hlmn-20221231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

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

FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM _____ TO _____

Commission file number 001-39609

Hillman Solutions Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware			85-2096734
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)			(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

1280 Kemper Meadow Drive

45240

Forest Park

Ohio

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

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

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


Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share	HLMN	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 25, 2022, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $1,261 million based upon the closing price reported for such date on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

On February 22, 2023, 194,548,411 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, were issued and outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference: Part III of this 10-K incorporates by reference certain information from the registrants definitive Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.



TABLE OF CONTENTS


PART I.
ITEM 1.	BUSINESS	2
ITEM 1A.	RISK FACTORS	8
I TEM 1B .	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	16
ITEM 2.	PROPERTIES	17
ITEM 3.	LEGAL PROCEEDINGS	18
I TEM 4.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES	18

PART II.
ITEM 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASE OF EQUITY SECURITIES	18
ITEM 6.	[RESERVED]	20
ITEM 7.	MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION	20
ITEM 7A.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	31
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	32
ITEM 9.	CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE	77
ITEM 9A.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	77
ITEM 9B.	OTHER INFORMATION	81
ITEM 9C.	DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS	81

PART III.
ITEM 10.	DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	81
ITEM 11.	EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	81
ITEM 12.	SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS	82
ITEM 13.	CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS	82
ITEM 14.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES	82

PART IV.
ITEM 15.	EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES	82
ITEM 16.	FORM 10-K SUMMARY	86

PART I



FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain disclosures related to acquisitions, refinancing, capital expenditures, resolution of pending litigation, and realization of deferred tax assets, which are not historical facts and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements are made in good faith by the Company and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," “target”, “goal”, "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the Company’s expectations with respect to future performance. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) unfavorable economic conditions that may affect operations, financial condition and cash flows including spending on home renovation or construction projects, inflation, recessions, instability in the financial markets or credit markets; (2) increased supply chain costs, including raw materials, sourcing, transportation and energy; (3) the highly competitive nature of the markets that we serve; (4) the ability to continue to innovate with new products and services; (5) seasonality; (6) large customer concentration; (7) the ability to recruit and retain qualified employees; (8) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (9) adverse changes in currency exchange rates; (10) the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s business; or (11) regulatory changes and potential legislation that could adversely impact financial results. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should also refer to those risks that are included in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Given these uncertainties, current or prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward looking statements.

Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this communication to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.


ITEM 1 - BUSINESS.

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 Solutions Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “Hillman Group”), which had net sales of approximately $1,486.3 million in 2022. 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.


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In November 2022, Hillman's corporate headquarters moved from 10590 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio to 1280 Kemper Meadow Drive, Forest Park, Ohio. We maintain a website at www.hillmangroup.com. Information contained or linked on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report and should not be considered a part of this annual report.

History

In 1964, Max Hillman established Hillman Bolt & Screw Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio when he purchased a franchise operation from Sharon Bolt & Screw, a hardware fastener company. Max began distributing fasteners to independent hardware stores in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky, with a relentless commitment to service.

Max’s two sons, Mick Hillman and Rick Hillman, joined their father’s company in 1969, as Hillman’s customer base and distribution network continued to grow. In 1982, Hillman Bolt & Screw was purchased by Sun Distributors followed by Max’s retirement shortly thereafter. Mick and Rick took over the day-to-day operations of the business in 1984.

During the early 1990s, the Company developed its National Field Service Group, which today includes 1,100 field service and sales representatives, to manage the complex assortment of Hillman products on its customers’ shelves. Over the next three decades Hillman continued to win new business, expanding from traditional hardware stores to big box and home improvement retailers, and into adjacent product categories through multiple strategic acquisitions.

During the 2000s, Hillman was purchased three separate times by private equity firms (2001, 2004 and 2010). During 2012 and 2013, Rick and Mick Hillman retired, respectively, after more than 40 years of actively managing the Company. Thereafter in 2014, CCMP Capital Advisors acquired the majority interest in Hillman. In 2021, Hillman became a publicly traded company, listing its shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “HLMN” by virtue of a merger with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company ("SPAC"). See Note 3 - Merger Agreement of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Hillman’s legacy of service has remained unchanged throughout its history, and it continues to take care of its customers first.

Nasdaq listing - 2021

During 2021, the Company began exploring ways to further expand is access to the capital markets by becoming a publicly-traded entity. On July 14, 2021, privately held HMAN Group Holdings Inc. ("Old Hillman"), and Landcadia Holdings III, Inc. (“Landcadia” and after the Business Combination described herein, “New Hillman”), a 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 New Hillman following the closing date and Old Hillman prior to the closing date. See Note 3 - Merger Agreement 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 were recorded as a financing activity. See Note 9 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

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.


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

We operate from 22 strategically located distribution centers in North America and supplement our operations with third-party logistics providers to warehouse and ship customer orders in the certain areas.

Products and Suppliers

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

We currently manage a worldwide supply chain comprised of a large number of vendors, the largest of which accounted for approximately 4.9% of the Company's annual purchases and the top five of which accounted for approximately 15.5% of our 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

Our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment includes a variety of product categories including: Fasteners; Builders Hardware; Wall Hanging, Threaded Rod and Metal Shapes; Letters, Numbers, and Signs ("LNS"); and Personal Protection Equipment.

Our Fastener business consists of three categories: core fasteners, construction fasteners, and anchors sold under a variety of brands including Hillman, Fas-n-Tite, Deck-Plus, and Power-Pro. 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.

Builders 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 online 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 Threaded Rod and Metal Shapes 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.

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 variety of sign accessories, such as sign frames.

Our expansive Personal Protective Equipment category covers many uses for DIYer ("Do It Yourself") around the house and for the professional at the job site. Our products can be found at leading retailers across North America.

We distribute a full assortment of work gloves under the Firm Grip®, True Grip®, and Gorilla Grip brands; automotive gloves including Grease Monkey®; Digz® gardening gloves and more; as well as cleaning and all-


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purpose gloves. As a category leader in work gloves, our portfolio is founded on design and consumer driven innovation.

Our work-gear products consist 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 products include face masks, safety vests, and sanitizing wipes and sprays sold under a variety of brands including Firm Grip®, AWP®, and Premium Defense®. Focusing on innovative materials, intuitive design, and industry trends, we expect growth in the Hardware and Protective Solutions segment.

Hardware and Protective Solutions generated approximately $1,076.8 million, $1,025.0 million and $1,024.4 million of revenues in the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021, and December 26, 2020, 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. Robotics and Digital Solutions products are located in high-traffic environments where retailers can provide consumers with on-the-spot, customized licensed and unlicensed key and engraving options. Our offerings include store associated assisted and self-service robotic engraving and key duplication kiosks; together with related software, 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 and manufacture proprietary software and equipment in our Boulder, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona facilities; housing 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 diverse key duplication systems in the industry, through our unique combination of self-service kiosk technology and store associate assisted duplication systems. Equipment diversity allows us to meet the individual needs of retailers. 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.

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 proprietary network integration software within 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 MinuteKey kiosk out of our Boulder, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona facilities.

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™ uses a digital optical camera, lasers, and proprietary software to scan a customer’s key. The system identifies the key and retrieves the key’s specifications, including the appropriate blank and cutting pattern, from a comprehensive database. This technology automates nearly every aspect of key duplication and provides the ability for every store associate to cut a key accurately. In the automotive key space, we offer the SmartBox Automotive Key Programmer which is a tool to quickly and easily pair transponder keys, remotes, and smart keys.

