Advantage Solutions Inc. 10-Q

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS Executive Overview We are a leading business solutions provider to consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. We have a strong platform of competitively advantaged sales and marketing services built over multiple decades – essential, business critical services like headquarter sales, retail merchandising, in-store sampling, digital commerce and shopper marketing. For brands and retailers of all sizes, we help get the right products on the shelf (whether physical or digital) and into the hands of consumers (however they shop). We use a scaled platform to innovate as a trusted partner with our clients, solving problems to increase their efficiency and effectiveness across a broad range of channels. We have two reportable segments: sales and marketing. Through our sales segment, which generated approximately 67.5% and 57.7% of our total revenues in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, we offer headquarter sales representation services to consumer goods manufacturers, for whom we prepare and present to retailers a business case to increase distribution of manufacturers’ products and optimize how they are displayed, priced and promoted. We also make in-store merchandising visits for both manufacturer and retailer clients to ensure the products we represent are adequately stocked and properly displayed. Through our marketing segment, which generated approximately 32.5% and 42.3% of our total revenues in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, we help brands and retailers reach consumers through two main categories within the marketing segment. The first and largest is our retail experiential business, also known as in-store sampling or demonstrations, where we create manage highly customized large-scale sampling programs (both in-store and online) for leading retailers. The second business is our collection of specialized agency businesses, in which we provide private label services to retailers and develop granular marketing programs for brands and retailers through our shopper, consumer and digital marketing agencies. Business Combination with Conyers Park On September 7, 2020, Advantage Solutions Inc., now known as ASI Intermediate Corp. (“ASI”), entered into an agreement and plan of merger (as amended, modified, supplemented or waived, the “Merger Agreement”), with Conyers Park II Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation now known as Advantage Solutions Inc. (“Conyers Park”), CP II Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Conyers Park (“Merger Sub”), and Topco. In September 2020 and in connection with its entry into the Merger Agreement, Conyers Park entered into subscription agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) pursuant to which certain investors, including participating equityholders of Topco (the “Advantage Sponsors”), agreed to purchase Class A Common Stock of Conyers Park (“Common Stock”) at a purchase price of $10.00 per share (the “PIPE Investment”). On October 27, 2020, Conyers Park held a special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”), at which the Conyers Park stockholders considered and adopted, among other matters, a proposal to approve the business combination, including (a) adopting the Merger Agreement and (b) approving the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and related agreements. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, following the Special Meeting, on October 28, 2020 (the “Closing Date”), Merger Sub was merged with and into ASI with ASI being the surviving company in the merger (the “Merger” and, together with the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Transactions”). On the Closing Date, the PIPE Investment was consummated, and 85,540,000 shares of Common Stock were sold for aggregate gross proceeds of $855.4 million. Of the 85,540,000 shares of Common Stock, the Advantage Sponsors acquired 34,410,000 shares of Common Stock, and other purchasers acquired 51,130,000 shares of Common Stock. 23 Table of Contents Holders of 32,114,818 shares of Common Stock sold in its initial public offering properly exercised their right to have such shares redeemed for a full pro rata portion of the trust account holding the proceeds from Conyers Park’s initial public offering, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the business combination, $10.06 per share, or $323.1 million in the aggregate (collectively, the “Redemptions”). As a result of the Merger, among other things, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Conyers Park issued to Topco, as sole stockholder of ASI prior to the Merger, aggregate consideration equal to (a) 203,750,000 shares of Common Stock, and (b) 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock that vested upon achievement of a market performance condition on January 15, 2021. After giving effect to the Transactions, the Redemptions, and the consummation of the PIPE Investment, there were 313,425,182 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding as of the Closing Date, excluding the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock subject to the market performance condition. The Common Stock and outstanding warrants of Conyers Park (renamed “Advantage Solutions Inc.” following the Transactions) commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbols “ADV” and “ADVWW”, respectively, on October 29, 2020. As noted above, an aggregate of $323.1 million was paid from the Conyers Park’s trust account to holders in connection with the Redemption, and the remaining balance immediately prior to the closing of the Transactions of approximately $131.2 million remained in the trust account. The remaining amount in the trust account was used to fund the Transactions, including the entry into the New Senior Secured Credit Facilities (as defined below). In connection with the Merger, ASI repaid and terminated $3.3 billion of debt arrangements under its First Lien Credit Agreement, Second Lien Credit Agreement, and accounts receivable securitization facility (the “AR Facility”) that existed in 2020 (collectively, the “Credit Facilities”) with incremental costs of $86.8 million. This amount was repaid by ASI through a combination of (i) cash on hand, (ii) proceeds from certain private investments in Common Stock, (iii) the entry by Advantage Sales & Marketing Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ASI, into (a) a new senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility, which permits borrowing in an aggregate principal amount of up to $400.0 million, subject to borrowing base capacity (the “New Revolving Credit Facility”), of which $100.0 million of principal amount was borrowed as of October 28, 2020, and (b) a new secured first lien term loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1.325 billion (the “New Term Loan Facility” and, together with the New Revolving Credit Facility, the “New Senior Secured Credit Facilities”), and (iv) the issuance by Advantage Solutions FinCo LLC, a direct subsidiary of Advantage Sales & Marketing Inc., of $775.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (the “Notes”). The Merger was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization in accordance with GAAP. Under this method of accounting, Conyers Park was treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. This determination was primarily based on Topco having a relative majority of the voting power of the combined entity, the operations of ASI prior to the Merger comprising the only ongoing operations of the combined entity, and senior management of ASI comprising the senior management of the combined entity. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the financial statements of the combined entity represent a continuation of the financial statements of ASI with the acquisition being treated as the equivalent of ASI issuing stock for the net assets of Conyers Park, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of Conyers Park was stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is likely to continue to have, a severe and unprecedented impact on the world. Measures to prevent its spread, including government-imposed restrictions on large gatherings, closures of face-to-face events, “shelter in place” health orders and travel restrictions have had a significant effect on certain of our business operations. In response to these business disruptions, we have taken several actions including reducing certain of our discretionary expenditures, eliminating non-essential travel, terminating or amending certain office leases, furloughing, instituting pay reductions and deferrals and terminating some of our employees, particularly with respect to COVID-19 impacted operations. 