NAKD Cenntro Electric Group Ltd

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

The selected statement of operations data set forth below for the years ended January 31, 2019 and 2018, the seven month period ended January 31, 2017 and the year ended June 30, 2016, and the selected balance sheet data as at January 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 and June 30, 2016, has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS, which are included in this Annual Report. The selected financial information set forth below for the year ended January 31, 2017 has been derived from unaudited consolidated financial information that is not included in this Annual Report.

The selected financial information below is only a summary and should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and notes thereto contained elsewhere herein. The financial results should not be construed as indicative of financial results for subsequent periods. See Item 5 of this Form 20-F and the financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included under Item 18 of this Form 20-F for further information about our financial results and condition.

Naked Brand Group Limited Financial Information as prepared under IFRS and in New Zealand Dollars (NZ$)

* A stock reorganization occurred on June 19, 2018 upon completion of the merger between Naked (NV) and Bendon Limited. As a result, the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share for 2018, 2017 and 2016 has been adjusted retrospectively. The number of ordinary shares outstanding has been adjusted to reflect the proportionate change in the number of shares. See note 23 of our audited consolidated financial statements for further information.

Unless otherwise noted, all translations from U.S. dollars to New Zealand dollars in this Form 20-F were made at the closing rate as at January 31, 2019 of NZ$1 = US$0.69. We make no representation that any New Zealand dollars or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollar or New Zealand dollars, as the case may be, at any particular rate, at the rates stated below, or at all.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

We have a history of operating losses that may continue into the foreseeable future.

We have a history of operating losses and negative cash flow that may continue into the foreseeable future. If we fail to execute our strategy to achieve and maintain profitability in the future, investors could lose confidence in the value of our Ordinary Shares, which could cause our share price to decline and adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital. Investors should evaluate an investment in our company in light of this.

If we are unable to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, we may have to curtail our growth or cease our development plans and operations.

The operation of our business and our growth efforts will require significant cash outlays. We are largely dependent on outside capital to implement our business plan and support our operations. We anticipate for the foreseeable future that cash on hand and cash generated from operations will not be sufficient to meet our cash requirements, and that we will need to raise additional capital through investments to fund our operations and growth. We cannot assure you that we will be able to raise additional capital as needed on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unable to raise capital as needed, we may be required to reduce the scope of our growth efforts, which could harm our business plans, financial condition and operating results, or cease our operations entirely, in which case, you may lose all your investment. Financings, including future equity investments, if obtained, may be on terms that are dilutive to our stockholders, and the prices at which new investors would be willing to purchase our securities may be lower than the price at which you purchase your shares. Furthermore, the terms of securities issued in a financing, if obtained, may be more favorable for new investors.

Investors should be aware that the value of an investment in our company may go down as well as up. In addition, there can be no certainty that the market value of an investment in our company will fully reflect its underlying value.

The auditors’ report on our consolidated financial statements included an explanatory paragraph regarding there being substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern.

For the financial year ended January 31, 2019, we experienced a loss after income tax from continuing operations of $49.2m and operating cash outflows of $9.4m. We also are in a net current liability position of $29.4m and a positive net asset position of $10.5m. We anticipate we will need to continue to fund losses through to the start of the fiscal year beginning February 1, 2021. We also have trade creditors that are trading beyond their original credit terms and have breached the loan covenants of our credit facility during our fiscal year ended January 31, 2019. The lender has extended our credit facility from being due on June 30, 2019 to August 31, 2019 to provide us and the lender time to consider a refinance of the facility to a longer term to assist us to continue as a going concern. Therefore, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue operations in the future as a going concern, as noted by our auditors with respect to the consolidated financial statements for the periods ended January 31, 2019. Although our consolidated financial statements raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, they do not reflect any adjustments that might result if we are unable to continue our business. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our shareholders may lose all of their investment in our company.

We have a concentration of sales to key customers and any substantial reduction in sales to these customers would have a material adverse effect on our business.

