Under Armour - 10-K annual report 2013

UNDER ARMOUR, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART I

 

Products

We began offering footwear for men, women and youth in 2006, and each year we have expanded our footwear offerings. Our footwear offerings include football, baseball, lacrosse, softball and soccer cleats, slides, performance training footwear, running footwear, basketball footwear and hunting boots. Our footwear is light, breathable and built with performance attributes for athletes. Our footwear is designed with innovative technologies which provide stabilization, directional cushioning and moisture management engineered to maximize the athlete’s comfort and control.

Accessories primarily includes the sale of headwear, bags and gloves. Our accessories include HEATGEAR® and COLDGEAR® technologies and are designed with advanced fabrications to provide the same level of performance as our other products.

In December 2013, we acquired MapMyFitness, which offers digital fitness platform licenses and subscriptions, along with digital advertising. License revenues generated from the sale of apparel and accessories and the use of the MapMyFitness platform are included in our net revenues.

Marketing and Promotion

We currently focus on marketing and selling our products to consumers primarily for use in athletics, fitness, training and outdoor activities. We seek to drive consumer demand by building brand equity and awareness that our products deliver advantages that help athletes perform better.

Our marketing and promotion strategy begins with providing and selling our products to high-performing athletes and teams on the high school, collegiate and professional levels. We execute this strategy through outfitting agreements, professional and collegiate sponsorships, individual athlete agreements and by providing and selling our products directly to team equipment managers and to individual athletes. As a result, our products are seen on the field, giving them exposure to various consumer audiences through the internet, television, magazines and live at sporting events. This exposure to consumers helps us establish on-field authenticity as consumers can see our products being worn by high-performing athletes.

We are the official outfitter of athletic teams in several high-profile collegiate conferences. We are an official supplier of footwear and gloves to the National Football League (“NFL”) and we are the official combine scouting partner to the NFL with the right to sell combine training apparel beginning in 2012. In addition, in 2011 we became the Official Performance Footwear Supplier of Major League Baseball and became a partner with the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) which allows us to market our NBA athletes in game uniforms in connection with our basketball footwear.

Internationally, we are providing and selling our products to European soccer and rugby teams. Beginning with the 2012 season, we provide the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club with performance apparel, including training wear and playing kit for the Club’s First and Academy teams, together with replica product for the Club’s supporters around the world. We are the official technical kit supplier to the Welsh Rugby Union and have exclusive retail rights on the replica products. Beginning in 2014, we became the official kit supplier of the Chilean football club, Corporación Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo.

We also seek to sponsor events to drive awareness and brand authenticity from a grassroots level. We host combines, camps and clinics for many sports at regional sites across the country for male and female athletes. These events, along with the

products we make, are designed to help young athletes improve their training methods and their overall performance. We are also the title sponsor of a collection of high school All-America Games that create significant on-field product and brand exposure that contributes to our on-field authenticity.

We feature our products in a variety of national digital, broadcast, and print media outlets. We also utilize social marketing to engage consumers and promote conversation around our brand and our products.

The primary component of our retail marketing strategy is to increase and brand floor space dedicated to our products within our major retail accounts. The design and funding of Under Armour concept shops within our major retail accounts has been a key initiative for securing prime floor space, educating the consumer and creating an exciting environment for the consumer to experience our brand. Under Armour concept shops enhance our brand’s presentation within our major retail accounts with a shop-in-shop approach, using dedicated floor space exclusively for our products, including flooring, lighting, walls, displays and images.

Sales and Distribution

The majority of our sales are generated through wholesale channels, which include national and regional sporting goods chains, independent and specialty retailers, department store chains, institutional athletic departments and leagues and teams. In addition, we sell our products to independent distributors in various countries where we generally do not have direct sales operations and through licensees.

We believe the trend toward performance products is global and plan to continue to introduce our products and simple merchandising story to athletes throughout the world. We are introducing our performance apparel, footwear and accessories outside of North America in a manner consistent with our past brand-building strategy, including selling our products directly to teams and individual athletes in these markets, thereby providing us with product exposure to broad audiences of potential consumers.

In addition, we earn licensing income in North America based on our licensees’ sale of socks, team uniforms, baby and kids’ apparel, eyewear and inflatable footballs and basketballs, as well as the distribution of our products to college bookstores and golf pro shops. In order to maintain consistent quality and performance, we pre-approve all products manufactured and sold by our licensees, and our quality assurance team strives to ensure that the products meet the same quality and compliance standards as the products that we sell directly.

