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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-K

 

x  

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004

 

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: 1-6370

 


 

Elizabeth Arden, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Florida   59-0914138

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

14100 N.W. 60th Avenue

Miami Lakes, Florida

  33014
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

 

(305) 818-8000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:                 None

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:                 Common Stock, $.01 Par Value

 

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  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  x    No  ¨

 

The aggregate market value of voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $169 million based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the NASDAQ National Market of $15.04 per share on July 25, 2003, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter and determined by subtracting from the number of shares outstanding on that date the number of shares held by the registrant’s directors, executive officers and holders of at least 10% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock.

 

As of March 31, 2004, the registrant had 25,291,443 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

 


 

Documents Incorporated by Reference

 

Part III—Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to the 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on June 22, 2004.

 


 


Table of Contents

Elizabeth Arden, Inc.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page

Part I

         

    Item 1.

  

Business

   4

    Item 2.

  

Properties

   13

    Item 3.

  

Legal Proceedings

   13

    Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

   14

Part II

         

    Item 5.

  

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

   14

    Item 6.

  

Selected Financial Data

   16

    Item 7.

  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   18

    Item 7A.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

   29

    Item 8.

  

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

   31

    Item 9.

  

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

   71

    Item 9A.

  

Controls and Procedures

   71

Part III

         

    Item 10.

  

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

   71

    Item 11.

  

Executive Compensation

   71

    Item 12.

  

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

   71

    Item 13.

  

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

   71

    Item 14.

  

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

   71

Part IV

         

    Item 15.

  

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

   72

Signatures

   75

 

 

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IN CONNECTION WITH THE SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995, ELIZABETH ARDEN, INC., IS HEREBY PROVIDING CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE OUR ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE PROJECTED IN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS (AS DEFINED IN SUCH ACT) MADE IN THIS ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEM 8. ANY STATEMENTS THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS AND THAT EXPRESS, OR INVOLVE DISCUSSIONS AS TO, EXPECTATIONS, BELIEFS, PLANS, OBJECTIVES, ASSUMPTIONS OR FUTURE EVENTS OR PERFORMANCE (OFTEN, BUT NOT ALWAYS, THROUGH THE USE OF WORDS OR PHRASES SUCH AS “WILL LIKELY RESULT,” “ARE EXPECTED TO,” “WILL CONTINUE,” “IS ANTICIPATED,” “ESTIMATED,” “INTENDS,” “PLANS” AND “PROJECTION”) ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS AND MAY BE FORWARD-LOOKING AND MAY INVOLVE ESTIMATES AND UNCERTAINTIES WHICH COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE EXPRESSED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, ANY SUCH STATEMENTS ARE QUALIFIED IN THEIR ENTIRETY BY REFERENCE TO, AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY, THE FOLLOWING KEY FACTORS THAT HAVE A DIRECT BEARING ON OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS: OUR ABSENCE OF CONTRACTS WITH CUSTOMERS OR SUPPLIERS AND OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN AND DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS; INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS CHANGES THAT COULD IMPACT CONSUMER CONFIDENCE; THE IMPACT OF COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS AND PRICING; RISKS OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS, INCLUDING FOREIGN CURRENCY FLUCTUATIONS, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF TERRORIST ATTACKS, POLITICAL INSTABILITY IN CERTAIN REGIONS OF THE WORLD, AND DISEASES AFFECTING CUSTOMER PURCHASING PATTERNS; OUR ABILITY TO LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS AND IMPLEMENT OUR GROWTH STRATEGY; OUR ABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE ACQUIRED BUSINESSES OR NEW BRANDS; OUR SUBSTANTIAL INDEBTEDNESS, DEBT SERVICE OBLIGATIONS AND RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS IN OUR REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY AND OUR INDENTURE FOR OUR 7 3/4% SENIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES; OUR CUSTOMERS’ FINANCIAL CONDITION; OUR ABILITY TO ACCESS CAPITAL FOR ACQUISITIONS; CHANGES IN PRODUCT MIX TO LESS PROFITABLE PRODUCTS; THE RETENTION AND AVAILABILITY OF KEY PERSONNEL; THE ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING OUR CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES; DELAYS IN SHIPMENTS, INVENTORY SHORTAGES AND HIGHER COSTS OF PRODUCTION DUE TO INTERRUPTION OF OPERATIONS AT KEY THIRD PARTY MANUFACTURING OR FULFILLMENT FACILITIES THAT MANUFACTURE OR PROVIDE LOGISTIC SERVICES FOR THE MAJORITY OF OUR SUPPLY OF CERTAIN PRODUCTS; CHANGES IN THE RETAIL, FRAGRANCE AND COSMETIC INDUSTRIES; OUR ABILITY TO PROTECT OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS; CHANGES IN THE LEGAL, REGULATORY AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT THAT IMPACT, OR WILL IMPACT, OUR BUSINESS, INCLUDING CHANGES TO CUSTOMS OR TRADE REGULATIONS OR ACCOUNTING STANDARDS; AND OTHER RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES. WE CAUTION THAT THE FACTORS DESCRIBED HEREIN COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE EXPRESSED IN ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WE MAKE AND THAT INVESTORS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON ANY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. FURTHER, ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT SPEAKS ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH SUCH STATEMENT IS MADE, AND WE UNDERTAKE NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER THE DATE ON WHICH SUCH STATEMENT IS MADE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF ANTICIPATED OR UNANTICIPATED EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES. NEW FACTORS EMERGE FROM TIME TO TIME, AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR US TO PREDICT ALL OF SUCH FACTORS. FURTHER, WE CANNOT ASSESS THE IMPACT OF EACH SUCH FACTOR ON OUR RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OR THE EXTENT TO WHICH ANY FACTOR, OR COMBINATION OF FACTORS, MAY CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN ANY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.

