BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP INC - Quarter Report: 2014 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

 (Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 29, 2014

OR

For the transition period from              to              

Commission file number: 001-32320

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(314) 423-8000

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code) 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  ☐    No  ☒

As of May 2, 2014, there were 17,477,869 issued and outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock.

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC.

INDEX TO FORM 10-Q

PART I-FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS

AND STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

BUILD-A-BEAR WORKSHOP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(dollars in thousands)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Basis of Presentation

The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein are unaudited and have been prepared by Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Company) pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.  The condensed consolidated balance sheet of the Company as of December 28, 2013 was derived from the Company’s audited consolidated balance sheet as of that date.  All other condensed consolidated financial statements contained herein are unaudited and reflect all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary to summarize fairly the financial position of the Company and the results of the Company’s operations and cash flows for the periods presented.  All of these adjustments are of a normal recurring nature.  All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.  Because of the seasonal nature of the Company’s operations, results of operations of any single reporting period should not be considered as indicative of results for a full year.  These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2013, which were included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 13, 2014.

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to current year presentation, none of which impact net income in any period.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company adopted new accounting guidance with regard to the presentation and disclosure of unrecognized tax benefits, according to the provisions of Accounting Standards Update 2013-11. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the financial statements.

2. Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets

Prepaid expenses and other current assets consist of the following (in thousands):

3. Property and Equipment

In 2012, the Company made the decision to close of a number of stores. The Company considers a more likely than not assessment that an individual location will close as a triggering event to review the store asset group for recoverability. As a result of this review for the first quarter of fiscal 2014, it was determined that one store would not be able to recover the carrying value of store leasehold improvements through expected undiscounted cash flows over the shortened remaining life of the related assets. Accordingly, the carrying value of the assets was reduced to fair value, calculated as the estimated future cash flows for each asset group, and asset impairment charges of $0.1 million were recorded in the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014, and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses as a component of income before income taxes in the Retail segment.  The inputs used to determine the fair value of the assets are Level 3 fair value inputs as defined by ASC section 820-10. Any remaining net book value is depreciated over the shortened expected life. Similar asset impairment charges of $0.5 million were recorded in the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013.

4. Stock-based Compensation

The following table is a summary of the balances and activity for the plans related to restricted stock and stock options for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014:

For the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013, selling, general and administrative expenses include $0.6 million and $0.8 million of stock-based compensation expense, respectively. As of March 29, 2014, there was $4.4 million of total unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested restricted stock and option awards which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.6 years.

The total fair value of shares vested during the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013 was $2.1 million and $1.6 million, respectively.

5. Income Taxes

In prior years, the Company recorded a valuation allowance on substantially all of its deferred tax assets.  The effective tax rate was 5.3% for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared to 88.2% for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013. While the components of income tax expense were consistent between periods, the change in the effective rate was driven by the increase in pre-tax income.

6. Earnings per Share

The Company uses the two-class method to compute basic and diluted earnings per common share. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share data):

In calculating diluted earnings per share for the thirteen week periods ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013, options to purchase 372,584 shares and 1,153,121 shares, respectively, of common stock that were outstanding at the end of the period were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share due to their anti-dilutive effect.

7. Comprehensive Income or Loss

The difference between comprehensive income or loss and net income or loss results from foreign currency translation adjustments on the balance sheets of subsidiaries whose functional currency is not the US Dollar. The accumulated other comprehensive loss balance at March 29, 2014, December 28, 2013 and March 30, 2013 is comprised entirely of foreign currency translation. For the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013, there were no reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive loss.

8. Segment Information

The Company’s operations are conducted through three operating segments consisting of retail, international franchising and commercial. The retail segment includes the operating activities of company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland and other retail delivery operations, including the Company’s web store, pop-up stores and non-traditional store locations such as a baseball park. The international franchising segment includes the licensing activities of the Company’s franchise agreements with store locations in Europe, outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and Mexico. The commercial segment includes the Company’s transactions with other businesses, mainly comprised of licensing the Company’s intellectual properties for third party use and wholesale activities. The operating segments have discrete sources of revenue, different capital structures and different cost structures. These operating segments represent the basis on which the Company’s chief operating decision maker regularly evaluates the business in assessing performance, determining the allocation of resources and the pursuit of future growth opportunities. Accordingly, the Company has determined that each of its operating segments represent one reportable segment. The reportable segments follow the same accounting policies used for the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Following is a summary of the financial information for the Company’s reportable segments (in thousands): 

