SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020
OR
☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from ___________ to __________
Commission File Number 001-39213
OneWater Marine Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware | | 83-4330138 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
6275 Lanier Islands Parkway Buford, Georgia | | 30518 |
(Address of principal executive offices) | | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (678) 541-6300
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
| | | | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered |
Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share | | ONEW | | The Nasdaq Global Market |
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 in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ |
| Emerging growth company ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of common shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market on March 31, 2020, was $53,880,098.
The registrant had 10,779,119 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 4,196,179 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of November 30, 2020.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement relating to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed within 120 days of the Registrant’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
PART I |
| Item 1. | | 3
|
| Item 1A. | | 18 |
| Item 1B. | | 46 |
| Item 2. | | 46 |
| Item 3. | | 47 |
| Item 4. | | 47 |
PART II | | |
| Item 5. | | 48 |
| Item 6. | | 48 |
| Item 7. | | 50 |
| Item 7A. | | 75 |
| Item 8. | | 76 |
| Item 9. | | 106 |
| Item 9A. | | 106 |
| Item 9B. | | 106 |
PART III | | |
| Item 10. | | 107 |
| Item 11. | | 107 |
| Item 12. | | 107 |
| Item 13. | | 107 |
| Item 14. | | 107 |
PART IV | | |
| Item 15. | | 108 |
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information in this Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K, regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements described under the heading “Risk Factors,” “Business,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in this Form 10-K. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current belief, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events.
Forward-looking statements may include statements about:
| • | the impact of COVID-19 on our business and results of operations; |
| • | general economic conditions, including changes in employment levels, consumer demand, preferences and confidence levels, fuel prices, levels of discretionary income, consumer spending patterns and uncertainty regarding the timing, pace and extent of an economic recovery in the United States; |
| • | economic conditions in certain geographic regions in which we primarily generate our revenue; |
| • | credit markets and the availability and cost of borrowed funds; |
| • | our business strategy, including acquisitions and same-store growth; |
| • | our ability to integrate acquired dealer groups; |
| • | our ability to maintain our relationships with manufacturers, including meeting the requirements of our dealer agreements and receiving the benefits of certain manufacturer incentives; |
| • | our ability to finance working capital and capital expenditures; |
| • | general domestic and international political and regulatory conditions, including changes in tax or fiscal policy and the effects of current restrictions on various commercial and economic activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| • | global public health concerns, including the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| • | demand for our products and our ability to maintain acceptable pricing for our products and services, including financing, insurance and extended service contracts; |
| • | our operating cash flows, the availability of capital and our liquidity; |
| • | our future revenue, same-store sales, income, financial condition, and operating performance; |
| • | our ability to sustain and improve our utilization, revenue and margins; |
| • | seasonality and inclement weather such as hurricanes, severe storms, fire and floods, generally and in certain geographic regions in which we primarily generate our revenue; |
| • | our ability to manage our inventory and retain key personnel; |
| • | environmental conditions and real or perceived human health or safety risks; |
| • | any potential tax savings we may realize as a result of our organizational structure; |
| • | uncertainty regarding our future operating results and profitability; |
| • | other risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic including, among others, the ability to safely operate our stores, access to inventory and customer demand; and |
| • | plans, objectives, expectations and intentions contained in this Form 10-K that are not historical. |
We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, decline in demand for our products and services, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, the seasonality and volatility of the boat industry, our acquisition strategies, the inability to comply with the financial and other covenants and metrics in our Credit Facilities, cash flow and access to capital, the timing of development expenditures and the other risks described under “Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K.
All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Form 10-K are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue.
Any forward-looking statement that we make in this Form 10-K speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K.
PART I
OneWater Marine Inc. (“OneWater Inc.”) is a holding company and the sole managing member of One Water Marine Holdings, LLC (“OneWater LLC”), which became the principal operating subsidiary of OneWater Inc. on February 11, 2020 in the corporate reorganization (the “Reorganization”) completed in connection with OneWater Inc.’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), which closed on February 11, 2020.
Except as otherwise indicated or required by the context, all references in this Form 10-K to the “Company,” “OneWater,” “we,” “us” or “our” relate to (i) for periods after the Reorganization, OneWater Marine Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and (ii) for periods on or prior to the Reorganization, to OneWater LLC, our accounting predecessor, and its consolidated subsidiaries. References in this Form 10-K to the “Legacy Owners” refer to the owners of OneWater LLC as they existed immediately prior to the Reorganization, including, but not limited to, certain affiliates of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (collectively, “Goldman”), affiliates of The Beekman Group (collectively, “Beekman”) and certain members of our management team.
Overview
We believe that we are one of the largest and fastest-growing premium recreational boat retailers in the United States with 61 stores comprising 21 dealer groups in 10 states. Our dealer groups are located within highly attractive markets throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio which represent seven of the top twenty states for marine retail expenditures. We believe that we are a market leader by volume in sales of premium boats in 12 out of the 15 markets in which we operate. In fiscal year 2020, we sold over 10,000 new and pre-owned boats, of which we believe approximately 40% were sold to customers who had a trade-in or with whom we otherwise had established relationships. The combination of our significant scale, diverse inventory, access to premium boat brands and meaningful dealer group brand equity enables us to provide a consistently professional experience as reflected in the number of our repeat customers and same-store sales growth.
The following table sets forth information about stores that were part of our operations as of September 30, 2020:
State | | Number of Stores | | | Percent of 2020 Revenue | |
Florida | | | 20 | | | | 41.2 | % |
Texas | | | 8 | | | | 16.5 | |
Georgia | | | 10 | | | | 11.0 | |
Alabama | | | 8 | | | | 9.1 | |
Ohio | | | 3 | | | | 7.1 | |
Massachusetts | | | 3 | | | | 5.6 | |
South Carolina | | | 4 | | | | 4.1 | |
Maryland | | | 2 | | | | 3.5 | |
Kentucky | | | 2 | | | | 1.1 | |
North Carolina | | | 1 | | | | 0.5 | |
New York | | | 0 | | | | 0.3 | |
Total | | | 61 | | | | 100.0 | % |
We have a diversified revenue profile that is comprised of new boat sales, pre-owned boat sales, F&I products, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories. Non-boat sales were approximately 9.8% of revenue and 28.3% of gross profit in fiscal year 2020, 11.4% of revenue and 31.1% of gross profit in fiscal year 2019 and approximately 10.5% of revenue and 26.7% of gross profit in fiscal year 2018. We offer a wide array of new boats at various price points through relationships with 50 manufacturers covering 66 brands. We are currently a top-three customer for 28 of our 66 brands and the single largest customer for each of our top five highest-selling brands. While our order volume amounts to between 5% to 35% of total sales for those top five brands, no single brand accounts for more than 7% of our total sales volume. Additionally, our top brand only accounts for approximately 10% of new boat sales. Our relationships with many of our manufacturers are long-standing and have been developed over multiple decades of experience in the marine industry. We believe that the strength of our relationships combined with our scale enables us to receive among the best pricing and terms available across all of the brands and models that we carry, and we routinely evaluate the sales performance and demand for each respective brand to ensure that the economic relationship we have in place with our manufacturers optimizes our profitability.
We were formed in 2014 as OneWater LLC through the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine, which created a marine retail platform that collectively owned and operated 19 stores. Since the combination in 2014, we have acquired a total of 41 additional stores through 17 acquisitions. Our current portfolio as of September 30, 2020 consists of 21 different local and regional dealer groups. Because of this, we believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing premium recreational boat retailers in the United States based on number of stores and total boats sold. While we have opportunistically opened new stores in select markets, we believe that it is generally more effective economically and operationally to acquire existing stores with experienced staff and established reputations.
We believe that our dealer group branding strategy, which retains the name, logo and trademarks associated with each store or dealer group at the time of acquisition, significantly differentiates us from our largest competitors who employ singular, national branding strategies. We are committed to maintaining local and regional dealer group branding because we believe that the value of retaining the goodwill and long-standing customer relationships of these local businesses, many of which have been built by families over decades, far exceeds the benefits of attempting to establish a potentially unfamiliar “OneWater” national brand. In addition, preserving this established identity maintains the long term engagement of former owners because their name and reputation remain figuratively and literally “on the door.”
Summary of Financial Performance for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2020 and Key Metrics
We have experienced significant growth in recent periods.
| • | Revenue increased 33.3% to $1,023.0 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 from $767.6 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
| • | Revenue generated from same-store sales increased 24.4% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 as compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
| • | Gross profit increased 36.8% to $235.5 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 from $172.1 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
| • | Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue decreased 116 basis points for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
| • | Net income increased to $48.5 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 from $37.3 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
| • | Adjusted EBITDA increased 80.1% to $83.3 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 from $46.2 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. |
For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), its most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Comparison of Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”
Our Market and Our Customer
Consumer spending on boats, engines, services, parts, accessories and related purchases reached $43.1 billion in 2019, up 3.1% from 2018, and has, on average, grown in excess of 5% annually since 2010. New powerboat sales have driven market growth and reached $11.3 billion in 2019, resulting in a 12% average annual growth rate since 2010. Of the approximately one million powerboats sold in the United States each year, 80% of total units sold (approximately 809,000) are pre-owned. Relative demand for new and late-model boats has increased in recent years in part due to the continuous evolution of boat technology and design including, but not limited to, seating configurations, power, efficiency, instrumentation and electronics, and wakesurf gates, each of which represents a material design improvement that cannot be matched by more dated boat models. We believe the increasing pace of innovation in technology and design will result in more frequent upgrade purchases and ultimately higher sales volumes of new and late-model, pre-owned boat sales. While we continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations, our financial position through September 30, 2020 suggests that spending in all our regions and across product lines has proven resilient as families have increasingly focused on outdoor socially distanced recreation, driving a material increase in sales.
The boat dealership market is highly fragmented and is comprised of approximately 4,300 stores nationwide. Most competing boat retailers are operated by local business owners who own three or fewer stores, however we do have other larger competitors including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. We believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing premium recreational boat retailers in the United States. Despite our size, we comprise less than 2% of total industry sales. Our scale and business model allow us to leverage our extensive inventory to provide consumers with the ability to find a boat that matches their preferences (e.g., make, model, color, configuration and other options) and to deliver the boat within days while providing a personalized sales experience. We are able to operate with a comparatively higher degree of profitability than other independent retailers because we allocate support resources across our store base, focus on high-margin products and services, utilize floor plan financing and provide core back-office functions on a scale that many independent retailers are unable to match. We seek to be the leading boat retailer by total market share within each boating market and within the product segments in which we participate. To the extent that we are not, we will evaluate acquiring other local retailers in order to increase our sales, to add additional brands or to provide us with additional high-quality personnel.
We believe that boating is a lifestyle that brings families and friends together regardless of their stage of life. Whether a person grew up in a household that owned a boat or experiences boating later in life, once a person buys their first boat they often become a boating customer for life. Our customers are typically middle to upper-middle class families who either own a house on the water or live near a body of water where they can engage in boating activities. We serve customers whose boating preferences span from general recreation and cruising to fresh and salt water fishing to watersports, including wakeboarding and wake surfing. The profile of our customers range from those in their early-to-mid 30’s who are upgrading their house, cars and lifestyle to those who have owned multiple boats and view boating as a way of life. Our inventory and product selection allow us to cater to a highly diverse customer base with price points and boat types that appeal to a broad spectrum of budgets and preferences. The boating industry’s and MarineMax’s average selling prices for a new boat were $56,000 in calendar year 2019 and $215,000 in fiscal year 2020, respectively. By comparison, our average selling price for a new boat in fiscal year 2020 was $122,000.
Our Strengths
Leading Market Position and Scale: We believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing premium recreational boat retailers in the United States, with 61 stores across 10 states. We have a strong presence in Texas, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and North Carolina with 54 stores. These markets represent seven of the top twenty states for marine retail expenditures.
Differentiated Marketing and Branding Strategy: We are committed to maintaining a local and regional dealer group branding strategy and believe that retaining the goodwill and long-standing customer relationships of dealer groups that we acquire provides significantly more value than establishing a potentially unfamiliar “OneWater” national brand across each of our stores. Preserving the existing brands enables us to retain key staff, including senior management, which reduces or eliminates our need to hire and train new people when we complete an acquisition.
Our marketing department is able to deploy highly efficient and targeted sales campaigns due to the number of customers we have served to date and the analytics we have obtained from prior transactions. Customers who buy boats commonly make ongoing purchases of parts, repair and maintenance services and storage. We proactively send marketing messages to anticipate when a customer may need additional repair and maintenance services in order for us to maximize the value of a customer and to diversify our revenue streams across all revenue categories.
Seasoned Consolidator in a Highly Fragmented Market: We have an extensive acquisition track record within the boating industry and have developed a reputation for treating sellers and their staff in an honest and fair manner. We believe our reputation and scale have positioned us as a buyer of choice for boat dealers who want to sell their businesses. To date, 100% of our acquisitions have been sourced from inbound inquiries, and the number of annual inquiries we receive has consistently increased over time. Less than 50% of the inbound leads that we receive meet our criteria but more than 90% of the stores on which we conduct diligence are ultimately acquired. Our acquisition and integration team has executed 17 acquisitions since 2014. Our acquisition team is typically able to convert the selling dealer groups’ back-office systems to our IT platform within approximately ten days, with full integration of most acquisitions completed in approximately 45 days. Our strategy is to acquire stores at attractive EBITDA multiples and then grow same-store sales while benefitting from cost-reducing synergies. Historically, we have typically acquired dealer groups for less than 4.0x EBITDA on a trailing twelve months basis and believe that we will be able to continue to make attractive acquisitions within this range.
