Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-K

 

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 28, 2017

 

OR

 

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                    to                   

 

Commission file number 001-38070

 

Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (404) 471-1634

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

NONE

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

 

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 registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, 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).

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§299.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

 

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

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

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

 

The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates as of June 29, 2017 was $765 million.  There were 95,663,245 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of March 1, 2018.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

 

Portions of the Registrant’s proxy statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act on or before April 27, 2018, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS.

The discussion in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”), including under Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of Part I and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of Part II, contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this Annual Report, including statements regarding our future operating results and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company’s business, the economy and other future conditions, including the impact of recent natural disasters on sales. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “seeks,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “budget,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions.

The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future events, results, performance or achievements. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report, including, without limitation, those factors described in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of Part I and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of Part II. Some of the key factors that could cause actual results to differ from our expectations include the following:

Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report speak only as of the date hereof. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible for us to predict those events or how they may affect us. If a change to the events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements occurs, our business, financial condition and operating results may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

ITEM 1.              BUSINESS.

Except where the context suggests otherwise, the terms “Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.,” “Floor & Decor,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

Our fiscal year is the 52 or 53 week period ending on the Thursday preceding December 31. The following discussion contains references to fiscal 2013, fiscal 2014, fiscal 2015, fiscal 2016, fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2018, which represent our fiscal years ended December 26, 2013, December 25, 2014, December 29, 2016, December 28, 2017 and December 27, 2018, all of which are 52 week periods, and our fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which was a 53 week period.

Our Company

Founded in 2000, Floor & Decor is a high‑growth, differentiated, multi‑channel specialty retailer of hard surface flooring and related accessories with 83 warehouse‑format stores across 21 states. We believe that we offer the industry’s broadest in‑stock assortment of tile, wood, laminate and natural stone flooring along with decorative and installation accessories at everyday low prices positioning us as the one‑stop destination for our customers’ entire hard surface flooring needs. We appeal to a variety of customers, including professional installers and commercial businesses (“Pro”), Do It Yourself customers (“DIY”) and customers who buy the products for professional installation (“Buy it Yourself” or “BIY”). Our Pro customers are loyal, shop often and help promote our brand. The combination of our category and product breadth, low prices, in‑stock inventory in project‑ready quantities, proprietary credit offerings, free storage options and dedicated customer service positions us to gain share in the attractive Pro customer segment. We believe our DIY customers spend significant time planning their projects while conducting extensive research in advance. We provide our customers with the education and inspiration they need before making a purchase through our differentiated online and in‑store experience.

Our warehouse‑format stores, which average approximately 73,000 square feet, are typically larger than any of our specialty retail flooring competitors’ stores. Other large format home improvement retailers only allocate a small percentage of their floor space to hard surface flooring and accessories. When our customers walk into a Floor & Decor store for the first time, we believe they are amazed by our visual presentation, our store size, our everyday low prices and the breadth and depth of our merchandise. We believe that our inspiring design centers, creative and informative visual merchandising, and accessible price points greatly enhance our customers’ experience. Our stores are easy to navigate and designed to interactively showcase the wide array of designs and product styles a customer can create with our flooring and decorative accessories. We engage our customers both through our trained store associates and designers who can assist in narrowing choices and making the process of home renovation easier, as well as our staff dedicated to serving Pro customers. By carrying a deep level of hard surface flooring inventory and wide range of tools and accessories, we seek to offer our customers immediate availability on everything they need to complete their entire flooring or remodeling project. In addition to our stores, our website FloorandDecor.com showcases our products, offers informational training and design ideas and has our products available for sale, which a customer can pick up in‑store or have delivered. Our ability to purchase directly from manufacturers through our direct sourcing model enables us to be fast to market with a balanced assortment of bestseller and unique, hard to find items that are the latest trend‑right products. We believe these factors create a differentiated value proposition for Floor & Decor and drive customer loyalty with our Pro, DIY and BIY hard surface flooring customers in our markets, as evidenced by our track record of consistent double digit comparable store sales growth, which has averaged 17.5% over the last five years. Based on these characteristics, we believe Floor & Decor is redefining and expanding the addressable market size of the hard surface flooring category and that we have an opportunity to significantly expand our store base to approximately 400 stores nationwide within the next 15 years, as described in more detail below.

Our Company was founded in 2000 by our Vice Chairman Vincent West, who opened the first Floor & Decor store in Atlanta, Georgia, with the vision of being the low‑price leader for hard surface flooring. As we have grown, we have implemented a customer‑focused and decentralized approach to managing our business. We provide our store leadership and regional operating teams with regular training and sophisticated information technology systems. We also train and incentivize our store associates to deliver a superior experience to our customers. Taken together, these elements create a customer‑centric culture that helps us achieve our operational and financial goals.

Over the last several years, we have invested significant resources across our business and infrastructure to support innovation and growth. We believe that these investments will continue to strengthen our customer value proposition and further differentiate Floor & Decor from our competition, positioning us for continued market share gains. We have made significant investments in product innovation across all categories, improving our assortment and seeking to provide more value to our Pro, DIY

and BIY customers. We have also invested in technology and personnel to support our stores. We believe that our investment in our business will continue to improve our customer value proposition, differentiating us and strengthening our competitive advantage.

We believe our strong financial results are a reflection of our consistent and disciplined culture of innovation and reinvestment, creating a differentiated business model in the hard surface flooring category, as evidenced by the following:

•nine consecutive years of double digit comparable store sales growth averaging 15.4% per year (and averaging 17.5% per year for fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2017), with a 16.6% increase in fiscal 2017 compared to 19.4% for fiscal 2016;

•store base expansion from 38 warehouse‑format stores at the end of fiscal 2013 to 83 at the end of fiscal 2017, representing a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 21.6%; we added 14 warehouse‑format stores during fiscal 2017, which was a 20.3% growth in units compared to fiscal 2016;

•total net sales growth from $444.0 million to $1,384.8 million from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2017, representing a CAGR of 32.9%;

•net income growth from $11.1 million to $101.3 million from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2017, representing a CAGR of 73.9%;

•Adjusted EBITDA growth from $36.5 million to $158.8 million from fiscal 2013 to fiscal 2017, representing a CAGR of 44.4%, which includes significant investments in our sourcing and distribution network, integrated IT systems and corporate overhead to support our future growth. Adjusted EBITDA was $158.8 million for fiscal 2017, an increase of 46.5% over fiscal 2016. Adjusted EBITDA is a non‑GAAP (as defined below) financial measure. For a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA, see Item 6 “Selected Financial Data.”

 

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe our strengths, described below, set us apart from our competitors and are the key drivers of our success.

Unparalleled Customer Value Proposition.  Our customer value proposition is a critical driver of our business. The key components include:

Differentiated Assortment Across a Wide Variety of Hard Surface Flooring Categories.  Our stores are generally larger than those of our specialty retail flooring competitors, and we allocate substantially more square footage to hard surface flooring and accessories than large home improvement retailers. We believe we have the most comprehensive in‑stock, trend‑right product assortment in the industry within our categories with on average approximately 3,600 SKUs in each store, which based on our market experience is a far greater in‑stock offering than any other flooring retailer. Additionally, we customize our product assortment at the store level for the regional preferences of each market. We have an ongoing product line review process across all categories that allows us to identify and interpret emerging trends in hard surface flooring. We work with our suppliers to quickly introduce new products and styles in our stores. We

appeal to a wide range of customers through our “good/better/best” merchandise selection, as well as through our broad range of product styles from classic to modern, as well as new trend‑right products. We consistently innovate with proprietary brands and products that appeal to certain customers with over 50 proprietary brands, including AquaGuard® and NuCore®.

Low Prices.  We provide everyday low prices in the retail hard surface flooring market. Our merchandising and individual store teams competitively shop each market so that we can offer our flooring products and related accessories at low prices. We also work with our vendors to identify and create new, affordable products in categories traditionally considered high‑end to further democratize hard surface flooring by providing a greater number of options to a larger customer base. We believe we are unique in our industry in employing an “everyday low price” strategy, where we strive to offer our products at consistently everyday low prices throughout the year instead of engaging in frequent promotional activities. Our ability to provide these low prices is supported by our direct‑sourcing model, which strives to eliminate third‑party intermediaries and shortens time to market. We believe this strategy creates trust with our Pro, DIY and BIY customers because they consistently receive low prices at Floor & Decor without having to wait for a sale or negotiate to obtain the lowest price.

One‑Stop Project Destination with Immediate Availability.  We carry an extensive range of products, including flooring and decorative accessories, as well as installation accessories such as thin set, underlayment, grout and tools, to fulfill a customer’s entire flooring project. Our large in‑stock assortment, including decorative and installation accessories, differentiates us from our competitors. Our stores stock job‑size quantities to immediately fulfill a customer’s entire flooring project. In the instance where product is not available in the store, our four regional distribution centers and neighboring stores can quickly ship a product to meet a customer’s needs. On average, each warehouse‑format store carries approximately 3,600 SKUs, which equates to 1.3 million square feet of flooring products or $2.5 million of inventory at cost. Customers also have access to all of our inventory for in‑store pick up or delivery through FloorandDecor.com.

Unique and Inspiring Shopping Environment.  Our stores average approximately 73,000 square feet and are typically designed with warehouse features including high ceilings, clear signage, bright lighting and industrial racking and are staffed with knowledgeable store associates. We offer an easy‑to‑navigate store layout with clear lines of sight and departments organized by our major product categories of tile, wood, laminate, natural stone, decorative accessories and installation accessories. We believe our unique signage, which clearly displays individual product features and benefits, improves the ease of shopping and facilitates customer decision making. We use merchandise displays and point of sale marketing throughout our stores to highlight product features, benefits and design elements. These features educate and enable customers to visualize how the product would look in their homes or businesses. Furthermore, we encourage customers to interact with our merchandise, to experiment with potential designs and to see the actual product they will purchase, an experience that is not possible in flooring stores that do not carry in‑stock inventory in project‑ready quantities. The majority of our stores have design centers that showcase project ideas to further inspire our customers, and we employ experienced designers in all of our stores to provide free design consulting. Additionally, we provide a robust online experience for potential customers on FloorandDecor.com. For our DIY customers, we also offer weekly “how‑to” installation classes on Saturdays. We believe inspiring and educating customers within our stores and on our website provides us with a significant competitive advantage in serving our customers.

Extensive Service Offering to Enhance the Pro Customer Experience.  Our focus on meeting the unique needs of the Pro customer, and by extension the BIY customer, drives our estimated sales mix of approximately 60% Pro and BIY customers, which we believe represents a higher percentage than our competitors. We provide an efficient one‑stop shopping experience for our Pro customers, offering low prices on a broad selection of high‑quality flooring products, deep inventory levels to support immediate availability of our products, modest financial credit, free storage for purchased inventory, the convenience of early store hours and, in most stores, separate entrances for merchandise pick‑up. Additionally, each store has a dedicated Pro sales force with technology to service our Pro customer more efficiently, and we have rolled out Pro Zones, which are areas offering a variety of services to Pro customers, in a majority of our stores. We believe by serving the needs of Pro customers, we drive repeat and high‑ticket purchases, customer referrals and brand awareness from this attractive and loyal customer segment.

Decentralized Culture with an Experienced Store‑Level Team and Emphasis on Training.  We have a decentralized culture that empowers managers at the store and regional levels to make key decisions to maximize the customer experience. Our store managers, who carry the title Chief Executive Merchant, have significant flexibility to customize product mix, pricing, marketing,

merchandising, visual displays and other elements in consultation with their regional leaders. We tailor the merchandising assortment for each of our stores for local market preferences, which we believe differentiates us from our national competitors that tend to have standard assortments across markets. Throughout the year, we train all of our employees on a variety of topics, including product knowledge, leadership and store operations. Our store managers and store department managers are an integral part of our company, and many have over 15 years of relevant industry experience in retail. We have made important investments in the training and development of our people, including the creation of a full time training department. Approximately 70% of our new store management positions are filled through internal promotions. We also have incentive compensation programs for all employees, regardless of position or title. We train prospective store managers at our Floor & Decor University, which is part of an extensive training program. Once a year, we hold a four day training session with our senior management, regional directors and store managers, where we focus on the upcoming year’s strategic priorities to keep our entire business aligned. We believe our decentralized culture and coordinated training foster an organization aligned around providing a superior customer experience, ultimately contributing to higher net sales and profitability.

