Note 4 - Leases

In February 2016, the FASB established Topic ASC 842, Leases, by issuing Accounting Standards Update 2016-02. Lawson adopted ASC 842 as of January 1, 2019. The Company leases property used for distribution centers, office space, and Bolt branch locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, along with various equipment located in distribution centers and corporate headquarters. The Company is also a lessor of its Decatur, Alabama property previously used in conjunction with a discontinued operation, and was a sublessor of a portion of its corporate headquarters.

Lawson Operating Leases

Lawson MRO primarily has two types of leases: leases for real estate and leases for equipment. Operating real estate leases that have a material impact on the operations of the Company are related to the Company's distribution network and headquarters. The Company possesses several additional property leases that are month to month basis and are not material in nature. Lawson MRO does not possess any leases that have residual value guarantees. Several property leases include renewal clauses which vary in length and may not include specific rent renewal amounts. The Company will revise the value of the right of use assets and associated lease liabilities when the Company is reasonably certain it will renew a lease or terminate a lease.

The key change commencing on January 1, 2019 for the Company is the recognition of assets and liabilities of operating leases with lease terms longer than twelve months that were not previously capitalized on the balance sheet. The value of the Right Of Use ("ROU") assets and associated lease liabilities is calculated using the total cash payments over the course of the lease, discounted to the present value using the appropriate discount rate. The right of use asset will be amortized over its useful life. Similar to deferred rent under ASC 840, the lease liability is reduced in conjunction with the lease payments made, with adjustments made to the lease liability in order to account for non-straight line cash payments through the life of the lease.

Bolt primarily leases the real estate for its branch locations as well as its distribution center in Calgary, Alberta. Bolt possesses additional property leases that are month to month and not material in nature. Bolt property leases include renewal clauses which vary in length and may not include specific rent renewal amounts. The Company will revise the value of the right of use asset and associated lease liability when the Company is reasonably certain it will renew a lease or terminate a lease.

Lease of McCook Distribution Facility

Upon adoption of ASC 842, the previously capitalized financing asset and lease liability for the McCook distribution facility was removed from the balance sheet and re-established as a ROU asset and a lease liability as an operating lease. The Company did not include the lease renewal periods in its assessment of the McCook lease as it did not meet the reasonably certain threshold required under ASC 842. Changes in the value of the assets and liabilities associated with the property due to adoption of ASC 842 have been accounted for as an adjustment to 2019 beginning retained earnings of $1.9 million.

Accounting Policy Elections

As part of the transition to ASC 842, the Company elected the following practical expedients:

The transitional package of practical expedients as prescribed by ASC 842. Per the practical expedient for the transition to ASC 842, the Company did not reassess expired leases, existing lease classifications or initial indirect costs for existing leases in the calculation of the right to use asset and lease liability.

The Company elected the modified retrospective method of transition, which resulted in no restatement of prior period results with the adoption impact being recorded to opening retained earnings.

The Company did not capitalize short term leases, for all asset classes defined as leases with a term of shorter than twelve months, on the balance sheet. These leases have not been transitioned to ASC 842.

As a practical expedient, the Company did not reassess the accounting for initial direct costs of current leases.

The Company elected not to use the hindsight practical expedient in determining the lease term.

The Company recognizes certain lease components and non-lease components together and not as separate parts of a lease for real estate leases. The Company will exercise this practical expedient in the future by asset class.

Significant Assumptions

The Company is required to determine a discount rate for the present value of lease payments. If the rate is not included in the lease or cannot be readily determined, the Company must estimate the incremental borrowing rate to be used for the discount rate. The Company will discount the present value of the total payments for the operating and financing leases using the incremental borrowing rate at the inception of the lease. The incremental borrowing rate will be reviewed and updated as needed.

The expenses and income generated by the leasing activity of Lawson as lessee for the year ended December 31, 2019 were as follows (Dollars in thousands):



Lease Type	Classification	Expense / (Income)

Consolidated Operating Lease Expense ⁽¹⁾	Operating expenses	$	4,729

Consolidated Financing Lease Amortization	Operating expenses	206
Consolidated Financing Lease Interest	Interest expense	30
Consolidated Financing Lease Expense		236

Sublease Income ⁽²⁾	Operating expenses	(160		)
Net Lease Cost		$	4,805

⁽¹⁾ Includes variable lease payments and short term lease expenses

⁽²⁾ Sublease income from sublease of a portion of the Company headquarters. The sublease was terminated in June 2019 and the Company has no other subleases

The Company recorded $3.3 million of operating lease expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018.