We distribute the majority of our products sold to our North American wholesale customers and our brand and factory house stores from distribution facilities we lease and operate in California and Maryland. In addition, we distribute our products in North America through third-party logistics providers with primary locations in Canada, New Jersey and Florida. In some instances, we arrange to have products shipped from the independent factories that manufacture our products directly to customer-designated facilities.

We sell our apparel, footwear and accessories through retailers and our websites in certain European countries. We also sell our apparel, footwear and accessories to independent distributors in various European countries where we do not have direct sales operations. In addition, we sell our branded products to various sports clubs and teams in Europe. In 2012, we began selling the United Kingdom's Tottenham Hotspur Football Club replica product for the Club’s supporters around the world.

We generally distribute our products to our retail customers and e-commerce consumers in EMEA through a third-party logistics provider based out of Venlo, The Netherlands. This agreement continues until 2015.

Since 2002 we have had a license agreement with Dome Corporation, which produces, markets and sells our branded apparel, footwear and accessories in Japan and Korea. We are actively involved with this licensee to develop variations of our products for the different sizes, sports interests and preferences of Japanese and Korean consumers. Our branded products are sold in Japan and Korea to independent specialty stores and large sporting goods retailers and to professional sports teams. We made a cost-based minority investment in Dome Corporation in January 2011.

We also sell our apparel, footwear and accessories to independent distributors in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan where we do not have direct sales operations.

We sell our products in China through a limited number of brand and factory house stores we directly operate and stores operated by our franchise partners, primarily located in Shanghai and Beijing, China. We also distribute our products to our retail customers in Asia through a third-party logistics provider based out of Hong Kong.

We sell to Latin American consumers through independent distributors in Latin American countries where we do not have direct sales operations. We generally distribute our products in this region through our distribution facilities in the United States.

In June 2013, we signed an agreement to acquire certain assets of our distributor in Mexico. Following the close of the acquisition in January 2014, we began selling our products in Mexico directly rather than through a distributor. In 2014, we will begin selling our products directly in Brazil and Chile.

In December 2013, we acquired MapMyFitness, which offers digital fitness platform licenses and subscriptions, along with digital advertising.

Seasonality

Product Design and Development

Our products are manufactured with technical fabrications produced by third parties and developed in collaboration with our product development team. This approach enables us to select and create superior, technically advanced fabrics, produced to our specifications, while focusing our product development efforts on design, fit, climate and product end use.

We seek to regularly upgrade and improve our products with the latest in innovative technology while broadening our product offerings. Our goal, to deliver superior performance in all our products, provides our developers and licensees with a clear, overarching direction for the brand and helps them identify new opportunities to create performance products that meet the changing needs of athletes. We design products with “visible technology,” utilizing color, texture and fabrication to enhance our customers’ perception and understanding of product use and benefits.

Sourcing, Manufacturing and Quality Assurance

Guangzhou, China to support our manufacturing, quality assurance and sourcing efforts for footwear and accessories. We also manufacture a limited number of apparel products, primarily for high-profile athletes and teams, on-premises in our quick turn, Special Make-Up Shop located at one of our distribution facilities in Maryland.

Inventory Management

Our practice, and the general practice in the apparel, footwear and accessory industries, is to offer retail customers the right to return defective or improperly shipped merchandise. As it relates to new product introductions, which can often require large initial launch shipments, we commence production before receiving orders for those products from time to time. This can affect our inventory levels as we build pre-launch quantities.

Intellectual Property

We believe the distinctive trademarks we use in connection with our products are important in building our brand image and distinguishing our products from those of others. These trademarks are among our most valuable assets. In addition to our distinctive trademarks, we also place significant value on our trade dress, which is the overall image and appearance of our products, and we believe our trade dress helps to distinguish our products in the marketplace.

We traditionally have had limited patent protection on much of the technology, materials and processes used in the manufacture of our products. However, as we continue to drive innovation in our products, we expect to seek patent protection on products, features and concepts we believe to be strategic and important to our business. We will continue to file patent applications where we deem appropriate to protect our innovations and designs, and we expect the number of applications to increase as our business grows and as we continue to innovate.

Competition

The market for performance apparel, footwear and accessories is highly competitive and includes many new competitors as well as increased competition from established companies expanding their production and marketing of performance products. Many of the fabrics and technology used in manufacturing our products are not unique to us, and we own a limited number of fabric or process patents. Many of our competitors are large apparel and footwear companies with strong worldwide brand recognition and significantly greater resources than us, such as Nike and adidas. We also compete with other manufacturers, including those specializing in outdoor apparel, and private label offerings of certain retailers, including some of our retail customers.

