Party City Holdco Inc. - Quarter Report: 2021 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

OR

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission file number 001-37344

Party City Holdco Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(914) 345-2020

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

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

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

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

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

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

As of April 28, 2021, 111,296,696 shares of the Registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

PARTY CITY HOLDCO INC.

Form 10-Q

March 31, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PARTY CITY HOLDCO INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share data)

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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PARTY CITY HOLDCO INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

*Includes royalties and franchise fees. Prior year amounts conformed to current year presentation.

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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PARTY CITY HOLDCO INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

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PARTY CITY HOLDCO INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

*Includes $144 of restricted cash for the three months ended March 31, 2020. There was no restricted cash as of March 31, 2021. The Company records restricted cash in prepaid expenses and other current assets as presented in the consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020.

**See Note 17 – Kazzam, LLC.

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NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share)

Note 1 – Description of Business

Party City Holdco Inc. (the “Company” or “Party City Holdco”) is the leading party goods company by revenue in North America and, we believe, the largest vertically integrated supplier of decorated party goods globally by revenue. The Company is a popular one-stop shopping destination for party supplies, balloons, and costumes. In addition to being a great retail brand, the Company is a global, world-class organization that combines state-of-the-art manufacturing and sourcing operations, and sophisticated wholesale operations complemented by a multi-channel retailing strategy and e-commerce retail operations. The Company is a leading player in its category and vertically integrated in its breadth and depth. The Company designs, manufactures, sources and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic and latex balloons, Halloween and other costumes, accessories, novelties, gifts and stationery throughout the world.

The Company’s retail operations include 833 specialty retail party supply stores (including franchise stores) throughout the United States and Mexico operating under the names Party City and Halloween City, and e-commerce websites, including through the domain name PartyCity.com.

The Company owns 100% of PC Nextco Holdings, LLC (“PC Nextco”), which owns 100% of PC Intermediate Holdings, Inc. (“PC Intermediate”). PC Intermediate owns 100% of Party City Holdings Inc. (“PCHI”), which owns most of the Company’s Operating subsidiaries.

Note 2 – Basis of Presentation and Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned and controlled entities. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the more detailed financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring items) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

The Company’s retail operations define a fiscal year (“Fiscal Year”) as the 52-week period or 53-week period ended on the Saturday nearest December 31st of each year and define fiscal quarters (“Fiscal Quarter”) as the four interim 13-week periods following the end of the previous Fiscal Year, except in the case of a 53-week Fiscal Year when the fourth Fiscal Quarter is extended to 14 weeks. The condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company combine the Fiscal Quarters of our retail operations with the calendar quarters of our wholesale operations, as the differences are not significant.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04, which provides guidance providing optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. generally accepted accounting principles to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. Additionally, in January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01, which allows entities to elect certain optional expedients and exceptions when accounting for derivative contracts and certain hedging relationships affected by changes in the interest rates. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements.

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Note 3 – Store Impairment and Restructuring Charges

The Company performed a comprehensive review of its store locations aimed at improving the overall productivity of such locations (“store optimization program”). After careful consideration and evaluation of the store locations, the Company made the decision to accelerate the optimization of its store portfolio with the closure of stores, which were primarily located in close proximity to other Party City stores. In 2019, 55 stores were identified for closure, out of which 35 stores were closed in 2019 and 20 stores were closed in January 2020. In 2020, 21 stores identified for closure in the first quarter of 2020 were closed in the third quarter. These closings provided the Company with capital flexibility to expand into underserved markets. In addition, the Company evaluated the recoverability of long lived assets at the open stores and recorded an impairment charge associated with the operating lease asset and property, plant and equipment for open stores where sales were affected due to the outbreak of, and local, state and federal governmental responses to, COVID-19. In conjunction with the store optimization program and store impairment, during the three ended March 31, 2020, the Company recorded the following charges:   

The charges were for common area maintenance, insurance and taxes that were paid subsequently to such closures in accordance with the stores’ lease agreements. However, such amounts were immaterial.

The fair values of the operating lease assets and property, plant and equipment were determined based on estimated future discounted cash flows for such assets using market participant assumptions, including data on the ability to sub-lease the stores.

