-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, KuQhQExZ+mzFMC+0q7UhKQkrKwg5WT3vSwiz4uvSyn4iN/9/GybQL5F2LyvDTuOj mlwhsQ8RPKOOv6FQKK99sg== 0001104659-07-034343.txt : 20070501 0001104659-07-034343.hdr.sgml : 20070501 20070501155852 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001104659-07-034343 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 10-K PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 8 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20070131 FILED AS OF DATE: 20070501 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20070501 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: SAMSONITE CORP/FL CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000914478 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: LEATHER & LEATHER PRODUCTS [3100] IRS NUMBER: 363511556 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 0131 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 10-K SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 000-23214 FILM NUMBER: 07805992 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 11200 EAST 45TH AVENUE CITY: DENVER STATE: CO ZIP: 80239 BUSINESS PHONE: 3033732000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 11200 EAST 45TH AVENUE CITY: DENVER STATE: CO ZIP: 80239 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: ASTRUM INTERNATIONAL CORP DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19931105 10-K 1 a07-12333_110k.htm 10-K

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

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

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007

OR

o                                  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                              to

Commission file number 0-23214


SAMSONITE CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

 

36-3511556

(State or other jurisdiction Of

 

(I.R.S. Employer

incorporation or organization)

 

Identification no.)

575 West Street, Suite 110

 

 

Mansfield, Massachusetts

 

02048

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (508) 851-1400

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, par value $.01 per share

(Title of class)


Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

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 o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). See definition of “large filer” and “large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Large Accelerated Filer o  Accelerated Filer o  Non-accelerated Filer x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x

As of April 30, 2007, the registrant had outstanding 742,032,974 shares of Common Stock, par value $.01 per share. The aggregate market value of such Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based upon the closing sales price of the Common Stock on July 31, 2006, as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board was approximately $65.6 million. Shares of Common Stock held by each officer and director and by each person who owns 10 percent or more of the outstanding voting stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

Documents incorporated by reference:   Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days at the end of the fiscal year covered by this report

 




INDEX

 

 

 

Page

 

PART I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

 

Business

 

 

3

 

 

Item 1A.

 

Risk Factors

 

 

12

 

 

Item 1B.

 

Unresolved Staff Comments

 

 

20

 

 

Item 2.

 

Properties

 

 

21

 

 

Item 3.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

 

21

 

 

Item 4.

 

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

 

22

 

 

PART II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.

 

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

 

 

23

 

 

Item 6.

 

Selected Financial Data

 

 

24

 

 

Item 7.

 

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

 

 

25

 

 

Item 7A.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

 

44

 

 

Item 8.

 

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

 

45

 

 

Item 9.

 

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure     

 

 

45

 

 

Item 9A.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

 

45

 

 

Item 9B.

 

Other Information

 

 

46

 

 

PART III

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 10.

 

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

 

 

47

 

 

Item 11.

 

Executive Compensation

 

 

47

 

 

Item 12.

 

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

 

 

47

 

 

Item 13.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

 

 

47

 

 

Item 14.

 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

 

47

 

 

PART IV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 15.

 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule

 

 

48

 

 

Signatures

 

 

49

 

 

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule

 

 

F-1

 

 

Index to Exhibits

 

 

E-1

 

 

 

Important Notice:

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (including documents incorporated by reference herein) contains statements with respect to the Company’s expectations or beliefs as to future events. These types of statements are “forward-looking” and are subject to uncertainties. See “Forward-Looking Statements” under Item 1.

2




PART I

ITEM 1.                BUSINESS

General Development

We are one of the world’s largest and most recognized designers and distributors in the luggage industry, as well as one of the leading distributors of business, computer, outdoor, and casual bags. We sell our products under a number of well-known brand names, primarily Samsonite® Black Label, Samsonite®, American Tourister®, and Lambertson Truex®, and licensed brand names such as Lacoste® and Timberland®. With net sales of $1.1 billion for our fiscal year ended January 31, 2007, an increase of approximately 10.7 percent from the preceding fiscal year, we are the leader in the global luggage industry and significantly larger than any of our primarily regionally based competitors. Our net sales for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2006 and January 31, 2005 were $966.9 million and $902.9 million, respectively. Our compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, on sales from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2007 was 11.3 percent.

In fiscal year 2007, we had a consolidated loss to common stockholders of $145.2 million after preferred stock dividends of $138.4 million and the cumulative effect of an accounting change of $1.4 million. The consolidated loss for fiscal 2007 also includes $22.5 million in premiums paid on the repurchase of our 87¤8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011, the repurchase and redemption of our Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2010 and the related write off of deferred financing costs. In fiscal 2006 and 2005, we had a consolidated loss to common stockholders of $1.5 million and $23.4 million, respectively.

Our product assortment includes product lines appealing to many types of consumers, from those focused on luxury under the Lambertson Truex product line and on premium products under the Samsonite Black Label line; those focused on quality, functionality and durability which are featured in the Samsonite lines; or value-conscious consumers who prefer the American Tourister brand. In addition to using our Samsonite and American Tourister brand names on the products we manufacture or distribute, we license these brand names to third parties for use on products that include travel accessories, leather goods, furniture and other products.

Our principal corporate office is at 575 West Street, Suite 110, Mansfield, Massachusetts 02048, our telephone number is (508) 851-1400, and our main website is www.samsonite.com. In May 2006, we opened a new executive office in the United Kingdom at 4 Mondial Way, Harlington, Middlesex UB3 5AR where our Chief Executive Officer and executives responsible for core global functions are or will be based. Our telephone number in the United Kingdom is (44) 208-564-4200. We were incorporated in Delaware in 1987.

Our products are sold in over 100 countries at various types of retail establishments including department stores, high street shops and luggage specialty stores, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, computer and electronic superstores, office superstores, bookstores, and travel product stores. We also sell certain products through over 300 Samsonite-operated retail stores in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and in shop-in-shop concessions principally in Asia and in franchised retail stores. In addition, our products are sold through www.samsonitecompanystores.com, www.samsoniteblacklabel.com and the websites of many of our customers. We design the majority of our luggage products at our facilities in Europe, North America and Asia. Our products are produced by third party suppliers that satisfy Samsonite’s quality and production standards or Samsonite-operated manufacturing facilities. Sales in Europe, North America, and in our other markets (including Asia and Latin America) comprised 41.9 percent, 35.3 percent, and 21.6 percent of our net sales, respectively, in fiscal year 2007. Licensing revenues comprised the remaining 1.2 percent of total revenues.

3




Our fiscal year ends on January 31. References to a fiscal year denote the calendar year in which the fiscal year ended; for example, “fiscal 2007” refers to the 12 months ended January 31, 2007. Our foreign subsidiaries generally have fiscal year ends of December 31 and results are included through that date.

Products and Development

We distribute a broad range of products that include softside, hardside and hybrid (combination hardside and softside) luggage, business and computer bags, outdoor and casual bags, shoes, accessories and other related products.

Below is our market positioning for each of our principal brands:

Brand Name

 

 

 

Percentage of
Net Product Sales
Fiscal Year 2007

 

Marketing Positioning

 

Consumers

Owned Brand Names:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Black Label

 

 

1.6

%

 

Premium

 

Very affluent

Lambertson Truex

 

 

%*

 

Luxury

 

Very affluent

Samsonite

 

 

70.0

%

 

High-quality, innovative

 

Upper income, affluent

American Tourister

 

 

15.0

%

 

Quality and value

 

Middle to lower income and value-conscious

Licensed Brand Names:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lacoste

 

 

5.8

%

 

Premium sport and casual

 

Affluent

Timberland

 

 

0.6

%

 

Casual and outdoor

 

Affluent

Other

 

 

7.0

%

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

 

 


*                    A 63% interest in Lambertson Truex was acquired by the Company effective as of July 6, 2006.

Licensed Products.   We license our trademarks primarily for use on related product categories that are made and sold by licensees either worldwide or in certain geographic regions. Our licensees are selected for competency in their product categories and usually sell parallel lines of products under their own or other brands. Examples of licensed products include leather business and computer cases (in North America only), furniture products, travel accessories, photo and audio storage gear, personal leather goods, umbrellas, cellular phone cases, school bags, shoes and children’s products. Net sales include royalties earned and sales of licenses of $14.0 million, $16.6 million and $19.9 million, for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. For the year ended January 31, 2005, we had royalties of $4.9 million from a luggage manufacturer and distributor in Japan. In December 2004 the license agreement with our Japanese distributor lapsed and the Company initiated direct market sales in Japan.

4




The following table sets forth an overview of the percentage of our fiscal year 2007 revenues from global sales of luggage, business and computer cases, and outdoor and casual bags by product categories:

Product Category

 

 

 

Percentage of
Net Sales,
Fiscal Year
2007

 

Principal Products

 

Key Brands

 

Main Distribution Channels

Luggage

 

 

66.8

%

 

Hardside and softside luggage, garment bags, carry on bags

 

Samsonite Black Label, Lambertson Truex

 

Direct retail stores,  specialty stores and high-end department stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite

 

Mid-level department stores, specialty stores, national chains, warehouse clubs, direct retail stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Tourister

 

National chains, mass merchants, specialty stores, direct retail stores

Casual and Outdoor Bags

 

 


12.5


%

 


Duffel bags, tote bags, backpacks, shoulder and hip  

bags, school bags, handbags

 


Lambertson Truex, Samsonite Black Label, Samsonite, Lacoste, Timberland

 

 


Specialty stores, department stores, national chains, warehouse clubs, sport and  

outdoor retailers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Tourister

 

National chains, mass merchants, specialty stores

Business and Computer  Cases

 

 


12.0


%

 


Briefcases, business cases, computer cases

 


Lambertson Truex,
Samsonite Black Label

 


Direct retail stores, specialty stores and high-end department stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite

 

Department and specialty stores, office superstores, OEMs, warehouse clubs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Tourister

 

Mass merchants

Other

 

 

8.7

%

 

Small leather goods, footwear, clothing, travel accessories

 

Samsonite Black Label, Lambertson Truex

 

Direct retail stores, high  end department stores, specialty stores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite, Lacoste

 

Department stores, specialty stores,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Tourister

 

Department stores, specialty stores, mass merchants

Total

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5




Our product categories are described below.

Softside Luggage.   The softside luggage category includes suitcases, garment bags and soft carry-on suitcases. Approximately 90 percent of the softside luggage we sell is made for us by independent finished goods suppliers located around the world. We produce the balance of our softside luggage and garment bags in our own facilities located in Eastern Europe. Our softside products are sold under all of our major brands.

Over the past few years, Samsonite has introduced a number of innovative proprietary features in its softside luggage products in response to consumer demands for increased ease of use and better interior organization, mobility and protection. An example is the SpaceMaster carry-on/tote designed to fit easily in airline overhead bins or under seats.

Hardside Luggage.   We manufacture most of our hardside suitcases in Company-owned factories. Our hardside luggage is sold under the Samsonite, Samsonite Black Label and American Tourister brands. Each line includes a variety of sizes and styles to suit differing travel requirements. We currently manufacture hardside suitcases using three basic processes: injection molding, vacuum forming and pressure forming. Two of these processes require different types of plastic resin; the third uses proprietary, SRP (self-reinforcing polymer) laminates. Our hardside suitcases include proprietary features to reduce the case’s overall weight, which facilitates packing and transport.

Hybrid Luggage.   We have introduced products that include important proprietary designs and features of both the hardside and softside luggage. Generally, hybrid cases such as X’Lite use our various polymer-molding technologies to form the structural, protective shell portion, with textile-based soft portions forming the rest of the product. Such travel products use our patented, proprietary process to mold sleek, tough polymer frames around laminated fabric panels to form extremely light shells.

Business and Computer Cases.   We sell a variety of business and computer cases under our Lambertson Truex, Samsonite Black Label, Samsonite and American Tourister brand names. We are pursuing innovations in lighter weight and more fashionable styles meeting the functionality requirements of modern travelers. Our latest introductions are a line of women’s computer bags, a line of casual business cases and a mobile office computer bag with Spinner wheels. We design and have our suppliers manufacture our softside business cases and computer cases. In addition, we license our brands to experienced business case distributors for the sale of certain products in the United States.

Outdoor and Casual Bags.   The outdoor and casual bag market includes duffel bags, casual luggage, tote bags, athletic bags, traditional backpacks, daypacks, and shoulder bags. We have expanded our business in this growing market by increasing distribution of products under our licensed Lacoste brand and acquiring a majority interest in American luxury accessory brand Lambertson Truex. Additionally, the Company has obtained the license of the Timberland brand to extend its reach in the outdoor and casual bag markets and began distribution of Timberland products during fiscal 2007. We believe that by offering consumers a number of product lines with varying styles and price points, we have the opportunity to capture a larger portion of this market.

Regions and Store Locations

Our products are sold in over 100 countries around the world from the retail locations of others, from our own stores, over the Internet at www.samsonitecompanystores.com, www.samsoniteblacklabel.com and at the websites of a number of our customers. Retail channels of distribution primarily include department and specialty stores, national and mass merchant retailers, warehouse clubs and our own retail stores.

Sales of our products tend to be only moderately seasonal. Sales are slightly higher in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal years when the back-to-school shopping season increases sales for backpack and casual products and when holiday travel and gift-shopping increases sales for our travel products and accessories.

6




A summary of net revenues follows:

 

 

Net Revenues

 

 

 

Fiscal Year 2007

 

Fiscal Year 2006

 

Fiscal Year 2005

 

 

 

(amounts in millions)

 

Europe

 

 

$

448.4

 

 

 

417.4

 

 

 

406.0

 

 

North America

 

 

377.5

 

 

 

363.9

 

 

 

343.0

 

 

Asia

 

 

182.8

 

 

 

127.7

 

 

 

99.0

 

 

Latin America

 

 

48.2

 

 

 

41.8

 

 

 

36.1

 

 

Corporate & Other

 

 

13.5

 

 

 

16.1

 

 

 

18.8

 

 

Total

 

 

$

1,070.4

 

 

 

966.9

 

 

 

902.9

 

 

 

Europe.   Our Samsonite and Samsonite Black Label products in Europe are sold through specialty luggage and leather goods stores and department stores. We also sell our products through over 50 Company-operated Samsonite Black Label and Samsonite retail stores and outlets located throughout Western and Central Europe. In order to preserve the premium image of the Samsonite brand, Samsonite brand products are not distributed through discount retailers. Our American Tourister brand has been introduced in Europe as well as in Asia to establish a single global brand name in the discount channel (known in Europe as “hypermarkets”). American Tourister products are also sold through the traditional distribution channels (department and specialty stores) in Europe. Our direct sales and product demonstration force of approximately 130 people serves companies with retail outlets throughout Europe.

In over 20 European markets where we do not have a direct sales force, we sell our products through distributors and agents. These distributors and agents, as well as those mentioned under “Elsewhere in the World” below, handle various travel-related products in addition to our products. Distribution agreements generally provide for mutual exclusivity, whereby distributors do not handle competitors’ luggage products and we do not sell to other distributors or agents in their territory.

North America.   Our Samsonite Black Label products are sold in high-end department and specialty luggage stores. Our Lambertson Truex products are sold in high-end department stores. Our Samsonite and American Tourister branded products are sold in North America primarily through traditional luggage retail distribution channels such as mid-level department stores and luggage specialty stores. Some national retailers and warehouse clubs carry Samsonite and American Tourister products uniquely designed for them. American Tourister products are primarily sold to middle income and value conscious consumers through discount channels such as mass merchants where we do not distribute the Samsonite brand. Our direct sales force of approximately 40 professionals services our customers’ retail outlets throughout North America.

We currently operate over 150 retail stores in North America that distribute Samsonite and, to a lesser extent, American Tourister products. In fiscal year 2007, approximately 31.7 percent of our sales in North America came from our retail stores.

Asia.   We sell our products through Company-operated Samsonite retail stores, Company operated shop-in-shop concessions in department stores and non-Company operated franchise stores as well as specialty stores and travel stores. We market directly in Australia, Japan, Korea, India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. In other Asian markets where we do not market directly, we sell through distributors and agents. Our American Tourister brand is sold in selective Asian markets through hypermarkets, specialty stores and department stores. Revenues from Asian operations increased 43.1 percent from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007.

Latin America.   Our Samsonite and American Tourister branded products are sold in Latin America primarily through traditional luggage retail distribution channels such as department stores and luggage specialty stores. We also operate over 20 retail stores in Latin America that distribute Samsonite and American Tourister products. A number of these stores are company outlet stores that provide a profitable distribution channel to liquidate our excess and discontinued products. As American Tourister products are

7




primarily sold to middle income and value conscious consumers, discount channels such as mass merchants and warehouse clubs are especially important to the distribution of American Tourister branded products in Latin America. Revenues from Latin America increased 15.3 percent from fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007.

Elsewhere in the World.   In markets outside Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America, we sell our products either directly by export or through agents and distributors or under license. Products sold in these international markets are shipped from Eastern and Western Europe or Asia depending upon product type and availability. In some instances, we entered new markets through third party distributors and subsequently acquired these third party distributors as the markets developed. In a number of these markets, our distributors operate monobrand Samsonite “franchise” stores that provide a vehicle for distributing the products in markets where organized distribution is not widespread.

Distribution Channels

Specialty stores.   Our products are currently sold in specialty luggage stores around the world. Sales through specialty stores represented approximately 26.6 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 26.1 percent and 26.5 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2005, respectively.

Department stores.   Our products are currently sold in department stores, such as Macy’s, Lane Crawford and Harrods. Department store sales represented approximately 22.5 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 22.3 percent and 21.3 percent of our net product in fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2005, respectively.

Mass merchants.   Our products are currently sold in mass merchant stores such as Wal-Mart in the United States and Auchan in Europe. Sales through mass merchant stores represented approximately 6.0 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 6.3 percent and 5.4 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2005, respectively.

Office superstores.   Our products are currently sold in office superstores such as Staples in the United States. Sales through office superstores represented 3.1 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 3.8 percent and 4.8 percent of our net sales in fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2005, respectively.

Warehouse clubs.   Our products are currently sold in warehouse clubs mostly in the United States, such as Costco. Sales through warehouse clubs represented approximately 2.1 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 1.9 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2006 and fiscal year 2005.

Retail stores.   Our products are also sold through our network of directly operated stores. Our stores reinforce Samsonite’s global position as a leading, worldwide luxury travel and accessories brand. We currently operate over 300 retail stores worldwide that distribute Samsonite, Samsonite Black Label, and American Tourister products, a variety of travel-related products, and our excess and discontinued products. We also operate shop-in-shop concessions, primarily in Asia. We have also entered into “franchise” arrangements with retailers that enable us to assist the retailer with store location, signage, and retail marketing in exchange for exclusive supply arrangements in Asia (mainly India, South Korea and China).

Other channels.   Our products are currently sold in other channels throughout the world such as discounters, exclusive label, premium and other distributors and agents. Sales through other channels represented 22.5 percent of our net product sales in fiscal year 2007, compared with 21.5 percent and 20.7 percent of our net sales in fiscal years 2006 and 2005, respectively.

8




Advertising

Advertising resources are committed to brand advertising programs that promote the brand image and product features of our luggage and related products. Samsonite’s global advertising strategy is a fully integrated and targeted advertising effort through print, billboards, public relations, in-airport, on-line, and in-store advertising. During fiscal year 2007, we reinforced Samsonite’s positioning as a premium lifestyle brand by executing a host of strategic communication initiatives. We also featured internationally recognized business and fashion celebrities in our advertising. For example, during fiscal year 2007, we featured Sir Richard Branson, actress Isabella Rossellini and Spanish flamenco dancer Joaquín Cortés in our advertising, while in fiscal year 2008, we will feature advertising campaigns with fashion designer Alexander McQueen, race car driver Danica Patrick, and French actor Jean Reno. High profile public relations events such as our “House of Samsonite” press and media events back our advertising initiatives and support key product launches such as Samsonite Black Label by Alexander McQueen. We assist our trade customers in adapting their advertising to our global advertising campaigns through various cooperative advertising programs. We employ other promotional activities to further support our trade customers and increase product sales, including in-store point of sale print support and display fixturing along with consumer loyalty programs. In fiscal year 2007 we spent approximately $77.5 million on advertising and marketing promotion activities, an increase of 9.5 percent compared with fiscal year 2006. For the last five fiscal years we have expended, on average, in excess of $57.6 million annually in global communications, cooperative advertising programs, public relations, and promotional activities (such as catalogues, point of display materials, trade shows and sales samples) to support the sale of our branded products.

Manufacturing and Sourcing Products

We believe that our large size and leading market position allows us to achieve volume driven purchasing and manufacturing economies of scale. Our global product-sourcing network consists of various third party finished goods suppliers located principally in Asia and Samsonite-operated manufacturing facilities. Our global sourcing network enables us to obtain economies of scale by sourcing products from countries with low production costs while maintaining the same quality standards as are applied to the products we manufacture ourselves. We continue to adjust our business model to reduce fixed manufacturing costs and to adopt a more variable cost model that increases the amount of goods sourced from lower-cost production regions, which are primarily in Asia. Over the past several years we have closed several manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, France and Slovakia. Our remaining manufacturing facilities include hardside plants in Oudenaarde, Belgium and Nashik, India; and a softside plant in Szekszard, Hungary. Our initiatives are reflected in the ratio of manufactured softside products declining from 23 percent in fiscal year 2004 to 10 percent in fiscal year 2007.

In fiscal year 2007, we purchased 90 percent of our softside and hybrid products from third-party vendors in Asia. We select different third-party vendors to benefit from differences in manufacturing costs, payment terms and shipping costs. We do not rely on any single third-party vendor whose loss would be material to us. The remaining 10 percent of our softside and hybrid products was produced in Company-operated factories. Further, substantially all of our hardside products are manufactured in our own facilities.

Softside luggage is primarily made from fabric including nylon, polyester and vinyl as well as aluminum, steel, plastics and leather. These materials are purchased from various vendors throughout China and Taiwan and are readily available. The hardside luggage is composed primarily of polypropylene, which we source from two European suppliers, and various combinations of ABS (acrylinonitrile butadiene styrene) and polycarbonate, which we source from suppliers in India and Europe. None of these hardside materials is difficult for us to obtain as numerous third party vendors exist.

9




We maintain a vigorous quality control program for goods manufactured at our own plants and at third-party vendor facilities. New products are put through a series of simulation and stress tests to assure durability and strength. In our manufacturing facilities and our own quality assurance offices, we use quality control inspectors, engineers and lab technicians to monitor product quality and production standards at vendors’ production facilities.

Competition

Competition in the worldwide luggage industry is very fragmented. We have several regional competitors in each of our markets (Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia). However, no other company operates on a similar scale to us globally.

Throughout our regional markets we compete based on brand name recognition, reputation for product quality, product differentiation, new product innovation, customer service, high-quality consumer advertising campaigns and quality to price comparisons. We are well established in the distribution channels critical to luggage distribution, which we believe gives us a competitive advantage.

The manufacture of softside luggage is labor intensive but not capital intensive; therefore, barriers to entry by competitors in this market segment are relatively low. This is reflected by the many small competitors present in the softside luggage market. In addition, we compete with various large retailers, some of whom are our customers, who have the ability to purchase private-label softside luggage directly from low-cost manufacturers. The manufacture of hardside and hybrid luggage is more capital intensive and there are relatively few finished goods vendors; consequently, barriers to entry are relatively high. Nonetheless, we have several competitors worldwide in the hardside luggage market.

Customers

Our customers include specialty stores featuring luggage products, major department stores that carry luggage, retail chain stores, mass merchants, office superstores, warehouse clubs, premium sales (sales direct to business), Internet retailers and discounters. We also sell certain products directly to consumers through Samsonite-operated retail stores in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia and over the Internet at our www.samsonitecompanystores.com and www.samsoniteblacklabel.com websites. We do not depend on any single customer for more than 3.2 percent of our consolidated revenues.

Management Information Systems

Samsonite has successfully started the process of replacing its legacy ERP systems with the SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP) system. This software will enable the Company to globalize its data, processes and organization. It will assure data integrity and consistency of information across all entities in the organization.

As of February 2007, we had implemented the SAP system in Canada and had commenced implementation in the United States. We expect implementation of the entire system to be substantially completed in calendar year 2009.

Environmental Matters

Our operations throughout the world are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations. These environmental laws and regulations govern the generation, storage, transportation, disposal and emission of various substances. We work to ensure that our existing operations comply fully with these laws and regulations. Although compliance involves continuing costs, the ongoing costs of compliance with existing environmental laws and regulations have not had, nor are they expected to have, a material effect upon our cash flow or financial position. From time to time we have incurred, or accrued for, cleanup or settlement costs for environmental cleanup matters associated, or alleged to have been associated, with our historic operations. To date these expenses have not had a material effect upon our

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cash flow or financial position. Unknown, undiscovered or unanticipated situations or events may require us to increase the amount we have accrued for any environmental matters.

Trademarks, Patents and Product Development

We are the registered owner of Samsonite®, American Tourister®, Lambertson Truex® and other trademarks. As of January 31, 2007, we had approximately 1,929 trademark registrations and 237 trademark applications pending in the United States and abroad covering luggage, travel equipment, apparel products and retail services. Our Samsonite and American Tourister trademarks are of material importance to our business. Our trademark registrations in the United States and elsewhere will remain in existence for as long as we continue to use and renew them on a timely basis.

We also own approximately 121 United States patents and approximately 802 patents in selected foreign countries (i.e., patents of inventions, industrial design registrations and utility models). In addition, we have approximately 352 patent applications pending worldwide for such intellectual property registrations. We pursue a policy of seeking patent protection where appropriate for inventions embodied in our products. The patents we hold provide us with a significant competitive advantage in applicable portions of our business primarily associated with hardside and hybrid luggage products. Our patents and pending patent applications cover features, designs and processes in most of our mid- and higher-priced product lines. Although some companies have sought to imitate some of our patented products and our trademarks, we have generally been successful in enforcing our worldwide intellectual property rights.

We devote significant resources to new product design, development and innovation. We estimate that we have spent on average $8.2 million per year over the last three fiscal years on new product design and development. We start with market research to identify consumers’ functional requirements and style preferences. Once identified, we employ in-house and external designers and development engineers to develop new products that respond to those requirements and style preferences. In addition, we attempt to differentiate ourselves from our competitors by offering products that are innovative and distinctive in style and functionality. Our Creative Director has an extensive background in the design of luxury bags and accessories and is responsible for all global design functions.

Employees and Labor Relations

At January 31, 2007, we had approximately 5,000 employees worldwide, with approximately 1,300 employees in North America, 1,700 employees in Europe, 1,700 employees in Asia and 300 employees in Latin America. In the United States, approximately 100 employees are unionized under a contract that is renewed every three years and was most recently renewed in April 2005. At January 31, 2007 we employed in our European manufacturing plants approximately 500 workers located in Belgium and approximately 300 workers located in Hungary. In Europe, union membership is not definitively known to Samsonite, as union membership is confidential and varies from country to country. It is probable that most of our European workers are affiliated with a union, but we have no way of officially confirming this. Most European union contracts have a one-year duration. We believe our employee and union relations are generally satisfactory.

Forward Looking Statements

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”) provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. The Company and its representatives may, from time to time, make written or verbal forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in its reports to stockholders. Generally, the inclusion of the words “believe”, “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “will,” “project,” “plan,” and words or terms of similar substance identify statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are intended to come within the safe harbor

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protection provided by those sections. All statements addressing operating performance, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will occur in the future, including statements relating to advertising and marketing strategy, sourcing strategy, sales growth, earnings or earnings per share growth, and market share, as well as statements expressing optimism or pessimism about future operating results, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Reform Act. The forward-looking statements are and will be based upon management’s then-current views and assumptions regarding future events and operating performance, and are applicable only as of the dates of such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the risk factors set forth in Item 1A. Risk Factors.

ITEM 1A.        RISK FACTORS

Events which negatively affect travel levels adversely affect our business.

Demand for our products is affected by the public’s attitude towards the safety of travel, particularly air travel, the international political climate and the political climate of destination countries. Hostilities in the Middle East and other regions, events such as terrorist attacks and the threat of additional attacks, and the resulting political instability and concerns over safety and security aspects of traveling, may have an adverse impact on demand for our products. Additionally, the incidence or spread of contagious diseases (such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, commonly known as SARS, or Avian flu) may lead to a general reluctance by the public to travel, which could cause a decrease in demand for our luggage products and, as a result, may have an adverse effect on our sales, results of operations and financial condition. Any restrictions on airline activity imposed as a result of increased regulation (such as in relation to noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental laws) may also adversely affect our business.

A downturn in the economy may affect consumer purchases of our products, which could adversely affect our sales.

Our sales levels are correlated to general economic and business conditions in the global markets in which we sell our products. Our business is subject to economic conditions in our major markets, including recession, inflation, deflation, general weakness in retail and travel markets, and changes in consumer purchasing power. Any significant declines in general economic conditions or uncertainties regarding future economic prospects that affect consumer spending habits could have a material adverse effect on consumer purchases of our products and adversely affect our sales and gross profit margins. Moreover, a downturn in the economy may particularly affect consumer purchases of premium or luxury items, such as Samsonite Black Label and Lambertson Truex products.

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Our inability to respond to changes in consumer demands and market trends could adversely affect our sales.

Our success depends on our ability to identify, originate and define product and market trends as well as to anticipate, understand and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. Our future business prospects are dependent on our ability to enhance our existing luggage products and accessories and to develop and market innovative new offerings that achieve market acceptance. Our products must appeal to a broad range of consumers whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to rapid change. Consumer preferences differ in markets around the world. For example, in the United States, consumer preferences are primarily driven by price and features of the product, while in Europe and Asia, there is an increased focus on brand recognition. The enhancement of our luggage products and development of additional products are subject to all of the risks associated with new product development, including unanticipated delays, misjudgment of market trends, expenses or other difficulties that could result in the abandonment of or substantial change in our product development projects and the marketing or acceptance of these enhancements or new offerings. In addition, failure to continually enhance our products and to keep pace with market trends could result in a decrease in sales of our products.

Our ability to continue our sales growth is dependent upon the further implementation of our growth strategies, which we may not be able to sustain.

During recent years, we have experienced a growth in sales driven in part by our new products and geographical expansion and retail expansion strategies. Our ability to continue this growth is dependent on the successful continuation of these strategies. This includes diversification of our product offerings to include items beyond luggage, such as footwear and licensed products, and expansion of our Company-operated Samsonite retail and outlet locations. There can be no assurance that the expansion of our product offerings will be successful or that new products will be profitable or generate sales comparable to those we have recently experienced or that our increased emphasis on growth in the luxury goods market will result in our brand names and products achieving a high degree of consumer acceptance in that market. If we misjudge the market for our products, we may be faced with significant excess inventory for some products and missed opportunities for other products.

Implementation of our business strategy also involves the continued expansion of our network of Company-operated retail stores around the world. Over the next year, our goal is to open and operate directly or through franchises a number of additional Samsonite Black Label retail locations in large-market, fashion-oriented international shopping districts in major cities throughout the world, as well as a number of additional Samsonite stores in high-traffic street locations and/or shopping malls. Our ability to continue opening these new store locations depends upon, among other things, our ability to operate them at a profit, finance their opening and operations, secure them at reasonable rental rates and hire and train management and personnel to staff the stores. If we cannot address these challenges successfully, we may not be able to expand our business or increase our revenues at the rate we currently contemplate.

Part of our retail strategy relies upon our ability to lease quality locations at competitive prices. We may incur significant costs if our retail strategy fails and we are forced to close retail locations.

We lease the majority of our Company-operated retail stores. We are planning to increase our network of Company-operated retail stores around the world. Accordingly, the success of this aspect of our strategy is in part dependent on our ability to secure affordable, long-term leases and to secure renewals of such leases. Additional Samsonite Black Label retail stores will be located in areas typically associated with the sale of luxury goods. Such properties are generally highly sought after, and we may face intense competition from other companies for these locations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to purchase or lease desirable store locations or renew existing store leases on acceptable economic terms.

