MONRO, INC. - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended March 26, 2022

OR

Commission File Number 0-19357

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Monro, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (585) 647-6400

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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 x   No o

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

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 x   No o

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 x   No o

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 provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  o

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. x

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market on September 24, 2021, was $1,977,500,000.

As of May 13, 2022, 33,557,548 shares of registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share, were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held hereafter are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they address future events, developments, and results and do not relate strictly to historical facts. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements preceded by, followed by, or including words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “see,” “seek,” “strategy,” “strive,” “vision,” “will,” “would,” and variations thereof and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. For example, our forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding:

•the potential effect of general business or economic conditions on our business, including the direct and indirect effects of the novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the economy, consumer demand and spending levels, and labor shortages in our markets;

•the impact of competitive services and pricing;

•the effect of economic conditions, seasonality, and the impact of weather conditions and natural disasters on customer demand;

•advances in automotive technologies;

•our dependence on third-party vendors for certain inventory;

•the risks associated with vendor relationships and international trade, particularly imported goods such as those sourced from China;

•the impact of changes in U.S. trade relations and the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, and other potential impediments to imports;

•our ability to service our debt obligations, including our expected annual interest expense;

•our cash needs, including our ability to fund our future capital expenditures and working capital requirements;

•our anticipated sales, comparable store sales, gross profit margin, costs of goods sold (including product mix), operating, selling, general and administrative (“OSG&A”) expenses and other fixed costs, and our ability to leverage those costs;

•management’s estimates and expectations as they relate to income tax liabilities, deferred income taxes, and uncertain tax positions;

•management’s estimates associated with our critical accounting policies, including business combinations, insurance liabilities, and valuations for our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment analyses;

•the impact of industry regulation, including changes in labor laws;

•potential outcomes related to pending or future litigation matters;

•business interruptions;

•risks relating to disruption or unauthorized access to our computer systems;

•our failure to protect customer and employee personal data;

•our ability to consummate the proposed transaction with American Tire Distributors, Inc. and our ability to realize the expected benefits of the transaction;

•risks relating to acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses with ours;

•our growth plans, including our plans to add, renovate, re-brand, expand, remodel, relocate, or close stores and any related costs or charges, our leasing strategy for future expansion, and our ability to renew leases at existing store locations;

•the impact of costs related to planned store closings or potential impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets;

•expected dividend payments;

•our ability to attract, motivate, and retain skilled field personnel and our key executives; and

•the potential impacts of climate change on our business.

Any of these factors, as well as such other factors as discussed in Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors” and throughout Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”), as well as in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. The information provided in this Form 10-K is based upon the facts and circumstances known as of the date of this report, and any forward-looking statements made by us in this Form 10-K speak only as of the date on which they are made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-K to reflect events or circumstances after such date, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Introductory Note

Unless otherwise stated, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “Monro” or the “Company” generally refer to Monro, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, any references to “2022” or “fiscal 2022,” “2021” or “fiscal 2021,” and “2020” or “fiscal 2020” relate to the years ended March 26, 2022, March 27, 2021, and March 28, 2020, respectively.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge on our website at www.monro.com as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing of such reports with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Our investor presentation regarding the financial results for the fiscal year ended March 26, 2022 is available and accessible at Monro's Investor Relations page at https://corporate.monro.com/investors under the Events and Presentations tab. Information available on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Form 10-K. We intend to make future investor presentations available exclusively through our Investor Relations page.

Item 1. Business

General

We are a leading nation-wide operator of retail tire and automotive repair stores in the United States. We offer to our customers, referred to as “guests”, replacement tires and tire related services, automotive undercar repair services, and a broad range of routine maintenance services, primarily on passenger cars, light trucks, and vans. We also provide other products and services for brakes; mufflers and exhaust systems; and steering, drive train, suspension, and wheel alignment.

We believe the convenience and value we offer are key factors in serving and growing our base of customers. At March 26, 2022, we operated 1,304 retail tire and automotive repair stores and serviced approximately 5.2 million vehicles in fiscal 2022.

Our retail tire and automotive repair stores operate primarily under the brands “Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers,” “Tire Choice Auto Service Centers,” “Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers,” “Car-X Tire & Auto,” “Tire Warehouse Tires for Less,” “Ken Towery’s Tire & Auto Care,” “Mountain View Tire & Auto Service,” “Tire Barn Warehouse,” and “Free Service Tire & Auto Centers.”

(a)Includes recently acquired stores to be converted to certain brands named above.

The typical format for a Monro store is a free-standing building consisting of a sales area, fully equipped service bays and a parts/tires storage area. Most service bays are equipped with above-ground electric vehicle lifts. Generally, each store is located within 25 miles of a “key” store which carries approximately double the inventory of a typical store and serves as a mini-distribution point for slower moving inventory for other stores in its area. Individual store sizes, number of bays, and stocking levels vary greatly and are dependent primarily on the availability of suitable store locations, population, demographics, and intensity of competition among other factors.

A certain number of our retail locations also service commercial customers. Our locations that serve commercial customers generally operate consistently with our other retail locations, except that the sales mix for these locations includes a higher number of commercial tires.

As of March 26, 2022, Monro had seven wholesale locations and three retread facilities. The wholesale locations, in most cases, sell tires to customers for resale, although these tire sales do not include installation or other tire related services. The retread facilities re-manufacture tires through the replacement of tread on worn tires that are later sold to customers. Monro also had 79 Car-X franchised locations as of March 26, 2022. (During 2022, we acquired 11 and closed five franchised locations.)

Our operations are organized and managed in one operating segment. The internal management financial reporting that is the basis for evaluation to assess performance and allocate resources by our chief operating decision maker consists of consolidated data that includes the results of our retail, commercial, and wholesale locations. As such, our one operating segment reflects how our operations are managed, how resources are allocated, how operating performance is evaluated by senior management, and the structure of our internal financial reporting.

Monro incorporated in New York in 1959. We maintain our corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York.

Recent Developments

In May 2022, we entered into an agreement with American Tire Distributors, Inc. to sell our wholesale tire operations and internal tire distribution operations for approximately $105 million in the aggregate. Of the $105 million purchase price, $65 million is expected to be paid at the expected closing date during the first quarter of our fiscal year ending March 25, 2023 (“fiscal 2023”) and the remaining $40 million is expected to be paid as earnout payments after the closing. The earnout payments will be earned, on a per-tire basis, based on tires we will buy from American Tire Distributors pursuant to a distribution agreement that we expect to enter with American Tire Distributors at the closing date of the sale of assets.

We expect to enter into additional agreements with American Tire Distributors at or prior to the closing date, including (1) a distribution agreement, in which American Tire Distributors will agree to supply and sell tires to our retail locations; (2) a managed services agreement, in which American Tire Distributors will provide category management, ordering, dashboard, and inventory management services to us; and (3) an agreement relating to preferred data services to be provided to us by American Tire Distributors.

Business Strategy

Our vision is to be America’s leading auto and tire service center, trusted by consumers as the best place in their neighborhoods for quality automotive service and tires. We believe that success in this vision will position Monro to deliver consistent and sustainable organic growth as well as lead to strong, long-term financial performance. Specifically, we are committed to seeing this vision executed across all aspects of the business, through the following actions:

•Exceed guest expectations. We will continue to invest in and execute strategic initiatives to improve our guests’ in-store experience. This included significant investment in technician headcount and compensation in 2022.