Strong Yet Flexible Relationships with Leading Boat Manufacturers: Most of our relationships with our manufacturers are long-standing with many dating back two decades or longer. We communicate with our manufacturers on a weekly basis to monitor our orders and make adjustments based on our current inventory levels and forecasted customer demand. Our contracts also exclude any requirements pertaining to mandatory capital expenditures, branding and unit pricing. Furthermore, we have flexibility to change brands, subject to territory availability, at each store based on sales performance or other factors.
We are an essential customer to many of our top manufacturers and do not believe that there is a material risk that they would stop selling boats to us in any of our markets given our scale and long-standing relationships. We were recognized as Dealer of the Year by Boating Industry in 2016 and 2017, were inducted into the Boating Industry Top 100 Hall of Fame in 2018, and have been a Top 100 dealer since 2006. Certain of our local and regional dealer groups, including Singleton Marine, have been recognized among the top dealers worldwide for Cobalt Boats, Regal Boats, Harris and Yamaha Boats, and among the top dealers in the Southeast for Malibu and Axis. Additionally, we are also the top Yamaha Jet Boat dealer by volume in the United States. We began selling Sunseeker yachts in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2019 through one of our consignors that is the exclusive dealer for certain Sunseeker yachts in select states, including Texas, certain counties in Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. From time to time, we may continue to add additional manufacturers whose products match our focus on premium recreational boats.
Diversified Revenue Streams: We offer a broad range of products and services beyond new and pre-owned boats, including repair and maintenance services, parts and accessories, F&I products and ancillary services, including storage. Although non-boat sales contributed approximately 9.8%, 11.4% and 10.5% to revenue in fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, the higher gross margin on these product and service lines resulted in non-boat sales contributing 28.3%, 31.1% and 26.7% of gross profit in fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. During different phases of the economic cycle, consumer behavior may shift away from new boats; however, we are well positioned to benefit from revenue from pre-owned boats, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories, which have historically increased during periods of economic uncertainty. We have also diversified our business across geographies and dealership types (e.g., fresh water and salt water) in order to reduce the effects of seasonality. For instance, boating activity in South Florida increases during winter months, whereas freshwater boating in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast peaks during late-spring and summer.
Attractive Financial Profile: Since the formation of OneWater LLC in 2014, we have established a high growth financial profile driven by strong same-store sales growth and acquisitions. This growth has resulted in a high level of cash flow generation, and allows us to maintain a conservative leverage profile. Excluding inventory financing, our business requires a low level of capital with historical maintenance capital expenditures typically under 0.5% of revenue. We are focused on achieving profitable growth and have been able to achieve an increase in Adjusted EBITDA margins by growing revenue at a higher rate than operating expenses have increased.
Fiscal 2020 Revenue | Fiscal 2020 Gross Profit |
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Fiscal 2020 Adjusted EBITDA(1)
(1) | Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. For the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to our most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Comparison of Non-GAAP Financial Measure.” |
Highly Experienced Management Team: We have assembled an exceptional team of highly experienced professionals within the boating industry. The average industry tenure of our executive team is 25 years and our Chief Executive Officer, Austin Singleton, who is a second generation boat dealer, has been in the industry for 32 years. In addition, our Chief Operating Officer, Anthony Aisquith, and Chief Financial Officer, Jack Ezzell, have 25 and 18 years of industry experience, respectively.
Growth Strategy
Organic Growth Strategy: Our business model utilizes our unique scale to drive profitable same-store sales growth. We seek to gain market share by delivering high-quality products and services, with customized attributes tailored to our customers’ product specifications. Our management team and business model are extremely agile, allowing us to target sales in specific segments of the industry that are outperforming overall industry trends. Additionally, we are able to leverage our potential customer database to garner new sales. Sales growth from our existing stores is a core component of our current and future strategy. We believe non-boat sales will be a driver of our organic growth strategy in the future. We have implemented a targeted marketing strategy across our platform focused on increasing new and existing customer awareness and usage of our F&I products, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories products. We intend to expand our online presence and sales through a multi-phased roll out of a digital platform to engage in online new and pre-owned boat sales, as well as financing & insurance. We believe this will further advance our long-term growth opportunity, while broadening our customer base and geographic reach. Additionally, we may also develop a dealership if an attractive acquisition is not available in a market we choose to target.
Acquisition Strategy: We believe there is a tremendous opportunity for us to expand in both existing and new markets, given that the industry is highly fragmented with most boat retailers owning three or fewer stores. We seek to create value by implementing the best tested operational practices to family-owned and operated businesses that previously lacked the resources, management experience and expertise to maximize the profitability of the acquired standalone businesses. We believe that the boat retail market is underpinned by strong fundamental drivers, and that, with the implementation of operational control measures and the injection of resources, local stores can significantly increase revenues and profitability. We believe our status as a consolidator of choice is based on the expertise we have developed through completing 17 acquisitions (41 stores acquired) since the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine in 2014, our growing cash flow and financial profile, and our footprint of retailers within prime markets. Our ability to acquire additional stores or dealer groups at attractive multiples is further enhanced by our growing reputation for retaining the seller’s management team and keeping their branding and legacy intact. Accordingly, the sellers remain actively involved in the business. We typically enter into three-year employment agreements with the owners of the stores or dealer groups that we acquire at salaries commensurate with their positions, although many have remained employed with us beyond the initial term of such agreements. We believe there is significant opportunity to expand our store footprint in regions with strong boating cultures. While we have a strong presence in the Southeastern portion of the United States, there are several areas of opportunity in states adjacent to our current geographic footprint as well as states in new regions in the Midwest and Western United States. We are targeting to complete four to eight potential acquisitions that may contribute an estimated total of $100 million to $200 million in sales over the next 24 months, though we can provide no assurance as to the timing or completion of such acquisitions. As a result of our reputation in the market place, we expect our pipeline of potential acquisitions to grow over time.
Industry Trends and Market Opportunity
U.S. Recreational Boating Industry
Recreational boating is a well-established American pastime that attracts millions of people each year to the water. While Florida is the leading state for new boating sales and registrations due to its abundance of both fresh water and salt water, boating is very popular throughout the United States with Texas, Michigan, North Carolina and Minnesota representing the rest of the top five states for new marine retail expenditures. There are approximately twelve million boats registered in the United States. U.S. boat registrations have remained stable over time, and have remained above eleven million registrations since 2006. In 2019, there was one registered boat for approximately every 10 households in the United States.
In 2019, $43 billion was spent on retail boating sales which has contributed to annual growth of just under two percent since 2006. Consumer marine spending includes purchases of new and pre-owned boats; marine products such as engines, trailers, equipment, and accessories; and related expenditures, such as fuel, insurance, docking, storage, and repairs. New boat sales and pre-owned boat sales constituted 62% and 38% of 2019 boating retail sales, respectively, based on industry data from the NMMA. The NMMA estimates that approximately 966,000 pre-owned boats were sold in 2019. Non-boat sales include aftermarket accessories (17.1% of total 2019 boating retail sales) and F&I and Ancillary Services, such as insurance, maintenance and fuel (22.6% of total 2019 boating retail sales).
Boat sales volumes are correlated with consumer confidence and the availability of consumer credit. Recent growth in spending has been driven by both an increase in units sold as well as rising average selling prices. Innovation, including updated boat configurations, hull designs, wake gates and other electronics, have contributed to shorter boat upgrade cycles which result in higher unit sales volume. Pre-owned traditional powerboat sales were approximately $9.0 billion in 2018 and have remained relatively consistent since 2006 and through economic cycles. The boat dealership market is highly fragmented with approximately 4,300 stores nationwide and the majority of retailers are owner-operated with three stores or fewer. Independent retailers typically offer a limited selection of boat brands, and they predominantly focus on new boat sales with less expertise and capacity to create a meaningful business from non-boat sales such as F&I products.
Products and Services
We offer new and pre-owned recreational boats, yachts and related marine products, including parts and accessories, with a specific focus on premium brands. We also provide boat repair and maintenance services, arrange boat financing and boat insurance and offer other ancillary services including indoor and outdoor storage, marina services, and rentals of boats and personal watercraft.
New and Pre-Owned Boat Sales
Our business focuses primarily on the sale of new and pre-owned recreational boats, including pontoon, runabout, saltwater fishing boats, wake/ski boats, and yachts. We offer products from a broad variety of manufacturers and brands without relying on any one manufacturer or brand in particular. No single brand accounted for more than 7% of our total sales volume in fiscal year 2020. We also sell pre-owned versions of the brands we offer and pre-owned boats of other brands we take as trade-ins or acquire. During fiscal year 2020, new boat sales accounted for approximately $717.1 million or 70.1% of our revenue, and pre-owned boat sales accounted for approximately $205.7 million or 20.1% of our revenue.
We offer new and pre-owned recreational boats in a broad range of market segments. We believe that the product lines and brands we offer are among the highest quality within their respective market segments, with well-established brand recognition and reputations for quality, performance, styling and innovation.
Fishing Boats. Revenue from fishing boats comprised 35% of our new boat revenue for fiscal 2020. The fishing boats we offer range from entry-level models to advanced models, such as Everglades, Pursuit, Scout and Sea Hunt, each designed for fishing and water sports in lakes, bays and off-shore waters, with cabins with limited live-aboard capability. The fishing boats we offer typically feature livewells, in-deck fishboxes, rodholders, rigging stations, cockpit coaming pads and fresh and saltwater washdowns.
Pontoon Boats and Runabouts. Revenue from pontoon boats and runabouts comprised 37% of our new boat revenue for fiscal 2020. We offer a variety of some of the most innovative, luxurious, and premium pontoon models to fit boaters’ needs, such as Bennington, Barletta and Harris. Our runabouts, such as Cobalt, Regal and Chris-Craft, target the family recreational boating markets and come in a variety of configurations to suit each customer’s particular recreational boating style. The models we offer may include amenities such as advance navigation electronics and sound systems, a variety of hull, deck, and cockpit designs that can include a swim platform, bow pulpit and raised bridges, and swivel bucket helm seats, lounge seats, sun pads, wet bars, built-in ice chests, and refreshment centers. With a variety of designs and options, the pontoon boats and runabouts we offer appeal to a broad audience of boat enthusiasts and existing customers.
Wake/Ski Boats. Revenue from wake/ski boats comprised 8% of our new boat revenue for fiscal 2020. The ski boats we offer range from entry-level models to advanced models, such as Axis and Malibu, all of which are designed to generate specific wakes for optimal skiing, surfing and wakeboarding performance and safety. With a broad range of designs and options, the ski boats we offer appeal to both competitive and recreational users.
Yachts. Revenue from yachts comprised 12% of our new boat revenue for fiscal 2020. The yachts we offer range from entry-level models to advanced models, such as Absolute, Riviera, Tiara and Sunseeker. The motor yacht product lines typically include state-of-the-art designs with live-aboard luxuries, offering amenities such as flybridges with extensive guest seating; covered aft deck, which may be fully or partially enclosed, providing the boater with additional living space; an elegant salon; and multiple staterooms for accommodations.
Motors, Trailers, Personal Water Crafts (“PWC”), Wholesale and Other. Revenue from motors, trailers, PWC, wholesale and other sales comprised 8% of our new boat revenue for fiscal 2020. The motors and trailers we offer range in size, horsepower, length and style dependent upon the type of boat our customers may own. We offer PWC, primarily including models from Yamaha and Sea Doo, which appeal to a broad audience of customers. Wholesale sales primarily consist of transactions with other dealers and other sales include the remaining new inventory products we offer.
F&I Products
At each of our stores, our customers have the ability to finance their new or pre-owned boat purchase, purchase a third-party extended service contract and arrange insurance covering boat property, disability, gel sealant, fabric protection and casualty insurance coverage (collectively, “F&I”). Our relationships with various national marine product lenders allow buyers to purchase retail installment contracts originated by us in accordance with existing pre-sale agreements between us and the lenders. These retail installment contracts provide us with a portion of the expected finance charges based on a variety of factors, including the buyer’s credit rating, the annual percentage rate of the contract and the lender’s then-existing minimum required annual percentage rate. These contracts are subject to repayment by us upon buyer prepayment or default within a designated time period (typically within 180 days). To the extent required by applicable state law, our dealer groups are licensed to originate and sell retail installment contracts financing the sale of boats and other marine products.
We offer our customers third-party extended service contracts, which allow us to extend customers’ new boat coverage beyond the time frame or scope of the manufacturer’s standard hull and engine warranty. We also offer purchasers of pre-owned boats the ability to purchase a third-party extended service contract, even if the applicable boat is no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. We also provide the related repair services, when needed by our customers, pursuant to the service contract guidelines during the contract term at no additional charge to the customer above a deductible. Generally, we receive a fee for arranging these extended service contracts and most of the required services under the contracts are provided by us and paid for by the third-party contract holder.
We also assist our customers with obtaining property and casualty insurance. Property and casualty insurance covers loss or damage to their boat. We do not act as an insurance broker or agent or issue insurance policies on behalf of insurers. We provide marketing activities and other related services to insurance companies and brokers for which we receive marketing fees. One of our strategies is to generate increased marketing fees by offering more competitive insurance products.
