| Significant Accounting Policies | SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Business Operations- Designer Brands Inc. is one of North America's largest designers, producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories. We operate in three reportable segments: the U.S. Retail segment, the Canada Retail segment, and the Brand Portfolio segment. The U.S. Retail segment operates the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse ("DSW") banner through its U.S. stores and e-commerce site. The Canada Retail segment operates The Shoe Company, Shoe Warehouse, and DSW banners through its Canada stores and e-commerce sites. The Brand Portfolio segment earns revenue from the sale of wholesale products to retailers, commissions for serving retailers as the design and buying agent for products under private labels (which we refer to as "First Cost"), and the sale of branded products through the direct-to-consumer e-commerce site at www.vincecamuto.com. An integral part of the Brand Portfolio segment is our equity investment in ABG-Camuto, LLC ("ABG-Camuto"), which is a partnership between Camuto LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary doing business as "Camuto Group," and Authentic Brands Group LLC, a global brand management and marketing company. Camuto Group has a 40% stake in ABG-Camuto, a joint venture that owns several intellectual property rights, including Vince Camuto, Louise et Cie, and others, and focuses on licensing and developing new category extensions to support the global growth of these brands. Camuto Group has a licensing agreement with ABG-Camuto whereby we pay royalties on our net sales from the brands owned by ABG-Camuto, subject to guaranteed minimums. Camuto Group also owns footwear and certain handbag licensing rights of Jessica Simpson, Lucky Brand and, through a joint venture, Jennifer Lopez. Our other operating segments are below the quantitative and qualitative thresholds for reportable segments and are aggregated into Other for segment reporting purposes. Basis of Presentation- The accompanying unaudited, condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by management in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("GAAP") for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, we do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying financial statements reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal, recurring nature. The condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for these interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in future periods. The balance sheet at January 30, 2021 has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date. The financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the 2020 Form 10-K. Fiscal Year- Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest to January 31. References to a fiscal year refer to the calendar year in which the fiscal year begins. Accounting Policies - The complete summary of significant accounting policies is included in the notes to the consolidated financial statements as presented in our 2020 Form 10-K. Impact of COVID-19- In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. On March 18, 2020, to help control the spread of the virus and protect the health and safety of our customers, employees, and the communities we serve, we temporarily closed all of our stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, we took several actions in late March 2020 to reduce costs and operations to levels that were more commensurate with then-current sales, including furloughs and pay reductions. During the second quarter and into the third quarter of fiscal 2020, we re-opened all of our stores, discontinued the furlough program, and restored pay for our associates that had taken pay reductions. Beginning in July 2020, we initiated an internal reorganization and reduction of our workforce with additional actions taken throughout fiscal 2020 and into the first quarter of fiscal 2021, resulting in the elimination of approximately 1,000 associate positions. The severance charges recorded as a result of this reorganization are included in our severance discussion below. As this continues to be an unprecedented period of uncertainty, we have made and may continue to make adjustments to our operational plans, inventory controls, and liquidity management, as well as changes to our expense and capital expenditure plans. As a result of the material reduction in net sales and cash flows during fiscal 2020, we updated our impairment analyses for our U.S. Retail and Canada Retail segments at the store level, which represents the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are independent of the cash flows of other assets. The carrying amount of the store asset group, primarily made up of operating lease assets, leasehold improvements and fixtures, is considered impaired when the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the expected future cash flows from the asset group. The impairment loss recognized is the excess of the carrying value of the asset or asset group over its fair value (categorized as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy). Fair value at the store level is typically based on projected discounted cash flows over the remaining lease term. In addition, we evaluated other long-lived assets based on our intent to use such assets going forward. During the three months ended October 31, 2020, we recorded an impairment charge of $30.1 million for the U.S. Retail segment. During the nine months ended October 31, 2020, we recorded impairment charges of $122.9 million ($103.2 million and $19.7 million for the U.S. Retail segment and Canada Retail segment, respectively). Also during the nine months ended October 31, 2020, we recorded an impairment charge of $6.5 million for the Brand Portfolio segment customer relationship intangible resulting in a full impairment due to the lack of projected cash flows over the remaining useful life (categorized as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy). As a result of the material reduction in net sales and cash flows due to the temporary closure of all of our stores, the decrease in net sales from our retailer customers and the decrease in the Company's market capitalization due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on macroeconomic conditions, we performed an impairment analysis for goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets during the first quarter of fiscal 2020. We calculated the fair value of the reporting units with goodwill primarily based on a discounted cash flow analysis (categorized as Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy). Our analysis concluded that the fair value of the First Cost reporting unit within the Brand Portfolio segment did not exceed its carrying value. Accordingly, during the nine months ended October 31, 2020, we recorded an impairment charge of $20.0 million for the First Cost reporting unit in the Brand Portfolio segment, resulting in a full impairment. The U.S. Retail segment inventory is accounted for using the retail inventory method and is stated at the lower of cost or market. Under the retail inventory method, the valuation of inventories reflects reductions for merchandise marked down with charges to cost of sales. As a result, earnings are negatively impacted as the merchandise is marked down prior to sale. Inventories for the Canada Retail and Brand Portfolio segments are accounted for using moving average cost method and are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. For all inventories, we also monitored excess and obsolete inventories in light of the temporary closure of stores during our fiscal 2020 peak spring selling season and reduced traffic experienced since re-opening stores. During the nine months ended October 31, 2020, we recorded $18.0 million of additional inventory reserves over the same period of the previous year. On March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act"), which, among other things, provided employer payroll tax credits for wages paid to employees who were unable to work over a defined period and options to defer payroll tax payments. Based on our evaluation of the CARES Act, we qualified for certain employer payroll tax credits, which were