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GIII > SEC Filings for GIII > Form 10-K on 16-Apr-2009All Recent SEC Filings

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Form 10-K for G III APPAREL GROUP LTD /DE/


16-Apr-2009

Annual Report


ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION.

Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K concerning our business outlook or future economic performance, anticipated revenues, expenses or other financial items, product introductions and plans and objectives related thereto, and statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined under the Federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to, dependence on licensed product, reliance on foreign manufacturers, risks of doing business abroad, the current economic and credit crisis, the nature of the apparel industry, including changing consumer demand and tastes, seasonality, risks of operating a retail business, customer acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on existing management, possible disruption from acquisitions and general economic conditions, as well as other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Unless the context otherwise requires, "G-III", "us", "we" and "our" refer to G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. and its subsidiaries. References to fiscal years refer to the year ended or ending on January 31 of that year. For example, our fiscal year ended January 31, 2009 is referred to as "fiscal 2009".

The following presentation of management's discussion and analysis of our consolidated financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements, the accompanying notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Report.

Overview

G-III designs, manufactures, imports and markets an extensive range of outerwear, sportswear and accessories, including coats, jackets, pants, skirts, suits, dresses, women's handbags and men's carrying cases under licensed brands, our own proprietary brands and private retail labels. G-III also operates 121 retail stores, 119 of which are outlet stores operated under the Wilsons Leather name. While our products are sold at a variety of price points through a broad mix of retail partners and our own outlet stores, a majority of our sales are concentrated with our ten largest customers. Sales to our ten largest customers were 61.0% of our net sales in fiscal 2007, 59.7% of our net sales in fiscal 2008 and 56.6% of our net sales in fiscal 2009.

Our business is dependent on, among other things, retailer and consumer demand for our products. We believe that significant economic uncertainty and a slowdown in the global macroeconomic environment continue to negatively impact the level of consumer spending for discretionary items. The current depressed economic environment has been characterized by a decline in consumer discretionary spending that has disproportionately affected retailers and sellers of consumer goods, particularly those whose goods are viewed as discretionary purchases, such as fashion apparel and related products, such as ours. We expect such decline to continue as the current recessionary period continues and disposable income declines. These economic challenges have adversely impacted our operations. Worsening macroeconomic conditions and concerns about the access of retailers and consumers to credit will likely continue to have a negative impact on our results for fiscal 2010.

We operate in fashion markets that are intensely competitive. Our ability to continuously evaluate and respond to changing consumer demands and tastes, across multiple market segments, distribution channels and geographies is critical to our success. Although our portfolio of brands is aimed at diversifying our risks in this regard, misjudging shifts in consumer preferences could have a negative effect on our business. Our success in the future will depend on our ability to design products that are accepted in the markets we serve, source the manufacture of our products on a competitive basis, and continue to diversify our product portfolio and the markets we serve.

We have expanded our portfolio of proprietary and licensed brands over the past 15 years through acquisitions and by entering into license agreements for new brands or for additional products under previously licensed brands. We have made five acquisitions since July 2005, which have helped to broaden our product offerings, expand our ability to serve different tiers of distribution and add a retail component to our business.


In May 2007, we acquired specified operating assets of Jessica Howard Ltd. Jessica Howard designs and markets moderate and better dresses, under the proprietary Jessica Howard and Eliza J brands, as well as under private label programs.

The acquired Jessica Howard dress operations expanded and complemented our dress business which began shipping under the Calvin Klein label in September 2006. We believe that the capabilities of our Jessica Howard division will assist us in seeking additional dress licenses. We added to our dress business in July 2007, when we expanded our license with Ellen Tracy to include dresses and again in July 2008, when we entered into a new license to design and distribute dresses under the Jessica Simpson label. We also intend to grow the existing Jessica Howard and Eliza J brands and expand private label programs to further develop our dress business.

In February 2008, we acquired Andrew Marc, a supplier of fine outerwear and handbags for both men and women to upscale specialty and department stores. As a result of this acquisition, we added Andrew Marc and Marc New York as additional company-owned brands and Levi's and Dockers as additional licensed brands. We believe that the Andrew Marc brand can be leveraged into a variety of new categories to become a meaningful lifestyle brand for us. During the past year, we entered into agreements to license the Andrew Marc and Marc New York brands for women's footwear and men's accessories.

In July 2008, we acquired certain assets of Wilsons The Leather Experts, which had been a national retailer of outerwear and accessories. The assets acquired included 116 outlet store leases, inventory, distribution center operations and the Wilsons name and other related trademarks and trade names.