The charge for inventory reserves represented inventory that was disposed of below cost. The charge for inventory reserves was recorded in cost of sales in the Company’s statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The other charges were recorded in store impairment and restructuring charges in the Company’s statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Note 4 – Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-Lived Assets Impairment

The Company reviews goodwill and other intangibles that have indefinite lives for impairment annually as of October 1 or when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets might exceed their current fair values. Impairment testing is based upon the best information available including estimates of fair value which incorporate assumptions marketplace participants would use in making their estimates of fair value. Significant assumptions and estimates are required, including, but not limited to, projecting future cash flows, determining appropriate discount rates and terminal growth rates, and other assumptions, to estimate the fair value of goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. Although the Company believes the assumptions and estimates made are reasonable and appropriate, different assumptions and estimates could materially impact its reported financial results.

During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company identified intangible assets’ impairment indicators associated with its market capitalization and significantly reduced customer demand for its products due to COVID-19. As a result, the Company performed interim impairment tests on the goodwill at its retail and wholesale reporting units and its other indefinite lived intangible assets as of March 31, 2020. The interim impairment tests were performed using an income approach. The Company recognized non-cash pre-tax goodwill impairment charges at March 31, 2020 of $253,110 and $148,326 against the goodwill associated with its retail and wholesale reporting units, respectively.

In addition, during the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $131,287 and $3,925 on its Party City and Halloween City tradenames, respectively.

During the three months ended March 31, 2021, there were no impairment charges associated with the Company’s goodwill or other intangible balances.

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Note 5 – Disposition of Assets

In January 2021, the Company closed the previously disclosed sale of a substantial portion of its international operations. The final consideration for the sale amounted to $54.6 million. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company recorded a loss reserve of $73,948 in connection with this sale, and during the first quarter of 2021, the Company recorded an additional loss of $3,211, related to changes in working capital accounts through the transaction close date, which is reported  in the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income.

Note 6 – Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following:

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The Company principally determines the cost of inventory using the weighted average method.

The Company estimates retail inventory shrinkage for the period between physical inventory dates on a store-by-store basis. Inventory shrinkage estimates can be affected by changes in merchandise mix and changes in actual shortage trends. The shrinkage rate from the most recent physical inventory, in combination with historical experience, is the basis for estimating shrinkage.

Note 7 – Income Taxes

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (“the CARES Act”) was signed into law.  The CARES Act is a $2 trillion legislative package intended to provide economic relief to companies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it enacted a number of Internal Revenue Code modifications which are of particular benefit to the Company, including: 5-year net operating loss carryback, temporary relaxation of the limitations on interest deductions, qualified improvement property eligible for bonus depreciation, employee retention tax credits, and deferral of payment of payroll tax.

The effective income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2021 of 19.7% is different from the statutory rate of 21.0% primarily due to state taxes, equity compensation and the effect of foreign losses with no associated tax benefit. The Company also recorded a $3,453 increase to uncertain tax positions related to the January 2021 sale of a substantial portion of its international operations.

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Note 8 – Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss consisted of the following:

Note 9 – Capital Stock

At March 31, 2021, the Company’s authorized capital stock consisted of 300,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value common stock and 15,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock.

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Note 10 – Segment Information

Industry Segments

The Company has two identifiable business segments. The Wholesale segment designs, manufactures, contracts for manufacture and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic and latex balloons, Halloween and other costumes, accessories, novelties and stationery throughout the world. The Retail segment operates specialty retail party supply stores in the United States, principally under the names Party City and Halloween City, and it operates e-commerce websites, principally through the domain name PartyCity.com. The Company’s industry segment data for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2020 was as follows:

*Includes royalties and franchise fees. Prior year amounts conformed to current year presentation.

In 2019, the Company initiated a store optimization program under which the Company identified approximately 55 Party City stores to be closed, out of which 35 stores were closed in 2019 and 20 stores were closed in January 2020. In addition, in the first quarter of 2020, 21 stores were identified for closure and were closed throughout 2020. In conjunction with the program, during the three months ended March 31, 2020 the Company’s Retail segment recorded $29,424 of store impairment and restructuring charges. See Note 4 – Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-Lived Assets Impairment for further detail.