Fee income generated from F&I products accounted for approximately $36.8 million or 3.6% of our revenue during fiscal year 2020, $26.2 million or 3.4% of our revenue during fiscal year 2019 and approximately $16.6 million or 2.8% of our revenue for fiscal year 2018. We believe that our customers’ ability to obtain competitive, prompt and convenient financing at our stores strengthens our ability to sell new and pre-owned boats and gives us an advantage over many of our competitors, particularly our smaller competitors that lack the resources to arrange boat financing at their stores or that do not generate enough F&I product volume to attract the broad range of financing sources that are available to us.
Service, Parts & Other
We provide repair and maintenance services at most of our stores. We believe that our repair and maintenance services help strengthen our customer relationships and that our quality service and emphasis on preventative maintenance increases the quality and supply of well-maintained boats available for our pre-owned boat business. We perform both warranty and non-warranty repair services, with the cost of warranty work reimbursed by the manufacturer in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranty reimbursement program. For any warranty work we perform, most of our manufacturers reimburse a percentage of the store’s posted service labor rates, with the percentage varying depending on the store’s customer satisfaction index rating and attendance at service training courses. Certain other of our manufacturers reimburse warranty work at a fixed amount per repair. Because boat manufacturers require that warranty work be performed at authorized stores, our stores receive substantially all of the warrantied repair and maintained work required for the boats we offer. We also offer third-party extended warranty contracts, which result in a continuous demand for our repair and maintenance services for the term of the extended warranty contract. Additionally, we offer parts and accessories at our stores, primarily to retail customers to repair their current engines or other marine related parts and equipment. Our offerings include engine parts, oils, lubricants, steering and control systems, electronics, safety products, water sport accessories (such as tubes, wakeboards, surfboards, lines, and lifejackets), products relating to docking and anchoring, boat covers, trailer parts, and a complete line of other boating accessories.
At certain of our stores, we offer marina and boat rental services, which are generally recurring in nature and create additional opportunities to connect with potential buyers. We maintain a small fleet of rental boats, and, after one season, the rental boats are repurposed for pre-owned sales. Additionally, we operate 15 marina locations that provide fueling, docking and indoor and outdoor storage.
Our focus on customer service, which we believe is one of our core competitive advantages in the recreational boating industry, is critical to our efforts in creating and maintaining long-term customers. Service, parts & other accounted for approximately $63.4 million or 6.2% of our revenue during fiscal year 2020, approximately $61.7 million or 8.0% of our revenue during fiscal year 2019 and approximately $46.7 million or 7.7% of our revenue during fiscal year 2018.
Stores
We offer new and pre-owned recreational boats and other related marine products and boat services through 61 stores comprising 21 dealer groups in 10 states, including Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Each store generally includes an indoor showroom and an outside display area for our new and pre-owned boat inventories, along with a business office to facilitate F&I products and repair and maintenance services facilities.
Operations
Dealership Operations and Management
The operational management of our boat dealer groups is decentralized, with certain administrative functions centralized at the corporate level and the primary responsibility of day-to-day operations localized at the store level. Each store is managed by a general manager, often a former owner, who oversees the day-to-day operations, human resources and financial performance of that particular individual store. Typically, each store also has a staff consisting of sales representatives, an F&I manager, a service manager, a parts manager, maintenance and repair technicians and additional support personnel.
We provide employees with ongoing training, career advancement opportunities and favorable benefit packages as a part of our strategy to attract and retain high quality employees. Sales training sessions are held at various locations, including the manufacturers facilities, and cover a broad array of topics from technical product details, features and benefits, to general sales techniques. Our highly-trained professional sales teams recognize the importance of building relationships with customers, assisting them in selecting the boat that best fits their needs and making the entire sales process enjoyable, all of which are critical to our successful sales efforts. The overall focus of our training program is to provide exemplary customer service.
Members of our sales teams receive compensation on primarily a commission basis. Generally, each manager within a store receives a salary along with incentive compensation based on the performance of the managed store or their respective departments.
Sales and Marketing
Our sales strategy focuses on highlighting the joys of the boating lifestyle while also providing convenient repair and maintenance services to maintain a stress-free boating experience. Our sales strategy is built on our high levels of customer service, hassle-free sales approach, appealing store layouts, highly-trained sales teams and the ability of our sales teams to educate customers and their families on boating. We constantly aim to provide the highest levels of customer service and support before, during and after each sale.
Each of our stores offers our customers the opportunity to evaluate a variety of new and pre-owned boats in an environment that is convenient, comfortable and professional. Our stores provide a full-service purchasing process, which includes attractive F&I packages and extended third-party service agreements. We have a number of waterfront stores, most of which include marina-type facilities and docks at which we display our new and pre-owned boats. These waterfront stores and marinas are easily accessible to boating customers, operate as in-water showrooms and enable our sales team to give potential customers impromptu in-water demonstrations of our various boat models. In light of the current environment, our sales team members are providing certain customers with virtual walkthroughs of inventory and/or private, at home or on water showings. We also intend to expand our online presence and sales through a multi-phased roll out of a digital platform to engage in online new and pre-owned boat sales, as well as financing & insurance. In March 2020, we launched a new quoting tool for an internally developed customer relationship management system, which we expect to be further enhanced by the acquisition of Boatsforsale.com.
We provide customers a diverse offering of boat brands, which span across a multitude of sizes, uses and activities, including leisure, fishing, watersports, luxury and vacation. We believe this diverse offering of brands allows us to reach a broad expanse of customers and maximizes our ability to provide high quality service to each customer that walks into one of our stores.
An important part of our sales strategy is our participation in boat shows and specialized events in areas with high levels of boating activity. These shows and events help drive sales during and after the show or event and are typically held in January, February, March and toward the end of the boating season at convention centers or marinas that have been rented out by area dealers. We rely to a certain extent on boat shows to generate sales. Our inability to participate in boat shows in our existing target markets, including cancellation of boat shows in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. To the extent boat shows may be delayed or cancelled, we intend to hold complementary sales events on a smaller, more personalized scale where we are able to follow stricter safety precautions and social distancing.
We focus on customer education through personalized education by our sales representatives and other professionals, before, during and after a sale through product demonstrations on the use and operation of their boat. Typically, one of our delivery professionals or the sales representative delivers the customer’s boat to the customer’s boating location and thoroughly instructs the customer about the operation of the boat, including hands-on instructions for docking and trailering the boat.
Suppliers and Inventory Management
We purchase substantially all of our new boat inventory directly from manufacturers. Manufacturers typically allocate new boats to stores or dealer groups based on the amount of boats sold by the store or dealer group and their market share. We exchange new boats with other dealers to maintain flexibility, meet customer demand and balance inventory. We also display a select number of boats and yachts through consignment agreements, including with related parties.
We offer a wide array of new boats at various price points through relationships with 50 manufacturers covering 66 brands. We are currently a top-three customer for 28 of our 66 brands and the single largest customer for each of our top five highest-selling brands. While our order volume amounts to between 5% to 35% of total sales for those top five brands, no single brand accounts for more than 7% of our total sales volume. Additionally, our top brand only accounts for approximately 10% of new boat sales. However, sales of new boats from the top ten brands represent approximately 41.1% of our total sales volume for fiscal year 2020.
As part of our business, we enter into renewable annual dealer agreements with boat manufacturers. Provided that we are in compliance with the material obligations of such dealer agreements, they designate an exclusive geographical territory for our store to sell a particular boat brand and typically do not restrict our right to sell any other product lines or competing products.
Manufacturers generally establish suggested prices annually, but the actual sales prices remain subject to the sole discretion of the dealer, which highlights the advantage of our lack of reliance on any one manufacturer. Manufacturers typically offer discounts and increased inventory financing assistance during the manufacturers’ slow season (generally October through March). We often capitalize on these opportunities to maximize our profit margins and increase our product availability during the selling season.
We are also able to transfer boats between our stores to maintain flexibility, meet customer demand and balance inventories. This flexibility reduces delays in delivery, helps us maximize inventory turnover and assists in minimizing potential overstock or out-of-stock situations. We actively monitor our inventory levels to maintain levels appropriate to meet current anticipated market demands. We are not bound by contractual agreements governing the amount of inventory that we must purchase in any year from any manufacturer; however, the failure to purchase at agreed upon levels may result in the loss of certain manufacturer incentives or dealership rights.
Our inventory turnover ratio, which is calculated as cost of goods sold for the period divided by the average inventory over the same period, was 3.7x, 2.6x and 3.1x for fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Our comparable store new boat inventory turnover ratio, which is calculated as cost of new boats sold for the relevant fiscal year minus contributions from acquisitions made during that fiscal year, divided by the average new boat inventory over the same fiscal year without contributions from such acquisitions, was 2.4x and 2.6x for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. Our comparable store pre-owned boat inventory turnover ratio, which is calculated as cost of purchased or traded-in pre-owned boats sold for the relevant fiscal year minus contributions from acquisitions made during that fiscal year, divided by the average purchased or traded-in pre-owned boats inventory over the same fiscal year without contributions from such acquisitions, was 3.6x and 4.7x for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively. We did not make any acquisitions during fiscal year 2020.
Inventory Financing
Boat and related marine manufacturers customarily provide various levels of interest assistance programs to retailers, which may include periods of free financing or reduced interest rate programs. The interest assistance may be paid directly to the retailer or the financial institution depending on the arrangements the manufacturer has established. We believe that our financing arrangements with manufacturers are standard within the industry.
We are party to our Inventory Financing Facility. The interest rate for amounts outstanding under the Inventory Financing Facility is calculated using the one month LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 2.75% to 5.00% for new boats and at the new boat rate plus 0.25% for pre-owned boats. The collateral for the Inventory Financing Facility consists primarily of our inventory that is financed through the Inventory Financing Facility and related assets, including accounts receivable, bank accounts, and proceeds of the foregoing, and excludes the collateral that underlies our Term and Revolver Credit Facility (as defined below). For additional information relating to the terms of our Inventory Financing Facility, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Debt Agreements—Inventory Financing Facility.”
Customers
We are not dependent on any one customer or group of customers, and no individual customer, or together with its affiliates, contributed on an aggregate basis 10% or more to our revenues.
Seasonality
Our business, along with the entire recreational boating industry, is highly seasonal, and such seasonality varies by geographic market. With the exception of Florida, we generally realize significantly lower sales and higher levels of inventories, and related floor plan borrowings, in the quarterly periods ending December 31 and March 31. Revenue generated from our stores in Florida serves to offset generally lower winter revenue in our other states and enables us to maintain a more consistent revenue stream. Over the three-year period ended September 30, 2020, the average revenue for the quarters ended December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30 represented approximately 14%, 21%, 38%, and 27%, respectively, of our average annual revenues. Every January, the onset of consumer boat and recreation shows generally marks the beginning of an increase in boat sales which allows us to begin to reduce our inventory levels and related short-term borrowings for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Our business is also sensitive to weather patterns, such as unseasonably cool weather, prolonged winter conditions, drought conditions (or merely reduced rainfall levels) or excessive rain, which may shorten the selling season, limit access to certain locations for boating or render boating hazardous or inconvenient, thereby curtailing customer demand for our products and services and adversely affecting our results of operations. Additionally, hurricanes and other storms may cause disruptions to our business operations or damage to our inventories and facilities. We believe our geographic diversity is likely to reduce the overall impact to us of adverse weather conditions in any one market area.
Environmental and Other Regulatory Issues
Our business operations, along with the entire retail recreational boating industry, are subject to numerous environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations that may be imposed in the United States at the federal, state and local levels. Federal agencies that implement and enforce these laws and regulations include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). The more significant of these environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations include the following federal legal standards that currently exist in the United States, as amended from time to time:
| • | the Clean Air Act (“CAA”), which restricts the emission of air pollutants from many sources, including outboard marine engines, and imposes various pre-construction, operational, monitoring, and reporting requirements, and that the EPA has relied upon as authority for adopting climate change regulatory initiatives relating to greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions; |
| • | the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the “Clean Water Act��), which regulates discharges of pollutants from facilities to state and federal waters and establishes the extent of which waterways are subject to federal jurisdiction and rulemaking as protected waters of the United States; |
| • | the Oil Pollution Act (“OPA”), which subjects owners and operators of vessels, onshore facilities, and pipelines, as well as lessees or permittees of areas in which offshore facilities are located, to liability for removal costs and damages arising from an oil spill in waters of the United States; |
| • | the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), which imposes liability on generators, transporters, disposers and arrangers of hazardous substances at sites where hazardous substance releases have occurred or are threatening to occur; |
| • | the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), which governs the generation, treatment, storage, transport, and disposal of solid wastes, including hazardous wastes; |
| • | the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, which requires facilities to implement a safety hazard communication program and disseminate information to employees, local emergency planning committees, and fire departments on toxic chemical uses and inventories; and |
| • | the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which establishes workplace standards for the protection of the health and safety of employees, including the implementation of hazard communications programs designed to inform employees about hazardous substances in the workplace, potential harmful effects of these substances, and appropriate control measures. |
Additionally, there exist state and local jurisdictions in the United States where we operate that also have, or are developing or considering developing, similar environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations governing many of these same types of activities, which requirements may impose additional, or more stringent, conditions or controls than required under federal law and that can significantly alter, delay or cancel the permitting, development, or expansion of operations or substantially increase the cost of doing business. Environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations, including new or amended legal requirements that may arise in the future to address potential environmental concerns such as air and water impacts or to address perceived human health or safety-related concerns, including a global or national health crisis, are expected to continue to have a considerable impact on our operations.
