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Related Party Agreements and Transactions
12 Months Ended
Jan. 29, 2016
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Agreements and Transactions
RELATED PARTY AGREEMENTS AND TRANSACTIONS
According to statements on form Schedule 13D filed with the SEC by ESL, ESL beneficially owned significant portions of both the Company's and Sears Holdings Corporation's outstanding shares of common stock. Therefore Sears Holdings Corporation, the Company's former parent company, is considered a related party both prior to and subsequent to the Separation.
Prior to the Separation, Sears Holdings Corporation (including certain non-Lands’ End subsidiaries) and the Company entered into various agreements to, among other things: (i) support the Lands’ End Shops at Sears; (ii) provide various general corporate services; (iii) support the Company's participation in the SYW program; and (iv) allow for the use of intellectual property or services. The amounts charged to the Company by Sears Holdings do not necessarily reflect the costs of obtaining the services from unaffiliated third parties or of the Company providing the applicable services itself. Management believes that such costs are reasonable; however, the Combined Financial Statements contained herein may not be indicative of the Company’s financial position, operating results, and cash flows in the future, or what they would have been if it had been a stand-alone company during all periods presented. Unless indicated otherwise, the fees and expense charged are included in Selling and administrative expense in the Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
In connection with the Separation, the Company entered into various agreements with Sears Holdings which, among other things, (i) govern specified aspects of the Company's relationship following the Separation, especially with regards to the Lands’ End Shops at Sears, and (ii) establish terms pursuant to which subsidiaries of Sears Holdings Corporation are providing services to us, including the International Buying Office under the Buying Agency Agreement.
References to and descriptions of the agreements below represent the agreements entered into in connection with the Separation.
The components of the transactions between the Company and Sears Holdings, which exclude pass-through payments to third parties, are as follows:
Lands’ End Shops at Sears
Related party costs charged by Sears Holdings to the Company related to Lands’ End Shops at Sears are as follows:
(in thousands)
 
Fiscal 2015
 
Fiscal 2014
 
Fiscal 2013
Retail services, store labor
 
$
26,773

 
$
31,087

 
$
34,495

Rent, CAM and occupancy costs
 
25,239

 
26,605

 
28,021

Financial services and payment processing
 
2,792

 
3,034

 
3,353

Supply chain costs
 
985

 
1,044

 
2,037

Total expenses
 
$
55,789

 
$
61,770

 
$
67,906

Number of Lands’ End Shops at Sears at period end (1)
 
227

 
236

 
274


(1) During Fiscal 2015 and Fiscal 2014, 9 and 38 Lands’ End Shops at Sears were closed, respectively.
Retail Services, Store Labor
The Company contracts with Sears Roebuck to provide hourly labor and required systems and tools to service customers in the Lands’ End Shops at Sears. This includes dedicated staff to directly engage with customers and allocated overhead. The dedicated staff undergoes specific Lands’ End brand training. Required tools include point-of-sale, price lookup and labor scheduling systems.
Rent, CAM and Occupancy Costs
The Company rents space in store locations owned or leased by Sears Roebuck. The agreements include a cost per square foot for rent, CAM and occupancy costs. The lease terms for the individual store locations generally terminate effective January 31, 2018, 2019, or 2020.
Financial Services and Payment Processing
The Company contracts with SHMC to provide retail financing and payment solutions, primarily based upon customer credit card activity, including third-party payment acceptance, credit cards and gift cards.
Supply Chain Costs
The Company contracts with Sears Roebuck to provide logistics, handling, transportation and other services, primarily based upon inventory units processed, to assist in the flow of merchandise from vendors to the Lands’ End Shops at Sears locations.
General Corporate Services
Related party costs charged by Sears Holdings to the Company for general corporate services are as follows:
 
(in thousands)
 
