, could therefore materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business is affected by worldwide economic and market conditions; an unstable economy, a decline in consumer-spending levels and other adverse developments, including inflation, could lead to reduced revenues and gross margins and adversely affect our business, results of operations and liquidity.

Many economic and other factors are outside of our control, including general economic and market conditions, consumer and commercial credit availability, inflation, unemployment, consumer debt levels and other challenges affecting the global economy including the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Increases in the rates of unemployment, decreases in home values, reduced access to credit and issues related to the domestic and international political situations may adversely affect consumer confidence and disposable income levels. Early societal responses to the pandemic have involved store closures and limited social interaction as well as work reductions.  Low consumer confidence and disposable incomes could lead to reduced consumer spending and lower demand for our products, which are discretionary items, the purchase of which can be reduced before customers adjust their budgets for necessities. These factors could have a negative impact on our sales and cause us to increase inventory markdowns and promotional expenses, thereby reducing our gross margins and operating results.

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Our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted by natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, public health or political crises or other catastrophic events.

Our third-party vendors are located throughout the world including in locations subject to natural disasters or extreme weather conditions, as well as other potential catastrophic events, such as public health emergencies, including COVID-19, terrorist attacks or political or military conflict. The occurrence of any of these events could disrupt our operations and negatively impact sales of our products.  

 

If we fail to offer merchandise and services that customers want to purchase, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our products and services must satisfy the desires of customers, whose preferences change over time. In order to be successful, we must identify, obtain supplies of, and offer customers attractive, innovative and high-quality merchandise on a continuous and timely basis. Failure to effectively gauge the direction of customer preferences or convey a compelling brand image or price/value equation to customers may result in lower sales and resultant lower gross profit margins. This could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Customer preference for our branded merchandise could change, which may adversely affect our profitability.

Sales of branded merchandise account for substantially all of our total revenues and the Lands' End brand, in particular, is a critical differentiating factor for our business. Our inability to develop products that resonate with our existing customers and attract new customers, our inability to maintain our strict quality standards or to develop, produce and deliver products in a timely manner, or any unfavorable publicity with respect to the foregoing or otherwise could negatively impact the image of our brand with our customers and could result in diminished loyalty to our brand. As customer tastes change, our failure to anticipate, identify and react in a timely manner to emerging fashion trends and appropriately supply our stores, catalogs and websites with attractive high-quality products that maintain or enhance the appeal of our brand could have an adverse effect on our sales, operating margins and results of operations.

If we cannot compete effectively in the apparel industry, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

The apparel industry is highly competitive. We compete with a diverse group of direct-to-consumer companies and retailers, including national department store chains, women's and men's specialty apparel chains, outdoor specialty stores, apparel catalog businesses, sportswear marketers and online apparel businesses that sell similar lines of merchandise. Brand image, marketing, design, price, service, quality, image presentation and fulfillment are all competitive factors. Our competitors may be able to adopt more aggressive pricing policies, adapt to changes in customer tastes or requirements more quickly, devote greater resources to the design, sourcing, distribution, marketing and sale of their products, or generate greater national brand recognition than we can. An inability to overcome these potential competitive disadvantages or effectively market our products relative to our competitors could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Similarly, our inability to market and sell our products in foreign jurisdictions could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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The success of our business, depends on customers' use of our digital platform, including our eCommerce websites, and response to direct mail catalogs and digital marketing; if our overall marketing strategies, including our maintenance of a robust customer list, is not successful, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The success of our business depends on customers' use of our eCommerce websites and their response to our direct mail catalogs and digital marketing.

The level of customer traffic and volume of customer purchases on our eCommerce websites is substantially dependent on our ability to provide attractive and accessible websites, a high-quality customer experience and reliable delivery of our merchandise. Although the success of our eCommerce websites also has historically been dependent on the performance of our direct mail catalogs, our strategy includes initiatives that are intended to improve marketing productivity and optimize catalog productivity. If we are unable to maintain and increase customer traffic to our eCommerce websites and the volume of goods they purchase, including, as a result of changes to the level and types of marketing or amount of spend allocated to each type of marketing, or through our failure to otherwise successfully promote and maintain our eCommerce websites and their associated services, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Customer response to our catalogs and digital marketing is substantially dependent on merchandise assortment, merchandise availability and creative presentation, as well as the selection of customers to whom our catalogs are sent and to whom our digital marketing is directed, changes in mailing strategies and the size of our mailings. Our maintenance of a robust customer list, which we believe includes desirable demographic characteristics for the products we offer, has also been a key component of our overall strategy. If the performance of our catalogs, emails and eCommerce websites decline, or if our overall marketing strategy is not successful, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our approach to merchandise promotions and markdowns to encourage consumer purchases could adversely affect our gross margins and results of operations.

The apparel industry is dominated by large brands and national/mass retailers, where price competition, promotion, and branded product assortment drive differentiation between competitors in the industry. In order to be competitive, we must offer customers compelling products at attractive prices.  In recent periods, the use of promotions and markdowns, as appropriate, is a strategy we have employed to offer attractive prices.  Heavy reliance on promotions and markdowns to encourage customers to purchase our merchandise, could have a negative impact on our brand equity, gross margins and results of operations.

Our efforts to expand our channels and geographic reach may not be successful.

Our strategy includes initiatives to further our reach in the United States and in a number of countries throughout the world, through various channels and brands, including through relationships with third party eCommerce marketplaces. We have limited experience operating in many of these locations and with third parties, and face major, established competitors and barriers to entry. We may seek additional business partners or licensees to assist us in these efforts however may not be successful in establishing such relationships.  Moreover, consumer tastes and trends may differ in many of these locations from those in our existing locations, and as a result, the sales of our products may not be successful or profitable. If our expansion efforts are not successful or do not deliver an appropriate return on our investments, our business could be adversely affected.

Our implementation of information technology systems could result in significant disruptions to our operations.

 

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Our strategic initiatives include implementing information technology systems, support, and infrastructure enhancements to provide improved capabilities to better serve our customers and accommodate future growth. Implementation of these systems is highly dependent on coordination of numerous software, hardware and cloud-based system providers and internal business teams. The interdependence between information technology systems is a significant risk and the failure of any one system could have a material adverse effect on the implementation of our overall information technology infrastructure. Additionally, the deployment of new technology systems, may require substantial investments in our infrastructure and network. As we deploy, update and make enhancements, we must, among other things, continue to:

 

 

Any difficulties encountered in completing these activities, as well as problems in technical resources, system performance or system adequacy, including loss or corruption of data, could delay implementation and deployment of new technologies, delayed shipments, decreases in productivity as our personnel and third-party providers implement and become familiar with new systems.  Failure to successfully deploy new technologies, enhancements of the infrastructure in a cost-effective manner, and in a manner that satisfies consumers' expectations, could have an adverse effect on our business, business prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

 

We depend on information technology and a failure of information technology systems, including with respect to our eCommerce operations, or an inability to effectively upgrade or adapt our systems could adversely affect our business.

