Item 1. Business.
Our Company
Hibbett, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a leading athletic-inspired fashion retailer with approximately 1,100 stores under the Hibbett Sports and City Gear banners, primarily located in underserved communities. Founded in 1945, Hibbett has a rich history of convenient locations, personalized customer service and access to coveted footwear, apparel and equipment from top brands like Nike, Jordan and adidas.
Our Business Strategy
We target underserved markets with branded products and provide a high level of customer service. This market strategy enables us to achieve significant cost benefits including lower corporate expenses, reduced logistics costs and increased economies of scale from marketing activities. We use information systems to maintain tight controls over inventory and operating costs and continually search for ways to improve efficiencies and the customer experience through information system upgrades. In addition, we establish greater customer, vendor and landlord recognition as a leading specialty retailer in these communities. We believe our ability to align our merchandising mix to local preferences and trends differentiates us from our national competitors.
Our Store Brands
Hibbett Sports: As of January 30, 2021, we operated 882 Hibbett Sports stores. These stores average approximately 5,800 square feet and are located primarily in strip centers, usually near a major chain retailer. We operated 693 Hibbett Sports stores in strip centers, which include free-standing stores, and 189 stores in enclosed malls, the majority of which are the only enclosed malls in their county.
City Gear: In November 2018, we acquired 136 City Gear stores and as of January 30, 2021, operated 167 City Gear stores, which average 5,000 square feet and are located primarily in strip centers. We operated 128 City Gear stores in strip centers, which includes free-standing stores, and 39 stores in enclosed malls.
Sports Additions: We operate 18 Sports Additions (SA) stores, which average 2,800 square feet and are located primarily in enclosed malls. Approximately 90% of the merchandise carried in our SA stores is athletic footwear with the remainder consisting of headwear and apparel.
In selecting retail locations, we consider the size, demographics, quality of real estate and competitive conditions in each market. Our stores offer a core merchandising mix of premium athletic branded footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment designed to appeal to the GEN-Z customers within each market. We strive to meet the fashion and technical demands of our customers.
Our Growth Strategy
We identify markets for our stores under a clustered expansion program. This approach primarily focuses on opening new stores within close proximity of existing locations, allowing us to take advantage of efficiencies in logistics, marketing and regional management. It also aids us in building a better understanding of appropriate merchandise selection for the local market. In addition to proximity to existing stores, we also consider population, economic conditions, local competitive dynamics, availability of suitable real estate and potential for return on investment when evaluating potential markets.
Omni-channel strategy: We recognize that even though our core customer is in underserved markets, they are digitally savvy. Our customer has high expectations that are constantly evolving including the ability to engage with us in multiple ways. As a result, we continue to make investments in omni-channel as well as our core e-commerce experience.
In Fiscal 2021, we added more omni-channel options for customers including curbside pickup and ship to store. We now offer greater shopping flexibility and convenience than ever before. We also continued to improve our core e-commerce experience with an expanded product assortment through the reduction of customer friction points. The COVID-19 pandemic stress tested
many of our processes which allowed us to spot issues and make improvements to customer service, fulfillment, and the user experience on our website and in our apps.
In Fiscal 2022, we will continue to grow our e-commerce and omni-channel business. Major initiatives include a website refresh, personalization, customer service investments, increased delivery speed, enhancements to our launch shoe process and mobile app improvements.
Our Logistics
We maintain a full-line wholesale and logistics facility in Alabaster, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham) where we receive and ship most of our merchandise. In addition, we utilize a third-party logistics facility in Memphis, Tennessee to improve efficiencies and to improve time to market. For key products, we maintain backstock at the Alabaster and Memphis facilities. This product is allocated and shipped to stores through an automatic replenishment system based on inventory levels and sales. Merchandise is delivered to stores via Company operated vehicles, small package carriers or third-party logistics providers. In Fiscal 2021, we increased our delivery frequency to every store in the chain to further enhance our speed-to-market and in-store product availability for our customers. We believe strong logistics support for our stores is a critical element of our business strategy and that our current logistics structure will support our growth over the next several years.
Our Merchandise
Our merchandising strategy is to provide a broad assortment of premium brand name footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment at competitive prices in a full service omni-channel environment. We believe that the assortment of brand name merchandise we offer consistently exceeds the merchandise selection carried by most of our competitors, particularly in our underserved markets and neighborhood centers. Many of these brand name products have limited availability and/or are technical in nature requiring considerable sales assistance. We coordinate with our vendors to educate the sales staff at the store level on new products and trends.
Although the core merchandise assortment tends to be similar for each store, it is somewhat differentiated by the Hibbett Sports or City Gear brands. Each brand utilizes important demographic, local and/or regional considerations. Accordingly, we offer products that reflect preferences for particular demographics as well as interests from each community. Our knowledge of these interests, combined with access to leading brands, enables our merchandising staff to react quickly to emerging trends or special events, such as fashion shifts or athletic events.
Our merchandising staff, operations staff and management analyze current trends primarily through the lens of our store typing strategy. Information is largely gathered and analyzed utilizing business intelligence tools. Other strategic measures we utilize to recognize trends or changes in our industry include:
•maintaining close relationships with vendors and other retailers;
•studying other retailers for best practices in merchandising;
•attending various trade shows, both in our industry and outside as well as reviewing industry trade publications; and
•actively participating in industry associations.
The merchandising staff works closely with store personnel to meet the requirements of individual stores for appropriate merchandise in sufficient quantities.
Our Vendor Relationships
The athletic specialty and city specialty retail businesses are brand-name-driven. Accordingly, we maintain positive relationships with a number of well-known vendors to satisfy customer demand. We believe that we offer a best-in-class omni-channel experience through physical locations, mobile apps and website and that we are among the primary retail distribution avenues for brand name vendors that seek to engage with consumers in underserved markets. As a result, we are able to attract considerable vendor interest and establish long-term partnerships with vendors. As our vendors expand their product lines and grow in popularity, we expand sales of these products. In addition, as we continue to increase our store base and enter new markets, our vendors increase their brand presence within these regions. We also work with our vendors to establish favorable pricing and to receive cooperative marketing funds.
Our Information Systems
We use technology as an enabler of our business strategies. We implement and maintain systems targeted at improving financial control, cost management, inventory control, merchandise planning, logistics, replenishment, and product allocation. Our systems are designed to be flexible to meet the unique needs of each specific store location. We continue to evolve our digital channel experience and development of further channel integration for a more seamless and frictionless set of capabilities aimed at enhancing our customers shopping experience in-store, online and through our mobile solutions. In Fiscal 2020, we co-branded our web presence by integrating City Gear into our omni-channel experience.
Our communications networks send and receive critical business data to and from stores, third-party cloud providers, and managed hosting facilities (data centers). Our Company’s information is processed in a secure environment to protect both the actual data and the physical assets. We attempt to mitigate the risk of cyber-security threats and business interruptions by maintaining strong security protocols, threat monitoring, regular risk reviews, and a detailed disaster recovery plan. In early Fiscal 2021, we consolidated the City Gear data center into our St. Louis hosted facility, which accomplished the alignment of controls over data. We completed the integration of all core systems during Fiscal 2021.
We strive to maintain highly qualified and motivated third-party partners and teams of individuals to support our information systems, which includes security, help desk, engineering, operations, quality assurance, business analysis, solution development, analytics and project management. Our systems are monitored 24 hours a day, and management believes that our current systems and practice of implementing regular updates will continue to support current needs and future growth. We use a strategic information systems planning process that involves senior management and is integrated into our overall business planning and enterprise risk management. Information systems projects are prioritized based upon strategic, financial, regulatory and other business criteria.
Our Marketing and Promotion
We focus on marketing opportunities that drive traffic and sales to our stores and digital business. For the last few years, digital marketing has been the major growth area for our marketing investments. We specifically see continued opportunities in personalization as well as hyper-local marketing efforts, including events and local store social media accounts. We have also maintained more traditional elements of our portfolio to drive store traffic.
Our Rewards program represented a significant portion of overall sales in Fiscal 2021. Loyalty customers spent more than prior year driven by new customers as well as increases in average purchase amounts and increases in transactions. We will continue to improve our Rewards program to drive member acquisition and sales. Improvements will be focused on ease of use, value to customer and exceptional service both in our stores and on our e-commerce site and apps.
Our Competition
The business in which we are engaged is highly competitive. The marketplace for athletic specialty merchandise is highly fragmented as many different brick and mortar and online retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of formats and merchandising strategies. We compete with specialty shoe stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers, athletic and sporting good brands, and, in some of our large and mid-size markets, national sporting goods superstores. In addition, we face competition from vendors that sell directly to consumers.
