FOOT LOCKER, INC. - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

c

​

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K 

​

​

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 720-3700

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. Yes   ⌧   No   ◻

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes   ◻   No   ⌧

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes ⌧ No ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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 pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

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

​

*    For purposes of this calculation only (a) all non-employee directors plus six executive officers and owners of five percent or more of the registrant are deemed to be affiliates of the registrant and (b) shares deemed to be “held” by such persons include only outstanding shares of the registrant’s voting stock with respect to which such persons had, on such date, voting or investment power.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement (the “Proxy Statement”) to be filed in connection with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 19, 2021: Parts III and IV.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

TABLE OF CONTENTS

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) includes “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “seeks,” “continues,” “feels,” “forecasts,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” “may,” “aims,” “intends,” or “projects.” These statements include statements relating to trends in or expectations relating to the expected effects of our initiatives, strategies and plans,

​

​

​

as well as trends in or expectations regarding our financial results and long-term growth model and drivers, tax rates, business opportunities and expansion, strategic acquisitions or investments, expenses, dividends, share repurchases, and our mitigation strategies, liquidity, cash flow from operations, use of cash and cash requirements, investments, borrowing capacity and use of proceeds, repatriation of cash to the U.S., and the continuing effects of  each of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and social unrest on our financial results. A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances, and those future events or circumstances may not occur. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak to our views only as of the date of this Annual Report. These forward-looking statements are all based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control, such as the developing situation, and uncertainty caused by and, related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know about or that we currently consider to be insignificant may also affect our business operations and financial performance.

Our actual future results and trends may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed under “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Any or all of the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report or any other public statement made by us, including by our management, may turn out to be incorrect. We are including this cautionary note to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

PART I

Item 1. Business

General

Foot Locker, Inc., incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1989, is a leading global retailer. Foot Locker, Inc. leads the celebration of sneaker and youth culture around the globe through a portfolio of brands including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Eastbay, Footaction, and Sidestep. As of January 30, 2021, we operated 2,998 primarily mall-based stores, as well as stores in high-traffic urban retail areas and high streets, in 27 countries across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Our purpose is to inspire and empower youth culture around the world, by fueling a shared passion for self-expression and creating unrivaled experiences at the heart of the global sneaker community.

Foot Locker, Inc. uses its omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and physical stores, including order-in-store, buy online and pickup-in-store, and buy online and ship-from-store, as well as e-commerce. We operate websites and mobile apps aligned with the brand names of our store banners (including footlocker.com, ladyfootlocker.com, kidsfootlocker.com, champssports.com, footaction.com, footlocker.ca, footlocker.eu and related e-commerce sites in the various European countries that we operate, footlocker.com.au, footlocker.com.nz, sidestep-shoes.de, sidestep-shoes.nl, footlocker.hk, footlocker.sg, footlocker.mo, and footlocker.my). These sites offer some of the largest online product selections and provide a seamless link between e-commerce and physical stores. We also operate the websites for eastbay.com, final-score.com, and eastbayteamsales.com.

Foot Locker, Inc. and its subsidiaries hereafter are referred to as the “Registrant,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us.” Foot Locker, Inc. has its corporate headquarters in New York. The service marks, trade names, and trademarks appearing in this report (except for Nike, Jordan, adidas, and Puma) are owned by Foot Locker, Inc. or its subsidiaries.

Store and Operations Profile

The following is a brief description of each of our banners:

Foot Locker — Foot Locker is a leading global youth culture brand that connects the sneaker obsessed consumer with the most innovative and culturally relevant sneakers and apparel. Across all our consumer touchpoints, Foot Locker enables consumers to fulfill their desire to be part of sneaker and youth culture. We curate special product assortments and marketing content that supports our premium position, from leading global brands such as Nike, Jordan, adidas, and Puma, as well as new and emerging brands in the athletic and lifestyle space. We connect emotionally with our consumers through a combination of global brand events and highly targeted and personalized experiences in local markets including our community-based Power Stores, which provide pinnacle retail experiences that deliver connected customer interactions through service, experience, product, and a sense of community. Foot Locker’s 1,686 stores are located in 27 countries including 848 in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam, 101 in Canada, 624 in Europe, a combined 93 in Australia and New Zealand, and 20 in Asia. Our domestic stores have an average of 2,800 selling square feet and our international stores have an average of 1,800 selling square feet.

​

​

Kids Foot Locker — Kids Foot Locker offers the largest selection of premium brand-name athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories for children. Kids Foot Locker enables youth of all ages to participate in sneaker culture and helps their parents shop in a curated environment with only the best assortment in stores and online. Of our 422 stores, 373 are located in the United States, and Puerto Rico, 31 in Europe, 16 in Canada, 1 in Australia, and 1 in New Zealand. These stores have an average of 1,700 selling square feet.

Lady Foot Locker — Lady Foot Locker is a U.S. retailer of athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories dedicated to sneaker-obsessed young women. Our stores provide premium sneakers and apparel, carefully selected to reflect the latest styles. Lady Foot Locker operates 35 stores that are located in the United States and Puerto Rico. These stores have an average of 1,500 selling square feet.

Champs Sports — Champs Sports is one of the largest mall-based specialty athletic footwear and apparel retailers in North America. With a focus on the lifestyle expression of sport, Champs Sports’ product categories include athletic footwear and apparel, and sport-lifestyle inspired accessories. This assortment allows Champs Sports to offer the best head-to-toe fashion stories representing the most powerful athletic brands, sports teams, and athletes in North America. Of our 539 stores, 506 are located in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and 33 in Canada. The Champs Sports stores have an average of 3,600 selling square feet.

Footaction — Footaction is a North American athletic footwear and apparel retailer that offers the freshest, best edited selection of athletic lifestyle brands and looks. This banner is uniquely positioned at the intersection of sport and style, with a focus on authentic, premium product. Of our 240 stores, 235 are located in the United States and Puerto Rico and 5 are in Canada. The Footaction stores have an average of 3,200 selling square feet.

Runners Point — We closed our Runners Point banner during 2020.

Sidestep — Sidestep is a predominantly athletic fashion footwear banner. Our 76 stores are located in Germany, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Sidestep caters to a more discerning, fashion forward consumer. Sidestep stores have an average of 1,200 selling square feet.

Eastbay

Eastbay is a sporting goods direct marketer operating in the United States, providing high school and other athletes with a complete sports solution including athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and team licensed merchandise for a broad range of sports. With over 100 sales professionals, Eastbay Team Sales connects directly with thousands of high school coaches and athletic directors in the United States in offering the best performance product and a premium service level.