In addition, we must compete with others for purchasing decisions, as well as limited floor space at retailers. We believe we have been successful in this area because of the relationships we have developed and as a result of the strong sales of our products. However, if retailers earn higher margins from our competitors’ products, they may favor the display and sale of those products.

We believe we have been able to compete successfully because of our brand image and recognition, the performance and quality of our products and our selective distribution policies. We also believe our focused gearline merchandising story differentiates us from our competition. In the future we expect to compete for consumer preferences and expect that we may face greater competition on pricing. This may favor larger competitors with lower production costs per unit that can spread the effect of price discounts across a larger array of products and across a larger customer base than ours. The purchasing decisions of consumers for our products often reflect highly subjective preferences that can be influenced by many factors, including advertising, media, product sponsorships, product improvements and changing styles.

Employees

Available Information

We will make available free of charge on or through our website at www.underarmour.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We also post on this website our key corporate governance documents, including our board committee charters, our corporate governance guidelines and our code of conduct and ethics.

Some of the statements contained in this Form 10-K and the documents incorporated herein by reference constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts, such as statements regarding our future financial condition or results of operations, our prospects and strategies for future growth, the development and introduction of new products, and the implementation of our marketing and branding strategies. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “outlook,” “potential” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.

The forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K reflect our views and assumptions only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

During a downturn in the economy, consumer purchases of discretionary items are affected, which could materially harm our sales, profitability and financial condition.

Many of our products may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Factors affecting the level of consumer spending for such discretionary items include general economic conditions, the availability of consumer credit and consumer confidence in future economic conditions. Uncertainty in global economic conditions continues, and trends in consumer discretionary spending remain unpredictable. However, 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. A downturn in the economy in markets in which we sell our products may materially harm our sales, profitability and financial condition.

If the financial condition of our retail customers declines, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.

We extend credit to our customers based on an assessment of a customer’s financial condition, generally without requiring collateral. We face increased risk of order reduction or cancellation when dealing with financially ailing customers or customers struggling with economic uncertainty. During weak economic conditions, retail customers may be more cautious with orders. In addition, a slowing economy in our key markets or a continued decline in consumer purchases of sporting goods generally could have an adverse effect on the financial health of our retail customers, which could in turn have an adverse effect on our sales, our ability to collect on receivables and our financial condition.

A decline in sales to, or the loss of, one or more of our key customers could result in a material loss of net revenues and negatively impact our prospects for growth.

If we continue to grow at a rapid pace, we may not be able to effectively manage our growth and the increased complexity of a global business and as a result our brand image, net revenues and profitability may decline.

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

Our success depends on our ability to identify and originate product trends as well as to anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. In addition, long lead times for certain of our products may make it hard for us to quickly respond to changes in consumer demands. Our new products may not receive consumer acceptance as consumer preferences could shift rapidly to different types of performance or other sports products or away from these types of products altogether, and our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. Failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences could lead to, among other things, lower sales and excess inventory levels, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Even if we are successful in anticipating consumer preferences, our ability to adequately react to and address those preferences will in part depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high-quality products. In addition, if we fail to introduce technical innovation in our products, consumer demand for our products could decline, and if we experience problems with the quality of our products, we may incur substantial expense to remedy the problems. The failure to effectively introduce new products and enter into new product categories that are accepted by consumers could result in a decrease in net revenues and excess inventory levels, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our results of operations could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast demand for our products.

To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our manufacturers before firm orders are placed by our customers. In addition, a significant portion of our net revenues are generated by at-once orders for immediate delivery to customers, particularly during our historical peak season, during the last two quarters of the year. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of product to deliver to our customers.

The difficulty in forecasting demand also makes it difficult to estimate our future results of operations and financial condition from period to period. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could adversely impact our profitability.

We believe continued growth in industry-wide sales of performance apparel, footwear and accessories will be largely dependent on consumers continuing to transition from traditional alternatives to performance products. If consumers are not convinced these products are a better choice than traditional alternatives, growth in the industry and our business could be adversely affected. In addition, because performance products are often more expensive than traditional alternatives, consumers who are convinced these products provide a better alternative may still not be convinced they are worth the extra cost. If industry-wide sales of performance products do not grow, our ability to continue to grow our business and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely impacted.

