Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report. Any of the following risks could materially adversely affect our business, our operating results, our financial condition, and the actual outcome of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made in this Annual Report.
Risks Related to Our Liquidity
We may not be able to achieve our stated goals, which may adversely affect our liquidity.
We face a number of risks, such as changes in economic conditions, continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the leaf tobacco market, changes in regulations affecting the tobacco industry, other changes in demand for our products, and increasing expenses. We may need to raise additional funds through public or private debt or equity financing or other various
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means to fund our business, both at a holding-company level and the local short-term credit lines that fund the operating needs of our non-U.S. local leaf tobacco subsidiaries. Our access to necessary financing may be limited, if it is available at all. Therefore, adequate funds may not be available when needed or may not be available on favorable terms, or at all.
Developments with respect to our liquidity needs and sources of liquidity could result in a deficiency in liquidity.
Our liquidity requirements are affected by various factors from our core tobacco leaf business, including crop seasonality, foreign currency and interest rates, green tobacco prices, customer mix and shipping requirements, crop size, and quality. Our leaf tobacco business is seasonal, and purchasing, processing, and selling activities have several associated peaks where cash on-hand and outstanding indebtedness may vary significantly during the fiscal year. We anticipate periods in the next twelve months during which our liquidity needs will approach the levels of our anticipated available cash and permitted borrowings under our credit facilities. Developments affecting our liquidity needs, including with respect to the foregoing factors, and sources of liquidity, including impacts affecting our cash flows from operations (including as a result of delays with respect to the anticipated timing of shipments of leaf tobacco, whether due to the impact of COVID-19, customer preferences, or other reasons) and the availability of capital resources (including an inability to renew or refinance short-term operating lines of credit and other short-term indebtedness), may result in a deficiency in liquidity. To address a potential liquidity deficiency, we may continue to undertake plans to minimize cash outflows, which could include exiting operations that do not generate positive cash flow. It is possible that, depending on the occurrence of events affecting our liquidity needs and sources of liquidity, such plans may not be sufficient to adequately or timely address a liquidity deficiency.
We may be unable to continue to access short-term operating credit lines to fund local operations on terms that are acceptable or at all.
We have historically financed our non-U.S. local leaf tobacco operations with short-term operating credit lines at the local level. These operating lines are typically seasonal in nature, corresponding to the tobacco crop cycle in that location. Certain of these facilities are uncommitted in that the lenders have the right to cease making loans or demand payment of outstanding loans at any time. Moreover, as these facilities mature, local lenders may not renew them or otherwise offer replacement financing facilities. If local lenders lose confidence in us, they may cease making loans or demand payment of outstanding loans with respect to uncommitted facilities or, with respect to committed facilities, decline to renew or extend existing facilities, or require stricter terms and conditions with respect to future facilities. We may not find these terms and conditions acceptable or they may overly restrict our ability to conduct our businesses successfully. An inability to maintain adequate financing to fund our non-U.S. local leaf tobacco operations in any significant location could result in a significant decline in our revenues, profitability and cash flow and may require us to exit operations in that jurisdiction.
Risks Related to our Indebtedness
We have substantial debt which may adversely affect us by limiting future sources of financing, interfering with our ability to pay interest, and principal on our indebtedness and subjecting us to additional risks.
We have a significant amount of indebtedness and d ebt service obligations. As of March 31, 2022, we had approximately $1,066.9 million in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness. This indebtedness included (i) approximately $90.0 million of outstanding borrowings pursuant to an ABL Credit Agreement (the " ABL Credit Agreement " ), dated as of February 8, 2022 by and among, amongst others, Pyxus, our subsidiaries Pyxus Parent, Inc., and Pyxus Holdings, Inc. ( " Pyxus Holdings " ), and certain subsidiaries of Pyxus Holdings, certain lenders party thereto and PNC Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent and Collateral Agent to establish an asset-based revolving credit facility (the "ABL Credit Facility") which provides for revolving credit loans and letters of credit from time to time up to an initial maximum principal amount of $100.0 million subject to certain limitations, and matures on the earlier of February 8, 2027 or 90 days prior to the earliest maturity of obligations owing under the Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Indenture (each as defined below), (ii) approximately $219.5 million in aggregate principal amount of term loans (the " Exit Term Loans " ) under an Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement, dated as of August 24, 2020 (the " Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement " ), by and among, amongst others, Pyxus Holdings, certain lenders party thereto and Alter Domus (US) LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, which Term Loans mature on February 24, 2025, (iii) approximately $270.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 10.00% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2024 (the "Notes") of Pyxus Holdings pursuant to an Indenture (the "Indenture") dated as of August 24, 2020 among Pyxus Holdings, the initial guarantors party thereto (including Pyxus International, Inc.), and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, and collateral agent, which Notes mature on August 24, 2024, (iv) approximately $107.8 million in aggregate principal amount of term loans (the "DDTL Term Loans") under a delayed-draw term loan lending facility (as amended on May 21, 2021, the "DDTL Facility") established under a term loan credit agreement (the "DDTL Facility Credit Agreement") dated April 23, 2021 among Intabex Netherlands B.V. ("Intabex"), our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, as the borrower, the Company, Pyxus Holdings, Pyxus Parent, Inc., Alliance One International, LLC and Alliance One International Holdings, Ltd. as guarantors, and the lenders party thereto, including certain funds managed by Glendon Capital Management LP, Monarch Alternative Capital LP, and Owl Creek Asset Management, L.P., which mature on July 31, 2022, (v) approximately $71.6 million in aggregate outstanding borrowings under a Third Amendment and Restatement Agreement (the "TDB Facility Agreement") among Pyxus and certain of our subsidiaries, including subsidiaries in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, and Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank ("TDB"), which TDB Facility
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Agreement terminates on June 30, 2024, unless terminated sooner at TDB's discretion on June 30, 2022 or June 30, 2023, and (vi) approximately $378.6 million in aggregate outstanding borrowings under local short-term operating lines of credit.
