March 3, 2021 - 10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 26, 2020

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM _____ TO _____

Commission file number 1-13293

The Hillman Companies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware			23-2874736
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)			(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

10590 Hamilton Avenue

45231

Cincinnati

Ohio

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (513) 851-4900

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of Each Class			Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
11.6% Junior Subordinated Debentures			None
Preferred Securities Guaranty			None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):


Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company	☐
Emerging growth company	☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

On March 3, 2021, 5,000 shares of the Registrant's common stock were issued and outstanding and 4,217,724 Trust Preferred Securities were issued and outstanding by the Hillman Group Capital Trust. The Trust Preferred Securities trade on the NYSE Amex under the symbol "HLM.Pr." The aggregate market value of the Trust Preferred Securities held by non-affiliates at June 30, 2020 was $110,082,596.

PART I

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain disclosures related to acquisitions, refinancing, capital expenditures, resolution of pending litigation, and realization of deferred tax assets contained in this annual report involve substantial risks and uncertainties and may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, plans and objectives of management for future operations. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” “project,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions.

These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on our current expectations, assumptions, and projections about future events. Although we believe that the expectations, assumptions, and projections on which these forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, they nonetheless could prove to be inaccurate, and as a result, the forward-looking statements based on those expectations, assumptions, and projections also could be inaccurate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Instead, forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that may cause our strategy, planning, actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any strategy, planning, future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a result of a number of factors, including the risks and uncertainties discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” set forth in Item 1A of this annual report. Given these uncertainties, current or prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company, as defined herein, or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this annual report; they should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other individual. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this annual report might not occur or might be materially different from those discussed.

Item 1 – Business.

General

The Hillman Companies, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman” or “Company”) are one of the largest providers of hardware-related products and related merchandising services to retail markets in North America. Our principal business is operated through our wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hillman Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman Group”), which had net sales of approximately $1,368.3 million in 2020. Hillman Group sells its products to hardware stores, home centers, mass merchants, pet supply stores, and other retail outlets principally in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Product lines include thousands of small parts such as fasteners and related hardware items; threaded rod and metal shapes; keys, key duplication systems, and accessories; builder's hardware; personal protective equipment, such as gloves and eye-wear; and identification items, such as tags and letters, numbers, and signs. We support product sales with services that include design and installation of merchandising systems, maintenance of appropriate in-store inventory levels, and break-fix for our robotics kiosks.

Our headquarters are located at 10590 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. We maintain a website at www.hillmangroup.com. Information contained or linked on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report and should not be considered a part of this annual report.

On August 16, 2019, we acquired the assets of Sharp Systems, LLC ("Resharp"), a California-based innovative developer of automated knife sharpening systems, for a cash payment of $3.0 million and contingent consideration valued at $18.1 million. The maximum payout for the contingent consideration is $25.0 million plus 1.8% of net knife-sharpening revenues for five years after the $25.0 million is fully paid. Resharp has business operations in the United States and its financial results reside within our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment.

On July 1, 2019, the Company acquired the assets of West Coast Washers, Inc for a total purchase price of $3.1 million. The financial results of West Coast Washers, Inc. reside within the Company's Hardware and Protective Solutions segment.

On October 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of NB Parent Company, Inc. and its affiliated companies including Big Time Products, LLC and Rooster Products International, Inc. (collectively, "Big Time"), a leading provider of Personal Protective Solutions and work gear products for a purchase price of approximately $348.8 million. With the addition of Big Time, Hillman’s product portfolio now spans the hardware, automotive, garden, and cleaning categories and includes Big Time’s industry-leading brands such as Firm Grip, AWP, McGuire-Nicholas, Grease Monkey, and Gorilla Grip, which are sold throughout retailers in North America. Big Time has operations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and is included in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment.

On August 10, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Minute Key Holdings, Inc. (“MinuteKey”), an innovative leader in self-service key duplicating kiosks, for a total consideration reflecting an enterprise value of $156.3 million. We believe that the combination of MinuteKey's self service kiosk business with Hillman's existing key duplication platform will create additional growth opportunities. MinuteKey has operations in the United States and Canada and is included in our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment.

Subsequent to our year end, on January 24, 2021, the Company’s parent, HMan Group Holdings, Inc., and Landcadia Holdings III, Inc. ("Landcadia"), a special purpose acquisition company ("SPAC") entered into an agreement ("Merger Agreement") whereby the Parent would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Landcadia for the consideration of $911.3 million upon approval of the Landcadia shareholders shareholders and will be accounted for as a reverse acquisition resulting in a recapitalization of HMan Group Holdings. Consideration would be a combination of roll-over equity by current Company shareholders, new share purchases by Landcadia SPAC participants, cash from a new credit agreement and refinancing of existing credit facilities of the Company. A full description of the proposed acquisition terms may be found in the Landcadia Proxy Statement dated February 3, 2021 (the “Proxy”) filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which is available on www.sec.gov.

Hillman Group

We are comprised of three separate operating business segments: (1) Hardware and Protective Solutions, (2) Robotics and Digital Solutions, and (3) Canada.

We provide products such as fasteners and related hardware items; threaded rod and metal shapes; keys, key duplication systems, and accessories; builder's hardware; personal protective equipment, such as gloves and eye-wear; and identification items, such as tags and letters, numbers, and signs, to retail outlets, primarily hardware stores, home centers and mass merchants, pet supply stores, grocery stores, and drug stores. We complement our extensive product selection with regular retailer visits by our field sales and service organization.

We market and distribute a wide variety of stock keeping units (“SKUs”) of small, hard-to-find and hard-to-manage hardware items. We function as a category manager for retailers and support these products with in-store service, high order fill rates, and rapid delivery of products sold. Sales and service representatives regularly visit retail outlets to review stock levels, reorder items in need of replacement, and interact with the store management to offer new product and merchandising ideas. Thousands of items can be actively managed with the retailer experiencing a substantial reduction of in-store labor costs and replenishment paperwork. Service representatives also assist in organizing the products in a consumer-friendly manner. We complement our broad range of products with merchandising services such as displays, product identification stickers, retail price labels, store rack and drawer systems, assistance in rack positioning and store layout, and inventory restocking services. We regularly refresh retailers' displays with new products and package designs utilizing color-coding to simplify the shopping experience for consumers and improve the attractiveness of individual store displays.

We operate from 22 strategically located distribution centers in North America. Our main distribution centers utilize state-of-the-art warehouse management systems (“WMS”) to ship customer orders within 48 hours while achieving a very high order fill rate. We also supplement our operations with third-party logistics providers to warehouse and ship customer orders in the certain areas.

Products and Suppliers

Our product strategy concentrates on providing total project solutions using the latest technology for common and unique home improvement projects. Our portfolio provides retailers the assurance that their shoppers can find the right product at the right price within an 'easy to shop' environment.

We currently manage a worldwide supply chain comprised of a large number of vendors, the largest of which accounted for approximately 4.9% of the Company's annual purchases and the top five of which accounted for approximately 15.7% of its annual purchases. Our vendor quality control procedures include on-site evaluations and frequent product testing. Vendors are also evaluated based on delivery performance and the accuracy of their shipments.

Hardware and Protective Solutions

Hardware and protective solutions segment includes a wide selection of product categories including fasteners; builders hardware; wall hanging; threaded rod and metal shapes; letters, numbers, and signs ("LNS"); personal protection products; and work gear.

Our fastener business consists of three categories: core fasteners, construction fasteners, and anchors, sold under a variety of brands including Hillman, FasnTite, DeckPlus, and PowerPro. Core fasteners include nuts, bolts, screws, washers, and specialty items. Construction fasteners include deck, drywall, metal screws, and both hand driven and collated nails. Anchors include hollow wall and solid wall items such as plastic anchors, toggle bolts, concrete screws, and wedge anchors.

Builder's hardware includes a variety of common household items such as coat hooks, door stops, hinges, gate latches, and decorative hardware. We market the builder's hardware products under the Hardware Essentials® brand and provide the retailer with innovation in both product and merchandising solutions. The Hardware Essentials® program utilizes modular packaging, color coding, and integrated merchandising to simplify the shopping experience for consumers. Colorful signs, packaging, and installation instructions guide the consumer quickly and easily to the correct product location in store while digital content including pictures and videos assist the on-line journey. Hardware Essentials® provides retailers and consumers decorative upgrade opportunities through contemporary finishes and designs.

The wall hanging category includes traditional picture hanging hardware, primarily marketed under the Ook® and Hillman brands, and the High & Mighty® series of tool-free wall hangers, decorative hooks and floating shelves that was launched in 2017.

We are the leading supplier of metal shapes and threaded rod in the retail market. The SteelWorks® threaded rod product includes hot and cold rolled rod, both weldable and plated, as well as a complete offering of All-Thread rod in galvanized steel, stainless steel, and brass. The SteelWorks® program is carried by many top retailers, including Lowe's and Menard's, and through cooperatives such as Ace Hardware. In addition, we are the primary supplier of metal shapes to many wholesalers throughout the country.

Letters, numbers, and signs (“LNS”) includes product lines that target both the homeowner and commercial user. Product lines within this category include individual and/or packaged letters, numbers, signs, safety related products (e.g. 911 signs), driveway markers, and a diversity of sign accessories, such as sign frames.

Our expansive glove category covers many uses for DIYer around the house and for the pro at the job site. We sell a full assortment of work gloves under the Firm Grip®, True Grip®, and Gorilla Grip brands, automotive gloves including Grease Monkey®, gardening gloves including Digz®, as well as cleaning and all-purpose gloves. As a category leader in work gloves our portfolio is founded on design and consumer driven innovation. Our products can be found at leading retailers across North America.

Our work gear category consists of tool storage, knee pads, clothing, and other accessories sold under variety of brands including AWP®, McGuire Nicholas®, and Firm Grip®. The portfolio offers a “one stop shop” for leading retailers with an expansive assortment to meet the needs of both the pro and DIYer.

Our safety category includes face masks, safety vests, and sanitizing wipes and sprays sold under a variety of brands including Firm Grip®, AWP®, and Premium Defense®. With our focus on innovative materials and intuitive design, along with industry trends, this is a growth category for Hardware and Protective Solutions.

Hardware and protective solutions generated approximately $1,024.4 million, $853.0 million and $636.7 million of revenues in the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018, respectively.

Robotics and Digital Solutions

Our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment consists primarily of software-enabled robotic key duplication and engraving solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of the consumer. We provide our offerings in retail and other high-traffic locations providing customized licensed and unlicensed key and engraving products targeted to consumers in the respective locations. Our offerings include self-service robotic engraving and robotic self service key duplication kiosks, as well as store associate assisted key duplication kiosks together with related software and systems, keys and key accessories sold in proximity to the kiosks. Our services include product and category management, merchandising services, and access to our proprietary robotic key duplicating and engraving software platforms and equipment.

We design proprietary software and engineer, design and manufacture our proprietary equipment in our Boulder, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona facilities, which forms the cornerstone for our key duplication business. Our key duplication system is offered in various retail channels including mass merchants, home centers, automotive parts retailers, franchise and independent hardware stores, and grocery/drug chains.We believe we provide the most complete key duplication systems in the industry, through our unique combination of self-service kiosk technology and store associate assisted duplication systems. Our self- service solutions are driven by our MinuteKey technology, while store associate assisted duplication currently uses the state of the art KeyKrafter equipment and other legacy duplication machines depending on the retail channel to fit that channel’s specific needs.

In 2018, we completed the acquisition of MinuteKey, the world’s first self-service robotic key duplication machine. The accuracy of robotics technology put to work in an innovative way makes MinuteKey machines easy to use, convenient, fast and highly reliable. We utilize a propriety network integration software with our MinuteKey kiosks to maintain high levels of machine up-time and ensure machines have the optimal mix of key types available for duplication. The kiosk is completely self-service and has a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. We manufacture and support the Minute Key kiosk out of our Boulder, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona facilities.

The Hillman KeyKrafter® is our most popular, innovative, and effective store associate assisted key duplication kiosk. It provides significant reduction in duplication time while increasing accuracy and ease of use for unskilled store associates. Additionally, with the KeyKrafter® solution, the capability exists for consumers to securely store and retrieve digital back-ups of their key without the original through the revolutionary Hillman KeyHero® Technology. Our Precision Laser Key System™ system uses a digital optical camera, lasers, and proprietary software to scan a customer’s key. The system identifies the key and retrieves the key’s specifications, including the appropriate blank and cutting pattern, from a comprehensive database. This technology automates nearly every aspect of key duplication and provides the ability for every store associate to cut a key accurately. In the automotive key space, we offer the SmartBox Automotive Key Programmer which is a tool to quickly and easily pair transponder keys, remotes, and smart keys.

We retain ownership of the key duplicating equipment and market and sell keys and key accessories. Our proprietary key offering features the universal blank which uses a “universal” keyway to replace up to five original equipment keys. This innovative system allows a retailer to duplicate 99% of the key market while stocking less than 100 SKUs. We continually refresh the retailer’s key offerings by introducing decorated and licensed keys and accessories. Our key offering features decorative themes of art and popular licenses such as NFL, Disney, Breast Cancer Awareness, and Marvel to increase personalization, purchase frequency and average transaction value per key. We also market a successful line of decorative and licensed lanyards and other key accessories.

All of our key duplication systems are supported by a dedicated in store kiosk sales and service team.

In our engraving business, we supply a variety of innovative options of consumer-operated robotic kiosks such as Quick-Tag®, TagWorks®, and FIDO® for engraving specialty items such as pet identification tags, luggage tags, and other engraved identification tags. We have developed unique engraving systems leveraging state-of- the-art technologies to provide a customized solution for mass merchant, pet supply retailers, and other high traffic areas such as theme parks, all supported by our in store kiosk field service technicians. We design, engineer, manufacture, and assemble the engraving kiosks in our Boulder, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona facilities.

Our engraving business focuses on the growing consumer spending trends surrounding personalized and pet identification. Innovation has played a major role in the development of our engraving business unit. From the original Quick-Tag® consumer-operated Kiosk system to the proprietary laser system of TagWorks®, we continue to lead the industry with consumer-friendly engraving solutions. As in our key business, we retain ownership of the key engraving equipment and market and sell blank tags.

