Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2012

Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NOTE A — SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A summary of the significant accounting policies consistently applied in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial statements follows:

1.    Business Activity and Principles of Consolidation

As used in these financial statements, the term “Company” or “G-III” refers to G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. and its subsidiaries. The Company designs, manufactures and markets an extensive range of apparel, including outerwear, dresses, sportswear, women’s suits and women’s performance wear, as well as luggage and women’s handbags, small leather goods and cold weather accessories which is sold to retailers primarily in the United States. The Company also operates outlet stores.

The Company consolidates the accounts of all its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Investments in entities that the Company does not control but has the ability to exercise significant influence are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Equity method investments are recorded initially at cost in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Those amounts are adjusted to recognize the Company’s proportional share of the investee’s earnings after the date of the investment. The Company’s share of net income or loss of these investments is included in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company formed a joint venture with The Camuto Group to operate footwear and accessory outlet stores under the name “Vince Camuto.” Both companies share equally in the capital costs of the joint venture. We are accounting for our share of this joint venture under the equity method. Results of operations of the joint venture are included in the retail segment.

References to fiscal years refer to the year ended or ending on January 31 of that year.

2.    Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

3.    Revenue Recognition

Goods are shipped to retailers in accordance with specific customer orders. The Company recognizes wholesale sales when the risks and rewards of ownership have transferred to the customer, determined by the Company to be when title to the merchandise passes to the customer. In addition, the Company acts as an agent in brokering sales between customers and overseas factories. On these transactions, the Company recognizes commission fee income on sales that are financed by and shipped directly to the customers. Title to goods shipped by overseas vendors, transfers to customers when the goods have been delivered to the customer.

The Company recognizes commission income upon the completion of the delivery by its vendors to the customer. The Company recognizes retail sales upon customer receipt of the merchandise generally at the point of sale. The Company’s sales are recorded net of applicable sales taxes. Both wholesale and retail store revenues are shown net of returns, discounts and other allowances.

4.    Returns and Allowances

The Company reserves against known chargebacks, as well as for an estimate of potential future deductions and returns by customers. The Company establishes these reserves for returns and allowances based on current and historical information and trends. Allowances are established for trade discounts, markdowns, customer advertising agreements and operational chargebacks. Estimated costs associated with allowable deductions for customer advertising expenses are reflected as selling, general and administrative expenses. Estimated costs associated with trade discounts and markdowns, and reserves for returns are reflected as a reduction of net sales. All of these reserves are part of the allowances netted against accounts receivable.

The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the creditworthiness of its customers as well as general economic conditions. Consequently, an adverse change in those factors could affect the Company’s estimate. The Company writes off uncollectible trade receivables once collection efforts have been exhausted.

5.    Inventories

Wholesale inventories are stated at the lower of cost (determined by the first-in, first-out method) or market. Retail inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market as determined by the retail inventory method.

6.    Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Goodwill represents the excess of purchase price over the fair value of net assets acquired in business combinations accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized, but are subject to annual impairment tests, using a test combining a discounted cash flow approach and a market approach. Other intangibles with determinable lives, including license agreements, trademarks, customer lists and non-compete agreements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets (currently ranging from 5 to 15 years). Impairment losses, if any, on intangible assets with finite lives are recorded when indicators of impairment are present and the discounted cash flows estimated to be derived from those assets are less than the assets’ carrying amounts.

7.    Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization are provided for by straight-line methods in amounts sufficient to relate the cost of depreciable assets to operations over their estimated useful lives.

The following are the estimated lives of the Company’s fixed assets:

Machinery and equipment	4 to 5 years
Furniture and fixtures	3 to 5 years
Computer equipment and software	2 to 3 years

Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lease term of the respective leases or the useful lives of the improvement, whichever is shorter.

8.    Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

In accordance with Statements of Financial Accounting Standards ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, the Company annually evaluates the carrying value of its long-lived assets to determine whether changes have occurred that would suggest that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable based on the estimated future undiscounted cash flows of the businesses to which the assets relate. Any impairment loss would be equal to the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeded its fair value.

9.    Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes and uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC Topic 740 – Income Taxes. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a return, as well as guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties and financial statement reporting disclosures.

Deferred income taxes reflect the tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes.

10.    Net Income Per Common Share

Basic net income per common share has been computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during each period. Diluted net income per share, when applicable, is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and potential dilutive common shares, consisting of stock options, stock purchase warrants and unvested restricted stock awards, outstanding during the period. Approximately 20,000 shares for the years ended January 31, 2012 and 2011 and 407,850 shares for the year ended January 31, 2010 have been excluded from the diluted per share calculation as their inclusion would be been anti-dilutive. The Company issued 223,000, 488,428 and 222,692 shares of common stock in connection with the exercise or vesting of equity awards during the years ended January 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. In December 2010, the Company also issued 375,000 shares of common stock in connection with the exercise of all of its outstanding warrants.

