Ralph Lauren 10-K 2019-03-30

10-K 1 rl-20190330x10k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

þ	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the fiscal year ended March 30, 2019

or

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

Commission File Number: 001-13057

RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		13-2622036
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
650 Madison Avenue, New York, New York		10022
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(212) 318-7000

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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

Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of Each Exchange on which Registered
Class A Common Stock, $.01 par value	RL	New York Stock Exchange

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 þ No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.		Yes o No þ
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 þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).		Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.
Large accelerated filer þ	Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o	Smaller reporting company o
	Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.		o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).		Yes o No þ
The aggregate market value of the registrant's voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $7,471,382,441 as of September 28, 2018, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter based on the closing price of the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange.
At May 10, 2019, 52,192,381 shares of the registrant's Class A common stock, $.01 par value and 25,881,276 shares of the registrant's Class B common stock, $.01 par value were outstanding.
Part III incorporates by reference information from certain portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the fiscal year ended March 30, 2019.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Various statements in this Form 10-K or incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K, in future filings by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in our press releases, and in oral statements made from time to time by us or on our behalf constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "we believe," "is or remains optimistic," "currently envisions," and similar words or phrases and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance, or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others:

•	the loss of key personnel, including Mr. Ralph Lauren, or other changes in our executive and senior management team or to our operating structure, and our ability to effectively transfer knowledge during periods of transition;

•	our ability to successfully implement our long-term growth strategy;

•	our ability to continue to expand and grow our business internationally and the impact of related changes in our customer, channel, and geographic sales mix as a result, as well as our ability to accelerate growth in certain product categories;

•	our ability to open new retail stores and concession shops, as well as enhance and expand our digital footprint and capabilities, all in an effort to expand our direct-to-consumer presence;

•	our ability to respond to constantly changing fashion and retail trends and consumer demands in a timely manner, develop products that resonate with our existing customers and attract new customers, and execute marketing and advertising programs that appeal to consumers;

•	our ability to effectively manage inventory levels and the increasing pressure on our margins in a highly promotional retail environment;

•	our ability to continue to maintain our brand image and reputation and protect our trademarks;

•	our ability to competitively price our products and create an acceptable value proposition for consumers;

•	the impact to our business resulting from changes in consumers' ability, willingness, or preferences to purchase discretionary items and luxury retail products, which tends to decline during recessionary periods, and our ability to accurately forecast consumer demand, the failure of which could result in either a build-up or shortage of inventory;

•	our ability to achieve anticipated operating enhancements and cost reductions from our restructuring plans, as well as the impact to our business resulting from restructuring-related charges, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term;

•	the impact to our business resulting from potential costs and obligations related to the early closure of our stores or termination of our long-term, non-cancellable leases;

•

a variety of legal, regulatory, tax, political, and economic risks, including risks related to the importation and exportation of products which our operations are currently subject to, or may become subject to as a result of potential changes in legislation, and other risks associated with our international operations, such as compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or violations of other anti-bribery and corruption laws prohibiting improper payments, and the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws and regulations, including tax laws, trade and labor restrictions, and related laws that may reduce the flexibility of our business;

•	the potential impact to our business resulting from the imposition of additional duties, tariffs, taxes, and other charges or barriers to trade, including those resulting from current trade developments with China and the related impact to global stock markets, as well as our ability to implement mitigating sourcing strategies;

•	the impact to our business resulting from the United Kingdom's decision to exit the European Union and the uncertainty surrounding the terms and conditions of such a withdrawal, as well as the related impact to global stock markets and currency exchange rates;

•	the impact to our business resulting from increases in the costs of raw materials, transportation, and labor, including wages, healthcare, and other benefit-related costs;

	1

•	our ability to secure our facilities and systems and those of our third-party service providers from, among other things, cybersecurity breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, or similar Internet or email events;

•	our efforts to successfully enhance, upgrade, and/or transition our global information technology systems and digital commerce platforms;

•	changes in our tax obligations and effective tax rate due to a variety of other factors, including potential additional changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws and regulations, accounting rules, or the mix and level of earnings by jurisdiction in future periods that are not currently known or anticipated;

•	our exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations from both a transactional and translational perspective;

•	the potential impact to our business resulting from the financial difficulties of certain of our large wholesale customers, which may result in consolidations, liquidations, restructurings, and other ownership changes in the retail industry, as well as other changes in the competitive marketplace, including the introduction of new products or pricing changes by our competitors;

•	the impact of economic, political, and other conditions on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders;

•	the potential impact to our business if any of our distribution centers were to become inoperable or inaccessible;

•	the potential impact on our operations and on our suppliers and customers resulting from natural or man-made disasters;