 

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PART I

 

ITEM 1.    BUSINESS

 

General

 

Elizabeth Arden, Inc., a corporation established in Florida in 1960, is a global prestige fragrance and beauty products company with an extensive portfolio of prestige fragrance, skin care and cosmetics brands. We market approximately 50 owned or licensed prestige fragrance brands, including Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door, Red Door Revealed, 5th Avenue, Elizabeth Arden green tea, ardenbeauty, Sunflowers and Elizabeth Arden Provocative Woman; Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, Passion, Forever Elizabeth and Gardenia; White Shoulders; Halston and Z-14; Geoffrey Beene’s Grey Flannel; PS Fine Cologne for Men; Design; and Wings. Our skin care brands include Ceramide, Eight Hour Cream and Overnight Success, and our cosmetics products include Elizabeth Arden brand lipstick, foundation and other color cosmetics products. In addition to our owned or licensed fragrance brands, we distribute over 250 additional prestige fragrance brands, primarily in the United States through distribution and other purchasing agreements.

 

We sell our prestige beauty products in more than 65,000 separate retail locations in the United States and internationally, including;

 

    department stores such as The May Company, Federated Department Stores, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Belk and Nordstrom;

 

    mass retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Kohl’s, Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS; and

 

    international retailers such as Boots, Debenhams, Marionnaud and Sephora.

 

In the United States, we sell our Elizabeth Arden skin care and cosmetics products primarily in prestige department stores and our fragrances in prestige department stores and mass retailers. We also sell our Elizabeth Arden fragrances, skin care and cosmetics products in approximately 90 countries worldwide through perfumeries, boutiques, department stores and travel retail outlets such as duty free shops and airport boutiques.

 

Our net sales to customers in the United States and internationally in dollars and as a percentage of net sales for the past three fiscal years are listed in the following chart.

 

     Fiscal Years Ended January 31,

 
     2004

    2003

    2002

 
     Sales

   %

    Sales

   %

    Sales

   %

 
(Amounts in millions)                                  

United States

   $ 548.4    67 %   $ 509.5    68 %   $ 465.4    70 %

International

     266.0    33 %     242.5    32 %     202.7    30 %
    

  

 

  

 

  

Total

   $ 814.4    100 %   $ 752.0    100 %   $ 668.1    100 %
    

  

 

  

 

  

 

Our three largest foreign countries in terms of net sales during fiscal 2004 were the United Kingdom, with approximately $38 million, Canada, with approximately $22 million, and Spain, with approximately $19 million. Our three largest foreign countries in terms of net sales during fiscal 2003 were the United Kingdom, with approximately $35 million, Canada, with approximately $19 million and Spain, with approximately $16 million. Our three largest foreign countries in terms of net sales during fiscal 2002 were the United Kingdom, with approximately $35 million, Italy, with approximately $15 million and Canada, with approximately $14 million.

 

We offer our retail customers in the United States a broad portfolio of prestige beauty brands coupled with marketing and merchandising services that significantly enhance our customers’ sell-through of the products we sell them. We distinguish ourselves by tailoring the marketing, promotion, size and packaging of our prestige fragrances to appeal to a wide range of consumers.

 

 

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This tailoring uniquely allows us to sell the same brand in prestige department stores and mass retailers while maintaining its prestige image. We also provide many of our mass retailers in the United States additional valuable services, including category and inventory management and fulfillment services that our competitors do not typically offer. We believe that our breadth of products and level of services have enabled us to gain a leading share of the growing prestige fragrance category at mass retailers and to become an important and valued supplier for our customers. For example, we have been named by JCPenney as Supplier of the Year for the past five consecutive years and were awarded the “Supplier Award of Excellence” by Wal-Mart for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2002 in the cosmetic, fragrance, skincare and bath and body category.

 

On January 23, 2001, we acquired the Elizabeth Arden business, including the Elizabeth Arden line of fragrance, skin care and cosmetic brands, the license for the Elizabeth Taylor fragrance brands and the White Shoulders fragrance brand, from affiliates of Unilever N.V. Following the acquisition, we changed our name from French Fragrances, Inc. to Elizabeth Arden, Inc. As a result of this acquisition, our sales almost doubled from approximately $373 million in fiscal 2001 to approximately $668 million in fiscal 2002, our international sales also increased significantly from approximately $4 million in fiscal 2001 to approximately $203 million in fiscal 2002. Prior to this acquisition, we were involved primarily in the marketing and sales of prestige fragrance products in the United States, and international sales were not material.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 14100 N.W. 60th Avenue, Miami Lakes, Florida 33014 and our telephone number is (305) 818-8000. We maintain a website with the address of www.elizabetharden.com. We are not including information contained on our website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Business Strategy