Our retail operations segment, which consists almost entirely of our Wilsons retail outlet store business, had an operating loss during fiscal 2009. For further details regarding the operating results of our Wilsons retail outlet business, see Note N to our Consolidated Financial Statements. We acquired Wilsons during the middle of the fiscal year when the merchandise plan for the key Fall and Holiday seasons was already set. The difficult economic environment also contributed to a weaker than expected performance by our Wilsons retail business. We have undertaken the following initiatives to improve the performance of our retail outlet business:

• Improve the merchandise mix of outerwear at our stores;

• Emphasize presentation of product in our stores and training of our sales associates;

• Incorporate an improved mix of private label and branded accessories; and

• Reduce overhead costs at the distribution center for our retail operations by reducing our leased space by one-half at that distribution center.

We continue to believe that operation of the Wilsons retail stores is part of our core competency, as outerwear comprises about one-half of our net sales at Wilsons. We expect to implement these initiatives with a view to creating a store concept that is capable of building growth over the long-term.

Our acquisitions are part of our strategy to expand our product offerings and increase the portfolio of proprietary and licensed brands that we offer through different tiers of retail distribution and at a variety of price points. We believe that both Andrew Marc and the Wilsons retail outlet business leverage our core strength in outerwear and provide us with new avenues for growth. We also believe that these acquisitions complement our other licensed brands, G-III owned labels and private label programs.

We market our products to department, specialty and mass merchant retail stores in the United States. We also supply our outerwear to the Wilsons outlet stores and to the Wilsons e-commerce business we acquired. We recently launched a website for Andrew Marc product to further expand our e-commerce presence.

We operate our business in three segments, licensed apparel, non-licensed apparel and retail operations. The licensed apparel segment includes sales of apparel brands licensed by us from third parties. The non-licensed apparel segment includes sales of apparel under our own brands and private label brands. The retail segment consists almost entirely of the Wilsons retail outlet stores we acquired in July 2008, now operating as AM Retail Group, Inc. We had an insignificant retail operation prior to the Wilsons acquisition.


The sale of licensed product has been a key element of our business strategy for many years. As part of this strategy, we continue to add new fashion and sports apparel licenses. We have expanded our relationship with Calvin Klein by adding licenses for women's performance wear in December 2007 and for better women's sportswear in August 2008. We began limited shipments of women's performance wear for the Spring 2008 season and expanded distribution for the Fall 2008 season. We began shipping women's better sportswear for the Spring 2009 season. In July 2008, we entered into a license agreement to design and distribute Jessica Simpson dresses, which we began shipping for the Spring 2009 season.

We believe that consumers prefer to buy brands they know and we have continually sought licenses that would increase the portfolio of name brands we can offer through different tiers of retail distribution, for a wide array of products and at a variety of price points. We believe that brand owners will look to consolidate the number of licensees they engage to develop product and they will seek licensees with a successful track record of developing brands. We are continually having discussions with licensors regarding new opportunities. It is our objective to continue to expand our product offerings. The sale of licensed product accounted for 60.5% of our net sales (68.0% of net sales of wholesale apparel) in fiscal 2009 compared to 70.3% of our net sales in fiscal 2008 and 63.0% of our net sales in fiscal 2007. For comparability purposes, we have included the percentage that sales of licensed apparel accounted for of our wholesale sales in fiscal 2009, which consists of sales in our licensed and non-licensed apparel segments, as we also had a retail segment in fiscal 2009 as a result of our acquisition of the Wilsons retail outlet business.

Significant trends that affect the apparel industry include the continuing consolidation of retail chains, the desire on the part of retailers to consolidate vendors supplying them, the increased focus by department stores on their own private label brands and a shift in consumer shopping preferences away from traditional department stores to other mid-tier and specialty store venues. The weakness in the economy and financial markets has reduced consumer confidence and consumer spending. There has also been significant downward pressure on average retail prices for many categories of apparel, in large part as a result of the weakness of the economy.

A number of retailers are experiencing significant financial difficulties, which in some cases has resulted in bankruptcies, liquidations and/or store closings. The financial difficulties of a retail customer of ours could result in reduced business with that customer. We may also assume higher credit risk relating to receivables of a retail customer experiencing financial difficulty that could result in higher reserves for doubtful accounts or increased write-offs of accounts receivable.

We have attempted to respond to these trends by continuing to focus on selling products with recognized brand equity, by attention to design, quality and value and by improving our sourcing capabilities. We have also responded with the strategic acquisitions made by us and new license agreements entered into by us over the past three years that have added additional licensed and proprietary brands and helped diversify our business by adding new product lines, additional distribution channels and a retail component to our business. We believe that our broad distribution capabilities help us to respond to the various shifts by consumers between distribution channels and that our operational capabilities will enable us to continue to be a vendor of choice for our retail partners.

Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant accounting policies employed by us, including the use of estimates, are presented in the notes to our consolidated financial statements.

Critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and our results of operations, and require management's most difficult, subjective and complex judgments, as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our most critical accounting estimates, discussed below, pertain to revenue recognition, accounts receivable, inventories, income taxes, sales taxes, goodwill and intangible assets and stock-based compensation. In determining these estimates, management must use amounts that are based upon its informed judgments and best estimates. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to customer allowances and discounts, product returns, bad debts and inventories, and carrying values of intangible assets. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various


other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

Revenue Recognition

Goods are shipped to retailers in accordance with specific customer orders. We recognize wholesale sales when the risks and rewards of ownership have transferred to the customer, determined by us to be when title to the merchandise passes to the customer. In addition, we act as an agent in brokering sales between customers and overseas factories. On these transactions, we recognize commission fee income on sales that are financed by and shipped directly to the customers. Title to goods shipped by overseas vendors, transfers to customers when the goods have been delivered to the customer. We recognize commission income upon the completion of the delivery by our vendors to the customer. We recognize retail sales upon customer receipt of our merchandise, generally at the point of sale. Our sales are recorded net of applicable sales tax. Net sales take into account reserves for returns and allowances. We estimate the amount of reserves and allowances based on current and historical information and trends. Sales are reported net of returns, discounts and allowances. Discounts, allowances and estimates of future returns are recognized when the related revenues are recognized.

Accounts Receivable

In the normal course of business, we extend credit to our wholesale customers based on pre-defined credit criteria. Accounts receivable, as shown on our consolidated balance sheet, are net of allowances and anticipated discounts. In circumstances where we are aware of a specific customer's inability to meet its financial obligation (such as in the case of bankruptcy filings or substantial downgrading by credit sources), a specific reserve for bad debts is recorded against amounts due to reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount reasonably expected to be collected. For all other wholesale customers, an allowance for doubtful accounts is determined through analysis of the aging of accounts receivable at the date of the financial statements, assessments of collectability based on historical trends and an evaluation of the impact of economic conditions.

An allowance for discounts is based on reviews of open invoices where concessions have been extended to customers. Costs associated with allowable deductions for customer advertising expenses are charged to advertising expenses in the selling, general and administrative section of our consolidated statements of income. Costs associated with markdowns and other operational charge backs, net of historical recoveries, are included as a reduction of net sales. All of these are part of the allowances included in accounts receivable. We reserve against known charge backs, as well as for an estimate of potential future deductions by customers. These provisions result from seasonal negotiations with our customers as well as historical deduction trends, net of historical recoveries and the evaluation of current market conditions.

Inventories

Wholesale inventories are stated at lower of cost (determined by the first-in, first-out method) or market. Retail inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market as determined by the retail inventory method. Retail inventory cost includes the cost of merchandise, inbound freight, duty and other merchandise-specific charges.

We continually evaluate the composition of our inventories, assessing slow-turning, ongoing product as well as fashion product from prior seasons. The market value of distressed inventory is based on historical sales trends of our individual product lines, the impact of market trends and economic conditions, expected permanent retail markdowns and the value of current orders for this type of inventory. A provision is recorded to reduce the cost of inventories to the estimated net realizable values, if required.

Income Taxes

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure, together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and


accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheet.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

In July, 2005, we acquired Marvin Richards and specified operating assets of Winlit, in May 2007, we acquired specified operating assets of Jessica Howard and in February 2008, we acquired Andrew Marc. SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life be tested for impairment at least annually. Goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are required to be written down when impaired, rather than amortized as previous accounting standards required. Goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life are tested for impairment by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value. Fair value is generally determined using discounted cash flows, market multiples and market capitalization. Significant estimates used in the fair value methodologies include estimates of future cash flows, future short-term and long-term growth rates, weighted average cost of capital and estimates of market multiples of the reportable unit. If these estimates or their related assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for our goodwill and intangible assets with an indefinite life. Our annual impairment test is performed in the fourth quarter each year.

The process of evaluating the potential impairment of goodwill is subjective and requires significant judgment at many points during the analysis. In estimating the fair value of a reporting unit for the purposes of our annual or periodic analyses, we make estimates and judgments about the future cash flows of that reporting unit. Although our cash flow forecasts are based on assumptions that are consistent with our plans and estimates we are using to manage the underlying businesses, there is significant exercise of judgment involved in determining the cash flows attributable to a reporting unit over its estimated remaining useful life. In addition, we make certain judgments about allocating shared assets to the estimated balance sheets of our reporting units. We also consider our and our competitor's market capitalization on the date we perform the analysis. Changes in judgment on these assumptions and estimates could result in a goodwill impairment charge.