The value of the net assets and liabilities generated by the leasing activity of Lawson as lessee as of December 31, 2019 were as follows (Dollars in thousands):



Lease Type	Amount

Total ROU operating lease assets ⁽¹⁾	$	10,592
Total ROU financing lease assets ⁽²⁾	654
Total lease assets	$	11,246

Total current operating lease obligation	$	3,591
Total current financing lease obligation	239
Total current lease obligations	$	3,830

Total long term operating lease obligation	$	9,133
Total long term financing lease obligation	371
Total long term lease obligation	$	9,504

⁽¹⁾ Operating lease assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $1.2 million as of December 31, 2019

⁽²⁾ Financing lease assets are recorded net of accumulated amortization of $0.2 million as of December 31, 2019

The value of the lease liabilities generated by the leasing activities of Lawson as lessee as of December 31, 2019 were as follows (Dollars in thousands):



Year Ended December 31,	Operating Leases		Financing Leases		Total

2020	$	4,136	$	267	$	4,403
2021	4,169		202		4,371
2022	3,099		122		3,221
2023	1,437		61		1,498
2024	482		5		487
Thereafter	600		—		600
Total lease payments	13,923		657		14,580
Less: Interest	1,199		47		1,246
Present value of lease liabilities	$	12,724	$	610	$	13,334


(1)	Of the $13.9 million future minimum operating lease commitments outstanding at December 31, 2019, $3.2 million relates to a lease for the Company's headquarters which expires in March 2023


(2)	The Company has an operating lease for the McCook Facility which expires in June 2022 and includes future minimum lease payments of $4.2 million

The Company's future minimum lease commitments, principally for facilities and equipment, as of December 31, 2018 were as follows:



	(Dollars in thousands)
Year ended December 31,	Operating Leases		Financing Lease		Capital Leases
2019	$	2,574	$	1,395	$	201
2020	2,369		1,444		155
2021	2,349		1,493		91
2022	2,008		760		11
2023	1,130		—		—
Thereafter	374		—		—
Total	$	10,804	$	5,092	$	458


(1)	Minimum lease payments exclude payments to landlord for real estate taxes and common area maintenance

(2)

On January 1, 2019, the Company elected the modified retrospective method of transition to adopt the new lease standard ASC 842, which resulted in no restatement of prior period results. At December 31, 2018, prior to adoption of the new lease standard, operating lease obligations were not included as a liability on the balance sheet. Therefore, the operating lease obligations are included in the table for comparative purposes only and the total lease liability is not included as it is not applicable


(3)	The $5.1 million minimum lease obligation attributable to the McCook lease that was classified as a financing lease on December 31, 2018 was reclassified as an operating lease under the new accounting standard adopted on January 1, 2019


(4)	Lease obligations classified as capital leases on December 31, 2018 were reclassified as financing leases under the new lease standard adopted on January 1, 2019

The weighted average lease terms and interest rates of the leases held by Lawson as of December 31, 2019 are as follows:



Lease Type	Weighted Average Term in Years	Weighted Average Interest Rate

Operating Leases	3.8	5.1%
Financing Leases	2.9	5.5%

The cash outflows of the leasing activity of Lawson as lessee for the year ending December 31, 2019 are as follows (Dollars in thousands):



Cash Flow Source	Classification	Amount

Operating cash flows from operating leases	Operating activities	$	4,949
Operating cash flows from financing leases	Operating activities	30
Financing cash flows from financing leases	Financing activities	271

Subsequent to the adoption of ASC 842 in 2019 the Company recorded a non-cash transaction to establish $1.7 million of operating ROU assets, for which $1.7 million of operating lease liabilities were incurred. Also, in 2019 the Company recorded a non-cash transaction to establish $0.4 million of financing ROU assets, for which $0.4 million of financing lease liabilities were incurred.