RH (RH) FY 2022 MD&A

ITEM 7.     MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations (“MD&A”), contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Refer to “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data” and Item 1A—Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions associated with these statements. MD&A should be read in conjunction with our historical consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto and the other disclosures contained elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The results of operations for the periods reflected herein are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for future periods, and our actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including but not limited to those listed in Item 1A—Risk Factors and included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The discussion of our financial condition and changes in our results of operations, liquidity and capital resources is presented in this section for fiscal 2021 and a comparison to fiscal 2020. The discussion for fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 has been omitted from this Annual Report on Form 10-K, but is included in Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations on our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 30, 2021.

MD&A is a supplement to our consolidated financial statements within Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is provided to enhance an understanding of our results of operations and financial condition. Our MD&A is organized as follows:

Overview. This section provides a general description of our business, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and describes our key value-driving strategies.

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations. This section discusses certain factors that affect our results of operations, including our strategic initiatives, our ability to source and distribute products effectively, consumer preferences and demand, overall economic trends and fluctuations in quarterly results.

How We Assess the Performance of Our Business. This section discusses financial and operating measures that affect our results of operations, including net revenues and demand, gross profit and gross margin, selling general and administrative expenses, adjusted operating income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income and adjusted capital expenditures.

Basis of Presentation and Results of Operations. These sections provide our consolidated statements of income and other financial and operating data, including a comparison of our results of operations in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020, as well as non-GAAP measures we use for financial and operational decision making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons.

Liquidity and Capital Resources. This section provides an overview of our sources and uses of cash and our financing arrangements, including our credit facilities and debt arrangements, in addition to the cash requirements for our business, such as our capital expenditures.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates. This section discusses the accounting policies and estimates that involve a higher degree of judgment or complexity and are most significant to reporting our consolidated results of operations and financial position, including the significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements. This section provides a summary of recent authoritative accounting pronouncements that were adopted during fiscal 2021 and that will be adopted in future periods.

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Overview

We are a curator of design, taste and style in the luxury lifestyle market. Our curated and fully integrated assortments are presented consistently across our sales channels in sophisticated and unique lifestyle settings. We offer dominant merchandise assortments across a number of categories, including furniture, lighting, textiles, bathware, décor, outdoor and garden, and child and teen furnishings. Our retail business is fully integrated across our multiple channels of distribution, consisting of our retail locations, websites and Source Books. We position our Galleries as showrooms for our brand, while our websites and Source Books act as virtual and print extensions of our physical spaces. We operate our retail locations throughout the United States, Canada, and the U.K., and have an integrated RH Hospitality experience in 13 of our Design Gallery locations, which includes Restaurants and Wine Bars.

As of January 29, 2022, we operated the following number of Galleries, outlets and Showrooms:

For more information on our company and operations, refer to Item 1—Business.

COVID-19 Pandemic

We have experienced a significant improvement in our business during fiscal 2021 despite the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption it has caused in our business operations beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and throughout fiscal 2021. Our performance demonstrates both the desirability of our exclusive products and our ability to overcome supply chain challenges, including port delays, which impacted our ability to convert business demand into revenues at normal historical rates. We have continued to navigate changes in operational restrictions based upon changes in local conditions and regulations, and as pandemic-related restrictions continue to be lifted in fiscal 2022 we may see consumer spending patterns shift away from spending on the home and home-related categories, such as home furnishings, and consumers return to pre-COVID consumption trends, such as spending on travel and leisure, and other activities.

Key Value-Driving Strategies

In order to drive growth across our business, we are focused on the following long-term key strategies and business initiatives:

Product Elevation. We have built the most comprehensive and compelling collection of luxury home furnishings under one brand in the world. Our products are presented across multiple collections, categories and channels that we control, and their desirability and exclusivity has enabled us to achieve industry-leading revenues and margins. Our customers know our brand concepts as RH Interiors, RH Modern, RH Beach House, RH Ski House, RH Outdoor, RH Baby & Child, RH TEEN and Waterworks. Our strategy to elevate the design and quality of our product will continue as we introduce RH Contemporary in 2022. We also have plans to introduce RH Couture Upholstery, RH Bespoke Furniture and RH Color over the next several years.

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Gallery Transformation. Our product is elevated and rendered more valuable by our architecturally inspiring Galleries. We believe our strategy to open new Design Galleries in every major market will unlock the value of our vast assortment, generating a revenue opportunity for our business of $5 to $6 billion in North America. We believe we can significantly increase our sales by transforming our real estate platform from our existing legacy retail footprint to a portfolio of Design Galleries sized to the potential of each market and the size of our assortment. In addition, we plan to incorporate hospitality into most of the new Design Galleries that we open in the future, which further elevates and renders our product and brand more valuable. We believe hospitality has created a unique new retail experience that cannot be replicated online, and that the addition of hospitality drives incremental sales of home furnishings in these Galleries.

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Brand Elevation. We are evolving the brand beyond curating and selling product to conceptualizing and selling spaces by building an ecosystem of Products, Places, Services and Spaces designed to elevate and render our product more valuable while establishing the RH brand as a thought leader, taste and place maker. We believe our seamlessly integrated ecosystem of immersive experiences inspires customers to dream, design, dine, travel and live in a world thoughtfully curated by RH, creating an impression and connection unlike any other brand in the world. Our hospitality efforts will continue to elevate the RH brand as we extend beyond the four walls of our Galleries into RH Guesthouses, where our goal is to create a new market for travelers seeking privacy and luxury in the $200 billion North American hotel industry. Additionally, we are creating bespoke experiences like RH Yountville, an integration of Food, Wine, Art & Design in the Napa Valley, RH1 & RH2, our private jets, and RH3, our luxury yacht that is available for charter in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, where the wealthy and affluent visit and vacation. These immersive experiences expose new and existing customers to our evolving authority in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture.

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Digital Reimagination. Our strategy is to digitally reimagine the RH brand and business model both internally and externally. Internally our multi-year effort began with the reimagination of our Center of Innovation & Product Leadership to incorporate digitally integrated visuals and decision data designed to amplify the creative process from product ideation to product presentation. Externally our strategy is designed to come to life digitally as we launch The World of RH, an online portal where customers can explore and be inspired by the depth and dimension of our brand. The World of RH will include rich, immersive content with simplified navigation and search functionality, all designed to enhance the shopping experience and render our product and brand more valuable. We believe an opportunity exists to create similar strategic separation online as we have with our Galleries offline, reconceptualizing what a website can and should be.