24 Table of Contents These measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have adversely impacted certain areas of our business operations, including our in-store sampling, foodservice and European businesses. Most notably, we temporarily suspended all in-store sampling in all U.S. locations starting in March and April of 2020 as well as in certain international locations. More recently, we have started to re-open in-store sampling activities in certain retailers in certain geographies on a prudent, phased basis. While the restrictions relating to in-store sampling services have materially and adversely affected our results of operations during the year ended December 31, 2020 and three months ended March 31, 2021, we have been successful in growing other adjacent services in our experiential marketing business such as online grocery pick-up sampling and virtual product demonstrations, both of which have seen increased adoption and demand. Our foodservice business continues to be negatively impacted by lower away-from-home demand resulting from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various channels, including restaurants, education and travel and lodging. Our European business continues to be negatively impacted by activity restrictions implemented in the various European geographies in which we operate. We have also experienced a positive impact in our headquarter sales and private label services where, due to the large increase in consumer purchases at retail to support incremental at-home consumption, our operations have experienced a favorable increase in volume and demand. Additionally, our e-commerce services have benefited due to the increase in consumer purchasing with online retailers. These differing impacts are reflected in our financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2021, which show that compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020: • our sales segment revenues, operating income, and Adjusted EBITDA increased 5.2%, 45.3%, and 7.0%, respectively, and; • our market segment revenues, operating income and Adjusted EBITDA decreased 30.9%, 66.3% and 1.6%, respectively. We expect the ultimate significance of the impact of the pandemic on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows will be dictated by the length of time that such circumstances continue, which will depend on the currently unknowable extent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the nature and effectiveness of governmental, commercial and personal actions taken in response. We expect the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact our various businesses through at least the first half of 2021; however, we do believe the impact will decrease in the second half of 2021 as businesses and individuals choose to have more in-person activities. Summary Our financial performance for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020 includes: • revenues decreasing by $88.4 million, or 10.0%, to $791.0 million; • operating income increasing by $6.2 million, or 19.6%, to $37.6 million; • net loss decreasing by $21.2 million, or 97.5%, to $0.5 million; • Adjusted Net Income increasing by $19.4 million, or 72.3%, to $46.3 million; and • Adjusted EBITDA increasing by $5.1 million, or 4.8%, to $111.4 million. We acquired two businesses during the three months ended March 31, 2021, which were two sales agencies. The aggregate purchase price for these two acquisitions was $18.1 million, of which $14.0 million was paid in cash, $2.7 million in contingent consideration and $1.4 million in holdbacks. 25 Table of Contents Factors Affecting Our Business and Financial Reporting There are a number of factors, in addition to the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that affect the performance of our business and the comparability of our results from period to period including: • Organic Growth. Part of our strategy is to generate organic growth by expanding our existing client relationships, continuing to win new clients, pursuing channel expansion and new industry opportunities, enhancing our digital technology solutions, developing our international platform, delivering operational efficiencies and expanding into logical adjacencies. We believe that by pursuing these organic growth opportunities we will be able to continue to enhance our value proposition to our clients and thereby grow our business. • Acquisitions. We have grown and expect to continue to grow our business in part by acquiring quality businesses, both domestic and international. In December 2017, we completed the Daymon Acquisition, a leading provider of retailer-centric services, including private label development and management, merchandising and experiential marketing services. In addition to the Daymon Acquisition, we have completed 65 acquisitions from January 2014 to March 31, 2021, ranging in purchase prices from approximately $0.3 million to $98.5 million. Many of our acquisition agreements include contingent consideration arrangements, which are described below. We have completed acquisitions at what we believe are attractive purchase prices and have regularly structured our agreements to result in the generation of long-lived tax assets, which have in turn reduced our effective purchase prices when incorporating the value of those tax assets. We continue to look for strategic and tuck-in acquisitions that can be completed at attractive purchase prices. • Contingent Consideration. Many of our acquisition agreements include contingent consideration arrangements, which are generally based on the achievement of financial performance thresholds by the operations attributable to the acquired businesses. The contingent consideration arrangements are based upon our valuations of the acquired businesses and are intended to share the investment risk with the sellers of such businesses if projected financial results are not achieved. The fair values of these contingent consideration arrangements are included as part of the purchase price of the acquired companies on their respective acquisition dates. For each transaction, we estimate the fair value of contingent consideration payments as part of the initial purchase price. We review and assess the estimated fair value of contingent consideration on a quarterly basis, and the updated fair value could differ materially from our initial estimates. Changes in the estimated fair value of contingent consideration liabilities related to the time component of the present value calculation are reported in “Interest expense, net.” Adjustments to the estimated fair value related to changes in all other unobservable inputs are reported in “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. • Depreciation and Amortization. As a result of the acquisition of our business by Topco on July 25, 2014 (the “2014 Topco Acquisition”), we acquired significant intangible assets, the value of which is amortized, on a straight-line basis, over 15 years from the date of the 2014 Topco Acquisition, unless determined to be indefinite-lived. The amortization of such intangible assets recorded in our consolidated financial statements has a significant impact on our operating income (loss) and net loss. Our historical acquisitions have increased, and future acquisitions likely will increase, our intangible assets. We do not believe the amortization expense associated with the intangibles created from our purchase accounting adjustments reflect a material economic cost to our business. Unlike depreciation expense which has an economic cost reflected by the fact that we must re-invest in property and equipment to maintain the asset base delivering our results of operations, we do not have any capital re-investment requirements associated with the acquired intangibles, such as client relationships and trade names, that comprise the majority of the finite-lived intangibles that create our amortization expense. • Foreign Exchange Fluctuations. Our financial results are affected by fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and other currencies, primarily Canadian dollars, British pounds and euros, due to our operations in such foreign jurisdictions. See also “ —Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure of Market Risk—Foreign Currency Risk. ” 26 Table of Contents • Seasonality. Our quarterly results are seasonal in nature, with the fourth fiscal quarter typically generating a higher proportion of our revenues than other fiscal quarters, as a result of higher consumer spending. We generally record slightly lower revenues in the first fiscal quarter of each year, as our clients begin to roll out new programs for the year, and consumer spending generally is less in the first fiscal quarter than other quarters. Timing of our clients’ marketing expenses, associated with marketing campaigns and new product launches, can also result in fluctuations from one quarter to another. How We Assess the Performance of Our Business Revenues Revenues related to our sales segment are primarily comprised of commissions, fee-for-service and cost-plus fees for providing retail services, category and space management, headquarter relationship management, technology solutions and administrative services. A small portion of our arrangements include performance incentive provisions, which allow us to earn additional revenues on our performance relative to specified quantitative or qualitative goals. We recognize the incentive portion of revenues under these arrangements when the related services are transferred to the customer. Marketing segment revenues are primarily