The Company’s reportable segments are primarily determined by the types of products and services that they offer.  Each reportable segment may operate in many geographic areas. The Company allocates revenues to geographic areas based on the location of the customer or franchisee.  The following schedule is a summary of the Company’s sales to external customers and long-lived assets by geographic area (in thousands):

9. Contingencies

In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to regular examination by various taxing authorities for years not closed by the statute of limitations, including an ongoing customs audit in the United Kingdom in which the Company is contesting audit findings. The Company accrues a liability for this type of contingency when it believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and that it can reasonably estimate the amount of the loss. In 2012, the Company received notification from the customs authority that it intended to make an assessment for unpaid duty, penalties and interest. The assessment was made in 2013. The Company has appealed this determination and continues to believe that the ultimate outcome of these matters will not have a material adverse impact on the results of operations, liquidity or financial position of the Company. However, if one or more of these examinations has an unfavorable resolution, it is possible that the results of operation, liquidity or financial position of the Company could be materially affected in any particular period. Since the date of the notification in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company has been required to pay the disputed duty, pending resolution of the appeal. As of March 29, 2014, $3.1 million had been paid in respect of the disputed duty and is included in receivables in the Retail segment.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and we undertake no obligation to update these statements except as required by federal securities laws.  Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013, as filed with the SEC, and the following:

Overview

We are the only global company that offers an interactive “make your own stuffed animal” retail entertainment experience under the Build-A-Bear Workshop brand, in which our guests stuff, fluff, dress, accessorize and name their own teddy bears and other stuffed animals. As of March 29, 2014, we operated 245 traditional stores and 11 non-traditional stores in United States, Canada and Puerto Rico (collectively, North America), 58 traditional stores and two non-traditional stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland (collectively, Europe) and had 83 franchised stores operating internationally under the Build-A-Bear Workshop brand.

We operate in three segments that share the same infrastructure, including management, systems, merchandising and marketing, and generate revenues as follows:

Our 2013 performance demonstrated progress toward our objective to achieve sustainable, profitable growth as we hired a new chief executive, executed a significant real estate strategy and implemented stringent cost controls throughout the organization. Our 2014 plan builds on the progress we made in 2013 in implementing our key strategies. We plan to continue to improve store productivity and profitability through our real estate optimization efforts, reposition our marketing programs to refine the consumer value equation and build on core competencies to lay the groundwork to further leverage the strength of our Build-A-Bear brand. Additionally we intend to work aggressively on expense rationalization as we continue to align our cost structure with our smaller store base and value engineer our products, along with an end to end review of our supply chain.

Selected financial data attributable to each segment for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013 are set forth in the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

We use comparable store sales as one of the performance measures for our business.  Comparable store sales percentage changes are based on net retail sales, excluding our webstores, pop-up and seasonal and event-based locations.  Stores are considered comparable beginning in their thirteenth full month of operation.  The percentage change in comparable store sales for the periods presented below is as follows:

We believe the decline in comparable store sales for the period presented is primarily attributable to the shift of Easter and the associated school breaks to the second quarter in 2014 as well as the weather patterns that impacted the retail sector overall.

The Company is working to improve comparable store sales through the following key initiatives:

Stores

Company-owned Stores

The table below sets forth the number of Build-A-Bear Workshop company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland for the periods presented:

Our long term store real estate goal is to improve our stores’ sales productivity and profitability. We currently intend to close approximately 10 to 15 locations in 2014, primarily in North America. We also intend to strategically refresh and upgrade stores with select features from the new store design, while driving down the cost of capital required for these improvements. We also expect to open new locations selectively as opportunities arise.

International Franchise Revenue

Our first franchised location opened in November 2003.  The number of international franchised stores for the periods presented below follows:

As of March 29, 2014, we had master franchise agreements, which typically grant franchise rights for a particular country or group of countries. With the Turkish franchise added in the 2014 first quarter, we now have agreements covering an aggregate of 17 countries. In the ordinary course of business, we anticipate signing additional master franchise agreements in the future and terminating other such agreements. In the long term, we believe there is a market potential for approximately 300 franchised stores outside of the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Ireland, which we expect to be operated primarily by new and existing franchisees.