•	the impact to our business of events of unrest and instability that are currently taking place in certain parts of the world, as well as from any terrorist action, retaliation, and the threat of further action or retaliation;

•	our ability to access sources of liquidity to provide for our cash needs, including our debt obligations, tax obligations, payment of dividends, capital expenditures, and potential repurchases of our Class A common stock, as well as the ability of our customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders to access sources of liquidity to provide for their own cash needs;

•	the potential impact to the trading prices of our securities if our Class A common stock share repurchase activity and/or cash dividend payments differ from investors' expectations;

•	our ability to maintain our credit profile and ratings within the financial community;

•	our intention to introduce new products or brands, or enter into or renew alliances;

•	changes in the business of, and our relationships with, major department store customers and licensing partners; and

•	our ability to make certain strategic acquisitions and successfully integrate the acquired businesses into our existing operations.

These forward-looking statements are based largely on our expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. A detailed discussion of significant risk factors that have the potential to cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations is described in Part I of this Form 10-K under the heading of "Risk Factors." We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

WEBSITE ACCESS TO COMPANY REPORTS AND OTHER INFORMATION

Our investor website is http://investor.ralphlauren.com. We were incorporated in June 1997 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are available free of charge at our investor website under the caption "SEC Filings" promptly after we electronically file such materials with or furnish such materials to the SEC. All such filings are also available on the SEC's website at https://www.sec.gov. Information relating to corporate governance at Ralph Lauren Corporation, including our Corporate Governance Policies, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for all directors, officers, and employees, our Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers, and information concerning our directors, Committees of the Board of Directors, including Committee charters, and transactions involving Ralph Lauren Corporation securities by directors and executive officers, are available at our website under the captions "Corporate Governance" and "SEC Filings." Paper copies of these filings and

	2

corporate governance documents are available to stockholders without charge by written request to Investor Relations, Ralph Lauren Corporation, 625 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.

In this Form 10-K, references to "Ralph Lauren," "ourselves," "we," "our," "us," and the "Company" refer to Ralph Lauren Corporation and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Due to the collaborative and ongoing nature of our relationships with our licensees, such licensees are sometimes referred to in this Form 10-K as "licensing alliances." Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to March 31. All references to "Fiscal 2020" represent the 52-week fiscal year ending March 28, 2020. All references to "Fiscal 2019" represent the 52-week fiscal year ended March 30, 2019. All references to "Fiscal 2018" represent the 52-week fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. All references to "Fiscal 2017" represent the 52-week fiscal year ended April 1, 2017.

PART I

General

Founded in 1967 by Mr. Ralph Lauren, we are a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products, including apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product categories. Our long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across an expanding number of products, brands, sales channels, and international markets. We believe that our global reach, breadth of product offerings, and multi-channel distribution are unique among luxury and apparel companies.

We diversify our business by geography (North America, Europe, and Asia, among other regions) and channel of distribution (wholesale, retail, and licensing). This allows us to maintain a dynamic balance as our operating results do not depend solely on the performance of any single geographic area or channel of distribution. Our wholesale sales are made principally to major department stores and specialty stores around the world, as well as to certain third party-owned stores to which we have licensed the right to operate in defined geographic territories using our trademarks. We also sell directly to consumers through our integrated retail channel, which includes our retail stores, concession-based shop-within-shops, and digital commerce operations around the world. In addition, we license to third parties for specified periods the right to access our various trademarks in connection with the licensees' manufacture and sale of designated products, such as certain apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings.

We organize our business into the following three reportable segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments. See "Our Segments" for further discussion of our segment reporting structure.

Our global reach is extensive, with merchandise available through our wholesale distribution channels at over 12,000 doors worldwide, the majority in specialty stores, as well as through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers. We also sell directly to customers throughout the world via our 501 retail stores and 653 concession-based shop-within-shops, as well as through our own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. In addition to our directly-operated stores and shops, our international licensing partners operate 108 Ralph Lauren stores, 39 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 138 Club Monaco stores and shops.

We continue to invest in our business to stimulate growth. Over the past five fiscal years, we have invested approximately $1.452 billion for capital improvements, primarily funded through strong operating cash flow. We also continue to return value to our shareholders through our common stock share repurchases and payment of quarterly cash dividends. Over the past five fiscal years, the cost of shares of Class A common stock repurchased pursuant to our common stock repurchase program was approximately $1.650 billion and dividends paid amounted to approximately $846 million.

We have been controlled by the Lauren family since the founding of our Company. As of March 30, 2019, Mr. R. Lauren, or entities controlled by the Lauren family, held approximately 83% of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock.