Although we face competition from a variety of competitors, we believe that our stores are able to compete effectively by providing a premium assortment of footwear, apparel, accessories and team sports equipment. Additionally, we differentiate our store experience through extensive product knowledge, customer service and convenient locations. We believe we compete favorably with respect to these factors in the underserved markets and neighborhood centers predominantly in the South, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following table and accompanying narrative sets forth the name, age and business experience of our current executive officers:
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Michael E. Longo
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59
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President and Chief Executive Officer
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Robert J. Volke
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57
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Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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David M. Benck
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53
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Senior Vice President and General Counsel
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Ronald P. Blahnik
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62
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Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
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Jared S. Briskin
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48
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Senior Vice President and Chief Merchant
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Benjamin A. Knighten
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50
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Senior Vice President of Operations
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William G. Quinn
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45
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Senior Vice President of Digital Commerce
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Michael E. Longo joined the Company as our Chief Executive Officer and President in December 2019. Formerly, he served as Chief Executive Officer for City Gear, LLC from October 2006 to November 2018, where he oversaw the successful acquisition of the company in 2018 by Hibbett Sports. Prior to City Gear, he worked in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership with AutoZone, Inc. starting as a Vice President of Supply Chain in 1996 to Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, IT, Development, Mexico in 2005. Mr. Longo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from Harvard University.
Robert J. Volke was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance in April 2020, and was named our Chief Financial Officer immediately following the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K on April 16, 2020. Mr. Volke most recently served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of Fleet Farm LLC (Fleet Farm), a position he held since March 2020, and as its Vice President, Accounting and Corporate Controller from August 2018 to February 2020. Prior to his service at Fleet Farm, Mr. Volke held various positions of increasing responsibility with Tractor Supply Company (Nasdaq: TSCO), including as its Vice President and Controller from March 2017 to August 2018, Vice President – Accounting and Reporting from February 2014 to February 2017, Director of General Accounting and Financial Reporting from February 2009 to January 2014, and Manager of General Accounting and Financial Reporting from May 2007 to February 2009. Mr. Volke earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Indiana University.
David M. Benck was appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel in March 2020. He also serves as our Chief Privacy Officer, Chair of the Enterprise Risk Committee, Assistant Secretary and Chief Risk Assessor. Mr. Benck joined the Company in March 2005, and in April 2008 was appointed Vice President and General Counsel. In addition to his role with the Company, Mr. Benck serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Birmingham Branch appointee, as a Council Member for the American Arbitration Association, as a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland), and as a member of the NCAA’s Independent Resolution Panel. Additionally, he is a Fellow in the National Association of Corporate Directors, and an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, and CIPM).
Ronald P. Blahnik was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer in April 2019. Mr. Blahnik joined the Company in November 2016 as our Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Before joining our Company, he served as managing partner of Blahnik Consulting Services, LLC from April 2011 to November 2016. Mr. Blahnik is a retired Army officer and has worked in the information technology field for more than 40 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology.
Jared S. Briskin was appointed our Senior Vice President and Chief Merchant in September 2014. Formerly, he served as Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager of Footwear and Equipment from March 2010 through September 2014 and Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager of Apparel and Equipment from June 2004 through March 2010. Prior to his appointment to Vice President in 2004, Mr. Briskin held various merchandising positions across multiple categories since joining the Company in April 1998.
Benjamin A. Knighten was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Operations in March 2020. Mr. Knighten previously served as Chief Operating Officer of City Gear, LLC from July 2018 to March 2020 and as Vice President of Store Operations of City Gear from November 2006 to July 2018.
William G. Quinn was appointed to serve as our Senior Vice President of Digital Commerce in April 2019. Mr. Quinn joined the Company in February 2016 as our Vice President of Digital Commerce and also manages our marketing teams. Prior to joining
the Company, he served as Vice President, Digital for David's Bridal and as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for 24 Hour Fitness. Mr. Quinn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Vanderbilt University, his MBA at Duke University and also holds a Certificate of Web Design from Temple University.
Human Capital
Human Capital Management
At Hibbett, our key human capital management objectives are to attract, retain and develop the highest quality talent. Our inclusive culture inspires leadership, encourages innovative thinking, and supports advancement opportunities for all associates. Our human resources programs are central to our long-term strategy and are designed to develop talent in preparation for critical roles and leadership positions for the future; reward and support associates through competitive pay and benefits; enhance the Company’s culture through efforts aimed at making the workplace more engaging and inclusive; acquire talent and facilitate internal talent mobility to create a high-performing, diverse workforce; engage associates as brand ambassadors of the Company’s products and experiences; and evolve and invest in technology, tools, and resources to enable associates at work.
As of January 30, 2021, we employed approximately 10,700 employees, of which approximately 3,600 were full-time employees and over 90% of the total population work in our retail locations. None of our employees are represented by a labor union. The number of part-time employees fluctuates depending on seasonal needs. We have a long history of providing competitive compensation and benefits and providing meaningful experiences and career-development opportunities to our employees. As a result, we have not experienced significant interruptions in our operations due to labor disagreements or employee dissatisfaction.
COVID-19
We are committed to the health and safety of our associates and their families. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we supported our associates by expanding remote work, broadening benefit offerings such as increasing paid-time-off for our retail associates and providing health care premium forgiveness. Our Chief Executive Officer has provided updates to our associates, including field leadership, every month since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We offer Associate Assistance Program counseling sessions and conducted an associate engagement survey at our Store Support Center to understand and respond to associate needs.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Statement:
Diversity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of who we are as a Company. We’ve cultivated an authentic representation of our communities through thoughtful local hiring, often from our customer base. Our teams’ unique backgrounds, perspectives, and skills improve us all, creating a competitive advantage that positively impacts our business and contributes to our success. We intentionally foster a culture of belonging and inspiring self-expression, in our employees and our customers.
In response to ongoing civil unrest, we committed to doing our part to improve our inclusion and increase our diversity. We are driving important change through specific actions, including launching a relationship with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham to provide diversity and inclusion education sessions. In addition, we have fostered a culture where all associates are encouraged and empowered to be leaders through our Leadership Academy professional development program.
Talent Acquisition/Talent Development/Associate Engagement
We understand that being an employer of choice requires providing best-in-class training and development opportunities, while creating innovative programs that enable a vibrant and engaged learning culture to flourish. In addition to our Leadership Academy, we recently adopted LinkedIn Learning as our e-learning platform for our Store Support Center.
We recognize that maintaining an inclusive and high-performance culture requires an engaged workforce, where associates are motivated to do their best work every day. Our engagement approach centers on communication and recognition. We communicate with our associates in a variety of ways, including monthly live CEO updates that include Q&A sessions with employees and regular communications to all our retail locations.
Our associate engagement survey at our Store Support Center provided our associates a channel for feedback on a variety of topics, such as company direction and strategy, individual growth and development, collaboration, confidence, and trust. Given the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden transition to remote work arrangements, this year’s surveys were tailored to understand and respond to ever evolving associate needs. Through this survey in Fiscal 2021, we learned that 91% of associate respondents feel satisfied with the work they do, and 92% would recommend Hibbett|City Gear as a great
place to work. In 2021, Forbes named our Company one of "America’s Best Employers". In 2020, Forbes named our Company one of "America’s Best Employers for New Grads."
Community and Social Impact - Building Connections
We believe that building connections between our associates, their families and our communities create a more meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable workplace. We are committed to providing comfort to those in need through our relationship with the United Way of Central Alabama. Associates make contributions to this organization that supports 71 partner agencies and we match 100% of all employee contributions. In addition, we support our employee’s donations to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and foster collaboration to end hunger in our community.
Our retail store operations team sponsors a community engagement program in our local retail districts called Sole School. To recognize the bonds we share, we select one school from each of Hibbett|City Gear sales districts each year to participate in Sole School. Sole School Program highlights include product donations, engagement programs, career coaching, academic incentives, and monetary donations. Our team members lead focus groups where student athletes are encouraged to excel in school and are introduced to various career paths that may be available to them after high school and college. Additionally, the student athletes get a first look at some of the newest product releases and selections and can provide feedback, potentially influencing future product selection.
For Fiscal 2022, we are partnering with two organizations; one that supports inner-city education that equips students from families of limited economic means with the knowledge, character and skills to transform their lives; and one that supports our disabled community through empowerment of disabled individuals to live full and meaningful lives.
Our Trademarks
Our Company, by and through subsidiaries, is the owner or licensee of trademarks that are very important to our business. Generally, trademarks are valid as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained. Registrations of trademarks can generally be renewed indefinitely as long as the trademarks are in use.
Following is a list of active trademarks registered and owned by the Company:
•Hibbett Sports, Registration No. 2717584
•Sports Additions, Registration No. 1767761
•Hibbett, Registration No. 3275037
•City G.E.A.R, Registration No. 4398655
•City G.E.A.R., Registration No. 4413864
•CITY GEAR, Registration No. 4675462
•City GEAR, Registration No. 5008316
•DEVEROES, Registration No. 3479737
•GRINDHOUSE, Registration No. 5107399
•GRINDHOUSE DENIM, Registration No. 5107398
Governmental Regulations
We must comply with various federal, state and local regulations, including regulations relating to consumer products and consumer protection, advertising and marketing, labor and employment, data protection and privacy, intellectual property, the environment and tax. In addition, we must comply with United States customs laws and similar laws of other countries associated with the import and export of merchandise. Ensuring our compliance with these various laws and regulations, and keeping abreast of changes to the legal and regulatory landscape present in our industry, requires us to expend considerable resources. For additional information, see "Risk Factors" under the sub-captions "Risks Related to Our Business and Industry" and "Risks Related to Governance, Regulatory, Legislative and Legal Matters."