Our substantial debt could have important consequences, including:
• making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to the ABL Credit Facility, the Exit Term Loans, the Notes, the DDTL Facility, the TDB Facility Agreement and our other obligations;
• requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for operations, working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, product development, and other purposes;
• limiting our ability to obtain additional financing on satisfactory terms and to otherwise fund working capital, capital expenditures, debt refinancing, acquisitions, and other general corporate requirements;
• hampering our ability to adjust to changing market conditions;
• increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
• placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt or are less leveraged;
• limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business, and the industries in which we operate;
• restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or exploiting business opportunities; and
• exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as borrowings under a substantial portion of our debt are subject to variable interest rates.
We require a significant amount of cash to service our indebtedness. Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.
We require a significant amount of cash to service our indebtedness and a substantial portion of our cash flow is required to fund the interest payments on our indebtedness. Our ability to service our indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures depends on our ability to generate cash. This is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control, including the continuing impact of shipping constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, a substantial portion of our debt, including borrowings under the ABL Credit Facility, bears interest at variable rates. If market interest rates increase, variable-rate debt will create higher debt-service requirements, which would adversely affect our cash flow. We cannot assure you that our businesses will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us under in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs.
We may not be able to refinance or renew our indebtedness, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
We may not be able to renew or refinance our indebtedness, including indebtedness under the ABL Credit Facility, the Exit Term Loans, the Notes, the DDTL Facility (including any amendment and restatement thereof) or indebtedness under the TDB Facility Agreement, other seasonal credit lines, or other credit facilities, on substantially similar terms, or at all. Our ability to access short-term and long-term lending and capital markets to obtain, and the availability of acceptable terms and conditions of, financing are impacted by many factors, including: (i) our credit ratings; (ii) the liquidity and volatility of the overall lending and capital markets; and (iii) the current state of the economy, including the tobacco industry. There can be no assurances that we will be able to access the lending and capital markets to refinance our indebtedness. We may have to pay additional fees and expenses that we might not have to pay under normal circumstances, and we may have to agree to terms that could increase the cost of our debt structure. If we are unable to renew or refinance our indebtedness on terms that are not materially less favorable than the terms currently available to us or obtain alternative or additional financing arrangements, we may not be able to timely repay certain of our indebtedness, which may result in a default under other indebtedness. Failure to refinance or renew any material indebtedness would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
We may not be able to satisfy the covenants included in our financing arrangements, which could result in the default of our outstanding debt obligations.
The agreement governing the ABL Credit Facility includes certain restrictive covenants, a springing covenant requiring that our fixed charge coverage ratio be no less than 1.10 to 1.00 during any cash dominion period under the ABL Credit Agreement, and a covenant requiring Domestic Availability (as defined in the ABL Credit Agreement) greater than $20.0 million at all times until audited financial statements for fiscal year ending March 31, 2023 are delivered under the ABL Credit Agreement. Certain agreements governing our seasonal credit facilities, including the TDB Agreement, include financial and restrictive covenants applicable to the subsidiaries that borrow thereunder and in certain cases with respect to Pyxus. The agreements governing our other indebtedness, including the Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement, the Indenture and the DDTL Facility Credit Agreement, also include restrictive covenants. These covenants limit our ability to, among other things:
• incur additional indebtedness or issue disqualified stock or preferred stock;
• make investments;
• pay dividends and make other restricted payments;
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• sell certain assets;
• create liens;
• consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of their assets;
• enter into transactions with affiliates; and
• designate subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the ABL Credit Agreement, the Indenture and the Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement).
Complying with these covenants may cause us to take actions that we otherwise would not take or not take actions that we otherwise would take. Our failure to comply with certain of these covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of a substantial portion of our indebtedness, much of which is cross-defaulted to other indebtedness. In the past, we sought and obtained waivers and amendments under our then-existing financing arrangements to avoid future non-compliance with financial covenants and cure past defaults under restrictive covenants, including recent waivers with respect to financial covenants included in the TDB Facility Agreement and waivers under the Indenture, ABL Credit Facility and the Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement with respect to the commencement of the CCAA Proceeding and the dispositions with respect to the Canadian Cannabis Subsidiaries. We also paid significant fees to obtain certain of these waivers and consents. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with, or obtain waivers and amendments related to, financial or restrictive covenants in the future.
Despite current indebtedness levels, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could exacerbate further the risks associated with our significant leverage.
We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future to the extent permitted under the ABL Credit Agreement, the Exit Term Loan Credit Agreement, the Indenture and the DDTL Facility Credit Agreement. As of March 31, 2022 , $302.1 million was available for borrowing under our short and long-term credit facilities. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the risks discussed above could intensify.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
We have been and will likely continue to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic and its related shipping constraints, labor shortages and supply-chain impacts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our business and consolidated financial results, and we are unable to determine the extent, duration, or nature at this time. The intensity, duration and governmental responses to the pandemic, as well as the pace of vaccination efforts and the emergence of new variants of the virus that cause COVID-19, are all highly uncertain and could contribute to the ultimate impact on our business. Among other things, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and could continue to result, in:
• Shipping constraints, including vessel and equipment availability, closure of port facilities due to quarantines, port congestion, and rising freight costs, which have resulted in delays in shipments to customers;
• Disruptions in our supply chain or increased costs for certain materials or commodities;
• Labor shortages and difficulties filling positions within our organization; and
• Greater cybersecurity risk and other fraud risks.
