Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. - Annual Report: 2011 (Form 10-K)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Commission File No. 1-33145

SALLY BEAUTY HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (940) 898-7500

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 under Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    YES ý    NO o

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

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 ý    NO o

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

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

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 the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer" and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 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 o    NO ý

The aggregate market value of registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing price of a share of the registrant's common stock on March 31, 2011 was approximately $1,333,335,000. At November 11, 2011, there were 184,775,543 shares of the registrant's common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant's Proxy Statement relating to the registrant's 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

i

Table of Contents

In this Annual Report, references to "the Company," "Sally Beauty," "our company," "we," "our," "ours" and "us" refer to Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires.

CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the documents incorporated by reference herein which are not purely historical facts or which depend upon future events may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "target," "can," "could," "may," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions may also identify such forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as such statements speak only as of the date they were made. Any forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the events or results described in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to:

•

the highly competitive nature of, and the increasing consolidation of, the beauty products distribution industry;



•

anticipating changes in consumer preferences and buying trends and managing our product lines and inventory;



•

potential fluctuation in our same store sales and quarterly financial performance;



•

our dependence upon manufacturers who may be unwilling or unable to continue to supply products to us;



•

the possibility of material interruptions in the supply of products by our manufacturers;



•

products sold by us being found to be defective in labeling or content;



•

compliance with laws and regulations or becoming subject to additional or more stringent laws and regulations;



•

product diversion to mass retailers or other unauthorized resellers;



•

the operational and financial performance of our Armstrong McCall, L.P. ("Armstrong McCall") franchise-based business;



•

the success of our internet-based businesses;



•

successfully identifying acquisition candidates and successfully completing desirable acquisitions;



•

integrating businesses acquired in the future;



•

opening and operating new stores profitably;



•

the impact of the health of the economy upon our business;



•

the success of our cost control plans;



•

protecting our intellectual property rights, particularly our trademarks;



•

conducting business outside the United States;



•

disruption in our information technology systems;



•

severe weather, natural disasters or acts of violence or terrorism;

ii

Table of Contents

•

the preparedness of our accounting and other management systems to meet financial reporting and other requirements and the upgrade of our existing financial reporting system;



•

being a holding company, with no operations of our own, and depending on our subsidiaries for cash;



•

our substantial indebtedness;



•

the possibility that we may incur substantial additional debt in the future;



•

restrictions and limitations in the agreements and instruments governing our debt;



•

generating the significant amount of cash needed to service all of our debt and refinancing all or a portion of our indebtedness or obtaining additional financing;



•

changes in interest rates increasing the cost of servicing our debt or increasing our interest expense due to our interest rate swap agreements;



•

the potential impact on us if the financial institutions we deal with become impaired;



•

the costs and effects of litigation;



•

the representativeness of our historical consolidated financial information with respect to our future financial position, results of operations or cash flows;



•

the share distribution of Alberto-Culver Company ("Alberto-Culver") common stock in our separation from Alberto-Culver not constituting a tax-free distribution;



•

actions taken by certain large stockholders adversely affecting the tax-free nature of the share distribution of Alberto-Culver common stock;



•

the voting power of our largest stockholder discouraging third party acquisitions of us at a premium; and



•

the interests of our largest stockholder differing from the interests of other holders of our common stock.

The events described in the forward-looking statements might not occur or might occur to a different extent or at a different time than we have described. As a result, our actual results may differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.

iii

Table of Contents

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Introduction

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc. is an international specialty retailer and distributor of professional beauty supplies with operations primarily in North America, South America and Europe. We believe the Company is the largest distributor of professional beauty supplies in the U.S. based on store count. We operate primarily through two business units, Sally Beauty Supply and Beauty Systems Group, or BSG. Through Sally Beauty Supply and BSG we sell and distribute beauty products through 4,128 company-owned stores, 181 franchised stores and 1,116 professional distributor sales consultants. Sally Beauty Supply stores target retail consumers and salon professionals, while BSG exclusively targets salons and salon professionals. We have store locations in the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Chile and Mexico. Within BSG, we also have one of the largest networks of professional distributor sales consultants in North America, with approximately 1,116 professional distributor sales consultants who sell directly to salons and salon professionals. We provide our customers with a wide variety of leading third-party branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies, including hair color products, hair care products, hair dryers and hair styling appliances, skin and nail care products and other beauty items. Approximately 82%, 82% and 84% of our consolidated net sales for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, were from customers located in the U.S. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, our consolidated net sales were $3,269.1 million.