During the twelve month period ended January 31, 2019 sales were concentrated with Myer, Farmers, Woolworths and David Jones accounting for 9%, 5%, 1% and 1%, respectively. During the twelve month period ended January 31, 2018, sales were concentrated with Myer, Farmers and Woolworths accounting for 7%, 6% and 2% respectively. During the twelve month period ended January 31, 2017, sales were concentrated with Myer, Farmers and Woolworths accounting for 10%, 7%, 5% and 2%, respectively.

Our results of operations would be materially adversely affected if these relationships ceased. Although we have diversified our customers and continue to receive increasing sales orders from existing customers, these customers do not have any ongoing purchase commitment agreement with us; therefore, we cannot guarantee that the volume of sales will remain consistent going forward. Any substantial change in purchasing decisions by these customers, whether due to actions by our competitors, industry factors or otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business and our financial condition.

Our customers generally purchase our products on credit, and as a result, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected if our customers experience financial difficulties.

During the past several years, various retailers, including some of our largest customers, have experienced significant difficulties, including restructurings, bankruptcies and liquidations. This could adversely affect us because our customers generally pay us after goods are delivered. Adverse changes in our customers’ financial position could cause us to limit or discontinue business with that customer, require us to assume more credit risk relating to that customer’s future purchases or limit our ability to collect accounts receivable relating to previous purchases by that customer, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We operate in a highly competitive market and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of our market share and a decrease in our net revenue and profitability.

The market for intimate apparel products is highly competitive. Competition may result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins or lost market share or a failure to grow our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business and results of operations. We compete directly against wholesalers and direct retailers of intimate apparel products, including large, diversified companies with substantial market share and strong worldwide brand recognition, such as L Brands Inc., Hanesbrands Inc. and PVH Corp., whose brands include Victoria’s Secrets, Calvin Klein, Maidenform, Bonds and others. Many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain brand awareness and market share more quickly and effectively than we can. Many of our competitors promote their brands through traditional forms of advertising, such as print media and television commercials, and through celebrity endorsements, and have greater and substantial resources to devote to such efforts. Our competitors may also create and maintain brand awareness using traditional forms of advertising more quickly than we can. Our competitors may also be able to increase sales in their new and existing markets faster than we can by emphasizing different distribution channels than we do, such as catalog sales or an extensive franchise network, as opposed to distribution through retail stores, wholesale or internet, and many of our competitors have substantial resources to devote toward increasing sales in such ways.

If we are unable to anticipate consumer preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our sales and profitability.

Our success depends on our ability to identify and originate product trends as well as to anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. We may be unable to introduce new products in a timely manner. Our customers may not accept our new products including our recently launched women’s products, or our competitors may introduce similar products in a more timely fashion. Failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences could lead to, among other things, lower sales and excess inventory levels. Even if we are successful in anticipating consumer preferences, our ability to adequately react to and address those preferences will in part depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high-quality products. Our failure to effectively introduce new products that are accepted by consumers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our net sales, profit results and cash flows are sensitive to, and may be affected by, general economic conditions, consumer confidence, spending patterns, weather or other market disruptions.

Our net sales, profit, cash flows and future growth may be affected by negative local, regional, national or international political or economic trends or developments that reduce the consumers’ ability or willingness to spend on discretionary products, including the effects of general economic conditions, employment, consumer debt, changes in personal net worth based on changes in securities market price levels, residential real estate and mortgage markets, taxation, healthcare costs, fuel and energy prices, interest rates, credit availability, consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors, and national and international security concerns such as war, terrorism or the threat thereof. In addition, market disruptions due to severe weather conditions, natural disasters, health hazards or other major events or the prospect of these events could also impact discretionary consumer spending and confidence levels.

The worldwide apparel industry is heavily influenced by general economic cycles. Apparel retailing is a cyclical industry that is heavily dependent upon the overall level of consumer spending. Purchases of specialty apparel and related goods tend to be highly correlated with the cycles of the levels of disposable income of consumers. As a result, purchases of women’s intimate and other apparel, beauty and personal care products and accessories often decline during periods when economic or market conditions are unsettled or weak. Downturns, or the expectation of a downturn, in general economic conditions could materially and adversely affect consumer spending patterns. Because apparel generally is a discretionary purchase, declines in consumer spending may have a more negative effect on apparel retailers than on other retailers. A decline in consumer spending may negatively affect our profitability, because, in such circumstances, our sales may decrease and we may increase the number of promotional sales, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

The decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union (“Brexit”) has increased the uncertainty in the economic and political environment in Europe. In particular, our business in the United Kingdom may be adversely impacted by fluctuations in currency exchange rates, changes in trade policies, or changes in labor, immigration, tax or other laws.