Seasonality
We have historically experienced seasonal fluctuations. We typically experience higher net sales in early spring due to spring sports and annual tax refunds, late summer due to back-to-school shopping and winter due to holiday shopping. In addition, our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, including the timing of new store openings, the amount and timing of net sales contributed by new stores, weather fluctuations, merchandise mix, demand for merchandise driven by local interest in sporting events, and the timing of sales tax holidays and annual tax refunds.
Available Information
Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), are available free of charge through our website www.hibbett.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Our website is the primary source of publicly disclosed news about Hibbett Sports, Inc. In addition to accessing copies of our reports online, you may request a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021, at no charge, by writing to: Investor Relations, Hibbett Sports, Inc., 2700 Milan Court, Birmingham, Alabama 35211.
In addition, we make available, through our website, the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Corporate Governance Guidelines and the written charters of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Information contained on our website is not included as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The occurrence of one or more of the circumstances or events described in this section could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or on the trading prices of our common stock. The risks and uncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not known to us at this time or that we currently believe are immaterial also may adversely affect our business and operations.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
The continuing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are highly unpredictable, volatile, and uncertain, and could materially affect our business operations, demand for our products and services, our costs of doing business, availability of labor, access to inventory, supply chain operations, our ability to predict future performance, our exposure to litigation, and our financial performance, among other things.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant public health concerns as well as economic disruption, uncertainty, and volatility, all of which have impacted and may continue to impact our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flow and financial condition. While we have taken numerous steps to mitigate any adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.
Due to numerous uncertainties and factors beyond our control, we are unable to predict the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have going forward on our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flows, and financial condition. These factors and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:
•the severity and duration of the pandemic, including whether there are additional periods of increases or spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases in future periods in the communities or states we operate;
•the rapidly changing and fluid circumstances caused by the pandemic and our ability to respond quickly enough or appropriately to those circumstances;
•the duration and degree of governmental, business or other actions in response to the pandemic, including but not limited to quarantine, shelter-in-place, or social distancing measures; restrictions on our operations up to and including complete or partial closure of our stores and logistics and distribution facilities; economic measures; access to unemployment compensation; fiscal policy changes; or additional measures that may yet be effected;
•the availability of and deployment of vaccines and effective medical treatments for COVID-19;
•the health of, and effect of the pandemic on, our team members and our ability to maintain staffing needs to effectively operate our business;
•our ability to sustain revenue growth from prior periods;
•evolving macroeconomic factors, including general economic uncertainty, unemployment rates, and recessionary pressures;
•our ability to enter into rent deferral or abatement arrangements or other lease modifications, including lease term extensions, with our landlords;
•our ability to move existing inventory, including potentially having to sell existing inventory at a discount or write-down of value of inventory, and the costs and expenses of updating and replacing inventory;
•our ability to attract customers to our stores, given the risks, or perceived risks, of gathering in public places;
•the impact of the pandemic and related economic uncertainty on consumer confidence, economic well-being, spending, and shopping behaviors, both during and after the crisis;
•the impact on demand for school-related products or athletic gear caused by the cancellation or delay of in-person school instruction and activities;
•any disproportionate impact experienced by our target customer demographic;
•impacts – financial, operational or otherwise – on our supply chain, including manufacturers or suppliers of our products and logistics or transportation providers;
•unknown consequences on our business performance and strategic initiatives stemming from the substantial investment of time and other resources to the pandemic response, including potential delays in or adjustments to our strategic investments;
•the incremental costs of doing business during and/or after the crisis;
•volatility in the credit and financial markets during and after the pandemic;
•the potential effects on our internal control environment and data security as a result of changes to various remote work environments;
•the impact of regulatory and judicial changes in liability for workers compensation;
•potential increases in insurance premiums, medical claims costs, and workers’ compensation claim costs;
•the impact of litigation or claims from customers, team members, suppliers, regulators or other third parties relating to COVID-19 or our actions in response thereto;
•the pace of recovery when the pandemic subsides; and
•the long-term impact of the pandemic on our business.
The above factors and uncertainties, or others of which we are not currently aware, may result in additional adverse impacts to our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. In addition to the factors above, the COVID-19 pandemic has subjected our business to a number of risks, including, but not limited to those discussed below:
Team Member and Customer Safety-Related Risks. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken a number of actions across our business to help protect our team members, customers, and others in the communities we serve. These measures include, among other things, adjusted store hours; remote working opportunities for our store support center; increased cleaning and sanitizing measures; limits on customer traffic in stores to maintain physical and social distancing protocols; other physical and social distancing efforts such as markings on floors, signage, plexiglass shields and providing masks to team members in stores, store support center and logistics facility; offering curbside pick-up from stores; and instituting contactless payment in all stores.
We have also taken other steps to support our team members, including expanding our paid time off policy to help alleviate some of the challenges our team members are facing as a result of COVID-19 and expanding health care benefits. The actions that we have taken in response to the pandemic have resulted in incremental costs, and we expect that we will continue to incur additional costs due to the pandemic going forward.
The health and safety of our team members and customers are of primary concern to our management team. However, due to the unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of our actions, we may see unexpected outcomes from our added safety measures. For example, if we do not respond appropriately to the pandemic, or if our customers do not participate in social distancing and other safety measures, the well-being of our team members and customers could be at risk. Furthermore, any failure to appropriately respond, or the perception of an inadequate response, could cause reputational harm to our brand and/or subject us to claims and litigation from team members, customers, suppliers, regulators or other third parties. Additionally, any outbreak of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our stores, store support center or logistics facility could result in temporary or sustained workforce shortages or facility closures, which would negatively impact our business and results of operations.
Additionally, some jurisdictions have taken measures intended to expand the availability of workers compensation or to change the presumptions applicable to workers compensation measures. These actions may increase our exposure to workers compensation claims and increase our cost of insurance.
Information Technology-Related Risks. As a result of the pandemic and related quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, and similar restrictions, we have experienced increased demand for online purchases of products. While we have managed this increased volume to date without interruption, there are no assurances that we will continue to be able to do so. We have also had to rapidly modify certain technology to support our interconnected offerings in connection with the pandemic, such as the addition of curbside pick-up. Our systems are not fully redundant, and disruptions, failures or other performance issues with our customer-facing technology systems, either due to the increased volume or other factors, could impair the benefits they provide, adversely impact our sales, and negatively affect our relationship with our customers. In addition, as more business activities have shifted online due to COVID-19 restrictions, and as many of our store support team members are working remotely, we face an increased risk from potential failure of internal or external information technology infrastructure as well as increased cybersecurity threats and attempts to breach our security networks.
Supply Chain-Related Risks. Circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the global supply chain, particularly those products that are sourced from China, with restrictions and limitations on business activities causing disruption and delay. These disruptions and delays, which may expand depending on the progression of the pandemic, are placing strain on the domestic and international supply chain, which has affected and could continue to negatively affect the flow or availability of certain products. Customer demand for certain products has also fluctuated as the pandemic has progressed and customer behaviors have changed, which has challenged our ability to anticipate and/or adjust inventory levels to meet that demand. Additionally, supply chain challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic have made it more difficult to obtain certain in-demand products. These factors have challenged our management of inventory positions as well as some delays in delivering products to our logistics and distribution facilities, stores or customers. Increased demand for online purchases of products has impacted our fulfillment operations and, if it continues, could result in delays in delivering products to customers. The operation of our logistics and distribution facilities and stores as fulfillment centers is crucial to our business operations.
If our logistics and distribution facilities or a significant number of stores experience closures or labor shortages, whether temporary or sustained, we could face adverse impacts related to the flow or availability of products to our stores and customers. Any of these circumstances could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales, increased supply chain costs, or damage to our reputation.
Financial and Liquidity Risks. In an effort to strengthen our liquidity position while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, we took proactive steps during the first quarter of Fiscal 2021, including temporary suspension of our share repurchase program, converting two unsecured, demand lines of credit into a single secured line of credit maturing in July 2021, working with merchandise and non-merchandise vendors to extend terms for a limited period of time, ramping up inventory allocation systems and distribution infrastructure to support increased online demand and managing the flow of goods in collaboration with our vendor partners, resulting in a decrease in year-over-year inventory and an inventory balance that remained in line with demand.
Additionally, changes in our capital allocation strategy could have adverse impacts, both short- and long-term, on our results of operations and financial position. If we choose not to acquire shares under our share repurchase program, our earnings per share and return on invested capital may be impacted, which in turn could adversely impact our stock price.