We have continued to build out our robotics and digital solutions segment with two recent acquisitions. In August 2019, we acquired the assets of Sharp Systems, LLC (“Resharp”), a California-based innovative developer of robotic automated knife sharpening systems, for a cash payment of $3.0 million and contingent consideration valued at $18.1 million. The maximum payout for the contingent consideration is $25.0 million plus 1.8% of net knife-sharpening revenues for five years after the $25.0 million is fully paid. We expect to begin rolling out the knife sharpening systems to customers in early 2021.In February 2020, we acquired the assets of Instafob, LLC (“Instafob”), a California-based innovative developer of RFID key duplication systems and a cloud based platform, for a cash payment for a cash payment of $800 and a total purchase price of $2,618, which includes $1,818 in contingent and non-contingent considerations that remain payable to the seller.Contingent consideration is based on 5% of the net sales from 2020 through 2022 plus 1% of net sales from 2023 through 2029. We expect to roll out Instafob systems to customers in 2021.

Robotics and Digital solutions generated approximately $209.3 million, $236.1 million, and $196.0 million of revenues in the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018, respectively.

Canada

Our Canada segment distributes fasteners and related hardware items, threaded rod, keys, key duplicating systems, accessories, and identification items, such as tags and letters, numbers, and signs to hardware stores, home centers, mass merchants, industrial distributors, automotive aftermarket distributors, and other retail outlets and industrial Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”) in Canada. The product lines offered in our Canada segment are consistent with the product offerings detailed in our other segments. The Canada segment also produces made to order screws and self-locking fasteners for automotive suppliers, OEMs, and industrial distributors.

Our Canada segment generated approximately $134.6 million, $125.3 million and $141.4 million of revenues in the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018, respectively.

Markets and Customers

We sell our products to national accounts such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menard’s, PETCO, PetSmart, Tractor Supply, and Walmart. Our status as a national supplier of proprietary products to big box retailers allows us to develop a strong market position and high barriers to entry within our product categories.

We service a wide variety of franchise and independent retail outlets. These individual dealers are typically members of the larger cooperatives, such as Ace Hardware, True Value, and Do-It-Best. We ship directly to the cooperative's retail locations and also supply many items to the cooperative's central warehouses. These central warehouses distribute to their members that do not have a requirement for Hillman's in-store service. These arrangements reduce credit risk and logistic expenses for us while also reducing central warehouse inventory and delivery costs for the cooperatives.

A typical hardware store maintains thousands of different items in inventory, many of which generate small dollar sales but large profits. It is difficult for a retailer to economically monitor all stock levels and to reorder the products from multiple vendors. This problem is compounded by the necessity of receiving small shipments of inventory at different times and stocking the goods. The failure to have these small items available will have an adverse effect on store traffic, thereby possibly denying the retailer the opportunity to sell items that generate higher dollar sales.

We sell our products to a large volume of customers, the top two of which accounted for approximately $671.4 million, or approximately 49%, of our total revenue in 2020. For the year ended December 26, 2020, Home Depot was the single largest customer, representing approximately $362.9 million of our total revenues. Lowe's was the second largest at approximately $308.5 million. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue in 2020. In each of the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018, we derived over 10% of our total revenues from Lowe's and Home Depot which operated in each of our operating segments.

Hillman continues to expand its B2B eCommerce platform allowing certain customers to order online through the Company’s website, www.hillmangroup.com. The B2B eCommerce platform features many of our items available for sale online and over thousands of customers are enrolled with the online ordering platform. We continue to support direct-to-store and direct-to-consumer fulfillment for consumers who choose to order fasteners directly from retailers' websites.

Sales and Marketing

We believe that our primary competitive advantage is rooted in our ability to provide a greater level of customer service than our competitors. We partner with our customers to understand the unmet needs of consumers, design creative solutions, and commercialize those solutions bringing them to life in both physical and digital channels through a tight alignment between the product management, marketing communications, and channel marketing functions. We provide best in class support and customer service at every touch point for our retail partners, and service is the hallmark of Hillman company-wide. The national accounts field service organization consists of approximately 800 employees and 70 field managers focusing on big box retailers, pet super stores, large national discount chains, and grocery stores. This organization reorders products, details store shelves, and sets up in-store promotions. Many of our largest customers use electronic data interchange (“EDI”) for processing of orders and invoices.

We employ what we believe to be the largest direct sales force in the industry. The sales force, which consists of approximately 270 employees and is managed by 30 field managers, focuses on the franchise and independent customers. The depth of the sales and service team enables us to maintain consistent call cycles ensuring that all customers experience proper stock levels and inventory turns. This team also prepares custom plan-o-grams of displays to fit the needs of any store and establishes

programs that meet customers' requirements for pricing, invoicing, and other needs. This group also benefits from daily internal support from our inside sales and customer service teams. On average, each sales representative is responsible for approximately 60 full service accounts that the sales representative calls on approximately every two weeks. These efforts allow the sales force to sell and support our product lines.

Competition

Our primary competitors in the national accounts marketplace for fasteners are Primesource Building Products, Inc., Midwest Fastener Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Spectrum Brands, and competition from direct import by our customers. Our national competitors for gloves and personal protective equipment include West Chester Protective Gear, PIP, Iron Clad, and MidWest Quality Gloves, Inc. Competition is primarily based on sourcing and price. We believe our product innovation and and in store merchandising service create a more compelling and unique experience for both the consumer and our customers. Other competitors are local and regional distributors. Competitors in the pet tag market are specialty retailers, direct mail order, and retailers with in-store mail order capability. The Quick-Tag®, FIDO®, and TagWorks® systems have patent protected technology that is a major barrier to entry and helps to preserve this market segment.

The principal competitor for our franchise and independent business is Midwest Fastener in the hardware store marketplace. The hardware outlets that purchase our products without regularly scheduled sales representative visits may also purchase products from local and regional distributors and cooperatives. We compete primarily on field service, merchandising, as well as product availability, price, and depth of product line.

Insurance Arrangements

Under our current insurance programs, commercial umbrella coverage is obtained for catastrophic exposure and aggregate losses in excess of expected claims. We retain the exposure on certain expected losses related to workers' compensation, general liability, and automobile claims. We also retain the exposure on expected losses related to health benefits of certain employees. We believe that our present insurance is adequate for our businesses. See Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies, of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Employees

As of December 26, 2020, we had 3,780 full time and part time employees, none of which were covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In our opinion, employee relations are good.

Backlog

We do not consider the sales backlog to be a significant indicator of future performance due to the short order cycle of our business. Our sales backlog from ongoing operations was approximately $58.3 million as of December 26, 2020 and approximately $19.2 million as of December 28, 2019. We expect to realize the entire December 26, 2020 backlog during fiscal 2021.

Where You Can Find More Information

We file quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K and furnish current reports on Form 8-K and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The Commission also maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains quarterly, annual, and current reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, like Hillman, that file electronically with the Commission.

In addition, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, annual reports on Form 10-K, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, are available free of charge on our website at www.hillmangroup.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with the Commission. We are providing the address to our website solely for the information of investors. We do not intend the address to be an active link or to incorporate the contents of the website into this report.

Item 1A - Risk Factors.

You should carefully consider the following risks. However, the risks set forth below are not the only risks that we face, and we face other risks which have not yet been identified or which are not yet otherwise predictable. If any of the following risks occur or are otherwise realized, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. You should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and schedules thereto.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Supply and demand for our products is influenced by general economic conditions and trends in spending on repair and remodel home projects, new home construction, and personal protective equipment. Adverse trends in, among other things, the general health of the economy, consumer confidence, interest rates, repair and remodel home projects, new home construction activity, commercial construction activity, and the use of personal protective equipment could adversely affect our business.

Demand for our products is impacted by general economic conditions in North American and other international markets including, without limitation, inflation, recession, instability in financial or credit markets, the level of consumer debt, interest rates, discretionary spending and the ability of our customers to obtain credit. We are particularly impacted by spending trends in existing home sales, new home construction activity, home repair and remodel activity, commercial construction and demand for personal protective equipment including masks and cleaning supplies. While we believe consumer preferences have increased spending on the home and personal protective equipment, the level of spending could decrease in the future. Our customers, suppliers, and other parties with whom we do business are also impacted by the foregoing conditions and adverse changes may result in financial difficulties leading to restructurings, bankruptcies, liquidations, and other unfavorable events for our customers, suppliers, and other service providers. Adverse trends in any of the foregoing factors could reduce our sales, adversely impact the mix of our sales or increase our costs which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In December 2019, a strain of coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since that time, the widespread and sustained transmission of the virus has reached global pandemic status. In response to the pandemic, many national and international health agencies have recommended, and many countries and state, provincial and local governments have implemented, various measures, including travel bans and restrictions, limitations on public and private gatherings, business closures or operating restrictions, social distancing, and shelter-in-place orders.

Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the COVID-19 virus and the worldwide response related thereto, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our business. Although the reported cases of COVID-19 have decreased in certain regions of the world, they have continued to increase in others, particularly following the 2020 holiday season, including the United States and other regions in which we operate, and it is uncertain when the pandemic or its effects will subside.

We could experience future reductions in demand for our products depending on the future course of the pandemic and related actions taken to curb its spread.

The increased demand for imported goods driven by a shift in consumer spending has also stressed the global supply chain from factory production capacity to transportation availability. The impact of a continued COVID-19 outbreak or sustained measures taken to limit or contain the outbreak could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our suppliers could fail to deliver product in a timely manner as a result of disruption to the global supply chain due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If such failures occur, we may be unable to provide products when requested by our customers. Our business could be substantially disrupted if we were required to, or chose to, replace the products from one or more major suppliers with products or services from another source, especially if the replacement became necessary on short notice. Any such disruption could increase our costs, decrease our operating efficiencies, and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Demand for our personal protective products could exceed global supply capacity thereby causing increased costs and limited availability.

The extent to which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacts us will depend on numerous evolving factors and future developments that we are not able to predict, including:

•the duration of the pandemic, including the ability of governments and health care providers to timely distribute available vaccines and the efficacy of such vaccines;

•governmental, business and other actions (which could include limitations on our operations or mandates to provide products or services) taken to limit the reach of the virus and the impact of the pandemic;

•the impact on our supply chain;

•the impact on our contracts with customers and suppliers, including potential disputes over whether COVID-19 constitutes a force majeure event;

•the impact of the pandemic on worldwide economic activity;

•the health of and the effect on our workforce and our ability to meet the staffing needs of our critical functions, particularly if members of our work force are infected with COVID-19, quarantined as a result of exposure to COVID-19 or unable to work remotely in areas subject to shelter-in-place orders;

•the health and effect on our distribution network staff, if we need to close any of our facilities or a critical number of our employees become too ill to work;

•any impairment in value of our tangible or intangible assets that could be recorded as a result of a weaker economic conditions; and

•the potential effects on our internal controls including those over financial reporting as a result of changes in working environments such as shelter-in-place and similar orders that are applicable to our team members and business partners, among others.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The retail industry is highly competitive, with the principal methods of competition being product innovation, price, quality of service, quality of products, product availability and timeliness, credit terms, and the provision of value-added services, such as merchandising design, in-store service, and inventory management. We encounter competition from a large number of regional and national distributors which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

To compete successfully, we must develop and commercialize a continuing stream of innovative new products that create consumer demand.

Our long-term success in the current competitive environment depends on our ability to develop and commercialize a continuing stream of innovative new products, including those in our new mass merchant fastener program, which create and maintain consumer demand. We also face the risk that our competitors will introduce innovative new products that compete with our products. Our strategy includes increased investment in new product development and continued focus on innovation. There are, nevertheless, numerous uncertainties inherent in successfully developing and commercializing innovative new products on a continuing basis, and new product launches may not provide expected growth results.

Our business may be adversely affected by seasonality.

In general, we have experienced seasonal fluctuations in sales and operating results from quarter to quarter. Typically, the first calendar quarter is the weakest due to the effect of weather on home projects and the construction industry. If adverse weather conditions persist on a regional or national basis into the second or other calendar quarters, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Because our business is working capital intensive, we rely on our ability to manage our product purchasing and customer credit policies.

Our operations are working capital intensive, and our inventories, accounts receivable and accounts payable are significant components of our net asset base. We manage our inventories and accounts payable through our purchasing policies and our accounts receivable through our customer credit policies. If we fail to adequately manage our product purchasing or customer credit policies, our working capital and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We are subject to inventory management risks: insufficient inventory may result in increased costs, lost sales and lost customers, while excess inventory may increase our costs.

We balance the need to maintain inventory levels that are sufficient to maintain superior customer fulfillment levels against the

risk and financial costs of carrying excess inventory levels. In order to successfully manage our inventories, we must estimate demand from our customers at the product level and timely purchase products in quantities that substantially correspond to that demand. If we overestimate demand and purchase too much of a particular product, we could have excess inventory handling costs, distribution center capacity constraints and inventory that we cannot sell profitably. In addition, we may have to write down such inventory if we are unable to sell it for its recorded value. By contrast, if we underestimate demand and purchase insufficient quantities of a product, and/or do not maintain enough inventory of a product we may not be able to fulfill customer orders on a timely basis which could result in fines, the loss of sales and ultimately loss of customers for those products as they turn to our competitors. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer a material adverse effect if either or both of these situations occur frequently or in large volumes.

We have substantial fixed costs and, as a result, our operating income is sensitive to changes in our net sales.

A significant portion of our expenses are fixed costs (including personnel), which do not fluctuate with net sales. Consequently, a percentage decline in our net sales could have a greater percentage effect on our operating income if we do not act to reduce personnel or take other cost reduction actions. Any decline in our net sales would cause our profitability to be adversely affected.

Large customer concentration and the inability to penetrate new channels of distribution could adversely affect our business.

Our two largest customers constituted approximately $671.4 million of net sales and $54.7 million of the year-end accounts receivable balance for 2020. Each of these customers is a big box chain store. Our results of operations depend greatly on our ability to maintain existing relationships and arrangements with these big box chain stores. To the extent that the big box chain stores are materially adversely impacted by the changing retail landscape, this could have a negative effect on our results of operations. These two customers have been key components of our growth and failure to maintain fulfillment and service levels or relationships with these customers could result in a material loss of business. Our inability to penetrate new channels of distribution, including ecommerce, may also have a negative impact on our future sales and business.

Successful sales and marketing efforts depend on our ability to recruit and retain qualified employees.