•Provide consistent value. We intend to be able to offer better value than new car dealers to more price-sensitive consumers. Vehicles generally need more service and repairs as they advance in age. However, as consumers’ vehicles age, the consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices decreases. Monro’s service menu is focused on items that are purchased frequently, like oil changes and other scheduled services, along with higher value services like tires, brakes, and other undercar services. Our tire pricing and category management system allows us to dynamically track demand trends and make rapid adjustments to optimize our tire assortment by leveraging the breadth of our tire brand portfolio to offer the right tires at what we believe are the right price points.

•Build a committed, knowledgeable organization of friendly and professional teammates. We will continue to invest in technology and training to accelerate productivity and team engagement. This includes our data-driven cloud-based store staffing and scheduling software that re-balances our store technician labor to meet customer demand as well as utilizing Monro University, an extensive cloud-based learning curriculum, to provide our employees, referred to as “teammates,” with the technical training needed to effectively serve our customers today and into the future.

We are committed to building an omni-channel presence through our primary brand websites to create a seamless buying experience for our customers. With responsive optimized design for mobile users, a streamlined tire search and improved content and functionality, our brand websites better position us to address our customers’ needs. These websites, aligned with our primary brand names, help customers search for store locations, access coupons, make service appointments, shop for tires, and access information on our services and products, as well as car care tips. Importantly, they better showcase the solutions we provide to our customers, including our Good, Better, Best product and service packages.

Growth Strategy

Executing on accretive acquisition opportunities remains a key element of our growth strategy. We have a robust pipeline and believe the fragmentation of our industry allows for many opportunities for consolidation. Using consumer demographic analytics, we believe we can better identify targets that operate in the markets with favorable demographics and customer trends, allowing us to enter regions from which we are poised to benefit most. Additionally, to ensure we are capitalizing on these opportunities, we have added talent and an organizational structure to our mergers and acquisitions team, who work with our management team to ensure we capitalize on the momentum in the market.

During the last five years, we have completed 17 acquisitions, adding 225 locations and approximately $314 million in annualized revenue. Additionally, during this time, we have entered five states, solidifying our presence in existing markets as well as expanding into the Western region. As of March 26, 2022, we have stores in 32 states.

In addition to our plan to continue to seek suitable acquisitions, we plan to add new greenfield stores. Greenfield stores include new construction as well as the acquisition of one to four store operations.

Key factors in market and site selection for selecting new greenfield store locations include population, demographic characteristics, vehicle population, and the intensity of competition. We partner with a customer analytics firm to provide market segmentation and demographic data specific to a geographic area near a Monro location to identify high value lookalike customers and market directly to them. We attempt to cluster stores in market areas to achieve economies of scale in advertising, supervision, and distribution costs. All new greenfield sites presently under consideration are within our established market areas.

Purchasing and Distribution

We believe that our substantial buying power and our flexibility in making sourcing decisions contributes to our successful purchasing strategy. We also believe our ability to negotiate with our vendor partners allows us to ensure we are receiving competitive pricing and terms as well as minimize the margin impact of economic pressures such as tariffs, inflation, and supply chain disruptions.

Until we close the proposed transaction with American Tire Distributors, we select and purchase tires, parts, and supplies for all Company-operated stores on a centralized basis through an automatic replenishment system based on operational data we collect from stores daily. This allows us to control store inventory on a near real-time basis. Additionally, each store has access to the inventory carried by up to the 14 stores or distribution center nearest to it. Management believes that this feature improves customer satisfaction and store productivity by reducing the time required to locate out-of-stock parts and tires. It also improves profitability because it reduces the amount of inventory which must be purchased outside Monro from local vendors. Local vendor purchases are made when needed at the store level and accounted for approximately 24 percent of all parts and tires purchased in 2022.

Our ten largest vendors accounted for approximately 83 percent of our total stocking purchases, with the largest vendor accounting for approximately 25 percent of total stocking purchases in 2022. In 2022, Monro imported approximately 11 percent of our parts (excluding batteries, oil, and supplies) and tire purchases. We purchase parts, oil, and tires from approximately 100 vendors. Management believes that our relationships with vendors are excellent and that alternative sources of supply exist, at comparable cost, for substantially all parts used in our business.

We enter into contracts with certain parts and tire suppliers, some of which require us to buy (at market competitive prices) up to 100 percent of our annual purchases of specific products. These agreements expire at various dates. We believe these agreements provide us with high quality, branded merchandise at preferred pricing, along with strong marketing and training support.

Most of our parts supply is distributed to our stores through our network of distribution centers, and vendors ship most of our tires supply directly to our stores. Stores are generally replenished at least monthly, and such replenishment fills, on average, 99 percent of all items ordered by the automatic replenishment system. Monro operates eleven distribution centers in California, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Human Capital

At Monro, our business success is built upon our dedicated, passionate, and diverse teammates who work and live in the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a safe, healthy, inclusive, and supportive work environment where teammates embrace our core value of collaboration, feel empowered, and are motivated to have enriching and successful careers. We seek to be an employer of choice to attract and retain top talent. To that end, we strive to provide an engaging work experience that excites and motivates our teammates to deliver their best every day as well as provides opportunities for learning and growth, to ensure our team is always the best in the business.

As of March 26, 2022, Monro had approximately 8,750 employees, of whom 8,170 were employed in the field organization, 230 were employed at the distribution centers, 300 were employed at our corporate headquarters, referred to as store support center, and 50 were employed in other offices. Monro's employees are not members of any union.

Teammate Retention

We believe that effective human capital management includes preventing situations of understaffing or excessive overtime, teammate burnout or poor work life balance. For this reason, through our continued investment in store staffing to allow for more available workers as well as an increase in scheduling flexibility, we aim to grow teammate satisfaction.

In addition to enhancing the resources available to support our teammates, we have made improvements to our scheduling system which allows teammates to have longer visibility into their schedules and plan for occasions that require an absence.

We also understand that our teammates will benefit from a clear path to advancement and from investments in their continuous learning to allow them to achieve their personal development needs and career growth. To that end, we invest in training and development programs at all levels within the Company. We also leverage annual processes that support individual performance planning, individual professional development planning, and conduct a broad review of talent throughout our organization.

Our continuous efforts to build out our human capital strategy are reflected in our turnover rates in 2022 and 2021, each of which are lower than 2015 - 2020.

In recent years, we have expanded our online training program, Monro University, to be a comprehensive, company-wide training program not only focused on the technical and operational excellence training that technicians need to effectively serve our customers today and prepare them to handle future requirements, but also committed to developing leadership and excellence at all levels within our Company through a wide variety of topics accessible to our teammates in our stores, distribution centers, and store support center.

New technician development has been an area of particular focus for Monro to increase productivity and retention and make it easier for technicians to overcome barriers of joining the industry. One way we do this is by offering a tool purchase program through which trainee technicians can acquire their own set of tools. We also provide Automotive Service Excellence (“ASE”) certification in eight different categories as technicians advance in their careers.

Store and operations managers also have courses available through Monro University that are supplemented with live and on-line vendor training courses. Management training covers topics including safety, customer service, human resources, leadership, and scheduling and is delivered on a regular basis. We believe that involving operations management in the development and delivery of these sessions results in more relevant and actionable training for store managers, helping improve staff retention as well as overall performance.

Monro University also provides targeted training for corporate management and staff, including diversity training, harassment training, and people manager training.

We also foster development through annual reviews at which time employees can discuss with their manager goals for aligning their own development with our business objectives.

Our teammates are compensated in a fair manner which increases along with productivity. Our store compensation plan also streamlines bonus programs, creating consistency and increasing human capital productivity across our stores.

