Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)​

 Registration No. 333-258823​

PROSPECTUS

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP.

SECONDARY OFFERING OF
144,217,397 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

This prospectus relates to the offer and sale, from time to time, by the selling securityholders named in this prospectus (the “Selling Securityholders”), or any of their permitted transferees, of (i) up to an aggregate of 37,500,000 shares of our common stock that were issued to certain investors (collectively, the “PIPE Investors”) in a private placement in connection with the closing of the Business Combination (as defined below); and (ii) up to an aggregate of 98,216,331 shares of our common stock otherwise held by the Selling Securityholders; (iii) up to an aggregate of 501,066 shares of our common stock that may be issued upon exercise of certain warrants to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share (the “public warrants”) issued by Landcadia Holdings III, Inc. (“Landcadia”) in its initial public offering (“Landcadia’s IPO”) held by certain of the Selling Securityholders; and (iv) up to an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares of our common stock that may be issued upon exercise of the private placement warrants at an exercise price of $11.50 per share that were originally sold to Jefferies Financial Group Inc., a New York corporation and TJF, LLC., a Delaware limited liability company (collectively the “Sponsors”) in a private placement consummated simultaneously with Landcadia’s IPO (the “private placement warrants”, together with the public warrants, the “warrants”) held by the Selling Securityholders, as further described in this prospectus. On November 22, 2021, we announced the redemption of the warrants included in this Registration Statement. As a result of the ensuing exercises of the warrants and the redemption of the remaining warrants, the Company had no warrants outstanding as of December 22, 2021. This prospectus also covers any additional securities that may become issuable by reason of share splits, share dividends or other similar transactions.

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock or warrants by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus. However, we will pay the expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions and certain expenses incurred by the Selling Securityholders in disposing of the securities, associated with the sale of securities pursuant to this prospectus.

Our registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean that either we or the Selling Securityholders will issue, offer or sell, as applicable, any of the securities. The Selling Securityholders and any of their permitted transferees may offer and sell the securities covered by this prospectus in a number of different ways and at varying prices. Additional information on the Selling Securityholders, and the times and manner in which they may offer and sell the securities under this prospectus, is provided under “Selling Securityholders” and “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus.

You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or amendment carefully before you invest in our securities.

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “HLMN”. On March 25, 2022, the closing price of our common stock was $10.78 per share.

Investing in our securities involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 13 of this prospectus.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued under this prospectus or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is March 28, 2022.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

i

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we and the Selling Securityholders and their permitted transferees may, from time to time, issue, offer and sell, as applicable, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings.

The Selling Securityholders may use the shelf registration statement to sell up to an aggregate of 144,217,397 shares of our common stock. The Selling Securityholders and their permitted transferees may use the shelf registration statement to sell such securities from time to time through any means described in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.” More specific terms of any securities that the Selling Securityholders and their permitted transferees offer and sell may be provided in a prospectus supplement that describes, among other things, the specific amounts and prices of the common stock being offered and the terms of the offering.

A prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment may also add, update or change information included in this prospectus. Any statement contained in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in such prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified will be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus only as so modified, and any statement so superseded will be deemed not to constitute a part of this prospectus. You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, post-effective amendment or any related free writing prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Neither we nor the Selling Securityholders have authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus we have prepared. We and the Selling Securityholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby and only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the front of those documents only, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement, or any sale of a security. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

For investors outside the U.S., neither we nor the Selling Securityholders have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the U.S. Persons outside the U.S. who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside the U.S.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

1

 

SELECTED DEFINITIONS

Unless the context otherwise requires, in this prospectus, references to “Hillman”, the “Company”, “us”, “we”, “our” and any related terms prior to the closing of the Business Combination are intended to mean Landcadia Holdings III, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries and after the closing of the Business Combination are intended to mean Hillman Solutions Corp., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

“Business Combination” means the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

“Closing” means the closing of the Business Combination.

“Combined Entity” means Landcadia after giving effect to the Business Combination, including Hillman and any other direct or indirect subsidiaries of Hillman.

“common stock” means the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Hillman Solutions Corp. following the Business Combination; such common stock was previously designated Class A common stock of Landcadia, and which includes any of the shares of Class B common stock of Landcadia that were converted into Class A common stock in connection with the Closing pursuant to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of Landcadia prior to the Business Combination.

“DGCL” means the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended.

“Effective Time” means the effective time of the Merger in accordance with the Merger Agreement.

“Exchange Act” means Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

“Hillman Holdco” means HMAN Group Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation.

“KPMG” means KPMG LLP, Hillman’s independent auditor.

“Landcadia” means Landcadia Holdings III, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which was renamed “Hillman Solutions Corp.” in connection with the Closing.

“Landcadia IPO” means Landcadia’s initial public offering.

