HSN, Inc. ("HSN"), now a subsidiary of QVC, began broadcasting television home shopping programming from its studios in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1981 and, by 1985, was broadcasting its programming through a national network of cable and local television stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In the U.S., we have registered tradenames and service marks including, but not limited to our brand names and logo, "QVC," "Quality Value Convenience," "Find What You Love, Love What You Find," the "Q Logo," and "Q" and trademarks for our proprietary products sold such as "Arte D’Oro," "Cook’s Essentials," "Denim & Co.," "Diamonique," "Nature's Code," "Northern Nights" and "Ultrafine Silver." Similarly, foreign registrations have been obtained for many tradenames and service marks for our brand names, logo and propriety products including, but not limited to, "QVC," the "Q Logo," "Q," "Cook’s Essentials," "Denim & Co.," "Diamonique" and "Northern Nights."

HSN has numerous tradename registrations or pending applications in the United States which help to expand HSN’s brand awareness. These registrations and applications include the “HSN” brand name and the “HSN logo” as well as registrations for HSN’s propriety products and services, including, but not limited to, “HSN Shop By Remote,” “Technibond,” and “Concierge Collection.” 

We consider the "QVC" and "HSN" names the most significant tradenames and service marks held by us because of their impact on market awareness across all of our geographic markets and on customers’ identification with us. As with all U.S. tradenames or service marks, our tradename and service mark registrations in the U.S. are for a ten year period and are renewable every ten years, prior to their respective expirations, as long as the tradenames or service marks are used in the regular course of trade.

On October 17, 2018, QRG announced a series of initiatives designed to better position its QxH business (“QRG Initiatives”). As part of the QRG Initiatives, QVC will close its fulfillment centers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Roanoke, Virginia and has entered into an agreement to lease a new fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which commenced in 2019 (see note 9 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements). QVC recorded transaction related costs of $1 million and $60 million during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which primarily related to severance, other QRG Initiatives and the closure of operations in France as discussed below. No transaction related costs were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2020.

QVC engages with CBI, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail and prior to the common control transaction between QVC and Qurate Retail, included as part of HSN. CBI is not part of the results of operations or financial position of QVC presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. During the year ended December 31, 2019,2020, QVC and CBI engaged in multiple transactions relating to sourcing of merchandise, personnel and business advisory services. Refer to note 14 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further details.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The retail business environment is subject to intense competition, and we may not be able to effectively compete for customers

We operate in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive retail business environment. Although we are the U.S.’s largest television shopping retailer, we have numerous and varied competitors at the national and local levels, ranging from large department stores to specialty shops, electronic retailers, direct marketing retailers, wholesale clubs, discount retailers, other televised shopping retailers such as ShopHQ (formerly referred to as Evine) in the U.S., Jupiter Shop Channel in Japan, HSE 24(Formerly referred to as HSE24) in Germany and Italy, and Ideal World in the U.K., infomercial retailers, Internet retailers, including livestream shopping retailers, and mail-order and catalog companies. Many of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, longer histories, more customers and greater brand recognition than we do. They may secure better terms from vendors, adopt more aggressive pricing, offer free or subsidized shipping and devote more resources to technology, fulfillment and marketing. Other companies also may enter into business combinations or alliances that strengthen their competitive positions. Such business combinations or alliances may result in competitors with greatly improved financial resources, improved access to merchandise, greater market penetration than they previously enjoyed and other improvements in their competitive positions. This may cause our customers to elect to purchase products from a competitor that they would have historically purchased from QVC, resulting in less revenue to QVC.

Although we sell a variety of exclusive products, one of the most significant challenges we face is competition on the basis of price. Price is of great importance to most customers, and price transparency and comparability continues to increase, particularly as a result of digital technology. The ability of consumers to compare prices on a real-time basis puts additional pressure on us to maintain competitive prices.

Our net revenue and operating results depend on our ability to predict or respond to consumer preferences

Our net revenue and operating results depend, in part, on our ability to predict or respond to changes in consumer preferences and fashion trends in a timely manner. We develop new retail concepts and continuously adjust our product mix in an effort to satisfy customer demands. Consumer preferences may be affected by many factors outside of our control, including responses of competitors and general economic conditions. Any sustained failure by us to identify and respond to emerging trends in lifestyle and consumer preferences could have a material adverse effect on our relationship with our customers and the demand for the products we sell.

Our long-term success depends in large part on our continued ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers and we may not be able to do that in a cost-effective manner

In an effort to attract and retain customers, we engage in various merchandising and marketing initiatives, which involve the expenditure of money and resources, particularly in the case of the production and distribution of our television programming and, to an increasing extent, digital advertising. We have spent, and expect to continue to spend, increasing amounts of money on, and devote greater resources to, certain of these initiatives, particularly in our continuing efforts to increasingly engage customers through online digital marketing and to personalizing our customers’ shopping experience. These initiatives, however, may not resonate with existing customers or consumers generally or may not be cost-effective. In addition, costs associated with the production and distribution of our television programming and costs associated with digital marketing, including marketing on third-party platforms such as Google and Facebook, have increased and are likely to continue to increase in the foreseeable future and, if significant, could have a material adverse effect to the extent that they do not result in corresponding increases in net revenue.