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In addition, we may be subject to potential financial risk associated with the cost of prematurely terminated leases. Failure of the Company-operated retail stores to grow revenues as expected may oblige management to close a store (or stores) and thereby terminate a lease agreement prior to its expiration. While we try to enter into leases that provide us with flexibility in terms of termination, premature termination of a lease agreement may cause us to incur asset write-downs for store lease acquisition costs, leasehold improvements, fixtures and fittings or inventory or incur a portion of the future lease costs after termination. In addition, it is possible that we may have to incur rental and other charges after closing such stores for undetermined periods up to the lease expiry date.

We must be able to maintain effective distribution channels that serve our customers’ purchasing patterns, and satisfactory control of our wholesale and license distribution channels is critical.

The retail market is marked by rapid changes in distribution channels and customer purchasing patterns. Our products are sold through diverse distribution channels, from our Company-operated stores, through our website, and through retail locations of others, including department and specialty stores, national and mass merchant retailers, and warehouse clubs. Therefore, maintaining good relationships with superior distribution or joint venture partners and establishing new distribution channels to better serve our customers’ purchasing patterns is key to our continued success. The increasing bargaining power of entities in the wholesale sector could result in them exerting downward price pressure on products that they distribute. Additionally, if distribution channel trends and purchasing preferences change and we are not positioned to take advantage of such changes, we could be excluded from important market segments and our sales and results of operations could be adversely affected.

To achieve the geographical breadth that we are targeting, in some countries we enter into joint ventures to run our business. There can be no assurance that such joint ventures will prove successful. We also rely on our ability to control our distribution networks and licensees to ensure that our products are sold in environments consistent with our brand image. Any action by any significant wholesale customer or licensee, such as presenting Samsonite products in a manner inconsistent with our preferred positioning, could be damaging to our brand image. If, due to regulatory, legal or other constraints, we are in any way unable to control our wholesale distribution networks and licensees, the Samsonite brand image, and therefore our results and profitability, may be adversely affected.

Some of our product lines are manufactured under licensed trademarks and any failure to retain or renew such licenses on acceptable terms may have an adverse effect on our business.

Our license agreement with Lacoste allows us to design, manufacture and market an extensive range of luggage, bags and leather goods under the Lacoste brand name. Products sold under the Lacoste brand name accounted for revenues of $61.0 million, or 5.8 percent of our revenues, in fiscal year 2007. Additionally, we are party to a license agreement with the Timberland Company, or Timberland, which allows us to design, manufacture and market luggage, business and computer cases and backpacks under the Timberland brand name. The Lacoste license agreement requires us, in each year, to achieve increasing minimum net sales of Lacoste branded goods in the various territories in which we have agreed to sell such goods. The Timberland license agreement requires us in each year to achieve increasing minimum net sales of Timberland branded goods and to make increasing annual royalty payments to Timberland. If these minimum net sales are not achieved, Lacoste and Timberland have the right under their respective license agreements to terminate their respective license agreements for a particular territory (in the case of the Lacoste license agreement) or in full (in the case of the Timberland license agreement). The Lacoste and the Timberland license agreements expire on December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in maintaining or renewing the Lacoste or Timberland licenses, or other licenses which are of commercial value to us, on terms that are acceptable to us. The loss of the Lacoste or Timberland licenses could have a material adverse affect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Failure to maintain the stature of our brands or a positive image of our company could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Our financial performance is influenced by the success of our brands, which, in turn, depends on factors such as product design, the distinct character of the products, the materials used to manufacture the products, the image of our stores, communication activities, including advertising, public relations and marketing, and general corporate profile. Additionally, our business strategy relies, in part, upon the successful carry-over of the Samsonite brand name to other product categories and the luxury goods market. Failure of the Samsonite brand name to carry-over to other products or the luxury goods market, or failure to maintain or increase the stature of our pre-existing brands or to successfully develop new brands could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We may not be able to realize the cost-saving benefits associated with the use of overseas third party vendors, and our vendors may be unable to deliver products in a timely cost-effective manner or to meet our quality standards.

A significant portion of our net sales is derived from products that are manufactured by third party vendors, a majority of which are located in Asia and Eastern Europe. A significant change in these countries’ economic policies could adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products in such countries. The implementation of higher tariffs, quotas or other restrictive trade policies by those countries to which these third party vendors export their products could negatively impact the cost-saving benefits of these outsourced operations overseas. These factors could adversely affect our ability to maintain or commence low-cost operations outside the United States and the European Union. Additionally, the violation of labor or other laws by any of our third party vendors, or the divergence of third party vendors’ labor practices from those generally accepted as ethical by us or others in the United States and the European Union, could damage our reputation and force us to find alternative manufacturing sources.

These third party vendors are subject to many risks, including foreign governmental regulations, political unrest, disruptions or delays in shipments, changes in local economic conditions and trade issues. These factors, among others, could influence the ability of these third party vendors to make or export our products cost-effectively or at all or to procure some of the materials used in these products. We depend upon the ability of these vendors to secure a sufficient supply of raw materials, adequately finance the production of goods ordered and maintain sufficient manufacturing and shipping capacity. Additionally, currency exchange rate fluctuations could increase the cost of raw materials or labor for these third party vendors, which they could pass along to us, resulting in higher costs and lower margins for our products, if we cannot pass these higher costs on to customers.

If any of these factors were to render a particular country undesirable or impractical as a source of supply, there could be an adverse effect on our business. Our reliance on these vendors and the lack of direct control over these operations could subject us to difficulty in obtaining timely delivery of products of acceptable quality. In addition, a vendor’s failure to ship products to us in a timely manner or to meet our quality standards could cause us to miss the delivery date requirements of our customers. The failure to make timely deliveries may cause our customers to cancel orders, refuse to accept deliveries, demand reduced prices or reduce future orders, any of which could harm our sales, reputation and overall profitability.

We are dependent on our trademarks and patents, and our products may be the subject of counterfeit reproduction.

As a leading luggage manufacturer and retailer, we are dependent on our ability to protect and promote our trademarks, patents and other proprietary rights. We believe that our trademarks are adequately supported by applications for registrations, existing registrations and other legal protections in our principal markets. We own approximately 121 U.S. patents and approximately 802 patents (i.e., patents of inventions, industrial design registrations and utility models) in selected foreign countries. In addition,

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we have approximately 352 patent applications for such intellectual property registrations pending worldwide. We pursue a policy of seeking patent protection where appropriate for inventions embodied in our products. The loss of some or all of the protection of the patents could make it easier for other companies to enter our markets and compete against us by eroding our ability to differentiate our products. We cannot exclude the possibility that our intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or that we may be unable to register our intellectual property rights or otherwise adequately protect them in some jurisdictions. In addition, there can be no assurance that other companies will not be able to design and build competing products in a manner that does not infringe our patents.

Furthermore, the luggage retail market is subject to numerous instances of product counterfeiting and other trademark infringements. A significant presence of counterfeit products on the market can negatively impact both the sales and the brand image of a manufacturer. Although we devote substantial resources on a worldwide basis to the protection of our intellectual property rights including, when appropriate, taking legal action, there can be no assurance that the actions taken by us to establish and protect the use of our intellectual property will be successful. The law and practice relating to the protection of intellectual property rights varies greatly from country to country and, as a result, our rights are more vulnerable in some jurisdictions than others. If any of our products are the subject of widespread counterfeit production or other similar trademark infringements, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The luggage market is highly fragmented; we face competition from many smaller competitors.

We compete with many domestic and international companies in our global markets. We compete based on brand name recognition, consumer advertising, product innovation, quality, differentiation of product features, customer service and price. The worldwide luggage market is highly fragmented, meaning that we have many competitors. Our products compete with other brands of products within their product category and with private label products sold by retailers, including some of our wholesale customers. We compete with numerous manufacturers, importers and distributors of luggage, accessories and other products for the limited space available for the display of these products to the consumer. Given the general availability of contract-manufactured products, barriers to entry into the manufacturing of softside luggage are relatively low and we face competition from many low-cost manufacturers of inexpensive, softside luggage products. For example, we have faced increased competition in the low to mid-end of the luggage market due to competitors introducing new products at lower prices. If our competitors reduce the price at which they sell their products, we may be forced to reduce the price of our products which may reduce our revenues and/or gross profit margins. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to compete effectively in the future in our markets.

Failure to attract and retain key and qualified personnel may adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

Our future success depends, in large part, on the efforts and abilities of our executive officers and design teams who execute our business strategy and identify and pursue strategic opportunities and initiatives. In particular, we are highly dependent on the continued services of Marcello Bottoli, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and other executive officers and key employees who possess extensive industry knowledge. We are a party to employment agreements with these executives which provide for compensation and other benefits. The agreements also provide for severance payments under certain circumstances. The loss of the services of these persons for any reason, as well as any negative market or industry perception arising from that loss, could have a material adverse effect on our business. We may incur costs to replace key employees who leave, and our ability to execute our business model could be impaired if we cannot replace departing employees in a timely manner. As the business grows, we will need to attract and retain additional qualified personnel and develop, train and manage an increasing number of management level, sales and other employees. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to attract and retain personnel as needed in the future.

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Certain corporate transactions require the approval of our major stockholders.

Our three major stockholders and their affiliates control approximately 85% of our voting stock. Samsonite is a party to a July 31, 2003 Stockholders’ Agreement with the major stockholders and others relating to the ownership rights and corporate governance of Samsonite. Pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders Agreement, the major stockholders have agreed to take all actions in their power to elect nominees selected by the major stockholders to our board of directors in the future. As a result, eight of the ten members of our board of directors are nominees of the major stockholders. In addition, our ability to take certain actions, including amending our charter, commencing bankruptcy proceedings and taking certain corporate actions (including debt incurrences, stock issuances, acquisitions, asset sales and the like), is subject to the written consent of either all or two-thirds (depending on the action) of the major stockholders so long as the major stockholders collectively continue to hold at least 25% of our outstanding voting stock. Accordingly, for the foreseeable future, our major stockholders will exercise significant influence over our board of directors and business and operations.

The level of ownership of the voting stock by the major stockholders may have the effect of making more difficult, or of discouraging, absent the support of such major stockholders, a proxy contest, a merger involving Samsonite, a tender offer, an open market purchase program or purchases of Samsonite common stock that could give holders of such stock the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their shares of common stock.

The business of our subsidiaries with international operations may be adversely affected by international business risks and fluctuations in currency exchange and translation rates.

Approximately 65.2 percent of our net revenues for fiscal year 2007 were attributable to our European and other foreign operations, which include significant operations throughout Asia and Latin America, and approximately 34.8 percent of our net revenues for fiscal year 2007 were attributable to our U.S. sales and licensing revenues. In addition to our U.S. and European distribution subsidiaries, we have wholly owned distribution subsidiaries in Canada, Latin America (Mexico, Colombia and Peru) and Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia). We have manufacturing subsidiaries in Belgium, Hungary and India. We are also a partner in joint ventures in Europe (Italy and Russia), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay), Asia (South Korea, India, Thailand and Australia), and the Middle East (United Arab Emirates). Our operations may be affected by economic, political, social and governmental conditions in the countries where we have manufacturing facilities or where our products are sold. In addition, our operations could be adversely impacted by unfavorable exchange rates, new or additional currency or exchange controls, other restrictions being imposed on our operations, or expropriation.

Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the euro and other currencies. In fiscal years 2007, 2006 and 2005, 65.2%, 62.5% and 61.8%, respectively, of our revenues were denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. As we report our financial results in U.S. dollars, we also face a currency translation risk to the extent that the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of our subsidiaries and joint ventures are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Most of those subsidiaries operate using the functional currency of the country in which it is located. During fiscal years 2007, 2006 and 2005, our results of operations were positively impacted by the strengthening of the euro and other foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. While exchange rate fluctuations over the past several years have been to our benefit, future material fluctuations in the exchange rates of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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Any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could result in a misstatement in our financial statements.

In preparing our financial statements for fiscal year 2006, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and concluded that, as of January 31, 2006, we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting because of a material weakness in our internal control over accounting for income taxes, including the calculation of deferred tax asset valuation allowances, which resulted in us having to restate our consolidated financial statements for fiscal years 2003, 2004 and 2005. We engaged an independent registered public accounting firm (other than our auditors, KPMG LLP) to perform an analysis of our internal control over accounting for and disclosure of income taxes. In response to their recommendations, we have expanded our tax accounting staff and undertaken a more rigorous analysis of controls over tax accounting and disclosures. As a result, as of January 31, 2007, we did not have any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. Any future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or our failure to remediate such material weaknesses could result in a misstatement in our financial statements not being prevented or detected and could adversely affect investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial statements, as well as our stock price.

Our business may be adversely affected if we continue to encounter complications in connection with the implementation of our SAP information management software.

We are in the process of replacing all of our various business information systems worldwide with the SAP system. As of February 2007, we had implemented the SAP system in Canada and had commenced implementation in the United States. We expect implementation of the entire system to be completed in calendar year 2009. We have, to date, experienced some delays in this implementation. These delays and other implementation difficulties have led to shipping delays and a slowdown of sales, not all of which may be recovered. Any further delay in the implementation of, or disruption in the transition to our new or enhanced systems, procedures or controls, could harm our ability to ship our products in a timely manner, accurately forecast sales demand, manage our supply chain, achieve accuracy in the conversion of electronic data and records and to report financial and management information on a timely and accurate basis. Failure to properly or adequately address these issues could result in the diversion of management’s attention and resources and impact our ability to manage our business and our results of operations.

We have relocated certain of our management functions to the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). Such relocation, if not structured in an appropriate manner on an ongoing basis, could lead to material adverse tax consequences for the group.

We have relocated a number of our executive officers and other senior management, together with certain of our management functions, to the U.K. We have sought to structure the relocation and the ongoing exercise of such functions in a manner that will not cause Samsonite Corporation to become tax resident in the U.K. or to have a permanent establishment there for U.K. tax purposes. There is no advance clearance procedure in the U.K. for agreeing whether a company is resident in the U.K. or whether a company has a U.K. permanent establishment but, as part of our relocation process, we have submitted applications to the U.K. and U.S. tax authorities with a view to agreeing a bilateral “Advance Pricing Agreement” in relation to the transfer pricing of certain management services to be provided from the United Kingdom to the group, which applications include details of the relocation and the management functions being or to be carried out in the U.K. While we believe that we are structuring our management functions in a way that achieves our objectives, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in doing so, or that the U.K. tax authorities will agree with our approach. Should we not succeed in structuring our affairs so Samsonite Corporation does not to become tax resident in the U.K. and so Samsonite Corporation does not to have a permanent establishment there, or should the U.K. tax authorities disagree with our approach, it is our intention to seek alternative solutions in relation to the

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location and structure of our management functions. The inability to implement this transition without Samsonite Corporation becoming resident or having a permanent establishment in the U.K. could lead to material adverse tax consequences for the group.

We have a leveraged capital structure which could adversely affect our financial health, and our ability to service our indebtedness and to grow our business.

As of January 31, 2007 we had total indebtedness of $501.9 million and a stockholders’ deficit of $222.3 million. Our substantial debt could have consequences to security holders, including:

·       it may require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, which would reduce the cash flow available to us for operations, working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate purposes;

·       it may limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development and general corporate purposes;

·       it may make us more vulnerable in the event of a downturn in general economic conditions or in our industry; and

·       it may limit our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and place us at a competitive disadvantage to less-leveraged competitors.

There can be no assurance that our cash flow and capital resources will be sufficient for us to make payments on our indebtedness or meet our other obligations in the future. If our cash flow and other capital resources are insufficient, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, try to obtain additional equity capital or refinance or restructure our debt, which among other things could potentially impair our growth strategy. There can be no assurance that any of those alternatives would be successful or allow us to meet our scheduled obligations in the future.

If interest rates rise, our operating results may decline due to higher borrowing costs.

We are party to a senior credit facility, consisting of a $450 million senior secured term loan facility which was drawn in full as of January 31, 2007 and an $80 million senior secured revolving credit facility of which $18 million was drawn at January 31, 2007. Borrowings under the senior credit facility bear interest at rates adjusted periodically depending on our financial performance as measured each fiscal quarter and interest rate market conditions. We also have other short-term credit lines that we use from time to time to finance our foreign operations that are variable rate obligations. At January 31, 2007, we had borrowings of $12.1 million under these other short-term credit lines. Borrowings under the senior credit facility and the short-term credit lines vary from time to time throughout the year as our business needs fluctuate. If interest rates rise, our interest expense will increase and our results of operations will be adversely affected.

We are subject to restrictive covenants imposed by our senior credit facility and by an agreement we are party to with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

During fiscal 2007, the Company entered into a new senior credit facility (the “Senior Credit Facility”) consisting of a senior secured term loan facility, a senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) and a letter of credit sub-facility. The Senior Credit Facility contains financial and other covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability to draw down the full amount of the Revolving Credit Facility, engage in transactions with its affiliates, incur any additional debt outside of the Senior Credit Facility, create new liens on any property, make acquisitions, participate in certain mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, liquidations, asset sales, investments, or make distributions or cash dividend payments to its equity holders or with respect to its subordinated debt. Such covenants will affect our operating flexibility and may require us to seek the consent of the lenders to certain transactions that we

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may wish to carry out. Agreements governing future indebtedness could also contain significant financial and operating restrictions. Any failure to comply with the covenants in our Senior Credit Facility or in any other indebtedness to which we are a party could result in an event of default, which could permit acceleration of the relevant indebtedness and acceleration of debt under other instruments that may contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. We are not certain whether we would have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to make these accelerated payments.

We are also party to an agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or PBGC, pursuant to which we have granted to PBGC an equal and ratable lien in an amount of $66.6 million in the assets pledged as security under our credit facility referred to above. We have also agreed not to transfer any of our assets held in the United States to any of our subsidiaries or other businesses outside of the United States (other than in the ordinary course of business) for the term of the agreement.

We have significant underfunded and unfunded U.S. pension and post-retirement obligations, which could adversely affect our liquidity.

Since fiscal year end January 31, 2003, the estimated accumulated benefit obligation (the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service and compensation levels prior to the measurement date without considering future compensation levels), or ABO, has exceeded the fair value of the assets of our pensions plans. This result is primarily due to the decline in equity markets during and after 2002 and a decline in the discount rate used to estimate the pension liability because of lower U.S. interest rates since 2002. The ABO exceeded the fair value of plan assets as of December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 by $53.0 million, $56.9 million and $42.2 million, respectively. The same facts that affected ABO also required that we take a charge (credit) to other comprehensive income (loss) of $(6.4) million, $9.2 million and $17.8 million, for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Accounting rule changes adopted as of January 31, 2007 required the Company to accrue an additional liability for underfunded pension and post-retirement obligations of $1.3 million, reduce intangible assets by $1.3 million and increase accumulated comprehensive loss by $2.6 million. Funding amounts for the underfunded U.S. pension plan are determined by regulatory requirements, which have been changed recently and will become effective in 2008 with transition rules that apply for four years. The Company estimates that the minimum required contributions and payments for the U.S. pension and post-retirement benefits in fiscal 2008 will be approximately $16.5 million and from $6.0 million to $27.0 million in fiscal years 2009 - 2012. Future market conditions and interest rates significantly impact future assets and liabilities of our pension plans and future minimum required funding levels, and similar charges or credits to stockholders’ equity may be required in the future upon measurement of plan obligations at the end of each plan year.

We cannot assure investors that we will make dividend payments in the future.

On December 20, 2006, our Board of Directors approved a special cash distribution in an aggregate amount of $175 million, consisting of dividends on our shares of common stock and our then outstanding convertible preferred stock and certain dilution adjustment payments to holders of certain of our outstanding stock options (the “Distribution”). On January 5, 2007, as part of the Distribution we paid dividends in an amount of approximately $0.23 per share of common stock. Other than the dividends paid in connection with the Distribution, we have not declared any cash dividends on our common stock and do not currently anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends will be a business decision to be made by our Board of Directors from time to time based on such considerations as the Board of Directors deems relevant. In addition, dividends are payable only out of funds legally available under Delaware law, subject to any restrictions contained in our debt instruments. The payment of dividends on our common stock is currently limited by certain provisions of our senior credit facility.

ITEM 1B.       UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not Applicable.

20




ITEM 2.                PROPERTIES

The following table sets forth certain information relating to our principal offices, warehouse and manufacturing properties and facilities. All of our manufacturing plants, in our opinion, have been adequately maintained and are in good operating condition. We believe that our existing facilities have sufficient capacity, together with sourcing capacity from third parties, to handle our sales volumes for the foreseeable future. The owned plant and real estate in India is pledged as security on a loan.

Segment

 

Description

 

Owned or Leased

 

Corporate and Americas

 

 

 

 

 

Mansfield, MA

 

Americas headquarters

 

Leased

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

 

London, England

 

Executive offices

 

Leased

 

Oudenaarde, Belgium

 

Manufacturing plant, office, warehouse

 

Leased/Owned

 

Szekszard, Hungary

 

Manufacturing plant

 

Owned

 

Saltrio, Italy

 

Office, warehouse

 

Owned

 

Madrid, Spain

 

Office

 

Leased

 

Asia

 

 

 

 

 

Mumbai, India

 

Office

 

Leased

 

Nashik, India

 

Manufacturing plant, warehouse

 

Owned

 

Bhiwandi, India

 

Warehouse

 

Leased

 

Ningbo, China

 

Assembly plant, warehouse

 

Owned

 

Seoul, Korea

 

Office

 

Leased

 

Singapore

 

Warehouse

 

Leased

 

Hong Kong

 

Office, warehouse

 

Leased

 

Bandar Sunway, Malaysia

 

Office, warehouse

 

Leased

 

Melbourne, Australia

 

Office, warehouse

 

Leased

 

North America

 

 

 

 

 

Denver, CO

 

Office, warehouse

 

Leased

 

Jacksonville, FL

 

Warehouse

 

Leased

 

Stratford, Canada

 

Warehouse

 

Leased

 

Latin America

 

 

 

 

 

Mexico City, Mexico

 

Office, warehouse

 

Owned

 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

Office, warehouse

 

Leased/Owned

 

Uruguay

 

Warehouse

 

Leased

 

Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

Office

 

Leased

 

 

We also maintain numerous leased sales offices and retail outlets throughout the world.

ITEM 3.                LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Samsonite Europe N.V. and one of its subsidiaries was the subject of a lawsuit filed in France in November 2006 related to the August 31, 2005 sale of the Henin-Beaumont, France manufacturing facility (the “H-B site”) (see Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein for a more detailed description of the H-B site sale). The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Workers Council Energyplast (“Workers Council”), seeks to overturn the sale of the H-B site and the related transfer of the Company’s liability and responsibility for employee pension and social costs for the 202 employees at the H-B site. On March 13, 2007, the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris (the “Court”) dismissed the claim on procedural grounds. Counsel for the Workers Council initiated appeal on April 11, 2007 and announced that in appeal the 202 workers will join in the lawsuit. Samsonite was notified of the filing of the appeal on April 16, 2007.

21




The Company believes that the appeal of the Court’s decision is without merit and intends to vigorously defend its position; however, an unfavorable resolution of this matter could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position and results of operations, which the Company is unable to estimate at this time.

The Company is also a party to various other legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of its business. The Company believes that the outcome of these other matters will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

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

Not applicable.

22




PART II

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

The Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), is traded by dealers using the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “SAMC.OB”. The table below sets forth the high and low per share sale prices for the Common Stock for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 and through April 25, 2007 (as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board). The over-the-counter market quotations shown below reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions. The closing price of the common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board on April 25, 2007 was $1.14 per share.

 

 

High

 

Low

 

Fiscal 2008

 

 

 

 

 

February 1, 2007 through April 25, 2007

 

$

1.15

 

0.95

 

Fiscal 2007

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal quarter ended:

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2006

 

$

1.16

 

0.79

 

July 31, 2006

 

$

1.31

 

0.82

 

October 31, 2006

 

$

1.05

 

0.80

 

January 31, 2007

 

$

1.21

 

0.83

 

Fiscal 2006

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal quarter ended:

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 2005

 

$

1.50

 

0.55

 

July 31, 2005

 

$

1.04

 

0.75

 

October 31, 2005

 

$

0.90

 

0.55

 

January 31, 2006

 

$

0.95

 

0.58

 

 

As of April 25, 2007, the number of holders of record of our Common Stock was 331.

On December 21, 2006, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a special cash distribution in an aggregate amount of $175 million (the “Distribution”) consisting of dividends on the Company’s common stock totaling $53.3 million, dividends on the Company’s convertible preferred stock totaling $116.1 million and dilution adjustment payments to holders of certain of the Company’s outstanding stock options totaling $5.6 million. The total dividend per share of common stock and to preferred stockholders on an as converted basis was approximately $0.23. In connection with the Distribution, holders of more than 99% of the convertible preferred stock converted their convertible preferred stock into common stock effective as of January 4, 2007.

The payment of dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and depends upon, among other things, the Company’s earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, extent of bank indebtedness and contractual restrictions with respect to the payment of dividends. The terms of our indebtedness currently contain provisions which limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.

23




ITEM 6.                SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The selected historical consolidated financial information presented below is derived from our audited consolidated financial statements and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2004

 

2003

 

 

 

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

Statement of Operations data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

$

1,070,393

 

966,886

 

902,896

 

776,451

 

752,402

 

Gross profit

 

$

545,942

 

470,381

 

417,014

 

347,907

 

321,294

 

Gross margin percentage

 

51.0

%

48.7

%

46.2

%

44.8

%

42.7

%

Operating income

 

$

79,840

 

73,035

 

65,735

 

67,690

 

68,739

 

Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

$

(8,229

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

2,751

 

(2,455

)

Cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

$

1,391

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

(6,838

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

2,751

 

(2,455

)

Preferred stock dividends

 

$

(138,386

)

(14,831

)

(13,683

)

(31,055

)

(42,837

)

Net loss to common stockholders

 

$

(145,224

)

(1,510

)

(23,381

)

(28,304

)

(45,292

)

Weighted average common shares outstanding—basic and diluted

 

266,665

 

226,587

 

224,764

 

122,842

 

19,863

 

Net loss per common share—basic and diluted

 

$

(0.54

)

(0.01

)

(0.10

)

(0.23

)

(2.28

)

Balance Sheet data (as of end of period)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

78,548

 

85,448

 

56,378

 

29,524

 

22,705

 

Property, plant and equipment, net

 

$

103,999

 

89,100

 

98,810

 

114,471

 

112,895

 

Total assets

 

$

651,125

 

567,251

 

563,083

 

501,888

 

493,664

 

Long-term obligations (including current Installments)

 

$

489,819

 

297,832

 

338,841

 

327,567

 

423,155

 

Stockholders’ deficit

 

$

(222,274

)

(51,213

)

(56,342

)

(29,385

)

(470,447

)

Cash dividend declared per common share

 

$

0.23

 

 

 

 

 

 

During fiscal 2007, the Company made a $175.0 million Distribution to common and preferred shareholders and dilution adjustment payments to certain holders of the Company’s stock options, retired $174.7 million of its outstanding 8 7/8% Senior Subordinated notes due 2011 and 85.3 million (equivalent to $112.5 million on the payment date) outstanding Floating Rate Notes. The Company accrued $6.2 million in additional convertible preferred stock dividends through June 15, 2007 as part of the Distribution. In connection with the distribution and note retirements, approximately $2.6 million in expenses related to the transactions were charged to SG&A in fiscal 2007 and $22.5 million of tender and call premiums and the write-off of deferred financing costs were charged to Other Income (Expense) during fiscal 2007. In connection with the Distribution to finance these transactions, the Company entered into a new senior credit facility consisting of a $450 million senior secured term loan facility and an $80 million senior secured revolving credit facility including a letter of credit sub-facility. See “ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.”

The Company has implemented various restructuring plans and incurred restructuring charges in each of its fiscal years 2003 through 2007, which may affect the comparability of the selected historical consolidated financial information presented above, and the comparability of such information to future years’ financial information. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further discussion of the fiscal 2007, 2006 and 2005 restructurings.

24




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

This discussion summarizes the significant factors and events affecting results of operations and the financial condition of the Company for each of the three years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and should be read in conjunction with the selected financial data and the consolidated financial statements of the Company and notes thereto beginning on page F-1. References to a fiscal year denote the calendar year in which the fiscal year ended; for example, “fiscal 2007” refers to the 12 months ended January 31, 2007 (or December 31, 2006 in the case of foreign operations). The Company’s operations consist primarily of the design, manufacture and distribution of luggage, as well as business, computer, outdoor, casual bags and footwear and the operation of retail stores throughout the world. We sell our products under a number of brand names, primarily Samsonite Black Label®, Samsonite®, and American Tourister®, as well as Lambertson Truex®, and licensed brand names including Lacoste® and Timberland®. The Company also licenses its brand names and is involved with the design and sale of footwear. The discussion is organized under the following headings: Fiscal 2007 Cash Distribution, Executive Overview, Results of Operations, Liquidity and Capital Resources, Off-Balance Sheet Financing and Other Matters, Critical Accounting Policies and New Accounting Standards.

Fiscal 2007 Cash Distribution

During fiscal 2007, the Company made a special cash distribution to stockholders in an aggregate amount of $175.0 million (the “Distribution”), consisting of dividends of $53.3 million on the Company’s common stock, dividends of $116.1 million paid in respect of dividend participation rights of the Company’s then outstanding convertible preferred stock, and dilution adjustment payments of $5.6 million to the holders of certain of the Company’s outstanding stock options. In connection with the Distribution, the Company entered into a new senior credit agreement, consisting of a $450.0 million term loan facility and an $80.0 million revolving credit facility, and completed tender offers (the “Tender Offers”), for its $164.9 million outstanding Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the “Senior Subordinated Notes”), and 100.0 million (or approximately $131.6 million) outstanding Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2010 (the “Floating Rate Notes”). The proceeds of the term loan facility, together with a portion of the proceeds of the revolving credit facility and cash on hand, were used to finance the Distribution and to retire the $164.7 million aggregate principal amount of Senior Subordinated Notes and 85.3 million (or approximately $112.5 million) aggregate principal amount of Floating Rate Notes that were purchased pursuant to the Tender Offers. On February 1, 2007, after the end of fiscal 2007, the Company redeemed and retired an additional 14.5 million (or approximately $19.1 million) aggregate principal amount of the Floating Rate Notes. Pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation governing the convertible preferred stock, the Distribution resulted in the acceleration of the accrual of dividends on the convertible preferred stock through June 15, 2007. During fiscal 2007, the Company accrued additional dividends of $6.2 million as a result of this acceleration.

In connection with the retirement of the Senior Subordinated Notes and the Floating Rate Notes, the Company incurred cash tender premiums totaling approximately $16.9 million that were charged to Other Expense. The Company also incurred legal and advisory expenses related to the Distribution of approximately $1.8 million that were charged to Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) expenses and costs related to the origination of the new credit facility of approximately $6.2 million that were deferred and will be amortized to interest expense over the term of the new credit facility. Deferred financing costs of $5.2 million related to the retired debt were also charged to Other Expense. Out of the total $175.0 million Distribution, $174.2 million was charged to Accumulated Deficit and $0.8 million, which related to additional stock compensation expense for stock options calculated under applicable accounting standards, was charged to SG&A expenses.

25




Executive Overview

The Company had significantly improved results for fiscal 2007 compared to the prior year. The Company believes these results were achieved as a result of the continuing execution of its strategic plan.

The Company’s business plan involves the following strategies:

·  Increasing sales by positioning Samsonite as an elite, lifestyle brand through enhancing product assortment, acquiring complementary brands, expanding geographically, expanding our retail store operations, pursuing new product categories and increasing investment levels in high-impact brand promotional activities.

·  Increasing gross profit margins by assuring that new product introductions carry higher margins than the products they are replacing, expanding Samsonite’s presence in the higher price-point and higher margin luxury segment of the market, making price increases where possible, continuing the sourcing versus manufacturing rationalization and optimization and leveraging economies of scale in our supply chain to generate efficiencies and lower fixed costs.

·  Controlling and refocusing SG&A expenses away from non-sales generating expenses in general and administrative costs to growth generative investments in brand support and promotion and retail expansion.