We rely on sophisticated information technology systems to operate our business, including the eCommerce websites that drive our direct-to-consumer, Outfitters, and international sales channels and in-store/point-of-sale systems, inventory management, warehouse management, financial and human resources. Some of these systems are based on end-of-life or legacy technology, operate with minimal or no vendor support and are otherwise difficult to maintain. Our systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches, catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, and usage errors by our employees or vendors. Operating legacy systems subjects us to inherent costs and risks associated with maintaining, upgrading and replacing these systems and recruiting and retaining sufficiently skilled personnel to maintain and operate the systems, demands on management time, and other risks and costs. Our eCommerce websites are subject to numerous risks associated with selling merchandise that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, including unanticipated operating problems, reliance on third-party computer hardware and software providers, system failures and the need to invest in additional and updated computer platforms.

Our information technology systems are potentially vulnerable to malicious intrusion and targeted or random attack or breakdown. Although we have invested in the protection of our data and information technology and monitor our systems on an ongoing basis, there can be no assurance that these efforts will prevent breakdowns or breaches in our information technology systems that could adversely affect our business.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to identify, develop, acquire or license leading technologies useful in our business, enhance our existing services, develop new services and technologies that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our existing and prospective customers, and respond to technological advances and emerging industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis. The development and operation of our eCommerce websites and other proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. We can provide no assurance that we will be able to effectively use new technologies or adapt our eCommerce websites, proprietary technologies and transaction-processing systems to meet customer requirements or emerging industry standards. If we are unable to accurately project the need for such system expansion or upgrade or adapt our systems

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in a cost-effective and timely manner in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements, whether for technical, legal, financial or other reasons, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

If we do not maintain the security of customer, employee or company information, we could experience damage to our reputation, incur substantial additional costs and become subject to litigation.

The regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business, and compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs. We could be held liable to our customers or other parties or be subject to regulatory or other actions for breaching privacy and information security laws and regulations, and our business and reputation could be adversely affected by any resulting loss of customer confidence, litigation, civil or criminal penalties or adverse publicity.

Any significant compromise or breach of customer, employee or company data security, whether held and maintained by us or by our third-party providers, or whether intentional or inadvertent, could significantly damage our reputation and result in additional costs, lost sales, fines and lawsuits. There is no guarantee that the procedures that Lands' End or our third-party providers have implemented to protect against unauthorized access to secured data are adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches.

The payment methods that we offer also subject us to potential fraud and theft by criminals, who continue to increase in sophistication, seeking to obtain unauthorized access to or exploit weaknesses that may exist in the payment systems. If we fail to comply with applicable rules or requirements for the payment methods we accept, or if payment-related data is compromised due to a breach or misuse of data, it could significantly damage our reputation, we may have higher transaction fees, be subject to fines or our ability to accept or facilitate certain types of payments may be impaired. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in certain payment types, which may result in a shift to other payment types or potential changes to our payment systems that may result in higher costs.

We conduct business in and rely on sources for merchandise located in foreign markets, and our business may therefore be adversely affected by legal, regulatory, economic and political risks associated with international trade and those markets.

The majority of our merchandise is manufactured in Asia and South America, depending on the nature of the product mix.  In Fiscal 2019, we worked with approximately 145 vendors that manufactured substantially all of our products.  These products are either imported directly by us or indirectly by distributors who, in turn, sell products to us.  We purchase, in the ordinary course of business, raw materials and supplies essential to our operations from numerous suppliers around the world, including suppliers in the United States.  Any increase in the cost of merchandise purchased from these vendors or restrictions on the merchandise made available by these vendors could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We also sell our products in Canada, Europe and Japan, and we may develop a sales presence in other international markets. Our reliance on vendors in foreign markets and the marketing of products to customers in foreign markets creates risks inherent in doing business in foreign jurisdictions, including:

 

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Changes in tariffs in the United States that may have an impact on the trading status of certain countries and may include retaliatory duties or other trade sanctions that, if enacted, would increase the cost of products purchased from suppliers in such countries with which we do business. Any inability on our part to rely on our foreign sources of production due to any of the factors listed above could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union will continue to have uncertain effects and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union effective as of January 31, 2020, and is now in a period of transition until the end of 2020. The transition period maintains all existing trading arrangements. During the transition period, the United Kingdom and European Union will negotiate future trading arrangements. There is considerable uncertainty around Brexit and volatility in the securities markets, and in currency exchange rates, may continue. The effects of Brexit on the economies of the European Union are also unknown and unpredictable. If a treaty governing movement of goods from the United Kingdom into the European Union is not negotiated, we could incur additional costs fulfilling orders in Europe, which could adversely affect our business.

Deterioration of relationships with our vendors and/or the failure of our new merchandise sourcing initiatives could have an adverse effect on our competitive position and operational results.

We have long standing relationships with the vendors that supply a significant portion of our merchandise, but do not operate under long-term agreements. Therefore, our success relies on maintaining good relations with these vendors. Our growth strategy depends to a significant extent on the willingness and ability of our vendors to efficiently supply merchandise that is consistent with our standards for quality and value. In the event we engage new vendors, it may cause us to encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our vendors in producing our products and adhering to our standards. If we cannot obtain a sufficient amount and variety of quality product at acceptable prices it could have a negative impact on our competitive position. This could result in lower revenues and decreased customer interest in our product offerings, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our arrangements with our vendors are generally not exclusive. As a result, 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.

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Our merchandising sourcing strategies increase the efficiency and responsiveness of our supply chain and include both vendor rationalization and vendor productivity.  In the event these strategies are unsuccessful our business could be adversely affected.