Extreme weather conditions in the areas in which our stores are located, particularly in markets where we have multiple stores, could adversely affect our business. For example, heavy snowfall, rainfall or other extreme weather conditions over a prolonged period might make it difficult for our customers to travel to our stores and thereby reduce our sales and profitability.

Our financial performance may be affected by general economic conditions and financial difficulties.

Future increases in interest rates or other tightening of the credit markets, or future turmoil in the financial markets, could make it more difficult for us to access funds, to refinance our indebtedness (if necessary), to enter into agreements for new indebtedness, or to obtain funding through the issuance of our securities. Any such adverse changes in the credit or financial markets could also impact the ability of our suppliers to access liquidity, or could result in the insolvency of suppliers, which in turn could lead to their failure to deliver our merchandise. Worsening economic conditions could also result in difficulties for financial institutions (including bank failures) and other parties that we may do business with, which could potentially impair our ability to access financing under existing arrangements or to otherwise recover amounts as they become due under our other contractual arrangements. Any such events could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our net sales, operating income, cash and inventory levels fluctuate on a seasonal basis.

We experience major seasonal fluctuations in our net sales and operating income, with a significant portion of our operating income typically realized during the fourth quarter holiday season. Any decrease in sales or margins during this period could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Seasonal fluctuations also affect our cash and inventory levels, since we usually order merchandise in advance of peak selling periods and sometimes before new fashion trends are confirmed by customer purchases. We must carry a significant amount of inventory, especially before the holiday season selling period. If we are not successful in selling inventory, we may have to sell the inventory at significantly reduced prices or may not be able to sell the inventory at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We are subject to risks associated with leasing retail space, are generally subject to long-term non-cancelable leases and are required to make substantial lease payments under our operating leases. Any failure to make these lease payments when due may lead to the landlord terminating the lease, which would harm our business, profitability and results of operations.

We do not own any of our stores, but instead lease all of our retail stores under operating leases. Our leases generally have initial terms of 5 years. All of our leases require a fixed annual rent, and some of them require the payment of additional rent if store sales exceed a negotiated amount. Most of our leases are “net” leases, which require us to pay all of the cost of insurance, taxes, maintenance and utilities, and we generally cannot cancel these leases at our option.

Our net sales depend on a volume of traffic to our stores and the availability of suitable lease space.

Most of our stores are located in retail shopping areas including malls and other types of retail centers. Sales at these stores are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic in those retail areas. Our stores benefit from the ability of the retail center and other attractions in an area, including “destination” retail stores, to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores. Sales volume and retail traffic may be adversely affected by factors that we cannot control, such as economic downturns or changes in consumer demographics in a particular area, competition from internet and other retailers and other retail areas where we do not have stores, the closing or decline in popularity of other stores in the shopping areas where our stores are located and the deterioration in the financial condition of the operators of the shopping areas or developers in which our stores are located.

Our ability to grow depends in part on new store openings and existing store remodels and expansions.

Our continued growth and success will depend in part on our ability to open and operate new stores and expand and remodel existing stores on a timely and profitable basis. Accomplishing our new and existing store expansion goals will depend upon a number of factors, including the ability to partner with developers and landlords to obtain suitable sites for new and expanded stores at acceptable costs, the hiring and training of qualified personnel and the integration of new stores into existing operations. There can be no assurance we will be able to achieve our store expansion goals, manage our growth effectively, successfully integrate the planned new stores into our operations or operate our new, remodeled and expanded stores profitably. These risks could have a material adverse effect on our ability to grow and results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our planned international expansion may adversely impact our results and reputation.