Sophisticated, Global Supply Chain.  Our merchandising team has developed direct sourcing relationships with manufacturers and quarries in over 18 countries. Through these relationships, we believe we understand the best places to procure our various product categories. We currently source our products from more than 180 vendors worldwide and have developed long‑term relationships with many of them. We often collaborate with our vendors to design and manufacture products for us to address emerging customer preferences that we observe in our stores and markets. We procure the majority of our products directly from the manufacturers, which eliminates additional costs from exporters, importers, wholesalers and distributors. We believe direct sourcing is a key competitive advantage, as many of our specialty retail flooring competitors are too small to have the scale or the resources to work directly with suppliers. Over the past several years, we have established a Global Sourcing and Compliance Department to, among other things, enhance our policies and procedures to address compliance with appropriate regulatory bodies, including compliance with the requirements of the Lacey Act of 1900 (as amended, the “Lacey Act”), the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) and the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”). We also utilize third ‑party consultants for audits, testing and surveillance to ensure product safety and compliance. Additionally, we have invested in technology and personnel to collaborate throughout the entire supply chain process to support our direct sourcing model, which has improved our ability to find, manage and source trend‑right merchandise quickly and at lower costs, allowing us to offer products at low prices while maintaining attractive gross margins.

Highly Experienced Management Team with Proven Track Record.  Led by our Chief Executive Officer, Tom Taylor, our management team brings substantial expertise from leading retailers and other companies across core functions, including store operations, merchandising, marketing, real estate, e‑commerce, supply chain management, finance, legal and information technology. Tom Taylor, who joined us in 2012, spent 23 years at The Home Depot, where he most recently served as Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing with responsibility for all stores in the United States and Mexico. Over the course of his career at The Home Depot, Tom Taylor helped expand the store base from fewer than 15 stores to over 2,000 stores. Our Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Lisa Laube, has over 30 years of merchandising and leadership experience with leading specialty retailers, including most recently as President of Party City. Our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Trevor Lang, brings more than 20 years of accounting and finance experience, including 17 years of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance experience at public companies, including most recently as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer of Zumiez Inc. Our entire management team drives our organization with a focus on strong merchandising, superior customer experience, expanding our store footprint, and fostering a strong, decentralized culture. We believe our management team is an integral component of our achieving strong financial results.

Our Growth Strategy

We expect to continue to drive our strong net sales and profit growth through the following strategies:

Open Stores in New and Existing Markets.  We believe there is an opportunity to significantly expand our store base in the United States from 83 warehouse‑format stores currently to approximately 400 stores nationwide over the next 15 years based on our internal research with respect to housing density, demographic data, competitor concentration and other variables in both new and existing markets. We plan to target new store openings in both existing and new, adjacent and underserved markets. We have a disciplined approach to new store development, based on an analytical, research‑driven site selection method and a rigorous real estate approval process. We believe our new store model delivers strong financial results and returns on investment, targeting net sales on average of $10 million to $13 million and positive four‑wall Adjusted EBITDA in the first year, pre‑tax payback in two to three years and cash‑on‑cash returns of greater than 50% in the third year. On average, our stores opened after 2011 have exceeded this model.

Over the past several years, we have made significant investments in personnel, information technology, warehouse infrastructure and connected customer strategies to support our current growth and the expansion of our stores. We intend to grow our store base by approximately 20% annually over the next several years. The performance of our new stores opened over the last three years, the performance of our older stores over that same time frame, our disciplined real estate strategy and the track record of our management team in successfully opening retail stores support our belief in the significant store expansion opportunity.

Increase Comparable Store Sales.  We expect to grow our comparable store sales by continuing to offer our customers a dynamic and expanding selection of compelling, value‑priced hard surface flooring and accessories while maintaining strong service standards for our customers. We regularly introduce new products into our assortment through our category product line review process, including collaboration with our vendors to bring to market innovative products such as water‑resistant laminates. Because almost half of our stores have been opened for less than three years, we believe they will continue to drive comparable store sales growth as they ramp to maturity. We believe that we can continue to enhance our customer experience by focusing on service, optimizing sales and marketing strategies, investing in store staff and infrastructure, remodeling existing stores and improving visual merchandising and the overall aesthetic appeal of our stores. We also believe that growing our proprietary credit offering, further integrating connected customer strategies and enhancing other key information technology, will contribute to increased comparable store sales. As we increase awareness of Floor & Decor’s brand, we believe there is a significant opportunity to gain additional market share, especially from independent flooring retailers and large format home improvement retailers. We are also adding adjacent categories that align with flooring projects like frameless glass in the bathroom and customized countertops for the kitchen. We believe the combination of these initiatives plus the expected growth of the hard surface flooring category described in more detail under “Our Industry” below will continue to drive strong comparable store sales growth.

Continue to Invest in the Pro Customer.  We believe our differentiated focus on Pro customers has created a competitive advantage for us and will continue to drive our net sales growth. We will invest in gaining and retaining Pro customers due to their frequent and high‑ticket purchases, loyalty and propensity to refer other potential customers. We have made important investments in the Pro services regional team to better recruit and train the Pro services team in each store, new technology such as integrated CRM software to help us further penetrate and grow our Pro business, dedicated phone lines for our Pro customers to call and text, commercial credit and open account terms, jobsite delivery, a dedicated website for Pro customers, training on technical flooring installation solutions, and tools to facilitate large commercial jobs sourced throughout the store. We plan to further invest in initiatives to increase speed of service, improve financing solutions, leverage technology, elevate our Pro branding, dedicate additional store and regional staffing to support Pro customers and enhance the in‑store experience for our Pro customers. We have implemented a “Pro Zone” in a majority of our stores that focuses on the specific needs of the Pro customer. Additionally, we communicate our value proposition and various Pro‑focused offerings by hosting a number of Pro networking events. Building on our success in serving the Pro customer, in 2016 we entered the adjacent commercial sales channel, thus increasing the size of the addressable market we serve. Our commercial effort, which we have branded F&D Commercial, initially targets corporate customers with large flooring needs across the hospitality, multi‑family and retail sectors. We believe Pro customers will continue to be an integral part of our sales growth, and the commercial channel will provide incremental revenue and profit opportunities in the future.

Expand Our “Connected Customer” Experience.  Floor & Decor’s online experience allows our Pro, BIY and DIY customers to explore our product selection and design ideas before and after visiting our stores and offers the convenience of making online purchases for delivery or pick up in‑store. We believe our online platform reflects our brand attributes and provides a powerful tool to educate, inspire and engage our consumers, and we view our website and multi‑channel strategies as leading our brand. Our research indicates that 67% of our shoppers have visited our website. We continuously invest in our connected customer strategies to improve how our customers experience our brand. For example, we regularly update our website, which provides our customers with inspirational vignettes, videos, products and education. Additional initiatives include: (i) implementing our new CRM to obtain a single view of our customers, (ii) developing personalized content based on location, purchase and browsing history, (iii) developing more relevant content and improved search and purchasing tools to help customers add decorative and installation accessories, (iv) creating frequently asked questions to help customers choose the best product for their jobs and (v) implementing online scheduling tools to access our designers. We believe this reinforces our unique customer value proposition and ultimately drives sales. Currently, e‑commerce sales represent less than 6% of our total net sales. While the hard surface flooring category has a relatively low penetration of e‑commerce sales due to the nature of the product, we believe our connected customer presence represents an attractive growth opportunity to drive consumers to Floor & Decor.

Enhance Margins Through Increased Operating Leverage  Since 2011, we have invested significantly in our sourcing and distribution network, integrated IT systems and corporate overhead to support our growth. We expect to leverage these investments as

we grow our net sales. Additionally, we believe operating margin improvement opportunities will include enhanced product sourcing processes and overall leveraging of our store‑level fixed costs, existing infrastructure, supply chain, corporate overhead and other fixed costs resulting from increased sales productivity. We anticipate that the planned expansion of our store base and growth in comparable store sales will also support increasing economies of scale.

Our Industry

Floor & Decor operates in the large, growing and highly fragmented $11.5 billion hard surface flooring market (in manufacturers’ dollars), which is part of the larger $22 billion U.S. floor coverings market (in manufacturers’ dollars) based on a 2017 research report by Catalina Research, Inc., a leading provider of market research for the floor coverings industry (the “Catalina Floor Coverings Report”). We estimate that after the retail markup, we represent only approximately 7% of an estimated $20 billion market. The competitive landscape of the hard surface flooring market includes big‑box home improvement centers, national and regional specialty flooring retailers, and independent flooring retailers. We believe we benefit from growth in the overall hard surface flooring market, which, based on the Catalina Floor Coverings Report, grew on average 9% per year from 2012 to 2017 and is estimated to grow on average 3%‑5% per year from 2018 through 2022, assuming no negative economic cycle, housing downturn or recession. We believe that growth in the hard surface flooring market has been and will continue to be driven by home remodeling demand drivers such as the aging household inventory, millennials forming households, existing home sales, rising home equity values and the secular shift from carpet to hard surface flooring. In addition, we believe we have an opportunity to increase our market share as our competitors are unable to compete on our combination of price, service and in‑stock assortment.

Based on our internal market research, key long‑term industry trends include increasing spend on home renovations, aging of the existing housing stock, rising level of home ownership, growing average size of homes and favorable demographic trends. Based on the National Association of Home Builders Remodeling Market Index, current market conditions and future market indicators suggest that remodeling demand is accelerating in a strengthening home remodel cycle. For more than a decade, hard surface flooring has consistently taken share from carpet as a percentage of the total floor coverings market, increasing from 39% of the market in 2002 to 52% in 2017 based on the Catalina Floor Coverings Report. Historically, mix shift towards hard surface flooring has been driven by product innovation, changing consumer preferences, better hygiene qualities, increasing ease of installation and higher durability. Product innovation, which has been aided by the increasing use of technology such as inkjet tile printing, waterproof wood‑look flooring and water‑resistant laminates, and non‑traditional uses of hard surface flooring including walls, fireplaces and patios have increased the size of the hard surface flooring market and has allowed us to better serve customer needs.

 

We believe we have an opportunity to continue to gain share in the hard surface flooring market with the largest selection of tile, wood, laminate, natural stone, decorative accessories and installation accessories. Our strong focus on the customer experience

drives us to remain innovative and locally relevant while maintaining low prices and in‑stock merchandise in a one‑stop shopping destination.

Our Products

We offer an assortment of tile, wood, laminate and natural stone flooring, along with decorative and installation accessories at everyday low prices. Our objective is to carry a broad and deep product offering in order to be the one‑stop destination for our customer’s entire project needs. We seek to showcase products in our stores and online to provide multiple avenues for inspiration throughout a customer’s decision‑making process.

Our strategy is to fulfill the product needs of our Pro, DIY and BIY customers with our extensive assortment, in‑stock inventory and merchandise selection across a broad range of price points. We offer bestseller products in addition to the more unique, hard to find items that we believe our customers have come to expect from us. We source our products from around the world, constantly seeking new and exciting merchandise to offer our customers. Our goal is to be at the forefront of hard surface flooring trends in the market, while offering low prices given our ability to source directly from manufacturers and quarries.

We utilize a regional merchandising strategy in order to carry products in our stores that cater to the preferences of our local customer base. This strategy is executed by our experienced merchandising team, which consists of store support center merchants and regional merchants, who work with our individual stores to ensure they have the appropriate product mix for their location. Our store support center merchants are constantly seeking new products and following trends by attending trade shows and conferences, as well as by shopping the competition, while our store associates are in touch with customers in the store. We schedule regular meetings to review information gathered and make future product development decisions. This constant connectivity between our stores, regional merchants, store support center merchants and our vendors allows us to quickly bring new and compelling products to market.