 

Enhance Brand Performance.    We believe significant opportunities exist to increase the sales and profitability of our brands by reinvesting in the highly recognized Elizabeth Arden and Elizabeth Taylor brand names. In fiscal 2003, we launched the “Open for Beauty” brand image campaign for Elizabeth Arden, featuring our global spokesperson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and our classic Red Door symbol. We believe this campaign reinforced the Elizabeth Arden brand heritage and contemporized the Elizabeth Arden brand globally. To capitalize on our brand recognition, we increased our advertising and the utilization of our spokesperson to promote our core product lines, such as Elizabeth Arden Red Door, Elizabeth Arden green tea and ardenbeauty fragrances, as well as our skin care and color lines. We also introduced a new Elizabeth Taylor fragrance, Forever Elizabeth, to capitalize on the strength of the Elizabeth Taylor brand name. During fiscal 2004, we launched a new Elizabeth Arden fragrance, Red Door Revealed, relaunched Elizabeth Arden green tea, and introduced several new skin care and color products, including Ceramide Plump Perfect, Overnight Success and Color Intrigue, a line of lipstick, and a new Elizabeth Taylor fragrance, Gardenia. During fiscal 2005, we are launching a new Elizabeth Arden fragrance, Elizabeth Arden Provocative Woman, and plan to launch several new skin care and color products and a new Britney Spears fragrance.

 

Grow the Prestige Fragrance Category with our Retail Partners.    We intend to increase the sales volume of our products and strengthen our relationships with our retail customers by continuing to develop innovative programs to help our customers maximize sales of our products. For example, in 2001, we introduced our innovative “open sell” packaging system to certain of our United States. and Canadian mass retail partners. We designed this system to allow retailers to display fragrances on open counters and shelves rather than in locked cases, thereby giving consumers easier access to our products, which has significantly increased sales of our products at

 

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these retailers. We believe that the “open sell” program and other merchandising innovations, such as our designer collectibles program, in which we sell small and travel sizes of prestige fragrances to certain U.S. mass retail accounts, will continue to drive sales growth for our retail customers. Additionally, we expect to capitalize on the growth of our largest mass retail customers both in the United States and, over time, internationally.

 

Improve Profitability and Working Capital Efficiencies.    We continue to pursue business efficiencies throughout the company, particularly in finance, logistics, supply chain and information technology areas. In addition, the acquisition of the Elizabeth Arden business significantly increased the scale of our international operations and continues to provide opportunities to improve operating efficiency by leveraging a larger sales and distribution platform. As we acquire additional prestige brands to sell in our international markets, we expect to further leverage that infrastructure and increase our profitability. Cash flow from operations should increase as we improve our working capital efficiencies, allowing us to reinvest those savings to support our brands through product innovation and increased advertising to stimulate growth and repay debt. Through February 2004, we reduced our long-term indebtedness by approximately $79.5 million from our ending fiscal 2003 balance, which is expected to lower our interest expense and provide us with greater financial flexibility.

 

Expand Selection of Distributed Fragrance Brands.    We intend to continue to develop our distribution business by increasing the number of prestige fragrance brands that we distribute. Our extensive distribution platform, our strong reputation with our retail customers and our relationships with leading fragrance houses provide us with opportunities to expand our line of distributed brands. We believe that increasing our line of distributed brands also further leverages our existing infrastructure and makes us a more attractive source of supply for our customers.

 

Acquire Control of Additional Prestige Fragrance Brands.    We intend to continue to opportunistically acquire control of additional prestige brands that enjoy established consumer loyalty and will complement our brand portfolio. We previously served as a distributor for several of the brands that we have acquired, including the brands acquired with the Elizabeth Arden business. We believe that our familiarity with our many distributed brands, along with our strong market presence, positions us to acquire and/or license these and other brands and integrate them seamlessly into our operations. The acquisition of brands enables us to leverage our logistics and sales infrastructure globally, generate higher gross margins and increase overall profitability. In January 2003, for example, we acquired the trademarks for the Wings prestige brand from The Procter & Gamble Company, which we were previously marketing in the United States under a license from Giorgio Beverly Hills, Inc., a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble. In June 2003, we entered into a licensing agreement to market a line of men’s fragrance for GANT AB, primarily in our international markets. In March 2004, we entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Britney Brands, Inc. to develop and distribute a line of fragrance, cosmetics and skin care products under the Britney Spears name allowing us to target a younger global consumer. While we continuously review acquisition opportunities for prestige fragrance brands, we have no commitments or agreements for any acquisitions at this time.

 

Products

 

Fragrance.    We offer a wide variety of fragrance products for both men and women, including perfume, cologne, eau de toilette, body spray and gift sets. Each fragrance is sold in a variety of sizes and packaging arrangements. In addition, bath and body products, such as soaps, deodorants, body lotions, gels, creams and dusting powder that are based on the particular fragrance, may complement each fragrance line. We tailor the size and packaging of the fragrance to suit the particular target customer. Our fragrance products generally retail at prices ranging from $8 to $105, depending on the size and type of the product.