In January 2021, the Company closed the previously disclosed sale of a substantial portion of its international operations. See Note 5 – Disposition of Assets for further detail.

Note 11 – Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is a party to certain claims and litigation in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe these proceedings will result, individually or in the aggregate, in a material adverse effect on its financial condition or future results of operations.

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Note 12 – Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company is directly and indirectly affected by changes in certain market conditions. These changes in market conditions may adversely impact the Company’s financial performance and are referred to as market risks. The Company, when deemed appropriate, uses derivatives as a risk management tool to mitigate the potential impact of certain market risks. The primary market risks managed through the use of derivative financial instruments are interest rate risk and foreign currency exchange rate risk.

Foreign Exchange Risk Management

A portion of the Company’s cash flows is derived from transactions denominated in foreign currencies. In 2020, to reduce the uncertainty of foreign exchange rate movements on transactions denominated in foreign currencies, the Company entered into foreign exchange contracts with major international financial institutions. These forward contracts, typically matured within one year and were designed to hedge anticipated foreign currency transactions, primarily inventory purchases and sales. For contracts that qualified for hedge accounting, the terms of the foreign exchange contracts were such that cash flows from the contracts were highly effective in offsetting the expected cash flows from the underlying forecasted transactions.

The foreign currency exchange contracts were reflected in the condensed consolidated balance sheets at fair value. At December 31, 2020, the Company had foreign currency exchange contracts that qualified for hedge accounting. No components of these agreements were excluded in the measurement of hedge effectiveness. As these hedges were 100% effective, there was no current impact on earnings due to hedge ineffectiveness. The Company did not have any foreign currency exchange contracts at March 31, 2021.

Note 13 – Fair Value Measurements

The provisions of ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement”, define fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC Topic 820 established a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

During 2017, the Company and Ampology, a subsidiary of Trivergence, reached an agreement to form a new legal entity, Kazzam, LLC (“Kazzam”), for the purpose of designing, developing and launching an online exchange platform for party-related services. As part of Ampology’s compensation for designing, developing and launching the exchange platform, Ampology received an ownership interest in Kazzam. The interest had been recorded as redeemable securities in the mezzanine of the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as Ampology had the right to cause the Company to purchase the interest. The liability was adjusted to the greater of the current fair value or the original fair value at the time at which the ownership interest was issued (adjusted for any subsequent changes in the ownership interest percentage). On March 23, 2020, the Company purchased all of Ampology’s interest in Kazzam. Refer to Note 17 – Kazzam, LLC for further detail.

The majority of the Company’s non-financial instruments, which include goodwill, intangible assets, lease assets, inventories and property, plant and equipment, are not required to be carried at fair value on a recurring basis. However, if certain triggering events occur (or at least annually for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets), a non-financial instrument is required to be evaluated for impairment. If the Company determines that the non-financial instrument is impaired, the Company would be required to write down the non-financial instrument to its fair value. See Note 3 – Store Impairment and Restructuring Charges and Note 4 – Goodwill, Intangibles and Long-Lived Assets Impairment for further detail.

The carrying amounts for cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximated fair value at March 31, 2021 because of the short-term maturities of the instruments and/or their variable rates of interest.

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The carrying amounts and fair values of borrowings under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Company’s senior notes as of March 31, 2021 are as follows:

The fair values represent Level 2 fair value measurements as the debt instruments trade in inactive markets. The carrying amounts for other long-term debt approximated fair value at March 31, 2021 based on the discounted future cash flows of each instrument at rates currently offered for similar debt instruments of comparable maturity.

Note 14 – Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders of Party City Holdco Inc. by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share are calculated based on the weighted average number of outstanding common shares plus the dilutive effect of stock options and warrants, as if they were exercised, and restricted stock units, as if they vested.