We retain ownership of the key duplicating equipment and market and sell keys and key accessories. Our proprietary key offering features the universal blank which uses a “universal” keyway to replace up to five original equipment keys. 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


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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.

Robotics and Digital Solutions generated approximately $249.9 million, $249.5 million, and $209.3 million of revenues in the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021, and December 26, 2020, respectively.

Canada

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

Our Canada segment generated approximately $159.6 million, $151.5 million and $134.6 million of revenues in the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021, and December 26, 2020, respectively.

Markets and Customers

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

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

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

We sell our products to a large volume of customers, the top two of which accounted for approximately $678.7 million, or approximately 46% of our total revenues in 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2022, Home Depot was the single largest customer, representing approximately $356.8 million or 24.0% of our total revenues. Lowe's was the second largest at approximately $321.9 million or 21.7%. No other customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue in 2022. In each of the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021, and December 26, 2020, 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. Service is the hallmark of Hillman company-wide, employing 1,101 full-time and 122 part-time people on our sales and service team. The national accounts field service organization consists of approximately 745 employees and 72 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.


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We employ what we believe to be the largest direct sales force in the industry. The sales force, which consists of approximately 255 employees and is managed by 29 field managers, focuses on the franchise and independent customers. The depth of the sales and service team enables us to maintain consistent call cycles ensuring that all customers experience proper stock levels and inventory turns. This team also prepares custom plan-o-grams of displays to fit the needs of any store and establishes programs that meet customers' requirements for pricing, invoicing, and other needs. This group also benefits from daily internal support from our inside sales and customer service teams. On average, each sales representative is responsible for approximately 60 full service accounts that the sales representative calls on approximately every two weeks. These efforts allow the sales force to sell and support our product lines.

Competition

Our primary competitors in the national accounts marketplace for fasteners are Primesource Building Products, Inc., Midwest Fastener Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Spectrum Brands, and competition from direct import by our customers. Our national competitors for gloves and personal protective equipment include Techtronic Industries, 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 and 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 31, 2022, we had 3,773 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 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 are demonstrate our core values, absolute integrity, accountability to our team and customers, the ability to build on difference, trust and respect.

Diversity and Inclusion


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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 both our products and our services. We are committed to creating equal opportunities for employment, and creating inclusive and diverse workplaces that allow our team to perform to their fullest potential.

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 $24.6 million as of December 31, 2022 and approximately $34.0 million as of December 25, 2021. We expect to realize the entire December 31, 2022 backlog during fiscal 2023.

Where You Can Find More Information

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

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


ITEM 1A - RISK FACTORS.

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

Risks Relating to Our Products and Demand for our Products:

Our sales are dependent upon the health and stability of the general economy. Adverse changes in economic factors specific to the home improvement industry may adversely affect our sales and financial performance.

Many North American and global economic factors may adversely affect our financial performance. These include, but are not limited to, periods of slow economic growth or recession, home price appreciation or decreasing housing turnover, volatility and/or lack of liquidity from time to time in U.S. and world financial markets and the consequent reduced availability and/or higher cost of borrowing to Hillman, its customers, and consumers, slower rates of growth in real disposable personal income that could affect the rate of growth in consumer spending, inflation and its impacts on discretionary spending and on our costs, shortages, and other disruptions in the labor supply, consumer debt levels, changes in tax rates and policy, outbreak of pandemics, fluctuations in fuel and energy costs, inflation or deflation of commodity prices, natural disasters, armed conflicts, and acts of both domestic and international terrorism.

Sales of many of our products are driven by the activity level of home repair and remodel projects. 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, consumers, 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.


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

Our two largest customers constituted approximately $678.7 million of net sales and $35.0 million of the year-end accounts receivable balance for 2022. 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. (See Note 20 - Concentration of Credit Risks of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

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.

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 and/or product offerings 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.

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.

Risks Related to our Operations:

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

Many of 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 letters, numbers, and signs (“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 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 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.


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

We import a majority of our products and rely on foreign sources, primarily China and Taiwan, to meet our supply demands at prices that support our current operating margins. Substantially all of our import operations are subject to customs requirements, tariffs, and quotas set by governments through mutual agreements or unilateral actions. The U.S. tariffs on steel, 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 increase 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, high demand for ocean freight, labor disputes, severe weather, or increased homeland security requirements in the U.S. and other countries. These issues could delay importation of products, increase our transit costs, 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, COVID-19 outbreaks could cause temporary closures or labor shortages at our facilities, the facilities of our suppliers, or other disruptions throughout our supply chain. This may adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows.

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.

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

Our operations are working capital intensive, and our inventories, accounts receivable, and accounts payable are significant components of our net asset base. We manage our inventories and accounts payable through our purchasing policies and our accounts receivable through our customer credit policies. In recent years, our lead times extended due to disruptions in the global supply chain. We saw particularly high increased lead times for ocean freight from Asia, and we had to increase our inventory levels to maintain our high fill rates with our customers, which has increased our inventory costs and reduced our profitability. There are no assurances that lead times will continue to improve in the near term or at all, and our working capital and financial condition may be adversely affected. 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 the risks of doing business internationally.


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

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

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

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

•inadequate intellectual property protection in foreign countries;

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

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

•violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;

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

•significant adverse changes in foreign currency exchange rates; and

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

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

Risks Related to our Workforce:

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

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

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

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

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

Risks Related to our Technology and Cybersecurity:

Our success is highly dependent on information and our technology systems, as well as those of our third party vendors and business partners.

We depend on our information systems, and those of our third party vendors and business partners, 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.

While we have taken measures designed to protect the security of our information and technology systems, and any information handled by these systems, including personal, sensitive, confidential, and proprietary information, there can be no assurance that the measures which we have adopted to protect against certain events that could


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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.

In addition, we may have to upgrade our existing information technology systems or choose to incorporate new technology systems from time to time in order for such systems to support our business. Costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems could disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations. Any such reduction in efficiency or disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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

As part of our business, we collect, process, and retain personal, 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. In addition, employees may intentionally or inadvertently cause the unauthorized access to or release of personal, sensitive, or confidential customer, employee, supplier or Company information. Because the techniques used to circumvent security systems can be highly sophisticated, change frequently, are often not recognized until launched against a target, and may originate from less regulated and remote areas around the world, we may be unable to proactively anticipate or address all possible techniques or implement adequate preventive measures for all situations.

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 and business partners 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.

We anticipate that these threats will continue to grow in scope and complexity over time. Cybercrime and attacking techniques are constantly evolving, and we or our third party vendors and business partners may be unable to anticipate attempted security breaches, react in a timely manner, or implement adequate preventative measures, particularly given the increasing use of hacking techniques designed to circumvent controls, avoid detection, and remove or obfuscate forensic artifacts.

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. As a result, our practices may not have complied in the past or may not comply now or in the future with all such laws, regulations, requirements and obligations. Our failure to take any steps perceived by the a regulatory body as appropriate to protect certain information may result in claims under various data privacy and security laws, which could severely impact our business.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property:

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

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

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

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

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


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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, and in fact have sued us (see Item 3 - Legal Proceedings of this Annual Report and Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information), 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, obtain a license requiring us to make royalty payments, and/or enter into other settlement arrangements that temporarily preclude us from liability. 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 revenue.