Franchise Operations

We have a total of 127 franchised Foot Locker stores located within the Middle East as of January 30, 2021, of which 58 are in Israel. These amounts are not included in the store counts in the table on the prior page.

Competition

The athletic footwear and apparel industry is highly competitive. We compete primarily with athletic footwear specialty stores, sporting goods stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, and online retailers, some of which are our suppliers.

Merchandise Purchases

Financial information concerning merchandise purchases is contained under the “Liquidity” section in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and under the “Business Risk” section in the Financial Instruments and Risk Management note in “Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

Human Capital

Our purpose is to inspire and empower youth culture around the world, by fueling a shared passion for self-expression and creating unrivaled experiences at the heart of the global sneaker community. We believe the strength of our workforce is a significant contributor to our success as a global brand that leads with purpose. We seek to be a great place to work by cultivating and celebrating a culture that promotes diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Our “Live Well. Work Well.” framework enables us to provide support and resources for a variety of needs to help our team members reach their fullest potential.

​

Our People Strategy includes actions around “Uniting our Communities of Talent” around the world to achieve focus and drive results as a more agile and dynamic organization. By creating a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategy (DIBs) as part of our people processes, we are able to attract, select, hire, grow, develop, promote, and retain valued team members with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We are relentless in creating a work environment that celebrates the differences that make us even stronger. We provide career growth and professional development through formal learning and on-the-job experiences to advance our team members capability, confidence, and contribution.

We offer competitive compensation (including salary, incentive bonus, and equity) and benefits packages in each of our locations around the globe. Our compensation program is designed to attract and reward talented individuals who possess the skills necessary to lead and support our business objectives, ensure the achievement of our strategic goals, and create long-term value for our shareholders. To support our team members, we provide competitive compensation and benefits, including:

​

Through our listening session communication strategy, we are committed to listening to and learning from our team members. For many years, we have tracked engagement and leadership effectiveness through our engagement surveys. We have improved our overall engagement, with 80 percent overall favorable rating and 85 percent response rate in 2020. We use insights from these surveys to assess our culture, evaluate our leaders, adjust our plans, and evolve our culture.

We had 15,791 full-time and 35,461 part-time employees as of January 30, 2021 and we consider employee relations to be satisfactory.

We are committed to engaging in corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives that support our communities and help us develop trusted relationships with our stakeholders. Our Corporate Social Responsibility disclosure is available to investors on the investor relations tab of our corporate website under the heading “Responsibility.”

Available Information

We maintain a corporate website at www.footlocker-inc.com. Our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports are available free of charge through this website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. The Corporate Governance section of our corporate website contains our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Committee Charters, and the Code of Business Conduct for directors, officers and employees, including the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Accounting Officer. Copies of these documents may also be obtained free of charge upon written request to our Corporate Secretary at 330 West 34^th Street, New York, N.Y. 10001.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our inability to implement our long-range strategic plan may adversely affect our future results.

Our ability to successfully implement and execute our long-range strategic plan is dependent on many factors. Our strategies may require significant capital investment and management attention. Additionally, any new initiative is subject to certain risks including customer acceptance of our products and renovated store designs, competition, product differentiation, the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, and our ability to successfully implement technological initiatives. If we cannot successfully execute our strategic growth initiatives or if the long-range plan does not adequately address the challenges or opportunities we face, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Additionally, failure to meet shareholder expectations, particularly with respect to sales, operating margins, and earnings per share, would likely result in volatility in the market value of our stock.

​

The retail athletic footwear and apparel business is highly competitive.

Our athletic footwear and apparel operations compete primarily with athletic footwear specialty stores, sporting goods stores, department stores, traditional shoe stores, mass merchandisers, and online retailers, many of which are units of national or regional chains that have significant financial and marketing resources. The principal competitive factors in our markets are selection of merchandise, customer experience, reputation, store location, advertising, and price. We cannot assure that we will continue to be able to compete successfully against existing or future competitors. Our expansion into markets served by our competitors, and entry of new competitors or expansion of existing competitors into our markets, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Although we sell an increasing proportion of our merchandise online, a significantly faster shift in customer buying patterns to purchasing athletic footwear, athletic apparel, and sporting goods online could have a material adverse effect on our business results. In addition, all of our significant suppliers operate retail stores and distribute products directly through the internet and others may follow. Should this continue to occur or accelerate, and if our customers decide to purchase directly from our suppliers, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

A change in the relationship with any of our key suppliers or the unavailability of key products at competitive prices could affect our financial health.

Our business is dependent to a significant degree upon our ability to obtain premium product and the ability to purchase brand-name merchandise at competitive prices from a limited number of suppliers. In addition, we have negotiated volume discounts, cooperative advertising, and markdown allowances with our suppliers, as well as the ability to cancel orders and return excess or unneeded merchandise. We cannot be certain that such terms with our suppliers will continue in the future.

We purchased approximately 91 percent of our merchandise in 2020 from our top five suppliers and we expect to continue to obtain a significant percentage of our athletic product from these suppliers in future periods. Approximately 75 percent of all merchandise purchased in 2020 was purchased from one supplier — Nike, Inc. (“Nike”). Each of our operating divisions is highly dependent on Nike. Individually they purchased between 47 to 82 percent of their merchandise from Nike during the year. Merchandise that is high profile and in high demand is allocated by our suppliers based upon their internal criteria. Although we have generally been able to purchase sufficient quantities of this merchandise in the past, we cannot be certain that our suppliers will continue to allocate sufficient amounts to us in the future or whether our suppliers will choose to sell such merchandise in their online business. Our inability to obtain merchandise in a timely manner from major suppliers as a result of business decisions by our suppliers, or any disruption in the supply chain, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Because of the high proportion of purchases from Nike, any adverse development in Nike’s reputation, financial condition or results of operations or the inability of Nike to develop and manufacture products that appeal to our target customers could also have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We cannot be certain that we will be able to acquire merchandise at competitive prices or on competitive terms in the future. These risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The industry in which we operate is dependent upon fashion trends, customer preferences, product innovations, and other fashion-related factors.

