Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
We are subject to many risks and uncertainties. Some of these risks and uncertainties, including those described below, may cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to vary, and they may materially or adversely affect our financial performance. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Other risks and uncertainties, which are not currently known to us or which we currently believe are immaterial, may also materially or adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
An economic downturn, public health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and/or other factors affecting consumer spending and confidence, may reduce the amount of food prepared away from home, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The U.S. foodservice distribution industry is sensitive to national, regional and local economic conditions. An uneven level of general U.S. economic activity, uncertainty in the financial markets, and slow job growth could have a negative impact on consumer confidence and discretionary spending. A decline in economic activity or the frequency and amount spent by consumers for food prepared away from home, as well as other macroenvironmental factors that could decrease general consumer confidence (including volatile financial markets or an uncertain political environment), may negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The global COVID-19 pandemic and its sudden and significant effects on the economy have and will continue to impact many of our customers, consumers and suppliers and, as a result, it has and will continue to impact us for an indeterminable period of time. Widespread adoption of “social distancing” measures, governmental directions to close non-essential businesses and public perceptions of the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a substantial disruption in many of our customers’ operations (including the limitation of dining options and the temporary (and, in some cases, permanent) closure of many restaurant, hospitality and education customers’ locations) and have significantly reduced the demand for our products and services. Sustained disruption in our customers’ operations and reduced consumer spending on food prepared away from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant negative effect on our customers’ financial condition and, as a result, has adversely impacted, and is expected to continue to adversely impact, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not expect a full recovery for our business and the U.S. foodservice industry until there has been widespread vaccination of the American public, and consumers are once again willing and able to resume consumption of food away from home, travel and attend sporting, entertainment and other events on a regular basis. Although two vaccines for COVID-19 were approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in December 2020, as of January 2, 2021, only a limited number of doses have been made available in the United States to certain frontline workers and at-risk individuals, and it remains unclear when either of these vaccines or others will be widely available to the American public. General economic conditions, such as higher unemployment rates and uncertainty regarding when the COVID-19 pandemic will abate, have had, and are expected to continue to have, a negative impact on consumer confidence and discretionary spending which will likely slow the recovery of the U.S. foodservice industry. Even when economic conditions improve, we cannot predict when or if our business will recover to pre-COVID-19 levels or the long-term effects of the pandemic on our business. If the restaurant and/or hospitality industry is fundamentally changed by the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that are detrimental to us, our business may continue to be adversely affected even as the pandemic abates and the broader economy begins to recover.
The negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in net sales and total case volumes during the 53 weeks ended January 2, 2021, compared to the prior fiscal year. Total case volumes were down approximately 11.0% for the 53 weeks ended January 2, 2021. Because the COVID-19 situation is fluid and continues to evolve and because the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its continued negative impact on the economy is unclear, it is difficult to forecast the impacts of the pandemic on our future results. However, we currently expect that the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects will continue to have a significant adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations for the duration of the pandemic and, if the subsequent economic recovery is slow and gradual, throughout substantial portions of that recovery.
To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects the business and financial results of our Company and our customers, it may also have the effect of amplifying many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had and will have a significant negative impact on our liquidity position and we expect that the impact will continue until the pandemic and any related negative economic effects abate.
Sustained disruption in our customers’ operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant negative effect on our customers’ financial condition and, as a result, will adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced some deterioration in the collectability of our existing accounts receivable
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and a decrease in the generation of new accounts receivable. If the COVID-19 pandemic continues to persist for a prolonged period of time, we may experience further deterioration in the collectability of our existing accounts receivable and a continued decrease in the generation of our accounts receivable, which could adversely affect our cash flows and results of operations and require an increased level of working capital. In addition, our ability to borrow under our asset based senior secured revolving credit facility (the “ABL Facility”) is subject to a borrowing base limitation that is based on certain criteria, including the amount and collectability of new accounts receivable. Thus, a decline in the amount and collectability of our accounts receivable not only adversely affects our cash flows and results of operations, but also reduces our access to additional liquidity due its negative impact on the borrowing base of the ABL Facility. Furthermore, due to the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on our Adjusted EBITDA in the last three quarterly periods and is expected to have on future quarterly periods, we anticipate that our future ability to incur additional indebtedness under the incurrence “baskets” of our debt agreements that are based on a leverage ratio or coverage ratio calculation will be constrained.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is has previously adversely affected, and in the future may again adversely affect, the availability of liquidity generally in the credit markets, and there can be no guarantee that additional liquidity will be readily available or available on favorable terms, especially the longer the COVID-19 pandemic lasts. Two rating agencies announced downgrades to our credit ratings in May and September 2020, respectively. Our access to capital and the cost of any financing could be negatively impacted by this downgrade or any future downgrade or if financing sources were to ascribe higher credit risk to us or our industry.