Our fiscal 2017 net sales by key product categories are set forth below: 

 

 

Stores

We operate 83 warehouse‑format stores across 21 states and one small 5,500 square foot design center. Most of our stores are situated in highly visible retail and industrial locations. Our warehouse‑format stores average approximately 73,000 square feet and carry on average approximately 3,600 flooring, decorative and installation accessory SKUs, which equates to approximately 1.3 million square feet of flooring products or $2.5 million of inventory at cost.

Each of our stores is led by a store manager who holds the title Chief Executive Merchant and is supported by an operations manager, department managers and a Pro sales manager. Our store managers focus on providing superior customer service and creating customized store offerings that are tailored to meet the specific needs of their stores. Beyond the store managers, each store is staffed with associates, the number of whom vary depending on sales volume and size of the store. We dedicate significant resources to training all of our new store managers through Floor & Decor University and in the field across all product areas, with store‑level associates receiving certification on specific product areas. Ongoing training and continuing education is provided for all employees throughout the year.

We believe there is an opportunity to significantly expand our store base in the United States from our 83 warehouse‑format stores currently to approximately 400 stores nationwide within the next 15 years based on our internal research with respect to housing density, demographic data, competitor concentration and other variables in both new and existing markets. Over the next several years, we plan to grow our store base by approximately 20% per year, with approximately half being opened in existing geographies

and approximately half being opened in new markets. We have developed a disciplined approach to new store development, based on an analytical, research‑driven method to site selection and a rigorous real estate review and approval process. By focusing on key demographic characteristics for new site selection, such as aging of homes, length of home ownership and median income, we expect to open stores with attractive returns.

When opening new stores, inventory orders are placed several months prior to a new store opening. Significant investment is made in building out or constructing the site, hiring and training employees in advance, and advertising and marketing the new store through pre‑opening events to draw the flooring industry community together. Each new store is thoughtfully designed with store interiors that include interchangeable displays on wheels, racking to access products and stand‑up visual displays to allow ease of shopping and an exterior highlighted by a large, bold Floor & Decor sign. The majority of our stores have design centers that showcase project ideas to further inspire our customers, and in all of our stores, we employ experienced designers to provide design consulting to our customers free of charge. We have rolled out “Pro Zones”, which are dedicated areas offering a variety of services to Pro customers, in a majority of our stores.

Our new store model targets a store size of 60,000‑80,000 square feet, total initial net cash investment of approximately $4 million to $5 million, targeting net sales on average of $10 million to $13 million and positive four‑wall Adjusted EBITDA in the first year, pre‑tax payback in two to three years and cash‑on‑cash returns of greater than 50% in the third year. On average, our stores opened after 2011 have exceeded this model. We believe the success of our stores across geographies and vintages supports the portability of Floor & Decor into a wide range of markets. The performance of our new stores is inherently uncertain and is subject to numerous factors that are outside of our control. As a result, we cannot assure you that our new stores will achieve our target results.

Connected Customer

Our website and our call center are important parts of our integrated connected customer strategy. We aim to elevate the customer experience through our website FloorandDecor.com. Growing our e‑commerce sales provides us with additional opportunity to enhance our connected customer experience for our customers. Home renovation and remodeling projects typically require significant investments of time and money from our DIY customers, and they consequently plan their projects carefully and conduct extensive research online. FloorandDecor.com is an important tool for engaging them throughout this process, educating them on our product offerings and providing them with design ideas. Our Pro customers use the website to browse our broad product assortment, to continually educate themselves on new techniques and trends and to share our virtual catalogue and design ideas with their customers. In addition, sales associates at our call center are available to assist our customers with their projects and questions. We designed the website to be a reflection of our stores and to promote our wide selection of high quality products and low prices. To this end, we believe the website provides the same region‑specific product selection that customers can expect in our stores, but also the opportunity to extend our assortment by offering the entire portfolio of products.

In addition to highlighting our broad product selection, we believe FloorandDecor.com offers a convenient opportunity for customers to purchase products online and pick them up in our stores. Approximately 85% of our e‑commerce sales are picked up in‑store. As we continue to grow, we believe connected customer will become an increasingly important part of our strategy.

Marketing and Advertising

We use a multi‑platform approach to increasing Floor & Decor’s brand awareness, while historically maintaining a low average advertising to net sales ratio of approximately 3%. We use traditional advertising media, combined with social media and online marketing, to share the Floor & Decor story with a growing audience. We take the same customized approach with our marketing as we do with our product selection; each region has a varied media mix based on local trends and what we believe will most efficiently drive sales. To further enhance our targeting efforts, our store managers have significant input into the store’s marketing spend.

A key objective of our messaging is to make people aware of our stores, products and services. Based on internal research, we estimate the conversion rate from a customer visiting one of our stores to purchasing our products is 81%.

As part of our focus on local markets, our stores have events that promote Floor & Decor as a hub for the local home improvement community. We feature networking events for Pro customers, giving them a chance to meet our sales teams, interact with others in the home improvement industry and learn about our newest products. For DIY customers, we regularly offer how‑to

classes on product installation. We believe these events serve to raise the profile of the Floor & Decor stores in our communities while showcasing our tremendous selection of products and services.

We want our customers to have a great experience at their local Floor & Decor store. With our TV and radio commercials, print and outdoor ads, in‑store flyers, online messaging and community events, we show our customers that we are a trusted resource with a vast selection, all at a low price.

Sourcing

Floor & Decor has a well‑developed and geographically diverse supplier base. We source our industry leading merchandise assortment from over 180 suppliers in over 18 countries, and maintain good relationships with our vendors. No supplier accounts for more than 10% of our net sales, other than one supplier that accounts for approximately 10% of our net sales. We continue to increase our sourcing from suppliers outside of the United States, and where appropriate, we are focused on bypassing agents, brokers, distributors and other middlemen in our supply chain in order to reduce costs and lead time. Over the past several years, we have established a Global Sourcing and Compliance Department to, among other things, develop and implement policies and procedures to address compliance with appropriate regulatory bodies, including compliance with the requirements of the Lacey Act, CARB and the EPA. In addition we utilize third ‑party consultants for audits, testing and surveillance to ensure product safety and compliance. Additionally, we have invested in technology and personnel to collaborate throughout the entire supply chain process. We believe that our direct sourcing model and the resulting relationships we have developed with our suppliers are distinct competitive advantages. The cost savings we achieve by directly sourcing our merchandise enable us to offer our customers low prices. Additionally, our close relationships with suppliers allow us to collaborate with them directly to develop and quickly introduce innovative and quality products that meet our customers’ evolving tastes and preferences at low prices. We plan to continue increasing the percentage of merchandise that we directly source from suppliers.

Distribution and Order Fulfillment

We have invested significant resources to develop and enhance our distribution network. We have four distribution centers strategically located across the United States in port cities near Savannah, Georgia; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Miami, Florida. We expect to close our distribution center near Miami, Florida in the first quarter of 2018. Third‑party brokers arrange the shipping of our international and domestic purchases to our distribution centers and stores and bill us for shipping costs according to the terms of the purchase agreements with our suppliers. We are typically able to transport inventory from our distribution centers to our stores in less than one week. This quick turnaround time enhances our ability to maintain project‑ready quantities of the products stocked in our stores. To further strengthen our distribution capabilities, we have converted all of our distribution centers to Company‑operated facilities. In conjunction with the change in responsibility, we have implemented a new warehouse management and transportation management system tailored to our unique needs across all four distribution centers. We believe the system will increase service levels, reduce shrinkage and damage, help us better manage our inventory and allow us to better implement our connected customer initiatives.

We recently moved our West Coast distribution center from Carson, California to Moreno Valley, California. We exited the previously occupied 220,000 square foot leased distribution center located in Carson, California in the first quarter of 2017. In the fourth quarter of 2017, we began operating in a newly constructed, leased 1.4 million square foot distribution center near Savannah, Georgia. In December 2017, we relocated all of the existing inventory from our prior leased 378,000 square foot distribution center located near Savannah, Georgia to this new distribution center, and in the first quarter of 2018, we are relocating all of the existing inventory from our 322,000 square foot leased distribution center near Miami, Florida to this new distribution center. We exited our lease on the 378,000 square foot distribution center near Savannah, Georgia in the first quarter of 2018 and plan to exit our lease on the 322,000 square foot leased distribution center near Miami, Florida in 2018.

We believe that our current distribution network, along with these recent changes, is sufficient to support our growth over the next year. However, we continue to seek opportunities to enhance our distribution capabilities and align them with our strategic growth initiatives, including distribution center capacity, which we plan to expand in early 2019. 

Management Information Systems

We believe that technology plays a crucial role in the continued growth and success of our business. We have sought to integrate technology into all facets of our business, including supply chain, merchandising, store operations, point‑of‑sale, e‑commerce, finance, accounting and human resources. The integration of technology allows us to analyze the business in real time and react accordingly. Our sophisticated inventory management system is our primary tool for forecasting, placing orders and

managing in‑stock inventory. The data‑driven platform includes sophisticated forecasting tools based on historical trends in sales, inventory levels and vendor lead times at the store and distribution center level by SKU, allowing us to support store managers in their regional merchandising efforts. We rely on the forecasting accuracy of our system to maintain the in‑stock, project‑ready quantities that our customers rely on. In addition, our employee training certifications are entirely electronic, allowing us to effectively track the competencies of our staff and manage talent across stores. We believe that our systems are sufficiently scalable to support the continued growth of the business.

Competition

The retail hard surface flooring market is highly fragmented and competitive. We face significant competition from large home improvement centers, national and regional specialty flooring chains and independent flooring retailers. Some of our competitors are organizations that are larger, are better capitalized, have existed longer, have product offerings that extend beyond hard surface flooring and related accessories, and have a more established market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we have. In addition, while the hard surface flooring category has a relatively low threat of new internet‑only entrants due to the nature of the product, the growth opportunities presented by e‑commerce could outweigh these challenges and result in increased competition in this portion of our connected customer strategy. Further, because the barriers to entry into the hard surface flooring industry are relatively low, manufacturers and suppliers of flooring and related products, including those whose products we currently sell, could enter the market and start directly competing with us.

We believe that the key competitive factors in the retail hard surface flooring industry include:

•product assortment;

•product innovation;

•in‑store availability of products in project‑ready quantities;

•product sourcing;

•product presentation;

•customer service;

•store management;

•store location; and

•low prices.

We believe that we compete favorably with respect to each of these factors by providing a highly diverse selection of products to our customers, at an attractive value, in appealing and convenient retail stores.

Our Structure

Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as FDO Holdings, Inc.) was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in October 2010 in connection with our Sponsors’ (as defined below) acquisition of Floor & Decor Outlets of America, Inc. (“F&D”) in November 2010, which in turn converted from a Georgia corporation into a Delaware corporation in connection therewith.

The following chart illustrates our current corporate structure:

Employees

As of December 28, 2017, we had 5,534 employees, 3,680 of whom were full‑time and none of whom were represented by a union. Of these employees, 4,881 work in our stores, 477 work in corporate, store support, infrastructure, e‑commerce or similar functions, 176 work in distribution centers, and 12 work in our Asia sourcing office in Shanghai, China. We believe that we have good relations with our employees.

Government Regulation

We are subject to extensive and varied federal, state and local laws and regulations, including those relating to employment, the environment, protection of natural resources, import and export, advertising, labeling, public health and safety, product safety, zoning and fire codes. We operate our business in accordance with standards and procedures designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations has not historically had a material effect on our financial condition or operating results; however, the effect of compliance in the future cannot be predicted.

Our operations and properties are also subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the environment, environmental protection of natural resources and health and safety, including the use, storage, handling, generation, transportation, treatment, emission, release, discharge and disposal of hazardous materials, substances and wastes and relating to the investigation and clean‑up of contaminated properties. Except to the extent of the capital expenditures related to our initiatives described below, compliance with these laws and regulations has not historically had a material effect on our financial condition or operating results, but we cannot predict the effect of compliance in the future.