In addition, the stay at home restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19 that led many traditional brick and mortar retailers to temporarily close their stores have allowed distance retailers, such as QVC, to continue operating. As a result, QVC has experienced an increase in new customers and an increase in demand for certain categories, such as home and electronics. However, QVC may not be able to retain these new customers after the pandemic subsides and any increases in demand in our products and servicesproduct categories during the pandemic may be temporary.

In the U.S., we currently distribute our programming through affiliation or transmission agreements with many television service providers, including, but not limited to, Comcast, AT&T/DIRECTV, Charter, DISH Network, Verizon and Cox. Internationally, we currently distribute our programming through Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Media Broadcast GmbH, SES ASTRA, Telekom Deutschland GmbH, Unitymedia GmbH, Tele Columbus and Primacom, Jupiter Telecommunications, Ltd., Sky Perfect and World Hi-Vision Channel, Inc., A1 Telekom Austria AG, UPC Telekabel Wien GmbH, British Sky Broadcasting, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media, and Mediaset, Hot Bird and Sky Italia. Our affiliation agreements with distributors are scheduled to expire between 20202021 to 2024.

We may be unable to obtain renewals with our current distributors on acceptable terms, if at all. We may also be unable to successfully negotiate affiliation agreements with new or existing distributors to carry our programming and no assurance can be given that we will be successful in negotiating renewals with these distributors or that the financial and other terms of these renewals will be acceptable. Although we consider our current levels of distribution without written agreement to be ordinary course, the failure to successfully renew or negotiate new affiliation agreements covering a material portion of television households could result in a discontinuation of carriage that may adversely affect our viewership, growth, net revenue and earnings.

The failure to maintain suitable placement for our programming or to adapt to changes in consumer behavior driven by online video distribution platforms for viewing content could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain television viewers and could result in a decrease in revenue

We are dependent upon the continued ability of our programming to compete for viewers. Effectively competing for television viewers is dependent, in substantial part, on our ability to negotiate and maintain placement of our programming at a favorable channel position, such as in a basic tier or within a general entertainment or general broadcasting tier. Less favorable channel position for our programming, such as placement adjacent to programming that does not complement our programming, a position next to our televised home shopping competitors or isolation in a "shopping" tier could adversely affect our ability to attract television viewers to our programming.

In addition, if our programming is carried exclusively by a distributor on a digital programming tier, we may experience a reduction in revenue to the extent that the digital programming tier has less television viewer penetration than the basic or expanded basic programming tier. We may experience a further reduction in revenue due to increased television viewing audience fragmentation to the extent that not all television sets within a digital cable home are equipped to receive television programming in a digital format.

Changes in consumer behavior driven by online video distribution platforms for viewing content may have an adverse impact on our business. Distribution platforms for viewing content over the internet have been, and will likely continue to be, developed that further increase the competition for viewers of programming. These distribution platforms are driving changes in consumer behavior as consumers seek more control over when, where and how they consume content.

Consumers are increasingly turning to online sources for viewing content, which has and likely will continue to reduce the number of viewers of our television programming. Although we have attempted to adapt our offerings to changing consumer behaviors, virtual multichannel video providers, online video distributors and programming networks providing their content directly to consumers over the internet rather than through traditional television services continue to emerge, gain consumer acceptance and disrupt traditional television distribution services, which we rely on for the distribution of our television programming.

An increasing number of companies offering streaming services, including some with exclusive high-quality original video programming, as well as programming networks offering content directly to consumers over the internet, have increased the number of entertainment choices available to consumers, which has intensified audience fragmentation. The increase in entertainment choices adversely affects the viewership of our programming. Additionally, time-shifting technologies, such as video on demand services and DVR and cloud-based recording services, could adversely affect our ability to attract television viewers to our programming.

Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to anticipate and adapt to technological changes and to offer elements of our programming via new technologies in a cost-effective manner that meets customer demands and evolving industry standards. Our failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to emerging technologies or competitors or changes in consumer behavior, including among younger consumers, could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, businesses and results of operations.

We may be subject to claims for representations made in connection with the sale and promotion of merchandise or for harm experienced by customers who purchase merchandise from us

The manner in which we sell and promote merchandise and related claims and representations made in connection with these efforts is regulated by federal, state and local law, as well as the laws of the foreign countries in which we operate. We may be exposed to potential liability from claims by purchasers or fromby regulators and law enforcement agencies, including, but not limited to, claims for personal injury, wrongful death and damage to personal property relating to merchandise sold and misrepresentation of merchandise features and benefits. In certain instances, we have the right to seek indemnification for related liabilities from our vendors and may require such vendors to carry minimum levels of product liability and errors and omissions insurance. These vendors, however, may be unable to satisfy indemnification claims, obtain suitable coverage or maintain this coverage on acceptable terms, or insurance may provide inadequate coverage or be unavailable with respect to a particular claim. See Item 1. "Business - Government regulation" for further discussion of regulations to which we are subject.

