LA-Z-BOY INC 10-Q

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS We have prepared this Management’s Discussion and Analysis as an aid to understanding our financial results. It should be read in conjunction with the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. After a cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements, we begin with an introduction to our key businesses and then provide discussions of our results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, and critical accounting policies. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements La-Z-Boy Incorporated and its subsidiaries (individually and collectively, "we," "our," "us," "La-Z-Boy" or the "Company") make "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, forward-looking statements include information concerning expectations, projections or trends relating to our results of operations, financial results, financial condition, strategic initiatives and plans, expenses, dividends, share repurchases, liquidity, use of cash and cash requirements, borrowing capacity, investments, future economic performance, business and industry and the effect of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic on our business operations and financial results. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "anticipates," "believes," "continues," "estimates," "expects," "feels," "forecasts," "hopes," "intends," "plans," "projects," "likely," "seeks," "short-term," "non-recurring," "one-time," "outlook," "target," "unusual," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could," or "may." A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances, and those future events or circumstances may not occur. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak to our views only as of the date of this report. These forward-looking statements are all based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control, such as the continuing and developing impact of, and uncertainty caused by, the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know about or that we currently consider to be immaterial may also affect our business operations and financial performance. Our actual future results and trends may differ materially from those we anticipate depending on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in our Annual Report for the year ended April 30, 2022, under Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Any or all of the forward-looking statements contained in our Annual Report or any other public statement made by us, including by our management, may turn out to be incorrect. We are including this cautionary note to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or for any other reason. Introduction Our Business We are the leading global producer of reclining chairs and the second largest manufacturer/distributor of residential furniture in the United States . The La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores retail network is the third largest retailer of single-branded furniture in the United States . We manufacture, market, import, export, distribute and retail upholstery furniture products under the La-Z-Boy ® , England, Kincaid ® , and Joybird ® tradenames. In addition, we import, distribute and retail accessories and casegoods (wood) furniture products under the Kincaid ® , American Drew ® , Hammary ® , and Joybird ® tradenames. As of July 30, 2022, our supply chain operations included the following: • Five major manufacturing locations and nine regional distribution centers in the United States and five facilities in Mexico to support our speed-to-market and customization strategy • A logistics company that distributes a portion of our products in the United States • A wholesale sales office that is responsible for distribution of our product in the United Kingdom and Ireland • An upholstery manufacturing business in the United Kingdom • A global trading company in Hong Kong which helps us manage our Asian supply chain by establishing and maintaining relationships with our Asian suppliers, as well as identifying efficiencies and savings opportunities 19 Table of Contents We also participate in two consolidated joint ventures in Thailand that support our international businesses: one that operates a manufacturing facility and another that operates a wholesale sales office. Additionally, we have contracts with several suppliers in Asia to produce products that support our pure import model for casegoods. We sell our products through multiple channels: to furniture retailers or distributors in the United States, Canada, and approximately 55 other countries, including the United Kingdom, China, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand, directly to consumers through retail stores that we own and operate, and through our websites, www.la-z-boy.com and www.joybird.com. • The centerpiece of our retail distribution strategy is our network of 348 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores and 530 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® locations, each dedicated to marketing our La-Z-Boy branded products. We consider this dedicated space to be “proprietary.” ◦ La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores help consumers furnish their homes by combining the style, comfort, and quality of La-Z-Boy furniture with our available design services. We own 166 of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores, while the remainder are independently owned and operated. ◦ La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® locations are defined spaces within larger independent retailers that are dedicated to displaying and selling La-Z-Boy branded products. All 530 La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® locations are independently owned and operated. ◦ In total, we have approximately 7.7 million square feet of proprietary floor space dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products in North America. ◦ We also have approximately 3.0 million square feet of floor space outside of the United States and Canada dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy branded products. • Our other brands, England, American Drew, Hammary, and Kincaid enjoy distribution through many of the same outlets, with slightly over half of Hammary’s sales originating through the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® store network. ◦ Kincaid and England have their own dedicated proprietary in-store programs with 614 outlets and approximately 1.9 million square feet of proprietary floor space. ◦ In total, our proprietary floor space includes approximately 12.6 million square feet worldwide. • Joybird sells product primarily online and has a limited amount of proprietary retail showroom floor space including small-format stores in key urban markets. Our goal is to deliver value to