In particular, certain of our products are subject to laws and regulations relating to the importation, exportation, acquisition or sale of certain plants and plant products, including those illegally harvested (which is prohibited by the Lacey Act), and the emissions of hazardous materials (which in California is governed by regulations promulgated by CARB and federally by regulations promulgated by the EPA). We have established a Global Sourcing and Compliance Department to, among other things, address these requirements, and we work with third‑party consultants to assist us in designing and implementing compliance programs relating to the requirements of the Lacey Act, CARB and the EPA. Further, we could incur material compliance costs or be subject to compliance

liabilities or claims in the future, especially in the event new laws or regulations are adopted or there are changes in existing laws and regulations or in their interpretation.

Our suppliers are also subject to the laws and regulations of their home countries, including in particular laws regulating forestry and the environment. We also support social and environmental responsibility among our supplier community and endeavor to enter into vendor agreements with our suppliers that contain representations and warranties concerning environmental, labor and health and safety matters.

Insurance and Risk Management

We use a combination of insurance and self‑insurance to provide for potential liability for workers’ compensation, general liability, product liability, director and officers’ liability, team member healthcare benefits, and other casualty and property risks. Changes in legal trends and interpretations, variability in inflation rates, changes in workers’ compensation and general liability premiums and deductibles, changes in the nature and method of claims settlement, benefit level changes due to changes in applicable laws, insolvency of insurance carriers, and changes in discount rates could all affect ultimate settlements of claims. We evaluate our insurance requirements on an ongoing basis to ensure we maintain adequate levels of coverage.

Legal Proceedings

We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including claims related to breach of contracts, products liabilities, intellectual property matters and employment related matters resulting from our business activities. As with most actions such as these, an estimation of any possible and/or ultimate liability cannot always be determined. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors.

Trademarks and other Intellectual Property

As of March 1, 2018, we have 67 registered marks and several pending trademark applications in the United States. We regard our intellectual property, including our over 50 proprietary brands, as having significant value, and our brand is an important factor in the marketing of our products. Accordingly, we have taken, and continue to take, appropriate steps to protect our intellectual property.

ITEM 1A.              RISK FACTORS.

You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto, before making an investment decision. The risks and uncertainties set out below are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our business, financial condition and operating results are dependent on general economic conditions and discretionary spending by our customers, which in turn are affected by a variety of factors beyond our control. If such conditions deteriorate, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

Our business, financial condition and operating results are affected by general economic conditions and discretionary spending by our customers. Such general economic conditions and discretionary spending are beyond our control and are affected by, among other things:

If such conditions deteriorate, our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected. In addition, increasing volatility in financial and capital markets may cause some of the above factors to change with a greater degree of frequency and magnitude than in the past.

The hard surface flooring industry depends on home remodeling activity and other important factors.

The hard surface flooring industry is highly dependent on the remodeling of existing homes, businesses and, to a lesser extent, new home construction. In turn, remodeling and new home construction depend on a number of factors that are beyond our control, including interest rates, tax policy, trade policy, employment levels, consumer confidence, credit availability, real estate prices, existing home sales, demographic trends, weather conditions, natural disasters and general economic conditions. In particular:

Any one or a combination of these factors could result in decreased demand for our products, reduce spending on homebuilding or remodeling of existing homes or cause purchases of new and existing homes to decline. While the vast majority of our net sales are derived from home remodeling activity as opposed to new home construction, a decrease in any of these areas would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Any failure by us to successfully anticipate trends may lead to loss of consumer acceptance of our products, resulting in reduced net sales.

Each of our stores is stocked with a customized product mix based on consumer demands in a particular market. Our success therefore depends on our ability to anticipate and respond to changing trends and consumer demands in these markets in a timely manner. If we fail to identify and respond to emerging trends, consumer acceptance of our merchandise and our image with current or potential customers may be harmed, which could reduce our net sales. Additionally, if we misjudge market trends, we may significantly overstock unpopular products, incur excess inventory costs and be forced to reduce the sales price of such products or incur inventory write‑downs, which would adversely affect our operating results. Conversely, shortages of products that prove popular could also reduce our net sales through missed sales and a loss of customer loyalty.

If we fail to successfully manage the challenges that our planned new store growth poses or encounter unexpected difficulties during our expansion, our operating results and future growth opportunities could be adversely affected.

We have 83 warehouse‑format stores and one small‑format standalone design center located throughout the United States as of December 28, 2017. We plan to open 17 stores during fiscal 2018 and to increase the number of new stores that we open during each of the next several years thereafter. This growth strategy and the investment associated with the development of each new store may cause our operating results to fluctuate and be unpredictable or decrease our profits. We cannot ensure that store locations will be available to us, or that they will be available on terms acceptable to us. If additional retail store locations are unavailable on acceptable terms, we may not be able to carry out a significant part of our growth strategy or our new stores’ profitability may be lower. Our future operating results and ability to grow will depend on various other factors, including our ability to:

In addition, consumers in new markets may be less familiar with our brand, and we may need to increase brand awareness in such markets through additional investments in advertising or high cost locations with more prominent visibility. Stores opened in new markets may have higher construction, occupancy or operating costs, or may have lower net sales, than stores opened in the past. In addition, laws or regulations in these new markets may make opening new stores more difficult or cause unexpected delays. Newly opened stores may not succeed or may reach profitability more slowly than we expect, and the ramp‑up to profitability may become longer in the future as we enter more markets and add stores to markets where we already have a presence. Future markets and stores may not be successful and, even if they are successful, our comparable store sales may not increase at historical rates. To the extent that we are not able to overcome these various challenges, our operating results and future growth opportunities could be adversely affected.

Increased competition could cause price declines, decrease demand for our products and decrease our market share.

We operate in the hard surface flooring industry, which is highly fragmented and competitive. We face competition from large home improvement centers, national and regional specialty flooring chains, Internet‑based companies and independent flooring retailers. Among other things, we compete on the basis of breadth of product assortment, low prices, and the in‑store availability of the products we offer in project‑ready quantities, as well as the quality of our products and customer service. As we expand into new and unfamiliar markets, we may experience different competitive conditions than in the past.

Some of our competitors are organizations that are larger, are better capitalized, have existed longer, have product offerings that extend beyond hard surface flooring and related accessories and have a more established market presence with substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we have. In addition, while the hard surface flooring category has a relatively low threat of new internet‑only entrants due to the nature of the product, the growth opportunities presented by e‑commerce could outweigh these challenges and result in increased competition. Competitors may forecast market developments more accurately than we do, offer similar products at a lower cost or adapt more quickly to new trends and technologies or evolving customer requirements than we do. Further, because the barriers to entry into the hard surface flooring industry are relatively low, manufacturers and suppliers of flooring and related products, including those whose products we currently sell, could enter the market and start directly competing with us. Intense competitive pressures from any of our present or future competitors could cause price declines, decrease demand for our products and decrease our market share. Also, if we continue to grow and become more well‑known, other companies may change their strategies to present new competitive challenges. Moreover, in the future, changes in consumer preferences may cause hard surface flooring to become less popular than other types of floor coverings. Such a change in consumer preferences could lead to decreased demand for our products.

All of these factors may harm us and adversely affect our net sales, market share and operating results.

Any disruption in our distribution capabilities or our related planning and control processes may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our success is highly dependent on our planning and distribution infrastructure, which includes the ordering, transportation and distribution of products to our stores and the ability of suppliers to meet distribution requirements. We also need to ensure that we continue to identify and improve our processes and supply chain and that our distribution infrastructure and supply chain keep pace with our anticipated growth and increased number of stores. The cost of these enhanced processes could be significant and any failure to maintain, grow, or improve them could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Due to our rapid expansion, we have had to significantly increase the size of our distribution centers. Based on our growth intentions we plan to add additional distribution centers or increase the size of our existing distribution centers in the future. Increasing the size of our distribution centers may decrease the efficiency of our distribution costs.

We took over management of our four distribution centers in 2014 from independent third‑party logistics providers. We have limited experience managing our distribution centers and cannot assure you that we will be successful in doing so.

In addition, we recently constructed a new 1.4 million square foot distribution center near Savannah, Georgia. We recently closed our distribution center near Savannah, Georgia, are in the process of closing our distribution center in Miami, Florida and are moving those operations to our new facility near Savannah. While we complete this transition, we may incur unexpected costs, and

our ability to distribute our products may be adversely affected. Any disruption in the transition to or operation of our distribution centers could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, our long‑term plan expects that we will be able to sublet a portion of our previously occupied distribution centers. Any failure to do so on favorable terms could have a negative impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Our success is also dependent on our ability to provide timely delivery to our customers. Our business could also be adversely affected if fuel prices increase or there are delays in product shipments due to freight difficulties, inclement weather, strikes by our employees or employees of third‑parties involved in our supply chain, or other difficulties. If we are unable to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis, they may decide to purchase products from our competitors instead of from us, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by fluctuations in material and energy costs beyond our control.

Our operating results may be affected by the wholesale prices of hard surface flooring products, setting and installation materials and the related accessories that we sell. These prices may fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including the price of raw materials used in the manufacture of hard surface flooring, energy costs, changes in supply and demand, concerns about inflation, general economic conditions, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, currency exchange rates, government regulation, duty and other import costs. In particular, energy costs have fluctuated dramatically in the past and may fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations may result in an increase in our transportation costs for distribution from the manufacturer to our distribution centers and from our distribution centers to our retail stores, utility costs for our distribution centers and retail stores and overall costs to purchase products from our suppliers.

We may not be able to adjust the prices of our products, especially in the short‑term, to recover these cost increases, and a continual rise in such costs could adversely affect consumer spending and demand for our products and increase our operating costs, both of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

The ongoing impact of recent hurricanes and related flooding on our business is currently unknown.

In September 2017, hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused damage to thousands of homes in, as well as disruption and delays to the local economies of, the greater Houston area and throughout the state of Florida. The hurricanes and associated flooding negatively impacted our results during the third quarter of fiscal 2017, resulting in over 150 total days of store closures including both full and partial store closures at 24 impacted stores.

As home and business owners rebuild from the hurricanes and the associated flooding, we have seen an increase in sales in the Houston market beginning in September of fiscal 2017. While it is uncertain how long the elevated demand will last, we do not expect it to continue beyond the third quarter of fiscal 2018. We do not believe such increase is indicative of our business, financial condition and future operating results. Additionally, it is uncertain what impact the hurricanes will have on longer term trends in home remodeling and new construction in the impacted markets and how any such changes would impact our business, financial condition and operating results. 

Our future success is dependent on our ability to execute our business strategy effectively and deliver value to our customers.

We believe our future success will depend on our ability to execute our business strategy effectively and deliver value to our customers. We believe that our breadth of product assortment across a variety of hard surface flooring categories, low prices, and in‑store availability of the products we offer in project‑ready quantities, as well as the quality of our products and customer service, are among the key competitive advantages and important elements of our total value proposition. If we are unsuccessful in staying competitive with our current value proposition, the demand for our products would decrease, and customers may decide to purchase products from our competitors instead of us. If this were to occur, our net sales, market share and operating results would be adversely affected.

Our operating results may be adversely affected if we are not successful in managing our inventory.

We currently maintain a high level of inventory consisting of on average approximately 3,600 SKUs per store and an average inventory per store of approximately $2.5 million at cost in order to have a broad assortment of products across a wide variety of hard surface flooring categories in project‑ready quantities. We also carry an additional $143.3 million of inventory outside our stores,

primarily at our distribution centers, as of the end of fiscal 2017. The investment associated with this high level of inventory is substantial, and efficient inventory management is a key component of our business success and profitability. If we fail to adequately project the amount or mix of our inventory, we may miss sales opportunities or have to take unanticipated markdowns or hold additional clearance events to dispose of excess inventory, which will adversely affect our operating results.

In the past, we have incurred costs associated with inventory markdowns and obsolescence. Due to the likelihood that we will continue to incur such costs in the future, we generally include an allowance for such costs in our projections. However, the costs that we actually incur may be substantially higher than our estimate and adversely affect our operating results.

We continue to focus on ways to reduce these risks, but we cannot assure you that we will be successful in our inventory management.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by inventory shrinkage and damage.

