A Dark Vector Cognition product

Item 1A. Risk Factors

7K characters. Original on sec.gov ·

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There are many risks and uncertainties that can affect our future business, financial performance or share price. In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2020, as supplemented by the risk factor set forth below. These risks, however, are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial, also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

The following is an amended and restated version of a risk factor included in Part II, Item 1A, "Risk Factors” of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 26, 2021, and supplemental to the risk factors included in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2020:

Public health emergencies or outbreaks of epidemics, pandemics, or contagious diseases have had and will likely continue to have significant impacts on our business.

Widespread public health emergencies or outbreaks of epidemics, pandemics, or contagious diseases, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have had, and will likely continue to have, significant impacts on our business. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rapidly evolve, creating disruption and uncertainty around the world, which has resulted in, and we expect will continue to result in, a change in overall demand for certain of our products and other operational impacts. There are unknown factors, such as the duration and severity of the pandemic, evolving variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, the nature and length of actions taken by governments, businesses and individuals to contain or mitigate its impact, the severity and duration of the economic impact caused by the pandemic, the uncertainty surrounding the efficacy, distribution and uptake of vaccines, along with the effectiveness of our response, that may affect the magnitude of effects to our business operations, results of operations, and its ultimate impact on our financial condition.

Demand for certain of our products has been, and may continue to be, affected in several ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some consumers have been and may continue to be less able or less likely to purchase certain of our products due to economic hardships, governmental restrictions affecting them and the retail outlets that sell our products, voluntary behavior changes associated with public health guidance, the prioritization of other goods and services by online retailers that sell our products, restrictions on the ability of online retailers to ship products to certain areas, the cancellation of trade shows and other events that are otherwise important in the marketing and sale of our products, and the potential failure and closure of retail outlets and online retailers that sell our products. Certain of our sales and distribution offices have experienced and may again experience temporary closure due to governmental restrictions. Additional or prolonged closures of certain sales and distribution offices could affect our ability to market and distribute products to meet customer demand. The adverse impacts of the pandemic have created economic stress in the global marketplace, high levels of unemployment, loss of income and/or wealth for some individuals, and general economic uncertainty. These conditions have affected and are expected to continue to affect the willingness or ability of some customers to purchase certain of our products or those of original equipment manufacturers in which our products are installed. We have also experienced increased demand for certain of our products during the COVID-19 pandemic as consumer behavior and demand shifted toward products offered by our fitness, outdoor, and marine segments. It is not yet known whether these behaviors and demand will persist, and there could be a decline in the demand for certain of these products as the overall pandemic situation improves.

Our supply chain has been and may continue to be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have experienced delays in procuring and may be unable to procure certain components from our suppliers, and the cost of procuring certain components has increased and could continue to increase. We have faced logistics constraints and higher freight costs, the scope and severity of which may intensify. Reduced demand for certain of our products has resulted in, and may continue to result in, reduced utilization of certain of our manufacturing facilities and higher per-unit costs for certain products. Certain of our manufacturing facilities have experienced and may in the future experience inopportune temporary closures or reduced hours, which could adversely affect the costs incurred to produce our products and our ability to meet demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had and will continue to have several other operational impacts on our business, which will or may include employees working remotely, temporarily ceasing operations in some offices due to government restrictions, business travel restrictions, and the cancellation of events that are otherwise important in the development, marketing and sale of our products. These changes in our business operations may result in reduced efficiency and lower productivity. We have incurred and are expected to continue to incur increased costs as we provide additional benefits to assist our employees during the pandemic and provide a safe and healthy workplace for employees who continue or begin to return to work in our facilities. Similar operational and financial hardships on our business partners may result in aged or uncollectable receivables, and the reduced demand for certain of our products could result in obsolescence of certain inventory. If the economy experiences a sustained downturn of significant proportion that impacts portions of our business, we may also need to incur the costs and organizational impacts of personnel restructuring.

Additional risks and impacts including gross margin fluctuation, foreign currency fluctuations, successful continued product development, impacts to our key personnel, and dependencies on third party suppliers, may be heightened as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving variants of the virus that causes COVID-19. There are further unknown risks and impacts due to the uncertainty and rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic including, but not limited to, uncertainty around the evolution of the pandemic, the unprecedented imposition of preventative measures by governments that impact the economy and normal operations of a business and the timing and manner of relaxation of those measures. Potential future health emergencies may present risks and impacts similar to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. If we are unable to manage these risks and uncertainties, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially impacted.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equi****ty Securities and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable

Item 3. Defaults Upo****n Senior Securities

None

Item 4. Mine Saf****ety Disclosures

Not applicable

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