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

In addition, while one of our growth strategies is to increase floor space for our products in retail stores and generally expand our distribution to other retailers, retailers have limited resources and floor space, and we must compete with others to develop relationships with them. Increased competition by existing and future competitors could result in reductions in floor space in retail locations, reductions in sales or reductions in the prices of our products, and if retailers earn greater margins from our competitors’ products, they may favor the display and sale of those products. Our inability to compete successfully against our competitors and maintain our gross margin could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our profitability may decline as a result of increasing pressure on margins.

Our industry is subject to significant pricing pressure caused by many factors, including intense competition, consolidation in the retail industry, pressure from retailers to reduce the costs of products and changes in consumer demand. These factors may cause us to reduce our prices to retailers and consumers, which could cause our profitability to decline if we are unable to offset price reductions with comparable reductions in our operating costs. This could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Fluctuations in the cost of products could negatively affect our operating results.

The fabrics used by our suppliers and manufacturers are made of raw materials including petroleum-based products and cotton. Significant price fluctuations or shortages in petroleum or other raw materials can materially adversely affect our cost of goods sold. In addition, certain of our manufacturers are subject to government regulations related to wage rates, and therefore the labor costs to produce our products may fluctuate. The cost of transporting our products for distribution and sale is also subject to fluctuation due in large part to the price of oil. Because most of our products are manufactured abroad, our products must be transported by third parties over large geographical distances and an increase in the price of oil can significantly increase costs. Manufacturing delays or unexpected transportation delays can also cause us to rely more heavily on airfreight to achieve timely delivery to our customers, which significantly increases freight costs. Any of these fluctuations may increase our cost of products and have an adverse effect on our profit margins, results of operations and financial condition.

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

We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, our unaffiliated manufacturers may not be able to fill our orders in a timely manner. If we experience

significant increased demand, or we lose or need to replace an existing manufacturer or supplier as a result of adverse economic conditions or other reasons, additional supplies of fabrics or raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or suppliers or manufacturers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements. In addition, even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or fabric sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers on our methods, products and quality control standards. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet retail customer and consumer demand for our products and result in lower net revenues and net income both in the short and long term.

We have occasionally received, and may in the future continue to receive, shipments of product that fail to conform to our quality control standards. In that event, unless we are able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenues resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs. In addition, because we do not control our manufacturers, products that fail to meet our standards or other unauthorized products could end up in the marketplace without our knowledge, which could harm our brand and our reputation in the marketplace.

Labor disruptions at ports or our suppliers or manufacturers may adversely affect our business.

Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely manner. As a result, we rely on the free flow of goods through open and operational ports worldwide and on a consistent basis from our suppliers and manufacturers. Labor disputes at various ports or at our suppliers or manufacturers create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak importing or manufacturing seasons, and could have an adverse effect on our business, potentially resulting in canceled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages and reduced net revenues and net income.

Our limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new markets may limit our expansion strategy and cause our business and growth to suffer.

The operations of many of our manufacturers are subject to additional risks that are beyond our control and that could harm our business.

Our revolving credit facility provides our lenders with a first-priority lien against substantially all of our assets and contains financial covenants and other restrictions on our actions, and it could therefore limit our operational flexibility or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition.

Our revolving credit facility also provides the lenders with the ability to reduce the borrowing base, even if we are in compliance with all conditions of the revolving credit facility, upon a material adverse change to our business, properties, assets, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, we must maintain a certain leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio as defined in the credit agreement. Failure to comply with these operating or financial covenants could result from, among other things, changes in our results of operations or general economic conditions. These covenants may restrict our ability to engage in transactions that would otherwise be in our best interests. Failure to comply with any of the covenants under the credit agreement could result in a default. In addition, the credit agreement includes a cross default provision whereby an event of default under certain other debt obligations will be considered an event of default under the credit agreement. A default under the credit agreement could cause the lenders to accelerate the timing of payments and exercise their lien on substantially all of our assets, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition and liquidity. In addition, because borrowings under the revolving credit facility bear interest at variable interest rates, which we do not anticipate hedging against, increases in interest rates would increase our cost of borrowing, resulting in a decline in our net income and cash flow. As of December 31, 2013, we had $100.0 million drawn under our revolving credit facility and $200.0 million of availability.