·  Improving cash flow through enhancements in operational performance and a reduction in working capital levels achieved by streamlining product lines, optimizing inventory levels and aggressively managing customer credit and vendor payment terms.

·  Focusing capital expenditures on growth generative investment opportunities.

Consolidated revenues for the year ended January 31, 2007 increased to $1,070.4 million from $966.9 million in the prior year, an increase of $103.5 million, or 10.7%. The increase in revenues resulted primarily from increases in sales of Samsonite Black Label products and products sold under the Lacoste and Timberland licensed brand names, the expansion of the Company’s worldwide retail store operations, the acquisition of a majority interest in Lambertson Truex, LLC, an American accessories business focused on the luxury market, the acquisition of a majority interest in joint ventures in Thailand and Australia and strong global economic conditions. The revenues increase was also driven by increased spending on brand and product support, with global sales and advertising spending increasing to $77.5 million in fiscal 2007 from $70.8 million in the prior year. The Company’s U.S. retail store operations, which are predominantly factory outlet stores, experienced a decline in sales due to an overall trend towards lower sales in rural markets and a reduction in the total number of factory outlet stores that we operate.

Operating income increased to $79.8 million in fiscal 2007 from $73.0 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $6.8 million, or 9.3%. Execution of the Company’s strategic plan to improve margins resulted in a 230 basis point increase in gross profit margins to 51.0% in fiscal 2007 from 48.7% in the prior year. Consolidated gross profit was $545.9 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $470.4 million in the prior year, an increase of $75.5 million, or 16.1%. Operating income is calculated after deduction for restructuring charges and expenses of $5.5 million and $11.2 million and asset impairment charges of $1.6 million and $5.5 million during fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006, respectively. In fiscal 2007, these charges related primarily to the planned closure of the Company’s Denver, Colorado facilities and related consolidation of its corporate functions in its Mansfield, Massachusetts office, the planned relocation of distribution functions from the Company’s Denver, Colorado facilities to the southeast region of the U.S., and the closure of the Company’s European subsidiary’s softside manufacturing plant in Samorin, Slovakia. Consolidated SG&A was 42.9% of sales in fiscal 2007 compared to 39.4% in fiscal 2006 and increased by $78.3 million in absolute terms primarily because of increased variable expenses associated with higher sales levels, expansion of worldwide retail store operations, and the opening of the Company’s executive office in

26




London. The SG&A increase from the prior year includes increased advertising and promotion expenses of $6.7 million, increased expenses related to the implementation of the new global SAP system of $3.7 million, expenses of $6.1 million related to the write-off of deferred stock offering costs related to a postponed secondary stock offering and $1.8 million of expenses associated with the Distribution. SG&A for fiscal 2007 includes the effect of adopting Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment (“SFAS 123R”) and includes $7.0 million in stock compensation expense recognized under the provisions of SFAS 123R. The net loss to common stockholders was $145.2 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $1.5 million in the prior year.

The Company also made progress in reducing the number of SKU’s (stock keeping units) associated with its core product lines, reducing the level of days outstanding for accounts receivable, and extending payment terms to suppliers. In absolute dollar terms and adjusted for translation rates from last year to this year, both inventory and receivables have increased because of the expanded Lacoste and Samsonite Black Label product lines and higher sales levels. Net working capital (accounts receivable plus inventory less accounts payable) increased in fiscal 2007 by approximately $18.1 million primarily because of higher accounts receivable and inventory balances; however, average net working capital efficiency (average net working capital divided by sales), a measure of efficient working capital deployment, declined 123 basis points in fiscal 2007 to 15.4%. At January 31, 2007, the Company had cash on hand of $78.5 million and total debt of $501.9 million. This compares to cash on hand of $85.4 million and total debt of $307.2 million at January 31, 2006. Subsequent to the end of fiscal year 2007, the Company redeemed additional Floating Rate Notes, reducing total debt and cash by $19.1 million.

The Company plans to continue execution of its strategic business plan and believes it has significant opportunities for future improvements to consolidated sales, margins and working capital. Key challenges the Company faces in executing its strategic plan in fiscal 2008 include the following:

·  Accelerating growth in the luxury luggage and casual bag markets through the Samsonite Black Label, Lambertson Truex, Lacoste and Timberland brand names by focusing on product innovation, category diversification and retail expansion.

·  Introducing and developing Lambertson Truex’s own retail concept, as a complement to the Company’s continuing premium and selective distribution strategy.

·  Launching Samsonite Black Label footwear in select markets in preparation for a broader expansion in the future.

·  Clarifying the Samsonite brand positioning by reinforcing the brand’s high and mid-end product lines.

·  Continuing to expand the American Tourister brand in Europe and Asia.

·  Continuing our plan to open Samsonite Black Label and Samsonite retail stores.

·  Executing direct entries into markets where we are negotiating new joint ventures.

·  Continuing to improve gross margins by introducing new products at higher gross margins than the products they are replacing, improving supply chain logistics, including better economies of scale and further reducing fixed manufacturing costs.

·  Completing our supply chain organizational migration and initiating a preferred vendors program.

·  Implementing the SAP system globally.

The successful execution of the Company’s strategic business plan is subject to the risks and uncertainties as described elsewhere herein under Item 1A. Risk Factors.

27




Results of Operations

For purposes of this management’s discussion and analysis of operations, we are analyzing our net sales and operations as follows: (i) “Europe” operations, which include European sales, manufacturing and distribution, wholesale and retail operations; (ii) the “North America” operations, which include U.S. Wholesale, U.S. Retail, Canada operations and the operations of Lambertson Truex, LLC, which were acquired in fiscal 2007; (iii) “Latin America” operations, which include operations in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay; (iv) “Asia” operations, which include the sales, manufacturing and distribution operations in India, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia; and (v) Other Operations which include certain licensing activities and Corporate headquarters. In May 2006, the Company opened a London office where its Chief Executive Officer and certain other key executives are located.

Fiscal 2007 Compared to Fiscal 2006

Net Sales.   The following is a summary of the Company’s revenues by geographic area:

 

 

Year ended
January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Europe

 

$

448.4

 

417.4

 

North America

 

377.5

 

363.9

 

Asia

 

182.8

 

127.7

 

Latin America

 

48.2

 

41.8

 

Other

 

13.5

 

16.1

 

Total

 

$

1,070.4

 

966.9

 

 

On a U.S. dollar basis, sales from European operations increased to $448.4 million in fiscal 2007 from $417.4 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $31.0 million, or 7.4%. Changes in currency translation rates from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007 had the effect of increasing reported European sales by $6.3 million. Expressed in the local European currency (euros), fiscal 2007 sales increased by 5.9%, or the U.S. constant dollar equivalent (calculated using the prior year average translation rate) of $24.7 million, from fiscal 2006. The increase in European sales is due primarily to the larger selection of products offered by the Company and the diversity of channels through which such products are sold, which contributed to an approximately 5.7% increase in sales, and an increase in prices implemented since the prior year which contributed to an approximately 3.4% increase in sales. These increases were offset by a 3.2% decline in overall volume of units sold. Increased sales (expressed in constant dollars to eliminate the effect of euro exchange rate changes on year-to-year comparisons) of American Tourister products, Samsonite Black Label products and Lacoste products contributed $14.5 million, $5.7 million and $5.5 million, respectively, to the increased European sales in fiscal year 2007, and the introduction of Timberland products to the Company’s brand portfolio contributed an additional $4.9 million to the increase in European sales. An increase in sales from Company-operated retail stores also contributed to the sales increase in Europe due primarily to an increase in the number of stores in Europe during fiscal year 2007. The Company had over 50 Company-owned retail stores open throughout Europe at the end of fiscal 2007, including Samsonite Black Label stores.

Sales from the North America operations increased to $377.5 million in fiscal 2007 from $363.9 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $13.6 million, or 3.7%. The Company acquired a majority interest in Lambertson Truex, LLC, in the second quarter of fiscal 2007, which contributed $4.6 million to the increase in North American sales compared to the prior year.

28




U.S. Wholesale sales for fiscal year 2007 increased to $238.0 million from $227.3 million in fiscal year 2006, an increase of $10.7 million, or 4.7 per cent. Sales of Lacoste products, which were introduced in fiscal year 2006, contributed $2.4 million to the increased U.S. Wholesale sales in fiscal year 2007, and the introduction of Timberland products in fiscal year 2007 contributed an additional $1.7 million to the increased U.S. Wholesale sales. Sales through traditional distribution channels (specialty and department stores) increased by $6.5 million over the prior year, and sales through the mass merchant and warehouse club channels each increased $2.4 million over the prior year. These increases were offset somewhat by lower sales through the exclusive label and computer/superstore channels.

U.S. Retail sales decreased to $116.9 million in fiscal 2007 from $119.3 million in fiscal 2006, a decrease of $2.4 million, or 2.0%. In our Company-operated retail stores, comparable store sales for fiscal 2007 decreased by 1.6%. Comparable store sales decrease is calculated by dividing aggregate sales for stores open for each full month in the current year by aggregate sales for the same stores open for the corresponding full month in the prior year. Stores must be open for 13 months before they are included in the calculation. Relocated stores (within the same mall location) and remodeled stores are included in the computation of comparable store sales. When a store is closed, its sales are no longer included in the comparable store calculation. The Company believes that the U.S. Retail store sales (which are comprised primarily of factory outlet stores) continue to be depressed by a trend toward lower store sales in rural markets and a reduction of the total number of factory outlet stores that we operate. The Company had 178 stores open throughout the U.S. at the end of fiscal 2007, including three Samsonite Black Label stores, compared to 189 stores open at the end of the prior year. The Company continuously evaluates individual store profitability and does not renew outlet store leases when the location and results are not a strategic fit with the Company’s retail strategy. As part of the Company’s strategy of opening Samsonite Black Label stores in large market, fashion oriented international shopping districts, the Company opened three Samsonite Black Label stores in the U.S. in fiscal 2007 including stores on Madison Avenue in New York, Union Square in San Francisco and Copley Place in Boston.

Canadian sales increased to $18.0 million in fiscal 2007 from $17.3 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $0.7 million, or 4.0%.

Sales from Asian operations increased to $182.8 million in fiscal 2007 from $127.7 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $55.1 million, or 43.1%. The Company acquired majority interests in joint ventures in Australia and Thailand in the second quarter of fiscal 2007, which contributed $9.5 million and $4.1 million, respectively, to the increase in Asian sales over the prior year. Sales in all countries in the Asian operating region increased during fiscal 2007, except for Malaysia which had a slight decline in sales. The increase in sales was primarily driven by economic growth in this region and the expansion of Company-owned retail store operations in Asia. The countries in which sales grew most significantly were India, China, Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, which had increased sales of $12.4 million, $8.9 million, $7.2 million, $4.5 million and $3.2 million, respectively (excluding the effect of local currency exchange rate changes compared to the U.S. dollar). Changes in exchange rates of the various Asian currencies increased sales in U.S. dollars by $2.8 million compared to the prior year primarily due to the increase in the value of the South Korean won relative to the U.S. dollar.

Sales from Latin American operations increased to $48.2 million in fiscal 2007 from $41.8 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $6.4 million, or 15.3%, due in part to increased sales of Lacoste branded products. Although all of the Latin American countries in which we operate had increased sales over the prior year, the most significant increase was in Mexico, with a $2.9 million increase over the prior year due to expanded distribution channels and the introduction of Lacoste and Samsonite Black Label products.

Other revenues, comprised primarily of licensing revenues, declined to $13.5 million in fiscal 2007 from $16.1 million in fiscal 2006, a decline of $2.6 million, or 16.1%, primarily because revenues received in the prior year included $3.2 million from a one-time sale of certain apparel tradename rights.

29




Gross Profit.   The Company includes the following types of costs in cost of goods sold: direct product purchase and manufacturing costs, duties, freight-in, receiving, inspection, internal transfer costs, and procurement and manufacturing overhead. The Company includes the following types of costs in SG&A: warehousing, order entry, billing, credit, freight-out, warranty, salaries and benefits of administrative and sales personnel, rent, insurance, taxes, office supplies, professional fees, travel, communications, advertising, investor relations, public company expenses and other expenses of a general and administrative nature not directly related to the cost of acquiring or manufacturing its products. Other comparable companies may include warehousing, freight-out and other types of costs that the Company includes in SG&A in cost of goods sold. The Company had combined warehousing and freight-out expenses of $57.4 million and $56.4 million during fiscal 2007 and 2006, respectively.

Consolidated gross profit in fiscal 2007 was $545.9 million compared to $470.4 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $75.5 million. Consolidated gross margin as a percentage of sales increased by 230 basis points to 51.0% in fiscal 2007 from 48.7% in fiscal 2006.

Gross margins for Europe increased to 50.9% in fiscal 2007, from 47.5% in the prior year period, an increase of 340 basis points. Gross margin percentages increased for the year due primarily to sales price increases in the first and third quarters of fiscal 2007, lower fixed manufacturing costs from prior year operational restructurings, increased sales of higher margin products, such as Samsonite Black Label, Lacoste and Timberland products, and expansion of the European retail division, which provides higher gross profit margins as a percentage of sales.

Gross margins for North America increased to 43.7% in fiscal year 2007 from 43.2% in the prior year, an increase of 50 basis points. This increase reflects an increase in U.S. Wholesale gross margin percentage to 34.1% in the current year from 33.5% in the prior year, which is primarily a result of the introduction of new product categories with higher margins. U.S. Retail gross profit margins increased to 63.5% in fiscal 2007 compared to 61.5% in fiscal 2006, due primarily to price increases and sales of higher margin products.

Gross margins for Asia increased to 62.6% in fiscal 2007 from 60.5% in the prior year, an increase of 210 basis points. The increase is due primarily to sales of higher margin products such as Samsonite Black Label and Lacoste and the increase in Company operated retail store sales.

Gross margin for Latin America increased to 54.3% in fiscal 2007 from 51.7% in the prior year, an increase of 260 basis points. The increase was primarily due to price increases and a sales mix of products with higher margins.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.   Consolidated SG&A in fiscal 2007 was $459.5 million compared to $381.2 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $78.3 million, or 20.5%. The Company includes warehousing and freight-out costs in SG&A expenses, while comparable companies may include such costs in costs of goods sold. For fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006, the Company had warehousing and freight-out expenses of $57.4 million and $56.4 million, respectively. As a percent of sales, consolidated SG&A increased to 42.9% in fiscal 2007 from 39.4% in fiscal 2006. Consolidated advertising and promotional expenses increased to $77.5 million (7.2% of sales) in fiscal 2007 from $70.8 million (7.3% of sales) in fiscal 2006.

30




SG&A for Europe increased to $165.5 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $140.5 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $25.0 million. Without taking into account the exchange rate effect, European SG&A expense increased $22.6 million in fiscal 2007 compared to the prior year. The increase is due primarily to increased expense related to the expansion of the European retail store business, increased advertising expense, increased selling expense in support of higher sales in new distribution channels and new product categories and higher provision for doubtful accounts due to a bad debt write-off in fiscal 2007. Additionally, prior year SG&A was reduced by a credit for the recovery of $1.1 million as compensation for a claim.

SG&A for North America increased to $140.9 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $128.6 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $12.3 million, or 9.6%, due to increased advertising expense, an increase in selling and marketing expenses including expenses for Lacoste and Timberland products, higher rent expense primarily associated with the Samsonite Black Label stores and additional depreciation expense including the impact of the accelerated depreciation on the Company’s legacy systems as a result of the implementation of the SAP system in North America.

SG&A for Asian operations increased to $75.9 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $58.9 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $17.0 million, or 28.9%. Without taking into account the exchange rate effect, Asian SG&A expense increased $16.0 million, or 27.2%, as compared to the prior year. SG&A for the Company’s joint ventures in Thailand and Australia, which were acquired in fiscal 2007, contributed $2.0 million and $2.7 million, respectively, to the increase. SG&A for Asian operations increased primarily due to the increase in sales volumes in that region, and due to the expansion of Company-owned retail store operations in Asia. SG&A as a percentage of sales decreased to 41.5% in fiscal 2007 from 46.1% in fiscal 2006. Advertising and promotional expense for Asian operations declined by $1.1 million.

SG&A for Latin American operations increased to $19.3 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $17.1 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $2.2 million due primarily to higher advertising, marketing and development costs.

SG&A for the corporate headquarters and licensing increased to $57.9 million in fiscal 2007 compared to $36.1 million in fiscal 2006, an increase of $21.8 million. This increase in SG&A is due primarily to the write-off of deferred stock offering costs of $6.1 million related to a postponed secondary offering in fiscal 2007, an increase in SAP implementation costs of $3.6 million, an increase of $1.8 million in transaction costs associated with the Company’s new senior credit facility entered into on December 20, 2006, and increased stock compensation costs of $1.5 million. The remainder of the increase is due primarily to increased overhead associated with the opening of the executive office in London.

Provision for Restructuring Operations and Asset Impairment Charge.   During fiscal 2007, the Company recorded restructuring charges in its European and U.S. operations totaling $3.8 million, asset impairment charges of $1.6 million, and $1.7 million of restructuring related expenses that are included in cost of goods sold (inventory writedowns, consulting expenses and other). During the prior year, the Company recorded restructuring charges totalling $11.2 million and asset impairment charges of $5.4 million, primarily in its European operations, including $1.2 million of restructuring related expenses that were included in cost of goods sold.

The fiscal 2007 European restructuring charge relates to the closure on June 30, 2006 of the Company’s softside manufacturing plant in Samorin, Slovakia. The closure was the result of the Company’s continuing consolidation of its softside manufacturing capacities and its transition from sourcing manufactured products through Company-owned and operated facilities to sourcing manufactured products from third-party manufacturers. The Company recorded a provision for restructuring operations of $1.3 million for employee severance costs, which relates to the approximately 360 employees who worked at the plant, and an asset impairment charge of $1.6 million, which relates to the writedown of real estate, machinery and equipment associated with the plant. The Company estimates that the sale of the

31




plant will result in the elimination of annual fixed manufacturing overhead of approximately $1.1 million, which includes $0.4 million of depreciation expense. From past experience, plant restructuring and outsourcing activities have had a favorable impact on our unit product costs. We expect similar effects on product costs in the future as a result of continued restructurings and outsourcing manufacturing. The impact on future gross margins is difficult to quantify as margins are affected not only by costs but also by economic conditions, consumer preferences and demand for products and competition, all of which influence product pricing.

The fiscal 2007 U.S. restructuring charge relates to the planned closure of the Company’s Denver, Colorado facilities, consolidation of its corporate functions in its Mansfield, Massachusetts office and planned relocation of distribution functions to the southeast region of the U.S. The Company expects the consolidation and relocation to be completed by April 30, 2008. In connection with the consolidation and relocation, the Company expects to incur severance and retention costs of approximately $3.7 million relating to approximately 210 employees who will be affected by the relocation and consolidation. The severance and retention costs are being accrued monthly over the expected period employees must remain employed in order to receive severance and retention benefits. During fiscal 2007, severance and retention benefits of $2.5 million were accrued. The Company also expects that it will incur approximately $3.0 million of costs for new employee training, employee relocation and recruiting and expenses of moving inventory and distribution systems, and these costs are expected to be expensed as they are incurred.

The fiscal 2006 European restructuring charge relates to the restructuring of the Company’s Henin-Beaumont, France facility (the “H-B site”). A restructuring charge of $8.6 million was recorded for the sale of the H-B site and related restructuring costs. The Company also incurred legal and consulting costs of approximately $1.2 million related to the sale of the H-B site that were included in cost of goods sold for fiscal 2006. An asset impairment charge of $5.4 million was recorded upon the decision to sell the H-B site for the write-off of the net book value of the H-B site property, plant and equipment sold (see “ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS”). Also, during fiscal 2006, the Company relocated its softside development center from Torhout, Belgium to its Oudenaarde, Belgium location and eliminated the remaining positions at its Tres Cantos, Spain manufacturing facility. The Company recorded a restructuring charge of $1.4 million during fiscal 2006 related to severance obligations for 18 employees terminated as a result of these actions.

Interest Expense and Amortization of Debt Issue Costs and Premium.   Interest expense declined to $30.3 million in fiscal 2007 from $30.5 million in fiscal 2006. The decline in interest expense is due to lower amortization of debt issue costs during fiscal 2007 compared to fiscal 2006. See also “Executive Overview” which describes a series of transactions consummated in December 2006 and January 2007 that changed the Company’s capital structure.

During fiscal 2006 the Company retired $30.1 million of the Senior Subordinated Notes. In connection with the retirement of the notes, the Company incurred costs of $2.7 million which were charged to other expense for market premiums of $2.1 million and the write-off of $0.6 million of deferred financing costs.

32




Other Income (Expense)—Net.   The following is a comparative analysis of the components of Other Income (Expense)—Net.

 

 

Year ended
January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Net gain (loss) from foreign currency forward delivery contracts

 

$

(0.1

)

1.2

 

Gain (loss) on disposition of fixed assets, net

 

3.3

 

(0.1

)

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)

 

1.1

 

(0.5

)

Pension expense

 

(3.2

)

(2.8

)

Redemption premium and expenses on retirement of senior subordinated notes and floating rate senior notes

 

(22.5

)

(2.7

)

Due diligence costs

 

 

(2.8

)

Other, net

 

(2.1

)

(2.2

)

 

 

$

(23.5

)

(9.9

)

 

Net gain (loss) from forward foreign currency delivery contracts represents the net of realized and unrealized gains and losses on hedges of the Company’s earnings from its European operations. These hedges do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment under SFAS 133 and are marked to market at the end of each accounting period. For fiscal 2007, this amount is comprised primarily of unrealized losses. During fiscal 2006 the Company had realized gains of $2.2 million and unrealized losses of $1.0 million.

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) included in other income (expense) represent the gain or loss on intercompany payables and receivables denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. Foreign currency gains (losses) on settlement of accounts receivable or payable related to operational items are recorded in cost of sales.

Pension expense represents the actuarially determined pension cost associated with the pension plans of two companies unrelated to our operations whose pension obligations were assumed by us as a result of a 1993 agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The plans were part of a controlled group of corporations of which we were a part prior to 1993. For a further discussion of pension plan expense, see “Pension Plans” under Critical Accounting Policies.

The Company incurred redemption premiums of $17.3 million and $2.1 million in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006, respectively, and wrote-off deferred financing expenses of $5.2 million and $0.6 million in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006, respectively, related to the retirement of its Senior Subordinated Notes and Floating Rate Notes.

Due diligence costs in fiscal 2006 relate to accounting and legal costs incurred to perform due diligence on a potential acquisition, which was not completed.

Other, net expense was $2.1 million in fiscal 2007, which is approximately equal to the Other, net expense in fiscal 2006 and is comprised primarily of bank charges and other miscellaneous expenses.

Income Tax Expense.   Income tax expense increased to $27.2 million in fiscal 2007 from $16.5 million in fiscal 2006. The increase in income tax expense is due primarily to higher income before taxes in Europe and Asia. The difference between expected income tax expense, computed by applying the U.S. statutory rate to income from continuing operations, and recognized income tax expense results primarily because of (i) the tax rate differential on foreign earnings, (ii) permanent differences for stock compensation, (iii) state income taxes, (iv) the change in the valuation allowance primarily attributable to U.S. net operating losses that do not provide a benefit, and (v) U.S. taxes on foreign dividends and deemed dividends.

33




Preferred Stock Dividends.   This item represents the accrual of dividends on the Company’s previously outstanding 8% convertible preferred stock that was issued in the 2003 recapitalization. Dividends had accrued on the preferred stock since July 31, 2003 and compounded quarterly. In addition to accruing dividends of $16.1 million on the preferred stock, during fiscal 2007, as part of the Distribution the Company paid $116.1 million in respect of dividend participation rights of the Company’s then outstanding convertible preferred stock. Under the terms of the convertible preferred stock, the Distribution accelerated dividends on the preferred stock through June 15, 2007, and the Company accrued additional dividends of $6.2 million as a result of this acceleration. In connection with the Distribution, holders of more than 99% of the 8% convertible preferred stock converted their preferred shares into shares of common stock effective January 4, 2007. At the end of fiscal 2007, only eleven shares of the convertible preferred stock remained outstanding. Subsequent to the end of fiscal 2007, the remaining eleven shares of convertible preferred stock were also converted into shares of common stock, and there are currently no shares of convertible preferred stock outstanding.

Net Loss to Common Stockholders.   The net loss to common stockholders increased to $145.2 million in fiscal 2007 from $1.5 million in fiscal 2006, and the net loss per common share increased to $0.54 in fiscal year 2007 from $0.01 per common share in fiscal year 2006. The weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding used to compute loss per share in fiscal years 2007 and 2006 was 266,664,942 and 226,587,304, respectively. The Company had 742,006,783 shares of common stock outstanding as of January 31, 2007. The increase in common shares as of January 31, 2007 compared to the prior year is due to the conversion of 159,071 shares of 8% convertible preferred stock into 514,832,157 shares of common stock effective January 4, 2007.

Fiscal 2006 Compared to Fiscal 2005

Net Sales.   The following is a summary of the Company’s revenues by geographic area:

 

 

Year ended
January 31,

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Europe

 

$

417.4

 

406.0

 

North America

 

363.9

 

343.0

 

Asia

 

127.7

 

99.0

 

Latin America

 

41.8

 

36.1

 

Other

 

16.1

 

18.8

 

Total

 

$

966.9

 

902.9

 

 

On a U.S. dollar basis, sales from European operations increased to $417.4 million in fiscal 2006 from $406.0 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $11.4 million, or 2.8%. Changes in currency translation rates from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 had a very small effect on reported European sales. Expressed in the local European currency (euros), fiscal 2006 sales increased by 3.0%, or the U.S. constant dollar equivalent (calculated using the prior year average translation rate) of $12.2 million, from fiscal 2005. The increase in European sales is attributable to the southern and eastern European countries where we posted sales increases from the prior year. This overall increase in European sales occurred despite weak or flat economic conditions throughout the western European countries and the United Kingdom where sales declined from the prior year. Fiscal 2006 sales trends were away from structured hardside and softside luggage sales, which declined by a combined 5% and towards casual and outdoor product sales, which increased by 28% over the prior year. Sales of Lacoste brand products accounted for much of the increase in the sales of casual bag products. European sales continue to be concentrated in the department and specialty store channels, which accounted for approximately 70% of total European sales in both fiscal

34




2006 and 2005. The Company had approximately 50 retail stores open throughout Europe at the end of fiscal 2006.

Sales from the North America operations increased to $363.9 million in fiscal 2006 from $343.0 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $20.9 million, or 6.1%. The United States and Canada enjoyed strong economies during fiscal 2006 and increased demand for air travel. The strong economy coupled with increased advertising and promotional expenses and well-accepted new product offerings contributed to an 11.7% increase in U.S. wholesale sales, which increased from $203.5 million to $227.3 million. Fiscal 2006 sales trends were away from hardside luggage, which declined to 6.2% of North American sales in fiscal 2006 from 8.1% in fiscal 2005, and toward softside luggage, which increased to 71.5% of North American sales in fiscal 2006 from 67.0% in fiscal 2005. Sales of casual and outdoor bags were approximately the same as the prior year. Business and computer case sales declined by approximately 6.1% from the prior year. Sales through traditional distribution channels (department and specialty stores) increased by $9.4 million, or 12.5%, over the prior year; sales in non-traditional channels (exclusive label, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, office product superstores) increased by $9.0 million, or 10.6% over the prior year as the Company strategically terminated economically unattractive relationships with select OEMs and certain retailers. Sales in the traditional channel and non-traditional channels were about 41% and 55%, respectively, of total wholesale sales in both fiscal years 2006 and 2005. Our U.S. retail sales, which are primarily through Company-operated factory outlet stores, declined by $3.8 million, a decrease of 3.1%. Sales in factory outlet stores were adversely affected by higher gas prices and price discounting at urban and suburban malls. U.S. wholesale and retail sales were helped by consumer acceptance for the Spinners product (a four wheel system which is featured in several different product lines). In our company-operated retail stores, comparable store sales for fiscal 2006 increased by 0.7%. Comparable store sales increase is calculated by dividing aggregate sales for stores open for each full month in the current year by aggregate sales for the same stores open for the corresponding full month in the prior year. Stores must be open for 13 months before they are included in the calculation. Relocated stores (within the same mall location) and remodeled stores are included in the computation of comparable store sales. When a store is closed, its sales are no longer included in the comparable store calculation. There were 189 company-operated retail stores at January 31, 2006 and 2005. Canadian sales increased by $0.9 million from $16.5 million in fiscal 2005 to $17.4 million in fiscal 2006.

Sales from Asia operations increased to $127.7 million in fiscal 2006 from $99.0 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $28.7 million or 29.0%. The increase in sales is primarily due to higher sales in South Korea and China, which increased by $5.9 million and $4.9 million, respectively. Asian sales growth resulted from an increase in the number of retail stores and the introduction of new product lines during the year.

Sales increased in all our Latin America operations to $41.8 million in fiscal 2006 from $36.1 million in the prior year, or 15.8%. Sales in Mexico and Brazil increased $2.6 million and $1.4 million, respectively, due to improved category management, economic conditions, and consumer acceptance of new products.

The decrease in Other revenues of $2.7 million was primarily due to the termination of an agreement with a Samsonite licensee in Japan, which caused royalty revenues to decline by $4.5 million. Other revenues also include a $3.2 million gain on the sale of certain apparel trademark rights.

Gross Profit.   The Company includes the following types of costs in cost of goods sold: direct product purchase and manufacturing costs, duties, freight-in, receiving, inspection, internal transfer costs, and procurement and manufacturing overhead. The Company includes the following types of costs in SG&A expenses: warehousing, order entry, billing, credit, freight-out, warranty, salaries and benefits of administrative and sales personnel, rent, insurance, taxes, office supplies, professional fees, travel, communications, advertising, investor relations, public company expenses and other expenses of a general and administrative nature not directly related to the cost of acquiring or manufacturing its products. Other comparable companies may include warehousing, freight-out and other types of costs that the Company

35




includes in SG&A in cost of goods sold. For the year ended January 31, 2006 and 2005, the Company had warehousing and freight-out expenses of $56.4 million and $55.1 million, respectively.

Consolidated gross profit in fiscal 2006 was $470.4 million compared to $417.0 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $53.4 million. Consolidated gross margin as a percentage of sales increased by 250 basis points to 48.7% in fiscal 2006 from 46.2% in fiscal 2005.

Gross margins for Europe increased to 47.5% in fiscal 2006, from 45.0% in the prior year period, an increase of 250 basis points. Gross margin percentages increased for the year due primarily to sales price increases and increased product sourcing from the Far East at lower product costs and reduction of fixed manufacturing costs from restructurings.

Gross margin percentage for North America increased to 43.2% in fiscal year 2006, from 41.7% in the prior year period, an increase of 150 basis points. This increase is primarily due to an increase in U.S. Wholesale gross margin percentage to 33.5% in the current year from 31.1% in the prior year, which is a result of price increases and increased sales in higher margin channels. U.S. Retail gross profit margins increased to 61.5% in fiscal 2006 compared to 58.9% in fiscal 2005, due primarily to price increases and a change in product offerings to higher margin products.

Gross margin for Asia increased to 60.5% in fiscal 2006, from 56.4% in the prior year, an increase of 410 basis points. The increase is primarily due to price increases and increased sales within higher margin sales channels such as department stores.

Gross margin for Latin America increased to 51.7% in fiscal 2006, from 45.3% in the prior year, an increase of 640 basis points. The increase was primarily driven by stronger local currencies, which results in higher reported sales and lower product costs on purchases paid for in U.S. dollars.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses.   Consolidated SG&A in fiscal 2006 was $381.2 million compared to $341.5 million in fiscal 2005, an increase of $39.7 million or 11.6%. The Company includes warehousing and freight-out costs in SG&A expenses, while comparable companies may include such costs in costs of goods sold. For the years ended January 31, 2006 and 2005, the Company had warehousing and freight-out expenses of $56.4 million and $55.1 million, respectively.

SG&A for Europe increased by $4.2 million, primarily due to a $4.3 million increase in advertising expense and a $2.5 million increase in variable selling expense and other SG&A expense of $0.3 million, offset by reductions of $1.3 million in bad debt expense and $1.6 million in other administrative expense. The bad debt provision was reduced because improved enforcement of credit terms and better collection efforts have reduced exposure to bad debts.

SG&A for North America increased by approximately $4.7 million due to increased advertising expense of $2.9 million, increased warehousing costs of $1.0 million and various other increases of $0.8 million.

SG&A for Asia increased by $19.3 million due to $7.9 million of expenses from the Japanese joint venture operations, increased advertising and promotional expense of $5.9 million, and increased variable selling expenses associated with higher sales levels. Operations of the Japan joint venture had not commenced in the prior year so its SG&A was incremental to total Asian SG&A in fiscal 2006.

SG&A for Latin America increased by $3.4 million due primarily to variable selling expenses associated with higher sales levels and higher advertising levels.

SG&A for the corporate headquarters and licensing increased by approximately $8.1 million due to SAP system implementation expenses of $5.7 million that were not incurred in the prior year, an increase in pension expense of $3.2 million, an increase in stock and deferred compensation expense of $1.5 million,

36




an increase of $1.0 million for global marketing and design, offset by a decrease in consulting expense of $2.2 million and various other decreases totaling $1.1 million.

Provision for Restructuring Operations and Asset Impairment Charge.   The Company recorded restructuring charges totaling $11.2 million and asset impairment charges of $5.4 million during fiscal year 2006, primarily in the European segment, including $1.2 million of restructuring related expenses that are included in cost of sales.

A restructuring and impairment charge was incurred in connection with the August 31, 2005 sale of the Henin-Beaumont, France facility (the “H-B site”). The Company made cash payments to the purchaser of $9.9 million and has an additional payment obligation of $1.4 million in 24 months, all of which relates to the assumption by the purchaser of the Company’s liability and responsibility for employee pension and social costs for the 206 employees at the H-B site. A restructuring charge of $8.6 million was recorded related to these payments, which represents the amount of the cash payment obligations less amounts previously accrued for pension liabilities for the H-B site employees. The Company also incurred legal and consulting costs of approximately $1.2 million related to the sale of the H-B site that are included in cost of sales. An asset impairment charge of $5.4 million was also recorded upon the decision to sell the H-B site for the write-off of the net book value of the H-B site property, plant and equipment sold to the purchaser. In connection with the sale, the Company agreed to purchase luggage products from the purchaser of the H-B site for a period of 24 months following the sale (see “ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS”).

The Company also relocated its softside development center from Torhout, Belgium to its Oudenaarde, Belgium facility and eliminated the remaining positions at its Tres Cantos, Spain manufacturing facility. Each facility had been significantly downsized and restructured over the past several years. A restructuring charge of $1.4 million was recorded related to severance obligations for 18 employees terminated as a result of these actions.

The restructuring and impairment charges relate to the sale of the Company’s hardside manufacturing facility in France and the shutdown of its Torhout, Belgium and Tres Cantos, Spain facilities, part of the Company’s continuing efforts to reduce fixed manufacturing costs by closing inefficient facilities and increasing the amount of products sourced from low-cost manufacturing regions of the world.

Interest Expense and Amortization of Debt Issue Costs and Premium.   Interest expense declined to $30.5 million in fiscal 2006 from $35.2 million in fiscal 2005. The decline in interest expense is due to lower interest rates and debt levels. During fiscal 2006, the Company retired $30.1 million of the 87¤8% senior subordinated notes. In connection with the retirement of the notes, the Company incurred costs of $2.7 million which were charged to other expense for market premiums of $2.1 million and the write-off of $0.6 million of deferred financing costs. Interest expense includes $2.5 million of amortization of debt issuance costs in fiscal 2006 and $2.4 million in fiscal 2005. During the second quarter of fiscal 2005 the Company completed a refinancing of the Company’s senior subordinated notes. To refinance the 103¤4% notes and to pay the tender and redemption premiums of $13.7 million, the Company issued 100 million of senior floating rate notes due in 2010 and $205.0 million of 87¤8% senior subordinated notes due in 2011. A total of $8.0 million of deferred financing costs were incurred in connection with the issuance of the floating rate senior notes and the 87¤8% senior subordinated notes. In connection with the refinancing, costs of $17.8 million were charged to other expense for redemption premiums of $13.7 million and the write-off of $4.1 million of deferred financing costs.

37




Other Income (Expense)—Net.   The following is a comparative analysis of the components of Other Income (Expense)—Net.

 

 

Year ended
January 31,

 

 

 

2006

 

2005

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Net gain (loss) from foreign currency forward delivery contracts

 

$

1.2

 

0.4

 

Gain (loss) on disposition of fixed assets, net

 

(0.1

)

0.8

 

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)

 

(0.5

)

0.6

 

Pension expense

 

(2.8

)

(2.8

)

Redemption premium and expenses on retirement of senior subordinated notes

 

(2.7

)

(17.8

)

Due diligence costs

 

(2.8

)

(0.7

)

Other, net

 

(2.2

)

(4.1

)

 

 

$

(9.9

)

(23.6

)

 

Net gain (loss) from forward foreign currency delivery contracts represents the net of realized and unrealized gains and losses on hedges of the Company’s earnings from its European operations. These hedges do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment under SFAS 133 and are marked to market at the end of each accounting period. During fiscal years 2006 and 2005 the Company had realized gains (losses) of $2.2 million and $(0.2) million and unrealized gains (losses) of $(1.0) million and $0.6 million, respectively.

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) included in other income (expense) represent the gain or loss on intercompany payables and receivables denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. Foreign currency gains (losses) on settlement of accounts receivable or payable related to operational items are recorded in cost of sales.

Pension expense represents the actuarial determined pension cost associated with the pension plans of two companies unrelated to our operations whose pension obligations were assumed by us as a result of a 1993 agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The plans were part of a controlled group of corporations of which we were a part prior to 1993. For a further discussion of pension plan expense, see “Pension Plans” under Critical Accounting Policies.

As noted under “Interest Expense”, the Company incurred redemption premiums of $2.1 million and wrote-off deferred financing expenses of $0.6 million in fiscal 2006 related to the retirement of $30.1 million of subordinated notes. In fiscal 2005, the Company charged $17.8 million to other income (expense) related to the refinancing of its outstanding subordinated notes.

Due diligence costs in fiscal 2006 and 2005 relate to accounting and legal costs incurred to perform due diligence on two potential acquisitions, neither of which were completed.

Other, net expense decreased to $2.2 million in fiscal 2006 from $4.1 million in fiscal 2005 due to costs in the prior year associated with the initial investment in the Japan joint venture of $1.0 million and expenses of $0.7 million incurred to settle a claim for an environmental matter related to the manufacturing and office building site occupied by the Company until the late 1960s in Denver, Colorado.

Income Tax Expense.   Income tax expense increased to $16.5 million in fiscal 2006 from $13.7 million in fiscal 2005. The increase in income tax expense is due to higher income before taxes in Asia and Latin America and a higher effective tax rate in Europe. The difference between expected income tax expense, computed by applying the U.S. statutory rate to income from continuing operations, and income tax expense recognized results primarily because of (i) the tax rate differential on foreign earnings, (ii) permanent differences for stock compensation, (iii) state income taxes, (iv) the change in the valuation

38




allowance primarily attributable to U.S. net operating losses that do not provide a benefit, and (v) U.S. taxes on foreign dividends and deemed dividends.

Preferred Stock Dividends.   This item represents the accrual of dividends on the outstanding 8% convertible preferred stock issued in the 2003 recapitalization. Dividends have accrued on the preferred stock since July 31, 2003 and compound quarterly. The increase in dividends of $1.1 million in fiscal 2006 compared to fiscal 2005 is due to the compounding effect of accrued dividends.

Net Loss to Common Stockholders.   The net loss to common stockholders decreased to $1.5 million in fiscal 2006 from $23.4 million in fiscal 2005, and the net loss per common share declined to $0.01 in fiscal year 2006 from $0.10 per share in fiscal year 2005. The weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding used to compute loss per share in fiscal years 2006 and 2005 was 226,587,304 and 224,764,006, respectively. The Company had 227,159,626 shares of common stock outstanding as of January 31, 2006.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At January 31, 2007, the Company had a consolidated cash balance of $78.5 million and net working capital (accounts receivable plus inventory less accounts payable) of $165.5 million. The Company believes its cash and working capital levels are adequate to meet the operating requirements of the Company for at least the next twelve months.

The Company’s primary sources of liquidity are its cash flow from operations and cash availability under its senior credit facility. During fiscal 2007, the Company’s cash flow from operations was $31.1 million compared to $71.6 million in fiscal 2006. The decline in cash flow from operations is due primarily to $22.5 million in redemption premium and expenses on retirement of senior subordinated notes and floating rate notes and an increase in inventory balances. Inventories increased primarily because of higher sales levels and additional inventory for the increase in products sold under the Timberland and Lacoste brand names. During fiscal 2006 and 2007, the Company intensified efforts to collect receivables according to established terms, and extended vendor payment terms to align with the terms offered to customers. During fiscal 2007, the Company’s cash flow from operations together with amounts available under its credit facilities was sufficient to fund fiscal 2007 operations, scheduled payments of principal and interest on indebtedness, and capital expenditures.

During fiscal 2007, the Company made a special cash distribution to stockholders of $175.0 million and entered into a new senior credit agreement as described under “Executive Overview.” The Company’s new senior credit facility consists of a term loan arrangement with $450.0 million borrowed as of January 31, 2007 and an $80.0 million revolving credit facility. The revolving credit facility consists of $50.0 million which may be borrowed by the Company and 22.7 million (equivalent to $28.6 million at January 31, 2007) which may be borrowed by the Company’s European subsidiary. There was $23.3 million available under the Company’s revolving credit facility as of January 31, 2007, taking into account the $8.7 million in outstanding letters of credit, which reduce borrowing availability. The full amount of the European portion of the revolving credit facility was available as of January 31, 2007. The senior credit facility contains financial and other covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability to engage in transactions with its affiliates, incur any additional debt outside of the senior credit facility, create new liens on any property, make acquisitions, participate in certain mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, liquidations, asset sales, investments, or make distributions or cash dividend payments to its equity holders. The Company was in compliance with such covenants as of January 31, 2007.

The Company incurred capital expenditures of $32.1 million during fiscal 2007 compared to $23.1 million in fiscal 2006. The increase in capital expenditures resulted primarily from costs related to the Company’s global expansion of its Company operated retail stores of $12.8 million, an increase of $9.8

39




million over the prior year. During fiscal 2007, the Company also incurred capital costs totaling $6.1 million in connection with the global SAP implementation, $10.3 million in connection with equipment purchases and other capital costs related to the manufacture of new products and factory upgrades and $2.9 million capital costs related to various other projects.

The Company’s results of operations and cash flow are particularly sensitive to any events that affect the travel industry, such as terrorist attacks, armed conflicts anywhere in the world, epidemic threats such as SARS, or any other event that reduces or restricts travel. Any event that would have the effect of depressing results of operations or cash flows could also restrict amounts the Company and its European subsidiary would have available to borrow under the senior credit facility.

Off-Balance Sheet Financing and Other Matters

The Company’s most significant off-balance sheet financing arrangements as of January 31, 2007 are non-cancelable operating lease agreements, primarily for retail floor space and warehouse rental. The Company does not participate in any off-balance sheet arrangements involving unconsolidated subsidiaries that provide financing or potentially expose the Company to unrecorded financial obligations.

The Company’s lenders have issued letters of credit in the United States totaling $8.7 million.

The following summarizes the Company’s contractual cash obligations under long-term debt and capital lease obligations, operating lease agreements and purchase commitments and other long-term liabilities as of January 31, 2007:

 

 

Payments due by January 31

 

 

 

2008

 

2009-2010

 

2011-2012

 

Beyond

 

Total

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Long-term debt and capital lease obligations

 

$

25,512

 

 

9,444

 

 

 

9,361

 

 

445,502

 

489,819

 

Estimated interest payments(a)

 

37,283

 

 

70,609

 

 

 

69,205

 

 

67,887

 

244,984

 

Operating leases

 

33,833

 

 

46,731

 

 

 

30,668

 

 

24,592

 

135,824

 

Purchase commitments(b)

 

69,742

 

 

2,250

 

 

 

 

 

 

71,992

 

Total contractual cash obligations

 

$

166,370

 

 

129,034

 

 

 

109,234

 

 

537,981

 

942,619

 


(a)           Estimated interest payments were calculated as follows: (i) interest on the senior credit facility term loan and revolver were based on interest rates on this debt as of January 31, 2007 of 7.62% and 7.57%, respectively, (ii) interest on the senior subordinated notes was based on the fixed interest rate of 87¤8%, (iii) interest on short-term debt and other long-term debt was based on amounts outstanding and interest rates in effect at January 31, 2007, and (vi) interest on the senior floating rate notes was excluded because they were paid off on February 1, 2007.

(b)          Purchase commitments include contractual arrangements with suppliers. The total of purchase commitments and other long-term liabilities in the table above includes individual obligations over $50 thousand.

Other non-current liabilities of $85.2 million are excluded from this summary table. These liabilities consist of pension and post-retirement benefit liabilities of $72.9 million, stock compensation liabilities of $4.8 million, and miscellaneous other long-term liabilities of $7.5 million. Pension and post-retirement benefits are excluded from the table because of the difficulty of estimating the timing of future settlement of these types of obligations. The Company estimates that it could be required to make payments for pension and post-retirement benefits of $16.7 million in fiscal 2008, and from $6.0 million to $27.0 million per year in fiscal 2009-2012. Actual cash payments could vary significantly from these estimates based on actual future returns on pension assets, future interest rates, changes in ERISA funding regulations, and changes in health care costs, all of which are highly unpredictable.

40




The Company’s principal foreign operations are located in Western Europe, the economies of which are not considered to be highly inflationary. From time to time, the Company enters into foreign exchange contracts in order to reduce its exposure on certain foreign operations through the use of forward delivery commitments. No assurance can be given that the Company will be able to offset losses in sales and operating income from negative exchange rate fluctuations through foreign currency forward exchange contracts, options, or other instruments which may be available to reduce economic exposure to currency fluctuations. Geographic concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables are not significant as a result of the diverse geographic areas covered by the Company’s operations.

Critical Accounting Policies

The Company’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

The Company’s accounting for its deferred tax asset valuation allowance, for inventory at the lower of cost or market value and for its U.S. defined benefit pension plan involve the accounting policies that are most affected by management’s judgment and the use of estimates.

Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance

The Company has significant deferred tax assets amounting to approximately $98.6 million at January 31, 2007 related to its U.S. operations resulting from net operating loss carryforwards, deductible temporary differences, and tax credit carryforwards, which are available to offset future taxable income. Generally accepted accounting principles require that a valuation allowance be established for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company has assessed the likelihood that its U.S. deferred tax assets will be realized taking into consideration various factors including (i) the amount of taxable income expected to be reported in the fiscal 2007 U.S. tax return, (ii) the amounts of net operating losses reported over the past two years in its U.S. tax returns, (iii) the limitations caused by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code on the amounts of its accumulated U.S. net operating losses which may be utilized to offset future taxable income, (iv) the amounts of accumulated net operating losses which may be utilized to offset future taxable income under the built-in gain provisions of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, (v) prudent and feasible tax planning strategies which may be implemented to realize the benefit of deferred tax assets, (vi) deferred tax liabilities related to future taxable amounts that may be realized within the carryforward periods of the U.S. net operating losses through prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, and (vii) the expiration periods for the U.S. net operating losses which do not begin until 2019. Based on these factors, the Company has determined that a valuation allowance of $73.6 million for its U.S. deferred tax assets is sufficient at January 31, 2007. In addition, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance of approximately $5.1 million at January 31, 2007 related to the full amount of deferred tax assets related to certain foreign subsidiaries with accumulated losses. Generally, no valuation allowance has been recorded for European deferred tax assets as the Company believes that realization is more likely than not.

Inventories

The Company writes down its inventory for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventory equal to the difference between the cost of such inventory and estimated market value based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions for the products in our wholesale distribution channels and

41




retail outlet stores. If actual demand or market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.

Pension Plans

The Company has a qualified defined benefit plan that covers most of its U.S. employees and a nonqualified defined benefit plan that covers certain senior executives. The Company records pension expense or pension income in accordance with SFAS No. 87, Employers’ Accounting for Pensions (“SFAS 87”). The Company had charges to the results of operations from pension expense of $5.4 million, $6.0 million and $2.7 million for the fiscal years ending January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Inherent in pension valuations are several important assumptions, including discount rates, expected return on assets and rate of compensation increases, which are updated at the beginning of each plan year based on current market conditions. Significant changes in pension credits or expense may occur in the future due to changes in assumptions caused by changing market conditions.

The key assumptions used in developing the pension expense of $5.4 million related to these plans in fiscal 2007 were a 5.50% discount rate; an 8.25% expected return on plan assets, and a 3.50% rate of compensation increase. In the 2006 fiscal year assumptions used included a 5.75% discount rate; an 8.25% expected return on plan assets, and a 3.50% rate of compensation increase. The pension expense related to the Plans decreased to $5.4 million in fiscal 2007 from an expense of $6.0 million in fiscal 2006 and increased from expense of $2.7 million in fiscal 2005. Pension expense related to these plans is expected to be approximately $5.5 million in fiscal 2008. The increase in the pension expense from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2007 is a result of a decrease in plan assets caused by market conditions in the early 2000’s and the resulting sharp increase in the amount of unrecognized losses being amortized since then and a result of a decrease in the discount rate used to calculate benefit costs.

In selecting the discount rate of 5.50%, an analysis is performed in which the duration of projected cash flows from the pension plans is matched with a yield curve based on an appropriate universe of high quality corporate bonds that are available. Management uses the results of the yield curve analysis to select the discount rate that matches the duration and payment stream of the benefits in the plans. The rate is rounded to the nearest quarter of a percent. Holding all other assumptions constant, a one-half percentage point increase or decrease in the discount rate would have increased or decreased the fiscal 2007 pre-tax expense by approximately $0.8 million.

The Plans’ investment allocations are targeted at approximately 60%-70% large capitalization stocks and 30%-40% large capitalization corporate bonds. The Company considered the historical returns and future expectations for returns for each of these asset classes and the target allocation of the portfolio to develop the expected long-term rate of return assumption of 8.25%. Holding all other assumptions constant, a one-half percentage point increase or decrease in the expected return on plan assets would have increased or decreased the fiscal 2006 pre-tax expense by $0.8 million. The asset allocation and related assumed expected rate of return used in fiscal 2008 is not expected to be significantly different from fiscal 2007.

The Company’s actuaries calculate the Plans’ obligations at the end of each plan year (December 31) and such measurement date valuation is used to record pension obligations in the Company’s fiscal year-end financial statements in accordance with SFAS 87. Since fiscal year end January 31, 2003, the estimated accumulated benefit obligation (the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service and compensation levels prior to the measurement date without considering future compensation levels), commonly referred to as the “ABO”, has exceeded the fair value of the Plans’ assets. This result is primarily due to the decline in equity markets in the early 2000’s and a decline in the discount rate used to estimate the pension liability because of lower U.S. interest rates since 2002. As of fiscal year end January 31, 2007, the ABO exceeded the fair value of plan assets by $53.0 million. The decrease in the

42




excess of the ABO over the fair value of plan assets from the prior year resulted in a $6.4 million credit to stockholders’ equity (Other Comprehensive Income (Expense)). Additionally, as of January 31, 2007, the Company adopted a new accounting standard for recognition of pension obligations, SFAS 158, Employers Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans—an amendment to FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106 and 132(R) (“SFAS 158”). Under SFAS 158, gains and losses, prior service costs and credits, and any remaining transition amounts that have not yet been recognized through net periodic benefit cost are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax effects. Since the Company had already recorded a minimum pension liability under SFAS 87, the adoption of SFAS 158 did not have a significant effect on the Company’s recorded obligation for pension costs; the combined effect of SFAS 158 on pension and post-retirement liabilities was to increase liabilities for pension and post-retirement plans by $1.3 million and decrease intangible assets by $1.3 million. Future market conditions and interest rates significantly impact future assets and liabilities of the pension plan, and similar charges or credits to stockholders’ equity may be required in the future upon measurement of plan obligations at the end of each plan year.

The Company’s funding policy is to make any contributions required by ERISA. In fiscal years 2007 and 2006, the Company made contributions of zero and $2.5 million, respectively, to the plan. Based on current stock market conditions, the interest rate environment and current ERISA funding regulations, the Company expects to make a contribution to the plan of $15.6 million in fiscal 2008. See also Off-Balance Sheet Financing and Other Matters included elsewhere herein.

New Accounting Standards

In July 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) released FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109 (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting and reporting for uncertainties in income tax law. FIN 48 prescribes a comprehensive model for the financial statement recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns. FIN 48 shall be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006. Earlier adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an enterprise’s fiscal year, provided the enterprise has not yet issued financial statements, including financial statements for any interim period for that fiscal year. The cumulative effects, if any, of applying FIN 48 will be recorded as an adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact from this standard on the results of operations and financial position.

In June 2006, the FASB ratified the consensus on EITF Issue No. 06-3, How Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities Should Be Presented in the Income Statement (“EITF 06-3”). The scope of EITF 06-3 includes any tax assessed by a governmental authority that is directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer and may include, but is not limited to, sales, use and value added taxes. The Task Force concluded that entities should present these taxes in the income statement on either a gross or a net basis, based on their accounting policy, which should be disclosed pursuant to APB Opinion No. 22, Disclosure of Accounting Policies. If such taxes are significant and are presented on a gross basis, the amounts of those taxes should be disclosed. The consensus on EITF 06-3 will be effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2006. The Company currently records sales, use, and value added taxes billed to its customers on a net basis in its consolidated statements of operations. The adoption of EITF 06-3 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial condition.

In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS 157, Fair Value Measurements (“SFAS 157”), which defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in U.S. GAAP, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. SFAS 157 applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or

43




permit fair value measurements, where fair value is the relevant measurement attribute. The standard does not require any new fair value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company expects that the adoption of SFAS 157 will not have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans (“SFAS 158”), which amends SFAS No. 87, Employers’ Accounting for Pensions (SFAS 87), SFAS No. 88, Employers’ Accounting for Settlements and Curtailments of Defined Benefit Pension Plans and for Termination Benefits (“SFAS 88”), SFAS No. 106, Employers’ Accounting for Postretirements Benefits Other Than Pensions (“SFAS 106”), and SFAS No. 132R, Employers’ Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits (revised 2003) (“SFAS 132R”). This Statement requires companies to recognize an asset or liability for the overfunded or underfunded status of their benefit plans in their financial statements. SFAS 158 also requires the measurement date for plan assets and liabilities to coincide with the sponsor’s year-end. The standard provides two transition alternatives related to the change in measurement date provisions. The recognition of an asset and liability related to the funded status provision is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2006 and the change in measurement date provisions is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2008. The adoption of SFAS 158 increased the Company’s long-term pension and other postretirement benefit liabilities by $1.3 million, decreased intangible assets by $1.3 million and increased the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss by $2.6 million. The Company expects that the measurement-date provisions of SFAS 158 will be implemented effective in fiscal 2009.

In September 2006, the SEC issued SAB No. 108 (“SAB 108”), which provides guidance on the process of quantifying financial statement misstatements. In SAB 108, the SEC staff establishes’ an approach that requires quantification of financial statement errors, under both the iron-curtain and the roll-over methods, based on the effects of the error on each of our financial statements and the related financial statement disclosures. SAB 108 is generally effective for annual financial statements in the first fiscal year ending after November 15, 2006. The transition provisions of SAB 108 permit existing public companies to record the cumulative effect, if any, of adopting SAB 108 in the first year ending after November 15, 2006 by recording correcting adjustments to the carrying values of assets and liabilities as of the beginning of that year with the offsetting adjustment recorded to the opening balance of retained earnings. The adoption of SAB 108 did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

ITEM 7A.        QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market Risk

The Company’s primary market risks include changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. Market risk is the potential loss arising from adverse changes in market rates and prices, such as foreign currency exchange and interest rates. The Company enters into forward financial instruments with major financial institutions to manage and reduce the impact of changes in foreign currency rates. From time to time, the Company uses interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. The Company does not use financial instruments to manage fluctuations in commodity prices. The Company does not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.

Foreign Exchange Contracts

From time to time, the Company enters into forward foreign exchange and option contracts to reduce its economic exposure to translated earnings of foreign subsidiaries (primarily the translated earnings of European operations). Certain of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries enter into forward exchange

44




contracts to reduce economic exposure to purchases of goods from Asia payable in U.S. dollars and certain other contracts to reduce their economic exposure to receipts payable in currencies other than home country functional currencies.

Contracts entered into to reduce the Company’s exposure to translated earnings of foreign subsidiaries are marked to market at the end of each month, and gains or losses are included in Other Income (Expense)—Net. Gains or losses on foreign exchange contracts entered into to reduce the Company’s exposure to payables and receivables related to product purchases and sales denominated in other than functional currencies are included in income or loss as the underlying hedged transactions are completed.

At January 31, 2007, the Company and its subsidiaries had forward foreign exchange contracts outstanding having a total contract amount of approximately $93.9 million with a weighted average maturity of 195 days. If there were a ten percent adverse change in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the outstanding forward exchange contracts, the loss in earnings from the amount included in other comprehensive income for the year ended January 31, 2007 would be approximately $9.4 million, before the effect of income taxes. Any hypothetical loss in earnings would be offset by changes in the underlying value of translated earnings, to the extent such earnings or income is equal to the amount of currency exposed, or for product purchases by lower cost of sales.

Interest Rates

At January 31, 2007, the Company had outstanding $468.0 million under its senior credit facility, consisting of a $450.0 million senior secured term loan and $18.0 million drawn under its senior secured revolving credit facility. Borrowings under the term loan and revolving credit facility accrue interest at rates adjusted periodically depending on the Company’s financial performance as measured each fiscal quarter and interest rate market conditions. At January 31, 2007, the interest rate on the term loan facility was 7.62% and the interest rate on the revolving credit facility was 7.57%. Subsequent to January 31, 2007, the Company entered into a variable to fixed interest rate swap agreement effective March 21, 2007 with a notional amount of $225,000, a pay rate of 5.192% and a receive rate based on the three month LIBOR rate. The swap agreement dated February 1, 2007 has a five-year term. The rate the Company receives reprices every three months.

ITEM 8.                FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The consolidated financial statements and supplementary financial information required by this Item and included in this Report are listed in the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule appearing on page F-1.

ITEM 9.                CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A.        CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of

45




the period covered by this report (the “Evaluation Date”). Based on that evaluation, management concluded that as of January 31, 2007 the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective in alerting them on a timely basis to material information relating to the Company (including its consolidated subsidiaries) required to be included in the Company’s reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act.

Except for the implementation of changes to improve controls over accounting for and disclosure of income taxes, there was no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.       OTHER INFORMATION

None.

46




PART III

ITEM 10.         DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information required by Item 10 is incorporated by reference from the 2007 Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 11.         EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by Item 11 is incorporated by reference from the 2007 Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 12.         SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by Item 12 is incorporated by reference from the 2007 Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 13.         CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by Item 13 is incorporated by reference from the 2007 Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 14.         PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by Item 14 is incorporated by reference from the 2007 Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Report. Alternatively, we may file an amendment to this Form 10-K to provide such information within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

47




PART IV

ITEM 15.         EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE

1.     Financial Statements:

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule on page F-1 hereof.

2.     Financial Statement Schedule:

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Schedule on page F-1 hereof.

3.     Exhibits:

See Index to Exhibits on pages E-1 through E-3 hereof.

48




SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SAMSONITE CORPORATION

 

By:

/s/ MARCELLO BOTTOLI

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Date:

May 1, 2007

 

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Marcello Bottoli and Richard H. Wiley, or either of them, his or her attorneys-in-fact, with the power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2007, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact, or their substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

 

 

 

Title

 

 

 

Date

 

/s/ RICHARD H. WILEY

 

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary

 

May 1, 2007

Richard H. Wiley

 

and Principal Accounting Officer

 

 

/s/ MARCELLO BOTTOLI

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

May 1, 2007

Marcello Bottoli

 

 

 

 

/s/ JOHN ALLAN

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

John Allan

 

 

 

 

/s/ MELISSA WONG BETHELL

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Melissa Wong Bethell

 

 

 

 

/s/ CHARLES J. PHILIPPIN

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Charles J. Philippin

 

 

 

 

/s/ FERDINANDO GRIMALDI QUARTIERI

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Ferdinando Grimaldi Quartieri

 

 

 

 

/s/ ANTONY P. RESSLER

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Antony P. Ressler

 

 

 

 

/s/ JEFFREY B. SCHWARTZ

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Jeffrey B. Schwartz

 

 

 

 

/s/ LEE SIENNA

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Lee Sienna

 

 

 

 

/s/ DONALD L. TRIGGS

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Donald L. Triggs

 

 

 

 

/s/ RICHARD T. WARNER

 

Director

 

May 1, 2007

Richard T. Warner

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                       &# 160;                                                                                          

49




INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULE

 

Page

 

Consolidated Financial Statements:

 

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-2

 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2007 and 2006

 

F-3

 

Consolidated Statements of Operations for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2007     

 

F-4

 

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2007

 

F-5

 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2007    

 

F-6

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

F-7

 

Schedule:

 

 

 

Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

 

F-37

 

 

F-1




REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Samsonite Corporation:

We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Samsonite Corporation and subsidiaries as listed in the accompanying index. In connection with our audits of the consolidated financial statements, we also have audited the financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index. These consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Samsonite Corporation and subsidiaries as of January 31, 2007 and 2006, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2007, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

As discussed in note 13, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123R, Share Based Payment, effective February 1, 2006. Also, as discussed in note 15, the Company adopted SFAS No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Post-retirement Plans—an amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106 and 132(R), effective January 31, 2007.

