PART
I
Item
1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers
Not
applicable.
Item
2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable
Not
applicable.
Item
3. Key Information
A.
[Reserved]
B.
Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not
applicable.
C.
Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not
applicable.
D.
Risk Factors
An
investment in the Company’s securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties
described below together with the other information set forth in this annual report. If any of the following risks or uncertainties actually
occurs, our business, financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the trading
price of our securities could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. Our business, financial condition, prospects,
results of operations or cash flows could also be harmed by risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do
not believe are material. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed in the risk factors below will not occur. The risks described
below are organized by risk type and are not listed in order of their priority to us.
Summary
of Factors That May Affect Our Future Results
The
following summarizes the principal factors that make an investment in the Company speculative or risky. This summary should be read in
conjunction with the remainder of this “Risk Factors” section and should not be relied upon as an exhaustive summary of the
material risks facing our business. The occurrence of any of these risks could harm our business, financial condition, and results of
operations or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this annual
report. You should consider all of the risk factors described in our public filings when evaluating our business, including risks relating
to:
| ● | the
impact of COVID-19 on our business and financial results; |
| ● | our
reputation and business if we or Newegg Marketplace sellers sell pirated, counterfeit, illegal
or “gray market” items; |
| ● | the
intense domestic and international competition we face; |
| ● | any
decline in demand for IT/CE products; |
| ● | our
inability to provide a satisfactory customer experience; |
| ● | our
use of software and systems contain open source software; |
| ● | pricing
strategies not meeting customers’ price expectations or resulting in profitability; |
| ● | system
interruptions, including failures caused or experienced by third-party service providers,
and lack of redundancy and timely upgrade; |
| ● | our
reliance on and relationships with third-party payment processors to process deposits and
withdrawals made by users of our Marketplace; |
| ● | the
loss of key employees or the failure to attract or retain qualified personnel;. |
| ● | any
significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential or personal information we hold; |
| ● | our
ability to promote and strengthen Newegg brand; |
| ● | our
international operations (principally in Canada); |
| ● | our
expansion into new product categories, services, technologies and geographic regions; |
| ● | any
interruption in our fulfillment operations; |
| ● | our
dependence on and relationships with vendors to source sufficient quantities of merchandise
on favorable terms; |
| ● | access
to international markets and applicable laws relating to trade, export and import controls
and economic sanctions; |
| ● | our
marketing activities to help attract visitors to our online platforms; |
| ● | delays,
increased cost or quality control deficiencies in the importation of products manufactured
broad; |
| ● | our
dependence on third parties to perform a number of our e-commerce functions; |
| ● | management
of our inventory; |
|
● |
the
fact that we have incurred net losses in the past and may experience losses in the future; |
|
● |
failure
to adopt new technologies or adapt our websites, mobile apps and systems to changing customer requirements or emerging industry standards; |
|
● |
the
seasonality of our business; |
|
● |
the
performance, reliability and security of the internet infrastructure in the countries where we operate; |
|
● |
management
of our growth or execution of our strategies; |
|
● |
any
adverse change in the vendor payment terms and conditions; |
|
● |
our
disclosure controls and procedures; |
|
● |
the
material weaknesses we identified in our internal control over financial reporting; |
|
● |
our
revolving credit agreement, which contains a number of covenants that may restrict our current and future operations; |
|
● |
inflation; |
|
● |
claims, litigation, government investigations, and other proceedings
may adversely affect our business and results of operations |
|
● |
our
ability to adequately protect our intellectual property rights; |
|
● |
any
assertions, claims and allegations that we have infringed or violated intellectual property rights; |
|
● |
product
liability claims, which could be costly and time-consuming to defend; |
|
● |
any
additional costs incurred due to tax assessments resulting from ongoing and future audits by tax authorities; |
|
● |
significant
developments stemming from recent U.S. government actions and proposals concerning tariffs and other economic proposals; |
|
● |
relatively
stringent employment laws in some of the countries in which we operate; |
|
● |
our
ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attribute; |
|
● |
our
being treated as a U.S. corporation for all U.S. federal tax purposes; |
|
● |
the
extreme volatility of the market price of our common shares has been extremely volatile and may continue to be volatile due to numerous
circumstances beyond our control. |
|
● |
Mr.
Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang’s approximate 60.5% and 35.7% control, respectively, and 96.2%, collectively, of the voting power
of our issued and outstanding common shares; |
|
● |
our
status as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and the corresponding exemptions from
certain corporate governance requirements; |
|
● |
certain
provisions of Newegg’s Amended Shareholders Agreement that may delay or prevent us from raising funding in the future and may
have an adverse impact on us and the liquidity and market price of our common shares; |
|
● |
any
shareholder litigation due to the volatility in the price of our common shares, which may result in substantial costs and a diversion
of our management’s attention and resources; |
|
● |
our
failure to maintain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules, which may lead to us delisted from Nasdaq, which would result in a limited
public market for trading our shares and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult; |
|
● |
any
involvement of our directors and officers in investigations or other forms of regulatory or governmental inquiry which may cause
reputational harm to the Company, result in additional expenses, and distract our management from our day-to-day operations; |
|
● |
securities
or industry analysts not publishing research or reports about our business or adversely changing their recommendations regarding
our common shares; |
|
● |
techniques
employed by short sellers to drive down the market price of our common shares; |
|
● |
difficulty
enforcing judgments against us, our directors and management. |
|
● |
unavailability
of certain types of class or derivative actions under British Virgin Islands law and other interests under U.S.; |
|
● |
protecting
shareholder interests that would otherwise be normally available to shareholders of a U.S. corporation; |
|
● |
our
expectation not to pay dividends in the foreseeable future; |
|
● |
certain
home country (British Virgin Island) practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq’s
corporate governance listing standards, which may afford less protection to shareholders; and |
|
● |
our
foreign private issuer status, which exempts us from certain reporting requirements applicable to U.S. domestic public companies. |
Risks
Relating to Our Business
The
impact of COVID-19 may adversely affect our business and financial results.
The
spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020,
has caused different countries and cities to mandate curfews, including “shelter-in-place” and closures of most non-essential
businesses as well as other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Our
online business and warehouse operations have remained active to serve our customers during the COVID-19 outbreak, and we have seen increased
demand for our products and services during the outbreak. By contrast, some of our brick-and-mortar competitors have been forced to close
down at least some of their retail locations temporarily, while some competitors have de-emphasized certain lines of business, such as
computers and electronics, which represent our core business. Both of these industry trends have contributed to increased sales and market
share for Newegg. However, the course of the outbreak remains uncertain, and a prolonged global economic slowdown and increased unemployment
could have a material adverse impact on economic conditions, which in turn could lead to a reduced demand for our products and services.
As
a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have experienced occasional supply constraints, primarily in the form of delays in shipment
of inventory. We have also experienced increases in the cost of certain products, as well as a decrease in promotions by some manufacturers.
While we consider such events to be relatively minor and temporary, continued supply chain disruptions could lead to delayed receipt
of, or shortages in, inventory and higher costs.
COVID-19
impacted the supply chain of our brand partners and Marketplace sellers, and our ability to timely fulfill orders and deliver such orders
to our customers, particularly as a result of mandatory shutdowns in different countries and cities to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Although
we cannot estimate the length or severity of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak at this time, if the pandemic continues, it may have
an adverse effect on the results of our future operations. The potential negative impact of COVID-19 on our operations remains uncertain
and potentially widespread, including:
| ● | our
ability to successfully forecast sales and execute our long-term growth strategy during these
uncertain times; |
| ● | the
build-up of excess inventory as a result of lower consumer demand; |
| ● | supply
chain disruptions experienced by brand partners and Marketplace sellers, resulting from closed
factories, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials, and scrutiny or embargoing of goods
produced in infected areas, along with increased freight costs for us; |
| ● | our
ability to access capital sources and maintain compliance with our credit facilities, as
well as the ability of our key customers, suppliers, and vendors to do the same in regard
to their own obligations; |
| ● | our
ability to collect outstanding receivables from our customers; |
| ● | our
ability to attend and participate in industry and trade shows; and |
| ● | diversion
of management and employee attention and resources from key business activities and risk
management outside of COVID-19 response efforts, including cybersecurity and maintenance
of internal controls, with resulting potential loss of employee productivity. |
The
COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis and therefore, there can be no assurance that these
potential negative impacts will not materialize, and these and other impacts of COVID-19 may adversely affect our future business, financial
condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations.
Newegg’s
reputation and business may be harmed if Newegg or the Newegg Marketplace sellers sell pirated, counterfeit, illegal or “gray market”
items.
We
receive from time to time, and may receive in the future, communications alleging that Newegg or the Newegg Marketplace sellers sold
pirated, counterfeit, illegal or “gray market” items. These and future claims could increase our cost of doing business as
a result of legal expenses, adverse judgments or settlements, and reputational harm, and require us to change our business practices
in a way that would be less efficient and more costly. In addition, key manufacturers and vendors, for instance, may be less likely to
offer us favorable terms or authorization to carry their products if we sell products of theirs, purchased on the “gray market.”
We currently do not have any insurance to cover the types of claims that could be asserted in such litigation or in legal or administrative
actions initiated by customers of such products, or by government agencies. If a claim were brought against us successfully, it could
expose us to significant liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
Our
business faces intense domestic and international competition.
The
e-commerce market is intensely competitive with limited barriers to entry. Our current and potential competitors include retailers, manufacturers
and distributors that offer a wide range of similar product categories and companies that provide Direct-to-Consumer (“D2C”)
platform services, fulfillment and logistics services and other e-commerce related services. It is expected that the competition in this
market will intensify in the future as companies develop new business models and enhanced technologies, new competitors enter the market,
competitors forge new business combinations or alliances, and established companies in other market segments expand to become competitive
with our business.
Many
of our current and potential online and brick-and-mortar competitors have larger bases of customers and Marketplace sellers, better brand
recognition and greater financial, marketing, technical, management and other resources than we do. In addition, some of our competitors
have used and may continue to use aggressive pricing or promotional strategies, may have stronger supplier relationships with more favorable
terms and inventory allocation and may devote substantially greater resources to their online platforms and system development than we
do. Increased competition may result in reduced operating margins, reduced profitability, loss of market share and diminished brand recognition
for Newegg.
We
compete with online retailers such as Amazon and traditional retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, who sell through brick-and-mortar stores
and their online websites. In addition, we also face competition in the international markets in which we participate or may enter in
the future. Certain other competitors in countries where we operate are subsidiaries of e-commerce competitors in the United States with
established local operations and brands and with greater experience and resources than we have. In other countries that we may enter,
there may be incumbent online and multi-channel online or brick-and-mortar competitors presently selling Information Technology/Consumer
Electronic (“IT/CE”) products. These incumbents may have advantages that could impede our expansion and growth
in these markets.
We
could also experience significant competitive pressure if any of our manufacturers or distributors were to initiate or expand their own
online retail operations. Because our manufacturers and distributors have access to merchandise at a lower cost than we do, they could
sell products at lower prices and maintain a higher gross margin on their product sales than we can, and they may have the ability to
directly connect with buyers at relatively low cost. This could result in our current and potential buyers deciding to purchase directly
from these manufacturers and distributors instead of from Newegg. Increased competition from any manufacturer or distributor capable
of maintaining high sales volumes and acquiring products at lower prices than we can, could significantly reduce our market share and
adversely impact our operating results.
There
is no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. Competitive pressures may materially
and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A
decline in demand for IT/CE products could adversely affect our operating results.
We
and our Marketplace sellers primarily sell IT/CE products that are often discretionary purchases rather than necessities for consumers.
Consequently, our results of operations tend to be sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions and their impact on consumer spending.
Factors including customer confidence, employment levels, conditions in the residential real estate and mortgage markets, access to credit,
interest rates, tax rates, customer debt levels and fuel and energy costs could reduce customer spending or change customer purchasing
habits in ways that materially and adversely affect demand for the products that we and our Marketplace sellers offer.
There
could be declines in the sales of the products offered by us and our Marketplace sellers due to several factors, including:
| ● | decreased
demand for IT/CE products, particularly computer components and parts that have historically
generated a significant portion of our net sales; |
| ● | poor
economic conditions and any related decline in customers’ demand for the products we
and our Marketplace sellers offer; |
| ● | increased
price competition from our competitors; or |
| ● | technological
obsolescence of the products that we and our Marketplace sellers offer. |
Additionally,
it is expected that some of our future growth should be driven by product releases or upgrades that may occur in the near future. If
such product releases do not occur or do not drive sales of IT/CE products to the extent expected, our future sales may be
less than predicted, negatively impacting our net sales and net income.
If
we are unable to provide a satisfactory customer experience, our reputation would be harmed and we could lose customers.
The
success of our business depends largely on our ability to provide a superior customer experience to maintain and grow our customer base
and keep our customers highly engaged on our online platforms, which in turn depends on a variety of factors. These include our ability
to continue to maintain a wide range of product offerings with attractive pricing, provide timely and reliable order fulfillment and
provide high-quality customer support and service. If our customers are not satisfied with our platforms, products or services, or our
online platforms are severely interrupted or otherwise fail to meet our customers’ requests, our reputation could be adversely
affected.
As
an e-commerce company, we have limited ability to allow buyers to touch, test and feel products, personally interact with sales and customer
service representatives, and receive or return products without waiting or paying for the products to be shipped, like brick-and-mortar
retailers or online retailers that have brick-and-mortar operations do. Therefore, it is important that we continue to improve our online
platforms, including efforts to encourage the creation of more high-quality and useful user-generated content, such as reviews and commentary,
on the products we and our Marketplace sellers offer. If we do not continue to make investments in the development of our online platforms
and customer service operations and, as a result, or due to other reasons, fail to provide a high-quality customer experience, we may
lose customers, which could adversely impact our operating results.
We
currently operate customer service centers in California and Texas and have customer service representatives working remotely in California,
Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and Texas, focusing on serving North American buyers. To enhance our service capabilities and maintain increased
access, Newegg operates an Asia-based multilingual customer service center that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via email
and instant messaging. Any material disruption or slowdown in our customer support services resulting from telephone or internet failures,
power or service outages, natural disasters, labor disputes or other events could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide adequate
customer support. In addition, the future volume of customer complaints and inquiries may exceed our present system capacities. If this
occurs, we could experience delays in responding to customer inquiries and addressing customer complaints and concerns. Our current level
of customer support may also fail to meet the expectations of customers. Failure to provide satisfactory levels of customer service may
harm our reputation, causing potential loss of existing customers and difficulty in acquiring new customers.
Some
of our software and systems contain open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software and solutions.
We
have incorporated open source software code into some of our internal software and systems and expect to continue to use this open source
software in the future. The licenses applicable to open source software typically require that the source code subject to the license
be made available to the public and that any modifications or derivative works to open source software continue to be licensed under
open source licenses. From time to time, we may face intellectual property infringement claims from third parties, demands for the release
or license of the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software (which could include our proprietary
source code) or claims that otherwise seek to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation
and could require us to purchase a costly license, publicly release the affected portions of our source code, be limited in the licensing
of our technologies or cease offering the implicated solutions unless and until we can re-engineer them to avoid infringement or change
the use of the implicated open source software. In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software
can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties,
indemnities or other contractual protections with respect to the software (for example, non-infringement or functionality). Our use of
open source software may also present additional security risks because the source code for open source software is publicly available,
which may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to breach our websites, mobile apps and systems that rely
on open source software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage and, if not addressed, could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We
and our Marketplace sellers’ pricing strategy may not meet customers’ price expectations or result in profitability.
Demand
for our products is generally highly sensitive to price. Our pricing strategies have had, and may continue to have, a significant impact
on our net sales and net income. We often offer discounted prices, free or discounted shipping or bundled products as a means of attracting
customers and encouraging repeat purchases. Such offers and discounts may reduce our margins. Moreover, our competitors’ pricing
and marketing strategies are beyond our control and can significantly impact the results of our pricing strategies. If we fail to meet
our customers’ price expectations in any given period, or if our competitors decide to engage in aggressive pricing strategies,
our business and results of operations would suffer.
In
addition, under applicable federal and state unfair competition laws, including the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, and U.S.
Federal Trade Commission regulations, we are required to accurately identify product offerings, not make misleading claims on our platforms,
and use qualifying disclosures where and when appropriate. We are particularly subject to the risks associated with our discounting pricing
practices as a result of the aggressive judicial interpretations of deceptive pricing laws, particularly in California, which has led
to numerous class action settlements by online and brick-and-mortar retailers over the past few years. For example, Newegg was named
as the defendant in a putative class action accusing it of violating the False Advertising Law, the Unfair Competition Law and the Consumer
Legal Remedies Act by using allegedly deceptive list prices with allegedly overstated discounts for our products. While the trial court
had sustained without leave to amend our demurrer to such lawsuit, in July 2018, a California appellate panel reversed the trial court’s
judgment and reinstated the action against us. This matter is still pending as of the date of this annual report. There can be no assurance
that we will be able to prevail in the foregoing action or that we will be able to settle the dispute on terms favorable to us. Any adverse
outcome of the foregoing class action or other lawsuits challenging deceptive pricing against us could have a material adverse effect
on our reputation, business and financial condition.
We
do not control the pricing strategies of our Marketplace sellers, which could affect our net income and our ability to effectively compete
on price with other e-commerce retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. Our Marketplace sellers may determine that they can more competitively
price their products through other distribution channels and may choose such other channels instead of listing products on our Marketplace,
which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Additionally, retailers and brands
often employ different pricing based on the geographical location of consumers, which is accomplished online through geo-blocking that
blocks a consumer’s ability to access certain websites based on geography. Legislation in the European Union removed certain types
of geo-blocking in the European Union. This could allow our consumers registered in the European Union to access and make purchases through
our Marketplace at the prices listed in different European geographies irrespective of their country of residence in Europe. This could
adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Operational
Risks
We
face risks related to system interruption, including failures caused or experienced by third-party service providers, and lack of redundancy
and timely upgrades.
Our
success depends on our ability to successfully receive and fulfill orders and to promptly deliver such orders to our customers. We could
lose existing customers or fail to attract new customers, potentially resulting in a decline in net sales, if our online platforms are
inaccessible or if our transaction processing systems, order fulfillment processes or network infrastructure are not operational or performing
to our customers’ satisfaction.
Any
internet network interruptions, latency or problems with our online platforms’ availability could prevent customers from accessing,
browsing and placing orders on our online platforms, and impact our ability to fulfill orders or bill customers, which may cause customer
dissatisfaction and damage our reputation and brand. We have experienced brief computer system interruptions in the past and believe
that others will occur from time to time in the future. Our systems and operations potentially are vulnerable to damage or interruption
from a number of sources, including the following:
| ● | natural
disaster or other catastrophic event such as earthquake, fire, power loss or interruption,
telecommunications failure, hurricane, volcanic eruption, flood or terrorist attack. For
example, our headquarters and the majority of our infrastructure, including some of our servers,
are located in Southern California, a seismically active region. In addition, California
has in the past experienced power outages as a result of limited electric power supply; |
| ● | diseases
or pandemics (including COVID-19) that have affected and may continue to affect the supply
chain of our brand partners and Marketplace sellers, and our logistics in the future due
to inconsistent and unanticipated order patterns, other diseases or pandemics or unforeseen
natural disasters; |
| ● | computer
malware, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions; |
| ● | security
breaches and hacking attacks; |
| ● | failure
by third-party vendors, including data center and bandwidth providers, to provide steady
and high-speed access to our online platforms and systems. Any disruption in our network
access or co-location services, which are the services that house some of our servers and
provide internet access to them, provided by these third-party providers or any failure of
these third-party vendors to handle existing or higher volumes of use could significantly
harm our business. Any financial or other difficulties these vendors face could also adversely
affect our business; and |
We
have not yet created sufficient redundancy for our information technology systems and data, and we do not presently maintain backup copies
of all of its data. Newegg has a limited disaster recovery plan in effect and may not have sufficient insurance for losses that may occur
from natural disasters, catastrophic events or the resulting business interruption. Newegg is generally self-insured outside the United
States, Canada, China, and Taiwan. Any substantial damage to, or disruption of, our technology infrastructure could cause interruptions
or delays, loss of data, or reduced system availability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
We
may be unable to accurately project the rate or timing of traffic flow, including any traffic increases, or successfully and cost-effectively
upgrade our systems and infrastructure in a timely manner to accommodate higher traffic levels on our online platforms. If the volume
of traffic on our online platforms or the number of purchases made by our customers increases substantially, we may experience unanticipated
system disruptions, slower response times, reduced levels of customer service and impaired quality and delays in reporting accurate financial
information. For example, we experience surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities and holiday seasons,
especially during the Christmas season, which can put additional demands on our technology platform at specific times.
Additionally,
we must continue to upgrade and improve our technology and infrastructure to support our business growth, and failure to do so could
impede our growth. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in executing these system upgrades and improvement strategies.
Any such upgrades to our systems and infrastructure could require substantial investments. In particular, our systems may experience
interruptions during upgrades, and the new technologies or infrastructures may not be fully integrated with the existing systems on a
timely basis, or at all. If our existing or future technology and infrastructure do not function properly, it could cause system disruptions
and slow response times, affecting data transmission, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
We
rely on third-party payment processors to process deposits and withdrawals made by users of our Marketplace, and if we cannot manage
our relationships with such third parties and other payment-related risks, our business, financial condition and results of operations
could be adversely affected.
We
rely on a limited number of third-party payment solutions to process deposits and withdrawals made by users of our Marketplace. If any
third-party payment solution terminates its relationship with Newegg or refuses to renew its agreement with Newegg on commercially reasonable
terms, we would need to find an alternate payment solution, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such payment solution
in an acceptable time frame. Further, the software and services provided by our third-party payment solutions may not meet our expectations,
contain errors or vulnerabilities, be compromised or experience outages. Any of these risks could cause us to lose our ability to accept
online payments or other payment transactions or make timely payments to users of our Marketplace, any of which could make our Marketplace
less trustworthy and convenient and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain our users.
Nearly
all of our users’ payments are made by credit card, debit card or through other third-party payment services, which subjects Newegg
to certain regulations and to the risk of fraud. We may in the future offer new payment options to users that may be subject to additional
regulations and risks. We are also subject to a number of other laws and regulations relating to the payments we accept from our users,
including with respect to money laundering, money transfers, privacy and information security. If we fail to comply with applicable rules
and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties, fines and/or higher transaction fees and may lose our ability to accept
online payments or other payment card transactions, which could make our Marketplace less convenient and attractive to our users. If
any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Additionally,
card organizations, including Visa, require Newegg to comply with payment card network operating rules, which are set and interpreted
by the payment card networks. The payment card networks could adopt new operating rules or interpret or reinterpret existing rules in
ways that might prohibit us from providing certain offerings to some users, be costly to implement or difficult to follow. We have agreed
to reimburse our payment processors for fines, penalties or assessments that are assessed by card organizations if we or the users on
our Marketplace violate these rules. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
The
loss of key employees or the failure to attract or retain qualified personnel can have a material adverse effect on our ability to run
our business.
The
loss of any of our current executives, key employees or key advisors, or the failure to attract, integrate, motivate and retain additional
key employees, can have a material adverse effect on our business. Competition for well-qualified and skilled employees has been increasingly
intense, and our future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and
skilled employees, including, in particular, software engineers, data scientists and technology and fulfillment professionals. Although
we have employment agreements with our executive officers, all of our executive officers are employed “at-will” and could
terminate their employment at any time. If we lose one or more of our executive officers or other key employees, our ability to implement
our business strategy successfully can be seriously harmed. Furthermore, replacing executive officers or other key employees with other
highly skilled and qualified candidates has been and may continue to be difficult, taking an extended period of time. Recruiting skilled
personnel is highly competitive. The increased availability of flexible or remote work arrangements, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic,
has both intensified and expanded competition. There can be no assurance that we will continue to attract and retain the personnel needed
for our business. The failure to attract or retain qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.
A
significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential or personal information we hold could be detrimental to our business, reputation
and results of operations.
Our
business requires the storage, transmission and utilization of data, including personal information, much of which must be maintained
on a confidential basis. These activities have made, and may in the future make, us a target of cyber-attacks by third parties seeking
unauthorized access to the data we maintain, including our customer data, or to disrupt our ability to provide service. As a result of
the types and volume of personal data on our systems, we believe that we are a particularly attractive target for such breaches and attacks.
For example, in 2018, Newegg suffered an intrusion of a portion of its network, as a result of which access was gained to a limited amount
of credit card information.
In
recent years, the frequency, severity and sophistication of cyber-attacks, computer malware, viruses, social engineering, and other intentional
misconduct by computer hackers has significantly increased, and government agencies and security experts have warned about the growing
risks of hackers, cyber criminals and other potential attackers targeting information technology systems. Such third parties could attempt
to gain entry to our systems for the purpose of stealing data or disrupting the systems. In addition, our security measures may also
be breached due to employee error, malfeasance, system errors or vulnerabilities, including vulnerabilities of our vendors, suppliers,
their products, or otherwise. Third parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive
information such as usernames, passwords or other information to gain access to our customers’ data or our data, including intellectual
property and other confidential business information.
While
we have implemented security measures designed to protect against security breaches, these measures could fail or may be insufficient,
particularly as techniques used to sabotage or obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and generally are not recognized
until launched against a target, resulting in the unauthorized disclosure, modification, misuse, destruction, or loss of our or our customers’
data or other sensitive information. Any failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure of the
data we maintain, including personal information, could result in litigation, indemnity obligations, regulatory enforcement actions,
investigations, fines, penalties, mitigation and remediation costs, disputes, reputational harm, diversion of management’s attention,
and other liabilities and damage to our business.
We
believe we have taken appropriate measures to protect our systems from intrusion, but we cannot be certain that advances in criminal
capabilities, discovery of new vulnerabilities in our systems and attempts to exploit those vulnerabilities, physical system or facility
break-ins and data thefts or other developments will not compromise or breach the technology protecting our systems and the information
we possess.
We
may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyber-attacks. Any security breach could result in operational disruptions
that impair our ability to meet our customers’ requirements, which could result in decreased revenue. Also, whether there is an
actual or a perceived breach of our security, our reputation could suffer irreparable harm, causing our current and prospective customers
to reject our products and services in the future, deterring data suppliers from supplying us data or customers from uploading their
data on our platform, or changing consumer behaviors and use of our technology. Further, we could be forced to expend significant resources
in response to a security breach, including those expended in notifying individuals and providing mitigating services, repairing system
damage, increasing cybersecurity protection costs by deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, and litigating and resolving
legal claims or governmental inquiries and investigations, all of which could divert the attention of our management and key personnel
away from our business operations. Federal, state and foreign governments continue to consider and implement laws and regulations addressing
data privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection laws, which include provisions relating to breaches. In any event, a significant security
breach could materially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
We
may not succeed in promoting and strengthening the Newegg brand, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of
operations.
Brand
recognition is a primary competitive factor in the e-commerce market and will be a key factor in maintaining and expanding our customer
base, market position and bargaining power with vendors. Any loss of trust in our brand could harm our reputation and result in consumers,
sellers, brands, vendors and other participants reducing their activity level in our business, which could materially reduce our profitability.
If
we do not, or are unable to continue to, promote and strengthen the Newegg brand, or if the brand fails to continue to be viewed favorably,
we may not be successful in attracting new customers and Marketplace sellers, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial
condition and results of operations. Additionally, we compete not only for customers and Marketplace sellers, but also for favorable
product allocations and cooperative advertising support from our vendors. If we fail to maintain favorable recognition of our brand,
we may not be successful in maintaining and strengthening our relationships with vendors in existing and new product categories or in
maintaining existing offerings and sourcing new products at competitive prices and with adequate levels of inventory.
Adverse
publicity about Newegg may arise from time to time. Negative comments about our online platforms, the products and services offered by
us and our Marketplace sellers or our management may appear in internet postings and other media sources from time to time, and there
is no assurance that other types of negative publicity of a more serious nature will not arise in the future. For example, if our customer
service representatives fail to satisfy the individual needs of the customers, the customers may become disgruntled and disseminate negative
comments about our customer service. In addition, our Marketplace sellers and brand partners may also be subject to negative publicity
for various reasons, such as customers’ complaints about the quality of their products and related services or other public relations
incidents, which may adversely affect the sales of their products through Newegg and indirectly affect our reputation. Moreover, negative
publicity about other online retailers or the e-commerce industry in general may arise from time to time and cause customers to lose
confidence in the products and services Newegg offers. Any such negative publicity, regardless of veracity, may have a material adverse
effect on our business, reputation and financial condition.
We
are, or may become, subject to risks associated with our international operations, principally in Canada, which may harm our business.
Newegg
began operations on our Canadian retail website, www.newegg.ca, in October 2008. We also have a physical presence in China and Taiwan.
While Newegg is investing in building our business in other markets, we may not be able to successfully manage the challenges associated
with our current and future international operations due to risks, such as:
| ● | international
economic and political conditions or geopolitical events and security issues (including terrorist
attacks, war, or other armed hostilities); |
| ● | changes
in, or impositions of, legislative or regulatory requirements on e-commerce businesses and
companies, such as U.S. sanctions laws and regulations, and limitations on our ability to
directly own or control key assets, such as overseas warehouses; |
| ● | the
legal and regulatory environment in foreign jurisdictions, including with respect to consumer
privacy and data protection laws, tax, law enforcement, network security, trade compliance
and intellectual property matters, as well as consumer litigation; |
| ● | tax
laws, regulations and treaties, including U.S. taxes on foreign operations and repatriation
of funds; |
| ● | difficulties
in identifying, attracting, hiring, training and retaining qualified personnel, and overseeing
international operations, including the efficient management of our international operations; |
| ● | delays
or additional costs resulting from import/export controls, duties, tariffs or other barriers
to trade; and |
| ● | currency
exchange controls or changes in exchange rates, which could make our pricing less competitive
or reduce our profit margins. |
Any
one of the foregoing factors could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.
Our
expansion into new product categories, services, technologies and geographic regions subjects us to additional business, legal, financial
and competitive risks.
An
important element of our business strategy is to expand into new product categories, services, technologies and regions, such as our
expansion into Canada and other countries, and our offerings under Newegg Partner Services (“NPS”) for third parties. In
directing our focus into these new areas, we face numerous risks and challenges, including alienating our core customer base, facing
new competitors, having the increased need to develop new strategic relationships and straining our management, personnel, operations,
systems, technical performance, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions. There is no assurance that
our strategy will result in increased net sales or net income. Furthermore, growth into new business areas may require changes to our
existing business model and cost structure, modifications to our infrastructure, and exposure to new regulatory and legal risks related
to operating in new jurisdictions, any of which may require expertise in areas in which we have little or no experience. These risks
may pose a material adverse risk to our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any
interruption in our fulfillment operations may have an adverse impact on our business.
Our
ability to process and fulfill orders accurately and provide high-quality customer service depends on the smooth operation of our fulfillment
infrastructure, including our warehouses and order processing centers. If we do not optimize and operate our fulfillment infrastructure
successfully and efficiently, it could result in excess or insufficient fulfillment capacity, an increase in costs or impairment charges
and a reduction in our gross profit margin, or harm our business in other ways. If we do not have sufficient fulfillment capacity or
experience a problem fulfilling orders in a timely manner or if certain products are out of stock, our customers may experience delays
in receiving their orders, which could harm our reputation and our relationship with our customers.
Our
fulfillment infrastructure may be vulnerable to damage caused by fire, floods, power outages, telecommunications failures, break-ins,
earthquakes, human error and other events. For example, our warehouse located in Indianapolis experienced a significant fire in January
2019, causing damage to our inventory. Our fulfillment infrastructure and processes may also contain undetected errors or design flaws
that may cause our fulfillment operations to fail and materially impact our business and results of operations. If, for example, any
of our warehouses were rendered incapable of operations, we may be unable to fulfill any orders in areas that rely on that warehouse.
The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and
results of operations.
We
depend on our vendors to source sufficient quantities of merchandise on favorable terms. If we fail to maintain strong vendor relationships
or if our vendors are otherwise unable to supply products that meet our standards in a timely manner, our net sales and net income could
suffer.
Our
contracts or arrangements with vendors generally do not guarantee the availability of merchandise or provide for the continuation of
particular pricing or other practices. Our vendors may not continue to sell their inventory to us on current terms or at all, and, if
the terms are changed, we may not be able to establish new supply relationships on similar or better terms. In most cases, our relationships
with our vendors do not restrict them from selling their products through our competitors. Newegg competes with other retailers for favorable
product allocations and vendor incentives from product manufacturers and distributors, including but not limited to marketing dollars
and volume-based sales incentive programs. Some of our competitors could enter into exclusive or favorable distribution arrangements
for certain products with our vendors, which would deny us complete or partial access to those products and marketing and promotional
resources. In addition, some vendors whose products are offered on our online platforms also sell their products directly to customers.
If we are unable to develop and maintain relationships with vendors that permit us to obtain sufficient quantities of desirable merchandise
on favorable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Our
relationship with any particular vendor is dependent on our sales of products manufactured or distributed by that vendor. For certain
products, we do not currently, and in the future may not be able to, meet the sales volumes or other requirements necessary to receive
favorable treatment from the manufacturer of that product. As a result, we may not receive favorable pricing, vendor incentives or other
considerations from those vendors. During times of short supply for highly desirable products, we may not receive adequate, or any, allocation
of a popular product, leading to lost sales and customer dissatisfaction.
Certain
products help create and maintain customer loyalty to the Newegg brand. Failing to maintain an adequate supply of these products could
damage our ability to retain customers. We currently do not carry the full product portfolio of, and in some cases do not carry any products
of, certain well-known brands. As a result, consumers who are searching for those brands may not be able to purchase products from us
or purchase them at the most favorable prices, leading to potentially reduced net sales and net income.
Certain
vendors provide a significant portion of our merchandise. In the United States and Canada, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021,
our ten largest suppliers accounted for approximately 69% of the merchandise we purchased. Three of our ten largest suppliers, Asus,
ASI Corporation, and MSI, accounted for approximately 32% of our purchases for the same period. Failure to maintain a positive relationship
with these key suppliers could impact our ability to sell to customers the products they want.
Our
vendors’ financial performance, liquidity and access to capital may be materially adversely affected by many factors, including,
but not limited to: general economic factors, such as a continued slowdown in the U.S. or global economy or an uncertain economic outlook;
political or financial instability; merchandise quality issues; product safety concerns; trade restrictions; work stoppages; tariffs;
international trade war; foreign currency exchange rates; transportation capacity and costs; inflation; or outbreak of pandemics. These
and other issues may affect their ability to maintain their inventories, production levels and/or product quality and could cause them
to raise prices, lower production levels or cease their operations, all of which may in turn materially adversely affect our net sales
and net income.
Our
international sales and operations require access to international markets and are subject to applicable laws relating to trade, export
and import controls and economic sanctions, the violation of which could adversely affect our operations.
Newegg
must comply with all applicable U.S. export and import laws and regulations. Such laws and regulations include, but are not limited to,
the Export Administration Act and the Export Administration Regulations. Newegg must also comply with U.S. sanctions laws and regulations,
which are primarily administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, as well as other U.S. government
agencies. U.S. sanctions generally prohibit transactions by U.S. persons, including us, involving sanctioned countries, entities and
persons, without U.S. government authorization (which will rarely be granted). Non-U.S. subsidiaries of U.S. companies are required to
comply with U.S. sanctions against Cuba and Iran.
Violations
of U.S. laws and regulations relating to trade, export and import controls and economic sanctions could result in significant civil and/or
criminal penalties on us or on our foreign subsidiaries, including fines, prohibitions on exporting and importing, prohibitions on receiving
government contracts or other government assistance and other trade-related restrictions. U.S. enforcement of such laws and regulations
continues to increase.
We
must also comply with applicable foreign laws relating to trade, export and import controls and economic sanctions. We may not be aware
of all of such laws applicable in the markets in which we do business, which subjects us to the risk of potential violations.
We
conduct marketing activities to help attract visitors to our online platforms, and if we are unable to attract these visitors or convert
them into customers in a cost-effective manner, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
Our
success depends on our ability to attract visitors to our online platforms and convert them into customers in a cost-effective manner.
We rely on search engines, social media, shopping comparison sites and other affiliate networks to provide content, advertising banners
and other links that direct visitors to our online platforms. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 34% of our website and mobile app
visitors were referred to us through paid and unpaid search engine listings, shopping comparison sites and other affiliate networks that
provide links to our online platforms. In particular, we rely on search engines, such as Google, Microsoft Bing and Yahoo!, as important
marketing channels. If search engines change their search engine algorithms periodically or penalize us for non-compliance with their
guidelines while using their algorithms, terms of service, or display and featuring of search results, or if competition increases for
advertisements, we may be unable to cost-effectively drive visitors to our websites and mobile apps. We also sometimes pay these third
parties to include or highlight our websites in their search results. If such third parties modify or terminate their relationship with
us or increase the price they charge to us, if our competitors offer them greater fees for traffic, or if any free third-party platforms
on which we rely begin charging fees for listing or placement, our expenses could rise and traffic to our websites could decrease, resulting
in harm to our operations.
Our
success also depends on our ability to convert visitors to our websites and mobile apps into paying customers, a process which is partially
reliant upon our ability to identify and purchase relevant keyword search terms, provide relevant content on our online platforms and
effectively target our other marketing programs, such as internet portal referrals, email campaigns and affiliate programs. If we are
unable to attract visitors to our websites and mobile apps and convert them into customers cost-effectively, our business and financial
results may be harmed.
Because
many of the products that we sell are manufactured abroad, we may face delays, increased cost or quality control deficiencies in the
importation of these products, which could reduce our net sales and profitability.
Many
of the products that we purchase for direct sale on our online platforms are manufactured in countries outside the United States. These
imported products subject us to the risk of changes in import duties or quotas, new restrictions on imports, work stoppages, delays in
shipment, freight cost increases, product cost increases due to foreign currency fluctuations or revaluations and economic uncertainties
(including the imposition of antidumping or countervailing duty orders, safeguards, remedies or compensation and retaliation due to illegal
foreign trade practices) and instability in the political and economic environments of the countries in which the manufacturers of these
products operate. If any of these or other factors were to cause a disruption of trade from these countries, we may be unable to obtain
sufficient quantities of these imported products to satisfy our requirements or our cost of obtaining such products may increase. Historically,
instability in the political and economic environments of the countries in which our suppliers operate has not had a material adverse
effect on our operations. However, the effect that future changes in economic or political conditions in the foreign countries where
our supplying manufacturers are located may have on our operations cannot be predicted. Potential disruptions or delays in supply due
to economic or political conditions in foreign countries could adversely affect our results of operations unless and until alternative
supply arrangements are made.
We
are partially dependent on third parties to perform a number of our e-commerce functions. If such third parties are unwilling or unable
to continue providing these services, our business could be harmed.
As
of December 31, 2021, approximately 6.1% of our gross merchandise value (“GMV”) was generated by the sale of products fulfilled
through third parties. These third parties provide various services on our behalf, including inventory maintenance and order processing.
We have no effective means to ensure that these third parties will continue to perform these services to our satisfaction, in a manner
satisfactory to our customers or on commercially reasonable terms. Our customers may become dissatisfied and cancel their orders or decline
to make future purchases if these third parties fail to deliver products on a timely basis. If our customers become dissatisfied with
the services provided by these third parties, our reputation and brand could suffer.
If
we fail to manage our inventory effectively, our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity may be materially and adversely
affected.
Our
scale and business model require us to manage a large volume of inventory effectively. As we may continue expanding our product offerings,
we expect to include more SKUs in our inventory, which could make it more challenging for us to manage our inventory effectively and
put more pressure on our warehousing system.
We
purchase most of the merchandise that we sell directly to customers on our online platforms from manufacturers or distributors. We assume
inventory damage, theft, obsolescence, and price erosion risks for our inventory. These risks are especially significant as most of the
merchandise sold on our online platforms is characterized by rapid technological change, obsolescence and price erosion. For the year
ended December 31, 2021, we recorded inventory write-offs or write-downs totaling $8.2 million, or 0.4% of our cost of goods sold. We
may sell obsolete or dated merchandise at a discount or loss. If there were unforeseen product developments or if vendors were to change
their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. We also periodically take advantage of cost savings associated with certain
opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by our vendors. These bulk purchases increase our exposure to inventory obsolescence.
Our success depends on our ability to sell our inventory rapidly, purchase inventory at attractive prices relative to our resale value
and manage customer returns and the shrinkage resulting from theft, loss, and misrecording of inventory. If we are unsuccessful in any
of these areas, we may be forced to write down or write off substantial amounts of inventory, or sell it at a discount or loss, which
could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We
depend on our demand forecasts for various kinds of products to make purchase decisions and to manage our inventory. We are exposed to
inventory risks as a result of seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, defective merchandise,
changes in consumer demand, tastes and spending patterns, and other factors. While we endeavor to accurately predict these trends and
avoid overstocking or understocking products we sell, the demand for products can change significantly between the time inventory is
ordered and the date of sale, and we may be unable to sell products in sufficient quantities as we expect. Furthermore, we may in the
future open additional warehouses and duplicate part of the inventory for our direct sales business that is stored at our current warehouses
to increase our overall fulfillment efficiency as we grow our business, which will also increase the inventory risks our direct sales
business faces. Failure to effectively manage our inventory risk could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
We
have incurred net losses in the past and may experience losses in the future.
We
incurred net losses of $17.0 million and $33.6 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively, and reported net income of $36.3 million and $30.4
million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to generate net profits or positive
cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve and maintain profitability will depend in large part on our
ability to, among other things, source and sell higher margin products, grow and diversify our supplier base, and optimize our cost structure.
We may not be able to achieve any of the above. As we continue to grow and expand our business, our operating expenses may increase further.
As a result of the foregoing, we may incur net losses in the future.
If
we fail to adopt new technologies or adapt our websites, mobile apps and systems to changing customer requirements or emerging industry
standards, our business may be materially and adversely affected.
To
remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality and features of our online platforms, including
our websites and mobile apps. The internet and the e-commerce industry are characterized by rapid technological evolution, frequent introductions
of new products and services embodying new technologies and the emergence of new industry standards and practices, and changes in customer
requirements and preferences, any of which could render our existing technologies and systems obsolete. We may be required to devote
substantial resources to developing proprietary technologies or license technologies, enhancing our existing websites and mobile apps,
developing new services and technology that address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of our current and prospective customers
and adapting to technological advances and emerging industry and regulatory standards and practices in a cost-effective and timely manner.
The development of proprietary technology entails significant technical and business risks. There can be no assurance that our efforts
to develop proprietary technologies will succeed or that any technology licenses will be available on commercially reasonable terms.
Substantial investments will be required to remain technologically competitive, and our failure to do so may harm our business and results
of operations.
The
seasonality of our business places increased strain on our operations.
Newegg
historically experiences higher sales in the fourth quarter due to the holiday season. If we do not stock or restock popular products
in sufficient amounts such that we fail to meet customer demand, it could significantly affect our revenue and future growth. If we overstock
products, we may be required to take significant inventory markdowns or write-offs and incur commitment costs, which could reduce profitability.
We may experience an increase in our net shipping cost due to complimentary upgrades, split-shipments and additional long-zone shipments
necessary to ensure timely delivery for the holiday season. If too many customers access our online platforms within a short period of
time due to increased holiday demand, we may experience system interruptions that make our online platforms unavailable or prevent us
from efficiently fulfilling orders, which may reduce the volume of goods sold through our online platforms and the attractiveness of
our products and services. In addition, we may be unable to adequately staff our fulfillment and customer service capability during these
peak periods.
As
we tend to experience higher sales in the fourth quarter, we generally experience an increase in our cash position at year-end, as compared
to the first, second and third quarters when sales are lower. Historically, our cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities balances
typically reach their highest level (other than as a result of cash flows provided by or used in investing and financing activities)
at December 31 of each year. In anticipation of higher sales during the holiday season, we typically begin building up inventory levels
in the later part of the third quarter. As a result of this inventory build-up and faster inventory turnover during the fourth quarter,
our accounts payable are typically at their highest levels at year-end. As sales begin to slow in the first and second quarters, inventory
levels decrease, inventory turnover lengthens, and accounts payable and cash balances decrease as we pay our vendors. The COVID-19 pandemic
has resulted in increased cash and accounts payable balances due to an increased demand in our products, and inventory levels increased
and turned faster than normal as a result of increased sales.
The
successful operation of our business depends upon the performance, reliability and security of the internet infrastructure in the countries
where we operate.
Our
business depends on the performance, reliability and security of the telecommunications and internet infrastructure in the countries
where we operate. We have several servers located in China that provide development, testing and quality control services. Almost all
access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory
supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China. In addition, the national
networks in China are connected to the internet through state-owned international gateways, which are the only channels through which
a domestic user can connect to the internet outside China. We may face similar or other limitations in other countries in which we operate.
We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with the internet infrastructure
in China or elsewhere. In addition, the internet infrastructure in the countries in which we operate may not support the demands associated
with continued growth in internet usage.
The
failure of telecommunications network operators to provide Newegg with the requisite bandwidth could also interfere with the speed and
availability of our websites and mobile apps. If the prices that we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly,
our net income could be adversely affected. In addition, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user
traffic may decrease, which in turn may significantly decrease our revenues.
If
we are unable to manage our growth or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely
affected.
Our
success depends upon our ability to manage the growth of our operations effectively. We anticipate expanding further as we pursue our
growth strategies. Our expansion increases the complexity of our business and places a significant strain on our management, operations,
technical systems, financial resources and internal control over financial reporting functions. Our current and planned personnel, systems,
procedures and controls may not be adequate to support and effectively manage our future operations, especially as we employ personnel
in several geographic locations. In addition, our growth will require us to improve our operational and financial systems, procedures
and controls, successfully manage international operations and hire additional personnel. These efforts may not be successful, and we
may be unable to improve our systems, procedures and controls in a timely manner.
Delays
or problems associated with any of these initiatives could harm our business and operating results. These initiatives will also cause
our operating expenses to increase. If we fail to accurately estimate and assess our growth or fail to increase net sales to match our
increased operating expenses, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer.
An
adverse change in the vendor payment terms and conditions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We
purchase our inventory from vendors on trade accounts typically requiring payment between 15 and 45 days after the date the inventory
is shipped to us. As of December 31, 2021, our accounts payable balance was $235.9 million with 42 days of payables outstanding. Our
accounts payable balances as of December 31, 2021 represented 37.4% of our liabilities and shareholders’ equity. An adverse change
in our vendors’ payment terms and conditions would significantly increase our working capital requirements and have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.
Since
the Merger, we have implemented a variety of measures to ensure that the Company follows the rules applicable to public companies in
the United States. To the extent these new procedures and policies have not changed historical behaviors that might be inconsistent with
the rules and practices regulating a U.S. public company, we could be at risk of violation or poor reporting as a public company. If
our directors or executive officers inadvertently fail to identify, review or disclose a new relationship or arrangement causing the
Company to fail to properly disclose any related party transaction or in the event that we fail to comply with SEC reporting and internal
controls and procedures, we may be subject to securities laws violations that may result in additional compliance costs or costs associated
with SEC judgments or fines, both of which will increase our costs and negatively affect our potential profitability and our ability
to conduct our business. The public reporting requirements and controls are new for our management since completion of the Merger in
May 2021 and may require us to obtain outside assistance from legal, accounting or other professionals that will increase our costs of
doing business.
We
identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the
future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which could result in material misstatements of our consolidated
financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.
We
have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination
of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement
of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We have concluded that material weaknesses
arose because we did not have the proper business processes, systems, personnel, and related internal controls in place.
For
a description of the identified material weaknesses, see Item 15, “Controls and Procedures.” In connection with management’s
identification of these material weaknesses, management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective
as of December 31, 2021.
As
further described in Item 15 “Controls and Procedures,” we have undertaken steps to improve our internal control over financial
reporting. We expect that we will need to improve existing procedures and controls, and implement new ones, to remediate the material
weaknesses. We may not be successful in making the improvements necessary to remediate the material weaknesses identified by management
or be able to do so in a timely manner. Any inability to remediate the material weaknesses effectively or in a timely manner, or the
identification of any new material weaknesses in the future, could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts
or disclosures and could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable
to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange
listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and the price of our common stock may decline as a result.
We
and certain of our subsidiaries are parties to a revolving credit agreement, which contains a number of covenants that may restrict our
current and future operations and could adversely affect our ability to execute business needs.
We
and certain of our subsidiaries have entered into a credit agreement with financial institutions which contains a number of covenants
that limit our ability and our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things, incur indebtedness, create liens, make investments,
merge with other companies, dispose of our assets, prepay other indebtedness and make other distributions. The obligations under the
credit agreements are also guaranteed by our assets or those of our subsidiaries. The terms of the credit agreement may restrict our
current and future operations and could adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs or to execute
business strategies in the means or manner desired. In addition, complying with these covenants may make it more difficult to successfully
execute our business strategy, invest in our growth strategy and compete against companies who are not subject to such restrictions.
The credit agreement also contains financial covenants that require us to maintain certain minimum financial ratios and maintain an operating
banking relationship with the financial institutions. Although we are currently in compliance with the financial covenants, we cannot
guarantee that we will continue to be able to generate sufficient cash flow or sales to meet the financial covenants or pay the principal
or interest under the credit agreements.
If
we are unable to comply with our payment requirements, the financial institutions may accelerate our obligations under the credit agreement
and foreclose upon the collateral, or we may be forced to sell assets, restructure our indebtedness or seek additional equity capital,
which would dilute shareholders’ interests. If we fail to comply with any covenant it could result in an event of default under
the agreement and the lenders could make the entire debt immediately due and payable. If this occurs, we might not be able to repay the
debt or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it. Even if new financing is available, it may not be on terms that are acceptable to us.
Our
business, operating results, and cash flows may be adversely impacted by a rising rate of inflation.
Due
to labor and supply chain constraints, including those stemming from effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an inflationary
environment resulting in significant increases to the cost of components, labor and freight costs and other expenses. These inflationary
pressures have affected, and may continue to affect, wages, the cost and our ability to obtain products, the price of our goods and services,
our ability to meet customer demand, discretionary consumer spending that may lead to lesser demand for our products, our gross margins
and operating profit. If we are unable to successfully manage the effects of inflation, our business, operating results, cash flows and
financial condition may be adversely affected. In addition, inflation may amplify or exacerbate many of the other risks discussed in
this “Risk Factors” section.
Legal
and Regulatory Risks
Claims,
Litigation, Government Investigations, and Other Proceedings May Adversely Affect Our Business and Results of Operations
We
are subject to actual and threatened claims, litigation, investigations, and other proceedings, involving a wide range of issues, including
patent and other intellectual property matters, taxes, labor and employment, privacy, data use, data protection, data security, network
security, consumer protection, commercial disputes, goods and services offered by us and by third parties, and other matters. Any of
these types of proceedings can have an adverse effect on us because of legal costs, disruption of our operations, diversion of management
resources, negative publicity, and other factors. The outcomes of these matters are inherently unpredictable and subject to significant
uncertainties. Determining legal reserves or possible losses from such matters involves judgment and may not reflect the full range
of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes. Until the final resolution of such matters, we may be exposed to losses in excess of the
amount recorded, and such amounts could be material. Should any of our estimates and assumptions change or prove to have been incorrect,
it could have a material effect on our business or results of operations.
We
may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights.
We
rely on trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality or licensing agreements with employees, buyers, third-party
sellers, brand partners and others to protect our proprietary rights. These steps may be inadequate, agreements may be violated or there
may be inadequate remedies for a violation of such agreements. Our competitors may independently develop equivalent proprietary information
and rights or may otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, which could affect our ability to compete in
the market. There is no assurance that the steps that we have taken will adequately protect our proprietary rights, especially in countries
where the laws or enforcement of the laws may not protect our rights to the same extent or in the same way as in the United States.
In
addition, third parties may infringe or misappropriate our proprietary rights, and we could be required to enforce our intellectual property
rights, which could require expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. We have registered and common law trademark
rights in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, as well as pending trademark applications for a number of marks and associated
domain names. Such pending applications are not certain to be approved, and even if we obtain approval for such pending applications,
the resulting registrations may not adequately cover our trademarks or protect us against infringement or dilution by others. Effective
trademark, service mark, copyright, patent and trade secret protection may not be available in every country or jurisdiction in which
our products may be made available online, which may cause our business and operating results to suffer. In addition, we may be unable
to acquire or protect relevant domain names in the United States and in other countries. If we are not able to acquire or protect our
trademarks, domain names or other intellectual property, we may experience difficulties in achieving and maintaining brand recognition
and customer loyalty.
Assertions,
claims and allegations, even if not true, that we have infringed or violated intellectual property rights could harm our business and
reputation.
Third
parties have, and likely will in the future, assert allegations and claims of intellectual property infringement against us on the items
or their descriptions listed on our websites and mobile apps. Any such claims, disputes or litigation, even if resolved in our favor
or not true, could be time-consuming and costly to defend, and could divert our management’s efforts from growing our business.
We have intellectual property complaint and take-down procedures in place to address communications alleging that items listed on online
platforms, including the Newegg Marketplace, infringe third-party copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights. We follow
these procedures to review complaints and relevant facts to determine the appropriate action, which may include removal of the item from
our online platforms and, in certain cases, discontinuing our relationship with a Marketplace seller or brand partner who violates our
policies. However, these rules and procedures may not effectively reduce or eliminate our liability. In particular, Newegg may be subject
to civil or criminal liability for activities carried out, including products listed, by sellers or brands on our online platforms.
If
any third parties prevail in their intellectual property rights claims against Newegg, we may be required to pay significant licensing
fees, damages and attorney’s fees, and may even be liable for punitive damages if Newegg is found to have willfully infringed third
parties’ proprietary rights. We may have to stop using certain technology or solutions and need to develop or acquire alternative,
non-infringing technology or solutions, which could require significant time and resources. We could even be required to obtain a license
to use certain technologies, although such licenses may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, which may result in substantial
payments and royalties and significantly increase our operating expenses. If we cannot develop non-infringing technology or license the
appropriate technology at commercially reasonable rates, an intellectual property claim successfully asserted against us could cause
significant business interruptions in our operations, which could restrict our ability to compete effectively and have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Newegg
may be subject to product liability claims, which could be costly and time-consuming to defend.
The
majority of the products sold on our online platforms are manufactured by third parties, and some of them may be defectively designed
or manufactured. If any product we sell were to cause physical injury or injury to property, an injured party could bring claims against
us as the retailer of the product. Furthermore, we also offer IT components and peripherals under our private labels on our platforms
or through other e-commerce platforms, such as eBay, which could potentially create more exposure for Newegg with respect to product
liability than if we had simply acted as a retailer of third-party products. Our insurance coverage may not be adequate against such
product liability claims. If a successful claim were brought against Newegg in excess of our insurance coverage, it could adversely affect
our financial condition and results of operations. Even unsuccessful claims could result in the expenditure of significant funds and
management time in defending them and could have a negative impact on our reputation and business.
We
may incur additional costs due to tax assessments resulting from ongoing and future audits by tax authorities.
In
the ordinary course of business, Newegg is subject to tax examinations by various governmental tax authorities. The global and diverse
nature of our business means that there could be additional examinations by governmental tax authorities and the resolution of ongoing
and other probable audits which could impose a future risk to the results of our business. For example, in February 2018, we received
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue a notice of intent to assess sales and use taxes relating to a prior tax
period, which subsequently resulted in an assessment of approximately $0.3 million, plus penalties and interest. In May 2020, we received
from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue another notice of assessment for sales and use taxes for additional prior
tax periods in the amount of a total assessment of $2.7 million, including penalties and interest. We have appealed these assessments
and intend to vigorously protest the assessments. The outcome of the matter or the timing of such payment, if any, cannot be predicted
at this time. However, the ultimate results, if unfavorable, could have a material impact on our consolidated financial position, cash
flows, and results of operations.
Significant
developments stemming from recent U.S. government actions and proposals concerning tariffs and other economic proposals could have a
material adverse effect on us.
As
of December 31, 2021, approximately 70% of our products that were sold through our platforms, both direct sales and marketplace, were
manufactured in China. U.S. government actions since 2018 have imposed greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international
trade impacting imports and exports. The U.S. government has adopted changes, and may adopt further changes, to trade policy and in some
cases, to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements. It has initiated the imposition
of additional tariffs on certain foreign goods, including steel and aluminum, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and spare parts thereof,
and has amended export regulations regarding sales to companies on the U.S. Entity List. These changes prevent sales of foreign produced
direct products of the U.S. that are manufactured using controlled U.S.-origin equipment, technology, and software located outside the
United States to certain companies on the U.S. Entity List.
Examples
of recent actions are tariffs on steel and aluminum product imports announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce in March 2018, the scope
of which increased on February 8, 2020, and a 25% tariff on certain products that originate in China announced by the United States Trade
Representative (“USTR”) in June 2018. The USTR announced in June and July 2018 two additional supplemental lists of products
that are subject to tariffs if the goods imported into the United States originate in China, which increased the cost of these imported
products. These supplemental lists issued by the USTR added an additional 25% tariff on certain semiconductor equipment and parts originating
in China that are sold by Newegg or used in our business in the United States. In August 2018, the second list was made effective with
a 25% tariff and in September 2018 the third list was made effective with a 10% tariff, increasing to 25% in May 2019. A fourth list
was proposed by USTR in May 2019 for all remaining items originating in China. A portion of the fourth list (“4a”), was made
effective September 1, 2019, with an additional tariff of 15%, reduced to 7.5% on February 14, 2020. The remainder of the fourth list
(“4b”) was scheduled to have an additional tariff of 15% go into effect on December 15, 2019; however, on December 13, 2019,
the tariffs for list 4b were suspended after the U.S. announced it would enter into a trade agreement with China (the “Phase 1
Agreement”). A Phase 2 Agreement has not been announced as of the date of this annual report. On April 1, 2022, the U.S. Court
of International Trade upheld the List 3 and List 4a tariffs and rejected arguments brought by plaintiff importers that the tariffs exceeded
the authority of the USTR to impose. Certain procedural issues with the tariffs were remanded to USTR to reconsider. It is expected that
this litigation, which only covers tariffs imposed on goods originating from China, will continue into 2023.
Any
increase in the cost of importing goods and parts could decrease our margins, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit
our ability to sell products or purchase necessary parts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business results, results
of operations, or financial condition.
On
April 28, 2020 the U.S. Department of Commerce issued new rules that (1) expand the definition of military end use and (2) eliminate
the applicability of certain license exceptions for exports to countries on Country Group D of Supplement No. 1 to part 740 of the Export
Administration Regulations. These changes expand export license requirements for U.S. companies to sell certain items to companies in
China that have operations that could support military end uses, even if the items sold by the U.S. companies are for civilian end use
and they reduce the applicability of license exceptions for exports to those countries listed on Country Group D, including China. Additionally,
amendments have been made to General Prohibition Three (Foreign-Produced Direct Product Rule) and the Entity List, the most recent of
which were effective August 17, 2020. These amendments expand the restrictions on the sale of goods manufactured outside the United States
that are produced using certain controlled U.S. technology or software to companies on the U.S. Entity List, and regulate the use of
U.S.-origin semiconductor manufacturing equipment that produces semiconductor devices for companies on the U.S. Entity List. The rule
changes for export controls may reduce or impair our ability to sell products internationally, which could in turn decrease the demand
for our products and have a material adverse effect on our revenues and profitability. At this time, the additional proposed rule changes
are not anticipated to impact the Company’s sales of non-U.S. products; however, any unpredicted rule changes could adversely affect
our business results, operations, or financial condition.
Changes
in U.S. trade policy could result in one or more U.S. trading partners adopting responsive trade policy making it more difficult or costly
for us to export our products to those countries. As indicated above, these measures could also result in increased costs for goods imported
into the U.S. This in turn could require us to increase prices to our customers, which may reduce demand or, if we are unable to increase
prices, result in lowering our margin on goods and services sold. To the extent that trade tariffs and other restrictions imposed by
the U.S. increase the price of semiconductor equipment and related parts imported into the U.S., the cost of our materials may be adversely
affected and the demand from customers for products and services may be diminished, which could adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
See “— Newegg’s Business Model” for more information about direct sales and marketplace.
We
cannot predict future trade policy, the terms of any renegotiated trade agreements or additional imposed tariffs and their impact on
our business. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to
tariffs or trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, our
suppliers, and the U.S. economy, which in turn could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes
in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development
and investment in the territories and countries where we currently develop and sell products, and any negative sentiments towards the
United States as a result of such changes, could adversely affect our business. In addition, negative sentiments towards the United States
among non-U.S. customers and among non-U.S. employees or prospective employees could adversely affect sales or hiring and retention,
respectively.
Employment
laws in some of the countries in which we operate are relatively stringent.
As
of December 31, 2021, we had 2,205 full-time employees, of whom approximately 55% were located in the United States, 38% in China, 6%
in Taiwan, and 1% in Canada and other countries and regions. In some of the countries in which we operate, employment laws may grant
significant job protection to employees, including rights on termination of employment and setting maximum number of hours and days per
week that a particular employee is permitted to work. In addition, in certain countries in which we operate, Newegg is or may be required
to consult and seek the advice of employee representatives and/or unions. These laws, coupled with the requirement to consult with any
relevant employee representatives and unions, could impact our ability to react to market changes and the needs of our business.
Our
ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited and could adversely impact our business,
financial condition and operating results.
Under
Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use
its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income and taxes may be
limited. In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by one or more “5%
shareholders” (as defined under U.S. income tax laws) that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar
rules apply under state tax laws. We believe it is possible that we may experience an ownership change in the future as a result of shifts
in our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control, in which case we may be limited in our ability to use our net operating
loss carryforwards and other tax assets to reduce taxes owed on the net taxable income that we earn. If finalized, Treasury Regulations
currently proposed under Section 382 of the Code may further limit our ability to utilize our pre-change net operating losses and tax
credit carryforwards if we undergo such an ownership change.
We
are treated as a U.S. corporation for all U.S. federal tax purposes.
We
believe that we are an inverted corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. This means that, notwithstanding that we are a company incorporated
in the BVI, we will be treated for all U.S. federal tax purposes as if we are a U.S. corporation and you will be treated for all U.S.
federal tax purposes as holding the stock of a U.S. corporation.
Risks
Related to our Common Shares
The
market price of our common shares has been extremely volatile and may continue to be volatile due to numerous circumstances beyond our
control.
The
market price of our common shares has fluctuated, and may continue to fluctuate, widely, due to many factors, some of which may be beyond
our control. These factors include, without limitation:
| ● | comments
by securities analysts or other third parties, including blogs, articles, message boards
and social and other media; |
| A. | actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our financial and operating results; |
| ● | risks
and uncertainties associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; |
| ● | shifts
in the timing or content of certain promotions or service offerings; |
| ● | announcements
of new products and services by us or our competitors; |
| ● | the
effect of changes in tax rates in the jurisdictions in which we operate; |
| ● | announcements
of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors; |
| ● | the
mix of earnings in the countries in which we operate; |
| ● | changes
in foreign currency exchange rates; |
| ● | announcements
about our earnings that are not in line with analysts’ expectations; |
| ● | changes
in financial estimates by securities analysts; |
| ● | negative
public perception of us, our competitors, or industry; |
| ● | release
of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of
additional equity securities; |
| ● | potential
litigation or regulatory investigations; and |
| ● | overall
general market fluctuations. |
Stock
markets in general and our share price in particular have recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often
been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies and our company. For example, on July 7, 2021, our
common shares experienced an intra-day trading high of $79.07 per share and a low of $28.19 per share. In addition, from May 12, 2021
to August 4, 2021, the closing price of our common shares on Nasdaq ranged from as low as $6.04 to as high as $67.57 and daily trading
volume ranged from approximately 68,300 to 76,187,000 shares. During this time, we have not experienced any material changes in our financial
condition or results of operations that would explain such price volatility or trading volume. These broad market fluctuations may adversely
affect the trading price of our common shares. In particular, a large proportion of our common shares has been and may continue to be
traded by short sellers which has put and may continue to put pressure on the supply and demand for our common shares, further influencing
volatility in its market price. Additionally, these and other external factors have caused and may continue to cause the market price
and demand for our common shares to fluctuate, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common shares
and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common shares.
Mr.
Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang control approximately 60.5% and 35.7%, respectively, and 96.2%, collectively, of the voting power of our
issued and outstanding common shares. They will exert significant influence on our business and operations and may have a conflict of
interest with our other shareholders.
Mr.
Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang control approximately 60.5% and 35.7%, respectively, of the voting power of our issued and outstanding common
shares, and 96.2%, collectively. Additionally, Mr. Zhitao He and Mr. Fred Chang, both of whom serve as our directors, will
be able to exercise substantial influence over our business and operations. They may also have a conflict of interest with our other
shareholders. Where such a conflict exists, our other shareholders will be dependent upon Mr. He, Mr. Chang, and other directors exercising,
in a manner fair to all of our shareholders, their fiduciary duties. Also, Mr. He and Mr. Chang will have the ability to control the
outcome of most corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, including the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and amendments
to our Memorandum and Articles of Association. Moreover, such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring,
or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which may, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our
shares or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their shares.
We
are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and, as a result, qualify for exemptions from certain
corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such
requirements.
Mr.
Zhitao He, through Hangzhou Lianluo, Hyperfinite Galaxy Holding Limited, and Digital Grid, controls a majority of the voting power of
our outstanding common shares. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate
governance standards. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another
company is a “controlled company.” For so long as we remain a controlled company under this definition, we are permitted
to elect to rely on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:
| ● | an
exemption from the rule that a majority of our board must be independent directors; |
| ● | an
exemption from the rule that the compensation of our chief executive officer must be determined
or recommended solely by independent directors; and |
| ● | an
exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely
by independent directors. |
As
a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance
requirements.
The
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association limit your ability to appoint directors and influence corporate matters and
could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that minority holders of common shares may view as beneficial.
Digital
Grid and Mr. Fred Chang, who beneficially owns approximately 60.5% and 35.7%, respectively, of our total voting power, have the right
to appoint four directors and three directors, respectively, with Mr. Fred Chang acting as a “Minority Representative” selected
by a majority of the Legacy Shareholders, who collectively own approximately 96.2% of our total voting power. The number
of directors that Digital Grid and the Minority Representative are entitled to appoint will decrease proportionately with the decrease
of the respective voting power of Digital Grid and the Legacy Shareholders. Any director positions which neither Digital Grid nor the
Minority Representative is entitled to appoint shall be appointed by the remaining directors, or by any other means allowed under the
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.
The
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association limit your ability to appoint or elect persons for service on our board and
may discourage proxy contests for the election of directors and purchases of substantial blocks of shares by making it more difficult
for a potential acquirer to gain control of our board.
Certain
provisions of Newegg’s Amended Shareholders Agreement may delay or prevent us from raising funding in the future and may have an
adverse impact on us and the liquidity and market price of our common shares.
We
are party to an amended and restated shareholders agreement (the “Amended Shareholders Agreement”) with Digital Grid, Mr.
Fred Chang and certain other shareholders (the “Principal Shareholders”).
Under
the Amended Shareholders Agreement, the Principal Shareholders have pre-emptive rights to acquire additional shares when the Company
issues or sells additional securities in the future, except for “excluded issuances” as defined in the Amended Shareholders
Agreement or common shares offered pursuant to a registration statement filed with the SEC.
In
addition, the Company and the Principal Shareholders also have rights of first refusal over certain transfers of the common shares by
the Principal Shareholders, pursuant to the Amended Shareholders Agreement, as amended, and subject to compliance with applicable laws
and Nasdaq’s Listing Rules. If any Principal Shareholder receives a bona fide offer from any person other than its affiliate to
acquire any of the Principal Shareholder’s common shares (the “ROFR Shares”), then the Company has a right of first
refusal, but not the obligation, to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of the ROFR Shares, at the same price, and on the same
terms and conditions offered by the purchaser (the “ROFR Terms”). In the event the Company does not decide to purchase all
such ROFR Shares, then each of the Principal Shareholders other than the selling Principal Shareholder shall have a right of first refusal
to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of its Pro Rata Share of the ROFR Shares on the ROFR Terms. For the purpose of the Amended
Shareholders Agreement, “Pro Rata Share” means the percentage which corresponds to the ratio which each selling Principal
Shareholder’s “Percentage Interest” (which is calculated by dividing (i) the number of the common shares owned by such
Principal Shareholder, by (ii) total number of the then outstanding shares of the common shares held by all Principal Shareholders) bears
to the total Percentage Interests of all Principal Shareholders exercising their right of first refusal. In the event that the ROFR Shares
are in exchange for non-cash consideration, then such right of first refusal shall be exercisable based on the fair market value determined
in good faith by the board of such non-cash consideration.
We
may be subject to shareholder litigation due to the volatility in the price of our common shares, which may result in substantial costs
and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
In
the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits following periods of instability in the market
price of a company’s securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s
attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant
expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability
to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages,
which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If
we fail to maintain compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rules, we may be delisted from Nasdaq, which would result in a limited public market
for trading our shares and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us.
Our
common shares are traded and listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “NEGG.” However, there is no assurance that we will be able
to continue to maintain compliance with Nasdaq continued listing requirements. If we fail to do so, our common shares may lose their
status on Nasdaq and they would likely be traded on the over-the-counter market, including the Pink Sheets market. As a result, selling
our common shares could be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be
delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may not arise. In addition, in the event our common shares are delisted, broker
dealers would bear certain regulatory burdens which may discourage broker dealers from effecting transactions in our common shares and
further limit the liquidity of our shares. These factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for
our common shares. Such delisting from Nasdaq and continued or further declines in our common share price could also greatly impair our
ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing and could significantly increase the ownership dilution
to shareholders caused by our issuing equity in financing or other transactions.
We
and our directors and officers may be involved in investigations or other forms of regulatory or governmental inquiry which may cause
reputational harm to the Company, result in additional expenses, and distract our management from our day-to-day operations.
From
time to time, we and our directors and officers may be involved in investigations or other forms of regulatory or governmental inquiry
covering a range of possible issues including but not limited to securities laws compliance. These inquiries or investigations could
lead to administrative, civil or criminal proceedings involving us and could result in fines, penalties, restitution, other types of
sanctions, or the need for us to undertake remedial actions, or to alter our business, financial or accounting practices. Our practice
is to cooperate fully with regulatory and governmental inquiries and investigations.
For
example, on August 6, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo and Mr. Zhitao He received an investigation notice from the China Securities Regulatory
Commission (“CSRC”) for alleged violation of laws and regulations regarding information disclosures of Hangzhou Lianluo.
Hangzhou Lianluo is a PRC company with shares listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and is a majority owner of Newegg through
Digital Grid, a wholly-owned subsidiary. Mr. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hangzhou Lianluo. Mr. He was the former
Chairman and the former Chief Executive Officer of Lianluo Smart Limited (the predecessor company of Newegg prior to the Merger)
and is currently the chairman of our board. On October 19, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo announced that it has received a notice of administrative
punishment from the Zhejiang Regulatory Bureau of CSRC, which provided, among other things, that (i) Hangzhou Lianluo received a warning
and would be required to correct its unlawful acts and pay a fine of RMB 300,000, and (ii) Mr. Zhitao He received a warning and was required
to pay a fine of RMB 400,000.
Legal
proceedings, inquiries and regulatory investigations are often unpredictable, and it is possible that the ultimate resolution of any
such matters, if unfavorable, may be material to our results of operations in any future period, depending, in part, upon the size of
the loss or liability imposed and the operating results for the period, and could have a material adverse effect on our business. In
addition, regardless of the ultimate outcome of any such legal proceeding, inquiry or investigation, any such matter could cause us to
incur additional expenses, which could be significant, and possibly material, to our results of operations in any future period.
Any
of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the common shares will trade.
Shareholders
of a public company often bring securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price
of that company’s securities or in conjunction with mergers and acquisitions such as the Merger and disposition of Lianluo Smart
Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary, Lianluo Connection Medical Wearable Device Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Lianluo Connection”).
If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources
from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the
suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the
future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations
regarding the common shares, the market price for the common shares and trading volume could decline.
The
trading market for the common shares could be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about
our business in the future. Currently no securities analysts cover our company. If any analysts cover us in the future and downgrade
the common shares, the market price for the common shares would likely decline. If no analysts initiate coverage of us or fail to regularly
publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume
for the common shares to decline.
Techniques
employed by short sellers may drive down the market price of our common shares.
Short
selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third party with the intention
of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value
of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects
to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is in the short seller’s interest for the price of the security
to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions and allegations regarding the relevant issuer
and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a security short.
These short attacks appear to have, in the past, led to selling of our shares in the market. If we were to become the subject of any
unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we could have to expend a significant amount of resources
to investigate such allegations and/or defend ourselves. We may not be able to defend against any such short seller attacks and may be
constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state
law or issues of commercial confidentiality.
Investors
may have difficulty enforcing judgments against us, our directors and management.
We
are incorporated under the laws of the BVI and many of our directors and some of our officers reside outside the United States. Moreover,
many of these persons do not have significant assets in the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to effect service
of process within the United States upon these persons, or to recover against us or them on judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments
predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.
The
courts of the BVI would not automatically enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or our directors and officers,
or some of the experts named herein, predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, or entertain
actions brought in the BVI against us or such persons predicated solely upon U.S. federal securities laws. Further, there is no treaty
in effect between the United States and the BVI providing for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters,
and there are grounds upon which BVI courts may decline to enforce the judgments of U.S. courts. Some remedies available under the laws
of U.S. jurisdictions, including remedies available under the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be allowed in the BVI courts if contrary
to public policy in the BVI. Because judgments of U.S. courts are not automatically enforceable in the BVI, it may be difficult for you
to recover against us or our directors and officers based upon such judgments.
In
addition, under PRC law, a foreign judgment, which does not otherwise violate basic legal principles, state sovereignty, safety or social
public interest, may be recognized and enforced by a PRC court, based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment
is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. As currently there exists no treaty or other form of reciprocity between
China and the U.S. governing the recognition and enforcement of judgments, including those predicated upon the liability provisions of
the U.S. federal securities laws, there is uncertainty whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce judgments rendered by U.S.
courts.
Certain
types of class or derivative actions generally available under U.S. law may not be available as a result of the fact that we are incorporated
in the BVI. As a result, the rights of shareholders may be limited.
Shareholders
of BVI companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a court of the United States. The BVI courts are
also unlikely to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts in the United States based on certain liability provisions of U.S.
securities law or to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the BVI, based on certain liability provisions of
U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature.
You
may have more difficulty protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation.
Our
corporate affairs will be governed by the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time
to time, and by the provisions of applicable BVI law. The rights of shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors
and officers under BVI law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions
in the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law.
These
rights and responsibilities are to a large extent governed by the Companies Act and the common law of the BVI. The common law of the
BVI is derived in part from judicial precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding,
authority on a court in the BVI. In addition, BVI law does not make a distinction between public and private companies and some of the
protections and safeguards (such as statutory pre-emption rights, save to the extent expressly provided for in the memorandum and articles
of association) that investors may expect to find in relation to a public company are not provided for under BVI law.
There
may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers. Also, the BVI regulations governing
the securities of BVI companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the United States, and the BVI law and regulations regarding
corporate governance matters may not be as protective of our shareholders as state corporation laws in the United States. Therefore,
you may have more difficulty protecting your interests in connection with actions taken by our directors and officers or our Principal
Shareholders than you would as a shareholder of a corporation incorporated in the United States.
The
laws of BVI provide limited protections for our shareholders, so our shareholders will not have the same options as to recourse in comparison
to the United States if the shareholders are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.
Under
the laws of the BVI there is limited statutory protection of our shareholders other than the provisions of the Companies Act dealing
with shareholder remedies. The principal protections under BVI statutory law are derivative actions, actions brought by one or more shareholders
for relief from unfair prejudice, oppression and unfair discrimination and/or to enforce the Companies Act or the memorandum and articles
of association. Shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the Companies Act and the memorandum
and articles of association, and are entitled to payment of the fair value of their respective shares upon dissenting from certain enumerated
corporate transactions.
There
are common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked, largely dependent on English company law, since the common
law of the BVI is limited. Under the general rule pursuant to English company law known as the rule in Foss v. Harbottle, a court will
generally refuse to interfere with the management of a company at the insistence of a minority of its shareholders who express dissatisfaction
with the conduct of the company’s affairs by the majority or the board of directors. However, every shareholder is entitled to
seek to have the affairs of the company conducted properly according to law and the constitutional documents of the company. As such,
if those who control the company have persistently disregarded the requirements of company law or the provisions of the company’s
memorandum and articles of association, then the courts may grant relief. Generally, the areas in which the courts will intervene are
the following: (i) a company is acting or proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; (ii) the act complained of,
although not beyond the scope of the authority, could only be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have
actually been obtained; (iii) the individual rights of the plaintiff shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed; or
(iv) those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”
These
rights may be more limited than the rights afforded to our shareholders under the laws of states in the United States.
Under
the Companies Act, members of the general public, on payment of a nominal fee, can obtain copies of the public records of a company available
at the office of the Registrar which will include the company’s certificate of incorporation, its memorandum and articles of association
(with any amendments) and records of license fees paid to date and will also disclose any articles of dissolution, articles of merger
and a register of charges if the company has elected to file such a register.
A
member of a company is entitled, on giving written notice to the company, to inspect:
| a. | the
memorandum and articles; |
| b. | the
register of members; |
| c. | the
register of directors; and |
| d. | the
minutes of meetings and resolutions of members and of those classes of members of which he
is a member; and to make copies of or take extracts from the documents and records referred
to in (a) to (d) above. |
Subject
to the memorandum and articles of association, the directors may, if they are satisfied that it would be contrary to the company’s
interests to allow a member to inspect any document, or part of a document, specified in (b), (c) or (d) above, refuse to permit the
member to inspect the document or limit the inspection of the document, including limiting the making of copies or the taking of extracts
from the records. Where a company fails or refuses to permit a member to inspect a document or permits a member to inspect a document
subject to limitations, that member may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order that he or she should be permitted to
inspect the document or to inspect the document without limitation.
This
may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit
proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.
As
a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken
by our management, members of the Board or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated
in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act and the laws applicable
to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Shares — Differences between the
Law of Different Jurisdictions.”
Because
we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on a price appreciation of the common shares for a return
on your investment.
We
currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business.
As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in
the common shares as a source for any future dividend income.
Our
Board has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of British Virgin Islands law. In
addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors.
Under British Virgin Islands law, a British Virgin Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account,
provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall
due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our Board decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future
dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of
distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions, and other factors deemed
relevant by our Board. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the common shares will likely depend entirely upon any future price
appreciation of the common shares. There is no guarantee that the common shares will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at
which you purchased the common shares. You may not realize a return on your investment in the common shares and you may even lose your
entire investment in the common shares. Additionally, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our common shares
may be limited by restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, including restrictions
that are imposed under the terms of the agreements governing our subsidiaries’ loan and credit facilities. There is no assurance
that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of such dividend.
As
a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate
governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less
protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards.
As
a British Virgin Islands company listed on Nasdaq, we are subject to Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. However,
Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain provision
in the Companies Act relating to corporate governance in the British Virgin Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly
from Nasdaq’s corporate governance listing standards. We intend to follow the relevant provisions in the Companies Act in lieu
of the following corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq that listed companies must have for as long as we qualify as a foreign private
issuer: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors;
and (iii) a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice
in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under Nasdaq’s corporate governance
listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
In
addition, in September 2018, California’s Senate Bill 826 was signed into law. Senate Bill 826 generally requires public companies
with principal executive offices in California to have a minimum number of females on its board of directors. As of December 31, 2019,
each public company with principal executive offices in California was required to have at least one female on its board of directors.
As of December 31, 2021, each public company was required to have at least two females on its board of directors if the company has at
least five directors, and at least three females on its board of directors if the company has at least six directors.
Our
board of directors currently includes one female director. There is uncertainty as to whether this law applies to foreign private issuers
with their principal executive offices in California, like us. If the law is deemed to apply to foreign private issuers, we will be out
of compliance. An initial violation of Senate Bill 826 can result in a fine from the California Secretary of State in the amount of $100,000,
with each subsequent violation resulting in a fine of $300,000. We cannot assure you that we can recruit, attract and/or retain qualified
members of the board and meet gender requirements under California law, which may expose us to financial penalties and adversely affect
our reputation.
We
are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions
applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because
we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations
in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
| ● | the
rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form
10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K; |
| ● | the
sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations
in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
| ● | the
sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership
and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short
period of time; and |
| ● | the
rules under Regulation FD governing selective disclosure rules of material nonpublic information. |
We
are and will continue to be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition,
we intend to publish our results on a semi-annual basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq.
Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information
we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with
the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available
to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
Item
4. Information on the Company
| A. | History
and Development of the Company |
Newegg
Commerce, Inc. (previously known as “Lianluo Smart Limited”) was incorporated as an international business company under
the International Business Companies Act, 1984, in the British Virgin Islands on July 22, 2003. The Company’s registered office
is located at 17560 Rowland Street, City of Industry, CA 91748 and its telephone number is (626) 271-9700, and its website address is
www.Newegg.com. The address of the Company’s registered agent is Vistra License Holdings (BVI) Limited, Vistra Corporate Services
Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin Islands. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports,
proxy information, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
We
are a technology-focused e-commerce company in North America, and ranked No. 1 as the global top electronics online Marketplace according
to Web Retailer’s report as of April 2021, as measured by 32.6 million visits per month in 2021. Since 2005, we have recognized
GMV of approximately $39 billion and have processed over 176 million orders. In 2021, 3.5 million buyers purchased over 675,000 items
from us, making us one of the largest e-commerce business in the U.S. In 2021, we offered more than 38 million SKUs for sale on our platform,
representing over 56,000 brands in the IT, consumer electronics and other related categories. We offer brands and sellers a wide range
of options to sell through our platform, as well as services that we offer to help make their online businesses more efficient and effective.
Our Direct offering allows brands to sell directly to us and we manage the inventory and transaction directly with our consumers. Our
Marketplace offering allows brands to leverage our platform, buyer audience and e-commerce solutions in order to generate sales on the
Newegg platform.
The
Newegg Ecosystem
Founded
in 2001, we have developed a technology-focused e-commerce ecosystem that enables all of our participants to discover, engage and transact
with each other. We take pride in connecting customers to a wide and increasing selection of technology products and a large range of
brands, sellers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and third-party service providers.
We
have developed a powerful online marketplace that delivers value to consumers, brands and sellers in the technology products sector.
Our new product and service introductions are aimed at continually improving our value proposition to these key constituents of our ecosystem
and marketplace. For consumers, on the demand side, we provide access to a vast, yet curated selection of technology products sourced
globally. On the supply side, we create value for brand partners, Marketplace sellers and suppliers by connecting them to one of the
largest audiences of technology product consumers online. Additionally, our platforms offer a comprehensive suite of e-commerce solutions,
including product listing, fulfillment, marketing, customer service and other value-added tools and services.
Key
Ecosystem Participants and How We Create Value for Them
There
are three key participants of our ecosystem: customers, Marketplace sellers, and brand partners.
Customers
We
have built a large, highly engaged and loyal customer base. As of December 31, 2021, we had over 3.5 million active customers, defined
as a unique customer ID with at least one item purchased on our platforms in the past 12 months.
Our
core customers include both our business-to-consumer (“B2C”) customers and our business-to-business (“B2B”) customers.
See “Our Business Models” for more information about our B2C and B2B businesses.
We
believe that we offer the following compelling value propositions to our customers:
| ● | Wide
range of technology-focused products. With approximately 38.7 million SKUs and 1,808 categories
as of December 31, 2021, we are viewed by our customers as a one-stop shop for a vast selection
of technology products, ranging from brand-name IT/CE products and in-house brands of computer
hardware to peripherals under our private labels. Our extensive product offerings enable
us to meet the diverse needs of a group of sophisticated customers, which is difficult for
brick-and-mortar retailers to match due to shelf space constraints. |
| ● | Data-driven
shopping experience. |
| ◦ | Content-rich,
user-friendly interface. Our platforms are user-friendly and easy to navigate, with features
enabling customers to easily discover new products and trends, such as intelligent product
recommendations and curated, personalized content supported by data and analytics. We also
empower customers to make informed purchasing decisions by offering detailed product information,
customer opinions, peer reviews, product tutorials and the opportunity to network with other
members of the Newegg community. We operate in-house video production that generates original
content to engage and inform customers, and we continue to enhance these capabilities in
order to produce more and better content. Our platforms also provide an extensive portfolio
of user-generated content, including over 4.5 million reviews as of December 31, 2021. |
| ◦ | Timely,
secure and reliable fulfillment. Leveraging our reliable logistics network and infrastructure,
we are able to maintain a high level of shipping accuracy and reliability and timely delivery.
See also “— Logistics and Fulfillment.” As of December 31, 2021, we achieved,
for orders directly fulfilled by us, an over 99.9% average accuracy rate, a 98.9% one-business
day fulfillment rate in the United States and Canada if ordered prior to our 3:00 p.m. local
time order cut-off, and a 99.8% two-business day fulfillment rate in the United States and
Canada. |
| ● | Vibrant
community of tech-savvy customers. While expanding our range of product offerings, we continue
to maintain a large and vibrant community of tech-savvy customers, providing inspiration
for visitors to discover new technology trends and products and valuable decision-making
intelligence typically not found at traditional retailers. We have continued to offer additional
functionalities to foster this community by launching Newegg Media Services, which includes
Unbox This and The Gamer Lounge, and Newegg Live, where like-minded technology enthusiasts
can get information about Newegg and technology products. |
| ◦ | Competitive
Pricing. We are able to offer competitive pricing across a broad range of categories because
of our scale, strong supplier and Marketplace seller relationships, and our ability to maintain
a cost-efficient infrastructure. Our experienced product management team leverages data to
cost-effectively match demand with supply, minimize inventory and reduce infrastructure costs
associated with brick-and-mortar retailers. We are also able to find optimized pricing points
by leveraging our data and analytics capabilities and by monitoring our major competitors’
pricing trends. |
| ◦ | Flexible
payment options. We accept a variety of payment options and have sought to add new payment
methods to cater to the needs of our customers. We also offer open-term accounts for business
and public sector customers. For example, in response to increasing customer demand, we introduced
Bitcoin payment solution in 2014 and Apple Pay in 2016. In Q4 2020, we also started offering
a Pay-in-4 program, where customers are given the freedom and flexibility to spread their
payment in four interest-free installments. See also “— Payment.” |
Marketplace
Sellers
On
our Newegg Marketplace, third-party sellers offer their products to our customers through our platforms and pay us commissions on their
sales. See “— Our Business Models — Marketplace” for more details. Our Newegg Marketplace has over 14,500 sellers,
approximately 38.1 million SKUs and over 1,600 categories as of December 31, 2021.
We
are a business enabler for our Newegg Marketplace sellers in many ways. We believe that our Marketplace sellers choose to partner with
us not just because we offer a large online sales channel, but also because we deliver the following additional value:
| ● | Scaled
access to technology-focused consumers. Our Marketplace connects sellers, whether wholesalers
or retailers, to a large and growing customer base, the majority of whom are tech-savvy,
in more than 20 countries and regions as of December 31, 2021, without expanding their physical
footprint. In 2021, approximately 1.7 million active customers purchased $742.4 million in
gross merchandise value from our Marketplace business. In addition to consumers, our Newegg
Marketplace also provides smaller vendors and retailers with access to profitable B2B opportunities
that would otherwise be difficult to reach due to the challenges associated with providing
specialized support for business’ purchasing needs. |
| ● | Access
to premium e-commerce solutions. Sellers generally face high barriers entering the e-commerce
market, including logistics and scalable economics. Our Marketplace addresses these challenges
by providing sellers with a comprehensive suite of e-commerce solutions, including an API-enabled
portal, on-site promotions, a curated marketing program, and fulfillment and delivery services.
Particularly, we provide Marketplace sellers with valuable data insights, which help them
to market their products more effectively, generate additional traffic and increase conversion. |
| ● | Human
touch. Our Marketplace is a key component of our ecosystem. Since we launched our Marketplace
model in 2010, we have carefully nurtured our relationships with Marketplace sellers and
have invested in their success, which we believe drives our continued growth in the long
run. For example, we assign dedicated account managers to qualified sellers to help them
tackle the variety of challenges associated with operating a virtual storefront. |
Brand
Partners
We
are a trusted partner and a go-to channel for many leading technology product brands and are increasingly establishing partnerships with
brands in a growing number of adjacent product categories. As of December 31, 2021, we sourced merchandise from at least 3,250 brand
partners for our direct sales business, and featured the official online stores of a number of brand partners, including some of the
most well-known brands such as AMD, Asus, Facebook Oculus, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, Nvidia, and Samsung. Our partnerships with
newer adjacent brands now total over 578,500 SKUs across over 1,100 product categories and over 3,200 brands.
We
provide the following benefits for our brand partners:
| ● | Access
to a targeted customer base. Enabling brands to cost-effectively reach target audiences,
our existing, loyal customer base is highly valued by companies targeting ready-to-buy, tech-savvy
customers as well as foreign brands seeking to sell products and build brand awareness in
markets in North America, Asia, and the Middle East. |
| ● | Comprehensive
and cost-efficient distribution channel. Leveraging Newegg’s customer-friendly online
platforms, established logistics network and infrastructure and extensive e-commerce experience
and expertise, we offer to our brand partners comprehensive and cost-efficient distribution
channels and comprehensive supply chain capabilities, including marketing, warehousing, fulfillment
and customer service. |
| ● | Brand
building and promotion solutions. We offer our brand partners solutions and support to run
special promotions and targeted marketing and brand-building campaigns through our platforms
utilizing data and interactive media in ways that cannot be achieved through traditional
media. See “— Our Business Models — Marketing Services.” |
| ● | Flexible
selling options. By providing both Direct and Marketplace options, we offer brand partners
multiple ways to sell on our platforms. Our Direct business allows brand partners to sell
products directly to us, where we handle all aspects of the transaction, from customer acquisition
to product warehousing and fulfillment. Our Marketplace business allows brand partners to
control more of the selling process and enables brands to leverage our tools and solutions
for marketplace selling and management. |
| ● | Data
insights. We collect insights from our customers’ interactions on the platform using
our data and analytics capabilities. We use these insights, coupled with customer feedback
and our knowledge of the e-commerce market, to facilitate our brand partners’ product
and marketing decision-making. |
Newegg’s
Competitive Strengths
We
believe that we maintain a market leading position by continually refining the following key competitive advantages.
Strong
brand recognition
We
have a long and proven operational history. We have operated for over twenty years and during this time have built an excellent reputation
among technology enthusiasts — earning consistent recognition as one of the leading destinations for purchasing products in the
online IT/CE category. This has been driven by our broad selection of IT/CE products, our competitive pricing, our focus on customer
support, and our consistent delivery performance. We have built our reputation via these four factors and have occupied consumers’
minds, as the go-to platform to buy electronics.
Robust
platform of Marketplace sellers
Our
large customer base allows our platform to attract top tier Marketplace sellers. These sellers provide their product assortment, competitive
pricing, fulfillment and marketing, thus increasing the value of our platform to our customers. Marketplace sellers are responsible for
the vast majority of the SKUs available for sale on our platforms. Additionally, we offer our Sponsored Product Ads Program to our sellers,
which strengthens visibility and sales of key seller items.
Vendor
Relationships
We
have built robust, long-term relationships with many of the most recognized brands in IT/CE including AMD, Asus, Intel, Microsoft, Nvidia,
etc. Many of these brands have done business with us for the last two decades, since our inception. These relationships allow us to secure
favorable terms, inventory allocations, and programs that allow us to be able to match supply to consumer demand at competitive pricing.
We also launched a partnership program in 2020 that consists of our top brand partners that commit to our businesses, which includes
a process of quarterly strategic planning and execution of sales and marketing initiatives to help achieve our mutual goals. We not only
have the ability to secure existing relationships, but we also have the know-how to build up and keep a stable and long-lasting partnership
when entering new markets.
Excellence
in supply chain management
We
have implemented cost-effective, automated solutions that provide accuracy and speed in fulfillment, including Bastian’s OPEX Perfect
Pick and Pick to Light. These warehouse automation systems allow us to achieve 99%+ same-day e-commerce fulfillment (defined as the processing
of an order for shipment) and inventory accuracy rates. We have leveraged our expertise in warehousing, logistics and distribution to
offer it as a service to our Marketplace sellers and vendors via Newegg Logistics. Newegg Logistics has expanded our third-party logistics
(“3PL”) portfolio over time to include a variety of services, including Shipped by Newegg.
Industry
leading customer service
Our
customer service is well known, with a proven track record of delivering excellent customer service for two decades. Our Net Promoter
Score is 79%, ahead of key players like Amazon, BestBuy, and eBay.
Comprehensive
service offerings to Sellers
We
offer our Marketplace sellers a whole suite of services, addressing nearly all the needs of a seller including logistics, Newegg Web
Service (enabling sellers to have fully-featured e-commerce websites on their own domains powered by Newegg), advertising (including
Promoted Listing and self-service email service), media and more, through our Newegg Partner Services. We believe by providing these
services, we create additional value for our business partners and customers and ultimately benefit our ecosystem and all its participants.
Newegg’s
Growth Strategies
Our
goal is to enhance our position as a leading technology-focused e-commerce company and to continue to expand globally and into new, related
businesses. We plan to achieve this through the following:
Further
strengthen our position as a leading technology-focused e-commerce company
We
have cultivated a large and loyal customer base. We intend to further expand and engage with our customer base by increasing the efficiency
of our platforms and implementing new features to augment our platforms’ mobile functionality. We also plan to continue enhancing
our award-winning customer service function.
We
intend to engage in brand promotion campaigns and other marketing activities across online and offline channels to further drive our
growth and enhance our brand recognition worldwide. We plan to continue engaging our existing customers and reaching out to new customers
utilizing social media, customer interactions on our platforms and offline marketing events in both domestic and overseas markets.
Increase
our product assortment and introduce new product categories
We
will continue to grow our Direct sales and Marketplace businesses by increasing our product assortment and introducing new product categories,
such as 3D printers, IoT devices, automotive (auto parts and accessories), cellphones (unlocked cellphones and accessories), wearables
(fitness trackers and smart watches), and sporting goods (e-bikes, treadmill, Yoga accessories, etc.).
We
believe that our suppliers and Marketplace sellers will increase their offerings on our platforms if we continue to offer a compelling
value proposition and further develop our data-led insights, real-time visibility of customer preference shifts and fulfillment and logistics
capabilities. We also intend to attract new third-party sellers to our Marketplace, with a focus on China, by providing them with access
to our growing customer base and our ancillary e-commerce solutions. This will enable us to further enhance our sourcing capabilities,
expand the diversity and availability of our merchandise and penetrate into additional IT/CE related categories.
Expand
private label business
We
launched our private label initiative through Rosewill in 2004 and relaunched our ABS products in 2014 in order to diversify our product
offering, leverage our data and insights of customer needs, and to improve our profitability. In 2021, private label products represented
7.6% of total GMV, up from 2.6% in 2020. We intend to further expand our Rosewill and ABS private label assortment by continuing to offer
what we believe are high-quality, feature-rich, value-priced products. As of December 31, 2021, private label products (consisting of
Rosewill and ABS products) across all our platforms (Newegg.com, Newegg.ca and NeweggBusiness.com) constituted collectively only 0.002%
of our total active SKU count.
We
plan to further expand our offerings under our Rosewill brand in targeted categories, which we believe will provide strong growth potential
and higher margins, including DIY components, gaming accessories, gaming chairs, headsets, home automation and IoT connected devices.
Under our ABS brand, our goal is to continue to drive significant growth in our line of gaming and business-grade PCs by leveraging our
large audience of gamers and business customers who seek a high-quality, high-powered PC. Both brands are offered globally through our
cross-border initiative and are expected to be included in future cross-border expansion.
Grow
our small- and medium-sized business and public sector segments
We
seek to expand our B2B business by further penetrating into small- and mid-sized businesses and public sector institutions and continuously
enhancing our value proposition tailored to meet the needs of our target verticals. We plan to offer additional electronic tools and
content that allow B2B customers to troubleshoot issues on their own without having to wait for a customer representative. We are also
expanding our broad assortment of business-class products from top brands at competitive prices, which we offer with rapid delivery options
and seamless customer and technical services.
We
aim to continue to attract new customers and increase existing customers’ retention and repeat purchase rates by emphasizing our
personal touch in customer relationships and focusing on comprehensive online and offline marketing campaigns, effective customer engagement
via social media and referrals, deals and promotions and efficient conversion of high-value accounts from Newegg.com.
Further
develop our IT infrastructure and expand globally and into new businesses
We
plan to capitalize on our leading technology and infrastructure to enter into new markets and new businesses. We expect to further develop
our IT infrastructure and mobile e-commerce platform to include big data applications, supply chain management systems and AI-driven
analytical capabilities by integrating commercial software packages and open-source components into our software and systems. In 2021,
sales originated from outside of the U.S. and Canada represented over 2% of total GMV. We aim to build on our success in certain countries,
such as Canada, and apply our model to expand into fast-growing markets where there are attractive opportunities, like Gulf Cooperation
Council countries.
Pursue
selective strategic partnership, investments and acquisition opportunities
We
intend to selectively pursue strategic alliances and partnerships that are complementary to our business and operations, including opportunities
that can help us further promote our brand to new customers, increase our product offerings, improve our technology and fulfillment infrastructure,
and expand our presence to more markets with a focus on Southeast Asia.
Increase
service offerings
We
aim to expand our offering of value-added D2C platform services and solutions. We believe by providing these services, we create additional
value for our business partners and customers and ultimately benefit our ecosystem and all its participants. Currently, we offer 3PL,
including Shipped by Newegg® Service, Newegg Logistics, Newegg Staffing, a PC Builder tool, and Newegg personal computer assembly
service.
Our
Business Models
Our
primary business model is to help customers find and purchase their desired products through our platforms. From a customer base and
target audience perspective, we categorize our business model into B2C and B2B operations. We strive to offer a compelling online shopping
experience, reliable and timely order fulfilment and superior customer service across our B2C and B2B operations through our Direct sales,
Marketplace and NPS.
The
following chart sets forth our business models:
B2C
Our
B2C business model features selling products directly to consumers. We have maintained a B2C business since launching our e-commerce
platform in 2001. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately 39.6 million registered B2C customers.
With
a focus on selling IT/CE products, our B2C business has expanded to include an increasingly wide range of products, including small home
appliances, health & fitness, home living, sports, personal grooming, drones, auto electronics & parts, etc.
Our
B2C customers consist primarily of sophisticated IT professionals, gamers, do-it-yourself technology enthusiasts and early technology
adopters who generally occupy a well-educated, affluent, and IT trendsetting demographic with relatively high purchase frequency and
strong willingness to embrace technology trends and try new products. We believe our success is built upon our ability to cater to the
preferences, tastes and habits of this demographic. As of December 31, 2021, through our three major platforms, namely Newegg.com, Newegg.ca
and Newegg Global, we served customers in the U.S., Canada and over 20 additional countries and regions. For details of these platforms,
see “— Our Platforms — B2C Platforms.” Our B2C operations generated GMV of $2.4 billion and $2.3 billion for
the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
B2B
Although
business customers have been able to shop on our Newegg.com platform since its launch in 2001, we did not begin focusing on building
our B2B operations until 2009 when we launched NeweggBusiness.com, a dedicated B2B e-commerce platform, to tap into the burgeoning B2B
opportunity. With a focus on providing office and IT equipment, NeweggBusiness.com offers an increasingly extensive assortment, including
access to account executives with expertise in sourcing technology for business and processing industry specific requirements. Our B2B
operations generated GMV of $537.6 million and $349.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Our
B2B customers span across a range of verticals, including healthcare providers, K12 and higher educational institutions, government agencies,
and businesses of all sizes, and our B2B operations have been focused on providing specialized support for their industry- and business-specific
needs. As a major business development strategy, we focus our B2B efforts on serving small office/home office, or SOHO, small- and medium-sized
businesses, or SMBs, and private and public sector markets. As of December 31, 2021, we had over 700,000 registered accounts on NeweggBusiness.com.
Currently,
while we position NeweggBusiness.com as our dedicated B2B website, a significant number of our B2B customers also shop via our account
managers, or on our flagship retail platform, Newegg.com. See “— Our Platforms — B2B Platforms” for more information
about these platforms.
How
We Deliver Our Service
We
sell products to our B2C and B2B businesses through direct sales and Marketplace.
For
years since we commenced operations, we operated primarily as a direct sales, e-commerce platform and built a well-recognized brand,
a large, loyal, technology-focused customer base, a reliable logistics network and strong supplier relationships. Leveraging these existing
competitive advantages, the know-how and expertise from our direct sales business, in 2010 we launched Newegg Marketplace to complement
our direct sales operations. Our Marketplace has allowed us to significantly expand our global reach and product assortment that we otherwise
could not offer efficiently, while incurring minimal inventory risk and costs associated with building additional supplier relationships.
The products sourced by us, together with those offered on the Marketplace, provide our customers access to an unparalleled product assortment.
Our online platforms (direct and Marketplace) offered approximately 38.7 million SKUs as of December 31, 2021.
We
believe that the integration of our direct sales and Marketplace operations has created a virtuous, self-reinforcing cycle. Our Marketplace
is built on the success of our direct sales business, and we believe that many sellers are attracted to our Marketplace by our direct
sales credentials. On the other hand, as the number of sellers and brands on our Marketplace continues to grow, the choices available
to customers also should increase, generating strong momentum for our continued growth. We believe that this self-reinforcement, coupled
with our reliable logistics network, has made it a top online destination for IT/CE products.
Direct
Sales
We
acquire products directly from our partners that consist of manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers, and sell them directly to our
B2C and B2B customers. For our direct sales, we generally source the products, take inventory risk, process customer payments, prepare
packages for shipment and delivery, and provide customer service and support. We stock and ship from our own warehouses, and also drop-ship
directly to customers from our partners’ warehouses.
The
success of our direct sales business depends largely upon our ability to secure a broad selection of products from suppliers at competitive
costs. Since the commencement of our operations, we have sought and cultivated deep, longstanding relationships with some of the biggest
IT brands in the world and many of the largest, most important IT distributors. We continuously seek to build similar relationships with
suppliers in new and emerging categories and geographies. Due to our strong supplier relationships and our purchasing volume, we are
able to obtain favorable pricing, early allocation of new products, preferential allocation of products in shortage, and funding for
product promotion and cooperative marketing. We also enjoy exclusive arrangements with certain suppliers where we are able to offer highly
demanded products exclusively on our platforms. For more information about merchandise sourced for direct sales, see “— Merchandise
Sourcing.”
Direct
sales have been the basis of our business, generating approximately 72.5% of our GMV for the year ended December 31, 2021.
We leverage the traffic, customers, infrastructure, brand promise and overall goodwill generated by our direct sales relationships to
enable entry into new models, businesses, and geographies. This has allowed us to continuously improve our value proposition to our customers
and reach new customers and geographies, while improving our relationships with our partners.
Marketplace
Our
Marketplace operations enable customers to discover and purchase products from qualified third-party sellers from over 47 countries and
regions globally as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, our Marketplace consisted of over 5,200 active sellers based in the
U.S., over 7,600 active sellers based in China, and over 1,600 active sellers coming from other countries. Our Marketplace operations
consist of the Newegg Marketplace that launched in 2010, the Newegg B2B Marketplace, the International Seller Program that launched in
2011, a cross-border selling program designed to allow qualified international sellers to list products on our platforms for sale across
at least 20 countries and regions, and the Newegg Canada Marketplace that launched in 2014. As of December 31, 2021, our Marketplace
connected B2C and B2B customers to over 14,500 third-party sellers offering approximately 38.1 million SKUs. Our Marketplace offers a
wide and increasing portfolio of categories, including emerging smart home automation, VR, lifestyle electronics, health and beauty technology
products, and houses online stores of some of the most well-known brands in the technology industry, such as Dyson and Lenovo.
Our
Marketplace sellers can use the Newegg Marketplace Seller Portal, a unified, application programming interface enabled system, which
enables sellers to manage items, orders, accounts and reports, for the day-to-day operations of their online stores, including product
listings, inventory management, order fulfillment, customer service, promotional content, and service reviews and returns. We also offer
the following additional features and tools to help Marketplace sellers drive traffic and maximize sales:
| ● | Curated
Marketing programs. We have a dedicated marketing team specializing in providing sellers
with both highly effective marketing tools as well as curated marketing programs, including
sponsored product ads, A+ content, email communication program, social media campaigns, video
creation, and more. |
| ● | On-site
promotion. We offer Marketplace sellers numerous on-site promotion options, such as homepage
banners, placements to showcase flash sales and featured products, as well as personalized
post-purchase emails. |
| ● | Shipped
by Newegg fulfillment. We give sellers the option to use Shipped by Newegg, an efficient
and price-conscious fulfillment service in which we house their inventory, and pick, pack,
and ship their products. |
| ● | Shipping
Label Service. We give sellers the ability to fulfill their own orders and print a shipping
label on their own network or in the office. |
| ● | Integration
Providers. We partner with a variety of qualified integration service providers to help Marketplace
sellers fill the gaps in the integration process with item creation, inventory management,
order processing, as well as returns and refunds. |
| ● | Newegg
Elite Seller program. We offer the Newegg Elite Seller program, a membership program designed
to give qualified sellers premium access to post-purchase customer engagement, Seller Store,
and other numerous value-added operational services with significant discounts. |
While
we encourage Marketplace sellers to offer the most attractive prices, they have the flexibility to price the products sold through our
Marketplace. Due to our partnership, unique customer base, scale and large visitor traffic, some of the Marketplace sellers also set
aside exclusive offers, promotion, and product supplies for us and offer some of the best offers tailored specifically to our customers.
We have a rigorous process in place to assess our Marketplace sellers. We select Marketplace sellers based on a number of factors, including
service level, logistics capability, operation efficiency, category focus, sales volume, brand assortment, customer rating and market
reputation. We also require third-party sellers to meet our strict standards and protocols in terms of product authenticity, customer
service, and delivery and fulfillment so that customers are confident that they receive the same level of buying experience and customer
service that they expect when buying directly from us. See also “— Customer Service and Support — Marketplace monitoring.”
Only those sellers that meet our criteria are selected, and any that fall below our standards will not continue to sell on our Marketplace.
Our
Marketplace sellers pay us commissions on their sales, with published commission rates varying from 8% to 15% according to product category.
We also charge membership fees for the additional value-added services and tools that we provide to sellers based on their enrollment.
As of December 31, 2021, the average commission rate was 9.0% and in 2020, the average commission rate was 8.8%.
Merchandise
Sourcing
As
of December 31, 2021, we offered over 38.6 million SKUs, consisting of over 578,500 direct sales SKUs sourced from at least 385 suppliers
globally and approximately 38.1 million SKUs on our Marketplace from over 14,500 third-party sellers globally. As of December 31, 2021,
approximately 35.5% of our direct sales inventory was purchased from distributors, 62.7% directly from manufacturers and 1.8% from other
sources. As of December 31, 2021, the 10 largest suppliers and distributors, whom we have worked with for at least five years, accounted
for 69% of the merchandise we purchased for direct sales.
The
table below shows our major product categories offered through our platforms and their selected featured brands and the number of SKUs
in each category:
Category |
|
Products |
|
Selected
Featured Brands |
|
SKUs
as of
December 31,
2021 |
Computer
System |
|
Desktops,
laptops, gaming laptops, peripherals and accessories |
|
Asus,
MSI, HP, Lenovo, Acer, Microsoft, Samsung, LG, Gigabyte, Westinghouse |
|
Approx.
8.1 million |
Components |
|
CPU/processors,
Graphic Cards, Motherboards, storage devices and computer accessories |
|
Intel,
AMD, Asus, MSI, Corsair, Gigabyte, ASRock, EVGA, Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung, G.Skill |
|
Approx.
1.9 million |
Electronics |
|
Home
Video, Home Audio, Headphones, Pro Audio/Video, Cellphones, Wearables, Digital Cameras |
|
Samsung,
LG, Denon, Yamaha, Polk Audio, Klipsch, Jabra, JBL, Sennheiser, Bose, Beyerdynamic |
|
Approx.
9.0 million |
Gaming |
|
Xbox,
PlayStation, legacy gaming, gaming titles |
|
Sony
Playstation, Microsoft Xbox |
|
Approx.
0.26 million |
Networking &
Smart Home |
|
Home
networking, commercial networking, server & components and smart home products |
|
Google,
Asus, TP-Link, Netgear, SonicWall, Polycom, Yealink |
|
Approx.
2.9 million |
Office
Solutions |
|
Display &
printing, office technology furniture, office supplies and mailing & inventory supplies |
|
HP,
Brother, Epson, Xerox, Lexmark, Zebra, Honeywell, ELO Touch, Sony, Sharp, Asus, Acer, Samsung, Eureka Ergonomic, COUGAR |
|
Approx.
2.7 million |
Software &
Services |
|
Software,
Digital Downloads, Warranty & Services, 3rd Party Gift Cards, and Entertainment Products |
|
Microsoft,
Adobe, Norton, LifeLock, Intuit, Allstate |
|
Approx.
0.09 million |
Automotive &
Industrial |
|
Car
electronics, Marine and Aviation, Motorcycles and ATV, Performance Parts, Tools and Equipment, Wheels and Tires |
|
Alpine,
Kenwood, Garmin, Pioneer, Continental Tires, Goodyear Tires, Bridgestone Tires, Polaris, ACDelco, Bosch, Denso, Dorman Products |
|
Approx.
2.2 million |
Home &
Tools |
|
Home
improvement tools, home appliances, kitchen utensils, outdoor & garden furniture, and pet supplies, Generators |
|
Dyson,
Cuisinart, Frigidaire, iRobot, Hoover, Ninja, Shark DEWALT, Black & Decker, LG, Intex, 3M, Kitchenaid |
|
Approx.
5.4 million |
Health &
Sports |
|
Fitness,
sports and health and beauty supplies |
|
Huffy,
Vilano, Razor, Garmin, Callaway Golf, BestMassage, Sonicare, Philips, Zgrills, GT Racing, DXRacer, DJI |
|
Approx.
1.0 million |
We
strive for a steady supply of products and optimized pricing and allocation, and as a result, we maintain multiple sourcing arrangements
for most of our products. We deploy a flexible sourcing model, utilizing different distribution channels when economically and logistically
beneficial while maintaining our reseller authorizations and relationships with our brand partners. As we increase in scale in new or
emerging product categories, we endeavor to increase our purchases directly from manufacturers and, where appropriate, to become an authorized
reseller, which we believe provides improved product pricing and better access to preferred product allocation.
Our
technology savvy customer base, our online marketing and merchandising expertise and our ability to quickly and efficiently launch new
products make us the go-to channel for many manufacturers and distributors. We are particularly strong in the components categories where
we are one of the largest channels online or offline and we continue to gain significant traction with suppliers in other categories,
such as desktop PCs, laptops, and input/output devices.
We
maintain extensive and longstanding relationships with many of the biggest technology product brands and distributors globally. We employ
a team of merchandising professionals consisting of 58 employees as of December 31, 2021, specifically trained to cultivate and manage
relationships with large international IT brands, such as AMD, Asus, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, Nvidia, and Samsung. Our merchandising
professionals review our product categories and brands on a regular basis to assess demand and trends so that we offer our customers
access to the most current and desirable products. We purchase our inventory from vendors on trade accounts typically requiring payment
between 15 and 45 days after the date the inventory is shipped to us.
Leveraging
our scale, brand and global footprint, we seek to enter into exclusive agreements with selected suppliers and third-party distributors
for some or all of their products with favorable terms. We have created a manufacturer portal where our suppliers can access reports
regarding inventory and purchase history of the manufacturers’ products, view our vast record of customer reviews, and analyze
information about our customer purchases of their products. Our suppliers can access this information to assist in their marketing and
product development efforts.
Private
Labels
In
2004, Newegg began to offer our private label products by launching Rosewill, our first private label brand on Newegg.com. We leverage
our data and insights from customers and activity on the platform to determine products and features to focus our investment. The private
label assortment is primarily focused around categories where we believe that we can compete at higher than average margins while delivering
lower cost, high quality options to our customers. We offer our private label products both across our platforms and on other e-commerce
platforms, such as Walmart, Amazon, and eBay.
Our
major private labels currently include Rosewill, which is focused on offering feature-rich computer components, gaming peripherals and
home electronics, and ABS, a private label of Newegg that was re-launched in 2014 after our initial gaming machine line had been phased
out previously, offering high-end gaming PCs for consumers and custom configured computers for business applications requiring the performance
of a gaming GPU.
Other
Services and Solutions
In
addition to online retail sales, we also generate revenues from a range of ancillary value-added partner services. We believe by providing
these services, we create additional value for our business partners and customers and ultimately benefit our ecosystem and all its participants.
Supply
Chain Third-party (3PL) Services
| ● | Shipped
by Newegg® Service. We began to offer Shipped by Newegg, a comprehensive suite of warehousing
and fulfillment services, to our Marketplace sellers in 2013. Enrolled Newegg Marketplace
sellers deliver their products to one of our fulfillment centers, and we handle the fulfillment
of orders placed in the sellers’ online stores and charge service fees based on the
size of the products and the shipping methods requested. |
| ● | Newegg
Logistics. We launched Newegg Logistics in 2014, a division dedicated to providing end-to-end
e-commerce logistics and supply chain solutions covering warehousing, inventory management,
order processing, packing, and shipping, designed to reduce inventory costs and streamline
supply chain efficiencies, to our business partners, manufacturers, whole-sellers, Marketplace
sellers and B2B clients. We provide our clients recommendations based on their supply chain
strategy and roadmap. To address our clients’ concerns in managing customer returns,
we customize a cost-effective reverse logistics solution catered to their businesses. Our
solutions range from small parcel delivery to Less Than Truckload, heavy freight, and all
the way up to intermodal transport and cross-border shipping, with easy access to road, rail,
water, and air transport. We typically enter into a master service agreement with our Newegg
Logistics customers and charge service fees at a fixed rate. |
| ● | Newegg
Staffing: We launched Newegg Staffing in 2020 with a focus on providing both direct placement
and seasonal placement of employees to help our partners, offering clerical, manufacturing,
and logistics employee placement. Clients such as vendor partners utilize these services
as a one-stop shop solution for all their business needs. |
| ● | Newegg
PC Assembly Service: We recently launched a PC building service known as ENIAC that offers
professional assembly service, custom skins, and liquid cooling loops assembly service. This
service primarily operates in two kinds of builds, BTS (Build-to-Stock) & BTO (Build-to-Order). |
Marketing
Services
In
2020 we began rolling out the first of our marketing services for Newegg Marketplace sellers. We offer flexible marketing packages consisting
of advertising sales, event organization and other marketing campaigns to our brand partners. We help brands reach a potential audience
by leveraging our online portals, marketing affiliates and promotional emails. We have a global professional marketing team consisting
of 56 employees as of December 31, 2021, who help our brand partners and Marketplace sellers design marketing activities with highly
effective cost of sales. In addition, we also use social media to market our brand partners to over three million social fans across
various internet platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, by offering promotions, sweepstakes, and reviews in order
to maximize our brand partners’ exposure.
Our
Platforms
Our
websites and mobile applications, which we refer to as the “Newegg platforms,” are the foundation of our ecosystem. While
each Newegg platform is strategically focused on different market segments, customers and/or product categories, the platforms share
a common Newegg brand and are supported by our integrated logistics and fulfillment capability, operational expertise and technology
infrastructure, and we offer the same level of customer service and dedication across all these platforms.
B2C
Platforms
| ● | Newegg.com.
Launched in 2001 in the United States, Newegg.com is our first online platform and currently
our flagship e-commerce platform. Newegg.com offers a typical range of IT/CE categories with
the continuous addition of emerging categories across the internet of things (IoT), home
automation, robotics, drones, auto electronics and more. While Newegg.com operates predominantly
as a B2C e-commerce platform, Newegg.com supports both direct sales, where we sell merchandise
directly to customers, and the Marketplace model where third-party sellers offer their inventory
to our customers. As of December 31, 2021, Newegg.com fulfilled orders originating from various
countries, mostly in North America. |
| ● | Newegg.ca.
We launched Newegg.ca in 2008 to sell IT/CE products in Canada with a business model similar
to that of Newegg.com. Newegg.ca is a leading e-commerce platform focusing on IT/CE products
in Canada, with approximately 1.7 million customers, and GMV of $244.3 million for the year
ended December 31, 2021 and $181.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Currently,
nearly half of orders on Newegg.ca are fulfilled from our warehouses. We also deliver to
our Canadian customers via Shipped by Newegg or other third-party shipping companies. Orders
for merchandise offered by Canada-based Marketplace sellers are fulfilled locally by such
sellers in Canada as well. |
| ● | Newegg
Global. We launched Newegg Global in 2017 as an expansion of our footprint in the global
e-commerce market. Newegg Global can automatically detect a customer’s IP address and
offer the customer an option to go to their local website or to use the U.S. website. Newegg
Global currently fulfills orders originating from 20 countries or regions and offers five
payment methods and one to seven business day door-to-door delivery services. Newegg Global
had over 1 million registered customers outside North America as of December 31, 2021 and
had a GMV of $65.4 million and $63.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020,
respectively. |
| ● | Mobile
apps. Since the launch of our first mobile app in 2008, we have accumulated millions of downloads
of our mobile apps. We currently have a mobile app for Apple devices and for Android devices,
and we launch updated versions of our apps periodically. As of December 31, 2021, our mobile
app for Apple devices has a customer rating of 4.8 out of 5.0, and a customer rating for
our Android mobile app of 4.5. For more details, see “— Technology — Our
IT Capability — Mobile site and apps.” |
B2B
Platforms
In
2009, we launched NeweggBusiness.com, a site that currently supports substantially all of our B2B operations. Over the years, we have
built NeweggBusiness.com into a dedicated B2B e-commerce platform offering a full range of IT, office and industrial products and solutions
with a wide customer base ranging from government agencies, healthcare institutions, and education institutions to other businesses of
all sizes. NeweggBusiness.com supports both direct sales and a B2B Marketplace that connects our B2B customers with over 3,200 third-party
sellers globally.
Other
Platforms
In
addition to the major Newegg platforms discussed above, we also operate Newegglogistics.com, a platform dedicated to providing reliable
logistics and supply chain solutions through 3PL operations. For details of Newegg’s 3PL services, see “— Our Business
Models — Supply Chain Third-party (3PL) Services.”
Logistics
and Fulfillment
We
have a reliable logistics network and infrastructure designed to prioritize timely and accurate shipment of large quantities of orders.
This has allowed us to deliver over 27,962 parcels per day on average, with an average accuracy rate of over 99.9%, a 98.9% one-business
day fulfillment rate in the United States and Canada if ordered prior to our 3:00 p.m. local time order cut-off and a 99.8% two-business
day fulfillment rate in the United States and Canada, as of December 31, 2021.
We
stock and ship the vast majority of our direct sales products. Fulfillment of orders from our Marketplace is executed by the sellers
except for orders shipped through our Shipped by Newegg services, where the items will be shipped from one of our warehouses.
Our
logistics and fulfillment infrastructure and capabilities include:
|
● |
Warehouses.
We believe the best approach in serving our customers is to maintain reasonable inventory levels and to ship directly from our own
inventory. As of December 31, 2021, we operated nine strategically located fulfillment centers, including eight warehouses located
in North America and one in China, covering more than 2 million square feet in total. Each of our warehouses is able to process about
11,000 inbound pieces and over 11,000 outbound pieces on average per day. We maintain regional warehouses in Southern
California, New Jersey, Indiana, Georgia, and Ontario, Canada to fulfill customer orders in the United States and Canada. The geographical
placement of our warehouses in North America enables us to reach approximately 96% of the North American population in two business
days. |
| ● | Cooperation
with reliable logistics service providers. We capitalize on a robust transportation framework
that connects international air and sea transport, domestic over-the-road carriers, and last-mile
delivery to residential consumers such as United States Postal Service, Purolator, OnTrac
and UPS. We have also engaged and are working with multiple logistics partners to offer a
wide array of flexible delivery options. |
| ● | Virtual
fulfillment. We ship certain products to customers directly from vendors and distributors
who meet our quality fulfillment standards without going through our warehouses, a practice
which we refer to as virtual fulfillment. Virtual fulfillment is fully utilized to broaden
our product assortment and avoid loss of sales when SKUs are out of stock. In the United
States, virtual fulfillment accounted for approximately 6.1% of direct sales for the year
ended December 31, 2021. |
Our
logistics and fulfillment focus on reliable, efficient, and flexible delivery.
| ● | Reliability.
We have a reliable technology platform and order process for our fulfillment operation. Each
order is verified at least twice before being shipped. Customers can track the shipping status
of their purchases through links to our email and/or our websites and mobile applications.
Our inventory management and tracking also have redundant capabilities to enable each facility,
if necessary, to fulfill most of our direct orders. This redundancy could allow us to continually
fulfill most orders, albeit less efficiently, as long as a single warehouse is operational. |
| ● | Efficiency.
We have a well-designed, fully customized, warehousing management software system that is
adopted by all warehouses, featuring smart categorization of inventory assortment in various
warehouse locations to maximize logistics efficiency. When we order product from a supplier,
we track the receipt of the merchandise and can “material optimize,” or direct,
the inventory to a specific warehouse to match customer demand in a geographical area; when
a purchase order is received, we match the order to our inventory and distribute a specific
order fulfillment assignment to one or more warehouses for processing. We use advanced, “pick-to-light”
conveyer systems to allow our warehouse staff to fulfill orders quickly. |
| ● | Flexibility.
Our customers may choose various shipping methods, including basic ground delivery and expedited
overnight shipping, and we have continuously optimized our available delivery options to
upgrade the shopping experience of our customers. For example, in 2019, in collaboration
with UPS, we introduced an option allowing customers to pick up the products they purchase
at a nearby UPS location instead of having them delivered at their own addresses. This is
a safe and convenient shipping option and reduces the waiting time customers would otherwise
experience between the time an order is placed and when their products are received. |
Customer
Service and Support
We
have built our brand on the principle of superior customer service. We provide high-quality customer service and support throughout our
customers’ entire engagement with us, from purchase to returns.
| ● | Customer
service. Our in-house customer service staff are trained to resolve customers’ inquiries
as quickly as possible. We currently operate customer service centers in California and Texas,
and have customer service representatives working remotely in California, Indiana, Nevada,
New Jersey and Texas, focusing on serving North American buyers. To enhance our service capabilities
and maintain increased access, Newegg operates an Asia-based, multilingual customer service
center that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via email and instant messaging.
As of December 31, 2021, we employed approximately 234 experienced customer service representatives
responsible for handling general customer inquiries, taking orders, and investigating the
status of orders, shipments, and payments. Our multilingual customer service representatives
are available by phone, live-chat, chatbot or email. During Christmas and other peak sales
periods, we also hire part-time personnel to meet increased sales and customer inquiries. |
| ● | Marketplace
monitoring. When customers purchase items from our Marketplace sellers, we make them confident
that they receive the same level of customer service they expect from our direct sales. With
that in mind, we closely monitor the performance of our Marketplace sellers to monitor compliance
with Newegg Marketplace rules, have a reliable logistics network, provide customers with
quality customer support, ship orders on time, and respond to customer queries in a timely
fashion. We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy on counterfeit products and have rules in
place to take down allegedly counterfeit or pirated products and disqualify sellers selling
counterfeit or pirated products. For more information, see “Risk Factors — Risks
Related to Newegg’s Business — Our reputation and business may be harmed if we
or our Marketplace sellers sell pirated, counterfeit, illegal or “gray market”
items.” |
| ● | Newegg
Marketplace Guarantee service. We also offer a special customer service program, Newegg Marketplace
Guarantee, for Marketplace orders. With Newegg Marketplace Guarantee, if a Marketplace seller
fails to reimburse the customer for products that are damaged, defective, or materially different
from what was displayed on our platform by that seller, the customer can submit a claim directly
to us and may be eligible for reimbursement of the purchase price of any product they purchase
from a Newegg Marketplace seller, up to $1,000. |
| ● | Return
policy. Our standard return policy generally allows certain items that are directly sold
and shipped by us to be returned within 30 days of the delivery date for a full refund or
replacement. Restocking fees are waived for all items directly sold by Newegg, but may be
charged on items sold by third-party sellers on our marketplace. |
From
a customer service perspective, in addition to customers, we broadly define our customers to also include our Marketplace sellers, from
whom we earn commissions, and purchasers of our 3PL services and other ancillary e-commerce solutions and services. See “—
The Newegg Ecosystem — Key Ecosystem Participants and How We Create Value for Them — Marketplace Sellers” and “—
Our Business Models — Supply Chain Third-party (3PL) Services” for more information about our engagement with these customers.
Payment
We
provide our customers with the flexibility to choose from a number of traditional online payment options, along with certain alternative
payment solutions that are popular with our predominantly technology-enthusiast customers.
| ● | B2C
payment options. We offer various mainstream online payment options to customers on our B2C
platform, including credit cards, debit cards and prepaid gift cards. We offer customers
the opportunity to pay for items purchased on our platforms with the Newegg Store Credit
Card, a private-label credit card that Newegg launched in partnership with Synchrony Financial,
a U.S. consumer financial services company. Newegg Store Credit Card has a revolving credit
line and offers numerous attractive financing options, including, for example, zero interest
for everyday purchases for up to 12 months, and up to 36 months on purchases of certain items
on our platforms, which we believe improves customer loyalty and purchase frequency and results
in increased sales. In 2014, we introduced support for Bitcoin as a payment option. We allow
customers to use Bitcoin and Bitcoin cash to pay for purchases made on our platforms. In
Q4 2020, we started offering Pay in 4 that allows customers to pay in four interest-free
installments within a six-week timeframe. This payment option is offered through Zip. In
Q4 2021, we began offering Affirm to our customers to allow them to pay at their own pace
for up to a period of 12 months. |
| ● | B2B
payment options. B2B customers can make payment during checkout or request credit and pay
on terms via the above-mentioned online payment options or via ACH, wire transfer, or bank
check. We also offer open-term accounts for business and public sector customers. In most
cases, the payment term that we grant to our B2B customers is 30 days. |
Sales
and Marketing
Our
marketing strategy includes generating customer traffic, increasing our brand recognition, acquiring customers cost-efficiently, building
customer loyalty and maximizing repeat purchases. Our integrated marketing framework represents a core competency that we regard as essential
to the success of our platforms. We are focused on continuing to enhance our brand awareness through a variety of online and offline
marketing and brand promotion activities, while leveraging technology to drive scalability and sustainability and eventually achieve
optimal return on investment and highly effective cost of traffic as well as sales.
Referral
We
benefit significantly from word-of-mouth referrals and positive product reviews, and we believe our reputation as a one-stop–technology
shop has led to strong word-of-mouth promotion, especially among the technology-savvy. We believe our investment in non-IT product categories
is also driving expansion and growth. We have efficient customer acquisition strategies, because the majority of our web traffic is free.
Free traffic includes mobile apps, email & SMS, social media, and brand mentions, reviews and shares. Paid traffic includes affiliate
marketing, sponsorships, influences, connected TV, and paid searches. In 2021, 84% of traffic was free, as compared to the paid traffic
of 16%. In 2020, free traffic was at 79% as compared to the paid traffic of 21%. We also provide live-streaming product reviews on our
platforms and Newegg Gallery, through which our customers can see other customers’ thoughts on the product directly. In 2021, we
launched Newegg Media, which creates innovative and evocative digital content to educate and inspire viewers. Our team creates custom
content for brands with a focus on delivering customers the true hands-on experience with the latest technology to provide insightful,
educational commentary that builds long-term value for brands.
Online
Marketing
We
conduct the majority of our marketing efforts online through targeted marketing via affiliates, search engines, promotional emails, social
media traffic, targeting and personalization, and online promotion campaigns.
| ● | Paid
search engine marketing. Search engine marketing is an important driver of our traffic and
customer acquisition. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our spending on paid search engine
marketing represented approximately 68% of our total marketing spending and 12% of total
traffic to Newegg’s website, including desktop, mobile, and app traffic. We bid for
specific keywords and products on search engine sites, such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft
Bing, for optimum visibility in the displayed results. Our broad and evolving product selection
enables us to utilize a large quantity of keywords that we frequently test and measure for
their effectiveness. We also use sophisticated software to strategically manage our keyword
and SKU-level bids to maximize marketing performance at an efficient rate. |
| ● | Affiliate
marketing. We also engage in affiliate marketing programs where we offer affiliated websites
commissions for sales resulting from directing customer traffic to our websites through embedded
hyperlinks. Such affiliates are typically deal sites that advertise retailer deals to their
audiences. Affiliate marketing is our second largest paid marketing channel and represents
approximately 16% of our total marketing expense for the year ended December 31, 2021. |
| ● | Targeting
and personalization marketing. Targeting and personalization have proved to be highly effective
in terms of conversion and customer acquisition. Our Customer Relationship Management Marketing
Team runs various and highly diversified marketing programs through personalization and segmentation
on multiple channels including website, email, social, paid search engine, and more. Based
on customers’ onsite behavioral data and purchase history data, we are able to identify
prospective customers (that is, visitors sharing similar shopping patterns with current Newegg
customers) as well as existing customers and display our brand and product advertising ads
to them when they are on social media or Google search or other affiliate sites. |
| ● | Other
online marketing channels. Other online marketing channels include click-through based advertising
on shopping comparison engines, targeted messages, email distribution, banner advertisements
on high-traffic portals, social networking via major social media sites and our own branded
portal, and onsite promotions and cross-selling opportunities on our websites, such as Daily
Deals and Marketplace Spotlight. We have approximately 14 million email subscribers and successfully
delivered about 2.7 billion emails to targeted customers, which is far ahead of industry
benchmarks. |
Offline
Marketing
We
also devote marketing resources to various offline formats, including displaying offline advertisement through multiple channels and
sponsoring or organizing offline events.
While
in the past we have utilized offline events in states where we have a physical presence to engage directly with customers, vendors and
brand partners, the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to scale back our in-person events in 2020 and 2021. We will reevaluate future live events
as the pandemic continues to evolve, with a focus on the health and safety of our employees and event attendees.
Technology
Our
technology systems are a critical component of our success and designed to enhance efficiency and scalability. Our research and development
team, coupled with our proprietary technology infrastructure and the large volume of data generated and collected on our platforms, has
created opportunities for continuous improvements in our technology capabilities, empowering reliability, scalability, and flexibility.
Our technology strategy is to develop our own proprietary software and license technologies from third parties as appropriate in order
to simplify and improve the shopping experience, as well as facilitate our fulfillment, financial and customer service operations.
IT
Infrastructure
We
have built our technology platform by relying primarily on software and systems that we have developed in-house and, to a lesser extent,
on third-party software. Our global research and development team consists of more than 600 IT professionals and engineers as of December
31, 2021, working to design and maintain Newegg’s IT infrastructure to support our growth. Our technology infrastructure is designed
for scalability and reliability to support business growth. We utilize high-availability clusters comprising groups of servers to provide
sufficient redundancy and maintain continued service in the event of single point server failure due to hostile attacks, systematic errors
or other reasons. Our high-availability data system are designed so that back-up servers instantly connect to our network once master
servers experience technical difficulties.
We
currently have two company-owned data centers in City of Industry, California and two co-location data centers at facilities
in Los Angeles, California, and New Jersey to provide redundancy for our e-commerce data. We maintain approximately 1,500 servers stored
in our data centers and approximately 300 network devices. Our IT infrastructure enables us to support over 130 million page views per
day and provides the capability to process up to 0.75 million orders per day. Our platform obtained PCI Level 1 certification in 2010.
Our
IT Capability
| ● | Websites.
Our website incorporates proprietary technology internally developed on a primarily
Microsoft.NET platform. It provides product descriptions, search and ordering functionalities,
and product reviews. |
| ● | Mobile
site and apps. Customer activity on mobile devices is growing, and we are investing
significantly in mobile technology to increase sales to customers using mobile devices. Our
mobile app aims to create a convenient shopping experience for our customers by, for example,
enabling users to save their profiles and payment information for future purchases, and to
provide helpful tools to Marketplace sellers by, for example, offering a mobile dashboard
allowing them to better manage their inventory and orders on the go. |
| ● | Data
and analytics. Data collected from our operations, including inventory data,
behavioral and transactional data and pricing data, are housed in our data centers. We have
deployed commercial business intelligence software to analyze this data and improve the shopping
experience. We apply various AI capabilities and deep learning technologies across our platforms
to enhance the shopping experience. Our sophisticated user behavior analysis system leverages
our large customer database to create customized product recommendations, allowing us to
efficiently acquire new customers and increase sales. Also, we have leveraged our AI capabilities
to allow category extraction for different products based on the unstructured content and
images, the results of which have been used to provide miscategorization correction and site
search relevancy improvement. |
| ● | Inventory
management. Our supply chain management system includes price optimization, inventory
balancing, and inventory forecasting and other subsystems. It enables effective sales forecasting
and inventory management that increases the efficiency of our supply chain and helps us control
costs. Our inventory availability is coordinated through our technology platform. We have
added functionality to update our platforms on a real-time basis when items become out of
stock in our fulfillment centers. This feature limits the number of orders placed for out-of-stock
items, allowing us to better manage aging inventory and minimize customer dissatisfaction
by eliminating backorder merchandise. |
| ● | Transaction
management. We have developed and deployed a scalable back office platform that
allows us to monitor transactions and changes to financial data as well as provide our management
with daily updates. We utilize both proprietary and third-party applications for accepting
and validating purchase orders, placing and tracking orders with suppliers, managing inventory
and assigning it to purchase orders, and ensuring proper shipment of products to customers. |
| ● | Fulfillment
management. We have software for our fulfillment operations that tracks customer
orders from placement through packing and shipping. We have installed sophisticated, “pick-to-light”
conveyor systems and associated software. We have also developed software modules that efficiently
manage the sorting and picking process of our products. Our systems are integrated with those
from our primary U.S. shipping vendor to facilitate tracking of the orders after shipment. |
| ● | Anti-fraud
monitoring. Online fraud is a constant threat to the security and reliability
of e-commerce retailers. We work with third-party vendors to monitor our network security
devices and secure our online payment systems. We have developed proprietary tools in-house
to monitor our online traffic for suspicious activities. Our websites have earned certifications
from organizations and agencies like Tevora, based on our meeting of their information protection
and fraud prevention standards. |
Research
& Development Team
Our
global research and development team, consisting of more than 600 IT professionals and engineers as of December 31, 2021, is focused
on innovation through software development, algorithm design and development, and IT infrastructure design and maintenance. Our research
and development personnel continually upgrade our platforms and test new features to improve our customer experience. Our research and
development team also develops custom-built proprietary systems and engages third-party solutions to support our specific customer, vendor
and Marketplace seller requirements, including handling heavy traffic on our platforms, and providing quick and efficient fulfillment
services to meet customer expectations.
Security
and Privacy Policy
We
are committed to protecting information security across all Newegg platforms. We use a variety of techniques to protect the integrity
of our networks and the confidential data we collect and store. Confidential information concerning our customers, sellers and suppliers
is encrypted and protected using SSL encryption software. In addition, we use multiple layers of network segregation and hierarchical
levels of firewall technology to protect against attacks or unauthorized access to our networks, servers, and databases. We also continue
to build new procedural safeguards as part of our comprehensive privacy program. We operate in a secured and locked facility that requires
all of our employees to check in and wear valid ID badges.
We
have adopted a detailed privacy policy that describes in plain language our data use practices and how privacy is protected at Newegg,
including the extent to which other Newegg users may have access to this information. We require users to acknowledge and expressly agree
to this policy when registering with our platforms. For more information, see “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Newegg’s
Business — A significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential or personal information we hold could be detrimental
to our business, reputation and results of operations.”
Intellectual
Property
We
rely on a combination of trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws as well as confidentiality agreements with our
employees and suppliers for the purpose of protecting the proprietary rights associated with the products branded under our private labels.
We control access to use and distribution of our intellectual property through license agreements, confidentiality procedures, non-disclosure
agreements with third parties and our employment and contractor agreements.
Our
intellectual property portfolio includes numerous domain names for websites that we use in our business. We have registered the domain
names Newegg.com, Newegg.ca and NeweggBusiness.com and their variations. Our “Newegg” trademark and logo have also been registered
with the relevant authorities in the United States, Canada and China (as well as in other regions, such as the European Union and Brazil).
Furthermore, we have also registered the trademarks and logos of our major private labels, such as Rosewill and ABS.
In
addition to the protection of our intellectual property, we are focusing on ensuring that our product offerings (especially our private-label
products) do not infringe on the intellectual property of others. Generally, our agreements with suppliers contain provisions to safeguard
us against potential intellectual property infringement by our suppliers and impose penalties in the event of any infringement. We reserve
the right to refuse to work with or terminate our relationship with suppliers where we become aware that they are violating the intellectual
property rights of a third party.
Competition
The
worldwide market in which we compete is evolving rapidly and intensely competitive, and we face a broad array of competitors from many
different industry sectors around the world. Our current and potential competitors include: (i) online, offline and multichannel retailers,
publishers, vendors, distributors, manufacturers, and producers of the products we offer and sell to customers; (ii) companies that provide
ancillary D2C platform services and solutions, including website development, advertising, customer service and payment processing; (iii)
companies that provide fulfillment and logistics services for themselves or for third parties, whether online or offline; and (iv) companies
that design, manufacture, market, or sell consumer electronics, telecommunication, and electronic devices.
We
believe the principal competitive factors in our market are:
| ● | breadth
and quality of product offerings; |
| ● | fulfillment
capabilities; |
| ● | brand
recognition and reputation; |
| ● | ability
to respond more quickly to changing consumer preferences; |
| ● | ability
to reach a geographically broader set of customers; and |
| ● | ability
to be more flexible in marketing to a specific set of potential customers. |
Some
of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, longer histories, more customers, greater brand recognition, and greater
control over inputs critical to our various businesses. They may secure better terms from suppliers, adopt more aggressive pricing, pursue
restrictive distribution agreements that restrict our access to supply, direct consumers to their own offerings instead of ours, lock-in
potential customers with restrictive terms, and devote more resources to technology, infrastructure, fulfillment, and marketing. Each
of our businesses is also subject to rapid change and the development of new business models and the entry of new and well-funded competitors.
Other companies also may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions.
In
the United States, we compete with retail stores and resellers, including superstores such as Best Buy, Costco and Walmart, hardware
and software vendors that sell directly to end users, online retailers such as Amazon, and other marketers and resellers of IT/CE products.
We also face competition in the international markets we participate in, such as Mongkok Computer Centre (HK), Umart (Australia), Best
Bargain Computer (Singapore), and Noon in the Middle East, or may enter in the future.
See
also Item 3 under the heading “Risk Factors,” the subheading “Our business faces intense domestic and international
competition.”
Awards
and Accolades
We
have been recognized by a number of mainstream media outlets and leading trade publications for our growth and service. We have also
been rated a number of times as a top e-commerce site for IT and electronics products. We also have been a Better Business Bureau Accredited
business since September 2011 with a rating of A+.
In
2020 and 2021, we received a number of national awards and ratings for our business, including:
| ● | No.
1 “Electronics Online Marketplaces” on Web Retailer’s list of “World’s
Top Online Marketplaces 2021” |
| ● | Included
in Supply & Demand Chain Executive 2020 Green Supply Chain Awards |
| ● | Included
in Multichannel Merchant’s 2021 Top 3PL Providers |
| ● | Included
in Newsweek’s America’s Best Online Trending Shops 2021 |
| ● | No.
17 on Dealerscope’s 2020 list of Top 101 Retailers |
| ● | Included
in Newsweek’s 2021 list of America’s Best Loyalty Programs |
Seasonality
Our
business performance is subject to seasonal fluctuations. We have undergone and expect to continue to undergo an increase in activity
during the year-end holiday period. These seasonal effects cause differences in revenues and expenses among the various quarters of any
financial year, which means that the individual quarters should not be directly compared with one another or be used to predict annual
financial results. This intra-year seasonal fluctuation in demand is in accord with historic experience in the retail and e-commerce
industries, with increased volumes during the fourth calendar quarter of the year.
Government
Regulations
We
are subject to U.S. federal and state consumer protection laws, including laws protecting the privacy of customer personal information
and regulations prohibiting unfair and deceptive trade practices. Other existing and future laws cover issues such as user privacy, spyware
and the tracking of consumer activities, marketing emails and communications, other advertising and promotional practices, money transfers,
pricing, content and quality of products and services, taxation, electronic contracts and other communications and information security.
Particularly,
under applicable federal and state laws and regulations addressing privacy and data security, we must provide notice to consumers of
our policies with respect to the collection and use of personal information, and our sharing of personal information with third parties
and notice of changes to our data handling practices. In some instances, we may be obligated to give customers the right to prevent sharing
of their personal information with third parties. Under applicable federal and state laws, we also are required to comply with a number
of requirements when sending commercial email to consumers, including identifying advertising and promotional emails as such, ensuring
that subject lines are not deceptive, giving consumers an opportunity to opt out of further communications and clearly disclosing our
name and physical address in each commercial email. Regulation of privacy and data security matters is an evolving area, with new laws
and regulations enacted frequently. For example, California enacted legislation that, among other things, requires new disclosures to
California consumers, and affords such consumers new abilities to opt out of certain sales of personal information, which was effective
on January 1, 2020. In addition, under applicable federal and state unfair competition laws, including the California Consumer Legal
Remedies Act, and U.S. Federal Trade Commission, regulations, we must accurately identify product offerings, not make misleading claims
on our platforms, and use qualifying disclosures where and when appropriate.
There
is also great uncertainty over whether or how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes, auctions,
libel, and personal privacy apply to the Internet and commercial online services. For example, tax authorities in a number of states
are currently reviewing the appropriate tax treatment of companies engaged in online commerce, and new state tax regulations may subject
us to additional state sales and income taxes. Additionally, new state legislation may also subject us to other types of taxes. New legislation
or regulation, the application of laws and regulations from jurisdictions whose laws do not currently apply to our business or the application
of existing laws and regulations to the Internet and commercial online services could result in significant additional taxes or regulatory
restrictions on our business or may necessitate changes to our business practices. These obligations or changes could have an adverse
effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Our
international operations are subject to foreign laws and regulations addressing topics such as customs duties and taxes, advertising
and marketing practices, privacy, data protection and information security and consumer rights, as well as additional laws and regulations,
including restrictions on imports from, exports to, and services provided to persons located in certain countries and territories, any
of which might apply by virtue of our operations in foreign countries and territories or our contacts with consumers in such foreign
countries and territories. For example, in Canada, we are subject to labor and employment laws, laws governing advertising, privacy and
data security laws, safety regulations and other laws, including consumer protection regulations that apply to online retailers and/or
the promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. We monitor changes in these laws, regulations,
treaties, and agreements, and believe that we are in material compliance with applicable laws.
| C. | Organizational
Structure |
See
Exhibit 8.1 for a list of our significant subsidiaries.
| D. | Property,
Plants and Equipment |
Our
Facilities
As
of December 31, 2021, we leased the following principal facilities:
Description
of Use | |
Approximate
Square Footage
(in thousands) | | |
Geographic
Location | |
Lease
Expirations |
Corporate
office facilities | |
| 149,057 | | |
North America | |
12/31/2022 through
11/30/2029 |
Fulfillment
and warehouse operations | |
| 1,818,954 | | |
North America | |
07/31/2023 through
12/31/2031 |
As
of December 31, 2021, Newegg owned the following principal facilities:
Description
of Use | |
Approximate
Square Footage
(in thousands) | | |
Geographic
Location |
Corporate
office facilities | |
| 391,362 | | |
China |
Corporate
office facilities | |
| 2,707 | | |
Taiwan |
Fulfillment
and warehouse operations | |
| 109,473 | | |
China |
Our
corporate headquarters is located in the City of Industry, California. We also lease additional corporate office facilities and fulfillment
and warehouse operations throughout North America, principally in California, Indiana, Georgia, and New Jersey in the United States,
and Toronto in Canada. Outside of North America, we also own or lease corporate office facilities and fulfillment and warehouse operations,
principally in China and Taiwan. Our Asia headquarters is in Shanghai. We periodically evaluate our facility requirements as necessary
and believe our existing and planned facilities will be sufficient for our needs for at least the next twelve months.
Item
4A. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item
5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects
You
should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated
financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements
that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The additional or unforeseen effects from the COVID-19 pandemic amplify
many of these risks. Actual results and the timing of events may differ significantly from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking
statements due to a number of factors, including those set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Disclosure
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this annual report. We have prepared our financial statements in accordance
with U.S. GAAP.
Newegg’s
Business Overview
Newegg
is a technology-focused e-commerce company in North America, and ranked No. 1 as of April 2021 as the global top electronics online
marketplace according to Web Retailer’s report, as measured by 32.6 million visits per month in 2021. Through Newegg.com,
our flagship retail site, and other online platforms, we connect our global customer base to a wide and increasing assortment of tech
products and a massive pool of brands, sellers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and third-party service providers.
Headquartered
in California, Newegg’s reach is global. Leveraging our extensive fulfillment and warehousing network and the global footprint
of our suppliers and sellers, we are able to offer merchandise sourced from over 40 countries and regions to customers located in over
20 countries and regions and deliver customer services in multiple languages.
We
have built a large base of loyal and highly engaged customers. As of December 31, 2021, we have 3.5 million active customers (defined
as unique customer ID with at least one item purchased on our platform in the past 12 months), with a 32% repeat purchase rate,
as measured by the percentage of customers who made at least two purchases in the preceding year, and an average order value of $442,
as calculated by dividing sales by transactions during the relevant 12-month measurement period. These statistics are the result of our
deep understanding of our customers’ needs, preferences and tastes and our ability to offer an extensive product assortment, superior
customer service, flexible payment options, and speedy, reliable and efficient shipping and fulfilment. As of December 31, 2021, we offered
approximately 38.7 million SKUs across over 1,800 categories, which we believe makes us one of the top online shopping destinations
for tech consumers. We also maintain a global fulfillment network that prioritizes speedy and reliable delivery, supported by our nine
strategically located warehouses in the United States, Canada, and China, as of December 31, 2021. We have the capacity to
deliver goods to the entire U.S. population and to approximately 85% of the population in Canada within just two business days
using multiple service level offerings.
We
maintain longstanding and extensive relationships with our suppliers, sellers and business partners to source merchandise at competitive
pricing with early or preferential access to the latest, highly sought-after tech products, fulfilling our promise to provide our customers
with all things tech. We are a trusted partner and the go-to channel for many leading tech product brands and are increasingly establishing
relationships with brands in a growing number of other product categories. As of December 31, 2021, we sourced merchandise from at least
3,250 brand partners for our direct sales business and featured the official online stores of various brand partners, including some
of the most well-known IT/CE brands, such as AMD, Asus, Facebook Oculus, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, Nvidia, and Samsung.
We
strategically employ a dynamic mix of our established direct sales business and a scalable Marketplace model. Built upon our success
in direct sales, our Newegg Marketplace has grown in recent years and significantly complements our direct sales business. As the
number of sellers and brands on our Marketplace continues to grow, the choices available to customers should also increase, generating
a strong momentum for our continued growth. As of December 31, 2021, our Newegg Marketplace connected our customers to over 14,500 third-party
sellers from over 47 countries and regions offering approximately 38.1 million SKUs.
For
the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we recorded net sales of $2.4 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. For the same
periods, our total GMV was approximately $3.0 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively. We recorded net income of $36.3 million
and $30.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. For the same periods, our adjusted EBITDA was $52.4 million
and $39.4 million, respectively. See “— Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
The
Impact of COVID-19
Our
online business and warehouse operations have remained active to serve our customers during
the COVID-19 outbreak, and we have seen increased demand for our products and services during
the outbreak. By contrast, some of our brick-and-mortar competitors have been forced to close
down at least some of their retail locations temporarily, while some competitors have de-emphasized
certain lines of business, such as computers and electronics, which represent our core business.
Both of these industry trends have contributed to increased sales and market share for us.
However, the course of the outbreak remains uncertain, and a prolonged global economic slowdown
and increased unemployment could have a material adverse impact on economic conditions, which
in turn could lead to a reduced demand for our products and services. Overall, we saw consistent
demand for our products in 2021 as COVID-19 ignited the digital transformation of retail
as well as consumer comfort with online shopping. However, we are still faced with challenges
around supply constraints and increases in product and shipping costs.
As
a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have experienced occasional supply constraints, primarily in the form of delays in shipment
of inventory. We have also experienced some increases in the cost of certain products, as well as a drop in promotions by some manufacturers.
While we consider such events to be temporary, continued supply chain disruptions could lead to delayed receipt of, or shortages in,
inventory and higher costs.
COVID-19
impacted the supply chain of our brand partners and Marketplace sellers, and our ability to timely fulfill orders and deliver such orders
to our customers, particularly as a result of mandatory shutdowns in different countries and cities to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Although
we cannot estimate the length or gravity of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak at this time, if the pandemic continues, it may have
an adverse effect on our results of future operations. The potential impact of COVID-19 on our operations remains uncertain and potentially
wide-spread.
Newegg’s
Business Model
GMV
is the primary driver of our net sales, as we derive a significant majority of net sales from the GMV transacted on our online platforms,
net of cancellations and returns. We define GMV as the total dollar value of products sold on our websites and third-party marketplace
platforms, directly to customers and by our Marketplace sellers through Newegg Marketplace, net of returns, discounts, taxes, and cancellations.
GMV also includes the services fees charged through our NPS in rendering services for our 3PL, SBN, SLS, staffing and media ad services,
as well as the sales made by our Asia subsidiaries. We generate GMV and net sales primarily from the following sources:
| ● | Direct
sales, where we control inventories sourced from suppliers and directly sell goods to
our customers on our platforms or certain other third-party platforms. Our direct sales revenues
include net sales generated from sales of products directly by us to customers on our Newegg
platforms (including wholesale where we sell inventories in bulk and mostly at a discount),
sales through third-party websites of products we source from suppliers, and freight revenues
from fees we charge for delivery of goods that we directly sell to customers. |
| ● | Newegg
Marketplace, where third-party sellers sell products through our Newegg Marketplace,
and we recognize commission and service fees from such third-party sellers in our net sales.
The published commission rates are based on a percentage of the GMV transacted, exclusive
of the shipping fees charged, which commission rates range from 8% to 15%, depending on the
product category. We refer to the net sales generated from Newegg Marketplace as Marketplace
revenues. |
| ● | Newegg
Partner Services (“NPS”), where we generate net sales primarily by charging
service fees for a range of e-commerce services and solutions rendered to our vendor partners,
Marketplace sellers and various types of customers and businesses, including 3PL and other
fulfillment and logistics services, advertising services, and online marketing services.
We refer to such net sales as services revenues. |
Factors
Affecting Newegg’s Results of Operations
Our
financial condition and results of operations have been, and will continue to be, affected by a number of important factors, including
the following:
Newegg’s
ability to grow our customer base and increase their engagement level
We
believe the principal factors necessary to maintain and grow our GMV and net sales include the number of visits to our online platforms,
our ability to convert those visits to orders, and the level of our customers’ engagement with our platforms.
We
monitor the following key operating metrics to evaluate our user traffic, our ability to convert visits into orders, and the size and
engagement of our customer base:
| |
For
the Year Ended
December 31, | |
Key
Operating Data: | |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Total
visits(1) | |
| 305.1
million | | |
| 382.2 million | | |
| 262.2 million | |
Number
of customers(2) | |
| 40.3
million | | |
| 37.3 million | | |
| 34.4 million | |
Number
of active customers(3) | |
| 3.5
million | | |
| 4.7 million | | |
| 3.2 million | |
Conversion
rate(4) | |
| 2.3 | % | |
| 2.4 | % | |
| 2.4 | % |
Repeat
purchase rate(5) | |
| 31.9 | % | |
| 32.5 | % | |
| 30.0 | % |
Average
Order Value(6) | |
$ | 442 | | |
$ | 301 | | |
$ | 310 | |
Note:
| 1. | Measured
by total traffic across all Newegg platforms, excluding visits of fewer than three seconds,
which we assume are visits from search bots from competitors. |
| 2. | Calculated
by the total number of registered accounts on all Newegg platforms. |
| 3. | Active
customers as of a given date are calculated by unique customer ID with at least one transaction
purchased on our platforms during the relevant 12-month measurement period. |
| 4. | Calculated
by dividing transactions over the total number of visits across all Newegg platforms, excluding
visits of fewer than three seconds. |
| 5. | Measured
by the percentage of customers who made at least two purchases on Newegg platforms during
the relevant 12-month measurement period. |
| 6. | Calculated
by dividing sales volume by number of transactions during the relevant 12-month measurement
period. |
We
use conversion rates to measure our ability to convert visits to orders. Our conversion rates have varied from time to time, and there
are a number of factors that may affect conversion rates, including overall economic trends, product mix, new product releases, the level
of competition we face, our merchandise sourcing ability, and the purchasing patterns of consumers. The numbers of customers and active
customers and repeat purchase rates are indicators of the size and engagement of our customer base.
Newegg’s
product mix
We
offer a wide range of technology products from a broad mix of brands and sellers. As of December 31, 2021, we offered approximately 38.7 million
SKUs across over 1,800 categories. Products are offered on our online platforms across a range of types, brands, and price points. We
believe that customers are attracted to our online platforms primarily by the breadth and depth of our product offerings, a critical
component of our ability to increase sales and drive long-term profitability. In addition to core technology products, in recent years
we have also complemented our product assortment in areas such as apparel and accessories, home furnishings, personal goods and certain
other products of IT — adjacent categories.
Our
results of operations are affected by our merchandise mix, as products of different categories, brands and price points have a range
of margin and profitability profiles. For example, categories where we hold lower market share and we strive to grow at an accelerated
rate over market may offer relatively lower margins. Our merchandise mix may shift over time due to the combination of a variety of factors,
including consumer demands and preferences, average selling prices, our ability to maintain and expand our supplier relationships, our
ability to forecast market trends, and our marketing and promotional efforts. We continuously monitor the GMV and margin mix of our product
offerings and we seek to increase the percentage of GMV and net sales from categories and brands with attractive margin profiles.
Expansion
of Newegg Marketplace
A
key component of our long-term strategy is to continue to grow our Newegg Marketplace, which we believe is an important driver of future
profitable growth.
Our
Marketplace has grown in recent years with an increasing contribution to our total sales. For the years ended December 31, 2021,
2020, and 2019, our Newegg Marketplace generated GMV of $742.4 million, $663.7 million, and $495.2 million, respectively, and
accounted for approximately 24.5%, 24.2% and 25.0%, respectively, of our total GMV. During the same periods, our Newegg Marketplace
generated net sales of $63.5 million, $57.6 million, and $45.6 million, respectively, and accounted for 2.7%, 2.7%, and 3.0%,
respectively, of our total net sales. There are a few factors that led to the increase in GMV and net sales in our Marketplace business
for the year ended December 31, 2021 versus prior years: (i) the growth in the number of China-based sellers that led to a significant
increase in GMV; and (ii) launching of the quarterly commission rebate program in Q3 2021 that enticed sellers to increase their
product offerings to our platforms.
We
believe the Marketplace model provides us with a number of benefits. As compared with direct sales, the use of the Marketplace model
contributes to our working capital and cash flow as there is no need to maintain inventory. Additionally, as the number of sellers and
brands on our Newegg Marketplace continues to expand, the choices available to customers also should grow, generating strong momentum
for our continued growth. We believe that the integration of our direct sales and Marketplace operations have created a virtuous, self-reinforcing
cycle.
Our
results of operations have been, and will continue to be, influenced by shifts over time in the GMV mix between direct sales and Marketplace.
This is primarily due to the difference in revenue recognition — we recognize revenues from direct sales on a gross basis,
while we recognize revenues from the Newegg Marketplace on a net basis. See “— Key Components of Results of Operations”
for details. Accordingly, for the same amount of GMV, direct sales generates more net sales than Marketplace and, therefore, an increase
in the GMV contribution of Marketplace as a portion of the total GMV would have a negative impact on our net sales.
Newegg’s
ability to forecast consumer needs and preferences
The
IT/CE e-commerce market in North America and globally is characterized by rapidly evolving technologies, fast-changing consumer requirements
and preferences and frequent releases of new products and introductions of updated industry standards and practices. We must effectively
respond to these changes to remain competitive. We may have difficulty anticipating consumer demand and preferences, and the goods offered
on our online platforms may not be accepted by the market or may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical. Our inability to adapt to these
developments may lead to excessive or deficient inventories or a failure to attract new customers and retain existing customers, which
could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Newegg’s
ability to source products from key suppliers on favorable terms
As
of December 31, 2021, we offered over 578,500 direct sales SKUs sourced from at least 385 suppliers globally. We maintain extensive,
long-standing and mutually beneficial relationships with many of the biggest tech product brands and distributors globally. However,
our contracts or arrangements with such suppliers generally do not guarantee the availability of merchandise or provide for the continuation
of particular pricing or other practices. Our suppliers may not continue to sell their inventory to us on current terms or at all, and,
if the terms are changed, we may not be able to establish new supply relationships on similar or better terms.
We
compete with other retailers and direct marketers for favorable product allocations and vendor incentive programs from product manufacturers
and distributors. Some of our competitors could enter into exclusive or favorable distribution arrangements for certain products with
our vendors, which would deny us complete or partial access to those products and marketing and promotional resources. In addition, some
vendors whose products are offered on our online platforms also sell their products directly to customers. If we are unable to develop
and maintain relationships with suppliers that permit us to obtain sufficient quantities of desirable merchandise on favorable terms,
our results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Segment
Information
Our
chief operating decision maker (i.e. chief executive officer) reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis, accompanied
by disaggregated information about revenue by countries or regions for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial
performance. There are no segment managers who are held accountable for operations, operating results and plans for levels or components
below the consolidated unit level. Based on qualitative and quantitative criteria established by Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)
280, “Segment Reporting,” we consider ourselves to be operating within one reportable segment.
Key
Components of Results of Operations
Net
Sales
Our
net sales consist of direct sales revenues, Marketplace revenues and services revenues. See “— Newegg’s Business
Model” for more information about these sources of net sales.
Our
net sales are reported net of anticipated discounts, returns, allowances, sales tax and credit card chargebacks, which are all estimated
from historical experience. We also offer customer promotional programs, which we record as reductions in sales based on anticipated
redemption rates estimated from historical experience.
The
following table sets forth the components of our net sales in absolute amounts and as percentages of total net sales, for the periods
indicated.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
| |
(in
millions, except for percentages) | |
Net
sales | |
Amount | | |
% | | |
Amount | | |
% | | |
Amount | | |
% | |
Direct
sales revenues | |
$ | 2,243.4 | | |
| 94.4 | | |
$ | 1,974.9 | | |
| 93.4 | | |
$ | 1,476.8 | | |
| 96.3 | |
Marketplace
revenues | |
| 63.5 | | |
| 2.7 | | |
| 57.6 | | |
| 2.7 | | |
| 45.6 | | |
| 3.0 | |
Services
revenues | |
| 69.3 | | |
| 2.9 | | |
| 82.4 | | |
| 3.9 | | |
| 11.5 | | |
| 0.7 | |
Total | |
$ | 2,376.2 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 2,114.9 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 1,533.9 | | |
| 100.0 | |
Cost
of Sales
The
largest component of our cost of sales is the purchase price of goods that we directly sell to customers. Cost of sales also includes
(i) costs relating to our service revenues, which include personnel expenses and other costs relating to our third-party logistics
services; (ii) inbound and outbound freight costs; and (iii) inventory write-offs relating to refurbished, slow-moving and
obsolete inventories and adjustments for vendor incentives related to inventory still on hand at the reporting date.
Cost
of sales is partially offset by payments we earn under vendor incentive programs, or VIPs, such as purchase rebates, marketing development
funds that vendors give us to advertise their products, cooperative marketing programs jointly funded with vendors, and price protection
refunds to offset reductions in the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. These VIPs are sometimes tied to the volume of our purchases
or sales and represent an indirect or effective reduction of the selling price of the suppliers’ products. Therefore, we treat
these program payments as reductions to cost of sales.
The
following table sets forth the components of our cost of sales, in absolute amounts and as percentages of total net sales, for the periods
indicated.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
| |
(in
millions, except for percentages) | |
Cost
of sales | |
Amount | | |
% | | |
Amount | | |
% | | |
Amount | | |
% | |
Purchase
price of goods sold
by it directly | |
$ | 1,916.3 | | |
| 93.5 | | |
$ | 1,678.3 | | |
| 91.2 | | |
$ | 1,300.4 | | |
| 95.0 | |
Costs
related to
Marketplace & service revenues | |
| 59.6 | | |
| 2.9 | | |
| 69.9 | | |
| 3.8 | | |
| 1.0 | | |
| 0.1 | |
Inbound
and outbound
freight costs | |
| 64.5 | | |
| 3.1 | | |
| 84.8 | | |
| 4.6 | | |
| 67.2 | | |
| 4.9 | |
Inventory
write-downs &
reserves | |
| 9.8 | | |
| 0.5 | | |
| 8.2 | | |
| 0.4 | | |
| 0.4 | | |
| 0.0 | |
Total | |
$ | 2,050.2 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 1,841.2 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 1,369.0 | | |
| 100.0 | |
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
The
largest component of our selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A expenses”), is salary and other compensation
costs, consisting of expenses relating to the employment of our employees, as well as temporary personnel to meet our needs in areas
such as customer service and fulfillment during seasonal peaks in orders.
Other
significant components of SG&A expenses include advertising and marketing expenses, merchant processing fees, depreciation and amortization,
rent expenses, warehouse costs, office expenses, professional fees, and other general corporate costs.
The
following table sets forth the components of our SG&A expenses, in absolute amounts and as percentages of net sales, for the periods
indicated.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Selling,
general and | |
(in
millions, except for percentages) | |
administrative expenses | |
Amount | | |
% | | |
Amount | | |
| | |
Amount | | |
% | |
Salary
and other compensation costs | |
| 126.6 | | |
| 43.3 | | |
| 107.1 | | |
| 42.8 | | |
| 107.2 | | |
| 46.8 | |
Merchant
processing fees | |
| 59.3 | | |
| 20.3 | | |
| 51.5 | | |
| 20.6 | | |
| 37.6 | | |
| 16.4 | |
Advertising
and marketing | |
| 32.8 | | |
| 11.2 | | |
| 29.0 | | |
| 11.6 | | |
| 25.8 | | |
| 11.3 | |
Depreciation
and amortization | |
| 11.1 | | |
| 3.8 | | |
| 9.1 | | |
| 3.6 | | |
| 10.7 | | |
| 4.7 | |
Others | |
| 62.7 | | |
| 21.4 | | |
| 53.5 | | |
| 21.4 | | |
| 47.9 | | |
| 20.8 | |
Total | |
| 292.5 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
| 250.2 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
| 229.2 | | |
| 100.0 | |
Results
of Operations
The
following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations in absolute amounts and as percentages of our net sales for the periods
indicated. Period-to-period comparisons of historical results of operations should not be relied upon as indicative of future performance.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
| |
(in
millions, except for percentages, net earnings per share, and average number of share) | |
| |
Amount | | |
%
of Net Sales | | |
Amount | | |
%
of Net Sales | | |
Amount | | |
%
of
Net Sales | |
Net
Sales | |
$ | 2,376.2 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 2,114.9 | | |
| 100.0 | | |
$ | 1,533.9 | | |
| 100.0 | |
Cost
of sales | |
| 2,050.2 | | |
| 86.3 | | |
| 1,841.2 | | |
| 87.1 | | |
| 1,369.0 | | |
| 89.2 | |
Gross
profit | |
| 326.0 | | |
| 13.7 | | |
| 273.7 | | |
| 12.9 | | |
| 164.9 | | |
| 10.8 | |
Other
operating income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 28.3 | | |
| 1.8 | |
Selling,
general and administrative expenses(1) | |
| 292.5 | | |
| 12.3 | | |
| 250.2 | | |
| 11.8 | | |
| 229.2 | | |
| 14.9 | |
Income
(loss) from operations | |
| 33.5 | | |
| 1.4 | | |
| 23.5 | | |
| 1.1 | | |
| (36.0 | ) | |
| (2.3 | ) |
Interest
income | |
| 1.1 | | |
| 0.0 | | |
| 1.1 | | |
| 0.1 | | |
| 0.6 | | |
| 0.0 | |
Interest
expense | |
| (0.6 | ) | |
| (0.0 | ) | |
| (0.7 | ) | |
| (0.0 | ) | |
| (2.9 | ) | |
| (0.2 | ) |
Other
income, net | |
| 1.8 | | |
| 0.1 | | |
| 5.2 | | |
| 0.2 | | |
| 4.1 | | |
| 0.3 | |
Equity
income (loss) from equity method investment | |
| (7.4 | ) | |
| (0.3 | ) | |
| 3.2 | | |
| 0.2 | | |
| 0.3 | | |
| 0.0 | |
Gain
from sale of equity method investment | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 21.5 | | |
| 1.4 | |
Gain
from disposal of subsidiary | |
| 2.0 | | |
| 0.1 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Change
in fair value of warrants liabilities | |
| 0.1 | | |
| 0.0 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Income
(loss) before provision for income taxes | |
| 30.5 | | |
| 1.3 | | |
| 32.3 | | |
| 1.5 | | |
| (12.4 | ) | |
| (0.8 | ) |
Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes | |
| (5.8 | ) | |
| (0.2 | ) | |
| 1.9 | | |
| 0.1 | | |
| 4.6 | | |
| 0.3 | |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36.3 | | |
| 1.5 | | |
$ | 30.4 | | |
| 1.4 | | |
$ | (17.0 | ) | |
| (1.1 | ) |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Net
earnings (loss) per share, basic | |
$ | 0.10 | | |
| | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
| | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) | |
| | |
Net
earnings (loss) per share, diluted | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
| | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
| | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) | |
| | |
Weighted
average number of common stock outstanding used in computing per share amounts, basic | |
| 366,650,707 | | |
| — | | |
| 363,325,542 | | |
| — | | |
| 363,325,542 | | |
| — | |
Weighted
average number of common stock outstanding used in computing per share amounts, diluted | |
| 432,249,932 | | |
| — | | |
| 385,012,550 | | |
| — | | |
| 363,325,542 | | |
| — | |
Note:
| (1) | Includes
share-based compensation expenses of $6.3 million, $1.6 million, and 0.7 million,
respectively, in years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019. |
Year
Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020
Net
sales
Net
sales increased by 12.4% for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the comparable prior year period from $2,114.9 million
in 2020 to $2,376.2 million in 2021, which was mainly due to the increase in GMV from our direct sales and marketplace businesses
from $1,968.7 million and $663.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively, to $2,195.9 million and $742.4 million
for the year ended December 31, 2021, respectively.
Such
increase in GMV was primarily due to the optimization of products with high demand, refinement of our product selection, increase in
the number of SKUs offered in our platforms, and improvement in relationships with key suppliers that helped them make strategic decisions
in their product offerings. Overall, the customer demand for technology products has also remained strong in 2021 as customers tend to
find better solutions to help them work, learn, entertain, and stay connected while being at home.
Cost
of Sales & Gross profit
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, our cost of sales increased by 11.4% compared to the comparable prior year period from $1,841.2 million
in 2020 to $2,050.2 million in 2021, generally reflective of the increase in our net sales. During the same period, our gross profit
increased by 19.1% from $273.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $326.0 million for the year ended December 31,
2021.
Our
profit margin increased to 13.7% for the year ended December 31, 2021 from 12.9% for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to
the significant growth in sales of our private label brand, ABS, that has higher margin, and increased demand for certain products
such as video graphic cards, hard disk and solid-state drives, where aggressive promotions are not required to move inventories.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, SG&A expenses increased to $292.5 million from $250.2 million for the year ended December
31, 2020, which mainly resulted from (i) an increase in salary and other compensation costs by $19.5 million due to an increase
in North America headcount to 1,216 as of December 31, 2021 from 1,005 as of the same period in 2020, (ii) an increase in merchant
payment fees by $7.8 million which is variable to sales, and (iii) an increase in other expenses by $9.2 million related
to professional fees incurred for the recapitalization.
Interest
income and expense
Interest
income is earned on (i) our loans to affiliates; and (ii) cash invested in money market accounts or certificates of deposit.
See “Related Party Transactions” for more information about our loans to affiliates. Interest expense represents the interest
we are charged on our borrowings, including term loan, line of credit and capital leases.
Interest
income remained consistent at $1.1 million and $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Interest
expense remained consistent at $0.6 million and $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Other
income, net
For
the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we recorded other income, net of $1.8 million and $5.2 million, respectively. For
the year ended December 31, 2021, other income, net, primarily consisted of sales tax rebate from Texas of $1.3 million, insurance proceeds
of approximately $1.0 million related to the inventory loss in the U.S., property rental income of $1.6 million, sales tax
discount income of $0.4 million, and other miscellaneous income of $0.8 million, which was partially offset by foreign exchange
loss of $3.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, other income, net, primarily consisted of partnership incentives of
$1.5 million, sales tax rebates and discounts of $1.4 million, and insurance proceeds of $0.8 million.
Equity
income from equity method investment
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded a loss on equity method investment of $7.4 million on our investment in Mountain
Capital. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a gain on equity method investment of $3.2 million on our investment
in Mountain Capital.
Gain
from Disposal of Subsidiary
On
May 19, 2021, we disposed all of LLIT’s legacy business contemplated by that certain Equity Transfer Agreement dated October 23,
2020, by and among LLIT, our wholly owned subsidiary, Lianluo Connection and Beijing Fenjin. We sold all of our equity interests in Lianluo
Connection to Beijing Fenjin immediately following completion of the Merger for a purchase price of RMB 0.
We
recognized a $2.0 million gain from disposal of Lianluo Connection for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Change
in Fair Value of Warrants Liabilities
Warrants
are remeasured at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings in each reporting period. We recorded a gain on the change
in fair value of warrant liabilities of $0.1 million due to the increase in stock price as of December 31, 2021, as compared to
the stock price as of May 19, 2021. There were no warrant liabilities as of December 31, 2020.
Provision
for/(benefit from) income taxes
Our benefit for income taxes was $5.8 million for the year ended
December 31, 2021 from a provision of $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in our provision for income
taxes was mainly due to the net change of the valuation allowance of $13.9 million, partially offset by $3.2 million provision for
income tax for Canada.
Net
Income/(Loss)
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded a net income of $36.3 million in 2021, as compared to a net income of $30.4 million
for the same period in 2020. The increase in net income is primarily driven by a growth in our net sales and improvement in our gross
margin.
Year
Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019
Net
sales
Net
sales increased by 37.9% for the year end December 31, 2020 compared to the comparable prior year period from $1,533.9 million
in 2019 to $2,114.9 million in 2020, which was mainly due to the increase in GMV from our direct sales platforms from $1,438.2 million
in 2019 to $1,968.7 million in 2020.
Such
increase in GMV was primarily due to (i) a change in buying behavior of consumers from brick-and-mortar stores to online retailers
due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and (ii) strong demand in computer components as a result of working and schooling from home.
Cost
of Sales & Gross profit
For
the year ended December 31, 2020, our cost of sales increased by 34.5% compared to the comparable prior year period from $1,369.0 million
in 2019 to $1,841.2 million in 2020, generally reflective of the increase in our net sales. During the same period, our gross profit
increased by 66.0% from $164.9 million in 2019 to $273.7 million in 2020.
Our
profit margin increased from 10.8% in 2019 to 12.9% in 2020 primarily due to a strategy change where we focused on selling high margin
categories. There was also a high demand in sales that turned the inventories much faster. There were no aggressive promotions needed
to move aged inventories that impacted the margin rate negatively.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
As
of December 31, 2020, SG&A expenses increased from $229.2 million in 2019 to $250.2 million in 2020, which mainly
resulted from (i) an increase in credit card charges from $37.6 million in 2019 to $51.5 million in 2020, which is directly
related to the increase in net sales in 2020, and (ii) an increase in advertising and marketing expenses from $25.8 million
in 2019 to $29.0 million in 2020.
Interest
income and expense
For
the year ended December 31, 2020, interest income increased from $0.6 million in 2019 to $1.1 million in 2020. This increase
was primarily driven by an increase of $0.5 million in interest income on our loan to an affiliate.
Interest
expense decreased from $2.9 million in 2019 to $0.7 million in 2020, which was generally due to a decrease in the average outstanding
debt balance in 2020, as compared to that of 2019.
Other
income, net
For
the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded other income, net of $5.2 million, compared to other income, net of $4.1 million
in 2019. For the year ended December 31, 2020, other income, net, primarily consisted of partnership incentives of $1.5 million,
sales tax rebates and discounts of $1.4 million, and insurance proceeds of $0.8 million. In 2019, our other income mainly consisted
of insurance proceeds of approximately $2.0 million primarily related to the fire loss in one of our warehouses in the U.S., property
rental income of $1.2 million from one of our idle warehouses in China, and government subsidies of an insignificant amount.
Gain
from sale of and equity income from equity method investments
For
the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a gain on equity method investment of $3.2 million on our investment in Mountain
Capital. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded a gain on equity method investment of $0.3 million on our investment
in Mountain Capital. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we also recorded a gain of $21.5 million on the sale of the equity method
investment in Mountain Capital of $21.8 million. Mountain Capital sold a portion of our investment in One97 to various third-party
buyers, which resulted in disposal of all of our investment in One97 in 2019.
Provision
for income taxes
Our
provision for income taxes decreased from $4.6 million in 2019 to $1.9 million in 2020. The decrease in our provision for income
taxes was mainly due to the expense of withholding tax in first half of 2019 associated with the sale of our investment in One97 through
Mountain Capital.
Net
Income/(Loss)
For
the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a net income of $30.4 million in 2020, as compared to a net loss of $17.0 million
for the same period in 2019. The increase in net income is primarily driven by a growth in our net sales and improvement in our gross
margin.
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
We
have included GMV and Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP financial measures, in this annual report. We believe that these are key measures used
by our management and board of directors to evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans, and make strategic decisions
regarding the allocation of capital.
GMV
GMV
is the total dollar value of products sold on our websites and third-party marketplace platforms, directly to customers and by our Marketplace
sellers through Newegg Marketplace, net of returns, discounts, taxes, and cancellations. GMV also includes the services fees charged
through our NPS in rendering services such as 3PL, SBN, SLS, staffing and media ad services, as well as the sales made by our Asia subsidiaries.
It helps us assess and analyze changes in revenues, and if reviewed in conjunction with net sales and other GAAP financial measures,
it can provide more information in evaluating our current performance and in assessing our future performance. See “— Newegg’s
Business Model.”
GMV, in previous filings, was defined as the total dollar value of
products sold on our websites, directly to customers and by our Marketplace sellers through Newegg Marketplace, net of returns, discounts,
taxes and cancellations. We are redefining GMV, as of the date of this filing, to include Nutrend and Rosewill sales through third-party
marketplace platforms, service and other revenues through NPS, such as 3PL, SBN, SLS, staffing, and media ad services, as well as sales
made by our Asia subsidiaries. The change is warranted to ensure that we report GMV to include all revenues of the company across
all our revenue streams that will allow the readers to better understand our overall performance. The change in the GMV definition
has resulted in an increase in GMV for 2020 and 2019 of $110.7 million and $44.2 million, respectively.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
| |
(in
millions) | |
Net
Sales | |
$ | 2,376.2 | | |
$ | 2,114.9 | | |
$ | 1,533.9 | |
Adjustments: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
GMV
- Marketplace | |
| 742.4 | | |
| 663.7 | | |
| 495.2 | |
Marketplace
Commission | |
| (67.0 | ) | |
| (58.5 | ) | |
| (46.7 | ) |
Deferred
Revenue | |
| (8.3 | ) | |
| 16.4 | | |
| (6.5 | ) |
Other | |
| (14.9 | ) | |
| 8.7 | | |
| 1.7 | |
GMV | |
$ | 3,028.4 | | |
$ | 2,745.2 | | |
$ | 1,977.6 | |
Adjusted
EBITDA
Adjusted
EBITDA is a financial measure that includes the removal of various one-time, irregular, and non-recurring items from EBITDA. We
believe that exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA facilitates operating performance comparisons on a period-to-period
basis and excludes items that we do not consider to be indicative of our core operating performance. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted
EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as
our management and board of directors.
Adjusted
EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results
as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:
| ● | although
depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized
may have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash capital
expenditure requirements for such replacements or for new capital expenditure requirements; |
| ● | Adjusted
EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs; |
| ● | Adjusted
EBITDA does not consider the potentially dilutive impact of stock-based compensation; |
| ● | Adjusted
EBITDA does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to
us; and |
| ● | Other
companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently,
which reduces its usefulness as a comparative measure. |
Because
of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including various cash flow
metrics, operating profit and our other GAAP results.
The
following table reflects the reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the periods indicated.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
| |
$ | | |
$ | | |
$ | |
| |
(in
millions) | |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36.3 | | |
$ | 30.4 | | |
$ | (17.0 | ) |
Adjustments: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Stock-based
compensation expenses | |
| 6.3 | | |
| 1.6 | | |
| 0.7 | |
Interest
(income) expense, net | |
| (0.5 | ) | |
| (0.4 | ) | |
| 2.3 | |
Income
tax (benefit) provision | |
| (5.8 | ) | |
| 1.9 | | |
| 4.6 | |
Depreciation
and amortization | |
| 10.8 | | |
| 9.1 | | |
| 10.7 | |
Equity
income (loss) from equity method investment | |
| 7.4 | | |
| (3.2 | ) | |
| (0.3 | ) |
Gain
from sale of equity method investment | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (21.5 | ) |
Gain
from disposal of subsidiary | |
| (2.0 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Loss
(gain) from change in fair value of warrants liabilities | |
| (0.1 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Gain
from sale of real estate property | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (28.8 | ) |
Adjusted
EBITDA | |
$ | 52.4 | | |
$ | 39.4 | | |
$ | (49.3 | ) |
| B. | Liquidity
and Capital Resources |
Cash
flows and working capital
We
have historically funded our operations through existing working capital, credit facilities, bank loans, return from investing activities,
and equity financings. See Notes 8 and 9 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report for more information
about the line of credit and long-term debt that we obtain from financial institutions.
Our
cash and cash equivalents consist primarily of cash on deposit, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts. Cash equivalents
are all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or fewer. Amounts receivable from payment processors
are also considered cash equivalents as they are both short term and highly liquid in nature and are typically converted to cash within
three business days. Amounts due to us from payment processors that are classified as cash and cash equivalents totaled $14.3 million and
$17.5 million at December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. We anticipate that our existing cash and funds generated
from operations will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs and expected capital expenditures for at least 12 months from
the date of the filing of this annual report. Our cash and cash equivalents are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars.
We
historically experience higher sales in the fourth quarter due to the holiday season. In anticipation of such higher sales, we typically
begin building up our inventory levels in the late third quarter. Such inventory build-up may require us to expend cash faster than we
generate by our operations during these periods. Also, as a result of this inventory build-up and faster inventory turnover during the
fourth quarter, our accounts payable are typically at their highest levels at year-end, as compared to the first, second and third quarters
when sales are lower.
We
intend to finance our future working capital requirements and capital expenditures from cash generated from operating activities and
funds raised from financing activities, and return from investing activities. Our future capital requirements may, however, vary materially
from those now planned or anticipated. Changes in our operating plans, lower than anticipated net sales, increased expenses or other
events, including those described in “Risk Factors,” may cause us to seek additional debt or equity financing in the future.
If our existing cash is insufficient to meet our requirements, we may seek to issue debt or equity securities or obtain additional credit
facilities. Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, on a timely basis, or at all, and our failure to raise adequate capital
when needed could negatively impact our growth plans and our financial condition and results of operations. Issuance of additional equity
securities, including convertible debt securities, would dilute our earnings per share. The incurrence of debt would divert cash for
working capital and capital expenditures to service debt obligations and could result in operating and financial covenants that restrict
our operations and our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. If we are unable to obtain additional equity or debt financing as
required, our business operations and prospects may suffer.
Historical
Cash Flows
The
following table sets forth our selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019.
| |
For
the Year Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Summary
Consolidated Cash Flow Data: | |
(in
millions) | |
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities | |
$ | (53.3 | ) | |
$ | 84.5 | | |
$ | (10.1 | ) |
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities | |
| (13.8 | ) | |
| (5.2 | ) | |
| 84.7 | |
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities | |
| 12.7 | | |
| (1.7 | ) | |
| (49.7 | ) |
Foreign
currency effect on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | |
| 1.0 | | |
| (0.4 | ) | |
| (1.1 | ) |
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | |
| (53.4 | ) | |
| 77.2 | | |
| 23.8 | |
Cash,
cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the year | |
| 157.7 | | |
| 80.5 | | |
| 56.7 | |
Cash,
cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the year | |
$ | 104.3 | | |
$ | 157.7 | | |
$ | 80.5 | |
Operating
activities
Net
cash used in operating activities was $53.3 million in 2021. Net income was $36.3 million for the period. The adjustments for
non-cash expenses are primarily comprised of (i) $10.8 million of depreciation and amortization that was associated with property
and equipment; (ii) $8.3 million of provision for obsolete and excess inventory; (iii) $6.3 million of stock-based
compensation; (iv) $7.4 million equity loss from equity method investments; and partially offset by $12.7 million from deferred
income taxes. The changes in operating assets and liabilities represented $109.1 million cash used in (i) an increase in inventory
of $70.8 million; (ii) a decrease in accounts payable of $20.1 million; (iii) a decrease in accrued liabilities and other liabilities
of $8.6 million; (iv) a decrease in deferred revenue of $7.4 million; and (v) an increase in prepaid expenses of $2.2 million,
partially offset by a decrease in accounts receivable of $0.8 million.
Net
cash provided by operating activities was $84.5 million in 2020. Net income was $30.4 million for the period. The adjustments for
non-cash expenses are primarily comprised of (i) $9.1 million of depreciation and amortization that was associated with property
and equipment; (ii) $7.3 million of bad debt expense, and (iii) $4.2 million of provision for obsolete and excess
inventory. The changes in operating assets and liabilities represented a $34.4 million increase in cash provided by (i) an increase
in accounts payable of $76.3 million; (ii) an increase in accrued liabilities and other liabilities of $35.1 million; and (iii) an
increase in deferred revenue of $21.8 million, partially offset by (i) an increase in accounts receivable of $14.1 million;
(ii) an increase in inventory of $76.2 million; and (iii) an increase in prepaid expenses of $7.5 million.
Net
cash used in operating activities was $10.1 million in 2019. Net loss was $17.0 million in 2019. The adjustments for non-cash
expenses are primarily comprised of (i) $10.7 million of depreciation and amortization that was associated with property and
equipment; (ii) $4.3 million of provision for obsolete and excess inventory; and (iii) $21.5 million of gain on equity
method investment. The changes in operating assets and liabilities represented $42.8 million cash provided by (i) a decrease
in accounts receivable and inventory of $33.9 million and $110.1 million, respectively; and (ii) an increase in accrued
liabilities and other liabilities of $8.0 million, partially offset by (i) a decrease in accounts payable of $100.7 million,
and (ii) a decrease in deferred revenue of $11.2 million.
Investing
activities
Net
cash used in investing activities was $13.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was primarily attributable to the
payments made to acquire property and equipment.
Net
cash used in investing activities was $5.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was primarily attributable to
the payments made to acquire property and equipment of $6.2 million partially offset by the proceeds from insurance of $0.8 million
and disposal of fixed assets of $0.1 million.
Net
cash provided by investing activities was $84.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was mainly due to (i) proceeds
on disposal of a warehouse of $38.6 million, and (ii) proceeds on sales of equity method investment of $77.5 million,
partially offset by (i) payments of $10.3 million made to acquire property and equipment; (ii) equity investments of $7.0 million;
and (iii) loans to an affiliate of $15.0 million. See “Related Party Transactions”
Financing
activities
Net
cash provided by financing activities was $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was mainly due to (i) cash
received from common control asset transaction of $11.4 million; and (ii) borrowings under line of credit of $0.8 million.
Net
cash used in financing activities was $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, due to the repayment of our line of
credit.
Net
cash used in financing activities was $49.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was mainly due to (i) net
repayment under our line of credit of $36.4 million; and (ii) repayment of our long-term debt of $13.3 million.
Capital
Expenditures
Our
capital expenditures are incurred primarily in connection with purchases of property and equipment and leasehold improvements. Our capital
expenditures were $13.8 million, $6.2 million, and $10.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019,
respectively.
Credit
Agreements
We
entered into a credit agreement in August 2021 with several financing institutions that provided a revolving credit facility of
up to $100 million with a maturity date of August 20, 2024. Prior to August 20, 2023 and subject to certain terms and
conditions, the Maximum Revolving Advance Amount, as defined in the credit agreement, could be increased up to $150.0 million. The
revolving credit facility includes a letter of credit sublimit of $30.0 million, which can be used to issue standby and trade letters
of credit, and a $20.0 million sublimit for swingline loans. In general, advances from this line of credit will be subject to interest
at LIBOR plus the Applicable Margin, as defined in the credit agreement, so long as a Daily LIBOR is offered, ascertainable, and not
unlawful, or the Alternate Base Rate (to be defined as the highest of the (a) the Base Rate in effect on such day, (b) the
sum of the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day plus 0.50%, or (c) the daily LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus the Applicable
Margin. For LIBOR loans, we may select interest periods of one, two, or three months. Interest on LIBOR loans shall be payable at
the end of the selected interest period. Interest on Alternate Base Rate loans is payable monthly. In the event of the permanent or indefinite
cessation of LIBOR, the Benchmark Replacement will replace LIBOR. If the Benchmark Replacement is Daily Simple SOFR, all interest
payments will be payable on a monthly basis. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, there was no balance outstanding under
this line of credit.
The
line of credit is secured by certain of our U.S. subsidiaries and is collateralized by certain of our assets. Such assets include
all receivables, equipment and fixtures, general intangibles, inventory, subsidiary stock, securities, investment property, and financial
assets, contract rights, and ledger sheets, as defined in the loan agreement. To maintain availability of funds under the loan agreement,
we will pay on a quarterly basis, an unused commitment fee of 0.15% per annum on the unused amount for the facility. The credit facility
contains customary covenants, including covenants that limit or restrict our ability to incur capital expenditures and lease payments,
make certain investments and enter into certain related-party transactions. The credit facility also requires us to maintain certain
minimum financial ratios and maintain operation banking relationship with the financial institutions. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31,
2020, we were in compliance with all financial covenants related to the line of credit.
| C. | Research
and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc. |
See
Item 5A under the subheadings, “Technology” and “Intellectual Property.”
Other
than as disclosed in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the current
fiscal year that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources,
or that caused the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial conditions.
| E. | Critical
Accounting Estimates |
Our
consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets, liabilities, net sales, costs and expenses, as well as the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and other related
disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the
circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about carrying values of our assets and liabilities that are
not readily apparent from other sources. In many instances, we could have reasonably used different accounting estimates. Actual results
could differ from those estimates, and we include any revisions to our estimates in our results for the period in which the actual amounts
become known.
We
believe the critical accounting policies described below affect the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation
of our consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding
and evaluating our historical consolidated financial condition and results of operations:
Incentives
Earned from Vendors
We
participate in various vendor incentive programs that include, but are not limited to, purchasing-based volume discounts, sales-based
volume incentives, marketing development funds, including for certain cooperative advertising, and price protection agreements. Vendor
incentives are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as an offset to marketing and promotional expenses to the extent
that they represent reimbursement of advertising costs incurred by us on behalf of the vendors that are specific, incremental, and identifiable.
Reimbursements that are in excess of such costs and all other vendor incentive programs are accounted for as a reduction of cost of sales,
or if the related product inventory is still on hand at the reporting date, inventory is reduced in the consolidated balance sheets.
Income
Taxes
The
Company is subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and taxes in foreign jurisdictions. In accordance with
ASC Topic 740, the Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method,
deferred taxes are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities,
using tax rates expected to be in effect during the years in which the bases differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance
is established against deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not
be realized.
The
Company considers a number of factors in assessing the realization of a deferred tax asset associated with net operating losses and tax
credit carryforwards, including the reversal of temporary differences and future taxable income. The Company also considers the uncertainty
posed by the current economic environment and the effect of this uncertainty on the various factors that the Company takes into account
in evaluating the need for valuation allowance.
The
Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained
upon examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The Company measures the recognized tax benefit
as the largest amount of tax benefit that has greater than a 50% likelihood of being realized upon the ultimate settlement with a taxing
authority. The Company reverses a previously recognized tax benefit if it determines that the tax position no longer meets the more-likely-than-not
threshold of being sustained. The Company accrues interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
Expense
and Valuation of Shares of our Common Stock
The
measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees, consultants and directors,
including employee stock options and restricted stock, is based on estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. The value
of awards that are ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods in
the consolidated statements of operations.
For
detailed discussion on stock-based compensation, see Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
For
detailed discussion on recent accounting pronouncements, see Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements of Newegg Commerce,
Inc. included elsewhere in this annual report.
Item
6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees
A.
Directors and Senior Management
Set
forth below is information concerning our directors, executive officers and other key employees.
MANAGEMENT
Set
forth below is information concerning our directors, executive officers and other key employees as of the date of this annual report.
Name* |
|
Age |
|
Position(s) |
Zhitao
He |
|
40 |
|
Chairman
and Director |
Fred
Faching Chang |
|
65 |
|
Vice
Chairman and Director |
Yingmei
Yang |
|
51 |
|
Director |
Fuya
Zheng |
|
55 |
|
Independent
Director |
Gregory
Moore |
|
72 |
|
Independent
Director |
Poi
(Paul) Wu |
|
51 |
|
Independent
Director |
Anthony
Chow |
|
56 |
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Director |
Robert
Chang |
|
54 |
|
Chief
Financial Officer |
Jamie
Spannos |
|
44 |
|
Chief
Operating Officer |
Montaque
Hou |
|
42 |
|
Chief
Technology Officer |
* | Except
as otherwise indicated below, the business address of our directors and executive officers
is 17560 Rowland Street, City of Industry, CA, United States 91748. |
Mr.
Zhitao He. Mr. He has served as a director of the Company since October 2016 and has been chairman of the board of directors since
March 2018 (other than a brief hiatus in 2020-2021). He has been a director of Newegg Inc. since March 2017. Mr. He served as
the Chief Executive Officer of Lianluo Smart Limited from April, 2020 to August 2020. Mr. Zhitao He is also the Chairman of the Board
of Hangzhou Lianluo, a China-listed company and parent of Newegg. Mr. He successfully led Hangzhou Lianluo to list on China’s A
share market (ticker: 002280). He was named one of the “10 Top Entrepreneurs of Post-1980s” by Hurun Report and “Top
Ten Entrepreneurial Leader of Listed Companies” by Securities Times. Under his leadership, Hangzhou Lianluo has
moved into the field of smart hardware, including the purchase of Newegg, investments in American virtual reality (“VR”)
device manufacturer Avegant and hardware corporation Razer, and promotion of the world’s biggest VR Operating System OSVR in China
together with Razer. This investment plan has allowed Hangzhou Lianluo to become a closed loop of “Software and Hardware + Platform
+ Channels.” Mr. He currently serves on the board of directors of Hangzhou Lianluo, Avegant Light Field Technology, Beijing Digital
Grid Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Ailianluo Investment Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Lianluo Holding CO., Ltd., Beijing Lianluo Youjia Technology
Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Zhitongrong Networking Technology Co., Ltd. Mr. He received his master’s degree from Beijing University
of Posts and Telecommunications. Mr. He founded Hangzhou Lianluo in 2007, which was then-known as Beijing Digital Grid Technology Co.
Mr.
Fred Faching Chang (or Mr. Fred Chang). Mr. Chang currently serves as the Vice Chairman of our board of directors. He has been a
member of Newegg Inc.’s board from September 2019 to the present. He was previously a director of Newegg Inc. from June 2005 to
August 2018 and was a member of the compensation committee of Newegg Inc.’s board of directors from 2017 to 2018. During the periods
from October 2005 to August 2008, January 2013 to January 2015, and October 2019 to March 2020, Mr. Chang was also Newegg Inc.’s
Chief Executive Officer.
Ms.
Yingmei Yang. Ms. Yang has served as a director of the Company since April 2020, and as a director of Newegg Inc. since July 2018.
Ms. Yang served as interim Chief Financial Officer of Lianluo Smart Limited from March 2018 to May 2021. In addition, she has acted as
the Vice President of Hangzhou Lianluo Information Technology Co., Ltd. from February 2018 to September 2020. From January 2015 to February
2018, Ms. Yang served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Hangzhou Lianluo. From February 2013 to January 2015, Ms. Yang
was the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Board of Beijing Digit Horizon Technology Limited, the predecessor of Hangzhou Lianluo.
Mr.
Fuya (Frank) Zheng. Mr. Zheng was appointed as an independent director in April 2020. Mr. Zheng has extensive experience in corporate
finance and investment management. He has served as Chief Financial Officer of X Financial since August 2020. He was a consultant of
Yingde Gases Group Company (“Yingde Gases”), a leading industrial gas supplier in China, from September 2017 to March 2020.
Mr. Zheng was an independent director of Yingde Gases from September 2009 to September 2017. From February 2018 until May 2019, Mr. Zheng
was also an independent director of ChinaCache International Holdings Ltd. (CCIHY). From January 2008 to November 2012, Mr. Zheng was
Chief Financial Officer of Cogo Group, Inc., a then Nasdaq listed company that provided customized module design solutions and manufactured
electronic products in China. Mr. Zheng was also a director of the same company from January 2005 to November 2012. Prior to that, Mr.
Zheng was vice president of travel service at eLong, Inc., one of the leading online travel service companies in China and listed on
Nasdaq, where he was responsible for the overall operation of eLong Inc.’s travel services. Mr. Zheng received a Bachelor of Business
Administration majoring in accounting from City University of New York in 1994.
Mr.
Gregory Moore. Mr. Moore has been a member of our board of directors since May 2021, and has been a member of Newegg Inc.’s
board of directors since July 2011. Mr. Moore previously served as the Senior Vice President and Controller of Yum! Brands, Inc. until
he retired in 2005. Yum! Brands is the worldwide parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. Prior to becoming Yum! Brands’
Controller, Mr. Moore was the Vice President and General Auditor of Yum! Brands. Before that, he was with PepsiCo, Inc. and held the
position of Vice President, Controller of Taco Bell and Controller of PepsiCo Wines & Spirits International, a division of PepsiCola
International. Before joining PepsiCo he was an Audit Manager at Arthur Young & Company in its New York, New York and Stamford, Connecticut
offices. Mr. Moore also serves as Chairman of the Board of Texas Roadhouse Inc. (Nasdaq: TXRH).
Mr.
Poi (Paul) Wu. Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu has been a member of our board since May 2021, and has been a member of Newegg Inc.’s board
of directors since February 2020. Mr. Wu is the founder and CEO of Carota, a supplier of connected car services. Mr. Wu is also the co-founder
of the MOX mobile accelerator. He previously served as the CEO of Pocketnet Tech, a mobile content provider, and has also served in various
roles with MediaTek, Hon Hai Foxconn Technology Group and Hong Kong Hutchison Wampoa’s TOM Group. Mr. Wu obtained his bachelor’s
degree from the Department of Agricultural Economics at Taiwan University, and obtained an MBA from RSM Rotterdam Business School in
the Netherlands.
Mr.
Anthony Chow. Mr. Chow is the Global Chief Executive Officer of Newegg. He sets the Company’s strategic direction and works
closely with Newegg’s executives for consistent execution across the organization. In addition to Mr. Chow’s role as Global
CEO, he also serves on the Company’s board of directors. Mr. Chow’s leadership has guided Newegg through some of the Company’s
most transformative years. He first served as Vice President of Newegg Inc.’s North American business from 2006 until 2008, before
moving to Shanghai to oversee Newegg Inc.’s China operation, as well as OZZO Logistics, a Newegg subsidiary providing 3PL support
for other e-commerce companies based in China. In 2011, Mr. Chow left Newegg to become CEO of OTTO Group China, the Chinese subsidiary
of Germany’s largest online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products. In this role, he helped the company extend its reach beyond
Europe and into key parts of Asia. Then in 2015, he was appointed Vice President of Haier China, a global home appliance and consumer
electronics manufacturer based in Qingdao, China. Upon rejoining Newegg Inc. in 2019, Mr. Chow made sweeping changes to position the
Company for continued success in the rapidly expanding e-commerce space. Consequently, Newegg remains one of the leading tech e-commerce
companies with strong market share in consumer sales, and a growing portfolio of services for the Company’s vendor partners, Marketplace
sellers and 3PL clients. Mr. Chow holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the University of
Toledo, and a Master of Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Mr.
Robert Chang. Mr. Chang is the Chief Financial Officer of Newegg. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the
Company’s financial performance, including forecasting, evaluation and reporting. Mr. Chang has served Newegg Inc. in various finance-related
roles for more than two decades, first joining in 1999 and later being appointed to the CFO role in 2015. Prior to Newegg Inc., Mr. Chang
spent five years as an Operational Analyst at Taiwan YFY Paper Manufacturers. Mr. Chang holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics
from Soochow University, and a Master’s degree in Finance from University of La Verne.
Mr.
Jamie Spannos. Mr. Spannos is the Global Chief Operating Officer of Newegg. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic direction
and operational development of Newegg’s supply chain operations, managing end-to-end operations for the Company’s 32M+ SKUs
in more than 1,665 product categories sold into 20 countries across the globe. Mr. Spannos also oversees Newegg Logistics, a separate
Newegg business unit that provides 3PL services to other e-commerce companies. Prior to joining Newegg Inc. in 2018, Mr. Spannos was
Senior Vice President of North America Fulfillment and Logistics at FTD.com, where he oversaw all FTD.com and sub-brand operations across
103 drop-ship and internal distribution centers. Before his time at FTD.com, Mr. Spannos spent five years heading up distribution for
Kraft Heinz Company, managing the company’s robust network of 26,500 3PL and Kraft Heinz employees across 128 distribution locations.
In that role, he also played an instrumental part in providing strategic and executional direction in optimizing the company’s
warehousing infrastructure, in turn unifying several distribution partnership models related to a multitude of company mergers and divestitures.
And before Kraft Heinz, he served as GM/VP/Managing Director of Home Depot’s Import and Domestic Distribution Field Operations,
helping to build the foundation of Home Depot’s supply chain during his 12-year tenure with the company. He holds the distinction
of being the youngest at Home Depot to ascend to the GM role at the time. His experience of more than 20 years across a broad range of
business functions uniquely qualifies Mr. Spannos to continue to expand Newegg’s operational excellence, positively impacting Newegg’s
customers and the many businesses that rely on Newegg’s 3PL support.
Mr.
Montaque Hou. Mr. Hou has served as our Chief Technology Officer since May 2021 and was Chief Technology Officer of Newegg Inc. from
January 2016 to May 2021. In this role, he is responsible for all technical aspects of the Newegg shopping experience, including the
website, mobile app and other touchpoints including SMS and email interaction. Mr. Hou’s global technology team of more than 600
engineers designs, develops and deploys the technology that underpins site design, customer service, Newegg’s Marketplace,
resource planning, logistics and inventory management of more than 100M unique SKUs. The technical development under Mr. Hou’s
direction infuses the latest data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance the shopping experience with search
personalization and product recommendations, as well as safeguards that deter fraudulent activity and eliminate counterfeit product listings
on Newegg’s Marketplace. Under Mr. Hou’s stewardship, Newegg built and maintains its reputation of pioneering new e-commerce
user experiences through customer-driven innovations, personalizing the shopping experience to deliver an intuitive, rewarding shopping
experience. Newegg recently became the first major e-commerce company to offer a native Dark Mode, further cementing the Company’s
position as a leading e-commerce innovator. Prior to Mr. Hou’s tenure as CTO, he held various technical positions at Newegg, including
Solutions Architect, Director of Technology Strategy and Chief Architecture Engineer. Mr. Hou holds a Master of Science in analytical
chemistry from Tongji University in Shanghai.
B.
Compensation
2021
Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, the aggregate cash compensation accrued for directors, as a group, was approximately $1.1 million,
of which about $0.5 million is related to the proceeds from the exercise of stock options. Employee directors did not receive
any compensation for their services as directors. Non-employee directors were entitled to receive payment for serving as directors and
may receive option grants or restricted stock units.
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, the aggregate cash compensation accrued for our executives (consisting of the CEO, CFO, COO, and CTO),
as a group, was approximately $5.7 million, of which approximately $2.9 million is related to 2021 bonus that was paid out in March 2022.
In addition, the executives exercised stock options for the year ended December 31, 2021 that resulted into an aggregate proceeds of
$3.8 million. We did not separately set aside any amounts for pensions, retirement, or other benefits for our executive officers, other
than pursuant to relevant statutory requirements.
For
the year ended December 31, 2021, the aggregate cash compensation accrued for our CEO was approximately $3.2 million, of which $1.9 million
was for 2021 bonus that was paid in March 2022. In addition, during the year, Mr. Chow exercised stock options with total proceeds of
$1.7 million.
Discretionary
Bonus and Profit Sharing Program
Newegg’s
CEO and other executive officers are eligible to participate in the Company’s annual Discretionary Bonus Program and Profit Sharing
Program. Under the Discretionary Bonus Program, executives are eligible to receive an annual cash bonus payment based upon corporate
and individual performance, as determined in the discretion of the Board of Directors, with target bonus amounts ranging from 10% of
base salary to 50% of base salary for plan year 2021. Under the annual Profit Sharing Program, the CEO and other executive officers are
entitled to an annual cash bonus based upon the Company’s GMV and adjusted EBITDA for the year, with the bonus payout weighted
70% based on GMV performance and 30% based upon adjusted EBITDA performance for program year 2021. Bonus awards under the Profit Sharing
Program start at 30% of base salary (60% for the CEO) based upon meeting the threshold level of performance and are subject to increase
based upon performance above threshold. Payments under both the Discretionary Bonus Program and the Profit Sharing Program are contingent
upon the executive remaining employed with the Company through the date bonuses are paid.
Stock
Option Plans
Newegg
2005 Incentive Award Plan
In
September 2005, the Newegg 2005 Incentive Award Plan was approved and subsequently amended in January 2008, October 2009, December 2011
and September 2015. Under the Newegg 2005 Incentive Award Plan, we may grant equity incentive awards to employees, directors, and consultants
based on our common shares. A committee of our board of directors determines the eligibility, types of equity awards, vesting schedules,
and exercise prices for equity awards granted. Subject to certain adjustments in the event of a change in capitalization or similar transaction,
we may issue a maximum of 82,952,149 common shares under the Newegg 2005 Incentive Award Plan. We issue new common shares from this authorized
share pool to settle stock-based compensation awards. The exercise price of options granted under the plan shall not be less than the
fair value of our common shares as of the date of grant. Options typically vest over a term of four years, and are typically exercisable
for a period of 10 years after the date of grant, except when granted to a holder who, at the time the option is granted, owns stock
representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of Newegg or any subsidiaries, in which case, the term of the
option shall be no more than five years from the date of grant. In September 2015, the Newegg 2005 Incentive Award Plan was amended to
permit additional awards to be made after the tenth anniversary of the original adoption of said plan.
Newegg
Significant Shareholder Incentive Program
In
2016, Mr. Fred Chang established the Newegg Significant Shareholder Incentive Program, pursuant to which he caused to be transferred
some of his common shares in Newegg Inc. to certain of Newegg Inc.’s then-current executives as restricted stock awards, subject
to time-based vesting. As of December 31, 2021, 5,913,302 common shares remain vested under the restricted
stock awards granted under the Newegg Significant Shareholder Incentive Program, which are primarily held by our former Chief Executive
Officer. All other awards under the Significant Shareholder Incentive Program have been terminated.
2021
Equity Incentive Plan
In
November 2021, the Newegg 2021 Equity Incentive Plan was approved, with 7,374,900 common shares reserved for issuance thereunder. In
November 2021, all shares reserved under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan were granted to our executive officers and key employees in the
form of restricted stock unit awards. These grants vest over four years, with 25% vesting on the one-year anniversary of grant, and the
remainder vesting monthly over the following three years, such that they will be fully vested after four years. One half of the grants,
or 3,687,450 RSUs, were granted to the Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Chow. The remaining executives received grants as follows: 280,000
RSUs awarded to Newegg’s Chief Operating Officer, Jamie Spannos, 150,000 RSUs to Chief Financial Officer, Robert Chang, 150,000
RSUs to Chief Technology Officer, Montaque Hou, and 100,000 RSUs to our former Chief Legal Officer, Brian Waters. The remaining 3,007,450
RSUs were granted or reserved for 252 other key employees or expected new hires.
Agreements
with Executive Officers
Pursuant
to our standard employment agreements with certain of our executive officers (excluding our Chief Executive Officer), , the employment
with each of these executive officers is for a single three-year term, renewable thereafter in one-year increments. The employment is
“at will” and can be terminated by us or each executive officer at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, with
or without cause. If the executive is terminated by us without cause or by the executive for good reason, then the executive is entitled
to receive severance of 12 months’ base salary and a prorated bonus. If such termination is also made in conjunction with a change
of control, then the severance amount will increase to 24 months’ base salary and 200% of the executive’s target bonus. The
agreements also contain customary confidentiality, non-solicit and invention assignment provisions.
On
November 19, 2021, we entered into an employment agreement with our Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Chow. The employment is “at
will” and can be terminated by us or Mr. Chow at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, with or without cause. Under
the terms of the agreement, Mr. Chow is guaranteed a base salary of $1.1 million per year and a target bonus of 160% to 200% of his base
salary. The employment agreement has a four-year term, and guarantees that Mr. Chow will receive the base salary component for the entire
term, even if he is terminated during the term, unless he is terminated for cause. If Mr. Chow’s employment is terminated by us
without cause or by Mr. Chow for good reason, then he is entitled to receive severance of 12 months’ base salary and a bonus equal
to the average of the prior three years’ annual bonuses at the time of termination (this severance amount is in addition to the
remaining owed guaranteed base salary for the rest of term). In addition, all unvested equity incentive awards that are outstanding and
due to be vested within one year of his termination are subject to accelerated vesting if he is terminated by us without cause or by
Mr. Chow for good reason. If termination without cause or for good reason occurs in the context of a change in control of Newegg, then
the severance increases to 24 months’ base salary (instead of 12 months’) and all unvested equity incentive awards that are
outstanding at the time of his termination (not just those that vest within one year) are subject to accelerated vesting. The agreement
also contains customary confidentiality, non-solicit and invention assignment provisions.
C.
Board Practices
Board
of Directors
Our
Board currently consists of seven directors. None of our directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination
of service as a director.
A
director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he or she is interested, provided, however that the nature of the
interest of any director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him or her at or prior to the consideration and vote
on that matter. A general notice or disclosure to the directors or otherwise contained in the minutes of a meeting or a written resolution
of the directors or any committee thereof of the nature of a director’s interest shall be sufficient disclosure and after such
general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction. A director may be counted for
a quorum upon a motion in respect of any contract or arrangement which he or she shall make with our company, or in which he or she is
so interested and may vote on such motion. There are no membership qualifications for directors. Further, there are no share ownership
qualifications for directors unless so fixed by us in a general meeting.
The
Nasdaq Listing Rules generally require that a majority of an issuer’s board of directors must consist of independent directors.
However, the Nasdaq Listing Rules permit foreign private issuers like us to follow “home country practice” in certain corporate
governance matters. We rely on this “home country practice” exception and do not have a majority of independent directors
serving on our Board. Mr. Gregory Moore, Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu, and Mr. Fuya (Frank) Zheng are our independent directors.
We
do not have a lead independent director because we believe our independent directors are encouraged to freely voice their opinions on
a relatively small company board.
Our
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, subject to compliance with applicable laws and Nasdaq Listing Rules, provides
that Digital Grid and Mr. Fred Chang, acting as the “Minority Representative,”, shall be entitled to designate nominees to
our Board in a number that is proportionate to the voting power of Digital Grid and its affiliates, and our Legacy Shareholders, respectively.
Digital
Grid has nominated Mr. Zhitao He, Ms. Yingmei Yang, Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu, and Fuya (Frank) Zheng to serve as directors. Mr. Fred Chang has
nominated Mr. Fred Chang, Mr. Greg Moore and Mr. Anthony Chow to serve as directors.
Duties
of Directors
Under
British Virgin Islands law, our directors have duties to act honestly, in good faith and with a view to our best interests. Our directors
also have a duty to exercise the care, diligence and skills that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances.
In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must oversee the Company, including our compliance with our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association. We have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached. The functions
and powers of our board include, among others:
| ● | appointing
officers and determining the term of office of the officers; |
| ● | authorizing
the payment of donations to religious, charitable, public or other bodies, clubs, funds or
associations as deemed advisable; |
| ● | exercising
the borrowing powers of the Company and mortgaging the property of the Company; |
| ● | executing
checks, promissory notes and other negotiable instruments on behalf of the Company; and |
| ● | maintaining
or registering a register of mortgages, charges or other encumbrances of the Company. |
Limitation
of Director and Officer Liability
British
Virgin Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification
of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the British Virgin Islands courts to be contrary to
public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.
Under
our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, we may indemnify our directors, officers and liquidators against all
expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection
with civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings to which they are party or are threatened to be made a party by reason
of their acting as our director, officer or liquidator. To be entitled to indemnification, these persons must have acted honestly and
in good faith with a view to the best interest of the Company and, in the case of criminal proceedings, they must have had no reasonable
cause to believe their conduct was unlawful.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted for our directors or officers under the foregoing
provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities
Act and is therefore unenforceable as a matter of United States law.
Involvement
in Certain Legal Proceedings
On
August 6, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo and Mr. Zhitao He received an investigation notice from China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”)
for alleged violation of laws and regulations regarding information disclosures of Hangzhou Lianluo. Hangzhou Lianluo is a PRC company
with shares listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Mr. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hangzhou Lianluo. Hangzhou Lianluo
is also the parent company of Digital Grid, the largest shareholder of the Company, and Mr. He was the former Chairman and the former
Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
On
September 28, 2020, Hangzhou Lianluo announced that it had received a letter of advance notice of administrative punishment from Zhejiang
Regulatory Bureau of CSRC, which provided, among others, that (i) Hangzhou Lianluo would receive a warning and be required to correct
its unlawful acts and pay a fine of RMB 300,000, and (ii) Mr. Zhitao He would receive a warning and be required to pay a fine of RMB
400,000.
To
the best of our knowledge, except as disclosed herein, none of our directors or executive officers has been convicted in a criminal proceeding,
excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors, or has been a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding during the past
ten years that resulted in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the person from future violations of, or prohibiting activities
subject to, federal or state securities laws, or a finding of any violation of federal or state securities or commodities laws, any laws
respecting financial institutions or insurance companies, any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud in connection with any
business entity or been subject to any disciplinary sanctions or orders imposed by a stock, commodities or derivatives exchange or other
self-regulatory organization, except for matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement.
There
are no other arrangements or understandings pursuant to which our directors are selected or nominated.
Family
Relationship
There
are no family relationships among any of the persons named above, and except as disclosed otherwise, there are no arrangements or understandings
with major shareholders, customers, suppliers or others, pursuant to which any such person was selected as a director or member of senior
management.
Terms
of Directors and Executive Officers
Each
of our directors holds office until a successor has been duly elected and qualified unless the director was appointed by the Board, in
which case such director holds office until the next annual meeting of shareholders at which time such director is eligible for re-election.
All of our executive officers are appointed by and serve at the discretion of our board.
Qualification
There
is currently no shareholding qualification for directors, although a shareholding qualification for directors may be fixed by our shareholders
by ordinary resolution.
Committees
of the Board of Directors
Currently,
three committees have been established under the board: the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating committee.
Each committee’s members and functions are described below.
Audit
Committee
Our
audit committee currently consists of Mr. Gregory Moore, Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu, and Mr. Fuya (Frank) Zheng. Mr. Moore is the chairman of
our audit committee. We have determined that Mr. Moore, Mr. Wu, and Mr. Zheng satisfy the “independence” requirements of
Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. Our board also has determined that Mr. Moore qualifies
as an audit committee financial expert within the meaning of the SEC rules or possesses financial sophistication within the meaning of
the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial
statements of our company. The audit committee is responsible for, among other things:
| ● | appointing
the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted
to be performed by the independent auditors; |
| ● | reviewing
with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response; |
| ● | discussing
the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors; |
| ● | reviewing
the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures
and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures; |
| ● | reviewing
and approving all proposed related party transactions; |
| ● | meeting
separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and |
| ● | monitoring
compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy
and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance. |
Compensation
Committee
Our
compensation committee currently consists of Mr. Gregory Moore, Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu, and Mr. Fuya (Frank) Zheng. Mr. Wu is the chairman
of our compensation committee. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including
all forms of compensation relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee
meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:
| ● | reviewing
and recommending to the board the total compensation package for our most senior executive
officers; |
| ● | approving
and overseeing the total compensation package for our executives other than the most senior
executive officers; |
| ● | reviewing
and recommending to the board the compensation of our directors; |
| ● | reviewing
periodically and approving any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans; |
| ● | selecting
compensation consultants, legal counsel or other advisors after taking into consideration
all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management; and |
| ● | reviewing
all other compensation and benefit plans as appropriate. |
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee
Our
nominating and corporate governance committee currently consists of Mr. Gregory Moore, Mr. Poi (Paul) Wu, and Mr. Fuya (Frank) Zheng.
Mr. Zheng is the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee
assists the Board in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its
committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:
| ● | identifying
and recommending nominees for election or re-election to our Board or for appointment to
fill any vacancy; |
| ● | reviewing
annually with our Board its current composition in light of the characteristics of independence,
age, skills, experience and availability of service to us; |
| ● | identifying
and recommending to our Board which directors to serve as members and chairpersons of committees
of the Board; |
| ● | reviewing
our corporate governance principles and advising the Board periodically of any significant
developments as appropriate; and |
| ● | reviewing
related person transactions as well as the policies and procedures for the review, approval
and ratification of related person transactions. |
D.
Employees
As
of December 31, 2021, we employed a total of 2,205 full-time employees. The following tables give breakdowns of our full-time employees
as of December 31, 2021 by function and by region.
Department | |
Count | |
3PL | |
| 73 | |
ABS | |
| 20 | |
Asia-Pacific
Operations | |
| 376 | |
B2B | |
| 25 | |
Capital
Markets & Investment Office | |
| 8 | |
Customer
Service | |
| 85 | |
ENIAC | |
| 150 | |
Executive
Office | |
| 8 | |
Facilities | |
| 25 | |
Finance | |
| 76 | |
Fraud
Prevention | |
| 32 | |
Fulfillment | |
| 361 | |
Global
Platform | |
| 106 | |
Human
Resources | |
| 30 | |
Internal
Audit | |
| 8 | |
IT | |
| 630 | |
Legal | |
| 7 | |
Marketing | |
| 56 | |
Newegg
Call Center Services | |
| 5 | |
Newegg
Canada | |
| 18 | |
Newegg
Express | |
| 9 | |
Newegg
Facility Solutions | |
| 17 | |
Newegg
Logistics | |
| 25 | |
Newegg
Media | |
| 15 | |
Newegg
Staffing | |
| 18 | |
Private
Label | |
| 22 | |
Total | |
| 2,205 | |
Location | |
Count | |
China | |
| 843 | |
Taiwan | |
| 142 | |
U.S. | |
| 1,189 | |
Canada | |
| 31 | |
Total | |
| 2,205 | |
During
the holiday season, we have historically added temporary workers to augment our full-time work force.
E.
Share Ownership
For
information regarding the share ownership of our directors and executive officers, see Item 7 under the heading “Principal Shareholders.”
Item
7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions
The
following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership, within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange
Act, of our common shares as of December 31, 2021 for:
| ● | each
of our directors and executive officers; |
| ● | all
of our directors and executive officers as a group; and |
| ● | each
shareholder or group of shareholders known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our
common shares. |
Beneficial
ownership includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Except as indicated below, and subject to applicable community
property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all common shares shown as beneficially
owned by them. In computing the number of common shares beneficially owned by a person listed below and the percentage ownership of such
person, common shares underlying options, warrants or convertible securities held by each such person that are exercisable or convertible
within 60 days of the date of this annual report are deemed outstanding but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership
of any other person.
The
ownership information shown in the column titled “Percentage of Common Shares Beneficially Owned” in the table below is based
on 369,718,680 common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities.
Pursuant to SEC Rule 13d-3(d)(1), for each beneficial owner below, any securities that are exercisable or convertible within 60 days
of the date of this annual report have been included in the numerator and denominator for that person alone.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | |
Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned | | |
Percentage of Common Shares Beneficially Owned | |
5% or Greater Shareholders | |
| | |
| |
Zhitao He(1) | |
| 229,070,447 | | |
| 56.9 | % |
Fred Chang(2) | |
| 135,104,756 | | |
| 33.5 | % |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Executive Officers and Directors | |
| | | |
| | |
Anthony Chow(3) | |
| 3,244,280 | | |
| 0.8 | % |
Robert Chang(3) | |
| 1,231,661 | | |
| 0.3 | % |
Jamie Spannos(3) | |
| 1,368,512 | | |
| 0.3 | % |
Montaque Hou(3) | |
| 909,662 | | |
| 0.2 | % |
Brian Waters | |
| 0 | | |
| 0.0 | % |
Fred Chang(3) | |
| 135,104,756 | | |
| 33.5 | % |
Fuya Zheng | |
| 0 | | |
| 0.0 | % |
Gregory Moore | |
| 0 | | |
| 0.0 | % |
Zhitao He(1) | |
| 229,070,447 | | |
| 56.9 | % |
Yingmei Yang(3) | |
| 490,754 | | |
| 0.1 | % |
Poi (Paul) Wu | |
| 0 | | |
| 0.0 | % |
All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (11 persons) | |
| 371,420,072 | | |
| 92.1 | % |
|
(1) |
Comprised of (i) 222,821,592 Common Shares owned by Digital Grid, (ii) 807,388 Common Shares and warrants to purchase 125,000 Common Shares at an exercise price of $17.60/share owned by Hangzhou Lianluo, (iii) 58,937 Common Shares owned by Hyperfinite Galaxy Holding Limited and (iv) vested stock options exercisable for 5,257,530 Common Shares at an exercise price of $0.55/share held by Mr. Zhitao He. All of those persons are affiliated with each other and under the control of Mr. Zhitao He. |
The Common Shares owned by Digital
Grid have been pledged to Bank of China Limited Zhejiang Branch, or BOC, as collateral to support working capital loans and letters of
credit provided by BOC to Hangzhou Lianluo. The loans have been guaranteed jointly and severally by Beijing Digital Grid Technology Co.,
Ltd., a subsidiary of Hangzhou Lianluo, and by Mr. Zhitao He. The estimated total amount owed under these loans as of March 31, 2022 was
RMB469 million in RMB denominated loans, interest, fees, expenses and penalties, plus $97.5 million in U.S. dollar loans, interest, fees,
expenses and penalties. In May 2020, BOC filed several lawsuits against Hangzhou Lianluo, Digital Grid, Beijing Digital Grid Technology
Co., Ltd. and Mr. Zhitao He in the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in China alleging that Hangzhou Lianluo has failed to repay
the loans when due and is in breach of the loan agreements. The court has ruled that the loan is in default in a final, non appealable
judgment.
| (2) | Comprised
of (i) 92,112,406 Common Shares held by Tekhill USA, LLC, (ii) 23,624,115 Common Shares held
by Fred Chang Partners Trust, (iii) 9,158,558 Common Shares held by Nabal Spring, LLC, (iv)
5,435,754 Common Shares held by Chang Trust 2008, (v) 797,625 Common Shares held by Chang
2009 Annuity Trust No. 1, (vi) 332,340 Common Shares held by Chang 2009 Annuity Trust No.
2, (vii) 664,691 Common Shares held by Chang 2009 Annuity Trust No. 3 and (viii) vested
stock options exercisable for 2,979,267 Common Shares at an exercise price of $1.19/share
held by Fred Chang. All of those persons are affiliated with each other and under the control
of Fred Chang. |
Tekhill USA, LLC previously pledged
32,713,520 Common Shares as collateral to Preferred Bank, securing a loan from Preferred Bank to Fred Chang with a principal amount of
$7.1 million. Earlier this year, this loan was paid off and the pledge of common shares was released. Contemporaneously, Fred Chang entered
into a new loan with East West Bank, pursuant to which Tekhill USA, LLC pledged a total of 18,208,303 common shares as collateral to East
West Bank to secure a loan from East West Bank to Fred Chang with a principal amount of $20.0 million.
| (3) | Comprised
of vested stock options exercisable for the indicated number of Common Shares for each person.
The exercise price for all of these stock options is $0.55/share, except for 530,657 options
held by Robert Chang which have an exercise price of $0.73/share. |
Rights
of Certain Principal Shareholders
See
Item 10.B. “Memorandum and Articles of Association”. under the subheadings “Rights of Certain Principal Shareholders”
and “Requirements of Board Approval on Certain Matters.
| B. | Related
Party Transactions |
For
a description of our related party transactions, see “Related Party Transactions” as discussed in the Note 18 of the
notes to the consolidated financial statements to this annual report on Form 20-F.
| C. | Interest
of Experts and Counsel |
None.
Item
8. Financial Information
Refer
to “Item 18. Financial Statements” for our Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020
and for the years ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 and report of our independent registered public accounting
firm included herein.
Legal
or Arbitration Proceedings
In
February 2018, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue issued a notice of intent to assess sales/use taxes on us
for the period from October 1, 2017 through October 31, 2017 for a total assessment of $652,254.68 including penalties and
interest. The Department of Revenue subsequently reduced this amount to $295,910.68, plus penalties and interest. In May 2020, we
received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue another notice of assessment for sales and use taxes for the months
of November 2017 through September 2018 in the amount of $2,721,369.77, including penalties and interest. We have appealed
these assessments and we intend to vigorously protest them. The outcome of this matter or the timing of such payments, if any, cannot
be predicted at this time.
In
December 2014, an individual plaintiff sued our subsidiary, Newegg.com Americas Inc. (“Newegg.com Americas”),
in Superior Court in Los Angeles County, California, alleging that Newegg.com Americas had engaged in deceptive advertising practices
and seeking to certify a class action. In 2016, the trial court sustained Newegg.com Americas’ demurrer to the plaintiff’s
claims without leave to amend. The plaintiff appealed, and in July 2018 an appellate court reversed the decision of the trial court,
thus allowing the case to proceed. The matter is now pending in the trial court, with Newegg Inc. having been added as a defendant. We
intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our subsidiaries. Depending on the amount and timing, an unfavorable result could materially
affect our business, consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
In
September 2021, two subsidiaries of the Company were served with a complaint filed in the Superior Court for Los Angeles County, California,
alleging various wage and hour violations and seeking to certify a class action. In October 2021, a second complaint was filed as a representative
action pursuant to the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 against the same two subsidiaries in the Superior Court for Los Angeles
County, California, alleging various violations of the California Labor Code. The Company intends to vigorously defend its subsidiaries
in both matters. The outcome of these matters is uncertain. Depending on the amount and timing, an unfavorable result in either matter
could materially affect our business, consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
In
September 2021, the State of Washington Department of Revenue issued a Notice of Balance Due against Newegg Business Inc. for a total
of tax, interest, and penalty in the amount of $549,693. Newegg Business Inc. has filed a review petition with the State of Washington
Department of Revenue Administrative Review and Hearings Division challenging the assessment. The outcome of this matter is uncertain.
In
2021, the Washington Department of Revenue issued a Notice of Balance Due of $579,882 in tax, interest and penalty against Newegg Inc.
Newegg Inc. has filed a review petition challenging this assessment. The outcome of this matter is uncertain.
Dividend
Policy
To
date, we have not paid any cash dividends on our shares. As a BVI company, we may only declare and pay dividends if our directors are
satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that immediately after the distribution (i) the value of our assets will exceed our liabilities and
(ii) we will be able to pay our debts as they fall due. We currently anticipate that we will retain any available funds to finance the
growth and operation of our business and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Additionally, our
cash held in foreign countries may be subject to certain control limitations or repatriation requirements, limiting our ability to use
this cash to pay dividends.
Significant
Changes
Except
otherwise disclosed within this annual report on Form 20-F, no significant change has occurred since December 31, 2021.
Item
9. The Offer and Listing
Our
common shares are traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “NEGG.”
Item
10. Additional Information
Description
of Shares
We
are a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands with limited liability and our affairs are governed by our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act, the common law of the British Virgin Islands, our corporate governance documents
and rules and regulations of the stock exchange on which our common shares are traded.
Rights
and Obligations of Shareholders
Each
of common shares confers on its holder:
| ● | the
right to an equal share in any dividend paid by the Company in accordance with the Companies
Act; and |
| ● | the
right to an equal share in the distribution of the surplus of the Company. |
Voting
Rights. Holders of common shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the shareholders.
Each common share is entitled to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company.
Dividends.
The holders of shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by the directors of the Company at such time and of such
an amount as the directors think fit if they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that immediately after the distribution, the value
of Company assets exceeds the Company’s liabilities and the Company will be able to pay its debts as they fall due.
Pre-emptive
rights. Except as set forth in the Amended Shareholders Agreement, there are no pre-emptive rights applicable to the issue by the
Company of new shares under either the Companies Act or our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Warrants
On
April 28, 2016, the Company closed the sale of warrants to purchase 125,000 of our common shares to Hangzhou Lianluo pursuant to the
terms of a certain securities purchase agreement. These warrants are exercisable at any time for an exercise price of $17.60 per share,
with no expiration date.
| B. | Memorandum
and Articles of Association |
We
are incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and have been assigned company number 553525 in the Register of Companies in the BVI.
Our registered office is at the offices of Vistra Corporate Services Center, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110, British Virgin
Islands.
Objects
of the Company
Under
our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, the objects of our Company are unrestricted and we have the full power
and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the law of the British Virgin Islands.
Amendment
Clause
12.1 of our Amended and Restated Memorandum provides that the Company may amend the Memorandum or the Articles of Association by Resolution
of Shareholders or by Resolution of Directors, provided that no amendment may be made by Resolution of Directors: (a) to restrict the
rights or powers of the Shareholders to amend the Memorandum or the Articles of Association; (b) to change the percentage of Shareholders
required to pass a Resolution of Shareholders to amend the Memorandum or the Articles of Association; (c) in circumstances where the
Memorandum or the Articles of Association cannot be amended by the Shareholders; and (d) provided that the Directors may not amend certain
sections of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association that would negatively affect existing shareholders.
Rights
of Certain Principal Shareholders
Appointment
and Removal of the Directors
Pursuant
to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and subject to compliance with applicable laws and Nasdaq Listing
Rules, the board of the Company shall consist of up to seven directors. Initially, four of the directors shall be appointed by Digital
Grid, and three of the directors shall be appointed by the Minority Representative.
If
the number of Shares or other Equity Interests (as defined in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association) of the
Company held by the Legacy Shareholders represents (i) more than two sevenths (2/7) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares
or other Equity Interests of the Company, then the Minority Representative shall be entitled to appoint and replace three directors,
(ii) less than or equal to two sevenths (2/7) and more than one seventh (1/7) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or
other Equity Interests of the Company, then the Minority Representative shall be entitled to appoint and replace two directors, (iii)
less than or equal to one seventh (1/7) and more than five percent (5%) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or other
Equity Interests of the Company, then the Minority Representative shall be entitled to appoint and replace one director, and (iv) less
than or equal to five percent (5%) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or other Equity Interests of the Company, then
the Minority Representative shall no longer be entitled to appoint or replace any directors.
If
the number of Shares or other Equity Interests held by Digital Grid or its affiliates represents (i) more than fifty percent (50%) of
the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or other Equity Interests of the Company, then Digital Grid shall be entitled to appoint
and replace four directors, (ii) less than or equal to fifty percent (50%) and more than two sevenths (2/7) of the total voting power
of all outstanding Shares or other Equity Interests of the Company, then Digital Grid shall be entitled to appoint and replace three
directors, (iii) less than or equal to two sevenths (2/7) and more than one seventh (1/7) of the total voting power of all outstanding
Shares or other Equity Interests of the Company, then Digital Grid shall be entitled to appoint and replace two directors, (iv) less
than or equal to one seventh (1/7) and more than five percent (5%) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or other Equity
Interests of the Company, then Digital Grid shall be entitled to appoint and replace one director, and (v) less than or equal to five
percent (5%) of the total voting power of all outstanding Shares or other Equity Interests of the Company, then Digital Grid shall no
longer be entitled to appoint or replace any directors.
Any
director positions which neither Digital Grid nor the Minority Representative are entitled to appoint under the Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association shall be appointed by a majority of the remaining directors, or by any other means allowed under
the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Companies Act.
A
director or member of a committee of the Board or the board of a subsidiary may be removed from his or her position, with cause, by the
majority of the shareholders or the majority of the Board; provided that
| i. | Any
director or member of a committee of the Board or the board of a subsidiary that is appointed
or nominated by the Minority Representative shall be removed from their position upon and
only upon, the written request of the Minority Representative; and |
| ii. | Any
director or member of a committee of the Board or the board of a subsidiary that is appointed
or nominated by Digital Grid shall be removed from their position upon and only upon, the
written request of Liaison. |
Requirements
of Board Approval on Certain Matters
In
addition, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association also provides that, as long as the number of common shares
held by Legacy Shareholders represents more than ten percent (10%) of the total voting power of all outstanding common shares of the
Company, the Company agrees not to take, or permit our subsidiaries to take, certain actions, without the approval of the affirmative
vote of not less than a majority of the number of votes represented by the directors, which majority must include one of the directors
designated by the Minority Representative as being the Primary Minority Board Appointee. Such actions include the following:
| i. | initiate
any liquidation, dissolution, bankruptcy filing or similar action, recapitalization, share
combination or division, restructuring or reorganization of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; |
| ii. | other
than to the Company or a wholly-owned subsidiary thereof, sell, license, transfer or otherwise
dispose of (including through merger or consolidation) all or substantially all of the assets
or properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries in any transaction or series of related
transactions; |
| iii. | agree
to any merger, consolidation or combination of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or
to a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company in connection with a Company
Sale (as defined in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association); |
| iv. | commence
or undertake any Reorganization (as defined in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association); |
| v. | issue,
directly or indirectly, any equity interest of the Company or permit any of the subsidiaries
to issue any equity interest other than, in each case, any Excluded Issuance (as defined
in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association); |
| vi. | materially
alter or fundamentally change the nature of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries; |
| vii. | amend,
change, or waive any provision of, the memorandum and articles of association of the Company; |
| viii. | purchase
or otherwise acquire all or any part of the assets or business of, or Equity Interests or
other evidences of beneficial ownership of, invest in or participate in any joint venture,
partnership or similar arrangement with, any Person (other than the Company or any of its
subsidiaries), in each case in any transaction or series of related transactions involving
a commitment in excess of $10,000,000; |
| ix. | other
than to the Company or a wholly-owned subsidiary thereof, sell, license, transfer or otherwise
dispose of (including through merger or consolidation) any assets or properties of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries, in each case in any transaction or series of related transactions
involving a commitment in excess of $10,000,000; |
| x. | other
than loans to wholly-owned subsidiaries, (A) extend any credit or make any loans to any Person,
(B) incur, assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise become responsible for indebtedness, or
(C) amend, modify or supplement in any material respect the agreements governing (or otherwise
extend or refinance) existing indebtedness; |
| xi. | appoint
or remove the Chief Executive Officer of the Company; |
| xii. | enter
into any Affiliate Transactions (as defined in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association); |
| xiii. | amend,
change or waive any of the actions of the Company described in the Fifth Amended and Restated
Articles of Association or the required voting threshold specified herein; and |
| xiv. | agree
or commit to do any of the foregoing, or delegate any of the foregoing to the Company or
any of its subsidiaries or any officer or agent of the Company or subsidiary thereof. |
The
rights granted to the Principal Shareholders are in addition to and not intended to limit in any way the rights that the Principal Shareholders
or any of their affiliates may have to appoint, elect or remove our directors under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association or laws of the British Virgin Islands.
Pre-emptive
Rights of the Principal Shareholders
Newegg,
Digital Grid, the Principal Shareholders and we agreed to enter into the Amended Shareholders Agreement, pursuant to which we agreed
to assume all of the rights and obligations of Newegg under the original Shareholders Agreement.
Under
the Amended Shareholders Agreement, the Principal Shareholders have pre-emptive rights to acquire additional shares when the Company
issues or sells additional securities in the future, except for the “excluded issuance” as defined in the Amended Shareholders
Agreement or common shares offered pursuant to a registration statement filed with the SEC.
For
the purpose of the Amended Shareholders Agreement, the “excluded issuance” means (i) any equity interests issued as share
dividends, or pursuant to share splits, recapitalization or other similar events that do not adversely affect the proportionate amount
of the common shares held by the Principal Shareholders, and (ii) common shares issuable pursuant to any stock option or any similar
equity incentive plan of the Company approved by the Board; and (iii) equity interests issued pursuant to acquisitions or strategic transactions
approved by a majority of the disinterested directors of the Company provided that any such issuance shall only be to an entity (or to
the equity holders of an entity) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating company or an owner of an asset in a business
synergistic with the business of the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in addition to the investment of funds,
but shall not include a transaction in which the Company is issuing equity interests primarily for the purpose of raising capital or
to an entity whose primary business is investing in securities.
The
Company is required to give Principal Shareholders a notice stating the price (or formula by which the price will be determined, which
may refer to a future contingent event) and terms of issuance of new securities and to remain the offer to issue the Principal Shareholders
their Pro Rata Shares of such new securities (as defined below) open until the 15th calendar day following the receipt of such notice.
The Principal Shareholders shall deliver an exercise notice along with payment to exercise their pre-emptive rights.
In
the event that the Principal Shareholder fails to give an exercise notice timely, or elects to purchase fewer than all of its Pro Rata
Share of such new securities, then the Company shall send written notice to any Principal Shareholder who has elected to purchase all
of its Pro Rata Share of such new securities, who will then have the right, by giving written notice to the Company within two business
days upon receiving notice from the Company, to purchase its Pro Rata Share of such unsubscribed portion, and such right shall continue
to apply repeatedly and iteratively until all of such new securities have been allocated to the Principal Shareholders or none of the
Principal Shareholders have elected to participate in such further purchase. If, at the end of such process, there are new securities
that have not been subscribed for by the Principal Shareholders, the Company may, for a period of time not to exceed 60 days, sell such
unsubscribed new securities, on the same times to a third-party purchaser. If, however, at the end of such 60-day period, the Company
has not consummated a sale of any of such unsubscribed new securities, the Company shall no longer be permitted to sell such new securities
without again complying with these provisions of pre-emptive rights in the Amended Shareholders Agreement.
Right
of First Refusal of the Company and Principal Shareholders
Pursuant
to the Amended Shareholders Agreement, subject to compliance with applicable laws and Nasdaq’s Listing Rules, if any Principal
Shareholders or any of their affiliates, receives a bona fide offer from any person other than its affiliate for any of the common shares
such Principal Shareholders received in connection with the Merger (the “ROFR Shares”), then the Company has a right of first
refusal, but not the obligation, to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of the ROFR Shares, at the same price, and on the same
terms and conditions offered by the purchaser (the “ROFR Terms”). In the event the Company does not decide to purchase such
ROFR Shares or decides to purchase for less than all of the ROFR Shares, then each of the Principal Shareholders other than the selling
Principal Shareholders shall have a right of first refusal to elect to purchase all (and not less than all) of its Pro Rata Share of
the ROFR Shares on the ROFR Terms. By amendment dated March 2022, the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement was amended such that
the Company’s right of first refusal would apply only to 90% of the shares of the Company’s common shares subject to such
ROFR Right collectively owned by each Principal Shareholder and its Affiliates. For the purpose of this Amended Shareholders Agreement,
“Pro Rata Share” means the percentage which corresponds to the ratio which each selling Principal Shareholder’s “Percentage
Interest” (which is calculated by dividing (i) the number of the common shares owned by such Principal Shareholder, by (ii) total
number of the then outstanding shares of the common shares held by all Principal Shareholders) bears to the total Percentage Interests
of all Principal Shareholders exercising their right of first refusal. In the event that the ROFR Shares are in exchange for non-cash
consideration, then such right of first refusal shall be exercisable based on the fair market value determined in good faith by the board
of such non-cash consideration. Such rights of first refusal may delay or prevent us from raising other funding in the future and may
have an adverse impact on the liquidity and market price of our common shares.
Limitations
on Right to Own Shares
British
Virgin Islands law and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association impose no limitations on the right of nonresident
or foreign owners to hold or vote our securities. There are no provisions in the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
Anti-Takeover
Provisions
Some
provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of
our Company or management, that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that limit the ability of shareholders to requisition
and convene general meetings of shareholders. Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association allow our shareholders
holding shares representing in aggregate not less than thirty percent (30%) of our voting shares to requisition a special meeting of
shareholders, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such
meeting.
However,
under British Virgin Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our
Company.
Register
of Members
The
Company is required to keep a register of members containing (i) the names and addresses of the shareholders, (ii) the number of each
class and series of shares held by each shareholder, (iii) the date on which the name of each shareholder was entered in the register
of members, and (iv) the date on which any person ceased to be a shareholder. A share is deemed to be issued when the name of the shareholder
is entered in the register of members and the entry of the name of a person in the register of members as a holder of a share is prima
facie evidence that legal title in the share vests in that person.
Variation
of Rights of Shareholders
If
at any time the shares are divided into different classes, the rights attached to any class may only be varied, whether or not the Company
is in liquidation, by a resolution passed at a meeting by a majority of the votes cast by those entitled to vote at a meeting of the
holders of the issued shares in that class.
Meetings
Any
action required or permitted to be taken by the shareholders may be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of the shareholders
entitled to vote on such action. An action that may be taken by the shareholders at a meeting (other than the election of Directors)
may also be taken by a resolution of shareholders consented to in writing, without the need for any notice, but if any resolution of
shareholders is adopted otherwise than by the unanimous written consent of all shareholders, a copy of such resolution shall forthwith
be sent to all shareholders not consenting to such resolution. All meetings of shareholders (whether annual or special) will be held
on such dates and at such places as may be fixed from time to time by the directors. The Company is not required to hold an annual general
meeting in any calendar year. However, where so determined by the directors of the Company, an annual general meeting shall be held once
in each calendar year at such date and time as may be determined by the directors of the Company.
At
any meeting of shareholders, a quorum will be present if there are one or more shareholders present in person or by proxy representing
not less than 50% of the issued shares entitled to vote on the resolutions to be considered at the meeting. The shareholders present
at a duly called or held meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment notwithstanding
the withdrawal of enough shareholders to leave less than a quorum, if any action (other than adjournment) is approved by at least a majority
of the shares required to constitute a quorum.
A
shareholder may be represented at a meeting of shareholders by a proxy who may speak and vote on behalf of the shareholder. A shareholder
will be deemed to be present at the meeting if he participates by telephone or other electronic means and all shareholders participating
in the meeting are able to hear each other.
Transfer
of Shares
Subject
to the restrictions and conditions in our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as amended, and the Amended Shareholders
Agreement, any shareholder may transfer all or any of his or her shares by written instrument of transfer signed by the transferor and
containing the name and address of the transferee. The transfer of a share is effective when the name of the transferee is entered on
the register of members of the Company.
Redemption
of Shares
The
Company may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of its own shares for such consideration as the directors of the Company may determine
if the directors are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that immediately after the acquisition the value of the Company’s assets
will exceed its liabilities and the Company will be able to pay its debts as they fall due. Shares that the Company purchases, redeems
or otherwise acquires may be cancelled or held as treasury shares except to the extent that such shares are in excess of 50% of the issued
shares in which case, they shall be cancelled to the extent of such excess, but they shall be available for reissue.
Differences
Between the Law of Different Jurisdictions
We
were incorporated under, and are governed by, the laws of the BVI. Set forth below is a summary of some of the differences between provisions
of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws application to companies incorporated in Delaware and their shareholders.
Director’s
Fiduciary Duties
Under
Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty
has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care
that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and
disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires
that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate
position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation
and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by
the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and
in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by
evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director
must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.
BVI
law provides that every director of a BVI company in exercising his powers or performing his duties shall act honestly and in good faith
and in what the director believes to be in the best interests of the company. Additionally, the director shall exercise the care, diligence,
and skill that a reasonable director would exercise in the same circumstances, taking into account the nature of the company, the nature
of the decision and the position of the director and his responsibilities. In addition, BVI law provides that a director shall exercise
his powers as a director for a proper purpose and shall not act, or agree to the company acting, in a manner that contravenes the Companies
Act or the memorandum of association or articles of association of the company.
Amendment
of Governing Documents
Under
Delaware corporate law, with very limited exceptions, a vote of the shareholders is required to amend the certificate of incorporation.
Under BVI law and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, we may amend the Amended and Restated Memorandum and
Articles of Association by resolution of shareholders or by resolution of directors, provided that no amendment may be made by resolution
of directors: (a) to restrict the rights or powers of the shareholders to amend the memorandum of association or the articles of association;
(b) to change the percentage of shareholders required to pass a resolution of shareholders to amend the memorandum of association or
the articles of association; (c) in circumstances where the memorandum of association or the articles of association cannot be amended
by the shareholders; and (d) provided that the directors may not amend certain sections of the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles
of Association that would negatively affect existing shareholders.
Written
Consent of Directors
Under
Delaware corporate law, directors may act by written consent only on the basis of a unanimous vote. Under BVI law, directors’ consents
need only a majority of directors signing to take effect. Under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, directors
may act by written consents of all directors.
Written
Consent of Shareholders
Under
Delaware corporate law, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, any action to be taken at any annual or special
meeting of shareholders of a corporation, may be taken by written consent of the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the
minimum number of votes that would be necessary to take such action at a meeting. As permitted by BVI law, shareholders’ consents
need only shareholders representing a majority of votes of the shares entitled to vote signing to take effect. Our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that an action that may be taken by the shareholders at a meeting (other than the election
of directors) may also be taken by a resolution of shareholders consented to in writing, without the need for any notice, but if any
resolution of shareholders is adopted otherwise than by the unanimous written consent of all shareholders, a copy of such resolution
shall forthwith be sent to all shareholders not consenting to such resolution.
Shareholder
Proposals
Under
Delaware corporate law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies
with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person
authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings. BVI law and our Amended
and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that our directors shall call a meeting of the shareholders in respect of
the matter for which the meeting is requested in writing by shareholders entitled to exercise 30% or more of the voting rights.
Sale
of Assets
Under
Delaware corporate law, a vote of the shareholders is required to approve the sale of assets only when all or substantially all assets
are being sold. In the BVI, shareholder approval is required when more than 50% of a company’s total assets by value are being
disposed of or sold.
Dissolution;
Winding Up
Under
Delaware corporate law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders
holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved
by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware corporate law allows a Delaware corporation to include in
its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board. As permitted
by BVI law and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, we may by a resolution of shareholders or, subject to
the requirements under our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, by resolution of directors appoint a voluntary
liquidator to undertake the liquidation of the Company.
Redemption
of Shares
Under
Delaware corporate law, any stock may be made subject to redemption by the corporation at its option or at the option of the holders
of such stock provided there remains outstanding shares with full voting power. Such stock may be made redeemable for cash, property
or rights, as specified in the certificate of incorporation or in the resolution of the board of directors providing for the issue of
such stock. As permitted by BVI law and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, we may purchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire any of our own shares for such consideration as our directors may determine if the directors are satisfied, on reasonable grounds,
that immediately after the acquisition the value of our assets will exceed our liabilities and we will be able to pay our debts as they
fall due. Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or otherwise acquires may be cancelled or held as treasury shares except to the
extent that such shares are in excess of 50% of the issued shares in which case they shall be cancelled to the extent of such excess
but they shall be available for reissue.
Variation
of Rights of Shares
Under
Delaware corporate law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares
of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. As permitted by BVI law and our Amended and Restated Memorandum
and Articles of Association, if at any time the shares are divided into different classes, the rights attached to any class may only
be varied, whether or not the Company is in liquidation, by a resolution passed at a meeting by a majority of the votes cast by those
entitled to vote at a meeting of the holders of the issued shares in that class.
Removal
of Directors
Under
Delaware corporate law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority
of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate provides otherwise. As permitted by BVI law and our Amended and Restated
Memorandum and Articles of Association, a director or member of a committee of the board or the board of a subsidiary may be removed
from his or her position, with cause, by the majority of the shareholders or the majority of the board; provided that (i) any director
or member of a committee of the board or the board of a subsidiary that is appointed or nominated by the minority representative shall
be removed from their position upon and only upon, the written request of the minority representative; and (ii) any director or member
of a committee of the board or the board of a subsidiary that is appointed or nominated by Digital Grid shall be removed from their position
upon and only upon, the written request of Digital Grid.
Mergers
Under
Delaware corporate law, one or more constituent corporations may merge into and become part of another constituent corporation in a process
known as a merger. A Delaware corporation may merge with a foreign corporation as long as the law of the foreign jurisdiction permits
such a merger. To effect a merger under Delaware General Corporation Law §251, an agreement of merger must be properly adopted and
the agreement of merger or a certificate of merger must be filed with the Delaware Secretary of State. In order to be properly adopted,
the agreement of merger must be adopted by the board of directors of each constituent corporation by a resolution or unanimous written
consent. In addition, the agreement of merger generally must be approved at a meeting of shareholders of each constituent corporation
by a majority of the outstanding stock of the corporation entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides for a supermajority
vote. In general, the surviving corporation assumes all of the assets and liabilities of the disappearing corporation or corporations
as a result of the merger.
Under
the Companies Act, two or more companies may merge or consolidate in accordance with the statutory provisions. A merger means the merging
of two or more constituent companies into one of the constituent companies, and a consolidation means the uniting of two or more constituent
companies into a new company. In order to merge or consolidate, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan
of merger or consolidation which must be authorized by a resolution of shareholders.
Shareholders
not otherwise entitled to vote on the merger or consolidation may still acquire the right to vote if the plan of merger or consolidation
contains any provision which, if proposed as an amendment to the memorandum association or articles of association, would entitle them
to vote as a class or series on the proposed amendment. In any event, all shareholders must be given a copy of the plan of merger or
consolidation irrespective of whether they are entitled to vote at the meeting or consent to the written resolution to approve the plan
of merger or consolidation.
Inspection
of Books and Records
Under
Delaware corporate law, any shareholder of a corporation may for any proper purpose inspect or make copies of the corporation’s
stock ledger, list of shareholders and other books and records.
Under
the Companies Act, members of the general public, on payment of a nominal fee, can obtain copies of the public records of a company available
at the office of the Registrar which will include the company’s certificate of incorporation, its memorandum and articles of association
(with any amendments) and records of license fees paid to date and will also disclose any articles of dissolution, articles of merger
and a register of charges if the company has elected to file such a register.
A
member of a company is entitled, on giving written notice to the company, to inspect:
| a. | the
memorandum and articles; |
| b. | the
register of members; |
| c. | the
register of directors; and |
| d. | the
minutes of meetings and resolutions of members and of those classes of members of which he
is a member; and to make copies of or take extracts from the documents and records referred
to in (a) to (d) above. |
Subject
to our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, the directors may, if they are satisfied that it would be contrary
to the company’s interests to allow a member to inspect any document, or part of a document, specified in (b), (c) or (d) above,
refuse to permit the member to inspect the document or limit the inspection of the document, including limiting the making of copies
or the taking of extracts from the records.
Where
a company fails or refuses to permit a member to inspect a document or permits a member to inspect a document subject to limitations,
that member may apply to the British Virgin Islands Court for an order that he should be permitted to inspect the document or to inspect
the document without limitation.
Transactions
with Interested Shareholders
Delaware
corporate law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations whereby, unless the corporation has
specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging
in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes
an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or group who or that owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s
outstanding voting stock within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered
bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to
the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination
or the transaction that resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware
public corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.
BVI
law has no comparable provision.
Cumulative
Voting
Under
Delaware corporate law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the company’s certificate of incorporation
specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors
since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases
the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions to cumulative voting under the
laws of the BVI, but our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association do not provide for cumulative voting.
Except
as disclosed below or otherwise disclosed in this annual report (including the Exhibits), we are not currently, nor have we been for
the past two years, party to any material contract, other than contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business:
| ● | Client
Services Agreement, dated March 30, 2020, by and between Vensure HR, Inc. Newegg Staffing
Inc. for temporary employee workforce services, including temporary employee benefits, payroll
administration, unemployment compensation administration, worker’s compensation administration,
etc. |
| ● | Form
of Merger Agreement, by and among Lianluo Smart Limited, Lightning Delaware Sub, Inc., and
Newegg (see Note 1 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements). |
|
● |
Form
of Disposition Agreement, by and between LLIT and Beijing Fenjin Times Technology Development Co., Ltd. (see Note 1 of the notes
to the consolidated financial statements). |
|
● |
Stock
Option Plans (see Item 6.B under “Stock Option Plans”). |
|
|
o
|
Newegg’s
2005 Incentive Plan, as Amended. |
|
|
o |
Significant
Shareholder Incentive Program. |
|
|
o |
Newegg
Commerce, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. |
|
● |
Employment
Agreements (see Item 6.B under “Agreements with Executive Officers”). |
|
|
o |
Employment
Agreement by and between Anthony Chow and Newegg Commerce, Inc. |
|
|
o |
Employment
Agreement by and between Jamie Spannos and Newegg Commerce, Inc. |
|
|
o |
Employment
Agreement by and between Robert Chang and Newegg Commerce, Inc. |
|
|
o |
Employment
Agreement by and between Montaque Hou and Newegg Commerce, Inc. |
|
● |
Revolving
Credit and Security Agreement, by and among East West Bank, the Lender Parties thereto, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries (see
Note 8 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements) |
|
● |
Pledge
Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries., providing certain of the Company’s assets
and certain of the assets of certain of the Company’s subsidiaries as collateral to secure the obligations of the Company and
other borrowers under the Revolving Credit and Security Agreement. |
|
● |
Pledge
and Security Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg Tech, Inc. and ChiefValue.com, Inc., providing for a continuing
lien on and security interest in certain assets of certain of the Company’s subsidiaries to secure the obligations of the Company
and any other borrower under the Revolving Credit and Security Agreement. |
|
● |
Guaranty
and Suretyship Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg Tech, Inc., ChiefValue, Inc. and NuTrend Automotive, Inc., under which
certain of the Company’s subsidiaries, jointly and severally, agree to act as guarantors for the prompt payment and performance
of the obligations of Company and any other borrower under the Revolving Credit and Security Agreement. |
|
● |
Intercompany
Subordination Agreement, by and East West Bank, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries., under which indebtedness or liabilities
among certain of the Company’s subsidiaries which are borrowers or guarantors under the Revolving Credit and Security Agreement
are made subordinate to the obligations of the Company and any other borrower to East West Bank and other lending institution(s)
under such Revolving Credit and Security Agreement. |
|
● |
Letter
Agreement, between East West Bank and Newegg Inc., providing for East West Bank’s potential control over the deposit/operating
account of Newegg Business, Inc., one of the Company’s subsidiaries, in the event of a default by the Company or any other
borrower under the Revolving Credit and Security Agreement. |
|
● |
Swing Loan Note by and among East West Bank and Company, providing for a sublimit for swingline loans under the revolving credit facility established by the Revolving Credit and Security
Agreement. |
| ● | Payment
Solutions Agreement, dated October 21, 2021, by and between First Data Merchant Services
LLC and Newegg Inc. for merchant payment processing services. |
| ● | Supplemental Agreement dated April 2022 between Digital Grid, Bank
of China Limited Zhejiang Branch, Newegg Inc., Newegg Commerce, Inc., and Hangzhou Lianluo , setting forth the particular circumstances
under which the pledge of Digital Grid’s common shares in Newegg Commerce, Inc. to Bank of China may be removed. |
| o | Industrial
Lease Agreement, dated October 2, 2020, by and between Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada
and Newegg Inc. for a facility in Eastvale, California. |
| o | Clear
Lease Agreement, with an effective date of April 14, 2021, by and between Prologis Gourmet
Associates, LLC and Newegg Inc. for a facility in Edison, New Jersey. |
| o | Triple
Net Industrial Lease Agreement, dated August 26, 2021, by and between Shea Center Ontario,
LLC and Newegg Inc. for a facility in Ontario, California. |
| o | Industrial
Lease Agreement, dated December 3, 2021, by and between 2, 2020, by and between PR Shannon
85 Distribution Center, LLC and Newegg Inc. for a facility in Union City, Georgia. |
BVI
Exchange Controls
There
are no material exchange controls restrictions on payment of dividends, interest or other payments to the holders of our common shares
or on the conduct of our operations in the BVI, where we were incorporated. There are no material BVI laws that impose any material exchange
controls on us or that affect the payment of dividends, interest or other payments to nonresident holders of our common shares. BVI law
and our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association do not impose any material limitations on the right of non-residents
or foreign owners to hold or vote our common shares.
BVI,
PRC AND U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The
following is a general summary of certain material BVI, PRC and U.S. federal income tax considerations. The discussion is not intended
to be, nor should it be construed as, legal or tax advice to any particular shareholder or prospective shareholder. The discussion is
based on laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change or different interpretations,
possibly with retroactive effect.
BVI
Taxation
The
BVI does not impose a withholding tax on dividends paid to holders of our common shares, nor does the BVI levy any capital gains or income
taxes on us. Further, a holder of our common shares who is not a tax resident of the BVI is exempt from the BVI income tax on dividends
paid with respect to the common shares. Holders of common shares are not subject to the BVI income tax on gains realized on the sale
or disposition of the common shares.
Our
common shares are not subject to transfer taxes, stamp duties or similar charges in the BVI. However, as a company incorporated under
the Companies Act, we are required to pay the BVI government an annual license fee based on the number of shares we are authorized to
issue.
There
is no income tax treaty or convention currently in effect between the United States and the BVI.
PRC
Taxation
We
are a holding company incorporated in the BVI, which directly holds our equity interests in our PRC operating subsidiaries. The EIT Law
and its implementation rules, both of which became effective as of January 1, 2008, as amended on February 24, 2017, provide that a PRC
enterprise is subject to a standard income tax rate of 25% and China-sourced income of foreign enterprises, such as dividends paid by
a PRC subsidiaries to its overseas parent, will normally be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, unless there are applicable
treaties between the overseas parent’s jurisdiction of incorporation and China to reduce such rate.
The
EIT Law also provides that enterprises organized under the laws of jurisdictions outside China with their “de facto management
bodies” located within China may be considered PRC resident enterprises and therefore subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the
rate of 25% on their worldwide income. Its implementation rules further define the term “de facto management body” as the
management body that exercises substantial and overall management and control over the business, personnel, accounts and properties of
an enterprise. While we do not currently consider our company or any of our overseas subsidiaries to be a PRC resident enterprise, there
is a risk that the PRC tax authorities may deem our company or any of our overseas subsidiaries as a PRC resident enterprise since a
substantial majority of the members of our management team as well as the management team of our overseas subsidiaries are located in
China, in which case we or the overseas subsidiaries, as the case may be, would be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate
of 25% on worldwide income. If the PRC tax authorities determine that our BVI holding company is a “resident enterprise”
for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. Under the EIT Law and its implementation
regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends paid to investors that are non-resident
enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or which have such establishment or place of business
but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived
from sources within the PRC. In addition, any gain realized on the transfer of shares by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at
a rate of 10%, if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends
paid on our common shares, and any gain realized from the transfer of our common shares, may be treated as income derived from sources
within the PRC and may as a result be subject to PRC taxation. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid
to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of common shares by such investors may be subject
to PRC tax at a current rate of 20% (which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source). Any PRC tax liability may be reduced
under applicable tax treaties or tax arrangements between China and other jurisdictions. If we or any of our subsidiaries established
outside China are considered a PRC resident enterprise, it is unclear whether holders of our common shares would be able to claim the
benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas.
U.S.
Federal Income Taxation
We
believe that we are an inverted corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. This means that, notwithstanding that we are a company incorporated
in the BVI, we believe that we will be treated for all U.S. federal tax purposes as if we are a U.S. corporation and that a holder of
our common shares will be treated for all U.S. federal tax purposes as holding the stock of a U.S. corporation.
The
following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the ownership and disposition
of our common shares but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax effects. The effects of other U.S. federal tax
laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state or local tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the
Code and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of
the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject
to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely
affect owners of our common shares. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below.
There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences
of the ownership and disposition of our common shares.
This
discussion is limited to beneficial owners that hold our common shares as a “capital asset” within the meaning of Section
1221(a) of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences,
including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant
to certain types of investors subject to special rules, including, without limitation:
| ● | financial
institutions or financial services entities; |
| ● | governments
or agencies or instrumentalities thereof; |
| ● | regulated
investment companies; |
| ● | real
estate investment trusts; |
| ● | expatriates
or former long-term residents of the U.S.; |
| ● | persons
that actually or constructively own five percent or more (by vote or value) of our shares; |
| ● | dealers
or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities; |
| ● | persons
holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” constructive sale, hedge, conversion
or other integrated or similar transaction; |
| ● | persons
that purchase or sell our securities as part of a wash sale for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
| ● | U.S.
holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; |
| ● | partnerships
(or entities or arrangements classified as partnerships or other pass-through entities for
U.S. federal income tax purposes) and any beneficial owners of such entities; |
| ● | controlled
foreign corporations; |
| ● | passive
foreign investment companies; and |
| ● | persons
that acquired our securities as compensation or in connection with services. |
If
you are a partnership or other pass-through entity (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership or other pass-through
entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes), the U.S. federal income tax treatment of your partners, members or other beneficial owners
will generally depend on the status of the partners, members or other beneficial owners, your activities, and certain determinations
made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership
or other pass-through entity that acquires our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of
acquiring, owning and disposing of our securities.
U.S.
Holders
For
purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is any beneficial owner of our common shares that is:
| ● | an
individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| ● | a
corporation (or other entity or arrangement taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income
tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof
or the District of Columbia; |
| ● | an
estate the income of which is includable in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes
regardless of its source; or |
| ● | a
trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over
the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have
authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election
in effect under Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. |
Taxation
of Distributions
If
we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our common shares or rights to acquire our common
shares) to U.S. holders of our common shares, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes
to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions
in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce
(but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common shares. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized
on the sale or other disposition of the common shares and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Sale, Taxable
Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our common shares” below.
Dividends
we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding
period is satisfied. With certain exceptions and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate
U.S. holder may constitute “qualified dividend income” that will be subject to tax at the applicable tax rate accorded to
long-term capital gains. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the
dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject
to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.
Sale,
Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Shares
Subject
to the discussion below under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Our Common Shares,” upon a sale, taxable exchange or other
taxable disposition of our common shares, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference
between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such common shares. Any such capital gain or loss generally
will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common shares so disposed of exceeds one year.
Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders currently will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility
of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption
of Our Common Shares
In
the event that a U.S. holder’s common shares is redeemed or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s common shares in an open market
transaction (such open market purchase of common shares by us is referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this
discussion), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as
a sale of the common shares under Section 302 of the Code. Under these rules, the redemption generally will be treated as a sale of the
common shares (rather than as a distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the
U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially
equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. In determining whether any of these tests have been met, shares considered
to be owned by the U.S. holder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in the Code, as well as shares actually owned,
must generally be taken into account. Because the determination as to whether any of the alternative tests of Section 302 of the Code
is satisfied with respect to any particular holder of the stock will depend upon the facts and circumstances as of the time the determination
is made, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors to determine such tax treatment.
If
the redemption qualifies as a sale of common shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Sale,
Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Shares” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of our
common shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S.
Holders — Taxation of Distributions.” The amount of the distribution would be measured by the amount of cash and the fair
market value of any property received by the U.S. holder and any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed common shares
would be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining common shares. If the U.S. holder has no remaining common
shares, such basis may, under certain circumstances, be transferred to a related person or it may be lost entirely.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
In
general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale, taxable exchange
or other taxable disposition of our common shares unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such
payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified
by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup
withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a credit against a U.S.
holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided the required information is timely
furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S.
Holders
For
purposes of this discussion, a Non-U.S. holder is any beneficial owner of our common shares that is neither a “U.S. person”
nor an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Taxation
of Distributions
If
we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our common shares or rights to acquire our common
shares) to Non-U.S. holders of our common shares, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax
purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles.
Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against
and reduce (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common shares. Any remaining excess will be treated
as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common shares and will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders
— Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Shares.”
Subject
to the discussions below on effectively connected income, dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder of our common shares will be subject to
U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividends (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income
tax treaty, provided the Non-U.S. holder furnishes a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) certifying
qualification for the lower treaty rate). A Non-U.S. holder that does not timely furnish the required documentation, but that qualifies
for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the
IRS.
If
dividends paid to a Non-U.S. holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within
the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. holder maintains a permanent establishment in the
United States to which such dividends are attributable), the Non-U.S. holder will be exempt from the U.S. federal withholding tax described
above. To claim the exemption, the Non-U.S. holder generally must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI,
certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United
States.
Any
such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S.
holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable
income tax treaty) on such effectively connected dividends, as adjusted for certain items.
Non-U.S.
holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Sale,
Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Shares
Subject
to the discussion below under “Non-U.S. Holders — Redemption of Our Common Shares,” a Non-U.S. holder will not be subject
to U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our common shares unless:
| ● | the
gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business
within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S.
holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable); |
| ● | the
Non-U.S. holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days
or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met;
or |
| ● | our
common shares constitute a U.S. real property interest, or USRPI, by reason of our status
as a U.S. real property holding corporation, or USRPHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Gain
described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated
rates. A Non-U.S. holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified
by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.
Gain
described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified
by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. holder, provided the Non-U.S.
holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.
With
respect to the third bullet point above, we believe we currently are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a USRPHC. Because the determination
of whether we are a USRPHC depends, however, on the fair market value of our USRPIs relative to the fair market value of our non-U.S.
real property interests and our other business assets, there can be no assurance we currently are not a USRPHC or will not become one
in the future. Even if we are or were to become a USRPHC, gain arising from the sale or other taxable disposition by a Non-U.S. holder
of our common shares will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax if our common shares is “regularly traded,” as defined
by applicable Treasury Regulations, on an established securities market, and such Non-U.S. holder owned, actually and constructively,
5% or less of our common shares throughout the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or other taxable disposition
and the Non-U.S. holder’s holding period.
Non-U.S.
holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Redemption
of Our Common Shares
The
characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s common shares generally will correspond
to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s common shares, as described under “U.S.
Holders — Redemption of Our common shares” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as
described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Sale, Taxable
Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our common shares,” as applicable. Because it may not be certain at the time a Non-U.S.
holder is redeemed whether such Non-U.S. holder’s redemption will be treated as a sale of shares or a distribution constituting
a dividend, and because such determination will depend in part on a Non-U.S. holder’s particular circumstances, we or the applicable
withholding agent may not be able to determine whether (or to what extent) a Non-U.S. holder is treated as receiving a dividend for U.S.
federal income tax purposes. Therefore, we or the applicable withholding agent may withhold tax at a rate of 30% on the gross amount
of any consideration paid to a Non-U.S. holder in redemption of such Non-U.S. holder’s common shares unless special procedures
are available to Non-U.S. holders to certify that they are entitled to exemptions from, or reductions in, such withholding tax. However,
there can be no assurance that such special certification procedures will be available. A Non-U.S. holder generally may obtain a refund
of any such excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. holders should consult their
tax advisors regarding the application of the foregoing rules in light of their particular facts and circumstances.
Information
Reporting and Backup Withholding
Payments
of dividends on our common shares will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the applicable withholding agent does not have
actual knowledge or reason to know the Non-U.S. holder is a United States person and the Non-U.S. holder either certifies its non-U.S.
status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information
returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any dividends on our common shares paid to the Non-U.S. holder, regardless
of whether any tax was actually withheld. In addition, proceeds of the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our common
shares within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding
or information reporting, if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above and does not have actual knowledge
or reason to know that such Non-U.S. holder is a United States person, or the Non-U.S. holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds
of a disposition of our common shares conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup
withholding or information reporting.
Copies
of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement
to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. holder resides or is established.
Backup
withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit
against a Non-U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
All
Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.
FATCA
Withholding Taxes
Sections
1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as
the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends
(including constructive dividends) on our common shares to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for
this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting
and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have
been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form
W-8BEN-E). The IRS has issued proposed regulations (on which taxpayers may rely until final regulations are issued) that provide that
these withholding requirements would generally not apply to gross proceeds from sales or other dispositions of our common shares. However,
there can be no assurance that final Treasury regulations will provide the same exceptions from FATCA withholding as the proposed Treasury
regulations. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States
governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits
of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or
credits. Similarly, dividends in respect of our common shares held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not
qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to
us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides
certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the
U.S. Department of Treasury. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment
in our common shares.
| F. | Dividends
and Paying Agents |
None.
Not applicable.
The
SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that
file electronically with the SEC, including the Company, at http://www.sec.gov. The address of the SEC’s website is provided solely
for information purposes and is not intended to be an active link.
We
also make our periodic reports as well as other information filed with or furnished to the SEC available through our website, at www.Newegg.com,
as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports and other information are electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. The
information on our website is not incorporated by reference in this document.
Not
applicable.
Item
11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We
do not use financial instruments for speculative trading purposes, and do not hold any derivative financial instruments that could expose
us to significant market risk. Our primary market risk exposures are changes in interest rates and foreign currency fluctuations.
Interest
rate risk
Our
main interest rate exposure relates to long-term borrowings that we obtain from banks and financial institutions to meet our working
capital expenditure requirements. We also have interest-bearing assets, including cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and loans
to affiliates. We manage our interest rate exposure with a focus on reducing our overall cost of debt and exposure to changes in interest
rates. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had outstanding long-term borrowings in the aggregate amount of $2.1 million
and $2.4 million, respectively, with the majority of our long-term borrowings having floating interest rates.
We
have not used derivative financial instruments to hedge the interest rate risk. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes
in market interest rates. However, we cannot provide assurance that we will not be exposed to material risks due to changes in market
interest rates in the future.
Foreign
currency risk
We
have currency fluctuation exposure arising from both sales and purchases denominated in foreign currencies. Significant changes in exchange
rates between foreign currencies in which we transact business and the U.S. dollar may adversely affect our results of operations and
financial condition. Historically, we have not entered into any hedging activities, and, to the extent that we continue not to do so
in the future, we may be vulnerable to the effects of currency exchange-rate fluctuations.
We
expect our exposure to foreign currency risk will increase as we increase our operations and sales in Canada and other countries and
regions. Although the effect of currency fluctuations on our financial statements has not been material in the past, there can be no
assurance that the effect of currency fluctuations will not be material in the future. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and
2019, we recorded foreign exchange loss of $3.3 million, loss of $0.7 million, and loss of $0.5 million, respectively. Based on the balance
of our foreign-denominated cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, an assumed 10% negative currency movement
would not have a material impact.
To
date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk.
Item
12. Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities
Not
applicable.
PART
III
Item
17. Financial Statements
We
have responded to Item 18 in lieu of responding to this item.
Item
18. Financial Statements
INDEX
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Stockholders
and Board of Directors
Newegg
Commerce, Inc. (f/k/a Newegg Inc.)
City
of Industry, California
Opinion
on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Newegg Commerce, Inc. (f/k/a Newegg Inc.) and subsidiaries (the “Company”)
as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), temporary equity and
stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes
(collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements
present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its
operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis
for Opinion
These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion
on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company
in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the PCAOB.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part
of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing
an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our
audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether
due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence
regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical
Audit Matters
The
critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements
that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are
material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The
communication of the critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as
a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters
or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Vendor
Incentive Receivables
As
described in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s vendor incentive receivables totaled $41.5 million
as of December 31, 2021. The Company participates in various vendor incentive programs including purchasing-based volume discounts, sales-based
volume incentives, marketing development funds, including certain cooperative advertising and price protection agreements.
We
identified management’s measurement of vendor incentive receivables as a critical audit matter because the Company has a significant
number of vendor agreements with various terms and conditions that required estimates in order to determine the receivable amounts earned
at period end. Auditing these receivables was complex and subjective due to the extent of audit effort required to evaluate whether the
vendor incentive receivables were earned and recorded in accordance with the terms and conditions of vendor agreements.
The
primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
| ● | Evaluating
management’s accounting policies and practices including the reasonableness of management’s
judgments and assumptions relating to the Company’s accounting for vendor incentive
receivables. |
| ● | Testing
a sample of vendor agreements and underlying relevant supporting documents to evaluate the
appropriateness of management’s recording vendor incentive receivables including assessment
of various terms and conditions in these agreements. |
Income
Taxes – Release of Valuation Allowance related to Deferred Tax Assets
As
described in Notes 3 and 11 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company released $11.9 million of the valuation allowance against
the deferred tax assets during the year ended December 31, 2021. Net deferred tax assets have been recognized based on management’s
estimates of future taxable income for the Company. Valuation allowances have been established for the amounts that, more likely than
not, will not be realized. Management considers a number of factors in assessing the realization of a deferred tax asset associated with
net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards, including the reversal of temporary differences and future taxable income. Management
also considers the uncertainty posed by the current economic environment and the effect of this uncertainty on the various factors that
management takes into account in evaluating the need for valuation allowances.
We
identified management’s judgments related to the determination of the realizability of deferred tax assets recorded as a critical
audit matter due to significant judgments related to: (i) evaluating the positive and negative evidence available in the determination
of the amount of deferred tax assets that were more-likely-than-not to be realized in the future, and (ii) evaluating whether sufficient
projected future taxable income will be generated to support the valuation allowance release. Auditing these assumptions involved especially
challenging auditor judgment due to the nature and extent of audit evidence and audit effort required to address these matters, including
the extent of specialized skills or knowledge needed.
The
primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
| ● | Assessing
the reasonableness and the appropriateness of management’s judgments and assumptions
used to support the projected taxable income against historical performance of the Company
and management’s plans, including testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying
data used in the projections. |
| ● | Evaluating
the reasonableness of the rolling three-year cumulative income analysis, scheduled reversal
of deferred tax liabilities and industry trends used to determine the realizability of the
deferred tax assets. |
| ● | Utilizing
personnel with specialized knowledge and skills in accounting for income taxes to assist
in the evaluation of the positive and negative evidence available, the analysis of the realizability
of the deferred tax assets and the conclusions reached. |
/s/
BDO USA, LLP
We
have served as the Company's auditor since 2019.
Los
Angeles, California
April
28, 2022
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
December 31,
2021 and 2020
(In
thousands, except par value)
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Assets | |
| | |
| |
Current
assets: | |
| | |
| |
Cash
and cash equivalents | |
$ | 99,993 | | |
$ | 156,635 | |
Restricted
cash | |
| 4,337 | | |
| 1,111 | |
Accounts
receivable, net | |
| 62,373 | | |
| 64,799 | |
Inventories | |
| 245,078 | | |
| 182,056 | |
Income
taxes receivable | |
| 1,303 | | |
| 2,510 | |
Prepaid
expenses | |
| 17,946 | | |
| 15,679 | |
Other
current assets | |
| 7,931 | | |
| 5,821 | |
Total
current assets | |
| 438,961 | | |
| 428,611 | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Property
and equipment, net | |
| 50,149 | | |
| 46,466 | |
Noncurrent
deferred tax assets | |
| 13,367 | | |
| 669 | |
Equity
investment | |
| 2,281 | | |
| 9,655 | |
Investment
at cost | |
| 15,000 | | |
| 15,000 | |
Right
of use assets | |
| 94,581 | | |
| 46,557 | |
Other
noncurrent assets | |
| 12,243 | | |
| 10,510 | |
Total
assets | |
$ | 626,582 | | |
$ | 557,468 | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Liabilities
and Equity | |
| | | |
| | |
Current
liabilities: | |
| | | |
| | |
Accounts
payable | |
$ | 220,776 | | |
$ | 241,502 | |
Accrued
liabilities | |
| 74,689 | | |
| 83,939 | |
Deferred
revenue | |
| 39,767 | | |
| 47,398 | |
Line
of credit | |
| 6,182 | | |
| 5,276 | |
Current
portion of long-term debt | |
| 293 | | |
| 281 | |
Lease
liabilities – current | |
| 14,603 | | |
| 9,695 | |
Total
current liabilities | |
| 356,310 | | |
| 388,091 | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Long-term
debt, less current portion | |
| 1,843 | | |
| 2,088 | |
Income
taxes payable | |
| 696 | | |
| 696 | |
Lease
liabilities – noncurrent | |
| 84,307 | | |
| 39,043 | |
Warrants
liabilities | |
| 1,091 | | |
| — | |
Other
liabilities | |
| 53 | | |
| 53 | |
Total
liabilities | |
| 444,300 | | |
| 429,971 | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Commitments
and contingencies (note 16) | |
| | | |
| | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Stockholders’
Equity | |
| | | |
| | |
Common Stock, $0.021848 par value; unlimited shares authorized; 369,719 and 363,326 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 | |
| 8,078 | | |
| 7,938 | |
Additional
paid-in capital | |
| 197,613 | | |
| 182,230 | |
Notes
receivable – related party | |
| (15,189 | ) | |
| (15,186 | ) |
Accumulated
other comprehensive income | |
| 6,060 | | |
| 3,057 | |
Accumulated
deficit | |
| (14,280 | ) | |
| (50,542 | ) |
Total
stockholders’ equity | |
| 182,282 | | |
| 127,497 | |
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity | |
$ | 626,582 | | |
$ | 557,468 | |
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
Years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019
(In
thousands, except per share data)
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Net
sales | |
$ | 2,376,225 | | |
$ | 2,114,872 | | |
$ | 1,533,928 | |
Cost
of sales | |
| 2,050,249 | | |
| 1,841,243 | | |
| 1,369,054 | |
Gross
profit | |
| 325,976 | | |
| 273,629 | | |
| 164,874 | |
Other
operating income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 28,314 | |
Selling,
general, and administrative expenses | |
| 292,464 | | |
| 250,239 | | |
| 229,192 | |
Income
(loss) from operations | |
| 33,512 | | |
| 23,390 | | |
| (36,004 | ) |
Interest
income | |
| 1,079 | | |
| 1,124 | | |
| 586 | |
Interest
expense | |
| (612 | ) | |
| (664 | ) | |
| (2,945 | ) |
Other
income, net | |
| 1,758 | | |
| 5,320 | | |
| 4,184 | |
Equity
(loss) income from equity method investment | |
| (7,374 | ) | |
| 3,197 | | |
| 257 | |
Gain
from sales of equity method investment | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 21,520 | |
Gain
from disposal of a subsidiary | |
| 2,043 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Change
in fair value of warrants liabilities | |
| 61 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Income
(loss) before provision for income taxes | |
| 30,467 | | |
| 32,367 | | |
| (12,402 | ) |
Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes | |
| (5,795 | ) | |
| 1,941 | | |
| 4,589 | |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36,262 | | |
$ | 30,426 | | |
$ | (16,991 | ) |
Basic
earnings (loss) per share | |
$ | 0.10 | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) |
Diluted
earnings (loss) per share | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) |
Weighted
average shares used in computation of earnings (loss) per share: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Basic | |
| 366,651 | | |
| 363,326 | | |
| 363,326 | |
Diluted | |
| 432,250 | | |
| 385,013 | | |
| 363,326 | |
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
Consolidated
Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019
(In
thousands)
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36,262 | | |
$ | 30,426 | | |
$ | (16,991 | ) |
Foreign
currency translation adjustments | |
| 3,003 | | |
| 3,562 | | |
| (1,133 | ) |
Comprehensive
income (loss) | |
$ | 39,265 | | |
$ | 33,988 | | |
$ | (18,124 | ) |
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
Consolidated
Statements of Temporary Equity and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
Years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019
(In
thousands)
| |
Series AA
convertible preferred stock | | |
Series A
convertible preferred stock | | |
Total
temporary | | |
Common
stock | | |
Additional
paid-In | | |
Notes | | |
Accumulated
other comprehensive | | |
(Accumulated
deficit)/ Retained | | |
Total
stockholders’ | |
| |
Shares | | |
Amount | | |
Shares | | |
Amount | | |
equity | | |
Shares | | |
Par value | | |
capital | | |
receivable | | |
income | | |
earnings | | |
equity | |
Balance
at January 1, 2019 (as previously reported) | |
| 24,870 | | |
$ | 187,146 | | |
| 36,476 | | |
$ | 655 | | |
$ | 187,801 | | |
| 849 | | |
$ | 1 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 628 | | |
$ | (63,977 | ) | |
$ | (63,348 | ) |
Retroactive
application of the recapitalization | |
| (24,870 | ) | |
| (187,146 | ) | |
| (36,476 | ) | |
| (655 | ) | |
| (187,801 | ) | |
| 362,477 | | |
| 7,937 | | |
| 179,864 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 187,801 | |
Balance
at January 1, 2019 (as adjusted) | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
| 363,326 | | |
$ | 7,938 | | |
$ | 179,864 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 628 | | |
$ | (63,977 | ) | |
$ | 124,453 | |
Net
loss | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (16,991 | ) | |
| (16,991 | ) |
Other
comprehensive loss | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (1,133 | ) | |
| — | | |
| (1,133 | ) |
Note
receivable | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (15,000 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (15,000 | ) |
Interest
on notes receivable | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (29 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (29 | ) |
Stock-based
compensation | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 744 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 744 | |
Balance
at December 31, 2019 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
| 363,326 | | |
$ | 7,938 | | |
$ | 180,608 | | |
$ | (15,029 | ) | |
$ | (505 | ) | |
$ | (80,968 | ) | |
$ | 92,044 | |
Net
income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 30,426 | | |
| 30,426 | |
Other
comprehensive income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 3,562 | | |
| — | | |
| 3,562 | |
Interest
on notes receivable | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| (157 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (157 | ) |
Stock-based
compensation | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 1,622 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 1,622 | |
Balance
at December 31, 2020 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
| 363,326 | | |
$ | 7,938 | | |
$ | 182,230 | | |
$ | (15,186 | ) | |
$ | 3,057 | | |
$ | (50,542 | ) | |
$ | 127,497 | |
Net
income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 36,262 | | |
| 36,262 | |
Other
comprehensive income | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 3,003 | | |
| — | | |
| 3,003 | |
Exercise
of vested options | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 1,420 | | |
| 31 | | |
| 239 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 270 | |
Recapitalization
transaction, net | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 4,854 | | |
| 106 | | |
| 8,324 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 8,430 | |
Exercise
of warrants | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 119 | | |
| 3 | | |
| 535 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 538 | |
Interest
on notes receivable | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (3 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (3 | ) |
Stock-based
compensation | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 6,285 | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 6,285 | |
Balance
at December 31, 2021 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
| — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
| 369,719 | | |
$ | 8,078 | | |
$ | 197,613 | | |
$ | (15,189 | ) | |
$ | 6,060 | | |
$ | (14,280 | ) | |
$ | 182,282 | |
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
Years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019
(In
thousands)
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Cash
flows from operating activities: | |
| | |
| | |
| |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36,262 | | |
$ | 30,426 | | |
$ | (16,991 | ) |
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Depreciation
and amortization | |
| 10,838 | | |
| 9,091 | | |
| 10,708 | |
Allowance
for expected credit losses | |
| 1,718 | | |
| 7,288 | | |
| 882 | |
Recovery
of related party receivable | |
| (335 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Provision
for obsolete and excess inventory | |
| 8,274 | | |
| 4,218 | | |
| 4,278 | |
Stock-based
compensation | |
| 6,285 | | |
| 1,622 | | |
| 744 | |
Equity
loss (income) from equity method investment | |
| 7,374 | | |
| (3,197 | ) | |
| (257 | ) |
Gain
from sales of equity method investment | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (21,520 | ) |
Change
in fair value of warrant liabilities | |
| (61 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Loss
(Gain) on disposal of property and equipment | |
| 83 | | |
| 246 | | |
| (29,726 | ) |
Gain
from disposal of subsidiary | |
| (2,043 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Unrealized
loss on marketable securities | |
| 101 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Deferred
income taxes | |
| (12,698 | ) | |
| 372 | | |
| (1,007 | ) |
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Accounts
receivable | |
| 788 | | |
| (14,054 | ) | |
| 33,864 | |
Inventories | |
| (70,830 | ) | |
| (76,240 | ) | |
| 110,140 | |
Prepaid
expenses | |
| (2,152 | ) | |
| (7,516 | ) | |
| 1,846 | |
Other
current assets | |
| (747 | ) | |
| (1,022 | ) | |
| 1,919 | |
Accounts
payable | |
| (20,072 | ) | |
| 76,337 | | |
| (100,733 | ) |
Accrued
liabilities and other liabilities | |
| (8,625 | ) | |
| 35,126 | | |
| 8,038 | |
Deferred
revenue | |
| (7,443 | ) | |
| 21,817 | | |
| (11,226 | ) |
Dues
from affiliate | |
| (3 | ) | |
| (2 | ) | |
| (1,036 | ) |
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities | |
| (53,286 | ) | |
| 84,512 | | |
| (10,077 | ) |
Cash
flows from investing activities: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Loans
to affiliate | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (15,000 | ) |
Insurance
settlement proceeds | |
| — | | |
| 788 | | |
| 900 | |
Acquisition
of equity investments | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (7,000 | ) |
Payments
to acquire property and equipment | |
| (13,839 | ) | |
| (6,156 | ) | |
| (10,283 | ) |
Proceeds
on disposal of property and equipment | |
| 1 | | |
| 132 | | |
| 38,550 | |
Sale
of equity method investment | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 77,515 | |
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities | |
| (13,838 | ) | |
| (5,236 | ) | |
| 84,682 | |
Cash
flows from financing activities: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Borrowings
under line of credit | |
| 787 | | |
| 20,000 | | |
| 98,001 | |
Repayments
under line of credit | |
| — | | |
| (21,467 | ) | |
| (134,440 | ) |
Borrowings
of long-term debt | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Repayments
of long-term debt | |
| (285 | ) | |
| (265 | ) | |
| (13,254 | ) |
Loan
from affiliate | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| 15,000 | |
Repayment
of loan from affiliate | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (15,000 | ) |
Cash
received from common control asset transaction | |
| 11,426 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Proceeds
from exercise of warrants | |
| 538 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options | |
| 270 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities | |
| 12,736 | | |
| (1,732 | ) | |
| (49,693 | ) |
Foreign
currency effect on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | |
| 972 | | |
| (345 | ) | |
| (1,044 | ) |
Net
increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | |
| (53,416 | ) | |
| 77,199 | | |
| 23,868 | |
Cash,
cash equivalents and restricted cash: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Beginning
of period | |
| 157,746 | | |
| 80,547 | | |
| 56,679 | |
End
of period | |
$ | 104,330 | | |
$ | 157,746 | | |
$ | 80,547 | |
Supplemental
disclosures of cash flow information: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Cash
paid for interest | |
$ | 268 | | |
$ | 270 | | |
$ | 2,634 | |
Cash
paid for income taxes | |
$ | 6,374 | | |
$ | 261 | | |
$ | 4,700 | |
Supplemental
schedule of noncash investing activities | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Cashless
exercise of stock options | |
$ | 677 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | |
Acquisition
of investment included in accrued liabilities | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | 2,579 | |
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1.
Organization and Description of Business
Newegg
Commerce, Inc. (“Newegg” or the “Company”) (previously known as “Lianluo Smart Limited” or “LLIT”)
was incorporated as an international business company under the International Business Companies Act, 1984, in the British Virgin Islands
on July 22, 2003.
Newegg
is an electronics-focused e-retailer that offers customers a comprehensive selection of the latest consumer electronics products, detailed
product descriptions and images, “how-to” information, and customer reviews via its websites. The Company’s strategic
focus is based on three key areas: (1) providing a differentiated and superior online shopping experience, (2) offering reliable
and timely product fulfillment, and (3) delivering superior customer service.
Newegg
Inc. was incorporated as Newegg Computers in the state of California on February 4, 2000. In June 2005, Newegg Inc. was incorporated
in the state of Delaware. On September 29, 2005, Newegg Computers was merged into Newegg Inc. under Delaware law with Newegg Inc.
being the surviving company.
In
August 2016, Newegg Inc. entered into a share purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Hangzhou Liaison
Interactive Information Technology Co., Ltd, (“Hangzhou Lianluo”), a publicly traded company in China. The transaction was
completed on March 30, 2017. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Hangzhou Lianluo purchased 490,706 shares of Newegg Inc.’s
Class A Common Stock and 12,782,546 shares of Newegg Inc.’s Series A convertible Preferred Stock from existing shareholders
for a total consideration of $91.9 million. Additionally, Newegg Inc. issued, and Hangzhou Lianluo purchased, 24,870,027 shares
of Newegg Inc.’s Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock for a total consideration of $172.2 million. Upon the close of this
transaction, Hangzhou Lianluo, through Digital Grid (Hong Kong) Technology Co., Limited (“Digital Grid”), a fully-owned
subsidiary of Hangzhou Lianluo, became the majority owner of Newegg Inc.
On
May 19, 2021, the Company closed the merger with Newegg Inc. contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated October 23,
2020, by and among LLIT, Lightning Delaware Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary
of the Company, and Newegg Inc. As the consideration for the merger, the Company issued to all the stockholders of Newegg Inc. an aggregate
of 363,325,542 common shares. Each issued and outstanding share of Newegg Inc. capital stock was exchanged for 5.8417 shares of common
shares of the Company. The Company also converted each Class B common share into one common share immediately prior to completion
of the merger.
On
May 19, 2021, the Company disposed all of LLIT’s legacy business contemplated by that certain Equity Transfer Agreement dated
October 23, 2020, by and among LLIT, its wholly owned subsidiary, Lianluo Connection Medical Wearable Device Technology (Beijing)
Co., Ltd (“Lianluo Connection”), and Beijing Fenjin Times Development Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Fenjin”). The Company
sold all of its equity interests in Lianluo Connection to Beijing Fenjin immediately following completion of the merger for a purchase
price of RMB 0.
In
May 2021, the Company changed its name from Lianluo Smart Limited to Newegg Commerce, Inc., and on May 20, 2021 changed its
Nasdaq stock ticker from LLIT to NEGG.
2.
Basis of Presentation
The
merger is accounted for as a transfer of assets under common control in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the
United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). Under this method of accounting, LLIT did not meet the definition of a
business as of the close of the transaction and was considered a group of assets. Newegg Inc. was deemed to be the receiving entity in
the common control transaction, consequently, the transaction is treated similar to a recapitalization of Newegg Inc. Accordingly, the
consolidated assets, liabilities and results of operations of Newegg Inc. became the historical financial statements. The assets and
liabilities of LLIT were combined with Newegg Inc. using its carryover basis on the transfer date. The carrying value of the net assets
received by Newegg on May 19, 2021 was approximately $8.4 million. The assets were primarily comprised of cash, cash equivalents
and restricted cash of $11.4 million, marketable securities of $0.2 million, and prepaid and other assets of $0.5 million. The liabilities
received were primarily comprised of warrant liabilities of $1.2 million and accrued expenses and other liabilities of $2.5 million.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
recapitalization of the number of shares of capital stock attributable to Newegg Inc. is reflected retroactively as shares reflecting
the exchange ratio of 5.8417 to the earliest period presented and is utilized for calculating earnings per share in all prior periods
presented along with certain other related disclosures.
On
the date of the transfer, the Company subsequently disposed Lianluo Connection which had a carrying value of negative 2.0 million for
$0 consideration and recognized a gain of $2.0 million, which is included in the Company’s consolidated statements of income for
the year ended December 31, 2021.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
a.
Principles of Consolidation
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America and include the accounts of all consolidated subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated
in consolidation.
b.
Use of Estimates
The
preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying
notes. Estimates are used for, but not limited to, revenue recognition, incentives earned from vendors, allowance for credit losses,
investment valuation, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, and stock-based compensation. Actual results could differ from such
estimates.
As
of December 31, 2021, the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations, and financial condition
continue to evolve. As a result, many of our estimates and assumptions require increased judgment and carry a higher degree of variability
and volatility. As additional information becomes available, our estimates may change materially in future periods.
c.
Change in Accounting Principles
Financial
Instruments
In
June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-13 (as amended through March 2020),
Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU 2016-13
introduced a new forward-looking approach, based on expected losses, to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments,
including trade receivables, contract assets and held-to-maturity debt securities, which requires the Company to incorporate considerations
of historical information, current information and reasonable and supportable forecasts. ASU 2016-13 also expands disclosure requirements.
The
Company adopted the standard on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective approach. Adoption of ASU 2016-13 resulted
in changes to the Company’s accounting policies for trade and other receivables and contract assets. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-13
the Company evaluates trade receivables and contract assets on a collective (i.e., pool) basis if they share similar risk characteristics.
Based
on the results of the Company’s evaluation, the adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material impact on the reserve for
credit losses as of January 1, 2020. Adoption of the standard had no impact on total cash provided from or used in operating, financing,
or investing activities in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
Accounts
receivable include trade accounts receivables from the Company’s customers, net of an allowance for credit risk. Accounts receivables
are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The Company’s contract assets relate to services performed which
were not billed, net of an allowance for credit risk. Allowance for credit risk for accounts receivables and contract assets is established
based on various factors including credit profiles of the Company’s customers, historical payments and current economic trends.
The Company reviews its allowance for accounts receivables and contract assets by assessing individual accounts receivable or unbilled
contract assets over a specific aging and amount. All other balances are pooled based on historical collection experience. The estimate
of expected credit losses is based on information about past events, current economic conditions, and forecasts of future economic conditions
that affect collectability. Accounts receivable and contract assets are written-off on a case by case basis, net of any amounts that
may be collected.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
d.
Reclassifications
Certain
prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.
e.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash
and cash equivalents consist primarily of cash on deposit, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts. Cash equivalents are all
highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. The Company maintains its cash in bank deposits which,
at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts. The Company believes it is
not exposed to any significant credit risk of cash and cash equivalents. Amounts receivable from credit card processors are also considered
cash equivalents as they are both short term and highly liquid in nature and are typically converted to cash within three business
days. Amounts due to the Company from credit card processors that are classified as cash and cash equivalents totaled $14.3 million and
$17.5 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
f.
Restricted Cash
Restricted
cash includes amounts deposited in commercial bank time deposits and money market accounts to collateralize the Company’s deposit
obligations. The Company considers restricted cash related to obligations classified as current liabilities to be current assets and
restricted cash related to obligations classified as long-term liabilities as noncurrent assets. At December 31, 2021 and 2020,
the Company had $4.3 million and $1.1 million, respectively, in restricted cash, primarily related to collateralization required pursuant
to a lease agreement, the restricted cash account required under the Company’s health insurance plan, the restricted cash for the
cash receipts collected on behalf of the Independent Sales Organization (“ISO”) Marketplace sellers, and for 2021, $3.5 million
in escrow account pursuant to the merger agreement among LLIT, Newegg Inc., and Merger Sub to satisfy any liabilities related to certain
securities purchase agreements and purchase warrants entered by LLIT and certain investors. The restricted cash balance is classified
as a current asset in the consolidated balance sheets.
The
following is a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets that
sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
| |
December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Cash
and cash equivalents | |
$ | 99,993 | | |
$ | 156,635 | |
Restricted
cash | |
| 4,337 | | |
| 1,111 | |
Total
cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash | |
$ | 104,330 | | |
$ | 157,746 | |
g.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts
receivable consist primarily of vendor receivables, which do not bear interest, and represent amounts due for marketing development funds,
cooperative advertising, price protection and other incentive programs offered to the Company by certain vendors. Accounts receivable
also include receivables from business customers generally, on 30-day to 60-day credit terms. On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted
ASU 2016-13 (as amended through March 2020), Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement
of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. See Change in Accounting Principle above. The Company estimates the provision for credit losses
based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Accounts receivables are written off when
deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of accounts receivable previously written off are recorded when received. Amounts receivable from business
customers were $17.6 million and $24.1 million, net of allowances of $1.9 million and $0.1 million, at December 31, 2021 and 2020,
respectively. See further discussion of amounts receivable related to vendor incentive programs under Incentives Earned from Vendors
below.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
h.
Inventories
Inventories,
consisting of products available for sale, are accounted for using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method and are valued at the lower
of cost and net realizable value. In-bound freight-related costs are included as part of the cost of merchandise held for resale. In
addition, certain vendor payments are deducted from the cost of merchandise held for resale. The Company records an inventory provision
for refurbished, slow-moving, or obsolete inventories based on historical experience and assumptions of future demand for product. These
allowances are released when the related inventory is sold or disposed of. Amounts of inventory allowances were $6.8 million and $6.2
million, as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
i.
Property and Equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated amortization and depreciation computed using the straight-line method over the estimated
useful life of each asset. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful life
of the assets. Expenditures for repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred, and expenditures for major renewals and improvements
are capitalized. Costs incurred during the application development stage of internal-use software and website development are capitalized
and included in property and equipment. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation or amortization
are removed from the accounts, and any gain or loss is reflected in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The useful
lives for depreciable assets are as follows:
Buildings |
|
20 – 39 years |
Machinery
and equipment |
|
3 – 7 years |
Computer
and software |
|
3 – 5 years |
Leasehold
improvements |
|
Lesser of lease term or 10 years |
Capitalized
software |
|
3 – 5 years |
Furniture
and fixtures |
|
5 – 7 years |
j.
Leases
The
Company defines lease agreements at their inception as either operating or finance leases depending on certain defined criteria. Certain
lease agreements may entitle the Company to receive rent holidays, other incentives, or periodic payment increases over the lease term.
Accordingly, rent expense under operating leases is recognized on the straight-line basis over the original lease term, inclusive of
predetermined minimum rent escalations or modifications and rent holidays.
k.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The
Company evaluates the recoverability of long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the
carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The impairment test consists of two steps. The first step compares the carrying amount
of the asset to the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows. If the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows exceeds the
carrying amount of the asset, no impairment is taken. If the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying
amount of the asset, a second step is warranted and an impairment loss is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the
asset exceeds its fair value calculated using the present value of estimated net future cash flows. There have been no impairment losses
recognized by the Company for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
l.
Investments
Investments
are accounted for using the equity method if the investment provides the Company the ability to exercise significant influence, but not
control, over an investee. Significant influence is generally deemed to exist if the Company has an ownership interest in the voting
stock of the investee between 20% and 50%, although other factors are considered in determining whether the equity method is appropriate.
Also, investments in limited partnerships of more than 3% to 5% are generally viewed as more than minor and are accounted for using the
equity method.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
investments for which the Company is not able to exercise significant influence over the investee and which do not have readily determinable
fair values were accounted for under the cost method prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-01 Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10):
Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. Subsequent to the adoption of this standard as of January 1,
2018, the Company has elected the measurement alternative to measure such investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes
resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer.
Equity
investments, except for those accounted under ASU 2016-01 equity method, are measured at fair value, and any changes in fair value are
recognized in earnings. For equity investments measured at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings, the Company does
not assess whether those securities are impaired.
m.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair
value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between
market participants at the measurement date. To increase the comparability of fair value measures, a three-tier fair value hierarchy
prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices
in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly
observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exist, therefore, requiring the Company
to develop its own assumptions to determine the best estimate of fair value.
The
carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued and other liabilities approximate fair
value because of the short maturity of these instruments. The carrying amounts of long-term debt and line of credit at December 31,
2021 and 2020 approximate fair value because the interest rate approximates the current market interest rate. The fair value
of these financial instruments was determined using level 2 input.
n.
Warrant Liability
For
warrants that are not indexed to the Company’s stock, the Company records the fair value of the issued warrants as a liability
at each balance sheet date and records changes in the estimated fair value as a non-cash gain or loss in the consolidated statement of
income and comprehensive income. The warrant liability is recognized in the balance sheet at the fair value (level 3). The fair value
of these warrants has been determined using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The Black-Scholes pricing model provides for assumptions
regarding volatility, call and put features and risk-free interest rates within the total period to maturity (see Note 13 - Warrants).
o.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Comprehensive
income (loss) consists of net income (loss) and adjustments to stockholders’ equity for foreign currency translation adjustments.
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consists entirely of foreign currency translation adjustments. The tax impact is not material
to the consolidated financial statements.
p.
Revenue Recognition
Revenue
is recognized when control of a promised product or service transfers to a customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration to
which the Company expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring that product or service. Revenue is recognized net of sales taxes
and discounts. The Company primarily generates revenue through product and extended warranty sales on its platforms, through fees earned
for facilitating marketplace transactions, and services rendered through its Newegg Partner Services.
The
Company recognizes revenue on product sales at a point in time to customers when control of the product passes to the customer upon delivery
to the customer or when service is provided. The Company fulfills orders with its owned inventory or with inventory sourced through its
suppliers. The vast majority of the Company’s product sales are fulfilled from its owned inventory. The amount recognized in revenue
represents the expected consideration to be received in exchange for such goods or services. For orders fulfilled with inventory sourced
through the Company’s suppliers, and where the products are shipped directly by the Company’s supplier to the Company’s
customer, the Company evaluates the criteria outlined in ASC 606-10-55, Principal versus Agent Considerations, in determining
whether revenue should be recognized on a gross or net basis. The Company determined that it is the principal in these transactions as
it controls the specific good before it is transferred to the customer. The Company is the entity responsible for fulfilling the promise
to provide the specified good to the customer and takes responsibility for the acceptability of the goods, assumes inventory risk before
the specified good has been transferred to the customer or after transfer of control to the customer, has discretion in establishing
the price, and selects the suppliers of products sold. The Company accounts for product sales under these arrangements on a gross basis
upon receipt of the product by the customer. Product sales exceeded 94% of consolidated net sales in each of the years ended December 31,
2021, 2020 and 2019.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company generally requires payment by credit card upon placement of an order, and to a limited extent, grants credit to business customers,
typically on 30-day to 60-day terms. Shipping and handling is considered a fulfillment activity, as it takes place before the customer
obtains controls of the good. Amounts billed to customers for shipping and handling are included in net sales upon completion of the
performance obligation.
The
Company’s product sales contracts include terms that could cause variability in the transaction price such as sales returns and
credit card chargebacks. As such, the transaction price for product sales includes estimates of variable consideration to the extent
it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue recognized will not occur. Sales are reported net of estimated returns and allowances
and credit card chargebacks, based on historical experience.
The
Company also earns fees for facilitating marketplace transactions and extended warranty sales on its platforms. For marketplace transactions,
the Company’s websites host third-party sellers and the Company also provides the payment processing function. The Company recognizes
revenue upon sale of products made available through its marketplace store. The Company is not the principal in this arrangement and
do not control the specific goods sold to the customer. The Company reports the net amount earned as commissions, which are determined
using a fixed percentage of the sales price or fixed reimbursement amount. The Company also offers extended warranty programs for various
products on behalf of an unrelated third party. The Company reports the net amount earned as revenue at the time of sale, as it is not
the principal in this arrangement and does not control the specific goods sold to the customer.
The
Company offers its customers the opportunity to purchase goods and services on its website using deferred financing promotional programs
provided by a third-party financing company. These programs include an option to make no payments for a period of six, twelve, eighteen
or twenty-four months. The third-party financing company makes all decisions to extend credit to the customer under a separate agreement
with the customer, owns all such receivables from the customer, assumes all risk of collection, and has no recourse to the Company in
the event the customer does not pay. The third-party financing company pays the Company for the purchase price on behalf of the customer,
less certain transaction fees. Accordingly, sales generated through these programs are not reflected in the Company’s receivables
once payment is received from the third-party financing company. The transaction fee paid by the Company to the third-party financing
company is recognized as a reduction of revenue. These transaction fees for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019
were immaterial.
To
the extent that the Company sells its products on third-party platforms, the Company incurs incremental contract acquisition costs in
the form of sales commissions paid to the platforms. The commissions are generally determined based on the sales price and an agreed-upon
commission rate. The Company elects the practical expedient under Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 Revenue From Contracts
with Customers (Topic 606) to recognize sales commission as an expense as incurred, as the amortization period of the asset
that the Company otherwise would have recognized is less than one year.
The
Company offers e-commerce solutions to its vendors and sellers through its Newegg Partner Services. Part of the services include third-party
logistics (3PL), Shipped-by-Newegg (SBN), shipping label service (SLS), staffing, and media services. The fees we earn from these arrangements
are recognized when the services are rendered. For 3PL, SBN, and SLS, the revenues are recognized upon the shipment of the product to
its end consumer, and upon processing of a returned item for the client. For staffing, revenues are recognized based on when an employee
is dispatched to a client, hours are accumulated by the dispatched employees’ timecard, or when a direct hire placement is made.
For media services, revenues are recognized when the applicable commercial or editorial creative content is delivered.
The
Company has two types of contractual liabilities: (1) amounts collected, or amounts invoiced and due, related to product sales where
receipt of the product by the customer has not yet occurred or revenue cannot be recognized. Such amounts are recorded in the consolidated
balance sheets as deferred revenue and are recognized when the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been satisfied. For all of
the product sales, the Company ships a large volume of packages through multiple carriers. Actual delivery dates may not always be available
and as such, the Company estimates delivery dates as needed based on historical data. (2) unredeemed gift cards, which are initially
recorded as deferred revenue and are recognized in the period they are redeemed. Subject to governmental agencies’ escheat requirements,
certain gift cards not expected to be redeemed, also known as “breakage,” are recognized as revenue based on the historical
redemption pattern. These gift cards breakage revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $0.1 million,
$0.3 million, and $0.5 million, respectively.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Deferred
revenue totaled $39.8 million and $47.4 million at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the year ended December 31,
2021, the Company recognized $43.7 million of net revenue included in deferred revenue at December 31, 2020. During the year ended
December 31, 2020, the Company recognized $23.4 million of net revenue included in deferred revenue at December 31, 2019.
q.
Cost of Sales
The
Company’s cost of sales represents the purchase price of the products it sells to its customers, offset by incentives earned from
vendors, including marketing development funds and other vendor incentive programs. See further discussion of vendor payments under Incentives
Earned from Vendors below. Cost of sales also includes freight-in and freight-out costs and charges related to refurbished, slow-moving,
or obsolete inventory.
r.
Shipping and Handling
The
Company records revenue for shipping and handling billed to its customers. Shipping and handling revenue totaled approximately $25.3
million, $33.7 million and $17.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The
related shipping and handling costs are included in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs totaled approximately $64.7 million, $80.1
million and $62.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
s.
Incentives Earned from Vendors
The
Company participates in various vendor incentive programs that include, but are not limited to, purchasing-based volume discounts, sales-based
volume incentives, marketing development funds, including for certain cooperative advertising, and price protection agreements. Vendor
incentives are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations as an offset to marketing and promotional expenses to the extent
that they represent reimbursement of advertising costs incurred by the Company on behalf of the vendors that are specific, incremental,
and identifiable. Reimbursements that are in excess of such costs and all other vendor incentive programs are accounted for as a reduction
of cost of sales, or if the related product inventory is still on hand at the reporting date, inventory is reduced in the consolidated
balance sheets.
The
Company reduced cost of sales by $140.0 million, $135.8 million and $143.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020
and 2019, respectively, for these vendor incentive programs. Reductions to advertising and promotional expenses related to direct reimbursements
for costs incurred in advertising vendors’ products totaled $1.5 million, $1.1 million and $0.7 million for the years ended
December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Amounts receivable related to vendor incentive programs were $41.5 million and $39.9
million, net of allowances of $0.6 million and $0.4 million, at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Amounts due to the Company
are included in accounts receivable in the consolidated balance sheets.
t.
Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses
Selling,
general, and administrative expenses primarily consist of marketing and advertising expenses, sales commissions, credit card processing
fees, payroll and related benefits, depreciation and amortization, professional fees, litigation costs, rent expense, information technology
expenses, warehouse costs, office expenses, and other general corporate costs.
The
Company recognizes the cost of legal services related to defending litigation when the services are provided.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
u.
Advertising
Advertising
and promotional expenses are charged to operations when incurred and are included in selling, general, and administrative expenses. Advertising
and promotional expenses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $32.8 million, $29.0 million and $25.8 million,
respectively.
v.
Stock-Based Compensation
The
measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees and directors, including employee
stock options and restricted stock, is based on estimated fair value of the awards on the date of grant. The value of awards that are
ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods in the consolidated
statements of operations. See Note 14 — Stock-Based Compensation for further information about the Company’s stock compensation
plans.
w.
Income Taxes
The
Company is subject to federal and state income taxes in the United States and taxes in foreign jurisdictions. In accordance with
ASC Topic 740, the Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method,
deferred taxes are determined based on the temporary differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities,
using tax rates expected to be in effect during the years in which the bases differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance
is established against deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not
be realized.
The
Company recognizes the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained
upon examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The Company measures the recognized tax benefit
as the largest amount of tax benefit that has greater than a 50% likelihood of being realized upon the ultimate settlement with a taxing
authority. The Company reverses a previously recognized tax benefit if it determines that the tax position no longer meets the more-likely-than-not
threshold of being sustained. The Company accrues interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
x.
Concentration of Credit Risk and Significant Customers and Vendors
The
Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company
has not experienced any losses in such accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk from cash and cash
equivalents.
For
the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company had no individual customers that accounted for greater than 10%
of net sales.
The
Company purchases its products on credit terms from vendors located primarily in the United States. For the years ended December 31,
2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company’s cumulative annual purchases from three vendors, one vendor and two vendors, respectively, exceeded
10% of total purchases. The majority of products that the Company sells are available through multiple channels.
The
Company has receivables due from vendors related to its advertising and promotional programs and receivables due from business customers
with credit terms. As of December 31, 2021, no receivables from any vendor exceeded 10% of net receivables. As of December 31, 2020,
the Company’s receivables from one vendor exceeded 10% of net receivables. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, no receivables from
business customers with credit terms exceeded 10% of net receivables.
y.
Foreign Currency Translation
The
financial statements of foreign subsidiaries and affiliates where the local currency is the functional currency are translated into U.S. dollars
using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates during the year for revenues
and expenses. Any gain or loss on currency translation is included in stockholders’ equity as accumulated other comprehensive income.
z.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements
for Fair Value Measurement, (“ASU 2018-13”) which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements, including
the consideration of costs and benefits. The Company adopted ASU 2018-13 on January 1, 2020, and the adoption of this ASU did not have
a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In
December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, (“ASU 2019-12”).
ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general income tax accounting methodology including an exception for the recognition
of a deferred tax liability when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment and an exception for interim periods showing
operating losses in excess of anticipated operating losses for the year. The amendment also reduces the complexity surrounding franchise
tax recognition; the step up in the tax basis of goodwill in conjunction with business combinations; and the accounting for the effect
of changes in tax laws enacted during interim periods. The Company adopted ASU 2019-12 on January 1, 2021, and the adoption did not have
a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
In
March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04 Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate
Reform on Financial Reporting, as amended and supplemented by subsequent ASUs (collectively, “ASU 2020-04”), which provides
practical expedients for contract modifications and certain hedging relationships associated with the transition from reference rates
that are expected to be discontinued. This guidance is applicable for borrowing instruments, which use LIBOR as a reference rate, and
is effective immediately, but is only available through December 31, 2022. The Company does not expect the adoption of this ASU
to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
4.
Fair Value
The
Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include cash and cash equivalents,
and restricted cash. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash approximate their fair value.
The
Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis when impairment is identified include equity
method investment and investment in equity securities without readily determinable fair value not accounted for under the equity method.
The fair values of these investments are determined based on valuation techniques using the best information available, and may include
quoted market prices, market comparables, and discounted cash flow projections. An impairment charge is recorded when the cost of the
investment exceeds its fair value. This is considered a Level 3 fair value measurement. See Note 6 — Investment for further
information regarding the fair value measurement of these investments.
The
fair value of accounts receivables approximates carrying value due to the short-term maturities.
The
Company’s notes receivable from affiliate, loans from affiliate (see Note 18 — Related Party Transactions), line of
credit and long-term debt are carried at cost with fair value disclosed, if required. The fair value of the amounts outstanding under
the line of credit and long-term debt with a floating interest rate approximates the carrying value due primarily to the variable nature
of the interest rate of the instruments, which is considered a Level 2 fair value measurement. The fair value of the amounts outstanding
under notes receivable from affiliate, loans from affiliate, and line of credit with a fixed interest rate is estimated based on the
discounted amount of the contractual future cash flows using an appropriate discount rate. This is considered a Level 3 fair value
measurement.
The
Company’s warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis which is considered as a Level 3 fair value measurement (see
Note 13 - Warrants).
The
following is a summary of the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of these financial instruments as of December 31, 2021
and 2020 (in thousands):
| |
December 31, 2021 | | |
December 31, 2020 | |
| |
Carrying
Value | | |
Estimated
Fair Value | | |
Carrying
Value | | |
Estimated
Fair Value | |
Notes
receivable from affiliate (Level 3) | |
$ | 15,000 | | |
$ | 15,000 | | |
$ | 15,000 | | |
$ | 15,000 | |
Line
of credit (Level 2) | |
$ | 5,395 | | |
$ | 5,395 | | |
$ | 5,276 | | |
$ | 5,276 | |
Line
of credit (Level 3) | |
$ | 787 | | |
$ | 754 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | |
Long-term
debt (Level 2) | |
$ | 2,136 | | |
$ | 2,078 | | |
$ | 2,369 | | |
$ | 2,310 | |
Warrants
liabilities (Level 3) | |
$ | 1,091 | | |
$ | 1,091 | | |
$ | — | | |
$ | — | |
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
5.
Property and Equipment, Net
Property
and equipment, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
| |
December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Land | |
$ | 2,376 | | |
$ | 2,324 | |
Buildings | |
| 35,659 | | |
| 34,680 | |
Machinery
and equipment | |
| 35,349 | | |
| 36,781 | |
Computer
and software | |
| 28,189 | | |
| 30,023 | |
Leasehold
improvements | |
| 9,991 | | |
| 12,102 | |
Capitalized
software | |
| 17,031 | | |
| 13,811 | |
Furniture
and fixtures | |
| 3,604 | | |
| 3,321 | |
Construction
in progress(1) | |
| 7,654 | | |
| 9,247 | |
| |
| 139,853 | | |
| 142,289 | |
Accumulated
depreciation and amortization | |
| (89,704 | ) | |
| (95,823 | ) |
Property
and equipment, net | |
$ | 50,149 | | |
$ | 46,466 | |
| (1) | Property construction-in-progress is stated at cost and not depreciated. The property would be transferred to its respective account within property, plant and equipment upon completion. |
Depreciation
and amortization expense associated with property and equipment was $10.8 million, $9.1 million and $10.7 million for the years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
6.
Investment
On
April 17, 2018, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire an equity interest in Mountain Capital Fund L.P. (“Mountain”)
from Pegasus View Global Ltd., an international business company incorporated in the Republic of Seychelles (“Pegasus”),
which is a related party. Mountain is an exempted limited partnership registered under the partnership law in the Cayman Islands and
primarily engages in investing. The Company’s equity interest in Mountain was limited to 50% of Mountain’s investment in
One97 Communications Limited and PayTM E-Commerce Private Limited (collectively, the “Mountain Investment”). In addition
to the $43.0 million initial investment made during 2018, the purchase price in this transaction included a contingent consideration
of up to $7.0 million upon satisfaction of certain conditions described in the purchase agreement. This contingent consideration of $7.0
million was paid in April 2019. The Company evaluated the Mountain Investment under the variable interest model and the voting interest
model and concluded that Mountain Capital Fund L.P. is not a variable interest entity and no consolidation is needed under either the
variable interest model or the voting interest model. The Company recorded an estimate of contingent consideration payable of $7.0 million
as of the acquisition date. The Company accounted for the Mountain Investment under the equity method. During the year 2019, Mountain
sold a portion of its investment in One97 Communications Limited (“One97”) to various third-party buyers, which resulted
in the Company’s disposal of all of its investment in One97. The Company recorded a gain from the sale of the equity method investment
in Mountain of $21.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the carrying value of
the Company’s investment in Mountain was $2.3 million and $9.7 million, respectively, and the Company’s ownership percentage
in Mountain was approximately 4% and 11%, respectively. As Mountain is a limited partnership, the Company continues accounting for the
Mountain Investment under the equity method as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and for the years then ended.
See
Note 18 — Related Party Transactions for further information regarding this transaction.
In
August 2018, the Company purchased 11,506,695 Series B+ Preferred shares in Bitmain Technologies Holding Company, a privately-held
company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, for a total consideration of $15.0 million. Bitmain Technologies Holding Company and its
subsidiaries (together “Bitmain”) primarily design and sell cryptocurrency mining hardware, operate cryptocurrency mining
pools, and provide mining farm services. As this represents an investment in equity securities without readily determinable fair values,
the Company elected the measurement alternative under ASU 2016-01 to measure this investment at cost, less any impairment, plus
or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same
issuer.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company reviewed the investment in Bitmain for impairment as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, by evaluating if events
or circumstances have occurred that may have a significant adverse effect on the fair value of the investment. The Company concluded
there were no impairment indicators as of December 31, 2021 and 2020. In the absence of observable price changes in orderly transactions
for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the carrying
value of the investment remained at $15.0 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.
There
was no impairment loss on cost method investment for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
7.
Accrued Liabilities
Accrued
liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
| |
December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Accrued
personnel | |
$ | 21,132 | | |
$ | 22,005 | |
Sales
and other taxes payable | |
| 24,512 | | |
| 25,846 | |
Allowance
for sales returns | |
| 9,102 | | |
| 12,641 | |
Accrued
freight expense | |
| 6,625 | | |
| 12,161 | |
Accrued
advertising expense | |
| 3,392 | | |
| 2,369 | |
Accrued
inventory | |
| 2,647 | | |
| 2,173 | |
Accrued
legal expense | |
| 3,338 | | |
| 1,448 | |
Other | |
| 3,941 | | |
| 5,296 | |
Total
accrued liabilities | |
$ | 74,689 | | |
$ | 83,939 | |
8.
Line of Credit
In
July 2018, the Company entered into a credit agreement with several financial institutions that provided a revolving credit facility
of up to $100.0 million with a maturity date of July 27, 2021. Prior to July 27, 2020 and subject to certain terms and conditions,
the Maximum Revolving Advance Amount, as defined in the loan agreement, could be increased up to $140.0 million. The revolving credit
facility included a letter of credit sublimit of $25.0 million, which could be used to issue standby and trade letters of credit, and
a $10.0 million sublimit for swingline loans. Advances from this line of credit were subject to interest at LIBOR plus the Applicable
Margin, as defined in the loan agreement, or the Alternate Base Rate (defined as the highest of the financial institution’s prime
rate, the Overnight Bank Funding Rate plus 0.50%, or the daily LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus the Applicable Margin. For LIBOR loans, the Company
could select interest periods of one, two, or three months. Interest on LIBOR loans were payable at the end of the selected interest
period. Interest on Alternate Base Rate loans was payable monthly. The line of credit was guaranteed by certain of the Company’s
U.S. subsidiaries and was collateralized by certain of the assets of the Company. Such assets included all receivables, equipment
and fixtures, general intangibles, inventory, subsidiary stock, securities, property, and financial assets, contract rights, and ledger
sheets, as defined in the loan agreement. To maintain availability of funds under the loan agreement, the Company paid on a quarterly
basis, an unused commitment fee of either 0.25% of the difference between the amount available and the amount outstanding under the facility
if the difference was less than one-third of the Maximum Revolving Advance Amount or 0.40% of the difference between the amount available
and the amount outstanding under the facility if the difference was equal to or greater than one-third of the Maximum Revolving Advance
Amount.
The
credit facility contains customary covenants, including covenants that limit or restrict the Company’s ability to incur capital
expenditures and lease payments, make certain investment, enter into certain related-party transactions, and pay dividends. That credit
facility also requires the Company to maintain certain minimum financial ratios and maintain an operational banking relationship with
the financial institutions.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company entered into a new credit agreement in August 2021 with a new maturity date of August 20, 2024. Prior to August 20, 2023
and subject to certain terms and conditions, the Maximum Revolving Advance Amount, as defined in the new credit agreement, could be increased
up to $150.0 million. The revolving credit facility includes a letter of credit sublimit of $30.0 million, which can be used to issue
standby and trade letters of credit, and a $20.0 million sublimit for swingline loans. In general, advances from this line of credit
will be subject to interest at LIBOR plus the Applicable Margin, as defined in the new credit agreement, so long as a Daily LIBOR is
offered, ascertainable, and not unlawful, or the Alternate Base Rate (to be defined as the highest of the (a) the Base Rate in the effect
on such day, (b) the sum of the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day plus 0.50%, or (c) the daily LIBOR plus 1.0%) plus
the Applicable Margin. For LIBOR loans, the Company may select interest period of one, two, or three months. Interest on LIBOR loans
shall be payable at end of the selected interest period. Interest on Alternate Base Rate loans is payable monthly. In the event of the
permanent or indefinite cessation of LIBOR, the Benchmark Replacement will replace LIBOR. If the Benchmark Replacement is Daily Simple
SOFR, all interest payments will be payable on a monthly basis.
The
new line of credit is secured by certain of the Company’s subsidiaries and is collateralized by certain of the of the assets of
the Company. Such assets include all receivables, equipment and fixtures, general intangibles, inventory, subsidiary stock, securities,
property, and financial assets, contract rights, and ledger sheets, as defined in the credit agreement. To maintain availability of funds
under the credit agreement, the Company will pay on a quarterly basis, an unused commitment fee of 0.15% per annum on the unused amount
for the facility. The new credit facility contains customary covenants, including covenants that limit or restrict the Company’s
ability to incur capital expenditures and lease payments, make certain investments, and enter into certain related-party transactions.
The credit facility also requires the Company to maintain certain minimum financial ratios and maintain an operation banking relationship
with the financial institutions.
As
of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there was no balance outstanding under this line of credit, and the Company was in compliance with
all financial covenants related to the line of credit. As of December 31, 2021, Newegg has outstanding letters of credit of $2.3 million
from the $100 million revolving line of credit.
In
July 2015, the Company entered into a credit agreement with a financial institution that provided for a revolving credit facility of
up to $5.0 million (150.0 million New Taiwan Dollar) with a maturity date of no later than August 26, 2016. The Company extended
the maturity date of this credit agreement to December 15, 2022. Advances from this line of credit are subject to interest at a
floating interest rate of the one-year savings account plus 0.78% not to be lower than 1.62% per annum. The interest rate was equivalent
to 1.62% as of December 31, 2021. The line of credit is guaranteed by one of the Company’s China subsidiaries and is collateralized
by a real estate asset of that subsidiary. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there was $5.4 million and $5.3 million outstanding
under this line of credit, respectively.
In
June 2021, a subsidiary of the Company entered into a credit agreement with a financial institution that provided for a revolving credit
facility of up to $0.8 million (5.0 million Chinese Yuan) with a maturity date of June 15, 2022. Advances from this line of credit
are subject to interest at a fixed interest rate of one-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR) plus 0.50%. As of December 31, 2021, there was
$0.8 million outstanding under this line of credit.
9.
Long-Term Debt
The
Company has entered into various loans with financial institutions. Long-term debt consisted of the following (in thousands):
| |
December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Term
Loan | |
$ | 2,136 | | |
$ | 2,369 | |
Less
current portion | |
| (293 | ) | |
| (281 | ) |
Long-term
debt less current portion | |
$ | 1,843 | | |
$ | 2,088 | |
Term
Loan
In
2013, the Company entered into a term loan agreement with a financial institution for $4.1 million with a maturity date of November 26,
2028 (the “Term Loan”). The Term Loan bears a floating interest rate of the one-year savings account plus 0.43% per annum
in the first two years and a floating interest rate of the one-year savings account plus 0.61% per annum for the remaining of the
term, not to be lower than 1.8% during the entire term. The interest rate was equivalent to 1.8% as of December 31, 2021. The Term
Loan is collateralized by a first position security interest in a floor of an office building owned by the Company in Taiwan.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Aggregate
maturities of long-term debt, excluding unamortized debt issuance costs, were as follows (in thousands) as of December 31, 2021:
2022 | |
$ | 293 | |
2023 | |
| 298 | |
2024 | |
| 303 | |
2025 | |
| 309 | |
2026 | |
| 314 | |
Thereafter | |
| 619 | |
| |
$ | 2,136 | |
10.
Lease Obligations
Operating
Leases
The
Company leases certain office and warehouse facilities and warehouse equipment under various noncancelable operating leases. The Company
is also committed under the terms of certain of these operating lease agreements to pay property taxes, insurance, utilities, and maintenance
costs.
Most
of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate that can be readily determined. Therefore, the Company uses a discount
rate based on its incremental borrowing rate, which is determined using its credit rating and information available as of the commencement
date. The Company’s operating lease agreements may include options to extend the lease term. The Company made an accounting policy
election to exclude options that are not reasonably certain of exercise when determining the term of the borrowing in the assessment
of the incremental borrowing rate. Additionally, the Company also made an accounting policy election to not separate lease and non-lease
components of a contract, and to recognize the lease payments under short-term leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the
lease term without recognizing the lease liability and the right of use (“ROU”) lease asset.
The
Company evaluates whether its contractual arrangements contain leases at the inception of such arrangements. Specifically, the Company
considers whether it can control the underlying asset and have the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits or outputs
from the assets. Substantially all of its leases are long-term operating leases with fixed payment terms. The Company does not have significant
financing leases. Its ROU operating lease assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, and its operating
lease liabilities represent the obligation to make lease payments. ROU operating lease assets are recorded in other noncurrent assets
in the consolidated balance sheet. Operating lease liabilities are recorded in other current liabilities or other noncurrent liabilities
in the consolidated balance sheets based on their contractual due dates.
The
Company’s operating lease liability is recognized as of the lease commencement date at the present value of the lease payments
over the lease term. The Company’s ROU operating lease asset is recognized as of the lease commencement date at the amount of the
corresponding lease liability, adjusted for prepaid lease payments, lease incentives received, and initial direct costs incurred. The
Company evaluates its ROU lease assets for impairment consistent with its impairment of long-lived assets policy. See Note 3 — Summary
of Significant Accounting Policies.
Operating
lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term, and is included in selling, general, and administrative expenses
in the consolidated statement of operations. Operating lease expense totaled $20.1 million, $16.5 million and $13.0 million, respectively,
for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. The Company has made an accounting policy election by underlying asset
class to not apply the recognition requirements of ASC 842 to short-term leases. As a result, certain leases with a term of 12 months
or less are not recorded on the balance sheet and expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Cash payments made
for operating leases totaled $17.7 million and $14.5 million during years ended December 31,
2021 and 2020, respectively, which were included in cash flows from operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows.
As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company’s ROU operating lease assets were $94.6 million and $46.6 million, and its operating
lease liabilities were $98.9 million and $48.7 million, of which $84.3 million and $39.0 million were classified as non-current, respectively.
New ROU operating lease assets and liabilities entered into during 2021 were $60.7 million and $60.7 million, respectively.
New or modified ROU operating lease assets and liabilities entered into during 2020 were $16.9 million and $16.9 million,
respectively. The Company’s weighted average remaining lease term and the discount rate for its operating leases were approximately
6.86 years and 3.8% at December 31, 2021. The Company’s weighted average remaining lease term and the discount rate for its
operating leases were approximately 5.32 years and 4.60% at December 31, 2020.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
Company has certain sublease arrangements for some of the leased office and warehouse facilities. Sublease rental income for the years
ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 was immaterial.
The
following table summarizes the future minimum rental payments under noncancelable operating lease arrangements in effect at December 31,
2021 (in thousands):
2022 | |
$ | 18,813 | |
2023 | |
| 16,473 | |
2024 | |
| 14,596 | |
2025 | |
| 14,347 | |
2026 | |
| 14,317 | |
Thereafter | |
| 34,279 | |
Total
minimum payments | |
$ | 112,825 | |
Less:
Imputed interest | |
| 13,915 | |
Present
value of lease liabilities | |
$ | 98,910 | |
11.
Income Taxes
The
components of the Company’s income tax provision expense are as follows (in thousands):
| |
Year
ended December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Current
provision: | |
| | |
| | |
| |
Federal | |
$ | 2,536 | | |
$ | 21 | | |
$ | 21 | |
State
and local | |
| 795 | | |
| 133 | | |
| 152 | |
Foreign | |
| 3,572 | | |
| 1,415 | | |
| 5,423 | |
| |
| 6,903 | | |
| 1,569 | | |
| 5,596 | |
Deferred
expense/(benefit): | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Federal | |
| (9,013 | ) | |
| — | | |
| — | |
State
and local | |
| (3,472 | ) | |
| (118 | ) | |
| (141 | ) |
Foreign | |
| (213 | ) | |
| 490 | | |
| (866 | ) |
| |
| (12,698 | ) | |
| 372 | | |
| (1,007 | ) |
Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes | |
$ | (5,795 | ) | |
$ | 1,941 | | |
$ | 4,589 | |
Income
(loss) before provision for income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):
| |
Year
ended December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
United States | |
$ | 17,018 | | |
$ | 24,616 | | |
$ | (11,288 | ) |
International | |
| 13,449 | | |
| 7,751 | | |
| (1,114 | ) |
Total | |
$ | 30,467 | | |
$ | 32,367 | | |
$ | (12,402 | ) |
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Deferred
income taxes reflect the tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting
purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. The Company’s deferred income tax assets and liabilities consisted of the
following (in thousands):
| |
December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Deferred
tax assets: | |
| | |
| |
Accounts
receivable | |
$ | 4,295 | | |
$ | 2,819 | |
Inventories | |
| 4,413 | | |
| 3,205 | |
Reserves
and other accruals | |
| 5,903 | | |
| 1,271 | |
Lease
liabilities | |
| 22,203 | | |
| 10,746 | |
Credits
and other | |
| 2,144 | | |
| 4,064 | |
Net
operating losses | |
| 6,102 | | |
| 10,485 | |
Gross
deferred tax assets | |
| 45,060 | | |
| 32,590 | |
Valuation
allowance | |
| (5,543 | ) | |
| (19,425 | ) |
Total
deferred tax assets, net | |
| 39,517 | | |
| 13,165 | |
| |
| | | |
| | |
Deferred
tax liabilities: | |
| | | |
| | |
Prepaid
expenses | |
| (798 | ) | |
| (598 | ) |
Other | |
| (621 | ) | |
| — | |
ROU | |
| (21,212 | ) | |
| (10,223 | ) |
Property
and equipment | |
| (3,219 | ) | |
| (693 | ) |
Long-term
investment | |
| (300 | ) | |
| (982 | ) |
Total
deferred tax liabilities | |
| (26,150 | ) | |
| (12,496 | ) |
Net
deferred tax assets | |
$ | 13,367 | | |
$ | 669 | |
In
accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, the Company evaluates whether a valuation allowance should be established against
the net deferred tax assets based upon the consideration of all available evidence and using a “more-likely than-not” standard.
Significant weight is given to evidence that can be objectively verified. The determination to record a valuation allowance is based
on the recent history of cumulative losses and losses expected in the near future.
The Company’s U.S. federal consolidated filing
group includes certain international entities. Based upon results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020
and 2019, it is determined that it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the benefit from the U.S. federal net deferred
tax assets. As a result, the Company determined no valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets is needed for the year ended
December 31, 2021 for its U.S. operations. The Company maintains valuation allowances against certain non-US loss corporations. Total
valuation allowance against U.S. and non-U.S. deferred tax asset were $5.5 million and $19.4 million as of December 31,
2021 and 2020, respectively.
At
December 31, 2021, the Company had no federal net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards available and $22 million of
apportioned state NOL carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income. On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was enacted into law in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act temporarily
suspends the 80% of taxable income limitation on the use of NOLs for tax years beginning before January 1, 2021, thereby permitting
corporate taxpayers to use NOLs to fully offset taxable income in these years regardless of the year in which the NOL arose. As
a result, the Company can fully utilize the remaining cumulative federal NOL for tax years before January 1, 2021, and then
will be limited to 80% of taxable income afterwards. The state NOL carryforwards begin to expire in 2028. The Company has $10.1 million
of NOL carryforwards in China as of December 31, 2021. The Company has $20.9 million of NOL carryforwards in Taiwan, which
will begin to expire in 2024. The Company has $2.3 million NOLs in Hong Kong with indefinite carryforward. A valuation allowance
was recorded on the NOLs in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The Company has not provided for deferred income taxes on undistributed
earnings of its foreign subsidiaries, as these amounts are considered indefinitely reinvested outside the United States. It is not
practicable to determine the estimated income tax liability that might apply if these earnings were to be repatriated.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
A
reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate is as follows:
| |
Year
ended December 31 | |
| |
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Federal
taxes at statutory rate | |
| 21.00 | % | |
| 21.00 | % | |
| 21.00 | % |
State
taxes, net of federal benefit | |
| (6.85 | ) | |
| 0.04 | | |
| (0.02 | ) |
Permanent
items: | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Other
nondeductible items | |
| 0.48 | | |
| 0.17 | | |
| (0.18 | ) |
Subpart
F income | |
| — | | |
| 0.03 | | |
| (1.24 | ) |
SEC.
956 Income inclusion | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Stock-based
compensation | |
| 0.74 | | |
| 0.07 | | |
| — | |
Foreign
withholding tax | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| (32.12 | ) |
Research
& development credit | |
| — | | |
| (2.04 | ) | |
| — | |
Global
intangible low-taxed income | |
| — | | |
| 2.36 | | |
| — | |
Foreign
rate differential and foreign tax credits | |
| 2.15 | | |
| 1.12 | | |
| 3.77 | |
Change
in valuation allowance | |
| (33.11 | ) | |
| (15.48 | ) | |
| (13.60 | ) |
Federal
tax reform rate differential | |
| — | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Prior
year adjustments and other | |
| (3.43 | ) | |
| (1.27 | ) | |
| (13.22 | ) |
Effective
tax rate | |
| (19.02 | )% | |
| 6.00 | % | |
| (35.61 | )% |
The
significant items that caused the effective tax rate change related to the release of the U.S. portion of the valuation allowance, the
return to provision adjustments and equity compensation.
Uncertain
Tax Positions
As
of the end of fiscal year 2021, the total liability for income tax associated with unrecognized tax benefits was $1.6 million. The Company’s
effective tax rate will be affected by any portion of this liability we may recognize. The Company does not believe it is reasonably
possible that any of the uncertain tax benefits will be recognized in the next 12 months. As such, all uncertain tax positions,
including accrued interest, have been classified as long-term taxes payable on the consolidated balance sheets.
A
reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of uncertain tax positions is as follows (in thousands):
| |
Year
ended December 31 | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Beginning
balance | |
$ | 850 | | |
$ | 586 | |
Additions
based on tax positions related to the prior year | |
| 713 | | |
| 264 | |
Reductions
for tax positions of prior years | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Ending
balance | |
$ | 1,563 | | |
$ | 850 | |
The
Company’s continuing practice is to recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as tax expense. As of
December 31, 2021 and 2020, interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions were not material.
The
Company files a consolidated federal income tax return in the United States, as well as combined and separate U.S. state income
tax returns. Certain subsidiaries of the Company are subject to income tax in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Canada. The Company
is still subject to examination for federal income tax returns for the years 2013 through 2020, for certain U.S. state income
tax returns for the years 2009 through 2020, and for certain foreign income tax returns for the years 2011 through 2020.
The Company is currently under examination by the Internal Revenue Service for the years 2012 through 2014 and by the California
Franchise Tax Board for the years 2007 through 2012. The California Franchise Tax Board examination is related to amended tax returns
filed for the years under exam. No additional reserve was accrued in 2021 based on the current audit status.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
12.
Common Stock
The
Company is authorized to issue unlimited shares of common stock with a par value of $0.021848. Each share of common stock is entitled
to one vote. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding were 369,718,680 and 363,325,542,
respectively.
No
Common Stock dividend was declared by the Company’s Board of Directors for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and
2019.
13.
Warrants
On
April 28, 2016, LLIT signed a Share Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) with Hangzhou Lianluo. In this SPA, Hangzhou Lianluo
was entitled with 125,000 warrants to acquire from the Company 125,000 common shares at a purchase price of $17.60 per share. The warrants
are exercisable at any time. The Company recognized the warrants as a derivative liability because warrants can be settled in cash. Warrants
are remeasured at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in earnings in each reporting period.
There
was a total of 125,000 warrants issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
The
fair value of the outstanding warrants was calculated using the Black-Scholes model with the following assumptions:
| |
December
31,
2021 | |
Market
price per share (USD/share) | |
$ | 10.37 | |
Exercise
price (USD/share) | |
| 17.60 | |
Risk
free rate | |
| 1.16 | % |
Dividend
yield | |
| 0 | % |
Expected
term/Contractual life (years) | |
| 4.32 | |
Expected
volatility | |
| 147.33 | % |
The
following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of warrants liability measured at fair value on a recurring basis
using Level 3 inputs (in thousands):
Beginning
balance, May 19, 2021 | |
$ | 1,152 | |
Fair
value change of the issued warrants included in earnings | |
| (61 | ) |
Ending
balance, December 31, 2021 | |
| 1,091 | |
14.
Stock-Based Compensation
Legacy
LLIT Stock Option Plan
Under
the employee stock option plan, the LLIT stock options generally expire ten years from the date of grant. On December 29, 2011, LLIT
entered into five-year agreements with its employees and directors, pursuant to which, LLIT issued an aggregate of 56,250 options at
an exercise price of $11.60 per share. The options vest in equal annual installments over the five years of the agreements ending December
28, 2016.
On
October 7, 2013, pursuant to the LLIT’s Share Incentive Plan, LLIT granted a non-statutory option to acquire 11,750 of the Company’s
common shares at an exercise price of $18.40 per share to Mr. Ping Chen, the former CEO of LLIT. The options vest in equal annual installments
over the five years of the agreement ending October 6, 2018.
On
August 20, 2014, pursuant to the LLIT’s Share Incentive Plan, LLIT granted additional options to acquire 16,375 of the Company’s
common shares at an exercise price of $42.48 per share to Mr. Ping Chen. The options vest in equal annual installments over the five
years of the agreement ending August 19, 2019.
On
March 21, 2016, LLIT entered into two-year agreements with its employees and directors, pursuant to which LLIT issued an aggregate of
72,608 options at an exercise price of $15.04 per share. The options vest in equal annual installments over the two years of the agreements
ending March 20, 2018.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
As
of December 31, 2021, all outstanding options have been vested and expired.
Legacy
Newegg Inc. Stock Based Compensation
Newegg
Inc.’s stock-based compensation includes stock option awards issued under Newegg Inc.’s employee incentive plan and restricted
stock issued under a significant shareholder’s incentive plan, as further discussed below. There was no income tax benefit recognized
in the consolidated statements of income for stock-based compensation arrangements in any of the periods presented.
The
exercise prices of stock options and restricted stock granted were determined contemporaneously by the Newegg Inc.’s Board of Directors
based on the estimated fair value of the underlying Class A Common Stock and Series A convertible Preferred Stock. The Newegg
Inc. Class A Common Stock and Series A convertible Preferred Stock valuations were based on a combination of the income approach
and two market approaches, which were used to estimate the total enterprise value of Newegg Inc. The income approach quantifies the present
value of the future cash flows that management expects to achieve from continuing operations. These future cash flows are discounted
to their present values using a rate corresponding to Newegg Inc.’s estimated weighted average cost of capital. Newegg Inc.’s
weighted average cost of capital is calculated by weighting the required return on interest-bearing debt and common equity capital in
proportion to their estimated percentages in Newegg Inc.’s capital structure. The market approach considers multiples of financial
metrics based on acquisition values or quoted trading prices of comparable public companies. An implied multiple of key financial metrics
based on the trading and transaction values of publicly traded peers is applied to Newegg Inc.’s similar metrics in order to derive
an indication of value. A marketability discount is then applied to reflect the fact that Newegg Inc.’s Class A Common Stock
and Series A convertible Preferred Stock are not traded on a public exchange. The amount of the discount varies based on management’s
expectation of effecting a public offering of Newegg Inc.’s Class A Common Stock within the ensuing 12 months. The enterprise
value indications from the income approach and market approaches were used to estimate the fair value of Newegg Inc.’s Class A
Common Stock and Series A convertible Preferred Stock in the context of Newegg Inc.’s capital structure as of each valuation
date. Each valuation was based on certain estimates and assumptions. If different estimates and assumptions had been used, these valuations
could have been different.
At
the close of the merger, the holders of Legacy Newegg Inc. stock options continue to hold such options, and such options remain subject
to the same vesting, exercise and other terms and conditions. The holders of Legacy Newegg Inc. options, as applicable, may exercise
their options to purchase a number of shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock equal to the number of shares of Legacy Newegg
Inc. common stock subject to such Legacy Newegg Inc. options multiplied by the conversion ratio at an exercise price per share divided
by the conversion ratio.
2005
Incentive Award Plan:
On
September 22, 2005, the Board of Directors approved Newegg Inc.’s 2005 Equity Incentive Plan, which was amended in January 2008,
October 2009, December 2011 and September 2015 (the “Incentive Award Plan”). Under the Incentive Award
Plan, the Company may grant equity incentive awards to employees, directors, and consultants based on Newegg Inc.’s Class A
Common Stock. A committee of the Board of Directors of Newegg Inc. determines the eligibility, types of equity awards, vesting schedules,
and exercise prices for equity awards granted. Subject to certain adjustments in the event of a change in capitalization or similar transaction,
Newegg Inc. may issue a maximum of 82,952,149 shares of its Class A Common Stock under the Incentive Award Plan.
Newegg Inc. issues new shares of Class A Common Stock from its authorized share pool to settle stock-based compensation awards.
The exercise price of options granted under the plan shall not be less than the fair value of the Newegg Inc.’s Class A Common
Stock as of the date of grant. Options typically vest over the term of four years, and are typically exercisable for a period of
10 years after the date of grant, except when granted to a holder who, at the time the option is granted, owns stock representing more
than 10% of the voting power of all classes of stock of Newegg Inc. or any subsidiaries, in which case, the term of the option shall
be no more than five years from the date of grant. In September 2015, the Incentive Award Plan was amended to permit additional
awards to be made after the tenth anniversary of the original adoption of said plan.
The
fair value of each option award granted under the Incentive Award Plan is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model on the
date of grant. This model requires the input of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited
to, the expected stock price volatility over the expected life of the awards and actual and projected employee stock option exercise
behavior with the following inputs: risk-free interest rate, expected stock price volatility, forfeiture rate, expected term, dividend
yield and weighted average grant date fair value.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
risk-free interest rate is based on the currently available rate on a U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issue with a remaining term equal
to the expected term of the option converted into a continuously compounded rate. The expected volatility of stock options is based on
a review of the historical volatility and the implied volatility of a peer group of publicly traded companies comparable to the Company.
In evaluating comparability, the Company considered factors such as industry, stage of life cycle, and size. After the adoption of Accounting
Standards Update No. 2016-09 Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
as of January 1, 2017, the Company elected to recognize the effect of awards for which the requisite service is not rendered
when the award is forfeited. The expected term assumption used by the Company reflects the application of the simplified method set out
in Securities and Exchange Commission Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 110, Shared-Based Payment. The simplified method defines the
expected term of an option as the average of the contractual term of the options and the weighted average vesting period for all option
tranches. The dividend yield reflects the Company’s dividend rate on the date of grant. During the years ended December 31,
2021 and 2020, Newegg Inc. granted stock options representing the right to purchase a total 0 and 8,888,000 shares, respectively of Newegg
Inc. Class A Common Stock.
Significant
Shareholder Incentive Program
In
2016, a significant shareholder established an incentive program (the “Significant Shareholder Incentive Program”) where
he caused to be transferred a total of 5,198,458 shares of Newegg Inc.’s Series A Preferred Stock from Tekhill USA LLC,
a limited liability company fully owned by the significant shareholder, into the Fred Chang Partners Trust (the “Trust”).
In March and May 2016, the Trust entered into restricted share award agreements (the “Award Agreements”) with
several key executives of Newegg Inc., under which the Trust granted a total of 5,090,157 restricted shares of the Newegg Inc.’s
Series A Preferred Stock to those executives to be vested over a 15-year period in equal annual installments on each anniversary
date of the grant date. As of December 31, 2016, the Award Agreements were terminated with a concurrent offer from the significant
shareholder to re-establish the Significant Shareholder Incentive Program. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the re-established
incentive program (the “Re-established Significant Shareholder Incentive Program”) granted a total of 3,898,843 restricted
shares of Newegg Inc.’s Series A Preferred Stock to a subset of the same recipients with substantially the same terms as those
under the Significant Shareholder Incentive Program. The Re-established Significant Shareholder Incentive Program subsequently modified
the vesting period from 15 years to 10 years during the year ended December 31, 2017, which did not have a significant impact on the
consolidated financial statements.
The
cost of the restricted shares is determined using the fair value of Newegg Inc.’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock on
the date of the grant. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. There was 0 grant of the
restricted shares under the Re-established Significant Shareholder Incentive Program during the years ended December 31, 2021,
2020 and 2019.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
following table summarizes the activity for all stock options granted:
| |
Options
outstanding | | |
Weighted
average exercise price | | |
Average
remaining contractual terms (in years) | | |
Aggregate
intrinsic Value (in thousands) | |
Outstanding
at January 1, 2019 | |
| 23,244,895 | | |
$ | 0.58 | | |
| | | |
| | |
Exercised | |
| — | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Grant | |
| — | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Forfeited
or expired | |
| (8,043,752 | ) | |
| 0.84 | | |
| | | |
| | |
Outstanding
at December 31, 2019 | |
| 15,201,143 | | |
$ | 0.43 | | |
| 4.80 | | |
$ | 1,723 | |
Exercised | |
| — | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Grant | |
| 51,921,030 | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Forfeited
or expired | |
| (85,347 | ) | |
| 0.73 | | |
| | | |
| | |
Outstanding
at December 31, 2020 | |
| 67,036,826 | | |
$ | 0.60 | | |
| 8.19 | | |
$ | 51,754 | |
Exercised | |
| (1,457,517 | ) | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Grant | |
| — | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Forfeited
or expired | |
| (178,916 | ) | |
| 0.73 | | |
| | | |
| | |
Outstanding
at December 31, 2021 | |
| 65,400,393 | | |
$ | 0.60 | | |
| 7.30 | | |
$ | 639,131 | |
Vested
and expected to vest at December 31, 2021 | |
| 65,400,393 | | |
$ | 0.60 | | |
| 7.30 | | |
$ | 639,131 | |
Exercisable
at December 31, 2021 | |
| 32,949,746 | | |
$ | 0.55 | | |
| 6.17 | | |
$ | 323,643 | |
During
the year ended December 31, 2021, stock options were exercised for 1,457,517 of the Company’s common stock. Cash exercises
totaled 371,527 shares of the Company’s common stock with proceeds of approximately $0.27 million. Cashless exercises totaled 1,085,990
shares which resulted in the Company issuing 1,048,298 net shares. The exercise prices ranged from $0.44 to $0.73 per share during the
year ended December 31, 2021. During the year ended December 31, 2020, no stock options were exercised.
During
the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $24.2 million, $0
million and $0 million, respectively, and the compensation expense for stock options granted included in “Selling, general and
administrative expenses” in the consolidated statements of operations totaled $3.2 million, $1.6 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
As
of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were $7.8 million and $11.0 million, respectively, of unrecognized compensation costs related
to nonvested options. The weighted average remaining vesting term of the stock option was 2.46 years, 3.46 years and 0.39 years as of
December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The
following table summarizes the activity for restricted stock issued from the Fred Chang Partners Trust under the Re-established Significant
Shareholder Incentive Program:
| |
Shares | | |
Weighted-
average grant date fair value | |
Unvested
at January 1, 2019 | |
| 15,746,285 | | |
$ | 0.27 | |
Vested | |
| (1,968,279 | ) | |
| 0.27 | |
Cancelled | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Unvested
at December 31, 2019 | |
| 13,778,006 | | |
$ | 0.27 | |
Vested | |
| (656,099 | ) | |
| 0.27 | |
Cancelled | |
| (13,121,907 | ) | |
| 0.27 | |
Unvested
at December 31, 2020 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
Vested | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Cancelled | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Unvested
at December 31, 2021 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
During
the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the compensation expense for restricted shares granted included in “Selling,
general and administrative expenses” in the consolidated statement of operations totaled $0, $0, and $0.5 million, respectively.
As
of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no unrecognized compensation costs related to restricted stock.
Newegg
Commerce, Inc. Stock Based Compensation
2021
Equity Incentive Plan
On
November 26, 2021, the Board of Directors approved the Company’s 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”).
Under the 2021 Plan, the Company may grant equity incentive awards to employees, directors, and consultants based on the Company’s
Common Stock. A committee of the Board of Directors of the Company determines the eligibility, types of equity awards, vesting schedules,
and exercise prices for equity awards granted. Subject to certain adjustments in the event of a change in control or similar transaction,
the Company may issue a maximum of 7,374,900 of its Common Stock under the 2021 Plan. The Company issues new shares of its Common Stock
from its authorized share pool to settle stock-based compensation awards.
The
following table summarizes the activity for all restricted stock units granted:
| |
Shares | | |
Weighted-
average grant date fair value | |
Unvested
at December 31, 2020 | |
| — | | |
$ | — | |
Granted | |
| 7,040,998 | | |
| 18.38 | |
Vested | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Cancelled | |
| — | | |
| — | |
Unvested
at December 31, 2021 | |
| 7,040,998 | | |
$ | 18.38 | |
During
the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company granted 7,040,998 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to its executives and employees.
The vesting of each RSU is subject to the employee’s continued employment through applicable vesting dates. The RSUs are accounted
for as equity awards and are measured at fair value based upon the grant date price of the Company’s common stock. Compensation
expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of four years.
During
the years ended December 31, 2021, the compensation expense for restricted stock units granted included in “Selling,
general and administrative expenses” in the consolidated statement of operations totaled $3.1 million.
As
of December 31, 2021, there was $126.3 million unrecognized compensation costs related to restricted stock units.
15.
Net Income (Loss) per Share
Basic
earnings per share of Common Stock is calculated by dividing net income available to holders of Common stock by the weighted average
number of shares of Common Stock outstanding for the period. The diluted earnings per share of Common Stock calculation assumes the issuance
of all dilutive potential common shares outstanding. Dilutive potential Common Stock consists of incremental shares of Class A Common
Stock issuable upon the exercise of the stock options.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
following table summarizes the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share (in thousands, except per share data):
| |
Year
Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Net
income (loss) | |
$ | 36,262 | | |
$ | 30,426 | | |
$ | (16,991 | ) |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Basic
earnings per share | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Basic
weighted average shares outstanding | |
| 366,651 | | |
| 363,326 | | |
| 363,326 | |
Basic
earnings (loss) per share | |
$ | 0.10 | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) |
| |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Diluted
earnings per share | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | |
Basic
weighted average shares outstanding | |
| 366,651 | | |
| 363,326 | | |
| 363,326 | |
Dilutive
effect of stock options | |
| 65,599 | | |
| 21,687 | | |
| — | |
Diluted
weighted average shares outstanding | |
| 432,250 | | |
| 385,013 | | |
| 363,326 | |
Diluted
earnings (loss) per share | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | 0.08 | | |
$ | (0.05 | ) |
The
following shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share calculation as their effect would have been anti-dilutive
(in thousands):
| |
Year
Ended December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Stock
options | |
| 54 | | |
| 4,329 | | |
| 15,200 | |
Warrants | |
| 125 | | |
| — | | |
| — | |
16.
Commitments and Contingencies
From
time to time, the Company is a party to various lawsuits, claims, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business.
The Company discloses contingencies deemed to be reasonably possible and accrues loss contingencies when, in consultation with legal
advisors, it is concluded that a loss is probable and reasonably estimable.
In
February 2018, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue issued a notice of intent to assess sales/use taxes against the
Company for the period from October 1, 2017 through October 31, 2017 for a total assessment of $652,255 including penalties
and interest. The Department of Revenue subsequently reduced this amount to $295,911, plus penalties and interest. In May 2020, the Company
received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Revenue a notice of assessment for sales and use taxes for the months
of November 2017 through September 2018 in the amount of $2,721,370, including penalties and interest. The Company has appealed
these assessments and the Company intends to vigorously protest them. The outcome of this matter or the timing of such payments, if any,
cannot be predicted at this time.
In
December 2014, an individual plaintiff sued Newegg.com Americas Inc. (“Newegg.com Americas”) in Superior
Court in Los Angeles County, California, alleging that Newegg.com Americas had engaged in deceptive advertising practices and
seeking to certify a class action. In 2016, the Court sustained Newegg.com Americas’ demurrer to the plaintiff’s claims
without leave to amend. The plaintiff appealed, and in July 2018 the Court of Appeal reversed the decision of the trial court, thus
allowing the case to proceed. The matter is now pending in the trial court. The Company does not believe that a loss is probable or reasonably
estimable, and intends to vigorously defend itself and its subsidiaries. Depending on the amount and timing, an unfavorable result could
materially affect the Company’s business, consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
In
addition to the legal proceedings mentioned above, from time to time, the Company may become involved in legal proceedings arising in
the ordinary course of business. There can be no assurance with respect to the outcome of any legal proceeding. The outcome of the litigation
described above, the other pending lawsuits filed against the Company and other claims, including those that may be made in the future,
may be adverse to the Company, and the monetary liability and other negative operational or financial impact may be material to the Company’s
consolidated results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
17.
Employee Benefit Plan
The
Company maintains a 401(k) defined-contribution plan for the benefit of its eligible employees. All full-time domestic employees
who are at least 18 years of age are eligible to participate in the plan. Eligible employees may elect to contribute up to 100% of their
eligible compensation. The Company’s matching contributions are made at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors.
In addition, the Company may make a profit-sharing contribution at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. Total contributions
by the Company for each of the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $1.9 million, $1.7 million and $1.8 million,
respectively. Contributions made by the Company are immediately 100% vested.
18.
Related Party Transactions
Loans
to Affiliate
On
December 17, 2019, the Company loaned $15.0 million to Digital Grid under a term loan agreement with a maturity date of April 30,
2020 and a fixed interest rate of 5.0% (the “$15.0 Million Loan”). The $15.0 Million Loan was subsequently extended to June 30,
2022. The $15.0 Million Loan is included as “Notes receivable” at the Stockholders’ Equity section of the Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.
During
the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, the Company recorded interest income of $0.8 million, $0.7 million and $0.1
million, respectively, from loans to affiliate in interest income in the consolidated statement of operations. As of December 31,
2021 and 2020, the amount of interest receivable on the $15.0 Million Loan outstanding included as a component of “Notes receivable”
at the Stockholders’ Equity section in the consolidated balance sheets was $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
Sales
to Related Parties
Due
from related parties and net sales to related parties primarily reflect sales of finished goods and services with the exception of loans
to affiliate as discussed above. Sales during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were immaterial.
As
of December 31, 2021 and 2020, amount due to related parties was immaterial.
19.
Segment Information
The
Company’s Chief Executive Officer, who is the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), reviews financial information
presented on a consolidated basis. There are no segment managers who are held accountable for operations, operating results and plans
for levels or components below the consolidated unit level. The Company considers itself to be operating within one reportable segment.
The
following table summarizes net sales from external customers (in thousands):
| |
December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
United States | |
$ | 2,101,975 | | |
$ | 1,906,058 | | |
$ | 1,378,843 | |
Canada | |
| 211,778 | | |
| 150,707 | | |
| 117,406 | |
Rest
of world | |
| 62,472 | | |
| 58,107 | | |
| 37,679 | |
Total | |
$ | 2,376,225 | | |
$ | 2,114,872 | | |
$ | 1,533,928 | |
NEWEGG
COMMERCE, INC. (f/k/a NEWEGG INC.)
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The
following table summarizes net sales by product category and revenue stream (in thousands):
| |
Year
Ended December 31, | |
Net
Sales by Product Category | |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
Components &
Storage | |
$ | 1,346,053 | | |
$ | 1,311,608 | |
Computer
System | |
| 644,923 | | |
| 403,203 | |
Office
Solutions | |
| 155,526 | | |
| 155,592 | |
Others | |
| 229,723 | | |
| 244,469 | |
Total
Net Sales | |
$ | 2,376,225 | | |
$ | 2,114,872 | |
| |
Year
Ended December 31, | |
Net
Sales by Revenue Stream | |
2021 | | |
2020 | | |
2019 | |
Direct
sales revenues(1) | |
$ | 2,243,421 | | |
$ | 1,974,897 | | |
$ | 1,476,826 | |
Marketplace
revenues(2) | |
| 63,492 | | |
| 57,640 | | |
| 45,571 | |
Services
revenues(3) | |
| 69,312 | | |
| 82,335 | | |
| 11,532 | |
Total
Net Sales | |
$ | 2,376,225 | | |
$ | 2,114,872 | | |
$ | 1,533,928 | |
| (1) | Includes all first-party product sales where Newegg owns and sells its own inventories within its websites and third-party marketplace platforms. |
| (2) | Includes all the commission revenues earned from sales made by sellers on its websites. |
| (3) | Includes all revenue recognized from providing services to customers, including third-party logistics services, advertising services, and all other third-party seller services. |
The
following table summarizes net property, plant and equipment by country (in thousands):
| |
December 31, | |
| |
2021 | | |
2020 | |
United States | |
$ | 23,178 | | |
$ | 19,663 | |
Canada | |
| 9 | | |
| 71 | |
China | |
| 26,962 | | |
| 26,732 | |
Total | |
$ | 50,149 | | |
$ | 46,466 | |
Item
19. Exhibits
Exhibit
Number |
|
Description
of Documents |
1.1 |
|
Amended
and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form
F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
1.2 |
|
Amended
and Restated Newegg Inc. Shareholders Agreement (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form
F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
1.3 |
|
First Amendment to the Amended and Restated Newegg Inc. Shareholders Agreement (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed on April 28, 2022). |
2.1 |
|
Description
of Securities |
4.1 |
|
Form
of Merger Agreement, by and among LLIT, Lightning Delaware Sub, Inc., and Newegg (incorporated by reference to the Company’s
Registration Statement on Form F-4, filed October 26, 2020). |
4.2 |
|
Form
of Disposition Agreement, by and between LLIT and Beijing Fenjin Times Technology Development Co., Ltd. (incorporated by reference
to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.3 |
|
Newegg’s
2005 Incentive Plan, as Amended (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-4, filed October
26, 2020). |
4.4 |
|
Significant
Shareholder Incentive Program (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-4, filed October
26, 2020). |
4.5 |
|
Employment
Agreement by and between Anthony Chow and Newegg Commerce, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement
on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.6 |
|
Employment
Agreement by and between Jamie Spannos and Newegg Commerce, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement
on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.7 |
|
Employment
Agreement by and between Robert Chang and Newegg Commerce, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement
on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.8 |
|
Employment
Agreement by and between Montaque Hou and Newegg Commerce, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement
on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.9 |
|
Revolving
Credit and Security Agreement, by and among East West Bank, the Lender Parties thereto, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries (incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed August 27, 2021). |
4.10 |
|
Pledge
Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries (incorporated by reference to the Company’s
Report on Form 6-K filed August 27, 2021). |
4.11 |
|
Pledge
and Security Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg Tech, Inc. and ChiefValue.com, Inc. (incorporated by reference to the
Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed August 27, 2021). |
4.12 |
|
Guaranty
and Suretyship Agreement, by and among East West Bank, Newegg Tech, Inc., ChiefValue, Inc. and NuTrend Automotive, Inc. (incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed August 27, 2021). |
4.13 |
|
Intercompany
Subordination Agreement, by and East West Bank, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries (incorporated by reference to the Company’s
Report on Form 6-K filed August 27, 2021). |
4.14 |
|
Letter
Agreement, between East West Bank and Newegg (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1/A,
filed December 10, 2021). |
4.15 |
|
Swing
Loan Note, by and among East West Bank, Newegg and Newegg’s subsidiaries (incorporated by reference to the Company’s
Registration Statement on Form F-1/A, filed December 10, 2021). |
4.16 |
|
Newegg Commerce, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K, filed November 29, 2021). |
4.17 |
|
Supplemental Agreement dated April 2022 between Digital Grid, Bank of China Limited Zhejiang Branch, Newegg Inc., Newegg Commerce, Inc., and Hangzhou Lianluo. |
8.1 |
|
List
of Significant Subsidiaries. |
12.1 |
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
12.2 |
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
13.1 |
|
Certification
of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. |
13.2 |
|
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. |
15.1 |
|
Consent
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. |
101.INS |
|
Inline
XBRL Instance Document. |
101.SCH |
|
Inline
XBRL Schema Document. |
101.CAL |
|
Inline
XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document. |
101.DEF |
|
Inline
XBRL Definition Linkbase Document. |
101.LAB |
|
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
101.PRE |
|
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
104 |
|
Cover
Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL document and included in Exhibit 101). |