In addition to providing ongoing learning and development opportunities, ensuring our teammates feel supported is also important in teammate retention. Besides standard employee benefits we offer a confidential Employee Assistance Program with 24/7 support, financial counseling, estate planning, and online resources for parents whose children struggle with developmental disabilities, as well as other services aimed at enhancing our teammates’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

One of the ways we embrace our teammates’ well-being is through the administration of our own Teammate Assistance Fund, a third-party 501(c)(3) organization available for all our teammates. Launched in March 2022, the fund provides an opportunity for all teammates to take care of each other through tax-deductible payroll and other one-time contributions. Through donations from Monro and contributions from our teammates, Board members and others, the Teammate Assistance Fund provides timely financial assistance to teammates impacted by financially devastating circumstances beyond their control and their means.

Workplace Safety

We are committed to providing a safe and secure work environment and have specific safety programs. To identify elevated safety-related risk areas more effectively, we have increased our focus on data gathering, tracking, and analysis. With greater insight into real-time data, we can prioritize focus on areas that present the biggest potential hazards to our teammates and identify process improvements. Another important component of our risk analysis is conducting formal and thorough investigations into safety-related incidents. Investigations are analyzed by our Vice President of Risk and Safety as well as our Risk Management Team to determine a root cause, and pro-active plans are in place to improve safety related patterns that emerge, determining the next steps to address these patterns.

Monro’s training programs are key to our strong safety culture. Training increases awareness and helps to reduce and eliminate workplace accidents and injuries. Our Monro University platform has allowed us to conduct more robust and structured trainings based on a teammates’ job position, and Monro’s safety manuals are available at every workstation within our stores and distribution centers and serve as the basis for our safety training and protocols.

COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt how we live and do business, our top priority remains the safety and wellness of our teammates and guests, while keeping our stores open wherever we can. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we have continued to take significant actions to ensure the safety of our teammates and guests, including implementing safe working protocols for store teams; developing work-from-home plans for non-store teammates; assessing appropriate return-to-office protocols; and providing timely and transparent communications to teammates and key stakeholders. We also enacted numerous safety, social distancing, and cleaning measures designed to protect our teammates and guests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity is one of our core values, and we believe that a workplace in which diverse backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking are embraced and valued increases productivity and promotes awareness of our guests’ and communities’ unique needs. Our commitment is to have a workforce and leadership team that closely resembles our growing group of loyal customers we are working hard to attract and retain. This commitment will continue to be supported by training and awareness programs as well as focused efforts to recruit, retain, develop, and promote a diverse workforce. Our Code of Ethics lays out a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment behavior.

We have added resources to our recruitment team to implement hiring initiatives aimed at reaching diverse groups and expanded the recruitment platforms we use to broaden our pool of candidates.

We also view training as a tool to foster inclusion and, through Monro University, we provide Unconscious Bias Diversity and Inclusion Awareness courses to our teammates.

Competition

Our segment of the retail industry is fragmented and highly competitive, and the number, size, and strength of competitors vary widely from region to region. We operate in the automotive repair service and tire industry, which is currently and is expected to continue to be highly competitive with respect to price, store location, name awareness, and customer service. Monro's primary competitors include national and regional undercar, tire specialty and general automotive service chains, both franchised and company-operated; car dealerships; mass merchandisers’ operating service centers; and, to a lesser extent, gas stations, independent garages, and Internet tire sellers. Monro considers TBC Corporation (operating primarily under the NTB, Midas and Tire Kingdom brands), Firestone Complete Auto Care service stores, The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe, and Jack service stores, Meineke, and Mavis Discount Tire to be direct competitors.

Regulation

We maintain programs to facilitate compliance with various federal, state, and local laws and governmental regulations relating to the operation of our business, including, among other things, those regarding employment and labor practices, workplace safety, building and zoning requirements, the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances contained in the products that we sell and use in our service bays, the recycling of batteries, tires and used lubricants, and the ownership and operation of real property. We believe that we are in compliance with these applicable laws and regulations, and our related compliance costs are not material.

Monro stores new oil and recycled antifreeze and generates and/or handles used tires and automotive oils, antifreeze, and certain solvents, which are disposed of by licensed third-party contractors. In certain states, as required, we also recycle oil filters. Accordingly, we are subject to numerous federal, state, and local environmental laws including the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act. In addition, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA"), under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), as well as various state and local environmental protection agencies, regulate our handling and disposal of certain waste products and other materials. The EPA, under the Clean Air Act, also regulates the installation of catalytic converters, engines, and equipment sold or distributed in the United States by periodically spot-checking repair jobs, and may impose sanctions, including but not limited to civil penalties of approximately $37,500 per violation (or approximately $37,500 per day for certain willful violations or failures to cooperate with authorities), for violations of RCRA and the Clean Air Act.

Monro strives to maintain an environmentally conscious corporate culture, demonstrated by our recycling policies at our offices, distribution centers and stores. In 2022, Monro recycled approximately 2.6 million gallons of oil and 3.4 million tires, as well as approximately 78,000 vehicle batteries and 316 tons of cardboard, all as part of our commitment to the environment.

Seasonality

Although our business is not highly seasonal, customers do purchase more undercar service during the period of March through October than the period of November through February, when miles driven tend to be lower. Sales of tires are more heavily weighted in the months of May through August, and October through December. The slowest months are typically January through April and September. As a result, profitability is typically lower during slower sales months, or months where mix is more heavily weighted toward tires, which is a lower margin category.

Sales can also be volatile in areas in which we operate because of warmer weather in winter months, which typically causes a decline in tire sales, or severe weather, which can result in store closures.

Given our use of a fiscal calendar, there may be some fluctuations between quarters due to holiday shifts in the calendar year and the number of days in a particular fiscal quarter or year. In addition, the COVID-19 outbreak has had an impact on consumer behaviors and customer traffic that may have resulted in temporary changes in the seasonal fluctuations of our business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In addition to the risks discussed elsewhere in this annual report, the following are the important factors that could cause Monro’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements:

Risks Related to our Business

Matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic have and will continue to significantly and adversely impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Our business will continue to be affected by the broader economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic and related regulatory and individual actions, including customer demand for our products and services. Because more people in the United States are working from home, those workers will likely drive less often, and are less likely to require our services or will require our services less often. If this trend continues, we may see a permanent decline in demand for our services. Any resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic may reduce levels of leisure travel, which would reduce the demand for our products and services. Additionally, given the continuing uncertainty during the pandemic, we may have to pause store acquisitions and rebrand and reimage initiatives to mitigate the effects of the pandemic or conserve capital, as we did during fiscal 2021.

While we have so far been able to source required products at reasonable cost, the pandemic may also affect our supply chain in ways that are beyond our control, including shipping backlogs delaying our receipt of products. We may also incur costs or experience further disruption to comply with new or changing regulations in response to the pandemic. As we prioritize health and safety matters for our employees and customers, we have and expect to continue to incur additional costs and investments in supplies necessary to keep our employees and customers safe, such as face masks, hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies.

We have encountered labor inefficiencies as we adjust to new operating models to adapt to operating during the pandemic, particularly in the highly competitive market for labor as pandemic restrictions ease. We may be unable to replace employees as quickly as we need to fill positions in our stores, and we have experienced more difficulty in hiring skilled technicians than pre-pandemic. As pandemic restrictions continue to ease, there will also be increased risks to the health and safety of our employees and customers, particularly if there were to be one or more clusters of COVID-19 cases occurring at any of our stores or our corporate headquarters.