We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased revenue growth relative to historic trends, and has particularly accelerated our e-commerce growth. These results, as well as those of other metrics such as net sales and other financial and operating data, may not be indicative of results for future periods. Once the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, a failure by us to continue capitalizing on growth opportunities may cause our revenue or revenue growth to decline. Further, there can be no assurances that this increase in demand will be sustained through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic or in subsequent periods. In addition, dependence on our e-commerce business subjects us to certain other risks, including: the failure to successfully implement new systems, system enhancements and internet platforms; the failure of our technology infrastructure or the computer systems that operate our website, causing, among other things, website downtimes; telecommunications issues or other technical failures; over-reliance on third-parties; and an increase in credit card fraud.
To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect the U.S. and global economies and/or adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, or financial condition, it may also have the effect of heightening other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including but not limited to those related to consumer behavior and expectations, competition, brand reputation, implementation of strategic initiatives, cybersecurity threats, technology systems disruption, supply chain disruptions, labor availability and cost, litigation, and regulatory requirements.
Disruptions in the economy and in financial markets could adversely affect consumer purchases of discretionary items, which could reduce our net sales.
In general, our sales represent discretionary spending by our customers. Discretionary spending is affected by many factors that are outside our control, including, among others, general business conditions, interest rates, prices of non-discretionary consumer goods, inflation, household income, consumer debt levels, the availability of consumer credit, tax rates and tax refunds, sales tax holidays, energy prices, widespread health emergencies, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment trends, home influence consumer confidence and spending. Disruptions in the U.S. economy, financial markets or other economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income may reduce the level of consumer spending and inhibit consumers’ use of credit, which may adversely affect our revenues, profits, liquidity and capital resources. In recessionary periods or periods of slow growth, we may have to increase the number of promotional sales or otherwise dispose of inventory for which we have previously paid to manufacture or committed to purchase and/or increase our marketing and promotional expenses in response to lower than anticipated levels of demand for our products, which could adversely affect our profitability. Additionally, a reduction in customer traffic to our stores or a shift in customer spending to products other than those sold by us or to products sold by us that are less profitable could result in lower net sales, decreases in inventory turnover or a reduction in profitability due to lower margins. Our financial performance may also be particularly susceptible to economic and other conditions in regions or states where we have a significant number of stores.
If we lose any of our key vendors or any of our key vendors fail to supply us with quality brand name merchandise at competitive prices, we may not be able to meet the demand of our customers and our net sales and profitability could decline.
We are a retailer of manufacturers’ branded items and are thereby dependent on the availability of key products and brands. Our business is dependent upon close relationships with our vendors and our ability to purchase brand name merchandise at competitive prices. Our top two vendors accounted for approximately 72% of our total inventory purchases during Fiscal 2021. During Fiscal 2021, approximately 65% of our inventory was purchased from one vendor, Nike, who accounted for approximately 68% of our net sales. Our inability to obtain merchandise in a timely manner from major suppliers as a result of business decisions by suppliers, including the expansion of direct-to-consumer programs by our vendors, or disruptions in the global transportation network, such as a port strike, weather conditions, the emergence of widespread health emergencies or pandemics, work stoppages, or other labor unrest could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Because of our strong dependence on Nike, any adverse development in Nike’s distribution strategy, financial condition, or results of operations, or the inability of Nike to develop and manufacture products that appeal to our target customers, could also have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. As a retailer, we cannot control the supply, design, function or cost of many of the products we offer for sale. Moreover, certain merchandise that is in high demand may be allocated by vendors based upon the vendors’ internal criteria, which is beyond our control.
As a result, our sales could decline if we are not provided with a sufficient allocation of high demand merchandise from one or more of our key vendors or if the vendor’s merchandise were to decline in quantity, quality or desirability to our customers. Our profits could decline if we are unable to pass along any increases in the cost of brand merchandise from our key vendors, including costs resulting from higher tariffs or taxes on imported merchandise. In addition, many of our vendors provide us with return privileges, volume purchasing allowances and cooperative marketing funds such that any changes to such benefits could have an adverse effect on our business.
We believe that we have long-standing and strong relationships with our vendors and that we have adequate sources of brand name merchandise on competitive terms. However, the loss or decline of key vendor support could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurances that we will be able to acquire such merchandise at competitive prices or on competitive terms in the future.
We also rely on services and products from non-merchandise vendors. A disruption in these services or products due to the financial condition or inefficient operations of these vendors could adversely affect our business operations.
We might not be successful in achieving expected operating efficiencies and sustaining or improving operating expense reductions, and might experience business disruptions and adverse tax consequences associated with our strategic realignment.
Beginning in Fiscal 2020, we initiated a strategic realignment that includes the closure of approximately 95 underperforming Hibbett stores while opening approximately 10 to 15 new Hibbett Sports and City Gear stores. While we expect to realize efficiencies from these actions, these activities might not produce the full efficiency and cost reduction benefits we expect. Further, such benefits might be realized later than expected, and the ongoing costs of implementing these measures might be greater than anticipated. If these measures are not successful or sustainable, we might undertake additional realignment and cost reduction efforts, which could result in future charges. Moreover, our ability to achieve our other strategic goals and business plans, including continued growth in our omni-channel business, might be adversely affected and we could experience business disruptions with customers or vendors and elsewhere if our realignment efforts and our cost reduction activities prove ineffective. Further, our results of operations could be adversely affected by the underperforming stores’ liquidation process through reduced gross margin rates and increased operating costs.
If we are unable to identify and capitalize on retail trends or provide an omni-channel experience for our customers that is comparable to our competitors, we may not be able to compete effectively, and our sales and profitability may be adversely affected.
Competition in the e-commerce market continues to intensify as the internet continues to facilitate competitive entry into the market and comparison shopping by consumers. As a result, a growing portion of total consumer expenditures with retailers is occurring through digital platforms rather than traditional retail stores as consumers increasingly embrace shopping online and through mobile commerce applications. Our future success could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to identify and capitalize on retail trends, including technology, e-commerce and other process efficiencies, to gain market share and better service our customers, or if we are unable to provide an omni-channel experience for our customers that is comparable to our competitors, including larger, more established e-commerce companies such as Amazon.
Our omni-channel platform integrates digital commerce with our stores to provide a seamless experience for our customers. Our mobile apps, buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) and reserve online pickup in store (ROPIS) complement our e-commerce site and provides our customers with customized advanced features and shopping experiences. We cannot give any assurances that our omni-channel platform, including our mobile apps, BOPIS and ROPIS, will perform in a manner that will give us the ability to attract and retain customers, increase sales and successfully compete with other online retailers. Moreover, to make available our omni-channel platform, we rely on various technology systems and services, some of which are provided and managed by third-party service providers. To the extent such third-party components do not perform or function as anticipated, such failure can significantly interfere in our ability to meet our customers' changing expectations. If we do not successfully provide a relevant and up-to-date digital experience or cannot attract online buyers through our omni-channel platform, or are unable to do so in a cost-efficient manner, our sales and profitability could be adversely affected.
We continue to increase the use of social media as a means of interacting and enhancing the shopping experiences of our customers. If we are unable to attract and retain team members, in particular IT professionals, or contract third parties with the specialized skills to support our omni-channel platform or are unable to implement improvements to our customer-facing technology in a timely manner, our ability to compete and our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if our website and our other customer-facing technology systems do not function as designed, the customer experience could be negatively affected, resulting in a loss of customer confidence and satisfaction, as well as lost sales, which could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.
Our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media could adversely impact our business.
In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including blogs, chat platforms, social media websites, and other forms of internet-based communications that allow individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other persons. The popularity of social media and other consumer-oriented technologies has increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination. The dissemination of negative information via social media could harm our business, brand, reputation, marketing partners, financial condition, and results of operations, regardless of the information’s accuracy. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to occurrences of negative publicity through social media or otherwise, the Company may suffer declines in customer loyalty and traffic, vendor relationship issues, diversion of management’s time to respond and other adverse effects, all of which could negatively impact the Company’s operations, financial results and reputation.
In addition, we frequently use social media to communicate with consumers and the public in general. Failure to use social media effectively or properly, or misuse of social media by our employees or vendors, could lead to a decline in brand value and revenue. Other risks associated with the use of social media include improper disclosure of proprietary information, exposure of or improper use of personally identifiable information, fraud, hoaxes or malicious dissemination of false information.
Pressure from our competitors may force us to reduce our prices or increase our spending on marketing and promotion, which could lower our net sales, gross profit and operating income.
The business in which we are engaged is a highly competitive and evolving market. The marketplace for athletic specialty merchandise is highly fragmented as many different brick and mortar and online retailers compete for market share by utilizing a variety of formats and merchandising strategies. We compete directly and indirectly with specialty stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers, athletic and sporting good brands and, in some of our large and mid-size markets, national sporting goods superstores. In addition, we face increasing competition from vendors that sell directly to consumers, especially Nike. Increased competition from key vendors' direct to consumer programs may adversely affect our market share and reduce our revenues, as well as adversely impact our future product allocation from vendors.
Many of our competitors have greater financial, marketing, distribution and delivery resources than we do, which enable them to spend significantly more on marketing and other initiatives. In addition, many of our competitors employ price discounting policies that, if intensified, may make it difficult for us to reach our sales goals without reducing our prices. Should our competitors increase spending on marketing and other initiatives such as additional discounting, if our marketing funds decrease for any reason, or should our marketing, promotions or initiatives be less effective than our competitors, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. As a result, we may also need to spend more on marketing, promotions and initiatives than we anticipate. Inadequate marketing that is less effective than our competitors could inhibit our ability to maintain relevance in the market place and drive increased sales.
We cannot guarantee that we will continue to be able to compete successfully against existing or future competitors. Expansion into markets served by our competitors, entry of new competitors or expansion of existing competitors into our markets could be detrimental to our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our inability to identify and anticipate changes in consumer demands and preferences and our inability to respond to such consumer demands in a timely manner could reduce our net sales or profitability.
Our products appeal to a broad range of consumers whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to rapid change. Our success depends on our ability to identify product trends as well as to anticipate and respond to changing merchandise trends and consumer demand in a timely manner. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to offer assortments of products that appeal to our customers or that we will satisfy changing consumer demands in the future. Accordingly, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if:
•we are unable to identify and respond to emerging trends, including shifts in the popularity of certain products;
•we miscalculate either the market for the merchandise in our stores and on our website or our customers’ purchasing habits; or
•consumer demand unexpectedly shifts away from athletic footwear or our more profitable apparel lines.
In addition, we must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully. However, we also must guard against accumulating excess inventory. If we fail to accurately anticipate either the market for the merchandise in our stores and on our website or our customers’ purchasing habits, we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow moving inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations, by, for example, decreasing our profitability.
The industry in which we operate is dependent upon fashion trends, customer preferences, product innovations, and other fashion-related factors.
The athletic footwear and apparel industry, especially at the premium end of the price spectrum, is subject to changing fashion trends and customer preferences. In addition, retailers in the athletic industry rely on their suppliers to maintain innovation in the products they develop. We cannot guarantee that our merchandise selection will accurately reflect customer preferences when it is offered for sale or that we will be able to identify and respond quickly to fashion changes, particularly given the long lead times for ordering much of our merchandise from suppliers. Our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately in a timely manner to changes in fashion trends that would make athletic footwear or athletic apparel less attractive to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on key personnel, the loss of which may adversely affect our ability to run our business effectively and our results of operations.
We benefit from the leadership and performance of our senior management team and other key employees. If we lose the services of any of our principal executive officers or other skilled and experienced personnel, we may not be able to fully implement our business strategy or run our business effectively and operating results could suffer. The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors reviews, on a regular basis, a succession plan prepared by senior management that addresses the potential loss of key personnel positions. The goal of the succession plan is to have a contingency plan that minimizes disruptions in the workplace until a suitable replacement can be found, but no assurance can be given that we will be able to retain existing or attract additional qualified personnel when needed.
In March 2020, Benjamin A. Knighten, the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President, of City Gear, was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations to replace Cathy Pryor. Additionally, in April 2020, Robert J. Volke succeeded our Interim Chief Financial Officer, Scott R. Humphrey, as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Such leadership transitions can be inherently difficult to manage, and an inadequate transition may cause disruption to our business, including to our relationships with our customers, suppliers, vendors and employees.
Further, as our business grows, we will need to attract and retain additional qualified personnel in a timely manner and develop, train and manage an increasing number of management-level sales associates and other employees. We have invested, and plan to continue to invest, in an environment in which our employees can deliver their best every day, and we endeavor to empower them by providing ongoing training, growth opportunities, and competitive compensation and benefits packages. Competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages and benefits to attract a sufficient number of qualified employees and increases in the minimum wage or other employee benefit costs could increase our operating expense. An inability to attract and retain personnel as needed in the future could negatively impact our net sales growth and operating results.
Security threats, including physical and cyber-security threats, and unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential information could cause us to incur substantial expenses, result in litigation or other legal actions, adversely affect our operating results, and harm our business and reputation with our consumers.
The protection of Company, customer and employee data is critical to us. Through our sales, marketing activities and use of third-party information, we collect and retain certain personally identifiable information that our customers provide to purchase products, enroll in promotional programs, register on our website, or otherwise communicate and interact with us. This may include, but is not limited to, names, addresses, phone numbers, driver license numbers, email addresses, contact preferences, personally identifiable information stored on electronic devices, and payment account information, including credit and debit card information. We also gather and retain information about our employees in the normal course of business. Furthermore, our online operations depend upon the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks, such as information permitting cashless payments. We rely on commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring, including those controlled by third-party providers, to provide security for processing, transmission and storage of all such data, including confidential information.
Cyber threats are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated. Ever-evolving threats mean we must continually evaluate and adapt our systems and processes. We have security measures designed to protect against the misappropriation or corruption of our systems, intentional or unintentional disclosure of confidential information or disruption of our operations. Our risk remediation procedures include an annual IT risk assessment based on the SANS Institute Critical Security Controls framework, which prioritizes security functions that are effective against the latest advanced targeted threats while emphasizing security controls that have demonstrated real world effectiveness. While we maintain insurance coverage that may, subject to policy terms and exclusions, cover certain aspects of our cyber risks, such insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover our losses or all types of claims that may arise in the continually evolving area of cyber risk.
These security measures may be compromised as a result of third-party breaches, burglaries, cyber-attacks, computer viruses, worms, bot attacks, ransomware, other destructive or disruptive software, errors or malfeasance by employees or employees of third-party vendors, faulty password management, social engineering, misappropriation by third parties, or other irregularity, and result in persons obtaining unauthorized access to our data or accounts, data loss, or data theft or alteration. Despite implementing safeguards for the protection of such information, we cannot be certain that all of our systems and those of our vendors and unaffiliated third parties are entirely free from vulnerability to attack or compromise. During the normal course of our business, we and the businesses with which we interact have experienced and we expect to continue to experience attempts to breach our systems. There is no assurance that our security controls and practices will prevent the improper disclosure, access or use of confidential, proprietary or sensitive data, data loss or alteration, and we may be unable to protect sensitive data and the integrity of our systems or to prevent fraudulent purchases. Moreover, an alleged or actual security breach that affects our systems or results in the unauthorized release of personally identifiable information could:
•materially damage our reputation and negatively affect customer sales, satisfaction and loyalty;
•expose us to negative publicity, individual claims or consumer class actions, administrative, civil or criminal investigations or actions; and
•cause us to incur substantial costs, including but not limited to, costs associated with remediation for stolen assets or information, litigation costs, lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information or the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack, and increased cyber protection costs.
We are subject to payment-related risks that could increase our operating costs, subject us to potential liability, and potentially disrupt our business.
We collect customer data, including encrypted and tokenized credit card information, in our stores and online. For our sales channels to function successfully, we and third parties involved in processing customer transactions for us must be able to transmit confidential information, including credit card information, securely over public networks. While we have measures in place designed to prevent a breach or unauthorized use or disclosure of customer data and other sensitive personal information, we cannot guarantee that any of our security measures or the security measures of third parties with whom we work will effectively prevent others from obtaining unauthorized access to our customers’ information or other personally identifiable information. As a retailer accepting debit and credit cards for payment, we are subject to various industry data protection standards and protocols, such as payment network security operating guidelines and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. We cannot be certain that the security measures we maintain to protect all of our information technology systems are able to prevent, contain or detect cyber-attacks, cyber terrorism, security breaches or other compromises from known malware or ransomware or other threats that may be developed in the future. If someone is able to circumvent our data security measures or those of third parties with whom we do business, they could destroy or steal valuable information or disrupt our operations. If such a breach were to occur, customers could lose confidence in our ability to secure their information and choose not to purchase from us. Any unauthorized use of or access to customer information could expose us to data loss or manipulation, litigation and legal liability, and could seriously disrupt operations, negatively impact our marketing capabilities, cause us to incur significant expenses to notify customers of the breach and for other remediation activities, and harm our reputation and brand, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, state, federal, and foreign governments are increasingly enacting laws and regulations to protect consumers against identity theft and consumer privacy. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to uncertain application, interpretation or enforcement standards that could result in claims, changes to our business practices, data processing and security systems, penalties, increased operation costs or other impacts on our business. These laws and regulations will likely increase the costs of doing business, and if we fail to implement appropriate procedures, security measures, or detect and provide prompt notice of unauthorized access as required by some of these laws and regulations, we could be subject to potential claims for damages and other remedies, government enforcement actions, liability for monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution, all of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We rely heavily on information systems to conduct our business. Problems with our information systems could disrupt our operations and negatively impact our financial results and materially adversely affect our business operations.
Our ability to manage and operate our business depends significantly on information technology systems. Specifically, we rely on our information systems to effectively manage our sales, logistics, merchandise planning and replenishment, to process financial information and sales transactions and to optimize our overall inventory levels. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood and other natural disasters; failed system implementations or integrations; power loss, computer system failures, internet and telecommunications or data network failures, operator negligence, improper operation or usage error by employees or contractors; third-party vendor system failures; physical and electronic loss of data, security breaches, misappropriation, data theft and similar events; and external threats such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks or intrusions.
Although we attempt to mitigate the risk of possible business interruptions through change control protocols and a disaster recovery plan, which includes storing critical business information off-site, the failure of these systems to operate effectively and support growth and expansion could materially adversely impact the operation of our business.
Most of our information system infrastructure is centrally located, and we rely on third-party service providers for certain system applications that are hosted remotely or on cloud-based platforms. There is a risk that we may not have adequately addressed risks associated with using third-party providers or cloud-based platforms. Such risks include security issues such as adequate encryption and intrusion detection; user access control; data separation; the impact of technical problems such as server outages or server failures; vendor disaster recovery capabilities; and transition or exit strategies. A service provider disruption or failure in any of these areas could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our inability or failure to protect our intellectual property rights, or any claimed infringement by us of third-party intellectual rights, could have a negative impact on our operating results.
Our trademarks, service marks, copyrights, patents, trade secrets, domain names, social media handles, and other intellectual property are valuable assets that are critical to our success. The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our intellectual property could diminish the value of our brands or goodwill and cause a decline in our revenue. In addition, any infringement or other intellectual property claim made against us could be time-consuming to address, result in costly litigation, or result in our loss of ownership or use of the intellectual property.
Our failure to effectively manage our real estate portfolio may negatively impact our operating results.
Effective management of our real estate portfolio is critical to our omni-channel strategy. All of our stores are subject to leases and, as such, it is essential that we effectively evaluate a range of considerations that may influence the success of our long-term real estate strategy. Such considerations include, but are not limited to:
•changing patterns of customer behavior from physical store locations to online shopping in the context of an evolving omni-channel retail environment;
•the appropriate number of stores in our portfolio;
•the formats, sizes and interior layouts of our stores;
•the locations of our stores, including the demographics and economic data of each store;
•the local competition in and around our stores;
•the primary lease term of each store and occupancy cost of each store relative to market rents; and
•distribution considerations for each store location.
If we fail to effectively evaluate these factors or negotiate appropriate terms or if unforeseen changes arise, the consequences could include, for example:
•having to close stores and abandon the related assets while retaining the financial commitments of the leases;
•incurring costs to remodel or transform our stores;
•having stores or distribution channels that no longer meet the needs of our business; and
•bearing excessive lease or occupancy expenses.
These consequences could have a materially adverse impact on our profitability, cash flows and liquidity. The financial impact of exiting a leased location can vary greatly depending on, among other factors, the terms of the lease, the condition of the local real estate market, demand for the specific property and our relationship with the landlord. It is difficult for us to influence some of these factors, and the costs of exiting a property can be significant. In addition to rent, we could still be responsible for the maintenance, taxes, insurance and common area maintenance charges for vacant properties until the lease commitment expires or is terminated.
Our ability to attract customers to our stores that are located in malls or other shopping centers depends heavily on the success of these malls and shopping centers, and continued decreases in customer traffic in these malls or shopping centers, whether due to the growing preference for online shopping or otherwise, could cause our net sales and our profitability to be less than expected.
A significant number of our stores are located in malls and other shopping centers and many of these malls and shopping centers have been experiencing declines in customer traffic. Our sales at these stores are dependent, to a significant degree, upon the volume of traffic in those shopping centers and the surrounding area; however, our costs associated with these stores are essentially fixed. In times of declining traffic and sales, our ability to leverage these costs and our profitability are negatively impacted. Our stores benefit from the ability of a shopping center’s other tenants to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores and the continuing popularity of the shopping center as a shopping destination. Our sales volume and traffic has been, and we expect will continue to be, adversely affected by, among other things, the decrease in popularity of malls or other shopping centers in which our stores are located, the closing of anchor stores important to our business, declines in popularity of other stores in the malls or shopping centers in which our stores are located, and decreased traffic as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including due to social distancing measures and general consumer preferences to avoid crowded or enclosed spaces. Furthermore, a deterioration in the financial condition of shopping center operators or developers could, for example, limit their ability to invest in improvements and finance tenant improvements for us and other retailers and lead consumers to view these locations as less desirable. Further reduction in consumer traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on us.
Our success depends substantially on the value and perception of the brand name merchandise we sell.
Our success is largely dependent on our consumers’ perception and connection to the brand names we carry, such as Nike, Jordan Brand, adidas, Under Armour, Reebok, Easton and The North Face, among others. Brand value is based in part on our consumer’s perception on a variety of subjective qualities so that even an isolated incident could erode brand value and consumer trust, particularly if there is considerable publicity or litigation. Consumer demand for our products or brands could diminish significantly in the event of erosion of consumer confidence or trust, resulting in lower sales, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We would be materially and adversely affected if all or a portion of our primary wholesale and logistics facility was disrupted.
Our primary wholesale and logistics facility is located in Alabaster, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, where we receive and ship a significant portion of our merchandise. Any natural disaster or other serious disruption to this facility would damage a portion of our inventory and could impair our ability to adequately stock our stores and process returns of products to vendors and could adversely affect our net sales and profitability. In addition, we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with shipping our products to our stores during the time it takes for us to reopen or replace the facility.
Further, because we rely heavily on our primary wholesale and logistics facility, our growth could be limited if the facility reaches full capacity. Such restraint could result in a loss of market share and our inability to execute our business strategy and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
A disruption in the flow of imported merchandise or an increase in the cost of those goods could significantly decrease our net sales and operating income.
Many of our largest vendors source a majority of their products from foreign countries. Imported goods are generally less expensive than domestic goods and contribute significantly to our favorable profit margins. Our ability to provide quality imported merchandise on a profitable basis may be subject to political and economic factors and influences that we cannot control. National or international events, including changes in government trade or other policies, could increase our merchandise costs and other costs that are critical to our operations. If imported merchandise becomes more expensive, we may find it difficult
to pass the increase on to customers. If imported merchandise becomes unavailable, the transition to alternative sources by our vendors may not occur in time to meet our demands or the demands of our customers. Products from alternative sources may also be more expensive or may be of lesser quality than those our vendors currently import. Risks associated with reliance on imported goods include:
•increases in the cost of purchasing or shipping foreign merchandise resulting from, for example, import tariffs, taxes or other governmental actions affecting trade, including the United States imposing antidumping or countervailing duty orders, safeguards, remedies or compensation and retaliation due to illegal foreign trade practices; foreign government regulations; rising commodity prices; increased costs of oceanic shipping; changes in currency exchange rates or policies and local economic conditions; and trade restrictions, including import quotas or loss of “most favored nation” status with the United States; and
•disruptions in the flow of imported goods because of factors such as, raw material shortages, work stoppages, widespread health emergencies or pandemics, labor availability and political unrest; problems with oceanic shipping, including blockages or labor union strikes at U.S. or foreign ports; and economic crises and international disputes.
In addition, to the extent that any foreign manufacturer with whom our vendors are associated may directly or indirectly utilize labor practices that are not commonly accepted in the United States, we could be affected by any resulting negative publicity.
Increases in transportation or shipping costs and other factors may negatively impact our results of operations.
We rely upon various means of transportation, including ship and truck, to deliver products to our primary wholesale and logistics facility, our stores and our customers. Consequently, our results can vary depending upon the price of fuel. The price of oil has fluctuated significantly over the last few years. Any increases in fuel costs would increase our transportation costs.
In addition, general labor shortages or strikes in the transportation or shipping industries could negatively affect transportation and shipping costs and our ability to supply our stores in a timely manner. Product delivery could also be subject to disruption due to raw material shortages, political unrest, oceanic shipping, port labor issues, international disputes, natural disasters, disease outbreak or public health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or terrorism. We rely on efficient and effective operations within our primary wholesale and logistics facility to ensure accurate product delivery to our stores. Failure to maintain such operations could adversely affect net sales.
Legislative or regulatory initiatives related to climate change concerns may negatively affect our business.
Greenhouse gases may have an adverse effect on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. Global climate change could result in certain types of natural disasters occurring more frequently or with more intense effects. Such events could make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver products to our customers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply chain. Following an interruption to our business, we could require substantial recovery time, experience significant expenditures to resume operations, and lose significant sales. Concern over climate change may result in new or additional legal, legislative, and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment, which could result in future tax, transportation, and utility increases, which could adversely affect our business.
Our business could be negatively impacted by corporate citizenship and sustainability matters.
There is an increased focus from U.S. and foreign governmental and nongovernmental authorities and from certain investors, customers, consumers, employees, and other stakeholders concerning corporate citizenship and sustainability matters. From time to time, we announce certain initiatives, including goals regarding our focus areas, which include environmental matters, packaging and waste, responsible sourcing, social investments and inclusion and diversity. We could fail, or be perceived to fail, in our achievement of such initiatives or goals, or we could fail in accurately reporting our progress on such initiatives and goals. Such failures could be due to changes in our business. Moreover, the standards by which citizenship and sustainability efforts and related matters are measured are developing and evolving, and certain areas are subject to assumptions, which could change over time. In addition, as the result of such heightened public focus on sustainability matters, we may face increased pressure to provide expanded disclosure, make or expand commitments, set targets, or establish additional goals and take actions to meet such goals, in connection with such matters. We could also be criticized for the scope of such initiatives or goals or perceived as not acting responsibly in connection with these matters. Any such matters, or related corporate citizenship and sustainability matters, could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Imposition of tariffs and export controls on the products we buy may have a material adverse effect on our business.
A significant portion of the products that we purchase, including the portion purchased from domestic suppliers, as well as most of our private brand merchandise, is manufactured abroad. We may be affected by potential changes in international trade
agreements or tariffs, such as new tariffs imposed on certain Chinese-made goods imported into the U.S. Furthermore, China or other countries may institute retaliatory trade measures in response to existing or future tariffs imposed by the U.S. that could have a negative effect on our business. If any of these events occur as described, we may be obligated to seek alternative suppliers for our private brand merchandise, raise prices or make changes to our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability, results of operations and financial condition.
We may face difficulties in meeting our labor needs to effectively operate our business.
We are heavily dependent upon our labor workforce in the geographic areas where we conduct our business. Our compensation packages are designed to provide benefits commensurate with our level of expected service. However, within our retail and logistics operations, we face the challenge of filling many positions at wage scales that are appropriate to the industry and competitive factors. In addition, there is the risk that prevailing wage rates for our labor workforce will increase in the future and that the costs of employee benefits will rise, resulting in increased expenses that could adversely affect our profitability. We also face other risks in meeting our labor needs, including competition for qualified personnel and overall unemployment levels. Changes in any of these factors, including a shortage of available workforce in areas in which we operate, could interfere with our ability to adequately service our customers or to open suitable locations and could result in increasing labor costs.
Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly fluctuations. Furthermore, our quarterly operating results, including comparable store net sales, will fluctuate and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.
We experience seasonal fluctuations in our net sales and results of operations. We typically experience higher net sales in early spring due to spring sports and annual tax refunds, late summer due to back-to-school shopping and winter due to holiday shopping. In addition, our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, including the timing of new store openings, the amount and timing of net sales contributed by new stores, weather fluctuations, merchandise mix, demand for merchandise driven by local interest in sporting events, and the timing of sales tax holidays and annual tax refunds. Any of these events, particularly in the fourth quarter, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results for the entire fiscal year.
Comparable store net sales vary from quarter to quarter, and an unanticipated decline in comparable store net sales may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly. Factors that could affect our comparable store net sales results include, shifts in consumer tastes and fashion trends; calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods; the timing of income tax refunds to customers; increases in personal income taxes paid by our customers; calendar shifts or cancellations of sales tax-free holidays in certain states; the success or failure of college and professional sports teams or the cancellation of sporting events within our core regions; changes in or lack of tenants in the shopping centers in which we are located; pricing, promotions or other actions taken by us or our existing or possible new competitors; and unseasonable weather conditions, widespread health emergencies or pandemics, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or natural disasters.
We cannot assure you that comparable store net sales will increase at the rates achieved in prior periods or that rates will not decline.
We are subject to regional risks due to our stores within the South, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the United States.
Our stores are heavily concentrated in certain regions of the United States. We are subject to regional risks, such as the regional economy, population shifts from rural areas and smaller cities to urban population centers, weather conditions and natural disasters, increasing costs of electricity, oil and natural gas, as well as government regulations specific in the states and localities within which we operate. In addition, falling oil prices may adversely affect employment and consumer spending in those states that are within our regions that rely on oil revenues as a significant part of the economies of those states. We sell a significant amount of merchandise that can be adversely affected by significant weather events that postpone the start of or shorten sports seasons or that limit participation of fans and sports enthusiasts.
Unforeseen events, including public health issues (including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic) and natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow or ice storms, floods and heavy rains could disrupt our operations or the operations of our suppliers; significantly damage or destroy our retail locations; prohibit consumers from traveling to our retail locations; or prevent us from resupplying our stores or wholesale and logistics facility. We believe that we take reasonable precautions to prepare for such events; however, our precautions may not be adequate to deal with such events in the future. If such events occur in areas in which we have our wholesale and logistics facility or a concentration of retail stores, or if they occur during peak shopping seasons, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We sell licensed team sports merchandise, the sale of which may be subject to fluctuations based on the success or failure of such teams. The poor performance by college and professional sports teams within our core regions of operations, as well as professional team lockouts, could cause our financial results to fluctuate year over year.
We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions as a component of our growth strategy. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms, or we may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, which could disrupt our operations and adversely impact our business and operating results.
A component of our growth strategy has been to acquire complementary businesses to grow our company. In the future, we expect to continue to pursue acquisitions of complementary businesses as a component of our growth strategy. Acquisitions involve certain known and unknown risks that could cause our actual growth or operating results to differ from our expectations. For example:
•we may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, in the retail space or otherwise, or to consummate such acquisitions on acceptable terms;
•we compete with others to acquire complementary businesses, which may result in decreased availability of, or increased price for, suitable acquisition candidates;
•we may not be able to obtain the necessary financing, on favorable terms or at all, to finance any or all of our potential acquisitions;
•we may ultimately fail to consummate an acquisition even if we announce that we plan to acquire a business; and
•acquired businesses may not perform as we expect and we may fail to realize anticipated revenue and profits.
In addition, our acquisition strategy may divert management’s attention away from our existing business, resulting in the loss of key vendors and employees, and expose us to unanticipated problems or legal liabilities, including responsibility as a successor for undisclosed or contingent liabilities of acquired businesses or assets.
Our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if new businesses are not implemented effectively, may preclude the realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of new businesses may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses. In addition, even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities that we expect.
Risks Related to Our Capital Structure
We manage cash and cash equivalents beyond federally insured limits per financial institution and purchase investments not fully guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), subjecting us to investment and credit availability risks.
We manage cash and cash equivalents in various institutions at levels beyond federally insured limits per institution, and we purchase investments not guaranteed by the FDIC. Accordingly, there is a risk that we will not recover the full principal of our investments or that their liquidity may be diminished. In an attempt to mitigate this risk, our investment policy emphasizes preservation of principal and liquidity. We cannot be assured that we will not experience losses on our deposits or investments.
Indebtedness that we may incur in the future could adversely affect our financial condition, limit our ability to obtain additional financing, restrict our operations and make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and competitive pressures. In addition, we face risk that financial institutions may fail to fulfill commitments under our Amended Credit Facility.
As of January 30, 2021, we had no debt outstanding under our Amended Credit Facility which matures on July 18, 2021 and is secured by all assets of the Company with the exception of real property. In the future, we may borrow amounts under the Amended Credit Facility to, among other things, provide funding for our operations, share repurchases, capital expenditures and other cash requirements.
Borrowing under the Amended Credit Facility may use London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR) as a benchmark for establishing the interest rate. LIBOR has been the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform, and the financial industry is currently transitioning away from LIBOR as a benchmark for the interbank lending market. The consequences of these developments cannot be entirely predicted, but could include an increase in the cost of our variable rate indebtedness. Additionally, to address the future transition in the financial markets away from the LIBOR, the Amended Credit Facility includes a provision related to the replacement of LIBOR with an alternate interest rate index. Changing to an alternate interest index may lead to additional volatility in interest rates and could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
In addition, Regions Bank is committed to continue providing loans under the Amended Credit Facility. There is a risk that this institution cannot deliver against its obligation in a timely matter, or at all. If Regions Bank were to default on its obligation to fund the commitments under the Amended Credit Facility, this loan would not be available to us, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition. For discussion of our Amended Credit Facility and other borrowings, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Item 7 and Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements.
Emerging technologies may create disruption to the retail industry.
New and emerging technology may enable new approaches or choices for how our customers procure goods and services and pay for those goods and services. We may be unable to quickly adapt to rapid change resulting from artificial intelligence, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), including voice and smart home devices, and other advanced technologies that may result in changes to our supply chain, distribution channels, and point-of-sale capabilities.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock, like the stock market in general, has been and is likely to continue to be highly volatile, and such volatility could expose us to securities class action litigation. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the price of our common stock may include, among other things, actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results; changes in financial estimates by investment analysts and our inability to meet or exceed those estimates; additions or departures of key personnel; market rumors or announcements by us or by our competitors of significant acquisitions, divestitures or joint ventures, strategic partnerships, large capital commitments or other strategic initiatives; changes in retail sales data that indicate consumers may spend less on discretionary purchases; and sales of our common stock by key personnel or large institutional holders.
Many of these factors are beyond our control and may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, regardless of our operating performance.
There can be no assurance that we will continue to repurchase our common stock or that we will repurchase our common stock at favorable prices.
In November 2018, our Board of Directors authorized the continuation of our existing stock repurchase program (the Repurchase Program) until January 29, 2022 under which we may purchase up to $300.0 million of our outstanding common stock. The purchases may be made from time to time in the open market (including, without limitation, the use of Rule 10b5-1 plans), depending on a number of factors, including our evaluation of general market and economic conditions, including with respect to the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock. The Repurchase Program may be extended, modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. We expect to fund the Repurchase Program with existing cash on hand, cash generated from operations, and/or borrowings under our credit facility then in effect. A reduction in, or the completion or expiration of, our Repurchase Program could have a negative effect on our stock price. We can provide no assurance that we will repurchase our common stock at favorable prices, or at all.
Risks Related to Governance, Regulatory, Legislative and Legal Matters
Provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law might deter acquisition bids for us.
Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may be deemed to have anti-takeover effects and may discourage, delay or prevent a takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest. These provisions, among other things:
•classify our Board of Directors into three classes, each of which serves for different three-year periods;
•provide that a director may be removed by stockholders only for cause by a vote of the holders of not less than a majority of our shares entitled to vote;
•provide that all vacancies on our Board of Directors, including any vacancies resulting from an increase in the number of directors, may be filled by a majority of the remaining directors, even if the number is less than a quorum; and
•call for a vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote in order to amend the foregoing provisions and certain other provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws.
In addition, our Board of Directors, without further action of the stockholders, is permitted to issue and fix the terms of preferred stock, which may have rights senior to those of common stock. We are also subject to the Delaware business combination statute, which may render a change in control of us more difficult. Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Laws would be expected to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the Board of Directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
Changes in federal, state or local laws, or our failure to comply with such laws, could increase our expenses and expose us to legal risks.
Our Company is subject to numerous laws and regulatory matters relating to the conduct of our business. In addition, certain jurisdictions have taken a particularly aggressive stance with respect to certain matters and have stepped up enforcement, including fines and other sanctions. Such laws and regulatory matters include:
•The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other emerging privacy laws;
•The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) provisions that regulate telemarketing, auto-dialed and pre-recorded calls as well as text messages and unsolicited faxes;
•Labor and employment laws that govern employment matters such as minimum wage, exempt employment status, overtime, family leave mandates and workplace safety regulations, including the Fair Labor Standards Act rules and any laws related to COVID-19;
•Securities and exchange laws and regulations;
•New or changing laws relating to cyber-security, privacy, cashless payments and consumer credit, protection and fraud;
•New or changing laws and regulations concerning product safety or truth in advertising;
•The Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws that give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities in the context of employment, public accommodations and other areas;
•New or changing federal and state immigration laws and regulations;
•The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provisions;
•New or changing environmental regulations, including measures related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions;
•New or changing laws relating to federal, state and local taxation and licensing, including sales and use tax laws, withholding taxes and property taxes; and
•Regulations administered by various youth sports leagues and organizations.
Our operations will continue to be subject to federal, state and local governmental regulation. Potential changes that may be made in laws, regulations and policies could exacerbate the risks above. Changes in domestic policy, including significant changes in tax, trade, healthcare and other laws and regulations could affect our operations. For example, tax proposals may include changes, which could, if implemented, have an adverse or a beneficial impact on our operations, including a “border adjustment tax” or new import tariffs, which could adversely affect us because we sell imported products. Proposals to modify or repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, if implemented, may also affect us. Unknown matters, new laws and regulations or stricter interpretations of existing laws or regulations may affect our business or operations in the future and could lead to government enforcement and resulting litigation by private litigants. Increasing regulations could expose us to a challenging enforcement environment or to third-party liability (such as monetary recoveries and recoveries of attorney’s fees) and could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our corporate legal department monitors regulatory activity and is active in notifying and updating applicable departments and personnel on pertinent matters and legislation. Our Human Resources (HR) Department leads compliance training programs to ensure our field managers are kept abreast of HR-related regulatory activity that affects their areas of responsibility. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with applicable environmental and other laws and regulations, and although no assurances can be given, we do not foresee the need for any significant expenditures in this area in the near future.
Changes in and/or failure to comply with privacy laws could materially adversely affect our reputation and market position and subject us to legal claims and litigation, cause us to incur substantial additional costs, and materially affect our business and operating results.
We rely on a variety of direct marketing techniques, including email, text messages and postal mailings. Any new or emerging restrictions in federal or state laws regarding marketing and solicitation or data protection laws that govern these activities could adversely affect the continuing effectiveness of email, text messages and postal mailing techniques and could force changes in our marketing strategies. If this occurs, we may need to develop alternative marketing strategies, which may not be as effective and could impact the amount and timing of our revenues. Further, any new or emerging privacy laws could include onerous and expensive compliance obligations regarding consent, retention, deletion, and anti-discrimination and require us to modify our data processing practices and policies that could lead to regulatory actions or litigation, and potentially fines and damages for non-compliance. In addition, to the extent that new or emerging laws or regulations impact our obligations with respect to our employee data, we may be required to incur substantial costs to modify our practices.
While we strive to adhere our practices and procedures to these laws, they are subject to evolving regulations, interpretations and regulator discretion. To the extent a regulator or court disagrees with our interpretation of these laws and determines that our practices are not in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties that could adversely affect the continued operation of our businesses, including significant legal and financial exposure, damage to our reputation, and have a material adverse effect on our business operations, financial condition and results of operations.
Product liability claims or product recalls can adversely affect our business reputation, expose us to lawsuits or increased scrutiny by federal and state regulators and may not be fully covered by insurance.
We sell products, particularly athletic equipment, which entails an inherent risk of product liability and product recall and the resultant adverse publicity. We may be subject to significant claims if the purchase of a defective product from any of our stores causes injury or death. Our merchandise could be subject to a product recall, which could reflect negatively on our business reputation. We cannot be assured that product liability claims will not be asserted against us in the future. Any claims made may create adverse publicity that would have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.
We and our vendors maintain insurance with respect to certain of these risks, including product liability insurance and general liability insurance, but in many cases such insurance is expensive, difficult to obtain and no assurance can be given that such insurance can be maintained in the future on acceptable terms, or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses due to any such events, or at all. Moreover, even though our insurance coverage may be designed to protect us from losses attributable to certain events, it may not adequately protect us from liability and expenses we incur in connection with such events.
We cannot be assured that we will not experience pressure from labor unions or become the target of labor union campaigns.
While we believe we maintain good relations with our employees, we cannot provide any assurances that we will not experience pressure from labor unions or become the target of labor union campaigns. The potential for unionization could increase in the United States if federal legislation or regulatory changes are adopted that would facilitate labor organization. Significant union representation would require us to negotiate wages, salaries, benefits and other terms with many of our employees collectively and could adversely affect our results of operations by increasing our labor costs or otherwise restricting our ability to maximize the efficiency of our operations.
Changes in rules related to accounting for income taxes, changes in tax laws in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate or adverse outcomes from audits by taxing authorities could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate.
We operate our business in numerous tax jurisdictions. As a result, our effective tax rate is derived from a combination of the federal rate and applicable tax rates in the various states in which we operate. Our effective tax rate may be lower or higher than our tax rates have been in the past due to numerous factors, including the sources of our income and the tax filing positions we take. We base our estimate of an effective tax rate at any given point in time upon a calculated mix of the tax rates applicable to our Company and on estimates of the amount of business likely to be done in any given jurisdiction. Changes in rules related to accounting for income taxes, changes in tax laws in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, expiration of tax credits formerly available, failure to manage and utilize available tax credits, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We own our corporate office building in Birmingham, Alabama, and our wholesale and logistics facility in Alabaster, Alabama. In addition, we lease administrative offices in Memphis, Tennessee, and lease all our existing 1,067 store locations and expect that our policy of leasing rather than owning will continue for new store openings. Our leases typically provide for terms of five to ten years with options on our part to extend. Most leases also contain a kick-out clause if projected sales levels are not met and an early termination/remedy option if co-tenancy and exclusivity provisions are violated. We believe this leasing strategy enhances our flexibility to pursue various expansion opportunities resulting from changing market conditions and to periodically reevaluate store locations.
As current leases expire, we believe we will either be able to obtain lease renewals for present store locations or to obtain leases for equivalent or better locations in the same general area. We believe our wholesale and logistics facility is suitable and adequate to support our operations for many years.
As of January 30, 2021, we operated 1,067 stores in 35 contiguous states. Of these stores, 243 are in enclosed malls, 31 are free-standing and 793 are in strip-shopping centers, which are frequently near a major chain retailer. The following shows the number of locations by state as of January 30, 2021:
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Alabama
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99
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Kentucky
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47
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Oklahoma
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34
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Arkansas
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39
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Louisiana
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62
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Pennsylvania
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4
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Arizona
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8
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Maryland
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4
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South Carolina
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42
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California
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16
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Minnesota
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1
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South Dakota
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2
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Colorado
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3
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Mississippi
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72
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Tennessee
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68
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Delaware
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1
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Missouri
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36
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Texas
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111
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Florida
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61
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Nebraska
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8
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Utah
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3
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Georgia
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121
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New Jersey
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2
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Virginia
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22
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Illinois
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27
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New Mexico
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14
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West Virginia
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8
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Indiana
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22
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New York
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3
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Wisconsin
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2
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Iowa
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10
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North Carolina
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55
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Wyoming
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2
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Kansas
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23
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Ohio
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35
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TOTAL
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1,067
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