The success of our efforts to grow our business depends on the contributions and abilities of key executives, our sales force, and other personnel, including the ability of our sales force to achieve adequate customer coverage. We must therefore continue to recruit, retain, and motivate management, sales, and other personnel to maintain our current business and to support our projected growth. A shortage of these key employees might jeopardize our ability to implement our growth strategy.

Increases in labor costs, potential labor disputes and work stoppages or an inability to hire skilled distribution, sales and other personnel could adversely affect our business.

An increase in labor costs, work stoppages or disruptions at our facilities or those of our suppliers or transportation service providers, or other labor disruptions, could decrease our sales and increase our expenses. In addition, although our employees are not represented by a union, our labor force may become subject to labor union organizing efforts, which could cause us to incur additional labor costs and increase the related risks that we now face.

A significant increase in the salaries and wages paid by competing employers could result in a reduction of our labor force, increases in the salaries and wages that we must pay or both. If we are unable to hire warehouse, distribution, sales and other personnel, our ability to execute our business plan and our results of operations would suffer.

We are exposed to adverse changes in currency exchange rates.

Exposure to foreign currency risk exists because we, through our global operations, enter into transactions and make investments denominated in multiple currencies. Our predominant exposures are in Canadian, Mexican, and Asian currencies, including the Chinese Yuan (“CNY”). In preparing our Consolidated Financial Statements for foreign operations with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar, asset and liability accounts are translated at current exchange rates and income and expenses are translated using weighted-average exchange rates. With respect to the effects on translated earnings, if the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to local currencies, our earnings could be negatively impacted. We do not make a practice of hedging our non-U.S. dollar earnings.

We source many products from China and other Asian countries for resale in other regions. To the extent that the CNY or other currencies appreciate with respect to the U.S. dollar, we may experience cost increases on such purchases. The U.S. dollar

decreased in value relative to the CNY by 6.5% in 2020, increased by 1.7% in 2019 and increased by 5.7% in 2018. Significant appreciation of the CNY or other currencies in countries where we source our products could adversely impact our profitability. In addition, our foreign subsidiaries in Canada and Mexico may purchase certain products from their vendors denominated in U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar strengthens compared to the local currencies, it may result in margin erosion. We have a practice of hedging some of our Canadian subsidiary's purchases denominated in U.S. dollars. We may not be successful at implementing customer pricing or other actions in an effort to mitigate the related cost increases and thus our results of operations may be adversely impacted.

Our results of operations could be negatively impacted by inflation or deflation in supply chain costs, including raw materials, sourcing, transportation and energy.

Our products are manufactured of metals, including but not limited to steel, aluminum, zinc, and copper. Additionally, we use other commodity-based materials in the manufacture of LNS that are resin-based and subject to fluctuations in the price of oil. We source the majority of our products from third parties and are subject to changes in their underlying manufacturing costs. We also use third parties for transportation and are exposed to fluctuations in freight costs to transport goods from our suppliers to our distribution facilities and from there to our customers, as well as the price of diesel fuel in the form of freight surcharges on customer shipments and the cost of gasoline used by the field sales and service force. Inflation in these costs could result in significant cost increases. If we are unable to mitigate the any cost increases from the foregoing factors through various customer pricing actions and cost reduction initiatives, our financial condition may be adversely affected. Conversely, in the event that there is deflation, we may experience pressure from our customers to reduce prices. There can be no assurance that we would be able to reduce our cost base (through negotiations with suppliers or other measures) to offset any such price concessions which could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

We are subject to the risks of doing business internationally.

A portion of our revenue is generated outside the United States, primarily from customers located in Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Because we sell our products and services outside the United States, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally, which include:

•changes in a specific country's or region's political and cultural climate or economic condition;

•unexpected or unfavorable changes in foreign laws and regulatory requirements;

•difficulty of effective enforcement of contractual provisions in local jurisdictions;

•inadequate intellectual property protection in foreign countries;

•the imposition of duties and tariffs and other trade barriers;

•trade-protection measures, import or export licensing requirements such as Export Administration Regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Sanctions Laws and Regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and fines, penalties, or suspension or revocation of export privileges;

•violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;

•the effects of applicable and potentially adverse foreign tax law changes;

•significant adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates; and

•difficulties associated with repatriating cash in a tax-efficient manner.

Any failure to adapt to these or other changing conditions in foreign countries in which we do business could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our business is subject to risks associated with sourcing product from overseas.

We import a significant amount of our products and rely on foreign sources to meet our supply demands at prices that support our current operating margins. Substantially all of our import operations are subject to customs requirements and to tariffs and quotas set by governments through mutual agreements or unilateral actions. The U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and other imported goods have materially increased the costs of many of our foreign sourced products, and any escalation in the tariffs will increase the impact. In order to sustain current operating margins while the tariffs are in effect, we must be able to increases prices with our customers and find alternative, similarly priced sources that are not subject to the tariffs. If we are unable to effectively implement these countermeasures, our operating margins will be impacted.

In addition, the countries from which our products and materials are manufactured or imported may, from time to time, impose additional quotas, duties, tariffs, or other restrictions on their imports or adversely modify existing restrictions. Adverse changes in these import costs and restrictions, or our suppliers' failure to comply with customs regulations or similar laws, could harm our business.

If any of our existing vendors fail to meet our needs, we believe that sufficient capacity exists in the open market to supply any shortfall that may result. However, it is not always possible to replace a vendor on short notice without disruption in our operations which may require more costly expedited transportation expense and replacement of a major vendor is often at higher prices.

Our ability to import products in a timely and cost-effective manner may also be affected by conditions at ports or issues that otherwise affect transportation and warehousing providers, such as port and shipping capacity, labor disputes, severe weather, or increased homeland security requirements in the U.S. and other countries. These issues could delay importation of products or require us to locate alternative ports or warehousing providers to avoid disruption to customers. These alternatives may not be available on short notice or could result in higher transit costs, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

Further, our business could be adversely affected by the recent outbreak of COVID-19. This situation may have a material and adverse effect on our business which could include temporary closures of our facilities, the facilities of our suppliers, and other disruptions caused to us, our suppliers or customers. This may adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

Acquisitions have formed a significant part of our growth strategy in the past and may continue to do so. If we are unable to identify suitable acquisition candidates, successfully integrate an acquired business, or obtain financing needed to complete an acquisition, our growth strategy may not succeed.

Historically, our growth strategy has relied in part on acquisitions that either expand or complement our businesses in new or existing markets. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify or acquire acceptable acquisition candidates on terms favorable to us and in a timely manner, if at all, to the extent necessary.

The process of integrating acquired businesses into our operations may result in unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of resources and management attention, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses into our operations. Additionally, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits from any acquisition.

Unfavorable changes in the current economic environment may make it difficult to acquire businesses in order to further our growth strategy. We will continue to seek acquisition opportunities both to expand into new markets and to enhance our position in our existing markets. However, our ability to do so will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to obtain financing that we may need to complete a proposed acquisition opportunity which may be unavailable or available on terms that are not advantageous to us. If financing is unavailable, we may be forced to forego otherwise attractive acquisition opportunities which may have a negative effect on our ability to grow.

If we were required to write down all or part of our goodwill or indefinite-lived trade names, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

We have $816.2 million of goodwill and $85.6 million of indefinite-lived trade names recorded on our accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 26, 2020. We are required to periodically determine if our goodwill or indefinite-lived trade names have become impaired, in which case we would write down the impaired portion. If we were required to write down all or part of our goodwill or indefinite-lived trade names, our net income could be materially adversely affected.

Our success is highly dependent on information and technology systems.

We believe that our proprietary computer software programs are an integral part of our business and growth strategies. We depend on our information systems to process orders, to manage inventory and accounts receivable collections, to purchase, sell, and ship products efficiently and on a timely basis, to maintain cost-effective operations, and to provide superior service to our customers. If these systems are damaged, intruded upon, shutdown, or cease to function properly (whether by planned upgrades, force majeure, telecommunications failures, hardware or software break-ins or viruses, other cyber-security incidents, or otherwise), we may suffer disruption in our ability to manage and operate our business.

There can be no assurance that the precautions which we have taken against certain events that could disrupt the operations of our information systems will prevent the occurrence of such a disruption. Any such disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential customer, employee, supplier, or Company information, whether through a breach of our computer systems, including cyber-attacks or otherwise, could severely harm our business.

As part of our business, we collect, process, and retain sensitive and confidential personal information about our customers, employees, and suppliers. Despite the security measures we have in place, our facilities and systems, and those of the retailers and other third party distributors with which we do business, may be vulnerable to security breaches, cyber-attacks, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other similar events. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential customer, employee, supplier, or Company information, whether by us or by the retailers and other third party distributors with which we do business, could result in losses, severely damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of litigation and liability, disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The regulatory environment related to information security, data collection, and privacy is increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable to our business, and compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs.

Failure to adequately protect intellectual property could adversely affect our business.

Intellectual property rights are an important and integral component of our business. We attempt to protect our intellectual property rights through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws, as well as licensing agreements and third-party nondisclosure and assignment agreements.

In the event that our trademarks or patents are successfully challenged and we lose the rights to use those trademarks or patents, or if we fail to prevent others from using them, we could experience reduced sales or be forced to redesign or rebrand our products, requiring us to devote resources to product development, advertising and marketing new products and brands. In addition, we cannot be sure that any pending trademark or patent applications will be granted or will not be challenged or opposed by third parties or that we will be able to enforce our trademark rights against counterfeiters.

Failure to obtain or maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property rights for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our success depends in part on our ability to operate without infringing on or misappropriating the proprietary rights of others, and if we are unable to do so we may be liable for damages.

We cannot be certain that United States or foreign patents or patent applications of other companies do not exist or will not be issued that would prevent us from commercializing our products. Third parties may sue us for infringing or misappropriating their patent or other intellectual property rights. Intellectual property litigation is costly. If we do not prevail in litigation, in addition to any damages we might have to pay, we could be required to cease the infringing activity or obtain a license requiring us to make royalty payments. It is possible that a required license may not be available to us on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, a required license may be non-exclusive, and therefore our competitors may have access to the same technology licensed to us. If we fail to obtain a required license or are unable to design around another company’s patent, we may be unable to make use of some of the affected products, which would reduce our revenues.

The defense costs and settlements for patent infringement lawsuits are not covered by insurance. Patent infringement lawsuits can take years to settle. If we are not successful in our defenses or are not successful in obtaining dismissals of any such lawsuit, legal fees or settlement costs could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.

Recent changes in United States patent laws may limit our ability to obtain, defend, and/or enforce our patents.

The United States has recently enacted and implemented wide ranging patent reform legislation. The United States Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on actions by the United States Congress, the United States federal courts, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we might obtain in the future. Similarly, changes in patent law and regulations in other countries or jurisdictions, changes in the governmental bodies that enforce them or changes in how the relevant governmental authority enforces patent laws or regulations may weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we may obtain in the future.

Regulations related to conflict minerals could adversely impact our business.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains provisions to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of certain minerals, known as “conflict minerals”, originating from the Democratic

Republic of Congo (“DRC”) and adjoining countries. These rules could adversely affect the sourcing, supply, and pricing of materials used in our products, as the number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals may be limited. We may also suffer harm to our image if we determine that certain of our products contain minerals not determined to be conflict-free or if we are unable to modify our products to avoid the use of such materials. We may also face challenges in satisfying customers who may require that our products be certified as containing conflict-free minerals.

Future changes in financial accounting standards may significantly change our reported results of operations.

The accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results and could affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change. Additionally, our assumptions, estimates and judgments related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results. GAAP and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, including, but not limited to, revenue recognition, impairment of long-lived assets, leases and related economic transactions, intangibles, self-insurance, income taxes, property and equipment, litigation and stock-based compensation are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by us. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments by us (i) could require us to make changes to our accounting systems to implement these changes that could increase our operating costs and (ii) could significantly change our reported or expected financial performance.

Future tax law changes may materially increase our prospective income tax expense.

We are subject to income taxation in many jurisdictions in the U.S. as well as foreign jurisdictions. Judgment is required in determining our worldwide income tax provision and, accordingly, there are many transactions and computations for which our final income tax determination is uncertain. We are occasionally audited by income tax authorities in several tax jurisdictions. Although we believe the recorded tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate outcome from any audit (or related litigation) could be materially different from amounts reflected in our income tax provisions and accruals. Future settlements of income tax audits may have a material effect on earnings between the period of initial recognition of tax estimates in the financial statements and the point of ultimate tax audit settlement.

Additionally, it is possible that future income tax legislation, regulations or interpretations thereof and/or import tariffs in any jurisdiction to which we are subject to taxation may be enacted and such changes could have a material impact on our worldwide income tax provision beginning with the period during which such changes become effective. In addition, our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

•changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

•expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;

•tax effects of stock-based compensation;

•costs related to intercompany restructurings; and

•lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that, if not properly corrected, could materially adversely affect our operations and result in material misstatements in our financial statements.

As described in “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures,” we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 26, 2020 because material weaknesses existed in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to remediate our material weaknesses in a timely manner, we may be unable to provide required financial information in a timely and reliable manner and we may incorrectly report financial information. Either of these events could have a material adverse effect on our operations, investor, supplier and customer confidence in our reported financial information.

We are subject to legal proceedings and legal compliance risks.

We are involved in various legal proceedings, which from time to time may involve lawsuits, state and federal governmental inquiries, audits and investigations, environmental matters, employment, tort, state false claims act, consumer litigation, and intellectual property litigation. At times, such matters may involve executive officers and other management. Certain of these

legal proceedings may be a significant distraction to management and could expose us to significant liability, including settlement expenses, damages, fines, penalties, attorneys' fees and costs, and non-monetary sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Increases in the cost of employee health benefits could impact our financial results and cash flows.

Our expenses relating to employee health benefits, for which we are primarily self insured, are significant. Healthcare costs have risen significantly in recent years, and recent legislative and private sector initiatives regarding healthcare reform have resulted and could continue to result in significant changes to the U.S. healthcare system. Unfavorable changes in the cost of such benefits could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and cash flows.

If we become subject to material liabilities under our self-insured programs, our financial results may be adversely affected.

We provide workers’ compensation, automobile, and product/general liability coverage through a high deductible insurance program. In addition, we are self-insured for our health benefits and maintain per employee stop-loss coverage. Although we believe that we have adequate stop-loss coverage for catastrophic claims to cap the risk of loss, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected if the number and severity of claims that are not covered by stop-loss insurance increases.