 Results of Operations

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, selected statement of operations data expressed as a percentage of total revenues, except where otherwise indicated.  Percentages will not total due to cost of merchandise sold being expressed as a percentage of net retail sales and commercial revenue and immaterial rounding:

Thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared to thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013

Total revenues. Total revenues were $97.9 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $104.3 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of $6.3 million, or 6.1%. Net retail sales were $96.8 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $102.9 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of $6.1 million, or 5.9%. The components of this decrease are as follows:

We believe the decline in comparable store sales for the period presented is primarily attributable to the shift of Easter and the associated school breaks to the second quarter in 2014 as well as the weather patterns that impacted the retail sector overall.

Revenue from international franchise fees was $0.7 million and $0.9 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 and March 30, 2013, respectively, as a result of fewer franchised stores in operation in 2014. Commercial revenue was $0.4 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared to $0.5 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, as a result of reduced licensing activity in 2014.

Gross margin. Total gross margin was $42.4 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $42.9 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of $0.6 million, or 1.3%. Retail gross margin was $42.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared to $42.7 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of $0.5 million, or 1.3%. As a percentage of net retail sales, retail gross margin was 43.5% for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to 41.5% for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, an increase of 200 basis points as a percentage of net retail sales (bps). Our retail gross margin improvement was primarily driven by improved merchandise margin, partially offset by deleverage of fixed occupancy expenses during the quarter.

Selling, general and administrative. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $37.8 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $43.7 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of $5.9 million, or 13.6%. As a percentage of total revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses were 38.6% for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to 41.9% for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, a decrease of 330 bps. The fiscal 2014 first quarter included $0.4 million in management transition and store closing expenses, compared to $2.3 million in the 2013 first quarter. Excluding these costs in both periods, selling, general and administrative expenses improved 160 basis points to 38.1% of total revenues in the 2014 first quarter. This improvement was driven by reduced store payroll, other store expenses and corporate overhead, partially offset by increases in corporate payroll.

Interest expense (income), net. Interest income, net of interest expense, was $62,000 for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $51,000 for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013.

Provision for income taxes. The income tax expense was $0.3 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $0.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013. The effective tax rate was 5.3% for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared to 88.2% for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013. While the components of income tax expense were consistent between periods, the change in the effective rate was driven by the increase in pre-tax income.

Seasonality and Quarterly Results

Our operating results for one period may not be indicative of results for other periods, and may fluctuate significantly because of a variety of factors, including: (1) changes in general economic conditions and consumer spending patterns; (2) increases or decreases in our comparable store sales; (3) fluctuations in the profitability of our stores; (4) changes in foreign currency exchange rates; (5) the timing and frequency of our marketing initiatives, including national media appearances and other public relations events; (6) the timing of our store closings and openings and related expenses; (7) changes in consumer preferences; (8) the effectiveness of our inventory management; (9) the actions of our competitors or mall anchors and co-tenants; (10) seasonal shopping patterns and holiday and vacation schedules; and (11) weather conditions.

The timing of store closures, remodels and openings may result in fluctuations in quarterly results based on the revenues and expenses associated with each store location. Expenses related to store closings are typically incurred in stages: when the decision is made to close the store, when the closure is communicated to store associates and at the time of closure. We typically incur most preopening costs for a new store in the three months immediately preceding the store’s opening.

As a toy retailer, our sales are highest in our fourth quarter, followed by the first quarter. The timing of holidays and school vacations can impact our quarterly results. Our European-based stores have historically been more heavily weighted in the fourth quarter as compared to our North American stores. We cannot assure you that this will continue to be the case. In addition, for accounting purposes, the quarters of each fiscal year consist of 13 weeks, although we will have a 14-week quarter approximately once every six years. The 2008 fiscal fourth quarter had and the 2014 fiscal fourth quarter will have 14 weeks.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our cash requirements are primarily for the relocation and remodeling of existing stores, opening of new stores, information systems and working capital. Over the past several years, we have met these requirements through capital generated from cash flow provided by operations. We have access to additional cash through our revolving line of credit that has been in place since 2000.