In 2000, we became subject to a consent decree issued by the FTC barring us from making certain deceptive claims for dietary supplements and specified products related to the common cold, pneumonia, hay fever and allergies. We also became subject to an expanded consent decree issued by the FTC in 2009 that terminates on the later of May 26, 2029, or 20 years from the most recent date that the U.S. or the FTC files a complaint in federal court alleging any violation thereunder. Pursuant to this expanded consent decree, we are prohibited from making certain claims about specified weight-loss, dietary supplement and anti-cellulite products unless we have competent and reliable scientific evidence to substantiate such claims. Violation of the QVC order may result in the imposition of significant civil penalties for non-compliance and related redress to consumers and/or the issuance of an injunction enjoining us from engaging in prohibited activities. Additionally, HSN was subject to a consent order issued by the FTC that had expired in 2019 and which barred HSN (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) from making certain claims with respect to specified categories of products.

Failure to comply with existing laws, rules and regulations, or to obtain and maintain required licenses and rights, could subject us to additional liabilities

We market and provide a broad range of merchandise through television shopping programs and our websites. As a result, we are subject to a wide variety of statutes, rules, regulations, policies and procedures in various jurisdictions, including foreign jurisdictions, which are subject to change at any time, including laws regarding consumer protection, privacy, the regulation of retailers generally, the license requirements for television retailers in foreign jurisdictions, the importation, sale and promotion of merchandise and the operation of retail stores and warehouse facilities, as well as laws and regulations applicable to the Internet and businesses engaged in online and mobile commerce, such as those regulating the sending of unsolicited, commercial electronic mail and texts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in a revocation of required licenses, fines and/or proceedings against us by governmental agencies and/or consumers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, unfavorable changes in the laws, rules and regulations applicable to us could decrease demand for merchandise offered by us, increase costs and/or subject us to additional liabilities. Similarly, new disclosure and reporting requirements, established under existing or new state or federal laws, such as regulatory rules regarding requirements to disclose efforts to identify the origin and existence of certain "conflict minerals" or abusive labor practices in portions of our supply chain, could increase the cost of doing business, adversely affecting our results of operations. Finally, certain of these regulations impact the marketing efforts of our brands and business.

The processing, storage, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personal data could give rise to liabilities as a result of governmental regulation, conflicting legal requirements or differing views of personal privacy rights

In the processing of consumer transactions and managing our employees, our business receives, transmits and stores a large volume of personally identifiable information and other user data. The processing, storage, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of this information are governed by the privacy and data security policies maintained by us. Moreover, there are federal, state and international laws regarding privacy and the processing, storage, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of personally identifiable information and user data. Specifically, personally identifiable information is increasingly subject to changing legislation and regulations, in numerous jurisdictions around the world, which are intended to protect the privacy of personal information that is collected, processed and transmitted in or from the governing jurisdiction. Compliance with these laws and regulations may be onerous and expensive and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance. For example, the European Court of Justice in 2015 invalidated the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, which facilitated personal data transfers to the U.S. in compliance with applicable European data protection laws. The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which replaced the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, and became fully operational on August 1, 2016, but is subject to legal challenge in the E.U. The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield providesprovided a mechanism to comply with data protection requirements when transferring personal data from the E.U. to the U.S. In addition, Standard Contractual ClausesOn July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union invalidated the E.U.-U.S. Privacy Shield, and imposed new obligations on the use of SCCs - another key mechanism to allow data transfers between the U.S. and the E.U. - are also subject to litigation over whether Standard Contractual Clauses can be used for transferring personal data fromIt is unclear when the U.S. and the E.U. will adopt a new data transfer framework to the U.S. The Court of Justice of the E.U. is expected to rule on the challenges toreplace the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and Standard Contractual ClausesShield. The European Commission has proposed draft revised SCCs, which may be adopted in 2020.2021. Further, the GDPR, which became effective on May 25, 2018, gives consumers in the E.U. additional rights and imposes additional restrictions and penalties on companies for illegal collection and misuse of personal information. The European CommissionE.U. is continuing to consider whether to proposeadopt new regulations regarding privacy and electronic communications that would complement GDPR, including additional regulation of the Internet tracking tools known as “cookies.” In the absence of such new regulations, European data regulators are indicating their intent to take greater enforcement efforts with respect to the use of cookies. The "Brexit" withdrawal of the United Kingdom (U.K.) from the E.U. may cause transfers of personal data from the E.U. to the U.K. to be subject to increased regulations that would adversely impede the continued sharing of E.U. personal data with the U.K. California has enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which, among other things, allows California consumers to request that certain companies disclose the types of personal information collected by such companies. The CCPA became effective on January 1, 2020. The California Attorney General is draftinghas issued draft implementing regulations and guidance regarding the law. In November 2020, California voters approved the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (“CPRA”), which amends and expands the CCPA and establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency to implement and enforce consumer privacy laws. Most of the CPRA’s provisions become effective on January 1, 2023. Other states in the United States are also separately proposing laws to regulate privacy and security of personal data. Our failure, and/or the failure by the various third party vendors and service providers with which we do business, to comply with applicable privacy policies or federal, state or similar international laws and regulations, or changes in applicable laws and regulations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release of personally identifiable information or other user data could damage our reputation and the reputation of our third party vendors and service providers, discourage potential users from trying our products and services and/or result in fines and/or proceedings by governmental agencies and/or consumers, any one or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses.