The overall magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the extent of its direct and indirect impact on our business, financial position, results of operations or liquidity is inherently uncertain due to the fluidity of the situation. Further, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on many factors that are not within our control, including, but not limited to: governmental, business and individuals' actions that have been and continue to be taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the severity and duration of outbreaks of the virus; the effectiveness of vaccines; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken in response on global and regional economies, travel, and economic activity; the availability of federal, state, local or non-U.S. funding programs; general economic uncertainty in key global markets and financial market volatility, including as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine; global economic conditions and levels of economic growth; and the pace of recovery, particularly in our markets, as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides or pandemic restrictions ease. The pandemic could cause us to experience impairment of our goodwill and other financial assets, reduce demand for our products and services and other adverse impacts on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Sustained adverse effects may also prevent us from satisfying financial covenants in our credit agreement, which would prevent us from paying dividends.

We operate in the highly competitive automotive repair industry.

The automotive repair industry in which we operate is generally highly competitive and fragmented, and the number, size and strength of our competitors vary widely from region to region. We believe that competition in the industry is based primarily on customer service, reputation, store location, name awareness and price. Our primary competitors include national and regional undercar, tire specialty and general automotive service chains, both franchised and company-operated, car dealerships, mass merchandisers operating service centers and, to a lesser extent, gas stations, independent garages, and Internet tire sellers. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources, have access to more developed distribution networks, are more geographically diverse and have better name recognition than we do, which might place us at a competitive disadvantage to those competitors. Because we seek to offer competitive prices, if our competitors reduce prices, we may be forced to reduce our prices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, our success within this industry also depends upon our ability to respond in a timely manner to changes in customer demands for both products and services. We cannot assure that we, or any of our stores, will be able to compete effectively. If we are unable to compete successfully in new and existing markets, we may not achieve our projected revenue and profitability targets.

We are subject to cycles in the general economy and customers’ use of vehicles and seasonality, which may impact demand for our products and services.

Our industry is influenced by the number of miles driven by automobile owners. Factors that may cause the number of miles driven by automobile owners to decrease include the weather, travel patterns, gas prices, trends toward remote work and fluctuations in the general economy. For example, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a marked decrease in the number of miles driven by automobile owners due to the various stay-at-home orders across the regions in which we operate and a negative effect on the demand for our products and services. When the retail cost of gasoline increases, such as after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia and companies affiliated with the Russian government, the number of miles driven by automobile owners may decrease, which could result in less frequent service intervals and fewer repairs. The number of vehicle miles driven may also decrease if consumers begin to rely more heavily on mass transportation.

Sales can decline in areas in which we operate because of warmer weather in winter months or severe weather, which can result in store closures. Although our business is not highly seasonal, our customers typically purchase more undercar services during the period of March through October than the period of November through February, when miles driven tend to be lower. Further, customers may defer or forego vehicle maintenance at any time during periods of inclement weather. Sales of tires are more heavily weighted in the months of May through August, and October through December. The slowest months are typically January through April and September. As a result, profitability is typically lower during slower sales months or months where mix is more heavily weighted toward tires, which is a lower margin category.

Any continued significant reduction in the number of miles driven by automobile owners will have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our business is affected by advances in automotive technology.

The demand for our products and services could be adversely affected by continuing developments in automotive technology. Automotive manufacturers are producing cars that last longer and require service and maintenance at less frequent intervals in certain cases. Quality improvement of manufacturers’ original equipment parts has in the past reduced, and may in the future reduce, demand for our products and services, adversely affecting our sales. For example, manufacturers’ use of stainless-steel exhaust components has significantly increased the life of those parts, thereby decreasing the demand for exhaust repairs and replacements. Longer and more comprehensive warranty or service programs offered by automobile manufacturers and other third parties also could adversely affect the demand for our products and services. We believe that most new automobile owners have their cars serviced by a dealer during the period that the car is under warranty.

Advances in electric vehicle technology and production may adversely affect the demand for our services because electric vehicles do not have traditional engines, transmissions, and certain related parts. An increase in the proportion of electric vehicles sold could decrease our service-related revenue. In addition, advances in automotive technology continue to require us to incur additional costs to update our diagnostic capabilities and technical training programs. Changes in vehicle and powertrain technology and advances in accident-avoidance technology, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and mobility could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or investors’ perception of our business, any of which could have an adverse effect upon the price of our common stock.

Changes in economic conditions that impact consumer spending could harm our business.

The automotive repair industry and our financial performance are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact consumer spending, including inflation, economic volatility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Future economic conditions affecting consumer income such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, inflation and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or cause consumers to shift their spending to other products. Historic increases in inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic may cause consumers to be more sensitive to price changes and cause consumers to delay or forgo vehicle maintenance. During periods of good economic conditions, consumers may decide to purchase new vehicles rather than servicing their older vehicles. In addition, if automobile manufacturers offer lower pricing on new or leased cars, more consumers may purchase or lease new vehicles rather than servicing older vehicles. A general reduction in the level of consumer spending or shifts in consumer spending to other services could have a material adverse effect on our growth, sales, and profitability.

We depend on our relationships with our vendors for certain inventory.

We depend on close relationships with our vendors for parts, tires and supplies and for our ability to purchase products at competitive prices and terms. Our ability to purchase at competitive prices and terms results from the volume of our purchases from these vendors.

We entered into various contracts with parts suppliers that require us to buy from them (at market competitive prices) up to 100 percent of our annual purchases of specific products. These agreements expire at various dates.

If the transaction with American Tire Distributors closes, we will rely on American Tire Distributors for most of the tires we sell to our customers. If this supplier were to experience shortages and we are unable to purchase our desired volume of tires, our tire sales and ability to service our customers could suffer considerably.

We believe that alternative sources exist for most of the products we sell or use at our stores, and we would not expect the loss of any one supplier to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. If any of our suppliers do not perform adequately or otherwise fail to distribute parts or other supplies to our stores, our inability to replace the suppliers in a timely manner and on acceptable terms could increase our costs and could cause shortages or interruptions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Because we purchase products such as oil and tires, which are subject to cost variations related to commodity costs, if we cannot pass along cost increases, our profitability would be negatively impacted.

Our business may be negatively affected by the risks associated with vendor relationships and international trade.

We depend on several products (e.g. brake parts, tires, oil filters) produced in foreign markets. Any changes in U.S. trade policies, or uncertainty with respect to the future of U.S. trade policies, resulting in increased costs which we are not able to offset with pricing increases of our own could adversely affect our financial performance.

We also face other risks associated with the delivery of inventory originating outside the United States, including:

potential economic and political instability in countries where our suppliers are located;

increases in shipping costs;

transportation delays and interruptions, including those occurring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine;

compliance with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits U.S. companies from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials; and

significant fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies.

Changes in the U.S. trade environment, including the imposition of import tariffs, could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.

In recent years, trade tensions between the U.S. government and China have increased as the U.S. government has implemented and proposed tariffs and the Chinese government proposed retaliatory tariffs. Although we have no foreign operations and do not manufacture any products, tariffs imposed on products that we sell, such as tires, may cause our expenses to increase, which could adversely affect our profitability unless we are able to raise our prices for these products. If we increase the price of products impacted by tariffs, our service offerings may become less attractive relative to services offered by our competitors or cause our customers to delay needed maintenance. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these trade actions by the U.S. or other countries, the impact of these trade actions on our operations or results remains uncertain. However, the tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or retaliatory trade restrictions implemented by other countries, could adversely affect the operating profits of our business, which could have an adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations, our liquidity will suffer and we may be unable to satisfy our obligations.

We currently rely on cash flow from operations and our revolving credit facility with eight banks (the “Credit Facility”) to fund our business. Amounts outstanding on the Credit Facility are reported as debt on our balance sheet. While we believe that we have the ability to sufficiently fund our planned operations and capital expenditures for the foreseeable future, various risks to our business could result in circumstances that would materially affect our liquidity. For example, cash flows from our operations could be affected by changes in consumer spending habits, the failure to maintain favorable vendor payment terms or our inability to successfully implement sales growth initiatives, among other factors. We may be unsuccessful in securing alternative financing when needed on terms that we consider acceptable.

As of March 26, 2022, there was $176.5 million outstanding under the Credit Facility. Any significant increase in our leverage could have the following risks:

our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, store renovations, acquisitions or general corporate purposes may be impaired in the future;

our failure to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants governing our debt, which, among other things, require us to comply with certain financial ratios and limit our ability to incur additional debt and sell assets, could result in an event of default that, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations; and

our exposure to certain financial market risks, including fluctuations in interest rates associated with bank borrowings could become more significant.

Although we believe that we will remain in compliance with our debt covenants, if we are not able to do so our lenders may restrict our ability to draw on our Credit Facility, which could have a negative impact on our operations, ability to pay dividends, and growth potential, including our ability to complete acquisitions.

Legal, Regulatory and Technological Risks

Our industry is subject to environmental, consumer protection and other regulation.

We are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental laws, building and zoning requirements, employment and labor laws and other governmental regulations regarding the operation of our business. For example, we are subject to rules governing the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances contained in some of the products such as motor oil that we sell and use at our stores, the recycling of batteries, tires and used lubricants, and the ownership and operation of real property. These laws and regulations can impose fines and criminal sanctions for violations as well as require the installation of pollution control equipment or operational changes to decrease the likelihood of accidental hazardous substance releases. Accordingly, we could become subject to material liabilities relating to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties, and to claims alleging personal injury or property damage because of exposure to, or release of, hazardous substances. In addition, stricter interpretation of existing laws and regulations, new laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new or increased requirements could require us to incur costs or become the basis of new or increased liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

National automotive repair chains have also been the subject of investigations and reports by consumer protection agencies and the Attorneys General of various states. Publicity in connection with these kinds of investigations could have an adverse effect on our sales and, consequently, our business, financial condition, and results of operations. State and local governments have also enacted numerous consumer protection laws with which we must comply.

The costs of operating our stores may increase if there are changes in laws governing minimum hourly wages, working conditions, overtime, workers’ compensation and health insurance rates, unemployment tax rates or other laws and regulations. We have experienced and expect further increases in payroll expenses because of federal, state, and local mandated increases in the minimum wage, inflation, and demand for workers in the current labor market. Our vendors are also subject to these factors, which may increase the prices we pay for their products. A material increase in these costs that we were unable to offset by increasing our prices or by other means could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are involved in litigation from time to time arising from the operation of our business and, as such, we could incur substantial judgments, fines, legal fees, or other costs.

We are sometimes the subject of complaints or litigation from customers, employees or other third parties for various actions. From time to time, we are involved in litigation involving claims related to, among other things, breach of contract, negligence, tortious conduct and employment and labor law matters, including payment of wages. The damages sought against us in some of these litigation proceedings could be substantial. Although we maintain liability insurance for some litigation claims, if one or more of the claims were to greatly exceed our insurance coverage limits or if our insurance policies do not cover a claim, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Business interruptions may negatively impact our store operations, availability of products and/or the operability of our computer systems, which may have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations. A breach of our computer systems could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

If any of our locations in a particular region are unexpectedly closed permanently or for a period of time, it could have a negative impact on our business. Such closures could occur because of circumstances out of our control, including war, acts of terrorism, global health crises, extreme weather conditions, including extreme weather events caused by climate change, and other natural disasters. Further, if our ability to obtain products and merchandise for use in our stores is impeded, it could have a negative impact on our business. Factors that could negatively affect our ability to obtain products and merchandise include the sudden inability to import goods into the United States for any reason and the curtailment or delay of commercial transportation. While we do maintain business interruption insurance, there is no guarantee that we will be able to use such insurance for any particular location closure or other interruption in operations.

Additionally, given the number of individual transactions we process each year, it is critical that we maintain uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware and software systems. Our systems could be subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches, including breaches of our transaction processing or other systems that result in the compromise of confidential customer data, catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, and usage errors by our employees. If our systems are breached, damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim, we may face costly litigation, and our reputation with our customers may be harmed. The risk of disruption is increased in periods where complex and significant systems changes are undertaken. Any material interruption in our computer operations may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

If we experience a data security breach and confidential customer or employee information is disclosed, we may be subject to penalties and experience negative publicity, which could affect our customer relationships and have a material adverse effect on our business. We may incur increasing costs in an effort to minimize these cyber security risks.

The nature of our business involves the receipt and storage of personally identifiable data of our customers and employees. This type of data is subject to legislation and regulation in various jurisdictions. We have been subject to cyber-attacks in the past and we may suffer data security breaches arising from future attacks. We may currently be at a higher risk of a security breach due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased number of our employees who are working remotely, and cyber-attacks related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting state and federal legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security. We may become exposed to potential liabilities with respect to the data that we collect, manage and process, and may incur legal costs if our information security policies and procedures are not effective or if we are required to defend our methods of collection, processing, and storage of personal data. Future investigations, lawsuits or adverse publicity relating to our methods of handling personal data could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows due to the costs and negative market reaction relating to such developments.

We may not have the resources or technical expertise to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Attacks have been targeted at us, our customers, or others who have entrusted us with information. Actual or anticipated attacks will cause us to incur increased costs, including costs to hire additional personnel, purchase additional protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants. In addition, data and security breaches can also occur because of non-technical issues, including breach by us or by persons with whom we have commercial relationships that result in the unauthorized release of personal or confidential information. Any compromise or breach of our security could result in violation of applicable privacy and other laws, significant legal and financial exposure, and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our reputation.

Risks Related to our Strategic Initiatives

The proposed transaction with American Tire Distributors may not be consummated, and even if consummated, may not be successful.

There can be no assurance that the proposed transaction with American Tire Distributors will be consummated. The transaction is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of specific closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period, receipt of a waiver from the Company’s credit facility lenders and other customary closing conditions. The failure to satisfy all of the required conditions could delay the completion of the transaction for a significant period of time or prevent them from occurring at all. There can be no assurance that these and other conditions to closing will be satisfied in a timely manner or at all. We are also subject to restrictions on our business while the transaction is pending, including by conducting the business only in the

ordinary course and conferring with American Tire Distributors regarding any material matters relating to the business. These restrictions may prevent us from pursuing attractive business opportunities or responding effectively to competitive pressures and industry developments that may arise prior to the completion of the pending transaction or otherwise adversely affect our ability to execute on our business strategy, which could adversely affect our business or financial condition. Our failure to consummate the transaction could result in negative publicity and a negative impression of our company. Further, any disruptions to our business resulting from the proposed transaction, including any adverse changes in our relationships with our employees and customers, could continue or accelerate in the event that the transaction is not completed. Also, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant costs, expenses and fees for professional services and other transaction costs in connection with the proposed transaction. Many of these fees and costs will be payable by us even if the proposed transaction is not completed and may relate to activities that we would not have undertaken in the absence of the transactions contemplated by the agreement with American Tire Distributors. Even if we complete the transaction with American Tire Distributors, we may not realize the expected benefits of the transaction. In changing the distribution system we have relied on in the past, we may disrupt our operations and cause delays in sourcing products for our customer or in completing services for them. While we believe we will experience cost savings because of this transaction, we may never realize those savings. Any of these risks could materially and adversely impact our ongoing business, financial condition, financial results, and stock price.

