Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements represent our good faith judgment with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “likely,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” “will,” or variations of such words, and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, address matters that are, to varying degrees, uncertain. Therefore, the reader is cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk factors described under Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2023, filed on March 14, 2024, which information is incorporated herein by reference. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
GENERAL
The Company designs, markets, and distributes quality and innovative footwear principally for men, but also for women and children, under a portfolio of well-recognized brand names including: Florsheim, Nunn Bush, Stacy Adams, BOGS, Rafters, and Forsake. Inventory is purchased from third-party overseas manufacturers. Almost all of these foreign-sourced purchases are denominated in U.S. dollars.
We have two reportable segments, North American wholesale operations (“Wholesale”) and North American retail operations (“Retail”). In the Wholesale segment, our products are sold to leading footwear, department, and specialty stores, as well as e-commerce retailers, primarily in the United States and Canada. We also have licensing agreements with third parties who sell our branded apparel, accessories, and specialty footwear in the United States, as well as our footwear in Mexico and certain markets overseas. Licensing revenues are included in our Wholesale segment. Our Retail segment consists of e-commerce businesses and four brick and mortar retail stores in the United States. Retail sales are made directly to consumers on our websites, or by our employees in our stores. Our “other” operations include our wholesale and retail businesses in Australia, South Africa, and Asia Pacific (collectively, “Florsheim Australia”). We ceased operations in Asia in 2023, and are in the final stages are winding down that business. The majority of our operations are in the United States and our results are primarily affected by the economic conditions and the retail environment in the United States.
EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
Sales in our Wholesale segment were down 20% versus record first-quarter sales in 2023. Our performance reflected industry headwinds, as retailers are taking a conservative approach to inventory management given the soft sales trend in the footwear and apparel categories and their focus on maintaining lower inventory levels. While our sales were down, we remain encouraged by solid retail sell-throughs, especially in our legacy men’s brands.
Our legacy business was collectively down 13%, with Stacy Adams, Nunn Bush and Florsheim brands down 16%, 13% and 11%, respectively. After working though high inventories for much of 2023, retailers are reducing their upfront buys and placing more orders on an as-needed basis. We did see a meaningful increase in our at-once business during the quarter, but it was not enough to make up the deficit. We anticipate this conservative trend among retailers will continue through the second quarter, but are optimistic that demand will improve in the second half of 2024. We remain focused on evolving our brands to fit a more relaxed lifestyle and continue to expand our offerings in the true casual and hybrid footwear categories. While there is uncertainty in the current retail environment due to a variety of factors, we feel confident about the long-term trajectory of our legacy brands.
BOGS sales were down 48% for the quarter, as the outdoor boot market remains challenging. Additionally, BOGS’ decline in sales was driven by a tough comparison to last year’s first quarter sales. In early 2023, BOGS shipped a large work boot program to a key account which did not recur in 2024. The loss of this program made up the majority of BOGS’ sales decline for the quarter. After multiple seasons of solid growth, the BOGS business lost momentum in the back half of 2023 due to the oversaturation of boots at retail, in combination with mild Fall and Winter weather. We believe the market is slowly normalizing as retailers work down their inventories. We are rolling out a wide range of boots that utilize BOGS’ seamless construction, which is 30% lighter and over twice as durable than the standard vulcanized rubber boot. We believe the expansion of our seamless collection will be a difference-maker as the outdoor boot market resets with cleaner inventories this Fall.