We have operations outside of the U.S. that are subject to numerous operational and financial risks

We have operations in countries other than the U.S. and we are subject to the following risks inherent in international operations:

Additionally, in many foreign countries, particularly in certain developing economies, it is not uncommon to encounter business practices that are prohibited by regulations applicable to us, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws. Although we have undertaken compliance efforts with respect to these laws, our employees, contractors and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, may take actions in violation of our policies and procedures. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies and procedures or the law, could have a material adverse effect. Any failure by us to effectively manage the challenges associated with the international operation of our business could have a material adverse effect.

Significant developments stemming from the negotiation ofU.S. trade agreementspolicy or the Brexit vote could have a material adverse effect on us

There is uncertainty as to the actions that may be taken under a new Biden Administration with respect to U.S. trade policy with China. The Presidentimposition of the United States has expressed apprehension towards trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and suggested that theany new U.S. would renegotiate or withdraw from certain trade agreements. He has advocated for and imposed tariffs on certain goods imported intoChinese imports or the United States, particularly fromtaking of other actions against China in the future, and Europe. On January 23, 2017, the Presidentany responses by China, could impair our ability to meet customer demand and could result in lost sales or an increase in our cost of the United States signedmerchandise, which would have a presidential memorandum to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. On October 1, 2018, the U.S., Mexico and Canada agreed to the terms of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (the "USMCA"), a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement ("NAFTA"), which willmaterial adverse impact imports and exports among those countries. The countries agreed to a revised version of the USMCA on December 10, 2019. The USMCA has only been ratified by Mexico and the U.S. Once ratified by the legislature of Canada, the USMCA would be enacted and replace NAFTA. As of the date of this report, there is some uncertainty about whether the USMCA will be ratified by Canada, as well as the timing thereof, and the potential for further re-negotiation, or even termination, of NAFTA. Also, the USMCA could undergo further changes that lead to additional modifications of certain USMCA provisions before being passed into law. These and other proposed actions, if implemented, could adversely affect our business because we sell imported products.and results of operations.

future agreements on economic relations between the U.K. and security relationship, including a new agreement on trade. The transition will last until December 31, 2020, which can be extended for up to two years if the E.U. will have on our businesses and the U.K. agree to do so. However, at present, the U.K. government’s stated intentionour customers, and it is not to seek or agree to an extension. A “no deal” outcome on trade remains a possibility if the E.U.possible that new terms may adversely affect our operations and the U.K. fail to conclude a new trade agreement before December 31, 2020 and the transition period is not extended. In that case, with effect from January 1, 2021, the basis for E.U.-U.K. trade would automatically default to World Trade Organization terms.financial results.

The potential impacts, if any, of the considerable uncertainty relating to Brexit or the resulting terms of the new economic and security relationship between the U.K. and the E.U. on the free movement of goods, services, people and capital between the U.K. and the E.U., customer behavior, economic conditions, interest rates, currency exchange rates, availability of capital or other matters are unclear. Our business could be affected with respect to these matters during this period of uncertainty, and perhaps longer, depending on the resulting terms.longer. In particular, our business could be negatively affected by new trade agreements between the U.K. and other countries, including the U.S., and by the possible imposition of trade or other regulatory barriers, including the imposition of tariffs, in the U.K. which could result in shipping delays and the shortageshortages or increased costs of products sold by our business. Additionally, the U.K. economy and consumer demand in the U.K., including for our products, could be negatively impacted. Further, various geopolitical forces related to Brexit may impact the global economy, the European economy and our business, including, for example, due to other E.U. member states where we have operations proposing referendums to, or electing to, exit the E.U. These possible negative impacts, and others resulting from the U.K.’s withdrawal from the E.U., may adversely affect our operating results.

We rely on distribution facilities to operate our business, and any damage to one of these facilities, or any disruptions caused by incorporating new facilities into our operations, could have a material adverse impact on our business

We operate a limited number of distribution facilities worldwide. Our ability to meet the needs of our customers depends on the proper operation of these distribution facilities. If any of these distribution facilities were to shut down or otherwise become inoperable or inaccessible for any reason, we could suffer a substantial loss of inventory and disruptions of deliveries to our customers. For example, any resurgence of COVID-19 in the areas where our distribution facilities are located, or if we are unable to adequately staff our distribution facilities to meet demand in the future, or if the cost of such staffing is higher than historical or projected costs due to wage increases, regulatory changes, or other factors, could harm our operating results. In addition, we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with the distribution of our products during the time it takes to reopen or replace the damagedimpacted facility. Any of the foregoing factors could result in decreased sales and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. In addition, we have been implementing new warehouse management systems to further support our efforts to operate with increased efficiency and flexibility. There are risks inherent in operating in new distribution environments and implementing new warehouse management systems, including operational difficulties that may arise with such transitions. We may experience shipping delays should there be any disruptions in our new warehouse management systems or warehouses themselves.