Basic and diluted loss per share is as follows:

During the three months ended March 31,2021, 2,808,395 stock options, 657,920 restricted stock units and 2,853,716 performance restricted stock units were excluded from the calculation of net loss per share attributable to common shareholders of Party City Holdco Inc. – diluted as they were anti-dilutive. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, 3,450,209 stock options, 1,000,000 warrants and 413,968 restricted stock units were excluded from the calculation of net loss per share attributable to common shareholders of Party City Holdco Inc. – diluted as they were anti-dilutive.

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Note 15 – Current and Long-Term Obligations

Long-term obligations at March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020 consisted of the following:

Prior to April 2019, the Company had a $540,000 asset-based revolving credit facility (with a seasonal increase to $640,000 during a certain period of each calendar year) (the “ABL Facility”), which matures during August 2023 (subject to a springing maturity at an earlier date if the maturity date of certain of the Company’s other debt has not been extended or refinanced). It provides for (a) revolving loans, subject to a borrowing base, and (b) letters of credit, in an aggregate face amount at any time outstanding not to exceed $50,000. During April 2019, the Company amended the ABL Facility. Such amendment removed the seasonal component and made the ABL Facility a $640,000 facility with no seasonal modification component. In connection with the refinancing transactions as follows, PCHI (1) reduced the ABL revolving commitments and prepaid the outstanding ABL revolving loans, in each case, in an aggregate principal amount equal to $44,000 in accordance with the ABL Facility credit agreement, and (2) designated Anagram Holdings and each of its subsidiaries as an unrestricted subsidiary under the ABL Facility and the Term Loan Credit Agreement. Additionally, in February 2021 in conjunction with the transaction discussed below, the Company amended the ABL Facility by reducing the commitments to $475,000 and extending the maturity to February 2026, or earlier as provided for in the agreement.

The Company had approximately $129.3 million, $176.5 million and $71.3 million of availability under the ABL Facility as of March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020, respectively. At March 31, 2020, $150.0 million was invested in US Treasury funds with maturities of less than three months.

February 2021 Debt Transaction

During February 2021, PCHI issued $750,000 of senior secured first lien notes at an interest rate of 8.750% (“8.750% Senior Notes”). The 8.750% Senior Notes will mature in February 2026. The Company used the proceeds from the 8.750% Senior Notes to prepay the outstanding balance of $694,220 under its existing Term Loan Credit Agreement. The prepayment of the Term Loan Credit Agreement was in accordance with the terms of such agreement.

In connection with the transaction, the Company wrote-off a portion of the existing capitalized deferred financing costs and original issuance discounts. Additionally, the Company incurred $18,976 of third-party fees, principally banker fees. The amounts expensed were recorded in Other expense, net in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income and included in Gain on debt repayment in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

In conjunction with the amendment of the ABL Facility, the Company wrote-off a portion of existing deferred financing costs. Such amount was recorded in Other expense, net in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income and included in Gain on debt repayment in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The remaining capitalized costs, and $2,400 of new third-party costs incurred in conjunction with the amendment, will be amortized over the revised term of the ABL Facility.

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Interest on the 8.750% Senior Notes is payable semi-annually in arrears on February 15th and August 15th of each year. The 8.750% Senior Notes are guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured basis by each of PCHI’s existing and future domestic subsidiaries. The 8.750% Senior Notes and related guarantees are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all assets of PCHI and the guarantors, except for the collateral that secures the senior credit facilities on a first lien basis, with respect to which the 8.750% Senior Notes and related guarantees will be secured by a second priority lien, in each case subject to permitted liens and certain exclusions and release provisions.

The indenture governing the 8.750% Senior Notes contains covenants that, among other things, limit the PCHI’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to:

The indenture governing the notes also contains certain customary affirmative covenants and events of default.

On or after August 15, 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, PCHI may redeem some or all of the 8.750% Senior Notes at the redemption price of 104.375%, 102.188% and 100.000%, respectively, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. In addition, PCHI may redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount outstanding on or before August 15, 2023 with the cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at a redemption price of 108.750% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest. PCHI may also redeem some or all of the notes before August 15, 2023 at a redemption price of 100% of the principal amount plus a premium that is defined in the indenture. At any time prior to August 15, 2023, PCHI may also at its option redeem during each 12-month period commencing with the issue date up to 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the 8.750% Senior Notes at a redemption price of 103% of the aggregate principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. Also, if PCHI experiences certain types of change in control, as defined, it may be required to offer to repurchase the 8.750% Senior Notes at 101% of their principal amount

On May 7, 2021, Anagram Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a $15 million asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL Facility”), which matures during May 2024. It provides for (a) revolving loans, subject to a borrowing base described below, and (b) under the ABL Facility, Borrowers would be entitled to request letters of credit (“Letters of Credit”). The aggregate amount of outstanding Letters of Credit would be reserved against the credit availability and subject to a $3 million cap.