The athletic footwear and apparel industry, especially at the premium end of the price spectrum, in which we operate, is subject to changing fashion trends and customer preferences. In addition, retailers in the athletic industry rely on their suppliers to maintain innovation in the products they develop. We cannot guarantee that our merchandise selection will accurately reflect customer preferences when it is offered for sale or that we will be able to identify and respond quickly to fashion changes, particularly given the long lead times for ordering much of our merchandise from suppliers. A substantial portion of our highest margin sales are to young males (ages 12–25), many of whom we believe purchase athletic footwear and athletic apparel as a fashion statement and are frequent purchasers. Our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately in a timely manner to changes in fashion trends that would make athletic footwear or athletic apparel less attractive to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

​

​

If we do not successfully manage our inventory levels, our operating results will be adversely affected.

We must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully. However, we also must guard against accumulating excess inventory. For example, we order most of our athletic footwear four to six months prior to delivery to us. If we fail to anticipate accurately either the market for the merchandise or our customers’ purchasing habits, we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow-moving inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and is expected to continue to disrupt our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition for an extended period of time.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. In March 2020, the World Health Organization designated COVID-19 a pandemic. As a result of COVID-19, we temporarily closed all of our stores across all of our brands in North America, Europe Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), and Asia Pacific for various periods throughout the year. We continue to monitor COVID-19, as well as new strains of the virus, and other closures, capacity limitations, social distancing requirements, and reduced operating hours may be required to help ensure the health and safety of our team members and our customers. We are also continuing to communicate with our suppliers regarding the flow of product. To the extent one or more of our suppliers is negatively affected by COVID-19, including due to the closure of their distribution centers or manufacturing facilities, we may be unable to maintain adequate inventory in our stores or distribution centers. COVID-19 has also caused disruption in transportation, such as shipping port congestion, which has adversely affected our ability to receive merchandise on a timely basis. Given the dynamic nature of these circumstances, the duration of business disruption, reduced customer traffic, and related financial affects cannot be reasonably estimated at this time but are expected to materially affect our business for 2021. The extent to which COVID-19 affects our results, or those of our suppliers, will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions and related costs to contain or treat it, among others.

We are affected by mall traffic and our ability to secure suitable store locations.

Many of our stores, especially in North America, are located primarily in enclosed regional and neighborhood malls. Our sales are affected, in part, by the volume of mall traffic. Mall traffic may be adversely affected by, among other factors, economic downturns, the closing or continued decline of anchor department stores and/or specialty stores, and a decline in the popularity of mall shopping among our target customers. Further, any terrorist act, natural disaster, public health issue, such as COVID-19, flu or other pandemics, or safety concern that decreases the level of mall traffic, or that affects our ability to open and operate stores in such locations, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

To take advantage of customer traffic and the shopping preferences of our customers, we need to maintain or acquire stores in desirable locations such as in regional and neighborhood malls, as well as high-traffic urban retail areas and high streets. We cannot be certain that desirable locations will continue to be available at favorable rates. Some traditional enclosed malls are experiencing significantly lower levels of customer traffic, driven by economic conditions, public health issues, the closure of certain mall anchor tenants, and changes in customer shopping preferences, such as online shopping. Further, some malls have closed, and others may close in the future. While we seek to obtain suitable locations off-mall there is no guarantee that we will be able to secure such locations.

Several large landlords dominate the ownership of prime malls and because of our dependence upon these landlords for a substantial number of our locations, any significant erosion of their financial condition or our relationships with them could negatively affect our ability to obtain and retain store locations. Additionally, further landlord consolidation may negatively affect our ability to negotiate favorable lease terms.

Our future growth may depend on our ability to expand operations in international markets.

Our future growth will depend, in part, on our ability to expand our business in additional international markets. As we expand into new international markets, we may have only limited experience in operating our business in such markets. In other instances, we may have to rely on the efforts and abilities of foreign business partners in such markets. In addition, business practices in these new international markets may be unlike those in the other markets we serve, and we may face increased exposure to certain risks. Our future growth may be materially adversely affected if we are unsuccessful in our international expansion efforts. Our inability to expand in international markets could have a material adverse effect on our business.

​

We may experience fluctuations in, and cyclicality of, our comparable-store sales results.

Our comparable-store sales have fluctuated significantly in the past, on both an annual and a quarterly basis, and we expect them to continue to fluctuate in the future. A variety of factors affect our comparable-store sales results, including, among others, fashion trends, product innovation, promotional events, the highly competitive retail sales environment, economic conditions, timing of income tax refunds, changes in our merchandise mix, calendar shifts of holiday periods, declines in foot traffic, supply chain disruptions, and weather conditions.

Many of our products represent discretionary purchases. Accordingly, customer demand for these products could decline in an economic downturn or if our customers develop other priorities for their discretionary spending. These risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The effects of natural disasters, terrorism, acts of war, acts of violence, and public health issues may adversely affect our business.

Natural disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes may affect store and distribution center operations. In addition, acts of terrorism, acts of war, and military action both in the United States and abroad can have a significant effect on economic conditions and may negatively affect our ability to purchase merchandise from suppliers for sale to our customers. Any act of violence, including active shooter situations and terrorist activities, that are targeted at or threatened against shopping malls, our stores, offices or distribution centers, could result in restricted access to our stores and/or store closures in the short-term and, in the long-term, may cause our customers and employees to avoid visiting our stores.

Public health issues, such as COVID-19, flu or other pandemics, whether occurring in the United States or abroad, could disrupt our operations and result in a significant part of our workforce being unable to operate or maintain our infrastructure or perform other tasks necessary to conduct our business. Additionally, public health issues may disrupt, or have an adverse effect on, our suppliers’ operations, our operations, our customers, or result in significantly lower traffic to or closure of our stores, or customer demand.

Our ability to mitigate the adverse effect of these events depends, in part, upon the effectiveness of our disaster preparedness and response planning as well as business continuity planning. However, we cannot be certain that our plans will be adequate or implemented properly in the event of an actual disaster.

Any significant declines in public safety or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects that affect customer spending habits could have a material adverse effect on customer purchases of our products. We may be required to suspend operations in some or all of our locations and incur significant costs to remediate concerns which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Riots, vandalism, and other crimes and acts of violence may affect the markets in which we operate, our customers, delivery of our products and customer service, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Our business may be adversely affected by instability, disruption, or destruction, regardless of cause, including riots, civil insurrection or social unrest, and manmade disasters or crimes. Such events may result in property damage and loss and may also cause customers to suspend their decisions to shop in our stores, interrupt our supply chain, and cause restrictions, postponements, and cancellations of events that attract large crowds and public gatherings, such as store marketing events.

Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results.

Risks Related to Technology, Data Security, and Privacy

We are subject to technology risks including failures, security breaches, and cybersecurity risks that could harm our business, damage our reputation, and increase our costs in an effort to protect against these risks.