our shareholders over the long term through executing our strategic initiatives. The foundation of our strategic initiatives is driving profitable sales growth in all areas of our business. We plan to drive growth in the following ways: • Leveraging and reinvigorating our brand with a consumer focus and expanded omni-channel presence. Our strategic initiatives to leverage and reinvigorate our iconic La-Z-Boy brand center on a renewed focus on leveraging the compelling La-Z-Boy comfort message, accelerating our omni-channel offering, and identifying additional consumer-base growth opportunities. Our marketing platform featuring celebrity brand ambassador Kristen Bell drives brand recognition and injects youthful style and sensibility into our marketing campaign, which enhances the appeal of our brand with a younger consumer base. Further, our goal is to connect with consumers along their purchase journey through multiple means, whether online or in person. We are driving change throughout our digital platforms to improve the user experience, with a specific focus on the ease with which customers browse through our broad product assortment, customize products to their liking, find stores to make a purchase, or purchase at www.la-z-boy.com. • Expanding the reach of our branded distribution channels, which include the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® store network and the La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® locations, our store-within-a-store format . While the consumer’s purchase journey may start digitally, our consumers also demonstrate an affinity for visiting our stores to shop, allowing us to frequently deliver the flagship La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® store, or La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® , experience and provide design services. We expect our strategic initiatives in this area to generate growth in our Retail segment through an increased company-owned store count and in our Wholesale segment as our proprietary distribution network expands. We are not only focused on growing the number of locations, but also on upgrading existing store locations to our new concept designs. 20 Table of Contents • Growing our company-owned retail business. We are focused on growing this business by increasing same-store sales through improved execution at the store level and by opportunistically acquiring existing La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores and opening new La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores, primarily in markets that can be serviced through our regional distribution centers, where we see opportunity for growth, or where we believe we have opportunities for further market penetration. • Accelerating the growth of the Joybird brand. During fiscal 2019, we purchased Joybird, a leading e-commerce retailer and manufacturer of upholstered furniture with a direct-to-consumer model. We believe that Joybird is a brand with significant potential and our strategic initiatives in this area focus on fueling profitable growth through an increase in digital marketing spend to drive awareness and customer acquisition, ongoing investments in technology, an expansion of product assortment, and providing additional small-format stores in key urban markets to enhance our consumers' omni-channel experience. • Enhancing our enterprise capabilities to support the growth of our consumer brands and enable potential acquisitions for growth. In addition to our branded distribution channels, approximately 2,200 other dealers sell La-Z-Boy products, providing us the benefit of multi-channel distribution. These outlets include some of the best-known names in the industry, including Slumberland, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Mathis Brothers and Raymour & Flanagan. We believe there is significant growth potential for our consumer brands through these retail channels. Our strategic initiatives focus on enhancing our enterprise capabilities to support the growth of our consumer brands and improving the agility of our supply chain so that it can more broadly support all our consumer brands. Our reportable operating segments include the Wholesale segment and the Retail segment. • Wholesale Segment . Our Wholesale segment consists primarily of three operating segments: La-Z-Boy, our largest operating segment, our England subsidiary, and our casegoods operating segment that sells furniture under three brands: American Drew ® , Hammary ® and Kincaid ® . The Wholesale segment also includes our international wholesale and manufacturing businesses. We aggregate these operating segments into one reportable segment because they are economically similar and meet the other aggregation criteria for determining reportable segments. Our Wholesale segment manufactures and imports upholstered furniture, such as recliners and motion furniture, sofas, loveseats, chairs, sectionals, modulars, ottomans and sleeper sofas and imports casegoods (wood) furniture, such as bedroom sets, dining room sets, entertainment centers and occasional pieces. The Wholesale segment sells directly to La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores, operators of La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio ® locations, England Custom Comfort Center locations, major dealers, and a wide cross-section of other independent retailers. • Retail Segment . Our Retail segment consists of one operating segment comprised of our 166 company-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries ® stores. The Retail segment sells primarily upholstered furniture, in addition to some casegoods and other accessories, to end consumers through these stores. • Corporate & Other. Corporate & Other includes the shared costs for corporate functions, including human resources, information technology, finance and legal, in addition to revenue generated through royalty agreements with companies licensed to use the La-Z-Boy ® brand name on various products. We consider our corporate functions to be other business activities and have aggregated them with our other insignificant operating segments, including our global trading company in Hong Kong and Joybird, an e-commerce retailer that manufactures upholstered furniture, such as sofas, loveseats, chairs, ottomans, sleeper sofas and beds, and also imports casegoods (wood) furniture, such as occasional tables and other accessories. Joybird sells to the end consumer primarily online through its website, www.joybird.com. None of the operating segments included in Corporate & Other meet the requirements of reportable segments. 