KPMG LLP

Denver, Colorado
April 30, 2007

F-2




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
January 31, 2007 and 2006
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

78,548

 

85,448

 

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $10,370 and $7,213 (Note 11)

 

133,086

 

113,528

 

Other receivables

 

1,976

 

2,056

 

Inventories (Notes 5 and 11)

 

165,767

 

133,683

 

Deferred income taxes (Note 14)

 

10,292

 

8,652

 

Assets held for sale (Note 6)

 

 

1,515

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

36,438

 

28,212

 

Total current assets

 

426,107

 

373,094

 

Property, plant and equipment, net (Notes 7 and 11)

 

103,999

 

89,100

 

Intangible assets, less accumulated amortization of $38,982 and $38,389 (Notes 8 and 11)     

 

102,826

 

91,658

 

Other assets and long-term receivables (Note 9)

 

18,193

 

13,399

 

Total assets

 

$

651,125

 

567,251

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term debt (Note 10)

 

$

12,096

 

9,396

 

Current installments of long-term obligations (Note 11)

 

25,512

 

1,048

 

Accounts payable

 

135,340

 

101,893

 

Accrued interest

 

4,278

 

4,055

 

Accrued compensation and employee benefits

 

27,854

 

25,539

 

Accrued income taxes

 

17,086

 

10,192

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

55,311

 

43,641

 

Total current liabilities

 

277,477

 

195,764

 

Long-term obligations, less current installments (Note 11)

 

464,307

 

296,784

 

Deferred income taxes (Note 14)

 

23,404

 

22,897

 

Other non-current liabilities (Notes 12 and 15)

 

85,188

 

86,962

 

Total liabilities

 

850,376

 

602,407

 

Minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries

 

23,023

 

16,057

 

Stockholders’ equity (deficit) (Notes 2, 11 and 13):

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock ($0.01 par value; 2,000,000 shares authorized; 11 and 159,082 convertible shares issued and outstanding at January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively)

 

11

 

193,981

 

Common stock ($0.01 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 742,006,783 and 227,159,626 shares issued and outstanding at January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively)

 

7,420

 

2,272

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

570,182

 

354,760

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(742,711

)

(539,420

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss                          

 

(57,176

)

(62,806

)

Total stockholders’ deficit

 

(222,274

)

(51,213

)

Commitments and contingencies (Notes 1, 4, 10, 11, 14, 15, and 17)

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)

 

$

651,125

 

567,251

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-3




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Net sales

 

$

1,070,393

 

966,886

 

902,896

 

Cost of goods sold

 

524,451

 

496,505

 

485,882

 

Gross profit

 

545,942

 

470,381

 

417,014

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

459,511

 

381,185

 

341,532

 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets (Note 8)

 

1,193

 

862

 

3,214

 

Asset impairment charges (Note 4)

 

1,623

 

5,450

 

671

 

Provision for restructuring operations (Note 4)

 

3,775

 

9,849

 

5,862

 

Operating income

 

79,840

 

73,035

 

65,735

 

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest income

 

2,570

 

2,052

 

549

 

Interest expense and amortization of debt issue costs and premium

 

(30,285

)

(30,496

)

(35,206

)

Other income (expense)—net (Note 18)

 

(23,506

)

(9,872

)

(23,603

)

Income before income taxes, minority interests and cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

28,619

 

34,719

 

7,475

 

Income tax expense (Note 14)

 

(27,175

)

(16,516

)

(13,652

)

Minority interests in earnings of subsidiaries

 

(9,673

)

(4,882

)

(3,521

)

Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

(8,229

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

Cumulative effect of an accounting change (Note 13)

 

1,391

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

(6,838

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

Preferred stock dividends (Note 2)

 

(138,386

)

(14,831

)

(13,683

)

Net loss to common stockholders

 

$

(145,224

)

(1,510

)

(23,381

)

Net loss per common share—basic and diluted:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares outstanding—basic and diluted

 

266,665

 

226,587

 

224,764

 

Net loss per common share before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

$

(0.55

)

(0.01

)

(0.10

)

Cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

0.01

 

 

 

Net loss per common share

 

$

(0.54

)

(0.01

)

(0.10

)

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-4




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)

AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(Dollars in thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

Preferred
stock

 

Common
stock

 

Additional
paid-in
capital

 

Accumulated
deficit

 

Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)

 

Comprehensive
income
(loss)

 

Treasury
stock

 

Balance, January 31, 2004

 

$

166,498

 

 

2,352

 

 

 

768,433

 

 

 

(514,529

)

 

 

(32,140

)

 

 

 

 

 

(420,000

)

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9,698

)

 

 

 

 

 

(9,698

)

 

 

Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges (net of income tax effect of $918)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,693

)

 

 

(1,693

)

 

 

Reclassification of net loss on cash flow hedges to net loss (net of income tax effect of $445)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

549

 

 

 

549

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

448

 

 

 

448

 

 

 

Minimum pension liability adjustment (Note 15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(17,771

)

 

 

(17,771

)

 

 

Comprehensive loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(28,165

)

 

 

Stock compensation expense (Note 13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,209

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of 50 shares of preferred stock to 129,384 shares of common stock

 

(54

)

 

1

 

 

 

53

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock dividends (Note 2)

 

13,683

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(13,683

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, January 31, 2005

 

180,127

 

 

2,353

 

 

 

769,695

 

 

 

(537,910

)

 

 

(50,607

)

 

 

 

 

 

(420,000

)

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13,321

 

 

 

 

 

 

13,321

 

 

 

Unrealized gain on cash flow hedges (net of income tax effect of $546)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,310

 

 

 

1,310

 

 

 

Reclassification of net loss on cash flow hedges to net income (net of income tax effect of $885)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,426

 

 

 

1,426

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5,702

)

 

 

(5,702

)

 

 

Minimum pension liability adjustment (Note 15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9,233

)

 

 

(9,233

)

 

 

Comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,122

 

 

 

 

Stock compensation expense (Note 13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of 850 shares of preferred stock to 2,324,918 shares of common stock

 

(977

)

 

24

 

 

 

953

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock dividends (Note 2)

 

14,831

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(14,831

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retirement of 10,500,000 shares of treasury stock

 

 

 

(105

)

 

 

(419,895

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

420,000

 

Balance, January 31, 2006

 

193,981

 

 

2,272

 

 

 

354,760

 

 

 

(539,420

)

 

 

(62,806

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6,838

)

 

 

 

 

 

(6,838

)

 

 

Unrealized loss on cash flow hedges (net of income tax effect of $76)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(63

)

 

 

(63

)

 

 

Reclassification of net gains on cash flow hedges to net loss (net of income tax effect of $539)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,037

)

 

 

(1,037

)

 

 

Foreign currency translation adjustment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,934

 

 

 

2,934

 

 

 

Minimum pension liability adjustment (Note 15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,434

 

 

 

6,434

 

 

 

Comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,430

 

 

 

 

Adjustment to initially apply SFAS 158 (Note 15)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2,638

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock compensation expense (Note 13)

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,331

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock options exercised for 15,000 shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock dividends paid (Note 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(53,307

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock dividends (Note 2)

 

22,259

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(138,386

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividend distribution to common stock option holders (Note 2)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,760

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion of 159,071 shares of preferred stock to 514,832,157 shares of common stock (Note 2)

 

(216,229

)

 

5,148

 

 

 

211,081

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance, January 31, 2007

 

$

11

 

 

7,420

 

 

 

570,182

 

 

 

(742,711

)

 

 

(57,176

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-5




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Dollars in thousands)

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

$

(8,229

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss (gain) on disposition of assets held for sale and fixed assets, net

 

(3,285

)

128

 

(819

)

Depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment

 

19,830

 

17,057

 

18,971

 

Amortization and write-off of debt issue costs and premium

 

7,482

 

3,068

 

6,500

 

Amortization and impairment of intangible assets

 

1,193

 

862

 

3,214

 

Deferred income tax benefit

 

(4,670

)

(1,477

)

(226

)

Pension plan losses, net

 

6,410

 

6,771

 

3,243

 

Asset impairment charge

 

1,623

 

5,450

 

671

 

Provision for doubtful accounts

 

2,387

 

327

 

1,540

 

Provision for restructuring operations

 

3,775

 

9,849

 

5,862

 

Non-cash stock compensation expense

 

6,190

 

5,497

 

4,031

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquired amounts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trade and other receivables

 

(8,724

)

(8,220

)

(19,937

)

Inventories

 

(19,794

)

(4,598

)

2,027

 

Other current assets

 

(4,722

)

(5,818

)

(1,002

)

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

32,150

 

35,724

 

19,499

 

Contribution to U.S. defined benefit pension plan

 

 

(2,500

)

 

Other—net

 

(471

)

(3,883

)

850

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

31,145

 

71,558

 

34,726

 

Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property, plant and equipment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Company and wholly-owned subsidiaries

 

(25,283

)

(18,878

)

(10,779

)

By less than 100% owned subsidiaries

 

(6,830

)

(4,266

)

(1,705

)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment and other assets

 

9,752

 

14,424

 

4,094

 

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

 

(12,230

)

 

 

Other

 

(1,411

)

(369

)

(440

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(36,002

)

(9,089

)

(8,830

)

Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from (payments of) short-term debt—net

 

(1,063

)

(5,672

)

8,792

 

Borrowings on new senior credit facility

 

468,000

 

 

 

Payments of other long-term obligations—net

 

(1,249

)

(1,285

)

(918

)

Issuance costs of senior credit facility and senior notes

 

(6,216

)

 

(8,055

)

Issuance of floating rate senior and 87¤8% senior subordinated notes

 

 

 

325,810

 

Repurchase of subordinated notes

 

(287,208

)

(30,075

)

(323,393

)

Dividend distribution to preferred and common stockholders and common stock option holders, net of $806 charged to expense

 

(174,194

)

 

 

Other, net

 

4,977

 

3,230

 

960

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

3,047

 

(33,802

)

3,196

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

(5,090

)

403

 

(2,238

)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

(6,900

)

29,070

 

26,854

 

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

 

85,448

 

56,378

 

29,524

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year

 

$

78,548

 

85,448

 

56,378

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid during the year for interest

 

$

27,727

 

28,420

 

32,593

 

Cash paid during the year for income taxes, net

 

$

27,271

 

16,280

 

11,016

 

Non-cash transactions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-cash transactions are described in Notes 2, 13 and 15.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

F-6




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
January 31, 2007 and 2006
Dollars and Euros in thousands, except per share amounts

(1)   Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a)   General Business

The principal activity of Samsonite Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company”) is the design, manufacture and distribution of luggage, business and computer bags, outdoor and casual bags, and travel-related products throughout the world, primarily under the Samsonite®, Samsonite Black Label® and American Tourister® brand names and other owned and licensed brand names, such as Lacoste®, Timberland® and Lambertson Truex. The principal luggage customers of the Company are department/specialty retail stores, mass merchants, catalog showrooms and warehouse clubs. The Company also sells its luggage, casual bags, business cases and other products through its Company-operated retail stores.

(b)   Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Samsonite Corporation and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company’s foreign subsidiaries have fiscal year ends of December 31 and the results are consolidated up to that date.

Minority interests consist of other stockholders’ ownership interests in majority-owned subsidiaries of the Company.

(c)   Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

(d)   Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of January 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company had no restricted cash.

(e)   Trade Accounts Receivable and Allowances for Doubtful Accounts

Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The Company’s accounts receivable are net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of potential credit losses. The allowance for doubtful accounts is reviewed by management and is adjusted for factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers, historical trends and macroeconomic considerations. The Company provides allowances against receivables from specific customers in addition to a general allowance for amounts related to unidentified losses. Returns and customer allowances are adjusted for estimates by management based upon an assessment of historical trends, relevant product life cycles, information from customers,

F-7




and specific promotional activities related to current sales activity. In the event that actual losses differ from the Company’s estimates, or there is an increase in exposure relating to sales to specific customers, results of future periods may be impacted.

With respect to trade receivables, concentration of credit risk is limited due to the diversity in the Company’s customer base and geographic areas covered by the Company’s operations.

(f)   Inventories

The Company values inventories at the lower of cost, generally using the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, or market. The Company writes down the cost of excess, slow moving and obsolete inventory to estimated net realizable value. If actual demand or market conditions are less favorable than those projected by management, additional inventory write-downs may be required.

(g)   Impairment of Long-lived Assets and Assets to be Disposed Of

Property, plant and equipment and other long-lived assets, including amortizable intangible assets, capital leases, long-term prepaid assets and other long-lived assets held and used, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Recoverability is tested by comparing expected undiscounted cash flows from the long-lived asset or group of long-lived assets to the carrying value of the asset(s); if the undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded to write-down the carrying value to estimated fair value. Fair value is estimated based on the best information available: quoted market prices, estimated prices for similar assets, or valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow models.

Assets to be disposed of are separately presented in the consolidated balance sheets and reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less costs to sell, and are no longer depreciated.

(h)   Property, Plant and Equipment

Property plant and equipment are stated at cost. Assets under capital leases are stated at the present value of the future minimum lease payments. Improvements which extend the life of an asset are capitalized. Maintenance and repair costs are expensed as incurred.

Depreciation and amortization are provided on the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset or the lease term, if applicable, as follows:

Buildings

 

20 to 30 years

 

Machinery, equipment and other

 

4 to 13 years

 

Computer software

 

3 to 9 years

 

Leasehold improvements

 

3 to 20 years

 

 

(i)   Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of goodwill, tradenames, licenses, patents, leasehold rights and other intangible assets. Intangible assets which are considered to have an indefinite life are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired. In connection with the adoption of fresh-start reporting at June 30, 1993, the Company was required to adjust intangible assets to fair value.

Intangible assets which have a finite life are amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows:

Patents, trademarks and other

 

4 to 13 years

 

Leasehold rights

 

5 years

 

 

F-8




Intangible assets having a finite life are tested for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the asset may be impaired.

(j)   Debt Issuance Costs

Costs incurred in connection with the issuance of new debt instruments are deferred and included in other assets. Such costs are amortized as additional interest expense over the term of the related debt obligation or charged to other expense on a pro-rata basis as the related debt is retired.

(k)   Per Share Data

The Company computes both “basic” and “diluted” earnings per share information for inclusion in the consolidated financial statements. Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. For periods that have income available to common stockholders, diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income before preferred stock dividends by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding increased for the potentially dilutive common shares issuable for stock options, warrants and convertible preferred stock.

Loss per share—basic and diluted for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 is computed based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period of 266,664,942, 226,587,304 and 224,764,006, respectively. Basic loss per share and loss per share-assuming dilution are the same for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 because the net loss to common stockholders causes potentially dilutive common shares to be antidilutive.

Antidilutive common stock equivalents include: options to purchase 70,743,986, 69,975,758 and 55,242,713 shares of common stock at January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively; outstanding warrants to purchase approximately 15,515,892 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.515 per share at January 31, 2007, and an exercise price of $0.75 per share at January 31, 2006 and 2005; warrants to purchase 1,061,012 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $10.17 per share at January 31, 2007, warrants to purchase 828,356 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $13.02 per share at January 31, 2006 and 2005; and preferred stock convertible into 26,191 common shares, 461,861,317 common shares and 413,349,524 common shares at January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

(l)   Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company accounts for derivative financial instruments in accordance with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (“SFAS 133”), and its corresponding amendments under SFAS No. 138, Accounting for Certain Derivative Instruments and Certain Hedging Activities, an amendment to SFAS 133 (“SFAS 138”) and SFAS No. 149, Amendment of SFAS No. 133 on Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (“SFAS 149”). SFAS 133 requires the Company to measure all derivatives at fair value and to recognize them in the consolidated balance sheet as an asset or liability, depending on the Company’s rights or obligations under the applicable derivative contract. For derivatives designated as fair value hedges, the changes in the fair value of both the derivative instrument and the hedged item are recorded in earnings. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portions of changes in fair value of the derivative are reported in other comprehensive income (“OCI”) and are subsequently reclassified into earnings when the hedged item affects earnings. Changes in fair value of derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments and ineffective portions of hedges are recognized in earnings in the current period.

The Company periodically enters into derivative transactions to hedge interest rates on floating rate debt obligations and forecasted foreign currency transactions. These derivatives are classified as cash flow hedges. The Company also periodically enters into derivative transactions to reduce exposure to the effect

F-9




of exchange rates on the earnings of foreign operations (primarily the effect of changes in the euro exchange rate on the results of the Company’s European operations). These derivative transactions to hedge the effect of exchange rates on foreign earnings are not allowed hedge accounting treatment; therefore, the Company records these instruments at fair value and recognizes realized and unrealized gains and losses in Other Income (Expense)—Net.

Net gains or losses on interest rate hedges are recorded in interest expense when reclassified to earnings. Net gains or losses on hedges of forecasted foreign currency transactions are reclassified to revenues or cost of sales depending on the type of transaction being hedged and are reclassified from other comprehensive income as the underlying hedged transactions occur. At January 31, 2007, cash flow hedges for forecasted foreign currency transactions extended until December 2007. The estimated amount of net losses from foreign currency hedges expected to be reclassified into earnings within the next 12 months is $577. The amount ultimately reclassified into earnings will be dependent on the effect of changes in interest rates and currency exchange rates as derivative agreements mature. The Company did not enter into any interest rate hedges during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005.

(m)   Foreign Currency Translation, Exchange Risk and Financial Instruments

The accounts of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries and affiliates are measured using the local currency as the functional currency. For those operations, assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at period-end exchange rates. Income and expense accounts are translated at average monthly exchange rates. Net exchange gains or losses resulting from such translation are excluded from results of operations and accumulated as a separate component (foreign currency translation adjustment) of stockholders’ deficit. Accumulated other comprehensive income in the equity section of the balance sheet includes debit balances in cumulative foreign currency translation adjustments of $9,066 and $12,000 as of January 2007 and 2006, respectively. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions as a result of operating activities are included in cost of sales and general and administrative expenses; gains or losses from intercompany payables and denominated in foreign currencies are included in Other Income (Expense)—Net.

As of January 31, 2006, the Company had designated the principal balance of $121,520 of its euro-denominated senior floating rate notes as a hedge of the foreign currency exposure related to the investment in its European operations. As of January 31, 2007, the principal balance of the senior floating rate notes was $19,120. For the years ended January 31, 2007 and 2006, an exchange gain (loss) of $(10,143) and $8,830 from the translation of these notes to U.S. dollars was included in the foreign currency translation adjustment. On February 1, 2007 the Company redeemed the remaining principal amount of the senior floating rate notes.

(n)   Revenue Recognition

Revenues from wholesale product sales are recognized when (i) evidence of a sales arrangement at a fixed and determinable price exists (usually in the form of a sales order), (ii) collectibility is reasonably assured, and (iii) title transfers to the customer. Provisions are made for estimates of markdown allowances, warranties, returns and discounts at the time product sales are recognized. Shipping terms are predominately FOB shipping point (title transfers to the customer at our shipping location) except in certain Asian countries where title transfers upon delivery to the customer. In all cases, sales are recognized upon transfer of title to customers. Revenues from retail sales are recognized at the point-of-sale to consumers.

The Company licenses its brand names to certain unrelated third parties as well as certain foreign subsidiaries and joint ventures. Net sales include royalties earned and sales of licenses to third parties of $14,007, $16,564 and $19,901, for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.

F-10




(o)   Stock Based Compensation

In the first quarter of fiscal 2007, the Company adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, (“SFAS 123R”). SFAS 123R requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized as compensation expense in the financial statements based on their fair values. Prior to fiscal 2007, the Company accounted for its stock-based employee compensation arrangements using the intrinsic value method in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and FASB Interpretation No. 44, Accounting for Certain Transactions Involving Stock Compensation—An Interpretation of APB 25, and disclosed the effect on net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per share as if the Company had applied the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS 123R. See Note 13.

(p)   Advertising Expense

Costs for producing media advertising are deferred until the related advertising appears in print or television media, at which time such costs are expensed. Other advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Cooperative advertising costs associated with customer support programs giving the Company an identifiable advertising benefit equal to at least the amount of the advertising allowance are accrued and charged to selling, general and administrative expenses when the related revenues are recognized. Cooperative advertising expense was approximately $23,787, $24,779 and $21,149 during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Advertising expense (including cooperative advertising) was approximately $67,500, $63,600 and $50,600 during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Promotional expense (including catalog development, trade fairs, sales samples, brochure inserts and point of display materials) was approximately $10,000, $7,100 and $6,700 during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. From time to time, the Company offers various types of incentive arrangements such as cash or payment discounts, rebates or free products. All such incentive arrangements are accrued and reduce reported revenues when incurred.

(q)   Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications were made to the consolidated financial statements for prior periods to conform to the January 31, 2007 presentation.

(r)   Warranties

The Company’s warranty reserves are recorded on the consolidated balance sheet to reflect contractual liabilities relating to warranty commitments to customers. Warranty coverage of various lengths and terms is provided to customers depending on standard offerings. An estimate for warranty expense is recorded at the time of sale based on historical warranty return rates and repair costs. The Company’s warranty reserves are not significant in any given year.

(s)   Software Purchase and Development Costs

The Company capitalizes the costs of purchased software and costs to configure, install and test software. Software assessment and evaluation, process reengineering, data conversion, training, maintenance and ongoing software support costs are expensed.

Capitalized software is amortized over its estimated useful life, typically three to nine years. Amortization expense was $2,620, $2,107 and $1,514 in fiscal 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively, and is included in selling, general and administrative expense. The unamortized balance of capitalized software was $10,525 and $9,010 at January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

F-11




(t)   Cost of Sales and Selling, General and Administrative Expense

The Company includes the following types of costs in cost of goods sold: direct product purchase and manufacturing costs, duties, freight-in, receiving, inspection, internal transfer costs, and procurement and manufacturing overhead. The Company includes the following types of costs in selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”): warehousing, order entry, billing, credit, freight-out, warranty, salaries and benefits of administrative and sales personnel, rent, insurance, taxes, office supplies, professional fees, travel, communications, advertising, investor relations, public company expenses and other expenses of a general and administrative nature not directly related to the cost of acquiring or manufacturing its products. Other comparable companies may include warehousing, freight-out and other types of costs that the Company includes in SG&A in cost of goods sold.

(u)   Income Taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method for determining income taxes, under which current and deferred tax liabilities and assets are recorded in accordance with enacted tax laws and rates. Under this method, the amounts of deferred tax liabilities and assets at the end of each period are determined using the tax rate expected to be in effect when taxes are actually paid or recovered.

Deferred income taxes are provided for the estimated income tax effect of temporary differences between financial and tax bases in assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets are also provided for certain tax credit carryforwards. A valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets is established when it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

The Company intends to indefinitely reinvest certain earnings of our foreign subsidiaries in operations outside the U.S., and accordingly, income taxes have not been provided on such earnings. The Company does provide U.S. and additional foreign taxes on earnings anticipated to be repatriated from foreign subsidiaries.

We are subject to the jurisdiction of numerous domestic and foreign tax authorities, as well as to tax agreements and treaties among these governments. Operations in these different jurisdictions are taxed on various bases. Determination of taxable income in any jurisdiction requires the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events, such as the amount, timing and character of deductions, permissible revenue recognition methods under the tax law and the sources and character of income and tax credits. Changes in tax laws, regulations, agreements and treaties, foreign currency exchange restrictions or our level of operations or profitability in each taxing jurisdiction could have an impact upon the amount of income taxes provided during any given year. The Company calculates current and deferred taxes based on the probable tax treatment of transactions under the provisions of existing tax law and regulations.

Tax filings for various periods are subject to audit by tax authorities in most jurisdictions where the Company conducts business. These audits may result in assessments of additional taxes that are resolved with the authorities or potentially through the courts.

(2)   Distribution to Stockholders and Refinancing

(a)   Fiscal 2007 Distribution

During fiscal 2007, the Company made a special cash distribution to stockholders in an aggregate amount of $175,000, or approximately $0.23 per equivalent common share, (the “Distribution”), consisting of dividends of $53,307 on the Company’s common stock, dividends of $116,127 paid in respect of dividend participation rights of the Company’s then outstanding convertible preferred stock, and dilution adjustment payments of $5,566 to the holders of certain of the Company’s outstanding stock options. In connection with the Distribution, the Company entered into a new senior credit agreement, consisting of a

F-12




$450,000 term loan facility and an $80,000 revolving credit facility, and completed tender offers (the “Tender Offers”), for its $164,970 outstanding 87¤8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 (the “Senior Subordinated Notes”), and $131,663 outstanding Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2010 (the “Floating Rate Notes”). The proceeds of the term loan facility, together with a portion of the proceeds of the revolving credit facility and cash on hand, were used to finance the Distribution and to retire the $164,710 aggregate principal amount of Senior Subordinated Notes and $112,543 aggregate principal amount of Floating Rate Notes that were purchased pursuant to the Tender Offers. On February 1, 2007, after the end of fiscal 2007, the Company redeemed and retired an additional $19,120 aggregate principal amount of the Floating Rate Notes. Pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation governing the convertible preferred stock, the Distribution accelerated dividends on the convertible preferred stock through June 15, 2007. During fiscal 2007, the Company accrued additional dividends of $6,272 as a result of this acceleration. In connection with the Distribution, holders of 159,071 shares of the convertible preferred stock converted their shares into 514,832,157 shares of common stock effective as of January 4, 2007. As a result, at January 31, 2007, there were 11,000 outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock.

(b)   Fiscal 2005 Refinancing

During fiscal 2005, the Company retired $14,600 of its 103¤4% Senior Subordinated Notes (the “103¤4% Notes”) through an open market purchase at a price of 103.50% of the principal amount, and on May 25, 2004, the Company commenced an offer to purchase and consent solicitation for the purpose of retiring and refinancing the remaining principal balance of the 103¤4% Notes of $308,300. Holders of the 103¤4% notes who tendered their 103¤4% notes prior to June 8, 2004 received a total tender offer consideration of $1.04267 per $1.00 of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. Notes that remained outstanding following the expiration of the tender offer on June 8, 2004 were redeemed on July 11, 2004 at a redemption price of $1.035833 per $1.00 of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. To refinance the 103¤4% Notes and to pay the tender and redemption premiums in connection with the retirement of the 103¤4% Notes, on June 9, 2004 the Company issued 100,000 ($121,520 at January 31, 2006) senior floating rate notes due 2010 and $205,000 87¤8% senior subordinated notes due 2011. See Note 11 for a description of the senior notes and the senior subordinated notes. A total of $17,767 of redemption premiums, tender and consent solicitation payments, dealer-manager fees and deferred financing costs were charged to Other Income (Expense)—Net in connection with the repurchase and retirement of the 103¤4% notes. Additionally, a total of $8,055 of deferred financing costs were incurred in connection with the issuance of the floating rate senior notes and the 87¤8% senior subordinated notes.

(c)   2003 Recapitalization and Convertible Preferred Stock

The Company’s outstanding convertible preferred stock was issued to three major investors and the holders of the then outstanding preferred stock issuance as a result of a July 31, 2003 recapitalization transaction. The convertible preferred stock has a dividend rate of 8%, is convertible into the Company’s common stock at $0.42 per share and had a liquidation preference of $11 and $193,981 at January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

The terms of the convertible preferred stock provide that the 8% dividend rate may increase or decrease on or after July 31, 2008 under certain conditions relating to whether accrued and owing dividends have been paid, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock held by our major stockholders and the number of non-independent members on our board of directors. In the event of a liquidation, change of control, qualified public offering of common stock, or qualified recapitalization (all as defined in the Certificate of Designation and Powers governing the terms of the convertible preferred stock), the accrual and compounding of dividends for the period up to and including the June 15, 2007 dividend payment date are deemed to have accelerated and fully accrued as of the date immediately prior to the liquidation, change of control, qualified public offering of common stock, or qualified recapitalization. The

F-13




convertible preferred stock votes on an as-converted basis on all matters submitted to a vote of common stockholders. If we distribute dividends to any class of securities that are junior to our convertible preferred stock (including common stock), each holder of convertible preferred stock has the option to elect, in lieu of an adjustment to the conversion price, to participate in such dividend or distribution pro rata with the holders of the junior securities as if their shares had been converted immediately before the record date for such dividend or distribution. The Company has the option to redeem the convertible preferred stock at any time after July 31, 2011 at a redemption price of $1,000 per share plus all accrued and unpaid dividends.

The Company is a party to a stockholders agreement with the three major investors relating to the ownership rights and corporate governance of the Company. Pursuant to the terms of this agreement, the major stockholders agreed to take all actions in their power to elect nominees selected by them to our board of directors. In addition, the Company’s ability to take certain actions, including amending its charter, commencing bankruptcy proceedings, and taking certain corporate actions (including debt incurrences, stock issuances, acquisitions, asset sales and the like), is subject to the written consent of either all or two-thirds (depending on the action) of the major stockholders so long as the major stockholders collectively continue to hold 25% or more of our outstanding voting stock. In connection with this agreement, the Company agreed to pay certain expenses of the major stockholders in order to register their shares in the public markets.

(3)   Joint Venture Acquisitions

The Company acquired majority interests in three entities during the year ended January 31, 2007: Lambertson Truex, LLC (“LT”); Samsonite Australia PTY Limited (“SA”); and Samsonite (Thailand) Company Limited (“ST”).

On July 6, 2006, the Company acquired a 63% interest in LT, a newly formed joint venture between the Company and Lambertson Truex, Inc., designers and distributors of high-end purses, shoes and other accessories for $2,368 including costs of the acquisition. The Company accounted for the purchase as a business combination. The total purchase price was allocated to the Company’s proportionate share of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and resulted in the allocation of $3,563 to the Lambertson Truex trademark. The trademark value will be amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of fifteen years.

On July 27, 2006, the Company acquired a 70% interest in SA, an Australian company which has been the Company’s long-time distributor of Samsonite products in Australia for approximately $10,057, including costs of the acquisition. The Company accounted for the purchase as a business combination. The purchase price has been allocated to the Company’s proportionate share of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and resulted in the allocation of approximately $8,733 to intangible assets, including $8,096 to goodwill.

On July 1, 2006, ST, a newly formed corporation, commenced distributing Samsonite products in Thailand. The Company subscribed to 60% of the shares in ST for a price of $321 and the former distributor of Samsonite products in Thailand subscribed to the remaining 40% of the shares for a price of approximately $210. The Company and the minority interest shareholders in LT, SA and ST have entered into agreements governing the operation of the joint ventures. These agreements include certain requirements for the Company to buy a portion or all of the minority interests at future dates. The value of conditional purchase requirements is currently de minimus and the value of unconditional purchase requirements is not significant and is classified as a long-term liability.

F-14




(4)   Asset Impairment and Provision for Restructuring Operations

Fiscal 2007

During fiscal 2007, the Company recorded restructuring charges in its European and U.S. operations totaling $3,775, asset impairment charges of $1,623, and $1,704 of restructuring related expenses that are included in cost of goods sold (inventory writedowns, consulting expenses and other).

The fiscal 2007 European restructuring charge relates to the closure on June 30, 2006 of the Company’s softside manufacturing plant in Samorin, Slovakia. The closure was the result of the Company’s continuing consolidation of its softside manufacturing capacities and its transition from sourcing manufactured products from Company-owned and operated facilities to sourcing manufactured products from third-party manufacturers. The Company recorded a provision for restructuring operations of $1,277 for employee severance costs, which relates to the approximately 360 employees who worked at the plant, and an asset impairment charge of $1,623, which relates to the writedown of real estate, machinery and equipment associated with the plant. The Company also incurred restructuring costs related to the Slovakian plant closure of approximately $1,045 for inventory writedowns, consulting and other expenses that were charged to cost of sales during the year ended January 31, 2007.

The fiscal 2007 U.S. restructuring charge relates to the planned closure of the Company’s Denver, Colorado facilities, consolidation of its corporate functions in its Mansfield, Massachusetts office and planned relocation of distribution functions to the southeast region of the U.S. The Company expects the consolidation and relocation to be completed by approximately April 30, 2008. In connection with the consolidation and relocation, the Company expects to incur severance and retention costs of approximately $3,700 relating to approximately 210 employees who will be affected by the relocation and consolidation. The severance and retention costs are being accrued monthly over the expected period employees must remain employed to receive severance and retention benefits until December 31, 2007. During fiscal 2007, severance and retention benefits of $2,498 were accrued. The Company also expects that it will incur approximately $3,000 of costs for new employee training, employee relocation and recruiting and expenses of moving inventory and distribution systems which will be expensed as incurred.

Fiscal 2006

A restructuring charge was incurred in the European segment in connection with the August 31, 2005 sale of the Henin-Beaumont, France facility (the “H-B site”). The Company made cash payments to the purchaser of $9,923 and assumed an additional liability of $1,421, which was to be paid over a 24-month period representing the assumption by the purchaser of the Company’s liability and responsibility for pension and social costs for the 206 employees at the H-B site. A restructuring charge of $8,666 was recorded which represents the amount of cash payment obligations less amounts previously accrued for pension and other benefit liabilities for the H-B site employees. The Company also incurred legal and consulting costs of approximately $1,171 related to the sale of the H-B site that are included in cost of sales for the year ended January 31, 2006. An asset impairment charge of $5,450 was also recorded upon the decision to sell the H-B site for the write-off of the net book value of the H-B site property, plant and equipment sold to the purchaser (See Note 17).

The Company also relocated its softside development center from Torhout, Belgium to its Oudenaarde, Belgium facility and eliminated the remaining positions at its Tres Cantos, Spain manufacturing facility. Each facility had been significantly downsized and restructured over the past several years. A restructuring charge of $1,389 was recorded related to severance obligations for 18 employees terminated as a result of these actions.

F-15




Previously accrued restructuring charges of $207 related to North American and Latin American restructuring were reversed and recorded as a credit to restructuring charges because it was determined the original restructuring was over-accrued.