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.

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness:

We have significant indebtedness that could affect operations and financial condition and prevent us from successfully executing our strategy.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. On December 31, 2022, our total indebtedness was $918.8 million, $840.4 million of such indebtedness is indebtedness issued under the term loan facility, $72.0 million of such indebtedness is indebtedness issued under the our asset-based revolving credit facility, and $6.4 million is indebtedness under finance lease and other obligations. In the third quarter of 2022, the Company amended its asset-based revolving credit agreement with Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, and the lenders and other parties thereto, increasing the aggregate commitments thereunder to $375.0 million and extended the maturity.

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 our 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 indebtedness.

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.


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We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of our senior secured credit facilities do not fully prohibit us from doing so. The senior secured credit facilities permit additional borrowing of $197.6 million on the revolving credit facility. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

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

In addition to cash we generate from our business, our principal existing source of cash is borrowings available under the ABL Revolver. Aggregate availability will be limited to the lesser of a borrowing base and $375.0 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 31, 2022, the ABL Revolver had an outstanding amount of $72.0 million and outstanding letters of credit of $35.9 million, leaving $197.6 million of available borrowings as a source of liquidity based on the customary asset-backed loan borrowing base and availability provisions.

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 31, 2022. 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 our 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 United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority's phase out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), may adversely affect our floating rate debt and interest rate derivatives on our term loan. We may, and have in the past, enter into interest rate derivatives that hedge risks related to floating for fixed rate interest payments in order to reduce interest rate volatility, however there are no assurances that we will do so, or that we will be able to do so on terms favorable to us. Further, we may choose not to maintain interest rate swaps with any of our variable rate indebtedness, or may only choose to maintain interest rate swaps with some, but not all, of our variable rate indebtedness.

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

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

Increased volatility and disruptions in the financial markets also could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to refinance outstanding indebtedness and obtain financing. In addition, the adoption of new statutes and regulations, the implementation of recently enacted laws or new interpretations or the enforcement of older laws and regulations applicable to the financial markets or the financial services industry could result in a reduction in the amount of available credit or an increase in the cost of credit. Disruptions in the financial markets can also


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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.

Legal, Regulatory, and Other External Risks:

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 U.S. dollar declines relative to the CNY or other currencies, we may experience cost increases on such purchases. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the CNY by 8.3% in 2022, decreased by 2.6% in 2021 and decreased by 6.5% in 2020. 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 which may adversely impact our results of operations.

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

We have $823.8 million of goodwill and $85.3 million of indefinite-lived trademarks and trade names recorded on our accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2022. 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.

While our fourth quarter 2022 impairment test determined the fair value of the Hardware Solutions and Protective Solutions reporting units exceeded their respective carrying by 4% and 6%, respectively, certain changes in the assumptions used for discount rate, projected revenue growth, and projected earnings growth could result in the fair value of either of these reporting units being less than its carrying value, in which case we would be required to write down goodwill to its fair value (see Management's Discussion & Analysis - Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates - Goodwill for additional information). Additionally, 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 financial condition and net income could be materially adversely affected.

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

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. Though the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be receding, 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.

We are subject to legal proceedings and legal compliance risks.


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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.

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.

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 various tax jurisdictions. Although we believe our recorded tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate outcome from any audit (or related litigation) could be materially different from the 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 and regulations or interpretations thereof 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.


ITEM 1B - UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.


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ITEM 2 – PROPERTIES.

As of December 31, 2022, our principal office, manufacturing, and distribution properties were as follows:

Business Segment

Approximate
Square
Footage

Description

Hardware and Protective Solutions & Robotics and Digital Solutions

Cincinnati, Ohio

270,000

Office, Distribution

Dallas, Texas

166,000

Distribution

Forest Park, Ohio (1)

428,000

Office, Distribution

Jacksonville, Florida

193,000

Distribution

Rialto, California(2)

402,000

Distribution

Shafter, California

168,000

Distribution

Tempe, Arizona

184,000

Office, Mfg., Distribution

Hardware and Protective Solutions

Atlanta, Georgia

14,000

Office

Guadalajara, Mexico

12,000

Office, Distribution

Guleph, Ontario

25,000

Distribution

Jonestown, PA

187,000

Distribution

Pompano Beach, Florida

39,000

Office, Distribution

Monterrey, Mexico

13,000

Distribution

Shannon, Georgia (3)

300,000

Distribution

Hamilton, Ohio

58,000

Mfg., Distribution

Salem, Oregon

31,000

Distribution

Tyler, Texas (4)

202,000

Office, Mfg., Distribution

Robotics and Digital Solutions

Boulder, Colorado

20,000

Office

Canada

Burnaby, British Columbia

29,000

Distribution

Edmonton, Alberta

100,000

Distribution

Laval, Quebec

34,000

Distribution

Milton, Ontario

27,000

Manufacturing

Scarborough, Ontario

23,000

Mfg., Distribution

Toronto, Ontario

456,000

Office, Distribution

Winnipeg, Manitoba

42,000

Distribution

(1)The Company leases two facilities in Forest Park, Ohio. This first is the Company's 43,000 square foot new corporate office headquarters located at 1280 Kemper Meadow Road. The second is a 385,000 square foot distribution center located at 1700 Carillon Boulevard.

(2)The Company is relocating this distribution center to a new facility in Belton, Missouri that is 305,000 square feet and plans to exit the existing facility in the second quarter of 2023.

(3)The Company is relocating this distribution center to a new facility in Shannon, Georgia that is 421,000 square feet and plans to exit the existing facility in the first quarter of 2023.

(4)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.


17\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K


ITEM 3 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are subject to various claims and litigation that arise in the normal course of business. For a description of our material legal proceedings, see Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Hy-Ko Litigation Settlement

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 alleged that Hillman's KeyKrafter and PKOR key duplication machines infringed certain patents, which are assigned to Hy-Ko, and seeks damages and injunctive relief against Hillman Group. Hy-Ko's complaint additionally contained 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 October 7, 2022, following a jury trial commencing October 3, 2022, the jury rendered a verdict finding that Hillman infringed two Hy-Ko patents, but also found that there was no willfulness in the infringement. The jury awarded Hy-Ko a one-time lump sum royalty payment of $16.0 million.

Following the verdict, Hillman and Hy-Ko negotiated and entered into a settlement agreement that provided for an $18.5 million payment from Hillman to Hy-Ko. The $18.5 million payment is in lieu of, and not in addition to, the $16.0 million verdict, and also includes each of Hillman and Hy-Ko agreeing to a 10 year covenant promising not to sue the other party over infringement of any key duplication or key identification patents.

As a result of the covenant not to sue, the Company believes it no longer faces any threat of patent infringement liability from Hy-Ko in relation to key duplication or key identification technology through the expiration of the 10-year covenant not to sue on December 28, 2032.


ITEM 4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not Applicable.

PART II


ITEM 5 – MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Common Stock Data

The Company's common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol 'HLMN'. There were approximately 29 holders of record of common stock as of February 22, 2023. In addition to holders of record of our Class A common stock, we believe there is a substantially greater number of “street name” holders or beneficial holders whose Class A common stock is held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions.

Dividends


18\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

The Company has never declared or paid cash dividends on its common stock and has no intention to do so in the foreseeable future.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

See Part III, Item 12 of this Form 10-K and Note 13 - Stock-Based Compensation of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for additional information.