A reconciliation between basic and diluted net income per share is as follows:

	Year Ended January 31,
	2012		2011		2010
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income	$	49,620	$	56,682	$	31,718
Basic net income per share:
Basic common shares		19,796		19,175		16,990
Basic net income per share	$	2.51	$	2.96	$	1.87
Diluted net income per share:
Basic common shares		19,796		19,175		16,990
Stock options, stock warrants and restricted stock awards		396		530		368
Diluted common shares		20,192		19,705		17,358
Diluted net income per share	$	2.46	$	2.88	$	1.83

11.    Equity Award Compensation

ASC Topic 718, Compensation — Stock Compensation, requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options and restricted stock awards, to be recognized as compensation expense over the service period (generally the vesting period) based on their fair values. The impact of forfeitures that may occur prior to vesting is estimated and considered in the amount recognized.

It is the Company’s policy to grant stock options at prices not less than the fair market value on the date of the grant. Option terms, vesting and exercise periods vary, except that the term of an option may not exceed ten years.

Restricted stock awards generally vest over a four or five year period and certain awards that have been granted also include a market condition that provides for the award to vest only after the Company’s stock price trades above a predetermined market level for a period of twenty consecutive trading days. All awards are expensed on a straight line basis.

12.    Cost of Goods Sold

Cost of goods sold includes the expenses incurred to acquire, produce and prepare inventory for sale, including product costs, warehouse staff wages, freight in, import costs, packaging materials, the cost of operating our overseas offices and royalty expense. Our gross margins may not be directly comparable to those of our competitors, as income statement classifications of certain expenses may vary by company.

13.    Shipping and Handling Costs

Shipping and handling costs for wholesale operations consist of warehouse facility costs, third party warehousing, freight out costs, and warehouse supervisory wages and are included in selling, general and administrative expense. Wholesale shipping and handling costs included in selling, general and administrative expenses were $44.9 million, $38.1 million and $26.1 million for the years ended January 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

14.    Advertising Costs

The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred and includes these costs in selling, general and administrative expense. Advertising paid as a percentage of sales under license agreements are expensed in the period in which the sales occur or are accrued to meet guaranteed minimum requirements under license agreements. Advertising expense was $43.8 million, $36.4 million and $29.8 million for the years ended January 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Prepaid advertising, which represents advance payments to licensors for minimum guaranteed payments for advertising under our licensing agreements, was $3.9 million and $4.2 million at January 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

15.    Use of Estimates

In preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, management is required to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

16.    Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying amount of the Company’s variable rate debt approximates the fair value, as interest rates change with the market rates. Furthermore, the carrying value of all other financial instruments potentially subject to valuation risk (principally consisting of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable) also approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of their maturity.

17.    Foreign Currency Translation

The financial statements of subsidiaries outside the United States are measured using local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the rates of exchange at the balance sheet date. Income and expense items are translated at average monthly rates of exchange. Gains and losses from foreign currency transactions of these subsidiaries are included in net earnings.

18.    Effects of Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) ASU 2011-12, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05.” ASU 2011-12 defers the specific requirement to present items that are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to net income separately with their respective components of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-12 did not defer the requirement to report comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement or in two separate but consecutive financial statements. The Company’s other comprehensive income represents foreign currency translation adjustments. The amendments are effective at the same time as the amendments in ASU 2011-05. The adoption of ASU 2011-12 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08, “Intangibles — Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment.” ASU 2011-08 simplifies how entities, both public and nonpublic, test goodwill for impairment and permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. The amendments are effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted, including for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed as of a date before September 15, 2011, if an entity’s financial statements for the most recent annual or interim period have not yet been issued or, for nonpublic entities, have not yet been made available for issuance. The adoption of ASU 2011-08 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income. Under the amendments to Topic 220, Comprehensive Income, an entity has the option to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In both choices, an entity is required to present each component of net income along with total net income, each component of other comprehensive income along with a total for other comprehensive income, and a total amount for comprehensive income. This eliminates the option to present the components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity. The amendments do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income. The guidance in ASU 2011-05 is effective for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2011. The Company expects that ASU 2011-05 will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.” ASU 2011-04 amends Topic 820 to provide common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and International Financial Reporting Standards. Consequently, the amendments change the wording used to describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements, as well as providing guidance on how fair value should be applied where its use is already required or permitted by other standards within U.S. GAAP. ASU No. 2011-04 is to be applied prospectively, and early adoption is not permitted. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of ASU No. 2011-04 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.