 

 

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Our owned and licensed fragrance brands include the Elizabeth Arden brands, such as Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door, Red Door Revealed, 5th Avenue, Elizabeth Arden green tea, ardenbeauty, Elizabeth Arden Provocative Woman and Sunflowers; Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, Passion, Forever Elizabeth and Gardenia; White Shoulders; the Halston brands, such as Halston and Z-14; Geoffrey Beene’s Grey Flannel; PS Fine Cologne for Men; Design; and Wings. In addition to the approximately 50 brands we own and license, we also distribute over 250 fragrances under brands manufactured by others, principally to mass retailers. For fiscal 2004, net sales of fragrance and ancillary products amounted to $622.5 million, or approximately 76% of our net sales. For fiscal 2003, net sales of fragrance and ancillary products amounted to $579.0 million, or approximately 77% of our net sales. For fiscal 2002, net sales of fragrance and ancillary products amounted to $505.3 million, or approximately 76% of our net sales.

 

Skin care.    Our skin care lines include a broad range of products for both men and women, such as moisturizers, creams, lotions, and cleansers. Our skin care products under the Elizabeth Arden brand name include the product lines Ceramide, and Eight Hour Cream, and products such as First Defense and Overnight Success. We sell skin care products internationally and in the United States primarily in prestige department stores and, to a lesser extent, through independently owned and operated Elizabeth Arden Red Door salons and stores. Our skin care products generally retail at prices ranging from $13 to $84. We frequently market skin care products with samples or gifts. Skin care products accounted for $122.4 million, or approximately 15%, of our net sales for fiscal 2004. Skin care products accounted for $110.8 million, or approximately 15%, of our net sales for fiscal 2003. Skin care products accounted for $104.3 million, or approximately 16%, of our net sales for fiscal 2002.

 

Cosmetics.    Under the Elizabeth Arden name, we offer a variety of cosmetics, including foundations, lipsticks, mascaras, eye shadows and powders. We offer these products in a wide array of shades and colors. We sell our cosmetics internationally and in the United States primarily in department stores and, to a lesser extent, through independently owned and operated Elizabeth Arden salons and stores. Our cosmetic products generally retail at prices ranging from $10 to $30. Cosmetics accounted for $69.6 million, or approximately 9%, of our net sales for fiscal 2004. Cosmetics accounted for $62.2 million, or approximately 8%, of our net sales for fiscal 2003. Cosmetics accounted for approximately $58.5 million, or approximately 8%, of our net sales for fiscal 2002.

 

Trademarks, Licenses and Patents

 

We own or have rights to use the trademarks necessary for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of numerous fragrance, cosmetic and skin care brands, including Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door, Red Door Revealed, ardenbeauty, 5th Avenue, Visible Difference, First Defense and Millenium, White Shoulders, Halston, Z-14, PS Fine Cologne for Men, Design and Wings. We have registered these trademarks, or have applications pending, in the United States and in certain of the countries in which we sell these product lines. We consider the protection of our trademarks to be important to our business.

 

We also are the exclusive worldwide trademark licensee for both the Elizabeth Taylor fragrance brands (including White Diamonds, Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, Forever Elizabeth and Gardenia), the Geoffrey Beene fragrance brands (including Grey Flannel) and a new line of fragrances under the GANT and Britney Spears names. The Taylor license agreement terminates in October 2022 and is renewable by us, at our sole option, for unlimited 20-year periods. The Beene license terminates in March 2025 and is automatically renewable for additional 10-year terms. The GANT license terminates four years after notice from either party. The Spears license terminates in December 2009, and is renewable by us, at our sole option, for a 5-year term.

 

We also have the right, under various exclusive distributor and license agreements, to distribute other fragrances in various territories and to use the registered trademarks of third parties in connection with the sale of these products.

 

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A number of our skin care and cosmetic products incorporate patented or patent-pending formulations. In addition, several of our packaging methods, components and products are covered by design patents, patent applications and copyrights. As part of the acquisition of the Elizabeth Arden business, we entered into non-exclusive cross-license agreements regarding certain of these patents with Unilever. Substantially all of our trademarks and all of our patents are held by us or by two of our United States subsidiaries.

 

Sales and Distribution

 

We sell our prestige beauty products to more than 65,000 separate retail locations, including department stores such as The May Company, Federated Department Stores, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Belk and Nordstrom; mass retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Kohl’s, Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS; and international retailers such as Boots, Debenhams, Marionnaud and Sephora. We also sell products to independent fragrance, cosmetic, gift and other stores. We currently sell our skin care and cosmetics products in the United States primarily in department stores. We also sell our Elizabeth Arden fragrances, skin care and cosmetic products in approximately 90 other countries worldwide through perfumeries, pharmacies, department stores, specialty retailers, “duty free” shops and other retail shops and travel retail locations. In certain countries, we maintain a dedicated sales force that solicits orders and provides customer service. In other countries and jurisdictions, we sell our products through selected local distributors under contractual arrangements. We manage our international operations from offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

We also sell our Elizabeth Arden products in the Elizabeth Arden and Red Door beauty salons, which are owned and operated by an unrelated third party. In addition to the sales price of the products sold to the operator of these salons, we receive a licensing fee based on the net sales from each of the salons for the use of the “Elizabeth Arden” or “Red Door” name.