treated as government subsidies to offset related operating expenses, as well as the deferral of payroll and other tax payments in the future. Similar credits were also available in Canada. During the three months ended October 30, 2021 and October 31, 2020, the qualified government credits reduced our operating expenses b y $0.3 million and $1.4 million, respectively, on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. During the nine months ended October 30, 2021 and October 31, 2020, the qualified government credits reduced our operating expenses by $4.0 million and $9.3 million , respectively, on our condensed consolidated statements of operations. A s of October 30, 2021, we had $10.0 million of deferred qualified payroll and other tax obligations, half of which is included in accrued expenses on the condensed consolidated balance sheets that we expect to pay at the end of fiscal 2021, with the remaining incl uded in other non-current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets that we expect to pay at the end of fiscal 2022. We recorded our income tax expense, income tax receivable, and deferred tax assets and related liabilities based on management’s best estimates. Additionally, we assessed the likelihood of realizing the benefits of our deferred tax assets. Our ability to recover these deferred tax assets depends on several factors, including our ability to project future taxable income. One of the provisions of the CARES Act allows net operating losses generated within tax years 2018 through 2020 to be carried back up to five years, including years in which the U.S. federal statutory tax rate was 35%, as opposed to the current rate of 21%. In evaluating future taxable income, significant weight is given to positive and negative evidence that is objectively verifiable. As a result of the losses incurred in fiscal 2020 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are in a three-year cumulative loss position as of October 30, 2021, which is significant objective negative evidence in considering whether deferred tax assets are realizable. Such objective evidence limits the ability to consider other subjective evidence, such as the projection of future taxable income. A valuation allowance has been recognized as a reserve on the total deferred tax asset balance due to the uncertainty of realization of our loss carry forwards and other deferred tax assets. Our effective tax rate changed from 33.4% for the nine months ended October 31, 2020 t o 11.8% for the nine months ended October 30, 2021. The rate for the nine months ended October 30, 2021 is the result of maintaining a full valuation allowance on deferred tax assets while also recording net discrete tax benefits, primarily as a result of adjustments to our estimated fiscal 2020 return reflecting implemented tax strategies. T he rate for the nine months ended October 31, 2020 is the result of the carry back of losses to a tax year where the U.S. federal statutory tax rate was 35%. While trends improved during fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020, we cannot reasonably estimate the extent to which our business will continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and to what extent the recent improved trends will continue. For instance, we have continued to experience reduced customer traffic and net sales when compared to pre-COVID-19 periods, and it is unclear whether customer behavior may continue to be slow to return to pre-COVID-19 patterns, if at all. The ongoing and prolonged nature of the outbreak may lead to further adjustments to our operations. As such, the ultimate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our businesses will depend on future developments, including the availability of labor, global supply chain disruptions, the variants of COVID-19, and the global availability and use of vaccines, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. As a result, we may have future write-downs or adjustments to inventories, receivables, long-lived assets, intangibles, goodwill, and the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets. Severance- During the nine months ended October 30, 2021 and October 31, 2020, we incurred severance costs of $2.6 million and $10.0 million, respectively. These costs are included in operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. As of October 30, 2021, January 30, 2021, and October 31, 2020, we had accrued severance of $2.5 million, $6.5 million, and $3.8 million, respectively, included in accrued expenses on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Gain on Settlement- During the nine months ended October 31, 2020, we collected $9.0 million , net of legal costs incurred, and recorded a gain to operating expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations, which was due to a settlement with a vendor for costs incurred on internal-use software that was capitalized and then impaired in a previous fiscal year. Principles of Consolidation- The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Designer Brands Inc. and its subsidiaries, including variable interest entities. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All amounts are in U.S. dollars. Use of Estimates- The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements and reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting periods. Certain estimates and assumptions use forecasted financial information based on information reasonably available to us, along with the estimated, but uncertain, future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant estimates and assumptions are required as a part of accounting for sales returns allowances, customer allowances and discounts, gift card breakage income, deferred revenue associated with loyalty programs, valuation of inventories, depreciation and amortization, impairments of long-lived assets, intangibles and goodwill, lease accounting, income taxes, and self-insurance reserves. Although we believe these estimates and assumptions are reasonable, they are based on management's knowledge of current events and actions we may undertake in the future. Changes in facts and circumstances may result in revised estimates and assumptions, and actual results could differ from these estimates. Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash - Cash and cash equivalents represent cash, money market funds, and credit card receivables that generally settle within three days. Restricted cash represents cash that is restricted as to withdrawal or usage and consists of a mandatory cash deposit maintained for certain insurance policies. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows: (in thousands) October 30, 2021 January 30, 2021 October 31, 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 83,069 $ 59,581 $ 114,531 Restricted cash, included in prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,546 — — Total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows $ 84,615 $ 59,581 $ 114,531 Fair Value- Fair value is defined as the price that would be received in the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are categorized using defined hierarchical levels related to the subjectivity associated with the inputs to fair value measurements as follows: • Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. • Level 2 - Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable. • Level 3 - Unobservable inputs in which little or no market activity exists. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, receivables, and accounts payables approximated their fair values due to their short-term nature. The carrying value of borrowing under our ABL Revolver approximated the fair value. As of October 30, 2021, the fair value of borrowings under our Term Loan was $244.1 million compared to the carrying value of $234.4 million. T he fair value of debt borrowings was estimated based on current interest rates offered for similar instruments (categorized as Level 2 under the fair value hierarchy). Impairment of Long-Lived Assets- Refer to section above, Impact of COVID-1 9, regarding impairment charges of long-lived assets during fiscal 2020. During the nine months ended October 30, 2021, we recorded an impairment charge of $1.2 million in the U.S. Retail segment for abandoned equipment we are replacing. |