We may not be successful in integrating new and acquired stores.

Management believes that our continued growth in sales and profit is dependent, in large part, upon our ability to operate new stores that we open or acquire on a profitable basis. To do so, we must find reasonably priced new store locations and acquisition candidates that meet our criteria and we must integrate any new stores (opened or acquired) into our system. Our growth and profitability could be adversely affected if we are unable to open or acquire new stores or if new or existing stores do not operate at a sufficient level of profitability. In addition, our profitability could be adversely affected if we fail to retain key personnel from acquired stores or assume unanticipated liabilities of acquired businesses. To the extent we acquire stores or expand into new geographic regions, we must anticipate the needs of customers and the vehicle population in those regions, which may differ from our existing customers and the vehicle populations we serve, while integrating the stores in the new geographic region into our existing network of stores. If new stores do not achieve expected levels of profitability or we are unable to integrate stores in new geographic regions into our business, our ability to remain in compliance with our debt covenants or to make required payments under our credit facility may be adversely impacted.

If our capital investments in remodeling existing or acquired stores, building new stores, and improving technology do not achieve appropriate returns, our competitive position, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business depends, in part, on our ability to remodel existing or acquired stores and build new stores in a manner that achieves appropriate returns on our capital investment. Pursuing the wrong remodel or new store opportunities and any delays, cost increases, disruptions or other uncertainties related to those opportunities could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are currently making, and expect to continue to make, investments in technology to improve customer experience and certain management systems. The effectiveness of these investments can be less predictable than remodeling stores and might not provide the anticipated benefits or desired rates of return.

Pursuing the wrong investment opportunities, making an investment commitment significantly above or below our needs, or failing to effectively incorporate acquired businesses into our business could result in the loss of our competitive position and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Any impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets or long-lived assets could negatively impact our results of operations.

Our goodwill is subject to an impairment test on an annual basis. Goodwill, other intangible assets, and long-lived assets are also tested whenever events and circumstances indicate that goodwill, other intangible assets and/or long-lived assets may be impaired. Any excess goodwill resulting from the impairment test must be written off in the period of determination. Intangible assets (other than goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets) and other long-lived assets are generally amortized or depreciated over the useful life of such assets. In addition, from time to time, we may acquire or make an investment in a business that will require us to record goodwill based on the purchase price and the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We have significantly increased our goodwill because of our acquisitions. We may subsequently experience unforeseen issues with the businesses we acquire, which may adversely affect the anticipated returns of the business or value of the intangible assets and trigger an evaluation of recoverability of the recorded goodwill and intangible assets. Future determinations of significant write-offs of goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets, because of an impairment test or any accelerated amortization or depreciation of other intangible assets or other long-lived assets, including those caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition. 

Planned store closings have resulted in acceleration of costs and future store closings could result in additional costs.

From time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, we close certain stores, generally based on considerations of store profitability, competition, strategic factors and other considerations. The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may require us to close certain stores either temporarily or permanently. Closing a store could subject us to costs including the write-down of leasehold improvements, equipment, furniture, and fixtures. In addition, we could remain liable for future lease obligations.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We may not pay or may reduce the dividends on our common stock.

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Although we have historically declared cash dividends on our common stock, we are not required to do so and may reduce or eliminate our common stock dividend in the future. This could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The multi-class structure of our capital stock has the effect of concentrating power with holders of our Class C Convertible Preferred Stock, which severely limits the ability of our common shareholders to influence or direct the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval.

At least 60% of the shares of Class C Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Class C Preferred”) must vote as a separate class or unanimously consent to effect or validate any action taken by our common shareholders. Therefore, the Class C Preferred holders have an effective veto over all matters put to a vote of our common stock and could use that veto power to block any matter that the holders of common stock may approve. As of March 26, 2022, Peter J. Solomon, one of our directors, and members of his family beneficially own all of the outstanding shares of Class C Preferred. As a result, for the foreseeable future and unless the shares of Class C Preferred are converted into common stock, Mr. Solomon will be able to control matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of members of our board of directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation, and the approval of any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transaction. Mr. Solomon may have interests that differ from our common shareholders and may vote in a way with which our other shareholders disagree or adverse to our shareholders’ interests. The concentration of voting control will limit or preclude our common shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future and could have the effect of delaying, preventing, or deterring a change in control of our company, could deprive holders of our common stock of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and could negatively affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, this concentration of voting power may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that our other shareholders or the Board of Directors may feel are in our best interest.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could expose us to shareholder action including securities class action litigation.

The stock market and the price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations based upon general economic and market conditions. Downturns in the stock market may cause the price of our common stock to decline. The market price of our stock may also be affected by our ability to meet analysts’ expectations. Failure to meet such expectations, even slightly, could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, shareholder action including securities class action litigation has often been instituted against such a company. If similar litigation were instituted against us, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

General Risk Factors

We rely on an adequate supply of skilled field personnel.

To continue to provide high quality services, we require an adequate supply of skilled field managers and technicians. Trained and experienced automotive field personnel are in high demand, and may be in short supply in some areas, a challenge that has been highlighted by the tight labor market following the easing of pandemic restrictions. We cannot assure that we will be able to attract, motivate and maintain an adequate skilled workforce necessary to operate our existing and future stores efficiently, or that labor expenses will not increase because of a shortage in the supply of skilled field personnel, thereby adversely impacting our financial performance. While the automotive repair industry generally operates with high field employee turnover, any material increases in

employee turnover rates in our stores, inability to recruit new employees or any widespread employee dissatisfaction could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We depend on the services of our key executives.

Our senior executives are important to our success because they have been instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting and training key personnel, identifying expansion opportunities and arranging necessary financing. Losing the services of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business until a suitable replacement is found. It may be difficult to replace them quickly with executives of comparable experience and capabilities. Although we have employment agreements with certain of our executives, we cannot prevent them from terminating their employment with us. To the extent we have turnover within our management team, we may have to spend more time and resources training new members of management and integrating them in our company. The loss of service of any one of our key executives would likely cause a disruption in our business plans and may adversely impact our results of operations.

We have had significant changes in executive leadership, and more changes could occur. Changes to strategic or operating goals, which can occur with the appointment of new executives, can create uncertainty, and may ultimately be unsuccessful. In addition, executive leadership transition periods, including adding new personnel, could be difficult as new executives gain an understanding of our business and strategy. Difficulty integrating new executives, or the loss of key individuals could limit our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and could have an adverse effect on our overall financial condition.

We are subject to the short- and long-term risks of climate change.

In the short term, extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change could result in store closures, make it difficult for our teammates and customers to travel to our stores, and negatively impact customers’ disposable income, thereby reducing our sales. If we continually experience unseasonable weather, our forecasts of predicting customer behavior may prove incorrect and cause us to inefficiently allocate our resources, which could adversely impact our results of operations. In the long term, we are subject to the risk that our stores are physically located in areas that could be threatened by heat and extreme weather events that make those areas uninhabitable. We are also subject to transition risks, such as changes in energy prices, which could cause more customers to reduce overall miles driven, increase reliance on public transportation or ride sharing, or drive electric or alternative fuel vehicles, any of which could harm our profitability; prolonged climate-related events affecting macroeconomic conditions with related effects on consumer spending and confidence; stakeholder perception of our engagement in climate-related policies; and new regulatory requirements resulting in higher compliance risk and operational costs. The realization of any of these short- or long-term risks could materially adversely affect our financial condition.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. Properties

Our policy is to situate new Company-operated stores in the best locations, without regard to the form of ownership required to develop the locations. In general, we lease store sites for a ten-year period with several renewal options (up to ten years). Giving effect to all renewal options, approximately 61 percent of the leases (599 stores) expire after March 2032. Certain leases provide for contingent rental payments if a percentage of annual gross sales exceed the base fixed rental amount. The highest contingent percentage rent of any lease is 7.5 percent, and no such lease has adversely affected profitability of the store subject thereto.

Our seven wholesale locations are situated within distribution centers that are leased.

We own our corporate headquarters building located in Rochester, New York, and we lease and own additional office space elsewhere in the U.S.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time we are a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business. We do not believe that such claims or lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Legal matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and there exists the possibility that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse impact on us and our financial condition and results of operations.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Company's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

Our common stock, par value $.01 per share, is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "MNRO".

Holders of Record

As of May 13, 2022, our common stock was held by approximately 44 shareholders of record. This figure does not include an estimate of the indeterminate number of beneficial holders whose shares may be held of record by brokerage firms and clearing agencies.

Dividends

Dividends declared per share for 2022, 2021, and 2020 are disclosed in our Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity. The declaration of future dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, compliance with charter and contractual restrictions, and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. We currently expect that comparable dividends will continue to be declared in the future. Under our Credit Facility, there are no restrictions on our ability to declare dividends as long as we are in compliance with the covenants in the Credit Facility. For additional information regarding our Credit Facility, see Note 7 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Stock Performance Graph

The graph above compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock for the last five fiscal years ended March with (1) the cumulative return on the S&P Industrials Index and (2) the cumulative return on the S&P Specialty Stores Index. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in Monro common stock, the S&P Industrials Index, and the S&P Specialty Stores Index and reinvestment of all dividends.

Item 6. [Reserved]

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

Executive Overview

We continue to make strategic investments to support our operating and financial model designed to drive sustainable sales and profit growth. We have done this through our investment strategy focused on improving guest experience, enhancing customer-centric engagement, optimizing product and service offerings, and accelerating productivity and team engagement, as well as our growth strategy, including executing on accretive acquisition opportunities. During 2022, we:

Invested significantly in our team, including incremental investment in our technician labor.

Transformed 53 stores through rebranding and reimaging.

Acquired 47 stores through acquisition.

Recent Developments

In May 2022, we entered into an agreement with American Tire Distributors, Inc. to sell to our wholesale tire operations and internal tire distribution operations for approximately $105 million in the aggregate. Of the $105 million purchase price, $65 million is expected to be paid at the expected closing date during the first quarter of fiscal 2023 and the remaining $40 million is expected to be paid as earnout payments after the closing. The earnout payments will be earned, on a per-tire basis, based on tires we will buy from American Tire Distributors pursuant to a distribution agreement that we expect to enter with American Tire Distributors at the closing date of the sale of assets.

We expect to enter into additional agreements with American Tire Distributors at or prior to the closing date, including (1) a distribution agreement, in which American Tire Distributors will agree to supply and sell tires to our retail locations; (2) a managed services agreement, in which American Tire Distributors will provide category management, ordering, dashboard, and inventory management services to us; and (3) an agreement relating to preferred data services to be provided to us by American Tire Distributors.

Financial Summary

2022 included the following notable items:

Diluted earnings per common share (“EPS”) were $1.81.

Adjusted diluted EPS, a non-GAAP measure, were $1.85.

Sales increased 20.8 percent, driven by an increase in comparable store sales.

Comparable store sales increased 15.2 percent from the prior year, driven primarily by an increase in average ticket amount and guest traffic.

Operating income of $101.3 million was 40.2 percent higher than the prior year.

Net income was $61.6 million.

Adjusted net income, a non-GAAP measure, was $63.1 million.

Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, each of which is a measure not derived in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“GAAP”), exclude the impact of certain items. Management believes that adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS are useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of our operations by excluding certain non-recurring items and items related to store impairment charges and closings, as well as Monro.Forward or acquisition initiatives. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures are provided beginning on page 26 under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We define comparable store sales as sales for locations that have been opened or owned at least one full fiscal year. We believe this period is generally required for new store sales levels to begin to normalize. Management uses comparable store sales to assess the operating performance of the Company’s stores and believes the metric is useful to investors because our overall results are dependent

upon the results of our stores. Comparable sales measures vary across the retail industry. Therefore, our comparable store sales calculation is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Impact of COVID-19

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on factors such as the length of time of the pandemic; how federal, state, and local governments are responding; the efficacy and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines; the longer-term impact of the pandemic on the economy and consumer behavior; and the effect on our guests, teammates, vendors, and other partners.

During this time, we are focused on protecting the health and safety of our teammates and guests, while seeking to continue operating our business responsibly.

Although vaccine distribution has increased and more businesses are operating at levels similar to pre-pandemic capacity, we have experienced labor inefficiencies and a shortage of teammates in some of our store locations. If we are unable to fill enough teammate positions, we may be unable to earn as much revenue as if we were fully staffed. We have had to pay more for labor because our teammates continue working overtime to meet the surge in demand, which, along with an incremental investment we made in technician labor costs to support current and future sales growth amidst improving consumer demand trends, increased our technician labor costs as a percentage of sales and may decrease our gross profit and net income if not offset by other factors. Although we are experiencing unprecedented challenges during this pandemic, we continue our focus to remain as efficient as possible while still offering safe and high-quality service to our guests.

While we expect many teammates to return to our offices in the future, the timing of such a return could be affected by resurgences of COVID-19 in areas where our offices are located. When we return to our offices, we expect many teammates to continue to work in a hybrid of in-person and remote work. These changes to our operations going forward may present additional challenges and increased costs to ensure our offices are safe and functional for hybrid work that enable effective collaboration of both in-person and remote teammates.

Given the level of volatility and uncertainty surrounding the future impact of COVID-19, we cannot estimate with certainty the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Please see the risks set forth in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” above for further discussion of the risks that may impact our longer-term operational and financial performance.

Analysis of Results of Operations

We have elected to omit discussion on the earliest of the three years covered by the consolidated financial statements presented. The discussion of our fiscal 2021 performance compared to our fiscal 2020 performance and our financial condition as of March 27, 2021 is incorporated herein by reference to Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” located in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 27, 2021, filed on May 26, 2021. 

Sales

Sales include automotive undercar repair, tire replacement and tire related service sales, net of discounts, returns, etc., and revenue from the sale of warranty agreements and commissions earned from the delivery of tires. See Note 8 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for additional information. We use comparable store sales to evaluate the performance of our existing stores by measuring the change in sales for a period over the comparable, prior-year period of equivalent length. There were 361 selling days in both 2022 and 2021.

Sales growth – from both comparable store sales and new stores – represents an important driver of our long-term profitability. We expect that comparable store sales growth will significantly impact our total sales growth. We believe that our ability to successfully differentiate our guests’ experience through a careful combination of merchandise assortment, price, convenience, and other factors will, over the long-term, drive both increasing guest traffic and the average ticket amount spent.