Fiscal 2005

The Company recorded a restructuring provision of $3,390 for the closure of the Tres Cantos, Spain manufacturing plant and severance costs associated with approximately 40 positions that were eliminated. An asset impairment provision of $671 was also recorded to write-down costs related to a project to convert an idle U.S. factory to a warehouse. The Company also recorded a charge of $685 for lease termination costs related to the closure of the Nogales, Mexico production facility. Production at this facility ceased during July 2004 and the facilities were vacated during the third quarter. The Company recorded a restructuring provision of $1,788 related to severance for the elimination of approximately 96 positions in the Company’s Americas operations. At January 31, 2007, these restructurings had been completed and no restructuring accruals remain.

The following is a summary of restructuring accruals by segment for the three years ended January 31, 2007:

 

 

Balance at
Beginning of
Year

 

Additions
(Reversals)
Net

 

Payments

 

Exchange
Rate and
Other

 

Balance at
End of Year

 

Year ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severance and termination benefits

 

 

$

132

 

 

 

2,498

 

 

 

(256

)

 

 

113

 

 

 

2,487

 

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manufacturing restructuring, severance and other

 

 

1,668

 

 

 

1,277

 

 

 

(1,543

)

 

 

111

 

 

 

1,513

 

 

 

 

 

$

1,800

 

 

 

3,775

 

 

 

(1,799

)

 

 

224

 

 

 

4,000

 

 

Year ended January 31, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severance and termination benefits

 

 

$

872

 

 

 

(183

)

 

 

(513

)

 

 

(44

)

 

 

132

 

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manufacturing restructuring, severance and other

 

 

88

 

 

 

10,056

 

 

 

(8,458

)

 

 

(18

)

 

 

1,668

 

 

Latin America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severance and other

 

 

660

 

 

 

(24

)

 

 

(652

)

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

1,620

 

 

 

9,849

 

 

 

(9,623

)

 

 

(46

)

 

 

1,800

 

 

Year ended January 31, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

North America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severance and termination benefits

 

 

$

 

 

 

1,130

 

 

 

(254

)

 

 

(4

)

 

 

872

 

 

Europe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manufacturing restructuring, severance and other

 

 

25

 

 

 

3,390

 

 

 

(3,334

)

 

 

7

 

 

 

88

 

 

Latin America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nogales, Mexico manufacturing restructuring, severance and other

 

 

1,768

 

 

 

658

 

 

 

(1,768

)

 

 

2

 

 

 

660

 

 

Lease termination

 

 

 

 

 

685

 

 

 

(685

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

1,793

 

 

 

5,863

 

 

 

(6,041

)

 

 

5

 

 

 

1,620

 

 

 

F-16




(5)   Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Raw materials

 

$

11,312

 

12,494

 

Work in process

 

2,384

 

2,877

 

Finished goods

 

152,071

 

118,312

 

 

 

$

165,767

 

133,683

 

 

(6)   Assets Held for Sale

Assets held for sale consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Stratford, Canada(a)

 

 

$

 

 

1,515

 


(a)           The Company sold its facility in Stratford, Canada and leased back part of the facility in April 2006. The sales price was approximately $6,300.

(7)   Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Land

 

$

6,596

 

6,114

 

Buildings

 

58,870

 

56,963

 

Machinery, equipment, leasehold improvements and other

 

140,229

 

118,689

 

Computer software

 

23,587

 

19,910

 

 

 

229,282

 

201,676

 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

(125,283

)

(112,576

)

 

 

$

103,999

 

89,100

 

 

Property, plant and equipment includes property and equipment under capital leases as follows at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Buildings

 

$

96

 

 

 

 

Machinery, equipment, leasehold improvements and other

 

668

 

 

104

 

 

 

 

764

 

 

104

 

 

Less accumulated amortization

 

(300

)

 

(73

)

 

 

 

$

464

 

 

31

 

 

 

F-17




(8)   Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

 

 

Gross

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

Net

 

Gross

 

Accumulated
Amortization

 

Net

 

Intangibles subject to amortization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Licenses

 

$

8,131

 

 

(7,854

)

 

277

 

7,762

 

 

(7,762

)

 

 

Patents, trademarks and other

 

9,839

 

 

(4,135

)

 

5,704

 

4,949

 

 

(3,274

)

 

1,675

 

Leasehold rights

 

1,370

 

 

(981

)

 

389

 

2,030

 

 

(1,482

)

 

548

 

Unamortized prior service cost

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,609

 

 

 

 

1,609

 

 

 

$

19,340

 

 

(12,970

)

 

6,370

 

16,350

 

 

(12,518

)

 

3,832

 

Intangibles not subject to amortization

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tradenames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

84,143

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

84,143

 

Goodwill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,313

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,683

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

96,456

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

87,826

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

102,826

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

91,658

 

 

As described in Note 3, the Company allocated $3,563 to trademark rights as a result of the Lambertson Truex transaction and the acquisition of a majority interest in the Company’s Australian distributor resulted in the allocation of $8,096 to goodwill and $637 to licenses and trademarks. During fiscal 2007, the Company recorded a decrease in intangible assets of $1,609 in connection with the adoption of SFAS 158 (see Note 15).

There were no significant acquisitions of intangible assets for the fiscal year 2006. Changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies, primarily the euro, affect the reported gross and net book value of the Company’s intangible assets.

Amortization expense (not including impairment provisions) for intangible assets for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 was $1,193, $862 and $2,358, respectively. Future amortization expense for the net carrying amount of intangible assets at January 31, 2007 is estimated to be $1,668 in fiscal 2008, $1,154 in fiscal 2009, $494 in fiscal 2010, $454 in fiscal 2011, $303 in fiscal 2012 and $2,297 beyond 2012.

(9)   Other Assets and Long-term Receivables

Other assets and long-term receivables consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

Year ended
January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Deferred bank and subordinated note financing costs

 

$

6,105

 

7,372

 

Deposits

 

6,808

 

3,181

 

Long-term deferred taxes

 

4,038

 

263

 

Long-term receivables

 

559

 

2,522

 

Other

 

683

 

61

 

 

 

$

18,193

 

13,399

 

 

(10)   Short-term Debt

As of January 31, 2007 and 2006, the Company had $12,096 and $9,396, respectively, of short-term debt outstanding under unsecured foreign lines of credit. As of January 31, 2007, the weighted average interest rate on foreign short-term borrowings was 9.6%. Certain foreign subsidiaries had unused available

F-18




lines of credit for working capital, discounting trade acceptances and issuing bank guaranties of approximately $115,307 as of January 31, 2007; however, the terms of the Company’s senior credit facility and senior subordinated notes limit additional amounts which could be borrowed under such foreign credit facilities.

(11)   Long-term Obligations

Long-term obligations represent long-term debt and capital lease obligations as follows at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Senior credit facility(a)

 

$

468,000

 

 

Floating rate senior notes(a)(b)

 

19,120

 

121,520

 

87¤8% senior subordinated notes(a)(b)

 

260

 

174,925

 

Other obligations(c)

 

1,811

 

1,348

 

Capital lease obligations(d)

 

628

 

39

 

 

 

489,819

 

297,832

 

Less current installments

 

(25,512

)

(1,048

)

 

 

$

464,307

 

296,784

 

 

(a)   Senior Credit Facility

During fiscal 2007, the Company closed a series of transactions discussed in Note 2. As part of these transactions, the Company retired its Floating Rate Notes and Senior Subordinated Notes and replaced the then existing senior credit facility with a new senior credit facility (the “Senior Credit Facility”) consisting of a $450,000 senior secured term loan facility (“Term Loan Facility”) and an $80,000 senior secured revolving credit facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”), including a letter of credit sub-facility. The Company incurred costs related to the origination of the new credit facility of $6,216 that were deferred and will be amortized to interest expense over the term of the new credit facility.

The Term Loan Facility consists of a $450,000 loan, which expires on December 20, 2013. In certain circumstances, the Company may elect to request an additional term loan commitment under the Senior Credit Facility of up to $200,000. The Term Loan Facility requires principal repayments in the amount of $1,125 on March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31 of each year with such payments ending on September 30, 2013, and $419,625 due on December 20, 2013.

The Revolving Credit Facility consists of a portion which may be borrowed by the Company in U.S. dollars, euros or sterling totaling the U.S. dollar equivalent of $50,000 and a portion which may be borrowed by the Company’s European subsidiary in euros or sterling totaling the euro equivalent of 22,700 (equivalent to $30,000 on January 31, 2007). The Revolving Credit Facility expires on December 20, 2012. As of January 31, 2007, there was $18,000 borrowed by the Company under the Revolving Credit Facility and $8,700 of letters of credit issued.

Borrowings under the Term Loan Facility and Revolving Credit Facility accrue interest at rates adjusted periodically depending on the Company’s financial performance as measured each fiscal quarter and interest rate market conditions. At January 31, 2007, the interest rate on the Term Loan Facility was 7.62% and the interest rate on the Revolving Credit Facility was 7.57%. In addition, the Company is required to pay a commitment fee of ..375% or .50% (depending on the Company’s financial performance) on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. The obligations under the Senior Credit Facility are secured by substantially all of the Company’s domestic assets and certain foreign assets.

F-19




Subsequent to January 31, 2007, the Company entered into a variable to fixed interest rate swap agreement effective March 21, 2007 with a notional amount of $225,000, a pay rate of 5.192% and a receive rate based on the three month LIBOR rate. The swap agreement dated February 1, 2007 has a five-year term and can be canceled after one year at the option of the other party to the swap agreement. The rate the Company receives reprices every three months.

The Senior Credit Facility contains financial and other covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability to engage in transactions with its affiliates, incur any additional debt outside of the Senior Credit Facility, create new liens on any property, make acquisitions, participate in certain mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, liquidations, asset sales, investments, or make distributions or cash dividend payments to its equity holders. The Company was in compliance with such covenants as of January 31, 2007.

(b)   Senior Notes and Senior Subordinated Notes

The floating rate senior notes have a principal amount of $19,120 at January 31, 2007. Interest is payable quarterly on March 1, June 1, September 1 and December 1 of each year at Euribor plus 4.375%. At January 31, 2007, interest was payable on the floating senior rate notes at 8.0%. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the Company retired $112,543 of its outstanding Floating Rate Senior Notes. In connection with the retirement of the Notes, the Company paid premiums of $2,251 and charged to Other expense $1,695 of deferred financing costs. On February 1, 2007 the Company retired the remaining $19,120 of Floating Rate Senior Notes.

The 87¤8% senior subordinated notes are due June 1, 2011. Interest is payable semi-annually on June 1 and December 1 of each year. During the year ended January 31, 2007, the Company retired $174,664 outstanding 87¤8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011. In connection with the retirement of the Notes, the Company paid premiums of $15,035 and charged to Other expense $2,746 of deferred financing costs.

(c)   Other Obligations

As of January 31, 2007, other obligations consist of various notes payable to banks by foreign subsidiaries. The obligations bear interest at varying rates and mature in 2007.

F-20




(d)   Leases and Debt Maturities

Future minimum payments under non-cancelable capital leases, which relate primarily to property and equipment, and non-cancelable operating leases, primarily for retail floor space rental, at January 31, 2007 were as follows:

 

 

Capital
Leases

 

Operating
Leases

 

Year ending January 31:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008

 

 

$

165

 

 

 

33,833

 

 

2009

 

 

172

 

 

 

26,053

 

 

2010

 

 

211

 

 

 

20,678

 

 

2011

 

 

96

 

 

 

15,933

 

 

2012

 

 

5

 

 

 

14,735

 

 

Thereafter

 

 

1

 

 

 

24,592

 

 

Total minimum lease payments

 

 

650

 

 

 

135,824

 

 

Less amount representing interest

 

 

(22

)

 

 

 

 

 

Present value of minimum capital lease payments

 

 

628

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less current installments of minimum capital lease payments

 

 

(49

)

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term obligations under capital leases, excluding current installments

 

 

$

579

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rental expense under cancelable and non-cancelable operating leases consisted of the following:

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Minimum rentals

 

$

35,170

 

27,402

 

25,727

 

Contingent rentals

 

1,178

 

839

 

767

 

 

 

$

36,348

 

28,241

 

26,494

 

 

The Company’s lease obligations primarily consist of non-cancelable leases of office, warehouse and retail store space and equipment. Certain of the leases are renewable at the Company’s option. Certain of the leases provide for additional rent payments based on a percentage of sales. Certain of the leases also contain rent escalation clauses that require additional rents in later years of the lease term, which are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Aggregate maturities of long-term obligations, including capital leases, at January 31, 2007 were as follows:

Year ending January 31:

 

 

 

2008

 

$

25,512

 

2009

 

4,733

 

2010

 

4,711

 

2011

 

4,596

 

2012

 

4,765

 

Beyond

 

445,502

 

Total

 

$

489,819

 

 

F-21




(12)   Other Long-Term Liabilities

Other long-term liabilities consisted of the following at January 31, 2007 and 2006:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Pension benefits under defined benefit plans

 

$

57,445

 

54,646

 

U.S. post-retirement health plan

 

15,450

 

19,567

 

Accrued stock compensation

 

4,780

 

4,312

 

Other

 

7,513

 

8,437

 

 

 

$

85,188

 

86,962

 

 

(13)   Stock Options and Stock Purchase Warrants

The Company has adopted SFAS 123R, on February 1, 2006, using the modified prospective method. Among other things SFAS 123R requires expensing the fair value of stock options, a previously optional accounting method. Under the modified prospective method, compensation cost for stock options not vested as of February 1, 2006 is recognized based on the grant-date fair value calculated for pro forma disclosure under the previously issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123. In accordance with SFAS 123R, the cumulative effect of the $1,391 difference between the fair value of liability classified stock awards for deferred compensation agreements under SFAS 123R and the intrinsic value method previously used for the awards was recorded as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle at February 1, 2006 by reducing the liability for such agreements by $1,391.

1995 and 1999 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plans

The 1995 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (as Amended in 1996) (“the 1995 Plan”) reserves 2,550,000 shares for the issuance of options as determined by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors, but pursuant to its terms no further options may be granted under such plan after October 18, 2005. The 1995 Plan provides for the issuance of a variety of awards, including tax qualified incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards or other forms of awards consistent with the purposes of the 1995 Plan. Incentive stock options must be issued at exercise prices no less than the market value of the common stock at the date of the grant. Nonqualified stock options may be granted at option prices at or below the market value, but not at less than 50% of the market value of the common stock at the date of the grant. Options granted under the 1995 Plan may vest over a period of not more than ten years as determined by the compensation committee. At January 31, 2007, all awards under the 1995 Plan were nonqualified stock options.

The FY 1999 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (the “1999 Plan”) reserves 95,000,000 shares for the issuance of a variety of awards, including tax qualified incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options and shares issued under deferred compensation plans, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards or other forms of awards consistent with the purposes of the 1999 Plan. As of January 31, 2007, awards under the 1999 Plan were for either nonqualified stock options or for deferred compensation arrangements. The Company’s Board of Directors has delegated to the Audit Committee responsibility for administering the 1999 Plan.

The Company has issued different types of stock-based compensation awards including in-the-money options, at-the-money options, and deferred compensation awards payable in shares of common stock or cash at the Company’s discretion. The vesting of certain of the options was subject to performance criteria, all of which have been satisfied. All stock option grants must be approved by the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. Compensation expense related to stock options and deferred compensation awards of $6,996, $5,497 and $4,031 was recognized for the year ended January 31, 2007,

F-22




2006 and 2005, respectively. Amounts credited to additional paid-in capital for equity classified awards and to accrued liabilities for liability classified awards were $4,331 and $1,859, $4,007 and $1,490, and $1,209 and $2,822, respectively, during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005. At January 31, 2007, the Company has unrecognized fixed compensation expense related to stock based awards of $11,465 which is expected to be recognized over approximately two years.

A comparison of reported net income (loss) for the year ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, and pro-forma net income (loss) for the years ended January 31, 2006 and 2005, including effects of expensing the fair value of stock options, follows:

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change, as reported

 

$

(8,229

)

13,321

 

(9,698

)

Net loss to common stockholders, as reported

 

(145,224

)

(1,510

)

(23,381

)

Net loss per common share—basic and diluted, as reported:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss to common stockholders before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

$

(0.55

)

(0.01

)

(0.10

)

Cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

0.01

 

 

 

Net loss to common stockholders

 

$

(0.54

)

(0.01

)

(0.10

)

Share based compensation expense included in net income (loss)

 

$

6,996

 

5,497

 

4,031

 

Pro-forma effects (a):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share based compensation expense, on a pro-forma basis

 

 

 

$

7,523

 

4,746

 

Net loss to common stockholders, on a pro-forma basis

 

 

 

$

(3,536

)

(24,096

)

Net loss per common share, on a pro-forma basis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted

 

 

 

$

(0.02

)

(0.11

)


(a)           As if the Company applied the fair value based method to expense stock options for the years ended January 31, 2006 and 2005.

F-23




Stock Option Summary:

A summary of stock option award activity follows:

 

 

Shares

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

 

Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(in years)

 

Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
(in thousands)

 

Outstanding at February 1, 2004

 

1,738,300

 

 

$

6.35

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

54,000,000

 

 

0.53

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited/Expired

 

(495,587

)

 

6.36

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at January 31, 2005

 

55,242,713

 

 

0.66

 

 

 

9.3

 

 

 

*

 

 

Granted

 

39,600,000

 

 

0.57

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited/Expired/Canceled

 

(24,866,955

)

 

0.60

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at January 31, 2006

 

69,975,758

 

 

0.69

 

 

 

8.6

 

 

 

*

 

 

Granted

 

1,950,000

 

 

0.73

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

(15,000

)

 

0.67

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

(458,022

)

 

4.32

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

(708,750

)

 

0.57

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at January 31, 2007

 

70,743,986

 

 

$

0.53

 

 

 

7.6

 

 

 

$

43,793

 

 

Exercisable at January 31, 2007

 

24,337,736

 

 

$

0.75

 

 

 

7.4

 

 

 

$

11,218

 

 


*                    The Company adopted SFAS 123R effective February 1, 2006.

The fair value of each stock option grant is measured at the date of grant or modification using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted or modified during the year ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 was $0.54, $0.36 and $0.23, respectively. The following assumptions were used in arriving at the fair value of options and stock-based deferred compensation awards granted during the year ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005: risk-free interest rates of 3.24% to 5.09%; no dividend yield; expected volatility factor of 50% to 61%; and expected lives of 4-5 years. The risk free interest rate is based on the rate for a U.S. Treasury Strip with a term comparable to the expected term of the option. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The expected option life is based on historical experience with employee exercise behavior.

Stock Warrants Outstanding

As of January 31, 2007 the Company has warrants outstanding (issued in connection with the recapitalization described in Note 2(c)) to purchase 15,515,892 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.515 per share and which are exercisable until July 31, 2013. Also outstanding are warrants to purchase 1,061,012 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $10.17 per share, which are exercisable until June 2010.

(14)   Income Taxes

The Company has operations in numerous countries and its tax provision involves many complex variables, including differing tax structures from country to country and the effect of international earnings on U.S. taxation.

F-24




Income tax expense (benefit) attributable to income (loss) from operations consists of:

 

 

Current

 

Deferred

 

Total

 

Year ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

$

(297

)

 

577

 

 

280

 

Foreign

 

32,284

 

 

(5,402

)

 

26,882

 

U.S. state and local

 

(143

)

 

156

 

 

13

 

 

 

$

31,844

 

 

(4,669

)

 

27,175

 

Year ended January 31, 2006:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

$

634

 

 

(1,118

)

 

(484

)

Foreign

 

18,002

 

 

(641

)

 

17,361

 

U.S. state and local

 

(643

)

 

282

 

 

(361

)

 

 

$

17,993

 

 

(1,477

)

 

16,516

 

Year ended January 31, 2005:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

$

 

 

629

 

 

629

 

Foreign

 

13,869

 

 

(875

)

 

12,994

 

U.S. state and local

 

9

 

 

20

 

 

29

 

 

 

$

13,878

 

 

(226

)

 

13,652

 

 

Components of income (loss) from operations before income taxes and minority interest are as follows:

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

United States

 

$

(43,820

)

(3,869

)

(28,671

)

Other countries

 

72,439

 

38,588

 

36,146

 

Total

 

$

28,619

 

34,719

 

7,475

 

 

 

Income tax expense (benefit) attributable to income (loss) before income taxes and minority interest differed from the amounts computed by applying the U.S. federal income tax rate of 35% for fiscal 2007, 2006 and 2005 as a result of the following:

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Computed “expected” tax expense

 

$

10,017

 

12,152

 

2,616

 

Increase (decrease) in taxes resulting from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tax rate differential on foreign earnings

 

5,109

 

(3,485

)

3,956

 

Tax effect of foreign dividends

 

1,368

 

301

 

 

Tax effect of subpart F income

 

3,713

 

6,872

 

4,482

 

Foreign tax on US income

 

(531

)

(410

)

(534

)

Change in valuation allowance

 

8,423

 

188

 

3,081

 

State taxes

 

(1,093

)

693

 

(493

)

Adjustment of reserves related to prior years’ tax provision

 

(440

)

(652

)

 

Non-deductible stock compensation

 

740

 

1,058

 

265

 

Other, net

 

(131

)

(201

)

279

 

Income tax expense

 

$

27,175

 

16,516

 

13,652

 

 

F-25




The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the net deferred tax liability are presented below:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Deferred tax assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for doubtful accounts

 

$

2,471

 

2,083

 

2,503

 

Inventory

 

2,756

 

2,251

 

2,985

 

Other accruals and reserves

 

18,274

 

14,552

 

12,338

 

Plant, equipment and intangibles

 

9,173

 

8,204

 

8,161

 

Post-retirement benefits

 

6,422

 

7,539

 

7,530

 

Pension

 

22,059

 

20,061

 

15,070

 

Net operating loss and minimum tax credit carryforwards

 

54,971

 

64,097

 

68,420

 

Total gross deferred tax assets

 

116,126

 

118,787

 

117,007

 

Less valuation allowance

 

(78,728

)

(86,170

)

(82,337

)

Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance

 

37,398

 

32,617

 

34,670

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plant, equipment and intangibles due to fresh start accounting

 

28,224

 

28,060

 

32,039

 

Plant and equipment, due to differences in depreciation methods

 

7,457

 

7,883

 

9,264

 

Intangible assets

 

7,099

 

6,366

 

5,620

 

Other

 

3,693

 

4,290

 

3,500

 

Total gross deferred tax liabilities

 

46,473

 

46,599

 

50,423

 

Net deferred tax liability

 

$

(9,075

)

(13,982

)

(15,753

)

 

The components of the net current deferred tax asset, net non-current deferred tax asset and net non-current deferred tax liability were as follows:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Net current deferred tax asset:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

$

3,130

 

2,345

 

2,091

 

Foreign

 

6,518

 

5,892

 

7,740

 

U.S. state and local

 

644

 

415

 

209

 

 

 

10,292

 

8,652

 

10,040

 

Net non-current deferred tax asset:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

 

 

 

Foreign

 

4,038

 

263

 

174

 

U.S. state and local

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,038

 

263

 

174

 

Net non-current deferred tax asset:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

 

 

 

Foreign

 

 

 

 

U.S. state and local

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net non-current deferred tax liability:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. federal

 

(9,136

)

(7,774

)

(8,639

)

Foreign

 

(12,531

)

(13,771

)

(16,464

)

U.S. state and local

 

(1,738

)

(1,352

)

(864

)

 

 

(23,405

)

(22,897

)

(25,967

)

Net deferred tax liability

 

$

(9,075

)

(13,982

)

(15,753

)

 

F-26




Valuation allowance.   The valuation allowance decreased by a total of $7,442 during the year ended January 31, 2007. Foreign valuation allowances decreased by $3,496, and U.S. valuation allowances decreased by $3,946. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Company considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.

At January 31, 2007, the Company had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $20,940 for foreign subsidiaries and approximately $117,601 for U.S. income tax purposes. U.S. net operating loss carryforwards expire at various dates through 2027 in accordance with the table below. In fiscal 2000 and in fiscal 2004, the Company experienced a change in ownership as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. Consequently, utilization of the net operating loss carryforwards is generally subject to an annual limitation of approximately $13,889, as adjusted for unused annual limitations. The U.S. net operating loss carryforwards expire as follows:

Expiring January 31,

 

 

 

Amount

 

2019

 

$

19,872

 

2020

 

32,918

 

2022

 

38,183

 

2023

 

4,704

 

2024

 

10,171

 

2025

 

3,087

 

2027

 

8,666

 

 

 

$

117,601

 

 

Deferred income taxes have been provided on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries to the extent that management plans to remit these earnings in the future. Undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries and affiliates that are permanently invested, and for which no deferred taxes have been provided, amounted to approximately $58,200 and $16,700 as of January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred U.S. income tax liability is not practicable; however, net operating losses or tax credits may be available to reduce a portion of the U.S. liability.

(15)   Pension and Other Employee Benefits

The Company and certain subsidiaries have pension plans and post retirement health benefit plans which provide retirement benefits for eligible employees, generally measured by length of service, compensation and other factors. On January 31, 2007, the Company adopted the recognition and disclosure provisions of SFAS No. 158, Employers Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans—an amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106 and 132(R) (“SFAS 158”). Under SFAS 158, gains and losses, prior service costs and credits, and any remaining transition amounts under SFAS No. 87, Employers’ Accounting for Pensions and SFAS No. 106, Employers Accounting for Postretirement Benefits Other Than Pensions that have not yet been recognized through net periodic benefit cost are recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax effects. The measurement date—the date at which the benefit obligation and plan assets are measured—is required to be the Company’s fiscal year end. The Company currently utilizes a calendar year-end measurement date. SFAS 158 is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2006, except for the measurement date provisions, which are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2008. The Company adopted SFAS 158 as of January 31, 2007. The initial adoption was reflected as a decrease to the January 31, 2007 balance of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a component of stockholders’ equity (deficit),

F-27




and included the elimination of the additional minimum liability, which is no longer required. The following table summarizes the effect of the required changes in the additional minimum liability as of January 31, 2007 prior to the adoptions of SFAS 158 as well as the impact of the initial adoption of SFAS 158 on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet:

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

 

 

Before
Additional
Minimum
Liability and
SFAS 158
Adjustments

 

Additional
Minimum
Liability
Adjustments

 

SFAS 158
Adjustments

 

After
Application of
SFAS 158

 

Intangible assets

 

 

$

104,435

 

 

 

(258

)

 

 

(1,351

)

 

 

102,826

 

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

$

54,145

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,166

 

 

 

55,311

 

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

$

91,759

 

 

 

(6,692

)

 

 

121

 

 

 

85,188

 

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

$

(60,772

)

 

 

6,434

 

 

 

(2,638

)

 

 

(57,176

)

 

 

The following tables provide combined information relevant to the Company’s pension and other employee benefit plans:

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Post Retirement Benefits

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Change in Benefit Obligation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benefit obligation at beginning of year

 

$

229,484

 

224,522

 

206,024

 

16,875

 

15,367

 

14,905

 

Service cost

 

1,664

 

1,769

 

1,572

 

543

 

470

 

404

 

Interest cost

 

12,210

 

12,482

 

12,389

 

897

 

853

 

853

 

Plan participants’ contributions

 

 

 

 

1,185

 

1,141

 

1,030

 

Amendments

 

 

 

 

 

 

56

 

Actuarial (gain)/loss

 

2,424

 

7,590

 

21,349

 

(902

)

1,047

 

(325

)

Benefits paid

 

(16,893

)

(16,946

)

(16,814

)

(2,051

)

(2,011

)

(1,571

)

Translation adjustment

 

(34

)

67

 

2

 

7

 

8

 

15

 

Benefit obligations at end of year

 

$

228,855

 

229,484

 

224,522

 

16,554

 

16,875

 

15,367

 

 

F-28




 

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Post Retirement Benefits

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Change in Plan Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year

 

$

167,091

 

177,061

 

178,875

 

 

 

 

Actual return on plan assets

 

18,412

 

6,680

 

14,986

 

 

 

 

Employer contributions

 

2,737

 

237

 

228

 

866

 

870

 

541

 

Plan participants’ contributions

 

 

 

 

1,185

 

1,141

 

1,030

 

Mexican plan termination

 

 

 

(215

)

 

 

 

Translation adjustment

 

(31

)

59

 

1

 

 

 

 

Benefits paid

 

(16,893

)

(16,946

)

(16,814

)

(2,051

)

(2,011

)

(1,571

)

Fair value of plan assets at end of year

 

171,316

 

167,091

 

177,061

 

 

 

 

Funded status

 

(57,539

)

(62,393

)

(47,461

)

(16,554

)

(16,875

)

(15,367

)

Unrecognized net obligation loss

 

 

72

 

73

 

 

 

 

Unrecognized net actuarial (gain) loss

 

 

56,481

 

47,046

 

 

(1,585

)

(2,902

)

Unrecognized prior service cost (credit)

 

 

1,632

 

1,897

 

 

(1,107

)

(1,373

)

Contribution made between measurement date and fiscal year end

 

 

2,500

 

 

 

 

 

Prepaid (accrued) benefit cost

 

(57,539

)

(1,708

)

1,555

 

(16,554

)

(19,567

)

(19,642

)

Minimum liability adjustments

 

*

(52,938

)

(43,969

)

 

 

 

Net amount recognized

 

$

(57,539

)

(54,646

)

(42,414

)

(16,554

)

(19,567

)

(19,642

)


*                    No longer applicable after adoption of SFAS 158.

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Post Retirement Benefits

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discount rate

 

5.75

%

5.50

%

5.75

%

5.75

%

5.50

%

5.75

%

Rate of compensation increase

 

3.50

%

3.50

%

3.50

%

N/A

 

N/A

 

N/A

 

Weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discount rate

 

5.50

%

5.75

%

6.25

%

5.50

%

5.75

%

6.25

%

Expected long-term rate of return on assets

 

8.25

%

8.25

%

8.25

%

N/A

 

N/A

 

N/A

 

Rate of compensation increase

 

3.50

%

3.50

%

3.50

%

N/A

 

N/A

 

N/A

 

 

F-29




For post-retirement benefit measurement purposes, a 10.0% annual rate of increase in the per capita cost of covered health care benefits was assumed for fiscal 2007. The rate was assumed to decrease gradually to 5.0% for fiscal 2011 and remain at that level thereafter.

 

 

Pension Benefits

 

Post Retirement Benefits

 

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Components of net periodic benefit costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service cost

 

$

1,664

 

1,769

 

1,572

 

543

 

470

 

404

 

Interest cost

 

12,210

 

12,482

 

12,389

 

897

 

853

 

853

 

Expected return on plan assets

 

(13,476

)

(13,395

)

(14,081

)

 

 

 

Amortization of prior service cost

 

261

 

267

 

270

 

(263

)

(270

)

(270

)

Recognized net actual (gain) loss

 

4,795

 

4,866

 

2,567

 

(205

)

(273

)

(318

)

Total net periodic benefit cost

 

$

5,454

 

5,989

 

2,717

 

972

 

780

 

669

 

 

Assumed health care cost trend rates have a significant effect on the amounts reported for the post-retirement health care plans. A one-percentage point change in assumed health care cost trend rates would have the following effects on January 31, 2007 amounts:

 

 

1% Point
Increase

 

1% Point
Decrease

 

Effect on total of service and interest cost components

 

 

$

175

 

 

 

(144

)

 

Effect on post-retirement benefit obligation

 

 

$

1,958

 

 

 

(1,617

)

 

 

The estimated accumulated benefit obligation (the actuarial present value of benefits attributed to employee service and compensation levels prior to the measurement date without considering future compensation levels), commonly referred to as the “ABO”, exceeded the fair value of plan assets at December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 by $52,565, $56,907 and $42,170, respectively.

For pension plans with accumulated obligations in excess of plan assets at January 31, 2007, the projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $227,425, $222,924 and $169,953 and $228,058, $222,770 and $165,840, as of January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

For pension plans with assets in excess of accumulated obligations at January 31, 2007, the projected benefit obligation, accumulated benefit obligation and fair value of plan assets were $1,430, $956 and $1,363, and $1,426, $1,227 and $1,250, as of January 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

The plan assets were invested in the following major asset categories:

 

 

Percentage of
Plan Assets at
December 31, 2006

 

Percentage of
Plan Assets at
December 31, 2005

 

Target Allocation
for fiscal year 2008

 

Equity Securities

 

 

73

%

 

 

67

%

 

 

60 - 70

%

 

Fixed Income

 

 

27

%

 

 

33

%

 

 

30 - 40

%

 

Total

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

 

 

The asset allocation targets are set with the expectation that the plan’s assets will fund the plan’s expected liabilities with an appropriate level of risk. Expected returns, risk and correlation among asset classes are based on historical data and investment advisor input.