 

Our sales staff and marketing support personnel are organized by customer account based upon type and location of the customers. Our sales force routinely visits retailers to assist in the merchandising, layout and stocking of selling areas. For many of our mass retailers in the United States and Canada, we sell basic products in hard plastic clam packs that deter theft and permit the products to be sold in open displays. This “open sell” program has been rolled out to more than 5,000 retail doors. In addition, our fulfillment capabilities enable us to reliably process, assemble and ship small orders on a timely basis. We use this ability to assist our customers in their retail distribution through “drop shipping” directly to their stores and by fulfilling their sales of beauty products over the Internet. We maintain sufficient quantities of inventory of our owned, licensed and distributed brands to meet customers’ rapid delivery requirements. We also ship our products directly to consumers for several of our customers’ web-based operations, including Walmart.com and JCPenney.com. Sales over the Internet are not material to our results of operations.

 

As is customary in the beauty industry, we do not generally have long-term or exclusive contracts with any of our retail customers. Sales to customers are generally made pursuant to purchase orders. We believe that our continuing relationships with our customers are based upon our ability to provide a wide selection and reliable source of prestige beauty products, our expertise in marketing and new product introduction, and our ability to provide value-added services, including our category management services, to U.S. mass retailers.

 

Our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 40% of net sales for fiscal 2004. The only customer that accounted for more than 10% of our net sales during that period was Wal-Mart, which, on a global basis, accounted for approximately 15% of our net sales. The loss of, or a significant adverse change in, our relationship with any of our largest customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations or financial condition.

 

The industry practice for businesses that market beauty products has been to grant certain department stores, subject to the seller’s authorization and approval, the right to either return

 

 

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merchandise or to receive a markdown allowance for certain promotional products. We establish estimated return reserves and markdown allowances at the time of sale based upon historical and projected experience, economic trends and changes in customer demand. Our reserves and allowances are reviewed and updated as needed during the year, and additions to these reserves and allowances may be required. Additions to our reserves and allowances may have a negative impact on our financial results. We have a dedicated sales organization to sell returned products.

 

Marketing

 

Our marketing approach emphasizes a consistent global image for our brands, and each of our fragrance, skin care and cosmetics products is distinctively positioned and is marketed with consistent logos and packaging. We use print, television and radio advertising, as well as point-of-sale merchandising, including displays and sampling.

 

In fiscal 2003, we launched a brand image campaign for Elizabeth Arden, “Open for Beauty,” featuring our global spokesperson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and our classic Red Door symbol. This campaign was intended to reinforce the Elizabeth Arden brand heritage and contemporize the Elizabeth Arden brand globally. To capitalize on this brand repositioning, we increased our advertising and the utilization of our spokesperson to promote our core product franchises. In fiscal 2004, we launched several new skin care products, including Ceramide Plump Perfect, Overnight Success and First Defense, a new line of lipstick, Color Intrigue, a new Elizabeth Arden fragrance, Red Door Revealed, and a new Elizabeth Taylor fragrance, Gardenia. We have plans for several launches in fiscal 2005, including an Elizabeth Arden fragrance, Elizabeth Arden Provocative Woman, several skin care and color products and a new Britney Spears fragrance. In fiscal 2003, we introduced a new Elizabeth Taylor fragrance, Forever Elizabeth, to capitalize on the strength of the Elizabeth Taylor brand name. In addition, we introduced several new skin care and color items, including two new Ceramide products, Peel and Reveal Revitalization Treatment and Eight Hour Cream Lip Tints, and updated our cosmetics line internationally. New product introduction is an important element in attracting consumers to our brands and in creating brand excitement with our retail customers. Our marketing personnel work closely with customers to develop new products and extensions of our well-established brands. Product development costs have not been material during the last three fiscal years.

 

Our marketing efforts also benefit from cooperative advertising programs with our retailers, often linked with particular promotions. In our department store accounts, we periodically promote our brands with “gift with purchase” and “purchase with purchase” programs. At in-store counters, sales representatives offer personal demonstrations to market individual products. We also engage in extensive sampling programs.

 

With many of our retail customers, we also provide very extensive marketing services. Our marketing personnel often design model schematic planograms for the customer’s fragrance department, identify trends in consumer preferences and adapt the product assortment to these trends, conduct training programs for the customer’s sales personnel and manage in-store “special events.” Our marketing personnel also work to design gift sets tailored to the customer’s needs. For certain customers, we provide comprehensive sales analysis and active management of the prestige fragrance category. We believe these services distinguish us from our competitors and contribute to customer loyalty.

 

Seasonality

 

Our operations have historically been seasonal, with higher sales occurring in the second half of the fiscal year as a result of increased demand by retailers in anticipation of and during the holiday season. In fiscal 2004, approximately 66% of our net sales were made during the second half of the fiscal year. Due to the size and timing of certain orders from our customers, sales, results of operations, working capital requirements and cash flows can vary significantly between quarters of

 

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the same and different years. As a result, we expect to experience variability in net sales, net income, working capital requirements and cash flows on a quarterly basis.

 

Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Logistics

 

We use third-party contract manufacturers in the United States and Europe to obtain substantially all raw materials, components and packaging products and to manufacture finished products relating to our owned and licensed brands. The Elizabeth Arden and Elizabeth Taylor fragrance and skin care products are manufactured in a manufacturing plant in Roanoke, Virginia, primarily by Cosmetic Essence, Inc., an unrelated third party, under a manufacturing agreement that expires on January 31, 2007. Pricing is based on fixed and variable costs that are established annually. We also have a small manufacturing facility in South Africa primarily to manufacture local requirements of our products.