Sally Beauty Supply began operations with a single store in New Orleans in 1964 and was acquired in 1969 by our former parent company, Alberto-Culver Company, which we refer to as Alberto-Culver. BSG became a subsidiary of Alberto-Culver in 1995. In November 2006, we separated from Alberto-Culver and became an independent company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. We refer to our separation from Alberto-Culver and its consumer products-focused business as the Separation Transactions. When we refer to Alberto-Culver, we mean Alberto-Culver Company prior to the Separation Transactions or the company from which we separated.

In connection with the Separation Transactions, CDRS Acquisition LLC, or CDRS, and CD&R Parallel Fund VII, L.P., which we refer to as the Parallel Fund and, together with CDRS, the CDR Investors, invested an aggregate of $575.0 million in cash equity in Sally Beauty. CDRS, which, together with the Parallel Fund, at November 11, 2011, owns approximately 35.5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock on an undiluted basis, is a Delaware limited liability company organized by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Fund VII, L.P., a private investment fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc. Also in connection with the Separation Transactions, certain of our subsidiaries incurred approximately $1,850.0 million of indebtedness, as more fully described below. Please see "Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Substantial Indebtedness" in Item 1A below.

Professional Beauty Supply Industry Distribution Channels

The professional beauty supply industry serves end-users through four distribution channels: full-service/exclusive distribution, open-line distribution, direct and mega-salon stores.

Full-Service/Exclusive

This channel exclusively serves salons and salon professionals and distributes "professional-only" products for use in salons and resale to consumers in salons. Many brands are distributed through arrangements with suppliers by geographic territory. BSG is a leading full-service distributor in the U.S.

1

Table of Contents

Open-Line

This channel serves retail consumers and salon professionals through retail stores and the internet. This channel is served by a large number of localized retailers and distributors, with only a few having a regional presence and significant channel share. We believe that Sally Beauty Supply is the only open-line distributor in the U.S. with a national network of retail stores. In addition, the Company's website (www.sallybeauty.com) and e-commerce platform provides access to product offerings and information beyond our retail stores.

Direct

This channel focuses on direct sales to salons and salon professionals by large manufacturers. This is the dominant form of distribution in Europe, but represents a smaller channel in the U.S. due to the highly fragmented nature of the U.S. salon industry, which makes direct distribution cost prohibitive for many manufacturers. In addition, we recently began to offer our BSG products for sale to salons and salon professionals through the Company's websites (www.cosmoprofbeauty.com and www.ebobdirect.com) and e-commerce platforms.

Mega-Salon Stores

In this channel, large-format salons are supplied directly by manufacturers due to their large scale.

Key Industry and Business Trends

We operate primarily within the large and growing U.S. professional beauty supply industry. Potential growth in the industry is expected to be driven by increases in consumer demand for hair color, hair loss prevention and hair styling products. We believe the following key industry and business trends and characteristics will influence our business and our financial results going forward:

•

High level of marketplace fragmentation.  The U.S. salon channel is highly fragmented with nearly 250,000 salons and barbershops. Given the fragmented and small-scale nature of the salon industry, we believe that salon operators will continue to depend on full-service/exclusive distributors and open-line channels for a majority of their beauty supply purchases.



•

Growth in booth renting and frequent stocking needs.  Salon professionals primarily rely on just-in-time inventory due to capital constraints and a lack of warehouse and shelf space at salons. In addition, booth renters, who comprise a significant percentage of total U.S. salon professionals, are often responsible for purchasing their own supplies. Historically, booth renters have significantly increased as a percentage of total salon professionals, and we expect this trend to continue. Given their smaller individual purchases and relative lack of financial resources, booth renters are likely to be dependent on frequent trips to professional beauty supply stores, like BSG and Sally Beauty Supply. We expect that these factors will continue to drive demand for conveniently located professional beauty supply stores.