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Global Expansion. We believe that our luxury brand positioning and unique aesthetic have strong international appeal, and that the pursuit of global expansion will provide RH a substantial long-term market opportunity to build a $20 to $25 billion global brand over time. Our view is that the competitive environment globally is more fragmented and primed for disruption than the North American market, and there is no direct competitor of scale that possesses the product, operational platform and brand of RH. As such, we are actively pursuing the expansion of the RH brand globally with the objective of launching international locations in Europe, beginning in 2022 with the opening of RH England, The Gallery at the Historic Aynhoe Park. We have secured a number of locations in various markets in the United Kingdom and continental Europe for future Design Galleries and are in lease or purchase negotiations for additional locations.

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

We have experienced a significant improvement in our business during fiscal 2021 despite the ongoing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption it has caused in our business operations beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and throughout fiscal 2021. Substantially all of our retail locations were open for most of fiscal 2021 and demand for our products has been strong, resulting in our record financial performance achieved in fiscal 2021. The emergence of new variants such as the “Delta” and “Omicron” variants have continued to present new challenges, especially constraints in our supply chain, including port delays, which have resulted in some delays in our ability to convert business demand into revenues at normal historical rates. We anticipate that the backlog of orders for merchandise from our vendors, coupled with business conditions related to the evolving nature of the pandemic, will continue to adversely affect the capacity of our vendors and supply chain to meet our merchandise demand levels for at least the next several quarters. Our performance demonstrates both the desirability of our exclusive products and our ability to overcome supply chain challenges that we continue to experience. For more information, refer to Item 1A—Risk Factors—The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant and widespread risks to our business as well as to the business environment and the markets in which we operate and Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Overview.

Apart from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations and on macroeconomic conditions, below are certain factors that affect our results of operations.

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Our Strategic Initiatives. We are in the process of implementing a number of significant business initiatives that have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our results of operations.

As a result of the number of current business initiatives we are pursuing, we have experienced in the past and may experience in the future significant period-to-period variability in our financial performance and results of operations. While we anticipate that these initiatives will support the growth of our business, costs and timing issues associated with pursuing these initiatives can negatively affect our growth rates in the short term and may amplify fluctuations in our growth rates from quarter to quarter. Delays in the rate of opening new Galleries and in pursuit of our international expansion as a result of COVID-19 have resulted in delays in the corresponding increase in revenues that we experience as new Design Galleries are introduced. In addition, we anticipate that our net revenues, adjusted net income and other performance metrics will remain variable as our business model continues to emphasize high growth and numerous, concurrent and evolving business initiatives.

Our Ability to Source and Distribute Products Effectively. Our net revenues and gross profit are affected by our ability to purchase our merchandise in sufficient quantities at competitive prices. Our current and anticipated demand and our level of net revenues have been adversely affected in prior periods by constraints in our supply chain, including the inability of our vendors to produce sufficient quantities of some merchandise to match market demand from our customers, leading to higher levels of customer back orders and lost sales. For example, a number of our vendors have experienced delays in production and shipment of merchandise orders related to direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, as we introduce new products and expand our merchandise assortments into new categories, we expect to experience delays in the production of some new offerings, as we have had similar experiences during prior periods when we adopted substantial newness in our business such as with the introduction of RH Modern in 2015. During fiscal 2021 and 2020, the lag in manufacturing and inventory receipts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, together with dislocations in our supply chain, resulted in some delays in our ability to convert demand into revenues, and our global supply chain has not fully recovered from the impact of this dislocation. While we expect this dislocation to be resolved in the near term, there can be no assurance as to the exact course that the recovery in our supply chain will take and a number of factors could contribute to further complications in our supply chain, including COVID-19 developments in countries where our vendors produce merchandise. Based on total dollar volume of purchases for fiscal 2021, 69% of our products were sourced from Asia, with 34% sourced from China, 15% from the U.S. and the remainder from other countries and regions. For more information, refer to Item 1A—Risk Factors—The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant and widespread risks to our business as well as to the business environment and the markets in which we operate.

Consumer Preferences and Demand. Our ability to maintain our appeal to existing customers and attract new customers depends on our ability to originate, develop and offer a compelling product assortment responsive to customer preferences and design trends. We have successfully introduced a large number of new products in past periods, which we believe has been a contributing factor in our sales growth and results of operations. Periods in which our products have achieved strong customer acceptance generally have had more favorable results. If we misjudge the market for our products or the product lines that we acquire, we may be faced with excess inventories for some products and may be required to become more promotional in our selling activities, which would impact our net revenues and gross profit.

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Overall Economic Trends. The industry in which we operate is cyclical, and consequently our net revenues are affected by general economic conditions including conditions that affect the housing market. For example, reduced consumer confidence and lower availability and higher cost of consumer credit reduce demand for our products and limit our ability to increase prices or sustain price increases. We have determined that our customer purchasing patterns are influenced by economic factors including the health and volatility of the stock market. We have seen that previous declines in the stock market and periods of high volatility have correlated with a reduction in consumer demand for our products and may continue in future periods. We target consumers of high-end home furnishings. As a result, we believe that our sales are sensitive to a number of macroeconomic factors that influence consumer spending generally, but that our sales are particularly affected by the health of the higher-end customer and demand levels from that customer demographic. While the overall home furnishings market may be influenced by factors such as employment levels, interest rates, demographics of new household formation and the affordability of homes for the first-time home buyer, the higher-end of the housing market may be disproportionately influenced by other factors, including stock market prices, restrictions on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of second and third homes being bought and sold, the number of foreign buyers in higher-end real estate markets in the U.S., tax policies and interest rates, and the perceived prospect for capital appreciation in higher-end real estate. Shifts in consumption patterns linked to the reopening of businesses in light of improvements relating to the COVID-19 pandemic may also have an impact on consumer spending in the high-end housing market. We have in the past experienced volatility in our sales trends related to many of these factors and believe our sales may be impacted by these economic factors in future periods. These headwinds tied to macroeconomic factors may continue in future quarters. For more information, refer to Item 1A—Risk Factors—Changes in consumer spending and factors that influence spending of the specific categories of consumers that purchase from us, including the health of the high-end housing market, may significantly impact our revenue and results of operations and —The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant and widespread risks to our business as well as to the business environment and the markets in which we operate.

Fluctuation in Quarterly Results. Our quarterly results vary depending upon a variety of factors, including changes in our product offerings and the introduction of new merchandise assortments and categories, changes in retail locations, the timing of Source Book releases, and the extent of our realization of the costs and benefits of our numerous strategic initiatives, among other things. As a result of these factors, our working capital requirements and demands may fluctuate during the year. Unique factors in any given quarter may affect period-to-period comparisons, and the results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that we may achieve for a full fiscal year.