 

Except for the Cosmetic Essence, Inc. manufacturing agreements, as is customary in our industry, we generally do not have long-term or exclusive agreements with contract manufacturers of our owned and licensed brands or with fragrance manufacturers or suppliers of our distributed brands. We generally make purchases through purchase orders. We believe that we have good relationships with manufacturers of our owned and licensed brands and that there are alternative sources should one or more of these manufacturers become unavailable. We receive our distributed brands in finished goods form directly from fragrance manufacturers, as well as from other sources. Our ten largest fragrance manufacturers or suppliers of brands that are distributed by us on a non-exclusive basis accounted for approximately 36% of our cost of sales for fiscal 2004. The loss of, or a significant adverse change in our relationship with any of our key fragrance manufacturers for our owned and licensed brands such as Cosmetic Essence, Inc. or suppliers of distributed fragrance brands could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Our United States fulfillment operations and fulfillment operations for certain other areas of the world are conducted out of, and a large portion of our inventory is located in, our Roanoke, Virginia distribution facility that we lease. Distribution operations out of our Miami Lakes facility were consolidated into the Roanoke facility by March 2004. The Roanoke facility was expanded in fiscal 2004 to approximately 400,000 square feet in order to accommodate the consolidated distribution activities. Our fulfillment operations for Europe are conducted by CEPL, an unrelated third party, through a logistics services agreement at CEPL’s facility in Beville, France. The agreement expires in May 2005, but is automatically renewable for an additional one-year period unless either party gives nine months notice of termination prior to the end of the term. Our Canadian fulfillment operations are conducted by McKesson Outsource Logistics, an unrelated third party, from their facility in Toronto, Canada. The agreement expires in May 2006 and may be terminated by either party upon nine months notice prior to the end of the term. The loss of any of these distribution facilities, as well as the inventory stored in those facilities, would require us to find replacement facilities and inventory and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations or financial condition.

 

Government Regulation

 

We and our products are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission in the United States, as well as by various other Federal, state, local and international regulatory authorities in the countries in which our products are produced or sold. Such regulations principally relate to the ingredients, labeling, packaging and marketing of our products. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with such regulations, as well as with applicable Federal, state, local and international and other countries’ rules and regulations governing the discharge of materials hazardous to the environment. There are no significant capital expenditures for environmental control matters either planned in the current year or expected in the near future. Regulations that are designed to protect consumers or the environment have an influence on our products.

 

 

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Management Information Systems

 

Our   key management information systems consist of:

 

    accounting, forecasting, purchasing and order-entry software systems;

 

    electronic data interchange systems, which allow our customers to order products electronically from us and to be invoiced electronically for those orders; and

 

    warehouse management systems, which assist us in facilitating and managing the receipt and shipment of products.

 

As a whole, these management information systems provide on-line, real-time information for our sales, purchasing, warehouse and financial departments. Our information systems form the basis of a number of the value-added services that we provide to our customers, including vendor managed inventory, inventory replenishment, customer billing, sales analysis, products’ availability and pricing information, and expedited order processing. We completed the conversion of all primary order processing systems to a common platform in March 2004 as part of the consolidation of our United States distribution and warehouse operations in Roanoke, Virginia. Our information systems also support our customers’ retail sales over the Internet. We manage our information technology infrastructure under various outsourcing agreements with unrelated third-party providers.

 

We have back-up facilities to enhance the reliability of our management information systems. These facilities will allow us to continue to operate if our main facilities should fail. We also have a data recovery plan, which has been successfully tested, to protect our operations and customer information. We also have business interruption insurance to cover a portion of any disruption in or destruction of our management information systems.

 

Competition

 

The beauty industry is highly competitive and, at times, subject to rapidly changing consumer preferences and industry trends. Competition is generally a function of brand strength, assortment and continuity of merchandise selection, reliable order fulfillment and delivery, and level of brand support and in-store customer support. We compete with a large number of manufacturers and marketers of beauty products, some of which have substantially more resources than we do.

 

We believe that we compete primarily on the basis of product recognition, quality, performance, price, and our emphasis on providing value-added customer services, including category management services, to certain retailers. There are products that are better-known and more popular than the products manufactured or supplied by us. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and more diversified, and have substantially greater financial and marketing resources than we do, as well as have greater name recognition and the ability to develop and market products similar to and competitive with those manufactured by us.

 

Employees

 

As of April 1, 2004, we had approximately 1,600 full-time employees and approximately 550 part-time employees in the United States and 14 foreign countries. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that our relationship with our employees is satisfactory.

 

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Executive Officers of the Company

 

The following sets forth the names and ages of each of our executive officers as of April 1, 2004 and the positions they hold:

 

Name


   Age

  

Position with the Company


E. Scott Beattie

   45    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Paul F. West

   54    President and Chief Operating Officer

Stephen J. Smith

   44    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Michael H. Lombardi

   59    Executive Vice President, Operations

Oscar E. Marina

   44    Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Ronald L. Rolleston

   48    Executive Vice President, Global Marketing

Joel B. Ronkin

   36    Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Jacobus A. J. Steffens

   42    Executive Vice President, General Manager—International

 

Each of our executive officers holds office for such terms as may be determined by our board of directors.