•

Increasing use of exclusive-label products.  We offer a broad range of exclusive-label products. As our lines of exclusive-label products have matured and become better known in our retail stores, we have seen an increase in sales of these products. Generally, our exclusive-label products have higher gross margins for us than the leading third-party branded products and, accordingly, we believe that the growth in sales of these products will likely enhance our overall gross margins. Please see "Risk Factors—We depend upon manufacturers who may be unable to provide products of adequate quality or who may be unwilling to continue to supply products to us."



•

Favorable demographic and consumer trends.  We expect the aging baby-boomer population to drive future growth in professional beauty supply sales through an increase in the usage of hair color and hair loss products. Additionally, continuously changing fashion-related trends that drive new hair

2

Table of Contents

styles are expected to result in continued demand for hair styling products. Changes in consumer tastes and fashion trends can have an impact on our financial performance. Our continued success depends largely on our ability to anticipate, gauge and react in a timely and effective manner to changes in consumer spending patterns and preferences for beauty products. We continuously adapt our marketing and merchandising initiatives in an effort to expand our market reach or to respond to changing consumer preferences. If we are unable to anticipate and respond to trends in the marketplace for beauty products and changing consumer demands, our business could suffer. Please see "Risk Factors—We may be unable to anticipate changes in consumer preferences and buying trends or manage our product lines and inventory commensurate with consumer demand."

•

International growth strategies.  A key element of our growth strategy depends on our ability to capitalize on growth opportunities in the international marketplace and to grow our current level of non-U.S. operations. For example, in December 2009, we acquired Sinelco Group BVBA ("Sinelco"), a wholesale distributor of professional beauty products located in Belgium with sales throughout Europe and, in September 2009, we acquired Distribuidora Intersalon Limitada ("Intersalon"), a distributor of premier beauty supply products then with 16 stores located in Chile. These acquisitions furthered our expansion plans in Europe and Latin America, key targets of Sally Beauty Supply's international growth initiative. We intend to continue to identify and evaluate non-U.S. acquisition and/or organic international growth targets. Our ability to grow our non-U.S. operations, integrate our new non-U.S. acquisitions and successfully pursue additional non-U.S. acquisition and/or international organic growth targets may be affected by business, legal, regulatory and economic risks. Please see "Risk Factors—We may not be able to successfully identify acquisition candidates or successfully complete desirable acquisitions," "If we acquire any businesses in the future, they could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business or have an adverse effect on our results of operations" and "Our ability to conduct business in international marketplaces may be affected by legal, regulatory and economic risks."



•

Continuing consolidation.  There is continuing consolidation among professional beauty product distributors and professional beauty product manufacturers. We plan to continue to examine ways in which we can benefit from this trend, including the evaluation of opportunities to shift business from competitive distributors to the BSG network as well as seeking opportunistic, value-added acquisitions which complement our long-term growth strategy. We believe that suppliers are increasingly likely to focus on larger distributors and retailers with a broader scale and retail footprint. We also believe that we are well positioned to capitalize on this trend as well as participate in the ongoing consolidation at the distributor/retail level. However, changes often occur in our relationships with suppliers that may materially affect the net sales and operating earnings of our business segments. Consolidation among suppliers could exacerbate the effects of these relationship changes and could increase pricing pressures. For example, as we announced in the fiscal year 2007, one of our largest suppliers, L'Oreal, moved a material amount of revenue out of our BSG distribution network and into regional distribution networks that compete with BSG. More recently, L'Oreal acquired distributors that compete with BSG in the Midwest, Southeast and West Coast regions of the U.S. and, as a result, L'Oreal directly competes with BSG in certain geographic areas. If L'Oreal acquired other distributors or suppliers that conduct significant business with BSG, we could lose related revenue. There can be no assurance that BSG will not lose further revenue over time due to potential losses of additional products (both from L'Oreal and from other suppliers) as well as from the increased competition from L'Oreal-affiliated distribution networks. Please see "Risk Factors—The beauty products distribution industry is highly competitive and is consolidating" and "We depend upon manufacturers who may be unable to provide products of adequate quality or who may be unwilling to continue to supply products to us."