Stock Price Performance


	November 27, 2020	December 26, 2020	December 25, 2021	December 31, 2022
Hillman Solutions Corp.	100.0	103.2	105.8	72.6
Russell 2000 Index	100.0	108.0	120.8	94.9
S&P 500 Index	100.0	101.8	129.9	105.5
Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index	100.0	102.9	130.1	114.2

The graph above compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our Class A common stock with the cumulative total return on the Russell 2000 Index and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index. The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 in our common stock at the market close on November 27, 2020 which was our initial trading day. Data for the Russell 2000 Index and the Dow Jones US Industrial Suppliers Index assume reinvestment of dividends. Total return equals stock price appreciation plus reinvestment of dividends.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we changed the broad equity market index that we use for comparison purposes in the Stock Price Performance Chart. We changed from the S&P 500 to the Russell 2000 Index because we believe the market capitalization of companies in the Russell 2000 Index more closely align with Hillman than those companies in the S&P 500. The graph and table shows performance of both the newly selected Russell 2000 Index, and the previously used S&P 500.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

We did not issue or sell any unregistered equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

We made no purchases of our equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2022.


19\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K


ITEM 6 – [RESERVED]


ITEM 7 – MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion provides information which our management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and schedules thereto appearing elsewhere herein. In addition, see “Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 Regarding Forward-Looking Information”, as well as “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report.

Executive Overview and Trends in our Business

For 2022, we saw our net sales increase by over 4% and our business gain momentum when compared to 2021. We attribute our success for the year to our ability to quickly adapt and execute in any environment. Our philosophy of taking care of our customers by delivering best-in-class customer service continues to drive strong results and growth.

From a macroeconomic perspective, we believe discretionary consumer spending has been under pressure as gas and groceries have become a larger percentage of the average American paycheck due to inflation. Interest rates have increased resulting in a decrease in existing home sales and the postponement of large remodeling projects. These challenges and economic concerns about a potential recession resulted in unit sales volumes to decline slightly across our core business segments.

From a microeconomic perspective, shipping costs, commodities, and labor have become more expensive since the beginning of 2021. Lead times from Asia (the time it takes to order a product and arrive at one of our distribution centers in the North America) doubled in early 2022 from what lead times were in a normal environment, and have only recently come down from those highs. In light of these dynamics, we have implemented prices increases covering our costs and we have invested into our inventory to ensure fill rates with our customers remain high.

As we look forward, we expect to see the investments we have made into our customer relationships pay off with new business wins. Further, we believe we will benefit when lower costs flow through our income statement during the second half of the year, as some shipping costs and commodity prices have decreased from 2022 highs. We also expect to see our inventory continue to come down, which would result in an improvement in working capital and cash flows during 2023.

Impact of Global Economic Conditions on our Results of Operation

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. Changes in current economic conditions, including inflationary pressures in the cost of inventory, transportation, and employee compensation, foreign currency volatility, and the growing concerns of a potential recession, have impacted consumer discretionary income levels and spending. Consumer discretionary income levels and spending impact the purchasing trends of our products by our retail customers. Any adverse trends in discretionary income and consumer spending could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results.

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 majority of our products for resale from multiple vendors located in China and Taiwan. The purchase price of these products is routinely negotiated in U.S. dollar amounts rather than the local currency of the vendors and our suppliers' profit margins decrease when the U.S. dollar declines in value relative to the local currency. This puts pressure on our suppliers to increase prices to us. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the CNY by approximately by 8.3% in 2022, decreased by 2.6% in 2021, and decreased by 6.5% in 2020. The U.S. dollar increased in value relative to the Taiwan dollar by approximately 10.8% in 2022, decreased by 1.4% in 2021, and decreased by 7.9% in 2020.


20\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

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 and energy 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 may take pricing action, when warranted, in an attempt to offset a portion of product cost increases. The ability of our operating divisions to implement price increases and seek price concessions, as appropriate, is dependent on competitive market conditions.

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 increased in value relative to the Canadian dollar by approximately 5.7% in 2022, decreased by 0.2% in 2021, and decreased by 1.9% in 2020.

We import 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.

Financial Summary and Other Key Metrics

•Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $1,486.3 million compared to net sales of $1,426.0 million for the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of approximately $60.4 million or 4.2%.

•Net loss improved to $16.4 million, or $(0.08) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $38.3 million, or $(0.28) per diluted share for the year ended December 25, 2021.

•Adjusted EBITDA(1) totaled $210.2 million versus $207.4 million in the year ended December 25, 2021.

•The improvement in our consolidated income from operations in 2022 was driven primarily by $153.3 million in price increases, offset by an increased cost of goods sold driven by inflation, variable selling expenses, variable compensation, travel and entertainment expense, litigation expense, and increased labor and transportation costs.

(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 loss to Adjusted EBITDA.


21\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

52/53 Week Comparison

Fiscal 2022 consisted of 53 weeks or 256 shipping days compared to 52 weeks or 253 shipping days in fiscal 2021, which should be taken into account when comparing each period. Shipping days are defined as non-holiday week days, Monday through Friday of each week of the fiscal year.

Results of Operations

The following table shows the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021 and December 26, 2020.


	Year Ended December 31, 2022			Year Ended December 25, 2021			Year Ended December 26, 2020
(dollars in thousands)	Amount		% of Net Sales	Amount		% of Net Sales	Amount		% of Net Sales
Net sales	$	1,486,328	100.0%	$	1,425,967	100.0%	$	1,368,295	100.0%
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	846,551		57.0%	859,557		60.3%	781,815		57.1%
Selling, general and administrative expenses	480,993		32.4%	437,875		30.7%	398,472		29.1%
Depreciation	57,815		3.9%	59,400		4.2%	67,423		4.9%
Amortization	62,195		4.2%	61,329		4.3%	59,492		4.3%
Management fees to related party	—		—%	270		—%	577		—%
Other income, net	(1,119)		(0.1)%	(2,778)		(0.2)%	(5,250)		(0.4)%
Income from operations	39,893		2.7%	10,314		0.7%	65,766		4.8%
Interest expense, net	54,560		3.7%	68,779		4.8%	99,103		7.2%
Refinancing costs	—		—%	8,070		0.6%	—		—%
Gain on change in fair value of warrant liability	—		—%	(14,734)		(1.0)%	—		—%
Loss (income) on mark-to-market adjustment of interest rate swap	—		—%	(1,685)		(0.1)%	601		—%
Loss before income taxes	(14,667)		(1.0)%	(50,116)		(3.5)%	(33,938)		(2.5)%
Income tax expense (benefit)	1,769		0.1%	(11,784)		(0.8)%	(9,439)		(0.7)%
Net loss	$	(16,436)	(1.1)%	$	(38,332)	(2.7)%	$	(24,499)	(1.8)%

Adjusted EBITDA (1)	210,249		14.1%	207,418		14.5%	221,215		16.2%

Net Sales

Net Sales by Product Line


									2022 vs. 2021								2021 vs. 2020
	2022		% of Net Sales		2021		% of Net Sales		$ Change		% Change		2020		% of Net Sales		$ Change		% Change
Fastening and Hardware	$	989,559	66.6	%	$	889,253	62.4	%	100,306		11.3	%	$	838,358	61.3	%	50,895		6.1	%
Personal Protective	243,481		16.4	%	285,283		20.0	%	(41,802)		(14.7)	%	317,766		23.2	%	(32,483)		(10.2)	%
Keys and key accessories	196,977		13.3	%	192,523		13.5	%	4,454		2.3	%	160,706		11.7	%	31,817		19.8	%
Engraving and Resharp	56,311		3.8	%	58,908		4.1	%	(2,597)		(4.4)	%	51,465		3.8	%	7,443		14.5	%
Consolidated	$	1,486,328			$	1,425,967			$	60,361			$	1,368,295			$	57,672

See Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a reconciliation of net sales by product line to net sales by operating segment.