“Marcum” means Marcum LLP, Landcadia’s independent auditor.

“Merger” means the merger of Merger Sub with and into Hillman Holdco, with Hillman Holdco continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hillman, in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement.

“Merger Agreement” means the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of January 24, 2021 (as amended on March 12, 2021), by and among Landcadia, Merger Sub, Hillman Holdco and CCMP Sellers’ Representative, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company in its capacity as the Stockholder Representative thereunder (the “Stockholder Representative”).

“Merger Sub” means Helios Sun Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Landcadia.

“PIPE Investment” refers to the sale of shares of newly issued Class A common stock to the PIPE Investors in a private placement that was consummated simultaneously with the closing of the Business Combination.

“PIPE Investors” means the investors in the PIPE Investment.

“PIPE Subscription Agreements” means the subscription agreements, dated January 24, 2021, by and among Landcadia and the investors named therein relating to the PIPE Investment.

“private placement warrants” means 8,000,000 warrants to purchase shares of common stock issued to Sponsors in the Private Placement, which entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock for $11.50 per share.

 

2

 

“Private Placement” means the private placement consummated simultaneously with the Landcadia IPO in which Landcadia issued to the Sponsor the private placement warrants.

“public warrants” means warrants underlying the Units issued in the Landcadia IPO, which entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock for $11.50 per share.

“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

“Sponsors” means Jefferies Financial Group Inc., a New York corporation and TJF, LLC., a Delaware limited liability company.

“Units” means Units issued in the Landcadia IPO, including any overallotment securities acquired by Landcadia’s underwriters, consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one third of a public warrant.

“Warrants” means any of the private placement warrants and the public warrants.

“Stockholder Representative” means CCMP Sellers’ Representative, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company in its capacity as the Stockholder Representative under the Merger Agreement.

 

3

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain disclosures related to acquisitions, refinancing, capital expenditures, resolution of pending litigation, and realization of deferred tax asserts contained in this prospectus 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 this prospectus. 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 prospectus; 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 prospectus might not occur or might be materially different from those discussed.

 

4

 

5

 

​

6

 

7

 

​

​

​

Year Ended December 25, 2021

​

​

Year Ended December 26, 2020

​

​

Year Ended December 28, 2019

​

Statement of Operations Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Net sales

​

​

​

$

1,425,967

​

​

​

​

$

1,368,295

​

​

​

​

$

1,214,362

​

​

Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)

​

​

​

​

859,557

​

​

​

​

​

781,815

​

​

​

​

​

693,881

​

​

Selling, general and administrative expenses

​

​

​

​

437,875

​

​

​

​

​

398,472

​

​

​

​

​

382,131

​

​

Depreciation

​

​

​

​

59,400

​

​

​

​

​

67,423

​

​

​

​

​

65,658

​

​

Amortization

​

​

​

​

61,329

​

​

​

​

​

59,492

​

​

​

​

​

58,910

​

​

Management fees to related party

​

​

​

​

270

​

​

​

​

​

577

​

​

​

​

​

562

​

​

Other (income) expense

​

​

​

​

(2,778)

​

​

​

​

​

(5,250)

​

​

​

​

​

5,525

​

​

Income from operations

​

​

​

​

10,314

​

​

​

​

​

65,766

​

​

​

​

​

7,695

​

​

Gain on change in fair value of warrant liability

​

​

​

​

(14,734)

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Interest expense, net

​

​

​

​

61,237

​

​

​

​

​

86,774

​

​

​

​

​

101,613

​

​

Interest expense on junior subordinated debentures

​

​

​

​

7,775

​

​

​

​

​

12,707

​

​

​

​

​

12,608

​

​

Investment income on trust common securities

​

​

​

​

(233)

​

​

​

​

​

(378)

​

​

​

​

​

(378)

​

​

Loss (income) on mark-to-market adjustment of interest rate swap

​

​

​

​

(1,685)

​

​

​

​

​

601

​

​

​

​

​

2,608

​

​

Refinancing costs

​

​

​

​

8,070

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Loss before income taxes

​

​

​

​

(50,116)

​

​

​

​

​

(33,938)

​

​

​

​

​

(108,756)

​

​

Income tax benefit

​

​

​

​

(11,784)

​

​

​

​

​

(9,439)

​

​

​

​

​

(23,277)

​

​

Net loss

​

​

​

$

(38,332)

​

​

​

​

$

(24,499)

​

​

​

​

$

(85,479)

​

​

Basic and diluted loss per share

​

​

​

$

(0.28)

​

​

​

​

$

(0.27)

​

​

​

​

$

(0.96)

​

​

Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding

​

​

​

​

134,699

​

​

​

​

​

89,891

​

​

​

​

​

89,444

​

​

Net loss from above

​

​

​

$

(38,332)