In October 2018, we announced that we would be opening a new distribution facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 2019 and that we anticipated closing distribution facilities in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Roanoke, Virginia, and Greeneville, Tennessee in 2020. In late 2019 we began shipping customer orders from our Bethlehem distribution center, but it is not operating at full

We rely on independent shipping companies to deliver the products we sell

We rely on third party carriers to deliver merchandise from vendors and manufacturers to us and to ship merchandise to our customers. As a result, we are subject to carrier disruptions and delays due to factors that are beyond our control, including employee strikes, inclement weather and regulation and enforcement actions by customs agencies. For example, as a result of COVID-19 many consumers have significantly increased their use of ecommerce which has resulted in a significant increase in the volume of packages handled by third-party carriers, including those we rely on, which could cause us to experience delays in merchandise deliveries and cause our customers to experience delays in their order delivery. Any failure to deliver products to our customers in a timely and accurate manner may damage our reputation and brand and could cause us to lose customers. Enforcement actions by customs agencies can also cause the costs of imported goods to increase, negatively affecting our profits.

We are also impacted by increases in shipping rates charged by third party carriers, which over the past few years, have increased significantly in comparison to historical levels. We currently expect that shipping and postal rates will continue to increase. In the case of deliveries to customers, in each market where we operate, we have negotiated agreements with one or more independent, third party shipping companies, which in certain circumstances provide for favorable shipping rates. If any of these relationships were to terminate or if a shipping company was unable to fulfill its obligations under its contract for any reason, we would have to work with other shipping companies to deliver merchandise to customers, which would most likely be at less favorable rates. Other potential adverse consequences of changing carriers include:

Any increase in shipping rates and related fuel and other surcharges passed on to us by our current carriers or any other shipping company would adversely impact profits, given that we may not be able to pass these increased costs directly to customers or offset them by increasing prices without a detrimental effect on customer demand.

We depend on relationships with vendors, manufacturers and other third parties, and any adverse changes in these relationships could result in a failure to meet customer expectations which could result in lost revenue

We purchase merchandise from a wide variety of third party vendors, manufacturers and other sources pursuant to short- and long-term contracts and purchase orders. Our ability to identify and establish relationships with these parties, as well as to access quality merchandise in a timely and efficient manner on acceptable terms and cost, can be challenging. In particular, we purchase a significant amount of merchandise from vendors and manufacturers abroad, and cannot predict whether the costs for goods sourced in these markets will remain stable. We depend on the ability of vendors and manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad to produce and deliver goods that meet applicable quality standards, which is impacted by a number of factors, some of which are not within the control of these parties, such as political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates and transport capacity and costs, among others.

Our failure to identify new vendors and manufacturers, maintain relationships with a significant number of existing vendors and manufacturers and/or access quality merchandise in a timely and efficient manner could cause us to miss customer delivery dates or delay scheduled promotions, which would result in lost sales or the failure to meet customer expectations and could cause customers to cancel orders or cause us to be unable to source merchandise in

sufficient quantities, which could result in lost revenue.

The unanticipated loss of certain larger vendors or the consolidation of our vendors could negatively impact our sales and profitability on a short term basis

It is possible that one or more of our larger vendors could experience financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, or otherwise could elect to cease doing business with us. While we have periodically experienced the loss of a major vendor, if multiple major vendors ceased doing business with us, or did not perform consistently with past practice, this could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. Further, there has been a trend among our vendors towards consolidation in recent years that may continue. This consolidation could exacerbate the foregoing risks and increase our vendors’ bargaining power and their ability to demand terms that are less favorable to us.

We face significant inventory risk

for products, however, can change significantly between the time inventory or components are ordered and the date of sale. In addition, when we begin selling a new product, it may be difficult to establish vendor relationships, determine appropriate product or component selection, and accurately forecast demand. The acquisition of certain types of inventory or components may require significant lead-time and prepayment and they may not be returnable. We carry a broad selection and significant inventory levels of certain products, such as consumer electronics, and at times we may be unable to sell products in sufficient quantities or to meet demand during the relevant selling seasons. Any one of the inventory risk factors set forth above may adversely affect our operating results.