As with companies in the retail recreational boat industry generally, and parts and service operations in particular, our business involves the use, handling, storage and contracting for recycling or disposal of petroleum-based products and wastes, as well as other hazardous and toxic substances and wastes, including gasoline, diesel fuels, motor oil, waste motor oil and filters, transmission fluid, antifreeze, freon, waste paint and lacquer thinner, batteries, solvents, lubricants, and degreasing agents. Environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations generally impose requirements for the use, storage, management, handling, and disposal of these materials, and restrict the level of pollutants emitted into the environment, including into ambient air, discharges to surface water, and disposals or other releases to surface and below-ground soils and ground water. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil, and criminal penalties or liabilities to third parties; the imposition of investigatory, remedial, and corrective action obligations or the incurrence of capital expenditures; the occurrence of restrictions, delays or cancellations in the permitting, development, or expansion of projects; and the issuance of injunctions restricting or prohibiting some or all of our activities in a particular area. Moreover, there exist environmental laws that provide for citizen suits, which allow individuals or organizations to act in the place of the government and sue operators for alleged violations of environmental law.
We are also subject to laws and regulations governing the investigation and remediation of contamination at the facilities we currently or formerly own or operate, as well as at third-party sites to which we send hazardous substances or wastes for treatment, recycling or disposal. Some environmental laws, such as CERCLA and similar state statutes impose strict joint and several liability for the entire cost of investigation or remediation of a contaminated property and for any related damages to natural resources, upon current or former site owners or operators, as well as persons who arranged for the transportation, treatment or disposal of hazardous substances. We may also be subject to third-party claims alleging property damage and/or personal injury in connection with releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances at our current or former properties or off-site waste disposal sites or from the products we sell.
Additionally, certain of our stores and/or repair facilities utilize underground storage tanks (“USTs”) and aboveground storage tanks (“ASTs”), primarily for storing and dispensing petroleum-based products. The USTs and ASTs are generally subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations that require obtaining financial assurance to own or operate USTs and ASTs, testing and upgrading of tanks and remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater resulting from leaking tanks. Additionally, if leakage from our USTs or ASTs migrates onto the property of others, we may be liable to third parties for remediation costs, natural resource damages or other damages.
For additional information relating to environmental protection, including releases, discharges and emissions into the environment, as well as worker health and safety requirements, please see “Risk Factors— Risks Related to Our Business—Environmental and other regulatory issues may impact our operations” and “Our operations are subject to risks arising out of the threat of climate change, which could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the products that we and the retail recreational boat industry provide.” Historically, our environmental compliance costs have not had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations; however, there can be no assurance that such costs will not be material in the future or that such future compliance will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Product Liability
Our sale and servicing of boats and other watercraft may expose us to potential liabilities for personal injury or property damage claims relating to the use of such products. Historically, product liability claims have not materially affected our business. Our manufacturers generally maintain product liability insurance, and we maintain third-party liability insurance with respect to the sale and servicing of boats and other watercrafts, which we believe to be adequate. However, we may experience legal claims in excess of our insurance coverage, and those claims may not be covered by insurance. Furthermore, any significant claims against us, or an increase in insurance premiums resulting from excessive insurance claims, could adversely affect our business, financial performance and results of operations and result in negative publicity.
Competition
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented environment. We face competition from businesses relating to recreational activities, which businesses compete for consumers’ leisure time and discretionary spending dollars. We face intense competition within the highly fragmented recreational boat industry for customers, quality products, boat show space and suitable store locations. We rely to a certain extent on boat shows to generate sales. Our inability to participate in boat shows in our existing or targeted markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.
We compete primarily with local boat dealers who own three or fewer stores, as well as with a limited number of larger operators, including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. With respect to sales of marine parts, accessories, and equipment, we compete with national specialty marine parts and accessory stores, online catalog retailers, sporting goods stores, and mass merchants. Competition within the recreational boating industry is generally based on the quality and variety of available products, the price and value of the products and services and attention to customer service. We face significant competition from our current market and will likely face significant competition in any new markets that we may enter. We also face competition from retailers in certain markets who sell boat brands, parts and engines that we do not currently carry in such markets. Additionally, a number of our competitors are large national or regional chains that have substantially more financial, marketing and other resources than us, especially with regard to those that sell boating accessories. We also face competition from private sellers of pre-owned boats and online merchants entering the resale boating industry. However, we believe that our integrated corporate infrastructure, marketing and sales capabilities, cost structure, industry expertise and customer experience enable us to compete effectively against these competitors.
Intellectual Property
We rely on a number of trade names with respect to the regional dealer groups that we have acquired, which we do not re-brand under our “OneWater” mark. We cannot give any assurance that any trade name and trademark applications that we may file in the future will be granted.
Human Capital Resources
As of November 30, 2020, we had 1,169 employees, 1,093 of whom were in store-level operations and 76 of whom were in corporate administration and management. We offer our employees a wide array of company-paid benefits, which we believe are competitive relative to others in our industry. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements. We consider our relations with our employees to be excellent.
Our Offices
Our principal executive offices are located at 6275 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, Georgia 30518, and our telephone number at that address is 678-541-6300. Our website address is www.onewatermarine.com. Information contained on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus.
Our Corporate Structure
OneWater Marine Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in April 2019 for the purpose of completing the IPO and related transactions. On February 12, 2020, in connection with the IPO, OneWater Inc. became a holding company whose sole material asset consists of units in OneWater LLC (the “OneWater LLC Units”). OneWater LLC holds all of the equity interest in One Water Assets & Operations (“OWAO” or “Opco”), which owns all of our operating assets. The remainder of the OneWater LLC Units are held by certain Legacy Owners (the “OneWater Unit Holders”).
As the sole managing member of OneWater LLC, OneWater Inc. operates and controls all of the business and affairs of OneWater LLC, and through OneWater LLC and its subsidiaries, conducts its business. As a result, we consolidate the financial results of OneWater LLC and its subsidiaries and report temporary equity related to the portion of OneWater LLC Units not owned by us, which will reduce net income (loss) attributable to the holders of our Class A common stock. As of November 30, 2020, OneWater Inc. owned 72.0% of OneWater LLC.
Certain of the Legacy Owners hold one share of our Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B common stock”), for each OneWater LLC Unit such person holds. Each share of Class B common stock has no economic rights but entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. We do not intend to list Class B common stock on any exchange.
Under the amended and restated limited liability company agreement of OneWater LLC (the “OneWater LLC Agreement”), each of the holders of OneWater LLC Units (“LLC Unitholders”) has, subject to certain limitations, the right (the “Redemption Right”) to cause OneWater LLC to acquire all or a portion of its OneWater LLC Units for shares of Class A common stock of OneWater Inc. on a one-for-one basis or, at OneWater LLC’s election, an equivalent amount of cash. Alternatively, upon the exercise of the Redemption Right, OneWater Inc. (instead of OneWater LLC) will have the right (the “Call Right”) to, for administrative convenience, acquire each tendered OneWater LLC Unit directly from the redeeming OneWater Unit Holder for, at its election, (x) one share of Class A common stock, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions, or (y) an equivalent amount of cash. In connection with any redemption of OneWater LLC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right or the Call Right, the corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of OneWater Inc. (the “Class B common stock”) will be cancelled; Under the Registration Rights Agreement we entered into with certain of the Legacy Owners in connection with the IPO, such Legacy Owners have the right, under certain circumstances, to cause us to register the offer and resale of their shares of Class A common stock.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:
| • | We are not required to engage an auditor to report on our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”); |
| • | We are not required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); |
| • | We are not required to submit certain executive compensation matters to stockholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency” and “say-on-golden parachutes”; and |
| • | We are not required to disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. |
We may take advantage of these provisions until September 30, 2025, or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues are $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or (iii) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” which will occur as of the end of any fiscal year in which we (x) have an aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (y) have been required to file annual and quarterly reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), for a period of at least 12 months and (z) have filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act.
We have elected to take advantage of the reduced disclosure obligations listed above in this Form 10-K, and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. In particular, we have elected to adopt the reduced disclosure with respect to our executive compensation disclosure. As a result of this election, the information that we provide stockholders may be different than you might get from other public companies.
The JOBS Act permits an emerging growth company like us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period and, as a result, we will adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for private companies. Our election to use the transition periods permitted by this election may make it difficult to compare our financial statements to those of non-emerging growth companies and other emerging growth companies that have opted out of the extended transition periods permitted under the JOBS Act and who will comply with new or revised financial accounting standards. If we were to subsequently elect instead to comply with public company effective dates, such election would be irrevocable pursuant to the JOBS Act.
For additional descriptions of the qualifications and other requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and certain elections that we have made due to our status as an emerging growth company, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock—For as long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with certain reporting requirements, including those relating to accounting standards and disclosure about our executive compensation, that apply to other public companies.”
Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. Before making any investment decision, you should carefully consider the information in this Form 10-K, including the risks described below, the matters addressed under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Some of these risks include:
| • | General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| • | The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition. |
| • | The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain adequate boat inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to finance boat purchases and our ability to fund future acquisitions. |
| • | Failure to implement strategies to enhance our performance could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. |
| • | Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices and to integrate the operations of acquired dealer groups and each dealer group we acquire in the future. |
| • | We are required to obtain the consent of our manufacturers prior to the acquisition of other dealer groups. |
| • | Our failure to successfully order and manage our inventory to reflect consumer demand and to anticipate changing consumer preferences and buying trends could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| • | OneWater Inc. is a holding company. OneWater Inc.’s only material asset is its equity interest in OneWater LLC, and OneWater Inc. will accordingly be dependent upon distributions from OneWater LLC to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and cover OneWater Inc.’s corporate and other overhead expenses. |
| • | If we experience any material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock. |
| • | The Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock, and their interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders. |
| • | In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. |
Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties discussed herein. The trading price of our Class A common stock could decline due to any of these risks discussed herein, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or future results. Certain statements made herein are forward-looking statements.
Risks Related to Our Business
General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
General economic conditions, including changes in employment levels, consumer demand, preferences and confidence levels, the availability and cost of credit, fuel prices, levels of discretionary personal income, interest rates, periods of economic or political instability, public health crises, and consumer spending patterns can negatively impact our operating results. Unfavorable local, regional, national or global economic developments or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects could reduce or defer consumer spending in the markets we serve and adversely affect our business. Consumer spending, including that of high net worth individuals, on discretionary goods may also decline as a result of political uncertainty and instability, even if prevailing economic conditions are generally favorable. Economic conditions in areas in which we operate stores, particularly the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions in which we generated approximately 75%, 75% and 78% of our revenue during fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, could have a major impact on our operations. Local influences, such as corporate downsizing, inclement weather such as hurricanes or other storms, environmental conditions and specific events, also could adversely affect, and in certain instances have adversely affected, our operations in certain markets.
In an economic downturn, consumer discretionary spending levels generally decline, at times resulting in disproportionately large reductions in the sale of discretionary goods. Consumer spending on discretionary goods also may decline as a result of lower consumer confidence levels, even if prevailing economic conditions are favorable. Our business was significantly impacted during the recessionary period that began in 2007, and this period of weakness in consumer spending and depressed economic conditions had a substantial negative effect on our operating results. In response to these conditions we reduced our inventory purchases, closed certain stores and reduced headcount. Although we have expanded our operations and increased our focus on pre-owned sales, parts and repair services and F&I products, during periods of stagnant or modestly declining industry trends, the cyclical nature of the recreational boating industry or the lack of industry growth could lead to oversupply and weak demand, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations in the future. Any period of adverse economic conditions or low consumer confidence could have a negative effect on our business.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.
Our business could be materially adversely affected by the widespread outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has spread in many of the geographic areas in which we operate. National, state and local governments in affected regions have implemented and may continue to implement safety precautions, including shelter in place orders, travel restrictions, business closures, cancellations of public gatherings, including boat shows, and other measures. These measures have affected our ability to sell and service boats, required us to temporarily close or partially close certain locations and may require additional closures in the future. Organizations and individuals are also taking additional steps to avoid or reduce infection, including limiting travel, staying home, working from home and limiting participation in certain leisure activities.
We continue to monitor federal, state and local government recommendations and have made modifications to our normal operations as a result of COVID-19. If the negative economic effects of COVID-19 continue for a prolonged period of time, it could lead to a reduction in demand for our products, which would adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, disruptions in the capital markets, as a result of the pandemic, may also adversely affect our ability to access capital and additional liquidity. The COVID-19 pandemic may also lead to disruptions in our supply chain, including our ability to obtain boats and parts from our suppliers, and labor shortages. It is possible that an inventory shortage could also occur as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on, among other things, operations and consumer demand. These measures are disrupting normal business operations and may have, significant negative impacts on our business in the future. While we are implementing changes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our business, it is not possible, at this time, to estimate the entirety of the effect that COVID-19 will have on our business, customers, suppliers or other business partners.
While we previously announced our decision to pause our acquisition strategy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, given our financial results for the year ended September 30, 2020, we are recommencing our acquisition strategy and opportunistically evaluating future acquisitions. See “Risk Factors—Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices and to integrate the operations of acquired dealer groups and each dealer group we acquire in the future.”