Due to the scope of our operations, including emerging markets, and our sale to customers around the world, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations and the demand for our products may not coincide with impacts experienced in the United States in the event that the impacts in the United States improve over time due to increased vaccinations or improved medical treatments. Accordingly, to the extent that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States may improve over time, results of operations may continue to be adversely affected by COVID-19 impacts in other areas of the world.
Risks Relating to Our Leaf Tobacco Operations
Our reliance on a small number of significant customers may adversely affect our financial results.
The customers of our leaf tobacco business are manufacturers of cigarette and other tobacco products. Several of these customers individually may account for a significant portion of our sales in a normal year. For the year ended March 31, 2022, Philip Morris International Inc., China Tobacco International Inc., and British American Tobacco each accounted for more than 10% of our revenues from continuing operations. In addition, tobacco product manufacturers have experienced consolidation and further consolidation among our customers could decrease such customers’ demand for our leaf tobacco or processing services. The loss of any one or more of our significant customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
Vertical integration by our customers could materially adversely affect our financial performance.
Demand for our leaf tobacco or processing services could be materially reduced if cigarette manufacturers make the decision to significantly vertically integrate their operations, either through acquisition of our competitors, establishing new operations or contracting directly with suppliers. In general, our results of operations have not been adversely affected by vertical integration
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initiatives, and some customers have reversed certain aspects of their previous vertical integration of operations. However, further vertical integration by our customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Global shifts in sourcing customer requirements may negatively affect our organizational structure and asset base.
Shifts in sourcing of tobacco may occur as a result of currency fluctuations, including changes in currency exchange rates against the United States Dollar ("USD"), the imposition of tariffs and other changes in international trade policies. We may not be able to timely or efficiently adjust to shifts in sourcing origins, and adjusting to shifts may require changes in our production facilities in certain origins and changes in our fixed asset base. We have incurred, and may continue to incur, restructuring charges as we continue to adjust to shifts in sourcing. Adjusting our capacity and adjusting to shifts in sourcing may have an adverse impact on our ability to manage our costs and could have an adverse effect on our financial performance.
Our financial results will vary according to growing conditions, customer indications, and other factors, which significantly impacts our ability to forecast our quarterly and annual financial performance.
Our financial results may be significantly affected by fluctuations in tobacco growing seasons and crop sizes, which affect the supply of tobacco. Crop sizes may be affected by, among other things, crop infestation and disease, the volume of annual tobacco plantings and yields realized by suppliers, and suppliers' elections to grow crops other than tobacco. The cultivation period for tobacco is dependent upon a number of factors, including the weather and other natural events, such as hurricanes or tropical storms, and our processing schedule and results of operations for any quarterly period can be significantly altered by these factors. The unpredictability may be exacerbated by the effects of climate change, which could increase the likelihood or severity of disruptive weather events.
The cost of acquiring tobacco can fluctuate greatly due to crop sizes and increased competition in certain markets in which we purchase tobacco. For example, short crops in periods of high demand translate into higher average green prices, higher throughput costs and less volume to sell. Furthermore, large crops translate into lower average green prices, lower throughput costs and excess volume to sell.
The timing and unpredictability of customer indications, orders, and shipments cause us to keep tobacco in inventory, increase our risk, and result in variations in financial results. The timing of shipments can be materially impacted by shortages of containers and vessels for shipping, increased spot-prices for shipping leading vessel operators to reduce cargo allocations of our customers' containers covered by lower-priced, long-term shipping arrangements, as well as infrastructure and accessibility issues in ports we use for shipment. We may, from time to time in the ordinary course of business, keep a significant amount of processed tobacco in inventory for our customers to accommodate their inventory management and other needs. Sales recognition by us and our subsidiaries is based on the passage of ownership, usually with shipment of product. Because individual shipments may represent significant amounts of revenue, our financial results may vary significantly depending on our customers’ needs and shipping instructions. These fluctuations result in varying volumes and sales in given periods, which also reduces your ability to compare our financial results in different periods or in the same periods in different years.
Loss of confidence in us by our customers, farmers and other suppliers may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
If our customers, farmers and other suppliers lose confidence in us, they may seek to establish alternative commercial relationships. In addition, in such circumstances, our suppliers, farmers, vendors, counterparties and service providers may seek to renegotiate the terms of our agreements, attempt to terminate their relationships with us or require financial assurances from us. If our suppliers, farmers, vendors, and other providers require stricter terms and conditions, we may not find these terms and conditions acceptable. Failure to timely obtain suitable inventory at competitive prices could materially adversely affect our businesses, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Suppliers who have historically grown tobacco may elect to grow other crops instead of tobacco, which affects the world supply of tobacco and may impact our financial performance.
Increases in the prices for other crops have led and may in the future lead suppliers who have historically grown tobacco to elect to grow these other, more profitable, items instead of tobacco. A decrease in the volume of tobacco available for purchase may increase the purchase price of such tobacco. As a result, we could experience an increase in tobacco crop acquisition costs, which may impact our financial performance.
Our advancement of inputs to tobacco suppliers could expose us to losses.