How We Assess the Performance of Our Business

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of financial and operating measures that affect our results of operations, including:

Net Revenues and Demand. Net revenues reflect our sale of merchandise plus shipping and handling revenue collected from our customers, less returns and discounts. Revenues are recognized when a customer obtains control of the merchandise. We collect annual membership fees related to the RH Members Program, which are recorded as deferred revenue when collected from customers and recognized as revenue based on expected product revenues over the annual membership period.

We also track “demand” in our business, which is a non-GAAP metric linked to the level of customer orders. Demand is an operating metric that we use in reference to the dollar value of orders placed (orders convert to net revenue upon a customer obtaining control of the merchandise) and excludes exchanges and shipping fees.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Gross profit is equal to our net revenues less cost of goods sold. Gross profit as a percentage of our net revenues is referred to as gross margin. Cost of goods sold includes the direct cost of purchased merchandise; inventory shrinkage, inventory adjustments due to obsolescence, including excess and slow-moving inventory and lower of cost or net realizable value reserves; inbound freight; all freight costs to get merchandise to our Galleries; design, buying and allocation costs; occupancy costs related to Gallery operations and our supply chain, such as rent and common area maintenance for our leases; depreciation and amortization of leasehold improvements, equipment and other assets in our Galleries and distribution centers. In addition, cost of goods sold includes all logistics costs associated with shipping product to our customers, which are partially offset by shipping income collected from customers (recorded in net revenues on the consolidated statements of income).

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Our gross profit and gross margin can be favorably impacted by sales volume increases, as occupancy and certain other costs that are largely fixed do not necessarily increase proportionally with sales volume increases. Changes in the mix of our products may also impact our gross profit and gross margin. We review our inventory levels on an ongoing basis in order to identify slow-moving merchandise and use product markdowns and our outlets to efficiently sell these products. The timing and extent of markdowns are driven primarily by customer acceptance of our merchandise. The primary drivers of the costs of individual goods are raw materials costs, which fluctuate based on a number of factors beyond our control, including commodity prices, changes in supply and demand, general economic conditions, competition, import duties, tariffs and government regulation, logistics costs (which may increase in the event of, for example, expansions of or interruptions in the operation of our distribution centers, furniture home delivery centers and customer service center or damage or interruption to our information systems) and labor costs in the countries where we source our merchandise. We place orders with merchandise vendors primarily in United States dollars and, as a result, are not currently exposed to significant foreign currency exchange risk.

Our gross profit and gross margin may not be comparable to other specialty retailers, as some companies may not include all or a portion of the costs related to their distribution network and store occupancy in calculating gross profit and gross margin as we and many other retailers do, but instead may include them in selling, general and administrative expenses. In addition, certain of our retail leases are accounted for as finance leases, which result in our recording a portion of the expense related to these agreements in interest expense—net on the consolidated statements of income.

In recent periods we have experienced higher cost of goods sold primarily related to our increased costs of merchandise and inbound freight. Our strategy is to offset these higher costs through price increases, as well as efficiencies in our operations. These cost increases are reasonably likely to continue to affect our business in the future given the current macroeconomic conditions. We plan to refine our strategies to continue to address these impacts as they occur.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses include all operating costs not included in cost of goods sold. These expenses include payroll and payroll-related expenses, retail expenses other than occupancy and expenses related to many of our operations at our corporate headquarters, including utilities, depreciation and amortization, credit card fees and marketing expense, which primarily includes Source Book production, mailing and print advertising costs. All pre-opening costs are included in selling, general and administrative expenses and are expensed as incurred. We expect certain of these expenses to continue to increase as we open new retail locations and outlets, develop new product categories and otherwise pursue our current business initiatives. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues are usually higher in lower-volume quarters and lower in higher-volume quarters because a significant portion of the costs are relatively fixed.

In addition, in recent periods we have experienced increased selling, general and administrative expenses, including certain non-cash compensation expenses and costs associated with asset impairments and lease losses, sale leaseback transactions, reorganizations and product recalls, as discussed in “Basis of Presentation and Results of Operations” below.

Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EBITDA. We believe that adjusted operating income, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA are useful measures of operating performance, as the adjustments eliminate non-recurring and other items that are not reflective of underlying business performance, facilitate a comparison of our operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provide for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. We also use adjusted operating income, adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA as methods for planning and forecasting overall expected performance and for evaluating on a quarterly and annual basis actual results against such expectations.

We define adjusted operating income as consolidated operating income, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance.

We define EBITDA as consolidated net income before depreciation and amortization, interest expense—net and income tax expense. Adjusted EBITDA reflects further adjustments to EBITDA to eliminate the impact of non-cash compensation, as well as certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance. Because adjusted EBITDA omits non-cash items, we feel that it is less susceptible to variances in actual performance resulting from depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges and can be more reflective of our operating performance.

We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance.

Refer to “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below for further information.

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Basis of Presentation and Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of income:

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we use non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted capital expenditures (collectively, our “non-GAAP financial measures”). We compute these measures by adjusting the applicable GAAP measures to remove the impact of certain recurring and non-recurring charges and gains and the tax effect of these adjustments. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. We use these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by senior leadership in its financial and operational decision making. The non-GAAP financial measures used by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may be different from the non-GAAP financial measures, including similarly titled measures, used by other companies.

For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures tables outlined below. These accompanying tables include details on the GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures and the related reconciliations between these financial measures.

Adjusted Operating Income. Adjusted operating income is a supplemental measure of financial performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted operating income as consolidated operating income, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance.

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Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Operating Income and Adjusted Operating Income

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Adjusted Net Income. Adjusted net income is a supplemental measure of financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define adjusted net income as consolidated net income, adjusted for the impact of certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance.

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Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Adjusted Net Income

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EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are supplemental measures of financial performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We define EBITDA as consolidated net income before depreciation and amortization, interest expense—net and income tax expense. Adjusted EBITDA reflects further adjustments to EBITDA to eliminate the impact of non-cash compensation, as well as certain non-recurring and other items that we do not consider representative of our underlying operating performance.

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Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

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Adjusted Capital Expenditures. We define adjusted capital expenditures as capital expenditures from investing activities and cash outflows of capital related to construction activities to design and build landlord-owned leased assets, net of tenant allowances received.

Reconciliation of Adjusted Capital Expenditures

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Fiscal 2021 Compared to Fiscal 2020

Net revenues

Consolidated net revenues increased $910 million, or 32.0%, to $3.8 billion in fiscal 2021 compared to $2.8 billion in fiscal 2020.