Operating Activities. Cash used in operating activities was $1.5 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 compared with cash provided by operating activities of $0.8 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013, an increase of $2.3 million. This increase in cash used in operating activities over the year ago period was primarily due to the timing of inventory receipts and payments and an increase in gift card redemptions, partially offset by increased store contribution.

Investing Activities. Cash used in investing activities was $1.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 as compared to $3.8 million for the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013. Cash used in investing activities during the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 primarily relates to store construction and maintenance and upgrades and purchases of central office information technology systems and equipment. Cash used in investing activities during the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013 primarily relates to the purchase of equipment and fixtures for stores that will be relocated and remodeled in the new design in 2013 and upgrades and purchases of central office information technology systems and equipment.

Financing Activities. Financing activities used cash of $0.1 million in the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014, as purchases of our stock used cash of $0.7 million, partially offset by $0.6 million provided by exercises of employee stock options, net of shares used for withholding tax payments. Cash used in financing activities in the thirteen weeks ended March 30, 2013 was $0.6 million resulting from shares used for withholding tax payments. No borrowings were made under our line of credit in either the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 or March 30, 2013.

Capital Resources. As of March 29, 2014, we had a consolidated cash balance of $41.9 million less than half of which was domiciled outside of the United States. We also have a line of credit, which we can use to finance capital expenditures and working capital needs throughout the year. The bank line provides availability of $35 million. Borrowings under the credit agreement are secured by our assets and a pledge of 65% of our ownership interest in our foreign subsidiaries. The credit agreement expires on December 31, 2015 and contains various restrictions on indebtedness, liens, guarantees, redemptions, mergers, acquisitions or sale of assets, loans, transactions with affiliates and investments. It also prohibits us from declaring dividends without the bank’s prior consent, unless such payment of dividends would not violate any terms of the credit agreement. We are also prohibited from repurchasing shares of our common stock unless such repurchase of shares would not violate any terms of the credit agreement; we may not use the proceeds of the line of credit to repurchase shares. Borrowings bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.8%. Financial covenants include maintaining a minimum tangible net worth, maintaining a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement) and not exceeding a maximum funded debt to earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization ratio. As of March 29, 2014: (i) we were in compliance with these covenants; (ii) there were no borrowings under our line of credit; (iii) there was a standby letter of credit of approximately $1.1 million outstanding under the credit agreement; and (iv) there was approximately $33.9 million available for borrowing under the line of credit.

Most of our retail stores are located within shopping malls and all are operated under leases classified as operating leases. Our leases in North America typically have a ten-year term and contain provisions for base rent plus percentage rent based on defined sales levels. Many of the leases contain a provision whereby either we or the landlord may terminate the lease after a certain time, typically in the third to fourth year of the lease, if a certain minimum sales volume is not achieved. In addition, some of these leases contain various restrictions relating to change of control of our company. Our leases also subject us to risks relating to compliance with changing mall rules and the exercise of discretion by our landlords on various matters, including rights of termination in some cases.

Our leases in the U.K. and Ireland typically have terms of 10 to 15 years and generally contain a provision whereby every fifth year the rental rate can be adjusted upwards to reflect the current market rates. The leases typically provide the lessee with the first right for renewal at the end of the lease. We may also be required to make deposits and rent guarantees to secure new leases as we expand. Real estate taxes also change according to government time schedules to reflect current market rental rates for the locations we lease. Rents are charged quarterly and paid in advance.

In fiscal 2014, we expect to spend a total of $12 to $15 million on capital expenditures. Capital spending through the thirteen weeks ended March 29, 2014 totaled $1.1 million, on track with our full year plans. Capital spending in fiscal 2014 is primarily to support the refresh and repositioning of stores and investment in infrastructure.

We believe that cash generated from operations and borrowings under our credit agreement will be sufficient to fund our working capital and other cash flow requirements for the near future.  Our credit agreement expires on December 31, 2015.