 

Set forth below is a brief description of the business experience of each of our executive officers.

 

E. Scott Beattie has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since April 2000, as our Chief Executive Officer since March 1998 and as a director of the company (including the predecessor fragrance company) since November 1995. Mr. Beattie served as our President from April 1997 to March 2003, as our Chief Operating Officer from April 1997 to March 1998, and as our Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Assistant Secretary from November 1995 to April 1997. Mr. Beattie served as Executive Vice President of Bedford Capital Corporation, a Toronto, Canada-based merchant banking firm, from March 1995 to March 1998. Mr. Beattie is a director of Bedford Capital Corporation. Mr. Beattie is also a director of The Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Association and a member of the advisory board of the Ivey Business School.

 

Paul F. West has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since March 2003, as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from November 2000 until March 2003, as our Executive Vice President, Sales Management and Planning from March 2000 through November 2000, and as our Senior Vice President, Sales Management and Planning from April 1998 through March 2000. Prior to joining the company, Mr. West worked in various management capacities for divisions of Unilever N.V., including Chesebrough Ponds, Inc. and the Elizabeth Arden Company, where he served as Chief Financial Officer from September 1989 to May 1996.

 

Stephen J. Smith has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since May 2001. Previously, Mr. Smith was with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an international professional services firm, as partner from October 1993 until May 2001, and as manager from July 1987 until October 1993.

 

Michael H. Lombardi has served as our Executive Vice President, Operations since March 2004, as our Senior Vice President, Operations since February 2002 and as Senior Vice President, Marketing/Supply Chain Operations with the Elizabeth Arden Company, a division of Unilever N.V., since April 1999. Prior to joining the Elizabeth Arden Company, Mr. Lombardi worked in various management capacities for Chesebrough Ponds, Inc., a division of Unilever N.V..

 

Oscar E. Marina has served as our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since March 2004, as our Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from March 2000 through February 2004, and as our Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from March 1996 through March 2000. From October 1988 until March 1996, Mr. Marina was an attorney with the law firm of Steel Hector & Davis L.L.P. in Miami, becoming a partner of the firm in January 1995.

 

 

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Ronald L. Rolleston has served as our Executive Vice President, Global Marketing since April 2003, as our Executive Vice President, Global Marketing and Prestige Sales from February 2002 until April 2003, as our Senior Vice President, Global Marketing from February 2001 through January 2002, and as our Senior Vice President, Prestige Sales from March 1999 through January 2001. Mr. Rolleston served as President of Paul Sebastian, Inc., a fragrance manufacturer, from September 1997 until January 1999. Mr. Rolleston served as the General Manager of Europe for the Calvin Klein Cosmetics Company from May 1990 to September 1994, and as Executive Vice President of Global Marketing of the Elizabeth Arden Company from January 1995 to March 1997.

 

Joel B. Ronkin has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer since March 2004, as our Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer from February 2001 through February 2004 and as our Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary from the time he joined us in March 1999 through January 2001. From June 1997 through March 1999, Mr. Ronkin served as the Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of National Auto Finance Company, Inc., an automobile finance company. From May 1992 until June 1997, Mr. Ronkin was an attorney with the law firm of Steel Hector & Davis L.L.P. in Miami, Florida.

 

Jacobus A.J. Steffens has served as our Executive Vice President, General Manager— International since March 2004 and as our Senior Vice President, General Manager—International since joining us in January of 2001 through February 2004. Before joining the company, Mr. Steffens worked in various management capacities for divisions of Unilever N.V., including as the Chief Information Officer of Unilever’s European Ice Cream & Frozen Foods division from January 1997 until December 2000, as the Controller Global Marketing & Creative at the Elizabeth Arden Company from January 1992 until December 1995 and in various financial roles for Unilever’s Quest International Flavours and Fragrances division from the end of 1986 until December 1991.

 

ITEM 2.    PROPERTIES

 

United States.    Our corporate headquarters are located in Miami Lakes, Florida, in a building we own on a 13-acre tract of land. The Miami Lakes facility contains approximately 200,000 square feet of distribution and warehouse space and approximately 30,000 square feet of office space. We stopped customer shipments out of our Miami Lakes facility in January 2004 and consolidated our fulfillment operations in our Roanoke, Virginia distribution facility by March 2004. We are planning to sell our Miami Lakes facility. If and when we sell the Miami Lakes facility, we intend to lease offices in the South Florida area to house the employees that are not affected by the consolidation.

 

Our Roanoke, Virginia distribution facility consists of approximately 400,000 square feet and is leased through September 2013. We lease a 76,000 square foot warehouse in Roanoke to coordinate returns processing whose term expires in February 2005 and a 64,000 square foot warehouse in Roanoke under a lease that expires in June 2005.

 

We lease 62,000 square feet of general office space in Stamford, Connecticut under a lease that expires October 2011. We lease general offices for our Elizabeth Arden marketing operations in New York City under a lease that expires in April 2016

 

International.    Our international operations are headquartered in offices in Geneva, Switzerland under a lease that expires in December 2007. We also lease sales offices in Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and the United Kingdom and a small distribution facility in Puerto Rico. We also own a small manufacturing facility in South Africa primarily to manufacture local requirements of our products.

