0001065696-15-000007.txt : 20150302 0001065696-15-000007.hdr.sgml : 20150302 20150302145707 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001065696-15-000007 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 10-K PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 21 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20141231 FILED AS OF DATE: 20150302 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20150302 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: LKQ CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001065696 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: WHOLESALE-MOTOR VEHICLES & MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS & SUPPLIES [5010] IRS NUMBER: 364215970 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 10-K SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 000-50404 FILM NUMBER: 15663985 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 500 WEST MADISON STREET STREET 2: SUITE 2800 CITY: CHICAGO STATE: IL ZIP: 60661 BUSINESS PHONE: 312-621-1950 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 500 WEST MADISON STREET STREET 2: SUITE 2800 CITY: CHICAGO STATE: IL ZIP: 60661 10-K 1 lkq-20141231_10k.htm 10-K LKQ-2014.12.31_10K

 

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 December 31, 2014
OR
¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Commission File Number: 000-50404
________________________________________ 
LKQ CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
________________________________________ 
Delaware
 
36-4215970
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
500 West Madison Street,
Suite 2800, Chicago, IL
 
60661
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (312) 621-1950
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class
 
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
 
NASDAQ Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
________________________________________
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  x    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ¨    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  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) 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.  x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer
x
Accelerated filer
¨
Non-accelerated filer
¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x
As of June 30, 2014, the aggregate market value of common stock outstanding held by stockholders who were not affiliates (as defined by regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission) of the registrant was approximately $8.0 billion (based on the closing sale price on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on such date). The number of outstanding shares of the registrant's common stock as of February 20, 2015 was 304,083,043.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Those sections or portions of the registrant's proxy statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 4, 2015, described in Part III hereof, are incorporated by reference in this report.


 


PART I
SPECIAL NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements. Words such as "may," "will," "plan," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "if," "estimate," "intend," "project" and similar words or expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. However, these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different. These factors include, among other things:
Changes in economic and political activity in the U.S. and other countries in which we are located or do business, and the impact of these changes on the demand for our products and our ability to obtain financing for operations;
fluctuations in the pricing of new original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”) replacement products;
the availability and cost of our inventory;
variations in the number of vehicles sold, vehicle accident rates, miles driven, and the age profile of vehicles in accidents;
changes in state or federal laws or regulations affecting our business;
inaccuracies in the data relating to our industry published by independent sources upon which we rely;
changes in the level of acceptance and promotion of alternative automotive parts by insurance companies and auto repairers;
changes in the demand for our products and the supply of our inventory due to severity of weather and seasonality of weather patterns;
increasing competition in the automotive parts industry;
our ability to satisfy our debt obligations and to operate within the limitations imposed by financing agreements;
our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms to finance our growth;
declines in the values of our assets;
fluctuations in the prices of fuel, scrap metal and other commodities;
our ability to develop and implement the operational and financial systems needed to manage our operations;
our ability to identify sufficient acquisition candidates at reasonable prices to maintain our growth objectives;
our ability to integrate, realize expected synergies, and successfully operate acquired companies and any companies acquired in the future, and the risks associated with these companies;
restrictions or prohibitions on selling certain aftermarket products to the extent OEMs seek and obtain more design patents than they have in the past and are successful in asserting infringement of these patents and defending their validity;
changes to our business relationships with insurance companies or changes by insurance companies to their business practices relating to the use of our products;
product liability claims by the end users of our products or claims by other parties who we have promised to indemnify for product liability matters;
costs associated with recalls of the products we sell;
currency fluctuations in the U.S. dollar, pound sterling and euro versus other currencies;
instability in regions in which we operate that can affect our supply of certain products;
interruptions, outages or breaches of our operational systems, security systems, or infrastructure as a result of attacks on, or malfunctions of, our systems;
additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements, and work stoppages; and
higher costs and the resulting potential inability to service our customers to the extent that our suppliers decide to discontinue business relationships with us.
Other matters set forth in this Annual Report may also cause our actual future results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. We cannot assure you that our expectations will prove to be correct. In addition, all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements mentioned above. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All of these forward-looking statements are based on our expectations as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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Copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available free of charge through our website (www.lkqcorp.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.


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ITEM 1.     BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
LKQ Corporation ("LKQ" or the "Company") is a distributor of vehicle products, including replacement parts, components and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles, as well as specialty vehicle products and accessories.
Buyers of vehicle replacement products have the option to purchase from primarily five sources: new products produced by original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs"), which are commonly known as OEM products; new products produced by companies other than the OEMs, which are sometimes referred to as aftermarket products; recycled products obtained from salvage vehicles; used products that have been refurbished; and used products that have been remanufactured. We distribute a variety of products to collision and mechanical repair shops, including aftermarket collision and mechanical products, recycled collision and mechanical products, refurbished collision products such as wheels, bumper covers and lights, and remanufactured engines. Collectively, we refer to these products as alternative parts because they are not new OEM products.
We are the nation’s largest provider of alternative vehicle collision replacement products and a leading provider of alternative vehicle mechanical replacement products, with our sales, processing, and distribution facilities reaching most major markets in the United States and Canada. We are also a leading provider of alternative vehicle replacement and maintenance products in the United Kingdom and the Benelux region of continental Europe. In addition to our wholesale operations, we operate self service retail facilities across the U.S. that sell recycled automotive products from end-of-life-vehicles. With our January 2014 acquisition of Keystone Automotive Holdings, Inc. (“Keystone Specialty”), as discussed in Note 8, "Business Combinations" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are also a leading distributor of specialty vehicle products and accessories reaching most major markets in the U.S. and Canada.
We are organized into four operating segments: Wholesale - North America; Wholesale - Europe; Self Service; and Specialty. Our Specialty operating segment was formed with our January 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty. We aggregate our Wholesale - North America and Self Service operating segments into one reportable segment, North America, resulting in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Specialty. See Note 13, "Segment and Geographic Information" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for financial information by reportable segment and by geographic region.
We strive to be environmentally responsible. Our recycled automotive products provide an alternative to the manufacture of new products, which would require the expenditure of more resources and energy and would generate additional pollution. In addition, we save landfill space because the parts that we recycle would otherwise be discarded. We also collect materials, such as metals, plastics, fuel and motor oil, from the salvage vehicles that we procure, and use them in our operations or sell them to other users.

HISTORY
LKQ was initially formed in 1998 through the combination of a number of wholesale recycled products businesses located in Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. We subsequently expanded through internal development and over 200 acquisitions of aftermarket, recycled, refurbished, and remanufactured product suppliers and manufacturers; self service retail businesses; and specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories suppliers. Our most significant acquisitions include:
2007 acquisition of Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc., which, at the time of acquisition, was the leading domestic distributor of aftermarket products, including collision replacement products, paint products, refurbished steel bumpers, bumper covers and alloy wheels.
2011 acquisition of Euro Car Parts Holdings Limited ("ECP"), which allowed us to expand our operations into the European automotive aftermarket business.
2013 acquisition of Sator Beheer B.V. ("Sator"), a vehicle mechanical aftermarket parts distribution company based in the Netherlands, with operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France. This acquisition allowed us to further expand our geographic presence into continental Europe.
2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty, which expanded our product offering and increased our addressable market to include specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories.
Further information regarding our acquisitions is included in Note 8, "Business Combinations" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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STRATEGY
We are focused on creating economic value for our stockholders by enhancing our position as a leading source for alternative collision and mechanical repair products, and by expanding into other product lines and businesses that may benefit from our operating strengths. We believe a supply network with a broad inventory of quality alternative collision and mechanical repair products and specialty vehicle aftermarket products, high fulfillment rates, and superior customer service provides us with a competitive advantage.
Other than OEMs, the competition in the markets that we serve is extremely fragmented and the supply of products tends to be localized, often leading to low fulfillment rates, particularly with recycled products. In North America, the distribution channels for aftermarket and refurbished products have historically been distinct and separate from those for recycled and remanufactured products despite serving the same customer segment. We provide value to our customers by bringing these two channels together to provide a broader product offering and more efficient distribution process.
To execute our strategy in North America, we have expanded our network of parts warehouses and dismantling plants in major metropolitan areas and employ a distribution system that allows for order fulfillment from regional warehouses located across the U.S. and Canada. By increasing local inventory levels and expanding our network to provide timely access to a greater range of parts, we have increased fulfillment rates beyond the levels that we believe most of our competitors realize, particularly for recycled products.
In our European operations, we are expanding our branch network in the U.K., while simultaneously transitioning our distribution network in our continental European operations by internalizing certain distributor customers so that we may directly serve the repair shops in those markets. We believe aligning the distribution strategy in continental Europe with our two-step distribution model in the U.K. will create a cohesive presence in the respective markets. Additionally, through improved order fulfillment and operational support, we are attempting to improve profit margins and customer service.
Sources of high quality, reliable alternatives to OEM products are important to insurance companies and to our direct customers as they seek to control repair costs. Lower parts costs and quicker completion of orders save money and reduce repair times. We believe that we provide customers (and indirectly, insurance companies) with a value proposition that includes high quality products at a lower cost than new OEM products, extensive product availability due to our expansive distribution network, responsive service, and quick delivery. The breadth of our alternative parts offerings allows us to serve as a "one-stop" solution for our customers looking for the most cost effective way to provide quality repairs. In order to execute this strategy and build on our progress thus far, we will continue to seek to expand into new markets and to improve penetration both organically and through acquisitions in targeted markets.
Similarly, the supplier base for the specialty vehicle aftermarket parts and accessories market is highly fragmented, typically consisting of suppliers that are small to medium-sized, independent businesses that focus on a narrow product or market niche. While our Specialty operations had an extensive distribution network already in place, we are in process of integrating the distribution network for our North American and Specialty operations to create synergies and efficiencies with our existing infrastructure. We believe this provides added value to our customers through a broader product offering and more efficient distribution process.
Extensive in-place network
We have invested significant capital to develop a network of alternative parts facilities across our operating segments. We believe our extensive network gives us a distinct ability to benefit the major automobile insurance companies, which are generally operated on a national or regional level. Additionally, the difficulty and time required to obtain proper zoning, as well as dismantling and other environmental permits necessary to operate newly-sited recycled parts facilities, would make establishing a new network of recycled parts locations a challenge for a competitor. There are also difficulties associated with recruiting and hiring an experienced management team that has strong industry knowledge.
We are attempting to utilize a similar strategy in Europe with our acquisition of ECP and our acquisitions of Sator and certain of its distributors. These companies have a national presence in their respective countries, and we are working to integrate the operations to take advantage of shared procurement, warehousing and product offerings.
Strong business relationships
We have developed business relationships with key constituents, including automobile insurance companies, suppliers and other industry participants. Insurance companies, as payers for most collision repairs, help drive demand, and take active roles in the selection of alternative replacement products for vehicle repairs in order to minimize the repair portion of the claims costs and reduce repair time. The use of our products lowers the cost of repairs, decreases the time required to return the repaired vehicle to the customer, and provides a replacement product that is of high quality and comparable performance to the part replaced, all of which are favorable to insurance companies. Because of their importance to the process, we have formed

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relationships with certain insurance companies in North America for which we are designated a preferred products supplier. We are in the process of establishing similar relationships with insurance companies in Europe.
We also provide quality assurance programs that offer additional product support to automobile insurance companies. These product support programs identify specific subsets of aftermarket products by vendor and product type that can be used in the repair of vehicles that these companies insure. The programs typically offer aftermarket products that have been produced by manufacturers certified by a third party testing lab. We may provide additional validation of the quality of the products beyond our standard warranties, and identification details that make the products traceable back to a manufacturer's specific production run.
Broad product offering
The breadth and depth of our inventory across all of our operating segments reinforces LKQ's ability to provide a "one-stop" solution for our customers' alternative vehicle replacement, maintenance, and specialty vehicle product needs. Customers place a high value on the availability of a broad range of vehicle replacement products. In our North American operations, we are able to provide the collision and mechanical repair industry with premium products at costs typically 20% to 50% below new OEM replacement products. The availability of alternative products means that automobiles can be repaired with lower parts costs, and in some instances, reduced labor costs. In fact, many insurance companies in North America will not authorize the use of higher cost, new OEM replacement products if alternative products are available because the use of alternative products provides insurers a method to manage and reduce total repair costs. Some insurance companies designate us as a preferred supplier for their affiliated repair shops because of our ability to provide these products. With our distribution network that reaches most of the major markets in the U.S. and Canada, combined with our extensive range of products, we believe we are the only supplier that is able to support the insurance industry in this manner. We leverage this same distribution network to provide a broad offering of specialty vehicle aftermarket products and accessories used to customize or enhance the performance, handling or appearance of new or used vehicles. Additionally, we believe we are well-positioned in Europe to develop a similar distribution network of a broad offering of vehicle replacement products to support insurance companies in that market.
High fulfillment rates
We manage local inventory levels to improve delivery time and maximize customer service. Improving local order fulfillment rates reduces transfer costs and delivery times, and improves customer satisfaction. Our ability to move inventory throughout our distribution networks increases the availability of our products and also helps us to fill a higher percentage of our customers' requests.
We deploy inventory management systems at our facilities that are similar to those used by other leading distribution companies. For example, we make extensive use of bar code technology and wireless data transmission to track parts from the time a vehicle or product arrives at a facility to its placement on a truck for delivery to the customer. With this real-time information, we are able to actively monitor inventory levels throughout our distribution channels.
Technology driven business processes
We focus on technology development as a way to support our competitive advantage. We believe that we can more cost effectively leverage our data to make better business decisions than our smaller competitors. We continue to develop our technology to better manage and analyze our inventory, assist our salespeople with up-to-date pricing and availability of our products, and further enhance our inventory procurement process.
We employ proprietary methodologies and information systems to help us identify high demand wholesale aftermarket and recycled products. Our aftermarket inventory systems track products sold and sales lost due to a lack of inventory, and make purchase recommendations based on this information. The inventory systems also recommend purchases and transfers based on the extent and location of demand, as well as other replenishment factors. When we procure aftermarket products or refurbish collision replacement products such as wheels, bumper covers and lights, we focus on products that are in the most demand at all levels of the automotive parts value chain including the professional repair market, the jobber market and the general insured repair market. Because lead times may take 40 days or more on imported products, sales volume and in-stock inventory are important factors in the procurement process. We use historical sales records of vehicles by model and year to estimate the demand for our products. We also analyze new vehicle designs that are expected to come to market to assure that we are working with suppliers to project future supply and demand trends. Combining this information with proprietary data that aggregate customer requests for products, we are able to source aftermarket products and salvage vehicles at prices that we believe will allow us to sell products profitably.
Within our specialty vehicle aftermarket and accessories business, we believe a focus on technology allows us to develop our business processes and enhance the customer experience. Our inventory forecasting systems help us ensure that the correct product is stocked in the right place to meet customer demand. Our warehousing and logistics systems help us deliver

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products to customers across the United States and Canada. Our online catalogs offer industry leading product information across all segments of automotive and RV aftermarket parts and accessories and allow customers to search, compare, and order products based upon the specifications of a vehicle. Furthermore, enhancements to our phone systems allow us to improve our customer support capability and the overall customer experience.

NORTH AMERICA SEGMENT
Wholesale Automotive Products
Our wholesale automobile product operations in North America are organized by geographic regions serving the U.S. and Canada that sell all four product types (aftermarket, recycled, refurbished and remanufactured parts) to collision and mechanical automobile repair businesses. Our combined distribution channels for our alternative parts offerings leverage our facility and warehouse costs and improve local product availability by locating multiple product operations together. Our aftermarket product operations may include a combination of sales, warehousing and distribution, and in many cases will be co-located with our refurbishing operations. Our salvage operations typically have processing, sales, distribution and administrative operations on site, indoor and outdoor storage areas, and include a large warehouse with multiple bays to dismantle vehicles. Our engine remanufacturing operations are conducted primarily at our facility in Mexico, with sales, warehousing and distribution operations in the U.S. As of December 31, 2014, our North American wholesale operations conducted business from 347 facilities.
Wholesale Aftermarket Products
Our 2014 sales included more than 101,000 SKUs of aftermarket automotive products, excluding refurbished products, for the most common models of domestic and foreign automobiles and light trucks, primarily for the repair of vehicles three to twelve years old. Our principal aftermarket product types consist of those most frequently damaged in collisions, including bumper covers, automotive body panels and lights. In recent years, our expansion into complementary product types, such as paint and cooling products, contributed to the increase in our available products and has allowed us to better meet our customers' repair needs.
Platinum Plus is our exclusive product line offered in the Keystone brand of aftermarket products. The Platinum Plus products are held to high quality standards and tested by quality assurance teams or independent third parties. We also developed a product line called "Value Line" for more value conscious, often self-pay, consumers. Our Value Line products offer quality products at reasonable prices, providing additional choices for repairs or rebuilding of vehicles.
Certain of our products are certified by independent organizations such as the Certified Automotive Parts Association ("CAPA") and NSF International ("NSF"). CAPA and NSF are associations that evaluate the functional equivalence of aftermarket collision replacement products to OEM collision replacement products. Members of CAPA and NSF include insurance companies, product distributors (including LKQ), collision repair shops and consumers. CAPA and NSF develop engineering specifications for aftermarket collision replacement products based upon examinations of OEM products; certify the factories, manufacturing processes and quality control procedures used by independent manufacturers; and certify the materials, fit and finish of specific aftermarket collision replacement products.
LKQ is certified under the NSF International Automotive Parts Distributor Certification Program, which addresses the needs of collision repair shops and insurers by maintaining quality management systems to address part traceability, service and quality. This certification program complements the existing parts certification program with NSF under which LKQ has a broad range of certified automotive collision replacement parts. Many major insurance companies have adopted policies recommending or requiring the use of products certified by CAPA or NSF. A number of CAPA and NSF certified products are also marketed under the Platinum Plus brand.
We distribute paint and other materials used in repairing damaged vehicles, including sandpaper, abrasives, masking products and plastic filler. The paint and other materials distributed by us are purchased from numerous suppliers in the U.S. and Canada.
Procurement of Inventory
The aftermarket products we distribute are purchased from independent manufacturers and distributors located primarily in the U.S., Taiwan, and China. In 2014, approximately 37% of our aftermarket purchases were made from our top four vendors, with our largest vendor providing approximately 13% of our inventory. We believe we are one of the largest customers of each of these suppliers. Outside of this group, no other supplier provided more than 5% of our supply of aftermarket products in 2014. We purchased approximately 45% of our aftermarket products in 2014 directly from manufacturers in Taiwan and other Asian countries. Approximately 55% of our aftermarket products were purchased from vendors located in the U.S. and Canada; however, we believe the majority of these products were manufactured in Taiwan, Mexico or other foreign countries. We have business arrangements with manufacturers to produce certain of our products.

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These agreements automatically renew for additional 12 month periods unless written notice is given. While we compete with other distributors for production capacity, we believe that our sources of supply and our relationships with our suppliers are satisfactory.
We usually receive orders from domestic suppliers within ten days from the date ordered. Foreign orders typically are shipped in sea containers directly to certain of our aftermarket locations, and are received within 40 to 65 days from the date ordered. We operate an aftermarket parts warehouse in Taiwan that aggregates inventory from certain of our vendors for shipment to our North American locations. As of December 31, 2014, we operated 25 regional hubs and three distribution centers, which act as sources for our warehouse locations that do not receive containers directly and serve as redistribution centers for our operations. This structure is designed to maximize our fulfillment rates as smaller branches can have a high fill-rate of next day availability.
Wholesale Recycled Products
Our recycled products include engines, transmissions, door assemblies, sheet metal products such as trunk lids, fenders and hoods, lights and bumper assemblies. Some insurance companies mandate that the recycled products must be of the same model year or newer as the vehicle being repaired. As a result, the majority of the products we sell are from vehicles not more than ten years of age. Installing recycled products often means that collision shops not only save on product cost, but, because several products may come pre-assembled, the shops are also able to reduce labor costs.
Procurement of Inventory
We procure recycled products for our wholesale operations by acquiring severely damaged or totaled vehicles, and then dismantling and inventorying the parts. Vehicles that have been declared "total losses" typically are sold at regional salvage auctions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Salvage auctions charge fees both to the suppliers of vehicles, which are primarily insurance companies, and to the purchasers. Additionally, we typically pay third parties to tow the vehicles from the auction to our facilities.
The availability of the salvage vehicles we procure for our wholesale recycled product operations may be impacted by a variety of factors, including the production level of new vehicles (which provides the source from which salvage vehicles ultimately come) and the portion of damaged vehicles declared total losses. Over the past several years, the frequency with which vehicles are declared total losses has increased as a result¸ we believe, of the rise in repair costs relative to vehicle replacement cost and salvage vehicle prices. In 2000, approximately 9% of accident claims resulted in a total loss; by 2013, this percentage increased to almost 14%. Additionally, sales of new vehicles have increased since 2010 and are projected to continue to increase over the next four years, which should result in a greater volume of salvage vehicles at auction.
In 2014, we acquired 284,000 salvage vehicles for our wholesale recycled product operations, primarily from salvage auctions. Prior to the scheduled auction date, our salvage buyers may preview the auctions online to investigate the vehicles to be sold and determine our interest in buying them. They obtain key information such as the model and mileage, and perform visual damage assessments to determine which parts on the targeted vehicles are recyclable. With the data from this preview, we deploy a bidding system that performs a valuation calculation for each vehicle. In order to recommend a maximum bid price, the calculation incorporates demand for a vehicle's recyclable parts, current inventory levels, average selling prices, auction costs, projected margins and instances of out-of-stock. Using this disciplined supply and demand procurement approach, we place bids on the targeted vehicles.
Vehicle Processing
Vehicle processing for our wholesale recycled operations involves dismantling a salvage vehicle into recycled products that are ready for sale. When a salvage vehicle arrives at one of our facilities, an inventory specialist identifies, catalogs, and schedules the vehicle for dismantling. Prior to dismantling, we remove from each vehicle its battery, fluids, refrigerants, and parts containing hazardous substances or precious metals such as catalytic converters. The extracted fluids are stored in bulk and subsequently sold to recyclers. In the case of gasoline, the fuel retrieved is primarily used to power our delivery vehicles. A small portion of the recycled motor oil we collect is used at certain of our plants that have high-efficiency oil burning furnaces; the balance is sold to motor oil recyclers.
When ready for dismantling, each vehicle has an inventory report that indicates to the dismantler which parts should be removed and placed in a warehouse for future sales to customers, which parts should be collected in bulk for our refurbishing and remanufacturing operations or for sale to parts remanufacturers, and which parts have value but should remain on the vehicle until sold. We utilize bar coding systems and wireless transmission to keep track of inventory from the time a product is removed and inventoried, to the time it is sold and put on a truck for delivery.
Refurbished and Remanufactured Products
As of December 31, 2014, we operated 28 refurbishing facilities and 4 engine remanufacturing facilities. We refurbish products such as wheels, lights, plastic bumpers, and chrome bumpers.