Information technology is a critical part of our business operations. We depend on information systems to process transactions, make operational decisions, manage inventory, operate our websites, purchase, sell and ship goods on a timely basis, and maintain cost-efficient operations. There is a risk that we could experience a business interruption, theft of information, or reputational damage as a result of a cyber-attack, such as an infiltration of a data center or data leakage of confidential information, either internally or at our third-party providers.

​

We may experience operational problems with our information systems as a result of system failures, system implementation issues, viruses, malicious hackers, sabotage, or other causes. We invest in security technology to protect the data stored by us, including our data and business processes, against the risk of data security breaches and cyber-attacks. Our data security management program includes enforcement of standard data protection policies such as Payment Card Industry compliance. Additionally, we evaluate our major technology suppliers and any outsourced services through accepted security assessment measures. We maintain and routinely test backup systems and disaster recovery, along with external network security penetration testing by an independent third party as part of our business continuity preparedness.

While we believe that our security technology and processes follow appropriate practices in the prevention of security breaches and the mitigation of cybersecurity risks, given the ever-increasing abilities of those intent on breaching cybersecurity measures and given the necessity of our reliance on the security procedures of third-party vendors, the total security effort at any point in time may not be completely effective.

Any security breaches and cyber incidents could adversely affect our business. Failure of our systems, either internally or at our third-party providers, including failures due to cyber-attacks that would prevent the ability of systems to function as intended, could cause transaction errors, loss of customers and sales, and negative consequences to us, our employees, and those with whom we do business. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by us could also severely damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of litigation and liability, increase operating costs associated with remediation, and harm our business. While we carry insurance that would mitigate the losses, insurance may be insufficient to compensate us fully for potentially significant losses.

Risks associated with digital operations.

Our digital operations are subject to numerous risks, including risks related to the failure of the computer systems that operate our websites, mobile sites, and apps and their related support systems, computer viruses, cybersecurity risks, telecommunications failures, denial of service attacks, bot attacks, and similar disruptions. Also, to sustain, keep current, or grow our digital commerce business we will need to make additional investments. Risks related to digital commerce include those associated with credit card fraud, the need to keep pace with rapid technological change, governmental regulation, and legal uncertainties with respect to internet regulatory compliance. If any of these risks materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Privacy and data security concerns and regulation could result in additional costs and liabilities.

The protection of customer, employee, and Company data is critical. The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and changing requirements. In addition, customers appear increasingly to have a high expectation that we will adequately protect their personal information. Any actual or perceived misappropriation or breach involving this data could attract negative media attention, cause harm to our reputation or result in liability (including but not limited to fines, penalties or lawsuits), any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operational results, financial position, and cash flows.

The European Union (“E.U.”) adopted a comprehensive General Data Privacy Regulation (the “GDPR”), which requires companies to satisfy new requirements regarding the handling of personal and sensitive data, including its use, protection, and the ability of persons whose data is stored to correct or delete data about themselves. Failure to comply with GDPR requirements could result in penalties of up to 4 percent of worldwide revenue. In addition, the State of California adopted the California Consumer Protection Act of 2018 ("CCPA"). The CCPA requires companies that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices, allows consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties, and provides a new cause of action for data breaches. It remains unclear how the CCPA will be interpreted and the extent of its effect on our business. Some observers have noted that the CCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business.

GDPR, CCPA and other similar laws and regulations, as well as any associated inquiries or investigations or any other government actions, may be costly to comply with, result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, and subject us to remedies that may harm our business, including fines or demands or orders that we modify or cease existing business practices. The laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security are evolving, can be subject to significant change and may result in ever-increasing regulatory and public scrutiny and escalating levels of enforcement and sanctions.

​

The technology enablement of omni-channel in our business is complex.

We continue to invest in initiatives designed to deliver a high-quality, coordinated shopping experience online, in stores, and on mobile devices, which requires substantial investment in technology, information systems, and employee training, as well as significant management time and resources. Our omni-channel retailing efforts include the integration and implementation of new technology, software, and processes to be able to fulfill orders from any point within our system of stores and distribution centers, which is extremely complex and may not meet customer expectations for timely and accurate deliveries. These efforts involve substantial risk, including risk of implementation delays, cost overruns, technology interruptions, supply and distribution delays, and other issues that can affect the successful implementation and operation of our omni-channel initiatives. If our omni-channel initiatives are not successful, or we do not realize the return on our omni-channel investments that we anticipate, our financial performance and future growth could be materially adversely affected.

Risks Related to our Operations and Supply Chain

Complications in our distribution centers and other factors affecting the distribution of merchandise may affect our business.

We operate multiple distribution centers worldwide to support our businesses. In addition to the distribution centers that we operate, we have third-party arrangements to support our operations in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. If complications arise with any facility or third-party arrangements, or if any facility is severely damaged or destroyed, our other distribution centers may be unable to support the resulting additional distribution demands. We also may be affected by disruptions in the global transportation network caused by events including delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, port disruption, port strikes, weather conditions, work stoppages, or other labor unrest. These factors may adversely affect our ability to deliver inventory on a timely basis. We depend upon third-party carriers for shipment of merchandise. Any interruption in service by these carriers for any reason could cause disruptions in our business, a loss of sales and profits, and other material adverse effects.

Manufacturer compliance with our social compliance program requirements.

We require our independent manufacturers to comply with our policies and procedures, which cover many areas including human rights policy, labor, health and safety, and environmental standards. We monitor compliance with our policies and procedures using internal resources, as well as third-party monitoring firms. Although we monitor their compliance with these policies and procedures, we do not control the manufacturers or their practices. Any failure of our independent manufacturers to comply with our policies and procedures or local laws in the country of manufacture could disrupt the shipment of merchandise to us, force us to locate alternate manufacturing sources, reduce demand for our merchandise, or damage our reputation.

Our reliance on key management.

Future performance will depend upon our ability to attract, retain, and motivate our executive and senior management teams. Our executive and senior management teams have substantial experience and expertise in our business and have made significant contributions to our success. Our future performance depends, to a significant extent, both upon the continued services of our current executive and senior management teams, as well as our ability to attract, hire, motivate, and retain additional qualified management in the future. While we believe that we have adequate succession planning and executive development programs, competition for key executives in the retail industry is intense, and our operations could be adversely affected if we cannot retain and attract qualified executives.

Risks associated with attracting and retaining store and field team members.

Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to attract, develop, and retain a sufficient number of qualified store and field team members. The turnover rate in the retail industry is generally high. If we are unable to attract and retain quality team members, our ability to meet our growth goals or to sustain expected levels of profitability may be compromised. Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling costs is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation, and overtime regulations.

​

Risks Related to our Investments

If our long-lived tangible assets and operating lease right-of-use assets, or goodwill become impaired, we may need to record significant non-cash impairment charges.

We review our long-lived tangible assets and operating lease right-of-use assets, and goodwill when events indicate that the carrying value of such assets may be impaired. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment if impairment indicators arise and, at a minimum, annually. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to an impairment test, which consists of either a qualitative assessment on a reporting unit level, or a quantitative impairment test, if necessary. The determination of impairment charges is significantly affected by estimates of future operating cash flows and estimates of fair value. Our estimates of future operating cash flows are identified from our long-range strategic plans, which are based upon our experience, knowledge, and expectations; however, these estimates can be affected by factors such as our future operating results, future store profitability, and future economic conditions, all of which are difficult to predict accurately. Any significant deterioration in macroeconomic conditions could affect the fair value of our long-lived assets, including our operating lease right-of-use assets, and goodwill and could result in future impairment charges, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

We do not have the ability to exert control over our minority investments, and therefore, we are dependent on others in order to realize their potential benefits.

We currently hold $337 million of non-controlling minority investments in various entities and we may make additional strategic minority investments in the future. Such minority investments inherently involve a lesser degree of control over business operations, thereby potentially increasing the financial, legal, operational, and compliance risks associated with the investments. Other investors in these entities may have business goals and interests that are not aligned with ours or may exercise their rights in a manner in which we do not approve. These circumstances could lead to delayed decisions or disputes and litigation with those other investors, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If our investees seek additional financing to fund their growth strategies, these financing transactions may result in further dilution of our ownership stakes and these transactions may occur at lower valuations than the investment transactions through which we acquired such interests, which could significantly decrease the fair values of our investments in those entities. Additionally, if our investees are unable to obtain additional financing, those entities could need to significantly reduce their spending in order to fund their operations or result in their insolvency. These actions likely would result in reduced growth forecasts, which also could significantly decrease the fair values of our investments in those entities.

Risks Related to Shareholder Activism, Geopolitics, Regulations, and Other External Risks

We may face risks associated with shareholder activism.

Publicly traded companies are subject to campaigns by shareholders advocating corporate actions related to matters such as corporate governance, operational practices, and strategic direction. We may become subject in the future to such shareholder activity and demands. Such activities could interfere with our ability to execute our business plans, be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our operations, and divert the attention of management, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business or stock price.

Our shareholder rights plan could impede or discourage a takeover or change of control.

In December 2020, our Board of Directors adopted a short-term rights plan. The rights plan is intended to protect the interests of all the Company’s shareholders by reducing the likelihood that any person would gain control of the Company through open market accumulation or other tactics without appropriately compensating the Company's shareholders for such control. The rights plan is not intended to prevent or deter any action or offer that the Board of Directors determines to be in the best interests of shareholders. However, the overall effect of the rights plan may render it more difficult or discourage a merger, tender offer or other business combination involving the Company that may be considered beneficial by some shareholders but is not supported by our Board of Directors.

​

​

Economic or political conditions in other countries, including fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and tax rates may adversely affect our operations.

A significant portion of our sales and operating income for 2020 was attributable to our operations outside of the United States. As a result, our business is subject to the risks associated with doing business outside of the United States such as local customer product preferences, political unrest, disruptions or delays in shipments, changes in economic conditions in countries in which we operate, foreign currency fluctuations, real estate costs, and labor and employment practices in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may differ significantly from those that prevail in the United States. In addition, because our suppliers manufacture a substantial amount of our products in foreign countries, our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of merchandise on favorable terms may be affected by governmental regulations, trade restrictions, labor, and other conditions in the countries from which our suppliers obtain their product.

Fluctuations in the value of the euro and the British Pound may affect the value of our European earnings when translated into U.S. dollars. Similarly, our earnings in other jurisdictions may be affected by the value of currencies when translated into U.S. dollars.

Except for our business in the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”), our international subsidiaries conduct most of their business in their local currency. Inventory purchases for our U.K. business are generally denominated in euros, which could result in foreign currency transaction gains or losses.

Our products are subject to import and excise duties and/or sales or value-added taxes in many jurisdictions. Fluctuations in tax rates and duties and changes in tax legislation or regulation could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Significant developments stemming from the U.K.’s withdrawal from the E.U. could have a material adverse effect on the Company.

The U.K. formally exited the European Union on January 31, 2020 (commonly referred to as “Brexit”) and entered into a new trade agreement with the European Union on December 24, 2020. Despite the U.K.’s December 2020 trade agreement, many potential future effects of Brexit remain unclear and could adversely affect certain areas of our business, including, but not limited to, an increase in duties and delays in the delivery of products, and adverse effects to our suppliers.

​

We have significant operations in both the U.K. and the E.U., and we are highly dependent on the free flow of labor and goods in those regions. In response to Brexit, in February 2020 we engaged with a third-party logistics provider within England to mitigate supply chain risks. Uncertainty surrounding Brexit could cause a slowdown in economic activity in the U.K., Europe or globally, which could adversely affect our operating results and growth prospects. In addition, Brexit could lead to legal uncertainty and potentially divergent national laws and regulations as the U.K. determines which E.U. laws to replace or replicate, including data protection regulation. Compliance with any new laws and regulations may be cumbersome, difficult, or costly.

​

There remains substantial uncertainty surrounding the ultimate effect of Brexit and outcomes could disrupt the markets we serve and the tax jurisdictions in which we operate. This uncertainty creates challenges (particularly in the near term) with respect to trading relationships between our U.K. subsidiary and other E.U. nations. These possible effects of Brexit could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

​

Imposition of tariffs and export controls on the products we buy may have a material adverse effect on our business.

A significant portion of the products that we purchase, including the portion purchased from U.S.-based suppliers, as well as most of our private brand merchandise, is manufactured abroad. We may be affected by potential changes in international trade agreements or tariffs, such as new tariffs imposed on certain Chinese-made goods imported into the U.S. Furthermore, China or other countries may institute retaliatory trade measures in response to existing or future tariffs imposed by the U.S. that could have a negative effect on our business. If any of these events occur as described, we may be obligated to seek alternative suppliers for our private brand merchandise, raise prices, or make changes to our operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability, results of operations and financial condition.

​

​

Macroeconomic developments may adversely affect our business.

Our performance is subject to global economic conditions and the related effects on consumer spending levels. Continued uncertainty about global economic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, poses a risk as consumers and businesses may postpone spending in response to tighter credit, unemployment, negative financial news, and/or declines in income or asset values, which could have a material negative effect on demand for our products.

As a retailer that is dependent upon consumer discretionary spending, our results of operations are sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions. Our customers may have less money for discretionary purchases as a result of job losses, foreclosures, bankruptcies, increased fuel and energy costs, higher interest rates, higher taxes, reduced access to credit, and lower home values. These and other economic factors could adversely affect demand for our products, which could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

Instability in the financial markets may adversely affect our business.

During 2020, uncertainty surrounding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic helped create volatility in financial markets around the world. This volatility may affect our future access to the credit and debt security markets, leading to higher borrowing costs, or, in some cases, the inability to obtain additional financing.

​

On November 30, 2020, ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), the administrator of LIBOR, with the support of the United States Federal Reserve and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, announced plans to consult on ceasing publication of USD LIBOR on December 31, 2021, for only the one week and two month USD LIBOR tenors, and on June 30, 2023, for all other USD Libor tenors. While this announcement extends the transition period to June 2023, the United States Federal Reserve concurrently issued a statement advising banks to stop new USD LIBOR issuances by the end of 2021. In light of these recent announcements, the future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain and any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined or regulatory activity related to LIBOR’s phaseout could cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past or cease to exist. Our 2020 Credit Agreement provides for alternative methods of calculating the interest rate payable on indebtedness thereunder.

Instability in the global financial markets could reduce availability of credit to our business. Although we currently have a revolving credit agreement in place until July 14, 2025, tightening of credit markets could make it more difficult for us to access funds, refinance our existing indebtedness, enter into agreements for new indebtedness, or obtain funding through the issuance of the Company’s securities.

Material changes in the market value of the securities we hold may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

At January 30, 2021 our cash and cash equivalents totaled $1,680 million. The majority of our investments were short-term deposits in highly-rated banking institutions. We regularly monitor our counterparty credit risk and mitigate our exposure by making short-term investments only in highly-rated institutions and by limiting the amount we invest in any one institution. We continually monitor the creditworthiness of our counterparties. At January 30, 2021, all investments were in investment grade institutions. Despite an investment grade rating, it is possible that the value or liquidity of our investments may decline due to any number of factors, including general market conditions and bank-specific credit issues.

Our U.S. pension plan trust holds assets totaling $666 million at January 30, 2021. The fair values of these assets held in the trust are compared to the plan’s projected benefit obligation to determine the pension funding liability. We attempt to mitigate funding risk through asset diversification, and we regularly monitor investment risk of our portfolio through quarterly investment portfolio reviews and periodic asset and liability studies. Despite these measures, it is possible that the value of our portfolio may decline in the future due to any number of factors, including general market conditions and credit issues. Such declines could affect the funded status of our pension plan and future funding requirements.

Our financial results may be adversely affected by tax rates or exposure to additional tax liabilities.

We are a U.S. based multinational company subject to tax in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. Our provision for income taxes is based on a jurisdictional mix of earnings, statutory rates, and enacted tax rules, including transfer pricing. Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and in evaluating our tax positions on a worldwide basis. President Biden has proposed raising the highest U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to corporations. Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including shifts in the mix of pretax results by tax jurisdiction, changes in tax laws or related interpretations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, and tax assessments and related interest and penalties resulting from income tax audits.

​

Changes in employment laws or regulation could harm our performance.

Various foreign and domestic labor laws govern our relationship with our employees and affect our operating costs. These laws include minimum wage requirements, overtime and sick pay, paid time off, work scheduling, healthcare reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, unemployment tax rates, workers’ compensation rates, European works council requirements, and union organization.

A number of factors could adversely affect our operating results, including additional government-imposed increases in minimum wages, overtime and sick pay, paid leaves of absence, mandated health benefits, and changing regulations from the National Labor Relations Board or other agencies. Complying with any new legislation or reversing changes implemented under existing law could be time-intensive and expensive and may affect our business.

Legislative or regulatory initiatives related to climate change concerns may negatively affect our business.

Greenhouse gases may have an adverse effect on global temperatures, weather patterns, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather and natural disasters. Global climate change could result in certain types of natural disasters occurring more frequently or with more intense effects. Such events could make it difficult or impossible for us to deliver products to our customers, create delays, and inefficiencies in our supply chain. Following an interruption to our business, we could require substantial recovery time, experience significant expenditures to resume operations, and lose significant sales. Concern over climate change may result in new or additional legal, legislative, and regulatory requirements to reduce or mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment, which could result in future tax, transportation, and utility increases, which could adversely affect our business. There is also increased focus, including by investors, customers, and other stakeholders, on these and other sustainability matters, such as worker safety, the use of plastic, energy consumption, and waste.

Increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from investors and our customers with respect to our Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) may impose additional costs on us or expose us to new or additional risks.

Our reputation could be damaged if we do not (or are perceived not to) act responsibly with respect to sustainability matters, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition. Increasing attention to CSR matters may affect our business and some institutional investors may be discouraged from investing in us.

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from stakeholders related to their CSR practices. Investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds, and other influential investors are also increasingly focused on CSR practices and in recent years have placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments. Regardless of the industry, investors’ increased focus and activism related to CSR and similar matters may hinder access to capital, as investors may decide to reallocate capital or to not commit capital as a result of their assessment of a company’s CSR practices. Companies which do not adapt to or comply with investor or stakeholder expectations and standards, which are evolving, or which are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for CSR issues, regardless of whether there is a legal requirement to do so, may suffer from reputational damage and the business, financial condition, and/or stock price of such a company could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, the importance of CSR scoring evaluations is becoming more broadly accepted by shareholders. Certain organizations that provide corporate governance and other corporate risk information to shareholders have developed scores and ratings to evaluate companies based upon CSR metrics. Many shareholders focus on positive CSR business practices and scores when making investments and may consider a company’s score as a reputational or other factor in making an investment decision. In addition, investors, particularly institutional investors, use these scores to benchmark companies against their peers and if a company is perceived as lagging, these investors may engage with companies to require improved CSR disclosure or performance. We may face reputational damage in the event our CSR procedures or standards do not meet the standards set by various constituencies. A low score could result in a negative perception of us, or exclusion of our common stock from consideration by certain investors who may elect to invest with our competition instead. In addition, the cost of compliance to receive high CSR scores may be considerable.