•

Relationships with suppliers.  Sally Beauty Supply, BSG and their respective suppliers are dependent on each other for the distribution of beauty products. We do not manufacture the brand name or

3

Table of Contents

exclusive-label products we sell. We purchase our products from a limited number of manufacturers. As is typical in distribution businesses (particularly in our industry), these relationships are subject to change from time to time (including the expansion or loss of distribution rights in various geographies and the addition or loss of product lines). Since we purchase products from many manufacturers on an at-will basis, under contracts which can generally be terminated without cause upon 90 days' notice or less or which expire without express rights of renewal, such manufacturers could discontinue sales to us at any time or upon the expiration of the distribution period. Some of our contracts with manufacturers may be terminated by such manufacturers if we fail to meet specified minimum purchase requirements. In such cases, we do not have contractual assurances of continued supply, pricing or access to new products and vendors may change the terms upon which they sell. Infrequently, a supplier will seek to terminate a distribution relationship through legal action. For example, in 2007 Farouk Systems, Inc. filed an action seeking a declaratory judgment that it was entitled to terminate a long-term distribution agreement with Armstrong McCall. In 2010 that matter was settled and BSG now sells Farouk products in many territories. Changes in our relationships with suppliers occur often and could positively or negatively impact our net sales and operating profits. Although we focus on developing new revenue and cost management initiatives to mitigate the negative effects resulting from unfavorable changes in our supplier relationships, there can be no assurance that our efforts will continue to completely offset the loss of these or other distribution rights. Please see "Risk Factors—We depend upon manufacturers who may be unable to provide products of adequate quality or who may be unwilling to continue to supply products to us."

We expect to continue to expand our product line offerings and to gain additional distribution rights over time through either further negotiation with suppliers or by acquisitions of existing distributors. Although we are focused on developing new revenue and cost management initiatives, there can be no assurance that our efforts will partially or completely offset any potential loss of distribution rights in the future. Please see "Risk Factors—We depend upon manufacturers who may be unable to provide products of adequate quality or who may be unwilling to continue to supply products to us."

•

High level of competition.  Sally Beauty Supply competes with other domestic and international beauty product wholesale and retail outlets, including local and regional open-line beauty supply stores, professional-only beauty supply stores, salons, mass merchandisers, drug stores and supermarkets, as well as sellers on the internet and salons retailing hair care items. BSG competes with other domestic and international beauty product wholesale and retail suppliers and manufacturers selling professional beauty products directly to salons and individual salon professionals. We also face competition from authorized and unauthorized retailers and internet sites offering professional salon-only products. The increasing availability of unauthorized professional salon products in large format retail stores such as drug stores, grocery stores and others could also have a negative impact on our business. Please see "Risk Factors—The beauty products distribution industry is highly competitive and is consolidating."



•

Economic conditions.  We appeal to a wide demographic consumer profile and offer a broad selection of professional beauty products sold directly to retail consumers, and salons and salon professionals. Historically, these factors have provided us with reduced exposure to downturns in economic conditions in the countries in which we operate. However, a downturn in the economy, especially for an extended period of time, could adversely impact consumer demand of discretionary items such as beauty products and salon services, particularly affecting our electrical products category and our full-service sales business. In addition, higher freight costs resulting from increases in the cost of fuel, especially for an extended period of time, may impact our expenses at levels that we cannot pass through to our customers. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Please see "Risk Factors—The

4

Table of Contents

health of the economy in the channels we serve may affect consumer purchases of discretionary items such as beauty products and salon services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations."

•

Controlling expenses.  Another important aspect of our business is our ability to control costs, especially in our BSG business segment, by right-sizing the business and maximizing the efficiency of our business structure. For example, we recently completed implementation of a $22.0 million capital spending program to consolidate warehouses and reduce administrative expenses related to BSG's distribution network which has resulted in annualized cost savings of at least $14.0 million beginning in the fiscal year 2010. Please see "Risk Factors—We are not certain that our ongoing cost control plans will continue to be successful."