recognized in the form of a fee-for-service (including retainer fees, fees charged to clients based on hours incurred, project-based fees or fees for executing in-person consumer engagements or experiences, which engagements or experiences we refer to as events), commissions or on a cost-plus basis, in each case, related to services including experiential marketing, shopper and consumer marketing services, private label development or our digital, social and media services. Given our acquisition strategy, we analyze our financial performance, in part, by measuring revenue growth in two ways—revenue growth attributable to organic activities and revenue growth attributable to acquisitions, which we refer to as organic revenues and acquired revenues, respectively. We define organic revenues as any revenues that are not acquired revenues. Our organic revenues exclude the impacts of acquisitions and divestitures, when applicable, which improves comparability of our results from period to period. In general, when we acquire a business, the acquisition includes a contingent consideration arrangement ( e.g ., an earn-out provision) and, accordingly, we separately track the financial performance of the acquired business. In such cases, we consider revenues generated by such a business during the 12 months following its acquisition to be acquired revenues. For example, if we completed an acquisition on July 1, 2019 for a business that included a contingent consideration arrangement, we would consider revenues from the acquired business from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 to be acquired revenues. We generally consider growth attributable to the financial performance of an acquired business after the 12-month anniversary of the date of acquisition to be organic. In limited cases, when the acquisition of an acquired business does not include a contingent consideration arrangement, or we otherwise do not separately track the financial performance of the acquired business due to operational integration, we consider the revenues that the business generated in the 12 months prior to its acquisition to be our acquired revenues for the 12 months following its acquisition, and any differences in revenues actually generated during the 12 months after its acquisition to be organic. For example, if we completed an acquisition on July 1, 2020 for a business that did not include a contingent consideration arrangement, we would consider the amount of revenues from the acquired business from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 to be acquired revenues during the period from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, with any differences from that amount actually generated during the latter period to be organic revenues. All revenues generated by our acquired businesses are considered to be organic revenues after the 12-month anniversary of the date of acquisition. 27 Table of Contents When we divest a business, we consider the revenues that the divested business generated in the 12 months prior to its divestiture to be subtracted from acquired revenues for the 12 months following its divestiture. For example, if we completed a divestiture on July 1, 2020 for a business, we would consider the amount of revenues from the divested business from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 to be subtracted from acquired revenues during the period from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. We measure organic revenue growth and acquired revenue growth by comparing the organic revenues or acquired revenues, respectively, period over period, net of any divestitures. Cost of Revenues Our cost of revenues consists of both fixed and variable expenses primarily attributable to the hiring, training, compensation and benefits provided to both full-time and part-time associates, as well as other project-related expenses. A number of costs associated with our associates are subject to external factors, including inflation, increases in market specific wages and minimum wage rates at federal, state and municipal levels and minimum pay levels for exempt roles. Additionally, when we enter into certain new client relationships, we may experience an initial increase in expenses associated with hiring, training and other items needed to launch the new relationship. Selling, General and Administrative Expenses Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, payroll taxes and benefits for corporate personnel. Other overhead costs include information technology, occupancy costs for corporate personnel, professional services fees, including accounting and legal services, and other general corporate expenses. Additionally, included in selling, general and administrative expenses are costs associated with the changes in fair value of the contingent consideration of acquisitions and other acquisition-related costs. Acquisition-related costs are comprised of fees related to change of equity ownership, transaction costs, professional fees, due diligence and integration activities. We also expect to incur additional expenses as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses necessary to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to companies listed on a national securities exchange and related to compliance and reporting obligations pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC, as well as higher expenses for general and director and officer insurance, investor relations, and professional services. Other Expenses Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability Change in fair value of warrant liability represents a non-cash (income) expense resulting from a fair value adjustment to warrant liability with respect to the private placement warrants and based on the input assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model, including our stock price at the end of the reporting period, the implied volatility or other inputs to the model and the number of private placement warrants outstanding, which may vary from period to period. We believe these amounts are not correlated to future business operations. Interest Expense Interest expense relates primarily to borrowings under our first lien credit agreement and second lien credit agreement, which were paid off in connection with the Merger, and New Senior Secured Credit Facilities as described below. See “ —Liquidity and Capital Resources. ” 28 Table of Contents Depreciation and Amortization Amortization Expense Included in our depreciation and amortization expense is amortization of acquired intangible assets. We have ascribed value to identifiable intangible assets other than goodwill in our purchase price allocations for companies we have acquired. These assets include, but are not limited to, client relationships and trade names. To the extent we ascribe value to identifiable intangible assets that have finite lives, we amortize those values over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Such amortization expense, although non-cash in the period expensed, directly impacts our results of operations. It is difficult to predict with any precision the amount of expense we may record relating to future acquired intangible assets. As a result of the 2014 Topco Acquisition, we acquired significant intangible assets, the value of which is amortized, on a straight-line basis, over 15 years from the date of the 2014 Topco Acquisition, unless determined to be indefinite-lived. We recognized a non-cash intangible asset impairment charge of $580.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2018, related to our sales trade name resulting from the 2014 Topco Acquisition considered to be indefinite lived. The impairment charge has been reflected in “Impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets” in our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss, in addition to a $652.0 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge in the sales reporting unit. Depreciation Expense Depreciation expense relates to the property and equipment that we own, which represented less than 1% of our total assets at March 31, 2021. Income Taxes Income tax (benefit) expense and our effective tax rates can be affected by many factors, including state apportionment factors, our acquisition strategy, tax incentives and credits available to us, changes in judgment regarding our ability to realize our deferred tax assets, changes in our worldwide mix of pre-tax losses or earnings, changes in existing tax laws and our assessment of uncertain tax positions. Cash Flows We have positive cash flow characteristics, as described below, due to the limited required capital investment in the fixed assets and working capital needs to operate our business in the normal course. See “ —Liquidity and Capital Resources. ” Prior to the consummation of the Transactions (including our entry into the New Senior Secured Credit Facilities), our principal sources of liquidity have been cash flows from operations, borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility (as herein defined) and other debt. Following the Transactions, our principal sources of liquidity are cash flows from