We are subject to the risk of inventory shrinkage and damage, including the damage or destruction of our inventory by natural disasters or other causes. We have experienced charges in the past, and we cannot assure you that the measures we are taking will effectively address the problem of inventory shrinkage and damage in the future. Although some level of inventory shrinkage and damage is an unavoidable cost of doing business, we could experience higher‑than‑normal rates of inventory shrinkage and damage or incur increased security and other costs to combat inventory theft and damage. If we are not successful in managing our inventory balances, our operating results may be adversely affected.

If we are unable to enter into leases for additional stores on acceptable terms or renew or replace our current store leases, or if one or more of our current leases is terminated prior to expiration of its stated term, and we cannot find suitable alternate locations, our growth and profitability could be adversely affected.

We currently lease all of our store locations and our store support center. Our growth strategy largely depends on our ability to identify and open future store locations, which can be difficult because our stores generally require at least 50,000 square feet of floor space. Our ability to negotiate acceptable lease terms for these store locations, to re‑negotiate acceptable terms on expiring leases or to negotiate acceptable terms for suitable alternate locations could depend on conditions in the real estate market, competition for desirable properties, our relationships with current and prospective landlords, or on other factors that are not within our control. Any or all of these factors and conditions could adversely affect our growth and profitability.

If we are unable to enter into leases to expand our existing store support center and we cannot find suitable alternate locations at an acceptable cost, our financial results could be adversely affected.

The lease for our current store support center in Smyrna, Georgia, which serves as our corporate headquarters, only provides sufficient space to support our projected growth through 2019. We are exploring various alternatives, but if we cannot find an acceptable solution, our financial results could be adversely effected. 

Our net sales growth could be adversely affected if comparable store sales growth is less than we expect.

While future net sales growth will depend substantially on our plans for new store openings, our comparable store sales growth is a significant driver of our net sales, profitability and overall business results. Because numerous factors affect our comparable store sales growth, including, among others, economic conditions, the retail sales environment, the home improvement spending environment, housing turnover, housing appreciation, interest rates, the hard surface flooring industry and the impact of competition, the ability of our customers to obtain credit, changes in our product mix, the in‑stock availability of products that are in demand, changes in staffing at our stores, cannibalization resulting from the opening of new stores in existing markets, greater cannibalization than we modeled for new stores, lower than expected ramp‑up in new store net sales, changes in advertising and other operating costs, weather conditions, retail trends and our overall ability to execute our business strategy and planned growth effectively, it is possible that we will not achieve our targeted comparable store sales growth or that the change in comparable store sales could be negative. If this were to happen, it is likely that overall net sales growth would be adversely affected.

If we fail to identify and maintain relationships with a sufficient number of suppliers, our ability to obtain products that meet our high quality standards at attractive prices could be adversely affected.

We purchase flooring and other products directly from suppliers located around the world. We do not have long‑term contractual supply agreements with our suppliers that obligate them to supply us with products exclusively or at specified quantities or prices. As a result, our current suppliers may decide to sell products to our competitors and may not continue selling products to us. In order to retain the competitive advantage that we believe results from these relationships, we need to continue to identify, develop and maintain relationships with qualified suppliers that can satisfy our high standards for quality and safety and our requirements for delivery of flooring and other products in a timely and efficient manner at attractive prices. The need to develop new relationships will be particularly important as we seek to expand our operations and enhance our product offerings in the future. The loss of one or more of our existing suppliers or our inability to develop relationships with new suppliers could reduce our competitiveness, slow our plans for further expansion and cause our net sales and operating results to be adversely affected.

We will require significant capital to fund our expanding business, which may not be available to us on satisfactory terms or at all. If we are unable to maintain sufficient levels of cash flow or if we do not have sufficient availability under the ABL Facility, we may not meet our growth expectations or we may require additional financing, which could adversely affect our financial health and impose covenants that limit our business activities.

We plan to continue investing for growth, including opening new stores, remodeling existing stores, adding staff, adding distribution center capacity and upgrading our information technology systems and other infrastructure. These investments will require significant capital, which we plan on funding with cash flow from operations and borrowings under the ABL Facility (as defined below).

If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund these activities or if these investments do not yield cash flows in line with past performance or our expectations, we may need additional equity or debt financing. If such financing is not available to us, or is not available on satisfactory terms, our ability to operate and expand our business or respond to competitive pressures would be curtailed, and we may need to delay, limit or eliminate planned store openings or operations or other elements of our growth strategy. If we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, your ownership would be diluted.

We depend on a number of suppliers, and any failure by any of them to supply us with quality products on attractive terms and prices may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We depend on our suppliers to deliver quality products to us on a timely basis at attractive prices. Additionally, we source the products that we sell from over 180 domestic and international suppliers. However, in the future, we may not be able to acquire desired merchandise in sufficient quantities on terms acceptable to us, which may impair our relationship with our customers, impair our ability to attract new customers, reduce our competitiveness and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Changes in tax laws, trade policies and regulations or in our operations and newly enacted laws or regulations, such as Public Law No. 115-97 (the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act”), may impact our effective tax rate or may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which significantly changed the Internal Revenue Code, including a reduction in the corporate income tax rate, new limitations on the deductibility of interest expense and executive compensation, and dramatic changes to the taxation of income earned from foreign sources and foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also authorizes the Treasury Department to issue regulations with respect to the new provisions. We cannot predict how the changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or regulations or other guidance issued under it, might affect us or our business.

Moreover, subsequent developments in tax policy or trade relations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity. If there are any adverse changes in tax laws or trade policies that result in an increase in our costs, we may not be able to adjust the prices of our products, especially in the short-term, to recover such costs, and a rise in such costs could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. 

The failure of our suppliers to adhere to the quality standards that we set for our products could lead to investigations, litigation, write‑offs, recalls or boycotts of our products, which could damage our reputation and our brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely affect our business.

We do not control the operations of our suppliers. Although we conduct initial due diligence prior to engaging our suppliers and require our suppliers to certify compliance with applicable laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee that our suppliers will comply with applicable laws and regulations or operate in a legal, ethical and responsible manner. Additionally, it is possible that we may not be able to identify noncompliance by our suppliers notwithstanding these precautionary measures. Violation of applicable laws and regulations by our suppliers or their failure to operate in a legal, ethical or responsible manner, could expose us to legal risks, cause us to violate laws and regulations and reduce demand for our products if, as a result of such violation or failure, we attract negative publicity. In addition, the failure of our suppliers to adhere to the quality standards that we set for our products could lead to government investigations, litigation, write‑offs and recalls, which could damage our reputation and our brand, increase our costs, and otherwise adversely affect our business.

We procure the majority of our products from suppliers located outside of the United States, and as a result, we are subject to risks associated with obtaining products from abroad that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We procure the majority of our products from suppliers located outside of the United States. As a result, we are subject to risks associated with obtaining products from abroad, including:

Additionally, we import approximately 45% of the products we sell from China. The Chinese government has in the past imposed restrictions on manufacturing facilities, including a shut‑down of transportation of materials and power plants to reduce air pollution. If, in the future, restrictions are imposed that include our operations, our suppliers’ ability to supply current or new orders would be significantly impacted. These and other factors beyond our control could disrupt the ability of our suppliers to ship certain

products to us cost‑effectively or at all, expose us to significant operational and legal risk and negatively affect our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to offer compelling products, particularly products made of more exotic species or unique stone, depends on the continued availability of sufficient suitable natural products.

Our business strategy depends on offering a wide assortment of compelling products to our customers. We sell, among other things, flooring made from various wood species and natural stone from quarries throughout the world. Our ability to obtain an adequate volume and quality of hard‑to‑find products depends on our suppliers’ ability to furnish those products, which, in turn, could be affected by many things, including events such as forest fires, insect infestation, tree diseases, prolonged drought, other adverse weather and climate conditions and the exhaustion of stone quarries. Government regulations relating to forest management practices also affect our suppliers’ ability to harvest or export timber and other products, and changes to regulations and forest management policies, or the implementation of new laws or regulations, could impede their ability to do so. If our suppliers cannot deliver sufficient products, and we cannot find replacement suppliers, our net sales and operating results may be adversely affected.

Our business exposes us to personal injury, product liability and warranty claims and related governmental investigations, which could result in negative publicity, harm our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our stores and distribution centers are warehouse environments that involve the operation of forklifts and other machinery and the storage and movement of heavy merchandise, all of which are activities that have the inherent danger of injury or death to employees or customers despite safety precautions, training and compliance with federal, state and local health and safety regulations. While we have insurance coverage in place in addition to policies and procedures designed to minimize these risks, we may nonetheless be unable to avoid material liabilities for an injury or death arising out of these activities.

In addition, we face an inherent risk of exposure to product liability or warranty claims or governmental investigations in the event that the use of our products is alleged to have resulted in economic loss, personal injury or property damage or violated environmental or other laws. If any of our products proves to be defective or otherwise in violation of applicable law, we may be required to recall or redesign such products. Further, in such instances, we may be subject to legal action. We generally seek contractual indemnification from our suppliers. However, such contractual indemnification may not be enforceable against the supplier, particularly because many of our suppliers are located outside of the United States. Any personal injury, product liability or warranty claim made against us, whether or not it has merit, or governmental investigation related to our products, could be time‑consuming and costly to defend or respond to, may not be covered by insurance carried by us, could result in negative publicity, could harm our brand and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, any negative publicity involving our suppliers, employees, and other parties who are not within our control could adversely affect us.

Unfavorable allegations, government investigations and legal actions surrounding our products and us could harm our reputation, impair our ability to grow or sustain our business, and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We rely on our reputation for offering great value, superior service and a broad assortment of high‑quality, safe products. If we become subject to unfavorable allegations, government investigations or legal actions involving our products or us, such circumstances could harm our reputation and our brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. If this negative impact is significant, our ability to grow or sustain our business could be jeopardized.

For example, a 60 Minutes segment that aired on March 1, 2015 alleged that another retailer of home flooring products sold flooring containing unsafe levels of formaldehyde. Flooring products that use formaldehyde resins, including laminate and engineered flooring, are subject to applicable laws and regulations governing formaldehyde emissions. The 60 Minutes segment alleged that the retailer’s products were falsely labeled as being compliant with the emissions standards of CARB. The report also suggested that the flooring could cause adverse health effects. The retailer became subject to numerous lawsuits and government investigations, including by the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

In December 2015, a similar lawsuit was filed as a putative nationwide class action against our subsidiary F&D. The lawsuit alleged that certain Chinese‑manufactured laminate flooring products sold by F&D were falsely labeled as compliant with formaldehyde emissions standards established by CARB. In June 2016, management believed a settlement of the case was both probable and estimable and accrued $14 million with respect to such case in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. During the third quarter

of fiscal 2016, F&D reached an agreement with one of the manufacturers whose products were involved in the case to cover $3.5 million of our losses related to this lawsuit. We recorded the $3.5 million receivable as an offset to litigation settlement expenses. Legal expenses incurred in connection with the case were recorded in general & administrative expenses during the period in which they were incurred. In September 2016, F&D entered into a classwide settlement to resolve the lawsuit. The settlement class was defined as all end users of Chinese‑manufactured laminate flooring sold by F&D nationwide between January 1, 2012 and August 1, 2015. As part of the settlement, all settlement class members who did not exclude themselves from the settlement granted F&D a release of all claims arising out of or relating to their purchase of Chinese‑manufactured laminate flooring from F&D, with the exception of personal injury claims. The settlement did not involve an admission of liability by F&D. Seven members of the settlement class excluded themselves from the settlement. The settlement was granted final approval by the court on January 10, 2017.

Although the claims asserted against F&D in the December 2015 lawsuit have been resolved, we cannot predict whether we will face additional lawsuits that are not covered by the settlement or the release. If additional lawsuits are filed, we could incur significant costs, be liable for damages, be subject to fines, penalties, injunctive relief, criminal charges or other legal risks, which could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Negative publicity surrounding such matters, including publicity about other retailers, may harm our reputation and affect the demand for our products. In addition, if more stringent laws or regulations are adopted in the future, we may have difficulty complying with the new requirements imposed by such laws and regulations, and in turn, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. Moreover, regardless of whether any such changes are adopted, we may become subject to claims or governmental investigations alleging violations of applicable laws and regulations. Any such matter may subject us to fines, penalties, injunctions, litigation and/or potential criminal violations. Any one of these results could negatively affect our business, financial condition and operating results and impair our ability to grow or sustain our business.

If we violate or are alleged to have violated environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could incur significant costs and other negative effects that could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

In addition to the applicable laws and regulations discussed above, certain portions of our operations are subject to laws and regulations governing the environmental protection of natural resources and health and safety, including the use, storage, handling, generation, transportation, treatment, emission, release, discharge and disposal of certain hazardous materials and wastes. In addition, certain of our products are subject to laws and regulations relating to the importation, exportation, acquisition or sale of certain plants and plant products, including those illegally harvested, and the emissions of hazardous materials.

We operate our business in accordance with standards and procedures designed to comply with the applicable laws and regulations in these areas and work closely with our suppliers in order to comply with such laws and regulations. If we violate or are alleged to have violated these laws, we could incur significant costs, be liable for damages, experience delays in shipments of our products, be subject to fines, penalties, criminal charges or other legal risks, or suffer reputational harm, any of which could reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, there can be no assurance that such laws or regulations will not become more stringent in the future or that we will not incur additional costs in the future in order to comply with such laws or regulations.

We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, while we cannot predict the outcomes of such proceedings and other contingencies with certainty, this litigation and any potential future litigation could have an adverse impact on us.

We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including claims related to breach of contract, product liabilities, intellectual property matters and employment related matters resulting from our business activities. As with most actions such as these, an estimate of any possible and/or ultimate liability cannot always be determined. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors. Additionally, we cannot guarantee that we will not become engaged in additional legal actions, claims, proceedings or governmental investigations in the future. Any such action could result in negative publicity, harm to our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Labor activities could cause labor relations difficulties for us.

Currently none of our employees are represented by a union; however, our employees have the right at any time to form or affiliate with a union. As we continue to grow, enter different regions and operate distribution centers, unions may attempt to organize all or part of our employee base at certain stores or distribution centers within certain regions. We cannot predict the adverse effects that any future organizational activities will have on our business, financial condition and operating results. If we were to become subject to work stoppages, we could experience disruption in our operations and increases in our labor costs, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Federal, state or local laws and regulations, or our failure to comply with such laws and regulations, could increase our expenses, restrict our ability to conduct our business and expose us to legal risks.

We are subject to a wide range of general and industry‑specific laws and regulations imposed by federal, state and local authorities in the countries in which we operate including those related to customs, foreign operations (such as the FCPA), truth‑in‑advertising, consumer protection (such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act), privacy, product safety, the environment (such as the Lacey Act), intellectual property infringement, zoning and occupancy matters as well as the operation of retail stores and distribution facilities. In addition, various federal and state laws govern our relationship with, and other matters pertaining to, our employees, including wage and hour laws, laws governing independent contractor classifications, requirements to provide meal and rest periods or other benefits, family leave mandates, requirements regarding working conditions and accommodations to certain employees, citizenship or work authorization and related requirements, insurance and workers’ compensation rules and anti‑discrimination laws. In recent years, we and other parties in the flooring industry have been or currently are parties to litigation involving claims that allege violations of the foregoing laws, including claims related to product safety and patent claims. See “—Unfavorable allegations, government investigations and legal actions surrounding our products and us could harm our reputation and impair our ability to grow or sustain our business.” In addition, there has been an increase in the number of wage and hour class action claims that allege misclassification of overtime eligible workers and/or failure to pay overtime‑eligible workers for all hours worked, particularly in the retail industry. Although we believe that we have complied with these laws and regulations, there is nevertheless a risk that we will become subject to claims that allege we have failed to do so. Any claim that alleges a failure by us to comply with any of the foregoing laws and regulations may subject us to fines, penalties, injunctions, litigation and/or potential criminal violations, which could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

Certain of our products may require us to spend significant time and resources in order to comply with applicable advertising, labeling, importation, exportation, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations because if we violate these laws or regulations, we could experience delays in shipments of our goods, be subject to fines or penalties, be liable for costs and damages or suffer reputational harm, any of which could reduce demand for our merchandise and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

In particular, we will be subject to new formaldehyde emission standards under the Formaldehyde Standards in Composite Wood Products Act (the “CWP Act”), previously scheduled to go into effect in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. As a result of litigation between the EPA and certain nongovernmental groups, the implementation of certain provisions of the CWP Act may be accelerated. If the implementation of such provisions is accelerated earlier than the third quarter of fiscal 2018, it may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Any changes to the foregoing laws or regulations or any new laws or regulations that are passed or go into effect may make it more difficult for us to operate our business and in turn adversely affect our operating results.

We may also be subject to audits by various taxing authorities. Similarly, changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, given the nature of our business, certain of our sales are exempt from state sales taxes. If we are audited and fail to maintain proper documentation, any adjustments resulting from such audits could increase our tax liability, including any interest or penalties.

If our efforts to protect the privacy and security of information related to our customers, us, our employees, our suppliers and other third parties are not successful, we could become subject to litigation, investigations, liability and negative publicity that could significantly harm our reputation and relationships with our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our business, like that of most retailers, involves the receipt, storage and transmission of customers’ personal information, consumer preferences and payment card data, as well as other confidential information related to us, our employees, our suppliers and other third parties, some of which is entrusted to third‑party service providers and vendors that provide us with technology, systems and services that we use in connection with the receipt, storage and transmission of such information. Techniques used for cyber attacks designed to gain unauthorized access to these types of sensitive information by breaching or sabotaging critical systems of large organizations are constantly evolving and generally are difficult to recognize and react to effectively. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventive or reactive security measures. Notwithstanding widespread recognition of the cyber attack threat and improved data protection methods, high profile electronic security breaches leading to unauthorized release of sensitive information have occurred in recent years with increasing frequency at a number of major U.S. companies, including several large retailers, notwithstanding widespread recognition of the cyber attack threat and improved data protection methods.

Despite our security measures and those of third parties with whom we do business, such as our banks, merchant card processing and other technology vendors, our respective systems and facilities may be vulnerable to criminal cyber‑attacks or security incidents due to malfeasance, intentional or inadvertent security breaches by employees, or other vulnerabilities such as defects in design or manufacture. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deception targeted at our customers, employees, suppliers and service providers. Any such incidents could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, misused, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen.

As noted above, the techniques used by criminals to obtain unauthorized access to sensitive data change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target; accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, advances in computer capabilities, new technological discoveries or other developments may also compromise or result in the obsolescence of the technology used to protect sensitive information. An actual or anticipated attack security incident may cause us to incur additional costs, including costs related to diverting or deploying personnel, implementing preventative measures, training employees and engaging third‑party experts and consultants. Further, any security breach incident could expose us to risks of data loss, regulatory and law enforcement investigations, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and any resulting negative publicity could significantly harm our reputation and relationships with our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

A material disruption in our information systems, including our website and call center, could adversely affect our business or operating results and lead to reduced net sales and reputational damage.

We rely on our information systems to process transactions, summarize our results of operations and manage our business. In particular, our website and our call center are important parts of our integrated connected customer strategy and customers use these systems as information sources on the range of products available to them and as a way to order our products. Therefore, the reliability and capacity of our information systems is critical to our operations and the implementation of our growth initiatives. However, our information systems are subject to damage or interruption from planned upgrades in technology interfaces, power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, cyber‑attacks or other security breaches and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, acts of war or terrorism and usage errors by our employees. If our information systems are damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer losses of critical data and/or interruptions or delays in our operations. In addition, to keep pace with changing technology, we must continuously implement new information technology systems as well as enhance our existing systems. In particular, in late 2017, we began to implement a new human resources information system, and any disruption in completing this implementation could negatively impact the operation of our business. Moreover, the successful execution of some of our growth strategies, in particular the expansion of our connected customer and online capabilities, is dependent on the design and implementation of new systems and technologies and/or the enhancement of existing systems. Any material disruption in our information systems, or delays or difficulties in implementing or integrating new systems or enhancing or expanding current systems, could have an adverse effect on our business, in particular our call center and online operations, and our operating results and could lead to reduced net sales and reputational damage. 

We are subject to payments‑related risks that could increase our operating costs, expose us to fraud, subject us to potential liability and potentially disrupt our business.

We accept payments using a variety of methods, including credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and physical bank checks. These payment options subject us to many compliance requirements, including, but not limited to, compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, which represents a common set of industry tools and measurements to help ensure the safe handling of sensitive information, and compliance with contracts with our third party processors. These payment options also subject us to potential fraud by criminal elements seeking to discover and take advantage of security vulnerabilities that may exist in some of these payment systems. For certain payment methods, including credit cards and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time and raise our operating costs and lower profitability. We rely on third parties to provide payment processing services, including the processing of credit cards, debit cards and gift cards, and it could disrupt or harm our business if these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us, experience a data security incident or fail to comply with applicable rules and industry standards. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules, including data security rules, certification requirements, and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, or if our data security systems or payment card information of our customers are breached or compromised, there is the potential that parties could seek damages from us, we may be liable for card issuing banks’ costs, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, and lose our ability to accept credit cards and debit card payments from our customers, process electronic funds transfers, or facilitate other types of online payments, we could lose the confidence of customers and our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. We may also need to expend significant management and financial resources to become or remain compliant with relevant standards and requirements, which could divert resources from other initiatives and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our facilities and systems, as well as those of our suppliers, are vulnerable to natural disasters and other unexpected events, and as a result we may lose merchandise and be unable to effectively deliver it to our stores.

Our retail stores, store support center and distribution centers, as well as the operations of our suppliers from which we receive goods and services, are vulnerable to damage from earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, floods and similar events. If any of these events result in damage to our facilities, systems or equipment, or those of our suppliers, they could adversely affect our ability to stock our stores and deliver products to our customers, and could adversely affect our net sales and operating results. In addition, we may incur costs in repairing any damage beyond our applicable insurance coverage. In particular, any disruption to any of our distribution centers could have a material impact on our business.

Material damage to, or interruptions in, our information systems as a result of external factors, staffing shortages and difficulties in updating our existing software or developing or implementing new software could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We depend largely upon our information technology systems in the conduct of all aspects of our operations. Such systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses and security breaches. Damage or interruption to our information systems may require a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim including issues operating our distribution centers and/or managing our inventory. In addition, costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology, or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems, could also disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations. Further, the software programs supporting many of our systems were licensed to us by independent software developers. The inability of these developers or us to continue to maintain and upgrade these information systems and software programs would disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations if we were unable to convert to alternate systems in an efficient and timely manner and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Any material interruptions or failures in our information systems may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

As we have a high concentration of stores in the southern region of the United States, we are subject to regional risks.

We have a high concentration of stores in the southern region of the United States. If this market suffers an economic downturn or other significant adverse event, our comparable store sales, net sales, profitability and the ability to implement our planned expansion could be adversely affected. Any natural disaster, extended adverse weather or other serious disruption in this market due to fire, tornado, hurricane, or any other calamity could damage inventory and could result in decreased net sales.

Our success depends substantially upon the continued retention of our key personnel, which we consider to be our executive officers.

We believe that our success has depended and continues to depend to a significant extent on the efforts and abilities of our key personnel, which we consider to be our executive officers. We have employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Our failure to retain members of that team could impede our ability to build on the efforts they have undertaken with respect to our business.

We do not maintain “key man” life insurance policies on our key personnel.

We do not have “key man” life insurance policies for any of our key personnel. If we were to obtain “key man” insurance for our key personnel, there can be no assurance that the amounts of such policies would be sufficient to pay losses experienced by us as a result of the loss of any of those personnel.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract, train and retain highly qualified managers and staff.

Our success depends in part on our ability to attract, hire, train and retain qualified managers and staff. Purchasing hard surface flooring is an infrequent event for BIY and DIY consumers, and the typical consumer in these groups has little knowledge of the range, characteristics and suitability of the products available before starting the purchasing process. Therefore, consumers in the hard surface flooring market expect to have sales associates serving them who are knowledgeable about the entire assortment of products offered by the retailer and the process of choosing and installing hard surface flooring.

