Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Below we are providing, in supplemental form, changes to our risk factors from those previously disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Our risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 provide additional discussion regarding these supplemental risks and we encourage you to read and carefully consider all of the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, together with the below, for a more complete understanding of the risks and uncertainties material to our business, results of operations and/or financial condition.
Many of the products we sell are used for inherently risky outdoor pursuits and could give rise to product liability or product warranty claims and other loss contingencies, which could affect our earnings and financial condition.
Many of our products are used in applications and situations that involve high levels of risk of personal injury and death. As a result, we maintain a staff who focus on including appropriate disclaimers and markings, and undertaking testing and otherwise seeking to assure the quality and safety of our products. We stay current with laws to seek to provide thorough and protective disclaimers and instructions on all of our products and packaging. Furthermore, our technical climbing and avalanche safety equipment and our related operations meet and are certified to International Personal Protective Equipment (PP) standards set by the EEC or ISO 9001 quality system standards. Failure to use our products for their intended purposes, failure to use or care for them properly, or their malfunction, or, in some limited circumstances, even correct use of our products, could result in serious bodily injury or death.
We remain exposed to product liability claims by the nature of the products we produce. Exposure occurs if one of our products is alleged to have resulted in property damage, bodily injury or other adverse effects. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing and/or design, failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product or activities associated with the product, negligence, strict liability, and/or breach of warranties. Although we maintain product liability insurance in amounts that we believe are reasonable, there can be no assurance that we will be able to
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maintain such insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, in the future or that product liability claims will not exceed the amount of insurance coverage.
As a manufacturer and distributor of consumer products, we are subject to government regulation in the United States and other countries, including, without limitation, the Consumer Products Safety Act, which empowers the CPSC to exclude from the market products that are found to be unsafe or hazardous. Under certain circumstances, the CPSC could require us to repurchase or recall one or more of our products. Additionally, laws regulating certain consumer products exist in some cities and states, as well as in other countries in which we sell our products, and more restrictive laws and regulations may be adopted in the future. Any such recalls or repurchases of our products could be costly to us and could damage our business and reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, stock price, consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows. If we are required to remove, or if we voluntarily remove, our products from the market, our reputation could be tarnished and we might have large quantities of finished products that we are unable to sell.
We spend substantial resources ensuring compliance with governmental and other applicable standards. However, compliance with these standards does not necessarily prevent individual or class action lawsuits, which can entail significant cost and risk. We do not maintain insurance against many types of claims involving alleged defects in our products that do not involve personal injury or property damage. As a result, these types of claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our product liability insurance program is an occurrence-based program based on our current and historical claims experience and the availability and cost of insurance. We carry both general and umbrella liability policies that insure us for product liability claims. The policy has a small retention, which enables us to manage and control our product liability claims. Historically, product liability awards have not exceeded our individual per occurrence self-insured retention. We cannot assure you, however, that our future product liability experience will be consistent with our past experience. Additionally, we do not maintain product recall insurance. We maintain a warranty reserve for estimated future warranty claims, but the actual costs of servicing future warranty claims may exceed the reserve. As a result, product recalls or product liability claims, including, without limitation, recalls and liability claims relating to our avalanche beacon transceivers, could be costly to us and could damage our business and reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, stock price, consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
Adverse publicity about the Company and/or its brands and products, including without limitation, through social media or in connection with brand damaging events and/or public perception could negatively impact our business and reputation.
Our brands have wide recognition, and our success has been due in large part to our ability to maintain, enhance and protect our brand image and reputation and our consumers’ and customers’ connection to our brands. Our continued success depends in part on our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media environment, including our increasing reliance on social media and online dissemination of advertising campaigns. In addition, consumer and customer sentiment could be shaped by our sustainability policies and related design, sourcing and operational decisions.
Negative claims or publicity involving us, our board of directors, our brands, our products, including, without limitation, recalls and liability claims relating to our avalanche beacon transceivers, services and experiences, consumer data, or any of our key employees, endorsers, or suppliers could seriously damage our reputation and the image of our brands, regardless of whether such claims are accurate.
Furthermore, social media, which accelerates and potentially amplifies the scope of negative publicity, can increase the challenges of responding to negative claims. Adverse publicity could also damage our reputation and the image of our brands, undermine consumer confidence in us and reduce long-term demand for our products, even if such adverse publicity is unfounded or not material to our operations. If the reputation, culture or image of any of our brands and products, including, without limitation, recalls and liability claims relating to our avalanche beacon transceivers, is tarnished or if we receive negative publicity, then our sales, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
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From time to time, we have been and may be subject to legal proceedings, regulatory investigations or disputes, and governmental inquiries that could cause us to incur significant expenses, divert our management’s attention, damage our business and reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, stock price, consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.
From time to time, we have been and may be subject to claims, lawsuits, government investigations, and other proceedings involving products liability, competition and antitrust, intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, securities, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, and other matters that could adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. Injuries sustained by those who use or purchase our products, including, without limitation, our avalanche beacon transceivers, have, and could in the future, subject us to regulatory proceedings and litigation by government agencies and private litigants brought against us, that regardless of their merits, could harm our reputation, divert management’s attention from our operations and result in substantial legal fees and other costs. For example, as disclosed in Part II, Item 1 “Legal Proceedings,” BDEL was notified by the CPSC that the agency staff believes we failed to timely meet our statutory reporting obligations under the Consumer Product Safety Act with respect to certain models of BDEL’s avalanche transceivers switching unexpectedly out of “send” mode, that we made a material misrepresentation in a report to the CPSC, and that the agency staff intends to recommend that the CPSC impose substantial civil monetary penalties. A significant penalty imposed by the CPSC or other regulators, could be costly to us and could damage our business and reputation as well as have a material adverse effect on the Company’s compliance with the covenants contained in the Company’s Restated Credit Agreement, liquidity, stock price, consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows. Also, we have reporting obligations to safety regulators in all jurisdictions where we sell our products, where reporting may trigger further regulatory investigations.
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ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Description
10.1
Separation Agreement and General Release, dated as of August 31, 2023, between Clarus Corporation and Aaron J. Kuehne (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 1, 2023, and incorporated herein by reference).
31.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
31.2
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. *
32.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. **
32.2
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. **
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document *
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document *
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document*
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document *
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document *
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document *
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File – formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101
*
Filed herewith
**
Furnished herewith
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
CLARUS CORPORATION
Date: November 7, 2023
By:
/s/ Warren B. Kanders
Name:
Warren B. Kanders
Title:
Executive Chairman
(Principal Executive Officer)
Date: November 7, 2023
By:
/s/ Michael J. Yates
Name:
Michael J. Yates
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
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Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.