​

​

​

​

$

(24,499)

​

​

​

​

$

(85,479)

​

​

Other comprehensive income:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Foreign currency translation adjustments

​

​

​

​

(283)

​

​

​

​

​

2,652

​

​

​

​

​

5,550

​

​

Hedging activity

​

​

​

​

2,517

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

​

​

​

—

​

​

Total other comprehensive income

​

​

​

​

2,234

​

​

​

​

​

2,652

​

​

​

​

​

5,550

​

​

Comprehensive loss

​

​

​

$

(36,098)

​

​

​

​

$

(21,847)

​

​

​

​

$

(79,929)

​

​

8

 

​

​

​

Year Ended December 25, 2021

​

​

Year Ended December 26, 2020

​

​

Year Ended December 28, 2019

​

Balance Sheet Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Total assets

​

​

​

​

2,562,922

​

​

​

​

​

2,468,618

​

​

​

​

​

2,437,983

​

​

Total current liabilities

​

​

​

​

277,296

​

​

​

​

​

311,911

​

​

​

​

​

208,868

​

​

Total liabilities

​

​

​

​

1,412,827

​

​

​

​

​

2,104,031

​

​

​

​

​

2,064,014

​

​

Working capital

​

​

​

​

391,013

​

​

​

​

​

241,796

​

​

​

​

​

231,803

​

​

Total stockholder’s equity

​

​

​

​

1,150,095

​

​

​

​

​

364,587

​

​

​

​

​

373,969

​

​

​

​

​

Year Ended December 25, 2021

​

​

Year Ended December 26, 2020

​

​

Year Ended December 28, 2019

​

Statement of Cash Flows Data:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Net cash (used for) provided by operating activities

​

​

​

​

(110,254)

​

​

​

​

​

92,080

​

​

​

​

​

52,359

​

​

Net cash (used for) provided by investing activities

​

​

​

​

(90,454)

​

​

​

​

​

(46,074)

​

​

​

​

​

(53,488)

​

​

Net cash (used for) provided by financing activities

​

​

​

​

193,329

​

​

​

​

​

(45,104)

​

​

​

​

​

(7,053)

​

​

9

 

10

 

11

 

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 prospectus, 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 America 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.

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.

 

12

 

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

 

13

 

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 $679.1 million of net sales and $50.4 million of the year-end accounts receivable balance for 2021. Both of these customers are big box chain stores. 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.

 

14

 

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 2.6% in 2021, decreased by 6.5% in 2020 and increased by 1.7% in 2019. 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;

​

 

15

 

•

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 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.

 

16

 

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 $825.4 million of goodwill and $85.9 million of indefinite-lived trade names recorded on our accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 25, 2021. 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. A continued decline in our stock price may trigger an evaluation of the recoverability of the recorded goodwill and other long-lived assets. 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.

 

17

 

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

 

18

 

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 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.

 

19

 

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

Upon consummation of the Business Combination, we will 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 25, 2021, total indebtedness was $945.8 million, $851.0 million of indebtedness of such indebtedness is indebtedness issued under the term loan facility, $93.0 million of such indebtedness is indebtedness issued under our asset-based revolving credit facility, and $1.8 million is indebtedness under capital lease obligations.

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 agreement governing Hillman Group’s 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 $124.1 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.

 

20

 

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 25, 2021, the ABL Revolver had an outstanding amount of $93.0 million and outstanding letters of credit of $32.9 million leaving $124.1 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, or undertake certain other business activities. In particular, our minimum allowed fixed charge coverage ratio requirement is 1.0x as of December 25, 2021. 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.

All of our indebtedness incurred under the Hillman Group’s senior secured credit facilities have 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”), may adversely affect our floating rate debt and interest rate derivatives. We may enter into interest rate derivatives that hedge risks related to floating for fixed rate interest payments in order to reduce interest rate volatility. However, we may not maintain interest rate swaps with respect to all of our variable rate indebtedness.

Restrictions imposed 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.

Hillman Group’s senior secured credit facilities contain restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in certain types of activities and transactions 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 indebtedness under our new secured credit facilities. In the event our lenders accelerate the repayment of our outstanding indebtedness, we and our subsidiaries may not have sufficient cash and assets to repay that indebtedness. These covenants restrict Hillman Group’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries, among other things, to:

•

incur additional indebtedness and create additional liens;

​

•

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

​

•

make investments, loans, advances, and acquisitions;

​

•

engage in transactions with our affiliates;

​

•

sell assets, including capital stock of our subsidiaries; and

​

•

consolidate or merge.