The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain adequate boat inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to finance boat purchases and our ability to fund future acquisitions.
The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain and maintain adequate boat inventory and the holding costs of that inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to finance boat purchases and our ability to fund future acquisitions.
OneWater LLC and certain of its subsidiaries are parties to the Inventory Financing Facility, which consists of uncommitted inventory floorplan financing of up to $392.5 million as of September 30, 2020. The Inventory Financing Facility has a maturity date of September 28, 2021. As of September 30, 2020 and 2019, we had an aggregate of $124.0 million and $225.4 million, respectively, outstanding under the Inventory Financing Facility. We rely on the Inventory Financing Facility to purchase and maintain our inventory of boats. The collateral for the Inventory Financing Facility consists primarily of our inventory that is financed through the Inventory Financing Facility and related assets, including accounts receivable, bank accounts and proceeds of the foregoing, and excludes the collateral that underlies the Refinanced Credit Facility.
Effective July 22, 2020, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries terminated and repaid all indebtedness outstanding under the Term and Revolver Credit Facility in accordance with its terms and entered into the Credit Agreement (the “Refinanced Credit Facility” and together with the Inventory Financing Facility, the “Credit Facilities”) with Truist Bank as administrative agent, collateral agent, swingline lender and issuing bank, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. and Synovus Bank as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, Synovus Bank as documentation agent, and the lenders from time to time party thereto (collectively, the “Refinancing”). The Refinanced Credit Facility provides for a $30.0 million revolving credit facility that may be used for revolving credit loans (including up to $5.0 million in swingline loans) and up to $5.0 million in letters of credit from time to time, and a $80.0 million term loan, which was advanced in full on July 22, 2020. Subject to certain conditions, the available amount under the revolving credit facility and the term loans may be increased by $50.0 million in the aggregate. The revolving credit facility matures on July 22, 2025. The term loan is repayable in installments beginning on March 31, 2021, with the remainder due on July 22, 2025. There were no borrowings outstanding under the revolving credit facility on July 22, 2020. In conjunction with the closing of the Refinanced Credit Facility, the Company paid $109.0 million, consisting of $29.0 million in cash on hand and $80.0 million in proceeds from the Refinanced Credit Facility, to fully redeem the Term and Revolver Credit Facility with Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, L.P. As of September 30, 2020, we had $80.0 million outstanding under the loan and no amount outstanding under the revolving line of credit.
Our ability to borrow under the Credit Facilities depends on our ability to continue to satisfy our covenants and other obligations under the Credit Facilities. In particular, our ability to borrow under our Inventory Financing Facility depends on the ability of our manufacturers to be approved vendors under our Inventory Financing Facility. The aging of our inventory limits our borrowing capacity as defined curtailments under the Inventory Financing Facility reduce the allowable advance rate as our inventory ages. Depressed economic conditions, as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise, weak consumer spending, turmoil in the credit markets and lender difficulties, among other potential reasons, could interfere with our ability to maintain compliance with our debt covenants and to utilize the Credit Facilities to fund our operations. Accordingly, under such circumstances, it may be necessary for us to close stores, further reduce our expense structure, liquidate inventory below cost to free up capital, or modify the covenants with our lenders. Any inability to utilize the Credit Facilities or the acceleration of amounts owed, resulting from a covenant violation, insufficient collateral or lender difficulties, could require us to seek other sources of funding to repay amounts outstanding under the Credit Facilities or replace or supplement the Credit Facilities, which may not be possible at all or under commercially reasonable terms. As of September 30, 2020, we were in compliance with all of the covenants under our Credit Facilities and our additional available borrowings under the Credit Facilities were approximately $298.5 million in the aggregate based upon the outstanding borrowings and maximum facility amounts.
The interest rate on our Inventory Financing Facility for new boats is calculated using the one-month London InterBank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus an applicable margin of 2.75% to 5.00% depending on the amount of days the boat has been in inventory. Interest on pre-owned boats is calculated at the new boat rate plus 0.25%. These variable interest rates under our Inventory Financing Facility will fluctuate with changing market conditions and, accordingly, our interest expense will increase as interest rates rise. Accordingly, a significant increase in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, has announced that it intends to stop encouraging or requiring banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. Our Inventory Financing Facility uses LIBOR as a benchmark for establishing interest rates, although we expect to negotiate new credit that will rely on an alternative interest rate method to LIBOR. Any legal or regulatory changes made in response to LIBOR’s future discontinuance may result in, among other things, a sudden or prolonged increase or decrease in LIBOR, a delay in the publication of LIBOR, or changes in the rules or methodologies in LIBOR. In addition, alternative methods to LIBOR may not yet have been established by the end of December 2021, and the impact of such alternative methods may be impossible or impracticable to determine. While we do not expect that the transition from LIBOR and risks related thereto will have a material adverse effect on our financing costs, it is still uncertain at this time.
Similarly, decreases in the availability of credit and increases in the cost of credit could adversely affect the ability of our customers to purchase boats from us and thereby adversely affect our ability to sell our products and impact the profitability of our finance and insurance activities. For example, tight credit conditions during each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2008 and continuing through fiscal year 2011 adversely affected the ability of customers to finance boat purchases, which had a negative effect on our operating results.
Failure to implement strategies to enhance our performance could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We are increasing our efforts to grow our repair and maintenance services, parts and accessories, and financing and insurance businesses to better serve our customers and thereby increase revenue and improve profitability as a result of these comparatively higher margin businesses. These efforts are designed to increase our revenue and reduce our dependence on the sale of new and pre-owned boats. In addition, we are pursuing strategic acquisitions to capitalize upon the consolidation opportunities in the highly fragmented recreational boat dealer industry by acquiring additional dealer groups and related operations and improving their performance and profitability through the implementation of our operating strategies. These business initiatives have required, and will continue to require, us to add personnel, invest capital, enter businesses or geographic regions in which we do not have extensive experience and encounter substantial competition. As a result, our strategies to enhance our performance may not be successful and we may increase our expenses or write off such investments if not successful.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices and to integrate the operations of acquired dealer groups and each dealer group we acquire in the future.
Since the beginning of fiscal year 2016, we have acquired 14 recreational boat dealer groups. Additionally, we actively evaluate and pursue acquisitions on an ongoing basis, and our pipeline of potential acquisitions over the next 24 months currently includes four to eight dealer groups. Each acquired dealer group operated independently prior to our acquisition. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices that align with our culture and focus on customer service and to integrate the operations of acquired dealer groups, including centralizing certain functions to achieve cost savings and pursuing programs and processes that promote cooperation and the sharing of opportunities and resources among our stores. We may not be able to oversee the combined entity efficiently, realize anticipated synergies or effectively implement our growth and operating strategies. To the extent that we successfully pursue our acquisition strategy, our resulting growth will place significant additional demands on our management and infrastructure. Our failure to successfully pursue our acquisition strategies or effectively operate the combined entity could have a material adverse effect on our rate of growth and operating performance.
We are required to obtain the consent of our manufacturers prior to the acquisition of other dealer groups.
In determining whether to approve acquisitions, manufacturers may consider many factors, including our financial condition and ownership structure. Manufacturers may also impose conditions on granting their approvals for acquisitions, including a limitation on the number of their dealers that we may acquire. Our ability to meet manufacturers’ requirements for approving future acquisitions will have a direct bearing on our ability to complete acquisitions and effect our growth strategy. There can be no assurance that a manufacturer will not terminate its dealer agreement, refuse to renew its dealer agreement, refuse to approve future acquisitions or take other action that could have a material adverse effect on our acquisition program.
Our growth strategy also entails expanding our product lines and geographic scope by obtaining additional distribution rights from our existing and new manufacturers. We may not be able to secure additional distribution rights or obtain suitable alternative sources of supply if we are unable to obtain such distribution rights. The inability to expand our product lines and geographic scope by obtaining additional distribution rights could have a material adverse effect on the growth and profitability of our business.
Boat manufacturers exercise control over our business.
We depend on our dealer agreements, which generally provide for renewable, one-year terms. Through dealer agreements, boat manufacturers exercise control over their dealers, restrict them to specified locations and retain approval rights over changes in management and ownership, among other things. The continuation of our dealer agreements with most manufacturers depends upon, among other things, our achieving stated performance goals for customer satisfaction ratings and market share penetration in the market served by the applicable dealer group. Failure to meet performance goals and other conditions set forth in any existing or new dealer agreement could have various consequences, including the following:
| • | the termination or nonrenewal of the dealer agreement; |
| • | the imposition of additional conditions in subsequent dealer agreements; |
| • | limitations on boat inventory allocations; |
| • | reductions in reimbursement rates for warranty work performed by the dealer; |
| • | loss of certain manufacturer-to-dealer incentives; |
| • | denial of approval of future acquisitions; or |
| • | the loss of exclusive rights to sell in the geographic territory. |
These events could have a material adverse effect on our product availability, competitive position and financial performance.
The failure to receive rebates and other manufacturer incentives on inventory purchases or retail sales could substantially reduce our margins.
We rely on manufacturers’ programs that provide incentives for dealers to purchase and sell particular boat makes and models or for consumers to buy particular boat makes or models. Any eliminations, reductions, limitations or other changes relating to rebate or incentive programs that have the effect of reducing the benefits we receive, whether relating to the ability of manufacturers to pay or our ability to qualify for such incentive programs, could increase the effective cost of our boat purchases, reduce our margins and competitive position and have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Increases in fuel prices may adversely affect our business.
All of the recreational boats we sell are powered by gasoline or diesel engines. Consequently, a significant increase in the price or tax on the sale of fuel on a regional or national basis could have a material adverse effect on our sales and operating results. Increases in fuel prices (such as those that occurred during 2008) negatively impact boat sales. The price of or tax on fuels may significantly increase in the future, adversely affecting our business.
Our sales may be adversely affected by a material increase in interest rates and adverse changes in fiscal policy or credit market conditions.
Over the past several years, our economy has been positively impacted by historically unprecedented low interest rates. Such interest rates are driven by the policies of the Federal Reserve System. Although interest rates generally increased in 2018 and decreased in 2019 and 2020 (to date), there can be no assurance as to what actions the Federal Reserve System will take in the future. Any change in interest rates or the market expectation of such change may result in significantly higher long-term interest rates.
Given that we sell products that are often financed, a material increase in interest rates and adverse changes in fiscal policy or credit market conditions may negatively impact our customers’ ability or desire to purchase our products. In addition, such an increase or adverse change could reduce the availability or increase the costs of obtaining new debt and refinancing existing indebtedness or negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
The availability of boat insurance is critical to our success.
The ability of our customers to secure reasonably affordable boat insurance that is satisfactory to lenders that finance our customers’ purchases is critical to our success. Historically, affordable boat insurance has been available. However, as a severe storm approaches land, insurance providers cease underwriting until the storm passes. This loss of insurance prevents or delays lenders from lending. As a result, sales of boats can be temporarily halted making our revenue difficult to predict and causing sales to be delayed or potentially cancelled. Any difficulty of customers to obtain affordable boat insurance could impede boat sales and adversely affect our business.
Other recreational activities, poor industry perception, real or perceived human health or safety risks, changing consumer attitudes and environmental conditions can adversely affect the levels of boat purchases.
Other recreational activities, poor industry perception, real or perceived human health or safety risks, changing consumer attitudes and environmental conditions can adversely affect the levels of boat purchases. Demand for our products can be adversely affected by competition from other activities that occupy consumers’ time, including other forms of recreation as well as religious, cultural and community activities. In addition, real or perceived human health or safety risks from engaging in outdoor activities generally or boating activities specifically could deter consumers from purchasing our products. Local environmental conditions in the areas in which we operate stores could also adversely affect the levels of boat purchases, including adverse weather conditions or natural disasters. Changing trends and attitudes toward large discretionary purchases on the part of younger consumers in particular, who may prefer to share or borrow a boat rather than incur the expense of ownership, may impact our future sales. Further, as a seller of high-end consumer products, we must compete for discretionary spending with a wide variety of other recreational activities and consumer purchases. In addition, perceived hassles of boat ownership and customer service and customer education throughout the retail boat industry, which has traditionally been perceived to be relatively poor, represent impediments to boat purchases.
Unforeseen expenses, difficulties and delays frequently encountered in connection with expansion through acquisitions could inhibit our growth and negatively impact our profitability.
Our growth strategy of acquiring additional recreational boat dealer groups involves significant risks. This strategy entails reviewing and potentially reorganizing acquired business operations, corporate infrastructure and systems, and financial controls. Unforeseen expenses (including potential environmental legacy liabilities due to spills or other releases of regulated substances on or under real properties or resulting from a failure to comply with laws and regulations), difficulties and delays frequently encountered in connection with rapid expansion through acquisitions could inhibit our growth and negatively impact our profitability. We may be unable to identify suitable acquisition candidates or to complete the acquisitions of candidates that we identify. Increased competition for acquisition candidates or increased asking prices by acquisition candidates may increase purchase prices for acquisitions to levels beyond our financial capability or to levels that would not result in expected returns required by our acquisition criteria to be in the best interest of stockholders or bondholders. Acquisitions also may become more difficult or less attractive in the future as we acquire more of the most attractive dealer groups that best align with our culture and focus on customer service. In addition, we may encounter difficulties in integrating the operations of acquired dealer groups with our own operations, in retaining employees, in retaining and maintaining relationships with customers, suppliers or other business contacts, and in managing acquired dealer groups profitably without substantial costs, delays or other operational or financial problems. As part of our growth strategy, we generally retain existing key staff, including senior management, when we complete an acquisition. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain dealer groups’ key staff, including senior management, when we complete an acquisition in the future and failure to do so could adversely affect our businesses.