Our arrangements with suppliers vary depending on our predictions of future supply and demand, local historical practice and availability of capital. In some locales, we purchase seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, and other products related to growing tobacco, which represent prepaid inventory, and issue them to suppliers with whom we have purchase contracts. The suppliers then utilize these inputs to grow tobacco, which we are contractually obligated to purchase if they meet our specifications. These advances to tobacco suppliers are settled as part of the consideration paid upon the suppliers delivering us unprocessed tobacco at market prices. Two primary factors determine the market value of the tobacco suppliers deliver to us: the quantity of tobacco delivered and the quality of the tobacco delivered, both of which are subject to factors outside of our control at the time we
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make advances to suppliers. Unsatisfactory quantities or quality of the tobacco delivered could result in losses with respect to advances to our tobacco suppliers or the deferral of those advances.
When we purchase tobacco directly from suppliers, we bear the risk that the tobacco will not meet our customers’ quality and quantity requirements.
In countries where we contract directly with tobacco suppliers, we bear the risk that the tobacco delivered will not meet quality and quantity requirements of our customers. If the tobacco does not meet such market requirements, we may not be able to sell the tobacco we agreed to buy and may not be able to meet all of our customers’ orders, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability and results of operations.
Weather and other conditions can affect the marketability of our inventory, and climate change may adversely alter weather patterns in tobacco-growing regions.
Like other agricultural products, the quality of tobacco is affected by weather and the environment, which can change the quality or size of the crop. If a weather event is particularly severe, such as a major drought or hurricane, the affected crop could be destroyed or damaged to an extent that it would be less desirable to our customers, which would result in a reduction in revenues. If such an event is also widespread, it could affect our ability to acquire the quantity of products required by customers. In addition, the potential impact of climate change is uncertain and may vary by geographic region. The possible effects, as described in various public accounts, could include changes in rainfall patterns, water shortages, changing storm patterns and intensities, and changing temperature levels, all of which may be of greater permanence than typical weather fluctuations. Some or all of these impacts could adversely affect the ability of farmers in the regions in which we source leaf tobacco to continue to produce crops of acceptable quality and in sufficient quantities. Their inability to do so could materially adversely affect our operations, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, other items can affect the marketability of tobacco, including, among other things, the presence of:
• non-tobacco related material;
• genetically modified organisms; and
• excess residues of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
A significant event impacting the condition or quality of a large amount of the tobacco crops we buy could make it difficult for us to sell such tobacco or to fill our customers’ orders.
We face increased risks of doing business due to the extent of our international operations.
Some of the countries we do business in do not have stable economies or governments. Our international operations are subject to international business risks, including unsettled political conditions, uncertainty in the enforcement of legal obligations, including the collection of accounts receivable, fraud risks, expropriation, import and export restrictions, exchange controls, inflationary economies, currency risks, and risks related to the restrictions on repatriation of earnings or proceeds from liquidated assets of foreign subsidiaries. These risks are exacerbated in countries where we have advanced substantial sums or guaranteed local loans or lines of credit for the purchase of tobacco from suppliers.
In 2006, as a result of the political environment, economic instability, foreign currency controls, and governmental regulations in Zimbabwe, we deconsolidated our Zimbabwe subsidiary, Mashonaland Tobacco Company LTD ("MTC"). Subsequently, we determined that the significant doubt about our ability to control MTC was eliminated and reconsolidated MTC as of March 31, 2016. The Company utilizes the Zimbabwe RTGS system for local transactions. RTGS is a local currency equivalent that is exchanged at a government specified rate with USD. To convert these units to USD, the Company must obtain foreign currency resources from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which are subject to the monetary and exchange control policy in Zimbabwe. If the foreign exchange restrictions and government-imposed controls become severe, we may have to reassess our ability to control MTC.
In recent years, economic problems in certain countries where we have international operations have received wide publicity related to devaluation and appreciation of the local currency and inflation, including the classification of the Argentina, Turkey, and Zimbabwe economies as highly inflationary. Devaluation and appreciation of the local currency and inflation can affect our purchase costs of tobacco and our processing costs. In addition, we conduct business with suppliers and customers in countries that have recently had or may be subject to dramatic political regime change. In the event of such dramatic changes in the government of such countries, we may be unable to continue to operate our business, or adequately enforce legal obligations, after the change in a manner consistent with prior practice.
Further, the imposition of governmental sanctions or other restrictions may preclude us from continuing to sell to certain customers or to source leaf tobacco from certain jurisdictions. For example, approximately $57.8 million of our revenue for the year ended March 31, 2022 was from direct sales to entities located in Russia. Governmental sanctions imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and additional sanctions imposed in response to the continuation or escalation of these
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hostilities could restrict or prohibit such sales, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability, results of operations and financial position. Other limitations imposed on such subsidiaries' ability to continue to sell to customers in Russia, whether through commercial, societal or other pressures, could similarly have an adverse effect on our profitability, results of operations and financial position.
Failure of foreign banks in which our subsidiaries deposit funds or the failure to transfer funds or honor withdrawals may affect our results of operations.
Funds held by our foreign subsidiaries are often deposited in their local banks. In addition, we maintain deposit accounts with numerous financial institutions around the world in amounts that exceed applicable governmental deposit insurance levels. Banks in certain foreign jurisdictions may be subject to a higher rate of failure or may not honor withdrawals of deposited funds. In addition, the countries in which these local banks operate may lack sufficient regulatory oversight or suffer from structural weaknesses in the local banking system. Due to uncertainties and risks relating to the political stability of certain foreign governments, these local banks also may be subject to exchange controls and therefore unable to perform transfers of certain currencies. If our ability to gain access to these funds was impaired, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the "FCPA") and we operate in jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA violations.
We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business and/or other benefits. We operate in a number of jurisdictions that pose a high risk of potential FCPA violations. Although our corporate policy prohibits foreign bribery and we have adopted procedures to promote compliance, we cannot assure you that our policy or procedures will work effectively all of the time or protect us against liability under the FCPA for actions taken by our agents, employees, and intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we acquire. Failure to comply with the FCPA, other anti-corruption laws and other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities (including local laws) could lead to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures (including further changes or enhancements to our procedures, policies, and controls, the imposition of a compliance monitor at our expense and potential personnel changes and/or disciplinary actions), any of which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. Any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws by U.S. or foreign authorities also could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In 2010, we entered into settlements with the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve their investigations regarding potential criminal and civil violations of the FCPA. The settlements resulted in the disgorgement in profits and fines totaling $19.5 million, which have been paid. Both settlements also required us to retain an independent compliance monitor for a three-year term that was completed on September 30, 2013.
Our exposure to foreign tax regimes, and changes in U.S. or foreign tax regimes, could adversely affect our business.
We do business in countries that have tax regimes in which the rules are not clear, are not consistently applied and are subject to sudden change. This is especially true with regard to international transfer pricing. Our earnings could be reduced by the uncertain and changing nature of these tax regimes. Certain of our subsidiaries are and may in the future be involved in tax matters in foreign countries. While the outcome of any of these existing matters cannot be predicted with certainty, we are vigorously defending them and do not currently expect that any of them will have a material adverse effect on our business or financial position. However, should one or more of these matters be resolved in a manner adverse to our current expectation, the effect on our results of operations for a particular fiscal reporting period could be material.
We seek to optimize our tax footprint across globally. The related benefits are contingent upon existing tax laws and regulations in the countries in which our operations are located. Future changes in domestic or international tax laws and regulations could adversely affect our ability to continue to realize these tax benefits.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange and interest rates could adversely affect our results of operations.
We conduct our business in many countries around the world. Our business is generally conducted in USD, as is the business of the leaf tobacco industry as a whole. We generally must purchase tobacco in non-U.S. countries using local currency. As a result, local country operating costs, including the purchasing and processing costs for tobaccos, are subject to the effects of exchange fluctuations of the local currency against the USD. When the USD weakens against foreign currencies, our costs for purchasing and processing tobacco in such currencies increases. Although we operate in many non-U.S. countries and are exposed to fluctuations in the currencies of numerous foreign countries, exchange fluctuation in the Brazilian Real against the USD has the greatest potential for impact on our financial results. We attempt to reduce such currency risks by matching the timing of our working capital borrowing needs against the tobacco purchasing and processing funds requirements in the currency of the country where the tobacco is grown. Fluctuations in the value of foreign currencies can significantly affect our operating results.
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In addition, the devaluation of foreign currencies has resulted and may in the future result in reduced purchasing power from customers whose capital resources are denominated in those currencies. We may incur a loss of business as a result of the devaluation of these currencies now or in the future.
Competition could erode our earnings.
The leaf tobacco industry is highly competitive. Competition is based primarily on the prices charged for products and services as well as the merchant’s ability to meet customer specifications in the buying, processing, and financing of tobacco. In addition, there is competition in all countries to buy the available tobacco. The loss or substantial reduction of any large or significant customer could reduce our earnings.
In addition to the two primary global independent publicly held leaf tobacco merchants, the cigarette manufacturers also buy tobacco directly from local and regional suppliers. We also face increasing competition from new local and regional independent leaf merchants with low fixed costs and overhead and good local customer connections, where the new entrants have been able to capitalize in the global transition to those markets. Any of these sources of new competition may result in less tobacco available for us to purchase and process in the applicable markets.
Continued high inflation may adversely affect our profitability and the demand for our leaf tobacco products.
The economies of the United States and other nations have recently experienced the highest levels of consumer price inflation in decades. Continued inflationary pressures may continue to increase our costs, including the cost of leaf tobacco that we purchase. If these increased costs cannot successfully be passed on to our customers, many of which have significant negotiating power, our profitability and results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, since our leaf tobacco products are used in the manufacture of tobacco consumer goods, consumer behavior that deprioritizes the purchase of tobacco consumer goods in response to inflationary increases in the price of such goods could result in reduced overall demand for consumer tobacco products and consequently for the leaf tobacco we provide to manufacturers, which could materially adversely affect of our profitability, results of operations and financial position.
Risks Relating to Other Aspects of Our Operations
We rely on internal and externally hosted information technology systems and disruption, failure, or security breaches of these systems could adversely affect our business.
We rely on information technology ("IT") systems, including systems hosted by service providers. For example, our enterprise resource planning system and our domestic employee payroll system are hosted by external service providers. Although we have disaster recovery plans and several intrusion preventive mitigating tools and services in-place, which are active inline services or are tested routinely, our portfolio of hardware and software products, solutions and services and our enterprise IT systems, including those hosted by service providers, may be vulnerable to damage or disruption caused by circumstances beyond our control, such as catastrophic events, power outages, natural disasters, computer system, or network failures, computer viruses or other malicious software programs, and cyber-attacks, including system hacking and other cyber-security breaches. For example, in April 2019, the Company discovered that the email accounts of two Canadian employees had been compromised resulting in the unauthorized access of customer and vendor data. These incidents were neither material nor compromised the Company’s other IT systems. The failure or disruption of our IT systems to perform as anticipated for any reason could disrupt our business and result in decreased performance, significant remediation costs, transaction errors, loss of data, processing inefficiencies, downtime, litigation, and the loss of suppliers or customers. A significant disruption or failure could have a material adverse effect on our business operations, financial performance and financial condition.
We cannot assure you that material weaknesses will not be identified in the future.