​

 

21

 

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 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 all of our operating assets and conduct all of our operations. As a result, our ability to make future dividend payments, if any, is dependent on the earnings of our subsidiaries and the payment of those earnings to us in the form of dividends, loans or advances and through repayment of loans or advances from us. Payments to us by our subsidiaries will be contingent upon our subsidiaries’ earnings and other business considerations and may be subject to statutory or contractual restrictions, including the credit agreements governing our credit facilities. To the extent that we determine in the future to pay dividends on our common stock, the ability of our operating subsidiaries to pay dividends will be restricted by the credit agreements governing credit facilities of The Hillman Group, Inc., our wholly owned indirect subsidiary. Under the credit agreements, dividends may only be paid to us by The Hillman Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries for corporate overhead expenses, taxes attributable to The Hillman Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries and otherwise pursuant to customary baskets and exceptions. These baskets and exceptions include customary fixed dollar baskets, a basket based on excess cash flow (as determined under the credit agreements) not required to prepay the term loans under the credit facilities and equity proceeds among other things, an unlimited amount under the credit agreement governing our asset-based revolving credit facility subject to satisfying minimum availability requirements for borrowings under the credit agreement and the absence of certain defaults, and an unlimited amount under the credit agreement governing our term loan facilities subject to The Hillman Group, Inc.’s total leverage not exceeding certain thresholds on a pro forma basis.

 

22

 

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.

 

23

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

All of the securities offered by the Selling Securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the Selling Securityholders for their respective amounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales. As of November 22, 2021, 8,000,000 private warrants and 16,199,835 public warrants were exercised, the vast majority on a cashless basis, and the Company received $7,659 in cash proceeds from the exercise of these warrants.

Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we intend to use the net proceeds from the exercise of the warrants for general corporate purposes including, but not limited to, working capital for operations, capital expenditures and future acquisitions. There is no assurance that the holders of the warrants will elect to exercise any or all of the warrants. To the extent that the warrants are exercised on a “cashless basis,” the amount of cash we would receive from the exercise of the warrants will decrease.

The Selling Securityholders will pay any underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses incurred by the Selling Securityholders for brokerage, accounting, tax or legal services or any other expenses incurred by the Selling Securityholders in disposing of the securities. We will bear the costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the securities covered by this prospectus, including all registration and filing fees, Nasdaq listing fees and fees and expenses of our counsel and our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

24

 

BUSINESS

The following discussion reflects the business of Hillman. References to “Hillman”, the “Company”, “us”, “we”, “our” and any related terms prior to the closing of the Business Combination are intended to mean Landcadia Holdings III, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries and after the closing of the Business Combination are intended to mean Hillman Solutions Corp., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

General

Hillman Solutions Corp. 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 $1,426.0 million in 2021. 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, 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.

In connection with the Closing, the Company entered into a new credit agreement (the “Term Credit Agreement”), which provided for a new funded term loan facility of $835.0 million and a delayed draw term loan facility of $200.0 million (of which $16.0 million was drawn). The Company also entered into an amendment to their existing asset-based revolving credit agreement, extending the maturity and conformed certain provisions to the Term Credit Agreement. The proceeds of the funded term loans under the Term Credit Agreement and revolving credit loans under the ABL Credit Agreement were used, together with other available cash, to refinance in full all outstanding term loans and to terminate all outstanding commitments under the credit agreement, dated as of May 31, 2018, (2) refinance outstanding revolving credit loans, and (3) redeem in full senior notes due July 15, 2022 (the “6.375% Senior Notes”). Additionally, we fully redeemed the 11.6% Junior Subordinated Debentures. In connection with the refinancing we incurred a loss of $8.1 million and paid $38.7 million in financing fees, of which $21.0 million was recorded as a financing activity. See Note 9 — Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

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 prospectus and should not be considered a part of this prospectus.

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

 

25

 

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 5.7% of the Company’s annual purchases, and the top five of which accounted for approximately 17.0% 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.

 

26

 

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 $1,025.0 million, $1,024.4 million, and $853.0 million of revenues in the years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020, and December 28, 2019, 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

 

27

 

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 will continue rolling out knife sharpening systems to customers into early 2022. In February 2020, we acquired the assets of Instafob, LLC (“Instafob”), a California-based innovative developer of RFID (“Radio Frequency Identification”) key duplication systems and a cloud based platform, for a cash payment of $0.8 million and a total purchase price of $2.62 million, which includes $1.8 million in contingent consideration that remains 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.

Robotics and Digital solutions generated approximately $249.5 million, $209.3 million, and $236.1 million of revenues in the years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020, and December 28, 2019, 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 above. 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 $151.5 million, $134.6 million and $125.3 million of revenues in the years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020, and December 28, 2019, respectively.

 

28

 

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 $679.1 million, or approximately 48%, of our total revenue in 2021. For the year ended December 25, 2021, Home Depot was the single largest customer, representing approximately $385.0 million or 27.0% of our total revenues. Lowe’s was the second largest at approximately $294.1 million or 20.6%. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue in 2021. In each of the years ended December 25, 2021, December 26, 2020, and December 28, 2019, we derived over 10% of our total revenues from Lowe’s and Home Depot which operated in each of our operating segments. See Note 20 — Concentration of Credit Risks of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

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 772 employees and 93 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 252 employees and is managed by approximately 27 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.

 

29

 

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 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 18 — Commitments and Contingencies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Human Capital Resources

Employees

As of December 25, 2021, we had 4,212 full time and part time employees, none of which were covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In our opinion, employee relations are good.

Health and Safety

Employee health and safety is a top priority in all aspects of our business. We are committed to providing a healthy environment and safe workplace at all of our facilities and in the field. We maintain a safety compliance program. We regularly conduct self-assessments to examine our safety culture and processes. In response to COVID-19, we have taken and continue to take measures to protect our workforce. We have modified practices at our distribution facilities and offices to adhere to guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health and governmental authorities. In addition, we have invested in our safety team to provide oversight and ensure robust safety protocols are present across all of our operations.

Attraction, Development, and Retention

The success of our efforts to grow our business depends on the contributions and abilities of key executives, our sales force, and other personnel. Our Human Resources department leads the search to reach a diverse talent pool. We have a standard framework for posting jobs, interviewing for open positions, and onboarding new employees. We offer employees resources to continuously improve their skills and performance with the goal of further cultivating the diverse talent on our team. We seek people who demonstrate our core values: absolute integrity, accountability to our team and customers, the ability to build on difference, and trust and respect.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to actions that build an inclusive and equitable workplace where diversity is valued and leveraged. We ask our employees to bring their authentic selves to work every day and this shows in

 

30

 

both our products and our services. It is this authenticity that allows us to fulfill our mission. We are committed to creating equal opportunities for employment, and creating inclusive and diverse workplaces that allow are team to perform to their fullest potential.

Properties

As of December 25, 2021, our principal office, manufacturing, and distribution properties were as follows:

(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.

 

31

 

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 $34.0 million as of December 25, 2021 and approximately $58.3 million as of December 26, 2020. We expect to realize the entire December 25, 2021 backlog during fiscal 2022.

Legal Proceedings

On June 3, 2019, The Hillman Group, Inc. (“Hillman Group”) filed a complaint for patent infringement against KeyMe, LLC (“KeyMe”), a provider of self-service key duplication kiosks, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division) (the “Texas Court”). On August 16, 2019, KeyMe filed a complaint for patent infringement against Hillman Group in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

On March 2, 2020, Hillman Group filed a second complaint for patent infringement against KeyMe in the same Texas Court. On October 23, 2020, the Texas Court granted KeyMe’s motion to consolidate the two Texas cases, and granted Hillman Group’s motion to add another patent.

On April 12, 2021, a jury in the Texas case returned a verdict that KeyMe did not infringe any of the asserted patents, and several of the asserted claims were invalid. Final judgment was entered on April 13, 2021.

As of June 14, 2021, Hillman Group and KeyMe entered into a Settlement Agreement which globally resolved all pending legal disputes, including the Texas and Delaware district court actions discussed above.

On June 1, 2021, Hy-Ko Products Company LLC (“Hy-Ko”), a manufacturer of key duplication machines, filed a complaint for patent infringement against Hillman Group in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall Division). The case was assigned Civil Action No. 2:21-cv- 0197. Hy-Ko’s complaint alleges that Hillman’s KeyKrafter and PKOR key duplication machines infringe U.S. Patent Nos. 9,656,332, 9,682,432, 9,687,920, and 10,421,133, which are assigned to Hy-Ko, and seeks damages and injunctive relief against Hillman Group. Hy-Ko’s complaint additionally contains allegations of unfair competition under the Federal Lanham Act and conversion/receipt of stolen property, as well as a cause of action for “replevin” for return of stolen property.

On August 2, 2021, Hy-Ko filed an Amended Complaint which did not deviate substantially from the initial Complaint. Hillman Group responded on August 16, 2021, by filing a Motion to Dismiss the conversion and replevin claims because they are barred by the statute of limitations. In its Motion to Dismiss, Hillman Group also requested that the Court strike numerous paragraphs of Hy-Ko’s Amended Complaint that, on their face, have nothing to do with Hy-Ko’s patent infringement, unfair competition, or conversion and replevin claims. Hillman Group also requested that the Court order Hy-Ko to provide a more definite statement regarding its unfair competition claim. Briefing on Hillman’s Motion to Dismiss was completed on September 14, 2021. On January 14, 2022, the Court denied Hillman’s motion. Hillman filed an answer with counterclaims (for declaratory judgment and for breach of a prior settlement agreement) on February 1, 2022 and Hy-Ko responded to that pleading on February 22, 2022.