We may issue common or preferred stock and incur substantial indebtedness in making future acquisitions. The size, timing, and integration of any future acquisitions may cause substantial fluctuations in operating results from quarter to quarter. Consequently, operating results for any quarter may not be indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full fiscal year. These fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Our ability to continue to grow through the acquisition of additional dealer groups will depend upon various factors, including the following:
| • | the availability of suitable acquisition candidates at attractive purchase prices; |
| • | the ability to compete effectively for available acquisition opportunities; |
| • | the availability of cash on hand, borrowed funds, common stock with a sufficient market price or other sources of financing to complete the acquisitions; |
| • | the ability to obtain any requisite manufacturer, governmental or other required approvals; |
| • | the ability to obtain approval of our lenders under our current credit agreements; and |
| • | the absence of one or more manufacturers attempting to impose unsatisfactory restrictions on us in connection with their approval of acquisitions. |
As a part of our acquisition strategy, we frequently engage in discussions with various recreational boat dealer groups regarding their potential acquisition by us. In connection with these discussions, we and each potential acquisition candidate exchange confidential operational and financial information, conduct due diligence inquiries and consider the structure, terms, and conditions of the potential acquisition. In certain cases, the prospective acquisition candidate agrees not to discuss a potential acquisition with any other party for a specific period of time, grants us an option to purchase the prospective dealer group for a designated price during a specific time period, and agrees to take other actions designed to enhance the possibility of the acquisition, such as preparing audited financial information and converting its accounting system to the system specified by us. Potential acquisition discussions frequently take place over a long period of time and involve difficult business integration and other issues, including in some cases management succession and related matters. As a result of these and other factors, a number of potential acquisitions that from time to time appear likely to occur do not result in binding legal agreements and are not consummated.
Our success depends to a significant extent on our manufacturers, and the loss of certain manufacturers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on our manufacturers for the sale of new boats. Sales of new boats from our top ten brands represents approximately 41.1%, 40.4% and 40.0% of total sales for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, making them major suppliers of our company. Of this amount, Malibu Boats, Inc., including its brands Malibu, Axis, Cobalt and Pursuit, accounted for 16.2%, 15.9% and 13.4% of our consolidated revenue for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Any adverse change in the reputation, product development efforts, technological advancement, expansion of manufacturing capabilities, supply chain and third-party suppliers and financial condition of our manufacturers and their respective brands, would have a substantial adverse impact on our business. Any difficulties encountered by our manufacturers resulting from economic, financial, or other factors could also adversely affect the quality and amount of new boats and products that they are able to supply to us and the services and support they provide to us.
Additionally, any interruption or discontinuance of the operations of our manufacturers, including due to the COVID-19 pandemic or bankruptcy or insolvency, could also cause us to experience shortfalls, disruptions, or delays with respect to new boats and inventory. We also enter into renewable annual dealer agreements with manufacturers, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to renew such dealer agreements in the future. We may not be able to easily replace the loss of certain manufacturers or brands, including at the necessary quantity, quality or price, and the loss of certain manufacturers or brands may therefore have an adverse material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our growth strategy may require us to secure significant additional capital, the amount of which will depend upon the size, timing and structure of future acquisitions and our working capital and general corporate needs.
If we finance future acquisitions in whole or in part through the issuance of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, existing stockholders will experience dilution in the voting power of their common stock and earnings per share could be negatively impacted. The extent to which we will be able and willing to use our common stock for acquisitions will depend on the market value of our common stock and the willingness of potential sellers to accept our common stock as full or partial consideration. Our inability to use our common stock as consideration, to generate cash from operations or to obtain additional funding through debt or equity financings in order to pursue our acquisition program could materially limit our growth.
Any borrowings made to finance future acquisitions or for operations could make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our operating results, a downturn in economic conditions, or increases in interest rates on borrowings that are subject to interest rate fluctuations. If our cash flow from operations is insufficient to meet our debt service requirements, we could be required to sell additional equity securities, refinance our obligations or dispose of assets in order to meet our debt service requirements. In addition, our credit arrangements contain financial covenants and other restrictions with which we must comply, including limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness. Adequate financing may not be available if and when we need it or may not be available on terms acceptable to us. The failure to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and our business, financial condition and results of operations. For additional information relating to our credit arrangements, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Debt Agreements” in this Form 10-K.
Our internal growth and operating strategies of opening new stores and offering new products involve risk.
In addition to pursuing growth by acquiring boat dealer groups, we intend to continue to pursue a strategy of growth through opening new stores and offering new products in our existing and new territories. Accomplishing these goals for expansion will depend upon a number of factors, including the following:
| • | our ability to identify new markets in which we can obtain distribution rights to sell our existing or additional product lines; |
| • | our ability to lease or construct suitable facilities at a reasonable cost in existing or new markets; |
| • | our ability to hire, train and retain qualified personnel; |
| • | the timely and effective integration of new stores into existing operations; |
| • | our ability to achieve adequate market penetration at favorable operating margins without the acquisition of existing dealer groups; and |
| • | our financial resources. |
Our dealer agreements require manufacturer consent to open or change store locations that sell certain products. We may not be able to open and operate new store locations or introduce new product lines on a timely or profitable basis. Moreover, the costs associated with opening new store locations or introducing new product lines may adversely affect our profitability.
As a result of these growth strategies, we expect to continue to expend significant time and effort in opening and acquiring new store locations, improving existing store locations in our current markets, and introducing new products. Our systems, procedures, controls, and financial resources may not be adequate to support expanding operations. The inability to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our planned growth also will impose significant added responsibilities on members of senior management and require us to identify, recruit, and integrate additional senior level managers. We may not be able to identify, hire or train suitable additions to management.
Our business, as well as the entire recreational boating industry, is highly seasonal, with seasonality varying in different geographic markets.
Over the three-year period ended September 30, 2020, the average revenue for the quarterly periods ended December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30 represented approximately 14%, 21%, 38% and 27%, respectively, of our average annual revenue. With the exception of Florida, we generally realize significantly lower sales and higher levels of inventories, and related floor plan borrowings, in the quarterly periods ending December 31 and March 31. Revenue generated from our stores in Florida serves to offset generally lower winter revenue in our other states and enables us to maintain a more consistent revenue stream. The onset of the public boat and recreation shows in January stimulates boat sales and allows us to reduce our inventory levels and related floor plan borrowings throughout the remainder of the fiscal year. We also have various stores in the Northeast and Midwest region of the United States, which typically experience colder temperatures in the winter months. The impact of seasonality on our results of operations could be materially impacted based on the location of our acquisitions. For example, our operations could be substantially more seasonal if we acquire additional dealer groups that operate in colder regions of the United States, which are generally closed or experience lower volume in the winter months. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our seasonal trends may also change as a result of, among other things, store closures, disruptions to the supply chain and inventory availability, manufacturer delays, and cancellation of boat shows.
Our failure to successfully order and manage our inventory to reflect consumer demand and to anticipate changing consumer preferences and buying trends could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends upon our ability to successfully manage our inventory and to anticipate and respond to product trends and consumer demands in a timely manner. Our products appeal to consumers across a number of states who are, or could become, boat owners. The preferences of these consumers cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to change. Further, the retail consumer industry, by its nature, is volatile and sensitive to numerous economic factors, including consumer preferences, competition, market conditions, general economic conditions and other factors outside of our control. We cannot predict consumer preferences with certainty, and consumer preferences often change over time. We typically order product several months in advance, although such orders are not binding until the merchandise is delivered to our stores. The extended lead times for many of our purchases may make it difficult for us to respond rapidly to new or changing product trends, increases or decreases in consumer demand or changes in prices. If we misjudge either the market for our products or our consumers’ purchasing habits in the future, our revenues may decline significantly and we may not have sufficient quantities of product to satisfy consumer demand or sales orders or we may be required to discount excess inventory, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Weather, natural disasters, adverse climate changes and other environmental conditions may adversely impact our business and may not be adequately covered by our insurance.
Weather and environmental conditions may adversely impact our operating results. For example, drought conditions, reduced rainfall levels, excessive rain, tropical storms and hurricanes, natural disasters and adverse climate changes, as well as other environmental conditions occurring on land or in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, may force boating areas to close or render boating dangerous or inconvenient, thereby curtailing customer demand for our products. Such conditions may also result in physical damage to or closure of one or more of our facilities, inadequate work force in our markets, and disruption or reduction in the availability of products at our stores. Concerns regarding global changes in climate could also adversely affect the levels of boat purchases. In addition, unseasonably cool weather and prolonged winter conditions may lead to shorter selling seasons in certain locations. Many of our stores sell boats to customers for use on reservoirs, thereby subjecting our business to the continued viability of these reservoirs for boating use.
In addition, tropical storms or hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods and other natural disasters could result in the disruption of our operations and/or supply chain, including boat deliveries from manufacturers, or damage to our boat inventories and facilities as has been the case when the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions and other markets have been affected by hurricanes. Additionally, severe weather or other natural disasters could damage our on-site inventory at our stores or cause serious disruptions in the operations of our stores. We maintain hurricane and casualty insurance, subject to deductibles. While we traditionally maintain property and casualty insurance coverage for damage caused by severe weather or other natural disasters, there can be no assurance that such insurance coverage is adequate to cover losses that we may sustain as a result of severe weather or other natural disasters.
We depend on our ability to attract and retain customers.
Our future success depends in large part upon our ability to attract and retain customers for our boat sales, repair and maintenance services, parts and accessories and F&I products. The extent to which we achieve growth in our customer base and retain existing customers materially influences our profitability. Any number of factors could affect our ability to grow and maintain our customer base. These factors include consumer preferences, the frequency with which customers utilize our products, repair and maintenance services and F&I products, general economic conditions, our ability to maintain our store locations, weather conditions, the availability of alternative services, protection plans, products and resources, significant increases in gasoline prices, the disposable income of consumers available for discretionary expenditures and the external perception of our brands. Any significant decline in our customer base, the growth of our customer base or the usage of our services, protection plans or products by our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face intense competition.
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented environment. In addition to facing competition generally from recreation businesses seeking to attract consumers’ leisure time and discretionary spending dollars, the recreational boat industry itself is highly fragmented, resulting in intense competition for customers, quality products, boat show space and suitable store locations. We rely to a certain extent on boat shows to generate sales. Our inability to participate in boat shows in our existing or targeted markets, including cancellations of boat shows in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We compete primarily with local boat dealers who own three or fewer stores, as well as with a limited number of larger operators, including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. With respect to sales of marine parts, accessories, and equipment, we compete with national specialty marine parts and accessory stores, online catalog retailers, sporting goods stores, and mass merchants. Competition among boat dealers is based primarily on the quality of available products, the price and value of the products, and attention to customer service. There is significant competition both within markets we currently serve and in new markets that we may enter. We compete in each of our markets with retailers of brands of boats and engines we do not sell in that market. In addition, several of our competitors, especially those selling marine equipment and accessories, are large national or regional chains that have substantial financial, marketing, and other resources. Private sales of pre-owned boats represent an additional source of competition.
Additional competitors, including boat clubs, may enter the businesses in which we currently operate or intend to expand. In particular, an increase in the number of aggregator and price comparison sites for our products may negatively impact our sales of these products. If any of our competitors successfully provides a broader, more efficient or attractive combination of services, protection plans, products and resources to our target customers, our business results could be materially adversely affected. Our inability to compete effectively with existing or potential competitors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Due to various matters, including environmental concerns, permitting and zoning requirements, and competition for waterfront real estate, some markets in the United States have experienced an increased waiting list for marina and storage availability. In general, the markets in which we currently operate are not experiencing any unusual difficulties. However, marine retail activity could be adversely affected in markets that do not have sufficient marine and storage availability to satisfy demand.
A significant amount of our boat sales are from the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions.
Economic conditions, weather and environmental conditions, competition, market conditions and any other adverse conditions impacting the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, in which we generated approximately 75%, 75% and 78% of our revenue during fiscal years 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, could have a major impact on our operations.
We depend on income from financing, insurance and extended service contracts.
A portion of our income results from referral fees derived from the placement or marketing of various F&I products, consisting of customer financing, insurance products and extended service contracts, the most significant component of which is the participation and other fees resulting from our sale of customer financing contracts.
The availability of financing for our boat purchasers and the level of participation and other fees we receive in connection with such financing depend on the particular agreement between us and the lender and the current interest rate environment. Lenders may impose terms in their boat financing arrangements with us that may be unfavorable to us or our customers, resulting in reduced demand for our customer financing programs and lower participation and other fees. Laws or regulations may be enacted nationally or locally which could result in fees from lenders being eliminated or reduced, materially impacting our operating results. If customer financing becomes more difficult to secure, it may adversely impact our business.