Each of our stores is managed by a store manager who has the flexibility (with the support of regional managers) to use his or her knowledge of local market dynamics to customize each store in a way that is most likely to increase net sales and profitability. Our store managers are also expected to anticipate, gauge and quickly respond to changing consumer demands in these markets. Further, it generally takes a substantial amount of time for our store managers to develop the entrepreneurial skills that we expect them to have in order to make our stores successful.

There is a high level of competition for qualified regional managers, store managers and sales associates among home improvement and flooring retailers in local markets, and as a result, we may not succeed in attracting and retaining the personnel we require to conduct our current operations and support our plans for expansion. In addition, we compete with other retail businesses for many of our associates in hourly positions, and we invest significant resources in training and motivating them to maintain a high level of job satisfaction. These positions have historically had high turnover rates, which can lead to increased training and retention costs, particularly as the economy continues to improve and the labor market tightens. If our recruiting and retention efforts are not successful, we may have a shortage of qualified employees in future periods. Any such shortage would decrease our ability to effectively serve our customers. Such a shortage would also likely lead to higher wages for employees and a corresponding reduction in our operating results. In addition, as we expand into new markets, we may find it more difficult to hire, develop and retain qualified employees and may experience increased labor costs. Any failure by us to attract, train and retain highly qualified managers and staff could adversely affect our operating results and future growth opportunities.

The effectiveness of our advertising strategy is a driver of our future success.

We believe that our growth was in part a result of our successful investment in local advertising. As we enter new markets that often have more expensive advertising rates, we may need to increase our advertising expenses to broaden the reach and frequency of our advertising to increase the recognition of our brand. If our advertisements fail to draw customers in the future, or if the cost of advertising or other marketing materials increases significantly, we could experience declines in our net sales and operating results.

Our intellectual property rights are valuable, and any failure to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brand and harm our business.

We regard our intellectual property as having significant value, and our brand is an important factor in the marketing of our products. However, we cannot assure you that the steps we take to protect our trademarks or intellectual property will be adequate to prevent others from copying or using our trademarks or intellectual property without authorization. If our trademarks or intellectual

property are copied or used without authorization, the value of our brand, its reputation, our competitive advantages and our goodwill could be harmed.

We may be involved in disputes from time to time relating to our intellectual property and the intellectual property of third parties.

We may become parties to disputes from time to time over rights and obligations concerning intellectual property, and we may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise claims against us alleging infringement or violation of the intellectual property of that third‑party. Even if we prevail in such disputes, the costs we incur in defending such dispute may be material and costly. Some third‑party intellectual property rights may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for us to conduct our operations in such a way as to avoid violating those intellectual property rights. Any such intellectual property claim could subject us to costly litigation and impose a significant strain on our financial resources and management personnel regardless of whether such claim has merit. The liability insurance we maintain may not adequately cover potential claims of this type, and we may be required to pay monetary damages or license fees to third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our ability to control higher health care costs is limited and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

With the passage in 2010 of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (as amended, the “Affordable Care Act”), we are required to provide affordable coverage, as defined in the Affordable Care Act, to all employees, or otherwise be subject to a payment per employee based on the affordability criteria in the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, some states and localities have passed state and local laws mandating the provision of certain levels of health benefits by some employers. These requirements limit our ability to control employee health care costs.

Efforts to modify, repeal or otherwise invalidate all, or certain provisions of, the Affordable Care Act and/or adopt a replacement healthcare reform law may impact our employee healthcare costs. At this time, there is uncertainty concerning whether the Affordable Care Act will be repealed or what requirements will be included in a new law, if enacted. If health care costs rise, we may experience increased operating costs, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We are a holding company with no business operations of our own and depend on cash flow from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.

We are a holding company with no business operations of our own or material assets other than the equity of our subsidiaries. All of our operations are conducted by our subsidiaries. As a holding company, we will require dividends and other payments from our subsidiaries to meet cash requirements.

The terms of our $200 million asset‑based revolving credit facility (the “ABL Facility”), and our $350 million senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility” and together with the ABL Facility, our “Credit Facilities”), restrict our subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring cash or other assets to us except in certain limited circumstances. If we become insolvent or there is a liquidation or other reorganization of any of our subsidiaries, our stockholders likely will have no right to proceed against their assets. Creditors of those subsidiaries will be entitled to payment in full from the sale or other disposal of the assets of those subsidiaries before we, as an equity holder, would be entitled to receive any distribution from that sale or disposal. If our subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends or make other payments to us when needed, we will be unable to satisfy our obligations.

We face risks related to our indebtedness.

As of December 28, 2017, the principal amount of our total indebtedness was approximately $189.1 million (including $148.1 million of indebtedness outstanding under the Term Loan Facility). In addition, as of December 28, 2017, we had the ability to access approximately $146.1 million of unused borrowings available under the ABL Facility without violating any covenants thereunder and had approximately $12.8 million in outstanding letters of credit.

Our indebtedness, combined with our lease and other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results by:

We may also incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our Credit Facilities. If such new indebtedness is in an amount greater than our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify. However, we cannot assure you that any such additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Moreover, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, the deductibility of net business interest expenses on our indebtedness for each taxable year could be limited under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Significant amounts of cash are required to service our indebtedness and operating lease obligations, and any failure to meet our debt service obligations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our ability to pay interest on and principal of our debt obligations will primarily depend upon our future operating performance. As a result, prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, will affect our ability to make these payments.

If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt service obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our indebtedness, selling our assets, reducing or delaying capital investments or seeking to raise additional capital. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness on acceptable terms. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Credit Facilities.”

Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations at all or on acceptable terms, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in amounts sufficient to enable us to make payments on our indebtedness or to fund our operations.

Our debt agreements contain restrictions that may limit our flexibility in operating our business.

We are a holding company, and accordingly, substantially all of our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. The credit agreements governing our Credit Facilities contain, and any future indebtedness would likely contain, a number of restrictive

covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions, including restrictions on our ability to engage in acts that may be in our best long‑term interests. The credit agreements governing our Credit Facilities include covenants that, among other things, restrict our and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

Based on the foregoing factors, the operating and financial restrictions and covenants in our current debt agreements and any future financing agreements could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

In addition, a breach of any of the restrictive covenants in our Credit Facilities may constitute an event of default, permitting the lenders to declare all outstanding indebtedness under both our Credit Facilities to be immediately due and payable or to enforce their security interest, which could adversely affect our ability to respond to changes in our business and manage our operations. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of the agreements governing our Credit Facilities, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding to be due and payable and exercise other remedies as set forth in the credit agreements. If any of our indebtedness under either of our Credit Facilities were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay this indebtedness in full, which could adversely affect our ability to continue to operate as a going concern. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Our Credit Facilities” for more information.

Our fixed lease obligations could adversely affect our operating results.

We are required to use a significant portion of cash generated by our operations to satisfy our fixed lease obligations, which could adversely affect our ability to obtain future financing to support our growth or other operational investments. We will require substantial cash flows from operations to make our payments under our operating leases, all of which provide for periodic increases in rent. As of December 28, 2017, our minimum annual rental obligations under long‑term operating leases for the fiscal years ending December 27, 2018 and December 26, 2019 are approximately $79.9 million and $85.3 million, respectively. If we are not able to make payments under our operating leases, this could trigger defaults under other leases or, in certain circumstances, under our Credit Facilities, which could cause the counterparties or lenders under those agreements to accelerate the obligations due thereunder.

Changes to accounting rules or regulations could adversely affect our operating results.

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). New accounting rules or regulations and changes to existing accounting rules or regulations have occurred and may occur in the future. Future changes to accounting rules or regulations, such as changes to revenue recognition or lease accounting guidance or a requirement to convert to international financial reporting standards, could adversely affect our operating results through increased cost of compliance.

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

You may not be able to resell your shares at or above the offering price or at all, and our stock price may be volatile, which could result in a significant loss or impairment of your investment.

On May 2, 2017, we completed our initial public offering (the “IPO”). Since the IPO, the price of our common stock as reported by The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) has ranged from a low closing sales price of $32.05 on April 27, 2017 to a high closing sales price of $51.00 on January 19, 2018. In addition, the trading price of our common stock may be subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including those described above in “—Risks Related to Our Business” and the following:

Furthermore, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations sometimes have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common

stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise adversely affect the price or liquidity of our common stock.

In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending it or paying for settlements or damages. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our operating business. As a result, such litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, our market, or our competitors, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock in a negative way, the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who cover us change their recommendation regarding our common stock in a negative way, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who covers us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.

The large number of shares eligible for public sale in the future, or the perception of the public that these sales may occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of (i) sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market, particularly sales by our directors, employees (including our executive officers) and certain other significant stockholders, and (ii) a large number of shares of our common stock being registered or offered for sale. These sales, or the perception that these sales could occur, may depress the market price of our common stock. As of March 1, 2018, there were 95,663,245 shares of common stock outstanding, of which 32,234,101 were freely tradeable on the NYSE, except that any shares held by our affiliates, as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”), may only be sold in compliance with the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144.

Additionally, as of March 1, 2018, approximately 11,056,855 shares of our common stock are issuable upon exercise of stock options that vest and are exercisable at various dates through November 13, 2027, with an average weighted exercise price of $7.32 per share, and we have issued 15,475 shares of restricted stock with restrictions that lapse at various dates through April 26, 2021. Of such options, 7,393,085 are currently exercisable. We have filed a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our stock incentive plans. The Form S-8 registration statement became effective immediately upon filing, and shares covered by that registration statement are eligible for sale in the public markets, subject to vesting restrictions and the limitations of Rule 144 applicable to affiliates.

All of our shares of common stock will be eligible for future sale, subject to the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144. In addition, our Sponsors have certain demand registration rights, and certain of our pre IPO stockholders have “piggy back” registration rights with respect to the common stock, subject to certain conditions and exceptions contained in a registration rights agreement. 

In the future, we expect to issue stock options, restricted stock and/or other forms of stock‑based compensation, which have the potential to dilute stockholders’ value and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

In the future, we expect to offer stock options, restricted stock and/or other forms of stock based compensation to our eligible employees, consultants and directors who are not executives or consultants of the Company or employees of Ares (as defined below) or Freeman Spogli (as defined below) or their respective affiliates. If we grant more equity awards to attract and retain key personnel, the expenses associated with such additional equity awards could materially adversely affect our results of operations and may also result in additional dilution to our stockholders. If any options that we issue are exercised or any restrictions on restricted stock that we issue lapse and those shares are sold into the public market, the market price of our common stock may decline. In addition, the availability of shares of common stock for award under our stock incentive plans or the grant of stock options, restricted stock or other forms of stock based compensation may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited.

Our business and operations may consume resources faster than we anticipate. In the future, we may need to raise additional funds through the issuance of new equity securities, debt or a combination of both. Additional financing may not be available on favorable terms or at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our capital requirements. If we issue new debt securities, the debt holders would have rights senior to holders of our common stock to make claims on our assets and the terms of any debt could restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. If we issue additional equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, existing stockholders will experience dilution and the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, you bear the risk of our future securities offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting their interest.

Our principal stockholders have substantial control over us, are able to influence corporate matters and may take actions that conflict with your interests and have the effect of delaying or preventing changes of control or changes in management, or limiting the ability of other stockholders to approve transactions they deem to be in their best interest.