•

Opening new stores.  Our future growth strategy depends in part on our ability to open and profitably operate new stores in existing and additional geographic areas. The capital requirements to open a U.S.-based Sally Beauty Supply or BSG store, excluding inventory, average approximately $70,000 and $80,000, respectively, with the capital requirements for international stores costing less or substantially more depending upon the marketplace. We may not be able to open all of the new stores we plan to open and any new stores we open may not be profitable, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Please see "Risk Factors—If we are unable to profitably open and operate new stores, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected."



•

Changes to our information technology systems.  As our operations grow in both size and scope, we will continuously need to improve and upgrade our information systems and infrastructure while maintaining the reliability and integrity of our systems and infrastructure. The expansion of our systems and infrastructure will require us to commit substantial financial, operational and technical resources in advance of any increase in the volume of our business, with no assurance that the volume of business will increase. For example, we are in the process of designing and implementing a standardized enterprise resource planning ("ERP") system internationally, which we anticipate will be completed over the next few years. In addition, we are currently implementing a point-of-sale system upgrade program in a number of our divisions (primarily in our Sally Beauty Supply operations in the U.S.), which we anticipate will provide significant benefits, including enhanced tracking of customer sales and store inventory activity. These and any other required upgrades to our information systems and information technology (or new technology), now or in the future, will require that our management and resources be diverted from our core business to assist in completion of these projects. There can be no assurance that the time and resources our management will need to devote to these upgrades, service outages or delays due to the installation of any new or upgraded technology (and customer issues therewith), or the impact on the reliability of our data from any new or upgraded technology will not have a material adverse effect on our financial reporting, business, financial condition or results of operations. Please see "Risk Factors—We may be adversely affected by any disruption in our information technology systems."

Business Segments, Geographic Area Information and Seasonality

We operate two business segments: (i) Sally Beauty Supply, an open-line and exclusive-label distributor of professional beauty supplies offering professional beauty supplies to both retail consumers and salon professionals primarily in North America, Europe, Puerto Rico and South America, and (ii) BSG, including its franchise-based business Armstrong McCall, a full-service beauty supply distributor offering professional brands directly to salons and salon professionals through our own sales force and professional-only stores, many in exclusive geographical territories, in North America, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and certain other European countries. BSG operates stores under the CosmoProf service mark. BSG also franchises professional beauty supply outlets in the southwest portion of the U.S. and in Mexico, and supplies sub-distributors in Europe. Sally Beauty Supply accounted for approximately 62%,

5

Table of Contents

63% and 64%; and BSG accounted for approximately 38%, 37% and 36% of the Company's consolidated net sales for the years ended September 30, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Financial information about business segments and geographic area information is incorporated herein by reference to the "Business Segments and Geographic Area Information," Note 20 of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" in "Item 8—Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" contained elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Neither the sales nor the product assortment for Sally Beauty Supply or BSG are generally seasonal in nature.

Sally Beauty Supply

We believe Sally Beauty Supply is the largest open-line distributor of professional beauty supplies in the U.S. based on store count. As of September 30, 2011, Sally Beauty Supply operated 3,133 company-operated retail stores, 2,509 of which are located in the U.S., with the remaining 624 company-operated stores located in Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain. Sally Beauty Supply also supplied 25 franchised stores located outside the U.S. Our Sally Beauty Supply stores carry an extensive selection of professional beauty supplies for both retail customers and salon professionals, with between 5,000 and 8,000 stock keeping units, or SKUs, (in the U.S. and Canada) of beauty products across product categories including hair color, hair care, skin and nail care, beauty sundries and electrical appliances. Sally Beauty Supply stores carry leading third-party brands such as Clairol®, Revlon® and Conair®, as well as an extensive selection of exclusive-label merchandise. Store formats, including average size and product selection, for Sally Beauty Supply outside the U.S. and Canada vary by marketplace. We believe that Sally Beauty Supply has differentiated itself from its competitors through its customer value proposition, attractive pricing, extensive selection of leading third-party branded and exclusive-label products, a broad ethnic product selection, knowledgeable sales associates and convenient store locations.