On February 20, 2007, we announced that our board of directors had authorized a $25 million share repurchase program of our outstanding common stock. On March 10, 2008, we announced an expansion of our share repurchase program to $50 million. On February 24, 2014, we announced that our share repurchase program had been extended to March 31, 2015. We currently intend to purchase up to an aggregate of $50 million of our common stock in the open market (including through 10b5-1 plans), through privately negotiated transactions or through an accelerated repurchase transaction. The primary source of funding for the program is expected to be cash on hand. The timing and amount of share repurchases, if any, will depend on price, market conditions, applicable regulatory requirements, and other factors. The program does not require us to repurchase any specific number of shares and may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under the program have been, and will continue to be, subsequently retired. As of May 2, 2014, approximately 6.0 million shares at an average price of $7.25 per share have been repurchased under this program for an aggregate amount of $43.6 million, leaving $6.4 million of availability under the program.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

None

Inflation

We do not believe that inflation has had a material adverse impact on our business or operating results during the periods presented.  We cannot provide assurance, however, that our business will not be affected by inflation in the future.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the appropriate application of certain accounting policies, which require us to make estimates and assumptions about future events and their impact on amounts reported in our financial statements and related notes.  Since future events and their impact cannot be determined with certainty, the actual results will inevitably differ from our estimates.  Such differences could be material to the financial statements.

We believe application of accounting policies, and the estimates inherently required therein, are reasonable.  These accounting policies and estimates, including those related to inventory, long-lived assets, goodwill, revenue recognition and income taxes, are reevaluated on an ongoing basis, and adjustments are made when facts and circumstances dictate a change.  Historically, we have found our application of accounting policies to be appropriate, and actual results have not differed materially from those determined using necessary estimates.

Our critical accounting policies and estimates are discussed in and should be read in conjunction with our annual report on Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 13, 2014, which includes audited consolidated financial statements for our 2013, 2012 and 2011 fiscal years. There have been no material changes to the critical accounting estimates disclosed in the 2013 Form 10-K.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

There are no new accounting pronouncements for which adoption is expected to have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements in future accounting periods.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Our market risks relate primarily to changes in interest rates, and we bear this risk in two specific ways.  First, our revolving credit facility carries a variable interest rate that is tied to market indices and, therefore, our results of operations and our cash flows can be impacted by changes in interest rates.  Outstanding balances under our credit facility bear interest at LIBOR plus 1.8%.  We had no borrowings outstanding during the fiscal 2014 first quarter.  Accordingly, a 100 basis point change in interest rates would result in no material change to our annual interest expense.  The second component of interest rate risk involves the investment of excess cash in short term, investment grade interest-bearing securities.  These investments are considered to be cash equivalents and are shown that way on our balance sheet.  If there are changes in interest rates, those changes would affect the investment income we earn on these investments and, therefore, impact our cash flows and results of operations.

We conduct operations in various countries, which expose us to changes in foreign exchange rates.  The financial results of our foreign subsidiaries and franchisees may be materially impacted by exposure to fluctuating exchange rates.  Reported sales, costs and expenses at our foreign subsidiaries, when translated into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes, can fluctuate due to exchange rate movement. While exchange rate fluctuations can have a material impact on reported revenues, costs and expenses, and earnings, this impact is principally the result of the translation effect and does not materially impact our short-term cash flows.

Although we enter into a significant amount of purchase obligations outside of the U.S., these obligations are settled primarily in U.S. dollars and, therefore, we believe we have only minimal exposure at present to foreign currency exchange risks for our purchase obligations.  Historically, we have not hedged our currency risk and do not currently anticipate doing so in the future.

We do not engage in financial transactions for trading or speculative purposes.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief President Bear and Chief Operations and Financial Bear, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), as of the end of the period covered by this report.  Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to management, including our certifying officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.  Based on the foregoing evaluation, our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief President Bear and Chief Operations and Financial Bear, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 29, 2014, the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report.

It should be noted that our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief President Bear and the Chief Operations and Financial Bear, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud.  A control system, no matter how well conceived or operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.  Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs.  Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected.  These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake.  Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls.  The design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.  Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.  The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief President Bear and Chief Operations and Financial Bear, also conducted an evaluation of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) to determine whether any changes occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Based on that evaluation, there has been no such change during the period covered by this report.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

There have been no material changes to our Risk Factors as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2013 as filed with the SEC on March 13, 2014. 

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Item 6. Exhibits.

The following is a list of exhibits filed as a part of the quarterly report on Form 10-Q:

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: May 8, 2014

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