We occupy most of our locations under long-term non-cancelable leases. We may be unable to renew leases on favorable terms or at all. Also, if we close a location, we may remain obligated under the applicable lease.

Most of our locations are located in leased premises. Many of our current leases are non-cancelable and typically have terms ranging from two to fourteen years, with options to renew for specified periods of time. We believe that leases we enter into in the future will likely be long-term and noncancelable and have similar renewal options. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to renew our current or future leases on favorable terms or at all which could have an adverse effect on our ability to operate our business and on our results of operations. In addition, if we close a location, we generally remain committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease, which include, among other things, payment of the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Our obligation to continue making rental payments in respect of leases for closed locations could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

We have significant indebtedness that could affect operations and financial condition and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. On December 26, 2020, total indebtedness was $1,549.8 million, consisting of $108.7 million of indebtedness of Hillman and $1,441.1 million of indebtedness of Hillman Group.

Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences. For example, it could:

•make it more difficult for us to satisfy obligations to holders of our indebtedness;

•increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

•require the dedication of a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to payments on indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, research and development efforts, and other general corporate purposes;

•limit flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;

•place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors that have less debt; and

•limit our ability to borrow additional funds.

In addition, the indenture governing Hillman Group's notes and senior secured credit facilities contain financial and other restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. The failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all outstanding debts.

Despite current indebtedness levels, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial leverage.

We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of the indenture do not fully prohibit us from doing so. The senior secured credit facilities permit additional borrowing of $154.4 million on the revolving credit facility. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

We rely on available borrowings under the asset-based revolving credit facility (“ABL Revolver”) for cash to operate our business, and the availability of credit under the ABL Revolver may be subject to significant fluctuation.

In addition to cash we generate from our business, our principal existing source of cash is borrowings available under the ABL Revolver. Availability will be limited to the lesser of a borrowing base and $250.0 million. The borrowing base is calculated on a monthly (or more frequent under certain circumstances) valuation of our inventory, accounts receivable and certain cash balances. As a result, our access to credit under the ABL Revolver is potentially subject to significant fluctuation, depending on the value of the borrowing base-eligible assets as of any measurement date. The inability to borrow under the ABL Revolver may adversely affect our liquidity, financial position and results of operations. As of December 26, 2020, the ABL Revolver had an outstanding amount of $72.0 million and outstanding letters of credit of $23.6 million leaving $154.4 million of available borrowings as a source of liquidity.

The failure to meet certain financial covenants required by our credit agreements may materially and adversely affect assets, financial position, and cash flows.

Certain aspects of our credit agreements require the maintenance of a leverage ratio and limit our ability to incur debt, make investments, make dividend payments to holders of the Trust Preferred Securities, or undertake certain other business activities. In particular, our minimum allowed fixed charge coverage ratio requirement is 1.0x as of December 26, 2020. A breach of the covenant, or any other covenants, could result in an event of default under the credit agreements. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the credit agreements, all amounts outstanding, together with accrued interest, could be declared immediately due and payable by our lenders. If this happens, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full the payments due under the credit agreements. The current credit market environment and other macro-economic challenges affecting the global economy may adversely impact our ability to borrow sufficient funds or sell assets or equity in order to pay existing debt.

We are subject to fluctuations in interest rates.

On May 31, 2018 we entered into a new credit agreement that includes a funded term loan for $530.0 million and a unfunded delayed draw term loan facility ("DDTL") for $165.0 million (collectively, "2018 Term Loan"). Concurrently, we also entered into a new asset-based revolving credit agreement ("ABL Revolver") for $150.0 million. We utilized the full $165.0 million DDTL to finance the MinuteKey acquisition on August 10, 2018. On October 1, 2018, we entered into an amendment (the "Amendment") to the aforementioned 2018 Term Loan agreement which provided an additional $365.0 million of incremental term loan proceeds. On November 15, 2019, the Company entered into an amendment (the "ABL Amendment") to the aforementioned ABL Revolver agreement which provided an additional $100.0 million of revolving credit, bringing the total available to $250.0 million.

All of our indebtedness incurred in connection with the 2018 Term Loan and ABL Revolver has variable interest rates. Increases in borrowing rates will increase our cost of borrowing, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, regulatory changes, such as the announcement of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority to phase out the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") by the end of 2021, may adversely affect our floating rate debt and interest rate derivatives. If LIBOR ceases to exist, we may need to renegotiate any credit agreements or interest rate derivatives agreements extending beyond 2021 that utilize LIBOR as a factor in determining the interest rate or hedge rate, which could adversely impact our cost of debt.

Restrictions imposed by the indenture governing the 6.375% Senior Notes, and by our Senior Facilities and our other outstanding indebtedness, may limit our ability to operate our business and to finance our future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.

The terms of our Senior Facilities and the indenture governing the notes restrict us from engaging in specified types of transactions. These covenants restrict our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries, among other things, to:

•incur or guarantee additional indebtedness;

•pay dividends on our capital stock or redeem, repurchase, or retire our capital stock or indebtedness;

•make investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

•pay dividends or other amounts to us from our restricted subsidiaries;

•engage in transactions with our affiliates;

•sell assets, including capital stock of our subsidiaries;

•consolidate or merge; and

•create liens.

In addition, the ABL Revolver requires us to maintain inventory and accounts receivable balances to collateralize the underlying loan with a maximum allowable borrowing limit of $250.0 million. Our ability to comply with this covenant can be affected by events beyond our control, and we may not be able to satisfy them. A breach of this covenant would be an event of default. In the event of a default under the ABL Revolver, those lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under the ABL Revolver to be immediately due and payable or terminate their commitments to lend additional money, which would also lead to a cross-default and cross-acceleration of amounts owing under the Senior Facilities. If the indebtedness under our Senior Facilities or the notes were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full. In particular, note holders will be paid only if we have assets remaining after we pay amounts due on our secured indebtedness, including our Senior Facilities. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under our Senior Facilities.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, including the notes, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, including the notes. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital, or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. In addition, the ability to borrow under our asset-based revolving credit facility is subject to limitations based on advances rates against certain eligible inventory and accounts receivables that collateralize the underlying loans. Our ability to ability to access the full $250.0 million of revolving credit can be affected by events beyond our control if the value of our inventory and accounts receivables is materially adversely affected.

Our ability to repay our debt is affected by the cash flow generated by our subsidiaries.

Our subsidiaries own substantially all of our assets and conduct substantially all of our operations. Accordingly, repayment of our indebtedness will be dependent on the generation of cash flow by our subsidiaries and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment, or otherwise. Unless they are guarantors of the notes, our subsidiaries will not have any obligation to pay amounts due on the notes or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or may not be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries. While the indenture governing the notes limits the ability of our subsidiaries to incur consensual restrictions on their ability to pay dividends or make other intercompany payments to us, these limitations are subject to certain qualifications and exceptions. In the event that we do not receive distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

Volatility and weakness in bank and capital markets may adversely affect credit availability and related financing costs for us.

Bank and capital markets can experience periods of volatility and disruption. If the disruption in these markets is prolonged, our ability to refinance, and the related cost of refinancing, some or all of our debt could be adversely affected. Additionally, during periods of volatile credit markets, there is a risk that lenders, even those with strong balance sheets and sound lending practices, could fail or refuse to honor their legal commitments and obligations under existing credit commitments. Although we currently can access the bank and capital markets, there is no assurance that such markets will continue to be a reliable source of financing for us. These factors, including the tightening of credit markets, could adversely affect our ability to obtain cost-effective financing. Increased volatility and disruptions in the financial markets also could make it more difficult and more

expensive for us to refinance outstanding indebtedness and obtain financing. In addition, the adoption of new statutes and regulations, the implementation of recently enacted laws or new interpretations or the enforcement of older laws and regulations applicable to the financial markets or the financial services industry could result in a reduction in the amount of available credit or an increase in the cost of credit. Disruptions in the financial markets can also adversely affect our lenders, insurers, customers, and other counterparties. Any of these results could cause a material adverse effect to our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Item 1B - Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2 – Properties.

As of December 26, 2020, our principal office, manufacturing, and distribution properties were as follows:

Business Segment

Approximate
Square
Footage

Description

Hardware and Protective Solutions & Robotics and Digital Solutions

Cincinnati, Ohio

270,000

Office, Distribution

Dallas, Texas

166,000

Distribution

Forest Park, Ohio

385,000

Office, Distribution

Jacksonville, Florida

97,000

Distribution

Rialto, California

402,000

Distribution

Shafter, California

168,000

Distribution

Tempe, Arizona

184,000

Office, Mfg., Distribution

Hardware and Protective Solutions

Atlanta, Georgia

14,000

Office

Fairfield, Ohio

85,000

Distribution

Guadalajara, Mexico

12,000

Office, Distribution

Guleph, Ontario

25,000

Distribution

Pompano Beach, Florida

39,000

Office, Distribution

Monterrey, Mexico

13,000

Distribution

Rome, Georgia

14,000

Office

Shannon, Georgia

300,000

Distribution

Springdale, Ohio

28,000

Mfg., Distribution

Tyler, Texas (1)

202,000

Office, Mfg., Distribution

Robotics and Digital Solutions

Boulder, Colorado

20,000

Office

Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia

29,000

Distribution

Edmonton, Alberta

100,000

Distribution

Laval, Quebec

34,000

Distribution

Milton, Ontario

26,000

Manufacturing

Pickering, Ontario

110,000

Distribution

Scarborough, Ontario

23,000

Mfg., Distribution

Toronto, Ontario

389,000

Office, Distribution

Winnipeg, Manitoba

42,000

Distribution

(1)The Company leases two facilities in Tyler, Texas. The first is a 139,000 square foot facility located at 2329 E. Commerce Street used for manufacturing and distribution. The second is a 63,000 square foot facility located at 6357 Reynolds Road used for offices, manufacturing, and distribution.

All of the Company's facilities are leased. In the opinion of the Company's management, the Company's existing facilities are in good condition.

Item 3 – Legal Proceedings.

We are subject to various claims and litigation that arise in the normal course of business. For a description of our material legal proceedings, see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies, to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 4 – Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not Applicable.

PART II

Item 5 – Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Stock Exchange Listing

Our common stock does not trade and is not listed on or quoted in an exchange or other market. The Trust Preferred Securities trade under the ticker symbol "HLM.Pr." on the NYSE Amex. The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices as reported on the NYSE Amex for the Trust Preferred Securities.


2020	High		Low
First Quarter	$	36.27	$	25.19
Second Quarter	30.40		25.08
Third Quarter	30.19		25.03
Fourth Quarter	31.28		28.25
2019	High		Low
First Quarter	$	34.18	$	30.49
Second Quarter	35.37		32.16
Third Quarter	36.21		33.85
Fourth Quarter	36.88		33.67

The Trust Preferred Securities have a liquidation value of $25.00 per security. As of March 3, 2021, the total number of Trust Preferred Securities outstanding was 4,217,724. As of March 3, 2021, our total number of shares of common stock outstanding was 5,000, held by one stockholder.

Distributions

We pay interest to the Hillman Group Capital Trust (the “Trust”) on the junior subordinated debentures underlying the Trust Preferred Securities at the rate of 11.6% per annum on their face amount of $105.4 million, or $12.2 million per annum in the aggregate. The Trust distributes an equivalent amount to the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities. For the years ended December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, we paid $12.3 million and $11.2 million, respectively, per year in interest on the junior subordinated debentures, which was equivalent to the amounts distributed by the Trust for the same periods. As of December 26, 2020 $1.0 million remained payable on our balance sheet due to the timing of our year end.

Pursuant to the indenture that governs the Trust Preferred Securities, the Trust is able to defer distribution payments to holders of the Trust Preferred Securities for a period that cannot exceed 60 months (the “Deferral Period”). During the Deferral Period, we are required to accrue the full amount of all interest payable, and such deferred interest payments are immediately payable at the end of the Deferral Period. In fiscal 2020, the Company elected to defer interest payments to the holders of the Trust Preferred Securities during April 2020 through July 2020. See Note 7 - Long-Term Debt for additional details. There were no deferrals of distribution payments to holders of the Trust Preferred Securities in fiscal 2019.

The interest payments on the junior subordinated debentures underlying the Trust Preferred Securities are subject to the interest expense limitations arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Tax Act”) (see Note 6 - Income Taxes for further information) and will remain our obligation until the Trust Preferred Securities are redeemed or upon their maturity in 2027.

For more information on the Trust and junior subordinated debentures, see “Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

We made no sales of our equity securities during the year ended December 26, 2020.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

We made no repurchases of our equity securities during the year ended December 26, 2020.

Item 6 – Selected Financial Data.

The following table sets forth selected consolidated financial data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and December 30 2017, December 29, 2018, December 28, 2019, and December 26, 2020. Net (loss) income and total assets for the years ended December 29, 2018 and December 28, 2019 have been restated due to the correction of errors in the accounting for income taxes related to the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, which impacted our net deferred tax liabilities. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.


(dollars in thousands)	Year Ended 12/26/2020		Year Ended 12/28/2019 As Restated		Year Ended 12/29/2018 As Restated		Year Ended 12/30/2017		Year Ended 12/31/2016
Income Statement Data:
Net sales	$	1,368,295	$	1,214,362	$	974,175	$	838,368	$	814,908
Cost of Sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)	781,815		693,881		537,885		455,717		438,418
Income from operations	65,766		7,695		27,443		35,504		40,809
Net (loss) income	(24,499)		(85,479)		(58,681)		58,648		(14,206)
Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets	$	2,468,618	$	2,437,983	$	2,428,243	$	1,799,217	$	1,781,636
Long-term debt & finance lease obligations (1) (2)	1,111,088		1,162,928		1,167,676		550,685		536,572
11.6% Junior Subordinated Debentures	108,704		108,704		108,704		108,704		108,704
6.375% Senior Notes	330,000		330,000		330,000		330,000		330,000

(1)Includes current portion of long-term debt (at face value) and finance lease obligations in 2019, and capitalized lease obligations in 2016.

(2)In 2018 we refinanced our term loan, see Note 7 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on our current debt.

Item 7 – Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion provides information which our management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and schedules thereto appearing elsewhere herein. In addition, see “Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Regarding Forward-Looking Information”, as well as “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report. We have restated our financial statements for 2019 and 2018 due to the correction of errors in the accounting for income taxes related to the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, which impacted our net deferred tax liabilities. Accordingly, the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations set forth below reflect the effects of the restatements. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.