The Company expects to make $15,600 in contributions to its funded pension plans in fiscal 2008. The Company expects to make approximately $900 of benefit payments attributable to its unfunded post-retirement benefit plans during fiscal year 2008.

F-30




The Company sponsors defined contribution plans, qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, which are offered to certain groups of U.S. employees. Expense related to operations of these plans was $574, $484 and $589 for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The plans do not have significant liabilities other than benefit obligations.

The pension and post-retirement benefits expected to be paid in each year from fiscal 2008 - 2012 are $17,756, $17,628, $17,597, $17,597 and $17,778, respectively. The aggregate benefits expected to be paid in the five years from 2013-2017 are $90,097. The expected benefits to be paid are based on the same assumptions used to measure the Company’s benefit obligation at December 31, 2006 and include estimated future employee service.

(16)   Disclosures About Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value:

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Trade Receivables, Accounts Payable, Short-term Debt, and Accrued Expenses

The carrying amount approximates fair value because of the short maturity or duration of these instruments.

Senior Subordinated Notes

The Company estimates that the fair value of the 8 7/8% Notes at January 31, 2006 approximates $184,983 based on inter-dealer translations which were priced at approximately $105.75 per $100.00 of principal.

Senior Notes, Senior Credit Facility and Other Long-term Obligations

The carrying value approximates the fair value of these instruments, which primarily have floating interest rates that are fixed for periods not exceeding six months. The Company estimates that the fair value of the senior credit facility approximates the book value at January 31, 2007 of $468,000.

Foreign Currency Forward Delivery Contracts

The fair value of foreign currency forward delivery contracts is estimated by reference to market quotations received from banks. At January 31, 2007 and 2006, the contract value of foreign currency forward delivery agreements outstanding was approximately $93,861 and $34,155, respectively. The settlement value of these instruments at that date was approximately $92, 554 and $35,122, respectively.

Limitations

Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information and information about the financial instrument. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

(17)   Litigation, Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

Samsonite Europe N.V. and one of its subsidiaries was the subject of a lawsuit filed in France in November 2006 related to the August 31, 2005 sale of the H-B site (see Note 4 for a more detailed description of the H-B site sale). The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Workers Council Energyplast (“Workers

F-31




Council”), seeks to overturn the sale of the H-B site and the related transfer of the Company’s liability and responsibility for employee pension and social costs for the 202 employees at the H-B site. On March 13, 2007, the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris (the “Court”) dismissed the claim on procedural grounds. Counsel for the Workers Council initiated appeal on April 11, 2007 and announced that in appeal the 202 workers will join in the lawsuit. Samsonite was notified of the filing of the appeal on April 16, 2007. The Company believes that the appeal of the Court’s decision is without merit and intends to vigorously defend its position; however, an unfavorable resolution of this matter could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position and results of operations, which the Company is unable to estimate at this time.

The Company is also a party to various other legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of its business. The Company believes that the outcome of these other matters will not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Union Agreements

Union membership in the Company’s European manufacturing plants varies from country to country and is not officially known. However, it is probable that most of the workers are affiliated with a union. Most European union contracts have a one-year term. In the United States, approximately 100 employees are unionized under a contract renewed every three years and which was last renewed April 2005.

Agreement with Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”)

The Company has entered into an agreement with the PBGC granting them an equal and ratable lien in the pledged assets under its senior credit facility along with the lender under the facility in the amount of $66,562. If the Company were to refinance its senior credit facility in the future and increase the size of the facility, the agreement requires that the PBGC lien be increased by an amount determined under a formula considering the amount of the Company’s unfunded pension liability under the Plan and the amount of the increase in the size of the facility. Other provisions of the agreement restrict the transfers of assets outside of the ordinary course of business and the maintenance of certain funding amounts of the Plan; the Company is in compliance with these requirements at January 31, 2007.

The agreement will expire upon (a) the Company obtaining investment grade status on its senior unsecured debt, (b) the date the Plan has no unfunded benefit liabilities for two consecutive plan years, (c) the date on which the Company becomes part of a controlled group whose debt has investment grade status, or (d) the date the Plan is successfully terminated, but in the case of (a) or (b), no earlier than December 31, 2008.

F-32




(18)   Other Income (Expense)—Net

Other income (expense)—net consisted of the following:

 

 

Year ended January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

Net gain (loss) from foreign currency forward delivery contracts

 

$

(152

)

1,239

 

387

 

Gain (loss) on disposition of fixed assets, net

 

3,285

 

(128

)

819

 

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses)(a)

 

1,102

 

(507

)

525

 

Pension expense(b)

 

(3,162

)

(2,813

)

(2,780

)

Redemption premium and expenses on retirement of senior subordinated notes and floating rate senior notes

 

(22,498

)

(2,670

)

(17,767

)

Due diligence costs for uncompleted potential acquisitions

 

 

(2,821

)

(671

)

Other, net

 

(2,081

)

(2,172

)

(4,116

)

 

 

$

(23,506

)

(9,872

)

(23,603

)


(a)           Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) include gains or losses on intercompany advances. Foreign currency gains (losses) incurred on operational transactions are recorded in cost of sales or general and administrative expense.

(b)          Pension expense included in other income and expense relates to the actuarial determined pension expense associated with the pension plans of two companies unrelated to the Company’s operations whose pension obligations were assumed by the Company as a result of a 1993 agreement with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The plans were part of a controlled group of corporations of which the Company was a part prior to 1993.

F-33




(19)   Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)

The following is a summary of the unaudited quarterly financial information:

 

Three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 2006

 

July 31, 2006

 

October 31, 2006

 

January 31, 2007

 

Net sales

 

 

$

240,977

 

 

 

257,506

 

 

 

285,898

 

 

 

286,012

 

 

Gross profit

 

 

$

123,231

 

 

 

129,292

 

 

 

144,854

 

 

 

148,565

 

 

Operating income

 

 

$

19,129

 

 

 

13,932

 

 

 

25,650

 

 

 

21,129

 

 

Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of an accounting change

 

 

$

3,501

 

 

 

(2,073

)

 

 

8,857

 

 

 

(18,514

)

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

4,892

 

 

 

(2,073

)

 

 

8,857

 

 

 

(18,514

)

 

Net income (loss) to common stockholders

 

 

$

1,012

 

 

 

(6,030

)

 

 

4,821

 

 

 

(145,027

)

 

Income (loss) per share to common stockholders before cumulative effect of an accounting change—basic

 

 

$

*

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

0.02

 

 

 

(0.38

)

 

Net income (loss) per share to common stockholders—basic

 

 

$

0.01

 

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

0.02

 

 

 

(0.38

)

 

Income (loss) per share to common stockholders before cumulative effect of an accounting change—diluted      

 

 

$

*

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

0.01

 

 

 

(0.38

)

 

Net income (loss) per share to common stockholders—diluted

 

 

$

0.01

 

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

0.01

 

 

 

(0.38

)

 


*                    Less than $0.01 per share

 

Three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 2005

 

July 31, 2005

 

October 31, 2005

 

January 31, 2006

 

Net sales

 

 

$

232,358

 

 

 

236,540

 

 

 

248,686

 

 

 

249,302

 

 

Gross profit

 

 

$

111,044

 

 

 

115,500

 

 

 

120,614

 

 

 

123,223

 

 

Operating income

 

 

$

22,158

 

 

 

18,042

 

 

 

6,919

 

 

 

25,916

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

7,502

 

 

 

2,324

 

 

 

(3,041

)

 

 

6,536

 

 

Net income (loss) to common stockholders

 

 

$

3,900

 

 

 

(1,343

)

 

 

(6,613

)

 

 

2,546

 

 

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders—basic

 

 

$

0.02

 

 

 

(0.01

)

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

0.01

 

 

Net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders—diluted

 

 

$

0.01

 

 

 

(0.01

)

 

 

(0.03

)

 

 

*

 


*                    Less than $0.01 per share

(20)   Information Concerning Business Segments

The Company’s operations consist of the manufacture and distribution of luggage, business and computer cases, outdoor casual bags, and travel-related products and licensing of the Company’s brand names. Management of the business and evaluation of operating results is organized primarily along geographic lines dividing responsibility for the Company’s operations as follows: (i) “Europe” which includes operations in Western and Eastern European countries; (ii) “North America”, which includes operations in the United States and Canada; (iii) “Latin America”, which includes operations in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay; (iv) “Asia”, which includes operations in India, China, Singapore, South

F-34




Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Australia; and (v) “Other” which primarily includes certain licensing activities from luggage and non-luggage brand names owned by the Company and Corporate headquarters overhead.

The Company evaluates the performance of its segments based on operating income of the respective business units. Intersegment sales prices are market based. Certain reclassifications were made to the prior periods to conform to the January 31, 2007 presentation.

Segment information for the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 is as follows:

 

Europe

 

North
America

 

Latin
America

 

Asia

 

Corporate
and
Other(b)

 

Eliminations

 

Totals

 

2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues from external customers

 

$

448,426

 

377,461

 

 

48,221

 

 

182,841

 

 

13,444

 

 

 

 

 

1,070,393

 

Intersegment revenues

 

$

4,993

 

291

 

 

 

 

21,346

 

 

 

 

 

(26,630

)

 

 

Operating income (loss)(a)

 

$

59,386

 

22,062

 

 

6,795

 

 

38,796

 

 

(46,169

)

 

 

(1,030

)

 

79,840

 

Total assets

 

$

270,459

 

115,822

 

 

40,971

 

 

119,855

 

 

263,316

 

 

 

(159,298

)

 

651,125

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

11,350

 

5,815

 

 

672

 

 

8,932

 

 

5,344

 

 

 

 

 

32,113

 

Additions to goodwill and intangibles

 

$

1,395

 

3,639

 

 

280

 

 

9,213

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,527

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

9,691

 

5,576

 

 

501

 

 

4,037

 

 

962

 

 

 

256

 

 

21,023

 

2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues from external customers

 

$

417,434

 

363,922

 

 

41,829

 

 

127,708

 

 

15,993

 

 

 

 

 

966,886

 

Intersegment revenues

 

$

2,805

 

97

 

 

 

 

15,857

 

 

 

 

 

(18,759

)

 

 

Operating income (loss)(a)

 

$

43,176

 

28,725

 

 

4,502

 

 

18,377

 

 

(21,646

)

 

 

(99

)

 

73,035

 

Total assets

 

$

246,461

 

99,706

 

 

32,464

 

 

65,105

 

 

279,972

 

 

 

(156,457

)

 

567,251

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

7,743

 

4,456

 

 

330

 

 

4,769

 

 

5,846

 

 

 

 

 

23,144

 

Additions to goodwill and intangibles

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

$

10,584

 

3,846

 

 

340

 

 

2,382

 

 

767

 

 

 

 

 

17,919

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenues from external customers

 

$

406,032

 

342,985

 

 

36,092

 

 

99,015

 

 

18,772

 

 

 

 

 

902,896

 

Intersegment revenues

 

$

2,398

 

204

 

 

 

 

8,867

 

 

 

 

 

(11,469

)

 

 

Operating income (loss)(a)

 

$

42,991

 

16,874

 

 

2,001

 

 

16,290

 

 

(12,643

)

 

 

222

 

 

65,735

 

Total assets

 

$

264,795

 

107,739

 

 

30,842

 

 

46,444

 

 

268,720

 

 

 

(155,457

)

 

563,083

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

6,848

 

2,735

 

 

329

 

 

2,572

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,484

 

Additions to goodwill and intangibles

 

$

62

 

 

 

 

 

378

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

440

 

Depreciation, amortization and impairment of intangible assets

 

$

12,485

 

3,584

 

 

271

 

 

1,900

 

 

3,945

 

 

 

 

 

22,185

 


(a)           Operating income (loss) represents net sales less operating expenses. In computing operating income (loss) none of the following items have been added or deducted: interest income, interest expense, other income (expense)—net, income taxes and minority interest.

(b)           Includes general corporate expenses.

F-35




Long-lived assets relating to the Company’s operations by geographic area is as follows:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation:

 

 

 

 

 

North America

 

$

11,458

 

17,085

 

Europe

 

51,068

 

48,127

 

Asia

 

17,688

 

12,097

 

Latin America

 

3,580

 

3,411

 

Corporate and Other

 

20,205

 

8,380

 

 

 

$

103,999

 

89,100

 

 

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2007

 

2006

 

Tradenames and other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization:

 

 

 

 

 

Corporate and Other

 

$

87,431

 

89,573

 

Asia

 

10,236

 

1,159

 

Europe

 

1,034

 

405

 

North America

 

3,872

 

357

 

Latin America

 

253

 

164

 

 

 

$

102,826

 

91,658

 

 

Included in Corporate and Other are the amounts recorded for goodwill, patents and trademarks related to Samsonite, American Tourister, and various apparel tradenames owned by the Company.

(21)   Related Party Transactions

The Company has entered into advisory agreements with its major stockholders, Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund, L.P., Bain Capital, Ltd., and an affiliate of Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board. The agreements provide that the Company pay each of these three parties an advisory fee of $500 per year for five years beginning July 31, 2003.

The Company’s Indian subsidiary, Samsonite South Asia Pvt. Ltd., purchases raw materials from and sells certain raw materials to Tainwala Chemicals and Plastics India Ltd. (“Tainwala”), Abhishri Polycontainers Pvt. Ltd. and Abhishri Packagers Pvt. Ltd. Tainwala, Abhishri Polycontainers and Abhishri Packagers is managed and controlled by the family of Dr. Ramesh Tainwala, the Chief Operating Officer of Samsonite South Asia. Dr. Tainwala and his family own a minority interest in the Company’s Indian and United Arab Emirates subsidiaries. The Company purchased raw materials and capital goods from Tainwala and Abhishri in the amounts of $2,174, $2,086 and $454 during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively. The Company sold raw materials to Tainwala and Abhishri in the amounts of $823, $932 and $145 during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively. In addition, approximately $303, $82 and $80 was paid to entities owned by Dr. Tainwala and his family, for office space rent during the years ended January 31, 2007, 2006 and 2005 respectively.

F-36




SAMSONITE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS
(In thousands)

Column A

 

 

 

Column B

 

Column C

 

Column D

 

Column E

 

Column F

 

Description

 

 

 

Balance at
Beginning of
Period

 

Additions(a)

 

Transfers

 

Deductions(b)

 

Balance at
End of Period

 

Year Ended January 31, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for Trade Receivables

 

 

$

7,213

 

 

 

3,702

 

 

 

 

 

 

(545

)

 

 

10,370

 

 

Allowance for Long-Term Receivables

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for Sales Returns(c)

 

 

1,630

 

 

 

200

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,830

 

 

Total

 

 

$

8,843

 

 

 

3,902

 

 

 

 

 

 

(545

)

 

 

12,200

 

 

Year Ended January 31, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for Trade Receivables

 

 

$

8,476

 

 

 

327

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,590

)

 

 

7,213

 

 

Allowance for Long-Term Receivables

 

 

66

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(66

)

 

 

 

 

Allowance for Sales Returns(c)

 

 

1,021

 

 

 

609

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,630

 

 

Total

 

 

$

9,563

 

 

 

936

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,656

)

 

 

8,843

 

 

Year Ended January 31, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allowance for Trade Receivables

 

 

$

7,809

 

 

 

1,540

 

 

 

 

 

 

(873

)

 

 

8,476

 

 

Allowance for Long-Term Receivables

 

 

521

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(455

)

 

 

66

 

 

Allowance for Sales Returns(c)

 

 

1,290

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(269

)

 

 

1,021

 

 

Total

 

 

$

9,620

 

 

 

1,540

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,597

)

 

 

9,563

 

 


Notes:

(a)           Amounts charged to costs and expenses.

(b)          Bad debt write-offs and charges to allowances, net of other adjustments, reclassifications and exchange rate changes.

(c)           Because of the manner in which the Company’s systems process sales returns, the Company is not able to quantify additions and deductions, and such amounts are shown on a net basis.

F-37




INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit

 

Description

 

3.1

 

Restated Certificate of Incorporation. (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed December 22, 2006).

 

3.2

 

Certificate of Ownership and Merger dated July 14, 1995 (Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Form S-4 Registration Statement No. 33-95642).

 

3.3

 

By-laws of the Company (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 1996).

 

4.1

 

Description of the Company’s common stock, par value $.01 per share (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed June 14, 1994 under the Exchange Act).

 

4.2

 

Indentures dated June 9, 2004 for 100,000 Euro Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2010 and $205,000 8 7¤8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011(Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Form S-4 Registration Statement No. 333-118014).

 

4.3

 

Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 6, 2006, to the Indenture dated as of June 9, 2004, between Samsonite Corporation and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A., as successor to The Bank of New York, as trustee (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed December 6, 2006).

 

4.4

 

Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 6, 2006, to the Indenture dated as of June 9, 2004, between Samsonite Corporation and The Bank of New York, as trustee (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed December 6, 2006).

 

10.1

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement entered into or to be entered into by the Company with each of R. Theodore Ammon, Leon D. Black, Robert H. Falk, Thomas J. Leonard, Marc J. Rowan, Stephen J. Solarz, Gregory Wm. Hunt, Carl C. Ichan, Mark H. Rachesky, and Robert L. Rosen (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Form S-1 Registration Statement No. 33-71224).

 

10.2

 

Samsonite Corporation 1995 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (as amended in 1996) (Incorporated by reference from Proxy Statement filed May 23, 1996).

 

10.2.1

 

Samsonite Corporation 1995 Stock Option and Award Plan, Second Amendment (Incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s Form S-8 File No. 333-20775, filed January 30, 1997).

 

10.3

 

Form of Stock Option Agreement for Awards under the 1995 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (as amended in 1996) (Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Form S-8 File No. 333-05467, filed June 7, 1996).

 

10.4

 

Samsonite Corporation Directors Stock Plan as amended (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Proxy Statement filed May 9, 2001).

 

10.5

 

Warrant Agreement, dated as of June 24, 1998, between the Company and BankBoston, N.A. (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 1998).

 

10.5.1

 

First Amendment to Warrant Agreement dated as of August 17, 1998, between the Company and BankBoston, N.A. (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 1998).

 

E-1




 

10.6

 

Amended and restated FY 1999 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (Incorporated by reference from Proxy Statement filed May 11, 2004).

 

10.7*

 

Employment Agreement, dated as of June 15, 2001, between the Company and Richard H. Wiley (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended October 31, 2001).

 

10.8*

 

Employment Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2000, between the Company and Marc Matton (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2002).

 

10.9

 

Recapitalization Agreement by and among Samsonite Corporation, Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund, L.P., Bain Capital (Europe) LLC and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board, dated as of May 1, 2003 (including various exhibits thereto) (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K dated May 1, 2003).

 

10.10

 

Amendment and Restatement of Term Sheet Between Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and Samsonite Corporation (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 2003).

 

10.11

 

Agreement dated July 23, 2003 by and between the Company and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a United States Government Corporation (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 2003).

 

10.12

 

Form of Executive Stockholders Agreement dated September 25, 2003 among the Company, ACOF Management, L.P., Bain Capital (Europe) LLC, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and certain executives (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended October 31, 2003).

 

10.12.1

 

Amendment No. 1 to the Executive Stockholders Agreement dated as of March 17, 2005 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended April 20, 2005).

 

10.12.2

 

Amendment No. 2 to the Executive Stockholders Agreement dated as of January 26, 2007 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed February 1, 2007).

 

10.13*

 

Letter Agreement, dated January 21, 2005, by and between the Company and Thomas Korbas (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K filed April 15, 2005).

 

10.14

 

Form of Executive Stock Option Agreement dated February 14, 2005 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K/A filed February 18, 2005).

 

10.15*

 

Consulting Agreement dated April 1, 1995 by and among Samsonite Finanziaria S.R.L., Giuseppe Fremder and Samsonite Italia S.R.L. (now Samsonite S.p.A.) (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2005).

 

10.16*

 

Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between Samsonite Corporation and Marcello Bottoli, dated as of May 11, 2005 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K filed May 17, 2005).

 

E-2




 

10.17*

 

Management Agreement between Samsonite Corporation and Marcello Bottoli, dated as of May 11, 2005 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K filed May 17, 2005).

 

10.18*

 

Letter Agreement regarding Employment and Management Agreements between Samsonite Corporation and Marcello Bottoli dated as of May 12, 2005 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K filed May 17, 2005).

 

10.19*

 

Chief Executive Officer Stockholders Agreement, dated as of March 2, 2004, by and among Samsonite Corporation, ACOF Management, L.P., Bain Capital (Europe) LLC, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, Marcello Bottoli, Stonebridge Development Limited and the Bottoli Trust (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 2005).

 

10.19.1*

 

Amendment 1 to Chief Executive Officer Stockholders Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2005, by and among Samsonite Corporation, ACOF Management, L.P., Bain Capital (Europe) LLC, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, Marcello Bottoli, Stonebridge Development Limited and the Carry Trust (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended July 31, 2005).

 

10.19.2*

 

Amendment No. 2 to the Chief Executive Officer Stockholders Agreement dated as of January 26, 2007 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed February 1, 2007).

 

10.20*

 

Stock Option Agreement dated as of April 19, 2004, among Samsonite Corporation, Marcello Bottoli, and Stonebridge Development Limited (Incorporated by reference from the Proxy Statement filed May 11, 2004).

 

10.20.1*

 

Amendment 1 to Stock Option Agreement dated as of March 17, 2005, among Samsonite Corporation, Marcello Bottoli, and Stonebridge Development Limited (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s current report on Form 8-K filed May 17, 2005).

 

10.21

 

Stockholders Agreement, dated as of July 31, 2003 by and among Samsonite Corporation, Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund, L.P., Bain Capital (Europe) LLC, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board and Ares Leveraged Investment Fund, L.P. (Incorporated by reference from the Proxy Statement filed June 30, 2003).

 

10.22

 

Advisory Agreement between the Company and ACOF Management, Bain Capital (Europe) LLC and Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Board entered into as of April 1, 2004 (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended April 30, 2004).

 

10.23

 

Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement between Ares Leveraged Investment Fund, L.P. and Samsonite Corporation. (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed February 1, 2007).

 

10.24

 

Credit Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2006 among the Company, Samsonite Europe N.V., Merrill Lynch Capital Corporation, KBC Bank N.V. and others (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 8-K, filed December 22, 2006).

 

10.25

 

Amendment No. 1 dated as of April 5, 2007 to the Credit Agreement dated as of December 20, 2006 among the Company, Samsonite Europe N.V., Merrill Lynch Capital Corporation, KBC Bank N.V. and others.

 

E-3




 

14.1

 

Code of Ethical Conduct for Chief Executive Officer (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed May 16, 2006).

 

14.2

 

Code of Ethical Conduct for Senior Financial Officers (Incorporated by reference from the Company’s Form 10-K filed May 16, 2006).

 

21

 

Subsidiaries of the Company

 

23

 

Consent of KPMG LLP

 

31.1

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

31.2

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

32.1

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

32.2

 

Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 


*                    These exhibits constitute management contracts, compensatory plans and arrangements required to be filed as an exhibit to this form.

E-4



EX-10.25 2 a07-12333_1ex10d25.htm EX-10.25

Exhibit 10.25

AMENDMENT NO. 1, dated as of April 5, 2007 (this “Amendment”), among Samsonite Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “U.S. Borrower”), Samsonite Europe N.V., a corporation organized under the laws of Belgium (the “European Borrower”) (the U.S. Borrower and the European Borrower sometimes collectively referred to herein as the “Borrowers” and individually as a “Borrower”), the U.S. Subsidiary Guarantors, Merrill Lynch Capital Corporation as administrative agent (in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”) for the Secured Parties and as collateral agent (in such capacity, the “U.S. Collateral Agent”) for the Secured Parties, KBC Bank N.V. as administrative agent (in such capacity, the “European Agent”) for the European Secured Parties and as collateral agent (in such capacity, the “European Collateral Agent”) for the European Secured Parties, the Requisite Lenders and each Term Lender listed on the signature pages hereto, to the Credit Agreement dated as of December 20, 2006 (as amended, supplemented, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time) (the “Credit Agreement”) among the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent, the European Agent, the U.S. Collateral Agent, the European Collateral Agent, the Lenders referred to therein, Goldman Sachs Credit Partners L.P. as syndication agent and Deutsche Bank AG, New York Branch as documentation agent.  Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Credit Agreement (as amended hereby).

WHEREAS, for the purpose of making the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition, the U.S. Borrower (i) expects to form one or more direct Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of the U.S. Borrower organized in the country (the “Permitted Joint Venture Jurisdiction”) where such Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition is located (“Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos”), and (ii) expects to form a direct Wholly Owned Subsidiary of one of the Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos organized in the Permitted Joint Venture Jurisdiction (“Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition Sub”);

WHEREAS, the U.S. Borrower expects to request the establishment of $55,000,000 of Incremental Term Loan Commitments and that the Term Lenders having such Incremental Term Loan Commitments make Incremental Term Loans to (i) consummate the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition, (ii) to repay certain outstanding Revolving Loans and (iii) to pay related fees and expenses on or prior to the date the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition is consummated;

WHEREAS, in the case of the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition, the proceeds of the Incremental Term Loans will be used (i)(a) to make an intercompany loan to one of the Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos in an amount equal to approximately 75% of the purchase price (the “Acquisition Debt”), (b) to provide credit support for a loan in U.S. Dollars (the “Back-to-Back Loan”) to be made by a financial institution (the “Back-to-Back Lender”) by (1) depositing an amount equal to the Acquisition Debt with the Back-to-Back Lender to serve as cash collateral (the “Cash Collateral”) for the Back-to-Back Loan, (2) purchasing a 100% participation in the Back-to-Back Loan in an amount equal to the Acquisition Debt (the “Back-to-Back Participation”) or (3) a combination of the credit support described in clauses (i)(b)(1)

1




and (i)(b)(2) herein, or (c) a combination of the intercompany loan described in clause (i)(a) and the credit support described in clause (i)(b); in each case to fund the portion of the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition consisting of the Acquisition Debt and (ii) to fund the equity portion of the investment in the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition (expected to be approximately 25% of the purchase price thereof);

WHEREAS, the Requisite Lenders have agreed, subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth, to amend certain provisions of the Credit Agreement as set forth below;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants contained herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:

Section 1.   Amendments.

(a)        The following defined terms shall be added to Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement in alphabetic order:

Amendment No. 1” means Amendment No. 1 to this Agreement dated as of April 5, 2007.

Amendment No. 1 Effective Date” means April 5, 2007, the date on which all conditions precedent set forth in Section 3 of Amendment No. 1 are satisfied or waived

Back-to-Back Loan has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to Amendment No. 1.

Back-to-Back Participation has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to Amendment No. 1.

Cash Collateral has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to Amendment No. 1.

Hedging Obligations” means obligations under Hedging Agreements.

Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition Sub has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to Amendment No. 1.

Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to Amendment No. 1.

(b)        Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby further amended by amending the proviso at the end of the definition of “Indebtedness” (i) by deleting the “or between clauses (x) and (y) and replacing it with “,” and (ii) adding the following after clause (y) and before “.”

2




“or (z) indebtedness evidenced by the Back-to-Back Loan to the extent of the amount of the Cash Collateral securing such Back-to-Back Loan and the amount of the Back-to-Back Participation”

(c)        Section 1.01 of the Credit Agreement is hereby further amended by amending the definition of “Wholly Owned Subsidiary” by deleting the “(other than directors’ qualifying shares)” and replacing it with “(except for directors’ qualifying shares or certain minority interests owned by other Persons solely due to local law requirements that there be more than one stockholder, but which interest is not in excess of what is required for such purpose).”

(d)        Section 6.01(d) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by replacing clause (ii)(z) thereof with the following:

“(z) outstanding Indebtedness incurred pursuant to clause (p) below (except, in the case of this clause (z), to the extent such Indebtedness is owing to a U.S. Loan Party)”

(e)        Section 6.01(p) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated as follows:

“Indebtedness incurred to finance the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition, including, without duplication, a guaranty by the U.S. Borrower of such Indebtedness (it being understood that, if all or any portion of the Back-to Back Loan shall be considered Indebtedness (either as a result of a reduction of the Cash Collateral, a sale or reduction of the Back-to-Back Participation or otherwise), such Indebtedness shall be deemed to be incurred pursuant to this clause (p) at such time.”

(f)         Section 6.02 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the “and” and the end of clause (q), inserting an “and” at the end of clause (r) and adding the following clause (s):

“(s)      Liens on the Cash Collateral securing the Back-to-Back Loan;”

(g)        Section 6.04(d) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated as follows:

  (d)    Other than Permitted Acquisitions, Investments (i) by any Company in any U.S. Loan Party, (ii) by a Company that is not a Loan Party in any other Company (or a Person that would become a Company after giving effect to such Investment) that is not a Loan Party, (iii) by any Foreign Company in any European Loan Party, (iv) by any U.S. Loan Party in any European Loan Party in an amount under this clause (iv) not to exceed $100.0 million in the aggregate at any time outstanding and (v) by any Loan Party in a Company that is not a Loan Party in an amount under this clause (v) not to exceed $40.0 million (no more than $10.0 million of which may be made by a Foreign Loan Party) in the aggregate at any time outstanding; provided that any Investment in the form of a loan or advance where at least one party is a Loan Party shall be evidenced by the Intercompany Note and, in the case of a loan or advance by a U.S. Loan Party,

3




pledged by such U.S. Loan Party as Collateral pursuant to the U.S. Collateral Documents;”

(h)        Section 6.04(f) of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated as follows:

“(f)       Investments made in connection with Asset Sales, Permitted Acquisitions or the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition permitted pursuant to Section 6.03;”

(i)         Section 6.13 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following at the end thereof:

“None of the Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos nor Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition Sub shall (i) engage in any trade or business, (ii) own any assets (other than (a) Equity Interests of a Permitted Joint Venture Holdco or Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition Sub (in the case of Permitted Joint Venture Holdcos), (b) Equity Interests of the joint venture formed as part of the Permitted Joint Venture Acquisition or (c) cash) with a fair market value in excess of the Dollar Equivalent of $500,000 nor (iii) incur any liabilities (other than for the Back-to-Back Loan and loans owing to their respective subsidiaries) which in the aggregate are greater than the Dollar Equivalent of $500,000.

(j)         Section 10.18 of the Credit Agreement is hereby amended by replacing all references to “10.18(b)” with “10.18”.

Section 2.      Representations and Warranties.  The Borrowers represent and warrant to the Lenders as of the date hereof and the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date that:

(a)        The execution and delivery of this Amendment by the Borrowers has been duly authorized.

(b)        Neither the execution or delivery by Borrowers of this Amendment, nor compliance by any of them with the terms and provisions hereof, (a) require any consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, except (i) such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, (ii) filings necessary to perfect Liens created by the Loan Documents and (iii) consents, approvals, registrations, filings, permits or actions the failure to obtain or perform which would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (b) will violate the Organizational Documents of any Company, (c) will violate any Requirement of Law, (d) will violate or result in a default or require any consent or approval under any indenture, agreement or other instrument binding upon any Company or its property, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any Company, except for violations, defaults or the creation of such rights that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and (e) will result in the creation or imposition of any Lien on any property of any Company, except Liens created by the Loan Documents.

4




(c)        Before and after giving effect to this Amendment, the representations and warranties set forth in the Credit Agreement and in the other Loan Documents shall be true and correct in all material respects (except that any representation and warranty that is qualified as to “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall be true and correct in all respects) with the same effect as if then made (unless expressly stated to relate to an earlier date, in which case such representations and warranties shall be true and correct (or true and correct in all material respects, as the case may be) as of such earlier date).