The Court held a claim construction hearing on February 17, 2022. The Court has not yet issued a final claim construction order. Discovery in the matter is ongoing, and the discovery deadline is July 6, 2022. Trial has been set for October 3, 2022

Management and legal counsel for Hillman Group are still investigating this recent suit but are initially of the view that Hy-Ko’s claims are without merit and Hillman Group intends to vigorously defend the claims. Hillman Group is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss at this early stage in the case.

 

32

 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS OF HILLMAN

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 this prospectus.

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 $1,426.0 million in 2021. 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

On July 14, 2021, privately held HMAN Group Holdings Inc. (“Hillman Holdco”), and Landcadia Holdings III, Inc. (“Landcadia” and after the Business Combination described herein, “Hillman”), a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) consummated the previously announced business combination (the “Closing”) pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of January 24, 2021 (as amended on March 12, 2021, the “Merger Agreement”). Unless the context indicates otherwise, the discussion of the Company and its financial condition and results of operations is with respect to Hillman following the closing date and Hillman Holdco prior to the closing date. See Note 1 — Basis of Presentation of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

In connection with the Closing, the Company entered into a new credit agreement (the “Term Credit Agreement”), which provided for a new funded term loan facility of $835.0 million and a delayed draw term loan facility of $200.0 million (of which $16.0 million was drawn). The Company also entered into an amendment to their existing asset-based revolving credit agreement, extending the maturity and conformed certain provisions to the Term Credit Agreement. The proceeds of the funded term loans under the Term Credit Agreement and revolving credit loans under the ABL Credit Agreement were used, together with other available cash, to (1) refinance in full all outstanding term loans and to terminate all outstanding commitments under the credit agreement, dated as of May 31, 2018, (2) refinance outstanding revolving credit loans, and (3) redeem in full senior notes due July 15, 2022 (the “6.375% Senior Notes”). Additionally, we fully redeemed the 11.6% Junior Subordinated Debentures. In connection with the refinancing we incurred a loss of $8.1 million and paid $38.7 million in financing fees, of which $21.0 million was recorded as a financing activity. See Note 9 — Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

On April 16, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of Oz Post International, LLC (“OZCO”), a leading manufacturer of superior quality hardware that offers structural fasteners and connectors used for decks, fences and other outdoor structures, for a total purchase price of $38.9 million. The Company entered into an amendment (“OZCO Amendment”) to the term loan credit agreement dated May 31, 2018 (the “2018 Term Loan”), which provided $35.0 million of incremental term loan funds to be used to finance the acquisition. Refer to Note 6 — Acquisitions of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

On November 22, 2021, the Company provided notice to the holders of its outstanding warrants (the “warrants”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, that all such warrants will be redeemed in accordance with the terms of such warrants and the Warrant Agreement (the

 

33

 

“Redemption”). As of December 25, 2021, the Company exercised and redeemed all of its warrants. The Company issued 6.4 million shares of common stock in connection with the Redemption. Refer to Note 8 —  Warrants of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

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. In 2020, the pandemic had a significant impact on our business, driving high demand for personal protective equipment, including face masks, disposable gloves, sanitizing wipes, and disinfecting sprays. During 2020, at the request of our customers, we began to sell certain categories of protective and cleaning equipment that are not a part of our core product offerings, including wipes, sprays, masks and bulk boxes of disposable gloves. High demand and limited supply of these products available for retail sale drove prices and cost up in 2020. In 2021, demand for certain protective product categories softened. As vaccines were rolled out, supply returned to a more normal level. In the third quarter of 2021, we evaluated our customers’ needs and the market conditions and ultimately decided to exit certain protective product categories. In connection with the exit of these product lines, we recorded an inventory valuation charge of $32.0 million including the write off of inventory along with costs for donation and disposal of the remaining inventory on hand.

It is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic could further impact our business, the operations of our suppliers and vendors, and the operations of our customers, especially in light of the emergence of new variants which would cause a recurrence of high levels of infection and hospitalization. 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 both during the year ended December 25, 2021 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 through the remainder of fiscal 2022. 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 25, 2021, 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 1.7% in 2019, decreased by 6.5% in 2020, and decreased by 2.6% in 2021. The U.S. dollar decreased in value relative to the Taiwan dollar by approximately 0.2% in 2019, decreased by 7.9% in 2020, and decreased by 1.4% in 2021.

 

34

 

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 the 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 decreased in value relative to the Canadian dollar by approximately 4.1% in 2019, decreased by 1.9% in 2020, and decreased by 0.2% in 2021. 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 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:

 

35

 

Results of Operations

The following table shows the results of operations for the years ended December 25, 2021 and December 26, 2020.