General

Hillman is one of the largest providers of hardware-related products and related merchandising services to retail markets in North America. Our principal business is operated through our wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hillman Group, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman Group”), which had net sales of approximately $1,368.3 million in 2020. Hillman Group sells its products to hardware stores, home centers, mass merchants, pet supply stores, and other retail outlets principally in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Product lines include thousands of small parts such as fasteners and related hardware items; threaded rod and metal shapes; keys, key duplication systems, and accessories; builder's hardware; personal protective equipment, such as gloves and eye-wear; and identification items, such as tags and letters, numbers, and signs. We support product sales with services that include design and installation of merchandising systems, maintenance of appropriate in-store inventory levels, and break-fix for our robotics kiosks.

Subsequent to our year end, on January 24, 2021, the Company’s parent, HMan Group Holdings, Inc., and Landcadia Holdings III, Inc. ("Landcadia"), a special purpose acquisition company ("SPAC") entered into an agreement ("Merger Agreement") whereby the Parent would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Landcadia for the consideration of $911.3 million upon approval of the Landcadia shareholders and will be accounted for as a reverse acquisition resulting in a recapitalization of HMan Group Holdings. Consideration would be a combination of roll-over equity by current Company shareholders, new share purchases by Landcadia SPAC participants, cash from a new credit agreement and refinancing of existing credit facilities of the Company. A full description of the proposed acquisition terms may be found in the Landcadia Proxy Statement dated February 3, 2021 (the “Proxy”) filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which is available on www.sec.gov.

Current Economic Conditions

Our business is impacted by general economic conditions in the North American and international markets, particularly the U.S. and Canadian retail markets including hardware stores, home centers, mass merchants, and other retailers.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to a number of other countries, including the United States and Canada. In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 intensified during our fiscal 2020 second quarter and remained in effect throughout our fiscal year. Most states and municipalities within the U.S. enacted temporary closures of businesses, issued quarantine orders and took other restrictive measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the United States and Canada, our business has been designated an essential business, which allows us to continue to serve customers that remain open.

While all of our operations are located in North America, we participate in a global supply chain, and the existence of a worldwide pandemic and the reactions of governments around the world in response to COVID-19 to regulate the flow of labor and products began to impact our business in March 2020. If we need to close any of our facilities or a critical number of our employees become too ill to work, our distribution network could be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. Similarly, if our customers experience adverse business consequences due to COVID-19, demand for our products could also be materially adversely affected in a rapid manner. The Company continues to experience customer demand during the year ended December 26, 2020 and during the subsequent period. Our teams continue to monitor demand disruption and there can be no assurance as to the level of demand that will prevail in fiscal 2021. A large portion of our customers continue to operate and sell our products, with some customers reducing operations or restricting some access to portions of the retail space. The magnitude of the financial impact on our quarterly and annual results is dependent on the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and how quickly the U.S. and Canada economies resume normal operations.

An extended period of global supply chain, workforce availability, and economic disruption could materially affect the Company's business, the results of operations, financial condition, access to sources of liquidity, and the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets. While a triggering event did not occur during the year ended December 26, 2020, a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact net sales growth, change key assumptions and other global and regional macroeconomic factors that could result in future impairment charges for goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and definite lived intangible assets. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is fluid and continues to evolve, and therefore, we cannot predict the extent to which our business, results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity will ultimately be impacted.

We are exposed to the risk of unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates for the U.S. dollar versus local currency of our suppliers located primarily in China and Taiwan. We purchase a significant variety of our products for resale from multiple vendors located in China and Taiwan. The purchase price of these products is routinely negotiated in U.S. dollar amounts rather than the local currency of the vendors and our suppliers' profit margins decrease when the U.S. dollar declines in value relative to the local currency. This puts pressure on our suppliers to increase prices to us. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the CNY by approximately by 5.7% in 2018, increased by 1.7% in 2019, and decreased by 6.5% in 2020. The

U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the Taiwan dollar by approximately 3.3% in 2018, decreased by 0.2% in 2019, and decreased by 7.9% in 2020.

In addition, the negotiated purchase price of our products may be dependent upon market fluctuations in the cost of raw materials such as steel, zinc, and nickel used by our vendors in their manufacturing processes. The final purchase cost of our products may also be dependent upon inflation or deflation in the local economies of vendors in China and Taiwan that could impact the cost of labor used in the manufacturing of our products. We identify the directional impact of changes in our product cost, but the quantification of each of these variable impacts cannot be measured as to the individual impact on our product cost with a sufficient level of precision.

We are also exposed to risk of unfavorable changes in Canadian dollar exchange rate versus the U.S. dollar. Our sales in Canada are denominated in Canadian dollars while a majority of the products are sourced in U.S. dollars. A weakening of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar results in lower sales in terms of U.S. dollars while the cost of sales remains unchanged. We have a practice of hedging some of our Canadian subsidiary's purchases denominated in U.S. dollars. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the Canadian dollar by approximately 8.7% in 2018, decreased by 4.1% in 2019, and decreased by 1.9% in 2020. We may take pricing action, when warranted, in an attempt to offset a portion of product cost increases. The ability of our operating divisions to institute price increases and seek price concessions, as appropriate, is dependent on competitive market conditions.

We import large quantities of products which are subject to customs requirements and to tariffs and quotas set by governments through mutual agreements and bilateral actions. The recently implemented U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum and other imported goods has increased our product costs and required us to increase prices on the affected products.

Product Revenues

The following is revenue based on products for our significant product categories and operating segments:


	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Total Revenue
Year Ended December 26, 2020
Fastening and hardware	$	706,865	$	—	$	131,493	$	838,358
Personal protective	317,527		—		239		317,766
Keys and key accessories	—		157,828		2,878		160,706
Engraving	—		51,423		6		51,429
Resharp	—		36		—		36
Consolidated	$	1,024,392	$	209,287	$	134,616	$	1,368,295

Year Ended December 28, 2019
Fastening and hardware	$	607,247	$	—	$	121,242	$	728,489
Personal protective	245,769		—		—		245,769
Keys and key accessories	—		185,451		4,009		189,460
Engraving	—		50,613		9		50,622
Resharp	—		22		—		22
Consolidated	$	853,016	$	236,086	$	125,260	$	1,214,362

Year Ended December 29, 2018
Fastening and hardware	$	581,269	$	—	$	137,186	$	718,455
Personal protective	55,448		—		—		55,448
Keys and key accessories	—		143,898		4,217		148,115
Engraving	—		52,145		12		52,157
Resharp	—		—		—		—
Consolidated	$	636,717	$	196,043	$	141,415	$	974,175

Results of Operations

The following table shows the results of operations for the years ended December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019. The income tax benefit and net loss for 2019 has been rested due to the correction of errors related to income tax accounting. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.


	Year Ended December 26, 2020				Year Ended December 28, 2019 As Restated
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		% of Net Sales		Amount		% of Net Sales
Net sales	$	1,368,295	100.0	%	$	1,214,362	100.0	%
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	781,815		57.1	%	693,881		57.1	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses	398,472		29.1	%	382,131		31.5	%
Depreciation	67,423		4.9	%	65,658		5.4	%
Amortization	59,492		4.3	%	58,910		4.9	%
Management fees to related party	577		—	%	562		—	%
Other (income) expense, net	(5,250)		(0.4)	%	5,525		0.5	%
Income from operations	65,766		4.8	%	7,695		0.6	%
Interest expense, net	99,103		7.2	%	113,843		9.4	%

Mark-to-market adjustment of interest rate swap	601		—	%	2,608		0.2	%
Loss before income taxes	(33,938)		(2.5)	%	(108,756)		(9.0)	%
Income tax benefit	(9,439)		(0.7)	%	(23,277)		(1.9)	%
Net loss	$	(24,499)	(1.8)	%	$	(85,479)	(7.0)	%

Adjusted EBITDA (1)	$	221,215	16.2	%	$	178,658	14.7	%

(1)Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section for additional information, including our definition and our use of Adjusted EBITDA, and for a reconciliation from net income to Adjusted EBITDA.

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019

Net Sales

Net sales for the year ended December 26, 2020 were $1,368.3 million, or $5.4 million per shipping day, compared to net sales of $1,214.4 million, or $4.8 million per shipping day for the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of approximately $153.9 million. Sales of personal protective equipment increased by $71.8 million due to high demand for gloves and face masks. Fastening and hardware sales increased $99.6 million driven by strong sales with big box retailers and traditional hardware stores. Finally, sales in Canada increased by $9.4 million primarily due to strong retail demand for our products partially offset by in store shopping restrictions during the second quarter which lead to lower demand during that period. These increases were offset by a decrease of $27.6 million in key sales in the United States. Key sales were negatively impacted by restricted access to key duplicating kiosks and retail key duplication services as a result of COVID-19. As the economy has started to reopen, our service team has worked closely with our customers to restore access to key machines.

Cost of Sales

Our cost of sales ("COS") is exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense. COS was $781.8 million, or 57.1% of net sales, for the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of $87.9 million compared to $693.9 million, or 57.1% of net sales, for the year ended December 28, 2019. Cost of goods sold as a percentage of net sales was consistent with the prior year primarily as a result of the following offsetting factors:

•Sourcing savings initiatives that we achieved in 2020.

•2020 included a higher mix of construction fastener products and personal protective solutions.

Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were $398.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of $16.3 million compared to $382.1 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The following changes in underlying trends impacted the change in SG&A expenses:

•Selling expense was $149.6 million in the year ended December 26, 2020, a decrease of $7.2 million compared to $156.8 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. The decrease in selling expense was primarily due to lower marketing and travel and entertainment expense in the year ended December 26, 2020. Additionally, we had lower compensation cost as a result of the restructuring in our U.S. operations that began in the fourth quarter of 2019.

•Warehouse and delivery expenses were $159.0 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of $16.7 million compared to warehouse and delivery expenses of $142.3 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. The additional expense was primarily due to higher variable compensation and freight expenses related to increased sales. The remaining increase was due to increased labor driven by premium pay offered to warehouse workers during the COVID-19 outbreak along with additional supplies and personal protective equipment for our facilities.

•General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were $89.8 million in the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of $6.8 million compared to $83.0 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The increase was primarily due to increased legal fees associated with our ongoing litigation with KeyMe (see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). Additionally, we incurred increased incentive compensation expense in the year ended December 26, 2020.

Depreciation expense was $67.4 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to $65.7 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The increase was primarily driven by our investment in key duplication machines and merchandising racks.

Amortization expense of $59.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020, which was comparable to $58.9 million in the year ended December 28, 2019.

Other income of $5.3 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 increased $10.8 million compared to expense of $5.5 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. In the year ended December 26, 2020 other income consisted primarily of a $3.5 million gain on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob, (see Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). Additionally we received $1.8 million in cash from the Canadian government as part of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program for relief during the second quarter shutdown in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. These gains were partially offset by exchange rate losses of $0.7 million. In the year ended December 28, 2019, other expense consisted of an impairment charge of $7.0 million related to the loss on the disposal of our FastKey self-service key duplicating kiosks. This loss was offset by a gain on the sale of machinery and equipment of $0.4 million (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million.

Interest expense, net, of $99.1 million for the year ended December 26, 2020 decreased $14.7 million, compared to $113.8 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. This decrease was primarily due to lower interest rates combined with lower outstanding debt balances in the year ended December 26, 2020.

Results of Operations

The following table shows the results of operations for the years ended December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018. the income tax benefit and net loss for 2019 and 2019 has been rested due to the correction of errors related to income tax accounting. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.


	Year Ended December 28, 2019 As Restated				Year Ended December 29, 2018 As Restated
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		% of Total		Amount		% of Total
Net sales	$	1,214,362	100.0	%	$	974,175	100.0	%
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	693,881		57.1	%	537,885		55.2	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses	382,131		31.5	%	320,543		32.9	%
Depreciation	65,658		5.4	%	46,060		4.7	%
Amortization	58,910		4.9	%	44,572		4.6	%
Management fees to related party	562		—	%	546		0.1	%
Other (income) expense, net	5,525		0.5	%	(2,874)		(0.3)	%
Income from operations	7,695		0.6	%	27,443		2.8	%
Interest expense, net	113,843		9.4	%	82,775		8.5	%
Refinancing charges	—		—	%	11,632		1.2	%
Mark-to-market adjustment of interest rate swap	2,608		0.2	%	607		0.1	%
Loss before income taxes	(108,756)		(9.0)	%	(67,571)		(6.9)	%
Income tax benefit	(23,277)		(1.9)	%	(8,890)		(0.9)	%
Net loss	$	(85,479)	(7.0)	%	$	(58,681)	(6.0)	%

Adjusted EBITDA (1)	$	178,658	14.7	%	$	139,756	14.3	%

Year Ended December 28, 2019 vs Year Ended December 29, 2018

Net Sales

Net sales for the year ended December 28, 2019 were $1,214.4 million, or $4.8 million per shipping day, compared to net sales of $974.2 million, or $3.9 million per shipping day, for the year ended December 29, 2018. The increase was primarily driven by the acquisitions of MinuteKey in the third quarter of 2018 and Big Time in the fourth quarter of 2018. The acquisitions increased revenue $227.6 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 as compared to the year ended December 29, 2018. Construction fastener products and builders hardware sales increased $19.2 million and $6.4 million, respectively, due to new product line roll outs with customers. Additionally, sales decreased $7.8 million due to the closure of a manufacturing facility in Canada and exiting the related product lines (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Cost of Sales

Our cost of sales was $693.9 million, or 57.1% of net sales, for the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of $156.0 million compared to $537.9 million, or 55.2% of net sales, for the year ended December 29, 2018. The increase of 1.9% in cost of sales, expressed as a percent of net sales, in 2019 compared to 2018 was primarily due to the following items:

•Fiscal 2019 included a higher mix of personal protective equipment.

•In the year ended December 28, 2019, we had inventory valuation adjustments in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment of $5.7 million primarily related to strategic review of our product offerings and restructuring activities (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•Net sales was reduced by $7.2 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 for payments made to customers associated with the new product line roll outs for construction fastener products and builders hardware.