21 Table of Contents Results of Operations Fiscal 2023 First Quarter Compared with Fiscal 2022 First Quarter La-Z-Boy Incorporated Quarter Ended (Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except percentages) 7/30/2022 7/24/2021 % Change Sales $ 604,091 $ 524,783 15.1% Operating income 52,643 34,371 53.2% Operating margin 8.7% 6.5% Sales Consolidated sales increased $79.3 million, or 15.1%, in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. After retail and manufacturing locations reopened after COVID-related shutdowns at the beginning of fiscal 2021, we experienced a strong pace of written order trends while facing challenges in the global supply chain. In response to heightened demand, we expanded our manufacturing capacity, increased our strategic raw material reserves, and took pricing and surcharge actions to counteract rising materials and freight costs. The impact of these strategic actions over the last two years and our ability to work through our significant backlog led to a strong sales increase in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. Operating Margin Operating margin, which is calculated as operating income as a percentage of sales, increased 220 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. • Gross margin, which is calculated as gross profit as a percentage of sales, increased 150 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, compared with the same period a year ago. ◦ Changes in our consolidated mix improved gross margin by 160 basis points, driven by growth of our Retail segment, which has a higher gross margin than our Wholesale segment. ◦ Gross margin was adversely impacted by higher raw material and freight costs caused by global supply chain and availability challenges, along with higher plant production costs resulting from the expansion of our manufacturing capacity and a challenging labor environment. ◦ Partially offsetting the item above, gross margin benefited from increased pricing and surcharges • Selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses as a percentage of sales decreased 70 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago, as higher delivered sales volume relative to fixed costs more than offset increased investments in marketing to drive written sales. We discuss each segment’s results in the following section. Wholesale Segment Quarter Ended (Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except percentages) 7/30/2022 7/24/2021 % Change Sales $ 441,818 $ 393,499 12.3% Operating income 26,142 18,331 42.6% Operating margin 5.9% 4.7% Sales The Wholesale segment’s sales increased $48.3 million, or 12% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. The increase in sales was primarily driven by the realization of pricing and surcharge actions taken in response to rising manufacturing costs combined with favorable channel and product mix. This was partially offset by a decline in delivered volume primarily the result of external dealers delaying receipt of finished goods due to warehouse constraints. 22 Table of Contents Operating Margin The Wholesale segment's operating margin increased 120 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. • Gross margin increased 120 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. ◦ Gross margin increased 610 basis points from pricing and surcharge actions taken in response to rising raw materials and freight costs resulting from global supply challenges, the impact of which caused a 340 basis point decrease in gross margin. ◦ Favorable channel and product mix resulted in an 80 basis point improvement to gross margin ◦ Higher production costs related to manufacturing capacity expansion and sustained competition in the labor market drove a 180 basis point decrease in gross margin. ◦ The first quarter of fiscal 2023 included expenses related to our plans to finalize the closure of our Newton, Mississippi manufacturing facility which had been temporarily reactivated during the second quarter of fiscal 2021 in response to stronger-than-expected demand at that time. This action resulted in a 20 basis point decrease in gross margin in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. • SG&A expense as a percentage of sales was flat in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago as increased marketing spend was offset by fixed cost leverage from higher delivered sales. Retail Segment Quarter Ended (Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except percentages) 7/30/2022 7/24/2021 % Change Sales $ 236,021 $ 181,847 29.8% Operating income 38,152 20,438 86.7% Operating margin 16.2% 11.2% Sales The Retail segment’s sales increased $54.2 million, or 30%, in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago, led by a 25% increase in delivered same-store sales. Additionally, the Retail segment benefited from a $12.2 million increase in sales related to our retail store acquisitions that occurred in fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2023. Written same-store sales decreased 15% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago, primarily the result of a return to expected industry-wide seasonal trends and softening demand driven by economic uncertainty and consumer sentiment. Same-store delivered sales include the sales of all currently active stores which have been open and company-owned for each comparable period. Operating Margin The Retail segment's operating margin increased 500 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago. • Gross margin decreased 80 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago primarily due to the timing difference between higher product costs resulting from the pricing and surcharge actions taken by our manufacturing business and pricing actions taken by the Retail business which are realized upon delivery. • SG&A expense as a percentage of sales decreased 580 basis points in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago, primarily due to higher delivered sales relative to selling expenses and fixed costs, mainly occupancy expenses. 23 Table of Contents Corporate and Other Quarter Ended (Unaudited, amounts in thousands, except percentages) 7/30/2022 7/24/2021 % Change Sales $ 48,730 $ 43,634 11.7% Intercompany eliminations (122,478) (94,197) (30.0)% Operating loss (11,651) (4,398) (164.9)% Sales Corporate and Other sales increased $5.1 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, primarily led by Joybird sales which increased 10% to $42.7 million. The growth in Joybird sales was driven by the realization of pricing actions, higher volume resulting from investments in marketing and website enhancements leading to higher online conversion, and the addition of retail store locations. Written sales for Joybird were up 12% in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 compared with the same period a year ago, driven by continued investments in marketing. Intercompany eliminations increased in the first quarter 2023 compared with the same period a year ago due to higher sales from our Wholesale segment to our Retail segment. Operating Loss Our Corporate and Other operating loss increased $7.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, compared with the same period a year ago primarily due Joybird's operating loss resulting from an increase in freight costs, higher plant costs associated with the opening of a second manufacturing facility, and increased investments in marketing to drive customer acquisition and awareness. Income Taxes Our effective tax rate was 26.5% for the first quarter of fiscal 2023, compared with 25.9% for the first quarter of fiscal 2022. Our effective tax rate varies from the 21% federal statutory rate primarily due to state taxes. Liquidity and Capital Resources Our sources of liquidity include cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments, cash from operations, and amounts available under our credit facility. We believe these sources remain adequate to meet our short-term and long-term liquidity requirements, finance our long-term growth plans, and fulfill other cash requirements for day-to-day operations and capital expenditures. We had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $241.4 million at July 30, 2022, compared with $248.9 million at April 30, 2022. In addition, we had investments to enhance our returns on cash of $24.9 million at July 30, 2022, compared with $27.2 million at April 30, 2022. The following table illustrates the main components of our cash flows: Quarter Ended (Unaudited, amounts in thousands) 7/30/2022 7/24/2021 Cash Flows Provided By (Used For) Net cash provided by operating activities $ 33,104 $ 6,163 Net cash used for investing activities (25,938) (19,519) Net cash used for financing activities (13,835) (44,675) Exchange rate changes (750) (446) Change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ (7,419) $ (58,477) 24 Table of Contents Operating Activities During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, net cash provided by operating activities was $33.1 million. Our cash provided by operating activities was primarily attributable to net income, adjusted for non-cash items, and a $25.1 million decrease in receivables. This was partially offset by a $37.2 million decrease in other liabilities primarily due to a $24.2 million decline in customer deposits as delivered sales outpaced written sales in our Retail segment and the payout of our fiscal 2022 incentive compensation awards during the first quarter of fiscal 2023. Investing Activities During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, net cash used for investing activities was $25.9 million, primarily due to the following: • Cash used for capital expenditures in the period was $21.0 million compared with $19.3 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2022, which primarily related to improvements to our retail stores, new store openings, and plant upgrades to our upholstery manufacturing and distribution facilities in Neosho, Missouri. Spending on these items will continue in fiscal 2023 with full year fiscal 2023 capital expenditures expected to be in the range of $85 to $95 million. We have no material contractual commitments outstanding for future capital expenditures. • Cash used for acquisitions was $7.2 million, related to the acquisition of the Denver, Colorado retail business. Financing Activities On October 15, 2021, we entered into a five-year $200.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”). Borrowings under the Credit Facility may be used by the Company for general corporate purposes. We may increase the size of the facility, either in the form of additional revolving commitments or new term loans, subject to the discretion of each lender to participate in such an increase, up to an additional amount of $100 million. The Credit Facility will mature on October 15, 2026 and provides us the ability to extend the maturity date for two additional one-year periods, subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions. As of July 30, 2022, we have no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility contains certain restrictive loan covenants, including, among others, financial covenants requiring a maximum consolidated net lease adjusted leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, as well as customary covenants limiting our ability to incur indebtedness, grant liens, make acquisitions, merge or consolidate, and dispose of certain assets. As of July 30, 2022, we were in compliance with our financial covenants under the Credit Facility. We believe our cash on hand, in addition to our available Credit Facility, will provide adequate liquidity for our business operations over the next 12 months. During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, net cash used for financing activities was $13.8 million, primarily due to the following: • Our board of directors has authorized the repurchase of company stock and we spent $5.0 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 to repurchase 0.2 million shares. As of July 30, 2022, 7.3 million shares remained available for repurchase pursuant to this authorization. • Cash paid to our shareholders in quarterly dividends was $7.1 million. Our board of directors has sole authority to determine if and when we will declare future dividends and on what terms. We expect the board to continue declaring regular quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, but it may discontinue doing so at any time. Exchange Rate Changes Due to changes in exchange rates, our cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash decreased by $0.8 million from the end of fiscal year 2022 to the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2023. These changes impacted our cash balances held in Canada, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Other During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, there were no material changes to the information about our contractual obligations and commitments shown in the table contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022. We do not expect our continuing compliance with existing federal, state and local statutes dealing with protection of the environment to have a material effect on our capital expenditures, earnings, competitive position or liquidity. 25 Table of Contents Critical Accounting Policies We disclosed our critical accounting policies in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022. There were no material changes to our critical accounting policies or estimates during the quarter ended July 30, 2022. Recent Accounting Pronouncements See Note 1, Basis of Presentation, to the consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of recently adopted accounting standards and other new accounting standards. 26 Table of Contents ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, there were no material changes from the information contained in Item 7A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2022.