SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE A — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Organization and business Lifetime Brands, Inc. (the “Company”) designs, sources and sells branded kitchenware, tableware and other products used in the home and markets its products under a number of brand names and trademarks, which are either owned or licensed by the Company or through retailers’ private labels. The Company sells its products directly to retailers (including through their Internet websites) and, to a lesser extent, to distributors. The Company also sells a limited selection of its products directly to consumers through its own Internet websites. Basis of presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-K. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities to prepare these financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP. The most significant of these estimates and assumptions relate to revenue recognition, allowances for doubtful accounts, reserves for sales returns and allowances and customer chargebacks, inventory mark-down provisions, impairment of tangible and intangible assets, stock based compensation expense, estimates for unpaid healthcare claims, derivative valuations, accruals related to the Company’s tax positions and tax valuation allowances. Although these and other estimates and assumptions are based on the best available information, actual results could be materially different from these estimates. Principles of consolidation The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Foreign currency Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet dates. Revenues, costs and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at average exchange rates for the relevant period. Income and losses resulting from translation are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions, including the unrealized gain or loss on the fair value of foreign exchange contracts not designated as hedges and the realized gain or loss on all foreign exchange contracts, whether or not designated as hedges, are recognized in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. Foreign currency gain/loss included within selling, general and administrative expenses was a $0.5 million loss in 2018, a $3.0 million loss in 2017 and a $4.2 million gain in 2016. Revenue recognition The Company sells products wholesale, to retailers and distributors, and retail, directly to the consumer. Wholesale sales and retail sales are recognized at the point in time the customer obtains control of the products, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products. The Company offers various sales incentives and promotional programs to its customers in the normal course of business. These incentives and promotions typically include arrangements such as cooperative advertising, buydowns, volume rebates and discounts. These arrangements and returns are reflected as reductions of revenue at the time of sale. See Note B – Revenue for additional information. Cost of sales Cost of sales consist primarily of costs associated with the production and procurement of product, inbound freight costs, purchasing costs, royalties and other product procurement related charges. Distribution expenses Distribution expenses consist primarily of warehousing expenses and freight-out expenses. Freight-out expenses were $14.5 million, $11.5 million and $11.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Handling costs of products sold are included in cost of sales. Advertising expenses Advertising expenses are expensed as incurred and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Advertising expenses were $4.4 million, $3.4 million and $3.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Accounts receivable The Company periodically reviews the collectability of its accounts receivable and establishes allowances for estimated losses that could result from the inability of its customers to make required payments. A considerable amount of judgment is required to assess the ultimate realization of these receivables including assessing the initial and on-going creditworthiness of the Company’s customers. The Company also maintains an allowance for anticipated customer deductions. The allowances for deductions are primarily based on contracts with customers. However, in certain cases the Company does not have a formal contract and, therefore, customer deductions are non-contractual. To evaluate the reasonableness of non-contractual customer deductions, the Company analyzes currently available information and historical trends of deductions. The sale of accounts receivable, under the Company’s Receivable Purchase Agreement with HSBC, are reflected as a reduction of accounts receivable in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at the time of sale and any related expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Inventory Inventory consists principally of finished goods sourced from third-party suppliers. Inventory also includes finished goods, work in process and raw materials related to the Company’s manufacture of sterling silver products. Inventory is priced using the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or net realizable value. The Company estimates the selling price of its inventory on a product by product basis based on the current selling environment. If the estimated selling price is lower than the inventory’s cost, the Company reduces the value of the inventory to its net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable cost of completion, disposal and transportation. Property and equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost. Property and equipment, other than leasehold improvements, are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Building and improvements are depreciated over 30 years and machinery, furniture and equipment over periods ranging from 3 to 10 years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the term of the lease or the estimated useful lives of the improvements, whichever is shorter. Advances paid towards the acquisition of property and equipment and the cost of property and equipment not ready for use before the end of the period are classified as construction in progress. Cash equivalents The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Concentration of credit risk The Company’s cash and cash equivalents are potentially subject to concentration of credit risk. The Company maintains cash with several financial institutions that, in some cases, is in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. Concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade accounts receivable are limited due to the large number of entities comprising the Company’s customer base. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., including Sam’s Club and, in the United Kingdom, Asda Superstore, (“Walmart”), accounted for 14%, 15% and 16% of net sales, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2016, Costco Wholesale Corporation, (“Costco”), accounted for 10% of net sales. Sales to Walmart are included in the Company’s U.S. and International segments. Sales to Costco are primarily included in the U.S. segment. No other customers accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s sales during these periods. Fair value measurements Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures , provides enhanced guidance for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities and establishes a common definition of fair value, provides a framework for measuring fair value under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosure requirements about fair value measurements. Fair value measurements included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements relate to the Company’s annual goodwill and other intangible asset impairment tests and derivatives, described in Notes F- Goodwill and Intangible Assets and H- Derivatives, respectively. Fair value of financial instruments The Company determined that the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable are reasonable estimates of their fair values because of their short-term nature. The Company determined that the carrying amounts of borrowings outstanding under its ABL Agreement and Term Loan approximate fair value since such borrowings bear interest at variable market rates. Derivatives The Company accounts for derivative instruments in accordance with ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging , (“ASC 815”). ASC 815 requires that all derivative instruments be recognized on the balance sheet at fair value as either an asset or liability. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that qualify as hedges and have been designated as part of a hedging relationship for accounting purposes have no net impact on earnings until the hedged item is recognized in earnings. The change in the fair value of hedges are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and is subsequently recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations to mirror the location of the hedged items impacting earnings. For derivatives that do not qualify or are not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, changes in fair value are recorded in operations. Goodwill, intangible assets and long-lived assets Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but, instead, are subject to an annual impairment assessment. Additionally, if events or conditions were to indicate the carrying value of a reporting unit may not be recoverable, the Company would evaluate goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment at that time. As it relates to the goodwill assessment, the Company first assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative goodwill impairment testing described in ASU Topic 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other . If, after assessing qualitative factors, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the quantitative test is unnecessary and the Company’s goodwill is considered to be unimpaired. However, if based on the Company’s qualitative assessment it concludes that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, or if the Company elects to bypass the qualitative assessment, the Company will proceed with performing the quantitative impairment test. In January 2017, the FASB issued revised guidance that simplifies the test for goodwill impairment, effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to early adopt the guidance in the third quarter of 2018. Under the revised guidance, if a reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge will be recorded to reduce the reporting unit to fair value. Prior to the revised guidance, the amount of the impairment was the difference between the carrying value of the goodwill and the “implied” fair value, which was calculated as if the reporting unit had just been acquired and accounted for as a business combination. The Company also evaluates qualitative factors to determine whether or not its indefinite lived intangibles have been impaired and then performs quantitative tests if required. These tests can include the relief from royalty model or other valuation models. Long-lived assets, including intangible assets deemed to have finite lives, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Impairment indicators include, among other conditions, cash flow deficits, historic or anticipated declines in revenue or operating profit or material adverse changes in the business climate that indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may be impaired. When impairment indicators are present, the recoverability of the asset is measured by comparing the carrying value of the asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset is not recoverable, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of each long-lived asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Income taxes The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company accounts for foreign income taxes based upon anticipated reinvestment of profits into respective foreign tax jurisdictions. The Company applies the authoritative guidance for the financial statement recognition, measurement and disclosure of uncertain tax positions recognized in the Company’s financial statements . In accordance with this guidance, tax positions must meet a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position. A valuation allowance is required to be established or maintained when it is “more likely than not” that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. Share-based compensation The Company accounts for its share-based compensation arrangements in accordance with ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation , which requires the measurement of compensation expense for all share-based compensation granted to employees and non-employee directors at fair value on the date of grant and recognition of compensation expense over the related service period. Forfeitures are accounted for as they occur. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option valuation model to estimate the fair value of its stock options. The Black-Scholes option valuation model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility of the Company’s common stock and the risk-free interest rate. Changes in these subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate of the Company’s stock options on the date of the option grant. Performance share awards are initially valued at the Company’s closing stock price on the date of grant. Each performance award represents the right to receive up to 150% The Company bases the estimated fair value of restricted stock awards on the date of grant. The estimated fair value is determined based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant multiplied by the number of shares awarded. Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Employee healthcare The Company self-insures certain portions of its health insurance plan. The Company maintains an accrual for estimated unpaid claims and claims incurred but not yet reported (“IBNR”). Although management believes that it uses the best information available to estimate IBNR claims, actual claims may vary significantly from estimated claims. Restructuring expenses Costs associated with restructuring activities are recorded at fair value when a liability has been incurred. A liability has been incurred at the point of closure for any remaining operating lease obligations and at the communication date for severance. In connection with the Company’s March 2018 acquisition of Filament, the Company commenced a restructuring plan to integrate the operations of Filament with the Company’s operations and realize the savings expected from the synergies of the acquisition. During the year ended December 31, 2018 the Company incurred $2.1 restructuring charges, primarily related to severance, of which $1.4 During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company incurred $0.2 million and $1.0 $1.5 During the year ended December 31, 2016 the Company recorded $2.4 million of restructuring expense related to its review of the U.S. segment, which included the realignment of product categories and implementation of cost reduction initiatives. Commitments and Contingencies The Company is subject to various claims and contingencies related to lawsuits, certain taxes and environmental matters, as well as commitments under contractual and other commercial obligations. The Company recognizes liabilities for contingencies and commitments when a loss is probable and estimable. Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business . This standard assists with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. This standard will be applied prospectively to acquisitions and has not had an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which expands and refines hedge accounting for both non-financial and financial risk components and aligns the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item in the financial statements. The guidance also makes certain improvements to simplify the application of hedge accounting guidance and ease the administrative burden of hedge documentation requirements and assessing hedge effectiveness. The Company applied the new guidance to existing cash flow hedge relationships using a modified retrospective approach. No adjustment was recorded to opening retained earnings on the date of adoption, as there was no ineffectiveness previously recorded in retained earnings that would have been included in other comprehensive income if the new guidance had been applied since hedge inception. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Effective September 30, 2018, the Company adopted ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment Accounting pronouncements to be adopted in future periods Updates not listed below were assessed and either determined to not be applicable or are expected to have a minimal effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and disclosures. In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Income Statement- Reporting Comprehensive Income: Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments , which reduces the diversity in practice on how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires a lessee, in most leases, to initially recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years. The guidance requires adoption using a modified retrospective transition approach with either 1) periods prior to the adoption date being recast or 2) a cumulative-effect adjustment recognized to the opening balance of retained earnings on the adoption date with prior periods not recast. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2019 using the cumulative-effect adjustment method and elected certain practical expedients allowed under the standard. The Company’s project team assessed the effect of the adoption of this standard on its accounting policies, business processes, internal controls over financial reporting and related disclosures. Upon adoption, the Company estimates assets and liabilities will increase by approximately $91.0 million and $104.5 million, respectively. Changes in the Company’s lease population or changes in incremental borrowing rates may alter this estimate. The Company does not expect to recognize a material cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings upon adoption. The Company will provide expanded disclosures as a result of the guidance upon adoption. |