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When identifying the products that we refurbish or remanufacture, we focus on products that have high demand. The majority of our refurbished and remanufactured products are processed from cores obtained from salvage vehicles purchased by our recycled operations at auctions, parts received in trade from customers purchasing replacement products from us, and cores collected by our route delivery drivers from vehicles under repair by our customers. These products are accumulated from our wholesale operations at our core sorting facilities, and are then either sent to our refurbishing or remanufacturing facilities or sold in bulk to other mechanical remanufacturers.
Heavy-Duty Truck Products
As of December 31, 2014, we operated a total of 26 heavy-duty truck facilities in the U.S. and Canada. Our inventory is composed of used heavy- and medium-duty trucks, usually at least five years old, which are purchased at salvage and truck auctions or directly from insurance companies or large fleet operators. During 2014, we purchased approximately 6,000 vehicles. Depending on the condition of the vehicles, they may be dismantled for parts or resold as running vehicles. If certain mechanical parts are damaged, such as transmissions, we may remanufacture them and offer them to our customers. The vehicles that are acquired for resale are typically special purpose or vocational use trucks such as those used for garbage pickup or cement delivery. If requested by the sellers of the vehicles, we provide assurance that the vehicles will be sold to foreign buyers and exported to countries for use outside of the U.S., or to domestic buyers after the vehicles have been reconditioned and modified for use other than their original purpose.
Scrap and Other Materials
Our wholesale recycled product operations generate scrap metal and other materials that we sell to recyclers. Vehicles that have been dismantled for recycled products and "crush only" end of life vehicles acquired from other companies, including OEMs, are typically crushed using equipment on site. In other cases, we will hire mobile crushing equipment to crush the vehicles before they are transported to shredders and scrap metal processors. Damaged and unusable wheel cores are melted in our aluminum furnace and sold to consumers of aluminum ingot and sow for the production of various automotive products, including wheels. We also extract and sell the precious metals contained in certain of our salvage parts such as catalytic converters.
Customers
We sell our products to wholesale customers that include collision and mechanical repair shops and new and used car dealerships, as well as to retail customers. Customers of our heavy-duty truck products may also include owner/operators, local cartage companies, or exporters. Most of our refurbished and remanufactured products are sold through our wholesale distribution channels. The balance is sold to retail automotive stores, wholesale distributors and via internet sales. We also generate a portion of our revenue from scrap sales to metal recyclers. No single customer accounted for 2% or more of our revenue in 2014.
Repair Shops and Others
We sell the majority of our wholesale products to collision and mechanical repair shops. Industry reports estimate there were approximately 40,000 collision repair shops, including those owned by new car dealerships, in the U.S. in 2013. The same reports estimate there were approximately 78,000 general (including mechanical) repair garages, excluding new car dealership service departments, in the U.S. in 2013. The majority of these customers tend to be individually-owned small businesses, although the number of independent and dealer-operated collision repair facilities has declined over the last decade, as regional or national multiple location operators have increased their geographic presence through acquisitions. We also sell our products to car rental companies and fleet management groups.
Insurance Companies
Automobile insurance companies affect the demand for our collision products. While insurance companies do not pay for our products directly, they ultimately pay for the repair costs of insured vehicles in excess of any deductible amount. As a result, insurance companies often influence the types of products used in a repair.
Our presence in most major markets in the U.S. and Canada gives us a distinctive ability to benefit the major automobile insurance companies. Insurance companies generally operate at a national or regional level. The use of our products provides a direct benefit to these companies by lowering the cost of repairs, decreasing the time required to return the repaired vehicle to the customer, and providing a replacement product that is of high quality and comparable performance to the part replaced.
We assist insurance companies by providing high quality aftermarket, recycled, refurbished and remanufactured products to collision repair shops, especially to repair shops that are part of an insurance company's Direct Repair Program ("DRP") network. A repair shop participating in a DRP is referred potential work from the insurance company in exchange for providing assurances to the insurance company of quality, timeliness and cost. Industry reports indicate that over half of claims paid for by the top insurance companies in 2012 were paid through a DRP, compared to 42% in 2009. To meet the needs of the

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DRPs, professional repairers have been required to become fluent in claims handling. We offer our repair shop customers access to our proprietary system, Keyless, which provides a link between their estimating systems and our inventory to identify the availability of alternative products for use in their repair. This data also helps insurance companies monitor the body shops' compliance with its DRP product guidelines that might, for instance, stipulate the use of the lowest cost products that meet quality specifications. In addition, in some markets insurance companies are able to dispose of low value total loss vehicles directly to us so they can save the transaction fees associated with selling these vehicles through salvage auctions.
Sales and Marketing
In the case of repairs paid for as a result of insurance claims, which industry publications estimate are approximately 85% of all repairs, insurance companies give collision repair shops information as to what type of replacement products are eligible for reimbursement. Typically insurance carriers have established a hierarchy or decision tree prioritizing the types of products to be used for repairs. As an example, a protocol may require recycled products if available; if recycled products are not available, then refurbished products; and, if recycled or refurbished products are not available, aftermarket products. If none of these alternative product types is available, the shop may then use new OEM replacement products. As a body shop looks for products for a repair, the sourcing of products typically begins with a call to one of our recycled operations or one of our competitors. Our recycled sales personnel are encouraged to capture the sale as a "one-stop shop" and, if recycled products are out of stock, to fill orders from our refurbished or aftermarket product inventory. To support these efforts, we have provided our sales staff with access to both recycled and aftermarket sales systems, and we have developed sales incentive programs that encourage cross selling throughout our wholesale operations.
As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately 2,300 full-time sales staff in our North American wholesale operating segment. The full time sales personnel are located at sales desks at our facilities or at one of the regional call centers we operate. We deploy a call routing system that redirects overflow calls to alternative call centers, typically located within the same region. We also operate two other call centers, one to support national accounts, and the other to support insurance adjusters' needs and questions. Our sales personnel are encouraged to initiate outbound calls in addition to the inbound calls they handle. Our sales staff can use customer estimates from our Keyless estimating system to generate sales leads for both aftermarket and recycled products.
We are continually reviewing and revising the pricing of wholesale products. Our pricing specialists consider factors such as recent demand levels, inventory quantity on hand and turnover rates, new OEM product prices and local competitive pricing, with the goal of optimizing revenue. We set list prices and then sell items at a discount to list, with the discount typically based on each customer's purchasing volume. We may adjust prices during the year in response to material price changes of new OEM replacement products.
We believe our commitment to stock inventory in local warehouses, supplemented by the inventory sharing system within our regional trading zones, improves our ability to meet our customers' requirements more frequently than our competitors and gives us a competitive advantage.
Distribution
We have a distribution network of 347 wholesale plants and warehouses across the U.S. and Canada as of December 31, 2014, of which 63 function as cross dock facilities. Our network of facilities allows us to develop and maintain our relationships with local repair shops while providing a level of service that is made possible by our nationwide presence. Our local presence allows us to provide daily deliveries as required by our customers, using drivers who routinely deliver to the same customers. Our sales force and local delivery drivers develop and maintain critical personal relationships with the local repair shops that benefit from access to our wide selection of products, which we are able to offer as a result of our regional inventory network.
We have developed an internal distribution network to allow our sales representatives to sell our products within regional trading zones, thus improving our ability to fulfill customer requests and accelerating inventory turnover. Each weekday we operate over 310 transfer runs between our cross dock facilities and our plants and warehouses within our regional trading zones to redistribute our alternative products for delivery on the next day. In addition, we have over 2,700 local delivery routes serving our customers each weekday.
Each sale results in the generation of a work order at the location housing the specific product. A dispatcher is then responsible for ensuring fulfillment accuracy, printing the final invoice, and including the product on the appropriate truck route for delivery to the customer. In markets where we offer more than one alternative product type, we are integrating the delivery of multiple product types on the same delivery routes to help minimize distribution costs and improve customer service. We operate a delivery fleet of medium-sized trucks and smaller trucks and vans. Over time, we expect that our delivery vehicles will become more consistent as we reconfigure the fleet to include vehicles that can carry all four product types.

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Competition
We consider all suppliers of vehicle collision and mechanical products to be competitors, including aftermarket suppliers, recycling businesses, refurbishing operations, parts remanufacturers, OEMs and internet-based suppliers. We believe the principal areas of differentiation in our industry include availability of inventory, pricing, product quality and service.
The aftermarket product distribution business is highly fragmented and our competitors, other than OEMs, are generally independently owned distributors with one to three distribution centers. Similarly, we compete with domestic vehicle product recyclers, most of which are single-unit operators. In some markets, smaller competitors have organized affiliations to share marketing and distribution resources, including internet sites. We compete with alternative parts distributors on the basis of our nationwide distribution system, our product lines and inventory availability, customer service, our relationships with insurance companies, and to a lesser extent, price. We do not consider retail chains that focus on the do-it-yourself market to be our direct competitors since many of our wholesale product sales are paid for by insurance companies rather than the end user.
Manufacturers of new original equipment products sell the majority of automobile collision replacement products. We believe, however, that the insurance and repair industries recognize advantages of using aftermarket, recycled, refurbished and remanufactured products for collision repairs. Industry sources estimate that alternative collision parts usage in the United States ranged between 36% and 37% during 2014. We compete with OEMs primarily on the basis of price and, to a lesser extent, on service and product quality.
Self Service Retail Products
Our self service retail operations sell parts from older cars and light-duty trucks directly to consumers. In addition to revenue from the sale of parts, core and scrap, we charge a nominal admission fee to access the property. Our self service facilities typically consist of a fenced or enclosed area of several acres with vehicles stored outdoors and a retail building through which customers are able to access the yard. As of December 31, 2014, we conducted our self service operations from 71 facilities in North America, most of which operate under the name "LKQ Pick Your Part."
Inventory
We acquire inventory for our self service retail product operations from a variety of sources, including but not limited to towing companies, auctions, the general public, municipality sales, insurance carriers, and charitable organizations. We typically procure salvage vehicles that are more than seven model years old for our self service retail product operations. These vehicles are generally older and of lower quality than the salvage vehicles we purchase for our wholesale recycled product operations. In 2014, we purchased approximately 514,000 lower cost self service and "crush only" vehicles.
Vehicles are delivered to our locations by the seller, or we arrange for transportation. Once on our property, minimal labor is required to process the vehicle other than removing the battery, fluids, refrigerants, catalytic converters and hazardous materials. Vehicles are then placed in the yard for customers to remove parts. The vehicle inventory is usually organized according to domestic and import cars (further organized by make), passenger vans and trucks. In our self service business, availability of a specific part will depend on which vehicles are currently at the site and to what extent parts may have been previously sold. We usually keep a vehicle at our facility for 30 to 90 days, depending on the capacity of the yard and size of the market, before it is crushed and sold to scrap metal processors. By maintaining a relatively short turnover period, we ensure that our inventory is continually updated with different car options or removed from the yard when the saleable parts are depleted.
Scrap and Other Materials
Our self service operations generate scrap metal, alloys and other materials that we sell to recyclers. Vehicles that we no longer make available to the public and "crush only" vehicles acquired from other companies, including OEMs, are typically crushed using equipment on site.
Customers
The customers of our self service yards are frequently do-it-yourself mechanics, small independent repair shops servicing older vehicles, and auto rebuilders. The scrap from the vehicle hulks, when not processed by us, is sold to metals recyclers, with whom we may also compete when procuring salvage vehicles for our operations.
Sales and Marketing
We list part prices for automobiles and light-duty trucks on regularly updated price sheets, with prices varying by part type, but not by make or model. For instance, four cylinder engines are priced the same regardless of vehicle make, model, age or condition. While we do not consider retail automotive chains to be our direct competitors, as their product offerings are focused on maintenance products and mechanical parts, we may reference their prices on certain parts as a benchmark to ensure our prices remain competitive.

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Competition
There are competitors operating self service businesses in all of the markets in which we operate. In some markets, there are numerous competitors, often operating in close proximity to our operations. We try to differentiate our business by the quality of the inventory and the size and cleanliness of the property.

EUROPE SEGMENT
Wholesale Automotive Products
Our European wholesale operating segment was formed in the fourth quarter of 2011 with our acquisition of ECP, a leading distributor of automotive aftermarket parts in the U.K. ECP has approximately 9,000 employees with a large customer base of both commercial and retail accounts. More than 75% of ECP’s revenue comes directly from the professional repair segment. ECP’s main national distribution center supports its regional hubs and branch network with daily replenishment of stock, providing our customers with what we believe to be the highest in-stock rate in the U.K. As of December 31, 2014, we operated 214 selling locations, supported by 3 national distribution centers and 12 regional hubs (many of which are co-located with selling locations), which allows us to reach most major markets within the U.K.
In March 2012, we launched our European aftermarket collision parts program through our ECP branch network. We believe the historically low alternative collision parts usage percentage in Europe, which is currently less than 10%, provides an opportunity for us in this segment, particularly as insurance companies look to lower their costs. To further our commitment to expanding our European alternative collision parts program and becoming a leading one-stop shop supplier to the collision repair industry in the U.K., we also offer automotive paint products and related accessories.
In May 2013, we acquired Sator, which allowed us to expand our presence in Europe to continental Europe. Headquartered in Schiedam, the Netherlands, Sator is a market leading distributor of automotive aftermarket parts in Western Europe. The acquisition of Sator expands LKQ's European footprint, further expands our European distribution network and provides a potential platform to capitalize on the large and fragmented mechanical replacement part markets in Europe. Sator also complements our existing ECP operations in the U.K. by allowing for potential cost savings from the leveraging of our combined purchasing power given the significant overlap in suppliers and product mix. In 2014, we began to align Sator's distribution model with that of our U.K operations through the acquisition of seven warehouse distributors, five of which were customers of Sator. These acquisitions are integral to our plan to implement a two step distribution model, under which we are selling directly to repair shops to improve our margins and drive product sales. 
Sator has over 2,000 employees at 75 aftermarket warehouses that serve a diverse base of repair shop and warehouse distributor customers. In 2014, Sator's sales included 171,000 SKUs. Sator generates approximately 90% of its revenue from sales in the Netherlands and Belgium, with the remainder in Northern France and other European countries. With their respective distribution networks, IT infrastructure and unique customer base, we believe ECP and Sator will serve as a platform to expand into complementary products to increase market penetration in this segment, as well as to further develop a collision repair parts business throughout Europe similar to our wholesale operations in North America.
In November 2014, we expanded our European segment to include salvage operations through our acquisition of a business with salvage and vehicle repair facilities in Sweden and Norway. In addition to expanding our geographic presence in continental Europe, we believe the acquisition provides us with the opportunity to leverage our experience in operating salvage facilities in a new market and leaves us well positioned to expand our aftermarket operations to include these countries.
Inventory
Our inventory is primarily composed of mechanical aftermarket parts for the repair of vehicles 3 to 15 years old. Our top selling products include brake pads, discs and sensors; electrical products such as spark plugs and batteries; clutches; filters; and oil and automotive fluids. In 2014, our top six suppliers represented 31% of our inventory purchases, with our top supplier representing approximately 10% of our purchases. No suppliers outside of our top six suppliers provided more than 3% of our purchases during 2014.
The aftermarket products we distribute are purchased from vendors located primarily in the U.K. and continental Europe. In 2014, we purchased 90% of our products from companies in Europe. The remaining 10% of our 2014 purchases were sourced from vendors located primarily in China or Taiwan, some of which also supply collision parts for our Wholesale - North American operations. In 2014, 46%, 44%, and 10% of our total inventory purchases were made in Euros, Pounds Sterling, and U.S Dollars, respectively.
Customers
In our U.K. operations, we sell the majority of our products to nearly 35,000 customers primarily consisting of professional repairers, including both independent mechanical repair shops and collision repair shops. In addition to our sales to repair shops, we generate a portion of our revenue through sales to retail customers from ECP’s e-commerce platform and from

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counter sales at the branch locations. This retail component of ECP’s business has historically represented less than 10% of its revenue.
Historically our distribution network in continental Europe operated under a three-step distribution model where the immediate customer was the warehouse distributor. We are in the process of transforming the distribution model to a two-step distribution model by internalizing those warehouse distributors. Our customer base currently consists of a combination of warehouse distributors and local repair shops, and the demand for our products is driven by the needs of the same types of professional repairers we service in our ECP operations. Sator markets directly to the mechanical repair shops through fliers and other promotional materials and provides software to the repair shops, which the shops need for their operations. During 2014, no customer accounted for more than 2% of revenue.
Sales and Marketing
ECP’s customers will generally call a sales representative at the nearest branch to place an order. Using an electronic automotive exchange and our integrated IT platform displaying inventory availability, our sales representatives locate the appropriate replacement part for a customer. We set list prices for our products, and then apply a discount off of list, primarily depending on each customer's purchasing volume. In 2012, we launched a business-to-business website with certain of our customers to enable them to place product orders online through a customized interface that includes detailed parts specifications, customer-specific pricing, and local branch availability and account information. We believe this customer interface will result in fewer parts returns by improving order accuracy and will also reduce the time required by parts specialists to advise customers. Whether placed via a phone order or online, customer orders are filled from the local branch or routed to another location as necessary to fill the order.
Sator’s sales and marketing platform is a proprietary stock management system that provides repair shops, jobbers and end users with an efficient system for ordering from our product catalog directly online. Through this online system, Sator is able to actively monitor inventory levels at all stages in the aftermarket automotive parts value chain in its markets.
Similar to our North American wholesale operations, insurance companies significantly influence the purchasing decisions for collision products in Europe. As a result, we are attempting to establish business relationships with insurance companies and implement insurer-based marketing models in the U.K. by emphasizing the cost savings that can be achieved through the use of alternative parts. As we continue to grow our collision parts offerings in the U.K., we believe we will be well-positioned to serve as a lower-cost alternative for insured repairs throughout Europe given the majority of U.K. carriers offer coverage in multiple European countries outside of the U.K.
Distribution
Our European operations employ a distribution model in which inventory is stored at regional distribution centers or hubs, with fast moving product stored at branch locations (in our ECP operations) or at local warehouse distributors (in our Sator operations) for timely delivery to the repair shop customers. Product is moved through the distribution network on our vans or via common carrier. In our ECP operations, we also sometimes employ a third party motorcycle fleet to deliver parts from our branch locations to nearby repair shop customers; as a result, our ECP branches can deliver certain in-stock parts within one hour.
Competition
We view all suppliers of replacement repair products as our competitors, including other alternative parts suppliers and OEMs and their dealer networks. While we compete with all alternative parts suppliers, there are few with national distribution networks like ECP and Sator that can reach the majority of repair shop customers within the required delivery time. We believe we have been able to distinguish ourselves from other alternative parts suppliers primarily through our distribution network, efficient stock management systems and proprietary technology which allows us to deliver our products quickly, as well as through our product lines and inventory availability, pricing and service. We compete with OEMs primarily on the basis of price, service and availability.

SPECIALTY SEGMENT
Specialty Vehicle Aftermarket Equipment and Accessories
Our Specialty operating segment was formed in January 2014 with our acquisition of Keystone Specialty. Keystone Specialty is a leading distributor and marketer of specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories in North America serving the following six product segments: truck and off-road; speed and performance; recreational vehicle ("RV"); towing; wheels, tires and performance handling; and miscellaneous accessories. We expanded our Specialty operating segment through our October 2014 acquisition of a supplier of replacement parts, supplies and accessories for RVs. With these acquisitions, we are a leading distributor and marketer of specialty vehicle aftermarket products and accessories, reaching most major markets in the U.S. and Canada.