As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our liquidity position and we expect that impact will continue until the pandemic and any related negative economic effects abate. We expect to have sufficient liquidity to fund our operations and meet ordinary course obligations through 2022 even if total case volumes remain at current levels. We cannot, however, assure you that this will be the case. Any further significant reduction to our liquidity position caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could impair our ability to service our outstanding indebtedness and pay our other payables as they become due.
Our business is a low-margin business, and our profitability is directly affected by cost deflation or inflation, commodity volatility and other factors.
The U.S. foodservice distribution industry is characterized by relatively high inventory turnover with relatively low profit margins. Volatile commodity costs have a direct impact on our industry. We make a significant portion of our sales at prices that are based on the cost of products we sell, plus a margin percentage or markup. As a result, our profit levels may be negatively affected during periods of product cost deflation, even though our gross profit percentage may remain relatively constant. Prolonged periods of product cost inflation, or periods of rapid inflation, also may negatively impact our business as a result of decreased discretionary consumer spending. Such inflation may also reduce our profit margins and earnings if product cost increases cannot be passed on to customers because they resist paying higher prices or if there is a lag between when costs increase and when we are able to pass it along to customers.
Competition in our industry is intense, and we may not be able to compete successfully.
The U.S. foodservice distribution industry is highly competitive, with national, multi-regional, regional and local distributors and specialty competitors. Regional and local companies may align themselves with other smaller distributors through purchasing cooperatives and marketing groups, with the goal of enhancing their geographic reach, private label offerings, overall purchasing power, cost efficiencies, and ability to meet customer distribution requirements. These distributors may also rely on local presence as a source of competitive advantage, and they may have a lower cost to serve and other competitive advantages due to geographic proximity. Additionally, adjacent competition, such as other cash-and-carry operations, commercial wholesale outlets, warehouse clubs and grocery stores, continue to serve the commercial foodservice market. We also experience competition from online direct food wholesalers and retailers. We generally do not have exclusive distribution agreements with our customers, and they may switch to other distributors that offer lower prices or differentiated products or customer service. The cost of switching distributors is very low, as are the barriers to entry into the U.S. foodservice distribution industry. We believe most purchasing decisions in the U.S. foodservice distribution industry are based on the type, quality and price of the product and a distributor’s ability to completely and accurately fill orders and provide timely deliveries. Disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to our ability to completely and accurately fill orders and provide timely deliveries of quality products at competitive prices has had, and is expected to continue to have, a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increased competition has caused the U.S. foodservice distribution industry to change as distributors seek to lower costs, further increasing pressure on the industry’s profit margins. The continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may further increase those competitive pressures including as a result of product availability from our suppliers, disruptions to timely and cost effective shipments from our suppliers due to increased freight demand and/or tightened truckload capacity, new pricing initiatives and discount programs established by competitors, consolidation and vertical integration, and increased customer cost consciousness. Any or all of these competitive pressures may continue to affect us during any recovery in the U.S. foodservice distribution industry following the widespread vaccination of the American public. To the extent we are not able to compete successfully, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
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We rely on third party suppliers, and our business may be affected by interruption of supplies or increases in product costs.
We obtain most of our foodservice and related products from third party suppliers. We typically do not have long-term contracts with suppliers. Although our purchasing volume can provide an advantage when dealing with suppliers, suppliers may not provide the foodservice products and supplies we need in the quantities and at the time and prices requested. We do not control the actual production of most of the products we sell. This means we are also subject to delays caused by interruption in production and increases in product costs based on actions and conditions outside our control. These actions and conditions include changes in supplier pricing practices (including promotional allowances); work slowdowns, work interruptions, strikes or other job actions by employees of suppliers; government shutdowns; severe weather and climate conditions; crop conditions; product or raw material scarcity; outbreak of food-borne illnesses; product recalls; transportation interruptions; unavailability of fuel or increases in fuel costs; competitive demands; and natural disasters, pandemics, such as COVID-19, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events. Our inability to obtain adequate supplies of foodservice and related products because of any of these or other factors could mean that we could not fulfill our obligations to our customers and, as a result, our customers may turn to other distributors.
Our relationships with our customers and GPOs may be materially diminished, terminated or otherwise changed, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Most of our customers buy from us pursuant to individual purchase orders, and we often do not enter into long-term agreements with these customers. Because these customers are not contractually obligated to continue purchasing products from us, we cannot be assured that the volume and/or number of our customers’ purchase orders will remain consistent or increase or that we will be able to maintain our existing customer base.
Further, some of our customers purchase their products under arrangements with GPOs. GPOs act as agents on behalf of their members by negotiating pricing, delivery, and other terms with us. Our customers who are members of GPOs purchase products directly from us on the terms negotiated by their GPO. GPOs use the combined purchasing power of their members to negotiate more favorable prices than their members would typically be able to negotiate on their own, and we have experienced some pricing pressure from customers that associate themselves with a GPO. While no single customer represented more than 3% of our total net sales in fiscal year 2020, approximately 21% of our net sales in fiscal year 2020 were made to customers under terms negotiated by GPOs (including approximately 13% of our net sales in fiscal year 2020 that were made to customers that are members of one GPO). If an independent restaurant customer becomes a member of a GPO that has a contract with us, we may be forced to lower our prices to that customer, which would negatively impact our operating margin. In addition, if we are unable to maintain our relationships with GPOs, or if GPOs are able to negotiate more favorable terms for their members with our competitors, we could lose some or all of that business.
Market competition, customer requirements, customer financial condition and customer consolidation through mergers and acquisitions also could adversely affect our ability to continue or expand our relationships with customers and GPOs. There is no guarantee that we will be able to retain or renew existing agreements, maintain relationships with any of our customers or GPOs on acceptable terms or at all or collect amounts owed to us from insolvent customers. For example, in fiscal year 2020, customers in the hospitality industry who were members of GPOs with which we have contracted significantly reduced their purchases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we do not expect them to significantly increase their purchases until the hospitality industry recovers from the current environment. Our customer and GPO agreements are generally terminable upon advance written notice (typically ranging from 30 days to 6 months) by either us or the customer or GPO, which provides our customers and GPOs with the opportunity to renegotiate their contracts with us or to award more business to our competitors.
Significant decreases in the volume and/or number of our customers’ purchase orders, the loss of one or more of our major customers or GPOs or our inability to grow to our current customer base could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may fail to increase or maintain the highest margin portions of our business, including sales to independent restaurant customers and sales of our private label products.
Our most profitable customers are independent restaurants. We tend to work closely with independent restaurant customers, providing them access to our customer value-added tools and as a result are able to earn a higher operating margin on sales to them. These customers are also more likely to purchase our private label products, which are our most profitable products. Our ability to continue to gain market share of independent restaurant customers is critical to achieving increased operating profits. Changes in the buying practices of independent restaurant customers, including their ability to require us to sell to them at discounted rates, or decreases in our sales to this type of customer or a decrease in the sales of our private label products could have a material negative impact on our profitability. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a substantial disruption in many of our independent restaurant customers’ operations (including, reduced seating capacity, inability to seat customers indoors, reduced hours of operations, and temporary restaurant closures) and, in some cases, permanent closures of restaurants. Loss of business as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative economic impact has changed the buying practices of our independent restaurant customers and may also result in
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additional permanent closures of restaurants, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect from our cost savings initiatives.
We may not be able to realize some or all of our expected cost savings. A variety of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, could cause us not to realize expected cost savings, including, among others, delays in the anticipated timing of activities related to our cost savings initiatives, lack of sustainability in cost savings over time, and unexpected costs associated with operating our business. All of these factors could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Fuel costs may fluctuate, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Higher costs of fuel may negatively affect consumer confidence and discretionary spending. This may reduce the frequency and amount spent by consumers for food prepared away from home. In addition, higher costs of fuel may increase the price we pay for products and the costs we incur to deliver products to our customers. We require significant quantities of fuel for our vehicle fleet, and the price and supply of fuel are unpredictable and fluctuate based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, regional production patterns, weather conditions and environmental concerns. Although, from time to time, we enter into forward purchase commitments for some of our fuel requirements at prices equal to the then-current market price, these forward purchases may prove ineffective in protecting us from changes in fuel prices or even result in us paying higher than market costs for part of our fuel. There is no guarantee that we will be able to pass along increased fuel costs to customers in the future. These factors may, in turn, adversely affect our sales, margins, operating expenses, and operating results.
Changes in consumer eating habits may reduce demand for our products.
Changes in consumer eating habits (such as a decline in consuming food away from home, a decline in portion sizes, or a shift in preferences toward restaurants that are not our customers) could reduce demand for our products. Consumer eating habits could be affected by a number of factors, including changes in attitudes regarding diet and health or new information regarding the health effects of consuming certain foods. There is a growing consumer preference for sustainable, organic and locally grown products. Changing consumer eating habits also occur due to generational shifts. Millennials, the largest demographic group in the U.S. in terms of spend, generally seek new and different, as well as more ethnic and diverse, menu options and menu innovation. If consumer eating habits change significantly, we may be required to modify or discontinue sales of certain items in our product portfolio, and we may experience higher costs associated with the implementation of those changes. Changing consumer eating habits may reduce the frequency with which consumers purchase meals outside of the home. Additionally, changes in consumer eating habits may result in the enactment or amendment of laws and regulations that impact the ingredients and nutritional content of our food products, or laws and regulations requiring us to make additional disclosure regarding the nutritional content of our food products. Compliance with these and other laws and regulations may be costly and time-consuming.
In addition, actions taken by national, state and local governments to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, such as travel restrictions or bans, social distancing requirements, restaurant seating capacity limitations, and required closures of non-essential businesses caused a sudden and significant decline in consumers’ consumption of food away from home in fiscal year 2020. Even when the aforementioned restrictions are eased, public perceptions of the risks associated with COVID-19 may cause consumers to continue to avoid or limit gatherings in restaurants and other public places and reduce or eliminate business or personal travel, each of which would impact our restaurant and hospitality customers and reduce demand for our products. As a result, we do not expect a full recovery for our business and the U.S. foodservice industry until there has been widespread vaccination of the American public, and consumers are once again willing and able to resume consumption of food away from home, travel and attend sporting, entertainment and other events on a regular basis.
If we are not able to effectively adapt our menu offerings to trends in eating habits or respond to changes in consumer health perceptions or resulting new laws and regulations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer.
If our competitors implement a lower cost structure and offer lower prices to our customers, we may be unable to adjust our cost structure to compete profitably and retain those customers.
Over the last several decades, the U.S. food retail industry has undergone significant change. Companies such as Wal-Mart and Costco have developed a lower cost structure, providing their customers with an everyday low-cost product offering. In addition, commercial wholesale outlets, such as Restaurant Depot, offer an additional low-cost option in the markets they serve. As a result of consumers’ growing desire to shop online, traditional grocery chains are subject to increasing competition from new market participants, food retailers who have incorporated the Internet as a direct-to-consumer channel and Internet-only retailers that sell grocery products. For example, Amazon has expanded into grocery retail including fresh prepared foods through Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods. Additionally, online food delivery services are increasingly competing with traditional grocery chains in the food sales market. Competition from these new market participants and selling channels could negatively impact traditional grocery chains, resulting in
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declining same-store sales and store closings in the retail and grocery sector, which could adversely affect our grocery-anchored revenues and cash flow. As a large-scale U.S. foodservice distributor, we have similar strategies to remain competitive in the marketplace by reducing our cost structure. However, to the extent more of our competitors adopt an everyday low-price strategy, we would potentially be pressured to offer lower prices to our customers. That would require us to achieve additional cost savings to offset these reductions. If we are unable to change our cost structure and pricing practices rapidly enough to successfully compete in that environment, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Impairment charges for goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or other long-lived assets could adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
We review our amortizable intangible assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. We test goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate an asset may be impaired. Relevant factors, events and circumstances that affect the fair value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets may include external factors such as macroeconomic, industry, and market conditions, as well as entity-specific factors, such as actual and planned financial performance. We may be required to record a significant charge in our consolidated financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our goodwill or intangible assets is determined, which would negatively affect our results of operations. For example, the Company completed its most recent annual impairment assessment for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets as of June 28, 2020, the first day of the third quarter of fiscal year 2020. Due to the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on forecasted earnings and the discount rate utilized in our valuation models, we recognized an impairment charge of $9 million related to two trade names acquired as part of the Food Group acquisition. Impairment analysis requires significant judgment by management and is sensitive to changes in key assumptions used, such as future cash flows, discount rates and growth rates as well as current market conditions in both the United States and globally, all of which are being unfavorably impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To the extent that business conditions deteriorate further, or if changes in key assumptions and estimates differ significantly from management’s expectations, it may be necessary to record additional future impairment charges, which could be material. For more information on the goodwill assessment and related impairment charge, see section captioned “Valuation of Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 11, Goodwill and Other Intangibles in our consolidated financial statements.
Risks Relating to Food Safety and Regulatory Requirements
Our business is subject to significant governmental regulation, and failure to comply with applicable governmental regulations may lead to lawsuits, investigations and other liabilities and restrictions on our operations.
In the course of our operations, we process, handle, store and transport a wide variety of food and non-food products, operate and maintain vehicle fleets, operate fork-lifts store fuel in on-site aboveground and underground storage tanks, and use and dispose of hazardous substances including in connection with our use of our ammonia or freon-based refrigeration systems, propane, and battery-powered fork-lifts. Our operations are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations including regulations governing the processing, packaging, storage, distribution, marketing, advertising, labeling, quality and safety of our food products, as well as rights of our employees and the protection of the environment. Changes in legal or regulatory requirements (such as new food safety requirements, revised regulatory requirements for the processing and packaging of food products and requirements to phase-out of certain ozone-depleting substances or otherwise regulating greenhouse gas emissions), or evolving interpretations of existing legal or regulatory requirements, may result in increased compliance cost, capital expenditures and other financial obligations including costs to upgrade or replace equipment that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to governmental regulation regarding our relationship with our employees including minimum wage, overtime, wage payment, wage and hour, employment discrimination, harassment and immigration. Due to contracts we have with federal and state governmental entities, we are subject to audits of, or requests for information regarding, our employment practices. In addition, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and various other federal, state, and local authorities have issued guidance, new interpretations of existing requirements, and implemented new requirements for employers that affect the operation of our facilities and the management of our workforce. The various federal, state and local requirements and guidance continue to evolve, but we are continually monitoring for updates and responding to updated requirements and guidance applicable to our business as we become aware of them.
At several current and former facilities, we are investigating and remediating known or suspected contamination from historical releases of fuel and other hazardous substances that is not currently the subject of any administrative or judicial proceeding, but we may be subject to administrative or judicial proceedings in the future for contamination related to releases of fuel or other hazardous substances.
Failing to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, or encountering disagreements with respect to our contracts subject to governmental regulation, could result in a number of adverse situations. These could include investigations; litigation or
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other legal proceedings; administrative, civil, or criminal penalties or fines; mandatory or voluntary product recalls; cease and desist orders against operations that are not in compliance; closing facilities or operations; debarments from contracting with governmental entities; and loss or modification of existing, or denial of additional, licenses, permits, registrations, or approvals.
If the products we distribute are alleged to have caused injury, illness or other damage or to have failed to comply with applicable governmental regulations, we may need to recall products.
As a distributor and manufacturer of food, we may be subject to product recalls, including voluntary recalls or withdrawals, if the products we distribute or manufacture are alleged to have caused injury, illness or other damage, to have been mislabeled, misbranded or adulterated or to otherwise have violated applicable governmental regulations. We may recall products based on occurrences of food-borne illnesses (such as E. coli, avian flu, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, hepatitis A, trichinosis, salmonella or swine flu) and food tampering. We may also choose to voluntarily recall or withdraw products that we determine do not satisfy our quality standards, whether for taste, appearance or otherwise, in order to protect our brand and reputation.
Any future product recall or withdrawal that results in substantial and unexpected expenditures, destruction of product inventory, damage to our reputation and/or lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for an extended period of time could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If patrons of our customers become ill from food-borne illnesses, our customers could be forced to temporarily close locations and our sales would correspondingly decrease.
We may experience product liability claims.
We may be exposed to potential product liability claims in the event that the products we distribute or manufacture are alleged to have caused injury, illness or other damage. We believe we have sufficient liability insurance to cover product liability claims. We also generally seek contractual indemnification and insurance coverage from parties supplying products to us. If our current insurance does not continue to be available at a reasonable cost or is inadequate to cover all of our liabilities, or if our indemnification or insurance coverage is limited, as a practical matter, by the creditworthiness of the indemnifying party or the insured limits of our suppliers’ insurance coverage, the liability related to allegedly defective products that we distribute or manufacture could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Negative publicity may adversely impact our reputation and business.
Maintaining a good reputation and the safety and integrity of the products we distribute is critical to our business, particularly in selling our private label products. Product recalls, occurrences of food-borne illness or food tampering may cause negative publicity about the quality, safety, sustainability or integrity of food products, whether or not they are related to our products. Any event that damages our reputation or calls into question the safety or integrity of our products, whether justified or not, could quickly and negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness
Our level of indebtedness may adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to raise additional capital or obtain financing in the future, react to changes in our business, and make required payments on our debt.
We had $5,748 million of indebtedness outstanding, net of $60 million of unamortized deferred financing costs, as of January 2, 2021.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on, or to refinance our obligations under, our debt facilities depends on our ongoing financial and operating performance, among other things, and may be affected by economic, financial and industry conditions beyond our control, including as discussed under the caption “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry” above. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, raise additional equity capital or restructure our debt. However, there is no assurance that such alternative measures may be successful or permitted under the agreements governing our indebtedness and, as a result, we may not be able to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations.
Our level of indebtedness could have important consequences, including the following:
• a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for other purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate purposes;
• we are exposed to the risk of increased interest rates because approximately 57% of the net principal amount of our indebtedness was at variable rates of interest as of January 2, 2021 (after considering interest rate swaps that fixed the interest rate on $550 million of the principal amount of our borrowings under the Initial Term Loan Facility);
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• it may be difficult for us to satisfy our obligations to our lenders, resulting in possible defaults on and acceleration of such indebtedness;
• we may be more vulnerable to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
• we may be at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors with less debt or lower debt service requirements and they, as a result, may be better positioned to withstand competitive pressures and general adverse economic and industry conditions;
• our ability to refinance indebtedness may be limited or the associated costs may increase; and
• our ability to obtain additional financing may be limited or the associated costs of obtaining additional financing may increase.
Our level of indebtedness may further increase from time to time. Although the agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions and, under certain circumstances, the amount of indebtedness, including secured debt, that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Incurring substantial additional indebtedness could further exacerbate the risks associated with our level of indebtedness.
The agreements and instruments governing our indebtedness contain restrictions and limitations that may significantly impact our ability to operate our business.
The agreements and instruments governing our indebtedness contain covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to: dispose of assets; incur additional indebtedness (including guarantees of additional indebtedness); pay dividends and make certain payments; create liens on assets; make investments; engage in certain business combination transactions; engage in certain transactions with affiliates; change the business we conduct; and amend specific debt agreements. In addition, these agreements subject us to various financial covenants.
The restrictions under the agreements governing our indebtedness may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business, and may make it difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. We may also incur future debt obligations that might subject us to additional restrictive and financial covenants that could affect our financial and operational flexibility. We cannot assure you that we will be granted waivers of or amendments to these agreements if for any reason we are unable to comply with them, or that we will be able to refinance our debt on acceptable terms or at all.
Our ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in the agreements governing our indebtedness depends on our ongoing financial and operating performance, among other things, and may be affected by economic, financial and industry conditions beyond our control, including as discussed under the caption “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry” above. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default under the agreements governing our indebtedness that would permit the applicable lenders or note holders, as the case may be, to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. If we are unable to repay debt, creditors having secured obligations could proceed against the collateral securing the debt. In any such case, we may be unable to borrow under our credit facilities and may not be able to repay the amounts due under our indebtedness. This could have serious consequences to our business, financial condition and results of operations and could cause us to become bankrupt or insolvent.
Changes in the method of determining LIBOR, or the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate, may adversely affect the cost of servicing our debt.
In July 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), announced that it intends to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. In November 2020, the ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), the administrator of LIBOR, announced plans to consult on ceasing publication of the one week and two month U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors immediately following their publication on December 31, 2021, and all other U.S. dollar LIBOR tenors immediately following their publication on June 30, 2023. IBA published its consultation on December 4, 2020 and solicited feedback through January 25, 2021. We cannot predict the outcome of this consultation, and there can be no assurance that LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021. Amounts drawn under each of our ABL Facility and initial and incremental senior secured term loan facilities (the “Initial Term Loan Facility” and “Incremental Term Loan Facilities”, respectively) may bear interest at rates based upon, among other things, U.S. dollar LIBOR. As such, depending on the future of LIBOR, we may need to renegotiate certain standards in or terms of the agreements governing this indebtedness to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new standard or we may be required to borrow this indebtedness based upon alternate interest rate conventions as set forth in those agreements, which could increase the cost of servicing this debt and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Risks Relating to Human Capital Management
We face risks related to labor relations and costs.
We employed approximately 26,000 associates as of January 2, 2021, of which approximately 5,800 were members of local unions associated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and other labor organizations. Our failure to effectively renegotiate any CBAs could result in work stoppages. From time to time, we may face increased efforts to subject us to multi-location labor disputes, as individual labor agreements expire or labor disputes arise. This would place us at greater risk of being unable to continue to operate one or more facilities, possibly delaying deliveries, causing customers to seek alternative distributors, or otherwise being materially adversely affected by labor disputes. When there are labor related issues at a facility represented by a local union, sympathy strikes may occur at other facilities that are represented by other local unions. While we generally believe we have good relations with our associates, including the unions that represent some of our associates, a work stoppage due to a failure to renegotiate union contracts or for other reasons could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, potential changes in labor legislation and case law could result in current non-union portions of our workforce, including warehouse and delivery personnel, being subjected to greater organized labor influence. If additional portions of our workforce became subject to CBAs, this could result in increased costs of doing business as we would become subject to mandatory, binding arbitration or labor scheduling, costs and standards, which may reduce our operating flexibility.
We are subject to a wide range of labor costs. Because our industry's labor costs are, as a percentage of net sales, higher than many other industries' labor costs, even if we are able to successfully renegotiate CBAs and avoid work stoppages, we may be significantly impacted by labor cost increases. In addition, labor is a significant cost of many of our customers in the U.S. food-away-from-home industry. Any increase in their labor costs, including any increases in costs as a result of increases in minimum wage requirements, could reduce the profitability of our customers and reduce their demand for our products.
We may be unable to attract or retain a qualified and diverse workforce.
A labor shortage could potentially increase labor costs, reduce our profitability and/or decrease our ability to effectively serve customers. In addition, in response to the decreased demand for our products and services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, during fiscal year 2020, we implemented multiple cost savings measures relating to our workforce, including temporary furloughs or hours reductions, freezing non-business critical hiring, deferring annual corporate salary and wage increases, reducing our board of directors, executive and other senior leadership compensation, and reducing the size of our workforce. While we have ended the furloughs and discontinued the temporary salary reductions, employees who were impacted by these actions may seek and find other employment. If key personnel terminate their employment, become ill as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or if an insufficient number of employees is retained to maintain effective operations, our business operations may be adversely affected.
The success of our business depends on our ability to attract, train, develop and retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce. Recruiting and retention efforts (particularly with respect to driver and warehouse personnel) and actions to increase productivity may not be successful, and we could encounter a shortage of qualified employee talent in the future. Furthermore, as a government contractor, we are subject to oversight by the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which reviews our employment practices including affirmative action and non-discrimination based on race, sex and disability, among other characteristics. If an audit or investigation reveals a failure to comply with regulations, we could become subject to civil or criminal penalties and/or administrative sanctions, including government pre-approval of our government contracting activities, termination of government contracts, and suspension or debarment from doing further business with the U.S. government and could also be subject to claims for breach of contract by our customers. Any of these actions could increase our expenses, reduce our revenue and damage our reputation as a reliable government supplier.
Risks Relating to Intellectual Property, Technology and Information Security
Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brands.
We consider our intellectual property rights, particularly our trademarks, to be a valuable aspect of our business. We protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of trademark, copyright and trade secret protection. Our failure to obtain or adequately protect our intellectual property or any change in law that lessens or removes the current legal protections of our intellectual property may diminish our competitiveness and adversely affect our business and financial results.
Competing intellectual property claims that impact our brands may arise unexpectedly. Any litigation or disputes regarding intellectual property may be costly and time-consuming and may divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. We also may be subject to significant damages or injunctions against development, launch and sale of certain products. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We rely heavily on technology, and we may experience a disruption in existing technology or delay in effectively implementing new technology.
Our ability to control costs and maximize profits, as well as to serve customers most effectively, depends on the reliability of our information technology systems and related data entry processes in our transaction intensive business. We rely on software and other information technology to manage significant aspects of our business, such as purchasing, order processing, warehouse/inventory management, truck loading and logistics and optimization of storage space. We also rely on access to those systems online including through mobile devices to connect with our employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners. The importance of such networks and systems has increased due to many of our employees, and the employees of our customers, suppliers and business partners, working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Any disruption to this information technology could negatively affect our customer service, decrease the volume of our business, impair operations and profits and result in increased costs. If we do not allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build, sustain and protect appropriate information technology systems, we could experience service disruptions or other system failures and our business or financial results could be adversely impacted. We have also outsourced several information technology support services and administrative functions to third-party service providers, and may outsource other functions in the future to achieve cost savings and efficiencies. If these service providers do not perform effectively due to breach or system failure, we may not be able to achieve the expected benefits and our business may be disrupted.
Information technology evolves rapidly. To compete effectively, we are required to integrate new technologies in a timely and cost-effective manner. If competitors implement new technologies before we do, allowing them to provide lower priced or enhanced services of superior quality compared to those we provide, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
A cybersecurity incident may negatively affect our business and our relationships with customers.
We rely upon information technology networks and systems to process, transmit and store electronic information, to manage our data, communications and business processes, including our marketing, sales, manufacturing, procurement, logistics, customer service, accounting and administrative functions. Our reliance on such networks and systems has increased due to many of our employees, and the employees of our customers, suppliers and business partners, working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The use of these networks and systems gives rise to cybersecurity risks, and the risk of other security breaches (including access to or acquisition of supplier, customer, employee or other confidential information). Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, there have been reports of a surge in widespread cyberattacks, particularly with the increase in the number of employees working remotely from home and not in their usual office environment which exacerbate the aforementioned risks. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, or release of secured data or interference with the networks and systems on which we rely could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential liability, and competitive disadvantage, which in turn could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we have implemented measures to prevent security breaches, disruptions or other system failures, our preventative measures and incident response efforts may not be entirely effective. The cost to remediate damages to our information technology systems suffered as a result of a cyberattack or other unauthorized access to secured data could be significant.
In addition, in the event our suppliers or customers experience a breach or system failure, cyberattack or other security breach, their businesses could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which may result in a disruption in our supply chain or reduced customer orders, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Acquisitions
We may fail to realize the expected benefits of acquisitions or effectively integrate the businesses we acquire.
Historically, a portion of our growth has come through acquisitions. In September 2019, we completed the acquisition of the Food Group, which significantly expanded the Company’s network in the West and Northwest parts of the U.S. In April 2020, we completed the acquisition of Smart Foodservice, which significantly expanded the Company’s cash and carry business in the West and Northwest parts of the U.S.
If we are unable to integrate acquired businesses successfully or realize anticipated synergies in a timely manner, we may not realize our projected return on investment and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Integrating acquired businesses may be more difficult in a region or market where we have limited expertise or with a company culture or operating structure different than ours. A significant acquisition, in terms of geography or magnitude, could strain our leadership’s attention and our administrative and operational resources. We also may be unable to retain qualified management and other key personnel of the acquired businesses, that may be necessary to integrate acquired businesses successfully or realize anticipated synergies in a timely manner. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to the effective and timely
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integration of our acquisitions due to workforce disruptions and reduced productivity caused by travel restrictions and work-from-home policies and in the future may again adversely affect our integration efforts. In addition, our acquisition strategy may be impacted by our efforts to maintain our liquidity position in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Risks Relating to our Common Stock
As a result of its Series A Preferred Stock investment, KKR owns a substantial portion of our equity and its interests may not be aligned with yours.
As a result of its Series A Preferred Stock investment, KKR owns approximately 10% of our Common Stock on an as-converted basis and has the right to designate one director to our board of directors. As a result, KKR may have the ability to influence the outcome of certain matters relating to the Company. Circumstances may occur in which the interests of KKR could conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. For example, the existence of KKR as a significant shareholder and KKR’s board designation rights may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control or management or limiting the ability of our other shareholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in the best interests of the Company.
General Risk Factors
Changes in applicable tax laws and regulations and the resolution of tax disputes may negatively affect our financial results.
We are subject to income and other taxes in the U.S. and various state and local jurisdictions, and changes in tax laws or regulations or tax rulings may have an adverse impact on our effective tax rate. The U.S. and many state and local jurisdictions where we do business from time to time enact changes in relevant tax, accounting and other laws, regulations and interpretations. For example, on December 22, 2017, the U.S. federal government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”). The Tax Act made broad and complex changes to the U.S. federal income tax code, the impacts of which are described elsewhere in this Annual Report. Given the unpredictability of possible changes to U.S. federal and state and local tax laws and regulations, it is very difficult to predict their cumulative effect on our results of operations and cash flows, but new and changed laws and regulations could adversely impact our results of operations. We are also subject to the examination of our tax returns and other tax matters by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) and other state and local tax authorities and governmental bodies, for which we regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome. If the ultimate determination of these examinations is that taxes are owed by us for an amount in excess of amounts previously accrued, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation includes a forum selection clause.
The Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation requires that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Company or director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporate Law, the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Company, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company or director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder of the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to the court having jurisdiction over indispensable parties named as defendants. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our capital stock is deemed to have received notice of and consented to provisions of the forum selection clause.
The choice of forum provision may increase costs to bring a claim, discourage claims or limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with the Company or the Company’s directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against the Company or the Company’s directors, officers and other employees. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.
Adverse judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings in which we are or may be involved in the normal course of our business could limit our ability to operate our business and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
In the normal course of our business, we are involved in various legal proceedings. The outcome of these proceedings cannot be predicted. If any of these proceedings were determined adversely to us or require a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money, it could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, we could
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become the subject of future claims by third parties, including our employees, suppliers, customers, GPOs, investors, or regulators. Any significant adverse judgments or settlements could reduce our profits and limit our ability to operate our business.
Extreme weather conditions and natural disasters, and other catastrophic events, may interrupt our business, or our customers’ or suppliers ’ businesses.
Some of our facilities and our customers’ and suppliers’ facilities are located in areas that may be subject to extreme, and occasionally prolonged, weather conditions, including hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and extreme cold. Extreme weather conditions may interrupt our operations in such areas. Furthermore, extreme weather conditions may interrupt or impede access to our customers’ facilities, reduce the number of consumers who visit our customers’ facilities, interrupt our suppliers’ production or shipments or increase our suppliers’ product costs, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, our business could be affected by large-scale terrorist acts or the outbreak or escalation of armed hostilities (especially those directed against or otherwise involving the U.S.), the outbreak of food-borne illnesses, the widespread outbreak of infectious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or the occurrence of other catastrophic events. Any of these events could impair our ability to manage our business and/or cause disruption of economic activity, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our retirement benefits may give rise to significant expenses and liabilities in the future.
We sponsor defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans. These pension and postretirement obligations give rise to costs that are dependent on various assumptions, including those discussed in Note 20, Retirement Plans, in our consolidated financial statements, many of which are outside of our control, such as performance of financial markets, interest rates, participant age and mortality. In the event we determine that our assumptions should be revised, our future pension and postretirement plan benefit costs could increase or decrease. The assumptions we use may differ from actual results, which could have a significant impact on our pension and postretirement obligations and related costs and funding requirements.
In addition to the plans we sponsor, we also contribute to various multiemployer pension plans administered by labor unions representing some of our employees. We make periodic contributions to these plans to allow them to meet their pension benefit obligations to their participants. In the event that we withdraw from participating in one of these plans—including by deciding to discontinue participation in a plan in the ordinary course renegotiation of a CBA or by reducing the number of employees participating in a plan to a certain degree over a certain period of time as a result of a facility closure or other change in our operations—then applicable law could require us to make additional withdrawal liability payments to the plan based on the applicable plan’s funding status. Some multiemployer plans, including ones to which we contribute, are reported to have significant underfunded liabilities, which could increase the size of potential withdrawal liability. Any withdrawal liability payments that we are required to make could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
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