We allocated the purchase price of the companies we acquired in fiscal 2006, fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009 to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, based on their estimated fair values. These valuations require management to make significant estimations and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. The amount allocated to goodwill was increased with respect to each of fiscal 2007, fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009, as a result of additional payments made based on the performance of Marvin Richards and Winlit. The amount allocated to goodwill also increased in fiscal 2008 as a result of the acquisition of Jessica Howard. In fiscal 2009 as a result of the acquisition of Andrew Marc, $20.0 million was allocated to goodwill and $13.2 million was allocated to trademarks with an indefinite life. There was no goodwill associated with our acquisition in July 2008 of the Wilsons retail outlet business.

Critical estimates in valuing intangible assets include future expected cash flows from license agreements, trade names and customer relationships. In addition, other factors considered are the brand awareness and market position of the products sold by the acquired companies and assumptions about the period of time the brand will continue to be used in the combined company's product portfolio. Management's estimates of fair value are based on assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable.

If we did not appropriately allocate these components or we incorrectly estimate the useful lives of these components, our computation of depreciation and amortization expense may not appropriately reflect the actual impact of these costs over future periods, which will affect our net income.

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price and related costs over the value assigned to net tangible and identifiable intangible assets of businesses acquired and accounted for under the purchase method. We review and test our goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may be impaired. We perform our test in the fourth fiscal quarter of each year using a combination of a discounted cash flow analysis and a market approach. The discounted cash flow approach requires that certain assumptions and estimates be made regarding industry economic factors and future profitability. The market approach estimates the fair value based on comparisons with the market values and market multiples of earnings and revenues of similar public companies. The fair value derived from these two methodologies are then compared to the carrying value of the respective


segments. As a result of the fiscal 2009 impairment analysis, we determined that the goodwill balance existing in our non-licensed apparel segment was impaired as a result of adverse equity market conditions which caused a decline in industry market multiples and reduced fair values from our projected cash flows. Accordingly, we recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $31.2 million.

Trademarks having finite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives and measured for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be impaired. Sales and profitability for our Marvin Richard's brand have significantly deteriorated and are not expected to recover. As a result, we recorded an impairment charge of $2.3 million to this trademark. The remaining carrying value of this trademark after the impairment charge is approximately $246,000.

Stock-based Compensation

Effective February 1, 2006, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R, "Share Based Payment" ("SFAS 123R"). We elected to use the modified prospective transition method; therefore, prior period results were not restated. Prior to the adoption of SFAS 123R, stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was not recognized in our results of operations if the exercise price was at least equal to the market value of our common stock on the grant date. As a result, the recognition of stock-based compensation expense in prior periods was generally limited to the expense attributed to restricted stock awards.

SFAS 123R requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized as compensation expense over the service period (generally the vesting period) in the consolidated financial statements based on their fair values. We utilize the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of stock-based compensation at the date of grant. The Black-Scholes model requires subjective assumptions regarding dividend yields, expected volatility, expected life of options and risk-free interest rates. These assumptions reflect management's best estimates. Changes in these inputs and assumptions can materially affect the estimate of fair value and the amount of our stock-based compensation expenses. We recognized stock-based compensation of approximately $425,000 in fiscal 2007, $703,000 in fiscal 2008 and $1.4 million in fiscal 2009. As of February 1, 2009, there was approximately $3.1 million of total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to non-vested stock-based compensation granted by us. These expenses are expected to be recognized by us through January 31, 2014.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth selected operating data as a percentage of our net sales for the fiscal years indicated below:

                                                     2007        2008        2009

     Net sales                                        100.0 %     100.0 %     100.0 %
     Cost of goods sold                                72.9        73.1        71.8

     Gross profit                                      27.1        26.9        28.2
     Selling, general and administrative expenses      19.5        19.6        23.1
     Goodwill impairment                                  -           -         4.4
     Trademark impairment                                 -           -         0.3
     Depreciation and amortization                      1.0         1.1         1.0

     Operating profit/(loss)                            6.6         6.2        (0.6 )
     Interest and financing charges, net                1.5         0.6         0.8

     Income/(loss) before income taxes                  5.1         5.6        (1.4 )
     Income taxes                                       2.0         2.3         0.6

     Net income/(loss)                                  3.1 %       3.3 %      (2.0 )%

. . .

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