We intend to further expand into international markets through partner arrangements and/or company-owned stores. The risks associated with our expansion into international markets include difficulties in attracting customers due to a lack of customer familiarity with our brands, our lack of familiarity with local customer preferences and seasonal differences in the market. Such expansions will also have upfront investment costs. If the expansion is not accompanied by sufficient revenues to achieve typical or expected operational and financial performance, it may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our business reputation.

We may not select suitable business partners for our international expansion, which could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.

In expanding into international markets through partner arrangements, we may be exposed to risks if we fail to identify suitable business partners. For example, these third parties may be unable to meet their projections regarding store openings and sales or they may fail to maintain compliance with federal and local law. Because these parties likely will be independent contractors, certain aspects of these arrangements will be outside of our direct control. These risks could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our operations in international markets are subject to additional political, economic, and other risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, and our exposure to such risks will increase as we expand into additional international markets.

Our operations in international markets are subject to a number of risks inherent in any business operating in multiple countries.

As we continue our international expansion, our operations will continue to encounter the following risks, among others:

If any of these or other similar events should occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We may be impacted by our ability to service or refinance our debt.

We currently have substantial indebtedness. Some of our debt agreements contain covenants which require maintenance of certain financial ratios and also, under certain conditions, restrict our ability to pay dividends, repurchase common shares and make other restricted payments as defined in those agreements. Our cash flow from operations provides the primary source of funds for our debt service payments. If our cash flow from operations declines, we may be unable to service or refinance our current debt. If we are unable to service or refinance our current debt, we may not be able to continue as a viable entity, in which case you may lose your entire investment.

If we do not comply with the terms of our existing debt agreements, and such debt agreements cannot be amended or replaced with new indebtedness, we may be in default of our obligations under such debt agreements.

Our existing debt agreements (including our credit facility and our term loan agreement) contain a number of affirmative and negative covenants and representations and warranties. We have, in the past, been required to seek waivers of compliance with, or amendments of, certain of the financial covenants in the debt agreements, and we may be required to seek such waivers or amendments in the future. Our ability to meet these financial covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, and there can be no assurance that the lenders will grant any required waivers under, or amendments to, the debt agreements if for any reason we are unable to meet the requirements of such covenants.

If we fail to comply with covenants, representations or warranties under our debt agreements and do not either receive a waiver or amendment from our lenders or refinance the indebtedness subject to such agreements, such failure could trigger a default under our debt agreements. If we default, the lenders under those debt agreements could declare all borrowings owed to them, including accrued interest and other fees, to be due and payable, which declaration could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Our business is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and control regulations.

Our business has substantial international components that expose us to significant foreign exchange risk. Changes in exchange rates can impact our financial results in two ways: a translation impact and a transaction impact. The translation impact refers to the impact that changes in exchange rates can have on our financial results, as our operating results in local foreign currencies are translated into New Zealand dollars using an average exchange rate over the representative period. Accordingly, during times of a strengthening New Zealand dollar, particularly against the Australian dollar, the Euro, the British pound sterling and the U . S . dollar, our results of operations will be negatively impacted, and during times of a weakening New Zealand dollar, our results of operations will be favorably impacted.

The transaction impact on financial results is common for apparel companies operating outside the United States that purchase goods in U.S. dollars, as is the case with most of our foreign operations. During times of a strengthening U.S. dollar, our results of operations will be negatively impacted from these transactions as the increased local currency value of inventory results in higher cost of goods sold in local currency when the goods are sold, and during times of a weakening U.S. dollar, our results of operations will be favorably impacted. We also have exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to certain intercompany transactions and, to a lesser extent, SG&A expenses that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of a particular entity. We currently use and plan to continue to use foreign currency forward exchange contracts or other derivative instruments to mitigate the cash flow or market value risks associated with these inventory and intercompany transactions, but we are unable to entirely eliminate these risks.

We are also exposed to market risk for changes in exchange rates for the U.S. dollar in connection with our business as a licensee. Most of our license agreements require us to pay in Unites States dollars based on the exchange rate as of the last day of the contractual selling period but the sales are reported in the relevant territories’ local currencies. Thus we are exposed to exchange rate changes during and up to the last day of the selling period. In addition, we are exposed to exchange rate changes up to the date we make payment in U.S. dollars. As a result, during times of a strengthening U.S. dollar, our royalty fees will be positively impacted, and during times of a weakening U.S. dollar, our royalty fees will be negatively impacted.