22\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Net Sales by Segment


									2022 vs. 2021								2021 vs. 2020
	Year Ended December 31, 2022		% of Net Sales		Year Ended December 25, 2021		% of Net Sales		$ Change		% Change		Year Ended December 26, 2020		% of Net Sales		$ Change		% Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions	$	1,076,813	72.4	%	$	1,024,974	71.9	%	$	51,839	5.1	%	$	1,024,392	74.9	%	$	582	0.1	%
Robotics and Digital Solutions	249,897		16.8	%	249,528		17.5	%	369		0.1	%	209,287		15.3	%	40,241		19.2	%
Canada	159,618		10.7	%	151,465		10.6	%	8,153		5.4	%	134,616		9.8	%	16,849		12.5	%
Consolidated	$	1,486,328			$	1,425,967			$	60,361			$	1,368,295			$	57,672

Hardware and Protective Solutions revenues consist primarily of the delivery of fasteners, anchors, specialty fastening products, and personal protective equipment such as gloves and eye-wear as well as in-store merchandising services for the related product category.

Robotics and Digital Solutions revenues consist primarily of sales of keys and identification tags through self-service key duplication and engraving kiosks. It also includes our associate-assisted key duplication systems and key accessories.

Canada revenues consist primarily of the delivery to Canadian customers of fasteners and related hardware items, threaded rod, keys, key duplicating systems, accessories, personal protective equipment, and identification items as well as in-store merchandising services for the related product category.

The improvement in total net sales during 2022 was driven primarily by $153.3 million of price increases, partially offset by lower demand for COVID-19 protective and cleaning products and lower volume overall. Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $5.8 million per shipping day, compared $5.6 million per shipping day for the year ended December 25, 2021, an increase of approximately $0.2 million per shipping day. The increase was primarily driven by the factors described below:

Hardware and Protective Solutions increased $51.8 million due to the following:

•Hardware sales increased $94.4 million driven by $106.8 million in price increases in response to inflationary pressures in the market, partially offset by decreased volume driven by lower demand.

•Protective equipment sales decreased by $42.6 million due to lower demand for COVID-19 protective and cleaning products in 2022, partially offset by price increases of $9.7 million.

Robotics and Digital Solutions sales increased $0.4 million due to $17.1 million in price increases in response to inflationary pressures, offset by lower demand for auto key duplication and engraving sales.

Canada net sales increased $8.2 million primarily due to $19.8 million in price increases in response to inflationary pressures in the market partially offset by decreased volume driven by lower demand and a $6.0 million unfavorable impact of the exchange rate from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars.

Cost of Sales (excluding depreciation and amortization)

The following table summarizes cost of sales by segment:


							2022 vs. 2021						2021 vs. 2020
	Year Ended December 31, 2022		% of Segment Net Sales	Year Ended December 25, 2021		% of Segment Net Sales	$ Change		% Change	Year Ended December 26, 2020		% of Segment Net Sales	$ Change		% Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions	$	676,026	62.8%	$	683,654	66.7%	$	(7,628)	(1.1)%	$	622,326	60.8%	$	61,328	9.9%
Robotics and Digital Solutions	74,479		29.8%	77,946		31.2%	(3,467)		(4.4)%	68,552		32.8%	9,394		13.7%
Canada	96,046		60.2%	97,957		64.7%	(1,911)		(2.0)%	90,937		67.6%	7,020		7.7%
Consolidated	$	846,551		$	859,557		$	(13,006)		$	781,815		$	77,742

Hardware and Protective Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to an inventory valuation adjustment in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment of $32.0 million in 2021 related to our COVID-19 related products, partially offset by increased cost of products, inbound transportation costs, and personnel costs in 2022.

Our Robotics and Digital Solutions cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased primarily due to a shift in product mix from full-service to self-service keys.


23\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Canada cost of sales as a percentage of net sales decreased due to a higher mix of retail sales along with improved margins in our industrial business based on the pricing actions described above.

Selling, Warehouse, and General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes selling, warehouse, and general and administrative expense ("SG&A") by segment:


									2022 vs. 2021								2021 vs. 2020
	Year Ended December 31, 2022		% of Segment Net Sales		Year Ended December 25, 2021		% of Segment Net Sales		$ Change		% Change		Year Ended December 26, 2020		% of Segment Net Sales		$ Change		% Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions	$	307,985	28.6	%	$	289,137	28.2	%	$	18,848	6.5	%	$	264,951	25.9	%	$	24,186	9.1	%
Robotics and Digital Solutions	129,596		51.9	%	104,486		41.9	%	25,110		24.0	%	90,430		43.2	%	14,056		15.5	%
Canada	43,412		27.2	%	44,252		29.2	%	(840)		(1.9)	%	43,091		32.0	%	1,161		2.7	%
Consolidated	$	480,993			$	437,875			$	43,118			$	398,472			$	39,403

Hardware and Protective Solutions SG&A increased in 2022 due to the following:

•Selling expense increased by $11.1 million primarily due to variable selling expenses, variable compensation, and travel and entertainment expense in the year ended December 31, 2022.

•Warehouse expense increased $9.3 million due to inflation in labor and shipping costs.

•General and administrative (“G&A”) decreased by $1.6 million. The decrease was primarily driven by reduced stock compensation expense and lower legal and consulting expenses associated with the Merger in the prior year, partially offset by increased variable compensation.

Robotics and Digital Solutions SG&A increased in 2022 due to the following:

•Selling expense increased by $4.5 million primarily due to variable selling expenses related to self-service key sales, variable compensation, and travel and entertainment expense in the year ended December 31, 2022.

•G&A increased by $20.8 million. The increase was primarily related to $32.9 million of legal and consulting expense associated with our litigation with Hy-Ko (see Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). This was offset by decreased variable compensation.

Canada SG&A decreased in 2022 due to the following:

•Warehouse expense decreased by $2.6 million primarily due to lower variable costs driven by the lower sales volume described above.

•G&A increased by $1.9 million primarily due to increased variable compensation and stock compensation expense.

Other Operating Expenses

Depreciation expense decreased $1.6 million due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated.

Amortization expense was comparable to prior year. The $0.9 million increase was primarily due to the acquisition of Monkey Hook in the current year.

In the year ended December 31, 2022, other income consisted primarily of a $1.1 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). 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. We also recorded exchange rate gains of $0.9 million in the year ended December 25, 2021.


