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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jul. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

NOTE 9 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company has minimum commitments related to the Company’s license agreements and endorsement agreements with brand ambassadors. The Company sources, distributes, advertises and sells watches and jewelry pursuant to its exclusive license agreements with unaffiliated licensors. Royalty amounts under the license agreements are generally based on a stipulated percentage of revenues, although most of these agreements contain provisions for the payment of minimum annual royalty amounts. The license agreements have various terms, and some have renewal options, provided that minimum sales levels are achieved. Additionally, the license agreements require the Company to pay minimum annual advertising amounts.

 

The Company believes that income tax reserves are adequate; however, amounts asserted by taxing authorities could be greater or less than amounts accrued and reflected in the consolidated balance sheet. Accordingly, the Company could record adjustments to the amounts for federal, state, and foreign liabilities in the future as the Company revises estimates or settles or otherwise resolves the underlying matters. In the ordinary course of business, the Company may take new positions that could increase or decrease unrecognized tax benefits in future periods.

In December 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“U.S. Customs”) issued an audit report concerning the methodology used by the Company to allocate the cost of certain watch styles imported into the U.S. among the component parts of those watches for tariff purposes. The report disputes the reasonableness of the Company’s historical allocation formulas and proposes an alternative methodology that would imply $5.1 million in underpaid duties over the five-year period covered by the statute of limitations, plus possible penalties and interest. The Company believes that U.S. Customs’ alternative duty methodology and estimate are not consistent with the Company’s facts and circumstances and is disputing U.S. Customs’ position. Since February 2017, the Company has been providing U.S. Customs with supplemental analyses and information in response to U.S. Customs’ information requests. Most recently, the Company received summonses from U.S. Customs in December 2020 requesting additional information regarding component part costs and the Company’s procedures for allocating the value of imported watches among the component parts. The Company responded to these summonses in January 2021. Although the Company disagrees with U.S. Customs’ position and believes that the information it has provided supports the reasonableness of its historical allocation formulas, it cannot predict with any certainty the outcome of this matter. The Company intends to continue to work with U.S. Customs to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution.

Starting in July 2018, the Trump administration announced a series of lists covering thousands of categories of Chinese origin products subject to potential U.S. special tariffs, including watches. U.S. Customs subsequently issued various rulings regarding, among other things, the application of the special tariffs to China-sourced components of watches containing non-Chinese movements. A U.S. Customs ruling effective August 1, 2021 holds that while the special tariff applies to all China-sourced watch bands, the special tariff does not apply to China-sourced watch cases imported as part of such a watch containing a non-Chinese movement. Pending greater clarity on the retroactive effect of this ruling, for the time being the Company continues to maintain an accrual for Chinese watch case imports prior to August 1, 2021.

 

The acquisition of MVMT Watches, Inc. in October 2018 included two future contingent payments based on the MVMT brand achieving certain revenue and EBITDA (as defined in the acquisition agreement) targets that combined could total up to $100 million. In connection therewith, the Company had recorded a non-current liability of $16.5 million as of the date of acquisition to reflect the estimated fair value of the contingent purchase price. $14.5 million was allocated to the purchase price and $2.0 million to deferred compensation expense based on future employee service requirements. Based on updated revenue and EBITDA (as defined in the acquisition agreement) performance expectations during the earn-out period for MVMT, the Company remeasured the contingent consideration to zero at January 31, 2020.

From time to time the Company may make minority investments in growth companies in the consumer products sector and other sectors relevant to its business, including certain of the Company's suppliers and customers, as well as in venture capital funds that invest in companies in media, entertainment, information technology and technology-related fields and in digital assets. During fiscal 2022, the Company committed to invest up to $21.5 million in such investments. The Company funded approximately $2.0 million of these commitments in fiscal 2022 and an additional $2.3 million during the first six months of fiscal 2023 and may be called upon to satisfy capital calls in respect of the remaining $17.2 million in such commitments at any time during a period generally ending ten years after the first capital call in respect of a given commitment.

 

The Company is involved in legal proceedings and claims from time to time, in the ordinary course of its business. Legal reserves are recorded in accordance with the accounting guidance for contingencies. Contingencies are inherently unpredictable and it is possible that results of operations, balance sheets or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected in any particular period by unfavorable developments in, or resolution or disposition of, such matters. For those legal proceedings and claims for which the Company believes that it is probable that a reasonably estimable loss may result, the Company records a reserve for the potential loss. For proceedings and claims where the Company believes it is reasonably possible that a loss may result that is materially in excess of amounts accrued for the matter, the Company either discloses an estimate of such possible loss or range of loss or includes a statement that such an estimate cannot be made. As of July 31, 2022, the Company is party to legal proceedings and contingencies, the resolution of which is not expected to materially affect its financial condition, future results of operations beyond the amounts accrued, or cash flows.