We conduct business, directly or through licensees and other partners, in countries that are or have been subject to exchange rate control regulations and have, as a result, experienced difficulties in receiving payments owed to us when due, with amounts left unpaid for extended periods of time. Although the amounts to date have been immaterial to our results, as our international businesses grow and if controls are enacted or enforced in additional countries, there can be no assurance that such controls would not have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our reported financial results may be adversely affected by changes in accounting principles

Generally accepted accounting principles are subject to interpretation by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results, and could affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change.

Acquisitions may not be successful in achieving intended benefits, cost savings and synergies.

A component of our growth strategy has been to make acquisitions. Prior to completing any acquisition, our management team identifies expected synergies, cost savings and growth opportunities but, due to legal and business limitations, we may not have access to all necessary information. The integration process may be complex, costly and time-consuming. The potential difficulties of integrating the operations of an acquired business and realizing our expectations for an acquisition, including the benefits that may be realized, include, among other things:

We have completed acquisitions that have not performed as well as initially expected and cannot assure you that any acquisition will not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

The loss of the services of Justin Davis-Rice as Executive Chairman, Anna Johnson as Chief Executive Officer, other members of our executive management team, or other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Justin Davis-Rice’s and Anna Johnson’s leadership in the design and marketing areas of our business has been a critical element of our success since our inception. The death or disability of Mr. Davis-Rice , Anna Johnson or other extended or permanent loss of his or her services, or any negative market or industry perception with respect to him or her or arising from his or her loss, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We also depend on the service and management experience of other key executive officers and other members of senior management who have substantial experience and expertise in our industry and our business and have made significant contributions to our growth and success. The loss of the services of any of our key executive officers or other members of senior management, or one or more of our other key personnel, or the concurrent loss of several of these individuals or any negative public perception with respect to these individuals, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We are not protected by a material amount of key-man or similar life insurance covering our executive officers, including Mr. Davis-Rice or Ms. Johnson, or other members of senior management. We have entered into employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, but competition for experienced executives in our industry is intense and the non-compete period with respect to certain of our executive officers could, in some circumstances in the event of their termination of employment with our company, end prior to the employment term set forth in their employment agreements.

We rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers to provide fabrics for and to produce our products, and we have limited control over them and may not be able to obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity.

We do not manufacture our products or the raw materials for them and rely instead on third-party suppliers and manufacturers. Many of the specialty fabrics used in our products are technically advanced textile products developed and manufactured by third parties and may be available, in the short-term, from only one or a very limited number of sources. We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, if we experience significant increased demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier manufacturer, we may be unable to locate additional suppliers of fabrics or raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or we may be unable to locate any supplier or manufacturer with sufficient capacity to meet our requirements or to fill our orders in a timely manner. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labor and other ethical practices. Even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or fabric sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products and quality control standards. Delays related to supplier changes could also arise due to an increase in shipping times if new suppliers are located farther away from other participants in our supply chain. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower net revenue and income from operations both in the short and long term. We have occasionally received, and may in the future continue to receive, shipments of products that fail to comply with our technical specifications or that fail to conform to our quality control standards. In that event, unless we are able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenue resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs. If defects in the manufacture of our products are not discovered until after our customers purchase such products, our customers could lose confidence in the technical attributes of our products and our results of operations could suffer and our business could be harmed.

The fluctuating cost of raw materials could increase our cost of goods sold and cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer.

The fabrics used by our suppliers and manufacturers include synthetic fabrics whose raw materials include petroleum-based products. Our products also include natural fibers, including cotton. Our costs for raw materials are affected by, among other things, weather, consumer demand, speculation on the commodities market, the relative valuations and fluctuations of the currencies of producer versus consumer countries and other factors that are generally unpredictable and beyond our control. Increases in the cost of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on our cost of goods sold, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We face challenges as consumers migrate to online shopping and we depend on our ability to compete in the e-commerce marketplace.

As consumers continue to migrate online, we face pressures to compete in the e-commerce marketplace. We continue to significantly invest in our online sales capabilities to provide a seamless shopping experience to our customers between our brick and mortar locations and our online environments. Insufficient, untimely or misguided investments in this area could significantly impact our profitability and growth and affect our ability to attract new customers, as well as maintain our existing ones. In addition, declining customer store traffic and migration of sales from brick and mortar stores to digital platforms could lead to store closures, restructuring and other costs that could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

A material disruption in our computer systems could adversely affect our business or results of operations.

We rely extensively on our computer systems to process transactions, summarize results and manage our business. Our computer systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, cyber-attack or other security breaches, catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, acts of war or terrorism, and usage errors by our employees. If our computer systems are damaged or cease to function properly, including a material disruption in our ability to authorize and process transactions at our stores or on our online systems, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our operations. Any material interruption in our computer systems could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

If our technology-based e-commerce systems do not function properly, our operating results could be negatively affected.

Customers are increasingly using computers, tablets and smart phones to shop online and to do price and comparison shopping. We strive to anticipate and meet our customers’ changing expectations and are focused on building a seamless shopping experience across our omnichannel business. Any failure to provide user-friendly, secure e-commerce platforms that offer a variety of merchandise at competitive prices with low cost and quick delivery options that meet customers’ expectations could place us at a competitive disadvantage, result in the loss of e-commerce and other sales, harm our reputation with customers and have a material adverse impact on the growth of our business and our operating results.

If we are unable to safeguard against security breaches with respect to our information systems our business may be adversely affected.

In the course of our business, we gather, transmit and retain confidential information, including personal information about our customers, and process payment transactions through our information systems. Although we endeavor to protect confidential information and payment information through the implementation of security technologies, processes and procedures, it is possible that an individual or group could defeat security measures and access sensitive information about our customers, employees and other third parties. Any misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information gathered, stored or used by us could have a material impact on the operation of our business, including damaging our reputation with our customers, employees, third parties and investors. We could also incur significant costs implementing additional security measures to comply with applicable federal, state or international laws and regulations governing the unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information as well as increased costs such as organizational changes, implementing additional protection technologies, training employees or engaging consultants. In addition, we could incur lost revenues and face increased litigation as a result of any potential cyber-security breach. We are not aware of that we have experienced any material misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information as a result of a cyber-security breach or other act, however, a cyber-security breach or other act and/or disruption to our information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

Our fabrics and manufacturing technology are not patented and can be imitated by our competitors.

The intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacture our products are owned or controlled by our suppliers and are generally not unique to us. Our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our products is therefore limited and we currently own no patents or exclusive intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics or processes underlying our products. As a result, our current and future competitors are able to manufacture and sell products with performance characteristics, fabrics and styling similar to our products. Because many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, distribution, marketing and other resources than we do, they may be able to manufacture and sell products based on our fabrics and manufacturing technology at lower prices than we can. If our competitors do sell similar products to ours at lower prices, our net revenue and profitability could suffer.

Our failure or inability to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our brand and weaken our competitive position.

We currently rely on trademarks, as well as confidentiality procedures, to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that the steps taken by us to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent infringement of such rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand. In addition, intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our intellectual property rights as fully as in the United States, Canada or the European Union, and it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our intellectual property rights by other parties in these countries. If we fail to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished and our competitive position may suffer.

We may be impacted by changes in taxation, trade and other regulatory requirements.

We are subject to income tax in local, national and international jurisdictions. In addition, our products are subject to import and excise duties and/or sales or value-added taxes in many jurisdictions. We are also subject to the examination of our tax returns and other tax matters by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities and governmental bodies. We regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these examinations. Fluctuations in tax rates and duties, changes in tax legislation or regulation or adverse outcomes of these examinations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We have significant tax losses arising on historical trading losses. The availability to utilize these tax losses to offset future taxable profit is dependent on future performance and trade of the business. There can be no assurance as to the availability of these losses for utilization.

There is increased uncertainty with respect to tax policy and trade relations between the U.S. and other countries. Major developments in tax policy or trade relations, such as the disallowance of tax deductions for imported merchandise or the imposition of unilateral tariffs on imported products, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Our current operations in international markets and our efforts to expand into additional international markets, and any earnings in those markets, may be affected by legal and regulatory risks.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, in addition to the anti-corruption laws of the foreign countries in which we operate and manufacture our products. Although we implement policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, our employees, contractors and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, may take actions in violation of our policies. Any such violation could result in sanctions or other penalties and have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and operating results.

We may be subject to loss and theft.

Our merchandise is subject to loss, including those caused by illegal or unethical conduct by associates, customers, vendors or unaffiliated third parties. We have experienced events such as inventory shrinkage in the past, and we cannot assure that incidences of loss and theft will decrease in the future or that the measures we are taking will effectively reduce these losses. Higher rates of loss or increased security costs to combat theft could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

A portion of our revenue is dependent on royalties and licensing.

License arrangements exist for Heidi Klum and Frederick’s of Hollywood, and previously existed for Stella McCartney through June 30, 2018. The license arrangements for Heidi Klum, Stella McCartney and Frederick’s of Hollywood contributed revenue of 21%, 5% and 35% of Company sales, respectively, in the twelve month period to January 31, 2019. The gross margin contribution during this period was 26%, 7%, and 30%, respectively, of total Company gross margin. The license arrangements for Heidi Klum, Stella McCartney and Frederick’s of Hollywood contributed revenue of 25%, 11% and 21% of Company sales, respectively, in the twelve month period to January 31, 2018. The gross margin contribution during this period was 19%, 12%, and 30%, respectively, of total Company gross margin. The license arrangements for Heidi Klum, Stella McCartney and Frederick’s of Hollywood contributed revenue of 32%, 9% and 11% of Company sales, respectively, in the twelve month period to January 31, 2017. The gross margin contribution during this period was 29%, 8%, and 16%, respectively, of total Company gross margin.

The operating profit associated with our royalty, advertising and other revenue is significant because the operating expenses directly associated with administering and monitoring an individual licensing or similar agreement are minimal. Therefore, the loss of a significant licensing partner, whether due to the termination or expiration of the relationship, the cessation of the licensing partner’s operations or otherwise (including as a result of financial difficulties of the partner), without an equivalent replacement, could materially impact our profitability. For example, Bendon Limited’s license to use the Stella McCartney brand terminated effective June 30, 2018.

While we generally have significant control over our licensing partners’ products and advertising, we rely on our licensing partners for, among other things, operational and financial controls over their businesses. Our licensing partners’ failure to successfully market licensed products or our inability to replace our existing licensing partners could materially and adversely affect our revenue both directly from reduced royalty and advertising and other revenue received and indirectly from reduced sales of our other products. Risks are also associated with our licensing partners’ ability to obtain capital, execute their business plans, timely deliver quality products, manage their labor relations, maintain relationships with their suppliers, manage their credit risk effectively and maintain relationships with their customers.

A significant shift in the relative sources of our earnings, adverse decisions of tax authorities or changes in tax treaties, laws, rules or interpretations could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flow.

We have direct operations in many countries and the applicable tax rates vary by jurisdiction. As a result, our overall effective tax rate could be materially affected by the relative level of earnings in the various taxing jurisdictions to which our earnings are subject. In addition, the tax laws and regulations in the countries where we operate may be subject to change and there may be changes in interpretation and enforcement of tax law. As a result, we may pay additional taxes if tax rates increase or if tax laws, regulations or treaties in the jurisdictions where we operate are modified by the competent authorities in an adverse manner.

In addition, various national and local taxing authorities periodically examine us and our subsidiaries. The resolution of an examination or audit may result in us paying more than the amount that we may have reserved for a particular tax matter, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, business, financial condition and results of operations for any affected reporting period.

We and our subsidiaries are engaged in a number of intercompany transactions. Although we believe that these transactions reflect arm’s length terms and that proper transfer pricing documentation is in place, which should be respected for tax purposes, the transfer prices and conditions may be scrutinized by local tax authorities, which could result in additional tax liabilities.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.

We previously have identified deficiencies in our internal controls that are deemed to be material weaknesses. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting, such that if there is a material misstatement in our financial statements, they will not necessarily be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of January 31, 2019, the matters involving internal controls and procedures that our management considered to be material weaknesses under the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board were:

We believe that these material weaknesses primarily related to our lack of board oversight and appropriately skilled resources. While these material weaknesses have not resulted in errors that were material to our financial statements in the current year, it impacted our company’s ability to close financial reporting on a timely basis and resulted in numerous late amendments to draft financial statements. We believe the introduction of a properly constituted board with diverse skills and talent will assist in managing the risks across the business. We delayed implementing the appointment of an appropriately qualified personnel on the basis we were preparing to merge with Naked (NV). Upon completion of the merger and becoming public, Naked (NV)’s newly appointed independent non-executive director became a member of our board of directors. In addition, upon becoming public, we established an audit committee. In the future, we plan to provide improved support for our Chief Financial Officer and to take a number of other actions to correct these material weaknesses, including, but not limited to, appointing additional independent directors, adding experienced accounting and financial personnel and retaining third party consultants to review our internal controls and recommend improvements.

Our efforts to remediate these material weaknesses may not be effective. If our efforts to remediate these material weaknesses are not successful, the remediated material weaknesses may reoccur, or other material weaknesses could occur in the future. As a result of these material weaknesses, we may be unable to report our financial results accurately on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence and could cause the stock price to decline. As a result of such failures, we could also become subject to investigation by the stock exchange on which our shares are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, and become subject to litigation from investors, which would harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results or operations, and divert financial and management recoveries from our core business.

In addition, any future testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, if and when required, may reveal additional deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our consolidated financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. If we are unable to remedy the existing material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if in the future we identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, including at some of our acquired companies, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm required to and is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are then listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

We incurred substantial transaction fees and costs in connection with the Transactions.

We incurred material non-recurring expenses in connection with the Merger Agreement and consummation of the Transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement. Additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the course of the integration of the businesses of Bendon Limited and Naked. We cannot be certain that the elimination of duplicative costs or the realization of other efficiencies related to the integration of the two businesses will offset the transaction and integration costs in the near term, or at all.

Nasdaq may delist the Naked Ordinary Shares from quotation on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to sell and purchase our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

The Naked Ordinary Shares are currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol “NAKD”. However, on February 5, 2019, we received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq stating that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the closing bid price for the Naked Ordinary Shares had been below the minimum of US$1.00 per share required for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). We will be afforded 180 calendar days (until August 5, 2019) to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. In order to regain compliance, the bid price for shares of the Naked Ordinary Shares must close at US$1.00 per share or more for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. The notification letter also states that in the event we do not regain compliance within the 180 day period, we will be eligible for additional time if we meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and notify Nasdaq of our intention to cure the deficiency during such second compliance period, including by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary. There can be no assurance that we will regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement within the allotted period, or that we will be able to maintain compliance with the other continued listing requirements under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

If the Naked Ordinary Shares are not listed on Nasdaq at any time after this offering, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted and expect to follow certain home country corporate governance practices (in our case Australian) in lieu of certain Nasdaq requirements applicable to domestic issuers and we are permitted to file less information with the Securities and Exchange Commission than a company that is not a foreign private issuer. This may afford less protection to holders of our securities.

As a foreign private issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), Nasdaq allows us to follow home country governance practices (in our case Australian) in lieu of the otherwise applicable Nasdaq corporate governance requirements. In accordance with this exception, we follow Australian corporate governance practices in lieu of certain of the Nasdaq corporate governance standards, as more fully described elsewhere herein. In particular, we will follow Australian law and corporate governance practices with respect to the composition of our board and quorum requirements applicable to shareholder meetings. These differences may result in a board that is more difficult to remove as well as less shareholder approvals required generally. We will also follow Australian law instead of the Nasdaq requirement to obtain shareholder approval prior to the issuance of securities in connection with a change of control, certain acquisitions, private placements of securities, or the establishment or amendment of certain stock option, purchase, or other equity compensation plans or arrangements. These differences may result in less shareholder oversight and requisite approvals for certain acquisition or financing related decisions or for certain company compensation related decisions. The Australian home country practices described above may afford less protection to holders of our securities than that provided under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.