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Income from Operations


					2022 vs. 2021						2021 vs. 2020
	Year Ended December 31, 2022		Year Ended December 25, 2021		$ Change		% Change		Year Ended December 26, 2020		$ Change		% Change
Hardware and Protective Solutions	$	20,884	$	(17,185)	$	38,069	221.5	%	$	67,313	$	(84,498)	(125.5)	%
Robotics and Digital Solutions	3,616		23,558		(19,942)		(84.7)	%	3,177		20,381		641.5	%
Canada	15,393		3,941		11,452		290.6	%	(4,724)		8,665		183.4	%
Total segment income from operations	$	39,893	$	10,314	$	29,579	286.8	%	$	65,766	$	(55,452)	(84.3)	%

Income from operations in our Hardware and Protective Solutions segment increased $38.1 million due to the changes in sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above.

Income from operations in our Robotics and Digital Solutions segment decreased by $19.9 million primarily due to the changes in sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above, along with a decrease of $0.8M in other income driven by the changes in revaluation of the contingent consideration described above. Depreciation expense decreased by $1.4 million due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated.

Canada's income from operations increased by $11.5 million primarily due to the changes in sales, cost of sales, and SG&A expenses described above. Canada also recorded exchange rate losses of $0.2 million in 2022 compared to gains of $0.9M in 2021. Additionally, Canada's depreciation expense decreased $1.5M due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated.

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes

Interest expense, net, decreased $14.2 million due to the refinancing activities in the third quarter of 2021 leading to lower outstanding debt balances in the year ended December 31, 2022. As part of the refinancing activity in 2021, we incurred charges of $8.1 million (see Note 9 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

The mark-to-market adjustment on the warrants was eliminated with the redemption of the warrants in the fourth quarter of 2021. The market-to-market adjustment on interest rate swaps was eliminated with the refinancing activity in 2021. See Note 8 - Warrants and Note 16 - Fair Value Measurements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the warrants and swaps, respectively.

Income Taxes:

For the year ended December 31, 2022 and December 25, 2021 the effective income tax rate was (12.1)% and 23.5%, respectively. The Company recorded an income tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2022 of $1.8 million, and an income tax benefit for the year ended December 25, 2021 of $11.8 million.

In 2022, the Company's effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate primarily due to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income ("GILTI") from the Canadian subsidiary. In addition, the effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory tax rate for 2022 due to state and foreign income taxes and certain non-deductible expenses.

Year Ended December 25, 2021 vs Year Ended December 26, 2020

For a comparison of our results of operations for fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2020, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Form 10-K for fiscal 2021.


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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.

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


(dollars in thousands)	Year Ended December 31, 2022		Year Ended December 25, 2021		Year Ended December 26, 2020
Net loss	$	(16,436)	$	(38,332)	$	(24,499)
Income tax expense (benefit)	1,769		(11,784)		(9,439)
Interest expense, net	54,560		61,237		86,774
Interest expense on junior subordinated debentures	—		7,775		12,707
Investment income on trust common securities	—		(233)		(378)
Depreciation	57,815		59,400		67,423
Amortization	62,195		61,329		59,492
Mark-to-market adjustment on interest rate swaps	—		(1,685)		601
EBITDA	$	159,903	$	137,707	$	192,681

Stock compensation expense	13,524		15,255		5,125
Management fees	—		270		577
Facility exits (1)	—		—		3,894
Restructuring (2)	2,617		910		4,902
Litigation expense (3)	32,856		12,602		7,719
Acquisition and integration expense (4)	2,477		11,123		9,832
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	(1,128)		(1,806)		(3,515)
Change in fair value of warrant liability (5)	—		(14,734)		—
Buy-back expense (6)	—		2,000		—

Refinancing costs (7)	—		8,070		—
Inventory revaluation charges (8)	—		32,026		—
Anti-dumping duties (9)	—		3,995		—
Adjusted EBITDA	$	210,249	$	207,418	$	221,215

(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. 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).


26\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

(4)Acquisition and integration expense includes professional fees, non-recurring bonuses, and other costs related to historical acquisitions, including the merger with Landcadia III (see Note 3 - Merger Agreement of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information) and the secondary offering of shares in 2022.

(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.

(7)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.

(8)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.

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

The following tables present 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):


Year Ended December 31, 2022	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Consolidated
Operating income	$	20,884	$	3,616	$	15,393	$	39,893
Depreciation and amortization	72,266		43,185		4,559		120,010

Stock compensation expense	11,057		1,479		988		13,524


Restructuring	2,342		275		—		2,617
Litigation expense	—		32,856		—		32,856
Acquisition and integration expense	2,231		246		—		2,477



Change in fair value of contingent consideration	—		(1,128)		—		(1,128)

Adjusted EBITDA	$	108,780	$	80,529	$	20,940	$	210,249


Year Ended December 25, 2021	Hardware and Protective Solutions		Robotics and Digital Solutions		Canada		Consolidated
Operating (loss) income	$	(17,185)	$	23,558	$	3,941	$	10,314
Depreciation and amortization	69,264		45,305		6,160		120,729

Stock compensation expense	13,134		2,121		—		15,255
Management fees	232		38		—		270

Restructuring	403		10		497		910
Litigation expense	—		12,602		—		12,602
Acquisition and integration expense	9,869		1,254		—		11,123
Buy-back expense	2,000		—		—		2,000
Inventory revaluation charges	32,026		—		—		32,026
Asset impairment charges	3,995		—		—		3,995
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	—		(1,806)		—		(1,806)
Adjusted EBITDA	$	113,738	$	83,082	$	10,598	$	207,418


27\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K


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

Stock compensation expense	4,464		661		—		5,125
Management fees	502		75		—		577
Facility exits	3,894		—		—		3,894
Restructuring	74		—		4,828		4,902
Litigation expense	—		7,719		—		7,719
Acquisition and integration expense	8,284		1,548		—		9,832

Corporate and intersegment adjustments	70		(70)		—		—

Change in fair value of contingent consideration	—		(3,515)		—		(3,515)
Adjusted EBITDA	$	153,765	$	60,265	$	7,185	$	221,215

Liquidity and Capital Resources:

The following table presents the key categories of our consolidated statements of cash flows:


	Year Ended December 31, 2022		Year Ended December 25, 2021		$ Change		Year Ended December 26, 2020		$ Change
Net cash provided by (used for) by operating activities	$	119,011	$	(110,254)	$	229,265	$	92,080	$	(202,334)
Net cash (used for) investing activities	(72,822)		(90,454)		17,632		(46,074)		(44,380)
Net cash (used for) provided by financing activities	(28,722)		193,329		(222,051)		(45,104)		238,433
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	16,476		(6,915)		23,391		1,547		(8,462)

Operating Cash Flows:

Operating cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022 were favorably impacted by reducing inventory as part of the company's ongoing strategic initiative to lower inventory on hand during 2022 following the build up of inventory in prior year due to inflation and recent supply chain challenges offset by reduced accounts payable resulting from lower inventory purchases.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 25, 2021 was unfavorably impacted by increased inventory driven by inflation and higher on hand amounts to maintain service levels with extended lead times, and payments made for long term incentive programs and other variable compensation.

Investing Cash Flows:

Capital Expenditures:

Cash of $69.6 million, $51.6 million, and $45.3 million, used in the years ending December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021 and December 26, 2020, respectively, to invest in our investment in new key duplicating kiosks and machines, merchandising racks, and new distribution facilities in the HPS segment.

Acquisitions:

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we acquired Monkey Hook for approximately $2.5 million (see Note 6 - Acquisitions of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information). In the year ending December 25, 2021, we acquired Oz Post International, LLC ("OZCO") for approximately $39.8 million.