The seasonality of our business places increased strain on our operations

Our net revenue in recent years indicates that our business is seasonal due to a higher volume of sales in the fourth calendar quarter related to year-end holiday shopping. In recent years, we have earned, on average, between 22%21% and 23%24% of our global revenue in each of the first three quarters of the year and 32% of our global revenue in the fourth quarter of the year. If our vendors are not able to provide popular products in sufficient amounts (for example, due to the illness or absenteeism of our vendors’ workforces, government mandated shutdown orders, impaired financial conditions or other reasons resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic) such that we fail to meet customer demand, it could significantly affect our revenue and our future growth. The supply of such products may not return to pre-COVID-19 levels, and if so, product supplies may return to pre-COVID-19 levels at different times, and our efforts to ensure popular products are in stock may not be successful. If too many customers access our websites within a short period of time due to increased holiday demand, we may experience system interruptions that make our websites unavailable or prevent us from efficiently fulfilling orders, which may reduce the volume of goods we offer or sell and the attractiveness of our products and

To the extent we pay for holiday merchandise in advance of the holidays (i.e., in August through November of each year), our available cash may decrease, resulting in less liquidity. We have limited availability under our revolving credit facility and may not be able to access financing to the extent our cash balance is impaired. We may be unable to maintain a level of cash sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.

Our success depends in large part on our ability to recruit and retain key employees capable of executing our unique business model

We have not voluntarily implemented various corporate governance measures, in the absence of which you may have more limited protections against interested transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters

Federal legislation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, encourages the adoption of various corporate governance measures designed to promote the integrity of corporate management and the securities markets. Some of these measures have been adopted in response to legal requirements. Others have been adopted by companies in response to the requirements of national securities exchanges on which their securities are listed. Among the corporate governance measures that are required under the rules of national securities exchanges are those that address board of directors’ independence and audit committee oversight.

As a “close corporation” under Delaware law, our stockholder, rather than a board of directors, manages our business. Our stockholder is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail, meaning that we do not have any independent governing body. In addition, we have not adopted corporate governance measures such as the implementation of an audit committee or other independent governing body. It is possible that if we were to appoint a board of directors and include one or more independent directors and adopt some or all of these corporate governance measures, there may be somewhat greater assurances that internal corporate decisions were being made by disinterested directors and that policies had been implemented to define responsible conduct. However, our stockholder has the ability to make decisions regarding transactions with related parties and corporate actions that could involve conflicts of interest.

In addition, our Chief Executive Officer and President, Michael A. George, became president and chief executive officer of Qurate Retail during 2018. Investors should bear in mind our current lack of independent directors, the positions with Qurate Retail that are held by Mr. George and corporate governance measures in formulating their investment decisions.

The interests of our stockholder may not coincide with your interests and our stockholder may make decisions with which you may disagree

Our stockholder is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail. As a “close corporation” under Delaware law, our stockholder, rather than a board of directors, manages our business. As a result, Qurate Retail controls certain aspects of our management, including the approval of significant corporate transactions such as a change of control. The interests of Qurate Retail may not coincide with our interests or your interests. For example, Qurate Retail’s dependence on our cash flow for servicing Qurate Retail’s debt and for other purposes, including payments of dividends on Qurate Retail’s capital stock, stock repurchases or to fund acquisitions or other operational requirements of Qurate Retail and its subsidiaries is likely to result in our payment of large dividends to Qurate Retail when permitted by law or the terms of our senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing our outstanding senior secured notes, which may increase our accumulated deficit or require us to borrow under our senior secured credit facility, increasing our leverage and decreasing our liquidity. We have made significant distributions to Qurate Retail in the past. See Item 1. "Business - Qurate Retail relationship and related party transactions."

Our level of indebtedness could limit our flexibility in responding to current market conditions, adversely affect our financial position, prevent us from meeting our obligations under our debt instruments or otherwise restrict our business activities

The existence of and limitations on the availability of our debt could have important consequences. The existence of debt could, among other things:

Limitations imposed as a part of the debt, such as the availability of credit and the existence of restrictive covenants may, among other things:

We may need to refinance our indebtedness.

Although we expect to refinance or otherwise repay our indebtedness, we may not be able to refinance our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The financial terms or covenants of any new credit facility, notes or other indebtedness may not be as favorable as those under our senior secured credit facility and our existing notes. Our ability to complete a refinancing of our senior secured credit facility and our existing notes prior to their respective maturities will depend on our financial and operating performance, our credit rating with rating agencies, as well as a number of conditions beyond our control. For example, if disruptions in the financial markets were to exist at the time that we intended to refinance this indebtedness, we might be restricted in our ability to access the financial markets. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness, our alternatives would include negotiating an extension of the maturities of our senior secured credit facility and our existing notes with the lenders and seeking or raising new equity capital. If we were unsuccessful, the lenders under our senior secured credit facility and the holders of our existing notes could demand repayment of the indebtedness owed to them on the relevant maturity date, which could adversely affect our financial condition.