We may need to raise additional capital required to grow our business, and we may not be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Growing and operating our business will require significant cash outlays and capital expenditures and commitments. If cash on hand and cash generated from operations are not sufficient to meet our cash requirements, we will need to seek additional capital, potentially through debt or equity financing, to fund our growth. We may not be able to raise needed cash on terms acceptable to us or at all. Financing may be on terms that are dilutive or potentially dilutive to our stockholders, and the prices at which new investors would be willing to purchase our securities may be lower than the current price per share of our common stock. The holders of new securities may also have rights, preferences or privileges which are senior to those of existing holders of common stock. If new sources of financing are required, but are insufficient or unavailable, we will be required to modify our growth and operating plans based on available funding, if any, which would harm our ability to grow our business.

Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly variations in our net revenues and income from operations, which could adversely affect the price of our Class A Common Stock.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal and quarterly variations in our net revenues and income from operations. These variations are primarily related to increased sales volume of our products during the fall season,

As a result of these seasonal and quarterly fluctuations, we believe that comparisons of our operating results between different quarters within a single year are not necessarily meaningful and that these comparisons cannot be relied upon as indicators of our future performance. Any seasonal or quarterly fluctuations that we report in the future may not match the expectations of market analysts and investors. This could cause the price of our Class A Common Stock to fluctuate significantly.

The value of our brand and sales of our products could be diminished if we are associated with negative publicity.

We require our suppliers, manufacturers and licensees of our products to operate their businesses in compliance with the laws and regulations that apply to them as well as the social and other standards and policies we impose on them. We do not control these suppliers, manufacturers or licensees or their labor practices. A violation of our policies, labor laws or other laws by our suppliers, manufacturers or licensees could interrupt or otherwise disrupt our sourcing or damage our brand image. Negative publicity regarding the production methods of any of our suppliers, manufacturers or licensees could adversely affect our reputation and sales and force us to locate alternative suppliers, manufacturers or licensees.

In addition, we have sponsorship contracts with a variety of athletes and feature those athletes in our advertising and marketing efforts, and many athletes and teams use our products, including those teams or leagues for which we are an official supplier. Actions taken by athletes, teams or leagues associated with our products could harm the reputations of those athletes, teams or leagues. As a result, our brand image, net revenues and profitability could be adversely affected.

Sponsorships and designations as an official supplier may become more expensive and this could impact the value of our brand image.

A key element of our marketing strategy has been to create a link in the consumer market between our products and professional and collegiate athletes. We have developed licensing agreements to be the official supplier of performance apparel and footwear to a variety of sports teams and leagues at the collegiate and professional level and sponsorship agreements with athletes. However, as competition in the performance apparel and footwear industry has increased, the costs associated with athlete sponsorships and official supplier licensing agreements have increased, including the costs associated with obtaining and retaining these sponsorships and agreements. If we are unable to maintain our current association with professional and collegiate athletes, teams and leagues, or to do so at a reasonable cost, we could lose the on-field authenticity associated with our products, and we may be required to modify and substantially increase our marketing investments. As a result, our brand image, net revenues, expenses and profitability could be materially adversely affected.

The labeling, distribution, importation, marketing and sale of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission and state attorneys general in the U.S., as well as by various other federal, state, provincial, local and international regulatory authorities in the locations in which our products are distributed or sold. If we fail to comply with those regulations, we could become subject to significant penalties or claims or be required to recall products, which could harm our brand as well as our results of operations or our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretation of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs or discontinuation of product sales and may impair the marketing of our products, resulting in significant loss of net revenues.

If we encounter problems with our distribution system, our ability to deliver our products to the market could be adversely affected.

We rely on a limited number of distribution facilities for our product distribution. Our distribution facilities utilize computer controlled and automated equipment, which means the operations are complicated and may be subject to a number of risks related to security or computer viruses, the proper operation of software and hardware, power interruptions or other system failures. In addition, because many of our products are distributed from two nearby locations in Maryland, our operations could also be interrupted by floods, fires or other natural disasters near our distribution facilities, as well as labor or other operational difficulties or interruptions. We maintain business interruption insurance, but it may not adequately protect us from the adverse effects that could be caused by significant disruptions in our distribution facilities, such as the long term loss of customers or an erosion of our brand image. In addition, our distribution capacity is dependent on the timely performance of services by third parties, including the shipping of product to and from our distribution facilities. If we encounter problems with our distribution facilities, our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies could be materially adversely affected.

We rely significantly on information technology and any failure, inadequacy, interruption or security lapse of that technology could harm our ability to effectively operate our business.