Fiscal 2015
 
Fiscal 2014
 
Fiscal 2013
Sourcing
 
$
9,609

 
$
8,986

 
$
9,805

Shop Your Way
 
2,896

 
4,202

 
8,788

Shared services
 
484

 
559

 
442

Co-location and services
 

 
15

 
26

Total expenses
 
$
12,989

 
$
13,762

 
$
19,061


Sourcing
The Company contracts with Sears Holdings Global Sourcing, Ltd., a subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation, to provide agreed upon buying agency services in foreign territories from where the Company purchases merchandise. These services, primarily based upon quantities purchased, include quality-control functions, regulatory compliance, product claims management and new vendor selection and setup assistance. These amounts are included in Cost of sales in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
Shop Your Way
The Company contracts with SHMC to participate in Sears Holdings’ SYW program. Customers earn points issued by SHMC on purchases which may be redeemed to pay for future purchases. The Company pays SHMC an agreed-upon fee for points issued in connection with purchases from the Company. Depending on the ratio of points redeemed in Lands’ End formats to points issued in Lands’ End formats in the previous 12 months, the Company generally either pays additional fees or is reimbursed fees by SHMC. For Fiscal 2015 and Fiscal 2014, the Company recorded an expense for additional fees payable to SHMC based on the preceding formula. All SYW program expenses are recorded in Cost of sales in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
In Fiscal 2013, under the prior arrangements that governed the Company’s participation in the SYW program, as customers redeemed points on purchases, Sears Holdings reimbursed the Company through a redemption credit. The redemption credit was $10.8 million for Fiscal 2013 and was included in Net revenue in the Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations. There was no redemption credit recognized in Fiscal 2015 or Fiscal 2014.
Shared Services
The Company contracts with SHMC to provide certain shared corporate services. These shared services include tax services and compliance.
Co-Location and Services
The Company had contracted with SHMC to host and support certain redundant information technology hardware, software and operations at the Sears Data Center in Troy, Michigan for disaster mitigation and recovery efforts. In July 2014, the Company exited the Sears Data Center and completed the installation of the disaster mitigation and recovery systems at its Dodgeville location. The related contract with SHMC terminated on August 25, 2014.
Use of Intellectual Property or Services
Related party revenue and costs charged by the Company to and from Sears Holdings for the use of intellectual property or services is as follows:
(in thousands)
 
Fiscal 2015
 
Fiscal 2014
 
Fiscal 2013
Call center services
 
$
2,344

 
$
2,346

 
$
1,505

Lands' End business outfitters revenue
 
1,398

 
1,995

 
1,808

Credit card revenue
 
1,274

 
1,519

 
1,276

Royalty income
 
220

 
79

 
92

Gift card revenue (expense)
 
(33
)
 
239

 
1,515

Total
 
$
5,203

 
$
6,178

 
$
6,196


Call Center Services
The Company has entered into a contract with SHMC to provide call center services in support of Sears Holdings’ SYW program. This income is net of agreed upon costs directly attributable for the Company providing these services. The income is included in Net revenue and costs are included in Selling and administrative expenses in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations. Total call center service income included in Net revenue was $8.6 million, $8.1 million and $7.2 million in Fiscal 2015, Fiscal 2014 and Fiscal 2013, respectively.
Lands' End Business Outfitters Revenue
The Company sells store uniforms and other company apparel to Sears Holdings from time to time. Revenue related to these sales is included in Net revenue in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
Credit Card Revenue
The Company has entered into a contract with SHMC to provide credit cards for customer sales transactions. The Company earns revenue based on the dollar volume of revenue and receives a fee based on the generation of new credit card accounts. This income is included in Net revenue in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
Royalty Income
The Company entered into a licensing agreement with SHMC whereby royalties are paid in consideration for sharing or use of intellectual property. Royalties received under this agreement are included in Net revenue in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
Gift Card Revenue (Expense)
The Company has entered into a contract with SHCP to provide gift cards for use by the Company. The Company offers gift cards for sale on behalf of SHCP and redeems such items on the Company’s internet websites, retail stores and other retail outlets for merchandise. The Company receives a commission fee on the face value for each gift card it sells, and a payment from Sears Holdings for certain Lands' End-branded gift cards that are redeemed by Sears Holdings for non-Lands' End merchandise. The Company pays a transaction/redemption fee to SHCP for each gift card the Company redeems. The income net of associated expenses is included in Net revenue in the Consolidated and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Operations.
Additional Related Party Balance Sheet Information
At January 29, 2016 and January 30, 2015, the Company included $3.9 million and $5.7 million in Accounts Receivable, net, respectively, and $2.7 million and $9.1 million in Accounts payable, respectively, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets to reflect amounts due from and owed to Sears Holdings. At January 29, 2016 and January 30, 2015, a $13.7 million and $14.3 million receivable, respectively, was recorded by the Company in Other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets to reflect the indemnification by Sears Holdings Corporation of the pre-Separation uncertain tax positions (including penalties and interest) for which Sears Holdings Corporation is responsible.