operations, borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility, and other debt. Our principal uses of cash are operating expenses, working capital requirements, acquisitions and repayment of debt. Adjusted Net Income Adjusted Net Income is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted Net Income means net loss before (i) impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets, (ii) amortization of intangible assets, (iii) equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee, (iv) changes in fair value of warrant liability, (v) fair value adjustments of contingent consideration related to acquisitions, (vi) acquisition-related expenses, (vii) costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received, (viii) EBITDA for economic interests in investments, (ix) restructuring expenses, (x) litigation expenses, (xi) (Recovery from) loss on Take 5, (xii) deferred financing fees, (xiii) costs associated with the Take 5 Matter, (xiv) other adjustments that management believes are helpful in evaluating our operating performance and (xv) related tax adjustments. We present Adjusted Net Income because we use it as a supplemental measure to evaluate the performance of our business in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of items that we do not believe are indicative of our operating performance or are unusual or infrequent in nature and aid in the comparability of our performance from period to period. Adjusted Net Income should not be considered as an alternative for net loss, our most directly comparable measure presented on a GAAP basis. 29 Table of Contents Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by Segment Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by segment are supplemental non-GAAP financial measures of our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA means net loss before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) (benefit from) provision for income taxes, (iii) depreciation, (iv) impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets, (v) amortization of intangible assets, (vi) equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee, (vii) changes in fair value of warrant liability, (viii) stock-based compensation expense, (ix) fair value adjustments of contingent consideration related to acquisitions, (x) acquisition-related expenses, (xi) costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received, (xii) EBITDA for economic interests in investments, (xiii) restructuring expenses, (xiv) litigation expenses, (xv) (Recovery from) loss on Take 5, (xvi) costs associated with the Take 5 Matter and (xvii) other adjustments that management believes are helpful in evaluating our operating performance. We present Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by segment because they are key operating measures used by us to assess our financial performance. These measures adjust for items that we believe do not reflect the ongoing operating performance of our business, such as certain noncash items, unusual or infrequent items or items that change from period to period without any material relevance to our operating performance. We evaluate these measures in conjunction with our results according to GAAP because we believe they provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than GAAP measures alone. Furthermore, the agreements governing our indebtedness contain covenants and other tests based on measures substantially similar to Adjusted EBITDA. Neither Adjusted EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA by segment should be considered as an alternative for net loss, for our most directly comparable measure presented on a GAAP basis. Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 The following table sets forth items derived from the Company’s consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 in dollars and as a percentage of total revenues. Three Months Ended March 31, (amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 Revenues $ 791,021 100.0 % $ 879,396 100.0 % Cost of revenues 653,339 82.6 % 746,693 84.9 % Selling, general, and administrative expenses 40,481 5.1 % 41,056 4.7 % Depreciation and amortization 59,613 7.5 % 60,209 6.8 % Total expenses 753,433 95.2 % 847,958 96.4 % Operating income 37,588 4.8 % 31,438 3.6 % Other expenses: Change in fair value of warrant liability 5,526 0.7 % — 0.0 % Interest expense, net 30,865 3.9 % 51,794 5.9 % Total other expenses 36,391 4.6 % 51,794 5.9 % Loss before income taxes 1,197 0.2 % (20,356 ) (2.3 )% Provision for income taxes 1,743 0.2 % 1,367 0.2 % Net loss $ (546 ) (0.1 )% $ (21,723 ) (2.5 )% Other Financial Data Adjusted Net Income (1) $ 46,264 5.8 % $ 26,849 3.1 % Adjusted EBITDA (1) $ 111,428 14.1 % $ 106,351 12.1 % (1) Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not calculated in accordance with GAAP. For a discussion of our presentation of Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA and reconciliations of net loss to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA, see “ —Non-GAAP Financial Measures .” 30 Table of Contents Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020 Revenues Three Months Ended March 31, Change (amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 $ % Sales $ 534,324 $ 507,798 $ 26,526 5.2 % Marketing 256,697 371,598 (114,901 ) (30.9 )% Total revenues $ 791,021 $ 879,396 $ (88,375 ) (10.0 )% Total revenues decreased by $88.4 million, or 10.0%, during the three months ended March 31, 2021, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020. The sales segment revenues increased $26.5 million, of which $2.4 million were revenues from acquired businesses during the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020. Excluding revenues from acquired businesses, the sales segment experienced an increase of $24.1 million in organic revenues primarily due to growth in our headquarter sales and retail services where we benefitted from several new clients and an increase in eat-at-home consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as expansion in our e-commerce services. These increases were partially offset by weakness in both our foodservice and our European businesses due to the temporary closures affecting those industries and locations and other adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on these services. The marketing segment revenues declined $114.9 million, of which $3.9 million were revenues from acquired businesses during the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020. Excluding revenues from acquired businesses, the segment experienced a decline of $118.8 million in organic revenues. The decrease in revenues were primarily due to temporary suspensions or reductions of certain in-store sampling services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic partially offset by continued growth in our digital marketing services. Cost of Revenues Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was 82.6%, as compared to 84.9 % for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The decrease as a percentage of revenues was largely attributable to the change in the revenue mix of our services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic including the temporary suspension or reduction of certain in-store sampling services and reduced travel-related expenses. Selling, General and Administrative Expenses Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for three months ended March 31, 2021 was 5.1%, as compared to 4.7% for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase as a percentage of revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily attributable to an increase in stock-based compensation expense related to issuance of performance restricted stock units (“PSUs”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and stock options with respect to our Class A common stock under the Advantage Solutions Inc. 2020 Incentive Award Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The Company recognized non-cash compensation expenses of $8.7 million in connection with the 2020 Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2021. 31 Table of Contents Depreciation and Amortization Expense Depreciation and amortization expense decreased $0.6 million, or 1.0%, to $59.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, from $60.2 million for the three months March 31, 2020. Beginning in mid-March of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company established a global work from home policy. A significant portion of the Company’s office-based workforce temporarily transitioned to working from home and the Company commenced a plan to strategically exit certain offices. As a result, the reduction to the leasehold improvements related to these leases resulted in the decrease in the amortization expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020. Operating Income Three Months Ended March 31, Change (amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 $ % Sales $ 35,148 $ 24,194 $ 10,954 45.3 % Marketing 2,440 7,244 (4,804 ) (66.3 )% Total operating income $ 37,588 $ 31,438 $ 6,150 19.6 % In the sales segment, the increase in operating income during the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily attributable to the growth in revenues in the sales segment as described above. In the marketing segment, the decrease in operating income during the three months ended March 31, 2021 was primarily attributable to the decrease in revenues as described above. Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability Change in fair value of warrant liability represents $5.5 million of non-cash expense resulting from a fair value adjustment to warrant liability with respect to the private placement warrants for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Fair value adjustment are based on the input assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model, including our Class A common stock price at the end of the reporting period, the implied volatility or other inputs to the model and the number of private placement warrants outstanding, which may vary from period to period. Interest Expense, net Interest expense, net decreased $20.9 million, or 40.4%, to $30.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, from $51.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The decrease in interest expense, net was primarily due to the decrease in total debt as a result of the Transactions. Provision for Income Taxes Provision for income taxes was $1.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 as compared to a provision for income taxes of $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The fluctuation was primarily attributable to the greater pre-tax income, unfavorable permanent book/tax differences related to officers’ compensation, fair value adjustments for warrant liabilities, and valuation allowance for the Company’s Mexico operations recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2021. Net Loss Net loss was $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to net loss of $21.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The decrease in net loss was primarily driven by the increase in operating income and decrease in interest expense as a result of the consummation of the Transactions partially offset by the fair value adjustment of warrant liability and unfavorability associated with the provision for income taxes as described above. 32 Table of Contents Adjusted Net Income The increase in Adjusted Net Income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 was attributable to the decrease in interest expense as a result of the consummation of the Transactions offset by the decline in the marketing segment related to the temporary suspension or reductions of in-store sampling programs during the pandemic and increase in provision for income taxes. For a reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income to Net loss, see “ —Non-GAAP Financial Measures ”. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by Segment Three Months Ended March 31, Change (amounts in thousands) 2021 2020 $ % Sales $ 84,076 $ 78,563 $ 5,513 7.0 % Marketing 27,352 27,788 (436 ) (1.6 )% Total Adjusted EBITDA $ 111,428 $ 106,351 $ 5,077 4.8 % Adjusted EBITDA increased $5.1 million, or 4.8 %, to $111.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, from $106.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA was primarily attributable to the growth in revenues in the sales segment with favorable margin contributions from our headquarter sales services as described above. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, see “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures .” 33 Table of Contents Non-GAAP Financial Measures Adjusted Net Income is a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted Net Income means net loss before (i) impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets, (ii) amortization of intangible assets, (iii) equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee, (iv) change in fair value of warrant liability, (v) fair value adjustments of contingent consideration related to acquisitions, (vi) acquisition-related expenses, (vii) costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received, (viii) EBITDA for economic interests in investments, (ix) restructuring expenses, (x) litigation expenses, (xi) (Recovery from) loss on Take 5, (xii) deferred financing fees, (xiii) costs associated with the Take 5 Matter, (xiv) other adjustments that management believes are helpful in evaluating our operating performance and (xv) related tax adjustments. We present Adjusted Net Income because we use it as a supplemental measure to evaluate the performance of our business in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of items that we do not believe are indicative of our operating performance or are unusual or infrequent in nature and aid in the comparability of our performance from period to period. Adjusted Net Income should not be considered as an alternative for our Net loss, our most directly comparable measure presented on a GAAP basis. A reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income to Net loss is provided in the following table: Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 (in thousands) Net loss $ (546 ) $ (21,723 ) Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest (430 ) (15 ) Add: Equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee (a) (2,814 ) 3,837 Change in fair value of warrant liability 5,526 — Fair value adjustments related to contingent consideration related to acquisitions (c) (1,043 ) 4,095 Acquisition-related expenses (d) 5,146 5,529 Restructuring expenses (e) 4,096 1,098 Litigation expenses (f) (818 ) 104 Amortization of intangible assets (g) 49,438 47,846 Costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received (h) 1,293 1,000 Costs associated with the Take 5 Matter (i) 901 939 Tax adjustments related to non-GAAP adjustments (j) (15,345 ) (15,891 ) Adjusted Net Income $ 46,264 $ 26,849 Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by segment are supplemental non-GAAP financial measures of our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA means net loss before (i) interest expense, net, (ii) (benefit from) provision for income taxes, (iii) depreciation, (iv) impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived assets, (v) amortization of intangible assets, (vi) equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee, (vii) change in fair value of warrant liability, (viii) stock-based compensation expense, (ix) fair value adjustments of contingent consideration related to acquisitions, (x) acquisition-related expenses, (xi) costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received, (xii) EBITDA for economic interests in investments, (xiii) restructuring expenses, (xiv) litigation expenses, (xv) (Recovery from) loss on Take 5, (xvi) costs associated with the Take 5 Matter and (xvii) other adjustments that management believes are helpful in evaluating our operating performance. 34 Table of Contents We present Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA by segment because they are key operating measures used by us to assess our financial performance. These measures adjust for items that we believe do not reflect the ongoing operating performance of our business, such as certain noncash items, unusual or infrequent items or items that change from period to period without any material relevance to our operating performance. We evaluate these measures in conjunction with our results according to GAAP because we believe they provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than GAAP measures alone. Furthermore, the agreements governing our indebtedness contain covenants and other tests based on measures substantially similar to Adjusted EBITDA. Neither Adjusted EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA by segment should be considered as an alternative for our Net loss, our most directly comparable measure presented on a GAAP basis. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net income (loss) is provided in the following table: Consolidated Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 (in thousands) Net loss $ (546 ) $ (21,723 ) Add: Interest expense, net 30,865 51,794 Provision for income taxes 1,743 1,367 Depreciation and amortization 59,613 60,209 Equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee (a) (2,814 ) 3,837 Change in fair value of warrant liability 5,526 — Stock based compensation expense (b) 8,655 — Fair value adjustments related to contingent consideration related to acquisitions (c) (1,043 ) 4,095 Acquisition-related expenses (d) 5,146 5,529 EBITDA for economic interests in investments (k) (1,189 ) (1,898 ) Restructuring expenses (e) 4,096 1,098 Litigation expenses (f) (818 ) 104 Costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received (h) 1,293 1,000 Costs associated with the Take 5 Matter (i) 901 939 Adjusted EBITDA $ 111,428 $ 106,351 35 Table of Contents Financial information by segment, including a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA by segment to operating income, the closest GAAP financial measure, is provided in the following table: Sales Segment Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 (in thousands) Operating income $ 35,148 $ 24,194 Add: Depreciation and amortization 42,564 43,107 Equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee (a) (1,838 ) 3,199 Stock based compensation expense (b) 4,694 — Fair value adjustments related to contingent consideration related to acquisitions (c) 778 4,312 Acquisition-related expenses (d) 3,320 4,156 EBITDA for economic interests in investments (k) (1,487 ) (2,071 ) Restructuring expenses (e) 780 752 Litigation expenses (f) (516 ) 104 Costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received (h) 633 810 Sales Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 84,076 $ 78,563 Marketing Segment Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 2020 (in thousands) Operating income $ 2,440 $ 7,244 Add: Depreciation and amortization 17,049 17,102 Equity based compensation of Topco and Advantage Sponsors’ management fee (a) (976 ) 638 Stock based compensation expense (b) 3,961 — Fair value adjustments related to contingent consideration related to acquisitions (c) (1,821 ) (217 ) Acquisition-related expenses (d) 1,826 1,373 EBITDA for economic interests in investments (k) 298 173 Restructuring expenses (e) 3,316 346 Litigation expenses (f) (302 ) — Costs associated with COVID-19, net of benefits received (h) 660 190 Costs associated with the Take 5 Matter (i) 901 939 Marketing Segment Adjusted EBITDA $ 27,352 $ 27,788 (a) Represents the management fees and reimbursements for expenses paid to certain of the Advantage Sponsors (or certain of the management companies associated with it or its advisors) pursuant to a management services agreement in the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. Also represents expenses related to (i) equity-based compensation expense associated with grants of Common Series D Units of Topco made to one of the Advantage Sponsors, (ii) equity-based compensation expense associated with the Common Series C Units of Topco as a result of the Transactions, (iii) compensation amounts associated with the Company’s Management Incentive Plan originally scheduled for potential payment March 2022 that were accelerated and terminated as part of the Transactions, and (iv) compensation amounts associated with the anniversary payments to Tanya Domier. Certain of Ms. Domier’s anniversary payments were accelerated as part of the Transactions. 36 Table of Contents (b) Represents non-cash compensation expense related to issuance of PSUs, RSUs and stock options under the 2020 plan. (c) Represents adjustments to the estimated fair value of our contingent consideration liabilities related to our acquisitions, excluding the present value accretion recorded in interest expense, net, for the applicable periods. See Note 6— Fair Value of Financial Instruments to our unaudited condensed financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. (d) Represents fees and costs associated with activities related to our acquisitions and restructuring activities related to our equity ownership, including transaction bonuses paid in connection with the Transactions, professional fees, due diligence, public company readiness and integration activities. (e) Represents fees and costs associated with various internal reorganization activities among our consolidated entities. (f) Represents legal settlements that are unusual or infrequent costs associated with our operating activities. (g) Represents the amortization of intangible assets recorded in connection with the 2014 Topco Acquisition and our other acquisitions. (h) Represents (i) costs related to implementation of strategies for workplace safety in response to COVID-19, including employee-relief fund, additional sick pay for front-line associates, medical benefit payments for furloughed associates, and personal protective equipment; and (ii) benefits received from government grants for COVID-19 relief. (i) Represents $0.9 million and $0.9 million of costs associated with investigation and remediation activities related to the Take 5 Matter, primarily, professional fees and other related costs, respectively for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. (j) Represents the tax provision or benefit associated with the adjustments above, taking into account the Company’s applicable tax rates, after excluding adjustments related to items that do not have a related tax impact. (k) Represents additions to reflect our proportional share of Adjusted EBITDA related to our equity method investments and reductions to remove the Adjusted EBITDA related to the minority ownership percentage of the entities that we fully consolidate in our financial statements. 37 Table of Contents Liquidity and Capital Resources Our principal sources of liquidity were cash flows from operations, borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility, and other debt. Our principal uses of cash are operating expenses, working capital requirements, acquisitions, interest on debt and repayment of debt. Our principal sources of liquidity prior to the Transactions included $3.3 billion of outstanding debt under our then-existing first and second lien credit agreements, which we repaid on October 28, 2020 in connection with the Transactions and were scheduled to mature in July 2021 and July 2022, respectively. Cash Flows A summary of our cash operating, investing and financing activities are shown in the following table: Three Months Ended March 31, (in thousands) 2021 2020 Net cash provided by operating activities $ 29,887 $ 50,965 Net cash used in investing activities (19,281 ) (59,842 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (54,514 ) 71,152 Net effect of foreign currency fluctuations on cash (2,234 ) (6,883 ) Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (46,142 ) $ 55,392 Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities Net cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2021 consisted of net loss of $0.5 million adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization of $59.6 million and effects of changes in working capital. Net cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2020 consisted of net loss of $21.7 million adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization of $60.2 million and effects of changes in working capital. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities during the three months ended March 31, 2021 relative to the same period in 2020 was primarily due to the increase in working capital as a result of timing of payroll funding and an increase in inventory from our digital commerce business during the three months ended March 31, 2021. Net Cash Used in Investing Activities Net cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2021 primarily consisted of the purchase of businesses, net of cash acquired of $14.0 million and purchase of property and equipment of $5.2 million. Net cash used in investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2020 primarily consisted of the purchase of businesses, net of cash acquired of $51.4 million and purchase of property and equipment of $8.5 million. Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities We primarily finance our growth through cash flows from operations, however, we also incur long-term debt or borrow under lines of credit when necessary to execute acquisitions. Cash flows from financing activities consisted of borrowings related to these lines of credit and subsequent payments of principal and financing fees. Additionally, many of our acquisition agreements include contingent consideration arrangements, which are generally based on the achievement of future financial performance by the operations attributable to the acquired companies. The portion of the cash payment up to the acquisition date fair value of the contingent consideration liability are classified as financing outflows, and amounts paid in excess of the acquisition date fair value of that liability are classified as operating outflows. 