   Store Design and Operations

Sally Beauty Supply stores are designed to create an appealing shopping environment that embraces the retail consumer and salon professional and highlights its extensive product offering. Sally Beauty Supply's U.S. and Canadian stores average approximately 1,700 square feet in size and are located primarily in strip shopping centers. Generally, Sally Beauty Supply stores in the U.S. and Canada follow a consistent format, allowing customers familiarity between Sally Beauty Supply locations. Store formats for Sally Beauty Supply outside the U.S. and Canada vary by marketplace.

Sally Beauty Supply stores are segmented into distinctive areas arranged by product type with signs allowing its customers to easily navigate through its stores. Sally Beauty Supply seeks to stimulate cross-selling and impulse buying through strategic product placement and use of displays to highlight new products and key promotional items.

   Merchandise

Sally Beauty Supply stores carry a broad selection of branded and exclusive-label professional beauty supplies. Sally Beauty Supply manages each category by product and by SKU and uses centrally developed planoguides to maintain a consistent merchandise presentation across its store base (primarily in the U.S. and Canada). Through its information systems, Sally Beauty Supply actively monitors each store's performance by category, allowing it to maintain consistently high levels of in-stock merchandise. We believe Sally Beauty Supply's tailored merchandise strategy enables it to meet local demands and helps drive traffic in its stores. Additionally, its information systems enable it to track and automatically replenish inventory levels, generally on a weekly basis, primarily in the U.S.

6

Table of Contents

In addition, Sally Beauty Supply offers a comprehensive ethnic product selection with specific appeal to African-American and Hispanic customers. Its ethnic product offerings are tailored by store based on market demographics and category performance. For example, sales of products targeted for these customers averaged approximately 9.0% of net sales in Sally Beauty Supply's U.S. stores during the past three years. We believe the wide selection of ethnic products available in Sally Beauty Supply stores is unique and differentiates its stores from its competition. Sally Beauty Supply also aims to position itself to be competitive in price, but not a discount leader.

Sally Beauty Supply's pricing strategy is differentiated by customer segment. Professional salon customers are generally entitled to a price lower than that received by retail customers. However, Sally Beauty Supply does offer discounts to retail customers through its customer loyalty program (please see Marketing and Advertising below).

   Leading Third-Party Branded Products

Sally Beauty Supply offers an extensive selection of hair care products, nail care products, beauty sundries and appliances from leading third-party brands such as Clairol®, Revlon® and Conair®, as well as an extensive selection of exclusive-label merchandise. We believe that carrying a broad selection of the latest premier branded merchandise is critical to maintaining long-term relationships with our customers. The merchandise Sally Beauty Supply carries includes products from one or more of the leading manufacturers in each category. Sally Beauty Supply's objective is not only to carry leading brands, but also to carry a full range of branded and exclusive-label products within each category. As hair trends continue to evolve, we expect to offer the changing professional beauty product assortment necessary to meet the needs of retail consumers and salon professionals.

   Exclusive-Label Products

Sally Beauty Supply offers a broad range of exclusive-label products. We believe exclusive-label products provide customers with an attractive alternative to higher-priced leading third-party brands. Exclusive-label products accounted for approximately 44% of Sally Beauty Supply's product sales in the U.S. during the 2011 fiscal year. Generally, the exclusive-label brands have higher gross margins than the leading third-party branded products, and we believe this area offers continued potential growth. Sally Beauty Supply maintains exclusive-label products in a number of categories including hair care, small electrical appliances and salon products. Sally Beauty Supply actively promotes its exclusive-label brands through in-store promotions, print advertising and direct shopping guides. We believe our customers perceive our exclusive-label products to be comparable in quality and name recognition to leading third-party branded products.

The following table sets forth the approximate percentage of Sally Beauty Supply's sales by merchandise category:

7

Table of Contents