•We recorded a reduction of $3.8 million in cost of sales recorded in 2018 due to an adjustment of our accrual for anti-dumping duties based on the final results of the Department of Commerce’s administrative review of nails from China (see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•The remaining increase was driven by higher product cost due to tariffs.

•These increases were partially offset by lower inventory valuation adjustments in our Canada segment of $5.5 million driven by charges taken in 2018 related to exiting certain lines of business and rationalizing stock keeping units (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative ("SG&A") expenses were $382.1 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 an increase of $61.6 million compared to $320.5 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The following changes in underlying trends impacted the change in SG&A expenses:

•Selling expense was $156.8 million in the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of $22.8 million compared to $134.0 million for the year ended December 29, 2018. The acquisition of MinuteKey in the third quarter of 2018 and Big Time in the fourth quarter of 2018 added $24.9 million in selling expense for the year ended December 28, 2019 as compared to 2018. These increases were offset by a decrease of $3.3 million for the cost of updating customer store labels for a new pricing program in 2018.

•Warehouse and delivery expenses were $142.3 million for the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of $17.3 million compared to warehouse and delivery expenses of $124.9 million for the year ended December 29, 2018. The acquisition of MinuteKey in the third quarter of 2018 and Big Time in the fourth quarter of 2018 added $7.5 million in warehouse expense for the year ended December 28, 2019. We incurred $4.6 million of higher expense for increases in labor, benefits, freight, and equipment costs. We also incurred additional warehouse expense of $3.8 million in 2019 related to restructuring activities in our Canada segment (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•G&A expenses were $83.0 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 an increase of $21.4 million compared to $61.6 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The increase was primarily due to the acquisitions of Big Time and MinuteKey, which added $10.1 million an G&A expense in the current year. We also incurred $5.4 million of additional expense for retention and long term incentive compensation plans introduced in the fourth quarter of 2018. Additionally, we incurred severance and related charges of $3.9 million related to corporate restructuring activities (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). Finally, we incurred $1.6 million of higher compensation and benefits expense in 2019. These increases were partially offset by lower acquisition related charges in the year ended December 28, 2019.

Depreciation expense was $65.7 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 compared to $46.1 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The increase was primarily due to the acquisitions of Big Time and MinuteKey, which added $9.2 million in depreciation expense in 2019. The remaining increase was driven by our investment in key duplicating machines and merchandising racks.

Amortization expense was $58.9 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 compared to $44.6 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The increase was primarily due to the acquisitions of Big Time and MinuteKey, which added $14.3 million an amortization expense in 2019.

Other expense was $5.5 million for the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of $8.4 million compared to a loss of $2.9 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. In the year ended December 28, 2019, other expense consisted of an impairment charge of $7.0 million related to the loss on the disposal of our FastKey self-service key duplicating kiosks. These losses were offset by a gain on the sale of machinery and equipment of $0.4 million (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million. Other expense of $2.9 million for the year ended December 29, 2018 consisted of a $5.3 million net gain on the sale and disposal of property, plant, and equipment associated with the restructuring of the Canada segment (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). The gain was partially offset by $2.0 million of exchange rate losses.

Interest expense, net, was $113.8 million for the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of $31.1 million, compared to $82.8 million for the year ended December 29, 2018. During 2018 we refinanced our term loan and revolver, increasing the outstanding term loan by approximately $527.5 million. In connection with the refinancing, we incurred $11.6 million in refinancing charges. The increase in the term loan and additional draws on our revolving credit facility during the year led to increased interest expense. See Note 7 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Results of Operations – Operating Segments

The following table provides supplemental information of our sales and profitability by operating segment (in thousands):

Hardware and Protective Solutions



	Year Ended December 26, 2020		Year Ended December 28, 2019		Year Ended December 29, 2018
Hardware and Protective Solutions
Segment Revenues	$	1,024,392	$	853,016	$	636,717
Segment Income from Operations	$	67,313	$	14,204	$	18,555
Adjusted EBITDA (1)	$	153,765	$	101,319	$	76,896

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019

Net Sales

Hardware and Protective Solutions net sales for the year ended December 26, 2020 increased by $171.4 million from the prior year. The primary drivers of this increase were:

•Fastening and hardware sales increased $99.6 million due to strong demand from big box retailers and traditional hardware stores along with price increases initiated in the second quarter of 2019 to offset the impact of tariffs.

•Sales of personal protective equipment increased by $71.8 million due to high demand.

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Hardware and Protective Solutions operating segment increased by approximately $53.1 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 to $67.3 million from $14.2 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The increased sales noted above were partially offset by increased cost of sales and increased selling, general and administrative expenses as outlined below:

Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was 60.8% in the year ended December 26, 2020, a decrease of 1.2 % from 62.0% in the year ended December 28, 2019. The decrease in cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was primarily driven $7.2 million for payments made to customers in the year ended December 28, 2019 associated with the new product line roll outs for construction fastener products and builders hardware combined with sourcing savings. This was partially offset by a higher mix of construction fastener products and personal protective solutions.

Operating expenses increased $25.1million in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment primarily due to:

•Warehouse expense increased $17.7 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. The additional expense was primarily due to increased labor driven by premium pay offered to warehouse workers during the COVID-19 pandemic along with additional supplies and personal protective equipment for our facilities. The remaining increase was primarily due to higher variable and incentive compensation expense related to increased sales.

•General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses increased $2.9 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase was primarily due to increased incentive compensation in the year ended December 26, 2020.

•Depreciation expense increased $2.3 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 due to our merchandising racks.

Year Ended December 28, 2019 vs December 29, 2018

Net Sales

Net sales for our Hardware and Protective Solutions operating segment increased by $216.3 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 primarily due to:

•The acquisition of Big Time in the fourth quarter of 2018 increased revenue $190.3 million in the year ended December 28, 2019

•Fastening and hardware sales increased $26.0 million primarily due to new product line rollouts with customers

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment decreased by approximately $4.4 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 to $14.2 million as compared to $18.6 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The increased sales noted above were offset by increased cost of sales and increased selling, general and administrative expenses as outlined below:

Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was 62.0% in the year ended December 28, 2019, an increase of 5.3% from 56.7% in the year ended December 29, 2018. The primary drivers of this increase were:

•Fiscal 2018 included a higher mix of personal protective equipment.

•Inventory valuation adjustments were $5.7 million in the current year primarily related to restructuring activities (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Operating expenses increased $52.3 million in our Fastening, Hardware, and Personal Protective Solutions segment primarily due to:

•The acquisition of Big Time in the fourth quarter of 2018 increased SG&A $22.0 million and amortization expense of $10.6 million in the year ended December 28, 2019.

•Warehouse costs, excluding the acquisition of Big Time, increased $6.8 million primarily driven by increased labor, benefits, freight and maintenance costs.

•We incurred $4.4 million of additional expense for retention and long term incentive compensation plans introduced in the fourth quarter of 2018.

•Additionally, we incurred severance and related charges of $3.2 million related to corporate restructuring activities (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Robotics and Digital Solutions



	Year Ended December 26, 2020		Year Ended December 28, 2019		Year Ended December 29, 2018
Robotics and Digital Solutions
Segment Revenues	$	209,287	$	236,086	$	196,043
Segment Income from Operations	$	3,177	$	3,385	$	17,705
Adjusted EBITDA (1)	$	60,265	$	70,966	$	57,369

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019

Net Sales

Net sales for our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment decreased $26.8 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to the net sales for 2019 primarily due to a decrease of $27.6 million in key sales. Key sales were negatively impacted by reduced retail foot traffic and restricted access to key duplicating kiosks along with retail key duplication services as a result of COVID-19. As the economy has started to reopen, our service team has worked closely with our customers to restore access to key duplicating kiosks.

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment decreased by approximately $0.2 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 to $3.2 million from $3.4 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The decreased sales were offset by decreased SG&A and other income as outlined below:

•Selling expense decreased $6.7 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to lower sales commissions for kiosk sales and reduced travel and compensation expense.

•Warehouse expense decreased $1.8 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to lower freight and shipping expenses driven by lower sales volume.

•General and administrative expense increased by $4.1 million primarily due to increased legal fees associated with our ongoing litigation with KeyMe, Inc. (see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•Other income increased by $10.4 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 compared to the year ended December 28, 2019. Other income was $3.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 and was driven by revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob (see Note 13 - Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). In the year ended December 26, 2020 other expense was comprised primarily of an impairment charge of $7.7 million related to the loss on the disposal of our FastKey self-service key duplicating kiosks and related assets.

Year Ended December 28, 2019 vs December 29, 2018

Net Sales

Net sales for our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment increased $40.0 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 as compared to 2018 primarily due to:

•The acquisition of Minute Key in the third quarter of 2018 increased revenue $37.3 million in the year ended December 28, 2019.

•Automotive key sales increased $4.2 million in the year ended December 28, 2019.

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment decreased $14.3 million the year ended December 28, 2019 to $3.4 million as compared to $17.7 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The increases in net sales were offset by increased operating expenses as outlined below:

•The acquisition of MinuteKey added $20.5 million in SG&A expenses, $8.5 million in depreciation and $3.7 million in amortization expense in the year ended December 28, 2019.

•We incurred $7.7 million of impairment charges in 2019 related to the loss on the disposal of our FastKey self-service key duplicating kiosks.

•Depreciation expense, excluding MinuteKey, increased $4.4 million driven by our continued investment in key duplicating machines.

•We incurred $1.5 million in legal fees related to the ongoing litigation with KeyMe, Inc. (see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•We incurred $1.0 million of additional expense for retention and long term incentive compensation plans introduced in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Canada



	Year Ended December 26, 2020		Year Ended December 28, 2019		Year Ended December 29, 2018
Canada
Segment Revenues	$	134,616	$	125,260	$	141,415
Segment Loss from Operations	$	(4,724)	$	(9,894)	$	(8,817)
Adjusted EBITDA (1)	$	7,185	$	6,373	$	5,491

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019

Net Sales

Net sales in our Canada operating segment increased by $9.4 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 primarily due to strong retail demand for our products partially offset by in store shopping restrictions in the second quarter which lead to lower demand during that period

Loss from Operations

Loss from operations of our Canada segment decreased by $5.2 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 to a loss of $4.7 million as compared to a loss of $9.9 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. In addition to the increased sales, loss from operations increased due to the following items:

•COS as a percentage of net sales decreased 1.5% from 69.1% in the year ended December 28, 2019 to 67.6% in the year ended December 26, 2020 primarily due to $4.3 million of inventory valuation adjustments taken in 2019 in our Canada segment driven by exiting certain lines of business and rationalizing stock keeping units (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•Other income and expense increased $0.7 million to income of $1.8 million in the current year compared with income of $1.1 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. Other income for the year ended December 26, 2020 consisted primarily of $1.8 million in cash received from the Canadian government as a part of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program for relief during the second quarter shutdown in Canada during the COVID-19 outbreak. This was partially offset by exchange rate losses of $0.6 million. Other income for the year ended December 28, 2019 included a gain on the sale of machinery and equipment of $0.4 million (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million.

Year Ended December 28, 2019 vs December 29, 2018

Net Sales

Net sales for our Canada operating segment decreased by $16.2 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 primarily due to:

•The unfavorable impact of conversion of the local currency to U.S. dollars.

•The closure of a manufacturing facility in Canada and exiting the related product lines resulted in to $7.8 million in lower sales.

Loss from Operations

Income from operations of our Canada segment decreased by $1.1 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 to a loss of $9.9 million as compared to a loss of $8.8 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. The decrease in sales was offset by lower COS as percentage of sales. Additionally, we incurred higher other expense in the year ended December 28, 2019.

•COS as a percentage of net sales decreased 5.3% from 74.4% in the year ended December 29, 2018 to 69.1% in the year ended December 28, 2019 primarily due to $9.8 million of inventory valuation adjustments taken in 2018 in our Canada segment driven by exiting certain lines of business and rationalizing stock keeping units as compared to

inventory adjustments of $4.3 million in the year ended December 28, 2019 (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

•Other income and expense decreased $2.4 million to income of $1.1 million in the current year compared with income of $3.5 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. Other income for the year ended December 28, 2019 included a gain on the sale of machinery and equipment of $0.4 million (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million. Other income for the year ended December 29, 2018 consisted of a $5.3 million net gain on the sale and disposal of property, plant, and equipment associated with the restructuring of the Canada segment, (see Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). The gain in the year ended December 29, 2018 was offset by $1.8 million exchange rate losses of exchange rate losses.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is the primary basis used to measure the operational strength and performance of our businesses as well as to assist in the evaluation of underlying trends in our businesses. This measure eliminates the significant level of noncash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our businesses and from intangible assets recognized in business combinations. It is also unaffected by our capital and tax structures, as our management excludes these results when evaluating our operating performance. Our management and Board of Directors use this financial measure to evaluate our consolidated operating performance and the operating performance of our operating segments and to allocate resources and capital to our operating segments. Additionally, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing our operating performance with that of other companies in our industries, although our measure of Adjusted EBITDA may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies.

We have restated our financial statements for 2019 and 2018 due to the correction of errors in the accounting for income taxes related to the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, which impacted our net deferred tax liabilities. Accordingly, the EBITDA reconciliation below has been restated. There was no impact to EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA in either 2019 or 2018. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.The following table presents a reconciliation of Net loss, the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:


	Year Ended December 26, 2020		Year Ended December 28, 2019 As Restated		Year Ended December 29, 2018 As Restated
Net loss	$	(24,499)	$	(85,479)	$	(58,681)
Income tax (benefit) expense	(9,439)		(23,277)		(8,890)
Interest expense, net	86,774		101,613		70,545
Interest expense on junior subordinated debentures	12,707		12,608		12,608
Investment income on trust common securities	(378)		(378)		(378)
Depreciation	67,423		65,658		46,060
Amortization	59,492		58,910		44,572
Mark-to-market adjustment on interest rate swaps	601		2,608		607
EBITDA	$	192,681	$	132,263	$	106,443

Stock compensation expense	5,125		2,981		1,590
Management fees	577		562		546
Facility exits (1)	3,894		—		1,279
Restructuring (2)	4,902		13,749		9,737
Litigation expense (3)	7,719		1,463		—
Acquisition and integration expense (4)	9,832		12,557		12,358
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	(3,515)		—		—
Buy-back expense (5)	—		7,196		—
Asset impairment charges (6)	—		7,887		—
Refinancing costs	—		—		11,632
Anti-dumping duties	—		—		(3,829)
Adjusted EBITDA	$	221,215	$	178,658	$	139,756

(1)Facility exits include costs associated with the closure of facilities in Parma, Ohio, San Antonio, Texas, and Dallas, Texas.

