BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Apr. 01, 2017

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Kate Spade & Company and its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”) included herein have been prepared, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted from this report, as is permitted by such rules and regulations; however, the Company believes that its disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. It is suggested that these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Information presented as of December 31, 2016 is derived from audited financial statements.

On February 16, 2017, the Company’s Board of Directors, together with management and in consultation with its financial advisor and legal counsel, announced that it is conducting a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value. There can be no assurance that this review process will result in a transaction or other strategic alternative of any kind.

The Company operates its kate spade new york and JACK SPADE NEW YORK™ brands through one operating segment in North America and three operating segments internationally: Japan, Asia (excluding Japan) and Europe. The Company’s Adelington Design Group reportable segment is also an operating segment. The three reportable segments described below represent the Company’s activities for which separate financial information is available and which is utilized on a regular basis by the Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) to evaluate performance and allocate resources. In identifying the Company’s reportable segments, the Company considers its management structure and the economic characteristics, products, customers, sales growth potential and long-term profitability of its operating segments. As such, the Company configured its operations into the following three reportable segments:

KATE SPADE North America segment – consists of the Company’s kate spade new york and JACK SPADE NEW YORK brands in North America.

KATE SPADE International segment – consists of the Company’s kate spade new york and JACK SPADE NEW YORK brands in International markets (principally in Japan, Asia (excluding Japan), Europe and Latin America).

Adelington Design Group segment – primarily consists of exclusive arrangements to supply jewelry for the LIZ CLAIBORNE and MONET brands.

In the opinion of management, the information furnished reflects all adjustments, all of which are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the reported interim periods. Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year. Management has evaluated events or transactions that have occurred from the balance sheet date through the date the Company issued these financial statements.

NATURE OF OPERATIONS

Kate Spade & Company is engaged primarily in the design and marketing of a broad range of accessories and apparel. The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to December 31. The 2017 fiscal year, ending December 30, 2017, reflects a 52-week period, resulting in a 13-week, three-month period for the first quarter. The 2016 fiscal year, ending December 31, 2016, reflects a 52-week period, resulting in a 13-week, three-month period for the first quarter.

PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

USE OF ESTIMATES AND CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Company’s critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of its financial condition and results of operations in conformity with US GAAP. These critical accounting policies are applied in a consistent manner throughout all periods presented. The Company’s critical accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

The application of critical accounting policies requires that the Company make estimates and assumptions about future events and apply judgments that affect the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. Estimates by their nature are based on judgments and available information. Therefore, actual results could materially differ from those estimates under different assumptions and conditions. The Company continues to monitor the critical accounting policies to ensure proper application of current rules and regulations. During the first quarter of 2017, there were no significant changes in the critical accounting policies discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

On January 1, 2017, the first day of the Company’s 2017 fiscal year, the Company adopted new accounting guidance on share-based compensation, including modified retrospective adoption of the recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the statement of income. Upon adoption, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies from share-based compensation are recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the statement of income as discrete items in the reporting period in which they occur, regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. As a result of the adoption of this guidance, the Company recognized deferred tax assets of $44.3 million for the excess tax benefits that arose directly from tax deductions related to share-based compensation greater than the amounts recognized for financial reporting and also recognized an increase of an equal amount in the valuation allowance against such deferred tax assets. The Company also retrospectively adopted the accounting guidance on the presentation of shares withheld for certain employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows. The cash paid by the Company when directly withholding shares for tax-withholding purposes is classified as a financing activity on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for all periods presented. The Company elected to continue to estimate the number of share-based awards expected to vest, rather than electing to account for forfeitures as they occur to determine the amount of compensation expense to be recognized in each period.