Despite our current level of indebtedness, we may still incur substantially more indebtedness. This could exacerbate the risks associated with our existing indebtedness

We and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. Our senior secured credit facility and the terms of the indentures for our notes limit, but do not prohibit, us or our subsidiaries from incurring additional indebtedness. Also, our subsidiaries could incur additional indebtedness that is structurally senior to the notes or we and our subsidiaries could incur indebtedness secured by a lien on assets that do not constitute collateral, including assets of ours and our subsidiaries, and the holders of such indebtedness will have the right to be paid first from the proceeds of such assets. If we incur any additional indebtedness that ranks equally with the notes and the guarantees, the holders of that indebtedness will be entitled to share ratably with the holders of the notes and the guarantees in any proceeds distributed in connection with our insolvency, liquidation, reorganization or dissolution. This may have the effect of reducing the amount of proceeds paid to the existing note holders. In addition, existing note holders’ rights to the collateral would be diluted by any increase in the indebtedness secured by this collateral. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries now face could intensify.

Covenants in our debt agreements restrict our business in many ways

Our senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing the notes contain various covenants that limit our ability and/or our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things:

Our ability to pay dividends or make other restricted payments to Qurate Retail is subject to limited restrictions

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

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

QVC engages with Zulily, which has been a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Qurate Retail completed transactions whereby Qurate Retail acquired GCI Liberty through a reorganization in which certain assets and liabilities attributed to Qurate Retail’s Ventures Group were contributed to GCI Liberty in exchange for a controlling interest in GCI Liberty. Qurate Retail then effected a tax-free separation of its controlling interest in the combined company. Qurate Retail's QVC Group common stock became the only outstanding common stock of Qurate Retail.

On October 17, 2018, QRG announced a series of initiatives designed to better position its QxH business (“QRG Initiatives”). As part of the QRG Initiatives, QVC will close its fulfillment centers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Roanoke, Virginia and has entered into an agreement to lease a new fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which commenced in 2019 (see note 9 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements). Expenditures related to the QRG Initiatives are recorded as part of transaction related costs (see note 16 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements).

In the fourth quarter of 2018, QVC recorded a charge related to the potential closure of its operations in France. The formal announcement to execute the closure was made in March 2019 and broadcasting for QVC in France was subsequently terminated on March 13, 2019.

The current economic uncertainty in various regions of the world in which our subsidiaries and affiliates operate could adversely affect demand for our products and services since a substantial portion of our revenue is derived from discretionary spending by individuals, which typically falls during times of economic instability. Global financial markets have recently experienced disruptions, including increased volatility and diminished liquidity and credit availability. If economic and financial market conditions in the U.S. or other key markets, including Japan and Europe, becomecontinue to be uncertain or deteriorate, our customers may respond by suspending, delaying or reducing their discretionary spending. A suspension, delay or reduction in discretionary spending could adversely affect revenue. Accordingly, our ability to increase or maintain revenue and earnings could be adversely affected to the extent that relevant economic environments decline. Such weak economic conditions may also inhibit our expansion into new European and other markets. We currently are unable to predict the extent of any of these potential adverse effects.

The stay at home restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19 required many traditional brick and mortar retailers to temporarily close their stores, but allowed distance retailers, including QVC, to continue operating. As a result, beginning at the end of March 2020, we observed an increase in new U.S. tariffs, some foreign governments,customers and an increase in demand for certain categories, such as home. However, QVC may not be able to retain these new customers after the pandemic subsides and any increases in demand in our product categories during the pandemic may be temporary.

In addition, there are several potential adverse impacts of COVID-19 that could cause a material negative impact to the Company’s financial results, including China, have instituted or are considering instituting tariffsits capital and liquidity. These include governmental restrictions on certain U.S. goods. New tariffsQVC’s ability to continue to operate under stay at home restrictions and produce content; reduced demand for products we sell; decreases in the disposable income of existing and potential new customers; the impacts of any recession and other changesuncertainties with respect to the continuity of government stimulus programs implemented in U.S. trade policy could trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries. Like many other multinational corporations,response to COVID-19; increased currency volatility resulting in adverse currency rate fluctuations; higher unemployment; labor shortages; and an adverse impact to our supply chain and shipping disruptions for both the products we do a significant amount of business that could be impacted by changes to U.S.import and international trade policies (including governmental action related to tariffs and trade agreements). Such changes have the potential to adversely impact the U.S. economy or certain sectors thereof, our industrypurchase domestically and the globalproducts we sell, including essential products experiencing higher demand, for our productsdue to factory closures, labor shortages and as a result,other resource constraints. While the impact is currently uncertain, the inability to control the spread of COVID-19 could cause any one of these adverse impacts, or combination of adverse impacts, to have a material adverse effectimpact on our business, financial conditionresults.

In July 2020, QVC implemented a planned workforce reduction with the goal of making the organizational structure streamlined and results of operations.

Results of Operations- QVC Consolidated

In discussing our operating results, the term "currency exchange rates" refers to the currency exchange rates we use to convert the operating results for all countries where the functional currency is not the U.S. dollar. We calculate the effect of changes in currency exchange rates as the difference between current period activity translated using the prior period's currency exchange rates. Throughout our discussion, we refer to the results of this calculation as the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations. When we refer to "constant currency operating results", this means operating results without the impact of the currency exchange rate fluctuations. The disclosure of constant currency amounts or results permits investors to understand better QVC’s underlying performance without the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations.