​

​

We may be adversely affected by regulatory and litigation developments.

We are exposed to the risk that federal or state legislation may negatively affect our operations. Changes in federal or state wage requirements, employee rights, health care, social welfare or entitlement programs, including health insurance, paid leave programs, or other changes in workplace regulation could increase our cost of doing business or otherwise adversely affect our operations. Additionally, we are regularly involved in litigation, including commercial, tort, intellectual property, customer, employment, wage and hour, data privacy, anti-corruption, and other claims, including purported class action lawsuits. The cost of defending against these types of claims against us or the ultimate resolution of such claims, whether by settlement or adverse court decision, may harm our business.

We operate in many different jurisdictions and we could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-corruption laws.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and similar worldwide anti-corruption laws, including the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, which is broader in scope than the FCPA, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our internal policies mandate compliance with these anti-corruption laws. Despite our training and compliance programs, we cannot be assured that our internal control policies and procedures will always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Our continued expansion outside the United States, including in developing countries, could increase the risk of FCPA violations in the future. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Failure to fully comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 could negatively affect our business, market confidence in our reported financial information, and the price of our common stock.

We continue to document, test, and monitor our internal control over financial reporting in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. However, we cannot be assured that our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting will prove to be completely adequate in the future. Failure to fully comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 could negatively affect our business, market confidence in our reported financial information, and the price of our common stock.

International intellectual property protection can be uncertain and costly.

Uncertainty in intellectual property protection can result from conducting business outside the United States, particularly in jurisdictions that do not have comparable levels of protection for our assets such as intellectual property, copyrights, and trademarks. Continuing to operate in such foreign jurisdictions where the ability to enforce intellectual property rights is limited increases our exposure to risk.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None

Item 2. Properties

Our properties consist of land, leased stores, administrative facilities, and distribution centers. Gross square footage and total selling area for our store locations at the end of 2020 were approximately 12.98 and 7.50 million square feet, respectively. These properties, which are primarily leased, are located in the United States and its territories, Canada, various European countries, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

We currently operate five distribution centers, of which two are owned and three are leased, occupying an aggregate of 3.0 million square feet. Three of these distribution centers are located in the United States, one in Canada, and one in the Netherlands. We also own a cross-dock and manufacturing facility, and operate a leased warehouse in the United States, both of which support our Team Edition apparel business.

We believe that all leases of properties that are material to our operations may be renewed, or that alternative properties are available, on terms similar to existing leases.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Information regarding the Company’s legal proceedings is contained in the Legal Proceedings note under “Item 8. Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

​

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 4A. Information about our Executive Officers

​

The following table provides information with respect to all persons serving as executive officers as of March 25, 2021, including business experience for the last five years.

​

​

Richard A. Johnson, age 63, has served as Chairman of the Board since May 2016 and President and Chief Executive Officer since December 2014.

Frank Bracken, age 48, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer — North America since July 22, 2020. He previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, and Kids Foot Locker from October 2017 through July 2020. Mr. Bracken previously served as the General Manager of Foot Locker Canada from February 2016 through October 2017. From January 2014 through February 2016, Mr. Bracken served as Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager of Footwear for Champs Sports.

Andrew Gray, age 43, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer since July 22, 2020. Mr. Gray previously served as Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer — North America from October 2017 through July 2020 and Vice President and General Manager of U.S. Foot Locker and Lady Foot Locker from April 2016 to October 2017. Mr. Gray previously served as Vice President and General Merchandising Manager from July 2013 to April 2016.

W. Scott Martin, age 53, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer — Asia Pacific and Chief Strategy Officer since July 22, 2020. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Development Officer from March 2019 to July 2020. Previously he served as Senior Vice President — Strategy and Store Development from October 2017 to March 2019 and as Senior Vice President — Real Estate from June 2016 to September 2017. Mr. Martin previously served as Vice President, Store Development – Asia Pacific with Gap Inc. from June 2014 to June 2016.

Lauren B. Peters, age 59, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since July 2011.

Vijay Talwar, age 49, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer — EMEA since February 2019. Mr. Talwar previously served as President — Digital from March 2018 to February 2019 and President — Digital/Footlocker.com/Eastbay from September 2016 to March 2018. Mr. Talwar served as President, Gifts and Special Occasions at Sears Holdings Corporation from 2014 to September 2016.

Giovanna Cipriano, age 51, has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since May 2009.

Sheilagh M. Clarke, age 61, has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since June 2014.

Todd Greener, age 50, has served as Senior Vice President — Global Supply Chain since October 2018. Mr. Greener previously served as Senior Vice President — Supply Chain at Advance Auto Parts from March 2015 to October 2018 and General Manager — Appliance Distribution Operations at General Electric Company from September 2012 to February 2015.

​

​

Elizabeth S. Norberg, age 54, has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer since September 2018. Ms. Norberg previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Loews Hotels & Co. (a subsidiary of Loews Corporation) from August 2017 to September 2018, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Red Lion Hotels Corporation from June 2016 to August 2017, and Vice President and Chief of Human Resources Operations, Health System at Northwell Health from January 2015 to June 2016.

Himanshu Parikh, age 48, has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer since December 18, 2020. From January 2015 to November 2020, Mr. Parikh served in various technology leadership roles at Michaels Corporation with his most recent role as Senior Vice President — Chief Technology Officer.

John A. Maurer, age 61, has served as Vice President, Treasurer since September 2006. In addition to this role, he also served as the Vice President of Investor Relations from February 2011 through March 2018.

There are no family relationships among the executive officers or directors of the Company.

​

PART II

Foot Locker, Inc. common stock (ticker symbol “FL”) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as well as on the Börse Stuttgart stock exchange in Germany.

As of January 30, 2021, we had 11,957 shareholders of record owning 103,619,123 common shares.

We declared a dividend of $0.40 per share in the first quarter of 2020. During the first quarter, we suspended our second quarter dividend as a result of the economic uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On August 20, 2020, our Board of Directors approved the reinstatement of our quarterly dividend program at a rate of $0.15 per share. We also paid a dividend of $0.15 during the fourth quarter.

On February 17, 2021, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share to be paid on April 30, 2021. This dividend represents a 33 percent increase from the previous quarterly per share amount of $0.15 per share. The Board of Directors regularly reviews the dividend policy and rate, taking into consideration the overall financial and strategic outlook for our earnings, liquidity, and cash flow.