(d)        At the time of and after giving effect to this Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

(e)        After giving effect to this Amendment, neither the modification of the Credit Agreement effected pursuant to this Amendment nor the execution, delivery, performance or effectiveness of this Amendment: (a) impairs the validity, effectiveness or priority of the Liens granted pursuant to any Loan Document, and such Liens continue unimpaired with the same priority to secure repayment of all of the applicable Obligations, whether heretofore or hereafter incurred or (b) requires that any new filings be made or other action taken to perfect or to maintain the perfection of such Liens.

Section 3.      Conditions to Effectiveness.  This Amendment shall become effective on the date (the “Amendment No. 1 Effective Date”) on which each of the following conditions is satisfied or waived:

(a)        The Administrative Agent and the European Agent shall have received from (A) Lenders constituting the Requisite Lenders and (B) each of the other parties hereto, either (i) a counterpart of this Amendment signed on behalf of such party or (ii) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include telecopy transmission or “.PDF” of a signed signature page of this Amendment) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Amendment;

(b)        The Administrative Agent shall have received an Officer’s Certificate, dated the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and signed on behalf of the U.S. Borrower by a Financial Officer of such Borrower, substantially in the form of Exhibit F to the Credit Agreement, confirming compliance with the statements set forth in Sections 2(c) and 2(d) hereof;

(c)        The Borrowers shall have paid to the Administrative Agent and the European Agent, all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including, without limitation the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, counsel for the Agents) of the Administrative Agent and the European Agent;

(d)        The Administrative Agent shall have received such documents and certificates as the Administrative Agent or its counsel may reasonably request relating to the organization, existence and good standing of each Loan Party, the authorization of this Amendment and the transactions contemplated hereby and any other legal matters relating to the Loan Parties, this Amendment or the transactions contemplated hereby, all in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel;

5




(e)        At the time of and after giving effect to the Amendment, no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.

Section 4.      Expenses.  Borrower agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent for its and the other Agents’ reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with this Amendment, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, counsel for the Agents.

Section 5.      Counterparts.  This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and by different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single instrument.  Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Amendment by facsimile transmission or by email in Adobe “.pdf” format shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof.

Section 6.      Applicable Law.  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

Section 7.      Headings.  The headings of this Amendment are for purposes of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.

Section 8.      Effect of Amendment.  Except as expressly set forth herein, this Amendment shall not by implication or otherwise limit, impair, constitute a waiver of or otherwise affect the rights and remedies of the Lenders or the Agents under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, and shall not alter, modify, amend or in any way affect any of the terms, conditions, obligations, covenants or agreements contained in the Credit Agreement or any other provision of the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, all of which are ratified and affirmed in all respects and shall continue in full force and effect.  The parties hereto expressly acknowledge that it is not their intention that this Amendment or any of the other Loan Documents executed or delivered pursuant hereto constitute a novation of any of the obligations, covenants or agreements contained in the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document, but a modification thereof pursuant to the terms contained herein.  As of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, each reference in the Credit Agreement to “this Agreement,” “hereunder,” “hereof,” “herein,” or words of like import, and each reference in the other Loan Documents to the Credit Agreement (including, without limitation, by means of words like “thereunder”, “thereof” and words of like import), shall mean and be a reference to the Credit Agreement as amended hereby, and this Amendment and the Credit Agreement shall be read together and construed as a single instrument.  Each of the table of contents and lists of Exhibits and Schedules of the Credit Agreement shall be amended to reflect the changes made in this Amendment as of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date.  This Amendment shall constitute a Loan Document.

Section 9.      Acknowledgement and Affirmation.  Each U.S. Subsidiary Guarantor hereby (i) expressly acknowledges the terms of the Credit Agreement as amended hereby, (ii) ratifies and affirms after giving effect to this Amendment its obligations under the Loan Documents (including guarantees and security agreements) executed by such

6




U.S. Subsidiary Guarantor and (iii) after giving effect to this Amendment, acknowledges renews and extends its continued liability under all such Loan Documents and agrees such Loan Documents remain in full force and effect.

[signature pages follow]

7




IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment No. 1 to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

SAMSONITE CORPORATION,

 

as the U.S. Borrower

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard H. Wiley

 

 

Name:

Richard H. Wiley

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

SAMSONITE EUROPE N.V.,

 

as the European Borrower

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arne Borrey

 

 

Name:

Arne Borrey

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

C.V. HOLDINGS, INC.

 

SAMSONITE COMPANY STORES, INC.

 

DIRECT MARKETING VENTURES, INC.

 

SAMSONITE HOLDINGS INC.

 

ASTRUM R.E. CORP.

 

SAMSONITE PACIFIC LTD.

 

GLOBAL LICENSING COMPANY, LLC

 

MCGREGOR II, LLC

 

JODY APPAREL II, LLC

 

SHELF HOLDINGS, INC.

 

SHELF ACQUISITION, INC.,

 

each as a U.S. Subsidiary Guarantor

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard H. Wiley

 

 

Name:

Richard H. Wiley

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

8




 

MERRILL LYNCH CAPITAL CORPORATION,

 

as Administrative Agent and U.S. Collateral Agent.

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Nancy Meadows

 

 

Name:

Nancy Meadows

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

KBC BANK N.V.,

 

as European Agent and European Collateral
Agent

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Karen Vanhoutte

 

 

Name:

Karen Vanhoutte

 

Title:

Agent Syndicated Loans

 

9




 

MERRILL LYNCH CAPITAL

 

CORPORATION,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Nancy Meadows

 

 

Name:

Nancy Meadows

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

KBC BANK N.V., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Paul Venneiren

 

 

Name:

Paul Venneiren

 

Title:

General Manager

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alain Van Roeyen

 

 

Name:

Alain Van Roeyen

 

Title:

Relationship Manager

 

 

 

 

 

TRALEE CDO I, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Par-Four Investment Management, LLC, as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Edward Labrenz

 

 

Name:

Edward Labrenz

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

WATERVILLE FUNDING LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Anna M. Tallent

 

 

Name:

Anna M. Tallent

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

LL VICTORY FUNDING LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Anna M. Tallent

 

 

Name:

Anna M. Tallent

 

Title:

Authorized Agent

 

 

 

SYMPHONY CLO III,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Symphony Asset Management LLC

 

10




 

By:

/s/ Lenny Mason

 

 

Name:

Lenny Mason

 

Title:

Portfolio Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYMPHONY CLO II,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Symphony Asset Management LLC

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Lenny Mason

 

 

Name:

Lenny Mason

 

Title:

Portfolio Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATLAS LOAN FUNDING 3, LLC

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Atlas Capital Funding, Ltd.

 

 

 

 

By:

Structured Asset Investors, LLC

 

 

 

 

as its Investment Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Diana M. Himes

 

 

Name:

Diana M. Himes

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRS ARIA LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, its Sole
Member

 

 

 

 

By:

DB Services New Jersey, Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Angeline Quintana

 

 

Name:

Angeline Quintana

 

Title:

AVP

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alice L Wagner

 

 

Name:

Alice L. Wagner

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEMISPHERE CDO LTD.,
as a Lender

 

11




 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROSPERO CLO II B.V.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROSPERO CLO I B.V.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VERITAS CLO II, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VERITAS CLO I, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAPITOLIUM LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Randolph Watkins

 

 

 

Name:

John Randolph Watkins

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

12




 

NAVIGATOR CDO 2004, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Antares Asset Management Inc., as

 

 

Collateral Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Campos

 

 

 

Name:

John Campos

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAVIGATOR CDO 2006, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

GE Asset Management Inc., as

 

 

Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John Campos

 

 

 

Name:

John Campos

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANKLIN CLO V, LTD,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ David Ardini

 

 

 

Name:

David Ardini

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANKLIN FLOATING RATE DAILY ACCESS
FUND, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Hsu

 

 

 

Name:

Richard Hsu

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANKLIN FLOATING RATE MASTER SERIES, as
a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Hsu

 

 

 

Name:

Richard Hsu

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMERSON PLACE CLO, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

13




 

By:

/s/ R. Ian O’Keeffe

 

 

 

Name:

R. Ian O’Keeffe

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CITIBANK, N.A.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Christine M. Kanicki

 

 

 

Name:

Christine M. Kanicki

 

 

Title:

Attorney-In-Fact

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, as a
Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Scottye Lindsey

 

 

 

Name:

Scottye Lindsey

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Carin Keegan

 

 

 

Name:

Carin Keegan

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Nemda Darias

 

 

 

Name:

Nemda Darias

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRASER SULLIVAN CLO I LTD,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Fraser Sullivan Investment

 

 

Management LLC, as Collateral

 

 

Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John W. Fraser

 

 

 

Name:

John W. Fraser

 

 

Title:

Managing Partner

 

14




 

FRASER SULLIVAN CLO II LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Fraser Sullivan Investment

 

 

Management LLC, as Collateral

 

 

Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John W. Fraser

 

 

 

Name:

John W. Fraser

 

 

Title:

Managing Partner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FABER SPIRET LOAN TRUST,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Wilmington Trust Company

 

 

not in its individual capacity but

 

 

solely as trustee

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Rachel L. Simpson

 

 

 

Name:

Rachel L. Simpson

 

 

Title:

Sr. Financial Services Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PPM GRAYHAWK CLO, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By PPM America, Inc., as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ David C. Wagner

 

 

 

Name:

David C. Wagner

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PPM MONARCH BAY FUNDING, LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Anna M. Tallent

 

 

 

Name:

Anna M. Tallent

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

15




 

SENIOR DEBT PORTFOLIO,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Boston Management and Research, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE INSTITUTIONAL SENIOR LOAN
FUND, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE CDO VIII, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Easton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE CDO X PLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE CDO XI, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

16




 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE NORINCHUKIN BANK, NEW YORK BRANCH
THROUGH STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST
COMPANY N.A., AS FIDUCIARY CUSTODIAN

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, Attorney-

 

 

In-Fact

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIG SKY III SENIOR LOAN TRUST,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE VT FLOATING-RATE

 

INCOME FUND, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EATON VANCE VARIABLE LEVERAGE FUND
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Eaton Vance Management, as

 

 

Investment Advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael B. Botthof

 

 

 

Name:

Michael B. Botthof

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

17




 

GRAND CENTRAL ASSET TRUST, PFV SERIES, as
a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

 

Name:

Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAND CENTRAL ASSET TRUST, ALAD SERIES,
as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

 

Name:

Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AVERY POINT CLO, LTD.,  as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

CASTLE HILL I – INGOTS LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By: Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

CASTLE HILL II – INGOTS, LTD, AS TERM
LENDER, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

CHATHAM LIGHT II CLO, LIMITED, as a lender

 

 

 

By: Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

18




 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Office

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHATHAM LIGHT III CLO, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

NASH POINT CLO, LIMITED as a lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

NASH POINT II CLO, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors LLC, as collateral

 

 

manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

RACE POINT II CLO, LIMITED, as a lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

RACE POINT III CLO, LIMITED, as a lender

 

 

 

By: Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as collateral manager

 

19




 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

RACE POINT IV CLO, LTD., as a lender

 

 

 

By:

Sankaty Advisors, LLC, as Collateral

 

 

Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

 

Name:

Alan K. Halfenger

 

 

Title:

Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

Assistant Secretary

 

 

 

 

 

KKR FINANCIAL CLO 2005-1, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michaelle Keith

 

 

 

Name:

Michelle Keith

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KKR FINANCIAL CLO 2006-2, LTD.,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michelle Keith

 

 

 

Name:

Michelle Keith

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMERALD ORCHARD LIMITED,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Neam Ahmed

 

 

 

Name:

Neam Ahmed

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEECHER CBNA LOAN FUNDING LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

 

Name:

Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

20




 

GRAND CENTRAL ASSET TRUST, HLD SERIES, as
a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

 

Name:

Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

 

GRAND CENTRAL ASSET TRUST, LAC SERIES, as
a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

 

Name:

Erich VanRavenswaay

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUZINICH SPC FOR THE ACCOUNT OF
A MUZINICH EXTRAYIELD SEGREGATED
PORTFOLIO, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Liezel Kleynhans

 

 

 

Name:

Liezel Kleynhans

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

FINCH FUNDING LLC, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Anna M. Tallent

 

 

 

Name:

Anna M. Tallent

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President

 

 

 

 

AMMC VII, LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

American Money Management Corp.,

 

 

as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Chester M. Eng

 

 

 

Name:

Chester M. Eng

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

FORE CLO LTD., 2007-I, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Mel Gao

 

 

 

Name:

Mel Gao

 

 

Title:

Chief Portfolio Manager

 

21




 

VENTURE IV CDO LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By: MJX Asset Management LLC, as its investment
advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Hans L. Christensen

 

 

 

Name:

Hans L. Christensen

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

 

 

 

VENTURE V CDO LIMITED, as a lender

 

 

 

 

By: MJX Asset Management LLC, as its investment
advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Hans L. Christensen

 

 

 

Name:

Hans L. Christensen

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

 

 

 

VENTURE VI CDO LIMITED, as a lender

 

 

 

 

By: MJX Asset Management LLC, as its
investment advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Hans L. Christensen

 

 

 

Name:

Hans L. Christensen

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

 

 

 

VENTURE VII CDO LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By: MJX Asset Management LLC, as its investment
advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Hans L. Christensen

 

 

 

Name:

Hans L. Christensen

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

 

 

 

VENTURE VIII WAREHOUSE, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Hans L. Christensen

 

 

 

Name:

Hans L. Christensen

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

22




 

FAIRWAY LOAN FUNDING COMPANY,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Pacific Investment Management

 

 

Company LLC, as its Investment

 

 

Advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

 

Name:

Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

LOAN FUNDING III LLC,

 

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Pacific Investment Management

 

 

Company LLC, as its Investment

 

 

Advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

 

Name:

Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

MAYPORT CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Pacific Investment Management

 

 

Company LLC, as its Investment

 

 

Advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

 

Name:

Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

SOUTHPORT CLO, LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Pacific Investment Management

 

 

Company LLC, as its Investment

 

 

Advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

 

Name:

Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

23




 

WAVELAND – INGOTS, LTD, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Pacific Investment Management

 

 

Company LLC, as its Investment

 

 

Advisor

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

 

Name:

Arthur Y. D. Ong

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

 

DEUTSCHE BANK AG LONDON,
as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Karim Fitt

 

 

 

Name:

Karim Fitt

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

IKB CAPITAL CORPORATION,
as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ David Snyder

 

 

 

Name:

David Snyder

 

 

Title:

President

 

 

 

IKB Capital Corporation

 

 

 

 

BACCHUS (US) 2006-1 LTD.,
as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ David Snyder

 

 

 

Name:

David Synder

 

 

Title:

President

 

 

 

IKB Capital Corporation

 

 

 

 

CUNA MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE
COMPANY, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutsche Investment Management Americas,

 

 

Inc. (as successor in interest to Deutsche Asset
Management, Inc.), in its capacity as Investment
Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

Name:

Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

24




 

By:

/s/ Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

Name:

Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

FLAGSHIP CLO III, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutsche Investment Management Americas,
Inc. (as successor in interest to Deutsche Asset
management, Inc.) as Sub-Adviser

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

Name:

Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

Name:

Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

FLAGSHIP CLO IV, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutshe Investment Management Americas,
Inc. (as successor in interest to Deutsche Asset
Management, Inc.) as Sub-Adviser

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

Name:

Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

Name:

Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

FLAGSHIP CLO V, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutshe Investment Management Americas,
Inc. (as successor in interest to Deutsche Asset
Management, Inc.) as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

Name:

Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

Name:

Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

25




 

FLAGSHIP CLO VI, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutshe Investment Management Americas,
Inc., as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

 

Name:

Colleen Cunniffe

 

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

 

Name:

Shameem R. Kathiwalla

 

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

ENDURANCE CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

 

c/o:

West Gate Horizons Advisors LLC, as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Cheryl Wasilewski

 

 

 

 

Name:

Cheryl Wasilewski

 

 

 

Title:

Senior Credit Analyst

 

 

 

 

HALCYON LOAN INVESTORS CLO II, LTD., as
a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

 

Name:

Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

HALCYON LOAN INVESTORS CLO III, LTD.,
as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

 

Name:

Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALCYON STRUCTURED ASSET
MANAGEMENT CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

Name:

Aaron Goldberg

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

26




 

HALCYON STRUCTURED ASSET
MANAGEMENT LONG SECURED/SHORT
UNSECURED CLO II, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Aaron Goldberg

 

 

 

Name:

Aaron Goldberg

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

GREYWOLF CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William Troy

 

 

 

Name:

William Troy

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signer

 

 

 

 

WB LOAN FUNDING I, LLC, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Diana M. Himes

 

 

 

Name:

Diana M. Himes

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

ATLAS LOAN FUNDING (HARTFORD), LLC,
as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Atlas Capital Funding, Ltd.

 

 

 

 

By:

Structured Asset Investors, LLC

 

 

 

 

as its Investment Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Diana M. Himes

 

 

 

Name:

Diana M. Himes

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

TRS HY FNDS LLC, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutsche Bank AG Cayman Islands Branch,
its sole member

 

 

 

 

By:

DB Services New Jersey, Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Angeline Quintana

 

 

 

Name:

Angeline Quintana

 

 

Title:

AVP

 

27




 

By:

/s/ Alice L. Wagner

 

 

 

Name:

Alice L. Wagner

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

TRS FORE LLC, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, its sole
member

 

 

 

 

By:

DB Services New Jersey, Inc.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Angeline Quintana

 

 

 

Name:

Angeline Quintana

 

 

Title:

AVP

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Alice L. Wagner

 

 

 

Name:

Alice L. Wagner

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

SOUTH SHORE CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

1585 Capital Corp., its Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ William J. Burke

 

 

 

Name:

William J. Burke

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

DUANE STREET CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

DiMaio Ahmad Capital LLC, as Collateral
Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Paul Travers

 

 

 

Name:

Paul Travers

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

DUANE STREET CLO II, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

DiMaio Ahmad Capital LLC, as Collateral
Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Paul Travers

 

 

 

Name:

Paul Travers

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

28




 

DUANE STREET CLO III, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

DiMaio Ahmad Capital LLC, as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Paul Travers

 

 

 

Name:

Paul Travers

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

FREMONT CBNA LOAN FUNDING LLC, as a
Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ David Balmert

 

 

 

Name:

David Balmert

 

 

Title:

Attorney in Kind

 

 

 

 

NATIXIS, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Frank Madden

 

 

 

Name:

Frank Madden

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Kelvin Cheng

 

 

 

Name:

Kelvin Cheng

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

ANCHORAGE CROSSOVER CREDIT FINANCE,
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Anchorage Advisors, L.L.C., as its Investment
Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael Aglialoro

 

 

 

Name:

Michael Aglialoro

 

 

Title:

Executive Vice President

 

 

 

 

CALLIDUS DEBT PARTNERS CLO FUND II,
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Callidus Capital Management, LLC, as its
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

 

Name:

Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

Title:

Principal

 

29




 

CALLIDUS DEBT PARTNERS CLO FUND III,
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Callidus Capital Management, LLC, as its
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

 

Name:

Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

Title:

Principal

 

 

 

 

CALLIDUS DEBT PARTNERS CLO FUND IV,
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Callidus Capital Management, LLC, as its
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

 

Name:

Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

Title:

Principal

 

 

 

 

CALLIDUS DEBT PARTNERS CLO FUND V,
LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Callidus Capital Management, LLC, as its
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

 

Name:

Peter R. Bennitt

 

 

Title:

Principal

 

 

 

 

MERRILL LYNCH COMMERCIAL FINANCE
CORPORATION, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Louis Alder

 

 

 

Name:

Louis Alder

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

 

VICTORIA FALLS CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Wade T. Winter

 

 

 

Name:

Wade T. Winter

 

 

Title:

S.V.P.

 

30




CLEAR LAKE CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Wade T. Winter

 

 

 

Name:

Wade T. Winter

 

 

Title:

S.V.P.

 

 

 

SUMMIT LAKE CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Wade T. Winter

 

 

 

Name:

Wade T. Winter

 

 

Title:

S.V.P.

 

 

 

 

DIAMOND LAKE CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Wade T. Winter

 

 

 

Name:

Wade T. Winter

 

 

Title:

S.V.P.

 

 

 

AVENUE CLO VI, LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard D’Addario

 

 

 

Name:

Richard D’Addario

 

 

Title:

Senior Portfolio Manager

 

 

 

 

DEL MAR CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Caywood-Scholl Capital Management, LLC,
as Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ James Pott

 

 

 

Name:

James Pott

 

 

Title:

Director of Research

 

 

 

DEL MAR CLO II, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Caywood-Scholl Capital Management, LLC,
As Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ James Pott

 

 

 

Name:

James Pott

 

 

Title:

Director of Research

 

31




 

FOOTHILL CLO I, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

The Foothill Group, Inc., as attorney-in-fact

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Bohannon

 

 

 

Name:

Richard Bohannon

 

 

Title:

Managing Member

 

 

 

 

THE FOOTHILL GROUP, INC., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Richard Bohannon

 

 

 

Name:

Richard Bohannon

 

 

Title:

S.V.P.

 

 

 

 

HARTFORD INSTITUTIONAL TRUST, ON
BEHALF OF ITS FLOATING RATE BANK
LOAN SERIES, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Hartford Investment Management Company,
its Investment Manager

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Francisco Ossino

 

 

 

Name:

Francisco Ossino

 

 

Title:

VP

 

 

 

HARTFORD MUTUAL FUNDS, INC., ON
BEHALF OF THE HARTFORD FLOATING
RATE FUND, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Hartford Investment Management Company,
as its sub-advisor

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Francisco Ossino

 

 

 

Name:

Francisco Ossino

 

 

Title:

VP

 

 

 

GOLDEN KNIGHT II CLO, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

By:

Lord Abbett & Co., LLC as Collateral
Manager

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Elizabeth Mack

 

 

 

Name:

Elizabeth Mack

 

 

Title:

Portfolio Manager

 

32




 

BAKER STREET CLO III LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Baker Street Funding, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Eduardo Piedra

 

 

 

Name:

Eduardo Piedra

 

 

Title:

Vice President, as Warehouse Manager

 

 

 

BAKER STREET CLO IV LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Baker Street Funding, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Eduardo Piedra

 

 

 

Name:

Eduardo Piedra

 

 

Title:

Vice President, as Warehouse Manager

 

 

 

 

LIGHTPOINT CLO III, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colin Donlan

 

 

 

Name:

Colin Donlan

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

LIGHTPOINT CLO V, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Colin Donlan

 

 

 

Name:

Colin Donlan

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEM, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

By:

Post Advisory Group, LLC
As Investment Manager and Authorized Agent

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Lawrence A. Post

 

 

 

Name:

Lawrence A. Post

 

 

Title:

Chief Investment Officer

 

 

 

 

 

GOLDENTREE LOAN OPPORTUNITIES III,
LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

By:

GoldenTree Asset Management, LP

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Karen Weber

 

 

 

Name:

Karen Weber

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

33




 

GOLDENTREE LOAN OPPORTUNITIES IV,
LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

GoldenTree Asset Management, LP

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Karen Weber

 

 

 

Name:

Karen Weber

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

WHITEHORSE V, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

WhiteHorse Capital Partners, LP, as Collateral
Manager

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Ethan M. Underwood, CFA

 

 

 

Name:

Ethan M. Underwood, CFA

 

 

Title:

Portfolio Manager

 

 

 

 

WHITEHORSE III, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

WhiteHorse Capital Partners, LP, as Collateral
Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Ethan M. Underwood, CFA

 

 

 

Name:

Ethan M. Underwood, CFA

 

 

Title:

Portfolio Manager

 

 

 

LANDMARK IX CLO LIMITED, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Aladdin Capital Management, as Manager

 

 

 

By:

/s/ John J. D’Angelo

 

 

 

Name:

John J. D’Angelo

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

AZURE FUNDING NORTH AMERICA II, as a
Lender

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Heinz Noeding

 

 

 

Name:

Heinz Noeding

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

34




 

FALL CREEK CLO, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jason M. Riehle

 

 

 

Name:

Jason M. Riehle

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signor

 

 

 

CREDIT SUISSE INTERNATIONAL, as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Melanie Harries

 

 

 

Name:

Melanie Harries

 

 

Title:

Assistant Vice President Operations

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Irina Berkowe

 

 

 

Name:

Irina Berkowe

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

 

 

ABCLO 2007-1 Ltd., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Alliance Bernstein L.P., as investment advisor

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Michael E. Sohr

 

 

 

Name:

Michael E. Sohr

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

 

 

AMHERST CLO, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc.,
its General Partner

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

35




                                                                                               

HIGHLAND OFFSHORE PARTNERS, L.P. as a
Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

 

 

 

LIBERTY CLO, LTD. as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

 

 

 

ROCKWALL CDO III LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

 

 

 

SOUTHFORK CLO, LTD. as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

36




 

RED RIVER CLO LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

 

 

 

OCEAN TRAILS CLO II, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

West Gate Horizons Advisors LLC, as
Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Cheryl Wasilewski

 

 

 

Name:

Cheryl Wasilewski

 

 

Title:

Senior Credit Analyst

 

 

 

 

WESTLB AG, New York Branch, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas Irwin

 

 

 

Name:

Thomas Irwin

 

 

Title:

Executive Director

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ George Suspanic

 

 

 

Name:

George Suspanic

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

JASPER CLO, LTD., as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

Highland Capital Management, L.P., as
Collateral Manager

 

 

 

 

By:

Strand Advisors, Inc., its General Partner

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Brian Lohrding

 

 

 

Name:

Brian Lohrding

 

 

Title:

Treasurer

 

 

 

 

 

TRIMARAN CLO IV LTD, as a Lender

 

 

 

 

 

By: Trimaran Advisors, L.L.C.

 

37




 

By:

/s/ David M. Millison

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name:

David M. Millison

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Some signatures were illegible]

 

38



EX-21 3 a07-12333_1ex21.htm EX-21

Exhibit 21

SUBSIDIARIES OF SAMSONITE CORPORATION (Delaware)

(Ownership Interest of 100% Unless Otherwise Indicated)

C.V. Holdings, Inc.

Colorado

 

SC International Holdings C.V. (95% limited partnership,

 

 

with Samsonite Corporation holding 5%)

Netherlands

 

SC Denmark ApS

Denmark

 

Samsonite Europe N.V.

Belgium

 

Samsonite Norway AS

Norway

 

Samsonite S.A.S.

France

 

Samsonite Limited

United Kingdom

 

Samsonite B.V.

Netherlands

 

Samsonite Ges.m.b.H.

Austria

 

Samsonite GmbH

Germany

 

Samsonite-Hungaria Borond KFT

Hungary

 

Samsonite Finanziaria S.r.l.

Italy

 

Samsonite S.p.A

 

 

 (60% joint venture)

Italy

 

Samsonite Espana S.A.

Spain

 

Samsonite AB (Aktiebolag)

Sweden

 

Samsonite A/S

Denmark

 

Samsonite AG

Switzerland

 

Samsonite Slovakia, s.r.o.

Slovakia

 

Samsonite Sp. z o.o.

Poland

 

Samsonite Finland Oy

Finland

 

Samsonite CZ spol. s r.o.

Czech Republic

 

Samsonite Luggage Hellas SA

Greece

 

Samsonite Mauritius Limited

Mauritius

 

Samsonite South Asia

 

 

 Private Limited

 

 

(60% joint venture)

India

 

Samsonite Singapore Pte Ltd

Singapore

 

Samsonite Asia Limited

Hong Kong

 

Samsonite Korea Limited

 

 

(80% joint venture)

Korea

 

Samsonite (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd

Malaysia

 

Samsonite Luggage

 

 

(Ningbo) Co. Ltd.

China

 

Samsonite International Trading

 

 

(Ningbo) Co. Ltd

China

 

 

 

 

SAM Worldwide Financing BVBA

Belgium

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Japan Co., Ltd

Japan

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Arabia FZCO (U.A.E.) (60% joint venture)

United Arab Emirates

 

 

 

 

Samsonite (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (60% joint venture)

Thailand

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Australia Pty Limited (70% joint venture)

Australia

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Latinoamerica, S.A. de C.V.

Mexico

 

Samsonite Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Mexico

 

 

 

 




 

Samsonite Peru, S.A.C.

Peru

 

Samsonite Colombia Limitada

Colombia

 

Samsonite Canada Inc.

Canada

 

Samson, S.A. de C.V.

Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Mercosur Limited (51% joint venture)

Bahamas

 

Samsonite Brasil Ltda.

Brazil

 

Samsonite Argentina S.A.

Argentina

 

Arife S.A. (70% joint venture)

Argentina

 

Lonberg Express S.A.

Uruguay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samsonite Company Stores, Inc.

Indiana

 

Samsonite Pacific Ltd.

Colorado

 

Direct Marketing Ventures, Inc.

Colorado

 

Samsonite Holdings Inc.

Delaware

 

Astrum R.E. Corp.

Delaware

 

 

 

 

Lambertson-Truex LLC (63% joint venture)

Delaware

 

 

 

 

Global Licensing Company, LLC

Delaware

 

 

 

 

McGregor II, LLC

Delaware

 

Jody Apparel II, LLC

Delaware

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelf Holdings, Inc.

Delaware

 

Shelf Acquisition, Inc.

Delaware

 

 

Ownership Interests of 50% or Less

Samsonite S.p.A. participates in a joint venture in which it holds 40% of the shares of:

Factory Store 1 S.r.l.

Via Milano 18

Corsico (MI)

ITALY



EX-23 4 a07-12333_1ex23.htm EX-23

 

Exhibit 23

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors
Samsonite Corporation:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements (Nos. 333-57014, 333-128685, and 333-128684) on Form S-8 of Samsonite Corporation of our report dated April 30, 2007, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Samsonite Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company) as of January 31, 2007 and 2006, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit) and comprehensive income (loss), and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2007, and the related financial statement schedule, which report appears in the January 31, 2007 annual report on Form 10-K of Samsonite Corporation.

Our report includes an explanatory paragraph stating that, as discussed in note 13 to the consolidated financial statements, Samsonite Corporation adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123R, Share Based Payment, effective February 1, 2006. Also, as discussed in note 15, the Company adopted SFAS No. 158, Employers’ Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans — an amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106, and 132(R), effective January 31, 2007.

KPMG LLP

Denver, Colorado

April 30, 2007

 

                                                                                                             



EX-31.1 5 a07-12333_1ex31d1.htm EX-31.1

 

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATIONS
CERTIFICATION BY PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Marcello Bottoli, certify that:

1.                                     I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Samsonite Corporation;

2.                                     Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.                                     Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.                                     The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

(a)                                  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)                                 Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(c)                                  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5.                                     The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)                                  All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)                              Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

By

/s/ Marcello Bottoli

 

 

Name:

 

Marcello Bottoli

 

 

Title:

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: May 1, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 



EX-31.2 6 a07-12333_1ex31d2.htm EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION BY PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO
SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Richard H. Wiley, certify that:

1.                                     I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Samsonite Corporation;

2.                                     Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.                                     Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.                                     The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

(a)                                  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)                                 Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(c)                                  Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5.                                     The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)                                  All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)         Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

By

/s/ Richard H. Wiley

 

 

Name:

 

Richard H. Wiley

 

 

Title:

 

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

Date: May 1, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



EX-32.1 7 a07-12333_1ex32d1.htm EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

Certification Under
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Samsonite Corporation (the “Company”) for the annual period ended January 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), each of the undersigned hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)          The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2)          The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

By

 

/s/ MARCELLO BOTTOLI

 

 

Name:

 

Marcello Bottoli

 

 

Title:

 

Chief Executive Officer and President

 

 

Date:

 

May 1, 2007

 

 

 

This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 



EX-32.2 8 a07-12333_1ex32d2.htm EX-32.2

Exhibit 32.2

Certification Under
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Samsonite Corporation (the “Company”) for the annual period ended January 31, 2007 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), each of the undersigned hereby certifies, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1)          The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2)          The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

By

 

/s/ RICHARD H. WILEY

 

 

Name:

 

Richard H. Wiley

 

 

Title:

 

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

 

 

Date:

 

May 1, 2007

 

 

 

This certification accompanies the Report pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and shall not, except to the extent required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, be deemed filed by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 



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