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Inventory    
Our 2014 sales included more than 235,000 SKUs of specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories. Our top selling products include trailer hitches; RV products such as satellite antennas, water pumps, waterproofing sealants and combination washer/dryer units; and pickup truck bed covers. The specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories we distribute are purchased from suppliers located primarily in the U.S., Canada and China. Specialty aftermarket suppliers are typically small to medium-sized, independent businesses that focus on a narrow product or market niche. Due to the highly fragmented supplier base for specialty vehicle aftermarket products, there is very little supplier concentration. In 2014, approximately 15% of our specialty vehicle aftermarket purchases were made from our top 6 vendors, with our largest vendor providing approximately 3% of our inventory.
Customers
Specialty automotive and RV aftermarket accessories and equipment are purchased by our customers to improve the performance, functionality and appearance of their vehicles. Overall, the specialty vehicle aftermarket parts and accessories market contains a fragmented customer base. A majority of product sales are through specialty vehicle product installation outlets, automotive parts chains, or mail-order. In 2014, we sold products to more than 17,000 customers. Our customers are principally small, independent retailers and installers of specialty vehicle automotive equipment. These businesses depend on us to provide a broad range of products, rapid delivery, marketing support and technical assistance. In addition to traditional customers, in recent years we have increased sales to several large automotive parts and online retailers. During 2014, our top 2 customers accounted for 7% of revenue, while no other customer accounted for more than 1% of revenue.
Sales and Marketing
Our employee sales force is comprised of inside sales personnel located within geographically-disbursed call centers and outside sales personnel who call directly on customers in the field. This sales force receives customer orders, responds to technical and other inquiries and proactively places outbound sales calls to customers. The focus of our outside sales force is to identify and acquire new customers, and to further develop relationships with existing customers. Outside sales personnel are responsible for specific geographic regions across the United States and Canada, and they work with regional managers to penetrate and service new and existing markets. Outside sales personnel also sell value-added marketing services, such as merchandising support.
Marketing programs include: catalogs; advertising, sponsorships and promotional activities; product level marketing and merchandising support; and online initiatives. Our national footprint allows us to stage trade shows across the United States, which provide an opportunity to improve sales through the showcasing of new and innovative products from our vendors, directly to our customers. Through these sales and marketing initiatives, our goal is to continue to enhance our brand and reputation as the leading distributor in the industry.
Distribution
Our Specialty operations employ a hub-and-spoke distribution model which enables us to transport products from our 15 inventory-stocking warehouse distribution centers to our 50 non-inventory stocking cross-docks, a majority of which are co-located with our Wholesale - North America operations and provide distribution points to key regional markets. Over 325 delivery routes are used to provide multi-day per week delivery and returns of our products directly to and from our customers in all 48 continental U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces, and we ship globally to customers in over 40 countries. Keystone Specialty also operates 18 retail stores in northeastern Pennsylvania. Our retail stores accounted for less than 5% of Specialty segment revenue in 2014.
Competition
Industry participants have a variety of supply choices. Vendors can deliver products to market via warehouse distributors and mail order catalogs, or directly to retailers and/or consumers. We view all suppliers of specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories as our competitors. While we compete with all specialty vehicle aftermarket parts suppliers, there are few with national distribution networks like LKQ’s that can reach the majority of customers within the optimum delivery time. We believe we have been able to distinguish ourselves from other specialty vehicle aftermarket parts suppliers primarily through our broad product selection, which encompasses popular and hard-to-find items or products, our distribution network, and efficient stock management systems, as well as through our service. We compete on the basis of product breadth and depth, rapid and dependable delivery, marketing initiatives, support services, and price.    

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We own various trade names and trademarks as a result of past acquisitions. In addition to acquired trade names and trademarks, we also have technology based intellectual property that includes both internally developed websites and license agreements. We do not believe that our business is materially dependent on any single or group of related trademarks, licenses

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or registrations, nor would the expiration of any particular intellectual property right or termination of any particular intellectual property license agreement materially affect our business.

EMPLOYEES
As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately 29,500 employees. We are a party to a collective bargaining agreement with a union that represents 44 employees at our Totowa, New Jersey facility. Approximately 750 of our employees at our bumper refurbishing and engine remanufacturing operations in Mexico and 170 of our employees at our recycled parts facility in Quebec City, Canada are also represented by unions. Other than these locations, none of our employees are members of a union or participate in other collective bargaining arrangements. We consider our employee relations to be good.

FACILITIES
Our corporate headquarters are located at 500 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60661. We operate a field support center in Nashville, Tennessee that performs certain centralized functions for our North American operations, including accounting, procurement and information systems support. Our Specialty operations maintain primary procurement, accounting and finance functions in Exeter, Pennsylvania. Certain back-office support functions for our segments are performed in Bangalore, India. Our European operations maintain procurement, accounting and finance functions in Wembley, outside of London, England and in Schiedam, the Netherlands. In addition to these offices, we have numerous operating facilities that handle wholesale and self service retail product operations. We operate out of more than 750 locations in total, most of which are leased. Many of our locations stock multiple product types or serve more than one function.
Included in our total locations are 216 facilities in the U.K., including the 500,000 square foot national distribution center in Tamworth that houses inventory to supply the hubs and branches of our U.K. operations. We also operate 75 facilities in continental Europe, 38 facilities in Canada, six facilities in Scandinavia, two facilities in Central America, one facility in Mexico, and one facility in Brazil. Additionally, we operate an aftermarket parts warehouse in Taiwan to aggregate inventory for shipment to our locations in North America.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
In our North American operations, our aftermarket operations use a third party enterprise management system. Additional third party software packages have been implemented to leverage the centralized data and information that a single system provides, such as a data warehouse to conduct enhanced analytics and reporting, an integrated budgeting system, an electronic data interchange tool, and eCommerce tools to enhance our online business-to-business initiatives -OrderKeystone.com and Keyless. The systems used by our aftermarket operations are also used by all of our refurbishing operations.
Our wholesale recycled product locations in North America operate an internally-developed, proprietary enterprise management system called LKQX. We believe that the use of a single system across all of our wholesale recycled product operations helps facilitate the sales process, allows for continued implementation of standard operating procedures, and yields improved training efficiency, employee transferability, access to our national inventory database, management reporting and data storage. The system also supports an electronic exchange process for identifying and locating parts at other select recyclers and facilitates brokered sales to fill customer orders for items not in stock. Our bidding specialists responsible for procuring vehicles for our wholesale salvage operations are equipped with a proprietary software application that compares the vehicles at the salvage auctions to our current inventory, historical demand, and recent average selling prices to arrive at an estimated maximum bid. This bidding system reduces the likelihood of purchasing unneeded parts that might result in obsolete inventory.
To better serve our customers, a consolidated approach has been taken for the electronic sale of aftermarket and salvage products. A full suite of eCommerce services is available to approved partners that helps us improve order accuracy, reduce return rate and better fit our customer workflow. Using these services in coordination with our partners, products can be searched, priced and ordered without leaving the customers' own operating systems.
Online sales of our Specialty products take place through our ekeystone.com site. The site provides customers (i) the ability to match products with the make and model of car thus allowing the customer to order the right part, (ii) the product information (e.g. pictures, attributes) available for review and (iii) the convenience of searching inventory availability and ordering the product on the site. Additionally, the site can provide sales opportunities by suggesting other parts to purchase based on an inquiry submitted by the customer.
We operate a single enterprise system for all of our heavy-duty truck operations that supports inter-region sales to reduce the potential for lost sales due to out-of-stock parts. We are also transitioning to a single IT platform to support our remanufacturing operations. We operate an internally-developed point of sale system in our self service retail operations, which allows enhanced management reporting as well as improved system reliability.

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Our aftermarket operations in the U.K. use a single integrated IT platform for our purchasing, branch stock, and finance activities, which are further supported by a distribution center system to manage inventory movement. Our aftermarket operations in continental Europe use several IT systems, which are linked to transfer data between systems, to manage customer orders and inventory movement, and for financial reporting purposes.
The hardware that supports the systems used in our operations is located in offsite data centers. The centers are in secure environments with around-the-clock monitoring, redundant power backup, and multiple, diverse data and telecommunication routing. We use separate third party provided software for our financial systems such as financial and budget reporting, general ledger accounting, accounts payable, payroll, and fixed assets. We currently protect our local customer, inventory, and corporate consolidated data, such as financial information, e-mail files, and other user files, with daily backups. These backups are stored off site with a third party data protection vendor. Additionally, we restrict access to customer, employee and vendor data to those users that have permission granted to them as part of their job function. We have made investments in various logging, encryption, event correlation and data loss prevention software to reduce the risk of unauthorized access and extraction of personally identifiable information of all types including that of vendors, customers and employees. Customer credit card information is not stored within the company’s computing environment, and the card information is encrypted when it is transmitted and processed for authorization.
We continually evaluate our systems with the goal of ensuring that all critical systems remain secure, scalable, and operational as our business grows.

REGULATION
Environmental Compliance
Our operations and properties are subject to extensive laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and health and safety in the U.S. as well as other countries in which we operate. These environmental laws govern, among other things, the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the ground, air, or water; exposure to hazardous materials; and the generation, handling, storage, use, treatment, identification, transportation, and disposal of industrial by-products, waste water, storm water, and mercury and other hazardous materials.
We have made and will continue to make capital and other expenditures relating to environmental matters. We have an environmental management process designed to facilitate and support our compliance with these requirements. We cannot assure you, however, that we will at all times be in complete compliance with such requirements.
Although we presently do not expect to incur any capital or other expenditures relating to environmental controls or other environmental matters in amounts that would be material to us, we may be required to make such expenditures in the future. Environmental laws are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. Accordingly, environmental laws may change or become more stringent in the future in a manner that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Contamination resulting from vehicle recycling processes can include soil and ground water contamination from the release, storage, transportation, or disposal of gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, chlorofluorocarbons ("CFCs") from air conditioners, other hazardous materials, or metals such as aluminum, cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury. Contamination from the refurbishment of chrome plated bumpers can occur from the release of the plating material. Contamination can migrate on-site or off-site which can increase the risk, and the amount, of any potential liability.
In addition, many of our facilities are located on or near properties with a history of industrial use that may have involved hazardous materials. As a result, some of our properties may be contaminated. Some environmental laws hold current or previous owners or operators of real property liable for the costs of cleaning up contamination, even if these owners or operators did not know of and were not responsible for such contamination. These environmental laws also impose liability on any person who disposes of, treats, or arranges for the disposal or treatment of hazardous substances, regardless of whether the affected site is owned or operated by such person, and at times can impose liability on companies deemed under law to be a successor to such person. Third parties may also make claims against owners or operators of properties, or successors to such owners or operators, for personal injuries and property damage associated with releases of hazardous or toxic substances.
When we identify a potential material environmental issue during our acquisition due diligence process, we analyze the risks, and, when appropriate, perform further environmental assessment to verify and quantify the extent of the potential contamination. Furthermore, where appropriate, we have established financial reserves for certain environmental matters. In addition, at times we, or sellers from whom we purchased a business, have undertaken remediation projects. We do not anticipate, based on currently available information and current laws, that we will incur liabilities in excess of reserves to address environmental matters. However, in the event we discover new information or if laws change, we may incur significant liabilities, which may exceed our reserves.

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Title Laws
In some states, when a vehicle is deemed a total loss, a salvage title is issued. Whether states issue salvage titles is important to the supply of inventory for the vehicle recycling industry because an increase in vehicles that qualify as salvage vehicles provides greater availability and typically lowers the price of such vehicles. Currently, these titling issues are a matter of state law. In 1992, the U.S. Congress commissioned an advisory committee to study problems relating to vehicle titling, registration, and salvage. Since then, legislation has been introduced seeking to establish national uniform requirements in this area, including a uniform definition of a salvage vehicle. The vehicle recycling industry will generally favor a uniform definition, since it will avoid inconsistencies across state lines, and will generally favor a definition that expands the number of damaged vehicles that qualify as salvage. However, certain interest groups, including repair shops and some insurance associations, may oppose this type of legislation. National legislation has not yet been enacted in this area, and there can be no assurance that such legislation will be enacted in the future.
Anti-Car Theft Act
In 1992, Congress enacted the Anti-Car Theft Act to deter trafficking in stolen vehicles. The purpose of the law is to implement an electronic system to track and monitor vehicle identification numbers and major automotive parts. In January 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice implemented the portion of the system to track and monitor vehicle identification numbers. The portion of the system that would track and monitor major automotive parts would require various entities, including automotive parts recyclers like us, to inspect salvage vehicles for the purpose of collecting the part number for any "covered major part." The Department of Justice has not promulgated rules on this portion of the system, and therefore there has been no progress on the implementation of the system to track and monitor major automotive parts. However, if this system is fully implemented, the requirement to collect the information would place substantial burdens on vehicle recyclers, including us, that otherwise would not normally exist. It would place similar burdens on repair shops, which may discourage the use by such shops of recycled products. There is no pending initiative to implement the parts registration from a law enforcement point of view. However, there is a risk that a heightened legislative concern over safety of parts might precipitate an effort to push for the implementation of such rules.
Legislation Affecting Automotive Repair Parts
Most states have laws relating to the use of aftermarket products in motor vehicle collision repair work. The provisions of these laws may include consumer disclosure, vehicle owner's consent regarding the use of aftermarket products in the repair process, and the requirement to have aftermarket products certified by an independent testing organization. Some jurisdictions have laws that regulate the sale of certain recycled products that we provide, such as airbags. Additional laws of this kind may be enacted in the future. An increase in the number of states passing such legislation with prohibitions or restrictions that are more severe than current laws could have a material adverse impact on our business. Additionally, Congress could enact federal legislation restricting the use of aftermarket and recycled automotive products used in the course of collision repair.

SEASONALITY
Our operating results are subject to quarterly variations based on a variety of factors, influenced primarily by seasonal changes in weather patterns. During the winter months, we tend to have higher demand for our vehicle replacement products because there are more weather related accidents, which generate repairs. We expect our specialty operations to generate greater revenue and earnings in the first half of the year, when vehicle owners tend to install specialty products.

ITEM 1A.     RISK FACTORS

Risks Relating to Our Business

Our operating results and financial condition have been and could continue to be adversely affected by the economic and political conditions in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Changes in economic and political conditions in the U.S. and other countries in which we are located or do business could have a material effect on our company. Changes in such conditions have, in some periods, resulted in fewer miles driven, fewer accident claims, and a reduction of vehicle repairs, all of which could negatively affect our business. Our sales are also impacted by changes to the economic health of vehicle owners. The economic health of vehicle owners is affected by many factors, including, among others, general business conditions, interest rates, inflation, consumer debt levels, the availability of consumer credit, taxation, fuel prices, unemployment trends and other matters that influence consumer confidence and spending.  Many of these factors are outside of our control. If any of these conditions worsen, our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.

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In addition, economic conditions, including decreased access to credit, may result in financial difficulties leading to restructurings, bankruptcies, liquidations and other unfavorable events for our customers, suppliers, logistics and other service providers and financial institutions that are counterparties to our credit facilities and interest rate swap transactions. These unfavorable events affecting our business partners could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

We face intense competition from local, national, international, and internet-based vehicle products providers, and this competition could negatively affect our business.

The vehicle replacement products industry is highly competitive and is served by numerous suppliers of OEM, recycled, aftermarket, refurbished and remanufactured products. Within each of these categories of suppliers, there are local owner-operated companies, larger regional suppliers, national and international providers, and internet-based suppliers. Providers of vehicle replacement products that have traditionally sold only certain categories of such products may decide to expand their product offerings into other categories of vehicle replacement products, which may further increase competition. Some of our current and potential competitors may have more operational expertise; greater financial, technical, manufacturing, distribution, and other resources; longer operating histories; lower cost structures; and better relationships in the insurance and vehicle repair industries or with consumers, than we do. In certain regions of the U.S., local vehicle recycling companies have formed cooperative efforts to compete in the wholesale recycled products industry. Similarly in Europe, some local companies are part of cooperative efforts to compete in the aftermarket parts industry. As a result of these factors, our competitors may be able to provide products that we are unable to supply, provide their products at lower costs, or supply products to customers that we are unable to serve.

We believe that a majority of collision parts by dollar amount are supplied by OEMs, with the balance being supplied by distributors like us. The OEMs are therefore in a position to exert pricing pressure in the marketplace. We compete with the OEMs primarily on price and to a lesser extent on service and quality. From time to time, OEMs have experimented with reducing prices on specific products to match the lower prices of alternative products. If such price reductions were to become widespread, it could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Claims by OEMs relating to aftermarket products could adversely affect our business.

OEMs and other manufacturers have attempted to use claims of intellectual property infringement against manufacturers and distributors of aftermarket products to restrict or eliminate the sale of aftermarket products that are the subject of the claims. The OEMs have brought such claims in federal court and with the U.S. International Trade Commission.

To the extent OEMs and other manufacturers are seeking and obtaining more design patents than they have in the past and are successful in asserting infringement of these patents and defending their validity, we could be restricted or prohibited from selling certain aftermarket products, which could have an adverse effect on our business. We will likely incur significant expenses investigating and defending intellectual property infringement claims. In addition, aftermarket products certifying organizations may revoke the certification of parts that are the subject of the claims. Lack of certification may negatively impact us because many major insurance companies recommend or require the use of aftermarket products only if they have been certified by an independent certifying organization.

In December 2005 and May 2008, Ford Global Technologies, LLC filed complaints with the International Trade Commission against us and others alleging that certain aftermarket products imported into the U.S. infringed on Ford design patents. The parties settled these matters in April 2009 pursuant to a patent license arrangement that expires in March 2015. In January 2014, Chrysler Group, LLC filed a complaint against us in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan contending that certain aftermarket parts we sell infringe Chrysler design patents relating to the Dodge Ram pickup truck. The parties settled this matter in June 2014 pursuant to a patent license arrangement that expires in June 2019. In the event that these license arrangements, or other similar license arrangements with OEMs, are terminated or we are unable to agree upon renewal terms, we may be subject to costs and uncertainties of litigation as well as restrictions on our ability to sell aftermarket parts that replicate parts covered by design patents.

An adverse change in our relationships with our suppliers or auction companies or a disruption to our supply of inventory could increase our expenses and impede our ability to serve our customers.

Our business is dependent on a relatively small number of suppliers of aftermarket products, a large portion of which are sourced from Taiwan. We incur substantial freight costs to import parts from our suppliers, many of whom are located in Asia. If the cost of freight rose we might not be able to pass the cost increases on to our customers. Furthermore, although

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alternative suppliers exist for substantially all aftermarket products distributed by us, the loss of any one supplier could have a material adverse effect on us until alternative suppliers are located and have commenced providing products.  In addition, we are subject to disruptions from work stoppages and other labor disputes at port facilities through which we import our inventory.  Moreover, our operations are subject to the customary risks of doing business abroad, including, among other things, natural disasters, transportation costs and delays, political instability, currency fluctuations and the imposition of tariffs, import and export controls and other non-tariff barriers (including changes in the allocation of quotas), as well as the uncertainty regarding future relations between China, Japan and Taiwan. Because a substantial volume of our sales involves products manufactured from sheet metal, we can be adversely impacted if sheet metal becomes unavailable or is only available at higher prices, which we may not be able to pass on to our customers. Additionally, as manufacturers convert to raw materials other than steel, it may be more difficult or expensive to source aftermarket parts made with such materials and it may be more difficult for repair shops to work with such materials in the repair process.
 
Most of our salvage and a portion of our self service inventory is obtained from vehicles offered at salvage auctions operated by several companies that own auction facilities in numerous locations across the U.S. We do not typically have contracts with the auction companies. According to industry analysts, a small number of companies control a large percentage of the salvage auction market in the U.S. If an auction company prohibited us from participating in its auctions, began competing with us, or significantly raised its fees, our business could be adversely affected through higher costs or the resulting potential inability to service our customers. Moreover, we face competition in the purchase of vehicles from direct competitors, rebuilders, exporters and others. To the extent that the number of bidders increases, it may have the effect of increasing our cost of goods sold for wholesale recycled products. Some states regulate bidders to help ensure that salvage vehicles are purchased for legal purposes by qualified buyers. Auction companies have been actively seeking to reduce, circumvent or eliminate these regulations, which would further increase the number of bidders. In addition, there is a limited supply of salvage vehicles in the U.S. As we grow and our demand for salvage vehicles increases, the costs of these incremental vehicles could be higher.

We also acquire inventory directly from insurance companies, OEMs, and others. To the extent that these suppliers decide to discontinue these arrangements, our business could be adversely affected through higher costs or the resulting potential inability to service our customers.

We rely upon insurance companies to promote the usage of alternative parts.

Our success depends, in part, on the acceptance and promotion of alternative parts usage by automotive insurance companies. Alternative parts usage has generally increased over the past ten years but has stabilized recently. There can be no assurance that such usage will be maintained or will increase in the future. In addition, in some places we operate, alternative parts usage is relatively low. We also rely on business relationships with insurance companies. These insurance companies encourage vehicle repair facilities to use products we provide. The business relationships include in some cases participation in aftermarket quality and service assurance programs that may result in a higher usage of our aftermarket products than would be the case without the programs. Our arrangements with these companies may be terminated by them at any time, including in connection with their own business concerns relating to the offering, availability, standards or operations of the aftermarket quality and service assurance programs. We rely on these relationships for sales to some collision repair shops, and a termination of these relationships may result in a loss of sales, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

In an Illinois lawsuit involving State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company ("Avery v. State Farm"), a jury decided in October 1999 that State Farm breached certain insurance contracts with its policyholders by using non-OEM replacement products to repair damaged vehicles when use of such products did not restore the vehicle to its "pre-loss condition." The jury found that State Farm misled its customers by not disclosing the use of non-OEM replacement products and the alleged inferiority of those products. The jury assessed damages against State Farm of $456 million, and the judge assessed an additional $730 million of disgorgement and punitive damages for violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act. In April 2001, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld the verdict but reduced the damage award by $130 million because of duplicative damage awards. On August 18, 2005, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the awards made by the circuit court and found, among other things, that the plaintiffs had failed to establish any breach of contract by State Farm. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of this case. As a result of this case, some insurance companies reduced or eliminated their use of aftermarket products. Our financial results could be adversely affected if insurance companies modified or terminated the arrangements pursuant to which repair shops buy aftermarket or recycled products from us due to a fear of similar claims.

We may not be able to sell our products due to existing or new laws and regulations prohibiting or restricting the sale of aftermarket, recycled, refurbished or remanufactured products.