(2)Restructuring includes restructuring costs associated with restructuring in our Canada segment announced in 2018, including facility consolidation, stock keeping unit rationalization, severance, sale of property and equipment, and charges relating to exiting certain lines of business. Also included is restructuring in our United Stated business announced in 2019, including severance related to management realignment and the integration of sales and operating functions. See Note 14 - Restructuring of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information. Finally, includes consulting and other costs associated with streamlining our manufacturing and distribution operations.

(3)Litigation expense includes legal fees associated with our ongoing litigation with KeyMe, Inc. (see Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

(4)Acquisition and integration expense includes professional fees, non-recurring bonuses, and other costs related to historical acquisitions.

(5)Buy-back expense includes one-time payments made to customers associated with the new product line roll outs for construction fastener products and builders hardware.

(6)Asset impairment charges includes impairment losses for the disposal of FastKey self-service key duplicating kiosks and related assets.

The following tables presents a reconciliation of segment operating income, the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP, to segment Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (amounts in millions):


Year Ended December 26, 2020	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Consolidated
Operating income (loss)	$	67,313	$	3,177	$	(4,724)	$	65,766
Depreciation and amortization	69,164		50,670		7,081		126,915

Stock compensation expense	4,464		661		—		5,125
Management fees	502		75		—		577
Facility exits	3,894		—		—		3,894
Restructuring	74		—		4,828		4,902
Litigation expense	—		7,719		—		7,719
Acquisition and integration expense	8,284		1,548		—		9,832
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	—		(3,515)		—		(3,515)
Corporate and intersegment adjustments	70		(70)		—		—
Adjusted EBITDA	$	153,765	$	60,265	$	7,185	$	221,215


Year Ended December 28, 2019	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Consolidated
Operating income (loss)	$	14,204	$	3,385	$	(9,894)	$	7,695
Depreciation and amortization	65,369		52,924		6,275		124,568

Stock compensation expense	2,436		545		—		2,981
Management fees	562		—		—		562
Restructuring	3,163		708		9,878		13,749
Litigation expense	—		1,463		—		1,463
Acquisition and integration expense	8,837		3,720		—		12,557
Buy-back expense	7,196		—		—		7,196
Asset impairment charges	—		7,773		114		7,887
Corporate and intersegment adjustments	(448)		448		—		—
Adjusted EBITDA	$	101,319	$	70,966	$	6,373	$	178,658


Year Ended December 29, 2018	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Consolidated
Operating income (loss)	$	18,555	$	17,705	$	(8,817)	$	27,443
Depreciation and amortization	50,163		35,898		4,571		90,632

Stock compensation expense	1,302		288		—		1,590
Management fees	546		—		—		546
Facility exits	1,279		—		—		1,279
Restructuring	—		—		9,737		9,737
Acquisition and integration expense	7,126		5,232		—		12,358
Anti-dumping duties	(3,829)		—		—		(3,829)
Corporate and intersegment adjustments	1,754		(1,754)		—		—
Adjusted EBITDA	$	76,896	$	57,369	$	5,491	$	139,756

Income Taxes

Effective tax rates for the years ended December 29, 2018 and December 28, 2019 have been restated due to the correction of errors in the accounting for income taxes related to the valuation allowance against deferred tax assets, which impacted our net deferred tax liabilities. See Note 1 - Basis of Presentation for additional details.

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019

In the year ended December 26, 2020, we recorded an income tax benefit of $9.4 million on a pre-tax loss of $33.9 million. The effective income tax rate was 27.8% for the year ended December 26, 2020. In the year ended December 28, 2019, we recorded income tax benefit of $23.3 million on a pre-tax loss of $108.8 million. The effective income tax rate was 21.4% for the year ended December 28, 2019.

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law by the President of the United States. The CARES Act included, among other things, corporate income tax relief in the form of accelerated alternative minimum tax ("AMT") refunds, allowed employers to defer certain payroll tax payments throughout 2020, and provided favorable corporate interest deductions for the 2019 and 2020 periods. During 2020, the Company received an accelerated AMT income tax refund of $1.1 million and was able to defer $7.1 million of payroll taxes. The CARES Act interest modification provisions allowed for increased interest deductions. The Company was able to deduct an additional $32.0 million in interest on its 2019 income tax return when compared to the 2019 income tax provision. For the fiscal year 2020, the Company's increased interest deduction will result in the utilization of accumulated interest limitation carryforwards.

In 2020, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the federal statutory tax rate primarily due to state and foreign income taxes. In 2019, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the federal statutory tax rate primarily due to state and foreign income taxes. The Company recorded $1.0 million in income tax expense attributable to state NOLs that are expected to expire prior to their utilization.

Year Ended December 28, 2019 vs December 29, 2018

In the year ended December 28, 2019, we recorded an income tax benefit of $23.3 million on a pre-tax loss of $108.8 million. The effective income tax rate was 21.4% for the year ended December 28, 2019. In the year ended December 29, 2018, we recorded income tax benefit of $8.9 million on a pre-tax loss of $67.6 million. The effective income tax rate was 13.2% for the year ended December 29, 2018.

In 2019, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the federal statutory tax rate primarily due to state and foreign income taxes. The Company recorded $1.0 million in income tax expense attributable to state NOLs that are expected to expire prior to their utilization.

The effective income tax rate differed from the federal statutory tax rate in the year ended December 29, 2018 primarily due to a valuation allowance of $6.1 million for certain U.S. federal net operating losses that are subject to the dual consolidated loss

limitation rules. Additionally, the Company recorded $2.2 million in income tax expense for certain non-deductible acquisition costs attributable to the MinuteKey and Big Time acquisitions. The remaining differences between the effective income tax rate and the federal statutory rate in the year ended December 29, 2018 were attributable to state and foreign income taxes.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows

The statements of cash flows reflect the changes in cash and cash equivalents for the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018 by classifying transactions into three major categories: operating, investing, and financing activities.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 26, 2020 was approximately $92.1 million. Operating cash flows for the year ended December 26, 2020 were favorably impacted by the increased net income in the current year. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 28, 2019 was approximately $52.4 million and was unfavorably impacted by lower net income driven by increased interest expense, partially offset by improvements in working capital. Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 29, 2018 was approximately $7.5 million and was unfavorably impacted by lower net income driven by increased interest expense and acquisition related costs along with an increase in inventory due to commodity inflation and new business wins. This was partially offset by an increase in accounts payable due to changes in payment terms and increased inventory purchases and a decrease in accounts receivable.

Investing Activities

Net cash used for investing activities was $46.1 million, $53.5 million, and $572.6 million for the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018, respectively. In the year ending December 26, 2020 we acquired Instafob for approximately $0.8 million. In the year ended December 28, 2019 we acquired Resharp and West Coast Washers for approximately $6.1 million. In the year ended December 29, 2018 we acquired MinuteKey and Big Time and made a final working capital true up payment for ST Fastening Systems which equated a total net cash outflow of approximately $501.0 million. Finally, cash was used in all periods to invest in our investment in new key duplicating kiosks and machines and merchandising racks. In 2019, we also received $10.4 million in cash proceeds from the sale of a building and machinery in Canada and a building in Georgia.

Financing Activities

Net cash used for financing activities was $45.1 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. The borrowings on revolving credit loans provided $99.0 million. The Company used $140.0 million of cash for the repayment of revolving credit loans and $10.6 million for principal payments on the senior term loans. In the year ended December 26, 2020 the Company received $7.3 million on the exercise of stock options.

Net cash used for financing activities was $7.1 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. The borrowings on revolving credit loans provided $43.5 million. The Company used $38.7 million of cash for the repayment of revolving credit loans and $10.6 million for principal payments on the senior term loans. On November 15, 2019, we amended the ABL Revolver agreement which provided an additional $100.0 million of revolving credit, bringing the total available to $250.0 million. In connection with the amendment we paid $1.4 million in fees.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $581.9 million for the year ended December 29, 2018. On May 31, we entered into a new term credit agreement consisting of a new funded term loan of $530.0 million and $165.0 million delayed draw term loan facility. Concurrently, we entered into a new $150.0 million asset-based revolving credit agreement. The proceeds were used to refinance in full all outstanding revolving credit and term loans under the existing credit agreement. In the third quarter of 2018, we drew $165.0 million on the delayed draw facility of the term loan to finance the MinuteKey acquisition. In the fourth quarter, we amended the credit agreement and added an additional $365.0 million in incremental term loans to finance the acquisition of Big Time. We paid approximately $20.5 million in fees associated with the refinancing activities in the year ended December 29, 2018. See Note 7 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the refinancing. Our revolver draws, net, were a source of cash of $88.7 million in the year ended December 29, 2018. Additionally, in the year ended December 29, 2018 we paid a dividend of $3.8 million to Holdco for the purchase of shares of Holdco stock from former members of management.

Liquidity

We believe that projected cash flows from operations and Revolver availability will be sufficient to fund working capital and capital expenditure needs for the next 12 months.

Our working capital (current assets minus current liabilities) position of $241.8 million as of December 26, 2020 represents an increase of $10.0 million from the December 28, 2019 level of $231.8 million. Because COVID-19 pandemic has not, as of the date of this report, had a materially negative impact on our operations or demand for our products, it has not had a materially negative impact on the Company's liquidity position. We have initiated mitigating efforts to manage non-critical capital spending, assess operating spend, and preserve cash. We expect to generate sufficient operating cash flows to meet our short-term liquidity needs, and we expect to maintain access to the capital markets, although there can be no assurance of our ability to do so. However, the continued spread of COVID-19 has led to disruption and volatility in the global capital markets, which, depending on future developments, could impact our capital resources and liquidity in the future.

Contractual Obligations

Our contractual obligations as of December 26, 2020 are summarized below:


			Payments Due
(dollars in thousands)	Total		Less Than One Year		1 to 3 Years		3 to 5 Years		More Than Five Years
Junior Subordinated Debentures (1)	$	108,704	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	108,704
Interest on Jr Subordinated Debentures	82,562		12,231		24,463		24,463		21,405
Long Term Senior Term Loans	1,037,044		10,609		21,218		1,005,217		—
Bank Revolving Credit Facility	72,000		—		—		72,000		—
6.375% Senior Notes	330,000		—		330,000		—		—
KeyWorks License Agreement	72		72		—		—		—
Interest payments (2)	218,053		64,970		97,001		56,082		—
Operating Leases	108,169		18,259		29,575		24,993		35,342
Deferred Compensation Obligations	1,911		595		—		—		1,316
Finance Lease Obligations	2,252		993		1,129		130		—
Other Obligations	7,578		2,793		4,509		276		—
Uncertain Tax Position Liabilities	1,101		1,101		—		—		—
Total Contractual Cash Obligations (3)	$	1,969,446	$	111,623	$	507,895	$	1,183,161	$	166,767

(1)The Junior Subordinated Debentures liquidation value is approximately $108,704.

(2)Interest payments for borrowings under the Senior Facilities, the 6.375% Senior Notes, and Revolver borrowings. Interest payments on the variable rate Senior Term Loans were calculated using the actual interest rate of 4.15% as of December 26, 2020. Interest payments on the 6.375% Senior Notes were calculated at their fixed rate. Interest payments on the variable rate Revolver borrowings were calculated using the actual interest rate of 1.65% as of December 26, 2020.

(3)All of the contractual obligations noted above are reflected on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 26, 2020 except for the interest payments. Contingent consideration related to the acquisitions of Resharp and Instafob of $14,197 is not included in the chart above due to uncertainty about timing of the payments.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Related Party Transactions

The Company has recorded aggregate management fee charges and expenses from the Oak Hill Funds and CCMP of approximately $0.6 million for each of the years ended December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, and $0.5 million for the year ended December 29, 2018.

We recorded proceeds from the sale of Holdco stock to members of management and the Board of Directors of $0.8 million for the year ended December 28, 2019. No such sales were recorded in the years ended December 26, 2020 or December 29, 2018.

In the year ended December 29, 2018, the Company paid a dividend of approximately $3.8 million to Holdco for the purchase of 4,200 shares of Holdco stock from former members of management. No such dividends were paid in fiscal 2020 or fiscal 2019.

Gregory Mann and Gabrielle Mann are employed by the Company. The Company leases an industrial warehouse and office facility from companies under the control of the Manns. We have recorded rental expense for the lease of this facility on an arm's length basis. Our rental expense for the lease of this facility was $0.4 million for each of the years ended December 26, 2020, December 28, 2019, and December 29, 2018.

Douglas J. Cahill was hired effective July 29, 2019 as our Executive Chairman, Senior Executive Officer. He was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer on September 16, 2019. Mr. Cahill is also a former Managing Director of CCMP Capital Advisors, LP ("CCMP"). CCMP’s private equity fund CCMP Capital Investors III, L.P. (“CCMP III”), together with its related fund vehicles, owns approximately 79.1% of Holdco's outstanding common stock as of December 26, 2020. Mr. Cahill has retained a carried interest in CCMP III and the fair value of this carried interest, which is based on the overall performance of CCMP III, is contingent on several factors. As of December 26, 2020, the fair value of the carried interest is not estimable in accordance with ASC 405 - Contingencies.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As disclosed in that note, the preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and 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. Future events cannot be predicted with certainty and, therefore, actual results could differ from those estimates. The following section describes our critical accounting policies.

Revenue Recognition:

Revenue is recognized when control of goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. Sales and other taxes we collect concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue.

We offer a variety of sales incentives to our customers primarily in the form of discounts, rebates, and slotting fees. Discounts are recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements at the date of the related sale. Rebates are based on the revenue to date and the contractual rebate percentage to be paid. A portion of the cost of the rebate is allocated to each underlying sales transaction. Discounts, rebates, and slotting fees are included in the determination of net sales.

We also establish reserves for customer returns and allowances. The reserve is established based on historical rates of returns and allowances. The reserve is adjusted quarterly based on actual experience. Returns and allowances are included in the determination of net sales.