RH Segment net revenues for fiscal 2021 were favorably impacted by $1.2 million and for fiscal 2020 were negatively impacted by $1.4 million, in each case related to product recalls. Excluding the product recall adjustments, consolidated net revenues increased $908 million, or 31.8%, to $3.8 billion in fiscal 2021 compared to $2.8 billion in fiscal 2020. Product recalls and the establishment or adjustment of any related recall accruals can affect our results and cause quarterly fluctuations affecting the period-to-period comparisons of our results. No assurance can be provided that any accruals will be for the appropriate amount, and actual losses could be higher or lower than what we accrue from time to time, which could further affect results.

RH Segment net revenues

RH Segment net revenues increased $864 million, or 31.7%, to $3.6 billion in fiscal 2021 compared to $2.7 billion in the fiscal 2020. The below discussion highlights several significant factors that resulted in an increase in RH Segment net revenues, which are listed in order of magnitude.

RH Segment net revenues in fiscal 2021 increased due to strong customer demand for our products, aided by elements of our supply chain continuing to catch up with customer demand. RH Segment net revenues in fiscal 2020 were negatively impacted by Gallery closures and macroeconomic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, whereby our revenue growth lagged customer demand primarily due to the effects of higher than anticipated demand and disruptions across our global supply chain as a result of COVID-19. RH Segment net revenues in both fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020 were impacted by product recalls as noted above.

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Outlet sales increased $92 million to $279 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $187 million in fiscal 2020. The first half of fiscal 2020 was impacted by pandemic-related retail closures. Additionally, RH Segment net revenues increased in our RH Hospitality business compared to fiscal 2020 due to reduced COVID-19 operational restrictions in fiscal 2021 and new Restaurant openings in fiscal 2021.

Waterworks net revenues

Waterworks net revenues increased $46 million, or 38.4%, to $165 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $119 million in fiscal 2020 due to an increase in demand related to resumed construction activity and significant residential investments by high-end homeowners.

Gross profit

Consolidated gross profit increased $530 million, or 40.0%, to $1.9 billion in fiscal 2021 compared to $1.3 billion in fiscal 2020. As a percentage of net revenues, gross margin increased 290 basis points to 49.4% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 compared to 46.5% of net revenues in fiscal 2020.

RH Segment gross profit for fiscal 2021 was favorably impacted by $1.2 million related to product recalls. RH Segment gross profit for fiscal 2020 was negatively impacted by $5.9 million related to product recalls and includes asset impairments of $2.4 million related to Outlet inventory resulting from retail closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excluding the adjustments mentioned above, consolidated gross margin would have increased 250 basis points to 49.3% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 compared to 46.8% of net revenues in fiscal 2020.

RH Segment gross profit

RH Segment gross profit increased $499 million, or 39.1%, to $1.8 billion in fiscal 2021 compared to $1.3 billion in fiscal 2020. As a percentage of net revenues, RH Segment gross margin increased 260 basis points to 49.3% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 compared to 46.7% of net revenues in fiscal 2020.

Excluding the adjustments mentioned above, RH Segment gross margin would have increased 230 basis points to 49.3% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 from 47.0% of net revenues in fiscal 2020. The increase in gross margin was primarily driven by higher product margins in the Core and Outlet businesses and leverage in our RH Segment shipping and occupancy costs in fiscal 2021.

Waterworks gross profit

Waterworks gross profit increased $31 million, or 61.0%, to $83 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $51 million in fiscal 2020. As a percentage of net revenues, Waterworks gross margin increased 710 basis points to 50.2% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 compared to 43.1% of net revenues in fiscal 2020 primarily driven by higher revenues, favorable changes in product mix, and leverage in Waterworks occupancy costs, offset by an increase in shipping costs related to customer deliveries.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses increased $70 million, or 8.1%, to $928 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $859 million in fiscal 2020.

RH Segment selling, general and administrative expenses

RH Segment selling, general and administrative expenses increased $53 million, or 6.6%, to $862 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $808 million in fiscal 2020.

RH Segment selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2021 included amortization of non-cash compensation of $24 million related to a fully vested option grant made to Mr. Friedman in October 2020, $9.6 million related to asset impairments, $1.7 million related to product recalls and $0.4 million related to severance costs and related payroll taxes associated with reorganizations.

RH Segment selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2020 includes non-cash compensation of $117 million related to an option grant made to Mr. Friedman in October 2020, loss of $9.4 million related to a sale leaseback transaction, $7.0 million related to severance costs and related payroll taxes associated with the termination of associates and a reorganization undertaken in response to the impact of retail closures on our business, $5.0 million related to asset impairments and $3.9 million due to accelerated asset depreciation.

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Excluding the adjustments mentioned above, RH Segment selling, general and administrative expenses would have been 23.0% and 24.4% of net revenues for fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, respectively. The decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues was primarily driven by reduction in costs and leverage in advertising costs due to our decision to not mail the Spring 2021 Source Books, leverage in employment and employment-related costs, as well as leverage in our corporate occupancy expenses, partially offset by increased travel-related costs.

Waterworks selling, general and administrative expenses

Waterworks selling, general and administrative expenses increased $16 million, or 32.1%, to $66 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $50 million in fiscal 2020.

Waterworks selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2021 included $1.4 million related to product recalls and for fiscal 2020 included $1.6 million related to asset impairments and $1.3 million related to product recalls.

Excluding the adjustments mentioned above, Waterworks selling, general and administrative expenses would have decreased 30 basis points to 39.4% of net revenues in fiscal 2021 compared to 39.7% of net revenues in fiscal 2020.

Interest expense—net

Interest expense—net decreased $4.3 million in fiscal 2021 compared in fiscal 2020, which consisted of the following in each fiscal year:

Tradename impairment

We incurred a $20 million tradename impairment charge in fiscal 2020 for our Waterworks reporting unit. We did not recognize any tradename impairment in fiscal 2021. Refer to “Impairment” within Note 3— Significant Accounting Policies in our consolidated financial statements within Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(Gain) loss on extinguishment of debt—net

During fiscal 2021 we recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt for a portion of the 2023 Notes and 2024 Notes that were early converted at the option of the noteholders of $29 million. We recognized a $0.2 million gain on extinguishment of debt in fiscal 2020 related to the maturity and settlement of the 2020 Notes in July 2020.

Other expense—net

Other expense—net was $2.8 million in fiscal 2021 due to unfavorable exchange rate changes affecting foreign currency denominated transactions, primarily between the U.S. dollar as compared to Pound Sterling and Euro, in addition to a foreign exchange loss from the remeasurement of an intercompany loan with a U.K. subsidiary.