Changes, including the lengthening of manufacturer warranties, may reduce our ability to offer and sell extended service contracts which may have a material adverse impact on our ability to sell F&I products. Moreover, these products are subject to complex federal and state laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that regulatory authorities in the jurisdictions in which these products are offered will not seek to regulate or restrict these products. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in fines or other penalties including orders by state regulators to discontinue sales of the warranty products in one or more jurisdictions. Such a result could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Dodd-Frank Act established a consumer financial protection bureau with broad regulatory powers. Although boat dealers are generally excluded, the Dodd-Frank Act could lead to additional, indirect regulation of boat dealers through its regulation of other financial institutions which provide such financing to our customers.
The reduction of profit margins on sales of F&I products or the lack of demand for or the unavailability of these products could have a material adverse effect on our operating margins.
Our operations are dependent upon key personnel and team members.
Our success depends, in large part, upon our ability to attract, train, and retain qualified team members and executive officers, as well as the continuing efforts and abilities of team members and executive officers. Although we have employment agreements with certain of our executive officers and management succession plans, we cannot ensure that these or other executive personnel and team members will remain with us, or that our succession planning will adequately mitigate the risk associated with key personnel transitions. Expanding our operations may require us to add additional executive personnel and team members in the future. As a result of our decentralized operating strategy, we also rely on the management teams of our dealer groups. In addition, we likely will depend on the senior management of any significant businesses we acquire in the future. The loss of the services of one or more key employees before we are able to attract and retain qualified replacement personnel could adversely affect our business. Additionally, our ability to manage our personnel costs and operating expenses is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, healthcare and other benefit costs, changing demographics and our reputation and relevance within the labor markets where we are located. Increases in the prevailing wage rates due to competitive market pressures or other factors could increase our personnel costs and operating expenses and have a material adverse effect on our business.
Manufacturer recall campaigns could adversely affect our business.
Manufacturer recall campaigns could adversely affect our new and pre-owned boat sales or customer residual trade-in valuations, could cause us to temporarily remove vehicles from our inventory, could force us to incur increased costs and could expose us to litigation and adverse publicity related to the sale of recalled boats, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The products we sell or service may expose us to potential liability for personal injury, product liability or property damage claims relating to the use of those products.
Manufacturers of the products we sell generally maintain product liability insurance. We maintain third-party liability insurance with respect to the sale and servicing of boats and other watercrafts but do not maintain product liability insurance. We may therefore experience claims that are not covered by our insurance coverage. While we have not experienced material losses related to product liability, personal injury or property damage claims in the past, we could be exposed to such claims or losses in the future. The institution of any significant claims against us could subject us to damages, result in higher insurance costs and harm our business reputation with potential customers.
If we cannot dispose of pre-owned boats acquired through our trade-in or direct purchase processes at prices that allow us to recover its costs, our profitability will be adversely affected.
The resale values of any pre-owned boats that we acquire through trade-ins or direct purchase may be lower than our estimates, which are based on expected retail sales prices. If the resale value of the pre-owned boats we acquire is lower than our estimates and/or we are not able to resell them timely or at all, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Additionally, certain pre-owned boats or other vehicles that we acquire through trade-ins may fail to meet our retail quality standards. Instead, we sell these units through a wholesale process. If the prices that we receive for our pre-owned boats sold in this process are not sufficient to cover the prices paid or credit given at trade-in for such pre-owned boats, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Adverse federal or state tax policies could have a negative effect on us.
Changes in federal and state tax laws, such as an imposition of luxury taxes on new boat purchases, increases in prevailing tax rates, and removal of certain interest deductions, may influence consumers’ decisions to purchase products we offer and could have a negative effect on our sales. For example, during 1991 and 1992, the federal government imposed a luxury tax on new recreational boats with sales prices in excess of $100,000, which coincided with a sharp decline in boating industry sales from a high of more than $17.9 billion in 1988 to a low of $10.3 billion in 1992. Any increase in tax rates, including those on capital gains and dividends, particularly those on high-income taxpayers, could adversely affect our boat sales.
Environmental and other regulatory issues may impact our operations.
Our operations are subject to stringent federal, state and local laws and regulations governing such matters as finance and insurance, consumer protection, consumer privacy, escheatment, anti-money laundering, releases, discharges and emissions into the environment as well as environmental protection, human health and safety, and employment practices, including wage and hour and anti-discrimination legal requirements. These laws and regulations affect many aspects of our operations, such as requiring the acquisition of permits, licenses and other governmental approvals to conduct regulated activities, including the operation of recreational boats, restricting the manner in which we use, handle, store, recycle and dispose of our wastes, responding to and taking corrective action with respect to any releases, discharges or emissions of regulated substances, requiring capital and operating expenditures to construct, maintain and upgrade pollution control and containment equipment and facilities, imposing specific human health and safety criteria addressing worker protection, and imposing liabilities for pollution or inappropriate payment or treatment of our workers with respect to our operations. The failure to satisfy those and other legal requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, failure to comply with those and other legal requirements, or with U.S. trade sanctions, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other applicable laws or regulations could result in the assessment of damages, the imposition of sanctions including monetary penalties, changes to our processes, or a suspension or cessation of our operations, as well as damage to our image and reputation, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Numerous governmental agencies, including OSHA, the EPA and similar federal agencies as well as analogous state and local agencies regulate and maintain enforcement authority over the operation of our stores, repair facilities, and other operations, with respect to matters such as consumer protection, human safety and environmental protection, including any contamination of or releases into ambient air, surficial and subsurface soils, surface water and groundwater. Marine engine manufacturers are subject to emissions standards imposed under the CAA, and the EPA has enacted a number of legal requirements imposing more stringent emissions standards for two-cycle, gasoline outboard marine engines. It is possible that regulatory bodies such as the EPA may impose more stringent emissions standards in the future for marine engines, including with respect to recreational use. Any increased costs of those manufacturers producing engines resulting from current or future EPA standards could be passed on to dealers in the retail recreational boat industry, such as ourselves, or could result in the inability of, or potential unforeseen delays by, these manufacturers to manufacture and make timely delivery of recreational boats to such dealers, which developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
As with companies in the retail recreational boat industry generally, and parts and service operations in particular, our business involves the use, handling, storage, and contracting for recycling or disposal of waste materials, including hazardous or toxic substances and wastes as well as environmentally sensitive materials, such as motor oil, waste motor oil and filters, transmission fluid, antifreeze, freon, waste paint and lacquer thinner, batteries, solvents, lubricants, degreasing agents, gasoline, and diesel fuels. Laws and regulations regarding the prevention of pollution or remediation of environmental contamination generally apply regardless of whether we lease or purchase the land and facilities. Additionally, certain of our stores and/or repair facilities utilize USTs and ASTs, primarily for storing and dispensing petroleum-based products. Storage tanks in the United States are generally subject to financial responsibility requirements and testing, containment, upgrading and removal requirements under the RCRA, and its state law counterparts, as well as federal, state and local legal standards relating to investigation and remediation of contaminated soils, surface water and groundwater resulting from leaking tanks and associated inground lifts. We also may be subject to civil liability to third parties for remediation costs or other damages if leakage from our owned or operated tanks migrates onto the property of others.
Certain of our stores and/or repair facility properties have been operated by third parties whose use, handling and disposal of petroleum-based products or wastes were not under our control. We are subject to regulation by federal, state, and local authorities establishing investigatory, remedial, human health and environmental quality standards and imposing liability related thereto, which liabilities may include sanctions, including monetary penalties for violations of those standards.
We also are subject to laws, ordinances, and regulations governing investigation and remediation of contamination at facilities we operate or to which we send hazardous or toxic substances or wastes for treatment, recycling, or disposal. In particular, CERCLA, also known as the Superfund law, and analogous state laws, impose strict joint and several liability on generators, transporters, disposers and arrangers of hazardous substances at sites where hazardous substance releases have occurred or are threatening to occur.
A majority of states have adopted Superfund laws comparable to and, in some cases, more stringent than CERCLA. If we were to be found to be a responsible party under CERCLA or a similar state statute, we could be held liable for all investigative and remedial costs associated with addressing such contamination as well as for natural resource damages. In addition, claims alleging personal injury or property damage may be brought against us as a result of alleged exposure to hazardous substances resulting from our operations. Moreover, certain of our stores are located on waterways that are subject to federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and the OPA, as well as analogous state laws regulating navigable waters, oil pollution (including prevention and cleanup of the same), adverse impacts to fish and wildlife, and other matters. For example, under the OPA, owners and operators of vessels and onshore facilities may be subject to liability for removal costs and damages arising from an oil spill in waters of the United States.
We could be required to conduct remediation in the future in accordance with applicable state and federal standards in the cleanup of petroleum hydrocarbons or other substances or wastes released on, under or from properties owned or leased by us, including some of our properties that were previously used as gasoline service stations. For example, we are performing soil and groundwater monitoring activities as required by applicable state and federal standards. We may also be required in the future to remove USTs, ASTs and inground lifts containing petroleum-based products and hazardous or toxic substances or wastes should they represent a risk of release or threatened release into the environment. Historically, our costs of compliance with these investigatory, remedial and monitoring requirements have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations; however, there can be no assurance that such costs will not be material in the future or that such future compliance will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition. We also may have additional storage tank liability insurance and other insurance coverage with respect to pollution-related liabilities where available, but such coverages may be insufficient to address such liabilities. Environmental laws and regulations are comprehensive and subject to frequent change. Compliance with amended, new, or more stringent laws or regulations, more strict interpretations of existing laws, or the future discovery of environmental conditions may require additional expenditures by us, and such expenditures may be material.
Additionally, certain states have imposed legal requirements or are considering the imposition of such requirements that would obligate buyers and/or operators of recreational boats to obtain a license in order to operate such boats. These requirements could discourage potential buyers of recreational boats, thereby limiting future sales and adversely affecting our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Furthermore, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act increased our annual employee health care costs that we fund, and significantly increased our cost of compliance and compliance risk related to offering health care benefits.
Moreover, adverse changes in labor policy could lead to increased unionization efforts, which could lead to higher labor costs, disrupt our store operations, and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our operations are subject to risks arising out of the threat of climate change, which could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the products that we and the retail recreational boat industry provide.
The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and foreign countries. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit existing emissions of GHGs and eliminate future GHG emissions. Governmental and public concern arising from GHG emissions has resulted in increasing regulatory, political, financial and litigation risks in the United States and globally that target predominantly fossil fuel-related energy entities or their operations, which may have indirect adverse effects on other companies or industries, such as the retail recreational boat industry, for example, whose services or products generate GHGs or rely upon motor fuels refined from fossil fuels, which effects could be material.
In the United States, no comprehensive federal climate change legislation has been implemented; however, with the election of Joe Biden as President in the November 3, 2020 general elections, there likely will be renewed interest in such legislation, the adoption of which could well depend on whether the Senate has a Democratic Party majority following the run-off elections of two Senators in Georgia in January 2021. Moreover, because the U.S. Supreme Court has held that GHG emissions constitute a pollutant under the CAA, the EPA has adopted rules that, among other things, establish various requirements for monitoring and limiting certain GHG emissions and, with the election of President-Elect Biden, the EPA could develop and adopt additional GHG restrictions. Additionally, various states and groups of states have adopted or are considering adopting legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that are focused on such areas as GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and restriction of emissions. At the international level, there exists the United Nations-sponsored “Paris Agreement,” which is a non-binding agreement for nations to limit their GHG emissions through individually-determined reduction goals. Although the United States under the Trump Administration has announced its withdrawal from such agreement, effective November 4, 2020, President-Elect Biden has stated his intention to recommit the United States to the Paris Agreement, with the earliest date of rejoining being February 19, 2021. Were the United States to rejoin the Paris Agreement, then there exists the possibility of executive orders being issued or federal legislation or regulatory initiatives being adopted that could result in further restrictions on fossil fuels and have a further indirect adverse effect on the demand for our and the retail recreational boat industry products.
Litigation risks, including lawsuits against fossil-fuel energy companies arising from the production and use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming effects, such as rising sea levels, and financial risks for such entities as stockholders and bondholders currently invested in fossil fuel energy companies concerned about the potential effects of climate change may elect in the future to shift some or all of their investments into non-fossil fuel energy related sectors further exacerbate the potential for these indirect adverse effects. Moreover, the increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources (such as wind, solar geothermal, and tidal) could also reduce demand for fossil fuels and therefore for our boating products, which would lead to a reduction in our revenues. Finally, increasing concentrations of GHG in the earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts, floods, rising sea levels and other climatic events, the occurrence of which could result in increased operating costs and limitations on the availability of our and the retail recreational boating industry’s boating products.
Our sales of boats produced by certain foreign manufacturers expose us to international political, economic, and other risks.
Our sales of boats produced by Absolute S.p.A. in Italy; Prestige, a division of Beneteau S.A., in France; Riviera Australia Pty. Ltd. in Australia; and Sunseeker International in the United Kingdom, as well as any other non-U.S. manufacturer whose products we may sell in the future, expose us to international political, economic and other risks. We also import certain boat components from international suppliers which could further our exposure to such international risks. Protectionist trade legislation in the United States, the European Union, and other countries, such as changes in current tariff structures, export or import compliance laws, or other trade policies could adversely affect our ability to import boats or boat components from these foreign suppliers under economically favorable terms and conditions.