The following table is a summary of our fourth quarter share repurchases:

​

​

​

Performance Graph

The graph below compares the cumulative five-year total return to shareholders (common stock price appreciation plus dividends, on a reinvested basis) of our common stock relative to the total returns of the S&P 400 Specialty Retailing Index and the Russell Midcap Index.

​

Indexed Share Price Performance

​

​

The above information should not be deemed “soliciting material” or to be filed with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.

​

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

FIVE-YEAR SUMMARY OF SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected financial data below should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto and other information contained elsewhere in this report.

​

​

​

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This section of the Annual Report on Form 10-K generally discusses 2020 and 2019 detail and year-over-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019. For a comparison of our results for 2019 to our results of 2018 and other financial information related to 2018, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 1, 2020 filed with the SEC on March 27, 2020.

Business Overview

Foot Locker, Inc. leads the celebration of sneaker and youth culture around the globe through a portfolio of brands including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, Eastbay, Footaction, and Sidestep. As of January 30, 2021, we operated 2,998 primarily mall-based stores, as well as stores in high-traffic urban retail areas and high streets, in 27 countries across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Our purpose is to inspire and empower youth culture around the world, by fueling a shared passion for self-expression and creating unrivaled experiences at the heart of the global sneaker community.

Foot Locker, Inc. uses its omni-channel capabilities to bridge the digital world and physical stores, including order-in-store, buy online and pickup-in-store, and buy online and ship-from-store, as well as e-commerce. We operate websites and mobile apps aligned with the brand names of our store banners (including footlocker.com, ladyfootlocker.com, kidsfootlocker.com, champssports.com, footaction.com, footlocker.ca, footlocker.eu (and related e-commerce sites in the various European countries that we operate) footlocker.com.au, footlocker.com.nz, sidestep-shoes.de, sidestep-shoes.nl, footlocker.mo, footlocker.hk, footlocker.sg, and footlocker.my). These sites offer some of the largest online product selections and provide a seamless link between e-commerce and physical stores. We also operate the websites for eastbay.com, final-score.com, and eastbayteamsales.com.

Segment Reporting

Our operating segments are identified according to how our business activities are managed and evaluated by our chief operating decision maker, our CEO. We have three operating segments, North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (“EMEA”), and Asia Pacific. Our North America operating segment includes the results of the following banners operating in the U.S. and Canada: Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and Footaction, including each of their related e-commerce businesses, as well as our Eastbay business that includes internet, catalog, and team sales. Our EMEA operating segment includes the results of the following banners operating in Europe: Foot Locker, Sidestep, and Kids Foot Locker, including each of their related e-commerce businesses. Our Asia Pacific operating segment includes the results of Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker operating in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia as well as the related e-commerce businesses. We have further aggregated these operating segments into one reportable segment based upon their shared customer base and similar economic characteristics.

​

COVID-19

COVID-19 had a significant effect on overall economic conditions in the various geographic areas in which we have operations. Our top priority is to protect our team members and their families, our customers, and our operations. We have taken all precautionary measures as directed by health authorities and local, state, and national governments. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily closed our stores across all of our brands in North America, EMEA, and Asia Pacific throughout the year. The following represents a summary of the percentage of time that our stores were open, although there were significant regional variances by quarter and other restrictions that reduced operating hours as well:

​

We continue to monitor the outbreak of COVID-19 and other closures, or closures for a longer period of time, reduced operating hours, capacity limitations, and social distancing may be required to help ensure the health and safety of our team members and our customers. COVID-19 has and may continue to have an effect on ports and trade, as well as global travel.

​

We have set up a special COVID-19 task force which is overseeing the necessary precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our team members as well as following the guidance provided by local health authorities.

Given the dynamic nature of these circumstances, the duration of business disruption, and reduced customer traffic, the related financial affect cannot be reasonably estimated at this time but may materially affect our business for the full year of 2021.

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to reporting our financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we report certain financial results that differ from what is reported under GAAP. In the following tables, we have presented certain financial measures and ratios identified as non-GAAP such as Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (“EBIT”), adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBIT margin, adjusted income before income taxes, adjusted net income, adjusted net income margin, adjusted diluted earnings per share, Return on Invested Capital (“ROIC”), and free cash flow.

We present these non-GAAP measures because we believe they assist investors in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that are not indicative of our core business or which affect comparability. These non-GAAP measures are also useful in assessing our progress in achieving our long-term financial objectives.

Additionally, we present certain amounts as excluding the effects of foreign currency fluctuations, which are also considered non-GAAP measures. Throughout the following discussions, where amounts are expressed as excluding the effects of foreign currency fluctuations, such changes are determined by translating all amounts in both years using the prior-year average foreign exchange rates. Presenting amounts on a constant currency basis is useful to investors because it enables them to better understand the changes in our businesses that are not related to currency movements.

We estimate the tax effect of the non-GAAP adjustments by applying a marginal rate to each of the respective items. The income tax items represent the discrete amount that affected the period.

The non-GAAP financial information is provided in addition to, and not as an alternative to, our reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP. Presented below is a reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP results discussed throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Please see the non-GAAP reconciliations for free cash flow in the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section.

Reconciliation:

​

​

​

Notes on Non-GAAP Adjustments:

​

​

​

Return on Invested Capital

ROIC is presented below and represents a non-GAAP measure. We believe ROIC is a meaningful measure because it quantifies how efficiently we generated operating income relative to the capital we have invested in the business. ROIC, subject to certain adjustments, is also used as a measure in executive long-term incentive compensation.

The closest U.S. GAAP measure to ROIC is Return on Assets (“ROA”) and is also presented below. ROA is calculated as net income in the fiscal year divided by the two-year average of total assets. ROA decreased to 4.7 percent as compared with 9.4 percent in the prior year. This decrease reflected lower net income and higher average total assets, primarily driven by an increase in cash and cash equivalents partially offset by lower merchandise inventories.

Prior to the adoption of the new lease standard in 2019, we adjusted our results to reflect our operating leases as if they qualified for finance lease treatment or as if the property were purchased. The presentation in 2018 did not reflect the requirements of the new lease standard. With the adoption of this standard, leases are now recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, and therefore, certain adjustments are no longer required. Our ROIC decreased to 8.6 percent in 2020, as compared with 12.5 percent in the prior year. The overall decrease in ROIC reflected a decrease in adjusted return after taxes due to the lower profitability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

​

Calculation of ROIC:

​

​

​

​

​

Overview of Consolidated Results

​

Highlights of our 2020 financial performance include: