Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A . Risk Factors
The following risks and uncertainties, as well as other factors described elsewhere in this report or in other SEC filings by the Company, could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Global economic conditions may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.
A general weakening or decline in the global economy or a reduction in industrial outputs, business or consumer spending or confidence could delay or significantly decrease purchases of our products by our customers and end users. Consumer purchases of discretionary items, which could include our maintenance products and homecare and cleaning products, may decline during periods where disposable income is reduced or there is economic uncertainty, and this may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. During unfavorable or uncertain economic times, end users may also increase purchases of lower-priced or non-branded products and our competitors may increase their level of promotional activities to maintain sales volumes, both of which may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, our sales and operating results may be affected by uncertain or changing economic and market conditions, including inflation, deflation, prolonged weak consumer demand, political instability, public health crises or other changes that may affect the principal markets, trade channels, and industrial segments in which we conduct our business. Public health crises, including epidemics or pandemics, may affect the principal markets, trade channels, and industrial segments in which we conduct our business. For example, we are continuously monitoring the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a significant disruption to global financial markets and supply chains beginning in early calendar year 2020. Supply chains at many companies globally have been strained due to increased competition for production line capacity and logistics resources, labor shortages, and shortages of certain materials as a result of the pandemic. These constraints have sometimes impacted the ability of our third-party manufacturers to procure certain raw materials needed to manufacture our products and this has periodically resulted in us not being able to meet the demand for our products from customers and end-users in certain markets. The additional costs resulting from these recent constraints in our supply chain and distribution networks may continue to unfavorably impact our gross margin and operating results in future periods for as long as such constraints and challenges exist
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our results will depend on future developments, which remain uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of outbreaks associated with new variants, as well as the international actions that are being taken to contain these outbreaks. Although several vaccines and treatments are authorized for use against COVID-19, these vaccines and treatments are being produced, distributed and accepted by the public at varying rates globally. Therefore, uncertainty continues to exist regarding the severity and duration of this rapidly evolving pandemic and it remains difficult for us to estimate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our financial results and operations in future periods and whether those impacts will be favorable or unfavorable. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in high levels of renovation and maintenance activities by end-users in recent periods and this contributed to our strong sales of maintenance products in fiscal year 2021. If renovation activities decrease by our end-users or spending patterns change as the pandemic evolves or improves in future periods, this could adversely impact our financial results.
If economic or market conditions in key global markets deteriorate, we may experience material adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Adverse economic and market conditions could also harm our business by negatively affecting the parties with whom we do business, including our customers, retailers, distributors and wholesalers, and third-party contract manufacturers and suppliers. These conditions could impair the ability of our customers to pay for products they have purchased from us. As a result, allowances for doubtful accounts and write-offs of accounts receivable from our customers may increase. In addition, our third-party contract manufacturers and their suppliers may experience financial difficulties or business disruptions that could negatively affect their operations and their ability to supply us with finished goods and the raw materials, packaging, and components required for our products.
Our financial results could suffer if we are unable to implement and successfully manage our strategic initiatives or if our strategic initiatives do not achieve the intended results .
There is no assurance that we will be able to implement and successfully manage our strategic initiatives, including our six core strategic initiatives, or that the strategic initiatives will achieve the intended results. Our six core strategic initiatives include: (i) building a business for the future; (ii) attracting, developing and engaging outstanding tribe members; (iii) striving for operational excellence; (iv) growing WD-40 Multi-Use Product; (v) growing WD-40 Specialist product line; and (vi) expanding and supporting portfolio opportunities that help us grow. An important part of our success depends on our continuing ability to attract, engage and develop highly qualified people. Our future performance depends in significant part on maintaining high levels of employee engagement and nurturing our values and culture. We believe that our company culture is a critical driver of our success and we invest substantial time and resources in building, maintaining and evolving our culture. Any failure to preserve and evolve our culture could negatively affect our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit employees. Our success also depends on the continued service of our executive officers, key employees and other talented people, as well as effective
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succession planning. The loss of the services of key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects. Competition for such talent is intense, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our key employees or attract, assimilate and retain employees who are fully engaged in the future. If we are unable to implement and successfully manage our strategic initiatives in accordance with our business plans, our business and financial results could be adversely affected. Moreover, the Company cannot be certain that the implementation of our strategic initiatives will necessarily advance our business or financial results as intended.
If the success and reputation of one or more of our leading brands erodes, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted .
The financial success of the Company is directly dependent on the success and reputation of its brands, particularly its WD-40 Brand. The success and reputation of our brands can suffer if marketing plans or product development and improvement initiatives, including the release of new products or innovative packaging, do not have the desired impact on the brands’ image or do not attract customers as intended. Our brands can also be adversely impacted due to the activities and pressures placed on them by our competitors. Further, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted if one of our leading brands suffers damage to its reputation due to real or perceived quality or safety issues. Quality issues, which can lead to large scale recalls of our products, can be due to items such as product contamination, regulatory non-compliance, packaging errors, incorrect ingredients or components in our product or low-quality ingredients in our products due to suppliers delivering items that do not meet our specifications. Product quality issues, which could include lower product efficacy due to formulation changes attributable to regulatory requirements, could also result in decreased customer confidence in our brands and a decline in product quality could result in product liability claims. In addition, our brand value depends on our ability to maintain a positive consumer perception of our corporate integrity and brand culture. Negative claims or publicity involving the Company, our products, or any of our key employees could damage our reputation and brand image, regardless of whether such claims are accurate. This risk is compounded by the increasing use of social and digital media by consumers and the speed by which information and opinions are shared. If we are unable to anticipate and respond to sudden challenges in the marketplace, trends in the market and changing consumer demands and sentiment, our financial results may be negatively impacted. Although we make every effort to prevent brand erosion and preserve our reputation and the reputation of our brands, there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful.
Reliance on a limited base of third-party contract manufacturers, logistics providers and suppliers of raw materials and components may result in disruption to our business and this could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .
We rely on a limited number of third-party contract manufacturers, logistics providers and suppliers, including single or sole source suppliers for certain raw materials, packaging, product components and other necessary supplies. We do not have direct control over the management or business of these third parties, except indirectly through terms negotiated in service or supply contracts. As a result, we currently face, and will continue to face, substantial risks associated with our reliance on third-party manufacturers, suppliers, and/or logistics providers, including but not limited to the following areas:
Changes to the terms of doing business with these providers or the production capacity they allocate to our products;
Disagreements or the inability to maintain good relationships with these providers, including the failure of these providers to be aligned with our company values;
Financial difficulties experienced by these providers;
Consolidation of third-party packagers, which could result in the acquiring company not being interested in manufacturing our products;
Significant disruptions in the production or transportation of our products due to events having regional or global impacts on economic activity, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or extreme weather conditions; or
Significant disruptions in the production or transportation of our products due to competition for materials, components, labor or services from third-party vendors.
In addition, if we are unable to contract with third-party manufacturers or suppliers for the quantity and quality levels needed for our business, we could experience disruptions in production and our financial results could be adversely affected. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant supply chain constraints and transportation disruptions that have arisen periodically throughout the pandemic. Some of the challenges that we have experienced include general aerosol-related production capacity constraints and competition for such capacity by other companies who utilize the same third-party manufacturers for their aerosol production. These challenges have periodically resulted in us not being able to meet the demand for our products by customers and end-users in certain markets, most significantly those markets in our Americas segment where demand for aerosols has, for certain products, outpaced the available production capacity in the region. Although we have been actively working on various initiatives in partnership with our third-party manufacturers in order to increase the capacity and resilience of our supply chain to meet strong end-user demand, we are not able to estimate the degree of the impact or the costs associated with potential future disruptions within our supply chain and distribution networks as these issues are being resolved.
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Global operations outside the U.S. expose us to uncertain conditions, foreign currency exchange rate risk and other risks in international markets .
Our sales outside of the U.S. were approximately 66% of consolidated net sales in fiscal year 2021. As a result, our ability to execute our strategic initiatives will continue to face substantial risks associated with having increased global operations outside the U.S., including:
economic or political instability in any of our global markets;
challenges associated with conducting business in foreign jurisdictions, including those related to our understanding of and compliance with business laws and regulations in such foreign jurisdictions;
increasing tax complexity or changes in tax law associated with operating in multiple tax jurisdictions;
a dispersed employee base and requirements for compliance with varied employment regulations and labor laws, including health and safety regulations and wage and hour laws, in countries outside the U.S.;
varying and complex privacy laws in foreign jurisdictions; and
the imposition of tariffs or trade restrictions and costs, burdens and restrictions associated with other governmental actions.
These risks could have a significant impact on our ability to sell our products on a competitive basis in global markets outside the United States. In addition, continued developments in the U.S. political climate have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to tax policies, trade relations, tariffs and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries. These developments, as well as the risks outlined above, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Approximately 50% of our revenues in fiscal year 2021 were generated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, which is our reporting currency. In addition, all of our foreign operating subsidiaries have functional currencies other than the U.S. Dollar and our largest subsidiary is located in the U.K. and generates significant sales in Pound Sterling and Euro. As a result, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to our sales, expenses, profits, cash and cash equivalents, other assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. In particular, our financial results are negatively impacted when the foreign currencies in which our subsidiary offices operate weaken relative to the U.S. Dollar. Although we use instruments to hedge certain foreign currency risks, primarily those associated with our U.K. subsidiary and net assets denominated in non-functional currencies, we are not fully protected against foreign currency fluctuations and, therefore, our reported earnings may be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Moreover, any favorable impacts to profit margins or financial results from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates are likely to be unsustainable over time.
Additionally, our global operations outside the U.S. are subject to risks relating to appropriate compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in local jurisdictions, potential difficulties in staffing and managing local operations, potentially higher incidence of fraud or corruption, credit risk of local customers and distributors and potentially adverse tax consequences. As we further develop and grow our business operations outside the U.S., we are exposed to additional complexities and risks, particularly in China, Russia and other emerging markets. In many foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, business practices that are prohibited by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act or other applicable anti-corruption laws and regulations may be prevalent. Evolving privacy laws and regulations in Europe, the U.S. and other jurisdictions present additional risks. Any failure to comply with these laws, even if inadvertent, could result in significant penalties or otherwise harm our reputation and business. Although we have adopted policies and contract terms to mandate compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, contractors and agents will comply with our requirements. Violations of these laws could be costly and disrupt our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Sales unit volume growth may be difficult to achieve .
Our ability to achieve sales volume growth will depend on our ability to (i) execute our strategic initiatives, (ii) drive growth in new markets by making targeted end users aware of our products and making them easier to buy, (iii) drive growth within our existing markets through innovation, renovation and enhanced merchandising and marketing of our established brands, and (iv) capture market share from our competitors. It is more difficult for us to achieve sales volume growth in developed markets where our products are widely used as compared to in developing or emerging markets where our products have been newly introduced or are not as well known by consumers. In order to protect our existing market share or capture additional market share from our competitors, we may need to increase our expenditures related to promotions and advertising or introduce and establish new products or product lines. In past periods, we have also increased sales prices on certain of our products in response to increased costs for components and raw materials. Sales price increases may slow sales volume growth or create declines in volume in the short term as customers and end users adjust to sales price increases or purchase alternative products at lower prices. In addition, the continued prominence and growth of the online retail sales channel has presented both us and our customers that sell our products online with the challenge of balancing online and physical store retailing methods. As a result of the COVID-19
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pandemic, some sales are shifting more to these online retail sales channels, and this may present a challenge in our markets where we have a less developed e-commerce business. Although we are engaged in e-commerce with respect to our products, if we are not successful in expanding sales in such alternative retail channels or we experience challenges with operating in such channels, our financial condition and results of operations may be negatively impacted. In addition, a change in the strategies of our existing customers, including shelf simplification, the discontinuation of certain product offerings or the shift in shelf space to competitors’ products could reduce our sales and potentially offset sales volume increases achieved as a result of other sales growth initiatives. If we are unable to increase market share in our existing product lines by developing product improvements, investing adequately in our existing brands, building usage among new customers, developing, acquiring or successfully launching new products or product line extensions, or successfully penetrating emerging and developing markets and sales channels globally, we may not achieve our sales volume growth objectives.
Cost increases or cost volatility in finished goods, components, raw materials, transportation and other necessary supplies or services could harm or impact our financial condition and results of operations .
Increases in the cost of finished goods, which may be driven by higher costs for components, raw materials and third-party manufacturing fees, as well as increases in the cost of transportation and other necessary supplies or services may harm our financial condition and results of operations. Petroleum-based specialty chemicals and aerosol cans, which constitute a significant portion of the costs for many of our maintenance products, have experienced significant price volatility in the past, and may continue to do so in the future. In particular, volatility in the price of oil impacts the cost of petroleum-based specialty chemicals, many of which are indexed to the price of regional crude oil or related refined products . Fluctuations in oil and diesel fuel prices have also historically impacted our cost of transporting our products, compounded recently by increased regulations imposed on the freight industry and additional macroeconomic factors which have resulted in increased freight costs. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in global supply chain constraints and transportation disruptions that have led to increased competition for freight resources, higher fees charged by our third-party manufacturers, increased raw material costs and other input costs that have negatively impacted our results of operations. When there are significant increases in the costs of components, raw materials, third-party manufacturing fees and other expenses, and if we are not able to increase the prices of our products or achieve cost savings to offset such cost increases, our gross margins and operating results will be negatively impacted.
In addition, if we increase our sales prices in response to increases in the cost of such raw materials, and those raw material costs later decline significantly, we may not be able to sustain our sales prices at these higher levels. As component and raw material costs are the principal contributors to the cost of goods sold for all of our products, any significant fluctuation in the costs of components and raw materials could have a material impact on the gross margins realized on our products. Sustained increases in the cost of raw materials, components, fees from our third-party contract packagers, transportation and other necessary supplies or services, or significant volatility in such costs, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Malfunctions or implementation issues related to the critical information systems that we use for the daily operations of our business, cyberattacks and data breaches could adversely affect our ability to conduct business .
To conduct our business, we rely extensively on information technology systems, networks and services, many of which are managed, hosted and provided by third-party service providers. We cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent cyberattacks resulting in breaches of our own or our third-party service providers’ databases and systems. Techniques used in these attacks change frequently and may be difficult to detect for periods of time. Although we have policies and procedures in place governing (i) the timely investigation of cybersecurity incidents, (ii) the timely disclosure of any related material nonpublic information resulting from a material cybersecurity incident, and (iii) the safeguarding against insider trading of directors, officers, and other corporate insiders between the period of investigation and the public disclosure of such an incident; cybersecurity incidents themselves, such as the release of sensitive data from our databases and systems, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The increasing number of information technology security threats and the development of more sophisticated cyberattacks, including ransomware, pose a potential risk to the security of our information technology systems and networks, as well as to the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. In addition, the increased use of remote work infrastructure due to the COVID-19 pandemic also increases the possible cybersecurity risks. Further, such incidents could also materially increase the costs that we already incur to protect against such risks.
In addition, system failure, malfunction or loss of data that is housed in the Company’s or its third-party service providers’ critical information systems could disrupt our ability to timely and accurately process transactions and produce key financial reports, including information on our operating results, financial position and cash flows. Our information systems could be damaged or cease to function properly due to a number of other reasons as well, including catastrophic events and power outages. Although we have certain business continuity plans in place to address such service interruptions, there is no guarantee that these business continuity plans will provide alternative processes in a timely manner. As a result, we may experience interruptions in our ability to manage our daily operations and this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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The information system that the U.S. office uses for its business operations is a market specific application that is not widely used by other companies. This system is also used by three of our other regional offices: our Canada, Australia and Malaysia offices. The company that owns and supports this application may not be able to provide the same level of support as that of larger information systems. If the company that owns and supports this application in the U.S. were to cease its operations or were unable to provide continued support for this application, it could adversely affect our daily operations or our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Management determined in fiscal year 2020 that it is appropriate to implement a new information system that will be used at all of these offices. We are currently in the development and early testing stages of this implementation. This information system will be used to process all of the daily transactions and to produce key financial reports for all of these offices. If we encounter difficulties in completing this critical information system implementation, we may experience interruptions in our ability to manage our daily operations and report financial results and this could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations, could result in material costs or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .
The manufacturing, chemical composition, packaging, storage, distribution and labeling of our products and the manner in which our business operations are conducted must comply with an extensive array of federal, state and foreign laws and regulations. If we are not successful in complying with the requirements of all such regulations, we could be fined or other actions could be taken against us by the applicable governing body, including the possibility of a required product recall. Any such regulatory action could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. It is also possible that governments and regulatory agencies will increase regulation, including the adoption of further regulations relating to the transportation, storage or use of certain chemicals, to enhance homeland security or protect the environment and such increased regulation could negatively impact our ability to obtain raw materials, components and/or finished goods or could result in increased costs. In particular, legislators, consumers, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focusing on climate change, petroleum usage, waste, recycled material content, and other sustainability concerns pertaining to companies’ ESG policies. Concern over climate change may result in new or increased legal and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate negative impacts to the environment or may result in new reporting and disclosure requirements. In the event that such regulations result in increased product or administrative costs, we may not be in a position to increase selling prices, and therefore an increase in costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our products have chemical compositions that are controlled by various state, federal and international laws and regulations that are subject to change. We are required to comply with these laws and regulations and we seek to anticipate regulatory developments that could impact our ability to continue to produce and market our products. We invest in research and development to maintain product formulations that comply with such laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that we will not be required to alter the chemical composition of one or more of our products in a way that will have an adverse effect upon the product’s efficacy or marketability. A delay or other inability of the Company to complete product research and development and successfully reformulate our products in response to any such regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to an SEC rule mandated by Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that requires management to conduct annual due diligence to determine whether certain minerals and metals, known as “conflict minerals”, are contained in our products and, if so, whether they originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) or adjoining countries. Although we have concluded that our current products do not contain such conflict minerals in our annual evaluations to date, if we were to conclude that these materials exist within our products in future periods, we may have difficulty verifying the origin of such materials for purposes of disclosures required by the SEC rules.