The sales increase was primarily due to an increase in comparable store sales from an increase in average ticket amount and guest traffic as comparable store sales growth increased across our product categories with higher growth in our tires, maintenance, and brakes categories. Additionally, there was an increase in sales from new stores. Partially offsetting these increases was a decrease in sales from closed stores. The following table shows the drivers of the change in sales between 2022 and 2021.

(a)Sales from 2022 and 2021 acquisitions represented 6.0 percent of the changes between 2022 and 2021.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved, demand for automotive undercar repair services as well as replacement tires and tire related services continues to be volatile. During 2022, comparable store sales growth increased across our product categories with higher growth in our higher-margin brakes, alignment, and maintenance categories, as well as our tire category, each of which had experienced declines during 2021.

(a)Steering product category includes front end/shocks and alignment product category sales.

(a)Includes 47 stores opened related to the 2022 acquisitions.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

The increase in gross profit, as a percentage of sales, of 30 basis points (“bps”) for 2022, as compared to the prior year, was primarily due to a decrease in material costs, as a percentage of sales, because of a shift in sales mix from tires to our higher margin service categories. Additionally, through the use of our tire category and management pricing tool, we expanded our gross profit per tire from the prior year. We anticipate that expected inflationary impacts of higher material costs in the coming year will be offset by higher selling prices. The increase in gross profit, as a percentage of sales, was also partially due to a decrease in distribution and occupancy costs, as a percentage of sales, as we gained leverage on these largely fixed costs with higher overall comparable store sales. Partially offsetting these decreases was an increase in technician labor costs, which increased as a percentage of sales, as we made an incremental investment in technician labor to support current and future sales growth amidst improving consumer demand trends for our product and service categories and competitive pressure in the labor market for technicians. We expect to invest more in our teams in the coming year as we continue to build staffing to meet demand.

Operating, Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

The increase of $57.6 million in operating, selling, general and administrative (“OSG&A”) expenses from the prior year is primarily due to increased expenses from comparable stores, mainly store management compensation and operating expenses needed to match demand. However, we gained leverage with higher overall comparable store sales, which resulted in the decrease in OSG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, from the prior year. The increase in OSG&A expenses for 2022 was also partially due to increased expenses from 48 new stores, as well as an increase in litigation settlement costs (mainly related to the Cerini matter described in Note 15 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements). Partially offsetting these increases were lower expenses for 2022 from seven stores closed compared to the prior year.

Other Performance Factors

Net Interest Expense

Net interest expense of $24.6 million for 2022 decreased $3.6 million as compared to the prior year and decreased as a percentage of sales from 2.5 percent to 1.8 percent. Weighted average debt outstanding for 2022 decreased by approximately $100 million as compared to 2021. This decrease is primarily related to a decrease in debt outstanding under our Credit Facility. Partially offsetting this decrease was an increase in finance lease debt recorded in connection with the 2022 acquisitions. The weighted average interest rate increased approximately 10 basis points from the prior year.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was 20.3 percent for 2022 compared to 22.3 percent for 2021. The effective tax rate for 2022 and 2021 reflects an income tax benefit of $3.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively, due to the difference in statutory tax rates from a loss year to years in which such net operating loss may be carried back. See Note 9 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to reporting net income and diluted EPS, which are GAAP measures, this Form 10-K includes adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, which are non-GAAP financial measures. We have included reconciliations to adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS from our most directly comparable GAAP measures, net income, and diluted EPS, below. Management views these non-GAAP financial measures as indicators to better assess comparability between periods because management believes these non-GAAP financial measures reflect our core business operations while excluding certain non-recurring items and items related to store impairment charges and closings, as well as Monro.Forward or acquisition initiatives.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not intended to represent, and should not be considered more meaningful than, or as an alternative to, their most directly comparable GAAP measures. These non-GAAP financial measures may be different from similarly titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

Adjusted net income is summarized as follows:

Adjusted diluted EPS is summarized as follows:

(a)Amounts, in the periods presented, may be too minor in amount, net of the impact from income taxes, to have an impact on the calculation of adjusted diluted EPS.

Note: The calculation of the impact of non-GAAP adjustments on diluted EPS is performed on each line independently. The table may not add down by +/- $0.01 due to rounding.

The income tax benefit related to net operating loss carryback adjustment to each of net income and diluted EPS is tax affected and reflects the difference in statutory tax rates from a loss year to years in which such net operating loss may be carried back, as finalized in 2022. The other adjustments to diluted EPS reflect adjusted effective tax rates of 24.1 percent and 23.5 percent for 2022 and 2021, respectively. These adjusted effective tax rates exclude the income tax impacts from share-based compensation and differences in statutory tax rates for net operating loss carrybacks. See adjustments from the Reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income table above for pre-tax amounts.

Analysis of Financial Condition

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Capital Allocation

We expect to continue to generate positive operating cash flow as we have done in each of the last three fiscal years. The cash we generate from our operations will allow us to continue to support business operations, including planned investment in additional staffing, invest in attractive acquisition opportunities intended to drive long-term sustainable growth, pay down debt, return cash to our shareholders through our dividend program and repurchase shares of our common stock under our common stock repurchase program.

In addition, because we believe a large portion of our future expenditures will be to fund our growth, through acquisition of retail stores and/or opening greenfield stores, we continually evaluate our cash needs and may decide it is best to fund the growth of our business through borrowings on our Credit Facility. Conversely, we may also periodically determine that it is in our best interests to voluntarily repay certain indebtedness early.

Material Cash Requirements

We enter into contractual obligations in the ordinary course of business that may require future cash payments. Such obligations include, but are not limited to, debt service, leasing arrangements, and other liabilities. The timing and nature of these obligations are expected to have an impact on our liquidity and capital requirements in future periods.

Contractual Obligations

(a)Finance and operating lease commitments represent future undiscounted lease payments and include $103.5 million and $65.4 million, respectively, related to options to extend lease terms that are reasonably certain of being exercised.

Sources and Conditions of Liquidity

Our sources to fund our material cash requirements are predominantly cash from operations, availability under our Credit Facility, and cash and equivalents on hand. 

Summary of Cash Flows

The following table presents a summary of our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities.

Cash provided by operating activities

For 2022, cash provided by operating activities was $173.8 million, which consisted of net income of $61.6 million, adjusted by non-cash charges of $99.3 million and by a change in operating assets and liabilities of $12.8 million. The non-cash charges were largely driven by $81.2 million of depreciation and amortization. The change in operating assets and liabilities was largely due to our federal and state income taxes payable being a source of cash of $13.8 million due primarily to an income tax refund that was received.

For 2021, cash provided by operating activities was $184.9 million, which consisted of net income of $34.3 million, adjusted by non-cash charges of $90.2 million and by a change in operating assets and liabilities of $60.4 million. The non-cash charges were largely driven by $77.3 million of depreciation and amortization. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to accounts payable and accrued liabilities, net of vendor rebate receivables, being a source of cash of $37.2 million driven by timing of payments, as well as our inventory balance being a source of cash of $26.6 million due to decreased inventory purchases to adjust to lower demand.

Cash used for investing activities

For 2022, cash used for investing activities was $109.8 million. This was primarily due to cash used for acquisitions and capital expenditures, including property and equipment, of $83.3 million and $27.8 million, respectively. Included in the $83.3 million used for acquisitions was $0.8 million paid to the seller of the 2021 acquisition as the lease assignment for one store location was finalized during the period.

For 2021, cash used for investing activities was $66.3 million. This was primarily due to cash used for capital expenditures, including property and equipment, and acquisitions of $51.7 million and $17.2 million, respectively.