28\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Financing Cash Flows:

Term Loan:

On July 14, 2021, we entered into a new 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 term loan matures on July 14, 2028. The Company used $10.6 million of cash for principal payments on the senior term loans. As of December 31, 2022, we have outstanding borrowings of $840.4 million on the term loan. See Note 9 - Long-Term Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

ABL Revolver:

On July 29, 2022, the Company amended the asset-based revolving credit agreement (the “ABL Revolver") to increase the aggregate commitments thereunder to $375.0 million and extended the maturity. The stated maturity date of the revolving credit commitments under the ABL Credit Agreement is the earlier of (i) July 29, 2027; or (ii) 91 days prior to the maturity date of our term loans.

Our revolver draws, net of repayments, provided cash of $21.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2022. We used revolver draws to fund the litigation with Hy-Ko (see Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information).

Stock Option Exercises:

In the years ended December 31, 2022, December 25, 2021, and December 26, 2020, the Company received $2.6 million, $2.7 million, and $7.3 million, respectively, from the exercise of stock options.

2021 Refinancing activities

In connection with the Merger, we refinanced all of our outstanding debt. 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.

In the second quarter of 2021, we entered into an amendment ("OZCO Amendment") to the term loan credit agreement dated May 31, 2018, which provided $35.0 million of incremental term loan funds to be used to finance the acquisition. See Note 6 - Acquisitions of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Liquidity:

We believe that projected cash flows from operations and ABL Revolver availability will be sufficient to fund working capital and capital expenditure needs for the next 12 months. As of December 31, 2022, the ABL Revolver had an outstanding amount of $72.0 million and outstanding letters of credit of $35.9 million, leaving $197.6 million of available borrowings as a source of liquidity. Our material cash requirements for known contractual obligations include, debt, and lease obligations, each of which are discussed in more detail earlier in this section and in the footnotes to the consolidated financial statements, along with capital expenditures. We expect to spend between $65-$75 million for capital expenditures in 2023. Our future investments will depend primarily on the builds of new key duplicating kiosks and machines, merchandising racks, facility relocations, and IT projects that we undertake and the timing of these expenditures.

We also have cash requirements for purchase orders and contracts for the purchase of inventory and other goods and services, which are based on current distribution needs and are fulfilled by our suppliers within the short term.

Our working capital (current assets minus current liabilities) position of $416.2 million as of December 31, 2022 represents an increase of $25.2 million from the December 25, 2021 level of $391.0 million. We expect to generate sufficient operating cash flows to meet our short-term liquidity needs, and we expect to maintain access to the capital markets, although there can be no assurance of our ability to do so. However, disruption and volatility in the global capital markets, could impact our capital resources and liquidity in the future.

Related Party Transactions:

The information required by this Item is set forth in the section entitled Related Party Transactions in the 2023 Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.


29\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates:

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

Inventory Realization:

Inventories consisting predominantly of finished goods are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value, cost being determined principally on the standard cost method, which approximates the first-in-first-out “FIFO” method. The historical usage rate is the primary factor used in assessing the net realizable value of excess and obsolete inventory. A reduction in the carrying value of an inventory item from cost to net realizable value is recorded for inventory with excess on-hand quantities as determined based on historic and projected sales, product category, and stage in the product life cycle. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the estimates or assumptions we use to calculate our excess and obsolete inventory reserve. However, if our estimates regarding excess and obsolete inventory are inaccurate, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material. A 5% difference in actual excess and obsolete inventory reserved for at December 31, 2022, would have affected net earnings by approximately $1.4 million in fiscal 2022.

Goodwill:

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

Our annual impairment assessment is performed for the reporting units as of October 1. In 2022, 2021, and 2020, with the assistance of an independent third-party specialist, management assessed the value of our reporting units based on a discounted cash flow model and multiple of earnings. Assumptions critical to our fair value estimates under the discounted cash flow model include the projected net sales and earnings growth rates and the discount rates. The results of the quantitative assessments in 2022, 2021, and 2020 indicated that the fair value of each reporting unit was in excess of its carrying value.

Significant assumptions used in the determination of the estimated fair values of the reporting units are the projected net sales and earnings growth rates and the discount rate. The projected net sales and earnings growth rates are dependent on overall market growth rates, the competitive environment, inflation and our ability to pass price increase along to our customers, relative currency exchange rates, and business activities that impact market share. As a result, the growth rate could be adversely impacted by a sustained deceleration in category growth, devaluation of the U.S. Dollar against other currencies, an increased competitive environment, or an economic recession. The discount rate, which is consistent with a weighted average cost of capital that is likely to be expected by a market participant, is based upon industry required rates of return, including consideration of both debt and equity components of the capital structure. Our discount rate may be impacted in the future by adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment and volatility in the equity and debt markets.

We performed sensitivity analyses for the Hardware Solutions and Protective Solutions reporting units during our annual impairment testing, utilizing reasonably possible changes in the assumptions for the discount rate, shorter-term revenue growth rates and earnings growth rates to demonstrate the potential impacts to the estimated fair values.

While our fourth quarter 2022, impairment test determined the fair value of the Hardware Solutions reporting unit exceeded its carrying value, the excess of the fair value over the carrying value of the reporting unit was approximately 4% of the carrying value. An increase, in isolation, to the discount rate of 30 basis points, a decrease of 50 basis points in the projected revenue growth assumption, or a decrease of 40 basis points in the projected earnings growth, could each result in the fair value of the reporting unit being less than its carrying value.

Similarly, as of our fourth quarter 2022 impairment test, the fair value of the Protective Solutions reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by approximately 6% of the carrying value. An increase, in isolation, to the discount


30\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

rate of 40 basis points, a decrease of 70 basis points in the projected net sales growth assumption, or a decrease of 90 basis points in the projected earnings growth, would each result in the fair value of the reporting unit being less than its carrying value.

In our annual review of goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of 2022, the fair value of all of the other reporting units was substantially in excess of its carrying value.

While management can and has implemented strategies to address these events, changes in operating plans or adverse changes in the future could reduce the underlying cash flows used to estimate fair values and could result in a decline in fair value that would trigger future impairment charges of the Protective Solutions and Hardware Solutions reporting units' goodwill. As of December 31, 2022, the carrying value of the Protective Solutions reporting unit’s goodwill was $128.8 million and Hardware Solutions reporting unit's goodwill was $436.9 million.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements:

Recently issued accounting standards are described in Note 4 - Recent Accounting Pronouncements of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


ITEM 7A – QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

Interest Rate Exposure

We are exposed to the impact of interest rate changes as our borrowings bear interest at variable interest rates. It is our policy to enter into interest rate swaps only to the extent considered necessary to meet our objectives.

Based on our exposure to variable rate borrowings at December 31, 2022, after consideration of our LIBOR and SOFR floor rates and interest rate swap agreements, a one percent (1%) change in the weighted average interest rate for a period of one year would change the annual interest expense by approximately $3.4 million.

Foreign Currency Exchange

We are exposed to foreign exchange rate changes of the Canadian and Mexican currencies as it impacts the $174.2 million net asset value of our Canadian and Mexican subsidiaries as of December 31, 2022. The foreign subsidiaries' net tangible assets were $116.3 million and the net intangible assets were $57.9 million as of December 31, 2022.

We utilize foreign exchange forward contracts to manage the exposure to currency fluctuations in the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. Dollar. See Note 15 - Derivatives and Hedging of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


31\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K


ITEM 8 – FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.


INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULE			Page

Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting			33
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - Deloitte & Touche LLP			34
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm - KPMG LLP			36
Consolidated Financial Statements:
Consolidated Balance Sheets			37
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss			38
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows			39
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity			40
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements			41
Financial Statement Schedule:
Valuation Accounts			76


32\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Report of Management on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

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

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, the end of our fiscal year. Management based its assessment on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Management's assessment included evaluation of such elements as the design and operating effectiveness of key financial reporting controls, process documentation, accounting policies, and our overall control environment. This assessment is supported by testing and monitoring performed under the direction of management.

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

Based on its assessment, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective, as of December 31, 2022, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. We reviewed the results of management's assessment with the Audit Committee of Hillman Solutions Corp.

/s/ DOUGLAS J. CAHILL

/s/ ROBERT O. KRAFT

Douglas J. Cahill

Robert O. Kraft

President and Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Dated:

February 27, 2023

Dated:

February 27, 2023


33\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Hillman Solutions Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hillman Solutions Corp. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2022, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, cash flows, and stockholders’ equity, for the period ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes and the financial statement schedule II - Valuation Accounts (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period ended December 31, 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated February 27, 2023, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

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

Goodwill - Hardware Solutions and Protective Solutions Reporting Units - Refer to Note 2 to the financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company’s evaluation of goodwill for impairment involves the comparison of the fair value of each reporting unit to their respective carrying values.

The Company used both a discounted cash flow model and a multiple of earnings approach to estimate the fair values of the Hardware Solutions (“HS”) reporting unit and the Protective Solutions (“PS”) reporting unit. The discounted cash flow model requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions including projected net sales and earnings growth rates and discount rates. Changes in these assumptions could have a significant impact on either the fair value of the reporting units, the amount of any goodwill impairment charge, or both. The Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $824 million as of December 31, 2022, of which $424 million and $129 million were allocated to the HS reporting unit and the PS reporting unit, respectively. The


34\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

estimated fair value of the HS and PS reporting units exceeded their carrying values as of the measurement date and, therefore, no impairment was recognized.

We identified the Company’s discounted cash flow model in the impairment evaluation of goodwill for the HS and the PS reporting units as a critical audit matter because of the significant judgments made by management to estimate the fair values of these reporting units. This required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort, including the need to involve our fair value specialists, when performing audit procedures to evaluate the reasonableness of certain of management’s estimates and assumptions, particularly related to projected net sales and earnings growth rates and discount rates.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the estimates of projected net sales and earnings growth rates and discount rates used by management to estimate the fair values of the HS and PS reporting units included the following, among others:

•We evaluated management’s ability to accurately forecast projected net sales and earnings growth rates by comparing actual results to management’s historical forecasts.

•We performed a sensitivity analysis of the projected net sales and earnings growth rates and discount rates, which included their impact on cash flows.

•We evaluated the reasonableness of management’s projected net sales and earnings growth rates by comparing the forecasts to (1) historical net sales and earnings growth rates, (2) underlying analysis detailing business strategies and growth plans, (3) internal communications to management and the Board of Directors, and (4) forecasted information included in the Company press releases, as well as in analyst and industry reports for the Company and certain of its peer companies.

•With the assistance of our fair value specialists, we evaluated the reasonableness of the valuation methodologies utilized, along with valuation assumptions including the discount rates and long-term net sales growth rates selected by:

◦Developing a range of independent estimates for the discount rates and compared those to those rates selected by management.

◦Utilizing industry and market-specific growth trends to assess the reasonableness of the long-term net sales growth rates selected by management.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Cincinnati, Ohio

February 27, 2023

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2022.


35\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors Hillman Solutions Corp.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Hillman Solutions Corp. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 25, 2021, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, cash flows, and stockholders’ equity for each of the years in the two‑year period ended December 25, 2021, and the related notes and financial statement schedule II -- Valuation Accounts) (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 25, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two‑year period ended December 25, 2021, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

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

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We served as the Company’s auditor from 2021 to 2022.

Cincinnati, Ohio

March 16, 2022


36\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(dollars in thousands)


	December 31, 2022		December 25, 2021
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	31,081	$	14,605
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $2,405 ($2,891 - 2021)	86,985		107,212
Inventories, net	489,326		533,530

Other current assets	24,227		12,962
Total current assets	631,619		668,309
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $333,452 ($284,069 - 2021)	190,258		174,312
Goodwill	823,812		825,371
Other intangibles, net of accumulated amortization of $414,275 ($352,695 - 2021)	734,460		794,700
Operating lease right of use assets	66,955		82,269
Deferred tax asset	—		1,323
Other assets	23,586		16,638
Total assets	$	2,470,690	$	2,562,922
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	131,751	$	186,126
Current portion of debt and finance lease obligations	10,570		11,404
Current portion of operating lease liabilities	12,285		13,088
Accrued expenses:
Salaries and wages	15,709		8,606
Pricing allowances	9,246		10,672
Income and other taxes	5,300		4,829
Interest	697		1,519
Other accrued expenses	29,854		41,052
Total current liabilities	215,412		277,296
Long-term debt	884,636		906,531
Deferred tax liabilities	140,091		137,764
Operating lease liabilities	61,356		74,476
Other non-current liabilities	12,456		16,760
Total liabilities	1,313,951		1,412,827

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 18)	—		—
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.0001 par, 500,000,000 shares authorized, 194,548,411 issued and outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 194,083,625 issued and 193,995,320 outstanding at December 25, 2021	20		20
Additional paid-in capital	1,404,360		1,387,410
Accumulated deficit	(226,617)		(210,181)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(21,024)		(27,154)
Total stockholders' equity	1,156,739		1,150,095
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	2,470,690	$	2,562,922

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


37\| December 31, 2022 Form 10-K

HILLMAN SOLUTIONS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(dollars in thousands)


	Year Ended December 31, 2022		Year Ended December 25, 2021		Year Ended December 26, 2020
Net sales	$	1,486,328	$	1,425,967	$	1,368,295
Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	846,551		859,557		781,815
Selling, warehouse, and general and administrative expenses	480,993		437,875		398,472
Depreciation	57,815		59,400		67,423
Amortization	62,195		61,329		59,492
Management fees to related party	—		270		577
Other income, net	(1,119)		(2,778)		(5,250)
Income from operations	39,893		10,314		65,766
Gain on change in fair value of warrant liability	—		(14,734)		—
Interest expense, net	54,560		61,237		86,774
Interest expense on junior subordinated debentures	—		7,775		12,707
Investment income on trust common securities	—		(233)		(378)
Loss (income) on mark-to-market adjustment of interest rate swap	—		(1,685)		601
Refinancing costs	—		8,070		—
Loss before income taxes	(14,667)		(50,116)		(33,938)
Income tax expense (benefit)	1,769		(11,784)		(9,439)
Net loss	$	(16,436)	$	(38,332)	$	(24,499)

Basic and diluted loss per share	$	(0.08)	$	(0.28)	$	(0.27)
Weighted average basic and diluted shares outstanding	194,249		134,699		89,891

Net loss from above	$	(16,436)	$	(38,332)	$	(24,499)
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(7,615)		(283)		2,652
Hedging activity	13,745		2,517		—
Total other comprehensive income