Our performance obligations under its arrangements with customers are providing products, in-store merchandising services, and access to key duplicating and engraving equipment. Generally, the price of the merchandising services and the access to the key duplicating and engraving equipment is included in the price of the related products. Control of products is transferred at the point in time when the customer accepts the goods, which occurs upon delivery of the products. Judgment is required in determining the time at which to recognize revenue for the in-store services and the access to key duplicating and engraving equipment. Revenue is recognized for in-store service and access to key duplicating and engraving equipment as the related products are delivered, which approximates a time-based recognition pattern. Therefore, the entire amount of consideration related to the sale of products, in-store merchandising services, and access to key duplicating and engraving equipment is recognized upon the delivery of the products.

The costs to obtain a contract are insignificant, and generally contract terms do not extend beyond one year. Therefore, these costs are expensed as incurred. Freight and shipping costs and the cost of our in-store merchandising services teams are recognized in selling, general, and administrative expense when control over products is transferred to the customer.

We used the practical expedient regarding the existence of a significant financing component as payments are due in less than one year after delivery of the products.

See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information on disaggregated revenue by product category.

Inventory Realization:

Inventories consisting predominantly of finished goods are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, cost being determined principally on the standard cost method. The historical usage rate is the primary factor used in assessing the net realizable value of excess and obsolete inventory. A reduction in the carrying value of an inventory item from cost to net realizable value is recorded for inventory with excess on-hand quantities as determined based on historic and projected sales, product category, and stage in the product life cycle. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the estimates or assumptions we use to calculate our excess and obsolete inventory reserve. However, if our estimates regarding excess and obsolete inventory are inaccurate, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material. A 5% difference in actual excess and obsolete inventory reserved for at December 26, 2020, would have affected net earnings by approximately $1.1 million in fiscal 2020.

Goodwill:

We have adopted ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment which eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test and instead requires an entity to perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, we determine that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying value, then we would recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit's fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit.

Our annual impairment assessment is performed for the reporting units as of October 1. In 2020, 2019, and 2018, with the assistance of an independent third-party specialist, management assessed the value of our reporting units based on a discounted cash flow model and multiple of earnings. Assumptions critical to our fair value estimates under the discounted cash flow model include the discount rate and projected revenue growth. The results of the quantitative assessments in 2020, 2019, and 2018 indicated that the fair value of each reporting unit was in excess of its carrying value. In our annual review of goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of 2020, the fair value of each reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by over 6% of its carrying value.

Intangible Assets:

We evaluate our indefinite-lived intangible assets (primarily trademarks and trade names) for impairment annually or more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset is below its carrying amount. With the assistance of an independent third-party specialist, management assessed the fair value of our indefinite-lived intangible assets based on a relief from royalties, excess earnings, and lost profits discounted cash flow model. Assumptions critical to our fair value estimates under the discounted cash flow model include the discount rate, projected average revenue growth and projected long-term growth rates in the determination of terminal values. An impairment charge is recorded if the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds the estimated fair value on the measurement date. No impairment charges related to indefinite-lived intangible assets were recorded in 2020, 2019, or 2018 as a result of the quantitative annual impairment test.

Income Taxes:

Deferred income taxes are computed using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income taxes are recognized for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and income tax basis of assets and liabilities, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided for tax benefits where it is more likely than not that certain tax benefits will not be realized. Adjustments to valuation allowances are recorded for changes in utilization of the tax related item. For additional information, see Note 6 - Income Taxes, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

In accordance with guidance regarding the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, we recognize a tax position if, based solely on its technical merits, it is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by the relevant taxing authority.

If a tax position does not meet the more likely than not recognition threshold, we do not recognize the benefit of that position in our financial statements. A tax position that meets the more likely than not recognition threshold is measured to determine the amount of benefit to be recognized in the financial statements.

Business Combinations:

As we enter into business combinations, we perform acquisition accounting requirements including the following:

•Identifying the acquirer

•Determining the acquisition date

•Recognizing and measuring the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed, and

•Recognizing and measuring goodwill or a gain from a bargain purchase

We complete valuation procedures and record the resulting fair value of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities based upon the valuation of the business enterprise and the tangible and intangible assets acquired. Enterprise value allocation methodology requires management to make assumptions and apply judgment to estimate the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. If estimates or assumptions used to complete the enterprise valuation and estimates of the fair value of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities significantly differed from assumptions made, the resulting difference could materially affect the fair value of net assets.

The calculation of the fair value of the tangible assets, including property, plant and equipment, utilizes the cost approach, which computes the cost to replace the asset, less accrued depreciation resulting from physical deterioration, functional obsolescence and external obsolescence. The calculation of the fair value of the identified intangible assets are determined using cash flow models following the income approach or a discounted market-based methodology approach. Significant inputs include estimated revenue growth rates, gross margins, operating expenses, and estimated attrition, royalty and discount rates. Goodwill is recorded as the difference in the fair value of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities and the purchase price. Each period, we estimate the fair value of liabilities for contingent consideration by applying a Monte Carlo analysis examining the frequency and mean value of the resulting payments. The resulting value captures the risk associated with the form of the payout structure. The risk neutral method is applied, resulting in a value that captures the risk associated with the form of the payout structure and the projection risk. The assumptions utilized in the calculation based on financial performance milestones include projected revenue and/or EBITDA amounts, volatility and discount rates. For potential payments related to product development milestones, we estimated the fair value based on the probability of achievement of such milestones. Any changes in fair value are recorded as other income (expense) in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Loss.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements:

Recently issued accounting standards are described in Note 3 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Item 7A – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Interest Rate Exposure

We are exposed to the impact of interest rate changes as borrowings under the Senior Facilities bear interest at variable interest rates. It is our policy to enter into interest rate swap and interest rate cap transactions only to the extent considered necessary to meet our objectives.

Based on our exposure to variable rate borrowings at December 26, 2020, after consideration of our LIBOR floor rate and interest rate swap agreements, a one percent (1%) change in the weighted average interest rate for a period of one year would change the annual interest expense by approximately $9.6 million.

Foreign Currency Exchange

We are exposed to foreign exchange rate changes of the Canadian and Mexican currencies as it impacts the $157.8 million tangible and intangible net asset value of our Canadian and Mexican subsidiaries as of December 26, 2020. The foreign subsidiaries net tangible assets were $93.9 million and the net intangible assets were $63.8 million as of December 26, 2020.

We utilize foreign exchange forward contracts to manage the exposure to currency fluctuations in the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. Dollar. See Note 12 - Derivatives and Hedging, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND

FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE


			Page(s)
Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting			42
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm			44
Consolidated Financial Statements:
Consolidated Balance Sheets			46
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss			47
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows			48
Consolidated Statements of Stockholder's Equity			49
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements			50
Financial Statement Schedule:
Valuation Accounts			86

Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of The Hillman Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, and that receipts and expenditures of The Hillman Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of The Hillman Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, as appropriate; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the assets of The Hillman Companies, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 26, 2020, the end of our fiscal year. Management based its assessment on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Management's assessment included evaluation of such elements as the design and operating effectiveness of key financial reporting controls, process documentation, accounting policies, and our overall control environment. This assessment is supported by testing and monitoring performed under the direction of management.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluations of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Accordingly, even an effective system of internal control over financial reporting will provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation.

A material weakness, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2, is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

While preparing our 2020 consolidated financial statements, the Company identified errors in the accounting for income taxes during 2018 and 2019. During 2018, the Company became subject to additional provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“2017 Tax Act”) including computations related to the IRC §163(j) interest limitation (Interest Limitation). The Company incorrectly established valuation allowances against the portion of interest expense that was not currently deductible. In addition, the Company incorrectly established a valuation allowance on certain U.S. state NOLs. Upon further review of the guidance, the Company determined that the valuation allowance should not have been established.

As part of our annual assessment of internal control over financial reporting, we have determined that a material weakness existed in the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 26, 2020. A material weakness existed in that we did not design and maintain effective controls over the completeness and accuracy of the accounting for, and disclosure of, the valuation allowance against deferred income taxes. The material weakness resulted in material errors in the application of certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“2017 Tax Act”) related to the IRC §163(j) interest limitation (Interest Limitation). This material weakness resulted in material errors in our income tax benefit and deferred tax liabilities that were corrected through the restatement of the consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 28, 2019 and December 29, 2018 as described in Note 1 - Basis of Presentation of the notes to the consolidated financial statements and the correction of unaudited quarterly financial information for fiscal years 2020 and 2019. Additionally, this material weakness could result in misstatements to the aforementioned account balances or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

As a result of the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting described above, management has concluded that we did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 26, 2020.

Management's Plan for Remediation of the Material Weakness

In response to the material weakness described above, management implemented changes to its internal control over financial reporting to remediate the control deficiencies that gave rise to the material weakness. Those changes included the engagement of third party consultants to assist with technical tax accounting research and application of guidance, the addition of a

committee to review technical accounting issues and ensure we have the appropriate subject matter experts engaged, and hiring additional personnel in our tax department.

While significant progress has been made to enhance our internal control over financial reporting, we are still in the process of testing these recently implemented processes, procedures, and controls. Additional time is required to complete the assessment to ensure the sustainability of these procedures. We believe the above actions will be effective in remediating the material weakness. However, the material weakness cannot be considered remediated until the applicable remedial controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively.

The remediation efforts are intended both to address the identified material weakness and to enhance our overall financial control environment. Management is committed to continuous improvement of the company’s internal control over financial reporting and will continue to diligently review the company’s internal control over financial reporting.

We reviewed the results of management's assessment with the Audit Committee of The Hillman Companies, Inc. This annual report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management's report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management's report in this annual report.

/s/ DOUGLAS J. CAHILL

/s/ ROBERT O. KRAFT

Douglas J. Cahill

Robert O. Kraft

President and Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Dated:

March 3, 2021

Dated:

March 3, 2021

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

The Hillman Companies, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of The Hillman Companies, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, stockholder’s equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three‑year period ended December 26, 2020, and the related notes and financial statement schedule II – Valuation Accounts (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three‑year period ended December 26, 2020, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Restatement of Previously Issued Financial Statements

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has restated its consolidated financial statements as of December 28, 2019, and for the two-year period ended December 29, 2019 to correct misstatements.

Changes in Accounting Principles

As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for leases as of December 30, 2018 due to the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-12, Leases (Topic 842).

As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for revenue recognition as of December 31, 2017 due to the adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgment. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Valuation of Goodwill

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the goodwill balance as of December 26, 2020 was $816 million. The Company performs goodwill impairment testing annually as of October 1st and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying value. With the assistance of a third-party specialist, management assesses the fair value of the reporting units based on a discounted cash flow model and multiples of earnings. Assumptions critical to fair value estimates under the discounted cash flow model include the discount rates and the projected revenue growth rates.

We identified the assessment of the fair value of two of the Company’s reporting units within its goodwill impairment analysis as a critical audit matter. The estimation of fair value of the specific reporting units is complex and subject to significant management judgment and estimation uncertainties. Specifically, the discount rate and projected revenue growth rates used to determine the fair value of these reporting units were challenging to test as they represented subjective determinations of current and future market and economic conditions that were sensitive to variation. Additionally, the audit effort associated with the discount rate required specialized skills and knowledge. Changes to those assumptions could have had a significant effect on the Company’s assessment of the fair value of the two reporting units.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design of controls over the Company’s goodwill impairment process, including controls related to the projected revenue growth rates and discount rate for the two reporting units. We performed sensitivity analyses over the Company’s discount rates and projected revenue growth rates to assess their impact on the determination that the fair values of the specific reporting units exceeded their carrying values. We compared the Company’s historical revenue forecasts to actual results to assess the Company’s ability to accurately forecast. We compared forecasted revenue growth rates used in the valuation model against underlying business strategies and growth plans. We evaluated the reasonableness of the Company’s forecasted revenue growth rates for these reporting units by comparing the growth assumptions to comparable entities within the industry. In addition, we involved valuation professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in:

•evaluating the discount rate used by management in the valuation, by comparing it to a range of discount rates developed using existing market information for comparable entities within the industry

•developing an estimate of certain of the Company’s reporting units’ fair value using each reporting unit’s cash flow forecast and discount rate and compared the results of our estimate of fair value to the Company’s fair value estimate.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2010.

Cincinnati, Ohio

March 3, 2021

THE HILLMAN COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(dollars in thousands)


	December 26, 2020		December 28, 2019
			As Restated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	21,520	$	19,973
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $2,395 ($1,891 - 2019)	121,228		88,374
Inventories, net	391,679		323,496

Other current assets	19,280		8,828
Total current assets	553,707		440,671
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $236,031 ($179,791 - 2019)	182,674		205,160
Goodwill	816,200		815,850
Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $291,434 ($232,060 - 2019)	825,966		882,430
Operating lease right of use assets	76,820		81,613
Deferred tax asset	2,075		702
Other assets	11,176		11,557
Total assets	$	2,468,618	$	2,437,983
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER'S EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	201,461	$	125,042
Current portion of debt and capital lease obligations	11,481		11,358
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	12,168		11,459
Accrued expenses:
Salaries and wages	29,800		12,937
Pricing allowances	6,422		6,553
Income and other taxes	5,986		5,248
Interest	12,988		14,726
Other accrued expenses	31,605		21,545
Total current liabilities	311,911		208,868
Long-term debt	1,535,508		1,584,289
Deferred tax liabilities	156,118		164,343
Operating lease liabilities	68,934		73,227
Other non-current liabilities	31,560		33,287
Total liabilities	2,104,031		2,064,014

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 15)	—		—
Stockholder's Equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par, 5,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding at December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019	—		—
Common stock, $0.01 par, 5,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 26, 2020 and December 28, 2019	—		—
Additional paid-in capital	565,824		553,359
Accumulated deficit	(171,849)		(147,350)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(29,388)		(32,040)
Total stockholder's equity	364,587		373,969
Total liabilities and stockholder's equity	$	2,468,618	$	2,437,983

The Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

THE HILLMAN COMPANIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(dollars in thousands)


	Year Ended December 26, 2020		Year Ended December 28, 2019 As Restated		Year Ended December 29, 2018 As Restated
Net sales	$	1,368,295	$	1,214,362	$	974,175
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	781,815		693,881		537,885
Selling, general and administrative expenses	398,472		382,131		320,543
Depreciation	67,423		65,658		46,060
Amortization	59,492		58,910		44,572
Management fees to related party	577		562		546
Other (income) expense	(5,250)		5,525		(2,874)
Income from operations	65,766		7,695		27,443
Interest expense, net	86,774</

Form: 10-K

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