Some jurisdictions have enacted laws prohibiting or severely restricting the sale of certain recycled products that we provide, such as airbags. These and other jurisdictions could enact similar laws or could prohibit or severely restrict the sale of

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additional recycled products. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued guides which regulate the use of certain terms such as “rebuilt” or “remanufactured” in connection with the sale of automotive parts. Restrictions on the products we are able to sell and on the marketing of such products could decrease our revenue and have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

Most states have passed laws that prohibit or limit the use of aftermarket products in collision repair work and/or require enhanced disclosure or vehicle owner consent before using aftermarket products in such repair work. Additional legislation of this kind may be introduced in the future. If additional laws prohibiting or restricting the use of aftermarket products are passed, it could have an adverse impact on our aftermarket products business. Certain organizations test the quality and safety of vehicle replacement products. If these organizations decide not to test a particular vehicle product or in the event that such organizations decide that a particular vehicle product does not meet applicable quality or safety standards, we may decide to discontinue sales of such product or insurance companies may decide to discontinue authorization of repairs using such product. Such events could adversely affect our business.

We may not be able to successfully acquire new businesses or integrate acquisitions, which could cause our business to suffer.

We may not be able to successfully complete potential strategic acquisitions if we cannot reach agreement on acceptable terms or for other reasons. Moreover, we may not be able to identify a sufficient number of acquisition candidates at reasonable prices to maintain our growth objectives. Also, over time, we will likely seek to make acquisitions that are relatively larger as we grow. Larger acquisition candidates may attract additional competitive buyers, which could increase our cost or could cause us to lose such acquisitions.

If we buy a company or a division of a company, we may experience difficulty integrating that company's or division's personnel and operations, which could negatively affect our operating results. In addition:
the key personnel of the acquired company may decide not to work for us;
customers of the acquired company may decide not to purchase products from us;
suppliers of the acquired company may decide not to sell products to us;
we may experience business disruptions as a result of information technology systems conversions;
we may experience additional financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as tax planning, treasury management, and financial reporting;
we may be held liable for environmental, tax or other risks and liabilities as a result of our acquisitions, some of which we may not have discovered during our due diligence;
we may intentionally assume the liabilities of the companies we acquire, which could result in material adverse affects on our business;
our existing business may be disrupted or receive insufficient management attention;
we may not be able to realize the cost savings or other financial benefits we anticipated, either in the amount or in the time frame that we expect; and
we may incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any future acquisition, the issuance of which could involve the imposition of restrictive covenants or be dilutive to our existing stockholders.
Our annual and quarterly performance may fluctuate.

Our revenue, cost of goods sold, and operating results have fluctuated on a quarterly and annual basis in the past and can be expected to continue to fluctuate in the future as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. Future factors that may affect our operating results include, but are not limited to, those listed in the Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Accordingly, our results of operations may not be indicative of future performance. These fluctuations in our operating results may cause our results to fall below our published financial guidance and the expectations of public markets, which could cause our stock price or the value of our debt instruments to decline.

Fluctuations in the prices of metals and other commodities could adversely affect our financial results.

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Our recycling operations generate scrap metal and other metals that we sell. After we dismantle a salvage vehicle for wholesale parts and after vehicles have been used in our self service retail business, the remaining vehicle hulks are sold to scrap processors and other remaining metals are sold to processors and brokers of metals. In addition, we receive "crush only" vehicles from other companies, including OEMs, which we dismantle and which generate scrap metal and other metals. The prices of scrap and other metals have historically fluctuated, sometimes significantly, due to market factors. In addition, buyers may stop purchasing metals entirely due to excess supply. To the extent that the prices of metals decrease materially or buyers stop purchasing metals, our revenue from such sales will suffer and a write-down of our inventory value could be required. The cost of our wholesale recycled and our self service retail inventory purchases will change as a result of fluctuating scrap metal and other metals prices. In a period of falling metal prices, there can be no assurance that our inventory purchasing cost will decrease the same amount or at the same rate as the scrap metal and other metals prices decline, and there may be a delay between the scrap metal and other metals price reductions and any inventory cost reductions. The prices of steel, aluminum, and plastics are components of the cost to manufacture products for our aftermarket business. If the price of commodities rise and result in higher costs to us for products we sell, we may not be able to pass these higher costs on to our customers.

If we determine that our goodwill or other intangible assets have become impaired, we may incur significant charges to our pre-tax income.

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired in business combinations. In the future, goodwill and intangible assets may increase as a result of acquisitions. Goodwill is reviewed at least annually for impairment. Impairment may result from, among other things, deterioration in the performance of acquired businesses, increases in our cost of capital, adverse market conditions, and adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including modifications that restrict the activities of the acquired business. As of December 31, 2014, our total goodwill subject to future impairment testing was $2.3 billion. For further discussion of our annual impairment test, see "Goodwill Impairment" in the Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates section of Item 7 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We amortize other intangible assets over the assigned useful lives, each of which is based upon the expected period to be benefited. We review other intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. In the event conditions change that affect our ability to realize the underlying cash flows associated with our intangible assets, we may record an impairment charge. As of December 31, 2014, the value of our other intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, was $246 million.

If the number of vehicles involved in accidents declines or the number of cars being repaired declines, our business could suffer.

Our business depends on vehicle accidents and mechanical failures for both the demand for repairs using our products and the supply of recycled, remanufactured and refurbished parts. Thus, our business is impacted by factors which influence the number and/or severity of accidents and mechanical failures including, but not limited to, the number of vehicles on the road, the number of miles driven, the ages of drivers, the occurrence and severity of certain weather conditions, the congestion of traffic, the use of cellular telephones and other electronic equipment by drivers, the use of alcohol and drugs by drivers, the effectiveness of accident avoidance systems in new vehicles, the reliability of new OEM parts, and the condition of roadways. Additionally, an increase in fuel prices may cause the number of vehicles on the road, the number of miles driven, and the need for mechanical repairs and maintenance to decline, as motorists seek alternative transportation options. Mild weather conditions, particularly during winter months, tend to result in a decrease in vehicle accidents. Moreover, a number of states and municipalities have adopted, or are considering adopting, legislation banning the use of handheld cellular telephones or other electronic devices while driving, and such restrictions could lead to a decline in accidents.

Systems designed to help drivers avoid accidents are becoming more prevalent and more technologically sophisticated. To the extent OEMs install or are mandated by law to install accident avoidance systems in their vehicles, the number and severity of accidents could decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The average number of new vehicles sold annually has fluctuated from year-to-year.  Periods of decreased sales could result in a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road and consequently fewer vehicles involved in accidents or in need of mechanical repair or maintenance. Substantial further declines in automotive sales in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. In addition, if vehicle population trends result in a disproportionately high number of older vehicles on the road, insurance companies may find it uneconomical to repair such vehicles or there could be less costly repairs. If vehicle population trends result in a disproportionately high number of newer vehicles on the road, the demand generally for mechanical repairs and maintenance would likely decline due to the newer, longer-lasting parts in the vehicle population and mechanical failures being covered by OEM warranties for the first years of a

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vehicle's life. Moreover, alternative collision and mechanical parts are less likely to be used on newer vehicles.

Our business may be adversely affected by union activities and labor laws.

A small percentage of our employees are represented by labor unions and work under collective bargaining or similar agreements, which are subject to periodic renegotiation. From time to time, there have been efforts to organize additional portions of our workforce and those efforts can be expected to continue. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor or applicable foreign government agencies could adopt new regulations or interpret existing regulations that could make it significantly easier for unionization efforts to be successful. Also, we may in the future be subject to strikes or work stoppages and other labor disruptions. Additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements, and work stoppages could materially increase our costs and reduce revenue and could limit our flexibility in terms of work schedules, reductions in force and other operational matters.

We also are subject to federal and state laws and regulations, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, that govern such matters as minimum wage, overtime and other working conditions. Some of these laws are technical in nature and could be subject to interpretation by government agencies different than our interpretations. Efforts to comply with existing laws, changes to such laws and newly-enacted laws may increase our labor costs. If we were found not to be in compliance with such laws, we could be subject to fines, penalties and liabilities to our employees or government agencies.

Governmental agencies may refuse to grant or renew our operating licenses and permits.

Our operating subsidiaries must obtain licenses and permits from state and local governments to conduct their operations. When we develop or acquire a new facility, we must seek the approval of state and local units of government. Governmental agencies may resist the establishment of a vehicle recycling or refurbishing facility in their communities. There can be no assurance that future approvals or transfers will be granted. In addition, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain and renew the licenses and permits our operating subsidiaries currently hold.

If we lose our key management personnel, we may not be able to successfully manage our business or achieve our objectives.

Our future success depends in large part upon the leadership and performance of our executive management team and key employees at the operating level. If we lose the services of one or more of our executive officers or key employees, or if one or more of them decides to join a competitor or otherwise compete directly or indirectly with us, we may not be able to successfully manage our business or achieve our business objectives. If we lose the services of any of our key employees at the operating or regional level, we may not be able to replace them with similarly qualified personnel, which could harm our business.

We rely on information technology and communication systems in critical areas of our operations and a disruption relating to such technology could harm our business.

Some of the information technology systems and communication systems we use for management of our facilities and our financial functions are leased from or operated by other companies, while others are owned by us. In the event that the providers of these systems terminate their relationships with us or if we suffer prolonged outages of these or our own systems for whatever reason, we could suffer disruptions to our operations.

In the event that we decide to switch providers or to implement upgrades or replacements to our own systems, we may also suffer disruptions to our business. We may be unsuccessful in the development of our own systems, and we may underestimate the costs and expenses of developing and implementing our own systems. Also, our revenue may be hampered during the period of implementing an alternative system, which period could extend longer than we anticipated.

Our business involves the storage of personal information about our customers and employees.  We have taken reasonable and appropriate steps to protect this information; however, if we experience a significant data security breach, we could be exposed to damage to our reputation, additional costs, lost sales or possible regulatory action.  The regulatory environment related to information security and privacy is constantly changing, and compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs.  There is no guarantee that the procedures that we have implemented to protect against unauthorized access to secured data are adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches, and such a breach could potentially have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

Business interruptions in our distribution centers or other facilities may affect our operations, the function of our computer

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systems, and/or the availability and distribution of merchandise, which may affect our business.

Weather, terrorist activities, war or other disasters, or the threat of any of them, may result in the closure of our distribution centers (“DC”s) or other facilities or may adversely affect our ability to deliver inventory through our system on a timely basis.  This may affect our ability to timely provide products to our customers, resulting in lost sales or a potential loss of customer loyalty.  Some of our merchandise is imported from other countries and these goods could become difficult or impossible to bring into the United States or into the other countries in which we operate, and we may not be able to obtain such merchandise from other sources at similar prices.  Such a disruption in revenue could potentially have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition. 

If we experience problems with our fleet of trucks, our business could be harmed.

We use a fleet of trucks to deliver the majority of the products we sell. We are subject to the risks associated with providing trucking services, including inclement weather, disruptions in the transportation infrastructure, governmental regulation, availability and price of fuel, liabilities arising from accidents to the extent we are not covered by insurance, and insurance premium increases. In addition, our failure to deliver products in a timely and accurate manner could harm our reputation and brand, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to environmental regulations and incur costs relating to environmental matters.

We are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental protection and health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things: the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the ground, air, or water; exposure to hazardous materials; and the generation, handling, storage, use, treatment, identification, transportation, and disposal of industrial by-products, waste water, storm water, and mercury and other hazardous materials. We are also required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for certain of our operations. If we violate or fail to obtain or comply with these laws, regulations, or permits, we could be fined or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. We could also become liable if employees or other parties are improperly exposed to hazardous materials.

Under certain environmental laws, we could be held responsible for all of the costs relating to any contamination at, or migration to or from, our or our predecessors' past or present facilities and at independent waste disposal sites. These laws often impose liability even if the owner or operator did not know of, or was not responsible for, the release of such hazardous substances.

Environmental laws are complex, change frequently, and have tended to become more stringent over time. Our costs of complying with current and future environmental and health and safety laws, and our liabilities arising from past or future releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances, may adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

We could be subject to product liability claims and involved in product recalls.

If customers of repair shops that purchase our products are injured or suffer property damage, we could be subject to product liability claims by such customers. The successful assertion of this type of claim could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.  In addition, we may become involved in the recall of a product that is determined to be defective.  The expenses of a recall and the damage to our reputation could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
   
We have agreed to defend and indemnify in certain circumstances insurance companies and customers against claims and damages relating to product liability and product recalls. The existence of claims or damages for which we must defend and indemnify these parties could also negatively impact our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Regulations that may be issued under the Anti-Car Theft Act could harm our business.

In 1992, Congress enacted the Anti-Car Theft Act to deter trafficking in stolen vehicles. The purpose of the law is to implement an electronic system to track and monitor vehicle identification numbers and major automotive parts. In January 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice implemented the portion of the system to track and monitor vehicle identification numbers. The portion of the system that would track and monitor major automotive parts would require various entities, including automotive parts recyclers like us, to inspect salvage vehicles for the purpose of collecting the part number for any "covered major part." The Department of Justice has not promulgated rules on this portion of the system, and therefore there has been no progress on the implementation of the system to track and monitor major automotive parts. However, if this system

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is fully implemented, the requirement to collect the information would place substantial burdens on automotive parts recyclers, including us, that otherwise would not normally exist. It would place similar burdens on repair shops, which may discourage the use of recycled products by such shops.

We operate in foreign jurisdictions, which exposes us to foreign exchange and other risks.

We have operations in Belgium, Canada, France, Mexico, Sweden, The Netherlands, Taiwan and the U.K., and we may expand our operations in these countries and into other countries. Our foreign operations expose us to additional risks associated with international business, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition, including import and export requirements and compliance with anti-corruption laws, such as the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. We also incur costs in currencies, other than our functional currencies, in the countries in which we operate. We are thus subject to foreign exchange exposure to the extent that we operate in different currencies, as well as exposure to foreign tax and other foreign and domestic laws. In addition, Mexico is currently experiencing a heightened level of criminal activity that could affect our ability to maintain our supply of certain aftermarket products.

New regulations related to conflict-free minerals may force us to incur additional expenses and otherwise adversely impact our business.

In August 2012, as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC adopted final rules regarding disclosure of the use of certain minerals, known as conflict minerals, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries. These new requirements impose significant burdens on U.S. public companies. Compliance with the rules requires substantial due diligence in an effort to determine whether products contain the conflict minerals.  The results of such due diligence efforts must be disclosed on an annual basis in a filing with the SEC.

Our supply chain is complex and we may incur significant costs to determine the source of any such minerals used in our products. We may also incur costs with respect to potential changes to products, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of our diligence activities. Further, the implementation of these rules and their effect on customer, supplier and/or consumer behavior could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in our products. As there may be only a limited number of suppliers offering products free of conflict minerals in some circumstances, we cannot be sure that we will be able to obtain necessary products from such suppliers in sufficient quantities or at competitive prices. We may face reputational challenges if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict-free or if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins for all conflict minerals used in our products through the procedures we implement. Accordingly, these rules could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock and Financial Structure

Future sales of our common stock or other securities may depress our stock price.

We and our stockholders may sell shares of common stock or other equity, debt or instruments which constitute an element of our debt and equity (collectively, "securities") in the future. We may also issue shares of common stock under our equity incentive plan or in connection with future acquisitions. We cannot predict the size of future issuances of securities or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our common stock or other securities will have on the price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), the issuance of additional debt securities, or the perception that such sales or issuances could occur, may cause the price of our common stock to fall.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could expose us to securities class action litigation.

The stock market and the price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations based upon general economic and market conditions.  The market price for our common stock may also be affected by our ability to meet analysts’ expectations.  Failure to meet such expectations, even slightly, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. In addition, stock market volatility has had a significant effect on the market prices of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to the operating performance of these companies.  Downturns in the stock market may cause the price of our common stock to decline.  Additionally, the market price for our common stock has been in the past, and in the future may be, adversely affected by allegations made or reports issued by short sellers, analysts or others regarding our business model, our management or our financial accounting.

Following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often

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been instituted against such companies.  If similar litigation were instituted against us, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

Delaware law, our charter documents and our loan documents may impede or discourage a takeover, which could affect the price of our stock.

The anti-takeover provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, our loan documents and Delaware law could, together or separately, impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws have provisions that could discourage potential takeover attempts and make attempts by stockholders to change management more difficult. Our credit agreement provides that a change of control is an event of default. Our incorporation under Delaware law and these provisions could also impede an acquisition, takeover, or other business combination involving us or discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer for our common stock, which, under certain circumstances, could reduce the price of our common stock.

We have a substantial amount of indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our ability to obtain financing in the future and to react to changes in our business.

As of December 31, 2014, we had $1.9 billion aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding, including $664 million under our senior secured credit facilities, $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.75% senior notes due 2023, $433.1 million under our term loan, and $95 million under our accounts receivable securitization program. As of December 31, 2014, we also had $1.1 billion of undrawn availability (after giving effect to approximately $60 million of outstanding letters of credit) under our revolving credit facilities and $2 million of undrawn availability under our accounts receivable securitization program.

Our significant amount of debt and our debt service obligations could limit our ability to satisfy our obligations, limit our ability to operate our business and impair our competitive position.

For example, it could:

increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and general industry conditions, including interest rate fluctuations, because a portion of our borrowings are and will continue to be at variable rates of interest;
require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, which would reduce the availability of our cash flow from operations to fund working capital, capital expenditures or other general corporate purposes;
limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry;
place us at a disadvantage compared to competitors that may have proportionately less debt;
limit our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing due to applicable financial and restrictive covenants in our debt agreements; and
increase our cost of borrowing.
In addition, if we or our subsidiaries incur additional debt, the risks associated with our substantial leverage and the ability to service such debt would increase.
Although we are subject to our senior secured credit facilities for so long as they remain in effect, the indenture that governs the senior notes does not restrict the future incurrence of unsecured indebtedness, guarantees or other obligations. The indenture contains certain limitations on our ability to incur liens on assets, sell our assets, make dividends and distributions and engage in sale and leaseback transactions. However, these limitations are subject to important exceptions. In addition, the indenture does not contain many other restrictions, including certain restrictions contained in our senior secured credit facilities, including, without limitation, investments, incurring indebtedness or prepaying subordinated indebtedness or engaging in transactions with our affiliates.

Our senior secured credit facilities impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries, which may prevent us from capitalizing on business opportunities.


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Our senior secured credit facilities impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us. These restrictions limit our ability, among other things, to:

incur, assume or permit to exist additional indebtedness (including guarantees thereof);
pay dividends or certain other distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock or prepay subordinated indebtedness;
incur liens on assets;
make certain investments or other restricted payments;
engage in transactions with affiliates;
sell certain assets or merge or consolidate with or into other companies;
guarantee indebtedness; and
alter the business we conduct.
As a result of these covenants and restrictions, we will be limited in how we conduct our business and we may be unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities. The terms of any future indebtedness we may incur could include more restrictive covenants. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain compliance with these covenants in the future and, if we fail to do so, that we will be able to obtain waivers from the lenders and/or amend the covenants. The failure to comply with any of these covenants would cause a default under the credit agreement. A default, if not waived, could result in acceleration of our debt, in which case the debt would become immediately due and payable. If this occurs, we may not be able to repay our debt or borrow sufficient funds to refinance it. Even if new financing were available, it may be on terms that are less attractive to us than our existing credit facilities or it may be on terms that are not acceptable to us.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. If our operating results and available cash are insufficient to meet our debt service obligations, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them, and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. Any future refinancing of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants which could further restrict our business operations. Additionally, the senior secured credit facilities and the indenture that governs our senior notes limit the use of the proceeds from certain dispositions of our assets; as a result, our senior secured credit facilities and our senior notes may prevent us from using the proceeds from such dispositions to satisfy all of our debt service obligations.
In addition, we are a holding company and repayment of our indebtedness is dependent upon cash flow generated by our subsidiaries and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. Unless they are borrowers or guarantors of the indebtedness, our subsidiaries do not have any obligation to pay amounts due on the indebtedness or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness. Each of our subsidiaries is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries and, under certain circumstances, distributions from our subsidiaries may be subject to significant taxes that reduce the amount of such distributions available to us. In the event that we do not receive sufficient distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

Our future capital needs may require that we seek to refinance our debt or obtain additional debt or equity financing, events

26


that could have a negative effect on our business.

We may need to raise additional funds in the future to, among other things, refinance existing debt, fund our existing operations, improve or expand our operations, respond to competitive pressures, or make acquisitions. From time to time, we may raise additional funds through public or private financing, strategic alliances, or other arrangements. Funds may not be available or available on terms acceptable to us as a result of different factors, including but not limited to turmoil in the credit markets that results in the tightening of credit conditions and current or future regulations applicable to the financial institutions from whom we seek financing. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to meet our business or strategic objectives or compete effectively. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, stockholders may experience dilution of their ownership interests, and the newly issued securities may have rights superior to those of the common stock. If we raise additional funds by issuing debt, we may be subject to higher borrowing costs and further limitations on our operations. If we refinance or restructure our debt, we may incur charges to write off the unamortized portion of deferred debt issuance costs from a previous financing, or we may incur charges related to hedge ineffectiveness from our interest rate swap obligations. In addition, there are restrictions in the indenture that governs our senior notes on our ability to refinance the notes prior to 2018. If we fail to raise capital when needed, our business may be negatively affected.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our indebtedness service obligations to increase significantly and could affect the value of our senior notes.

Certain borrowings under our senior secured credit facilities and the borrowing under our accounts receivable securitization facility are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, would correspondingly decrease. Moreover, changes in market interest rates could affect the trading value of our senior notes.

A downgrade in our credit rating would impact our cost of capital and could impact the market value of our senior notes.