In certain prior years, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Although we intend to continue to aggressively monitor and improve our internal controls, we cannot assure you that other material weaknesses will not occur in the future. Failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in misstatements in our financial statements in amounts that could be material. Ineffective internal controls could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the value of our common stock and could also require additional restatements of our prior reported financial information. In addition, because we are not an "accelerated filer" under applicable SEC regulations, we are not required to obtain and present a report of our independent accounting firm with respect to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and we have not obtained such a report with respect to an evaluation of our internal controls as of March 31, 2022 and, accordingly, no such report is included in this Form 10-K.
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Regulations regarding environmental matters may affect us by substantially increasing our costs and exposing us to potential liability.
We are subject to environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations in each jurisdiction in which we operate. Such regulations govern, among other things, emissions of pollutants into the air, wastewater discharges, waste disposal, the investigation and remediation of soil, and groundwater contamination, and the health and safety of our employees. For example, our products and the raw materials used in its production processes are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations. We may be required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for certain of its current or proposed operations. We may not have been, nor may it be able to be at all times, in full compliance with such laws, regulations and permits. If we violate or fail to comply with these laws, regulations or permits, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators.
As with other companies engaged in similar activities or that own or operate real property, we face inherent risks of environmental liability at our current and historical production sites. Certain environmental laws impose strict and, in certain circumstances, joint and several liability on current or previous owners or operators of real property for the cost of the investigation, removal or remediation of hazardous substances as well as liability for related damages to natural resources. In addition, we may discover new facts or conditions that may change our expectations or be faced with changes in environmental laws or their enforcement that would impose additional liabilities. Furthermore, our costs of complying with current and future environmental, health, and safety laws, or our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposure to, regulated materials, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Derivative transactions may expose us to potential losses and counterparty risk.
We may, from time to time, enter into certain derivative transactions, including interest rate swaps and foreign exchange contracts. Changes in the fair value of these derivative financial instruments that are not accounted for as cash flow hedges are reported as income, and accordingly could materially affect our reported income in any period. In addition, the counterparties to these derivative transactions may be financial institutions or affiliates of financial institutions, and we would be subject to risks that these counterparties default under these transactions. In some of these transactions, our exposure to counterparty credit risk may not be secured by any collateral. Global economic conditions over the last few years have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of many financial institutions, including bankruptcy. If one or more of the counterparties to one or more of our derivative transactions not secured by any collateral becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we would become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at the time under those transactions. We cannot assure you of the financial stability or viability of our counterparties.
Increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from governments, as well as other stakeholders such as investors and customers, with respect to our environmental, social and governance ("ESG") policies, including sustainability policies, may impose additional costs on us or expose us to additional risks.
Governments, the non-governmental community, and industry increasingly understand the importance of implementing comprehensive environmental, labor, and governance practices. We are committed to implementing a robust sustainability management system, and we continue to implement what we believe are responsible ESG practices. Government regulations, however, could result in new or more stringent forms of ESG oversight and disclosures. These may lead to increased expenditures for environmental controls, land use restrictions, reporting, and other conditions, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
In addition, a number of governments are considering due diligence procedures to ensure strict compliance with environmental, labor, and government regulations. The European Union has proposed broad due diligence reporting requirements for all industries operating within Europe. The United States has called for a broader and more robust approach to labor compliance in foreign jurisdictions, which could include some of our strategic origins. Due to general uncertainty regarding the timing, content, and extent of any such regulatory changes in the United States or abroad, we cannot predict the impact, if any, that these changes could have to our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our e-liquids business faces inherent risk of exposure to product liability claims, regulatory action, and litigation if its products are alleged to have caused significant loss, injury, or death.
As a manufacturer and distributor of products that are ingested or otherwise consumed by humans, our e-liquids business faces the risk of exposure to product liability claims, regulatory action and litigation (including class proceedings and individual proceedings) if its products are alleged to have caused loss, injury or death. Our e-liquids business may be subject to these types of claims due to allegations that its products caused or contributed to injury, illness or death, made false, misleading or impermissible claims, failed to include adequate labelling and instructions for use or failed to include adequate warnings concerning possible side effects or interactions with other substances. Previously unknown adverse reactions resulting from human consumption of these e-liquids products alone or in combination with other medications or substances could also occur. In addition, the manufacture and sale of any ingested or consumable product involves a risk of injury to consumers due to tampering by unauthorized third parties or product contamination. Our e-liquids business may in the future have to recall certain of its products as a result of potential contamination and quality assurance concerns. A product liability claim or
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regulatory action against our e-liquids business could result in increased costs and could adversely affect its reputation and goodwill with its consumers. We cannot assure you that product liability insurance can be maintained on acceptable terms or with adequate coverage against potential liabilities. Such insurance is expensive and may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage on reasonable terms or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims could result in the Company's becoming subject to significant liabilities that are uninsured.
The risk of class-based litigation (and individual litigation) for manufacturers and distributors of e-liquids and other vaping products, and others involved in the vaping industry, is significant, particularly in the face of increasing health and marketing concerns, the potential for product recalls or other product-related issues. The United States has a highly active plaintiffs’ bar. Recent years have seen a number of purported class action lawsuits in the United States against manufacturers and distributors of e-liquids and other vaping products. These circumstances create enhanced risk and exposure for the Company given the nature of its operations, the products it manufactures, distributes and sells, and its business environment.
Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common Stock
Certain shareholders have the ability to exercise controlling influence on various corporate matters.
Upon our emergence from Chapter 11, two shareholders and their respective affiliates, Glendon Capital Management LP (together with its affiliates, the "Glendon Investor") and Monarch Alternative Capital LP (together with its affiliates, the "Monarch Investor;" the Glendon Investor and the Monarch Investor are together referred to as the "Significant Shareholders") beneficially own in the aggregate approximately 56% of our issued and outstanding common stock and, therefore, have significant control on the outcome of matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including, but not limited to, electing directors and approving corporate transactions. Pursuant to the terms of a Shareholders Agreement dated as of August 24, 2020 among the Company and certain shareholders, including the Significant Shareholders, each of the Glendon Investor and the Monarch Investor has the right (depending on its continued ownership of a specified percentage of the outstanding shares of our common stock) to nominate up to two individuals for election as directors, and each of them and the other shareholders that are parties to the Shareholders Agreement have agreed to take all necessary action to elect such nominees as directors. Under our articles of incorporation, the affirmative vote of each of the Glendon Investor and the Monarch Investor, so long as it continues to maintain an Investor Percentage Interest (as defined in the Shareholders Agreement) of at least five percent, is required for the approval of any amendment to the articles of incorporation. It is our understanding that each of the Glendon Investor and the Monarch Investor hold a significant amount of the Notes and the Exit Term Loans. In addition, the Glendon Investor and the Monarch Investor are the lenders under the DDTL Facility. Circumstances may occur in which the interests of the Significant Shareholders could be in conflict with the interests of other shareholders, and the Significant Shareholders could have substantial influence to cause us to take actions that align with their interests. Should conflicts arise, we can provide no assurance that the Significant Shareholders would act in the best interests of other shareholders or that any conflicts of interest would be resolved in a manner favorable to our other shareholders.
The price of our common stock may be negatively impacted by factors that are unrelated to our operations.
Although our common stock is currently listed for quotation on the OTC Markets, we understand that no securities brokerage firm is making a market in the Company’s common stock. Trading through the OTC Markets is frequently thin and may be highly volatile. There is no assurance that a sufficient market will continue in our stock, in which case it could be difficult for shareholders to sell their stock. The market price of our common stock could fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of the markets in which our businesses operate, quarterly operating results of our competitors, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting our competitors or us. In addition, the stock market is subject to extreme price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant effect on the market price of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and could have the same effect on our common stock.
Risks Relating to the Tobacco Industry
Reductions in demand for consumer tobacco products could adversely affect our results of operations.
The tobacco industry, both in the United States and abroad, continues to face a number of issues that may reduce the consumption of cigarettes and adversely affect our business, sales volume, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
These issues, some of which are more fully discussed below, include:
• governmental actions seeking to ascribe to tobacco product manufacturers liability for adverse health effects associated with smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke;
• smoking and health litigation against tobacco product manufacturers;
• increased consumer acceptance of electronic cigarettes;
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• tax increases on consumer tobacco products;
• potential prohibition on the sale of menthol cigarettes in the United States;
• current and potential actions by state attorneys general to enforce the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement, or MSA, between state governments in the United States and tobacco product manufacturers;
• governmental and private bans and restrictions on smoking;
• actual and proposed price controls and restrictions on imports in certain jurisdictions outside the United States;
• restrictions on tobacco product manufacturing, marketing, advertising and sales;
• the diminishing social acceptance of smoking;
• increased pressure from anti-smoking groups;
• other tobacco product legislation that may be considered by Congress, the states, municipalities and other countries; and
• the impact of consolidation among multinational cigarette manufacturers.
Legislation and regulatory and other governmental initiatives could impose burdensome restrictions on the tobacco industry and reduce consumption of consumer tobacco products and demand for our services.
The Tobacco Control Act, which amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, extends the authority of the FDA to regulate tobacco products. This act authorizes the FDA to adopt product standards for tobacco products, including the level of nicotine yield and the reduction or elimination of other constituents of the products, along with provisions for the testing of products against these standards. The act imposes further restrictions on advertising of tobacco products, authorizes the FDA to limit the sales of tobacco products to face-to-face transactions permitting the verification of the age of the purchaser, authorizes a study to determine whether the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products should be increased and requires submission of reports from manufacturers of tobacco products to the FDA regarding product ingredients and other matters, including reports on health, toxicological, behavioral, or physiologic effects of tobacco products and their constituents. The act also mandates warning labels and requires packaging to indicate the percentage of domestically grown tobacco and foreign grown tobacco included in the product, although the FDA has issued guidance to the industry announcing its intent to enforce the latter requirements until further notice. The FDA has adopted regulations under the act establishing requirements for the sale, distribution, and marketing of cigarettes, as well as package warnings and advertising limitations.
The act directs the FDA to promulgate regulations requiring that the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the manufacture, preproduction design validation, packing, and storage of a tobacco product conform to current good manufacturing practice. Regulations under the act do not apply to tobacco leaf that is not in the possession of a manufacturer of tobacco products, or to the producers of tobacco leaf, including tobacco suppliers, tobacco warehouses, and tobacco supplier cooperatives unless those entities are controlled by a tobacco product manufacturer, but do apply to our U.S. cut rag processing facility with respect to covered tobacco products.
On April 28, 2022, the FDA announced its proposal to adopt regulations to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, and sale in the United States of cigarettes having menthol as a characterizing flavor and all cigars having a characterizing flavor other than tobacco. According to the FDA’s proposed rulemaking, sales of menthol-flavored cigarettes accounted for 34-36% of total cigarette sales in the U.S. in 2020. While we are unable to precisely estimate the portion of our sales of leaf tobacco in the U.S. that is used in the manufacture of menthol-flavored cigarettes, we believe a significant portion of our U.S. leaf tobacco sales are used for such purpose. In addition, a significant portion of the tobacco from our U.S. cut rag processing facility is used in the manufacture of flavored cigars. The FDA’s proposed regulations are subject to public comment and may not be adopted exactly as proposed. In addition, if the proposed regulations are adopted, the extent of any reduction in consumer demand for tobacco products is uncertain, though such reduction could be significant.