(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 EBITD

​

Year ended December 25, 2021 vs December 26, 2020

Net Sales

Net sales for the year ended December 25, 2021 were $1,426.0 million compared to net sales of $1,368.3 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, an increase of approximately $57.7 million. Fastening and hardware sales increased $33.2 million driven by strong retail demand and price increases in the second half of 2021 in response to inflationary pressures in the market related to the cost of products, inbound and outbound transportation costs, and personnel costs. Key and engraving sales increased $40.0 million and sales in Canada increased by $16.8 million primarily due to improved retail foot traffic and access to key and engraving machines as compared to 2020 due to COVID-19. These increases were partially offset by sales of personal protective equipment, which decreased by $32.6 million due to lower COVID-19 protective and cleaning materials in 2021.

Cost of Sales

Our Cost of Sales (“COS”) is exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense. COS was $859.6 million, or 60.3% of net sales, for the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $77.7 million compared to $781.8 million, or 57.1% of net sales, for the year ended December 26, 2020. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was 320 bps higher than the prior year primarily due to an inventory valuation adjustment in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment of $32.0 million related to strategic review of our COVID-19 related product offerings. In the third quarter of 2021, we evaluated our customers’ needs

 

36

 

and the market conditions and ultimately decided to exit certain protective product categories related to COVID-19, including cleaning wipes, disinfecting sprays, face masks, and certain disposable gloves. The remaining increase was primarily due to inflation in commodities and transportation.

Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $437.9 million in the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $39.4 million compared to $398.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. The following changes in underlying trends impacted the change in SG&A expenses:

•

Selling expense was $161.1 million in the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $11.5 million compared to $149.6 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase in selling expense was primarily due to variable selling expenses, variable compensation, and travel and entertainment expense in the year ended December 25, 2021.

​

•

Warehouse and delivery expenses were $172.9 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $13.9 million compared to warehouse and delivery expenses of $159.0 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. The additional expense was primarily driven by higher sales volume and inflation in labor and shipping costs.

​

•

General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses were $103.9 million in the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of $14.1 million compared to $89.8 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. In the year ended December 25, 2021 we incurred increased stock based compensation of $10.1 million in connection with modification of awards associated with the Merger (see Note 13 — Stock Based Compensation of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). We also incurred an additional $6.2 million of legal and consulting expense associated with the merger with Landcadia along with increased legal fees associated with our litigation with KeyMe (see Note 18 — Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). These changes were partially offset by decreased variable compensation.

​

Depreciation expense of $59.4 million in the year ended December 25, 2021, was lower than the $67.4 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. The decrease was due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated.

Amortization expense of $61.3 million in the year ended December 25, 2021, was comparable to $59.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the acquisition of Ozco in the current year.

Other income of $2.8 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 decreased $2.5 million compared to $5.3 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. In the year ended December 25, 2021 other income consisted primarily of a $1.8 million gain on the revaluation of the contingent consideration associated with the acquisition of Resharp and Instafob, (see Note 16 — Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).We also recorded exchange rate gains of $0.9 in the year ended December 25, 2021. 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, 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.

Interest expense, net, of $68.8 million for the year ended December 25, 2021 decreased $30.3 million, compared to $99.1 million for the year ended December 26, 2020. This decrease was primarily due to the refinancing activities in the third quarter of 2021 leading to lower outstanding debt balances in the year ended December 25, 2021 (see Note 9 — Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

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 restated due to the correction of

 

37

 

errors related to income tax accounting. See Note 1 — Basis of Presentation of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details.

(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, compared to net sales of $1,214.4 million, for the year ended December 28, 2019. 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 began to reopen, our service team worked closely with our customers to restore access to key machines.

Cost of Sales

Our cost of sales is exclusive of depreciation and amortization expense. Our cost of sales 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 sales 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, and

​

•

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

​

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:

 

38

 

•

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.

​

•

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 18 — 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 was $59.5 million in the year ended December 26, 2020, compared to $58.9 million in the year ended December 28, 2019.

Other income was $5.3 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, as compared to a loss 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 16 — 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 17 — Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million.

Interest expense, net, was $99.1 million for the year ended December 26, 2020, a decrease of $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 — Operating Segments

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

Hardware and Protective Solutions

 

39

 

(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 25, 2021 vs December 26, 2020

Net Sales

Hardware and Protective Solutions net sales for the year ended December 25, 2021 increased by $0.6 million from the prior year. Fastening and hardware sales increased $33.2 million driven by strong retail demand and price increases in the second half of 2021 in response to inflationary pressures in the market related to the cost of products, inbound and outbound transportation costs, and personnel costs. This increase was partially offset by sales of personal protective equipment, which decreased by $32.6 million due to lower demand for COVID-19 protective and cleaning equipment in 2021.