Under the ABL Facility, the borrowing base at any time equals (a) a percentage of eligible trade receivables, plus (b) a percentage of eligible inventory, plus (c) a percentage of eligible credit card receivables, less (d) certain reserves. The ABL Facility generally provides for the following pricing options: All revolving loans will bear interest, at the Company's election, at a per annum rate equal to either (a) a base rate, which represents for any day a rate equal to the greater of (i) the prime rate on such day subject to a 0% floor, (ii) the federal funds rate plus 5.0% and (iii) one-half of one percent per annum, in each case, plus a margin of 1.5% or (b)  the Daily One Month LIBOR subject to a  0.5% floor, plus a margin of 2.5%.

In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal, the Company is required to pay a commitment fee of 0.5% to1% per annum in respect of unutilized commitments. The Company must also pay customary letter of credit fees.

All obligations under the ABL Facility are jointly and severally guaranteed by Anagram Holdings LLC and its subsidiaries. The ABL facility contains covenants and events of default customary for such credit facilities.

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Note 16 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The following table summarizes revenue from contracts with customers for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:

*Includes royalties and franchise fees. Prior year amounts conformed to current year presentation.

The Company maintains allowances for credit losses resulting from the inability of the Company’s customers to make required payments. Judgment is required in assessing the ultimate realization of these receivables, including consideration of the Company’s history of receivable write-offs, the level of past due accounts and the economic status of the Company’s customers. In an effort to identify adverse trends relative to customer economic status, the Company assesses the financial health of the markets it operates in and performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers and ongoing reviews of account balances and aging of receivables. Amounts are considered past due when payment has not been received within the time frame of the credit terms extended. Write-offs are charged directly against the allowance for credit losses and occur only after all collection efforts have been exhausted. The Company will continue to actively monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on expected losses. At March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020, the allowance for credit losses was $7,499, $7,232 and $5,342, respectively.

Note 17 – Kazzam, LLC

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company and Ampology, a subsidiary of Trivergence, reached an agreement to form a new legal entity, Kazzam, LLC (“Kazzam”), for the purpose of designing, developing and launching an online exchange platform for party-related services.

At December 31, 2019, although the Company owned 26% of Kazzam’s equity, Kazzam was a variable interest entity and the Company consolidated Kazzam into the Company’s financial statements. Further, the Company was funding all of Kazzam’s start-up activities via a loan to Kazzam and recorded its operating results in “development stage expenses” in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive (loss) income. Ampology’s ownership interest in Kazzam had been recorded in redeemable securities in the mezzanine of the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

In January 2020, the Company and Ampology terminated certain services agreements and warrants that Ampology had in the Company stock. The parties concurrently entered into an interim transition agreement for which expenses are recorded as development stage expenses.

On March 23, 2020, the Company agreed to purchase Ampology’s interest in Kazzam in exchange for a three-year royalty on net service revenue and a warrant to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The acquisition of Ampology’s interest in Kazzam is an equity transaction and the difference between the fair value of the consideration transferred and the carrying value of Ampology’s interest in Kazzam was recorded within the consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity.

During the first quarter of 2021, Ampology exercised a warrant in a cashless redemption transaction which is reflected in the consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2021.

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

References throughout this document to the “Company” include Party City Holdco Inc. and its subsidiaries. In this document the words “we,” “our,” “ours” and “us” refer only to the Company and its subsidiaries and not to any other person.

Business Overview

Our Company

We are the leading party goods company by revenue in North America and, we believe, the largest vertically integrated supplier of decorated party goods globally by revenue. The Company is a popular one-stop shopping destination for party supplies, balloons, and costumes. In addition to being a great retail brand, the Company is a global, world-class organization that combines state-of-the-art manufacturing and sourcing operations, and sophisticated wholesale operations complemented by a multi-channel retailing strategy and e-commerce retail operations. The Company is a leading player in its category and vertically integrated in its breadth and depth. The Company designs, manufactures, sources and distributes party goods, including paper and plastic tableware, metallic and latex balloons, Halloween and other costumes, accessories, novelties, gifts and stationery throughout the world. The Company’s retail operations include 833 specialty retail party supply stores (including franchise stores) throughout the United States and Mexico operating under the names Party City and Halloween City, and e-commerce websites, including through the domain name PartyCity.com.

In addition to our retail operations, we are also one of the largest global designers, manufacturers and distributors of decorated consumer party products, with items found in  retail outlets worldwide, including independent party supply stores, mass merchants, grocery retailers, e-commerce merchandisers and dollar stores.

How We Assess the Performance of Our Company

In assessing the performance of our company, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures for our two operating segments, Retail and Wholesale. These key measures include revenues and gross profit, comparable retail same-store sales and operating expenses. We also review other metrics such as adjusted net income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) per common share – diluted and adjusted EBITDA. For a discussion of our use of these measures and a reconciliation of adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), please refer to “Financial Measures - Adjusted EBITDA,” “Financial Measures - Adjusted Net Income (Loss)” and “Financial Measures - Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share – Diluted” below.

Segments

We have two reporting segments: Retail and Wholesale.

Our retail segment generates revenue primarily through the sale of our party supplies, which are sold under the Amscan, Designware, Anagram and Costumes USA brand names through Party City, Halloween City and PartyCity.com. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, 81.5% of the product that was sold by our retail segment was supplied by our wholesale segment and 33.0% of the product that was sold by our retail segment was self-manufactured.

Our wholesale revenues are generated from the sale of decorated party goods for all occasions, including paper and plastic tableware, accessories and novelties, costumes, metallic and latex balloons and stationery. Our products are sold at wholesale to party goods superstores (including our franchise stores), other party goods retailers, mass merchants, independent card and gift stores, dollar stores and e-commerce merchandisers.

Intercompany sales between the Wholesale and the Retail segment are eliminated, and the wholesale profits on intercompany sales are deferred and realized at the time the merchandise is sold to the retail consumer. For segment reporting purposes, certain general and administrative expenses and art and development costs are allocated based on total revenues.

Financial Measures

Revenues. Revenue from retail store operations is recognized at the point of sale as control of the product is transferred to the customer at such time. Retail e-commerce sales are recognized when the consumer receives the product as control transfers upon delivery. We estimate future retail sales returns and record a provision in the period in which the related sales are recorded based on historical information. Retail sales are reported net of taxes collected.

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Under the terms of our agreements with our franchisees, we provide both: 1) brand value (via significant advertising spend) and 2) support with respect to planograms, in exchange for a royalty fee that ranges from 4% to 6% of the franchisees’ sales. The Company records the royalty fees at the time that the franchisees’ sales are recorded.

For most of our wholesale sales, control transfers upon the shipment of the product as: 1) legal title transfers on such date and 2) we have a present right to payment at such time. Wholesale sales returns are not significant as we generally only accept the return of goods that were shipped to the customer in error or that were damaged when received by the customer. Additionally, due to our extensive history operating as a leading party goods wholesaler, we have sufficient history with which to estimate future sales returns and we use the expected value method to estimate such activity.

Intercompany sales from our wholesale operations to our retail stores are eliminated in our consolidated total revenues.