The full impact of the act, including regulations adopted thereunder, the recently proposed regulations, and any further regulatory action to implement the act, is uncertain. However, if the effect of the act and FDA regulations under the act is a significant reduction in consumption of tobacco products, it could materially adversely affect our business, volume, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Reports with respect to the harmful physical effects of cigarette smoking have been publicized for many years, and the sale, promotion and use of cigarettes continue to be subject to increasing governmental regulation. Since 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States and the Secretary of Health and Human Services have released a number of reports linking cigarette smoking with a broad range of health hazards, including various types of cancer, coronary heart disease and chronic lung disease, and recommending various governmental measures to reduce the incidence of smoking. More recent reports focus upon the addictive nature of cigarettes, the effects of smoking cessation, the decrease in smoking in the United States, the economic and regulatory aspects of smoking in the Western Hemisphere, and cigarette smoking by adolescents, particularly the addictive nature of cigarette smoking in adolescence. Numerous state and municipal governments have taken and others may take actions to diminish the social acceptance of smoking of tobacco products, including banning smoking in certain public and private locations.
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A number of foreign nations also have taken steps to restrict or prohibit cigarette advertising and promotion, to increase taxes on cigarettes and to discourage cigarette smoking. In some cases, such restrictions are more onerous than those in the United States. For example, advertising and promotion of cigarettes has been banned or severely restricted for a number of years in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Singapore and other countries. Further, in February 2005, the World Health Organization ("WHO") treaty, the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control ("FCTC"), entered into force. This treaty, which the WHO reports has been signed or otherwise ratified by 181 nations, requires party nations to enact legislation that would require, among other things, specific actions to prevent youth smoking; restrict or prohibit tobacco product marketing; inform the public about the health consequences of smoking and the benefits of quitting; regulate the content of tobacco products; impose new package warning requirements including the use of pictorial or graphic images; eliminate cigarette smuggling and counterfeit cigarettes; restrict smoking in public places; increase and harmonize cigarette excise taxes; abolish duty-free tobacco sales; and permit and encourage litigation against tobacco product manufacturers.
Due to the present regulatory and legislative environment, a substantial risk exists that tobacco product sales may decline. A significant decrease in worldwide tobacco consumption brought about by existing or future governmental laws and regulations would reduce demand for tobacco products and services and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Government actions can have a significant effect on the sourcing of tobacco. If some of the current efforts are successful, we could have difficulty obtaining sufficient tobacco to meet our customers’ requirements, which could have an adverse effect on our performance and results of operations.
A variety of government actions can have a significant effect on the sourcing and production of leaf tobacco. If some of the current proposed efforts are successful, we could have increased barriers to meeting our customers’ requirements, which could have an adverse effect on our performance and results of operations.
The WHO, through the FCTC, has specifically issued policy options and recommendations to promote crop diversification initiatives and alternatives to growing leaf tobacco in countries whose economies depend upon tobacco production. If certain countries were to follow these policy recommendations and seek to eliminate or significantly reduce leaf tobacco production, we could encounter difficulty in sourcing leaf tobacco from these regions to fill customer requirements, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Certain recommendations by the WHO, through the FCTC, may also cause shifts in customer usage of certain styles of tobacco. In countries such as Canada and Brazil and in the European Union, efforts have been taken to eliminate certain ingredients from the manufacturing process for tobacco products. The FCTC and national governments have also discussed formulating a strategy to place limitations on the level of nicotine allowed in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Such decisions could cause a change in requirements for certain styles of tobacco in particular countries. Shifts in customer demand from one type of tobacco to another could create sourcing challenges as requirements move from one origin to another.
Regulations impacting our customers that change the requirements for leaf tobacco or restrict their ability to sell their products would inherently impact our business. We have implemented a proprietary "track and trace" system that gathers data on leaf product beginning at the farm level to assist our customers’ collection of raw material information to support leaf traceability and customer testing requirements. Additionally, given our global presence, we also have the ability to source different types and styles of tobacco for our customers should their needs change due to regulation. Despite our capabilities, the extent to which governmental actions will affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and demand for our products and services will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
In addition, continued government and public emphasis on environmental issues, including climate change, conservation, and natural resource management, could result in new or more stringent forms of regulatory oversight of industry activities, which may lead to increased levels of expenditures for environmental controls, land use restrictions affecting us or our suppliers, and other conditions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For example, certain aspects of our business generate carbon emissions. Regulatory restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions have been proposed in certain countries in which we operate. These may include limitations on such emissions, taxes or emission allowance fees on such emissions, various restrictions on industrial operations, and other measures that could affect land-use decisions, the cost of agricultural production, and the cost and means of processing and transporting our products. These actions could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have been subject to governmental investigations into, and litigation concerning, leaf tobacco industry buying and other payment practices.
The leaf tobacco industry, from time to time, has been the subject of government investigations regarding trade practices. For example, we were the subject of an investigation by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice into certain buying practices alleged to have occurred in the industry, we were named defendants in an antitrust class action litigation alleging a conspiracy to rig bids in the tobacco auction markets, and we were the subject of an administrative investigation into certain tobacco buying and selling practices alleged to have occurred within the leaf tobacco industry in some countries within the European Union, including Spain, Italy, Greece and potentially other countries.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.