(Loss) from Operations

(Loss) Income from operations of our Hardware and Protective Solutions operating segment decreased by approximately $84.5 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 to a loss of $17.2 million from income of $67.3 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. On flat sales, we experienced higher cost of sales and selling, general and administrative expenses as outlined below:

•

Cost of sales increased by approximately $61.4 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 to $683.7 million as compared to $622.3 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. Cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was 66.7% in the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of 590 basis points from 60.8% in the year ended December 26, 2020. In the third quarter of 2021, we recorded an inventory valuation adjustment in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment of $32.0 million primarily related to strategic review of our COVID-19 related product offerings. In the third quarter of 2021, after considering our customers’ ongoing needs along with market demand, pricing, and more widespread product availability, we exited the market for certain products related to COVID-19 including cleaning wipes, disinfecting sprays, face masks, and certain disposable gloves. The remaining increase in cost of sales as a percentage of net sales was primarily driven by the inflation in commodities and inbound transportation.

​

•

Warehouse expense increased $12.2 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. The additional expense was primarily driven by inflation in labor and shipping costs.

​

•

G&A expense increased $8.5 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. The additional expense was primarily due to increased legal and consulting expense associated with the merger with Landcadia along with increased stock compensation expense.

​

Year Ended December 26, 2020 vs December 28, 2019 Net Sales

Net sales for our Hardware and Protective Solutions operating segment increased by $171.4 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 primarily due to:

•

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 driven by COVID-19.

​

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment increased by approximately $53.1 million in the year ended December 26, 2020 to $67.3 million as compared to $14.2 million in the year

 

40

 

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 by $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.

​

Robotics and Digital Solutions

(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 25, 2021 vs December 26, 2020

Net Sales

Net sales for our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment increased $40.2 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the net sales for 2020 primarily due to an increase of $32.9 million in key sales. Key and engraving sales were both negatively impacted by low retail foot traffic and limited access to key and engraving machines in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Income from Operations

Income from operations of our Robotics and Digital Solutions operating segment increased by approximately $20.4 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 to $23.6 million from $3.2 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. The increased sales were offset by increased SG&A as outlined below:

•

Selling expense increased $6.9 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 compared to the year ended December 26, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher sales commissions for kiosk sales and increased travel and compensation expense.

​

•

General and administrative expense increased by $5.6 million primarily due to increased legal fees associated with our ongoing litigation with KeyMe, Inc. (see Note 18 — Commitments and

​

 

41

 

Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information) along with increased legal and consulting costs associated with the merger with Landcadia.

•

Depreciation expense decreased by $5.7 million due to assets becoming fully depreciated.

​

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 as compared to 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 started to reopen, our service team 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 for the year ended December 26, 2020 to $3.2 million as compared to $3.4 million in the year ended December 28, 2019. The decrease in net sales was 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 18 — 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 16 — Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). In the year ended December 28, 2019 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.

​

Canada

(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 25, 2021 vs December 26, 2020

Net Sales

Net sales in our Canada operating segment increased by $16.8 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 primarily due to strong retail demand for our products. Sales in 2020 were negatively impacted by low retail foot traffic due to COVID-19.

 

42

 

Income (Loss) from Operations

Driven by higher sales, income from operations of our Canada segment increased by $8.7 million in the year ended December 25, 2021 to income of $3.9 million as compared to a loss of $4.7 million in the year ended December 26, 2020. Additionally, we had $0.5 million in restructuring costs in 2021 compared to $4.8 million in 2020 (see Note 17 — Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

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

Income from operations of our Canada segment increased 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. The increase in sales combined with lower COS as a percentage of sales was partially offset by higher other expense in the year ended December 28, 2019.

•

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 17 — 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 17 — Restructuring of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), and exchange rate gains of $0.7 million.

​

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.

 

43

 

The following table presents a reconciliation of Net loss, the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:

(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 17 —  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 litigation with KeyMe, Inc. and Hy-Ko Products Company LLC (see Note 18 — 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, including the merger with Landcadia.

​

(5)

The warrant liabilities are marked to market each period end (see Note 8 — Warrants of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

​

(6)

Infrequent buy backs associated with new business wins.

​

 

44

 

(7)

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

​

(8)

In connection with the merger, we refinanced our Term Credit Agreement and ABL Revolver. Proceeds from the refinancing were used to redeem in full senior notes due July 15, 2022 (the “6.375% Senior Notes”) and the 11.6% Junior Subordinated Debentures.

​

(9)

In the third quarter of 2021, we recorded an inventory valuation adjustment in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment of $32.0 million primarily related to strategic review of our COVID-19 related product offerings. We evaluated our customers’ needs and the market conditions and ultimately decided to exit the following protective product categories related to COVID-19; cleaning wipes, disinfecting sprays, face masks, and certain disposable gloves (see the Current Economic Conditions section of Management’s discussion and analysis for additional information).

​

(10)

Anti-dumping duties assessed related to the nail business for prior year purchases.

​

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 thousands):

 

45