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Income tax expense

Income tax expense was $134 million in fiscal 2021 compared to $105 million in fiscal 2020. Our effective tax rate was 16.2% in fiscal 2021 compared to 27.8% in fiscal 2020. The decrease in our effective tax rate is due primarily to higher net excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation of $79 million in fiscal 2021 as compared to $22 million in fiscal 2020 resulting from increased option exercise activity and appreciation of our stock price. Fiscal 2020 was also impacted by non-deductible stock-based compensation related to an option grant made to Mr. Friedman in October 2020, which resulted in income tax expense of $29 million.

Equity method investments losses

Equity method investments losses consists of our proportionate share of the losses of our equity method investments by applying the hypothetical liquidation at book value methodology, which resulted in a $8.2 million loss in fiscal 2021 compared to a $0.9 million loss in fiscal 2020.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Our principal sources of liquidity are cash flows generated from operations, our current balances of cash and cash equivalents, and amounts available under our ABL Credit Agreement. In fiscal 2021, we entered into the ABL Credit Agreement, which amended and extended our asset based credit facility, and issued the Term Loan in the amount of $2.0 billion pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement. The issuance of the Term Loan was assigned a Ba2 rating from Moody’s Investors Service and BB rating from S&P Global. Refer to Note 13—Credit Facilities in our consolidated financial statements.

A summary of our net debt, and availability under the ABL Credit Agreement, is set forth in the following table:

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General

The primary cash needs of our business have historically been for merchandise inventories, payroll, Source Books, rent for our retail and outlet locations, capital expenditures associated with opening new locations and updating existing locations, as well as the development of our infrastructure and information technology. We seek out and evaluate opportunities for effectively managing and deploying capital in ways that improve working capital and support and enhance our business initiatives and strategies. We continuously evaluate our capital allocation strategy and may engage in future investments in connection with existing or new share repurchase programs (refer to “Share Repurchase Programs” below), which may include investments in derivatives or other equity linked instruments. We have in the past been, and continue to be, opportunistic in responding to favorable market conditions regarding both sources and uses of capital. Capital raised from debt financings has enabled us to pursue various investments. Financing that we arrange through the sale of equity linked instruments, such as our convertible notes financings, may lead to substantial dilution to our investors if the price of our common stock continues to exceed the upper strike exercise price of the warrants in connection with our bond hedge transactions. We expect to continue to take an opportunistic approach regarding both sources and uses of capital in connection with our business.

Credit Facilities and Debt Arrangements

We amended and restated our asset based credit facility in July 2021, which has an initial availability of up to $600 million, of which $10 million is available to Restoration Hardware Canada, Inc., and includes a $300 million accordion feature under which the revolving line of credit may be expanded by agreement of the parties from $600 million to up to $900 million if and to the extent the lenders revise their credit commitments to encompass a larger facility. The ABL Credit Agreement provides that the $300 million accordion, or a portion thereof, may be added as a first-in, last-out term loan facility if and to the extent the lenders revise their credit commitments for such facility. The ABL Credit Agreement further provides the borrowers may request a European sub-credit facility under the revolving line of credit or under the accordion feature for borrowing by certain European subsidiaries of RH if certain conditions set out in the asset based credit facility are met. The maturity date of the asset based credit facility is July 29, 2026.

We entered into a term loan credit agreement in October 2021. The Term Loan Credit Agreement provides for a Term Loan in an aggregate principal amount of $2.0 billion and the maturity date of the Term Loan Credit Agreement is October 20, 2028. As of January 29, 2022, we have $1,995 million outstanding under the Term Loan Credit Agreement, and we are required to make quarterly principal payments of $5.0 million.

We had $294 million remaining in aggregate principal amount of convertible notes outstanding as of January 29, 2022, comprised of $74 million of 2023 Notes and $220 million of 2024 Notes. Due to early conversions at the option of the noteholders, $9.4 million of the 2023 Notes and $3.6 million of the 2024 Notes were recorded within current liabilities on our consolidated financial statements as of January 29, 2022. Absent further early conversion elections, the remaining 2023 Notes have a scheduled maturity in June 2023 and the remaining 2024 Notes have a scheduled maturity in September 2024. We anticipate having ample cash available in order to repay the principal amount of our convertible notes in cash with respect to any convertible notes for which the holders elect early conversion, as well as upon maturity in June 2023 and September 2024, in each case in order to minimize dilution. Based upon the strength in our common stock price, we expect that holders of the convertible notes may continue to elect early conversion of such notes in advance of the scheduled maturity dates. While we purchased convertible note hedges and sold warrants with respect to each convertible note transaction, which are intended to offset any actual earnings dilution from the conversion of the 2024 Notes until our common stock is above approximately $338.24 per share and from the conversion of the 2023 Notes until our common stock is above approximately $309.84 per share, our shareholders may still experience dilution to the extent our common stock trades above such levels at the time of the maturity of the warrants with respect to the bond hedge and warrant transactions.

We believe our capital structure provides us with substantial optionality regarding our capital allocation. We continue to closely manage our business and our investments while considering both the overall economic environment as well as the needs of our operations. In addition, our near-term decisions regarding the sources and uses of capital will continue to reflect and adapt to changes in market conditions and our business, including further developments with respect to the pandemic. We believe our existing cash balances and operating cash flows, in conjunction with available financing arrangements, will be sufficient to repay our debt obligations as they become due, meet working capital requirements and fulfill other capital needs for more than the next 12 months.

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While we do not require additional debt to fund our operations, our goal continues to be in a position to take advantage of the many opportunities that we identify in connection with our business and operations. We have pursued in the past, and may pursue in the future, additional strategies to generate capital to pursue opportunities and investments, including through the strategic sale of existing assets, utilization of our credit facilities, entry into various credit agreements and other new debt financing arrangements that present attractive terms. We expect to continue to use additional sources of debt financing in future periods as a source of additional capital to fund our various investments. In addition to funding the normal operations of our business, we have used our liquidity to fund significant investments and strategies such as our share repurchase programs, various acquisitions, and growth initiatives, including through joint ventures and real estate investments.