Credit ratings have an important effect on our cost of capital. Credit rating agencies rate our debt securities on factors that include, among other items, our results of operations, business decisions that we make, their view of the general outlook for our industry, and their view of the general outlook for the economy. Actions taken by the rating agencies can include maintaining, upgrading, or downgrading the current rating or placing us on a watch list for possible future downgrading. We believe our current credit ratings enhance our ability to borrow funds at favorable rates.  A downgrade in our current credit rating from a rating agency could adversely affect our cost of capital by causing us to pay a higher interest rate on borrowed funds under our credit facilities.  A downgrade could also adversely affect the market price and/or liquidity of our senior notes, preventing a holder from selling the notes at a favorable price, as well as adversely affect our ability to issue new notes in the future or incur other indebtedness upon favorable terms.  
 
The right to receive payments on the senior notes is effectively junior to those lenders who have a security interest in our assets.

Our obligations under the senior notes and our guarantors’ obligations under their guarantees of the senior notes are unsecured, but our and each co-borrower’s obligations under our senior secured credit facilities and each guarantor’s obligations under their respective guarantees of the senior secured credit facilities are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our domestic tangible and intangible assets, including the stock of most of our wholly-owned United States subsidiaries and the stock of certain of our non-United States subsidiaries. If we are declared bankrupt or insolvent, or if we default under our senior secured credit facilities, the lenders could declare all of the funds borrowed thereunder, together with accrued interest, immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay such indebtedness, the lenders could foreclose on the pledged assets to the exclusion of holders of the senior notes, even if an event of default exists under the indenture governing the notes. Furthermore, if the lenders foreclose and sell the pledged equity interests in any subsidiary guarantor under the senior notes, then that guarantor will be released from its guarantee of the senior notes automatically and immediately upon such sale. In any such event, because the senior notes are not secured by any of our assets or the equity interests in subsidiary guarantors, it is possible that there would be no assets remaining from which claims by holders of the senior notes could be satisfied or, if any assets remained, they might be insufficient to satisfy claims fully.
United States federal and state statutes allow courts, under specific circumstances, to void the senior notes and the guarantees, subordinate claims in respect of the senior notes and the guarantees, and require holders of the senior notes to return payments received from us or the guarantors.
Our direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries that are obligors under the senior secured credit facilities also guarantee the

27


obligations under the senior notes. Our issuance of the senior notes and the issuance of the guarantees by the guarantors under the secured credit facilities and the senior notes may be subject to review under state and federal laws if a bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization case or a lawsuit, including in circumstances in which bankruptcy is not involved, were commenced at some future date by, or on behalf of, our unpaid creditors or the unpaid creditors of a guarantor. Under the federal bankruptcy laws and comparable provisions of state fraudulent transfer laws, a court may avoid or otherwise decline to enforce the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or a guarantor’s guarantee, or may subordinate the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or such guarantee to our or the applicable guarantor’s existing and future indebtedness. While the relevant laws may vary from state to state, a court might do so if it found that when indebtedness under the senior secured credit facilities was incurred, or the senior notes were issued, or when the applicable guarantor entered into its guarantee, or, in some states, when payments became due under the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or such guarantee, the borrower, the issuer or the applicable guarantor received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration and:
 
was insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of such incurrence;
was engaged in a business or transaction for which its remaining assets constituted unreasonably small capital; or
intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature.
A court would likely find that we or a guarantor did not receive reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration for the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or such guarantee if we or such guarantor did not substantially benefit directly or indirectly from the senior secured credit facilities or the issuance of the senior notes. The measures of insolvency for purposes of these fraudulent transfer laws vary depending upon the law applied in any proceeding to determine whether a fraudulent transfer has occurred. Generally, however, a borrower, an issuer or a guarantor, as applicable, would be considered insolvent if:
 
the sum of its debts, including contingent liabilities, was greater than the fair saleable value of its assets;
the present fair saleable value of its assets was less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and mature; or
it could not pay its debts as they become due.
A court might also void the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or a guarantee, without regard to the above factors, if the court found that the senior secured credit facilities or the senior notes were incurred or issued or the applicable guarantor entered into its guarantee with actual intent to hinder, delay or defraud its creditors. In addition, any payment by us or a guarantor pursuant to the senior secured credit facilities, the senior notes or its guarantee could be avoided and required to be returned to us or such guarantor or to a fund for the benefit of our or such guarantor’s creditors, and accordingly the court might direct the lenders under the senior secured credit facilities or the holders of the senior notes to repay any amounts already received from us or such guarantor. Although each guarantee will contain a “savings clause” intended to limit the subsidiary guarantor’s liability to the maximum amount that it could incur without causing the incurrence of obligations under its subsidiary guarantee to be a fraudulent transfer, this provision may not be effective to protect any subsidiary guarantees from being avoided under fraudulent transfer law. Furthermore, in Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of TOUSA, Inc. v Citicorp North America, Inc., the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Florida held that a savings clause similar to the savings clause included in the documents relating to our senior secured credit facilities and senior notes was unenforceable. As a result, the subsidiary guarantees were found to be fraudulent conveyances. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed the liability findings of the Bankruptcy Court without ruling directly on the enforceability of savings clauses generally. If the TOUSA decision were followed by other courts, the risk that the guarantees would be deemed fraudulent conveyances would be significantly increased.
To the extent a court avoids the senior secured credit facilities or the senior notes or any of the guarantees as fraudulent transfers or holds the senior secured credit facilities or the senior notes or any of the guarantees unenforceable for any other reason, the lenders under the senior secured credit facilities or the holders of the senior notes, as the case may be, would cease to have any direct claim against us or the applicable guarantor. If a court were to take this action, our or the applicable guarantor’s assets would be applied first to satisfy our or the applicable guarantor’s other liabilities, if any, and might not be applied to the payment of the senior secured credit facilities or the senior notes, as the case may be. Sufficient funds to repay the senior secured credit facilities and the senior notes may not be available from other sources, including the remaining guarantors, if any.
Not all of our subsidiaries have guaranteed our senior secured credit facilities or our senior notes, and the assets of our non-guarantor subsidiaries may not be available to make payments on such obligations.

28


Not all of our subsidiaries have guaranteed the senior secured credit facilities or the senior notes. In the event that any non-guarantor subsidiary becomes insolvent, liquidates, reorganizes, dissolves or otherwise winds up, holders of its indebtedness and its trade creditors generally will be entitled to payment on their claims from the assets of that subsidiary before any of those assets are made available to the lenders under the senior secured credit facilities or the holders of the senior notes. Consequently, claims in respect of the senior secured credit facilities and the senior notes are structurally subordinated to all of the liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries, including trade payables, and any claims of third party holders of preferred equity interests, if any, in our non-guarantor subsidiaries. For the year ended December 31, 2014, our subsidiaries that are not borrowers under or do not guarantee the senior secured credit facilities and our subsidiaries that do not guarantee the senior notes represented approximately 33% and 25% of our total revenue and operating income, respectively. In addition, these non-guarantor subsidiaries represented approximately 35% and 36% of our total assets and total liabilities, respectively, as of December 31, 2014 (excluding, in each case, intercompany amounts) with respect to both the senior secured credit facilities and the senior notes. Of these amounts, as of the same date, our subsidiaries that do not guarantee the senior notes and our subsidiaries that do not guarantee the senior secured credit facilities had approximately $647.6 million of outstanding indebtedness (which includes $523.9 million of borrowings under our revolving credit facilities by foreign subsidiaries that are borrowers under the revolving credit facilities but that do not guarantee the notes).
We may not be able to repurchase the senior notes upon a change of control or pursuant to an asset sale offer.
Upon a change of control, as defined in the indenture governing the senior notes, the holders of the notes will have the right to require us to offer to purchase all of the notes then outstanding at a price equal to 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. Such a change of control would also be an event of default under our senior secured credit facilities. In order to obtain sufficient funds to pay amounts due under the senior secured credit facilities and the purchase price of the outstanding senior notes, we expect that we would have to refinance our indebtedness. We cannot assure you that we would be able to refinance our indebtedness on reasonable terms, if at all. Our failure to offer to purchase all outstanding senior notes or to purchase all validly tendered senior notes would be an event of default under the indenture. Such an event of default may cause the acceleration of our other debt. Our other debt also may contain restrictions on repayment requirements with respect to specified events or transactions that constitute a change of control under the indenture.
The definition of change of control in the indenture governing the senior notes includes a phrase relating to the sale of “all or substantially all” of our assets. There is no precise established definition of the phrase “substantially all” under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of senior notes to require us to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale of less than all our assets to another person may be uncertain.
In addition, in certain circumstances as specified in the indenture governing the senior notes, we will be required to commence an asset sale offer, as defined in the indenture, pursuant to which we will be obligated to purchase certain senior notes at a price equal to 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest with the proceeds we receive from certain asset sales. Our other debt may contain restrictions that would limit or prohibit us from completing any such asset sale offer. In particular, our senior secured credit facilities contain provisions that require us, upon the sale of certain assets, to apply all of the proceeds from such asset sale to the prepayment of amounts due under the senior secured credit facilities. The mandatory prepayment obligations under the senior secured credit facilities will be effectively senior to our obligations to make an asset sale offer with respect to the senior notes under the terms of the indenture. Our failure to purchase any such senior notes when required under the indenture would be an event of default under the indenture.
 
Key terms of the senior notes will be suspended if the notes achieve investment grade ratings and no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing.
Many of the covenants in the indenture governing the senior notes will be suspended if the notes are rated investment grade by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s provided at such time no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing, including those covenants that restrict, among other things, our ability to pay dividends, incur liens and to enter into certain other transactions. There can be no assurance that the senior notes will ever be rated investment grade. However, suspension of these covenants would allow us to engage in certain transactions that would not be permitted while these covenants were in force (although provisions under our other debt, like the senior secured credit facilities, may continue to restrict us from engaging in these transactions), and the effects of any such transactions will be permitted to remain in place even if the senior notes are subsequently downgraded below investment grade.
The liquidity and market value of the senior notes may change due to a variety of factors.
The liquidity of any trading market in the senior notes, and the market price quoted for the senior notes, may be adversely

29


affected by changes in the overall market for these types of securities, changes in interest rates, changes in our ratings, and changes in our financial performance or prospects or in the prospects for companies in our industries generally.

We rely on an accounts receivable securitization program for a portion of our liquidity.

We have an arrangement whereby we sell an interest in a portion of our accounts receivable to a special purpose vehicle and receive funding through the commercial paper market. This arrangement expires in October 2017.  In the event that the market for commercial paper were to close or otherwise become constrained, our cost of credit relative to this program could rise, or credit could be unavailable altogether.

ITEM 1B.     UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

ITEM 2.     PROPERTIES
Our properties are described in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and such description is incorporated by reference into this Item 2. Our properties are sufficient to meet our present needs, and we do not anticipate any difficulty in securing additional space to conduct operations or additional office space, as needed, on terms acceptable to us.

ITEM 3.     LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The Office of the District Attorney of Harris County, Texas has been investigating a possible violation of the Texas Clean Water Act in connection with alleged discharges of petroleum products at two of our facilities in Texas. We are in negotiations with the Office of the District Attorney to resolve this matter. The resolution will likely involve a monetary payment to Harris County for the alleged violations at each location. The amount of each payment individually and the amount of the payments in the aggregate are expected to have a de minimis effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
In addition, we are from time to time subject to various claims and lawsuits incidental to our business. In the opinion of management, currently outstanding claims and suits will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 4.     MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.


30


PART II
ITEM 5.
MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market ("NASDAQ") under the symbol "LKQ." At December 31, 2014, there were 25 record holders of our common stock. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of the high and low sales prices of shares of our common stock on NASDAQ.
 
High
 
Low
2013
 
 
 
First Quarter
$
23.99

 
$
20.09

Second Quarter
26.58

 
20.28

Third Quarter
32.29

 
25.38

Fourth Quarter
34.32

 
30.61

2014
 
 
 
First Quarter
32.90

 
24.46

Second Quarter
29.84

 
24.95

Third Quarter
29.21

 
25.15

Fourth Quarter
29.64

 
25.04

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We intend to continue to retain our earnings to finance our growth and for general corporate purposes. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. In addition, our senior secured credit agreement and our senior notes indenture contain, and future financing agreements may contain, limitations on payment of cash dividends or other distributions of assets. Based on limitations in effect under our senior secured credit agreement and senior notes indenture as of December 31, 2014, the maximum amount of dividends we could pay in 2015 is approximately $550 million. The limit on the payment of dividends is calculated using historical financial information and will change from period to period.
The following graph compares the percentage change in the cumulative total returns on our common stock, the NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S.) Index and the following group of peer companies (the "Peer Group"): Copart, Inc.; O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.; Genuine Parts Company; and Fastenal Co., for the period beginning on December 31, 2009 and ending on December 31, 2014 (which was the last day of our 2014 fiscal year). The stock price performance in the following graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance. The graph assumes that the value of an investment in each of the Company's common stock, the NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S.) Index and the Peer Group was $100 on December 31, 2009 and that all dividends, where applicable, were reinvested.

31


Comparison of Cumulative Return
Among LKQ Corporation, the NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S.) Index and the Peer Group

 
12/31/2009
 
12/31/2010
 
12/31/2011
 
12/31/2012
 
12/31/2013
 
12/31/2014
LKQ Corporation
$
100

 
$
116

 
$
154

 
$
215

 
$
336

 
$
287

NASDAQ Stock Market (U.S.) Index
$
100

 
$
118

 
$
117

 
$
138

 
$
191

 
$
221

Peer Group
$
100

 
$
141

 
$
190

 
$
211

 
$
266

 
$
335


This stock performance information is "furnished" and shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or subject to Rule 14A, shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, whether made before or after the date of this report and irrespective of any general incorporation by reference language in any such filing, except to the extent that it specifically incorporates the information by reference.
    
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table presents the stock repurchase activity for each of the three months in the quarter ended December 31, 2014:


32


Period
 
Total Number of Shares Purchased(1)
 
Average Price Paid Per Share
 
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs
 
Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
October 1, 2014 - October 31, 2014
 
4,695

 
$
26.75

 

 

November 1, 2014 - November 30, 2014
 

 

 

 

December 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014
 

 

 

 

Total
 
4,695

 
$
26.75

 

 


(1) Represents shares withheld to satisfy estimated statutory income tax obligations due upon the vesting of restricted stock.

Information about our common stock that may be issued under our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2014 included in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.

33


ITEM 6.     SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following selected consolidated financial data should be read together with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands, except per share data)
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
 
(1)
 
(2)
 
(3)
 
(4)
 
(5)
Statements of Income Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
6,740,064

 
$
5,062,528

 
$
4,122,930

 
$
3,269,862

 
$
2,469,881

Cost of goods sold
4,088,151

 
2,987,126

 
2,398,790

 
1,877,869

 
1,376,401

Gross margin
2,651,913

 
2,075,402

 
1,724,140

 
1,391,993

 
1,093,480

Operating income
649,868

 
530,180

 
437,953

 
361,483

 
297,877

Other expense (income)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
64,542

 
51,184

 
31,429

 
24,307

 
29,765

Other (income) expense, net
(2,562
)
 
3,169

 
(2,643
)
 
1,405

 
(2,013
)
Income from continuing operations before provision for income taxes
587,888

 
475,827

 
409,167

 
335,771

 
270,125

Provision for income taxes
204,264

 
164,204

 
147,942

 
125,507

 
103,007

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries
(2,105
)
 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations
$
381,519

 
$
311,623

 
$
261,225

 
$
210,264

 
$
167,118

Basic earnings per share from continuing operations
$
1.26

 
$
1.04

 
$
0.88

 
$
0.72

 
$
0.58

Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations
$
1.25

 
$
1.02

 
$
0.87

 
$
0.71

 
$
0.57

Weighted average shares outstanding-basic
302,343

 
299,574

 
295,810

 
292,252

 
286,542

Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted
306,045

 
304,131

 
300,693

 
296,750

 
291,714

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
 
2011
 
2010
Other Financial Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net cash provided by operating activities
$
370,897

 
$
428,056

 
$
206,190

 
$
211,772

 
$
159,183

Net cash used in investing activities
(920,994
)
 
(505,606
)
 
(352,534
)
 
(571,607
)
 
(191,583
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
519,003

 
165,941

 
157,072

 
311,411

 
18,962

Capital expenditures
140,950

 
90,186

 
88,255

 
86,416

 
61,438

Business acquisitions(6)
775,921

 
408,384

 
265,336

 
486,934

 
143,578

Depreciation and amortization
125,437

 
86,463

 
70,165

 
54,505

 
41,428

Balance Sheet Data:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total assets
$
5,573,492

 
$
4,518,774

 
$
3,723,456

 
$
3,199,704

 
$
2,299,509

Working capital
1,566,721

 
1,121,864

 
896,407

 
752,042

 
611,555

Long-term obligations, including current portion
1,864,562

 
1,305,781

 
1,118,478

 
956,076

 
600,954

Stockholders' equity
2,720,657

 
2,350,745

 
1,964,094

 
1,644,085

 
1,414,161

(1)
Includes results of operations of Keystone Specialty from its acqusition effective January 3, 2014 and 22 other businesses from their respective acquisition dates in 2014.
(2)
Includes the results of operations of Sator Beheer B.V. from its acquisition effective May 1, 2013 and 19 other businesses from their respective acquisition dates in 2013.
(3)
Includes the results of operations of 30 businesses from their respective acquisition dates in 2012. Our 2012 results include gains totaling $17.9 million, which are included in Cost of goods sold, resulting from lawsuit settlements with certain of our aftermarket product suppliers.

34


(4)
Includes the results of operations of Euro Car Parts Holdings Limited from its acquisition effective October 1, 2011 and 20 other businesses from their respective acquisition dates in 2011. Our 2011 results include a loss on debt extinguishment of $5.3 million related to our execution of our new senior secured credit facilities on March 25, 2011. The loss on debt extinguishment is included in Other expense, net.
(5)
Includes the results of operations of 20 businesses from their respective acquisition dates in 2010.
(6)
Includes cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired.


35



ITEM 7.
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We provide replacement parts, components and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles, as well as specialty vehicle products and accessories.
Buyers of vehicle replacement products have the option to purchase from primarily five sources: new products produced by original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs"), which are commonly known as OEM products; new products produced by companies other than the OEMs, which are sometimes referred to as aftermarket products; recycled products obtained from salvage vehicles; used products that have been refurbished; and used products that have been remanufactured. We distribute a variety of products to collision and mechanical repair shops, including aftermarket collision and mechanical products, recycled collision and mechanical products, refurbished collision products such as wheels, bumper covers and lights, and remanufactured engines. Collectively, we refer to these products as alternative parts because they are not new OEM products.
We are the nation’s largest provider of alternative vehicle collision replacement products and a leading provider of alternative vehicle mechanical replacement products, with our sales, processing, and distribution facilities reaching most major markets in the United States and Canada. We are also a leading provider of alternative vehicle replacement and maintenance products in the United Kingdom and the Benelux region of continental Europe. In addition to our wholesale operations, we operate heavy truck facilities and self service retail facilities across the U.S. that sell recycled automotive products from end-of-life-vehicles. In 2014, we expanded our product offering to include specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories through the acquisition of Keystone Specialty.
We are organized into four operating segments: Wholesale - North America; Wholesale - Europe; Self Service; and Specialty. We aggregate our North American operating segments (Wholesale - North America and Self Service) into one reportable segment, resulting in three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Specialty.
Our revenue, cost of goods sold, and operating results have fluctuated on a quarterly and annual basis in the past and can be expected to continue to fluctuate in the future as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. Factors that may affect our operating results include, but are not limited to, those listed in the Special Note on Forward-Looking Statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Accordingly, our historical results of operations may not be indicative of future performance.
Acquisitions and Investments
Since our inception in 1998, we have pursued a growth strategy through both organic growth and acquisitions. We have pursued acquisitions that we believe will help drive profitability, cash flow and stockholder value. Our principal focus for acquisitions is companies that are market leaders, will expand our geographic presence and enhance our ability to provide a wide array of automotive products to our customers through our distribution network.
On January 3, 2014, we completed our acquisition of Keystone Specialty. Keystone Specialty is a leading distributor and marketer of specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories in North America serving the following six product segments: truck and off-road; speed and performance; recreational vehicle; towing; wheels, tires and performance handling; and miscellaneous accessories. Our acquisition of Keystone Specialty allows us to enter into new product lines and increase the size of our addressable market. In addition, we believe that the acquisition creates logistics and administrative cost synergies and potential cross-selling opportunities.
In addition to our acquisition of Keystone Specialty, we made 22 acquisitions during 2014, including 9 wholesale businesses in North America, 9 wholesale businesses in Europe, 2 self service retail operations, and 2 specialty vehicle aftermarket businesses. Our European acquisitions included seven aftermarket parts distribution businesses in the Netherlands, five of which were customers of and distributors for our Netherlands subsidiary, Sator. In the Netherlands, we are currently converting our existing distribution model to better align with that of our U.K. operations. This realignment will allow us to sell directly to the end repair shop customer versus through a local wholesale distributor, which we expect to improve margins, customer service, and fulfillment rates, and position us well to introduce additional product categories, such as collision and specialty vehicle, in the long term. Our other acquisitions completed during the year ended December 31, 2014 enabled us to expand into new product lines and enter new markets.
During the year ended December 31, 2013, we completed 20 acquisitions, including our May 2013 acquisition of Sator, a vehicle mechanical aftermarket parts distribution company based in the Netherlands, with operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France. With the acquisition of Sator, we expanded our geographic presence in the European vehicle mechanical aftermarket products market into continental Europe to complement our existing U.K. operations.