38 Table of Contents Cash flows related to financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2021 were primarily related to repayment of $50.0 million on the New Revolving Credit Facility and borrowings and repayments on our lines of credit. Cash flows related to financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2020 were primarily related to $80.0 million of borrowing under the revolving credit facility then in place, principal payments of $9.7 million on our lines of credit, principal payments of $6.5 million on our long-term debt and $2.2 million related to payments of contingent consideration and holdback payments. Description of Credit Facilities New Senior Secured Credit Facilities In connection with the consummation of the Transactions, Advantage Sales & Marketing Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Borrower”) entered into the New Senior Secured Credit Facilities consisting of (i) the New Revolving Credit Facility, which is a senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $400.0 million, subject to borrowing base capacity and (ii) the New Term Loan Facility, which is a secured first lien term loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $1.325 billion. New Revolving Credit Facility Our New Revolving Credit Facility provides for revolving loans and letters of credit in an aggregate amount of up to $400.0 million, subject to borrowing base capacity. Letters of credit are limited to the lesser of (a) $150.0 million and (b) the aggregate unused amount of commitments under our New Revolving Credit Facility then in effect. Loans under the New Revolving Credit Facility may be denominated in either U.S. dollars or Canadian dollars. Bank of America, N.A., is administrative agent and ABL Collateral Agent. The New Revolving Credit Facility is scheduled to mature in October 2025. We may use borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility to fund working capital and for other general corporate purposes, including permitted acquisitions and other investments. Borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility are limited by borrowing base calculations based on the sum of specified percentages of eligible accounts receivable plus specified percentages of qualified cash, minus the amount of any applicable reserves. Borrowings will bear interest at a floating rate, which can be either an adjusted Eurodollar rate plus an applicable margin or, at the Borrower’s option, a base rate plus an applicable margin. The applicable margins for the New Revolving Credit Facility are 2.00%, 2.25% or 2.50%, with respect to Eurodollar rate borrowings and 1.00%, 1.25% or 1.50%, with respect to base rate borrowings, in each case depending on average excess availability under the New Revolving Credit Facility. The Borrower’s ability to draw under the New Revolving Credit Facility or issue letters of credit thereunder will be conditioned upon, among other things, the Borrower’s delivery of prior written notice of a borrowing or issuance, as applicable, the Borrower’s ability to reaffirm the representations and warranties contained in the credit agreement governing the New Revolving Credit Facility and the absence of any default or event of default thereunder. The Borrower’s obligations under the New Revolving Credit Facility are guaranteed by Karman Intermediate Corp. (“Holdings”) and all of the Borrower’s direct and indirect wholly owned material U.S. subsidiaries (subject to certain permitted exceptions) and Canadian subsidiaries (subject to certain permitted exceptions, including exceptions based on immateriality thresholders of aggregate assets and revenues of Canadian subsidiaries) (the “Guarantors”). The New Revolving Credit Facility is secured by a lien on substantially all of Holdings’, the Borrower’s and the Guarantors’ assets (subject to certain permitted exceptions). The Borrower’s New Revolving Credit Facility has a first-priority lien on the current asset collateral and a second-priority lien on security interests in the fixed asset collateral (second in priority to the liens securing the Notes and the New Term Loan Facility discussed below), in each case, subject to other permitted liens. The New Revolving Credit Facility has the following fees: (i) an unused line fee of 0.375% or 0.250% per annum of the unused portion of the New Revolving Credit Facility, depending on average excess availability under the New Revolving Credit Facility; (ii) a letter of credit participation fee on the aggregate stated amount of each letter of credit equal to the applicable margin for adjusted Eurodollar rate loans, as applicable; and (iii) certain other customary fees and expenses of the lenders and agents thereunder. 39 Table of Contents The New Revolving Credit Facility contains customary covenants, including, but not limited to, restrictions on the Borrower’s ability and that of our subsidiaries to merge and consolidate with other companies, incur indebtedness, grant liens or security interests on assets, make acquisitions, loans, advances or investments, pay dividends, sell or otherwise transfer assets, optionally prepay or modify terms of any junior indebtedness, enter into transactions with affiliates or change our line of business. The New Revolving Credit Facility will require the maintenance of a fixed charge coverage ratio (as set forth in the credit agreement governing the New Revolving Credit Facility) of 1.00 to 1.00 at the end of each fiscal quarter when excess availability is less than the greater of $25 million and 10% of the lesser of the borrowing base and maximum borrowing capacity. Such fixed charge coverage ratio will be tested at the end of each quarter until such time as excess availability exceeds the level set forth above. The New Revolving Credit Facility provides that, upon the occurrence of certain events of default, the Borrower’s obligations thereunder may be accelerated and the lending commitments terminated. Such events of default include payment defaults to the lenders thereunder, material inaccuracies of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to other material indebtedness, voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy, insolvency, corporate arrangement, winding-up, liquidation or similar proceedings, material money judgments, material pension-plan events, certain change of control events and other customary events of default. New Term Loan Facility The New Term Loan Facility consists of a term loan facility denominated in US dollars in an aggregate principal amount of $1.325 billion. Borrowings under the New Term Loan Facility amortize in equal quarterly installments in an amount equal to 1.00% per annum of the principal amount. Borrowings will bear interest at a floating rate, which can be either an adjusted Eurodollar rate plus an applicable margin or, at the Borrower’s option, a base rate plus an applicable margin. The applicable margins for the New Term Loan Facility are 5.25% with respect to Eurodollar rate borrowings and 4.25% with respect to base rate borrowings. The Borrower may voluntarily prepay loans or reduce commitments under the New Term Loan Facility, in whole or in part, subject to minimum amounts, with prior notice but without premium or penalty (other than a 1.00% premium on any prepayment in connection with a repricing transaction prior to the date that is twelve months after the date we entered into the New Term Loan Facility). The Borrower will be required to prepay the New Term Loan Facility with 100% of the net cash proceeds of certain asset sales (such percentage subject to reduction based on the achievement of specific first lien net leverage ratios) and subject to certain reinvestment rights, 100% of the net cash proceeds of certain debt issuances and 50% of excess cash flow (such percentage subject to reduction based on the achievement of specific first lien net leverage ratios). The Borrower’s obligations under the New Term Loan Facility are guaranteed by Holdings and the Guarantors. Our New Term Loan Facility is secured by a lien on substantially all of Holdings’, the Borrower’s and the Guarantors’ assets (subject to certain permitted exceptions). The New Term Loan Facility has a first-priority lien on the fixed asset collateral (equal in priority with the liens securing the Notes) and a second-priority lien on security interests in the current asset collateral (second in priority to the liens securing the New Revolving Credit Facility), in each case, subject to other permitted liens. The New Term Loan Facility contains certain customary negative covenants, including, but not limited to, restrictions on the Borrower’s ability and that of our restricted subsidiaries to merge and consolidate with other companies, incur indebtedness, grant liens or security interests on assets, pay dividends or make other restricted payments, sell or otherwise transfer assets or enter into transactions with affiliates. The New Term Loan Facility provides that, upon the occurrence of certain events of default, the Borrower’s obligations thereunder may be accelerated. Such events of default will include payment defaults to the lenders thereunder, material inaccuracies of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, cross-defaults to other material indebtedness, voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy, insolvency, corporate arrangement, winding-up, liquidation or similar proceedings, material money judgments, change of control and other customary events of default. 40 Table of Contents Senior Secured Notes In connection with the Transactions, Advantage Solutions FinCo LLC (“Finco”) issued $775.