 

ITEM 3.    LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

In December 2000, we were named in a breach of contract action filed in the Ontario, Canada Superior Court of Justice by Adenat, Inc., a Canadian customer of Unilever. The action was filed

 

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against a number of Unilever affiliates, our company and several individuals, including officers of Unilever and our company. In August 2001, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, which removed the individual defendants. The plaintiff claims that Unilever breached contractual obligations owed to the plaintiff and further alleges that we interfered in that relationship. The plaintiff seeks to enjoin the termination of the alleged distribution agreement by Unilever and seeks compensatory damages of Canadian $55 million (approximately US $41 million at January 31, 2004) against each of Unilever and us, plus punitive damages of Canadian $35 million (approximately US $26 million at January 31, 2004). We believe we would be entitled to indemnification from Unilever under our agreement to acquire the Elizabeth Arden business to the extent we incur losses or expenses as a result of actions taken by Unilever or its affiliates. We believe the claims lack merit as to our company, and we are vigorously contesting the matter.

 

We are also a party to a number of other legal actions, proceedings or claims. While any action, proceeding or claim contains an element of uncertainty, management believes that the outcome of such actions, proceedings or claims will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

ITEM 4.    SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004.

 

PART II

 

ITEM 5.    MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Market Information.    Our common stock, $.01 par value per share, has been traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol “RDEN” since January 25, 2001. The following table sets forth the high and low closing prices for our common stock, as reported on the NASDAQ Stock Market for each of our fiscal quarters from February 1, 2002 through January 31, 2004.

 

Quarter Ended


   High

   Low

04/26/03

   $ 12.50    $ 8.95

07/26/03

   $ 15.16    $ 11.10

10/25/03

   $ 19.54    $ 15.00

01/31/04

   $ 20.89    $ 18.12

04/27/02

   $ 13.25    $ 6.70

07/27/02

   $ 17.50    $ 10.71

10/26/02

   $ 13.28    $ 9.19

01/31/03

   $ 15.00    $ 10.46

 

Holders.    As of March 26, 2004, there were 438 record holders of our common stock. The number of record holders does not include beneficial owners of common stock whose shares are held in the names of banks, brokers, nominees or other fiduciaries.

 

Dividends.    We have not declared any cash dividends on our common stock since we became a beauty products company in 1995, and we currently have no plans to declare dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination by our board of directors to pay dividends on our common stock will be made only after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other relevant factors. Additionally, our bank credit facility prohibits the payment of cash dividends, and the indentures relating to our 7 3/4% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2014 restrict our ability to pay cash dividends based upon our ability to satisfy certain financial covenants, including a fixed charge coverage ratio and a net income test, and certain other covenants. See Notes 8 and 9 to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

 

 

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Series D Convertible Preferred Stock.    As part of the consideration for the Elizabeth Arden business acquired on January 23, 2001, we issued to an affiliate of Unilever 416,667 shares of Series D convertible preferred stock with an aggregate liquidation value of $50 million. Each share of Series D convertible preferred stock is convertible into 10 shares of our common stock at an initial conversion price of $12.00 per share of common stock. The holder of the Series D convertible preferred stock was entitled to convert up to 33.3% of its shares after January 23, 2002, up to 66.6% after January 23, 2003 and up to 100% after January 23, 2004. In addition, cumulative dividends of 5% of the outstanding liquidation value of Series D convertible preferred stock began to accrue on January 23, 2003 and will be payable, at our option and subject to restrictions on the payment of dividends under our bank credit facility and senior subordinated note indenture, in cash or in additional shares of Series D convertible preferred stock, quarterly in arrears, commencing March 15, 2003. During fiscal 2004, we issued to the holder of the Series D convertible preferred stock an additional 18,621 shares of Series D convertible preferred stock as a dividend. We are required to redeem the Series D convertible preferred stock on January 23, 2013 at the aggregate liquidation value of all of the outstanding shares plus accrued and unpaid dividends. See Note 14 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Conversion of Preferred Stock.    On October 22, 2003, an affiliate of Unilever converted 208,340 shares (representing $25 million of aggregate liquidation preference) of Series D convertible preferred stock into 2,083,340 shares of our common stock, 2,083,333 shares of which were sold in a public offering on that date. As a result of the conversion of the Series D convertible preferred stock and sale of the common stock by the Unilever affiliate, our shareholders’ equity increased by approximately $8.3 million and the balance recorded in the convertible, redeemable preferred stock Series D account on our consolidated balance sheet was reduced by the same amount. In addition, the accretion of the Series D convertible preferred stock converted was accelerated in the amount of $18.6 million, resulting in a non-cash charge to net loss attributable to common shareholders on our consolidated statements of operations for fiscal 2004.

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

The following table sets forth information concerning common stock of the company authorized for issuance under our compensation plans at January 31, 2004:

 

Plan Category


  

Number of

securities to

be issued upon

exercise of

outstanding

options,

warrants and

rights

(a)


  

Weighted-average

exercise price of

outstanding

options,

warrants and

rights

(b)


  

Number of securities

remaining available

for future-issuance

under equity

compensation

plans (excluding

securities reflected

in column (a))

(c)


Equity compensation plans approved by secu