Our ability to effectively manage and maintain our inventory and internal reports, and to ship products to customers and invoice them on a timely basis depends significantly on our enterprise resource planning, warehouse management, and other information systems. The failure of these systems to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, or a breach in security of these systems could cause delays in product fulfillment and reduced efficiency of our operations, and it could require significant capital investments to remediate any such failure, problem or breach.

Hackers and data thieves are increasingly sophisticated and operate large scale and complex automated attacks. We communicate electronically throughout the world with our employees and with third parties, such as customers, suppliers, vendors and consumers. Therefore a service interruption or shutdown could negatively impact our operating activities. Furthermore, we engage in personal data collection and utilize information technology in connection with digital marketing, digital commerce, our in-store payment processing systems and our connected fitness business. We must comply with increasingly complex regulatory standards enacted to protect this business and personal data. An inability to maintain compliance with these regulatory standards could subject us to legal risks. Any breach of our network or payment processing systems may result in the loss of valuable business data, our customers’, consumers' or employees’ information or a disruption of our business, which could give rise to unwanted media attention, damage our customer or consumer relationships and reputation and result in lost sales, fines or lawsuits.

Changes in tax laws and unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect our effective income tax rate and profitability.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected in the future by a number of factors, including changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws, the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world, and any repatriation of non-US earnings for which we have not previously provided for U.S. taxes. We regularly assess all of these matters to determine the adequacy of our tax provision, which is subject to significant judgment.

Our financial results may be adversely affected if substantial investments in businesses and operations fail to produce expected returns.

From time to time, we may invest in business infrastructure, new businesses, and expansion of existing businesses, such as our recent acquisition of MapMyFitness and certain assets of our distributor in Mexico. These investments require substantial cash investments and management attention. We believe cost effective investments are essential to business growth and profitability. However, significant investments are subject to typical risks and uncertainties inherent in acquiring or expanding a business, including our ability to successfully integrate new businesses into our company and realize expected synergies and benefits. The failure of any significant investment to provide the returns or profitability we expect could have a material adverse effect on our financial results, including the potential impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, and divert management attention from more profitable business operations. In addition, through our purchase of MapMyFitness, we entered into a new line of business related to connected fitness. Prior to this acquisition, we had limited experience in the connected fitness business. If we are unable to successfully operate this business, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of this acquisition.

Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management and other key employees.

If we are unable to attract and retain new team members, including senior management, we may not be able to achieve our business objectives.

Our growth has largely been the result of significant contributions by our current senior management, product design teams and other key employees. However, to be successful in continuing to grow our business, we will need to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly talented management and other employees with a range of skills and experience. Competition for employees in our industry is intense and we have experienced difficulty from time to time in attracting the personnel necessary to support the growth of our business, and we may experience similar difficulties in the future. If we are unable to attract, assimilate and retain management and other employees with the necessary skills, we may not be able to grow or successfully operate our business.

Kevin Plank, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer controls the majority of the voting power of our common stock.

Our Class A Common Stock, or Class A Stock, has one vote per share and our Class B Convertible Common Stock, or Class B Stock, has 10 votes per share. Our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin A. Plank, beneficially owns all outstanding shares of Class B Stock. As a result, Mr. Plank has the majority voting control and is able to direct the election of all of the members of our Board of Directors and other matters we submit to a vote of our stockholders. This concentration of voting control may have various effects including, but not limited to, delaying or preventing a change of control. The Class B Stock automatically converts to Class A Stock when Mr. Plank beneficially owns less than 15.0% of the total number of shares of Class A and Class B Stock outstanding. Otherwise the Class B Stock does not convert to Class A Stock until Mr. Plank's death or disability. As a result, Mr. Plank can retain his voting control even after he is no longer affiliated with the Company.

A number of our fabrics and manufacturing technology are not patented and can be imitated by our competitors.

The intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacture our products are generally owned or controlled by our suppliers and are generally not unique to us. Our ability to obtain patent protection for our products is limited and we currently own a limited number of fabric or process patents. As a result, our current and future competitors are able to manufacture and sell products with performance characteristics and fabrications similar to certain of our products. Because many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, distribution, marketing and other resources than we do, they may be able to manufacture and sell products based on certain of our fabrics and manufacturing technology at lower prices than we can. If our competitors do sell similar products to ours at lower prices, our net revenues and profitability could be materially adversely affected.

Our intellectual property rights could potentially conflict with the rights of others and we may be prevented from selling some of our products.

Our success depends in large part on our brand image. We believe our registered and common law trademarks have significant value and are important to identifying and differentiating our products from those of our competitors and creating and sustaining demand for our products. In addition, patents are increasingly important with respect to our innovative products and new businesses and investments, including MapMyFitness. From time to time, we have received or brought claims relating to intellectual property rights of others, and we expect such claims will continue or increase, particularly as we expand our business and the number of products we offer. Any such claim, regardless of its merit, could be expensive and time consuming to defend or prosecute. Successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability or prevent us from selling some of our products. In addition, resolution of claims may require us to redesign our products, license rights belonging to third parties or cease using those rights altogether. Any of these events could harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our brand, weaken our competitive position and reduce our net revenues.

We currently rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade dress laws, patent laws, unfair competition laws, confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. The steps taken by us to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent infringement of our trademarks and proprietary rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand. In addition, intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States, and it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our proprietary rights by other parties in these countries. If we fail to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished and our competitive position may suffer.

From time to time, we discover unauthorized products in the marketplace that are either counterfeit reproductions of our products or unauthorized irregulars that do not meet our quality control standards. If we are unsuccessful in challenging a third party’s products on the basis of trademark infringement, continued sales of their products could adversely impact our brand, result in the shift of consumer preferences away from our products and adversely affect our business.

We have licensed in the past, and expect to license in the future, certain of our proprietary rights, such as trademarks or copyrighted material, to third parties. These licensees may take actions that diminish the value of our proprietary rights or harm our reputation.

Not applicable.

From time to time, we have been involved in litigation and other proceedings, including matters related to commercial disputes and intellectual property, as well as trade, regulatory and other claims related to our business. We believe all current proceedings are routine in nature and incidental to the conduct of our business, and we believe no such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our executive officers are:

Not applicable.

PART II

Stock Split

On June 11, 2012 the Board of Directors declared a two-for-one stock split of the Company's Class A and Class B common stock, which was effected in the form of a 100% common stock dividend distributed on July 9, 2012. Stockholders' equity and all references to share and per share amounts herein and in the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split for all periods presented.

Dividends

Stock Compensation Plans

Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities

On December 20, 2013, we issued 50.0 thousand shares of Class A Common Stock upon the exercise of previously granted stock options to an employee at an exercise price of $0.89 per share, for an aggregate amount of consideration of $44.5 thousand.

The issuances of securities described above were made in reliance upon Section 4(2) under the Securities Act in that any issuance did not involve a public offering or under Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act, in that they were offered and sold either pursuant to written compensatory plans or pursuant to a written contract relating to compensation, as provided by Rule 701.

Stock Performance Graph

 

Overview

We are a leading developer, marketer and distributor of branded performance apparel, footwear and accessories. The brand’s moisture-wicking fabrications are engineered in many different designs and styles for wear in nearly every climate to provide a performance alternative to traditional products. Our products are sold worldwide and worn by athletes at all levels, from youth to professional, on playing fields around the globe, as well as by consumers with active lifestyles.

Our operating segments include North America; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”); Asia; and MapMyFitness. Due to the insignificance of the EMEA, Latin America, Asia and MapMyFitness operating segments, they have been combined into other foreign countries and businesses for disclosure purposes.

We believe there is an increasing recognition of the health benefits of an active lifestyle. We believe this trend provides us with an expanding consumer base for our products. We also believe there is a continuing shift in consumer demand from traditional non-performance products to performance products, which are intended to provide better performance by wicking perspiration away from the skin, helping to regulate body temperature and enhancing comfort. We believe that these shifts in consumer preferences and lifestyles are not unique to the United States, but are occurring in a number of markets globally, thereby increasing our opportunities to introduce our performance products to new consumers. We plan to continue to grow our business over the long term through increased sales of our apparel, footwear and accessories, expansion of our wholesale distribution, growth in our direct to consumer sales channel and expansion in international markets.

Although we believe these trends will facilitate our growth, we also face potential challenges that could limit our ability to take advantage of these opportunities, including, among others, the risk of general economic or market conditions that could affect consumer spending and the financial health of our retail customers. In addition, we may not be able to effectively manage our growth and a more complex global business. We may not consistently be able to anticipate consumer preferences and develop new and innovative products that meet changing preferences in a timely manner. Furthermore, our industry is very competitive, and competition pressures could cause us to reduce the prices of our products or otherwise affect our profitability. We also rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers outside the U.S. to provide fabrics and to produce our products, and disruptions to our supply chain could harm our business. For a more complete discussion of the risks facing our business, refer to the “Risk Factors” section included in Item 1A.

General

Net revenues comprise both net sales and license and other revenues. Net sales comprise sales from our primary product categories, which are apparel, footwear and accessories. Our license and other revenues primarily consist of fees paid to us by our licensees in exchange for the use of our trademarks on core products of socks, team uniforms, baby and kids’ apparel, eyewear, inflatable footballs and basketballs, as well as the distribution of our products in Japan.

Cost of goods sold consists primarily of product costs, inbound freight and duty costs, outbound freight costs, handling costs to make products floor-ready to customer specifications, royalty payments to endorsers based on a predetermined

percentage of sales of selected products and write downs for inventory obsolescence. The fabrics in many of our products are made primarily of petroleum-based synthetic materials. Therefore our product costs, as well as our inbound and outbound freight costs, could be affected by long term pricing trends of oil. In general, as a percentage of net revenues, we expect cost of goods sold associated with our apparel and accessories to be lower than that of our footwear. No cost of goods sold is associated with license revenues.

Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist of costs related to marketing, selling, product innovation and supply chain and corporate services. Personnel costs are included in these categories based on the employees’ function. Personnel costs include salaries, benefits, incentives and stock-based compensation related to our employees. Our marketing costs are an important driver of our growth. Marketing costs consist primarily of commercials, print ads, league, team, player and event sponsorships and depreciation expense specific to our in-store fixture program for our concept shops. Selling costs consist primarily of costs relating to sales through our wholesale channel, commissions paid to third parties and the majority of our direct to consumer sales channel costs, including the cost of brand and factory house store leases. Product innovation and supply chain costs include our apparel, footwear and accessories product innovation, sourcing and development costs, distribution facility operating costs, and costs relating to our Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China offices which help support product development, manufacturing, quality assurance and sourcing efforts. Corporate services primarily consist of corporate facility operating costs and company-wide administrative expenses.

Other expense, net consists of unrealized and realized gains and losses on our foreign currency derivative financial instruments and unrealized and realized gains and losses on adjustments that arise from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relating to transactions generated by our international subsidiaries.

Results of Operations

 

Consolidated Results of Operations

The net revenues and operating income (loss) associated with our segments are summarized in the following tables. The majority of corporate expenses within North America have not been allocated to other foreign countries and businesses. Certain corporate services costs, previously included within North America, have been allocated to other foreign countries and businesses. Prior period segment data has been recast within the tables to conform to current year presentation.

sales growth to distributors in our Latin American operating segment and in our EMEA operating segment, as well as increased license revenues from our Japanese licensee.

Seasonality

The following table sets forth certain financial information for the periods indicated. The data is prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. All recurring, necessary adjustments are reflected in the data below.

 

Financial Position, Capital Resources and Liquidity

Our cash requirements have principally been for working capital and capital expenditures. We fund our working capital, primarily inventory, and capital investments from cash flows from operating activities, cash and cash equivalents on hand and borrowings available under our credit and long term debt facilities. Our working capital requirements generally reflect the seasonality and growth in our business as we recognize the majority of our net revenues in the back half of the year. Our capital investments have included expanding our in-store fixture and branded concept shop program, improvements and expansion of our distribution and corporate facilities to support our growth, leasehold improvements to our new brand and factory house stores, and investment and improvements in information technology systems.

In December 2013, we completed the acquisition of MapMyFitness. The purchase price was initially funded through $50.0 million cash on hand and $100.0 million borrowings available under our existing credit facility.

Cash Flows

Operating activities consist primarily of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items. Adjustments to net income for non-cash items include depreciation and amortization, unrealized foreign currency exchange rate gains and losses, losses on disposals of property and equipment, stock-based compensation, deferred income taxes and changes in reserves and allowances. In addition, operating cash flows include the effect of changes in operating assets and liabilities, principally inventories, accounts receivable, income taxes payable and receivable, prepaid expenses and other assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses.

Credit Facility

Long Term Debt

Acquisitions

In July 2011, we acquired approximately 400 thousand square feet of office space comprising our corporate headquarters for $60.5 million. The acquisition included land, buildings, tenant improvements and third party lease-related intangible assets. As of December 31, 2013, 116 thousand square feet of the 400 thousand square feet acquired was leased to third party tenants with remaining lease terms ranging from 1 month to 12.5 years. We intend to occupy additional space as it becomes available.

Contractual Commitments and Contingencies