36



In addition to our acquisition of Sator, we acquired 10 wholesale businesses in North America, 7 wholesale businesses in Europe and 2 self service operations. Our European acquisitions included five automotive paint distribution businesses in the U.K., which enabled us to expand our collision product offerings. The other acquisitions completed during 2013 enabled us to expand into new product lines and enter new markets.
In August 2013, we entered into an agreement with Suncorp Group, a leading general insurance group in Australia and New Zealand, to develop an alternative vehicle replacement parts business in those countries. We are contributing our experience to help establish automotive parts recycling operations and to facilitate the procurement of aftermarket parts, while Suncorp is supplying salvage vehicles to the venture as well as assisting in establishing relationships with repair shops as customers. Our investment expanded our geographic presence into Australia and New Zealand and provides the opportunity to establish a leadership position in the supply of alternative parts in those countries.
During the year ended December 31, 2012, we made 30 acquisitions in North America, including 22 wholesale businesses and 8 self service retail operations. These acquisitions enabled us to expand our geographic presence and to enter new markets. Additionally, two of our acquisitions were completed with a goal of improving the recovery from scrap and other metals harvested from the vehicles we purchase: a precious metals refining and reclamation business and a scrap metal shredder.
Sources of Revenue
We report our revenue in two categories: (i) parts and services and (ii) other. Our parts and services revenue is generated from the sale of vehicle products and related services including (i) aftermarket, other new and refurbished products and (ii) recycled, remanufactured and related products and services. For the year ended December 31, 2014, parts and services revenue represented approximately 90% of our consolidated revenue.
The majority of our parts and services revenue is generated from the sale of vehicle replacement products to collision and mechanical repair shops. Our vehicle replacement products include sheet metal crash parts such as doors, hoods, and fenders; bumper covers; engines; head and tail lamps; and wheels. The demand for these products is influenced by several factors, including the number of vehicles in operation, the number of miles being driven, the frequency and severity of vehicle accidents, the age profile of vehicles in accidents, the availability and pricing of new OEM parts, seasonal weather patterns and local weather conditions. Additionally, automobile insurers exert significant influence over collision repair shops as to how an insured vehicle is repaired and the cost level of the products used in the repair process. Accordingly, we consider automobile insurers to be key demand drivers of our vehicle replacement products. While they are not our direct customers, we do provide insurance carriers services in an effort to promote the increased usage of alternative replacement products in the repair process. Such services include the review of vehicle repair order estimates, direct quotation services to insurance company adjusters and an aftermarket parts quality and service assurance program. We neither charge a fee to the insurance carriers for these services nor adjust our pricing of products for our customers when we perform these services for insurance carriers. There is no standard price for many of our vehicle replacement products, but rather a pricing structure that varies from day to day based upon such factors as product availability, quality, demand, new OEM product prices, the age and mileage of the vehicle from which the part was obtained, competitor pricing and our product cost.
With our January 3, 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty, our revenue from aftermarket, other new and refurbished products also includes revenue generated from the sale of specialty aftermarket vehicle equipment and accessories. These products are primarily sold to a large customer base of specialty vehicle retailers and equipment installers, including mostly independent, single-site operators. Specialty vehicle aftermarket products are typically installed on vehicles within the first year of ownership to enhance functionality, performance or aesthetics. As a result, the demand for these products is influenced by new and used vehicle sales and the overall economic health of vehicle owners, which may be affected by general business conditions, interest rates, inflation, consumer debt levels and other matters that influence consumer confidence and spending. The prices for our specialty vehicle products are based on manufacturers' suggested retail prices, with discounts applied based on prevailing market conditions, customer volumes and promotions that we may offer from time to time.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, revenue from other sources represented approximately 10% of our consolidated sales. These other sources include scrap sales and sales of aluminum ingots and sows. We derive scrap metal from several sources, including vehicles that have been used in both our wholesale and self service recycling operations and from OEMs and other entities that contract with us for secure disposal of "crush only" vehicles. Other revenue will vary from period to period based on fluctuations in commodity prices and the volume of materials sold.

37



Cost of Goods Sold
Our cost of goods sold for aftermarket products includes the price we pay for the parts, freight, and overhead costs related to the purchasing, warehousing and distribution of our inventory, including labor, facility and equipment costs and depreciation. Our aftermarket products are acquired from a number of vendors. Our cost of goods sold for refurbished products includes the price we pay for cores, freight, and costs to refurbish the parts, including direct and indirect labor, facility and equipment costs, depreciation and other overhead related to our refurbishing operations.
Our cost of goods sold for recycled products includes the price we pay for the salvage vehicle and, where applicable, auction, towing and storage fees. Prices for salvage vehicles may be impacted by a variety of factors, including the number of buyers competing to purchase the vehicles, the demand and pricing trends for used vehicles, the number of vehicles designated as “total losses” by insurance companies, the production level of new vehicles (which provides the source from which salvage vehicles ultimately come), the age of vehicles at auction and the status of laws regulating bidders or exporters of salvage vehicles. From time to time, we may also adjust our buying strategy to target vehicles with different attributes (for example, age, level of damage, revenue potential). Due to changes relating to these factors, we have seen the prices we pay for salvage vehicles fluctuate over time. Our cost of goods sold also includes labor and other costs we incur to acquire and dismantle such vehicles. Our labor and labor-related costs related to acquisition and dismantling generally account for between 8% and 10% of our cost of goods sold for vehicles we dismantle. The acquisition and dismantling of salvage vehicles is a manual process and, as a result, energy costs are not material. Our cost of goods sold for remanufactured products includes the price we pay for cores; freight; and costs to remanufacture the products, including direct and indirect labor, facility and equipment costs, depreciation and other overhead related to our remanufacturing operations.
Some of our salvage mechanical products are sold with a standard six-month warranty against defects. Additionally, some of our remanufactured engines are sold with a standard three-year warranty against defects. We also provide a limited lifetime warranty for certain of our aftermarket products that is supported by certain of the suppliers of those products. We record the estimated warranty costs at the time of sale using historical warranty claims information to project future warranty claims activity and related expenses.
Other revenue is primarily generated from the hulks and unusable parts of the vehicles we acquire for our wholesale and self service recycled product operations, and therefore, the costs of these sales include the proportionate share of the price we pay for the salvage vehicles as well as the applicable auction, storage and towing fees and internal costs to purchase and dismantle the vehicles. Our cost of goods sold for other revenue will fluctuate based on the prices paid for salvage vehicles, which may be impacted by a variety of factors as discussed above.

Expenses
Our facility and warehouse expenses primarily include our costs to operate our aftermarket selling warehouses, salvage yards and self service retail facilities. These costs include personnel expenses such as wages, incentive compensation and employee benefits for plant management and facility and warehouse personnel, as well as rent for our facilities and related utilities, property taxes, repairs and maintenance. The costs included in facility and warehouse expenses do not relate to inventory processing or conversion activities and, as such, are classified below the gross margin line on our Consolidated Statements of Income.
Our distribution expenses primarily include our costs to prepare and deliver our products to our customers. Included in our distribution expense category are personnel costs such as wages, employee benefits and incentive compensation for drivers; third party freight costs; fuel; and expenses related to our delivery and transfer trucks, including vehicle leases, repairs and maintenance and insurance.
Our selling and marketing expenses primarily include salary, commission and other incentive compensation expenses for sales personnel; advertising, promotion and marketing costs; credit card fees; telephone and other communication expenses; and bad debt expense. Personnel costs generally account for between 75% and 80% of our selling and marketing expenses. Most of our sales personnel are paid on a commission basis. The number and quality of our sales force is critical to our ability to respond to our customers’ needs and increase our sales volume. Our objective is to continually evaluate our sales force, develop and implement training programs, and utilize appropriate measurements to assess our selling effectiveness.
Our general and administrative expenses primarily include the costs of our corporate offices and field support center, which provide management, treasury, accounting, legal, payroll, business development, human resources and information systems functions. General and administrative expenses include wages, benefits, stock-based compensation and other incentive compensation for corporate, regional and administrative personnel; information systems support and maintenance expenses; and accounting, legal and other professional fees.

38



Seasonality
Our operating results are subject to quarterly variations based on a variety of factors, influenced primarily by seasonal changes in weather patterns. During the winter months, we tend to have higher demand for our vehicle replacement products because there are more weather related accidents, which generate repairs. We expect our specialty vehicle operations to generate greater revenue and earnings in the first half of the year, when vehicle owners tend to install specialty products.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates, assumptions, and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, assumptions, and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, inventory valuation, business combinations, and goodwill impairment. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. The results of these estimates form the basis for our judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and our recognition of revenue. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
Revenue Recognition
We recognize and report revenue from the sale of vehicle products when they are shipped to or picked up by the customers and title has transferred, subject to an allowance for estimated returns, discounts and allowances that management estimates based upon historical information. A product would ordinarily be returned within a few days of shipment. Our customers may earn discounts based upon sales volumes or sales volumes coupled with prompt payment. Allowances are normally given within a few days following product shipment. We analyze historical returns and allowances activity by comparing the items to the original invoice amounts and dates. We use this information to project future returns and allowances on products sold. If actual returns and allowances are higher than our historical experience, there would be an adverse impact on our operating results in the period of occurrence.
We recognize revenue from the sale of scrap metal, other metals, and cores when title has transferred, which typically occurs upon delivery to the customer.
Inventory Accounting
Aftermarket and Refurbished Product Inventory. Our aftermarket inventory cost is established based on the average price we pay for parts, and includes expenses incurred for freight and overhead costs. For items purchased from foreign companies, import fees and duties and transportation insurance are also included. Refurbished inventory cost is based on the average price we pay for cores, and also includes expenses incurred for freight, labor and other overhead related to our refurbishing operations.
Salvage and Remanufactured Inventory. Our salvage inventory cost is established based upon the price we pay for a vehicle, including auction, towing and storage fees, as well as expenditures for buying and dismantling vehicles. Inventory carrying value is determined using the average cost to sales percentage at each of our facilities and applying that percentage to the facility's inventory at expected selling prices, the assessment of which incorporates the sales probability based on a part's days in stock and historical demand. The average cost to sales percentage is derived from each facility's historical profitability for salvage vehicles. Remanufactured inventory cost is based upon the price paid for cores, and also includes expenses incurred for freight, direct manufacturing costs and overhead related to our remanufacturing operations.
All inventory is recorded at the lower of cost or market. The carrying value of our inventory includes a provision for excess and obsolete inventory, which we calculate based on a detailed review of current inventory on hand, historical sales experience, and anticipated demand. The carrying value is adjusted downward when anticipated demand is less than inventory on hand, inventories have become obsolete or inventory costs are in excess of net realizable value.
Business Combinations
We record our acquisitions under the acquisition method of accounting, under which the acquisition purchase price is allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their respective fair values. We utilize management estimates and, in some instances, independent third-party valuation firms to assist in determining the fair values of assets acquired, liabilities assumed and contingent consideration granted. Such estimates and valuations require us to make significant assumptions, including projections of future events and operating performance. The purchase price allocation is subject to change during the measurement period, which is limited to one year subsequent to the acquisition date.


39



Goodwill Impairment
We are required to test our goodwill for impairment at least annually. When testing goodwill for impairment, we are required to evaluate events and circumstances that may affect the performance of the reporting unit and the extent to which the events and circumstances may impact the future cash flows of the reporting unit to determine whether the fair value of the assets exceed the carrying value. If these assumptions or estimates change in the future, we may be required to record impairment charges for these assets. In response to changes in industry and market conditions, we may be required to strategically realign our resources and consider restructuring, disposing of, or otherwise exiting businesses, which could result in an impairment of goodwill.
We are organized into four operating segments: Wholesale-North America; Wholesale-Europe; Self Service; and Specialty. We have also concluded that these four operating segments are reporting units for purposes of goodwill impairment testing in 2014. We perform goodwill impairment tests annually in the fourth quarter and between annual tests whenever events indicate that an impairment may exist. During 2014, we did not identify any events or changes in circumstances that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of our reporting units below their carrying amounts. Therefore, we did not perform any impairment tests other than our annual test in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Our goodwill would be considered impaired if the net book value of a reporting unit exceeded its estimated fair value. The fair value estimates are established using weightings of the results of a discounted cash flow methodology and a comparative market multiples approach. We believe that using two methods to determine fair value limits the chances of an unrepresentative valuation. As of December 31, 2014, we had a total of $2.3 billion in goodwill subject to future impairment tests. If we were required to recognize goodwill impairments, we would report those impairment losses as part of our operating results. We determined that no adjustments were necessary when we performed our annual impairment testing in the fourth quarter of 2014. A 10% decrease in the fair value estimates of the reporting units in the annual impairment test would not have changed this determination.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 2, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to new accounting standards.
Financial Information by Geographic Area
See Note 13, "Segment and Geographic Information" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to our revenue and long-lived assets by geographic region.
Results of Operations—Consolidated
The following table sets forth statements of income data as a percentage of total revenue for the periods indicated:
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Revenue
100.0
 %
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
Cost of goods sold
60.7
 %
 
59.0
%
 
58.2
%
Gross margin
39.3
 %
 
41.0
%
 
41.8
%
Facility and warehouse expenses
7.8
 %
 
8.4
%
 
8.4
%
Distribution expenses
8.6
 %
 
8.5
%
 
9.1
%
Selling, general and administrative expenses
11.3
 %
 
11.8
%
 
12.0
%
Restructuring and acquisition related expenses
0.2
 %
 
0.2
%
 
0.1
%
Depreciation and amortization
1.8
 %
 
1.6
%
 
1.6
%
Operating income
9.6
 %
 
10.5
%
 
10.6
%
Other expense, net
0.9
 %
 
1.1
%
 
0.7
%
Income before provision for income taxes
8.7
 %
 
9.4
%
 
9.9
%
Provision for income taxes
3.0
 %
 
3.2
%
 
3.6
%
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries
(0.0
 )%
 
%
 
%
Net income
5.7
 %
 
6.2
%
 
6.3
%

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Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2013
Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in revenue by category (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
 
2014
 
2013
 
Acquisition
 
Organic
 
Foreign Exchange
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
6,086,759

 
$
4,429,580

 
27.8
%
 
9.0
 %
 
0.6
 %
 
37.4
%
Other revenue
653,305

 
632,948

 
9.3
%
 
(6.0
)%
 
(0.1
)%
 
3.2
%
Total revenue
$
6,740,064

 
$
5,062,528

 
25.5
%
 
7.1
 %
 
0.6
 %
 
33.1
%
Refer to the discussion of our segment results of operations for factors contributing to revenue growth during 2014 compared to the prior year.
Cost of Goods Sold. Our cost of goods sold increased to 60.7% of revenue in 2014 from 59.0% of revenue in 2013. The increase in cost of goods sold was primarily the result of lower margins generated by certain of our acquired businesses, which increased cost of goods sold by 2.0% of revenue. Our Keystone Specialty business operates a three step distribution model, which generates lower gross margins compared to our revenue from sales directly to repairers, and therefore was responsible for 1.2% of the increase in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue. Our other acquisitions completed since the beginning of the prior year were responsible for the remainder of the acquisition impact on cost of goods sold, none of which had a material impact on our gross margins individually. Partially offsetting the impact of our acquisitions, improvement in our North American gross margins decreased cost of goods sold by 0.4% of revenue. Refer to the discussion of our segment results of operations for factors contributing to the changes in cost of goods sold by segment for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013.
Facility and Warehouse Expenses. As a percentage of revenue, facility and warehouse expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 decreased to 7.8% from 8.4% in the prior year, which was primarily due to the effect of our Keystone Specialty acquisition. Compared to our other North American operations, Keystone Specialty stores a greater portion of inventory at its regional distribution centers, the costs of which are capitalized into inventory and expensed through cost of goods sold. In our North American wholesale operations, most of the inventory sold by our locations is stored on site rather than in distribution centers, and the related facility and warehouse expenses are recorded in this line item.
Distribution Expenses. As a percentage of revenue, distribution expenses increased to 8.6% in 2014 from 8.5% in 2013, primarily due to greater costs in our European segment. In our U.K. operations, we incurred greater personnel expenditures as a result of 59 new branch openings since the beginning of the prior year, which increased distribution expenses by 0.1% of revenue.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Our selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 decreased to 11.3% of revenue from 11.8% of revenue in the prior year. Our acquisitions contributed 0.4% of the reduction in expense, including primarily the effect of Keystone Specialty, which has lower selling, general and administrative costs compared to our other operations. Greater leverage of our sales force and general and administrative personnel in our North American operations contributed an additional 0.3% improvement in costs as a percentage of revenue. These reductions in expense as a percentage of revenue were partially offset by greater expenses in our European operations, including greater expenditures for our sales force, primarily related to new branch openings, and higher advertising costs compared to the prior year period, which increased selling, general and administrative expenses by 0.2% of revenue.
Restructuring and Acquisition Related Expenses. The following table summarizes restructuring and acquisition related expenses for the periods indicated (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
 
 
2014
 
2013
 
Change
Restructuring expenses
$
11,123

(1) 
$
3,526

(2) 
$
7,597

Acquisition related expenses
3,683

(3) 
6,647

(4) 
(2,964
)
Total restructuring and acquisition related expenses
$
14,806

 
$
10,173

 
$
4,633

(1)
Includes $5.8 million of expense related to the integration of our Keystone Specialty acquisition, as well as $1.9 million, $1.0 million, and $0.8 million of expense related to the integration of acquired businesses in our European, North American and Specialty segments, respectively. Additionally, we incurred $1.6 million of severance costs to terminated employees as part of the ongoing rationalization of our European operations.

41



(2)
Includes $2.1 million of restructuring expenses related to the integration of certain of our 2013 European acquisitions and $1.4 million of restructuring expenses related to the integration of certain of our 2012 North American acquisitions.
(3)
Includes external costs primarily related to our acquisitions of seven distribution companies in the Netherlands.
(4)
Includes external costs primarily related to our acquisitions of Sator, five automotive paint distribution businesses in the U.K. and our January 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty.
See Note 9, "Restructuring and Acquisition Related Expenses" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our restructuring and integration plans.
Depreciation and Amortization. The following table provides additional information about the increase in depreciation and amortization compared to the prior year (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
 
2014
 
2013
 
Change
 
Depreciation
$
86,216

 
$
67,122

 
$
19,094

(1) 
Amortization
34,503

 
13,847

 
20,656

(2) 
Total depreciation and amortization
$
120,719

 
$
80,969

 
$
39,750

 
(1)
Increase in depreciation is a result of increased levels of property and equipment to support our organic and acquisition related growth.
(2)
Increase in amortization is a result of amortization of intangible assets related to our acquisitions completed since the beginning of the prior year. We recognized $78.1 million of intangibles related to our January 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty and $45.3 million of intangibles related to our May 2013 acquisition of Sator.
Other Expense, Net. The following table summarizes the components of the year-over-year increase in other expense, net (in thousands):
Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2013
$
54,353

 
Increase (decrease) due to:
 
 
Interest expense
13,358

(1) 
Loss on debt extinguishment
(2,471
)
(2) 
Changes in fair value of contingent consideration liabilities
(4,355
)
(3) 
Interest and other income, net
1,095

(4) 
Net increase
7,627

 
Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2014
$
61,980

 
(1)
Increased $17.8 million as a result of higher average outstanding debt levels, primarily to finance our Keystone Specialty and 2014 European acquisitions, partially offset by a decrease of $4.4 million as a result of lower interest rates relative to the prior year, primarily due to a lower applicable margin on our credit agreement borrowings as a result of our March 2014 amendment.
(2)
In 2014, we incurred a loss on debt extinguishment of $0.3 million related to the March 2014 amendment to our senior secured credit agreement, compared to a loss on debt extinguishment of $2.8 million during the prior year related to our May 2013 amendment to our senior secured credit credit agreement.
(3)
During 2014, we recorded gains of $1.9 million as a result of fair value adjustments to our contingent consideration liabilities, compared to losses of $2.5 million in the prior year. See Note 6, "Fair Value Measurements" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our contingent payment arrangements.
(4)
Primarily due to $0.9 million of greater losses as a result of foreign currency exchange for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013.
See Note 4, "Long-Term Obligations" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on the amendments to our credit agreement.


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Provision for Income Taxes. Our effective income tax rate was 34.7% for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to 34.5% for the year ended December 31, 2013. The lower effective income tax rate in 2013 primarily reflects the discrete benefit related to the revaluation of our net U.K. deferred tax liabilities as a result of reductions in the U.K. corporate income tax rate.
Year Ended December 31, 2013 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2012
Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in revenue by category (amounts in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
 
2013
 
2012
 
Acquisition
 
Organic
 
Foreign Exchange
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
4,429,580

 
$
3,563,876

 
13.7
%
 
11.0
 %
 
(0.4
)%
 
24.3
%
Other revenue
632,948

 
559,054

 
14.8
%
 
(1.5
)%
 
(0.1
)%
 
13.2
%
Total revenue
$
5,062,528

 
$
4,122,930

 
13.8
%
 
9.3
 %
 
(0.4
)%
 
22.8
%
Refer to the discussion of our segment results of operations for factors contributing to revenue growth during 2013 compared to the prior year.
Cost of Goods Sold. Our cost of goods sold increased to 59.0% of revenue in 2013 from 58.2% of revenue in 2012. In 2013, our cost of goods sold reflected a 0.7% increase as a percentage of revenue as a result of the lower gross margins generated by certain of our acquisitions, including our 2013 acquisitions of Sator and five U.K.-based paint distribution businesses, as well as our June 2012 acquisition of a precious metals refining and reclamation business. In 2012, we recognized a gain on lawsuit settlements totaling $17.9 million that did not reoccur in 2013, thus accounting for 0.4% of the increase in the 2013 cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue. See Note 7, "Commitments and Contingencies" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on the lawsuit settlements. These increases in cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue were partially offset by 0.4% improvement in gross margin in our salvage operations within our Wholesale - North America segment, which reflects the impact of various individually insignificant factors, the largest of which were lower vehicle costs and pricing improvements.
Facility and Warehouse Expenses. As a percentage of revenue, facility and warehouse expenses for the year ended December 31, 2013 remained flat at 8.4% of revenue. Our North American operations increased facility and warehouse expense by 0.2% of revenue, which reflects increased weighting of our self service business. During 2012, we completed the acquisition of eight self service retail operations, which generally incur greater facility costs as a percentage of revenue compared to our wholesale operations, as our self service business tends to require a larger facility footprint to generate its sales. Higher costs in North America were offset by a greater proportion of revenue generated by our European operations, which incur lower facility and warehouse costs as a percentage of revenue, combined with improved leveraging of facility and warehouse personnel in our U.K. operations related to 56 new branch openings completed since the beginning of 2012.
Distribution Expenses. As a percentage of revenue, distribution expenses decreased to 8.5% of revenue in 2013 from 9.1% of revenue in 2012. In our North American operations, improved leveraging of our distribution workforce contributed 0.2% of the reduction in distribution expenses as a percentage of revenue. Fuel expense also decreased by 0.1% of revenue due to a reduction in the average price we pay for fuel. Our European operations contributed the remainder of the decrease, including a 0.2% benefit from our 2013 European acquisitions, as well as a 0.1% benefit from our existing U.K. operations, primarily as a result of improved leverage related to 56 new branch openings since the beginning of 2012.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Our selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2013 decreased to 11.8% of revenue from 12.0% during the prior year. The reduction of these expenses as a percentage of revenue reflects an approximately equal impact from improved leveraging of general and administrative overhead costs and the relatively lower general and administrative expenses incurred by our Sator business compared to our other operations.
Restructuring and Acquisition Related Expenses. The following table summarizes restructuring and acquisition related expenses for the periods indicated (in thousands):

43



 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2013
 
2012
 
Change
Restructuring expenses
$
3,526

(1) 
$
2,280

(2) 
$
1,246

Acquisition related expenses
6,647

(3) 
471

 
6,176

Total restructuring and acquisition related expenses
$
10,173

 
$
2,751

 
$
7,422

(1)
Includes $2.1 million of restructuring expenses related to the integration of certain of our 2013 European acquisitions and $1.4 million of restructuring expenses related to the integration of certain of our 2012 North American acquisitions.
(2)
Includes $1.1 million related to the consolidation of our bumper and wheel refurbishing operations and $1.2 million related to the integration of certain of our 2011 and 2012 acquisitions into our existing business.
(3)
Includes external costs primarily related to our acquisitions of Sator, five automotive paint distribution businesses in the U.K. and our January 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty.
See Note 9, "Restructuring and Acquisition Related Expenses" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our restructuring and integration plans.
Depreciation and Amortization. The following table provides additional information about the increase in depreciation and amortization compared to the prior year (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
 
2013
 
2012
 
Change
 
Depreciation
$
67,122

 
$
54,548

 
$
12,574

(1) 
Amortization
13,847

 
9,545

 
4,302

(2) 
Total depreciation and amortization
$
80,969

 
$
64,093

 
$
16,876

 
(1)
Increase in depreciation is a result of increased levels of property and equipment to support our organic and acquisition related growth.
(2)
Increase in amortization is a result of higher levels of intangible assets as a result of business acquisitions, including $45.3 million related to our May 2013 acquisition of Sator.
Other Expense, Net. The following table summarizes the components of the year-over-year increase in other expense, net (in thousands):
Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2012
$
28,786

 
Increase due to:
 
 
Interest expense
19,755

(1) 
Loss on debt extinguishment
2,795

(2) 
Changes in fair value of contingent consideration liabilities
861

(3) 
Interest and other income, net
2,156

(4) 
Total increase
25,567

 
Other expense, net for the year ended December 31, 2013
$
54,353

 
(1)
The increase in interest expense includes an approximately equal impact of higher outstanding debt balances and higher interest rates, primarily as a result of the senior notes issued in May 2013. See Note 4, "Long-Term Obligations" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information related to our 2013 senior notes offering.
(2)
In May 2013, we executed an amended and restated senior secured credit agreement, and as a result, we expensed a portion of capitalized debt issuance costs related to the prior agreement, as well as a portion of the fees incurred with the amendment.
(3)
In 2013, we recognized expense of $2.5 million as a result of fair value adjustments to our contingent payment liabilities, compared to $1.6 million in 2012. See Note 6, "Fair Value Measurements" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our contingent payment arrangements.

44



(4)
The increase in interest and other income, net was primarily due to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, the British pound, and other currencies, which was a loss of $2.4 million during 2013 compared to a gain of $0.2 million during 2012.
Provision for Income Taxes. Our effective income tax rate was 34.5% and 36.2% for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. We continued to expand our international operations throughout 2012 and 2013 with both acquisition related and organic revenue growth in our European segment as well as through acquisitions in Canada. The lower effective income tax rate in 2013 reflects a 1.4% benefit relative to the prior year as a result of this growth in our international operations, where a larger proportion of our pretax income was generated in lower rate jurisdictions. The effect of lower state income taxes, other discrete items and permanent differences contributed the remaining 0.3% reduction in the effective tax rate compared to the prior year.
Results of Operations—Segment Reporting
We have four operating segments: Wholesale – North America; Wholesale – Europe; Self Service; and Specialty. Our Specialty operating segment was formed with our January 3, 2014 acquisition of Keystone Specialty, as discussed in Note 8, "Business Combinations" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our Wholesale – North America and Self Service operating segments are aggregated into one reportable segment, North America, because they possess similar economic characteristics and have common products and services, customers, and methods of distribution. Therefore, we present three reportable segments: North America, Europe and Specialty.
The following table presents our financial performance, including third party revenue, total revenue and Segment EBITDA, by reportable segment for the periods indicated (in thousands):
 
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
% of Total Revenue
 
2013
 
% of Total Revenue
 
2012
 
% of Total Revenue
Third Party Revenue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North America
$
4,088,701

 
 
 
$
3,802,929

 
 
 
$
3,426,858

 
 
Europe
1,846,155

 
 
 
1,259,599

 
 
 
696,072

 
 
Specialty
805,208

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
Total third party revenue
$
6,740,064

 
 
 
$
5,062,528

 
 
 
$
4,122,930

 
 
Total Revenue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North America
$
4,089,290

 
 
 
$
3,802,929

 
 
 
$
3,426,858

 
 
Europe
1,846,155

 
 
 
1,259,599

 
 
 
696,072

 
 
Specialty
807,015

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
Eliminations
(2,396
)
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
Total revenue
$
6,740,064

 
 
 
$
5,062,528

 
 
 
$
4,122,930

 
 
Segment EBITDA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
North America
$
543,943

 
13.3%
 
$
486,831

 
12.8%
 
$
441,268

 
12.9%
Europe
167,155

 
9.1%
 
141,756

 
11.3%
 
73,673

 
10.6%
Specialty
79,453

 
9.8%
 

 
n/m
 

 
n/m
Total Segment EBITDA
$
790,551

 
11.7%
 
$
628,587

 
12.4%
 
$
514,941

 
12.5%
The key measure of segment profit or loss reviewed by our chief operating decision maker, who is our Chief Executive Officer, is Segment EBITDA. Segment EBITDA includes revenue and expenses that are controllable by the segment. Corporate and administrative expenses are allocated to the segments based on usage, with shared expenses apportioned based on the segment's percentage of consolidated revenue. Segment EBITDA is calculated as EBITDA excluding restructuring and acquisition related expenses, change in fair value of contingent consideration liabilities and equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries. EBITDA, which is the basis for Segment EBITDA, is calculated as net income excluding depreciation, amortization, interest (including loss on debt extinguishment) and taxes. Loss on debt extinguishment is considered a component of interest in calculating EBITDA, as the write-off of debt issuance costs is similar to the treatment of debt issuance cost amortization. See Note 13, "Segment and Geographic Information" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a reconciliation of total Segment EBITDA to Net Income.

45



Because our Specialty segment was formed on January 3, 2014 with our Keystone Specialty acquisition, the discussion of our consolidated results of operations covers the factors driving the year-over-year performance of our existing business and also discusses the effect of the Specialty operations on our consolidated results. Results for the Specialty segment will not have a comparative period until the first quarter of 2015. However, compared to Keystone Specialty's unaudited results for the year ended December 31, 2013, revenue in our Specialty segment increased 15.8%. During the fourth quarter of 2014, we completed two additional acquisitions in our Specialty segment, which contributed approximately one quarter of the revenue growth. The remaining revenue growth was primarily due to greater sales volumes as a result of favorable economic conditions. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2014, we generated a greater proportion of revenue from our higher-end specialty vehicle products, such as truck and recreational vehicle accessories, which resulted in a favorable mix of revenue compared to the prior year unaudited results.
Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2013
North America
Third Party Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in third party revenue by category in our North American segment (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
North America
2014
 
2013
 
Acquisition (1)
 
Organic
 
Foreign Exchange
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
3,437,821

 
$
3,171,733

 
2.8
%
 
6.1
 %
(2) 
(0.5
)%
 
8.4
%
Other revenue
650,880

 
631,196

 
9.3
%
 
(6.0
)%
(3) 
(0.1
)%
 
3.1
%
Total revenue
$
4,088,701

 
$
3,802,929

 
3.8
%
 
4.1
 %
 
(0.5
)%
 
7.5
%
(1)
Reflects the impact of 9 wholesale businesses and 2 self service retail operations acquired during 2014.
(2)
Our organic growth in parts and services revenue was primarily due to higher sales volumes, as severe winter weather conditions during the second half of the fourth quarter of 2013 and through the first quarter of 2014 contributed to increased vehicle accidents, resulting in higher insurance claims activity. In addition, we believe the increased new car production since 2009 and greater miles driven has increased the demand for automotive parts used in repairs, including alternative parts. Industry reports also indicate that the number of parts used in each insured repair is increasing compared to historical levels.
(3)
Approximately half of the reduction in other revenue was due to reduced volume of scrap and other metals, with the remaining decline a result of lower prices for scrap and other metals. Compared to the prior year, our furnace operations processed lower volumes of aluminum. Additionally, we purchased fewer self service and "crush only" cars in the first quarter of 2014 as the prices demanded for vehicles in certain markets exceeded our acceptable cost given the prices of scrap and other metals. While we increased our purchasing levels during the remainder of the year to offset the shortfall, we crushed fewer vehicles compared to the prior year period due to the lag time to process these cars.
Segment EBITDA. As a percentage of total revenue, Segment EBITDA in North America increased to 13.3% during the year ended December 31, 2014 from 12.8% in the prior year. The improvement in Segment EBITDA reflects an increase in gross margin by 0.2% of revenue combined with a 0.3% reduction in operating expenses as a percentage of revenue. Our wholesale operations increased gross margin by 0.6% of revenue, including a 0.5% improvement from lower inventory purchase costs and a favorable mix effect of 0.2% as a result of generating less revenue from our lower margin sales of scrap and precious metals. The improvement in gross margin as a percentage of revenue was partially offset by the impact of our acquisition of an automotive core business in January 2014, which increased our revenue in product lines that are complementary to our existing vehicle replacement parts offerings but generate lower gross margins, thereby decreasing gross margins by 0.5% of revenue. Selling, general and administrative expenses declined by 0.5% of revenue, primarily due to improved leverage of our sales force and general and administrative personnel, but this was partially offset by an increase of facility and warehouse expenses by 0.2% of revenue due to higher personnel expenditures.
Europe
Third Party Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in third party revenue by category in our European segment (in thousands):

46



 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
Europe
2014
 
2013
 
Acquisition (1)
 
Organic (2)
 
Foreign Exchange (3)
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
1,843,730

 
$
1,257,847

 
27.0
%
 
16.1
%
 
3.6
%
 
46.6
%
Other revenue
2,425

 
1,752

 
12.8
%
 
19.7
%
 
5.8
%
 
38.4
%
Total revenue
$
1,846,155

 
$
1,259,599

 
26.9
%
 
16.1
%
 
3.6
%
 
46.6
%
(1)
Includes $131.3 million from our May 2013 acquisition of Sator, $85.6 million from our August 2013 acquisitions of five paint distributors in the U.K. and $100.3 million from our 2014 acquisitions of seven distribution companies in the Netherlands.
(2)
In our U.K. operations, revenue grew organically by 20.6%, while our continental European operations were flat with the prior year post-acquisition period, resulting in net organic revenue growth of 16.1% over the prior year. Our organic revenue growth in the U.K., which resulted from higher sales volumes, was composed of a 13.3% increase from stores open more than 12 months and a 7.3% increase from revenue generated by 59 branch openings since the beginning of the prior year through the one year anniversary of their respective opening dates. In our continental European operations, a new warehouse location in France resulted in greater sales volumes compared to the prior year period, but this growth was offset by a decline in sales into Eastern Europe as a result of the devaluation of local currencies and political instability.
(3)
Compared to the prior year, exchange rates contributed 3.6% of the revenue growth, primarily due to the strengthening of the British pound against the U.S. dollar in the first nine months of 2014. While exchanges rates positively affected revenue on a year-to-date basis, the British pound weakened against the U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter to partially offset the benefit realized during the first nine months of the year. Based on exchange rates through early February 2015 and projections for the remainder of the year, we expect there will be a negative effect on revenue from foreign currency exchange in 2015.
Segment EBITDA. As a percentage of total revenue, Segment EBITDA in our European operations decreased to 9.1% for the year ended December 31, 2014 from 11.3% during the year ended December 31, 2013. Our acquisitions completed since the beginning of the prior year were responsible for 1.1% of the decline in Segment EBITDA as a percentage of revenue, including primarily the effect of the Netherlands distributors we acquired in May 2014. The effect of the Netherlands distributors includes a negative gross margin impact of 0.3% that we believe will not affect future periods once the higher cost acquired inventory has turned and we are able to internalize the incremental distributor margin. Additionally, as we transition our continental European operations to a two step distribution model, including the effect of these acquisitions, we expect our operating expenses to increase as we internalize the cost of the distribution network; during the year ended December 31, 2014, these greater operating costs resulted in a decline in Segment EBITDA as a percentage of revenue, thereby accounting for the remaining negative impact on Segment EBITDA margins. Our existing operations were responsible for the remaining decline in Segment EBITDA, including a 0.7% effect from 59 new branch openings in the U.K. since the beginning of the prior year in our U.K. operations. Additionally, we incurred 0.2% in higher advertising expenses compared to the prior year.
Year Ended December 31, 2013 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2012
North America
Third Party Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in third party revenue by category in our North American segment (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
North America
2013
 
2012
 
Acquisition (1)
 
Organic
 
Foreign Exchange
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
3,171,733

 
$
2,868,980

 
4.8
%
 
6.0
 %
(2) 
(0.2
)%
 
10.6
%
Other revenue
631,196

 
557,878

 
14.8
%
 
(1.6
)%
(3) 
(0.1
)%
 
13.1
%
Total revenue
$
3,802,929

 
$
3,426,858

 
6.4
%
 
4.8
 %
 
(0.2
)%
 
11.0
%
(1)
Reflects the impact of 10 wholesale businesses and 2 self service retail operations acquired during 2013.
(2)
Organic growth in parts and services revenue is primarily due to higher sales volumes. In the first half of 2012, we experienced milder winter weather conditions, which contributed to fewer and less severe vehicle accidents, resulting in lower insurance claims. Additionally, 2013 sales volumes benefited from higher inventory purchases compared to 2012, which contributed to a greater volume of parts available for sale.

47



(3)
The decrease in other revenue was primarily a result of a reduction in sales volume from our furnace operations, partially offset by an increased volume of scrap and core revenue from our salvage operations.
Segment EBITDA. As a percentage of total revenue, Segment EBITDA decreased to 12.8% in 2013 from 12.9% in 2012. In 2012, we recognized a gain on lawsuit settlements totaling $17.9 million, which decreased 2013 Segment EBITDA as a percentage of revenue by 0.5% relative to 2012 as the gain did not reoccur in 2013. Our precious metals refining and reclamation business, which generates lower margins as a percentage of revenue, contributed 0.2% of the decline in Segment EBITDA, primarily due to including a full year of results in 2013 compared to only seven months in 2012. In our self service operations, a narrowing spread between the prices received for scrap and other metals and the cost of the scrap component of the cars that we crushed resulted in a decrease in Segment EBITDA of 0.2% of revenue.  These decreases were partly offset by a 0.5% improvement in Segment EBITDA margin from our wholesale salvage operations, which reflects the impact of various individually insignificant factors, the largest of which were lower vehicle costs and pricing improvements. Lower operating expenses increased Segment EBITDA by 0.2% of revenue as a result of improved leverage of our distribution workforce and lower fuel costs, partially offset by higher facility costs in our self service operations.
Europe
Third Party Revenue. The following table summarizes the changes in third party revenue by category in our European segment (in thousands):
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
Percentage Change in Revenue
Europe
2013
 
2012
 
Acquisition (1)
 
Organic (2)
 
Foreign Exchange (3)
 
Total Change
Parts & services revenue
$
1,257,847

 
$
694,896

 
50.5
%
 
31.8
%
 
(1.3
)%
 
81.0
%
Other revenue
1,752

 
1,176

 
%
 
50.7
%
 
(1.7
)%
 
49.0
%
Total revenue
$
1,259,599

 
$
696,072

 
50.4
%
 
31.8
%
 
(1.3
)%
 
81.0
%
(1)
Acquisition related revenue growth was primarily a result of our Sator acquisition completed in May 2013.
(2)
Our organic revenue growth was a result of higher sales volumes, including a 20.8% increase from stores open more than 12 months and an 11% increase from revenue generated by 56 branch openings since the beginning of 2012 through the one year anniversary of their respective opening dates.
(3)
The weakening, on average, of the British pound against the U.S. dollar decreased revenue by 1.3% compared to the prior year.
Segment EBITDA. As a percentage of total revenue, Segment EBITDA in our European segment increased to 11.3% for the year ended December 31, 2013 from 10.6% during 2012. In our U.K. operations, improved leverage of our facilities and distribution network to support new branch openings and existing store sales growth resulted in a 1.1% improvement in Segment EBITDA as a percentage of revenue compared to the prior year. The improvement in Segment EBITDA margin in our U.K. operations was partially offset by the impact of our Sator acquisition, which decreased Segment EBITDA by 0.4% as a percentage of revenue.
2015 Outlook
We estimate that net income and diluted earnings per share for the year ending December 31, 2015, excluding the impact of any restructuring and acquisition related expenses and any gains or losses related to acquisitions or divestitures (including changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities), will be in the range of $420 million to $450 million and $1.36 to $1.46, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table summarizes liquidity data as of the dates indicated (in thousands):

48



 
December 31, 2014
 
December 31, 2013
Cash and equivalents
$
114,605

 
$
150,488

Total debt
1,864,562

 
1,305,781

Net debt (total debt less cash and equivalents)
1,749,957

 
1,155,293

Current maturities
63,515

 
41,535

Capacity under credit facilities (1)
1,947,000

 
1,430,000

Availability under credit facilities (1)
1,127,810

 
1,150,603

Total liquidity (cash and equivalents plus availability on credit facilities)
1,242,415

 
1,301,091

(1) Includes our revolving credit facilities and our receivables securitization facility.
We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to fund our operations and provide for expansion through both internal development and acquisitions. Our primary sources of liquidity are cash flows from operations and our credit facilities. We utilize our cash flows from operations to fund working capital and capital expenditures, with the excess amounts going towards funding acquisitions or paying down outstanding debt. As we have pursued acquisitions as part of our growth strategy, our cash flows from operations have not always been sufficient to cover our investing activities. To fund our acquisitions, we have accessed various forms of debt financing, including our March 2014 amendment to our senior secured credit facilities and the issuance of $600 million of senior notes in May 2013.
As of December 31, 2014, we had debt outstanding and additional available sources of financing, as follows:
Senior secured credit facilities maturing in May 2019, composed of $450 million in term loans ($433 million outstanding at December 31, 2014) and $1.85 billion in revolving credit ($664 million outstanding at December 31, 2014), bearing interest at variable rates (although a portion of this debt is hedged through interest rate swap contracts)
Senior notes totaling $600 million, maturing in May 2023 and bearing interest at a 4.75% fixed rate
Receivables securitization facility with availability up to $97 million ($94.9 million outstanding as of December 31, 2014), maturing in October 2017 and bearing interest at variable commercial paper rates
    
Since the first quarter of 2013, we have undertaken several financing transactions to increase our available liquidity, including two amendments to our senior secured credit facilities (most recently amended as of March 27, 2014), our $600 million senior notes offering completed in May 2013 and an amendment to our receivables facility in September 2014. The amendments to our credit facilities increased the size of our revolver, reset the term loan, extended the maturity of the credit agreement, and adjusted certain of our bank covenants. By issuing the notes, we diversified our financing structure by adding a long-term fixed rate instrument and reducing our reliance on the bank market. We also believe the interest rate on the notes was favorable. Although higher than today's short-term floating rate debt, the 10-year fixed rate of 4.75% reduces our risk of future interest rate increases, which we have seen in the market subsequent to our offering. The amendment to our receivables facility increased our maximum borrowing capacity by $17 million and extended the maturity by two years. The new structure provides financial flexibility to execute our long-term growth strategy. If we see an attractive acquisition opportunity, we have the ability to use our revolver to move quickly and have certainty of funding up to the amount of our then-available liquidity.
As of December 31, 2014, we had approximately $1.1 billion available under our credit facilities. Combined with approximately $115 million of cash and equivalents at December 31, 2014, we had approximately $1.2 billion in available liquidity, a decrease of $59 million over our available liquidity as of December 31, 2013. The amendment to our senior secured credit facilities in the first quarter of 2014 provided an additional $500 million of availability on our revolver, which more than offset the increase in borrowings to finance our January 2014 Keystone Specialty acquisition. We believe that our current liquidity and cash expected to be generated by operating activities in future periods will be sufficient to meet our current operating and capital requirements, although such sources may not be sufficient for future acquisitions depending on their size. While we believe that we currently have adequate capacity, from time to time we may need to raise additional funds through public or private financing, strategic relationships or other arrangements. There can be no assurance that additional funding, or refinancing of our credit facilities, if needed, will be available on terms attractive to us, or at all. Furthermore, any additional equity financing may be dilutive to stockholders, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants or higher interest costs. Our failure to raise capital if and when needed could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Borrowings under the credit agreement accrue interest at variable rates, which depend on the currency and the duration of the borrowing, plus an applicable margin rate which is subject to change quarterly based on our reported leverage ratio. We

49



hold interest rate swaps to hedge the variable rates on our credit agreement borrowings (as described in Note 5, "Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K), with the effect of fixing the interest rates on the respective notional amounts. After giving effect to these interest rate swap contracts, the weighted average interest rate on borrowings outstanding under our credit agreement at December 31, 2014 was 2.10%, although the rate will increase in March 2015 as a result of the quarterly reset of our applicable margin rate. Including the borrowings on our senior notes and receivables securitization program, our overall weighted average interest rate on borrowings was 2.92% at December 31, 2014. Cash interest payments were $59.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, including interest payments totaling $28.5 million related to the senior notes. The semi-annual interest payments on our senior notes are made in May and November each year, and began in November 2013. We had outstanding credit agreement borrowings of $1.1 billion and $672.6 million at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Of these amounts, $22.5 million were classified as current maturities at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. We have scheduled repayments of $5.6 million each quarter on the term loan through its maturity in May 2019, but no other significant principal payments on our credit facilities prior to the maturity of the receivables securitization program in October 2017. In addition to the repayments under our credit facilities, we will make payments on notes payable and other debt totaling $41 million in the next 12 months, the majority of which is for payments on notes payable issued in connection with acquisitions.
Our credit agreement contains customary covenants that provide limitations and conditions on our ability to enter into certain transactions.  The credit agreement also contains financial and affirmative covenants, including limitations on our net leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio.  We were in compliance with all restrictive covenants under our credit agreement as of December 31, 2014.
As of December 31, 2014, cash held by our foreign subsidiaries totaled $77 million and undistributed earnings of our foreign subsidiaries amounted to approximately $266 million. These earnings are considered to be indefinitely reinvested, and accordingly no provision for U.S. income taxes has been provided thereon. Should these earnings be repatriated in the future, in the form of dividends or otherwise, we would be subject to both U.S. income taxes (subject to adjustment for foreign tax credits) and potential withholding taxes payable to the various foreign countries. We believe that we have sufficient cash flow and liquidity to meet our financial obligations in the U.S. without resort to repatriation of foreign earnings.
The procurement of inventory is the largest operating use of our funds. We normally pay for aftermarket product purchases at the time of shipment or on standard payment terms, depending on the manufacturer and the negotiated payment terms. We normally pay for salvage vehicles acquired at salvage auctions and under direct procurement arrangements at the time that we take possession of the vehicles.
The following table sets forth a summary of our inventory procurement for 2014, 2013, and 2012:
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Aftermarket inventory purchases (billions)
$
2.7

 
$
1.7

 
$
1.3

Wholesale salvage cars and trucks
290,000

 
281,000

 
262,200

Self service and "crush only" cars
514,000

 
513,000

 
416,000

Aftermarket inventory purchases in 2014 included $613 million within our Specialty segment that was formed in 2014, as well as $88.2 million of incremental purchases for our Sator business (acquired in May 2013) from the beginning of 2014 through the anniversary date of the acquisition.
Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $370.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to $428.1 million in 2013. Compared to the prior year, our 2014 EBITDA increased by $159.6 million, due to both acquisition related growth and organic growth. Cash outflows for our primary working capital accounts (receivables, inventory and payables) increased to $189.8 million during 2014, from $64.3 million during 2013, as a result of greater inventory growth, particularly in our aftermarket products, as well as increased receivables balances, including the effect of increased sales levels in our U.K. operations. Cash flows related to our primary working capital accounts can be volatile as the purchases, payments and collections can be timed differently from period to period and can be influenced by factors outside of our control. However, we expect that the net change in these working capital items will generally be a cash outflow as we grow our business each year. Cash paid for income taxes increased to $177.0 million from $110.9 million due to the overpayment of taxes in 2012 that we offset against the estimated tax payments in 2013, as well as greater earnings that required higher estimated tax payments in 2014 compared to the prior year. During 2014, we made two semi-annual interest payments totaling $28.5 million on our senior notes, whereas in 2013 we made one semi-annual interest payment of $14.2 million. Cash payments for bonuses were $7.8 million higher during 2014 than they were in 2013.
Net cash used in investing activities totaled $921.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to $505.6 million for the same period of 2013. We invested $775.9 million of cash, net of cash acquired, in business acquisitions during

50



2014, including $427.1 million for our Keystone Specialty acquisition. We invested $408.4 million for business acquisitions in the comparable prior year, including our acquisition of Sator for $272.8 million. Property and equipment purchases were $141.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to $90.2 million in the prior year. The increase in capital expenditures relative to the prior year period reflects an increase of $17.4 million in our U.K. operations, including greater expenditures for leasehold improvements and vehicles for 44 new branch locations opened during the year ended December 31, 2014. Capital expenditures in our North American segment increased by $19.9 million, primarily due to costs incurred to build a facility that we subsequently sold and leased back from the buyer. The proceeds of the sale-leaseback transaction are reflected as financing cash inflows in the year ended December 31, 2014. In 2013, we entered into an agreement with Suncorp Group to develop an alternative vehicle products business in Australia and New Zealand, for which our initial investment totaled $9.1 million; during 2014, we paid $2.2 million for investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries.
Net cash provided by financing activities totaled $519.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to $165.9 million in 2013. During 2014, net borrowings under our credit facilities were $578.4 million compared to net borrowings of $227.1 million in 2013. In both periods, we used the proceeds from the net borrowings primarily to fund acquisitions, including $370 million of revolver borrowings and $80 million of borrowings under our receivables facility to finance the Keystone Specialty acquisition. Our March 2014 amendment of our credit facilities generated $11.3 million in additional term loan borrowings, which were used to pay $3.7 million in debt issuance costs related to the amendment, as well as to repay outstanding revolver borrowings. During 2013 we completed a $600 million senior notes offering, as well as an amendment to our credit agreement that resulted in $35 million in term loan proceeds, which were used to pay $16.9 million in debt issuance costs as well as to repay outstanding amounts on our revolving credit facilities. In 2014, we made a payment of $44.8 million ($39.5 million included in financing cash flows and $5.3 million included in operating cash flows) for the final earnout period under the contingent payment agreement related to our 2011 ECP acquisition. In the comparable prior year period, we made a similar payment of $33.9 million ($31.5 million included in financing cash flows and $2.4 million included in operating cash flows) for the 2012 earnout period. Cash generated from exercises of stock options provided $9.3 million and $15.4 million in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangements reduced income taxes payable by $17.8 million and $18.3 million in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we paid $12.6 million related to the settlement of foreign currency forward contracts.
Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $428.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $206.2 million in 2012. Compared to the prior year, our 2013 EBITDA increased by $105.4 million, due to both acquisition related growth and organic growth. While we generated greater pretax income during 2013 compared to the prior year, we reduced our cash payments for income taxes to $110.9 million in 2013 from $146.5 million during the prior year because we overpaid taxes in 2012, which we offset against our 2013 estimated tax payments. Cash payments for incentive compensation were lower during 2013, including an $8.0 million reduction in bonus payments and a $5.9 million payment in 2012 under our long-term incentive plan that did not reoccur in 2013. Cash outflows for our primary working capital accounts (receivables, inventory and payables) totaled $64.3 million during 2013, compared to $123.0 million during 2012, primarily due to the timing of cash payments on accounts payable.
Net cash used in investing activities totaled $505.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $352.5 million for the same period of 2012. We invested $408.4 million of cash, net of cash acquired, in business acquisitions during 2013, including our acquisition of Sator for $272.8 million, compared to $265.3 million for business acquisitions in the comparable prior year. In the third quarter of 2013, we entered into an agreement with Suncorp Group to develop an alternative vehicle products business in Australia and New Zealand, for which our initial investment totaled $9.1 million. Property and equipment purchases were $90.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to $88.3 million in the prior year.
Net cash provided by financing activities totaled $165.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $157.1 million in 2012. During 2013, we amended our credit facilities and issued $600 million in senior notes. In 2013, net borrowings were $227.1 million compared to $147.0 million in 2012. In both periods, we used the proceeds from the net borrowings primarily to fund acquisitions. In connection with our 2013 financing transactions, we paid $16.9 million in debt issuance costs. In March 2013, we made a payment of $33.9 million ($31.5 million included in financing cash flows and $2.4 million included in operating cash flows) for the 2012 earnout period under the contingent payment agreement related to our 2011 acquisition of ECP. Cash generated from exercises of stock options provided $15.4 million and $17.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangements reduced income taxes payable by $18.3 million and $15.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
We intend to continue to evaluate markets for potential growth through the internal development of distribution centers, processing and sales facilities, and warehouses, through further integration of our facilities, and through selected business acquisitions. Our future liquidity and capital requirements will depend upon numerous factors, including the costs and timing of our internal development efforts and the success of those efforts, the costs and timing of expansion of our sales and marketing activities, and the costs and timing of future business acquisitions.

51



2015 Outlook
We estimate that our capital expenditures for 2015, excluding business acquisitions, will be between $150 million and $180 million. We expect to use these funds for several major facility expansions, improvement of current facilities, real estate acquisitions and systems development projects. We anticipate that net cash provided by operating activities for 2015 will be approximately $425 million.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Future Commitments
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements or undisclosed borrowings or debt that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 303 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Additionally, we do not have any synthetic leases.
The following table represents our future commitments under contractual obligations as of December 31, 2014 (in millions):
 
Total
 
Less than
1 Year
 
1-3 Years
 
3-5 Years
 
More than
5 Years
Contractual obligations

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Long-term debt(1)
$
2,203.2

 
$
112.9

 
$
252.2

 
$
1,130.0

 
$
708.1

Capital lease obligations(2)
21.4

 
3.6

 
4.0

 
1.3

 
12.5

Operating leases(3)
760.2

 
138.7

 
221.6

 
146.6

 
253.3

Purchase obligations(4)
180.2

 
180.2

 

 

 

Contingent consideration liabilities(5)
8.0

 
4.4

 
2.9

 
0.7

 

Outstanding letters of credit
60.4

 
60.4

 

 

 

Other asset purchase commitments
25.7

 
13.7

 
10.0

 
2.0

 

Other long-term obligations

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Self-insurance reserves(6)
58.5

 
28.8

 
19.3

 
6.7

 
3.7

Deferred compensation plans and other retirement obligations(7)
29.1

 
1.5

 

 

 
27.6

Long term incentive plan
9.3

 
8.0

 
1.3

 

 

Liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits
3.4

 
0.2

 
1.5

 
0.7

 
1.0

Other
0.7

 
0.7

 

 

 

Total
$
3,360.1

 
$
553.1

 
$
512.8

 
$
1,288.0

 
$
1,006.2


(1)
Our long-term debt under contractual obligations above includes interest on the balances outstanding as of December 31, 2014. Interest on our senior notes, notes payable, and other long-term debt is calculated based on the respective stated rates. Interest on our variable rate credit facilities is calculated based on the weighted average rates, including the impact of interest rate swaps through their respective expiration dates, in effect for each tranche of borrowings as of December 31, 2014. Future estimated interest expense for the next year, one to three years, and three to five years is $52.6 million, $103.0 million and $94.4 million, respectively. Estimated interest expense beyond five years is $99.9 million.
(2)
Interest on capital lease obligations is included based on incremental borrowing or implied rates.
(3)
The operating lease payments above do not include certain tax, insurance and maintenance costs, which are also required contractual obligations under our operating leases but are generally not fixed and can fluctuate from year to year. Historically, these expenses have averaged approximately 25% of the corresponding lease payments.
(4)
Our purchase obligations include open purchase orders for aftermarket inventory.
(5)
Our contingent consideration liabilities reflect the undiscounted estimated payments of additional consideration related to business combinations. The actual payments will be determined at the end of the applicable performance periods based on the acquired entities' achievement of the targets specified in the purchase agreements.
(6)
Self-insurance reserves include undiscounted estimated payments, net of estimated insurance recoveries, for our employee medical benefits, automobile liability, general liability, directors and officers liability, workers' compensation and property insurance.

52



(7)
Deferred compensation payments are dependent on elected payment dates. While we expect that these payments will be made more than five years from the latest balance sheet date, payments may be made earlier depending on such elections. Our deferred compensation plans are funded through investments in life insurance policies. Other retirement obligations consists of our expected required contributions to Sator's pension plan. We have not included future funding requirements beyond 2015 in the table above, as these funding projections are not practicable to estimate.
    

53



ITEM 7A.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Our results of operations are exposed to changes in interest rates primarily with respect to borrowings under our credit facilities, where interest rates are tied to the prime rate, LIBOR or CDOR. Therefore, we implemented a policy to manage our exposure to variable interest rates on a portion of our outstanding variable rate debt instruments through the use of interest rate swap contracts. These contracts convert a portion of our variable rate debt to fixed rate debt, matching the currency, effective dates and maturity dates to specific debt instruments. Net interest payments or receipts from interest rate swap contracts are included as adjustments to interest expense. All of our interest rate swap contracts have been executed with banks that we believe are creditworthy (Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Bank of America, N.A. and RBS Citizens, N.A.).
As of December 31, 2014, we held six interest rate swap contracts representing a total of $420 million of U.S. dollar-denominated notional amount debt, £50 million of pound sterling-denominated notional amount debt, and CAD $25 million of Canadian dollar-denominated notional amount debt. Our interest rate swap contracts are designated as cash flow hedges and modify the variable rate nature of that portion of our variable rate debt. These swaps have maturity dates ranging from October 2015 through December 2016. In total, we had 47% of our variable rate debt under our credit facilities at fixed rates at December 31, 2014 compared to 78% at December 31, 2013, which reflects the increase in borrowings during 2014 to finance our acquisitions. As of December 31, 2014, the fair market value of these swap contracts was a net liability of $5.2 million. The values of such contracts are subject to changes in interest rates.
At December 31, 2014, we had $673 million of variable rate debt that was not hedged. Using sensitivity analysis, a 100 basis point movement in interest rates would change interest expense by $6.7 million over the next twelve months.
The proceeds of our May 2013 senior notes offering were used to finance our euro-denominated acquisition of Sator, as well as to repay a portion of our pound sterling-denominated revolver borrowings held by our European operations. In connection with these transactions, in 2013 we entered into euro-denominated and pound sterling-denominated intercompany notes, which incurred transaction gains and losses from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar against these currencies. To mitigate these fluctuations, we entered into foreign currency forward contracts to sell €150.0 million for $195.0 million and £70.0 million for $105.8 million. The gains or losses from the remeasurement of these contracts are recorded to earnings to offset the remeasurement of the related notes. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we settled these forward contracts through payments to the counterparties totaling $20.0 million. While there are no such forward contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2014, we may enter into additional foreign currency forward contracts from time to time to mitigate the impact of fluctuations in exchange rates on similar intercompany financing transactions.  
Additionally, we are exposed to currency fluctuations with respect to the purchase of aftermarket products from foreign countries. The majority of our foreign inventory purchases are from manufacturers based in Taiwan. While our transactions with manufacturers based in Taiwan are conducted in U.S. dollars, changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the Taiwan dollar might impact the purchase price of aftermarket products. Our aftermarket operations in Canada, which also purchase inventory from Taiwan in U.S. dollars, are further subject to changes in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar. Our aftermarket operations in the U.K. also source a portion of their inventory from Taiwan, as well as from other European countries and China, resulting in exposure to changes in the relationship of the pound sterling against the euro and the U.S. dollar. We hedge our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations for certain of our purchases in our European operations, but the notional amount and fair value of these foreign currency forward contracts at December 31, 2014 were immaterial. We do not currently attempt to hedge our foreign currency exposure related to our foreign currency denominated inventory purchases in our North American operations, and we may not be able to pass on any price increases to our customers.
Foreign currency fluctuations may also impact the financial results we report for the portions of our business that operate in functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our operations in Europe and other countries represented 33.2% and 30% of our revenue during 2014 and 2013, respectively. An increase or decrease in the strength of the U.S. dollar against these currencies by 10% would result in a 3% change in our consolidated revenue and our operating income for the year ended December 31, 2014.
Other than with respect to our intercompany transactions denominated in euro and pound sterling and a portion of our foreign currency denominated inventory purchases in the U.K., we do not hold derivative contracts to hedge foreign currency risk. Our net investment in foreign operations is partially hedged by the foreign currency denominated borrowings we use to fund foreign acquisitions. Additionally, we have elected not to hedge the foreign currency risk related to the interest payments on these borrowings as we generate Canadian dollar, pound sterling and euro cash flows that can be used to fund debt payments. As of December 31, 2014, we had amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facilities of €216.5 million, £96.2 million, and CAD $130.4 million. As of December 31, 2013, we had amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facilities of €7.0 million, £72.9 million, and CAD $110.0 million. Since December 31, 2013, we have replaced certain of our

54



U.S. dollar denominated borrowings with foreign-currency denominated borrowings, primarily in Europe, which more closely aligns the functional currency of our borrowings and the cash flows used to fund debt payments.
We are also exposed to market risk related to price fluctuations in scrap metal and other metals. Market prices of these metals affect the amount that we pay for our inventory as well as the revenue that we generate from sales of these metals. As both our revenue and costs are affected by the price fluctuations, we have a natural hedge against the changes. However, there is typically a lag between the effect on our revenue from metal price fluctuations and inventory cost changes. Therefore, we can experience positive or negative gross margin effects in periods of rising or falling metals prices, particularly when such prices move rapidly. If market prices were to fall at a greater rate than our vehicle acquisition costs, we could experience a decline in gross margin. Scrap metal and other metal prices declined 15% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2014, which had a negative effect on our revenue and margins. This trend will continue until inventory costs decrease by an amount commensurate with the decline of scrap metal and other metal prices. As of December 31, 2014, we held short-term metals forward contracts to mitigate a portion of our exposure to fluctuations in metals prices specifically related to our precious metals refining and reclamation business. The notional amount and fair value of these forward contracts at December 31, 2014 were immaterial.


55



ITEM 8.     FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

*****
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
Page
LKQ CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012


56



REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of LKQ Corporation:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of LKQ Corporation and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows and stockholders' equity for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15. These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the 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, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of LKQ Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such 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.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 2, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

/s/    DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Chicago, Illinois
March 2, 2015


57



LKQ CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
 
December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
Assets
 
 
 
Current Assets:
 
 
 
Cash and equivalents
$
114,605

 
$
150,488

Receivables, net
601,422

 
458,094

Inventory
1,433,847

 
1,076,952

Deferred income taxes
81,744

 
63,938

Prepaid expenses and other current assets
85,799

 
50,345

Total Current Assets
2,317,417

 
1,799,817

Property and Equipment, net
629,987

 
546,651

Intangible Assets:
 
 
 
Goodwill
2,288,895

 
1,937,444

Other intangibles, net
245,525

 
153,739

Other Assets
91,668

 
81,123

Total Assets
$
5,573,492

 
$
4,518,774

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
 
 
 
Current Liabilities:
 
 
 
Accounts payable
$
400,202

 
$
349,069

Accrued expenses:
 
 
 
Accrued payroll-related liabilities
86,016

 
58,695

Other accrued expenses
164,148

 
140,074

Contingent consideration liabilities
4,293

 
52,465

Other current liabilities
32,522

 
36,115

Current portion of long-term obligations
63,515

 
41,535

Total Current Liabilities
750,696

 
677,953

Long-Term Obligations, Excluding Current Portion
1,801,047

 
1,264,246

Deferred Income Taxes
181,662

 
133,822

Other Noncurrent Liabilities
119,430

 
92,008

Commitments and Contingencies

 

Stockholders’ Equity:
 
 
 
Common stock, $0.01 par value,1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 303,452,655 and 300,805,276 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively
3,035

 
3,008

Additional paid-in capital
1,054,686

 
1,006,084

Retained earnings
1,703,161

 
1,321,642

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
(40,225
)
 
20,011

Total Stockholders’ Equity
2,720,657

 
2,350,745

Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
$
5,573,492

 
$
4,518,774


The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.
58




LKQ CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Income
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2014
 
2013
 
2012
Revenue
$
6,740,064

 
$
5,062,528

 
$
4,122,930

Cost of goods sold
4,088,151

 
2,987,126

 
2,398,790

Gross margin
2,651,913

 
2,075,402

 
1,724,140

Facility and warehouse expenses
526,291

 
425,081

 
347,917

Distribution expenses
577,341

 
431,947

 
375,835

Selling, general and administrative expenses
762,888

 
597,052

 
495,591

Restructuring and acquisition related expenses
14,806

 
10,173

 
2,751

Depreciation and amortization
120,719

 
80,969

 
64,093

Operating income
649,868

 
530,180

 
437,953

Other expense (income):
 
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
64,542

 
51,184

 
31,429

Loss on debt extinguishment
324

 
2,795

 

Change in fair value of contingent consideration liabilities
(1,851
)
 
2,504

 
1,643

Interest and other income, net
(1,035
)
 
(2,130
)
 
(4,286
)
Total other expense, net
61,980

 
54,353

 
28,786

Income before provision for income taxes
587,888

 
475,827

 
409,167

Provision for income taxes
204,264

 
164,204

 
147,942

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries
(2,105
)
 

 

Net income
$
381,519

 
$
311,623

 
$
261,225

Earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
Basic