The percentage change in net revenue for QVC's segments in U.S. Dollars and in constant currency was as follows:

In 2019, the QxH net revenue decrease was primarily due to a 2.8% decrease in units shipped, a 0.5% decrease in ASP and an $18 million decrease in shipping and handling revenue. This decrease was partially offset by a $65 million decrease in estimated product returns, primarily driven by the decrease in sales volume. QxH experienced shipped sales decline in all categories except electronics. The decrease in net shipping and handling revenue was a result of a decrease in shipping and handling revenue per unit from promotional offers. QVC-International net revenue growth in constant currency was primarily due to a 5.1% increase in ASP, including increases in all markets. The increase was partially offset by a decrease of 2.5% in

units shipped, primarily driven by Germany, the U.K., and Italy partially offset by increases in Japan, a $22 million decrease in shipping and handling revenue, primarily in the U.K. and a $16 million increase in estimated product returns across all markets. QVC-International experienced shipped sales growth in constant currency in all categories except electronics and accessories.

QVC's cost of goods sold as a percentage of net revenue was 65.1%64.7%, 64.2%65.1%, and 63.8%64.2% for years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 2018 and 2017,2018, respectively. The decrease in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue in 2020 is primarily due

to strategic promotional and pricing initiatives, which decreased product costs as a percentage of net revenue across QxH, Japan and Germany, and favorable estimated product returns at QxH, which was partially offset by increased fulfillment costs at QxH, primarily related to increased freight charges. For 2019, the increase in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue in 2019 is due to an increase in product fulfillment costs primarily related to a new fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and higher freight costs at QxH. For 2018, the increase in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue is primarily due to the inclusion of HSN's financial results in 2018 in addition to higher warehouse and freight costs partially offset by the inclusion of PLCC income within net revenue, which was previously recorded as an offset to selling, general and administrative expenses.

QVC's operating expenses are principally comprised of commissions, order processing and customer service expenses, credit card processing fees and telecommunications expenses. Operating expenses increased $18 million or 2% and decreased $113 million or 13% and increased $280 million or 47% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively as compared to the corresponding prior year. Operating expenses were 6.9% and 2018,7.0% of net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The decrease in 2019 was primarily due to a $92 million decrease in commissions primarily at QxH, a $13 million decrease in personnel costs, primarily at QxH and to a lesser extent, Italy, Germany and Japan, and a $5 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. The decrease in commissions is primarily due to new longer term television distribution rights agreements entered into at HSN, with similar terms to QVC’s television distribution agreements, which led to increased capitalization of television distribution rights agreements and favorable terms on commissions.

QVC's selling, general and administrative expenses (excluding transaction related costs as defined below and stock-based compensation) include personnel, information technology, provision for doubtful accounts,credit losses, production costs, marketing and advertising expenses. Such expenses increased $123 million, and priorincreased to 10.6% of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the adoption of ASC 606 on December 1, 2018, credit card income. Such expensesprior year and decreased $6 million and increased towas 9.9% of net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to the prior yearyear.

The increase in 2020 was primarily due to a $111 million increase in personnel costs across all markets, a $53 million increase in online marketing primarily at QxH and increased $428$7 million in unfavorable exchange rates. These increases were partially offset by a $34 million decrease in estimated credit losses primarily at QxH and to a lesser extent, Japan, a $14 million decline in outside services primarily at QxH and a $10 million decrease in travel expenses across all markets. The increase related to personnel costs was 9.7%primarily due to an increase to our estimated incentive pay across all markets and a work from home allowance as a result of net revenue forCOVID-19, which was partially offset by the year ended December 31, 2018closure of our operations in France in 2019. The decrease to estimated credit losses was due to favorable adjustments based on actual collections, a decrease in the number of installment counts offered to and taken by customers, enhanced risk screening and a favorable shift in product category mix. The decrease in travel expenses was primarily due to less travel as compared to the prior year.a result of COVID-19.

The decrease in 2019 was primarily due to a $43 million decrease in personnel costs primarily in QxH, France and the U.K. partially offset by increases in Japan, Germany and Italy, and an $11 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. The decreases were partially offset by a $22 million increase in outside services, primarily at QxH and Japan, partially offset by a decrease in Germany, a $12 million increase in bad debt expense, and a $16 million increase in online marketing expenses primarily in QxH. The decrease in personnel costs is due to a decrease in wages at QxH as a result of QRG Initiatives, a

decrease in bonus compensation across all markets except Japan, the termination of a retirement health plan and the closure of QVC's operations in France, partially offset by higher severance costs across all markets. The increase in bad debt expense for the year ended December 31, 2019 is primarily due to increased Easy Pay usage and the number of installments taken at QxH.

Adjusted Operating Income before Depreciation and Amortization ("Adjusted OIBDA")