If we do not efficiently manage inventory levels, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

We must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully, but we must also avoid accumulating excess inventory, which increases working capital needs and lowers gross margins. We obtain substantially all of our inventory from vendors located outside the United States. Some of these vendors require lengthy advance notice of order requirements in order to be able to supply products in the quantities requested. This usually requires us to order merchandise and enter into commitments for the purchase of such merchandise well in advance of the time these products will be offered for sale, which makes responding to changing markets challenging.  If we do not accurately anticipate the future demand for a particular product or the time it will take to obtain new inventory, inventory levels will not be appropriate, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our growth initiatives include the expansion of Company Operated stores which may not be successful and as a result our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The opening of Company Operated stores is part of our retail strategy which includes the design and implementation of a standardized store concept in our new store locations. The strategy is dependent on our ability to identify appropriate locations for the stores and attract customers with a compelling assortment.  Once a location is identified, we must successfully negotiate lease terms, manage the store build out and recruit and hire store management and associates. In addition, this strategy will require us to implement retail-specific marketing plans, and enhance inventory management skills specific to Retail, such as those related to allocation and replenishment of product. We may be unable to open retail stores in desired locations, on terms that are acceptable to us, due to availability.  If customers are not receptive of our new store concept, projected store sales and profitability may suffer.

The success of this strategy is also dependent on our ability to generate customer traffic by locating our new stores in prominent, successful shopping areas. Sales at these new stores will be derived from the volume of traffic. Our sales volume and store traffic generally may be adversely affected by, among other things, economic downturns in a particular area, competition from other retailers and the closing or decline in popularity of other stores in the vicinity in which we are located.

If we fail to timely and effectively obtain shipments of products from our vendors and deliver merchandise to our customers, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and therefore depend upon independent third-party vendors for the manufacture of our merchandise. We cannot control all of the various factors that might affect timely and effective procurement of supplies of product from our vendors and delivery of merchandise to our customers. A majority of the products that we purchase must be shipped to our distribution centers in Dodgeville, Reedsburg and Stevens Point, Wisconsin; Oakham, United Kingdom; and Fujieda, Japan. While our reliance on a limited number of distribution centers provides certain efficiencies, it also makes us more vulnerable to unforeseen causes that could delay or impair our ability to fulfill customer orders and/or ship merchandise to our stores. Our ability to mitigate the adverse impacts of these events depends in part upon the effectiveness of our disaster preparedness and response planning, as well as business continuity planning. Our utilization of 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 a distribution center, organized labor strikes and work stoppages, transportation and other delays in shipments, including as a result of heightened security screening and inspection

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processes or other port-of-entry limitations or restrictions in the United States, the United Kingdom (including as a result of Brexit) and Japan, unexpected or significant port congestion, lack of freight availability and freight cost increases. In addition, if we experience a shortage of a popular item, we may be required to arrange for additional quantities of the item, if available, to be delivered through airfreight, which is significantly more expensive than standard shipping by sea. We may not be able to obtain sufficient freight capacity on a timely basis or at favorable shipping rates and, therefore, may not be able to timely receive merchandise from vendors or deliver products to customers.

We rely upon third-party land-based and air freight carriers for merchandise shipments from our distribution centers to customers. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks, including labor disputes, union organizing activity, inclement weather and increased transportation costs, associated with such carriers' ability to provide delivery services to meet outbound shipping needs. In addition, if the cost of fuel rises or remains at current levels, the cost to deliver merchandise from distribution centers to customers may rise, and, although some of these costs are paid by our customers, such costs could have an adverse impact on our profitability. Failure to procure and deliver merchandise to customers in a timely, effective and economically viable manner could damage our reputation and adversely affect our business. In addition, any increase in distribution costs and expenses could adversely affect our future financial performance.

If our independent vendors do not use ethical business practices or comply with applicable regulations and laws, our reputation could be materially harmed and have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our reputation and customers' willingness to purchase our products depend in part on our vendors' compliance with ethical employment practices, such as with respect to child labor, wages and benefits, forced labor, discrimination, freedom of association, unlawful inducements, safe and healthy working conditions, and with all legal and regulatory requirements relating to the conduct of their business and safety standards of materials. While we operate compliance and monitoring programs to promote ethical and lawful business practices and verify compliance with safety standards, we do not exercise ultimate control over our independent vendors or their business practices and cannot guarantee their compliance with ethical and lawful business practices and safety standards. Violation of labor, safety, or other laws by vendors, or the divergence of a vendor's labor and safety practices from those generally accepted as ethical in the United States could materially hurt our reputation and force recalls of product, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

If we are unable to protect or preserve the image of our brands, our reputation and our intellectual property rights, our business may be adversely affected.

We regard our copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets and similar intellectual property as critical to our success. As such, we rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with our associates, consultants, vendors and others to protect our proprietary rights. Nevertheless, the steps we take to protect our proprietary rights may be inadequate and we may experience difficulty in effectively limiting unauthorized use of our trademarks and other intellectual property worldwide. Unauthorized use of our trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets or other proprietary rights may cause significant damage to our brands and our ability to effectively represent ourselves to agents, suppliers, vendors, licensees and/or customers. While we intend to enforce our trademark and other proprietary rights, there can be no assurance that we are adequately protected in all countries or that we will prevail when defending our trademark and proprietary rights. If we are unable to protect or preserve the value of our trademarks or other proprietary rights for any reason, our brands and reputation could be damaged, and our business may be adversely affected.

Additionally, our efforts to pursue licensing and wholesaling activities with third parties increases risk of brand damage.  If third parties do not adhere to our standards or if we fail to maintain the image of our brands due to

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merchandise and service quality issues, actual or perceived, adverse publicity, governmental investigations or litigation, or other reasons, our brands and reputation could be damaged, and our business may be adversely affected.

Third parties may sue us for alleged infringement of their proprietary rights. The party claiming infringement might have greater resources than we do to pursue its claims, and we could be forced to incur substantial costs and devote significant management resources to defend against such litigation. If the party claiming infringement were to prevail, we could be forced to discontinue the use of the related trademark or design, pay significant damages, or enter into expensive royalty or licensing arrangements with the prevailing party, assuming these royalty or licensing arrangements are economically feasible, which they may not be.

Fluctuations and increases in the cost, availability, and quality of raw materials as well as fluctuations in transportation and utility costs could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our products are manufactured using several key raw materials, including wool, cotton and down, which are subject to fluctuations in price and availability and many of which are produced in emerging markets in Asia and Central America. The prices of these raw materials can be volatile due to the demand for fabrics, weather conditions, supply conditions, government regulations, general economic conditions, crop yields and other unpredictable factors. Such factors may be exacerbated by legislation and regulations associated with global climate change. The prices of these raw materials may also fluctuate based on a number of other factors beyond our control, including commodity prices such as prices for oil, changes in supply and demand, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, anti-dumping duties, currency exchange rates and government regulation. 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. Fluctuations in the cost, availability and quality of the raw materials used to manufacture our merchandise could have an adverse effect on our cost of goods, or our ability to meet customer demand.

Inventory shrinkage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We hold high volumes of inventory and are subject to the attendant risks of inventory loss, spoilage, shrink, scrap and theft (which we collectively refer to as "shrinkage"). Although some level of inventory shrinkage is an unavoidable cost of doing business, if we were to experience higher rates of inventory shrinkage or incur increased security costs to combat inventory theft, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on third parties to provide us with services in connection with certain aspects of our business, and any failure by these third parties to perform their obligations could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We have entered into agreements with third parties for logistics services, information technology systems (including hosting some of our eCommerce websites), onshore and offshore software development and support, merchandise buying agent services, catalog production, distribution and packaging and employee benefits. Services provided by any of our third-party suppliers could be interrupted as a result of many factors, such as acts of nature or contract disputes. Any failure by a third party to provide us with contracted-for services on a timely basis or within service level expectations and performance standards could result in a disruption of our business and have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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We may be subject to periodic litigation and other regulatory proceedings, including with respect to product liability claims. These proceedings may be affected by changes in laws and government regulations or changes in their enforcement.

From time to time, we may be involved in lawsuits and regulatory actions relating to our business or products we sell or have sold. These proceedings may be in jurisdictions with reputations for aggressive application of laws and procedures against corporate defendants. We are impacted by trends in litigation, including class-action allegations brought under various consumer protection and employment laws, including wage and hour laws, privacy laws, and laws relating to eCommerce. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. An unfavorable outcome could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Regardless of the outcome of any litigation or regulatory proceedings, any such proceeding could result in substantial costs and may require that we devote substantial resources to defend the proceeding, which could affect the future premiums we would be required to pay on our insurance policies. Changes in governmental regulations could also have adverse effects on our business and subject us to additional regulatory actions.

Some of the products we sell may expose us to product liability claims relating to personal injury, death or property damage allegedly caused by these products, and could require us to take corrective actions, including product recalls. Although we maintain liability insurance, there is no guarantee that our current or future coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred, or that insurance will continue to be available on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant periods, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Claims of this nature, as well as product recalls, could also have an adverse effect on customer confidence in the products we sell and, on our reputation, business and results of operations.

We could incur charges due to impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets.

As of January 31, 2020, we had goodwill and intangible asset balances totaling $367.0 million, which are subject to testing for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Our intangible assets consist of trade name of $257.0 million and goodwill of $110.0 million. Any event that impacts our reputation could result in impairment charges for our trade name. Long-lived assets, primarily property and equipment, are also subject to testing for impairment if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. A significant amount of judgment is involved in our impairment assessment. If actual results fall short of our estimates and assumptions used in estimating revenue growth, future cash flows and asset fair values, we could incur further impairment charges for intangible assets, goodwill or long-lived assets, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

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Our business is seasonal in nature, and any decrease in our sales or margins could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our business is highly seasonal, with the highest levels of sales occurring during the fourth quarter of our fiscal year. Our sales and margins during the fourth quarter may fluctuate based upon factors such as the timing of holiday seasons and promotions, the amount of net revenue contributed by new and existing stores, the timing and level of markdowns, competitive factors, weather and general economic conditions. Any decrease in sales or margins, whether as a result of increased promotional activity or because of economic conditions, poor weather or other factors, could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, seasonal fluctuations also affect our inventory levels, since we usually order merchandise in advance of peak selling periods. We generally carry a significant amount of inventory, especially before the fourth quarter peak selling periods. If we are not successful in selling inventory during these periods, we may have to sell the inventory at significantly reduced prices, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Furthermore, with the seasonal nature of our business, over 2,000 flexible part-time employees join us each year to support our varying peak seasons, including the fourth quarter holiday shopping season. An inability to attract qualified seasonal personnel could interrupt our sales during this period.

Unseasonal or severe weather conditions may adversely affect our merchandise sales.

Our business is adversely affected by unseasonal weather conditions. Sales of certain seasonal apparel items, specifically outerwear and swimwear, are dependent, in part, on the weather and may decline in years in which weather conditions do not favor the use of these products. Sales of our spring and summer products, which traditionally consist of lighter clothing and swimwear, are adversely affected by cool or wet weather. Similarly, sales of our fall and winter products, which are traditionally weighted toward outerwear, are adversely affected by mild, dry or warm weather. In addition, severe weather events typically lead to temporarily reduced traffic at our retail locations which could lead to reduced sales of our merchandise. Severe weather events may impact our ability to supply our stores, deliver orders to customers on schedule and staff our stores and distribution centers, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our failure to retain our executive management team and to attract qualified new personnel could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We depend on the talents and continued efforts of our executive management team. The loss of members of our executive management may disrupt our business and adversely affect our results of operations. Furthermore, our ability to manage further expansion will require us to continue to train, motivate and manage employees and to attract, motivate and retain additional qualified personnel. We believe that having personnel who are passionate about our brand, have industry experience and have strong customer service skills has been an important factor in our historical success, and we believe that it will continue to be important to growing our business. Competition for these types of personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting, assimilating and retaining the personnel required to grow and operate our business profitably.

Increases in postage, paper and printing costs could adversely affect the costs of producing and distributing our catalog and promotional mailings, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Catalog mailings are a key aspect of our business and marketing efforts.  Increases in costs relating to postage, paper and printing would increase the cost of our catalog mailings and could reduce our profitability 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.

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We currently use the national mail carriers for distribution of substantially all of our catalogs and are therefore vulnerable to postal rate increases. The current economic and legislative environments may lead to further rate increases or a discontinuation of the discounts for bulk mailings and sorting by zip code and carrier routes which Lands' End currently leverages for cost savings.

Paper for catalogs and promotional mailings is a vital resource in the success of our business. The market price for paper has fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue to fluctuate in the future. In addition, future pricing and supply availability of catalog paper may be impacted by the continued consolidation or closings of production facilities in the United States. We do not have multi-year fixed-price contracts for the supply of paper and are not guaranteed access to, or reasonable prices for, the amounts required for the operation of our business over the long term.

We also depend upon external vendors to print and mail our catalogs. Partially due to the consolidation of printing companies, there is a limited number of printers that are capable of handling such needs which subjects us to risks if any printer fails to perform as required. A substantial amount of our catalog-related costs are incurred prior to mailing, and we are not able to adjust the costs of a particular catalog mailing to reflect the actual subsequent performance of the catalog.

We may be subject to assessments for additional state taxes, which could adversely affect our business.

In accordance with current law, we pay, collect and/or remit taxes for Federal State and local and foreign taxing jurisdictions where we are required by law. While we believe that we have appropriately remitted all taxes based on our interpretation of applicable law, tax laws are complex, and their application differs by taxing jurisdiction.

An increasing number of taxing jurisdictions may attempt to assess additional taxes and penalties on us or assert an error in our calculation. These include new obligations to collect sales, consumption, value added, or other taxes on online marketplaces and remote sellers, or other requirements that may result in liability for third party obligations. A change in the application of law, or an interpretation of the law that differs from our own may, if successful, adversely affect our business and results of operations.

On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court decided, in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., that state and local jurisdictions may, at least in certain circumstances, enforce a sales and use tax collection obligation on remote vendors that have no physical presence in such jurisdiction. A number of states have begun, or have positioned themselves to begin, requiring sales and use tax collection by remote vendors and/or by online marketplaces. The details and effective dates vary from state to state. We continue to monitor these developments and how our collection and remittance requirements will need to change in the relevant jurisdictions. It is possible that one or more jurisdictions may assert that we have liability for periods for which we have not collected sales, use or other similar taxes, and if such an assertion or assertions were successful it could result in substantial tax liabilities, including for past sales taxes and penalties and interest, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Other factors may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Many other factors may affect our profitability and financial condition, including:

 

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ESL, whose interests may be different from the interests of other stockholders, may be able to exert substantial influence over our company.

According to an amendment to Schedule 13D filed on December 19, 2019 with the SEC, ESL beneficially owned on the filing date 63.3% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, ESL could have substantial influence over many, if not all, actions to be taken or approved by our stockholders, and will have a significant voice in the election of directors and any transactions involving a change of control. The interests of ESL, which has investments in other companies (including Sears Holdings and Transform Holdco), may from time to time diverge from the interests of our other stockholders.

Potential liabilities may arise related to the Separation, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and our results of operations.  

The Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Sears Holdings Corporation has filed a lawsuit against ESL, former Sears directors and others alleging that several transactions, including the Separation, can be avoided as fraudulent transfers, and attacking the Separation and the decision to undertake the Separation on other similar theories of liability.  If a court were to determine that the Separation was voidable, in whole or in part, then subject to various defenses, the court might require ESL or other recipients of value received in connection with the Separation (potentially including our stockholders as recipients of shares of our common stock in connection with the Separation), to return some or all of the property received, or enter judgment against the recipient in the amount of the some or all of the value received.  If any of the agreements we entered into with Sears as part of the Separation (or payments we received thereunder) are challenged and avoided, subject to various defenses, the court might require us to return some or all of the property received, or enter judgment against us in the amount of the some or all of the value received, under or in connection with those agreements.

 

Our leverage may place us at a competitive disadvantage in our industry. The agreements governing our debt contain various covenants that impose restrictions on us that may affect our ability to operate our business.

We have significant debt service obligations. Our debt and debt service requirements could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities. Our level of debt presents the following risks, among others:

 

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We may need additional financing in the future for our general corporate purposes or growth strategies and anticipate the need to refinance our long term debt and such financing may not be available on favorable terms, or at all, and may be dilutive to existing stockholders.

 

We may need to seek additional financing for our general corporate purposes or growth strategies. In addition, we anticipate the need to refinance some, or all, of the Term Loan that is due in April 2021. We may be unable to obtain any desired additional financing or refinance the Term Loan on terms favorable to us, or at all, depending on market and other conditions. The ability to raise additional financing depends on numerous factors that are outside of our control, including general economic and market conditions, the health of financial institutions, our credit ratings and lenders' assessments of our prospects and the prospects of the retail industry in general, all of which may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lenders under any credit facilities or loan agreements we may enter into may not be able to meet their commitments if they experience shortages of capital and liquidity.  If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity securities, our stockholders could experience dilution of their ownership interest.  If we raise additional funds by issuing debt, we may be subject to limitations on our operations due to restrictive covenants.  If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our expansion, successfully develop or enhance our products, or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could negatively affect our business.  There can be no assurance that our ability to otherwise access the credit markets will not be adversely affected by changes in the financial markets and the global economy. If we are not able to fulfill our liquidity needs through operating cash flows and/or borrowings under credit facilities or otherwise in the capital markets, our business and financial condition would be adversely affected.

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Our common stock price may decline if ESL decides to sell a portion of its holdings of our common stock.

ESL will, in its sole discretion, determine the timing and terms of any transactions with respect to its shares common stock of the Company, taking into account business and market conditions and other factors that it deems relevant. ESL is not subject to any contractual obligation to maintain its ownership position in us, although it may be subject to certain transfer restrictions imposed by securities law. Consequently, we cannot assure you that ESL will maintain its ownership interest in us. Any sale by ESL of our common stock or any announcement by ESL that it has decided to sell shares of our common stock, or the perception by the investment community that ESL has sold or decided to sell shares of our common stock, could have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

Our share price may be volatile.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:

 

Further, when the market price of a company's common stock drops significantly, stockholders often initiate securities class action lawsuits against the company. A lawsuit against Lands' End could cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our senior management and other resources.

Your percentage ownership in Lands' End may be diluted in the future.

In the future, your percentage ownership in Lands' End may be diluted because of equity issuances for acquisitions, strategic investments, capital market transactions or otherwise, including equity awards that we may grant to our directors, officers and employees. The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors may grant additional stock-based awards to our employees, which would have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share, and which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Facilities and Store Locations

We own or lease domestic and international properties used as offices, customer sales/service centers, distribution centers and retail stores. We believe that our existing facilities are well maintained and are sufficient to meet our current needs. We review all leases set to expire in the short term to determine the appropriate action to take with respect to them, including moving or closing stores or entering into new leases.

Domestic Headquarters, Customer Service and Distribution Properties

The headquarters for our business is located on an approximately 200 acre campus in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The Dodgeville campus includes approximately 1.7 million square feet of building space between eight different buildings that are all owned by Lands' End. The primary functions of these buildings are customer sales/service, distribution center and corporate headquarters. We also own customer sales/service and distribution centers in Reedsburg and Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

International Office, Customer Service and Distribution Properties

We own a distribution center and customer sales/service center in Oakham, United Kingdom that supports our northern European business. We lease two buildings in Mettlach, Germany for customer sales/service center supporting our central European business. We also lease office space in Shin Yokohama, Japan for a customer sales/service center as well as general administrative offices and a distribution center in Fujieda, Japan.

Lands' End Retail Properties

As of January 31, 2020, our U.S. retail footprint consists of 25 Company Operated stores. The U.S. retail stores average approximately 7,500 square feet.  Additionally, we have one smaller school uniform showroom that is used for fittings.  

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company is party to various claims, legal proceedings and investigations arising in the ordinary course of business. Some of these actions involve complex factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. At this time, the Company is not able to either predict the outcome of these legal proceedings or reasonably estimate a potential range of loss with respect to the proceedings. While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of pending claims, proceedings and investigations with certainty, management is of the opinion that their ultimate resolution should not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position taken as a whole.

Lands' End is the defendant in four separate lawsuits, each of which seeks class certification and alleges similar injuries and claims: (1) DeCrescentis et al., v. Lands' End, Inc., United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Civil Action No. l 9-cv- 4717-LJL, complaint filed May 22, 2019; (2) Gilbert et al. v. Lands' End, Inc., United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Civil Action No. 3:19-cv-00823-JDP, complaint filed October 3, 2019; (3) Andrews et al. v. Lands' End, Inc., United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Civil Action No. 3:19-cv-01066-JDP, complaint filed on December 31, 2019, on behalf of 521 named plaintiffs, later amended to include 1,089 named plaintiffs; and (4) Davis et al. v. Lands' End, Inc. and Lands' End Business Outfitters, Inc., United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Case No. 3:20-cv-00195, complaint filed on March 4, 2020. Plaintiffs in DeCrescentis seeks class certification for similarly situated New York-based Delta Airlines flight attendants, gate agents, and ramp agents. Plaintiffs in Gilbert, Andrews, and Davis seek nationwide class certification on behalf of similarly situated Delta employees.

Plaintiffs in DeCrescentis and Gilbert allege they have suffered adverse health events and personal property damage as a result of wearing uniforms manufactured by Lands' End. Andrews and Davis plaintiffs assert personal injuries due to adverse health effects but do not allege personal property damage. The DeCrescentis matter is currently in discovery.

Plaintiffs in DeCrescentis, Gilbert, and Davis each assert that the damages sustained by the members of the proposed class exceed $5,000,000. Plaintiffs in all four cases seek damages for personal injuries, pain and suffering, severe emotional distress, financial or economic loss, including medical services and expenses, lost income and other compensable injuries.

On March 9, 2020, Plaintiffs in Gilbert, Andrews, and Davis filed a motion to consolidate the three case schedules. Lands' End has filed a motion in opposition of consolidation. Further, in Gilbert, Lands' End has filed a motion to strike class allegations.  

Lands' End is vigorously defending all four lawsuits and believes they are without merit.

See Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 10, Commitments and Contingencies, for additional information regarding legal proceedings.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Lands' End's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol LE. There were 7,246 stockholders of record at March 18, 2020.

Stock Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total return to stockholders on Lands' End common stock from January 30, 2015 through January 31, 2020, with the return on the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Global Retail Index for the same period. The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 on January 30, 2015 in each of our common stock, the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Global Retail Index.

 

 

 

 

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This performance graph shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act or incorporated by reference into any of our filings, as amended, with the SEC, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Dividends

Since the Separation we have not paid and we do not expect to pay in the foreseeable future, dividends on our common stock. Any payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon various factors then existing, including earnings, financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, level of indebtedness, any contractual restrictions with respect to payment of dividends, restrictions imposed by applicable law, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Additionally, the Debt Facilities contain various representations and warranties and restrictive covenants that, among other things, and subject to specified exceptions, restrict the ability of Lands' End and its subsidiaries to make dividends or distributions with respect to capital stock.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The Consolidated Statements of Operations Data set forth below for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2020, February 1, 2019 and February 2, 2018 and the Consolidated Balance Sheet Data as of January 31, 2020 and February 1, 2019 are derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Consolidated Statements of Operations Data for the fiscal years ended January 27, 2017 and January 29, 2016 and the Consolidated Balance Sheet data as of February 2, 2018, January 27, 2017 and January 29, 2016 are derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See Note 1, Background and Basis of Presentation, to the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes.

The selected historical consolidated financial statement and other financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes and Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

While Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measurement, management believes that it is an important indicator of operating performance, and useful to investors, because:

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The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most comparable GAAP measure for each of the periods indicated:

 

 

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risk, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those made, projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. See "Cautionary Statements Concerning Forward-Looking Statements" below and Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements.

This section discusses our results of operations for the year ended January 31, 2020 as compared to the year ended February 1, 2019.  For a discussion and analysis of the year ended February 1, 2019 compared to February 2, 2018, please refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 1, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2019.

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, references to the "Company", "Lands' End", "we", "us", "our" and similar terms refer to Lands' End, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Our fiscal year ends on the Friday preceding the Saturday closest to January 31.

Executive Overview

Description of the Company

Lands' End, Inc. is a leading uni-channel retailer of casual clothing, accessories, footwear and home products. Operating out of America’s heartland, we believe our vision and values make a strong connection with our core customers.  We offer products online at www.landsend.com, on third party online marketplaces and through retail locations. We are a classic American lifestyle brand with a passion for quality, legendary service and real value, and seek to deliver timeless style for women, men, kids and the home.

 

Lands’ End was founded in 1963 by Gary Comer and his partners to sell sailboat hardware and equipment by catalog. While our product focus has shifted significantly over the years, we have continued to adhere to our founder’s motto as one of our guiding principles: "Take care of the customer, take care of the employee and the rest will take care of itself."

 

Lands’ End seeks to provide a common customer experience regardless of whether our customers are interacting with us on our company websites, third party marketplaces, at Company Operated stores or other distribution outlets.  We have one external reportable segment and identify our operating segments according to how our business activities are managed and evaluated. Our operating segments consist of U.S. eCommerce, Retail, Lands' End Outfitters ("Outfitters"), Europe eCommerce and Japan eCommerce. We have determined that each of our operating segments share similar economic and other qualitative characteristics, and therefore the results of our operating segments are aggregated into one external reportable segment.

 

Lands' End's product channels are eCommerce, Retail and Outfitters.  eCommerce offers products through the Company's eCommerce websites, third party online marketplaces and direct mail catalogs.  Retail sells products and services through Company Operated stores.  Outfitters sells products to end consumers, located primarily in the United States, through negotiated arrangements with client organizations to make specific styles or embroidered products available to members of client organizations, as well as through the Company's eCommerce websites and direct mail catalogs.

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Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP and include the accounts of Lands' End, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Related party

Following the Separation, we began operating as a separate, publicly traded company, independent from Sears Holdings. According to statements on Schedule 13D filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by ESL, ESL beneficially owned significant portions of both the Company's and Sears Holdings' outstanding shares of common stock. Therefore, Sears Holdings, the Company's former parent company, is considered a related party both prior to and subsequent to the Separation. On February 11, 2019, Transform Holdco acquired from Sears Holdings substantially all of the go-forward retail footprint and other assets and component businesses of Sears Holdings as a going concern.  We believe that ESL holds a significant portion of the membership interests of Transform Holdco and therefore consider that entity to be a related party as well.

Seasonality

We experience seasonal fluctuations in our net revenue and operating results and historically have realized a significant portion of our net revenue and earnings for the year during our fourth fiscal quarter. We generated 37.9% and 34.6% of our net revenue in the fourth fiscal quarter of Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 respectively. Thus, lower than expected fourth quarter net revenue could have an adverse impact on our annual operating results.

Working capital requirements typically increase during the second and third quarters of the fiscal year as inventory builds to support peak shipping/selling periods and, accordingly, typically decrease during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year as inventory is shipped/sold. Cash provided by operating activities is typically higher in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year due to reduced working capital requirements during that period.

Results of Operations

Fiscal Year. Our fiscal year end is on the Friday preceding the Saturday closest to January 31 each year. The fiscal periods in this report are presented as follows, unless the context otherwise requires:

 

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The following tables sets forth, for the periods indicated, selected income statement data:

 

 

Depreciation and amortization are not included in our cost of sales because we are a reseller of inventory and do not believe that including depreciation and amortization is meaningful. As a result, our gross profit may not be comparable to other entities that include depreciation and amortization related to the sale of their product in their gross profit measure.

Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA

We recorded Net income of $19.3 million and $11.6 million for Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 respectively. In addition to our Net income determined in accordance with GAAP, for purposes of evaluating operating performance, we use an Adjusted EBITDA measurement. Adjusted EBITDA is computed as Net income appearing on the Consolidated Statements of Operations net of Income tax expense, Interest expense, Depreciation and amortization and certain significant items set forth below. Our management uses Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate the operating performance of our business for comparable periods and as the basis for an executive compensation metric. The methods used by the Company to calculate its non-GAAP financial measures may differ significantly from methods used by other companies to compute similar measures. As a result, any non-GAAP financial measures presented herein may not be comparable to similar measures provided by other companies.  Adjusted EBITDA should not be used by investors or other third parties as the sole basis for formulating investment decisions as it excludes a number of important cash and non-cash recurring items.

While Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measurement, management believes that it is an important indicator of operating performance, and useful to investors, because:

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Discussion and Analysis

Fiscal 2019 Compared to Fiscal 2018

Net revenue

Total Net revenue for Fiscal 2019 was $1.45 billion, a decrease of $1.4 million or 0.1% from Fiscal 2018. The decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in the Retail channel driven by fewer Lands’ End Shops at Sears stores partially offset by growth in our eCommerce channel.

Net revenue is presented by product channel in the following table:

 

eCommerce Net revenue was $1.1 billion in Fiscal 2019, an increase of $64.9 million or 6.2% from $1.04 billion during the same period of the prior year.  The increase in eCommerce was largely attributable to continued enhancements in our seasonal product assortments and digital capabilities with a strong focus on the smartphone, which drove a year over year increase in our overall buyer file.

Outfitters Net revenue was $285.8 million in Fiscal 2019, a decrease of 1.2% from $289.3 million during the same period of the prior year. The decrease in Outfitters was largely attributable to the launch of the Delta Air Lines business which concluded in the first half of Fiscal 2018 and reductions in other national accounts primarily offset by the launch of the American Airlines business in Fiscal 2019 and improved school uniform promotional productivity.

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Net revenue in Retail was $59.6 million in Fiscal 2019, a decrease of $62.8 million or 51.3% from $122.4 million during the same period of the prior year.  The decrease was attributable to the closure of all Lands' End Shops at Sears partially offset by an increase in Company Operated stores and positive comparable stores sales growth.  On January 31, 2020 there were 25 U.S. Company Operated stores and no Lands' End Shops at Sears compared to 16 U.S. Company Operated stores and 49 Lands' End Shops at Sears on February 1, 2019.

Gross Profit

In Fiscal 2019, total gross profit increased 0.9% to $621.9 million compared with $616.1 million for Fiscal 2018.  Gross margin increased 50 basis points to 42.9% of total Net revenue in Fiscal 2019 from 42.4% of total Net revenue in Fiscal 2018.

Selling and Administrative Expenses

Selling and administrative expenses were $544.0 million, or 37.5% of total Net revenue in Fiscal 2019 compared with $545.6 million, or 37.6% of total Net revenue in Fiscal 2018.  The approximately 10 basis points decrease was driven by expense management with the continued growth of the business and the closure of Lands' End Shops at Sears locations, partially offset by increases in digital marketing.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization were $31.1 million in Fiscal 2019, an increase of $3.6 million or 13.0%, compared with $27.6 million in Fiscal 2018. The increase in Depreciation and amortization was primarily attributable to an increase in depreciation associated with our multi-year ERP system implementation, continued investment in our digital infrastructure and an increased number of U.S. Company Operated stores.

Other Operating Expense, Net

Other operating expense, net was $1.4 million in Fiscal 2019 compared to $0.3 million in Fiscal 2018.  The increase of $1.1 million was primarily the result of impairment of certain long-lived assets associated with our retail stores.

Operating Income

Operating income was $45.4 million in Fiscal 2019, compared with $42.6 million in Fiscal 2018. The increase of $2.8 million was largely due to increased revenue and the leveraging of the existing cost structure.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was $26.0 million in Fiscal 2019, compared with $28.9 million in Fiscal 2018.  The decrease of $2.9 million in interest expense was driven by the voluntary paydown of long-term debt during Fiscal 2019.

Other (Income) Expense

Other income was $1.9 million in Fiscal 2019 compared to other expense of $4.1 million in Fiscal 2018, driven by the establishment of a reserve against an indemnification asset in Fiscal 2018.  

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

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We recorded an Income tax expense of $2.1 million for Fiscal 2019 which resulted in an effective tax rate of 9.7%, compared to an Income tax benefit of $2.0 million in Fiscal 2018 and an effective tax rate of (20.3)%.  The Fiscal 2019 tax rate reflected the benefit of the Company’s election to treat certain foreign entities as a U.S. Branch.  The Fiscal 2018 tax rate reflected revised estimates related to the Tax Act and the benefits of favorable state tax audit settlements for periods prior to Separation.

Net Income

As a result of the above factors, Net Income was $19.3 million, or $0.60 per diluted share in Fiscal 2019 compared to $11.6 million, or $0.36 per diluted share in Fiscal 2018.

Adjusted EBITDA

As a result of the above factors, Adjusted EBITDA increased 10.6% to $77.9 million in Fiscal 2019, compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $70.5 million in Fiscal 2018.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary need for liquidity is to fund working capital requirements of our business, capital expenditures, debt service and for general corporate purposes. Our cash and cash equivalents and the ABL Facility serve as sources of liquidity for short-term working capital needs and general corporate purposes. During Third Quarter Fiscal 2019 and Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2019 we had maximum borrowings of $83.3 million on the ABL Facility.  These borrowings were paid in full during Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2019. Cash generated from our net revenue and profitability, and somewhat to a lesser extent our changes in working capital, are driven by the seasonality of our business, with a significant amount of net revenue and operating cash flows generally occurring in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year. We expect that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations, along with our ABL Facility, will be adequate to meet our capital requirements and operational needs for at least the next 12 months.

Description of Material Indebtedness

Debt Arrangements

On November 16, 2017, the Company entered into the ABL Facility, which provides for maximum borrowings of $175.0 million for the Company, subject to a borrowing base.  Subsequent to Fiscal 2019 and before the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2019, the Company increased capacity under the ABL Facility by $25 million, so that maximum borrowings are $200 million.  The ABL Facility has a letter of credit sub-limit of $70.0 million and will mature no later than November 16, 2022, subject to customary extension provisions provided for therein. The ABL Facility is available for working capital and other general corporate purposes.  As of January 31, 2020, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the ABL Facility. Upon entering into the ABL Facility, the Company incurred $1.5 million in debt origination fees. The fees were capitalized as debt issuance costs and are being amortized as an adjustment to Interest expense over the remaining life of the Debt Facilities.  

 

On April 4, 2014, Lands' End entered into the Term Loan Facility of $515.0 million, the proceeds of which were used to pay a dividend of $500.0 million to a subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation immediately prior to the Separation and to pay fees and expenses associated with the Debt Facilities of approximately $11.4 million, with the remaining proceeds used for general corporate purposes. The fees were capitalized as debt issuance costs and are

being amortized as an adjustment to Interest expense over the remaining life of the Debt Facilities. In First Quarter 2019, Lands’ End made a $100 million voluntary prepayment on the Term Loan from excess cash on hand.

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Maturity; Amortization and Prepayments

The Term Loan Facility amortizes at a rate equal to 1% per annum and is subject to mandatory prepayment in an amount equal to a percentage of the borrower's excess cash flows (as defined in the Term Loan Facility) in each fiscal year, ranging from 0% to 50% depending on Lands' End's secured leverage ratio, and the proceeds from certain asset sales and casualty events.  Based on Fiscal 2019 results, and in accordance with the Term Loan Facility, no prepayments were required.

The Term Loan Facility matures on April 4, 2021 while the ABL Facility will mature no later than November 16, 2022.  The Company is in the process of seeking to refinance this debt.  See Item IA, Risk Factors, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Guarantees; Security

All obligations under the Debt Facilities are unconditionally guaranteed by Lands' End, Inc. and, subject to certain exceptions, each of its existing and future direct and indirect wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries. The ABL Facility is secured by a first priority security interest in certain working capital of the borrowers and guarantors consisting primarily of accounts receivable and inventory. The Term Loan Facility is secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral, with certain exceptions.

The Term Loan Facility also is secured by a first priority security interest in certain property and assets of the borrowers and guarantors, including certain fixed assets and stock of subsidiaries. The ABL Facility is secured by a second priority security interest in the same collateral.

Interest; Fees

The interest rates per annum applicable to the loans under the Debt Facilities are based on a fluctuating rate of interest measured by reference to, at the borrowers' election, either (i) an adjusted LIBOR plus a borrowing margin, or (ii) an alternative base rate plus a borrowing margin. The borrowing margin is fixed for the Term Loan Facility at 3.25% in the case of LIBOR loans and 2.25% in the case of base rate loans. For the Term Loan Facility, LIBOR is subject to a 1% interest rate floor. The borrowing margin for the ABL Facility is subject to adjustment based on the average excess availability under the ABL Facility for the preceding fiscal quarter. LIBOR borrowings will range from 1.25% to 1.75% for the ABL Facility. Base rate borrowings will range from 0.50% to 1.00% for the ABL Facility.

Customary agency fees are payable in respect of the Debt Facilities. The ABL Facility fees also include (i) commitment fees in an amount equal to 0.25% of the daily unused portions of the ABL Facility, and (ii) customary letter of credit fees.

Representations and Warranties; Covenants

Subject to specified exceptions, the Debt Facilities contain various representations and warranties and restrictive covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of Lands' End and its subsidiaries to incur indebtedness (including guarantees), grant liens, make investments, make dividends or distributions with respect to capital stock, make prepayments on other indebtedness, engage in mergers or change the nature of their business. In addition, if excess availability under the ABL Facility falls below the greater of 10% of the loan cap amount or $15.0 million, Lands' End will be required to comply with a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.0 to 1.0. The Debt Facilities do not otherwise contain financial maintenance covenants. The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants related to the Debt Facilities as of January 31, 2020.

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The Debt Facilities contain certain affirmative covenants, including reporting requirements such as delivery of financial statements, certificates and notices of certain events, maintaining insurance and providing additional guarantees and collateral in certain circumstances.

Events of Default

The Debt Facilities include customary events of default including non-payment of principal, interest or fees, violation of covenants, inaccuracy of representations or warranties, cross defaults related to certain other material indebtedness, bankruptcy and insolvency events, invalidity or impairment of guarantees or security interests and material judgments and change of control.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Operating activities generated net cash of $27.3 million and $48.2 million in Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 respectively. Our primary source of operating cash flows is the sale of merchandise goods and services to customers, while the primary use of cash in operations is the purchase of merchandise inventories.

In Fiscal 2019, net cash provided by operating activities decreased $20.9 million compared to Fiscal 2018 primarily due to the timing of the American Airlines launch.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $38.0 million and $44.4 million for Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018, respectively. Cash used in investing activities for all periods was primarily used in investing in information technology infrastructure, Company Operated stores and property and equipment.

For Fiscal 2020, we plan to invest a total of approximately $35 to $45 million in capital expenditures for strategic investments and infrastructure, primarily in technology and general corporate needs.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities was $105.9 million and $5.8 million for Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 respectively. Financing activities in Fiscal 2019 consisted primarily of a $100 million voluntary prepayment of our Term Loan Facility in First Quarter 2019 and quarterly scheduled payments.

Contractual Obligations and Off-Balance-Sheet Arrangements

We have no material off-balance-sheet arrangements other than the guarantees and contractual obligations that are discussed below.

Information concerning our obligations and commitments to make future payments under contracts such as lease agreements, and other contingent commitments, as of January 31, 2020, is aggregated in the following table: