Business, Strategy and Market Risks
Our results of operations could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast demand for our products and manage product inventory in an effective and efficient manner.
To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our manufacturers before firm orders are placed by our customers. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of product to deliver to our customers. Factors that could affect our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products include: (a) an increase or decrease in consumer demand for our products; (b) a failure to accurately forecast consumer acceptance for our new products; (c) product introductions by competitors; (d) unanticipated changes in general market conditions or other factors (for example, because of effects on inventory supply and consumer demand caused by high inflation rates), which may result in cancellations of advance orders or a reduction or increase in the rate of reorders or at-once orders placed by retailers; (e) the impact on consumer demand due to unseasonable weather conditions; (f) weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions, which could reduce demand for discretionary items, such as our products; (g) the uncertainties and logistical challenges that accompany operations on a global scale; and (h) terrorism or acts of war, or the threat thereof, or political or labor instability or unrest, civil unrest, riots or insurrections, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (or other future pandemics or epidemics), including the severity and transmission rates of new variants, which could adversely affect consumer confidence and spending or interrupt production and distribution of product and raw materials.
Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices or in less preferred distribution channels, which could impair our brand image and harm our gross margin. In addition, if we underestimate the demand for our products, our contract manufacturers or our manufacturing plants may not be able to produce products to meet our customer requirements, and this could result in delays in the shipment of our products, therefore impacting our ability to recognize revenue, generate lost sales, and cause damage to our reputation and relationships with our consumers, retailers and distributors. Inaccurate forecasts may also adversely impact our ability to prepare forward-looking statements and meet investor expectations.
Challenges in forecasting demand, which we encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, can also make it difficult to estimate future results of operations and financial condition from period to period. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products or manage product inventory in an effective and efficient manner could adversely impact our profitability or cause us not to achieve our expected financial results.
Our ability to understand consumers’ preferences and to timely identify, develop, manufacture, market and sell products that meet customer demand could significantly affect our business.
Our success is, in part, dependent on anticipating and appropriately reacting to changes in consumer preferences, including the shifting of consumer purchasing practices towards e-commerce, direct-to-consumer and other channels. Our success is also dependent on successful new product development undertaken in response to such changes, including in the outdoor cooking product space (e.g., our introduction of pellet cookers) and the digital space (e.g., our acquisition of June Life, a producer of smart ovens and developer of related software), as well related product launches and relaunches. Additionally, our success depends on consumers’ preferences regarding dining at home and consuming certain foods, including proteins. Our future results and our ability to maintain or improve our competitive position will depend on our capacity to gauge the direction of our key product categories and geographic regions, and our ability to successfully identify, develop, manufacture, market, and sell new or improved products to address these changing environments. If we are unable to timely identify and respond to changes in consumer preferences, or if our competitors are able to do so before us, our business may be materially adversely affected.
Our business depends on maintaining and strengthening our brand, as well as our reputation as a producer of high-quality goods, to maintain and generate ongoing demand for our products, and any harm to our brand could result in a significant reduction in such demand which could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
The “Weber” name and premium brand image are integral to the growth of our business, as well as to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. Our success depends on the value and reputation of our brand, which, in turn, depends on factors such as the quality, design, performance, functionality and durability of our products, the
image of our e-commerce platform and retail partner floor spaces, our communication activities, including advertising, social media and public relations, and our management of the customer experience, including direct interfaces through customer service. Maintaining, promoting, and positioning our brand are important to expanding our customer base and will depend largely on the success of our marketing and merchandising efforts and our ability to provide consistent, high-quality consumer experiences. We intend to continue making substantial investments in these areas in order to maintain and enhance our brand, and such investments may not be successful. We have previously marketed our products, in part, by associating our brand and products with activities rooted in passion for grilling and outdoor cooking. To sustain long-term growth, we must continue to successfully promote our products to consumers who identify with or engage in these activities, as well as to individuals who simply value products of outstanding quality and design.
Ineffective marketing, negative publicity, product diversion to unauthorized distribution channels, product or manufacturing defects, counterfeit products, unfair labor practices, failure to protect the intellectual property rights in our brand and detrimental acts by third parties, including those who have obtained licenses to use the “Weber” name and trademarks in various capacities, including certain food products and food service companies, are potential threats to the strength of our brand, and those and other factors could rapidly and severely diminish customer confidence in us. Additionally, the growing use of social media increases the speed with which information and opinions can be shared and the speed with which a company’s reputation can be affected. If we fail to correct or mitigate misinformation or negative information, including information spread through social media or traditional media channels, about us, the products we offer, our customer experience, or any aspect of our brand, our business, sales and results of operations could be adversely impacted. Maintaining and enhancing our brand image in our current key markets, including the U.S., Germany, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and France, and in new markets where we have limited brand recognition is important to expanding our customer base. If we are unable to maintain or enhance our brand in current or new markets, or if we fail to continue to successfully market and sell our products to our existing customers or expand our customer base, our growth strategy and results of operations could be harmed.
Additionally, independent third parties and consumers often review our products as well as those of our competitors. Perceptions of our offerings in the marketplace may be significantly influenced by these reviews, which are disseminated via various media, including the internet. If reviews of our products are negative, or less positive as compared to those of our competitors, our brand may be adversely affected and our results of operations materially harmed.
We may be unable to execute our business objectives and growth strategies successfully or sustain our growth, and as a result, our operating results may be adversely affected.
The highly competitive nature of our industry requires that we effectively execute and manage our business objectives and growth strategies. However, we may not be able to execute on these strategies as effectively as anticipated. Our ability to execute on these strategies depends on a number of factors, including, without limitation:
•whether we have adequate capital resources to expand our product offerings or manufacturing capacity, and to build out our digital and data ecosystem and capabilities globally;
•our ability to hire, train and retain skilled managers and personnel, including highly in-demand information technology professionals, product and software engineers and marketing and commercial specialists;
•our ability to successfully increase our market share globally and expand into additional international markets, including certain markets in EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, and manage the challenges associated therewith;
•our ability to manage the financial and operational aspects of our Weber Stores and Weber Grill Academy growth strategy, including local retail operations;
•our ability to successfully increase sales through our direct-to-consumer channels, which depends, in part, on our ability to develop strong e-commerce initiatives with content-rich and user-friendly websites and digital experiences that may be country and region-specific, and that comply with all applicable laws in those respective countries and regions; and
•our ability to continue to upgrade and maintain our information systems, technology architecture, and other operating systems, to make safe and effective use of the data we collect through these systems to offer better products and services to our customers.
Our existing products and operating locations may not maintain their current levels of sales and profitability, and our growth strategies may not generate sales levels necessary to achieve profitability that is comparable to that of our existing products and locations. To the extent we are unable to execute on our growth strategies in accordance with our expectations, our sales growth would come primarily from the organic growth of existing product and service offerings.
The markets in which we compete are highly competitive, subject to pricing pressure and include numerous other brands and retailers that offer a wide variety of competitive products; if we fail to compete effectively, we could lose our market position.
The markets in which we compete are highly competitive. Numerous other brands and retailers offer a wide variety of products that compete with our grills and grilling accessories. Competition in these product markets is based on a number of factors including product quality, performance, durability, styling, brand image and recognition, and price. We believe that we have been able to compete successfully on the basis of our brand, superior design capabilities, product quality and durability, and innovative new product development, as well as on the breadth of our distribution channels, including independent specialty dealers, hardware and home improvement retailers, national and regional chains, online retailers and our growing direct-to-consumer channels. Our competitors may be able to develop and market higher-quality products that compete with our products, sell their products for lower prices, adapt to changes in consumers’ needs and preferences more quickly, devote greater resources to the design, sourcing, distribution, marketing, and sale of their products, or generate greater brand recognition than us. In addition, as we expand into new product categories, we have faced, and will continue to face, different and, in some cases, more formidable competition. Some of our competitors and potential competitors have significant competitive advantages, including lower price points or stronger reputations in niche areas, more established relationships with a larger number of suppliers and manufacturing partners, greater brand recognition, more effective brand ambassador and endorsement relationships, greater financial strength, larger research and development teams, significant intellectual property portfolios, larger marketing budgets or more distribution and other resources than we do. Some of our competitors may aggressively discount their products or offer other attractive sales terms in order to gain market share, which could result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins, or lost market share. Further, consolidation in the retail industry and changes in consumer preferences are factors which may exert additional pressure on pricing in the markets in which we compete. If we are not able to overcome these potential competitive challenges, effectively market our current and future products, and compete effectively against our current or potential competitors, our prospects, results of operations, and financial condition could be harmed.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, maintained and enforced, we may not be able to build and maintain name recognition in our markets of interest and our competitive position may be harmed.
Our applications for registration of trademarks in the U.S. and other countries may not be allowed for registration in a timely fashion or at all, and we may not be successful in the maintenance and enforcement of our existing registered trademarks. In addition, the registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names that we own may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic, lapsed or determined to be infringing on or dilutive of third-party marks. Further, opposition or cancellation proceedings may in the future be filed against our trademark applications and registrations, and our trademarks may not survive such proceedings. In the event that our trademarks are subject to challenges, determinations or oppositions, or if our trademarks are otherwise infringed or diluted, we may not be able to protect our rights in these trademarks and trade names, which we need in order to build name recognition.
Third parties have filed, and may in the future file, for registration of trademarks similar or identical to our trademarks, thereby impeding our ability to build brand identity and possibly leading to market confusion. Moreover, third parties may file first for similar or identical trademarks in certain countries. If they succeed in registering or developing common law rights in such trademarks, and if we are not successful in challenging such third-party rights, we may not be able to use these trademarks to develop brand recognition of our technologies, products or services. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names. If we are unable to establish name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, we may not be able to compete effectively and we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our results of operations are subject to significant fluctuations due to the impacts of both extreme weather events and unusual or poor weather patterns, which could cause a decrease in revenues and operating results.
Weather can be difficult to forecast far in advance. Variations in weather conditions across seasons and throughout the year may harm our quarterly results of operations. Extreme weather events, including, without limitation, hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes and wildfires, and the effects thereof, may negatively impact our net sales, manufacturing operations or supply chain in the impacted regions. Additionally, unusual weather patterns, such as extended periods of unseasonably cold or hot temperatures, or heavier than normal precipitation levels during peak spring/summer months, could suppress consumer demand and negatively impact our net sales. We expect that weather will continue to affect our results of operations, sales and earnings.
Our results of operations are subject to seasonal and quarterly variations.
We expect our net sales to be highest in our second and third fiscal quarters, with the first fiscal quarter generating the lowest sales, as a result of our prevalence in Northern Hemisphere countries and higher grill purchase rates in late spring and summer. Our annual and quarterly results of operations may also fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of other factors, including, among other things, the timing of the introduction of and advertising for our new products and those of our competitors, changes in our product mix, and the shifting dynamics of distributor and retailer trade inventories in products viewed as seasonal in nature.
As a result of these seasonal and quarterly fluctuations, as well as the unpredictable nature of weather, we believe that comparisons of our operational results between different quarters within a single fiscal year, or across different fiscal years, are not necessarily meaningful and that these comparisons cannot be relied upon as indicators of our future performance. In the event that any seasonal or quarterly fluctuations in our net sales and results of operations result in our failure to meet our forecasts or the forecasts of the research analysts that may cover us in the future, the market price of our common stock could fluctuate or decline.
Past growth may not be indicative of future growth.
Historically, we have experienced sales growth through organic market share gains, geographic expansion, technological innovation, new product offerings, increased demand for outdoor living products, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and acquisitions that have increased our size, scope, and geographic footprint. Our various business strategies and initiatives, including our growth initiatives, are subject to business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In the future, we may not be able to:
•acquire new customers, retain existing customers or grow or maintain our share of our current key markets, including the U.S., Germany, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and France;
•penetrate new markets;
•identify and develop new products that meet the demand of rapidly evolving consumer expectations;
•generate sufficient cash flows to support expansion plans and general operating activities;
•obtain financing for our growth initiatives, including acquisitions;
•identify suitable acquisition candidates and successfully integrate acquired businesses;
•maintain favorable supplier and customer arrangements and relationships;
•maintain consumer satisfaction and retention; and
•identify and divest assets that do not continue to create value consistent with our objectives.
If we are not able to manage these potential difficulties successfully in order to continue to compete in our markets and grow our business, our sales, overall financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
The COVID-19 pandemic (or other future pandemics or epidemics) and associated responses could adversely impact our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Our business, operations, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (or other future pandemics or epidemics) and associated responses in the future. Continued restrictions and disruption across key elements of our supply chain, including logistics, the acquisition of raw materials and certain electronic components and labor availability, had an impact on our profitability. In fiscal year 2021, our supply chain and operations resumed “normal” operations. However, if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, we could experience further supply chain disruptions or delays that could have a material impact on our business. Moreover, if additional shut-down orders are issued in the future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to operate could be adversely impacted, depending on the language of such orders.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sustained global economic slowdown of varying durations across different industries, and it is possible that it could still cause a global recession. Deteriorating economic and political conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as increased unemployment, decreased capital spending, declines in consumer confidence, or economic slowdowns or recessions, have caused and could continue to cause a decrease in demand for our products. In addition, a prolonged or worsened COVID-19 pandemic could lead to the shutdown or material reduction of grill manufacturing, repair and replacement as well as a reduction in residential construction and remodeling activity, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. While we experienced higher demand in our grill business spent more time at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, such growth has not been sustainable and may not be repeated in subsequent periods.
The severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic is hard to predict due to uncertainty surrounding severity and transmission rates of new variants and rate of public acceptance and efficacy of vaccines and other treatments. We may not be able respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on a timely basis to prevent near- or long-term adverse impacts to our results of operations. Any negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows cannot be reasonably estimated at this time, but the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to extended disruption of economic activity and the impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be material.
Our net sales and profitability depend on the level of consumer spending for our products, which is sensitive to general economic conditions and other factors that affect global markets; during a downturn in the economy, consumer purchases of discretionary items are affected, which could materially harm our sales, profitability, and financial condition.
Our products are discretionary items for consumers. Therefore, our business depends on the strength of the retail, commercial and industrial sectors of the economy in various parts of the world, and trends therein, primarily in North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand, and to a lesser extent the rest of the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America. There are many factors that influence consumer spending, including actual and perceived economic conditions, inflation, consumer confidence, disposable consumer income, consumer credit availability and rising interest rates, unemployment and tax rates in the markets where we sell our products. Consumers also have discretion as to where to spend their disposable income and may choose to purchase other items or services if we do not continue to provide authentic, compelling and high-quality products at appropriate price points. Consumer preferences may shift with regard to environmental, health or sustainability concerns, and as those concerns receive greater attention, consumers may shift demand away from gas, charcoal, or pellet fueled grills to other cooking alternatives. Moreover, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the imposition of potentially prolonged economic sanctions on Russia and other responses from the U.S. and other countries. This has also resulted in significant macroeconomic consequences, risks and uncertainties, including increased fuel and energy prices and depressed financial markets. As global economic conditions continue to be volatile and economic uncertainty persists, trends in consumer discretionary spending may also remain unpredictable and subject to declines. Any of these factors could harm discretionary consumer spending, resulting in a reduction in demand for our premium products, decreased prices, and harm to our business and results of operations. Moreover, consumer purchases of discretionary items tend to decline during recessionary periods when disposable income is lower or during other periods of economic instability or uncertainty, which may slow our growth more than anticipated. A downturn in the individual economies in markets where we sell our products, particularly in the U.S., Germany, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and France, may materially harm our sales, profitability, and financial condition. For example, recently there has been a decline in discretionary spending by consumers, resulting in a reduction in demand for our products, which in turn has materially impacted our sales, profitability and financial condition. These factors and their impact on macroeconomic consumer spending behavior have from time to time impacted, and may continue to impact in the future, the demand for our products, as well as our sales, profitability, and financial condition.
We face risks associated with our acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic activities.
From time to time, we make acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic investments and participate in joint ventures. We engage in such strategic transactions where we identify advantageous opportunities in connection with businesses, products, or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our business, enhance our capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities.
We may engage in the issuance of dilutive equity securities, the incurrence of debt or the use of cash to fund such transactions. These transactions, and other transactions that we have entered into or which we may enter into in the future, can involve significant challenges and risks, including that the transaction does not advance our business strategy or fails to produce a satisfactory return on our investment. We have encountered and may encounter difficulties in integrating acquisitions with our operations, undertaking post-acquisition restructuring activities, applying our internal control processes to these acquisitions, managing strategic investments, and in overseeing the operations, systems and controls of acquired companies. Integrating acquisitions, managing combined businesses and carving out divestitures are often expensive, may involve unanticipated costs or liabilities and may require significant attention from management. We may not realize the degree, or timing, of benefits or synergies we anticipate when we first enter into a transaction. Additionally, following such a transaction, we may struggle to retain our or an acquired business’ key employees.
While our evaluation of any potential transaction includes business, legal and financial due diligence with the goal of identifying and evaluating the material risks involved, our due diligence reviews may not identify all of the issues necessary to accurately estimate the cost and potential loss contingencies of a particular transaction, including potential exposure to regulatory sanctions resulting from an acquisition target’s previous activities or costs associated with any quality issues with an acquisition target’s legacy products. In addition, certain liabilities may be retained by Weber when
closing a facility, divesting an entity or selling physical assets, and such liabilities may be material. Further, there may be breaches of the representations or warranties or other violations of the contractual obligations required by the acquisition agreement of other parties to the acquisition transaction and any contractual remedies related thereto may not adequately protect or compensate us. A significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill and other intangible assets, which must be assessed for impairment at least annually. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our results of operations based on this impairment assessment process, which could harm our results of operations.
A deterioration in labor relations could adversely impact our global business.
We are subject to separate collective bargaining agreements with certain labor unions in the U.S., including with respect to employees in our Huntley, Illinois and Palatine, Illinois facilities, and works councils in Europe, as well as various other commitments regarding our workforce. We periodically negotiate with such unions and works councils representing our employees and may be subject to union campaigns, work stoppages and other potential labor disputes. At routine intervals, we renegotiate these collective bargaining agreements and may be unable to renew these collective bargaining agreements on the same or similar terms, or at all. Further, we may be subject to work stoppages at our suppliers or customers that are beyond our control. A deterioration in labor relations may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We rely on information technology systems to support our business operations. A significant disruption or breach of our technological infrastructure, or the technological infrastructure of our vendors or others with which we do business or rely on, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, failure to maintain the security of proprietary, personal, sensitive or confidential information could damage our reputation and expose us to litigation.
Information technology supports several aspects of our business, including, among others, supply, pricing, customer service and communication, distribution and transportation, transaction processing, financial reporting, collections and cost management. In addition, we expect our reliance on information technology systems to increase as we continue to develop connected products, connected devices, and other consumer-facing technology solutions, such as our Weber Grills App, Weber Connect App, Weber iGrill App, Weber Connect Cloud Infrastructure and our websites. As a result, our ability to operate effectively on a day-to-day basis and accurately report our results depends on a solid technological infrastructure, which is inherently susceptible to internal and external threats. We are vulnerable to interruption and breakdown by fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunication failures, internet failures, security incidents, and other catastrophic events.
Advances in computer and software capabilities, encryption technology, and other discoveries increase the complexity of our technological environment, including how each interacts with our various software platforms. Such advances could delay or hinder our ability to process transactions or could compromise the integrity of our data, resulting in a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. The risk of system disruption is increased when significant system changes are undertaken. If we fail to timely integrate and update our information technology systems and processes, we may fail to realize the cost savings or operational benefits anticipated to be derived from these initiatives. We also may experience occasional system interruptions and delays that make our information technology systems unavailable or slow to respond, including the interaction of our information technology systems with those of third parties. A lack of sophistication or reliability of our information technology systems could adversely impact our operations and consumer service and could require major repairs, replacements or remodels, resulting in significant costs and foregone sales.
Cybersecurity threats, which include hackers, computer viruses, spyware, ransomware and malware, unauthorized attempts to access information, physical or electronic break-ins, phishing schemes, social engineering, denial of service attacks, human error or malfeasance, fraud or malice on the part of employees or third parties (including state-sponsored organizations with significant financial and technological resources), terrorism or acts of war, political protests and other electronic security breaches, are persistent and evolve quickly, and we have in the past and may in the future experience such cybersecurity attacks. Such threats have increased in frequency, scope, and potential impact in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies and the increased number, sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyberattacks. We and others are also subject to increased cybersecurity threats and potential breaches because of the increase in the number of individuals working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or to sabotage information technology systems change frequently and are often not recognized until after they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. The accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access by third parties to our information technology systems or facilities, or those of our vendors and/or others with which we do business or rely on, or the existence of computer viruses in our or their data or software, and/or any other failure of our or their information
technology systems could expose us to a risk of information loss, the misappropriation of proprietary, personal, sensitive and confidential information, work stoppages, disruptions, and/or the defective manufacture or defective design of our products, which could expose us to liability. Any theft, misuse, unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure, manipulation or destruction of this information could result in, among other things, unfavorable publicity, damage to our reputation, difficulty in marketing our products, allegations by our customers that we have not performed our contractual obligations, indemnification obligations, regulatory investigations, fines or penalties, litigation or other claims by affected parties and possible financial obligations for liabilities and damages related to the theft or misuse of this information, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation, and relationships with our customers and suppliers. Further, we could be forced to expend significant financial and operational resources in response to a security breach, including repairing system damage, increasing security protection costs by deploying additional personnel and modifying or enhancing our protection technologies, investigating and remediating any information security vulnerabilities and defending against and resolving legal and regulatory claims, all of which could divert resources and the attention of our management and key personnel away from our business operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may experience difficulties in implementing our new enterprise resource planning system.
We are in the midst of a multi-year implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system (“ERP”), the global SAP S4/HANA ERP, which will replace our existing financial and operating systems. The implementation of this ERP requires an investment of significant personnel and financial resources, including substantial expenditures for outside consultants, system hardware and software in addition to other expenses in connection with the transformation of our organizational structure and financial and operating processes. As we complete the implementation phase of this ERP, we may experience additional delays, increased costs and other difficulties, including potential design defects, miscalculations, testing requirements, re-work due to changes in business plans or reporting standards, and the diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day business operations. Additional extended delays could also introduce operational risk, including cybersecurity risks, and other complications. If we are unable to implement this ERP as planned, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could be adversely affected, our ability to assess those controls adequately could be delayed, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be negatively impacted.
Risks Related to the Manufacturing, Supply and Distribution of Our Products
We depend on suppliers, including single-source suppliers and, in a few cases, sole-source suppliers, to consistently supply us with finished goods, raw materials and components for our products, and any failure to procure such finished goods, raw materials and components could have a material adverse effect on our business, product inventories, sales and profit margins. Additionally, if our independent suppliers and manufacturing partners do not comply with ethical business practices or with applicable laws and regulations, our reputation, business, and results of operations could be harmed.
We use a wide range of materials and components in the global production of our products, which come from numerous suppliers around the world. Our suppliers (and those they depend upon for materials and services) are subject to risks, including supplier plant shutdowns or slowdowns, labor disputes or constraints, union organizing activities, intellectual property claims, financial liquidity, information technology failures, inclement weather, natural disasters, significant public health and safety events, supply constraints, and general economic and political conditions that could limit their ability to provide us with materials. Insurance for certain disruptions may not be available, affordable or adequate. The effects of climate change, including extreme weather events, long-term changes in temperature levels and water availability may exacerbate these risks. Such disruption has in the past and could in the future interrupt our ability to manufacture certain products. Any significant disruption could negatively impact our financial statements.
While we have manufacturing and supply agreements with our most strategic and critical suppliers, with most of our suppliers, we place purchase orders on an as-needed basis. Because not all of our business arrangements provide for guaranteed supply and some key parts may be available only from a single supplier or a limited group of suppliers, we are subject to supply and pricing risk. Our suppliers could discontinue the manufacturing or supply of these components at any time. We carry safety stocks within our inventory, but do not carry a significant inventory of these components that could cover every potential supply constraint. Our suppliers may not be able to meet our demand for their products, either because of acts of nature, the nature of our agreements with those manufacturers or our relative importance to them as a customer, and our manufacturers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. We might not be able to identify and obtain additional or replacement suppliers for any of these components quickly or at all or without incurring significant additional costs. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all. In addition, we rely on single-source suppliers for certain types of parts in our products, and, in a few cases, on sole-source suppliers. A single-source supplier is a supplier from which we make all purchases of a particular component used in our products even though other suppliers of the component exist. A
sole-source supplier is a supplier from which we make all purchases of a particular component used in our product, and the supplier is the only source of that particular component in the market. Establishing additional or replacement suppliers for any of these materials or components, if required, or any supply interruption from our suppliers, could limit our ability to manufacture our products, result in production delays and increased costs and adversely affect our ability to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis or at all. If we are not able to identify alternate sources of supply for the components, we might need to modify our product to use substitute components, which could cause delays in shipments, increase design and manufacturing costs and increase prices for our products. Any such modified product might not be as effective as the predecessor product or might not gain market acceptance. This could lead to customer or consumer dissatisfaction and damage to our reputation and could materially and adversely affect our business, product inventories, sales and profit margins.
Additionally, our reputation and our consumers’ willingness to purchase our products depend in part on our suppliers’, manufacturers’, and retail partners’ compliance with ethical employment practices, such as with respect to child labor, wages and benefits, forced labor, discrimination, safe and healthy working conditions, and with all legal and regulatory requirements relating to the conduct of their businesses. We do not exercise control over our suppliers, manufacturers, and retail partners and cannot guarantee their compliance with ethical and lawful business practices. Additionally, our internal audits of our suppliers, manufacturers, and retail partners may not uncover all instances of noncompliance with such practices and our own stringent policies and standards. If our suppliers, manufacturers, or retail partners fail to comply with applicable laws, regulations, safety codes, employment practices, human rights standards, quality standards, environmental standards, production practices, or other obligations, norms, or ethical standards, our reputation and brand image could be harmed, and we could be exposed to litigation and additional costs that would harm our business, reputation, and results of operations.
Because we rely on foreign suppliers and we sell products in foreign markets, we are susceptible to numerous international business risks that could increase our costs or disrupt the supply of our products.
Our international operations subject us to risks, including:
•economic and political instability, including international conflicts, acts of terrorism, war and the threat thereof;
•fluctuations in the currency exchange rates;
•restrictive actions by foreign governments, including those with respect to tariffs or trade policies;
•changes in tariffs, import duties or import or export restrictions;
•required compliance with anti-corruptions laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which may require extensive measures in certain markets;
•timely shipping of product and unloading of product, including the timely rail/truck delivery to our warehouses and/or a customer’s warehouse of our products;
•impacts of extreme weather events or trends that are more prevalent in particular geographic regions;
•opportunity costs and reputational damage related to the presence of counterfeit versions of the Company’s products in such foreign markets;
•greater difficulty enforcing intellectual property rights and weaker laws protecting intellectual property rights;
•complications in complying with the laws and policies of the U.S. affecting the importation of goods, including tariffs, duties, quotas and taxes;
•required compliance with U.S. laws that impact the Company’s operations in foreign jurisdictions that do not impact local operating companies; and
•complications in complying with trade laws, embargoes and economic sanctions, foreign tax laws and other regulatory standards and requirements.
Further, the impact of the decision of the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union may cause the value of several European currencies, including the euro, to fluctuate, which may adversely affect our non-U.S. dollar sales and earnings. The emergence of any other international geopolitical or trade disputes could exacerbate the various risks that our international presence makes us susceptible to. As we are developing manufacturing operations in Poland, a significant disruption of the political or financial systems there could put these manufacturing operations at risk, which could ultimately adversely affect our profitability or operating results. In the long-term, there is potential for deflation following the current inflationary period and the continued strength of the U.S. dollar may adversely impact foreign sales.
In addition to suppliers, we rely on our own production and manufacturing facilities; if we fail to timely and effectively obtain shipments of products from our manufacturing facilities and deliver products to our retail partners and customers, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
Our business depends on our ability to source raw material and components, manufacture our finished goods and distribute products in a timely manner. However, we cannot control all of the factors that might affect the timely and effective procurement of such raw material and components from our third-party suppliers, manufacture of our finished goods and the delivery of our products to our retail partners and customers.
Globally, we operate 22 distribution facilities in our key markets and supplement our distribution network by engaging distribution partners in certain markets, particularly in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. Certain of our facilities play key roles in our distribution network. Specifically, we operate in a leased warehouse located in Huntley, Illinois which we have referred to as our Global Distribution Center (“GDC”). This facility distributes our products to Weber affiliates worldwide but is most critical to the direct distribution of our products to our customers located in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. We recently opened an additional manufacturing and distribution center in Zabrze, Poland which we expect will serve a critical role in our operations in EMEA, similar to the role the GDC plays in our service of the U.S., Canadian and Mexican markets. Our reliance on a small number of key geographical locations for our principal manufacturing and distribution centers makes us more vulnerable to natural disasters, weather-related disruptions, accidents, system failures, public health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic (or other future pandemics or epidemics), and other unforeseen events that could delay or impair our ability to manufacture our finished goods, fulfill retailer orders and/or ship merchandise, which could harm our sales and results of operations.
We import certain raw materials and components, and we are also vulnerable to risks associated with manufacturing abroad, including, among other things: (a) risks of damage, destruction, or confiscation of products while in transit to our distribution centers; (b) foreign currency fluctuations; (c) the effects of international and regional geopolitical dynamics, instability and conflicts; and (d) transportation and other delays in shipments, including as a result of heightened security screening, port congestion, and inspection processes or other port-of-entry limitations or restrictions in the U.S. Failure to procure our inputs from our third-party suppliers and manufacture and deliver merchandise to our retail partners and direct-to-consumer channels in a timely, effective, and economically viable manner could reduce our sales and gross margins, damage our brand, and harm our business. Further, the opening and start-up of operating our Zabrze facility is a large undertaking and we have not, in the recent past, opened a new facility of this scale. Any delays in the integration of the Zabrze facility, cost overruns with respect to transitioning a significant portion of our regional operations from a model in which we contracted with third-party manufacturers and distributors to one in which such operations are conducted in-house in Zabrze, could materially increase our cost of goods sold and similarly reduce our gross margins and harm our business.
As current tariffs are implemented, or if additional tariffs or other restrictions are placed on foreign imports or any related countermeasures are taken by other countries, our business and results of operations could be harmed.
Recently, the U.S. has put in place higher tariffs and other trade restrictions and signaled that it may additionally alter trade agreements and terms between the U.S. and China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, among others, including limiting trade and/or imposing tariffs on imports from such countries. In addition, China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, among others, have either threatened or put into place retaliatory tariffs of their own. It is unknown whether and to what extent new tariffs (or other new restrictive laws or regulations) will be adopted in the future and it is unclear to what extent the Biden Administration will work to reverse such measures in the future or pursue similar policy initiatives with China and other countries. As announced tariffs are implemented, or additional tariffs or other restrictions are placed on foreign imports, including on any of our products manufactured overseas for sale in the U.S., or any related countermeasures are taken by other countries, our business and results of operations may be materially harmed. Additionally, tariffs on foreign imports of raw materials and components for our products may cause domestic U.S. suppliers to opportunistically take price increases, which may impact our profitability.
Current and additional tariffs have the potential to significantly raise the absolute and relative cost of our products compared with those of our competitors, particularly our finished goods and certain components. Additionally, disparities in the application of tariffs across product categories and based upon the location of manufacturing operations could place us at a competitive disadvantage and detrimentally affect or business and results of operations. For example, differing tariff regimes may be applied across product categories and depending on whether (a) finished goods are imported from abroad or (b) raw materials and components are domestically assembled into finished goods. In such cases, there can be no assurance that we will be able to shift manufacturing and supply agreements to non-impacted countries, including the U.S., to reduce the effects of the tariffs. As a result, we may suffer margin erosion or be required to raise our prices, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage, result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations or otherwise harm our business. In addition, the imposition of tariffs on products that we export to international markets could
make such products more expensive compared to those of our competitors if we pass related additional costs on to our customers, which may also result in the loss of customers, negatively impact our results of operations, or otherwise harm our business.
Exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We incur currency transaction risk whenever we enter into either a purchase or sale transaction using a currency other than the local currency of the transacting entity. We conduct business in various locations throughout the world and are subject to market risk due to changes in value of foreign currencies in relation to our reporting currency, the U.S. dollar. Periodically, we use derivative financial instruments to manage these risks. The functional currencies of our foreign operating locations are generally the local currency in the country. We manage these operating activities at the local level and net sales, costs, assets and liabilities are generally denominated in local currencies, thereby mitigating the risk associated with changes in foreign exchange. However, our results of operations and assets and liabilities are reported in U.S. dollars and thus will fluctuate with changes in exchange rates between such local currencies and the U.S. dollar. Furthermore, the sales of inventory between U.S. and foreign locations are often denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, which generates additional risk. While we engage in hedging activities in order to mitigate our exposure, we may incur costs in connection with such activities and we may not be successful in hedging our exposure.
The Company’s financial instruments that can be affected by foreign currency fluctuations and exchange risks consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, trade payables, and net sales denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For Fiscal Year 2022, approximately 54% of our net sales were denominated in a currency other than our functional U.S. dollar currency. These sales were primarily transacted in euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars and British pounds. Consequently, we are exposed to the impact of exchange rate volatility between the U.S. dollar and these currencies. To hedge against this risk, we enter into foreign currency forward exchange contracts to protect our U.S. trade receivable positions with our foreign operations.
We expect that the amount of our sales denominated in non-dollar currencies may increase in future periods. Given the volatility of exchange rates, there can be no assurance that we will be able to effectively manage our currency transaction risks or that any volatility in currency exchange rates will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. See Item 7 - “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.”
Additionally, because our consolidated financial results are reported in U.S. dollars, the translation of sales or earnings generated in other currencies into U.S. dollars can result in a significant increase or decrease in the amount of those sales or earnings in our financial statements, which also affects the comparability of our results of operations and cash flows between financial periods. Further, currency fluctuations may negatively impact our debt service requirements, which are primarily in U.S. dollars.
Fluctuations in the cost and availability of raw materials, equipment, labor and transportation could cause manufacturing delays or increase our costs.
The price and availability of key raw materials and components used to manufacture our products, including aluminum ingot, carbon steel, enameling iron, stainless steel, certain plastic materials, certain electronic components and various engineered coating materials as well as manufacturing equipment and molds, may fluctuate significantly. Additionally, the cost of logistics and transportation fluctuates in large part due to the price of oil, currency fluctuations, and global demand trends. In particular, recent inflation and concerns regarding an upcoming recession may result in increased operating costs for the Company, which could further result in increased prices to customers. Any fluctuations in the cost and availability of any of our raw materials or other sourcing or transportation costs related to our raw materials or products could harm our gross margins and our ability to meet customer demand. If we are unable to successfully mitigate a significant portion of these product cost increases or fluctuations, our results of operations could be harmed.
A significant portion of our sales are to large, multi-national retail partners. If these retail partners cease to carry our current products, choose not to carry new products that we develop or cease operations altogether, our brand as well as our results of operations and financial condition could be harmed. Additionally, we depend on these retail partners to display and present our products to consumers, and our failure to maintain and further develop our relationships with our retail partners could harm our business.
For fiscal years 2022 and 2021, a significant portion of our net sales were made to large, multi-national retail partners. For fiscal years 2022 and 2021, our top national retail partner accounted for approximately 13% and 14% of our net sales, respectively. Our retail partners service consumers by stocking and displaying our products, explaining our product attributes, and sharing our brand story. Our relationships with these retail partners are important to the authenticity of our brand and the marketing programs we continue to deploy. Our failure to maintain these relationships with our retail partners or financial difficulties experienced by these retail partners could harm our business. These retail partners may
decide to emphasize products from our competitors, to redeploy their retail floor space to other product categories, or to take other actions that reduce their purchases of our products. We do not receive long-term purchase commitments from our retail partners, and orders received from these retail partners are cancellable. Factors that could affect our ability to maintain or expand our sales to these retail partners include: (a) failure to accurately identify the needs of our customers; (b) a lack of customer acceptance of new products or product expansions; (c) unwillingness of our key retail partners and customers to attribute premium value to our new or existing products or product expansions relative to competing products; (d) failure to obtain floor space from our retail partners; (e) new, well-received product introductions by competitors; (f) damage to our relationships with key retail partners due to brand or reputational harm; (g) delays or defaults on our retail partners’ payment obligations to us; and (h) store closures, decreased foot traffic, recession or other adverse effects resulting from public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (or other future pandemics or epidemics).
We cannot assure you that our current retail partners will continue to carry our current products, carry any new products that we develop or continue to operate. And if we lose any of our key retail partners or any key retail partner reduces its purchases of our existing or new products or its number of stores or operations or promotes products of our competitors over ours, our sales would be harmed. Because we are a premium brand, our sales depend, in part, on retail partners effectively displaying our products, including providing attractive space in their stores, and training their sales personnel to sell our products. If our retail partners reduce or terminate those activities, we may experience reduced sales of our products, resulting in lower gross margins, which would harm our results of operations. If these risks occur, they could harm our brand of operations and financial condition. In addition, store closures, decreased foot traffic and the recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect the financial condition of many of our retail partners. The foregoing would be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
Product manufacturing disruptions, at our own facilities and those of our suppliers, including as a result of catastrophic and other events beyond our control, could cause us to be unable to meet customer demands or increase our costs.
If operations at any of our manufacturing facilities, or the facilities of our supply chain partners, were to be disrupted as a result of significant equipment failures, natural or man-made disasters, earthquakes, power outages, fires, explosions, terrorism, adverse or extreme weather conditions, labor disputes, public health epidemics or other catastrophic events or events outside of our control, we may be unable to fill customer orders and otherwise meet customer demand for our products. In addition, these types of events may negatively impact residential, commercial and industrial spending in impacted regions or, depending on the severity, globally. As a result, any of such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Interruptions in production, in particular at our manufacturing facilities, could increase our costs and reduce our sales. Any interruption in production capability could require us to make substantial capital expenditures to fill customer orders. While we maintain property damage insurance, as well as business interruption insurance to mitigate losses resulting from any production interruption or shutdown caused by an insured loss, any recovery under our insurance policies may not offset the lost sales or increased costs that may be experienced during the disruption of operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Disruptions in our supply chain and other logistical factors affecting the distribution of our merchandise could adversely impact our business.
A disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to deliver inventory in a timely manner, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales, increased supply chain costs, or damage to our reputation. Such disruptions may result from damage or destruction to our distribution or fulfillment centers; weather-related events; natural disasters; international trade disputes or trade policy changes or restrictions; tariffs or import-related taxes; third-party strikes, lock-outs, work stoppages or slowdowns; shortages of supply chain labor, including truck drivers; shipping capacity constraints, including shortages of related equipment; third-party contract disputes; supply or shipping interruptions or costs, including the blockage of key shipping channels; military conflicts; acts of terrorism; public health issues, including pandemics or quarantines (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) and related shutdowns, reopenings, or other actions by the government; civil unrest; or other factors beyond our control. As a result of these disruptions, we have in the past chosen, and may choose in the future, to arrange for additional quantities of affected products, if available, to be delivered through air freight, which is significantly more expensive than standard shipping by sea and, consequently, could harm our gross margins.
We also rely on the timely and free flow of goods through open and operational ports from our suppliers. Labor disputes or disruptions at ports, our common carriers, or our suppliers could create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes, or other disruptions during periods of significant importing or manufacturing, potentially resulting in delayed or canceled orders, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages, and harm to our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In recent years, global ports, particularly
those located on the West Coast of the U.S., China and certain European locations, have been impacted by capacity constraints, port congestion and delays, periodic labor disputes, security issues, weather-related events, and natural disasters, which have been further exacerbated by the pandemic. The current geopolitical climate, including tensions between China and Taiwan as well as between Russia and Ukraine, may further exacerbate these supply chain disruptions. Furthermore, reduced customer demand in light of our current inventory levels at the end of fiscal year 2022, may adversely impact supplier solvency if the Company and others continue to reduce spend.
Disruptions to our supply or distribution chains due to any of the factors listed above could negatively impact our financial performance or financial condition.
Insolvency, credit problems or other financial difficulties that could confront our customers and retail partners could expose us to financial risk.
We sell to the large majority of our retail partners on open account terms and do not require collateral or a security interest in the inventory we sell them. Consequently, the majority of our accounts receivable with our retail partners are unsecured. Insolvency, credit problems, or other financial difficulties confronting our customers and retail partners could expose us to financial risk. These actions could expose us to risks, including increases in our bad debt expense, if they are unable to pay for the products they purchase from us. Financial difficulties of our customers and retail partners could also cause them to reduce their sales staff, use of attractive displays, number or size of stores, and the amount of floor space dedicated to our products. For example, significant uncertainty about the ultimate duration and severity of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties regarding consumer willingness to visit retail stores during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future could lead to a material reduction in sales of our products by our retail partners. Any reduction in sales by, or loss of, our current retail partners or customer demand, or credit risks associated with our customers and retail partners, could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Conflicts with our channel and distribution partners could harm our business and operating results.
Our increasing focus on direct-to-consumer channels could cause one or more of our traditional retailer partners to de-emphasize our brand, causing a potential reduction in product sales from that partner. Retailer partners may perceive themselves to be at a disadvantage relative to content quality or online shopping convenience. Due to these and other factors, conflicts in our sales channels could arise and cause channel partners to divert resources away from the promotion and sale of our products. Any of these situations could adversely impact our business and results of operations.
We are subject to risks related to online payment methods.
We currently accept payments for purchases through our website and mobile apps using a variety of methods, including credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and Affirm, a third-party provider of financing for consumer purchases. As we offer new payment options to consumers, we may be subject to additional regulations, compliance requirements, fraud, and other risks. For certain payment methods, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. As a merchant that accepts debit and credit cards for payment, we are subject to the Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”), issued by the PCI Security Standards Council. PCI DSS contains a set of requirements designed to ensure that companies that process, store or transmit payment card information maintain a secure environment to protect cardholder data. Because we accept debit and credit cards for payment, we are also subject to the data encryption standards and payment network security operating guidelines of the American National Standards Institute. Additionally, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act requires systems that print payment card receipts to employ personal account number truncation so that the consumer’s full account number is not viewable on the slip. Failure to be PCI compliant or to meet other payment card standards may result in the imposition of financial penalties or the allocation by the card brands of the costs of fraudulent charges to us.
Further, as our business changes, we may be subject to different rules under existing standards, which may require new assessments that involve costs above what we currently pay for compliance. In the future, as we offer new payment options to consumers, including offering integrated emerging mobile and other payment methods, we may be subject to additional regulations, compliance requirements, and fraud. If we fail to comply with the rules or requirements of any provider of a payment method we accept, if the volume of fraud in our transactions limits or terminates our rights to use payment methods we currently accept, or if a data breach occurs relating to our payment systems, we may, among other things, be subject to fines, investigations, legal proceedings, or higher transaction fees and may lose, or face restrictions placed upon, our ability to accept credit card payments from consumers or facilitate other types of online payments. If any of these events were to occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Social media platforms present risks and challenges that could cause damage to our brand and reputation as well as to our results of operations.
Social media platforms present risks and challenges that have resulted, and may in the future result, in damage to our brand and reputation, and could materially impact our results of operations. As social media platforms have grown in size and popularity, we have received, and may continue to receive, a high degree of coverage that is published or otherwise disseminated by third parties via such platforms, as well as via blogs, articles, message boards, forums and other media. The considerable expansion in the use of social media platforms over recent years has increased the volume of, and speed at which, negative publicity arising from certain events can be generated and spread, and we may be unable to timely respond to, correct any inaccuracies in, or adequately address negative perceptions arising from such coverage. Such negative or inaccurate posts or comments about us or our products on social media platforms could damage our reputation, brand image and goodwill, and we could lose the confidence of our customers and partners, regardless of whether such information is true and regardless of any number of measures we may take to address them.
This social media coverage includes coverage that is not attributable to statements made by our officers or associates. Information provided by third parties, including by individuals or entities that are self-described grilling “experts” or that make use of our trademarks without permission, may not be reliable or accurate and could materially impact our brand, reputation and results of operations. There is also the potential that bad actors with interests that conflict with ours could disingenuously post negatively or critically about us on social media for their own benefit, an action for which we have little recourse. Our policies and procedures regarding social media have not always been, and may not in the future be effective in preventing the inappropriate use of social media platforms, including blogs, social media websites, unofficial user groups, and other forms of internet-based communications, and the related spread of misinformation or unauthorized display of our trademarks by third parties thereon.
Our brand could be harmed if we are unable to correct misinformation, or if our public image were to be tarnished by negative publicity, including through social media or other communications from our community. Unfavorable publicity about us, including our products, technology, personnel and suppliers, could diminish confidence in, and the use of, our products. Such negative publicity also could adversely affect the size, engagement, activity and loyalty of our customer base or the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing, and result in decreased revenue, or require us to expend additional funds for marketing efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Government Regulation, Litigation and Intellectual Property Matters
We may be negatively impacted by litigation and other claims, including intellectual property, product liability or warranty claims, and health and safety concerns, including product recalls, could negatively impact our sales and expose us to litigation.
We have been, and in the future may be, made a party to litigation arising in the ordinary course of our business, including those relating to commercial or contractual disputes with suppliers, customers or parties to acquisitions and divestitures, intellectual property matters, product liability, the use or installation of our products, consumer matters, employment and labor matters, and environmental, health and safety matters, including claims based on alleged exposure to asbestos-containing product components. The outcome of such legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty and some may be disposed of unfavorably to us. Regardless of outcome, legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors. In addition, we have agreed to provide indemnification in connection with prior acquisitions or dispositions for certain of these matters, and we cannot assure you that material indemnification claims will not be brought against us in the future.
A class action lawsuit has been filed against us and certain of our current and former officers and directors. For more information, see “Item 3. Legal Proceedings.”
Product quality issues could negatively impact consumer confidence in our brands and our business. If our products do not meet applicable safety standards or grill owners’ expectations regarding safety or quality, we could experience lost sales and increased costs and be exposed to legal, financial, and reputational risks, as well as governmental enforcement actions. Actual, potential or perceived product safety concerns could expose us to litigation, as well as government enforcement actions, and result in costly product recalls and other liabilities.
We have in the past and may in the future implement a voluntarily recall or market withdrawal or may be required to do so by a regulatory authority. A recall or market withdrawal of one of our products would be costly and would divert management resources. A recall or withdrawal of one of our products, or a similar product processed by another entity, also could impair sales of our products because of confusion concerning the scope of the recall or withdrawal, or because of the damage to our reputation for quality and safety.
In addition, if our products are, or are alleged to be, defectively designed, manufactured or labeled, contain, or are alleged to contain, defective components or components containing hazardous materials, such as asbestos, or are misused, we may become subject to costly litigation initiated by grill owners. For example, in the past, we have been subject to litigation arising from fires and other thermal events which occurred in connection with our products, due to consumer misuse, incorrect third-party assembly, improper maintenance and faulty propane tanks as well as other causes. This risk is inherent as our products are designed to be used in connection with highly flammable and volatile fuels. In addition to the reputational effects that fire and thermal events may cause due to the negative publicity that these events may receive on social media, product liability claims themselves could harm our reputation, divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend, and may result in sizable damage awards against us. Although we maintain product liability insurance, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for future product liability claims. We may not be able to obtain insurance in amounts or scope sufficient to provide us with adequate coverage against all potential liabilities. Product liability claims brought against us, with or without merit, could increase our product liability insurance rates or prevent us from securing continuing coverage, harm our reputation, significantly increase our expenses, and reduce product sales. Product liability claims could cause us to incur significant legal fees, and deductibles and claims in excess of our insurance coverage would be paid out of cash reserves, harming our financial condition and operating results. In addition, successful product liability claims made against one of our competitors could cause claims to be made against us or expose us to a perception that we are vulnerable to similar claims. Claims against us, regardless of their merit or potential outcome, may also hurt our ability to obtain acceptance of our products or to expand our business.
If we are unable to obtain, maintain, and enforce intellectual property protection for our products or if the scope of our intellectual property protection is not sufficiently broad, others may be able to develop and commercialize products substantially similar to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our products may be compromised.
Our business and our ability to compete effectively depend on our ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, confidential information and know-how. We rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws in the U.S. and similar laws in other countries, as well as confidentiality procedures, cybersecurity practices and contractual provisions and restrictions, to protect the intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights relating to our products and proprietary technology. Despite our efforts to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights, there can be no assurance that these protections will be available in all cases or will be adequate to prevent our competitors or other third parties from copying, reverse engineering, accessing or otherwise obtaining and using our technology, intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights or products without our permission. Further, there can be no assurance that our competitors will not independently develop products that are substantially equivalent or superior to our products or design around our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights. In each case, our ability to compete could be significantly impaired.
We may, over time, increase our investment in protecting our intellectual property rights through additional trademark, patent, copyright and other intellectual property filings, which could be expensive and time-consuming. We may not be able to obtain registered intellectual property protection for our products and even if we are successful in obtaining effective patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright protection, it is expensive to maintain these rights in terms of application and maintenance costs, and the time and costs required to defend our rights could be substantial. Moreover, our failure to develop and properly manage new intellectual property rights could hurt our market position and business opportunities. Furthermore, recent changes to U.S. intellectual property laws may jeopardize the enforceability and validity of our intellectual property portfolio and harm our ability to obtain patent protection of some of our unique business methods.
In addition, these measures may not be sufficient to offer us meaningful protection or provide us with any competitive advantages. We will not be able to protect our intellectual property rights if we are unable to enforce our rights or if we do not detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights. Additionally, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which we offer our products and services, and the laws of certain non-U.S. countries where we do business or may do business in the future may not recognize intellectual property rights or protect them to the same extent as do the laws of the U.S. Moreover, any changes in, or unexpected interpretations of, intellectual property laws may compromise our ability to enforce our trade secret and intellectual property rights. If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights and other proprietary rights, our competitive position and our business could be harmed, as third parties may be able to commercialize and use products and technologies that are substantially the same as ours to compete with us without incurring the development and licensing costs that we have incurred. Any of our owned or licensed intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed, misappropriated or violated, our trade secrets and other confidential information could be disclosed in an unauthorized manner to third parties, or our intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or to otherwise provide us with competitive advantages, which could result in costly redesign efforts, discontinuance of some of our offerings or other competitive harm.
We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.
Third parties, including our competitors, could be infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights is difficult and costly. From time to time, we seek to analyze our competitors’ products and services, and may in the future seek to enforce our rights against potential infringement, misappropriation or violation of our intellectual property rights. However, the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to enforce our rights as against such infringement, misappropriation or violation of our intellectual property rights. We may not be able to detect unauthorized use of, or take appropriate steps to enforce, our intellectual property rights. Any inability to meaningfully enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our ability to compete and reduce demand for our products and services.
We are, and may in the future become, involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could harm our business. In any lawsuit we bring to enforce our intellectual property rights, a court may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology or products at issue on grounds that our intellectual property rights do not cover the technology or products in question. Further, in such proceedings, the defendant could counterclaim that our intellectual property rights are invalid or unenforceable and the court may agree, in which case we could lose valuable intellectual property rights. The outcome in any such lawsuits are unpredictable. Even if resolved in our favor, such lawsuits may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to conduct any such litigation or proceedings adequately, and some of our counterparties may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial effect on the price of our common stock. Moreover, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Sales of counterfeit versions of our products, as well as unauthorized sales of our products, may adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our products, including our grills and grilling accessories, have and may continue to become subject to competition from counterfeit products, which are products sold under the same or very similar brand names and/or having a similar appearance to genuine products, but which are sold without proper licenses or approvals. Because a portion of our products are manufactured overseas in countries where counterfeiting is more prevalent and our intellectual property rights may not be as adequately protected as they are in the U.S., and we intend to increase our sales internationally over the long term, we may experience increased counterfeiting of our products. Increased counterfeiting has also resulted from the proliferation of internet-based marketplaces through which third parties can, with relative ease, sell and distribute imitation products. Such counterfeit products divert sales from genuine products, often are of lower cost and quality, may pose safety risks, and have the potential to damage the reputation for quality and effectiveness of our genuine products. Illegal sales of counterfeit products could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, if illegal sales of counterfeit products result in adverse product liability or negative consumer experiences, we may be associated with negative publicity resulting from such incidents. Although we seek to monitor the existence of counterfeit products and initiate actions to remove them from sale, we may not be able to prevent third parties from manufacturing, selling or purporting to sell counterfeit products competing with our products. Such sales of counterfeit products may also be occurring without our knowledge. The existence and any increase in production or sales of counterfeit products or unauthorized sales could negatively impact our sales, brand reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Any claim of infringement, misappropriation or violation of another party’s intellectual property rights could cause us to incur significant costs and to cease the commercialization of our products and services, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the U.S. involving intellectual property rights. Companies in the outdoor cooking industry are increasingly bringing and becoming subject to lawsuits alleging infringement, misappropriation or violation of intellectual property rights, particularly patent rights, and our competitors and other third parties may hold patents or have pending patent applications or other intellectual property rights, which could be related to our business. These risks have been amplified by the increase in patent holding companies and other third parties, commonly referred to as non-practicing entities, that seek to monetize patents they have purchased or otherwise obtained and whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims. Regardless of the merits of any other intellectual property
litigation, we may be required to expend significant management time and financial resources on the defense of such claims, and any adverse outcome of any such claim or the above-referenced review could harm our business. We expect that we may receive in the future notices that claim we or our partners, customers, or other third parties using our products and services have infringed, misappropriated, misused or otherwise violated other parties’ intellectual property rights, particularly as the number of competitors in our market grows and the functionality of applications amongst competitors overlaps. Any future litigation, whether or not successful, could be extremely costly to defend, divert our management’s time, attention and resources, damage our reputation and brand, harm our ability to compete in the marketplace and substantially harm our business.
If any of our technologies, products or services are found to infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to continue commercializing or using such technologies, products or services. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be nonexclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies or products licensed to us, and it could require us to make substantial licensing and royalty payments. We also could be forced, including by court order, to cease the commercialization or use of the violating technology, products or services. Accordingly, we may be forced to design around such violated intellectual property rights, which may be expensive, time-consuming or infeasible. In addition, we could be found liable for significant monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent or other intellectual property right. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could similarly harm our business. If we are required to make substantial payments or undertake any of the other actions noted above as a result of any intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or violation claims against us, such payments, costs or actions could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, in certain of our agreements with customers and other third parties, we have indemnification obligations for losses related to, among other things, claims by third parties of intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation. Such customers or other third parties may in the future require us to indemnify them for such infringement, misappropriation or violation, breach of confidentiality or violation of applicable law, among other things. Although we normally seek to contractually limit our liability with respect to such obligations, some of these indemnity agreements may provide for uncapped liability and some indemnity provisions survive termination or expiration of the applicable agreement. Any legal claims from customers or other third parties could result in substantial liabilities, reputational harm, or the delay or loss of market acceptance of our products, and could have adverse effects on our relationships with such customers and other third parties.
If we cannot license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms, we may not be able to commercialize new products in the future.
In the future, we may identify additional third-party intellectual property rights we may need to license in order to engage in our business, including to develop or commercialize new products or services. However, such licenses may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. The licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and other well-established companies may pursue strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, capital resources and greater development or commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. Even if such licenses are available, we may be required to pay the licensor substantial royalties based on sales of our products and services. Such royalties are a component of the cost of our products or services and may affect the margins on our products and services. In addition, such licenses may be nonexclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same intellectual property rights licensed to us. If we are unable to enter into the necessary licenses on acceptable terms or at all, if any necessary licenses are subsequently terminated, if our licensors fail to abide by the terms of the licenses, if our licensors fail to prevent infringement by third parties, or if the licensed intellectual property rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, we could encounter delays in the introduction of tests while we attempt to develop alternatives. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses on favorable terms could prevent us from commercializing products, which could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
We may be required to protect our proprietary technology in an increasing number of jurisdictions, a process that is expensive and may not be successful, or which we may not pursue in every location due to costs, complexities or other reasons. Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending, and enforcing patents and other intellectual property rights on our products, services and technologies in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our
intellectual property rights in some countries outside the U.S. can be less extensive than those in the U.S. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection or other intellectual property rights to develop their own products and services and, further, may export otherwise infringing, misappropriating or violating products and services to territories where we have patent or other intellectual property protection but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S. These products and services may compete with our products and services, and our intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.
In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S., and many companies have encountered significant challenges in establishing and enforcing their proprietary rights outside of the U.S. These challenges can be caused by the absence or inconsistency of the application of rules and methods for the establishment and enforcement of intellectual property rights outside of the U.S. In addition, the legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of intellectual property protection. This could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement, misappropriation or other violation of our intellectual property rights. Accordingly, we may choose not to seek protection in certain countries, and we will not have the benefit of protection in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the U.S. and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our products, services and other technologies and the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business, financial condition, results of operations and competitive position would be harmed.
We rely on trade secrets and confidentiality agreements to protect our unpatented know-how, technology, and other proprietary information and to maintain our competitive position. With respect to our products, we consider trade secrets and know-how to be one of our primary sources of intellectual property rights. However, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect these trade secrets and other proprietary technology, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as certain of our employees, corporate collaborators, outside contractors, consultants, advisors, and other third parties, but we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, including our technology and processes. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary or confidential information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the U.S. are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, it could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, advisors or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets or other confidential information of their current or former employers or other third parties or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property or proprietary rights.
Many of our employees, consultants, advisors and independent contractors are currently or were previously employed at other companies in our field, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants, advisors and independent contractors do not use the confidential or proprietary information, trade secrets or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have, inadvertently or otherwise, improperly used or disclosed intellectual property rights, confidential or proprietary information, trade secrets or know-how, of any such individual’s current or former employer or other third party. Further, we may be subject to ownership disputes in the future arising, for example, from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our products. We may also be subject to claims that former employees, consultants, independent contractors or other third parties have an ownership interest in our intellectual property rights. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
In addition, while it is our policy to require certain of our employees, suppliers, consultants, advisors and independent contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property rights to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property rights to us, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such
agreements with each party that may have developed intellectual property rights for us. Individuals involved in the development of intellectual property rights for us may make adverse ownership claims to our current and future intellectual property rights. The assignment of intellectual property rights in agreements entered into by individuals involved in the development of intellectual property rights for us may not be self-executing, or the assignment agreements otherwise may be insufficient or breached, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. We may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property rights. Additionally, to the extent that our employees, independent contractors or other third parties with whom we do business use intellectual property rights owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our products and services contain open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software, products and services in a manner that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We use open source software in connection with our products and services and anticipate using open source software in the future. Some open source software licenses require users who distribute open source software as part of their own software product to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software product or to make available any derivative works of the open source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost, and we may be subject to such terms. The terms of certain open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that open source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to provide, or distribute the products or services related to, the open source software subject to those licenses. While we monitor our use of open source software and try to ensure that none is used in a manner that would require us to disclose our proprietary source code or that would otherwise breach the terms of an open source agreement, such use could inadvertently occur, or could be claimed to have occurred, in part because open source license terms are often ambiguous. Additionally, we could face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, any open source software or derivative works that we have developed using such software, which could include proprietary source code, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to make our software source code freely available, purchase a costly license or cease offering the implicated products or services unless and until we can recode or reengineer such source code in a manner that avoids infringement. This reengineering process could require us to expend significant additional research and development resources, and we may not be able to complete the reengineering process successfully. 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 support, warranties, indemnification or other contractual protection regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. There is little legal precedent in this area and any actual or claimed requirement to disclose our proprietary source code or pay damages for breach of contract could harm our business and could help third parties, including our competitors, develop products and services that are similar to or better than ours. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our proprietary software may not operate properly, which could damage our reputation, give rise to claims against us or divert application of our resources from other purposes, any of which could harm our business.
Proprietary software development is time-consuming, expensive and complex, and may involve unforeseen difficulties. We may encounter technical obstacles, and it is possible that we may discover additional problems that prevent our proprietary applications, including our Weber Apps, cloud infrastructure, websites or other systems from operating properly. If our proprietary mobile applications do not function reliably or fail to achieve member or customer expectations in terms of performance, we may lose or fail to grow member usage and customers could assert liability claims against us. This could damage our reputation and impair our ability to attract or maintain relationships with customers and other third parties.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under license or technology agreements with third parties, we may be required to pay damages and we could lose license rights that are critical to our business.
We license certain intellectual property rights, including technologies, data, content and software from third parties, that is important to our business, and in the future we may enter into additional agreements that provide us with licenses to valuable intellectual property rights or technology. If we fail to comply with any of the obligations under our license agreements, we may be required to pay damages and the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. Termination by the licensor would cause us to lose valuable rights, and could prevent us from selling our products and services, or inhibit our ability to commercialize future products and services. Our business would suffer if any current or future licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensors fail to enforce licensed
patents against infringing third parties, if the licensed intellectual property rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms. In addition, our rights to certain technologies are licensed to us on a nonexclusive basis. The owners of these non-exclusively licensed technologies are therefore free to license them to third parties, including our competitors, on terms that may be superior to those offered to us, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage. Moreover, our licensors may own or control intellectual property rights that have not been licensed to us and, as a result, we may be subject to claims, regardless of their merit, that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the licensor’s rights. In addition, the agreements under which we license intellectual property rights or technology from third parties are generally complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property rights or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our collection, use, storage, transmission, disclosure and processing of personal information is subject to federal, state and international privacy and security regulations, and our failure to comply with those regulations or to adequately secure such information could result in significant liability or reputational harm and, in turn, substantial harm to our customer base and revenue.
In operating our business and providing products and services to customers, we collect, use, store, transmit, disclose and otherwise process sensitive employee and customer data, including personal information, in and across multiple jurisdictions, including, at times, across national borders. As a result, we are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the U.S., Europe, the United Kingdom and around the world, as well as contractual obligations, regarding data privacy, security and protection. In many cases, these laws and regulations apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between or among us, our subsidiaries and other parties with which we have commercial relationships.
Personal privacy, information security and data protection are significant issues in the U.S. and globally. The regulatory framework governing the collection, use, storage, transmission, disclosure and processing of certain information, particularly financial and other personal information, is rapidly evolving and is likely to continue to be subject to uncertainty and varying interpretations. The occurrence of unanticipated events and development of evolving technologies often rapidly drives the adoption of legislation or regulations affecting the use, collection or other processing of data and manner in which we conduct our business. We publicly post documentation regarding our practices concerning the collection, use, storage, transmission, disclosure and processing of data. Although we endeavor to comply with our published policies and documentation, we may at times fail to do so or be alleged to have failed to do so. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies or any applicable privacy, security or data protection, information security or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, orders or industry standards in one or more jurisdictions could expose us to costly litigation, investigations, significant awards, fines or judgments, civil and/or criminal penalties or negative publicity, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The publication of our privacy policy and other documentation that provide promises and assurances about privacy and security can subject us to potential state and federal action if they are found to be deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our actual practices, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We expect that there will continue to be new proposed and adopted laws, regulations and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection and information security in the U.S. and other jurisdictions in which we operate. Many states in which we operate have laws that protect the privacy and security of sensitive and personal information. Certain state laws may be more stringent or broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights, with respect to sensitive and personal information than federal, international or other state laws, and such laws may differ from each other, which may complicate compliance efforts. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) which went into effect in January 2020 and became enforceable by the California Attorney General in July 2020, and which, among other things, requires companies covered by the legislation to provide new disclosures to California residents and afford such residents new rights of access and deletion for personal information, as well as the right to opt-out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for certain data breaches that result in the loss of specified personal information of California residents. Additionally, a new California ballot initiative, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) was passed in November 2020. Effective starting on January 1, 2023, the CPRA imposes additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation and will significantly modify the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also creates a new state agency that will be vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA and the CPRA. The effects of the CCPA and the CPRA are potentially significant and may require
us to modify our data collection or processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply and increase our potential exposure to regulatory enforcement and/or litigation.
Certain other state laws impose similar privacy obligations and all 50 states have laws including obligations to provide notification of security breaches of computer databases that contain personal information to affected individuals, state officers and others. For example, the CCPA has prompted a number of proposals for new federal and state-level privacy legislation, such as in Nevada, New Hampshire, Washington, Illinois and Nebraska, as well as in Virginia, which signed such legislation, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”), into law on March 2, 2021 with an effective date of January 1, 2023. In addition, on July 8, 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act (the "CoPA"), becoming the third comprehensive consumer privacy law to be passed in the U.S. (after the CCPA and VCDPA). The CoPA is set to take effect on July 1, 2023. The VCDPA, CoPA and such other proposed legislation, if enacted, may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment of resources in compliance programs, impact strategies and the availability of previously useful data and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies.
Internationally, many jurisdictions have established their own data security and privacy legal framework with which we or our customers may need to comply, including, but not limited to, the European Union, or EU. The EU’s data protection landscape is constantly changing and subject to differing interpretations, resulting in possible significant operational costs for internal compliance and risk to our business. For example, the EU has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation, or the GDPR, which went into effect in May of 2018, and has resulted and will continue to result in significantly greater compliance burdens and costs for companies with users and operations in the EU and European Economic Area, including robust obligations on data processors and heavier documentation requirements for data protection compliance programs by companies. In particular, under the GDPR, fines of up to 20 million euros or up to 4% of the annual global revenue of the noncompliant company, whichever is greater, could be imposed for violations of certain of the GDPR’s requirements. Such penalties are in addition to any civil litigation claims by customers and data subjects. The GDPR has also increased the scrutiny of transfers of personal data to the U.S. and other jurisdictions that the European Commission does not recognize as having “adequate” data protection laws. The efficacy and longevity of current transfer mechanisms to the U.S. remain uncertain. For example, in 2016, the EU and U.S. agreed to a transfer framework for data transferred to the U.S., called the Privacy Shield, but the Privacy Shield was invalidated in July 2020 by the Court of Justice of the European Union. Due to this evolving regulatory guidance, we may need to invest in additional technical, legal and organizational safeguards in the future to avoid disruptions to data flows within our business and to and from our customers and service providers. Furthermore, this uncertainty, and its eventual resolution, may increase our costs of compliance, impede our ability to transfer data and conduct our business, and harm our business or results of operations.
Because the interpretation and application of many privacy and data protection laws along with contractually imposed industry standards are uncertain, it is possible that these laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our existing data management practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us, or any third parties with which we do business, to comply with our posted privacy policies, changing consumer expectations, evolving laws, rules and regulations, industry standards, or contractual obligations to which we or such third parties are or may become subject, may result in actions or other claims against us by governmental entities or private actors, the expenditure of substantial costs, time and other resources or the incurrence of significant fines, penalties or other liabilities. In addition, any such action, particularly to the extent we were found to be guilty of violations or otherwise liable for damages, would damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU on January 31, 2020 and the end of the transitional period on December 31, 2020, the United Kingdom introduced the UK General Data Protection Regulation, which currently makes the privacy regimes of the EU and United Kingdom parallel in nature, though it is possible either the EU or the United Kingdom could elect to change its approach and create differences in legal requirements and regulation. The relationship between the United Kingdom and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains unclear, for example, with respect to the role of the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office and the possibility of increasing scope for divergence in application, interpretation and enforcement of the data protection law as between the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area.
We cannot yet fully determine the long-term impact these or future laws, rules and regulations may have on our business or operations. Any such laws, rules and regulations may be inconsistent among different jurisdictions, subject to differing interpretations or may conflict with our current or future practices. Additionally, our customers may be subject to differing privacy laws, rules and legislation, which may mean that they require us to be bound by varying contractual requirements applicable to certain other jurisdictions. Adherence to such contractual requirements may impact our collection, use, processing, storage, sharing and disclosure of various types of information, including financial information and other personal information, and may cause us to become bound by, or to voluntarily comply with, self-regulatory or other industry standards relating to these matters that may further change as laws, rules and regulations evolve. Complying
with these requirements and changing our policies and practices may be onerous and costly, and we may not be able to respond quickly or effectively to regulatory, legislative and other developments. These changes may in turn impair our ability to offer our existing or planned products and services and/or increase our cost of doing business. As we expand our customer base, these requirements may vary from customer to customer, further increasing the cost of compliance and doing business.
If we fail to comply with anti-corruption or economic sanction regulations, we could be subject to substantial fines or other penalties.
Some of the countries where we operate or where our products are sold may not have as strong a commitment to anti-corruption and ethical behavior that is required by U.S. laws or by our corporate policies. Any violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) or any similar anti-corruption law or regulation could result in substantial fines, sanctions or civil and/or criminal penalties, debarment from business dealings with certain governments or government agencies or restrictions on the marketing of our products in certain countries, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations. If these anti-corruption laws or our internal policies were to be violated, our reputation and operations could also be substantially harmed. Further, detecting, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our senior management.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and other relevant agencies of the U.S. government administer certain laws and regulations that restrict U.S. persons and, in some instances, non-U.S. persons, from conducting activities, transacting business with or making investments in certain countries, or with governments, entities and individuals subject to U.S. economic sanctions. Similar economic sanctions are imposed by the European Union and other jurisdictions. Our international operations subject us to these laws and regulations, which are complex, restrict our business dealings with certain countries, governments, entities and individuals and are constantly changing. Penalties for noncompliance with these complex laws and regulations can be significant and include substantial fines, sanctions or civil and/or criminal penalties and violations can result in adverse publicity, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to environmental, health and safety and consumer product laws and regulations, which could subject us to liabilities, increase our costs or restrict our operations in the future.
Our properties and operations are subject to a number of environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, air emissions, water discharges, handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater contamination, employee health and safety and the chemical content of products. We expect to continue to incur costs to comply with these laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could incur substantial civil or criminal fines or penalties or enforcement actions, including regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing our operations or requiring us to conduct or fund remedial or corrective measures, install pollution control equipment or perform other actions. We may also be subject to joint and several liability for environmental investigations and cleanups, including at properties that we currently or previously owned or operated, or at sites at which waste we generated was disposed, even if the contamination was not caused by us or was legal at the time it occurred. We may face claims alleging harm to health or property or natural resource damages arising out of contamination or exposure to hazardous substances.
As a distributor of consumer products, certain of our products are subject to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act, which empowers the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous, and to similar laws in other jurisdictions. We are regularly subject to inquiries from regulators about product safety in the U.S. and in other countries. Under certain circumstances, the CPSC or other regulators could require us to repair, replace or refund the purchase price of one or more of our products, or potentially even discontinue entire product lines. We also may voluntarily take such action within strictures recommended by the CPSC or other regulators. The CPSC and other regulators also can impose fines or penalties on a manufacturer for noncompliance with its requirements. Furthermore, failure to timely notify the CPSC or other regulators of a potential safety hazard can result in significant fines being assessed. Any repurchases or recalls of our products or an imposition of fines or penalties could be costly to us and could damage the reputation or the value of our brands. Additionally, other laws regulating certain consumer products exist in certain states, as well as in other countries in which we sell our products.
In addition, future developments such as new and more restrictive, or changes to existing, environmental, health or safety laws and regulations, more aggressive enforcement of existing laws and regulations, or the discovery of presently unknown environmental conditions may require expenditures that could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Climate change legislation, regulatory initiatives and litigation could result in increased operating costs or, in some instances, adversely impact demand for our products.
Many nations have agreed to limit emissions of greenhouse gases pursuant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as the “Kyoto Protocol,” and other initiatives. In December 2015, the U.S. and 194 other countries adopted the Paris Agreement, committing to work towards addressing climate change and agreeing to a monitoring and review process for greenhouse gas emissions. Although the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement in November 2020, the U.S. officially rejoined the Paris Agreement in February 2021 following the change in Presidential administrations, and may in the future choose to join other international agreements targeting greenhouse gas emissions. In April 2021, President Biden announced a goal of reducing the U.S.'s emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. In November 2021, the international community gathered again in Glasgow at the 26th Conference to the Parties on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, during which multiple announcements were made, including a call for parties to eliminate certain fossil fuel subsidies and pursue further action on non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition
Our debt covenants may limit our ability to complete acquisitions, incur debt, make investments, sell assets, merge or complete other significant transactions.
Our credit facilities include limitations on a number of our activities in the event of a default, and in some cases regardless of whether a default has occurred, including our ability to:
•incur additional debt;
•pay dividends or repurchase stock;
•create liens on our assets or make guarantees;
•enter certain transactions with affiliates;
•make certain investments or loans; or
•dispose of or sell assets, make acquisitions above certain amounts or enter into a merger or similar transaction.
We are also required to comply with certain restrictive covenants in our credit facilities, any of which may limit our ability to engage in acts that may be in our best long-term interests. Additionally, a breach of any of the restrictive covenants in our credit facilities could result in a default under these facilities. If a default occurs while we have borrowing amounts outstanding, the lenders under our credit facilities may elect to declare all outstanding borrowings, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable, to terminate any commitments they have to provide further borrowings and to exercise any other rights they have under the facilities or applicable law.
An increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
Fluctuations in interest rates can increase borrowing costs on the portion of our debt that is variable, and interest rate increases on this portion of the Company’s debt could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. Indeed, increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our debt and could reduce our profitability and cash flows. In response to the last global economic recession, extraordinary monetary policy actions of the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banking institutions, including the utilization of quantitative easing, were taken to create and maintain a low interest rate environment. However, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate nine times since December 2015, including four times in 2018, each time by a quarter of a percentage point, before reducing interest rates in 2019 three times. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve reduced its benchmark interest rate to 0% in March 2020 before voting in November 2020 to keep short-term interest rates anchored in a range between 0% and 0.25%. Beginning in March 2022, the Federal Reserve began raising the federal funds rate in an effort to curb inflation. Increased interest rates could have an adverse impact on our ability to borrow money and we may experience restrictions in our liquidity based on certain financial covenant requirements, our inability to refinance maturing debt in part or in full as it comes due and higher debt service costs and reduced yields relative to the cost of debt. If we are unable to find alternative credit arrangements or other funding in a high interest environment, our business needs may not be adequately met.
An increase in interest rates may also occur from changes in regulatory standards or industry practices, such as the contemplated transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) as a benchmark reference for short-term interest rates. Such a transition may result in the usage of a higher reference rate for our variable rate debt. The U.S. Federal Reserve has sponsored the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”), which serves as a forum to coordinate and track planning as market participants currently using LIBOR consider (a) transitioning to alternative reference rates where it is deemed appropriate and (b) addressing risks in legacy contracts’ language given the possibility that LIBOR might stop. On April 3, 2018, the U.S. Federal Reserve began publishing three new reference rates, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). SOFR is observed and backward looking, which stands in contrast with
LIBOR under the current methodology, which is an estimated forward-looking rate and relies, to some degree, on the expert judgment of submitting panel members. Given that SOFR is a secured rate backed by government securities, it will be a rate that does not take into account bank credit risk (as is the case with LIBOR). SOFR is therefore likely to be lower than LIBOR and is less likely to correlate with the funding costs of financial institutions. ARRC has recommended SOFR as the alternative to LIBOR and published fallback interest rate consultations for public comment and a Paced Transition Plan to SOFR use. The Financial Stability Board has taken an interest in LIBOR and possible replacement indices as a matter of risk management. The International Organization of Securities Commissions, or IOSCO, has been active in this area and is expected to call on market participants to have backup options if a reference rate, such as LIBOR, ceases publication. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) has published guidance on interest rate benchmarks and alternatives in July and August 2018. ISDA also published a protocol providing details of the fallback rate conversion methodology in October 2020. It cannot be predicted whether SOFR or another index or indices will become a market standard that replaces LIBOR, and if so, the effects on our future results of operations or financial condition. In a November 30, 2020 announcement, LIBOR’s administrator signaled to the market that USD LIBOR for the most liquid maturities is now likely to continue to be published until June 30, 2023, which would allow time for certain legacy contracts to mature before USD LIBOR is no longer available, and would also allow for more time for SOFR to develop. If LIBOR ceases to exist prior to the maturity of our contracts, we may need to renegotiate our credit agreements that utilize LIBOR as a factor in determining the interest rate to replace LIBOR with the new standard that is established.
We rely on our free cash flow generation and credit facilities to provide us with sufficient working capital to operate our business and finance our growth strategies.
Historically, we have relied upon our free cash flow generation and existing credit facilities to provide us with adequate working capital to operate our business. Moreover, our growth rate depends, to a large degree, on the availability of adequate capital to fund the expansion of our products offerings and market penetration, which in turn will depend in large part on cash flow generated by our business and the availability of equity and debt capital. To the extent we become more dependent upon our credit facilities to fund our operations, if our lenders reduce or terminate our access to amounts under our credit facilities, we may not have sufficient capital to fund our working capital needs or growth strategies and/or we may need to secure additional capital or financing to fund our working capital requirements, to repay outstanding debt under our credit facilities or to finance our growth strategies. Given the current macroeconomic environment, we expect continued pressure on our ability to comply with the covenants in our Secured Credit Facility (as defined herein), which could limit our borrowing capacity and result in a default, as applicable. We are monitoring this matter and working with lenders under the Secured Credit Facility on options to prevent a default in the event we are not able to continue to meet the current covenants in the Secured Credit Facility. We can make no assurance that we will be successful in ensuring our availability of amounts under our credit facilities when they are needed or in connection with raising additional capital and that any amount, if raised, will be sufficient to meet our cash flow requirements. In the event we do not have available cash balances on hand for funding future operations, and if we are not able to maintain our borrowing availability under our credit facilities at that time and/or raise additional capital when needed, we may be forced to sharply curtail our efforts to manufacture and promote the sale of our products or to curtail our operations.
The implementation of our workforce reduction and restructuring plan could result in greater costs and fewer benefits than we anticipate, which could materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
On August 12, 2022, as part of our cost-saving plan to preserve liquidity, expand gross margins and reduce selling, general and administrative costs, the Board approved a restructuring plan, which included a workforce reduction of our non-manufacturing and distribution headcount, including the termination of certain senior executives, the termination of certain lease and other contractual obligations and the disposal of certain other assets. We expect to substantially complete the restructuring plan by the first quarter of fiscal year 2023.
The process to undertake these restructuring initiatives could take more time and be more costly than anticipated. These restructuring initiatives could place substantial demands on our management, which could lead to the diversion of management’s attention from other business priorities. These initiatives could also lead to unanticipated work stoppages, low employee morale, decreased productivity, and a failure to deliver under existing commitments to third parties, which could harm our business. As a result of these or any other factors, we could fail to realize the anticipated benefits associated with the workforce reduction and restructuring initiatives, which could in turn materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
We are a holding company and our principal asset is our 26% ownership interest in Weber HoldCo LLC, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions from Weber HoldCo LLC to pay dividends, if any, and taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and pay other expenses.
We are a holding company and our principal asset is 26% of the outstanding LLC Units. We have no independent means of generating income from operations. Weber HoldCo LLC is, and will continue to be, treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, the taxable income of Weber HoldCo LLC will be allocated to holders of LLC Units, including us. Accordingly, we will incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of Weber HoldCo LLC. We will also incur expenses related to our operations, and will have obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. As the sole managing member of Weber HoldCo LLC, we intend to cause Weber HoldCo LLC to make distributions to the holders of LLC Units and us, in amounts sufficient to (i) generally cover all applicable taxes payable by us and the holders of LLC Units, (ii) allow us to make any payments required under the Tax Receivable Agreement, (iii) fund dividends to our stockholders in accordance with our dividend policy, to the extent that our Board declares such dividends and (iv) pay our expenses.
Deterioration in the financial conditions, earnings or cash flow of Weber HoldCo LLC and its subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair their ability to pay such distributions. Additionally, to the extent that we need funds and Weber HoldCo LLC is restricted from making such distributions to us under applicable law or regulation, as a result of covenants in its debt agreements or otherwise, we may not be able to obtain such funds on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and, as a result, could suffer a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition.
In certain circumstances, Weber HoldCo LLC is required to make distributions to us and the other holders of LLC Units, and the distributions that Weber HoldCo LLC is required to make may be substantial.
Under the Amended LLC Agreement, Weber HoldCo LLC is generally required from time to time to make pro rata distributions in cash to us and the other holders of LLC Units at certain assumed tax rates in amounts that are intended to be sufficient to cover the taxes on our and the other LLC Unit holders’ respective allocable shares of the taxable income of Weber HoldCo LLC. As a result of (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and the other LLC Unit holders, (ii) the lower tax rate applicable to corporations than individuals and (iii) the favorable tax benefits that we anticipate receiving from (a) acquisitions of interests in Weber HoldCo LLC in connection with acquisitions by Weber Inc. of LLC Units from certain of our existing equityholders in connection with future taxable redemptions or exchanges of LLC Units for shares of our Class A common stock or cash and (b) payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, we expect that these tax distributions will be in amounts that exceed our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Our Board determines the appropriate uses for any excess cash so accumulated, which may include, among other uses, dividends, repurchases of our Class A common stock and the payment of other expenses. While we intend to distribute this excess cash to our shareholders as dividends pursuant to our dividend policy, we will have no obligation to distribute such cash (or other available cash other than any declared dividend) to our stockholders. No adjustments to the redemption or exchange ratio of LLC Units for shares of Class A common stock are made as a result of either (i) any cash distribution by us or (ii) any cash that we retain and do not distribute to our stockholders. To the extent that we do not distribute such excess cash as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to Weber HoldCo LLC, holders of LLC Units would benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class A common stock following a redemption or exchange of their LLC Units.
We are controlled by the Pre-IPO LLC Members whose interests in our business may be different than yours, and certain statutory provisions afforded to stockholders are not applicable to us.
The Pre-IPO LLC Members (as defined below) control approximately 82% of the combined voting power of our common stock. Further, pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement (as defined below), we and the Pre-IPO LLC Members entered into, the Pre-IPO LLC Members may approve or disapprove our change of control transactions, including mergers or amalgamations, consolidations or a sale of all or substantially all assets and any dissolution, liquidation or reorganization of us or our subsidiaries. In addition, the Stockholders Agreement provides that approval by the Pre-IPO LLC Members is required for changes to the strategic direction or scope of our principal business or that of Weber HoldCo LLC. Furthermore, the Stockholders Agreement provides that, until the Pre-IPO LLC members beneficially hold at least a majority of the aggregate outstanding shares of our common stock, which we refer to as the “Majority Ownership Requirement,” the Pre-IPO LLC Members may designate a majority of the nominees for election to our Board, including the nominee for election to serve as Chair of our Board; even after the Majority Ownership Requirement is no longer met, Pre-IPO LLC Members can continue to retain certain designation rights under the Stockholders Agreement proportionate to their percentage ownership in our common stock.
This concentration of ownership and voting power may also delay, defer or even prevent an acquisition by a third party or other change of control of our company, which could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of Class A common stock and may make some transactions more difficult or impossible without the support of the Pre-IPO LLC Members, even if such events are in the best interests of minority stockholders. Furthermore, this concentration of voting power with the Pre-IPO LLC Members may have a negative impact on the price of our Class A common stock.
Our dual-class structure, combined with the concentrated control of the Pre-IPO LLC Members, may result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indexes. In July 2017, FTSE Russell announced that it plans to require new constituents of its indexes to have greater than 5% of the company’s voting rights in the hands of public stockholders, and S&P Dow Jones announced that it will no longer admit companies with multiple-class share structures to certain of its indexes. Because of our dual-class structure, we will likely be excluded from these indexes and we cannot assure you that other stock indexes will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indexes, exclusion from stock indexes would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our Class A common stock less attractive to other investors. As a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
The Pre-IPO LLC Members’ interests may not be fully aligned with yours, which could lead to actions that are not in your best interests. Because the Pre-IPO LLC Members hold a majority of their economic interests in our business through Weber HoldCo LLC rather than through Weber Inc., they may have conflicting interests with holders of shares of our Class A common stock. For example, the Pre-IPO LLC Members may have a different tax position from us, which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when we should dispose of assets or incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, especially in light of the existence of the Tax Receivable Agreement that we entered into in connection with our initial public offering, and whether and when we should undergo certain changes of control for purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement or terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration these tax or other considerations even where no similar benefit would accrue to us. Pursuant to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, if the IRS makes audit adjustments to Weber HoldCo LLC’s federal income tax returns, it may assess and collect any taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment directly from Weber HoldCo LLC. If, as a result of any such audit adjustment, Weber HoldCo LLC is required to make payments of taxes, penalties and interest, Weber HoldCo LLC’s cash available for distributions to us may be substantially reduced. These rules are not applicable to Weber HoldCo LLC for tax years beginning on or prior to December 31, 2017. In addition, the Pre-IPO LLC Members’ significant ownership in us and resulting ability to effectively control us may discourage someone from making a significant equity investment in us, or could discourage transactions involving a change in control, including transactions in which you as a holder of shares of our Class A common stock might otherwise receive a premium for your shares over the then-current market price.
We have opted out of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or DGCL, which prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination transaction with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the interested stockholder became such unless the transaction fits within an applicable exemption, such as board approval of the business combination or the transaction which resulted in such stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. Therefore, after the lock-up periods related to our initial public offering expire, the Pre-IPO LLC Members will be able to transfer control of us to a third party by transferring their shares of our common stock (subject to certain restrictions and limitations), which would not require the approval of our Board or our other stockholders.
The doctrine of “corporate opportunity” does not apply with respect to the Pre-IPO LLC Members and our directors who are not employed by us or our subsidiaries, and their respective affiliates.
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we waived, on behalf of ourselves and our subsidiaries, the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” under Delaware law from applying against the Pre-IPO LLC Members and directors who are not employed by us or our subsidiaries, and their respective affiliates. The doctrine of corporate opportunity generally requires, among other things, a corporation’s fiduciary to refrain from engaging in corporate opportunities that are in lines of business reasonably similar to the present or prospective business of such corporation, unless that opportunity is first presented to the corporation and the corporation chooses not to pursue that opportunity. As a result of our waiver, certain of our stockholders, directors and their respective affiliates will not be prohibited from operating or investing in competing businesses. We, therefore, may find ourselves in competition with certain of our stockholders, directors or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose a corporate opportunity or suffer competitive harm, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE rules and, as a result, qualify for, and rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to the stockholders of companies that are subject to such corporate governance requirements.
BDT Capital Partners LLC beneficially owns more than 50% of the voting power for the election of members of our Board. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE rules. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements.
As a controlled company, we rely on certain exemptions from the NYSE standards that may enable us not to comply with certain NYSE corporate governance requirements. Accordingly, we do not have a nominating and corporate governance committee. As a consequence of our reliance on certain exemptions from the NYSE standards provided to “controlled companies,” you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.
We are required to pay the Pre-IPO LLC Members and any other persons that become parties to the Tax Receivable Agreement for certain tax benefits we may receive, and the amounts we may pay could be significant.
Acquisitions by Weber Inc. of LLC Units from certain of our existing equityholders in connection with future taxable redemptions or exchanges by the Pre-IPO LLC Members of LLC Units for shares of our Class A common stock or cash, as well as other transactions described herein, are expected to result in tax basis adjustments to the assets of Weber HoldCo LLC. These tax basis adjustments generated over time may increase (for tax purposes) the depreciation and amortization deductions available to Weber Inc. and, therefore, may reduce the amount of U.S. federal, state and local tax that Weber Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future. These tax attributes would not be available to us in the absence of those transactions. The anticipated tax basis adjustments are expected to reduce the amount of tax that we would otherwise be required to pay in the future.
We entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement with the Pre-IPO LLC Members that provides for the payment by us to the Pre-IPO LLC Members of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax or franchise tax that we actually realize as a result of (i) Weber Inc.’s allocable share of certain existing tax basis in tangible and intangible assets related to certain transactions that resulted in a step-up in Weber HoldCo LLC’s tax basis, (ii) any increase in tax basis in Weber Inc.’s assets resulting from (a) acquisitions by Weber Inc. of LLC Units from the Pre-IPO LLC Members in connection with our initial public offering, (b) the purchase of LLC Units from any of the Pre-IPO LLC Members using the net proceeds from any future offering, (c) redemptions or exchanges by the Pre-IPO LLC Members of LLC Units for shares of our Class A common stock or cash or (d) payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and (iii) tax benefits related to imputed interest resulting from payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement. The payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement are our obligations and not obligations of Weber HoldCo LLC.
As a result of the increases in the tax basis of the tangible and intangible assets of Weber HoldCo LLC attributable to the redeemed or exchanged LLC Units, the payments that we may make to the existing Pre-IPO LLC Members could be substantial. The actual increases in tax basis with respect to future taxable redemptions, exchanges or purchases of LLC Units, as well as the amount and timing of any payments we are required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement in respect of the acquisition of LLC Units from Pre-IPO LLC Members in connection with future taxable redemptions, exchanges or purchases of LLC Units, may differ materially from the amounts set forth above because the potential future reductions in our tax payments, as determined for purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, and the payments we will be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement, will each depend on a number of factors, including the market value of our Class A common stock at the time of redemption or exchange, the prevailing federal tax rates applicable to us over the life of the Tax Receivable Agreement (as well as the assumed combined state and local tax rate), the amount and timing of the taxable income that we generate in the future and the extent to which future redemptions, exchanges or purchases of LLC Units are taxable transactions.
Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned on the Pre-IPO LLC Members’ continued ownership of us. There may be a material negative effect on our liquidity if, as described below, the payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement exceed the actual benefits we receive in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement and/or distributions to us by Weber HoldCo LLC are not sufficient to permit us to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement.
In addition, the Pre-IPO LLC Members will not reimburse us for any payments previously made if such tax basis increases or other tax benefits are subsequently disallowed by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), except that any excess payments made to the Pre-IPO LLC Members will be netted against future payments otherwise to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, if any, after our determination of such excess. As a result, in such circumstances, we could make
payments to the Pre-IPO LLC Members under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are greater than our actual cash tax savings and we may not be able to recoup those payments, which could negatively impact our liquidity.
In addition, the Tax Receivable Agreement provides that, upon certain mergers, asset sales or other forms of business combination, or certain other changes of control, our or our successor’s obligations with respect to tax benefits would be based on certain assumptions, including that we or our successor would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the increased tax deductions and tax basis and other benefits covered by the Tax Receivable Agreement. As a result, upon a change of control, we could be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are greater than the specified percentage of our actual cash tax savings, which could negatively impact our liquidity.
This provision of the Tax Receivable Agreement may result in situations where the Pre-IPO LLC Members have interests that differ from or are in addition to those of our other stockholders. In addition, we could be required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are substantial and in excess of our, or a potential acquirer’s, actual cash savings in income tax.
Our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement also applies with respect to any person who is issued LLC Units in the future and who becomes a party to the Tax Receivable Agreement.
Finally, because we are a holding company with no operations of our own, our ability to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement depends on the ability of Weber HoldCo LLC to make distributions to us. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid, which could negatively impact our results of operations and could also affect our liquidity in periods in which such payments are made.
In connection with our entry into the Merger Agreement, we amended the Tax Receivable Agreement. As amended, the Tax Receivable Agreement will automatically terminate in full without any payment, including any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment (each as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement) upon the consummation of the Merger, and none of the Transactions, including the Merger, will constitute a Change of Control (as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement) or any payment, including any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
Some provisions of Delaware law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may deter third parties from acquiring us and diminish the value of our Class A common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide for, among other things:
•division of our Board into three classes of directors, with each class as equal in number as possible, serving staggered three-year terms;
•until the Majority Ownership Requirement is no longer met, the Pre-IPO LLC Members may designate a majority of the nominees for election to our Board, including the nominee for election to serve as Chair of our Board;
•at any time after the Majority Ownership Requirement is no longer met, there will be:
◦restrictions on the ability of our stockholders to call a special meeting and the business that can be conducted at such meeting or to act by written consent;
◦supermajority approval requirements for amending or repealing certain provisions in the certificate of incorporation and bylaws;
◦removal of directors only for cause and by the affirmative vote of holders of 75% of the total voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock, voting together as a single class; and
◦a prohibition on business combinations with interested shareholders under Section 203 of the DGCL;
•our ability to issue additional shares of Class A common stock and to issue preferred stock with terms that our Board may determine, in each case without stockholder approval (other than as specified in our certificate of incorporation);
•the absence of cumulative voting in the election of directors; and
•advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations.
These provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company that is in the best interest of our minority stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our Class A
common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to nominate directors for election to our Board and take other corporate actions.
Our stock price may continue to be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the initial public offering price.
Securities markets worldwide have experienced, and are likely to continue to experience, significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of our Class A common stock regardless of our results of operations. The trading price of our Class A common stock may continue to be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including:
•market conditions in the broader stock market in general, or in our industry in particular;
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial and results of operations;
•introduction of new products and services by us or our competitors;
•issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations;
•investor perceptions of us and the industries in which we or our clients operate;
•low trading volume or sales, or anticipated sales, of large blocks of our Class A common stock, including those by our existing investors;
•concentration of Class A common stock ownership;
•additions or departures of key personnel;
•regulatory or political developments;
•litigation and governmental investigations; and
•changing economic and political conditions.
These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for shares of our Class A common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of Class A common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our Class A common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders may be limited by our holding company structure, contractual restrictions and regulatory requirements.
We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our ownership of LLC Units in Weber HoldCo LLC, and we do not have any independent means of generating income from operations. We cause Weber HoldCo LLC to make pro rata distributions to the Pre-IPO LLC Members and us in an amount at least sufficient to allow us and the Pre-IPO LLC Members to generally pay all applicable taxes, to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and to pay our corporate and other overhead expenses. Weber HoldCo LLC is a distinct legal entity and may be subject to legal or contractual restrictions that, under certain circumstances, may limit our ability to obtain cash from them. If Weber HoldCo LLC is unable to make distributions, we may not receive adequate distributions, which could materially and adversely affect our dividends and financial position and our ability to fund any dividends.
Our Board will periodically review the cash generated from our business and the capital expenditures required to finance our global growth plans and determine whether to declare periodic dividends to our stockholders. Our Board will take into account general economic and business conditions, including our financial condition and results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, including restrictions and covenants contained in our credit agreement, business prospects and other factors that our Board considers relevant. In addition, the credit agreement limits the amount of distributions that Weber HoldCo LLC can make to us and the purposes for which distributions could be made. Accordingly, we may not be able to pay dividends even if our Board would otherwise deem it appropriate.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they publish negative evaluations of our Class A common stock, the price of our Class A common stock could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock relies in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We currently have research coverage by industry and securities analysts. If no or few analysts continue coverage of us, the trading price of our Class A common stock would likely decrease. If one or more of the analysts covering our business downgrade their evaluations of our Class A common stock, the price of our Class A common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover our Class A common
stock, we could lose visibility in the trading market for our Class A common stock, which in turn could cause our Class A common stock price to decline.
We incur increased costs and are subject to additional regulations and requirements as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance matters, which could lower profits or make it more difficult to run our business.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, reporting and other expenses that we had not incurred as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements and costs of recruiting and retaining non-executive directors. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules and regulations of the SEC, and various other costs of a public company. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. Our management devotes a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with all of these requirements.
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
These laws and regulations also could make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board, our board committees or as executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our Class A common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.
We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate this material weakness, or if we experience additional material weaknesses or other deficiencies in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial results, which could adversely affect investor confidence in our company, our results of operation and our stock price.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting and for evaluating and reporting on the effectiveness of our system of internal control. As a public company, we are required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, beginning with this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. We must also include a report issued by our independent registered public accounting firm based on their audit of our internal controls over financial reporting.
In connection with our year-end assessment of internal control over financial reporting, we determined that, as of September 30, 2022, we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting because we identified a material weakness in the design and operation of information technology general controls (“ITGCs”) related to our IT applications supporting all of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting processes, including our ERP, specifically in the areas of user access controls and program change management controls. In addition, our business process controls (both automated and manual) were also deemed ineffective because they are adversely impacted by the ineffective ITGCs. We have taken and continue to take steps to remediate the control deficiencies contributing to the material weakness. A significant portion of our remediation plan to address the material weakness includes the implementation of our new global ERP system, SAP S4/HANA, which was deployed in the U.S. and significant portions of our European operations during the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, and is expected to be deployed to all global operations although there can be no assurances as to when the implementation will be complete or if it will successfully remediate the material weakness identified on a timely basis. As a result, we may not be successful in making the improvements necessary to remediate the material weakness identified by management, be able to do so in a timely manner, or be able to identify and remediate
additional control deficiencies, including material weaknesses, in the future. For further discussion of the material weaknesses identified and our remedial efforts, see Item 9A Controls and Procedures of this Annual Report.
Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations. The effectiveness of our controls and procedures may be limited by a variety of factors.
Our ability to comply with the annual internal control report requirements will depend on the effectiveness of our financial reporting and data systems and controls across our Company. We expect these systems and controls to involve significant expenditures and to become increasingly complex as our business grows. To effectively manage this complexity, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial, and management controls, and our reporting systems and procedures. Our inability to successfully remediate our existing or any future material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting or any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation or operation of these controls, could harm our operating results and cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations or result in material misstatements in our financial statements, which could limit our liquidity and access to capital markets, adversely affect our business and investor confidence in us, and reduce our stock price.
Failure to comply with the requirements to design, implement and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
We have significant requirements for enhanced financial reporting and internal controls. The process of designing and implementing effective internal controls is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a system of internal controls that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligations as a public company.
If we are unable to maintain appropriate internal financial reporting controls and procedures, it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations on a timely basis, result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements and harm our operating results. In addition, we are required pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the first fiscal year beginning after the effective date of our initial public offering. This assessment needs to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in an internal control over financial reporting. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm is required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) commencing the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. Testing and maintaining internal controls may divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to our business. We may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 or our independent registered public accounting firm may not issue an unqualified opinion. If either we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide us with an unqualified report, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC.
The provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requiring exclusive forum in certain courts in the State of Delaware or the federal district courts of the U.S. for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we, in writing, select or consent to the selection of an alternative forum, all complaints asserting any internal corporate claims (defined as claims, including claims in the right of our company: (i) that are based upon a violation of a duty by a current or former director, officer, employee, or stockholder in such capacity; or (ii) as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction upon the Court of Chancery), to the fullest extent permitted by law, and subject to applicable jurisdictional requirements, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept, subject matter jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located within the State of Delaware). Additionally, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the U.S. are the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Our choice-of-forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in our common stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum selection provisions described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Although we believe these exclusive forum provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws in the types of lawsuits to which each applies, the exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have
waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder as a result of our exclusive forum provisions. Further, in the event a court finds either exclusive forum provision contained in our certificate of incorporation to be unenforceable or inapplicable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Risks Related to the Merger
We have entered into the Merger Agreement whereby an affiliate of BDT would acquire all of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock, and uncertainty regarding the closing of the Merger and/or announcements related to the closing of the Merger can impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, and the market price of our common stock.
Entry into the Merger Agreement, or any other potential strategic alternative transaction, exposes us and our operations to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the potential failure to retain, attract or strengthen our relationships with key personnel, current and potential customers, suppliers, licensors and partners, which may cause them to terminate, or not to renew or enter into, arrangements with us; the potential incurrence of expenses associated with the retention of legal, financial and other advisors regardless of whether any transaction is consummated; distractions and disruptions in our business; and exposure to potential litigation in connection with this process and effecting any transaction, any of which could adversely affect our share price, business, financial condition and results of operations as well as the market price of our common stock. Announcements regarding developments relating to the Merger can cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly.
The consummation of the Merger is subject to a number of conditions, many of which are largely outside of the control of the parties to the Merger Agreement, and, if these conditions are not satisfied or waived on a timely basis, the Merger Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may not be completed.
The obligation of the parties to consummate the Merger is subject to various conditions, including: (i) adoption of the Merger Agreement by holders of (a) a majority of the outstanding Class A Shares, (b) a majority of (1) the outstanding Class B Shares and (2) the Class B Shares held by the stockholders party to the Stockholders Agreement (the “Stockholders Agreement”), dated August 9, 2021, by and among the Company, Weber HoldCo LLC and certain other parties set forth therein, and (c) a majority of the outstanding Common Shares; (ii) the absence of any judgment or law prohibiting the consummation of the Merger; (iii) the mailing of the Information Statement and the passage of 20 days thereafter; (iv) the expiration of the waiting period applicable to the Transactions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended; (v) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the parties (subject to customary materiality qualifiers); and (vi) each party’s performance in all material respects of its covenants and obligations contained in the Merger Agreement. Following the execution of the Merger Agreement, the Specified Holders executed and delivered to the Company a written consent adopting the Merger Agreement and approving the Merger (the “Stockholder Consent”), thereby providing the required stockholder approval for the Merger. The failure to satisfy all of the required conditions could delay the completion of the Merger by a significant period of time or prevent it from occurring. Any delay in completing the Merger could cause the parties to the Merger Agreement to not realize some or all of the benefits that are expected to be achieved if the Merger is successfully completed within the expected timeframe. There can be no assurance that the conditions to closing of the Merger will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed within the expected timeframe or at all.
Failure to complete, or significant delays in completing, the Merger could negatively affect the trading price of our Class A common stock and our future business and financial results.
There can be no assurance that the conditions to the closing of the Merger will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed. If the Merger is not completed, or if there are significant delays in completing the Merger, we would be subject to several risks, including the following:
•a decline in the price of our Class A common stock due to the fact that the current price reflects a market assumption that the Merger will be completed;
•we will have incurred certain significant costs relating to the Merger, including legal, accounting, financial advisor, filing, printing and mailing fees, regardless of whether the Merger closes;
•under the Merger Agreement, we are subject to certain restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to the closing of the Merger, which may adversely affect our ability to execute certain of our business strategies; and
•the attention of our management will have been diverted to the Merger, whether or not it closes, rather than our own operations and pursuit of other opportunities that could have been beneficial to us.
While the Merger Agreement is in effect, we may be limited in our ability to pursue other business opportunities, and our business may be otherwise adversely affected.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, we have agreed to refrain from taking certain actions (without BDT’s prior written consent) with respect to our business and financial affairs pending completion of the Merger or termination of the Merger Agreement. In addition, in connection with the pending Merger, some of our customers, vendors or other third parties may react unfavorably, including by delaying or deferring decisions concerning their business relationships or transactions with us, which could adversely affect our revenues, earnings, cash flows and expenses, regardless of whether the Merger is completed.
The required regulatory approvals may not be obtained or may contain conditions that could jeopardize or delay closing.
Completion of the Merger is conditioned upon the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period, and any extension of the waiting period, under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended. There is no assurance that such approval will be obtained. In addition, the governmental entities from whom such approval is required may impose conditions on the completion of the Merger or require changes to the terms of the Merger, and such conditions or changes could have the effect of jeopardizing or delaying completion of the Merger.
If the Merger is completed, our Class A common stock will no longer be publicly traded, and most stockholders will cease to have any ownership interest in the Company and therefore will not be able to realize the potential benefits to the Company of completing the Merger.
The proposed Merger is a going-private transaction. Upon completion of the Merger, Class A Shares (other than (i) Class A Shares held by BDT Capital Partners I-A Holdings, LLC and BDT WSP Holdings, LLC, (ii) any Class A shares or Class B Shares canceled pursuant to the Merger Agreement and (iii) any dissenting Class A Shares) will be converted into the right to receive $8.05 per share. Because the merger consideration for the Class A Shares is all cash, following the Merger, holders of Class A Shares who receive the merger consideration will not realize any potential benefits to the Company of the Merger, such as reduced expenses, operational efficiencies, benefits associated with future strategic transactions, improvement in our financial condition, and the elimination of the compliance, insurance, regulatory, and other costs associated with being a public reporting company.
We will continue to incur substantial transaction-related costs in connection with the Merger.
We have incurred significant legal, advisory and financial services fees in connection with our Board’s and the Special Committee’s review of strategic alternatives and the process of negotiating and evaluating the terms of the Merger. We expect to continue to incur additional costs in connection with the Merger. Further, while we have assumed that a certain amount of transaction expenses will be incurred, factors beyond our control could affect the total amount or the timing of these expenses. Many of the expenses that will be incurred, by their nature, are difficult to estimate accurately. Such costs may be material and could have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
The Merger is a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our shareholders will depend on each shareholder's particular situation.
The receipt of cash in exchange for our Class A common stock in the Merger will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Merger, including whether a shareholder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax and, if subject to U.S. federal income tax, the applicable tax rate and the amount and character of any gain or loss recognized, will vary depending on each shareholder's particular circumstances. These circumstances include, among many others, the U.S. federal income tax classification of the shareholder, whether the shareholder is a “United States person” (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) or has certain other relationships with the United States, whether the shares of Class A common stock were held as "capital assets" within the meaning of the Code, the amount of cash received, the adjusted tax basis of the shares of Class A common stock exchanged, and how long the shareholder owned the shares of Class A common stock prior to the exchange.
We may be the target of securities class action and derivative lawsuits which could result in substantial costs and may delay or prevent the Merger from being completed.
Securities class action lawsuits and derivative lawsuits are often brought against public companies that have entered into merger agreements. Even if the lawsuits are without merit, defending against these claims can result in substantial costs to us and divert management time and resources. Additionally, if a plaintiff is successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting consummation of the Merger, then that injunction may delay or prevent the Merger from being completed.
General Risk Factors
Our future success depends on the continuing efforts of our management team and key employees, and on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel and senior management.
We depend on the talents and continued efforts of our senior management and key employees. The loss of members of our management or key employees may disrupt our business and harm our results of operations. Recently, we experienced turnover of certain members of our management, including our chief executive officer. Furthermore, our ability to execute on our strategies will require us to continue to attract, motivate, and retain qualified personnel, particularly in our core competencies such as product development, engineering and sales and customer channels. Competition for this type of personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting, integrating, and retaining the personnel required to grow and operate our business effectively. There can be no assurance that our current management team or any new members of our management team will be able to successfully execute our business and operating strategies.
In light of our current performance and resulting restructuring of the organization, we also believe that our culture will continue to be a key factor to our success and our ability to foster the environment we believe we need to support our operations. If we fail to effectively manage our hiring needs and successfully integrate our new hires, our efficiency and ability to meet our goals, as well as our culture, employee morale, productivity and retention, could suffer, and our business and operating results would be adversely impacted.
We are subject to many hazards and operational risks that can disrupt our business, some of which may not be insured or fully covered by insurance.
Our operations are subject to many hazards and operational risks inherent to our business, including: (a) general business risks; (b) product liability; (c) product recall; and (d) damage to third parties (e.g., our vendors), our infrastructure, or properties caused by fires, floods and other natural disasters, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, riots, cyberattacks, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic (and other future pandemics or epidemics), human errors, and similar events.
Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover our liabilities related to such hazards or operational risks. For example, we do not currently maintain cybersecurity insurance and our insurance providers may take the position that our coverage, under present circumstances, does not extend to business interruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we may not be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable and commercially justifiable, and insurance may not continue to be available on terms as favorable as our current arrangements. The occurrence of a significant uninsured claim or a claim in excess of the insurance coverage limits maintained by us could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We face risks associated with our increased presence in emerging markets.
Our growth plans include efforts to increase revenue from emerging markets, including through acquisitions. Local business practices in these countries may not comply with U.S. laws, local laws or other laws applicable to us or our compliance policies, and noncompliant practices may result in increased liability risks. For example, we may incur unanticipated costs, expenses or other liabilities as a result of an acquisition target’s violation of applicable laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) or similar worldwide anti-bribery laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions. We may incur unanticipated costs or expenses, including post-closing asset impairment charges, expenses associated with eliminating duplicate facilities, litigation, and other liabilities. In addition, our recent and future acquisitions may increase our exposure to other risks associated with operating internationally, including foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; political, legal and economic instability; inflation; changes in tax rates and tax laws; and work stoppages and labor relations.
Our real estate leases generally obligate us for long periods, which subjects us to various financial risks.
We lease certain of our manufacturing centers, distribution centers, and retail locations, generally for long terms. While we have the right to terminate some of our leases under specified conditions by making specified payments, we may not be able to terminate a particular lease if or when we would like to do so. If we decide to close these facilities, we are generally required to continue paying rent and operating expenses for the balance of the lease term, or to pay to exercise rights to terminate, and the performance of any of these obligations may be expensive. When we assign or sublease vacated locations, we may remain liable for the lease obligations if the assignee or sublessee does not perform. In addition, when leases for these facilities expire, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms, or at all, which could cause us to close these facilities. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks associated with leasing real estate, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Further, the success of our and our partners’ retail locations depends on a number of factors including the sustained success of the shopping center in which the retail location is situated, consumer demographics, and consumer shopping habits and patterns. Changes in consumer shopping habits and patterns, reduced consumer traffic in the shopping centers where our and our partners’ retail locations are located, financial difficulties of our and our partners’ landlords, anchor tenants, or a significant number of other retailers, and shopping center vacancies or closures could impact the profitability of our and our partners’ retail locations and increase the likelihood that our and our partners’ landlords fail to fulfill their obligations and conditions under our and our partners’ lease agreements. While we and our partners’ have certain remedies and protections under our lease agreements, the loss of business that may result if a shopping center closes or if consumer traffic were to significantly decline as a result of lost tenants, improper care of the facilities or due to macroeconomic effects, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
We face risks related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and other countries and certain international organizations have imposed broad-ranging economic sanctions on Russia and certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations as a response, and additional sanctions may be imposed in the future. In March 2022, the Company suspended operations in Russia, including cessations of imports into Russia, sales to retailers in Russia and e-commerce activity in Russia. The ramifications of the hostilities and sanctions may also not be limited to Russia, Ukraine and Russian and Ukrainian companies; ramifications may spill over to and negatively impact surrounding countries in which we have operations. The extent and duration of the military action or future escalation of such hostilities, resulting sanctions and market disruptions and volatility are impossible to predict, but could be significant and could have a severe adverse effect on regional and global economies, and could include risk of possible further sanctions, embargoes, regional instability, geopolitical shifts, cybersecurity risks, fluctuation in currency exchange rates, supply chain disruptions and adverse impact on financial markets and energy markets.