Comparable Retail Same-Store Sales. The growth in same-store sales represents the percentage change in same-store sales in the period presented compared to the prior year. Same-store sales exclude the net sales of a store for any period if the store was not open during the same period of the prior year. Acquired stores are excluded from same-store sales until they are converted to the Party City format and included in our sales for the comparable period of the prior year. Comparable sales are calculated based upon stores that were open at least thirteen full months as of the end of the applicable reporting period and do not exclude stores closed due to state regulations regarding COVID-19. When a store is reconfigured or relocated within the same general territory, the store continues to be treated as the same store. If, during the period presented, a store was closed, sales from that store up to and including the closing day are included as same-store sales as long as the store was open during the same period of the prior year. Same-store sales for the Party City brand include North American retail e-commerce sales.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales at wholesale reflects the production costs (i.e., raw materials, labor and overhead) of manufactured goods and the direct cost of purchased goods, inventory shrinkage, inventory adjustments, inbound freight to our manufacturing and distribution facilities, distribution costs and outbound freight to get goods to our wholesale customers. At retail, cost of sales reflects the direct cost of goods purchased from third parties and the production or purchase costs of goods acquired from our wholesale segment. Retail cost of sales also includes inventory shrinkage, inventory adjustments, inbound freight, occupancy costs related to store operations (such as rent and common area maintenance, utilities and depreciation on assets) and all logistics costs associated with our retail e-commerce business.

Our cost of sales increases in higher volume periods as the direct costs of manufactured and purchased goods, inventory shrinkage and freight are generally tied to net sales. However, other costs are largely fixed or vary based on other factors and do not necessarily increase as sales volume increases. Changes in the mix of our products may also impact our overall cost of sales. The direct costs of manufactured and purchased goods are influenced by raw material costs (principally paper, petroleum-based resins and cotton), domestic and international labor costs in the countries where our goods are purchased or manufactured and logistics costs associated with transporting our goods. We monitor our inventory levels on an on-going basis in order to identify slow-moving goods.

Cost of sales related to sales from our wholesale segment to our retail segment are eliminated in our consolidated financial statements.

Wholesale Selling Expenses. Wholesale selling expenses include the costs associated with our wholesale sales and marketing efforts, including merchandising and customer service. Costs include the salaries and benefits of the related work force, including sales-based bonuses and commissions. Other costs include catalogues, showroom expenses, travel and other operating costs. Certain selling expenses, such as sales-based bonuses and commissions, vary in proportion to sales, while other costs vary based on other factors, such as our marketing efforts, or are largely fixed and do not necessarily increase as sales volumes increase.

Retail Operating Expenses. Retail operating expenses include all of the costs associated with retail store operations, excluding occupancy-related costs included in cost of sales. Costs include store payroll and benefits, advertising, supplies and credit card costs. Retail expenses are largely variable but do not necessarily vary in proportion to net sales.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses include all operating costs and franchise expenses not included elsewhere in the statement of operations and comprehensive (loss) income. These expenses include payroll and other expenses related to operations at our corporate offices, including occupancy costs, related depreciation and amortization, legal and professional fees, stock and equity-based compensation and data-processing costs. These expenses generally do not vary proportionally with net sales.

Art and Development Costs. Art and development costs include the costs associated with art production, creative development and product management. Costs include the salaries and benefits of the related work force. These expenses generally do not vary proportionally with net sales.

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Adjusted EBITDA. We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, net, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, as further adjusted to eliminate the impact of certain items that we do not consider indicative of our core operating performance. We caution investors that amounts presented in accordance with our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by other issuers, because not all issuers calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure of operating performance in addition to EBITDA because we believe it assists investors in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by eliminating the impact of items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. In addition, we use Adjusted EBITDA: (i) as a factor in determining incentive compensation, (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies, and (iii) because the credit facilities use Adjusted EBITDA to measure compliance with certain covenants.

Adjusted Net Income (Loss). Adjusted net income (loss) represents our net income (loss), adjusted for, among other items, intangible asset amortization, non-cash purchase accounting adjustments, amortization of deferred financing costs and original issue discounts, equity-based compensation and impairment charges. We present adjusted net income because we believe it assists investors in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by eliminating the impact of items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.

Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share – Diluted. Adjusted net income (loss) per common share – diluted represents adjusted net income (loss) divided by the Company’s diluted weighted average common shares outstanding. We present the metric because we believe it assists investors in comparing our per share performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by eliminating the impact of items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance.

Results of Operations

Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 Compared To Three Months Ended March 31, 2020  

The following table sets forth the Company’s operating results and operating results as a percentage of total revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020.