Our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our Class A common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 71.4% of our outstanding Class A common stock. Ares beneficially owns, in the aggregate, approximately 42.5% of our outstanding Class A common stock and Corporate Opportunities Fund III, L.P. (“Ares”), a fund affiliated with Ares Management, L.P. (“Ares Management”), FS Equity Partners VI, L.P. and FS Affiliates VI, L.P., funds affiliated with Freeman Spogli Management Co., L.P. (collectively “Freeman Spogli” or “Freeman Spogli & Co.” and together with Ares, our “Sponsors”) will beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 20.6% of our outstanding Class A common. As a result, these stockholders acting together, or Ares or Freeman Spogli acting alone, are able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of us or our assets. The investor rights agreement by and among us, Ares and Freeman Spogli also contains agreements among our Sponsors with respect to voting on the election of directors and Board committee membership. The interests of Ares or Freeman Spogli could conflict in material respects with yours, and this concentration of ownership could limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third-party from acquiring control over us. Certain of the members of our board of directors (the “Board”) also have relationships with our Sponsors. David B. Kaplan and Rachel H. Lee serve as officers and principals of certain Ares affiliated entities. In addition, NAX 18, LLC, a consulting entity controlled by Norman H. Axelrod, provides consulting services to certain Ares affiliated entities. Brad J. Brutocao and John M. Roth serve as officers and principals of certain Freeman Spogli affiliated entities. In addition, Peter Starrett Associates, a consulting entity controlled by Peter M. Starrett, provides consulting services to certain Freeman Spogli affiliated entities. Our certificate of incorporation provides that no officer or director of ours who is also an officer, director, employee, managing director or other affiliate of our Sponsors will be liable to us or our stockholders for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of the fact that any such individual directs a corporate opportunity to our Sponsors instead of us, or does not communicate information regarding a corporate opportunity to us that the officer, director, employee, managing director or other affiliate has directed to our Sponsors.

Although we do not expect to rely on the “controlled company” exemption, since we will continue to qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of The New York Stock Exchange, we qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

Under the rules of the NYSE, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by another person or group of persons acting together is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain rules of the NYSE regarding corporate governance, including:

•the requirement that a majority of our Board consist of independent directors;

•the requirement that our nominating and corporate governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;

•the requirement that our compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

•the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

These requirements will not apply to us as long as we remain a “controlled company.” Although we will continue to qualify as a “controlled company,” we do not expect to rely on this exemption, and we intend to fully comply with all corporate governance requirements under the rules of the NYSE. However, if we were to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the rules of the NYSE regarding corporate governance.

We do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends.

The continued operation and growth of our business will require substantial funding. Accordingly, we do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends on shares of our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board and will depend upon our operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our Board deem relevant. Additionally, under our Credit Facilities, our subsidiaries are currently restricted from paying cash dividends except in limited circumstances, and we expect these restrictions to continue in the future. Accordingly, realization of a gain on your investment in our common stock will depend on the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur. Investors seeking cash dividends in the foreseeable future should not purchase our common stock. See Item 5, “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity.”

As a result of our recent IPO, our costs have increased significantly, and our management is required to devote substantial time to complying with public company regulations, which will negatively impact our financial performance and could cause our results of operations or financial condition to suffer.

In April 2017, we priced our IPO. As a result, we will continue to incur additional legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with the Sarbanes‑Oxley Act, Dodd‑Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. These rules and regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time‑consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. In estimating these costs, we took into account expenses related to insurance, legal, accounting, and compliance activities, as well as other expenses. These laws and regulations can also make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations can also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board, our Board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our Class A common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes‑Oxley Act could have an adverse effect on our business and stock price.

We are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes‑Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Though we are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we are not required to make our first annual assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC.

To comply with the requirements of Sections 302 and 404, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. In addition, when evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Sections 302 and 404. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Sections 302 and 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting,

investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the NYSE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

Anti‑takeover provisions could impair a takeover attempt and adversely affect existing stockholders and the market value of our common stock.

Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of Delaware law may have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying or preventing an acquisition of the Company, even when this would be in the best interest of our stockholders. These provisions include:

•a classified Board;

•the sole power of a majority of our Board to fix the number of directors;

•the requirement that certain advance notice procedures be followed for our stockholders to submit nominations of candidates for election to our Board and to bring other proposals before a meeting of the stockholders;

•the power of our Board to amend our bylaws without stockholder approval;

•limitations on the removal of directors nominated by our Sponsors;

•the sole power of the Board, or our Sponsors in the case of a vacancy of one of their respective Board nominees, to fill any vacancy on the Board, whether such vacancy occurs as a result of an increase in the number of directors or otherwise;

•the ability of a majority of our Board (even if less than a quorum) to designate one or more series of preferred stock and issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval;

•the inability of stockholders to act by written consent if our Sponsors collectively own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock;

•a requirement that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, certain proceedings against or involving us or our directors, officers or employees be brought exclusively in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware;

•the lack of cumulative voting rights for the holders of our Class A common stock with respect to the election of directors; and

•the inability of stockholders to call special meetings if our Sponsors collectively own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A common stock.

Further, Delaware law imposes conditions on the voting of “control shares” and on certain business combination transactions with “interested stockholders.”

Our issuance of shares of preferred stock could delay or prevent a change of control of the Company. Our Board has the authority to cause us to issue, without any further vote or action by our stockholders, up to shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more series, to designate the number of shares constituting any series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company without further action by our stockholders, even where stockholders are offered a premium for their shares.

In addition, the issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our other classes of voting stock either by diluting the voting power of our other classes of voting stock if they vote together as a

single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the right to block an action on which they have a separate class vote even if the action were approved by the holders of our other classes of voting stock.

These provisions could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management. Also, the issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in our common stock less attractive. For example, a conversion feature could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline to the conversion price of the preferred stock. Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control or otherwise makes an investment in our common stock less attractive could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock. See “Description of Capital Stock.”

ITEM 1B.           UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2.              PROPERTIES.

We have 83 U.S. warehouse‑format stores located in 21 states, as shown in the chart below:

 

We opened 14 new stores during fiscal 2017. In addition to our warehouse-format stores, we operate one separate small 5,500 square foot design center located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our headquarters, which we refer to as our store support center, is approximately 106,600 square feet and is located in Smyrna, Georgia. Additionally, we operate an approximately 37,000 square foot product review center in Smyrna, Georgia.

We lease our store support center, all of our stores and our distribution centers. Our leases generally have a term of ten to fifteen years, and generally have at least two renewal options for five years. Most of our leases provide for a minimum rent and typically include escalating rent increases. Our leases also generally require us to pay insurance, utilities, real estate taxes and repair and maintenance expenses.

In December of 2017, we purchased 58 acres of land near Savannah, GA at a cost of approximately $5.4 million to facilitate future growth of our supply chain capabilities.

ITEM 3.              LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are engaged in various legal actions, claims and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including claims related to breach of contracts, products liabilities, intellectual property matters and employment related matters resulting from our business activities. As with most actions such as these, an estimation of any possible and/or ultimate liability cannot always be determined. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, and other factors.

ITEM 4.              MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5.              MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Market Information

 

Our common stock has been listed on the NYSE under the symbol “FND” since our IPO on April 27, 2017. Prior to that date, there was no public market for our common stock. On March 1, 2018, the closing price of our common stock on the NYSE was $44.16, and there were 36 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than the number of record holders stated above, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in "street name" by brokers and other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales price of our common stock as reported by the NYSE:

 

Dividend Policy

No dividends have been declared or paid on our common stock. We intend to continue to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and growth of our business, and therefore we do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board and will depend on then existing conditions, including our operating results, financial condition, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors that our Board may deem relevant. In addition, our Credit Facilities contain covenants that restrict our ability to pay cash dividends.

In September 2016, in connection with the 2016 Refinancing, we paid our common stockholders a special cash dividend of $202.5 million in the aggregate (the "Special Dividend"). Other than the Special Dividend, we did not declare or pay any cash dividends on our common stock in fiscal 2016 or fiscal 2017.

Performance Graph

The following graph shows a comparison of cumulative total return to holders of common stock against the cumulative total return of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Home Improvement Retail Index from April 27, 2017 (the date our common stock commenced trading on the NYSE) through December 28, 2017. The comparison of the cumulative total returns for each investment assumes that $100 was invested in our Class A common stock and the respective indices on April 27, 2017 through December 28, 2017, including reinvestment of any dividends. Historical share price performance should not be relied upon as an indication of future share price performance.

 

 

 

 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

The following sets forth information regarding all unregistered securities sold during fiscal 2017 and gives effect to the conversion of each share of Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. into shares of the corresponding class of common stock of Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. upon the effectiveness of the 321.820-for-one stock split of our common stock effected on April 24, 2017:

 

Unless otherwise stated and except for the 321.820-for-one stock split of our common stock effected on April 24, 2017, the sales of the above securities were deemed to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (or Regulation D promulgated thereunder) or Rule 701 promulgated under Section 3(b) of the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering or pursuant to benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. We did not pay or give, directly or indirectly, any commission or other remuneration, including underwriting discounts or commissions, in connection with any of the issuances of securities listed above. The recipients of the

securities in each of these transactions represented their intentions to acquire the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof, and appropriate legends were placed upon the stock certificates issued in these transactions. All recipients had adequate access, through their employment or other relationship with us or through other access to information provided by us, to information about us. The sales of these securities were made without any general solicitation or advertising.

Use of Proceeds

None.

Repurchase of our Common Stock

None.

ITEM 6.              SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The following table sets forth certain selected historical financial and operating data of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated. The following selected financial data are qualified by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, the consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information, as well as in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this report. We operate on a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the Thursday on or preceding December 31. The data presented contains references to fiscal 2013, fiscal 2014, fiscal 2015, fiscal 2016, and fiscal 2017, which represent our fiscal years ended December 26, 2013, December 25, 2014, December 29, 2016 and December 28, 2017 all of which were 52-week periods, and December 31, 2015, which was a 53-week period.

 

 

 

 

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are key metrics used by management and our Board to assess our financial performance and enterprise value. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful measures, as they eliminate certain expenses that are not indicative of our core operating performance and facilitate a comparison of our core operating performance on a consistent basis from period to period. We also use Adjusted EBITDA as a basis to determine covenant compliance with respect to our Credit Facilities, to supplement GAAP measures of performance to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies, to make budgeting decisions, and to compare our performance against that of other peer companies using similar measures. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are also used by analysts, investors and other interested parties as performance measures to evaluate companies in our industry.

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures of our financial performance and should not be considered as alternatives to net income as a measure of financial performance or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP and they should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Additionally, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not intended to be measures of liquidity or free cash flow for management's discretionary use. In addition, these non-GAAP measures exclude certain non-recurring and other charges. Each of these non-GAAP measures has its limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. In evaluating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we will incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the items eliminated in the adjustments made to determine EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, such as stock compensation expense, loss on asset disposal, executive recruiting/relocation, and other adjustments. Our presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed to imply that our future results will be unaffected by any such adjustments. Definitions and calculations of

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA differ among companies in the retail industry, and therefore EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA disclosed by us may not be comparable to the metrics disclosed by other companies.

The reconciliations of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods noted below are set forth in the table as follows:

 

 

ITEM 7.              MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with “Selected Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and other financial information included elsewhere in this filing. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those discussed in “Item 1A Risk Factors.” See the cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements set forth at the beginning of Part I of this Annual Report.

Overview

Founded in 2000, Floor & Decor is a high‑growth, differentiated, multi‑channel specialty retailer of hard surface flooring and related accessories with 83 warehouse‑format stores across 21 states as of December 28, 2017. We believe that we offer the industry’s broadest assortment of tile, wood, laminate and natural stone flooring along with decorative and installation accessories at everyday low prices. We appeal to a variety of customers, including our Pro, DIY and BIY customers. Our warehouse‑format stores, which average approximately 73,000 square feet, carry on average approximately 3,600 flooring and decorative and installation accessory SKUs, 1.3 million square feet of flooring products and $2.5 million of inventory at cost. We believe that our inspiring design centers and creative and informative visual merchandising also greatly enhance our customers’ renovation experience. In addition to our stores, our website FloorandDecor.com showcases our products.

We believe our strong financial results are a reflection of a growing domestic hard surface flooring market, a unique approach to selling hard surface flooring and our consistent and disciplined culture of innovation and reinvestment, together creating a differentiated business model in the hard surface flooring category. In fiscal 2017 we saw our highest sales, net income and adjusted EBITDA in our history. In addition, we experienced our ninth year of double digit comparable store sales growth, averaging 15.4% and for the past three years averaging 16.5%.

 

During fiscal 2017, we continued to make long‑term key strategic investments, including: