1 ================================================================================ UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 --------------- FORM 10-Q (MARK ONE) [X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2001 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 0-28977 --------------- VARSITY GROUP INC. (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER) DELAWARE 54-1876848 (STATE OF INCORPORATION) IRS EMPLOYER (IDENTIFICATION NUMBER) 1825 EYE ST., NW, SUITE 400 20006 WASHINGTON, D.C. (ZIP CODE) (ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE: (202) 667-3400 (FORMER NAME, FORMER ADDRESS AND FORMER FISCAL YEAR, IF CHANGED, SINCE LAST REPORT.) 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 [X] No____ APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PRECEDING FIVE YEARS: Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes___ No____ As of April 20, 2001, the registrant had 16,384,770 shares of common stock outstanding. ================================================================================ 2 VARSITY GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTER ENDED MARCH 31, 2001 INDEX PAGE NUMBER ----------- PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements Condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three months 3 ended March 31, 2000 and 2001 Condensed consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2000 and 4 March 31, 2001 Condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months 5 ended March 31, 2000 and 2001 Notes to condensed consolidated financial statements 6 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and 6 Results of Operations Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 16 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION Item 1. Legal Proceedings 17 Item 2. Changes in Securities 17 Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities 17 Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders 17 Item 5. Other Information 17 Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K 17 2 3 PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION ITEM 1: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS VARSITY GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA) (UNAUDITED) THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, ------------------------------------ 2000 2001 --------- --------- Net sales: Books $ 11,006 $ 1,135 Shipping 902 139 Marketing services 300 247 --------- --------- Total net sales 12,208 1,521 --------- --------- Operating expenses: Cost of books-related party 10,444 1,011 Cost of shipping-related party 1,182 98 Cost of marketing services - 25 Marketing and sales: Non-cash charges 738 8 Other marketing and sales (including $63 and $682 with related party for three and three months ended March 31, 2001 and 2000 respectively) 12,843 13,581 340 348 -------- --------- ------ ---------- Product development: Non-cash charges (38) (4) Other product development 2,087 2,049 136 132 -------- --------- ------ ---------- General and administrative: Non-cash charges 1,596 271 Other general and administrative 2,410 4,006 1,212 1,483 -------- --------- ------ ---------- Total operating expenses 31,262 3,097 --------- ---------- Loss from operations (19,054) (1,576) Other income (expense), net: Interest income 228 188 Interest expense (17) - Other income - 58 --------- ---------- Other income (expense), net 211 246 Net loss $ (18,843) $ (1,330) --------- ---------- Net loss per share (basic and diluted): Net loss $ (2.07) $ (0.08) --------- ---------- Weighted average shares: Basic and diluted 9,084,205 16,154,996 See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 3 4 VARSITY GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA) ASSETS DECEMBER 31, 2000 MARCH 31, 2001 ----------------- -------------- (UNAUDITED) Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 15,446 $ 15,609 Restricted cash 264 -- Short-term investments 480 480 Accounts receivable, net of allowance of doubtful accounts of $236 at December 31, 2000 and $162 at March 31, 2001 1,244 425 Prepaid marketing 5 -- Other 710 468 -------- -------- Total current assets 16,982 18,149 Fixed assets, net 1,436 1,151 Other assets 396 343 -------- -------- Total assets $ 19,981 $ 18,476 ======== ======== LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 910 $ 422 Accrued marketing expenses 44 32 Deferred revenue 201 251 Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities 301 80 Lease liability 368 -- Taxes payable 821 823 Accrued employee compensation and benefits 91 34 -------- -------- Total current liabilities 2,736 1,642 Long-term liabilities 131 -- -------- -------- Total liabilities 2,867 1,642 -------- -------- Stockholders' equity: Series A convertible preferred stock: $.0001 par value, 2,071,420 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding -- -- Series B convertible preferred stock: $.0001 par value, 6,933,806 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding -- -- Series C convertible preferred stock: $.0001 par value, 9,755,633 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding -- -- Preferred stock: $.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized; 0 shares issued and outstanding -- -- Common stock: $.0001 par value, 27,932,927 and 60,000,000 shares authorized, 16,152,218 and 16,434,770 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2000 and March 31, 2001, respectively 2 2 Additional paid-in capital 87,287 87,318 Warrant subscription receivable and other (707) -- Notes Receivable from stockholders (124) (62) Deferred compensation (1,123) (873) Accumulated deficit (68,221) (69,551) -------- -------- Total stockholders' equity 17,114 16,834 -------- -------- Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 19,981 18,476 ======== ======== See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements. 4 5 VARSITY GROUP INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (IN THOUSANDS) (UNAUDITED) THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, ------------------------- 2000 2001 -------- -------- Operating activities: Net loss $(18,843) $ (1,330) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 245 285 Bad debt expense -- (74) Gain on sale of fixed assets -- (58) Non-cash compensation 2,295 336 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable, net (668) 893 Prepaid marketing 3,353 5 Deferred charge 1,024 -- Other current assets (912) 242 Accounts payable 173 (488) Accrued marketing expenses (1,106) (12) Lease liability -- (368) Deferred revenue -- 50 Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities (865) (221) Taxes payable 291 2 Accrued employee compensation and benefits 556 (57) Other non-current liabilities 60 (131) Other non-current assets -- 53 -------- -------- Net cash used in operating activities (14,397) (873) -------- -------- Investing activities: Additions to fixed assets (804) -- Proceeds from sale of fixed assets -- 58 -------- -------- Net cash used in investing activities (804) 58 -------- -------- Financing activities: Proceeds from issuance of common stock 35,881 -- Proceeds from exercise of stock options -- 7 Proceeds from notes payable 2,500 -- Repayment of notes payable (2,500) -- Proceeds from warrant subscription receivable -- 707 -------- -------- Net cash provided by financing activities 35,881 714 -------- -------- Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 20,680 (101) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 7,813 15,710 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 28,493 $ 15,609 ======== ======== Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: Cash paid for income taxes and interest $ 17 $ 16 ======== ======== Warrant subscription receivable and other 2,601 $ -- ======== ======== Deferred charge from issuance of warrants $ 92 $ -- ======== ======== See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements 5 6 VARSITY GROUP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS NOTE 1: DESCRIPTION OF OPERATIONS Varsity Group Inc., a leading online retailer of new textbooks and a provider of marketing services for businesses interested in reaching the college and private middle and high school markets, was incorporated on December 16, 1997 and launched its Website in August 1998, at which time the Company began generating revenues. In August 1999, the Company established two wholly owned subsidiaries, CollegeImpact.com, Inc. and VarsityBooks.com, LLC (formerly CollegeOps.com LLC), to assist in the overall management of its marketing and retailing activities, respectively. In February 2000, we issued 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock at an initial public offering price of $10.00 per share. In March 2000, we sold an additional 35,000 shares pursuant to the exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option at $10.00 per share. Total net proceeds were approximately $35.9 million. NOTE 2: BASIS OF PRESENTATION The condensed consolidated financial statements of Varsity Group Inc. and subsidiaries included herein have been prepared by the Company without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and reflect all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim period in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. Certain information and footnote disclosure normally included in the financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles have been condensed or omitted. The interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for an entire year. Certain reclassifications of prior year amounts have been made to conform with the current year presentation. ITEM 2: MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This document contains forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "except," "plan," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue," the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. Readers are also urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us that attempt to advise interested parties of the factors which affect our business, including without limitation the disclosures made under the caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included herein and under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and other reports and filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. OVERVIEW We are a leading online retailer of new textbooks and we provide marketing services to other businesses interested in reaching the nation's 15 million college students and 2.5 million private middle and secondary school students. We were incorporated in December 1997 and began offering books for sale on our Web site on August 10, 1998. For the period from inception through August 9,1998, our primary activities consisted of: |X| developing our business model; |X| establishing, negotiating and consummating a relationship with our supplier, Baker & Taylor; |X| initial planning and development of our Web site; 6 7 |X| developing our information systems infrastructure; |X| developing our marketing plans; and |X| establishing finance and administrative functions. We began to generate sales when we launched our Web site in August 1998. To date, our revenues have consisted primarily of sales of new textbooks. In January 1999 we created eduPartners, whereby we become the exclusive provider of new books and learning materials to a variety of learning institutions. This program is a cost-effective model that enables us to increase the number of customers to our Web site and generate book sales. We also generate revenue from online marketing agreements, as well as offline marketing service agreements for which we use College Impact, our student representative network. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 1999, we began generating revenues from marketing programs. We have signed marketing services agreements with a number of public and private companies, including AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., Palm, Inc., Papa John's International, Inc. and Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. We continue to develop marketing services agreements with businesses that are seeking to reach the college and private middle and high school markets. In addition, we have continued to successfully lower the overall expenses of our retail book business through various means, including the imposition of increased retail pricing. We base our current and future expense levels on our operating plans and estimates of future revenues. In view of the rapidly evolving nature of our business and our limited operating history, we have little experience forecasting our revenues. Therefore, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our financial results might not necessarily be meaningful and you should not rely on them as indication of future performance. If we cannot achieve and sustain profitability or positive cash flow from operations, we may be unable to meet our working capital requirements or to obtain additional financing, which would adversely affect our business and may cause us to discontinue operations. We have incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations in every fiscal period since our inception. For the year ended December 31, 1998, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $2.7 million and negative cash flows from operations of $1.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 1999, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $31.9 million and negative cash flows from operations of $29.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2000, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $34.6 million and negative cash flows from operations of $27.5 million. As of December 31, 1998, 1999 and 2000 we had accumulated deficits of approximately $2.7 million, $34.2 million and $68.2 million, respectively. Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2001 was $1.3 million compared to a net loss of $18.8 million for the quarter ended March 31 2000. We expect that operating losses and negative cash flows will continue until at least the second half of 2001. As part of the increased emphasis on eduPartners, we anticipate that costs and expenses related to brand development, marketing and other promotional activities associated with our traditional retail book business will continue to decrease from historical levels. Although, in the short-term, this has and will continue to result in decreased revenues from the sales of new textbooks, we believe, in the aggregate, that this has and will continue to reduce the losses and negative cash flows from our sales of new textbooks. RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The following table and discussion provides information which management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial condition. The discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto-included elsewhere herein. 7 8 PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL NET SALES THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, --------------------- 2000 2001 ------ ------ Net sales: Books 90.2% 74.6 % Shipping 7.4 9.1 Marketing services 2.4 16.3 ------ ------ Total net sales 100.0 100.0 ------ ------ Operating expenses: Cost of books-related party 85.6 66.5 Cost of shipping-related party 9.7 6.4 Equity transactions-related party -- -- Cost of marketing services -- 1.6 Marketing and sales: 111.2 22.9 Product development: 16.8 8.7 General and administrative: 32.8 97.5 ------ ------ Total operating expenses 256.1 203.6 ------ ------ Loss from operations (156.1) (103.6) Other income, net 1.7 16.2 ------ ------ Net loss (154.4)% (87.4)% ====== ====== THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2001 COMPARED TO THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2000 NET SALES Net sales decreased to $1.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 from $12.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to the Company's focus on eduPartners, a seasonal business centered around the back-to-school months of July, August and September. Marketing services sales totaled $0.25 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001, a minimal decrease from the $0.3 million recognized in the same period in 2000. OPERATING EXPENSES Cost of Books - Related Party (Baker & Taylor). Cost of books - related party consists of the cost of books sold to customers. Cost of books-related party decreased to $1.0 million for the three months ended March 30, 2001 from $10.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to our decreased sales volume. Cost of Shipping - Related Party (Baker & Taylor). Cost of shipping - related party consists of outbound shipping. Cost of shipping decreased to $0.98 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 from $1.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to our decreased sales volume. Also for the three months ended March 31, 2001, shipping revenue exceeded cost of shipping - related party by $41,000 or 42%. For the three months ended March 31, 2000, cost of shipping - related party exceeded shipping revenue by approximately $0.3 million, or 31.0%. This transition to shipping profitability was primarily attributable to an increase in the shipping rates charged to our customers that was instituted in the third quarter of 2000. Cost of Marketing Services. Cost of marketing services includes personnel costs associated with the implementation of our on campus marketing programs and other directly identifiable costs associated with our online advertising and on campus 8 9 promotions. Cost of marketing services totaled $25,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2001. There were no costs of marketing services for the three months ended March 31, 2000. Marketing and Sales. Marketing and sales expense consists primarily of advertising and promotional expenditures and payroll and related expenses such as the amortization of deferred compensation for personnel engaged in marketing and management of our nationwide network of student representatives. Marketing and sales expense decreased to $0.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 from $13.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreased marketing with respect to the national college-focused retail book business and decreased personnel and related expenses. Included in marketing and sales is $8,000 and $0.7 million of non-cash charges for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Product Development. Product development expense consists of payroll and related expenses such as the amortization of deferred compensation for development and systems personnel and consultants. Product development expense decreased to $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 from $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreased web development, consulting and personnel costs between periods. General and Administrative. General and administrative expense consists of payroll and related expenses for executive and administrative personnel such as the amortization of deferred compensation, facilities expenses, professional services expenses, travel and other general corporate expenses. General and administrative expense decreased to $1.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 from $4.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to decreased personnel and professional services expenses between years. Included in general and administrative expenses is less than $0.3 million and $1.6 million of non-cash charges for the three months ended March 30, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Non-cash charges decreased primarily as a result of a reduction in the number of employees. OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET. Other income (expense), net consists primarily of interest income on our cash and cash equivalents and investments and gains or losses associated with the disposal of fixed assets. Other income was $246,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared to $211,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2000. This increase is primarily attributable to interest income on higher average cash, cash equivalent and short-term investment balances during the three months ended March 31, 2001 and the sale of assets. INCOME TAXES. As of March 31, 2001, we had net operating loss carryforwards for federal income tax purposes of approximately $56 million, which expire beginning in 2018. We have provided a full valuation allowance on the resulting deferred tax asset because of uncertainty regarding its realizability. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES As of March 31, 2001, we had $15.6 million of cash and cash equivalents. As of that date, our principal commitments consisted of obligations outstanding, accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Although we have no material commitments for capital expenditures, we may experience increases in our capital expenditures and lease commitments consistent with anticipated growth in operations, infrastructure and personnel. As of March 31, 2001, there were no prepaid marketing expenses compared to $5,000 at December 31, 2000. This decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in marketing expenditures and the Company's focus on eduPartners, a seasonal business centered around the back-to-school months of July, August and September. Net cash used in operating activities was $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001, and $14.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000 consisting primarily of net losses adjusted for changes in accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses. Net cash gained from investing activities was $58,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared to net cash used in investing activities of $804,000 the three months ended March 31, 2000. Net cash gained from investing activities was the product of proceeds from the sale of fixed assets. 9 10 Net cash provided by financing activities was $0.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and $35.9 million the three months ended March 31, 2000. Net cash provided by financing activities during the three months ending March 31, 2001, consisted primarily of net proceeds of $0.7 million from warrant subscription receivables. We expect that operating losses and negative cash flows will continue until at least the second half of 2001. As part of the increased emphasis on eduPartners, we anticipate that costs and expenses related to brand development, marketing and other promotional activities associated with our traditional retail book business will continue to decrease from recent levels. Although this is more likely to result in decreased revenues from the sales of new textbooks than would be the case if we continued to spend at or above our historical levels, we believe, in the aggregate, that this will reduce the losses and negative cash flows from our sales of new textbooks. We intend to increase spending on the development of eduPartners and relationships with other businesses. We believe that we can capture additional revenues, on which we expect to recognize higher gross margins, by increasing the number of businesses for whom we provide marketing services. Our failure to generate sufficient revenues, raise additional capital or, if necessary, reduce discretionary spending could harm our results of operations and financial condition. We currently anticipate that our available funds will be sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for working capital and capital expenditures until such time as we achieve operating profitability. We may need to raise additional funds prior to the expiration of such period if, for example, we pursue new business, technology or intellectual property acquisitions or experience net losses that exceed our current expectations. Any required additional financing may be unavailable on terms favorable to us, or at all. FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE OPERATING RESULTS This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated by such forward looking statements as a result of such factors, including those set forth below. WE HAVE A LIMITED OPERATING HISTORY UPON WHICH TO EVALUATE AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMPANY. We were founded in December 1997 and began selling textbooks on our Web site in August 1998. Due to the seasonality of textbook sales, our peak selling periods are currently in July/August/September, when the new academic year begins and students purchase the majority of their textbooks. As a new company, we face risks and uncertainties relating to our ability to successfully implement our strategy. You must consider the risks and uncertainties that an early stage company like ours faces. If we are unsuccessful in addressing these risks and uncertainties or are unable to execute our strategy, our business would be harmed. WE HAVE NOT BEEN PROFITABLE, HAVE GENERATED NEGATIVE CASH FLOWS AND WE EXPECT OUR LOSSES AND NEGATIVE CASH FLOWS TO CONTINUE. We have never been profitable. We base current and future expense levels on our operating plans and our estimates of future revenues. If our revenues do not materialize or if revenues grow at a slower rate than we anticipate, or if our spending levels exceed our expectations or cannot be adjusted to reflect slower revenue growth, we may not achieve profitability or positive cash flows. For the year ended December 31, 1998, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $2.7 million and had negative cash flows from operations of approximately $1.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 1999, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $31.9 million and had negative cash flows from operations of approximately $29.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2000, we incurred a loss from operations of approximately $34.6 million and had negative cash flows from operations of approximately $27.5 million. As of December 31, 1999 and 2000 we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $34.2 million and $68.2 million, respectively. Net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2001 was $1.3 million compared to a net loss of $18.8 million for the quarter ended March 31 2000. Basic and diluted net loss per share was $.08 for the quarter ended March 31, 2001 (on 16.2 million shares, basic and diluted) compared to a basic and diluted net loss of $2.07 per share (on 13.6 million shares, basic and diluted) for the quarter ended March 31 2000. We expect that operating losses and negative cash flows will continue until at least the second half of 2001. As part of the increased emphasis on eduPartners, we anticipate that costs and expenses related to brand development, marketing and other promotional activities associated with our traditional retail book business will continue to decrease from recent levels. Although this has and may continue to result in decreased revenues from the sales of new textbooks than would be the case if we continued to spend at or above our historical levels, we believe, in the aggregate, that this will continue to reduce the losses and negative cash flows from our sales of new textbooks. We believe that we can capture additional revenues, on which we expect to recognize higher gross margins, by increasing the number of businesses for whom we provide marketing services. Our failure to generate sufficient revenues, raise additional capital or, if necessary, reduce discretionary spending could harm our results of operations and financial condition. 10 11 We currently anticipate that our available funds will be sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for working capital and capital expenditures until such time as we achieve operating profitability. We may need to raise additional funds prior to the expiration of such period if, for example, we pursue new business, technology or intellectual property acquisitions or experience net losses that exceed our current expectations. Any required additional financing may be unavailable on terms favorable to us, or at all. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN SUFFICIENT FUNDS TO GROW OUR BUSINESS AND ANY ADDITIONAL FINANCING MAY BE ON TERMS ADVERSE TO YOUR INTERESTS. We intend to continue to grow our business. While we currently anticipate that our available funds will be sufficient to meet our anticipated needs for the next twelve months. We may continue to lose money and generate negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. We may need to raise additional funds in the future to fund to acquire or develop new technology, to increase our staff to meet operational demands, to introduce new products or services or to acquire complementary businesses or services or intellectual property rights. Any required additional financing may be unavailable on terms favorable to us or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, you may experience significant dilution of your ownership interest and such securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of our common stock. Obtaining additional financing will be subject to a number of factors, including: o market and economic conditions; o our financial condition and operating performance; and o investor sentiment. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms and conditions of additional financing unattractive for us. Currently, companies that are considered primarily on-line retailers are not perceived well by the market. If additional financing is not available when required or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to: o fund our expansion; o successfully promote our brand name; o develop or enhance our products and services; o develop or purchase new servers, software and other technology to enable us to process increased transactions and service increased traffic on our Web site; o attract and retain the appropriate talent and a sufficient number of employees to handle our increasing operations; and o take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures. OUR BUSINESS AND REVENUE MODEL IS UNPROVEN. Our ability to generate significant revenues and profits from the sale of textbooks and other products and services we may offer in the future is uncertain. To be successful, we must attract and retain a significant number of customers to our Web site at a reasonable cost. Any significant shortfall in the expected number of purchases occurring through our Web site will negatively affect our financial results by increasing or prolonging operating losses and negative cash flows. Conversion of customers from traditional shopping methods to electronic shopping may not occur as rapidly as we expect, if at all. Therefore, we may not achieve the customer traffic we believe is necessary to become successful. Specific factors that could prevent widespread customer acceptance of our business and our ability to increase retail revenues include: o lack of consumer awareness of our online presence; o pricing that does not meet consumer expectations; o consumer concerns about the security of online transactions; o shipping charges, which do not apply to shopping at traditional retail stores and are not always charged by some of our online competitors; o delivery time associated with online orders, as compared to the immediate receipt of products at traditional retail stores; o product damage from shipping or shipments of the wrong products, which may result in a failure to establish trust in purchasing our products online; o delays in responses to consumer inquiries or in deliveries to consumers; and o difficulty in returning or exchanging orders. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RETAIN EXISTING EDUPARTNERS MEMBER SCHOOLS OR SIGN-UP NEW EDUPARTNERS MEMBER SCHOOLS. 11 12 In addition, our ability to generate revenues through the sale of online advertising and the use of our network of student representatives by other businesses to market their goods and services will depend, in part, on our ability to reach students with demographic characteristics attractive to advertisers and other businesses. WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ATTRACT BUSINESSES INTERESTED IN USING OUR SERVICES TO MARKET TO COLLEGE, PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE SCHOOL, DISTANCE LEARNING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION STUDENTS. Although we do not currently derive a substantial portion of our revenues from allowing other businesses to reach the college, private high school and middle school markets, our business model depends in part on increasing the amount of such revenue. We cannot be certain we will be able to attract businesses interested in using our marketing services. If we cannot attract these businesses, our business could be harmed. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON OUR QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS AS AN INDICATION OF OUR FUTURE RESULTS BECAUSE THEY ARE SUBJECT TO SIGNIFICANT FLUCTUATIONS. Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future due to a variety of factors that could affect our revenues or our expenses in any particular quarter. We expect to experience seasonality in our business related to the academic calendar and the corresponding demand for textbooks and educational materials. Sales in our eduPartners business are significantly higher in the third calendar quarter of each year compared with the first, second and fourth calendar quarters. Fluctuations in our quarterly operating results could cause our stock price to decline. You should not rely on sequential quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our results of operations as an indication of future performance. Factors that may affect our quarterly results include: o seasonal trends in the textbook industry and in the buying habits of students; o our ability to manage or influence inventory and fulfillment operations; o the level of merchandise returns we experience; o our ability to attract new customers, retain existing customers and maintain customer satisfaction; o introduction of enhancements or a change in pricing policies, by us or our competitors, or a change in pricing policy by our sole fulfillment source; o changes in the amount and timing of expenditures related to marketing, information technology and other operating expenses to support future growth; o technical difficulties or system downtime affecting the Internet generally or the operation of our Web site specifically; o increasing consumer acceptance and use of the Internet for the purchase of consumer products; o potential acquisitions or strategic alliances either by us or our competitors; and o general economic conditions and economic conditions specific to the Internet, online commerce and the book industry. As a result of the seasonal fluctuations and because the online sale of textbooks and online selling in general is new and it is difficult to predict consumer demand, it is possible that in some future periods our results of operations may be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors. In that event, it is likely that the price of our stock would decline. WE RELY ON ONE SUPPLIER TO MEET OUR FULFILLMENT DEMANDS. We depend on Baker & Taylor, Inc. as our current sole supplier of the textbooks we offer. Our relationship with Baker & Taylor is critical to our success. If we were unable to rely on them for inventory maintenance and shipping services, our business would be materially harmed. We do not warehouse any of our own inventory, so we rely on Baker & Taylor to maintain an adequate inventory and rapidly fill our customers' orders. We are able to sell textbooks at reduced prices in part because we do not maintain our own inventory. Prices we pay for promotional, customer service and database management services and credits that we receive from Baker & Taylor are currently based on volume and average cost requirements. Failure to meet these benchmarks could increase our costs. If they do not maintain sufficient inventory, or if they are unable to deliver the specific books our customers order or deliver these books in a timely fashion, we would not be able to meet our obligations to our customers, our revenues would decrease and we would likely experience a reduction in the value of our brand. Baker & Taylor fills orders for a number of textbook retailers. Baker & Taylor has advised us that it fills all the orders it receives on a first-come, first-served basis without providing preferential treatment for us or any of our competitors. If other Baker & Taylor customer orders depleted Baker & Taylor's inventory, and Baker & Taylor was unable to quickly replenish its inventory, our orders would not be processed or filled in a timely manner. If our relationship with Baker & Taylor is disrupted or does not continue for any reason 12 13 and we are unable to establish a comparable vendor relationship or open our own warehouse before the Baker & Taylor relationship discontinues, we would not be able to fulfill our customers' orders. We cannot be certain that we would be able to establish new vendor relationships to ensure acquisition and distribution of textbooks in a timely and efficient manner or on acceptable commercial terms. In such event, we may determine that we need to maintain inventory, establish warehouse facilities and provide distribution services, which would require us to change our business model. In addition, a single publisher supplied approximately 22% of the books we purchased from Baker & Taylor in 2000. If Baker & Taylor's relationship with this publisher is disrupted or discontinued, our business would be harmed. We benefit from the shipping discounts offered to Baker & Taylor by United Parcel Service and we rely on UPS and other third party carriers for all shipments to and from Baker & Taylor. If Baker & Taylor's relationship with UPS is discontinued or disrupted for any reason, we cannot be certain we would be able to affordably obtain comparable delivery services and might not be able to deliver textbooks to our customers in a timely manner. In addition, because we rely on third party carriers to ship products to and from the single Baker & Taylor warehouse that our fulfillment is currently conducted from, we are subject to the risks, including employee strikes and inclement weather, that may prevent such third parties from meeting our fulfillment and delivery needs. Failure to deliver products to our customers in a timely and accurate manner would harm our reputation, our brand and our business. LOSS OF ANY OF OUR KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL OR THE INABILITY OF OUR KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL TO WORK TOGETHER EFFECTIVELY OR SUCCESSFULLY MANAGE OUR GROWTH COULD NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR BUSINESS. Our future success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and coordination of our management team, particularly Eric J. Kuhn, our co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board. We have entered into an agreement with Mr. Kuhn that provides, among other things, that he be compensated in the event he is terminated without cause. We have not entered into similar agreements with any other personnel. Nonetheless, the loss or departure of any of our executive officers or key employees could harm our ability to implement our business plan. We do not maintain key person insurance on any member of our management team. In addition, a number of members of our management team have joined us within the last year. These individuals have not previously worked together and are becoming integrated into our management team. They may not be able to work together effectively or successfully manage our growth, resulting in adverse consequences to our business. WE WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO EXECUTE THE ONLINE RETAIL ASPECT OF OUR BUSINESS MODEL IF USE OF THE INTERNET AND ONLINE COMMERCE GROWS. Our business would be adversely affected if Internet usage does not continue to grow. Internet usage may be inhibited for any of the following reasons: o the Internet infrastructure may be unable to support increased demand or its performance and reliability may decline as usage grows; o the inability of Web sites to provide security and authentication of confidential information contained in transmissions over the Internet; o the quality of Internet products and services may not continue to generate user interest; o online commerce is at an early stage and buyers may be unwilling to shift their traditional purchasing to online purchasing; o increased government regulation or taxation of online commerce, at the state or federal level, may adversely affect the viability of online commerce; o insufficient availability of telecommunication services or changes in telecommunication services may result in slower response times; and o Web sites may not have the ability to respond to privacy concerns of potential users, including concerns related to the placement by Web sites of information on a user's hard drive without the user's knowledge or consent. IF WE ARE UNABLE TO ADAPT AS INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES AND CUSTOMER DEMANDS CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, OUR SERVICES AND PRODUCTS COULD BECOME LESS DESIRABLE. A key element of our strategy is to generate a high volume of traffic to, and use of, our Web site. Accordingly, the satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our Web site, transaction-processing systems and network infrastructure are critical to our reputation and our ability to attract and retain customers and maintain adequate customer service levels. An unanticipated dramatic increase in the volume of traffic on our Web site or the number of orders placed by our customers may force us to expand and upgrade our technology, transaction-processing systems and network infrastructure. There can be no assurance that we will be able to accurately project the rate or timing of increases, if any, in the use of our Web site or timely 13 14 expand and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to accommodate such increases. To be successful, we must adapt to our rapidly changing market by continually enhancing the technologies used in our Internet products and services and introducing new technology to address the changing needs of our business and customers. If we are unable, for technical, legal, financial or other reasons, to adapt in a timely manner in response to changing market conditions or business and customer requirements, our business could be harmed. AS AN INTERNET-BASED RETAILER, WE DEPEND HEAVILY ON OUR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND OUR OPERATIONS COULD BE JEOPARDIZED BY ANY SYSTEM FAILURE OR INADEQUACY. Our operations are dependent on our ability to maintain our computer and communications software and equipment in effective working order and to protect our systems against damage from fire, natural disaster, power loss, communications failure or similar events. In addition, the growth of our customer base may strain or exceed the capacity of our computer and communications systems and lead to degradations in performance or systems failure. Our success, in particular our ability to successfully receive and fulfill orders and provide high-quality customer service, largely depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware systems. We use an internally developed system for our Web site, search engine and substantially all aspects of transaction processing, including order management, cash and credit card processing, purchasing, inventory management and shipping. Substantially all of our computer and communications hardware and software systems are located at a single facility in Herndon, Virginia. That facility is owned, maintained and serviced by GlobalCenter Inc. Although we own and maintain our hardware and software systems, including the software which is central to the sales, ordering and shipping processes, we rely on GlobalCenter Inc. to ensure our computer and communications hardware and software operate efficiently and continuously. We do not presently have fully redundant systems or a formal disaster recovery plan and do not carry sufficient business interruption insurance to compensate for losses that may occur. Despite our implementation of network security measures, our servers are vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, break-ins, earthquake and similar disruptions, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of data or the inability to accept and fulfill customer orders. Any damage, failure or delay that causes interruptions in our system operations could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition to our offsite software and hardware related to our Web site, at our headquarters we maintain a local area network, or LAN, which we use for our financial reporting systems, customer service operations, monitoring of our customer orders, e-mails and other internal processes. Any loss of service or other failure of this LAN, regardless of the availability of our Web site, would significantly impair our ability to service our customers and monitor and fulfill customer orders, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. The failure of either our Web site or our LAN or any other systems interruptions that results in unavailability of our Web site or reduced order fulfillment performance, especially during our peak sales period of July/August/September, could result in negative publicity or could reduce the volume of goods sold and attractiveness of our Web site and would seriously impair our ability to service our customers' orders, all of which could negatively affect our revenues. Because our servers are located at a third-party's facility and because some of the reasons for a systems interruption may be outside of our control, we also may not be able to exercise sufficient control to remedy the problem quickly or at all. Regardless of whether we or a third-party controls or creates system failure, the occurrence of system failure could adversely affect our reputation, seriously harm our business and cause us to lose a significant and disproportionate amount of revenues. CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY ON THE INTERNET MAY REDUCE THE USE OF OUR WEB SITE AND IMPEDE OUR GROWTH. A significant barrier to confidential communications over the Internet has been the need for security. We rely on SSL encryption technology to prevent the misappropriation of customer credit card data during the transaction process. Under current credit card practices, a merchant is liable for fraudulent credit card transactions where, as is the case with the transactions we process, that merchant does not obtain a cardholder's signature. A failure to adequately control fraudulent credit card transactions could reduce our collections and harm our business. Internet usage could decline if any well-publicized compromise of security occurred. Our site could be particularly affected by any such breach because our online commerce model requires the entry of confidential customer ordering, purchasing and delivery data over the Internet, and we maintain a database of this historical customer information. Until more comprehensive security technologies are developed, the security and privacy concerns of existing and potential customers may inhibit the growth of the Internet as a medium for commerce. We cannot be certain that advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other developments will not result in the compromise or breach of the algorithms we use to protect content and transactions on our Web site or proprietary information in our databases. Anyone who is able to circumvent our security measures could 14 15 misappropriate proprietary, confidential customer or company information or cause interruptions in our operations. We may incur significant costs to protect against the threat of such security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches. WE MAY BECOME SUBJECT TO BURDENSOME GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS AND LEGAL UNCERTAINTIES AFFECTING THE INTERNET THAT COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR BUSINESS. To date, governmental regulations have not materially restricted use of the Internet in our markets. However, the legal and regulatory environment that pertains to the Internet is uncertain and may change. Uncertainty and new regulations could increase our costs of doing business and prevent us from delivering our products and services over the Internet. The growth of the Internet may also be significantly slowed. This could delay growth in demand for our online services and limit the growth of our revenues. In addition to new laws and regulations being adopted, existing laws may be applied to the Internet. New and existing laws may cover issues, which include: o sales and other taxes; o user privacy; o pricing controls; o characteristics and quality of products and services; o consumer protection; o libel and defamation; o copyright, trademark and patent infringement; and o other claims based on the nature and content of Internet materials. WE MAY BE UNABLE TO OBTAIN A UNITED STATES TRADEMARK REGISTRATION FOR OUR BRAND OR TO PROTECT OUR OTHER PROPRIETARY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. Our application to register the mark VarsityBooks.com has been approved for publication by the Trademark Office. After the application is published, it will be open to opposition by third parties for a period of 30 days. If we are unable to secure the right to use the VarsityBooks.com mark and related derivative marks, a key element of our strategy of promoting "VarsityBooks.com" as our brand could be disrupted and, as a result, the value of your investment could be reduced. Even if we are able to secure federal trademark registration for the mark VarsityBooks.com, federal trademark laws only provide us with limited protection because, for example, we would be unable to prevent the use of an unregistered similar mark by a prior user or to prevent the use of a similar name in our markets or similar mark for products and services we would like to offer. The unauthorized reproduction or other misappropriation of our proprietary technology could enable third parties to benefit from our technology and brand name without paying us for them. If this were to occur, our revenues and the value of your investment could be reduced. The steps we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to deter misappropriation of proprietary information. We may not be able to detect unauthorized use of our proprietary information or take appropriate steps to enforce our intellectual property rights. In addition, the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property in Internet-related industries are uncertain and still evolving. The laws of other countries in which we may market our services in the future may afford little or no effective protection of our intellectual property. If we resort to legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights, the proceedings could be burdensome and expensive. DEFENDING AGAINST INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS COULD BE TIME CONSUMING AND EXPENSIVE AND, IF WE ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL, COULD SUBJECT US TO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGES AND DISRUPT OUR BUSINESS. We cannot be certain that our products do not or will not infringe valid patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We expect that infringement claims in our markets will increase in number as more participants enter the market. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time relating to the intellectual property of others in the ordinary course of our business. We may incur substantial expenses in defending against these third-party infringement claims, regardless of their merit. Successful infringement claims against us may result in substantial monetary liability or may materially disrupt the conduct of our business. AS INTERNET TECHNOLOGY AND REGULATION ADVANCES, WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR DOMAIN NAMES. We currently hold various Web domain names relating to our brand, including the "VarsityBooks.com" domain name. Governmental agencies and their designees generally regulate the acquisition and maintenance of domain names. The regulation of domain names in the generic category of domain names (i.e., .com, .net and .org) is now controlled by a non-profit corporation, which may create additional top-level domains. Requirements for holding domain names have also been 15 16 affected. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to acquire or maintain relevant domain names. Furthermore, the relationship between regulations governing domain names and laws protecting trademarks and similar proprietary rights is unclear. Therefore, we may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon or otherwise decrease the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights. Any such inability could harm our business. SOME STATES MAY IMPOSE A NEW SALES TAX ON OUR BUSINESS, AND IF WE ARE REQUIRED TO COLLECT SALES TAX IN ADDITIONAL JURISDICTIONS, WE MAY BE SUBJECT TO LIABILITY FOR PAST SALES AND OUR FUTURE SALES MAY DECREASE. A 1992 Supreme Court decision confirmed that the commerce clause of the United States Constitution prevents a state from requiring the collection of its sales and use tax by a mail-order company unless such company has a physical presence in the state. However there continues to be uncertainty due to inconsistent application of the Supreme Court decision by state and federal courts. We attempt to conduct our operations consistent with our interpretation of the applicable legal standard, but there can be no assurance that such compliance will not be challenged. In recent challenges, various states have sought to require companies to begin collection of sales and use taxes and/or pay taxes from previous sales. We currently collect and forward sales tax on all shipments to Illinois and the District of Columbia. As of the date of this report two additional states have contacted us regarding activity in their state. One of these states has determined the Company has no sales tax liability for the audit period. The other state has notified us of an assessment for sales tax liability for which we have submitted a petition for redetermination. The Supreme Court decision also established that Congress has the power to enact legislation that would permit states to require collection of sales and use taxes by mail-order companies. Congress has from time to time considered proposals for such legislation. While there is no case law on the issue, we believe that this analysis could also apply to our online business. Recently, several states and local jurisdictions have expressed an interest in taxing e-commerce companies who do not have any contacts with their jurisdictions other than selling products online to customers in such jurisdictions. The Internet Tax Freedom Act imposed a moratorium on new taxes or levies on e-commerce for a three-year period due to expire in October 2001. However, there is a possibility that Congress may not renew this legislation. Any such taxes could have an adverse effect on online commerce, including our business. ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK The Company is subject to interest rate risk on its cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and credit facility. If market rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10% from the level at March 31, 2001, the change to the Company's interest sensitive assets and liabilities would have an immaterial effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows over the next fiscal year. 16 17 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 1: LEGAL PROCEEDINGS Not Applicable ITEM 2: CHANGES IN SECURITIES Not Applicable ITEM 3: DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES Not Applicable ITEM 4: SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS Not Applicable ITEM 5: OTHER INFORMATION Not Applicable ITEM 6: EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K (a) Exhibits (i) Restricted Stock Agreement dated as of January 29, 2001 by and between Varsity Group Inc. and Eric Kuhn (ii) Restricted Stock Agreement dated as of March 22, 2001 by and between Varsity Group Inc. and Eric Kuhn (iii) Restricted Stock Agreement dated as of March 22, 2001 by and between Varsity Group Inc. and Amy Buckley (iv) Restricted Stock Agreement dated as of March 22, 2001 by and between Varsity Group Inc. and Jack Benson (b) Reports on Form 8-K None 17 18 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. Date: May ____, 2001 Varsity Group Inc. By: /s/ ERIC J. KUHN ------------------------ Eric J. Kuhn Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President 18