We are also subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations that impose various environmental controls on our business operations, including, among other things, the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the handling, use, treatment, storage and clean-up of solid and hazardous wastes and the investigation and remediation of soil and groundwater affected by hazardous substances. Such laws and regulations may otherwise relate to various health and safety matters that impose burdens upon our operations. These laws and regulations also impose strict, retroactive and joint and several liability for the costs of, and damages resulting from, cleaning up current sites, past spills, disposals and other releases of hazardous substances. We believe that our expenditures related to environmental matters have not had, and are not currently expected to have, a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, the environmental laws under which we operate are complicated, often become increasingly more stringent and may be applied retroactively. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be required to incur additional expenditures to remain in or to achieve compliance with environmental laws in the future or that any such additional expenditures will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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In addition, certain countries and other jurisdictions in which we operate have data protection laws that impose strict regulations on the Company. Non-compliance with any of these regulations may result in significant penalties being imposed on us. Many international and local governmental authorities are considering increased legislative and regulatory requirements concerning protection of personal data which may impact us and increase our costs to comply with these requirements in future periods.
Additional laws and regulations require that we carefully manage our supply chain for the production, distribution and sale of goods. Our failure to comply with any of these regulations or our inability to adequately predict the manner in which these local regulations are interpreted and applied to our business by the applicable enforcement agencies could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to maximize or to successfully assert our intellectual property rights or infringement by the Company on the intellectual property rights of others could impact our competitiveness or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations .
We rely on trademark, trade secret protection, patent and copyright laws to protect our intellectual property rights. Although we maintain a global enforcement program to protect our intellectual property rights, there can be no assurance that these intellectual property rights will be maximized or that they can be successfully asserted. If other companies or entities infringe on our intellectual property rights or take part in counterfeiting activities, they may dilute the value of our brands in the marketplace, which could diminish the value that consumers associate with our brands and harm our sales.
There is a risk that we will not be able to obtain and protect our own intellectual property rights or, where appropriate, license intellectual property rights necessary to support new product introductions or product lines dependent upon such licensed rights. We cannot be certain that these rights, if obtained, will not be withdrawn, invalidated, circumvented or challenged in the future, and we could incur significant costs in connection with legal actions to defend and preserve our intellectual property rights. In addition, even if such rights are obtained in the U.S., it may be that the laws of some of the other countries in which our products are or may be sold do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, or they may be difficult to enforce. Our failure to protect or successfully assert our intellectual property rights or failure to protect our other proprietary information could make us less competitive and this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Trade secret protection, particularly for our most valuable product formulation for the WD-40 Multi-Use Product, requires specific agreements, policies and procedures to assure the secrecy of information classified as a trade secret. If such agreements, policies and procedures are not effective enough to maintain the secrecy of our trade secrets or if chemical disclosure regulations do not allow for continued protection of essential elements of our trade secret formulations, the loss of trade secret protection could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
If we are found to have violated the trademark, copyright, patent or other intellectual property rights of others, such a finding could result in the need to cease the use of a trademark, trade secret, copyrighted work or patented invention in our business and an obligation to pay a substantial amount for past infringement. It could also be necessary to pay a substantial amount in the future if the holders of such rights are willing to permit us to continue to use the intellectual property rights. Either having to cease use or pay such amounts could make the Company less competitive and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operating results and financial performance may not meet expectations , which could adversely affect our stock price .
We cannot be sure that our operating results and financial performance, which include sales growth, net income, earnings per common share, gross margin and cash flows, will meet expectations. If our assumptions and estimates are incorrect or if we do not achieve all of our key goals or strategic initiatives, then our actual performance could vary materially from our internal expectations and those of the market. Failure to meet or exceed these expectations could cause the market price of our stock to decline. In addition, the trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that securities analysts and industry analysts publish about the Company or our business. We do not have any control over these reports or analysts. If securities or industry analysts adversely change their recommendations regarding our common stock or if any of these analysts cease coverage of the Company in their reports, our stock price and trading volume could decline. Our operating results and financial performance may be negatively influenced by a number of factors, many of which are discussed in this Item 1A “Risk Factors”.
In addition, sales volume growth, whether due to acquisitions or internal growth, can place burdens on management resources and financial controls that, in turn, can have a negative impact on our operating results and financial condition. To some extent, we plan our expense levels in anticipation of future revenues. If actual revenues fall short of these expectations, operating results may be adversely affected by reduced operating margins or operating profits due to actual expense levels that are higher than might otherwise have been appropriate.
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We face competition in our markets which could lead to reduced sales and profitability .
We encounter competition from similar and alternative products, many of which are produced and marketed by major national or multinational companies. In addition, we frequently discover products in certain markets that are counterfeit reproductions of our WD-40 products as well as products otherwise bearing an infringing trade dress. The availability of counterfeits and other infringing products, particularly in China, Russia and other emerging markets, could adversely impact our sales and potentially damage the value and reputation of our brands.
Our products generally compete on the basis of product performance, brand recognition, price, quality or other benefits to consumers and meeting end users’ needs. Advertising, promotions, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions. A newly introduced consumer product, whether improved or recently developed, usually encounters intense competition requiring substantial expenditures for advertising, sales and consumer promotion. If a product gains consumer acceptance, it normally requires continued advertising, promotional support and product improvements in order to maintain its relative market position.
Some of the competitors for our homecare and cleaning products are larger and have financial resources greater than ours. These competitors may be able to spend more aggressively on advertising and promotional activities, introduce competing products more quickly and respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than us.
Competitive activity may require us to increase our investment in marketing or reduce our sales prices and this may lead to reduced profit margins, a loss of market share or loss of distribution, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors or that competitive pressures faced by us or the infringement of our products and brands will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Dependence on key customers could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations .
We sell our products through a network of domestic and international mass retail, trade supply and consumer retailers as well as through industrial distributors and suppliers. The retail industry has historically been the subject of consolidation, and as a result, the development of large chain stores has taken place. Today, the retail channel is comprised of several of these large chain stores that capture the bulk of the market share. Since many of our customers have been part of consolidations in the retail industry, these limited customers account for a large percentage of our net sales. Although we expect that a significant portion of our revenues will continue to be derived from this limited number of customers, there was no individual customer that contributed to more than 10% of our consolidated net sales in fiscal year 2021. However, changes in the strategies of our largest customers, including shelf simplification, a reduction in the number of brands they carry or a shift in shelf space to “private label” or competitors’ products, may harm our sales. The loss of, or reduction in, orders from any of our most significant customers could have a material adverse effect on our brand values, business, financial condition and results of operations. Large customers may seek price reductions, added support or promotional concessions. If we agree to such customer demands and/or requests, it could negatively impact our ability to maintain existing profit margins.
In addition, our business is based primarily upon individual sales orders, and we typically do not enter into long-term contracts with our customers. Accordingly, these customers could reduce their purchasing levels or cease buying products from us at any time and for any reason. We are also subject to changes in customer purchasing patterns or the level of promotional activities. These types of changes may result from changes in the manner in which customers purchase and manage inventory levels, or display and promote products within their stores. Other potential factors such as customer disputes regarding shipments, fees, merchandise condition or related matters may also impact operating results. If we cease doing business with a significant customer or if sales of our products to a significant customer materially decrease, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be harmed.
We may not successfully develop, introduce and/or establish new products and line extensions .
Our future performance and growth depend, in part, on our ability to successfully develop, introduce and/or establish new products as both brand extensions and/or line extensions. We cannot be certain that we will successfully achieve those goals. We compete in several product categories where there are frequent introductions of new products and line extensions and such product introductions often require significant investment and support. Our ability to understand end user needs and preferences is key to maintaining and improving the competitiveness of our product offerings. The development and introduction of new products, as well as the renovation of current products and product lines, require substantial and effective research, development and marketing expenditures, which we may be unable to recoup if the new or renovated products do not gain widespread market acceptance. There are inherent risks associated with new product development and marketing efforts, including product development or launch delays, product performance issues during development, changing regulatory frameworks that affect the new products in development and the availability of key raw materials included in such products. These inherent risks could
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result in the failure of new products and product line extensions to achieve anticipated levels of market acceptance, additional costs resulting from failed product introductions and the product not being first to market. As we continue to focus on innovation and renovation of our products, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected in the event that we are not able to effectively develop and introduce new or renovated products and line or brand extensions.
Changes in marketing distributor relationships that are not managed successfully by us could result in a disruption in the affected markets .
We distribute our products throughout the world in one of two ways: the direct distribution model, in which products are sold directly by us to wholesalers and retailers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, the U.K. and a number of other countries, including those throughout Europe; and the marketing distributor model, in which products are sold to marketing distributors who in turn sell to wholesalers and retailers. The marketing distributor model is generally used in countries where we do not have direct Company-owned operations. Instead, we partner with local companies who perform the sales, marketing and distribution functions. We invest time and resources into these relationships. Should our relationship with a marketing distributor change or terminate, our sales within such a marketing distributor’s territory could be adversely impacted until such time as a suitable replacement can be found and our key marketing strategies are implemented. There is a risk that changes in such marketing distributor relationships, including a change in key marketing distributor personnel or a transition to the direct distribution model, that if not managed successfully, could result in a disruption in the affected markets and that such a disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, in some countries, local laws may require substantial payments to terminate existing marketing distributor relationships, which could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Product liability claims and other litigation and/or regulatory action could adversely affect our sales and operating results .
While we make every effort to ensure that the products we develop and market are safe for consumers and comply with all applicable regulations, the use of our products may expose us to liability claims resulting from such use and potential enforcement actions, including the risk of recall. Claims could be based on allegations that, among other things, our products are improperly labeled or that statements we make on our labels are not accurate, contain contaminants, provide inadequate instructions regarding their use or inadequate warnings concerning their use or interactions with other substances. Product liability claims could result in negative publicity that could harm our sales and operating results. We maintain product liability insurance to protect us from loss attributable to product liability claims but the extent of such loss could exceed available limits of insurance or could arise out of circumstances under which such insurance coverage would be unavailable. Other business activities may also expose us to litigation risks, including risks that may not be covered by insurance such as contract disputes. If successful claims are asserted by regulatory agencies or third parties against us for non-compliance or uninsured liabilities or liabilities in excess of applicable limits of insurance coverage, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. In addition, if one of our products was determined to be defective, we could be required to recall the product, which could result in adverse publicity, loss of revenues and significant expenses.
Additionally, our products may be associated with competitor products or other products in the same category that may be alleged to have caused harm to consumers. As a result of this association, we may be named in unwarranted legal actions. The potential costs to defend such claims may materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Resolution of income tax matters may impact our financial condition and results of operations .
Significant judgment is required in determining our effective income tax rate and in evaluating tax positions, particularly those related to uncertain tax positions. We provide for uncertain tax positions when such tax positions do not meet the recognition thresholds or measurement standards prescribed by the accounting standard for uncertain tax positions. Changes in uncertain tax positions or other adjustments resulting from tax audits and settlements with taxing authorities, including related interest and penalties, impact our effective tax rate. When particular tax matters arise, a number of years may elapse before such matters are audited and finally resolved. Favorable resolution of such matters could be recognized as a reduction to our effective tax rate in the year of resolution. Unfavorable resolution of any tax matter could increase our effective tax rate. Any resolution of a tax matter may require the adjustment of tax assets or tax liabilities or the use of cash in the year of resolution. For additional information on such matters, see Part IV – Item 15, “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” Note 13 – Income Taxes, included in this report.
Changes in tax rules may also materially affect, either adversely or favorably, our future financial results or the way management conducts its business. For example, on September 13, 2021, the House Ways & Means Committee formally released a tax proposal to be part of the “ Build Back Better Act ” reconciliation bill. The release of the legislative text is a significant milestone toward the passage of new tax laws. If made into law, this proposal may materially impact the Company’s statutory and effective tax rate and as a result impact future financial results. Previously, on December 22, 2017, the “ Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ” (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law and became effective beginning January 1, 2018. The Tax Act significantly changed U.S. tax law and
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tax rates, as well as mandated the application of a one-time “toll tax” on unremitted foreign earnings, among other things. In addition, we are required to make assertions on whether our foreign subsidiaries will invest their undistributed earnings indefinitely and these assertions are based on the capital needs of the foreign subsidiaries. Generally, unremitted earnings of our foreign subsidiaries are not considered to be indefinitely reinvested. However, there are exceptions regarding our newly formed subsidiary in Mexico as well as specific statutory remittance restrictions imposed on our China subsidiary. Costs associated with repatriating unremitted foreign earnings, including U.S. state income taxes and foreign withholding taxes, are immaterial to our consolidated financial statements. For additional information on income tax matters, see Part IV—Item 15, “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” Note 13 — Income Taxes, included in this report.
Although many impacts of the Tax Act have been favorable for us both in the near term and long term, the Tax Act also authorized the Treasury Department to issue regulations with respect to the new provisions. We cannot predict how subsequent changes in the Tax Act, regulations, or other guidance issued under it, including conforming or non-conforming state tax rules, might affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there can be no assurance that U.S. tax laws, including the corporate income tax rate, will not undergo significant additional changes in the near future.
Our business development activities may not be successful .
We may increase growth through business development activities such as acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing and/or other strategic partnerships in the U.S. and internationally. However, if we are not able to identify, acquire and successfully integrate acquired products or companies or successfully manage joint ventures or other strategic partnerships, we may not be able to maximize these opportunities. The failure to properly manage business development activities because of difficulties in the assimilation of operations and products, the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns, the loss of key employees or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, there can be no assurance that our business development activities will be profitable at their inception or that they will achieve sales levels and profitability that justify the investments made.
Future acquisitions, joint ventures or strategic partnerships could also result in the incurrence of debt, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses related to certain intangible assets, unanticipated regulatory complications and/or increased operating expenses, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, to the extent that the economic benefits associated with any of our business development activities diminish in the future, we may be required to record impairments to goodwill, intangible assets or other assets associated with such activities, which could also adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Goodwill and intangible assets are subject to impairment risk.
In accordance with the authoritative accounting guidance on goodwill and intangibles, we assess the potential impairment of our existing goodwill during the second quarter of each fiscal year and otherwise when events or changes in circumstances indicate that an impairment condition may exist. We also assess our definite-lived intangible assets for potential impairment when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable or its estimated remaining useful life may no longer be appropriate. Indicators such as underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, changes in our strategy for our overall business or use of acquired assets, unexpected negative industry or economic trends, decline in our stock price for a sustained period, decreased market capitalization relative to net book values, unanticipated technological change or competitive activities, loss of key distribution, change in consumer demand, loss of key personnel and acts by governments and courts may signal that an asset has become impaired.
The assessment for possible impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets requires management to make judgments on a number of significant estimates and assumptions, including macroeconomic conditions, overall category growth rates, sales growth rates, cost containment and margin expansion and expense levels for advertising and promotions and general overhead, all of which must be developed from a market participant standpoint. 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 identified and this could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Changes in management estimates and assumptions as they relate to valuation of goodwill and intangible assets could affect our financial condition or results of operations in the future. Our review of events and circumstances during fiscal year 2021 included consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For additional information, see Part IV – Item 15, “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” Note 5 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, included in this report.
We may also divest of certain of our assets, businesses or brands that do not align with our strategic initiatives. Any divestiture could negatively impact our profitability as a result of losses that may result from such a sale, the loss of sales and operating income or a decrease in cash flows subsequent to the divestiture. We may also be required to recognize impairment charges as a result of a divestiture.
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We may not have sufficient cash to service our indebtedness or to pay cash dividends .
Our debt consists of fixed rate senior notes and a revolving credit facility. Prior to April 2020, management has used the proceeds of the revolving credit facility primarily for stock repurchases. In order to service our debt, we are required to use our income from operations to make interest and principal payments required by the terms of our borrowing agreements. In addition, our borrowing agreements include covenants to maintain certain financial ratios and to comply with other financial terms, conditions and covenants. Also, we have historically paid out a large part of its earnings to stockholders in the form of regular quarterly cash dividends.
We may incur substantial debt in the future for general business and development activities. In addition, we may continue to use available cash balances to execute share repurchases under approved share buy-back plans. To the extent that we are required to seek additional financing to support certain of these activities, such financing may not be available in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us. If we are unable to obtain such financing or to service our existing or future debt with our operating income, or if available cash balances are affected by future business performance, unstable global economic conditions, liquidity, capital needs, alternative investment opportunities or debt covenants, we could be required to reduce, suspend or eliminate our dividend payments to our stockholders. We may also elect to suspend share repurchases depending on available cash balances or concerns that we may have on future cash balances.
Item 1B . Unresolved Staff Comments
None.