To the extent we choose to secure additional sources of liquidity through incremental debt financing, there can be no assurances that we will be able to raise such financing on favorable terms, if at all, or that future financing requirements will not require us to raise money through an equity financing or by other means that could be dilutive to holders of our capital stock. Any adverse developments in the U.S. or global credit markets as a result of the pandemic or any other reason could affect our ability to manage our debt obligations and our ability to access future debt. In addition, agreements governing existing or new debt facilities may restrict our ability to operate our business in the manner we currently expect or to make required payments with respect to existing commitments including the repayment of the principal amount of our convertible senior notes in cash, whether upon stated maturity, early conversion or otherwise of such senior notes. To the extent we need to seek waivers from any provider of debt financing, or we fail to observe the covenants or other requirements of existing or new debt facilities, any such event could have an impact on our other commitments and obligations including triggering cross defaults or other consequences with respect to other indebtedness. Our current level of indebtedness, and any additional indebtedness that we may incur, exposes us to certain risks with regards to interest rate increases and fluctuations. Our ability to make interest payments or to refinance any of our indebtedness to manage such interest rates may be limited or negatively affected by credit market conditions, macroeconomic trends and other risks.

Capital

We have invested significant capital expenditures in developing and opening new Design Galleries, and these capital expenditures have increased in the past, and may continue to increase in future periods, as we open additional Design Galleries, which may require us to undertake upgrades to historical buildings or construction of new buildings. Our adjusted capital expenditures include capital expenditures from investing activities and cash outflows of capital related to construction activities to design and build landlord-owned leased assets, net of tenant allowances received. During fiscal 2021, adjusted capital expenditures were $254 million, net of cash received related to landlord tenant allowances of $22 million. We anticipate our adjusted capital expenditures to be $200 million to $250 million in fiscal 2022, primarily related to our growth and expansion, including construction of new Design Galleries and infrastructure investments. Nevertheless, we may elect to pursue additional capital expenditures beyond those that are anticipated during any given fiscal period inasmuch as our strategy is to be opportunistic with respect to our investments and we may choose to pursue certain capital transactions based on the availability and timing of unique opportunities. Given the pace at which business conditions are evolving in response to the COVID-19 health crisis, we may adjust our investments in various business initiatives, including our capital expenditures, during fiscal 2022 and beyond.

Certain lease arrangements require the landlord to fund a portion of the construction related costs through payments directly to us. As we develop new Galleries, as well as other potential strategic initiatives in the future like our integrated hospitality experience, we may explore other models for our real estate, which could include longer lease terms or further purchases of, or joint ventures or other forms of equity ownership in, real estate interests associated with new sites and buildings. These approaches might require different levels of capital investment on our part than a traditional store lease with a landlord. We also believe there is an opportunity to transition some portion of our real estate strategy from a leasing model to a development model, where we potentially buy and develop our Design Galleries with the objective of (i) recouping a majority of the investment through a sale-leaseback arrangement and (ii) resulting in lower capital investment and lower rent. For example, in fiscal 2019 we executed a sale-leaseback transaction for the Yountville Design Gallery for sales proceeds of $24 million and in fiscal 2020 we executed a sale-leaseback transaction for the Minneapolis Design Gallery for sales proceeds of $26 million, both of which qualified for sale-leaseback accounting. In the event that such capital and other expenditures require us to pursue additional funding sources, we can provide no assurance that we will be successful in securing additional funding on attractive terms or at all. In addition, our capital needs and uses of capital may change in the future due to changes in our business or new opportunities that we may pursue.

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In addition, we continue to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business with respect to real estate development and the introduction of new Galleries in both the U.S. and internationally. A range of factors involved in the development of new Galleries and RH Hospitality may continue to be affected by the pandemic, including delays in construction as well as permitting and other necessary governmental actions. In addition, the scope and cadence of investments by third parties, including landlords and other real estate counterparties, may be adversely affected by the health crisis. Actions taken by international as well as federal, state and local government authorities, and in some instances mall and shopping center owners, in response to the pandemic, may require changes to our real estate strategy and related capital expenditure and financing plans. In addition, we may continue to be required to make lease payments in whole or in part for our Galleries, Outlets and Restaurants that were temporarily closed or are required to close in the future in the event of resurgences in COVID-19 outbreaks or for other reasons. Any efforts to mitigate the costs of construction delays and deferrals, retail closures and other operational difficulties, including any such difficulties resulting from the pandemic, such as by negotiating with landlords and other third parties regarding the timing and amount of payments under existing contractual arrangements, may not be successful, and as a result, our real estate strategy may have ongoing significant liquidity needs even as we make changes to our planned operations and expansion cadence.

Cash Flow Analysis

A summary of operating, investing, and financing activities is set forth in the following table:

Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities

Operating activities consist primarily of net income adjusted for non-cash items including depreciation and amortization, impairments, stock-based compensation, cash paid attributable to accretion of debt discount upon settlement of debt and the effect of changes in working capital and other activities.

For fiscal 2021, net cash provided by operating activities was $662 million and consisted of net income of $689 million and an increase in non-cash items of $252 million, partially offset by a change in working capital and other activities of $279 million. The source of cash from working capital was primarily driven by an increase in deferred revenue and customer deposits of $107 million primarily due to strong consumer demand for our products. This source of cash from working capital was offset by uses of cash driven by an increase in merchandise inventory of $190 million, a decrease in operating lease liabilities of $77 million due to payments made under the related lease agreements, an increase in landlord assets under construction of $68 million and an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $50 million.

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

Investing activities consist primarily of investments in capital expenditures related to investments in retail stores, information technology and systems infrastructure, as well as supply chain investments. Investing activities also include our strategic investments.

For fiscal 2021, net cash used in investing activities was $194 million and was comprised of investments in retail stores, information technology and systems infrastructure of $185 million and additional funding of our equity method investments of $9.0 million.

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Net Cash Provided By (Used In) Financing Activities

Financing activities consist primarily of borrowings and repayments related to convertible senior notes, credit facilities and other financing arrangements, and cash used in connection with such financing activities include investments in share repurchase programs, repayment of indebtedness including principal payments under finance lease agreements and other equity related transactions such as the convertible note bond hedge and warrant transactions in connection with our convertible notes financings.

For fiscal 2021, net cash provided by financing activities was $1.6 billion, primarily due to the issuance of the Term Loan in October 2021 in the amount of $2.0 billion pursuant to the Term Loan Credit Agreement. This source of cash was offset by uses of cash, partially due to the repayment of $391 million of the 2023 Notes and 2024 Notes in fiscal 2021 as a result of early conversion at the option of the noteholders, of which $336 million is presented as repayments of convertible senior notes within cash from financing activities and $55 million is reflected as cash paid attributable to accretion of debt discount upon settlement of debt within cash from operating activities. In addition, we incurred $26 million of debt issuance costs related to the Term Loan Credit Agreement and the ABL Credit Agreement, as well as made repayments of $23 million on our equipment notes, $14 million of principal payments under finance lease agreements and $5.0 million of principal payments under the Term Loan Credit Agreement. Equity related transactions provided $11 million due to $32 million of proceeds from exercise of employee stock options, partially offset by $21 million of cash paid for employee taxes related to net settlement of equity awards.

Non-Cash Transactions

Non-cash transactions consist of non-cash additions of property and equipment and landlord assets and reclassification of assets from landlord assets under construction to finance lease right-of-use assets, as well as promissory notes forgiven in exchange for assets and the conversion of loan receivables into equity method investments. In addition, non-cash transactions consist of shares issued and received related to convertible senior note transactions.

Cash Requirements from Contractual Obligations

Leases

We lease nearly all of our retail and outlet locations, corporate headquarters, distribution centers and home delivery center locations, as well as other storage and office space. Refer to “Leases” within Note 3— Significant Accounting Policies and Note 11—Leases in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our lease arrangements, including the maturities of our operating and finance lease liabilities.

Most lease arrangements provide us with the option to renew the leases at defined terms. The table presenting the maturities of our lease liabilities included in Note 11—Leases includes future obligations for renewal options that are reasonably certain to be exercised and are included in the measurement of the lease liability. Amounts presented therein do not include future lease payments under leases that have not commenced or estimated contingent rent due under operating and finance leases.

Convertible Senior Notes

Refer to Note 12—Convertible Senior Notes in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2024 and 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023.

Asset Based Credit Facility

Refer to Note 13—Credit Facilities in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our asset based credit facility, including the amount available for borrowing under the revolving line of credit, net of outstanding letters of credit.

Term Loan

Refer to Note 13—Credit Facilities in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our Term Loan.

Equipment Loan Facility

Refer to Note 13—Credit Facilities in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our equipment loan facility.

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Share Repurchase Programs

We regularly review share repurchase activity and consider various factors in determining whether and when to execute investments in connection with our share repurchase programs, including, among others, current cash needs, capacity for leverage, cost of borrowings, results of operations and the market price of our common stock. We believe that share repurchase programs will continue to be an excellent allocation of capital for the long-term benefit of our shareholders. We may undertake other repurchase programs in the future with respect to our securities.

$950 Million Share Repurchase Program

In 2018, our Board of Directors authorized the 950 Million Repurchase Program through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including through Rule 10b-18 open market repurchases, Rule 10b5-1 trading plans or through the use of other techniques such as the acquisition of other equity linked instruments, accelerated share repurchases including through privately-negotiated arrangements in which a portion of the 950 Million Repurchase Program is committed in advance through a financial intermediary and/or in transactions involving hedging or derivatives. We completed $250 million in share repurchases in fiscal 2018 under the 950 Million Repurchase Program. In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, we repurchased approximately 2.2 million shares of our common stock at an average price of $115.36 per share, for an aggregate repurchase amount of approximately $250 million under the 950 Million Repurchase Program. We did not make any repurchases under the 950 Million Repurchase Program during either fiscal 2021 or fiscal 2020. The total current authorized size of this share repurchase program is up to $950 million, of which $450 million remained available as of January 29, 2022 for future share investments.

Other Commitments

We enter into various commitments related to the procurement of merchandise inventory. As of January 29, 2022, these merchandise inventory purchase commitments were $756 million.

We are not able to reasonably estimate when cash payments for the unrecognized tax benefits associated with uncertain tax positions of $3.5 million as of January 29, 2022 will occur or the amount by which the liability for uncertain tax positions will increase or decrease over time. Refer to Note 15—Income Taxes in our consolidated financial statements for further information on our uncertain tax positions.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires our senior leadership to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and related notes, as well as the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We evaluate our accounting policies, estimates, and judgments on an on-going basis. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions and such differences could be material to the consolidated financial statements.

Information on all of our significant accounting policies can be found in Note 3—Significant Accounting Policies in our audited consolidated financial statements. Our senior leadership team evaluates the development and selection of our critical accounting policies and estimates and believes that certain of our significant accounting policies involve a higher degree of judgment or complexity and are most significant to reporting our consolidated results of operations and financial position, and are therefore discussed as critical. The following critical accounting policies reflect the significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Merchandise Inventories—Reserves

Our merchandise inventories are comprised of finished goods and are carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value, with cost determined on a weighted-average cost method. To determine if the value of inventory should be marked down below original cost, we use estimates to determine the lower of cost or net realizable value, which considers current and anticipated demand, customer preference and the merchandise age. The inventory value is adjusted periodically to reflect current market conditions, which requires judgments that may significantly affect the ending inventory valuation, as well as gross margin. The estimates used in inventory valuation are lower of cost or net realizable value reserves and obsolescence (including excess and slow-moving inventory).

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Our inventory reserves contain uncertainties that require us to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding a number of factors, including market conditions, the selling environment, historical results and current inventory trends. We adjust our inventory reserves for net realizable value and obsolescence based on trends, aging reports, specific identification and estimates of future retail sales prices. If actual results change from our prior estimates, we adjust our inventory reserves accordingly throughout the period. We have not made any material changes to our assumptions included in the calculations of the lower of cost or net realizable value reserves during the periods presented.

Impairment

Tradenames, Trademarks and Other Intangible Assets

We annually evaluate whether tradenames, trademarks and other intangible assets continue to have an indefinite life. Tradenames, trademarks and other intangible assets are reviewed for impairment annually in the fourth quarter and may be reviewed more frequently if indicators of impairment are present. Conditions that may indicate impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in customer demand or business climate that could affect the value of an asset, a product recall or an adverse action or assessment by a regulator.

We qualitatively assess indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset is less than its carrying amount. If tradenames, trademarks and other intangible assets are not qualitatively assessed or if such intangible assets are qualitatively assessed and it is determined it is not more likely than not that the asset’s fair value is greater than its carrying amount, an impairment review is performed by comparing the carrying value to the estimated fair value, determined using a discounted cash flow methodology, which requires us to make judgments that may significantly affect the ending asset valuation. Factors used in the valuation of intangible assets with indefinite lives include, but are not limited to, our plans for future operations, brand initiatives, recent results of operations and projected future cash flows.

In the event we quantitatively assess a reporting unit’s indefinite-lived intangible asset for impairment, we perform an impairment test which utilizes the discounted cash flow methodology under the relief-from-royalty method. Under the relief-from-royalty method, our significant assumptions include the forecasted future revenues and the estimated royalty rate, expressed as a percentage of revenues.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property and equipment and lease right-of-use assets, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Conditions that may indicate impairment include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in customer demand or business climate that could affect the value of an asset, change in the intended use of an asset, a product recall or an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted future cash flows over the remaining life of the primary asset is less than the carrying value, we recognize a loss equal to the difference between the carrying value and the fair value, usually determined by the estimated discounted cash flow analysis of the asset or asset group. The asset group is defined as the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are available and largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets, which for our stores is the individual Gallery level.

Since there is typically no active market for our long-lived assets, we estimate fair values based on the expected future cash flows of the asset or asset group, using a discount rate commensurate with the related risk. The estimate of fair value requires judgments that may significantly affect the ending asset valuation. Future cash flows are estimated based on Gallery-level historical results, current trends, and operating and cash flow projections. Our estimates are subject to uncertainty and may be affected by a number of factors outside our control, including general economic conditions and the competitive environment. While we believe our estimates and judgments about future cash flows are reasonable, future impairment charges may be required if the expected cash flow estimates, as projected, do not occur or if events change requiring us to revise our estimates.

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Lease Accounting

Reasonably Certain Lease Term

In recognizing the lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, we utilize the lease term for which we are reasonably certain to use the underlying asset, including consideration of options to extend or terminate the lease. At lease commencement, we evaluate whether we are reasonably certain to exercise available options based on consideration of a variety of economic factors and the circumstances related to the leased asset. Factors considered include, but are not limited to, (i) the contractual terms compared to estimated market rates, (ii) the uniqueness or importance of the asset or its location, (iii) the potential costs of obtaining an alternative asset, (iv) the potential costs of relocating or ceasing use of the asset, including the consideration of leasehold improvements and other invested capital, and (v) any potential tax consequences.

The determination of the reasonably certain lease term affects the inclusion of rental payments utilized in the incremental borrowing rate calculations, the results of the lease classification test, and our consideration of certain assets held for sale or planned for sale-leaseback. The reasonably certain lease term may materially impact our financial position related to certain Design Galleries or distribution center facilities which typically have greater lease payments. Although the above factors are considered in our analysis, the assessment involves subjectivity considering our strategy, expected future events and market conditions. While we believe our estimates and judgments in determining the lease term are reasonable, future events may occur which may require us to reassess this determination.

Incremental Borrowing Rate

As most of our leases do not include an implicit interest rate, we determine the discount rate for each lease based upon the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”) in order to calculate the present value of the lease liability at the commencement date. The IBR is computed as the rate of interest that we would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the total lease payments in a similar economic environment. We utilize our outstanding debt facilities, including our asset based credit facility or our Term Loan Credit Agreement issued in October 2021, as the basis for determining the applicable IBR for each lease. We estimate the incremental borrowing rate for each lease primarily by reference to yield rates on debt issuances by companies of a similar credit rating, the weighted-average lease term and adjustments for differences between the yield rates and the actual term of the credit facility. In determining the yield rates, for Design Galleries we utilize market information on the lease commencement date and for leases other than new Design Galleries, we utilize market information as of the beginning of the quarter in which the lease commenced.

Fair Value

We determine the fair value of the underlying asset, and the lease components such as land and building, for purposes of determining the lease classification and allocating our contractual rental payments to the lease components. The fair value of the underlying asset and lease components also impact our assets held for sale and sale-leaseback transactions. The fair value assessments may materially impact our financial position related to certain Design Galleries or distribution center facilities which typically have greater fair values.

The determination of fair value requires subjectivity and estimates, including the use of multiple valuation techniques and uncertain inputs, such as market price per square foot and assumed capitalization rates or the replacement cost of the assets, where applicable. Where real estate valuation expertise is required we obtain independent third-party appraisals to determine the fair value of the underlying asset and lease components. While determining fair value requires a variety of input assumptions and judgment, we believe our estimates of fair value are reasonable.

Stock-Based Compensation—Performance-Based Awards

For awards with performance-based criteria, compensation expense is recognized on an accelerated basis over the requisite service period. The fair value of each performance-based option award granted is estimated on the date of grant using a Monte Carlo simulation option pricing model that requires the input of subjective assumptions regarding the future exercise behavior, expected volatility and a discount for illiquidity. We determined these assumptions based on consideration of (i) future exercise behavior based on the historical observed exercise pattern of the award recipient, (ii) expected volatility based on our historical observed common stock prices measured over the full trading history of our common stock and implied volatility based on 180-day average trading prices of our common stock, and (iii) a discount for illiquidity estimated using the Finnerty method.

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Equity Method Investments

In fiscal 2020, we entered into equity method investments in connection with real estate development initiatives in Aspen, Colorado. These investments in privately-held limited liability companies (the “Aspen LLCs” or “equity method investments”) meet the criteria of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) and are not consolidated.

When we have a variable interest in another legal entity, we evaluate whether that legal entity is within the scope of the VIE model and, if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE. We evaluate a legal entity for consolidation under the VIE model if no scope exceptions apply and, by design, the total equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the legal entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or, as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack any of the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. The Aspen LLCs are qualitatively determined to be VIEs due to insufficient equity investment at risk.

We consolidate a VIE if our involvement indicates that we are the primary beneficiary. We would be the primary beneficiary of a VIE if we have both (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The determination of the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact economic performance requires judgement and is impacted by numerous factors including the purpose of the VIE, contractual rights and obligations of the variable interest holders, and mechanisms for the resolution of disputes among the variable interest holders. We account for investments under the equity method of accounting when we are not the primary beneficiary with a controlling financial interest but we have significant influence over the operations of the investee. In evaluating if we exert control or significant influence we consider factors such as the terms and structure of the investment agreement and the legal structure of the investee, including investor voting or other rights, and other agreements with the investee. We account for our investments in the Aspen LLCs using the equity method of accounting because we do not have a controlling financial interest but have the ability to exercise significant influence over the Aspen LLCs.

Equity method investments are initially measured at cost. As of our investment date, we determine the fair value of the underlying assets and liabilities held by the Aspen LLCs for purposes of determining whether or not we have basis differences arising in connection with our investment. The determination of fair value of the underlying real estate assets requires subjectivity and estimates, including the use of various valuation techniques and Level 3 inputs, such as market price per square foot and assumed capitalization rates or the replacement cost of the assets, where applicable. If specialized expertise is required we obtain independent third-party appraisals to determine the fair value of the underlying assets and liabilities. While determining fair value requires a variety of input assumptions and judgment, we believe our estimates of fair value are reasonable.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to “Recently Issued Accounting Standards” within Note 3—Significant Accounting Policies in our consolidated financial statements within Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.