There have been recent changes, and future, additional changes may occur, to United States and foreign trade and tax policies, including heightened import restrictions, import and export licenses, new tariffs, trade embargoes, government sanctions or trade barriers. Any of these restrictions could prevent or make it difficult or more costly for us to import boats and boat components from foreign suppliers under economically favorable terms and conditions. Increased tariffs could require us to increase our prices which likely could decrease demand for our products. In addition, other countries may limit their trade with the United States or retaliate through their own restrictions and/or increased tariffs which would affect our ability to export products and therefore adversely affect our sales.
Our foreign purchase of boats and boat components creates a number of logistical and communications challenges. The economic, political and other risks we face resulting from these foreign purchases include the following:
| • | compliance with U.S. and local laws and regulatory requirements as well as changes in those laws and requirements; |
| • | transportation delays or interruptions and other effects of less developed infrastructures; |
| • | limitations on imports and exports; |
| • | foreign exchange rate fluctuations; |
| • | imposition of restrictions on currency conversion or the transfer of funds; |
| • | maintenance of quality standards; |
| • | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| • | differing labor regulations; |
| • | potentially adverse tax consequences; |
| • | possible employee turnover or labor unrest; |
| • | the burdens and costs of compliance with a variety of foreign laws; and |
| • | political or economic instability. |
If we establish an online marketplace, a failure in such online operations, security breaches and cybersecurity risks could disrupt our business and lead to reduced sales and growth prospects and reputational damage.
Consumers are increasingly embracing shopping online and through mobile commerce applications. We purchased the website domain name “Boatsforsale.com” as part of our multi-phased roll-out of an online marketplace for new and pre-owned boat sales. However, consumer preferences and e-commerce buying trends could change, and we may be vulnerable to additional risks and uncertainties associated with online sales, including rapid changes in technology, website downtime and other technical failures, security breaches, cyber-attacks, consumer privacy concerns, changes in state tax regimes and government regulation of internet activities. Should we establish an online platform, our failure to successfully respond to these risks and uncertainties could reduce our online sales, increase our costs, diminish our growth prospects and damage our brands, which could negatively impact our results of operations and stock price. In addition, there is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully start or expand our online platform. Our competitors may have e-commerce businesses that are substantially larger and more developed than ours, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage. If we are unable to establish and expand our online platform, our growth plans could suffer, and the price of our common stock could decline.
We may be unable to enforce our intellectual property rights and we may be accused of infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a number of trade names with respect to the dealer groups that we have acquired, which we do not re-brand under our “OneWater” mark. If any of our current trade names or any trademarks that we may own in the future become generic or if third parties adopt marks similar to our marks, our ability to differentiate our dealer groups may be adversely affected, we could lose brand recognition and be forced to devote additional resources to advertising and marketing for our dealer groups. From time to time, we may be compelled to protect our intellectual property, which may involve litigation. Such litigation may be time-consuming, expensive and distract our management from running the day-to-day operations of our business, and could result in the impairment or loss of the involved intellectual property. There is no guarantee that the steps we take to protect our intellectual property, including litigation when necessary, will be successful.
Other parties also may claim that we infringe their proprietary rights. Such claims, whether or not meritorious, may result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources, injunctions against us or the payment of damages. These claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Changes in the assumptions used to calculate our acquisition related contingent consideration liabilities could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.
Some of our acquisitions have included, and future acquisitions may include, contingent consideration liabilities relating to payments based on the future performance of the operations acquired. Under generally accepted accounting principles, we are required to estimate the fair value of any contingent consideration. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable but which are uncertain and involve significant judgments. Changes in business conditions or other events could materially change the projection of future earnings used in the fair value calculations of contingent consideration liabilities. We reassess the fair value quarterly, and increases or decreases based on the actual or expected future performance of the acquired operations will be recorded in our results of operations. These quarterly adjustments could have a material effect on our results of operations.
An impairment in the carrying value of long-lived assets, goodwill and identifiable intangible assets could negatively impact our financial results and net worth.
Our long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are required to be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. As of September 30, 2020, we have approximately $18.4 million of property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation, recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. Recoverability of an asset is measured by comparison of its carrying amount to undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair market value. Estimates of expected future cash flows represent our best estimate based on currently available information and reasonable and supportable assumptions. Our impairment loss calculations contain uncertainties because they require us to make assumptions and to apply judgment in order to estimate expected future cash flows.
Additionally, our goodwill and identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value at the time of acquisition and is not amortized, but reviewed for impairment at least annually or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. In evaluating the potential for impairment of goodwill, we make assumptions regarding industry conditions, our future financial performance, and other factors. Uncertainties are inherent in evaluating and applying these factors to the assessment of goodwill. While we do not believe there is currently a reasonable likelihood that there will be a change in the judgments and assumptions used in our assessments of goodwill and long-lived assets which would result in a material effect on our operating results, we cannot predict whether events or circumstances will change in the future that could result in non-cash impairment charges that could adversely impact our financial results and net worth.
Our same-store sales may fluctuate and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.
Our same-store sales may vary from quarter to quarter. A number of factors have historically affected, and will continue to affect, our same-store sales results, including:
| • | changes or anticipated changes to regulations related to some of the products we sell; |
| • | consumer preferences, buying trends and overall economic trends; |
| • | our ability to identify and respond effectively to local and regional trends and customer preferences; |
| • | our ability to provide quality customer service that will increase our conversion of shoppers into paying customers; |
| • | competition in the regional market of a store; |
| • | atypical weather patterns; |
| • | changes in our product mix; |
| • | changes in sales of services; and |
| • | changes in pricing and average unit sales. |
An unanticipated decline in revenues or same-store sales may cause the price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate significantly.
We primarily lease our stores. If we are unable to maintain those leases or locate alternative sites for our stores in our target markets and on terms that are acceptable to us, our revenues and profitability could be adversely affected.
We currently lease 60 of the real properties where we have retail operations. Most stores operate under long-term leases with an initial term of 10 years and renewal options for an additional 10 years. Additionally, we have entered into dealership leases with certain of the Legacy Owners for which we incurred $2.0 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million in lease expense in the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain our existing store locations as leases expire, extend the leases or be able to locate alternative sites in our target markets and on favorable terms. Any failure to maintain our existing store locations, extend the leases or locate alternative sites on favorable or acceptable terms could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
OneWater Inc. is a holding company. OneWater Inc.’s only material asset is its equity interest in OneWater LLC, and OneWater Inc. is accordingly dependent upon distributions from OneWater LLC to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and cover OneWater Inc.’s corporate and other overhead expenses.
OneWater Inc. is a holding company and has no material assets other than its equity interest in OneWater LLC. OneWater Inc. has no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent OneWater LLC has available cash and subject to the terms of any current or future debt instruments, the OneWater LLC Agreement requires OneWater LLC to make pro rata cash distributions to OneWater Unit Holders, including OneWater Inc., in an amount sufficient to allow OneWater Inc. to pay its taxes and to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. We generally expect OneWater LLC to fund such distributions out of available cash and in the event that payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are accelerated, where applicable, we generally expect to fund such accelerated payment out of the proceeds of the change of control transaction giving rise to such acceleration. When OneWater LLC makes distributions, the OneWater Unit Holders are entitled to receive proportionate distributions based on their interests in OneWater LLC at the time of such distribution. In addition, the OneWater LLC Agreement requires OneWater LLC to make non-pro rata payments to OneWater Inc. to reimburse it for its corporate and other overhead expenses, which payments are not treated as distributions under the OneWater LLC Agreement. To the extent that OneWater Inc. needs funds and OneWater LLC or its subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions or payments under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any current or future financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Moreover, because OneWater Inc. has no independent means of generating revenue, OneWater Inc.’s ability to make tax payments and payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent on the ability of OneWater LLC to make distributions to OneWater Inc. in an amount sufficient to cover OneWater Inc.’s tax obligations and obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement. This ability, in turn, may depend on the ability of OneWater LLC’s subsidiaries to make distributions to it. The ability of OneWater LLC, its subsidiaries and other entities in which it directly or indirectly holds an equity interest to make such distributions is subject to, among other things, (i) the applicable provisions of Delaware law (or other applicable jurisdiction) that may limit the amount of funds available for distribution and (ii) restrictions in relevant debt instruments issued by OneWater LLC or its subsidiaries and other entities in which it directly or indirectly holds an equity interest. To the extent that OneWater Inc. is unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
As a public company, we are required to comply with laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, related regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), with which we were not required to comply as a private company. Complying with these statutes, regulations and requirements occupies a significant amount of time of our board of directors and management and significantly increases our costs and expenses. We are required to:
| • | maintain a comprehensive compliance function; |
| • | comply with rules promulgated by Nasdaq; |
| • | prepare and distribute periodic public reports in compliance with our obligations under the federal securities laws; |
| • | accurately implement and interpret GAAP; |
| • | comply with certain internal policies, such as those relating to insider trading; and |
| • | involve and retain to a greater degree outside counsel and accountants in the above activities. |
As a public company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. Although we are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. Additionally, we are not required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls until our first annual report subsequent to our ceasing to be an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act. Accordingly, we may not be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls until as late as our annual report for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Once it is required to do so, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed. Compliance with these requirements may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
In addition, we expect that being a public company subject to these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating these rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
If we experience any material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. As a result of being a public company, we will be required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning in the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. We continue to take additional steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented, and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for our internal control over financial reporting. If we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting during the evaluation and testing process, we may be unable to conclude that our internal controls are effective. For additional information, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Controls and Procedures.”
Additionally, when we cease to be an “emerging growth company” under the federal securities laws, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls. If we are unable to confirm that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.
An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our Class A common stock may not develop or be maintained, and our stock price may be volatile.
Although our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq, we do not know how liquid that market might be at any point in time. You may not be able to resell your Class A common stock at or above the price at which you purchased it. Additionally, lack of liquidity may result in wide bid-ask spreads, contribute to significant fluctuations and volatility in the market price of the Class A common stock and limit the number of investors who are able to buy the Class A common stock.
The market price of our Class A common stock could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our Class A common stock, you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our Class A common stock. You may not be able to sell shares of our Class A common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price paid by you.
The following factors could affect our stock price:
| • | quarterly variations in our financial and operating results; |
| • | the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC; |
| • | strategic actions by our competitors; |
| • | changes in revenue, same-store sales or earnings estimates, or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage, by equity research analysts; |
| • | the failure of our operating results to meet the expectations of equity research analysts and investors; |
| • | speculation in the press or investment community; |
| • | the failure of research analysts to continue to cover our Class A common stock; |
| • | sales of our Class A common stock by us or other stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur; |
| • | changes in accounting principles, policies, guidance, interpretations or standards; |
| • | additions or departures of key management personnel; |
| • | actions by our stockholders; |
| • | general market conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices; |
| • | the publication of boating industry sales data or new boat registration data; |
| • | domestic and international economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance; and |
| • | the realization of any risks described under this “Risk Factors” section. |
The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. For some companies this volatility has been exacerbated by wide ranging impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and materially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock, and their interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders.
The Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock. As a result, the Legacy Owners may be able to substantially influence matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, approval of any potential acquisition of us, changes to our organizational documents and significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership makes it unlikely that any other holder or group of holders of our Class A common stock will be able to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of the Legacy Owners with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings and other corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.
For example, the Legacy Owners may have different tax positions from us, especially in light of the Tax Receivable Agreement, that could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to support the disposition of assets, the incurrence or refinancing of new or existing indebtedness, or the termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement and acceleration of our obligations thereunder. In addition, the determination of future tax reporting positions, the structuring of future transactions and the handling of any challenge by any taxing authority to our tax reporting positions may take into consideration the Legacy Owners tax or other considerations which may differ from the considerations of us or our other stockholders. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Tax Receivable Agreement” in this Form 10-K.
Certain of our executive officers and directors have significant duties with, and spend significant time serving, entities that may compete with us in seeking business opportunities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.
Certain of our executive officers and directors, who are responsible for managing the direction of our operations, hold positions of responsibility with other entities (including affiliated entities) that are in the boat retail industry. These executive officers and directors may become aware of business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as to the other entities with which they are or may become affiliated. Due to these existing and potential future affiliations, they may present potential business opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. They may also decide that certain opportunities are more appropriate for other entities with which they are affiliated, and as a result, they may elect not to present those opportunities to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock and could deprive our investors of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval in one or more series, designate the number of shares constituting any series, and fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. If our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions include:
| • | dividing our board of directors into three classes of directors, with each class serving staggered three-year terms; |
| • | providing that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law or, if applicable, the rights of holders of a series of preferred stock, only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum; |
| • | permitting any action by stockholders to be taken only at an annual meeting or special meeting rather than by a written consent of the stockholders, subject to the rights of any series of preferred stock with respect to such rights; |
| • | permitting special meetings of our stockholders to be called only by our Chief Executive Officer, the chairman of our board of directors and our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of authorized directors whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships; |
| • | subject to the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock, requiring the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2⁄3% in voting power of all then outstanding common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, to remove any or all of the directors from office at any time, and directors will be removable only for “cause”; |
| • | prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors; |
| • | establishing advance notice provisions for stockholder proposals and nominations for elections to the board of directors to be acted upon at meetings of stockholders; and |
| • | providing that the board of directors is expressly authorized to adopt, or to alter or repeal our bylaws. |
In addition, certain change of control events have the effect of accelerating the payment due under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which could be substantial and accordingly serve as a disincentive to a potential acquirer of our company. Please see “—In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement.”
Our certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our certificate of incorporation described herein. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.