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (the “Notes”). Substantially concurrently with the Transactions, Finco merged with and into Advantage Sales & Marketing Inc. (the “Issuer”), with the Issuer continuing as the surviving entity and assuming the obligations of Finco. The Notes were sold to BofA Securities, Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Apollo Global Securities, LLC. The Notes were resold to certain non-U.S. persons pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act at a purchase price equal to 100% of their principal amount. The terms of the Notes are governed by an Indenture, dated as of October 28, 2020 (the “Indenture”), among Finco, the Issuer, the guarantors named therein (the “Notes Guarantors”) and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and collateral agent. Interest and maturity Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on May 15 and November 15 at a rate of 6.50% per annum, commencing on May 15, 2021. The Notes will mature on November 15, 2028. Guarantees The Notes are guaranteed by Holdings and each of the Issuer’s direct and indirect wholly owned material U.S. subsidiaries (subject to certain permitted exceptions) and Canadian subsidiaries (subject to certain permitted exceptions, including exceptions based on immateriality thresholders of aggregate assets and revenues of Canadian subsidiaries) that is a borrower or guarantor under the New Term Loan Facility. Security and Ranking The Notes and the related guarantees are the general, senior secured obligations of the Issuer and the Notes Guarantors, are secured on a first-priority pari passu basis by security interests on the fixed asset collateral (equal in priority with liens securing the New Term Loan Facility), and are secured on a second-priority basis by security interests on the current asset collateral (second in priority to the liens securing the New Revolving Credit Facility and equal in priority with liens securing the New Term Loan Facility), in each case, subject to certain limitations and exceptions and permitted liens. The Notes and related guarantees rank (i) equally in right of payment with all of the Issuer’s and the Guarantors’ senior indebtedness, without giving effect to collateral arrangements (including the New Senior Secured Credit Facilities) and effectively equal to all of the Issuer’s and the Guarantors’ senior indebtedness secured on the same priority basis as the Notes, including the New Term Loan Facility, (ii) effectively subordinated to any of the Issuer’s and the Guarantors’ indebtedness that is secured by assets that do not constitute collateral for the Notes to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and to indebtedness that is secured by a senior-priority lien, including the New Revolving Credit Facility to the extent of the value of the current asset collateral and (iii) structurally subordinated to the liabilities of the Issuer’s non-Guarantor subsidiaries. Optional redemption for the Notes The Notes are redeemable on or after November 15, 2023 at the applicable redemption prices specified in the Indenture plus accrued and unpaid interest. The Notes may also be redeemed at any time prior to November 15, 2023 at a redemption price equal to 100% of the aggregate principal amount of such Notes to be redeemed plus a “make-whole” premium, plus accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, the Issuer may redeem up to 40% of the 41 Table of Contents original aggregate principal amount of Notes before November 15, 2023 with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings at a redemption price equal to 106.5% of the aggregate principal amount of such Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest. Furthermore, prior to November 15, 2023 the Issuer may redeem during each calendar year up to 10% of the original aggregate principal amount of the Notes at a redemption price equal to 103% of the aggregate principal amount of such Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest. If the Issuer or its restricted subsidiaries sell certain of their respective assets or experience specific kinds of changes of control, subject to certain exceptions, the Issuer must offer to purchase the Notes at par. In connection with any offer to purchase all Notes, if holders of no less than 90% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes validly tender their Notes, the Issuer is entitled to redeem any remaining Notes at the price offered to each holder. Restrictive covenants The Notes are subject to covenants that, among other things limit the Issuer’s ability and its restricted subsidiaries’ ability to: incur additional indebtedness or guarantee indebtedness; pay dividends or make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem, the Issuer’s or a parent entity’s capital stock; prepay, redeem or repurchase certain indebtedness; issue certain preferred stock or similar equity securities; make loans and investments; sell or otherwise dispose of assets; incur liens; enter into transactions with affiliates; enter into agreements restricting the Issuer’s subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends; and consolidate, merge or sell all or substantially all of the Issuer’s assets. Most of these covenants will be suspended on the Notes so long as they have investment grade ratings from both Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and S&P Global Ratings and so long as no default or event of default under the Indenture has occurred and is continuing. Events of default The following constitute events of default under the Notes, among others: default in the payment of interest; default in the payment of principal; failure to comply with covenants; failure to pay other indebtedness after final maturity or acceleration of other indebtedness exceeding a specified amount; certain events of bankruptcy; failure to pay a judgment for payment of money exceeding a specified aggregate amount; voidance of subsidiary guarantees; failure of any material provision of any security document or intercreditor agreement to be in full force and effect; and lack of perfection of liens on a material portion of the collateral, in each case subject to applicable grace periods. First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement In connection with the Transactions, our debt arrangements under the First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement as well as the AR Facility that existed as of September 30, 2020 were repaid and terminated with incremental costs of $86.8 million. For a description of the First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement that were refinanced in connection with the consummation of the Transactions on October 28, 2020, please see the additional information set forth in Note 7— Debt , to our audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. Cash and Cash Equivalents Held Outside the United States As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, $76.2 million and $87.7 million, respectively, of our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were held by foreign subsidiaries. As of March 31, 2021, and December 31, 2020, $30.2 million and $28.9 million, respectively, of our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities were held by foreign branches. We assessed our determination as to our indefinite reinvestment intent for certain of our foreign subsidiaries and recorded a deferred tax liability of approximately $2.1 million of withholding tax as of December 31, 2020 for unremitted earnings in Canada with respect to which the Company does not have an indefinite reinvestment assertion. We will continue to evaluate our cash needs, however we currently do not intend, nor do we foresee a need, to repatriate funds from the foreign subsidiaries except for Canada. We have continued to assert indefinite reinvestment on all other earnings as it is necessary for continuing operations and to grow the business. If at a point in the future our assertion changes, we will evaluate tax-efficient means to repatriate the income. In addition, we 42 Table of Contents expect existing domestic cash and cash flows from operations to continue to be sufficient to fund our domestic operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities, such as debt repayment and capital expenditures, for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. If we should require more capital in the United States than is generated by our domestic operations, for example, to fund significant discretionary activities such as business acquisitions, we could elect to repatriate future earnings from foreign jurisdictions. These alternatives could result in higher tax expense or increased interest expense. We consider the majority of the undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries, as of December 31, 2020, to be indefinitely reinvested and, accordingly, no provision has been made for taxes in excess of the $2.1 million noted above. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements We do not have any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or liabilities, guarantee contracts, retained or contingent interests in transferred assets or any obligation arising out of a material variable interest in an unconsolidated entity. We do not have any majority-owned subsidiaries that are not included in our consolidated financial statements. Additionally, we do not have an interest in, or relationships with, any special-purpose entities. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates Our critical accounting policies and estimates are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed May 17, 2021 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and did not materially change during the three months ended March 31, 2021. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements See the information set forth in Note 1, Organization and Significant Accounting Policies – Recent Accounting Pronouncements , to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020. included in “Part I, Financial Information - Item 1. Financial Statements” in this Quarterly Report. 43 Table of Contents