	3

Objectives and Opportunities

We believe that our size and the global scope of our operations provide us with design, sourcing, and distribution synergies across our different businesses. Our core strengths include a portfolio of global premium lifestyle brands, a well-diversified global multi-channel distribution network, an investment philosophy supported by a strong balance sheet, and an experienced management team. Despite the various risks and uncertainties associated with the current global economic environment, as discussed further in Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Global Economic Conditions and Industry Trends," we believe our core strengths will allow us to execute our long-term growth strategy.

An overview of our long-term growth strategy is presented below:

	4

Recent Developments

Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan

On June 4, 2018, our Board of Directors approved a restructuring plan associated with our strategic objective of operating with discipline to drive sustainable growth (the "Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan"). The Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan includes the following restructuring-related activities: (i) rightsizing and consolidation of our global distribution network and corporate offices; (ii) targeted severance-related actions; and (iii) closure of certain of our stores and shop-within-shops. Actions associated with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan were largely completed during Fiscal 2019, with certain activities shifting into Fiscal 2020. Total actions associated with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan are expected to result in gross annualized expense savings of approximately $60 million to $80 million.

In connection with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan, we expect to incur total estimated charges of approximately $125 million to $150 million, comprised of cash-related charges of approximately $90 million to $110 million and non-cash charges of approximately $35 million to $40 million. Cumulative charges incurred since inception were $97.3 million.

See Note 9 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for detailed discussions of the charges recorded in connection with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan.

U.S. Tax Reform

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "TCJA"), which became effective January 1, 2018. The TCJA significantly revised U.S. tax law by, among other provisions, lowering the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate from 35% to 21%, creating a territorial tax system that includes a one-time mandatory transition tax on previously deferred foreign earnings, and eliminating or reducing certain income tax deductions.

During Fiscal 2018, we recorded net charges of $221.4 million within our income tax provision in connection with the TCJA, which increased our effective tax rate by 4,520 basis points. Subsequently, during Fiscal 2019, we recorded net measurement period adjustments of $27.6 million as permitted by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"). These measurement period adjustments increased our effective tax rate by 470 basis points during Fiscal 2019.

Additionally, during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018 we reevaluated our permanent reinvestment assertion and determined that undistributed foreign earnings that were subject to the one-time mandatory transition tax were no longer considered to be permanently reinvested, effective December 31, 2017. In connection with this decision, we repatriated $252 million of cash to the U.S. from certain of our foreign subsidiaries during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018, and we repatriated an additional $875 million during Fiscal 2019.

See Note 10 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional discussion regarding the TCJA.

Way Forward Plan

On June 2, 2016, our Board of Directors approved a restructuring plan with the objective of delivering sustainable, profitable sales growth and long-term value creation for shareholders (the "Way Forward Plan"). We are refocusing on our core brands and evolving our product, marketing, and shopping experience to increase desirability and relevance. We are also evolving our operating model to enable sustainable, profitable sales growth by significantly improving quality of sales, reducing supply chain lead times, improving

Showing the first 8K of 74K characters. Open the full section

There are risks associated with an investment in our securities. The following risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any of the following risk factors could materially adversely affect our business, our prospects, our results of operations, our financial condition, our liquidity, the trading price of our securities, and/or the actual outcome of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made in this report. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently view as immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition in future periods or if circumstances change.

The loss of the services of Mr. Ralph Lauren, members of our executive management team, or other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Mr. Ralph Lauren's leadership in the design and marketing areas of our business has been a critical element of our success since the inception of our Company. Mr. R. Lauren is instrumental to, and closely identified with, our brand that bears his name. Our ability to maintain our brand image and leverage the goodwill associated with Mr. R. Lauren's name may be damaged if we were to lose his services. The death or disability of Mr. R. Lauren or other extended or permanent loss of his services, or any negative market or industry perception with respect to him or arising from his loss, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We also depend on the service and management experience of other key executive officers and other members of senior management who have substantial experience and expertise in our industry and our business and have made significant contributions to our growth and success. Competition in our industry to attract and retain these employees is intense and is influenced by our reputation, our ability to offer competitive compensation and benefits, and economic conditions, among other factors. The loss of the services of any of our key executive officers or other members of senior management, or one or more of our other key personnel, or the concurrent loss of several of these individuals or any negative public perception with respect to these individuals, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We are not protected by a material amount of key-man or similar life insurance covering our executive officers, including Mr. R. Lauren, or other members of senior management. We have entered into employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, but competition for experienced executives in our industry is intense and the non-compete period with respect to certain of our executive officers could, in some circumstances in the event of their termination of employment with our Company, end prior to the employment term set forth in their employment agreements.

We cannot assure the successful implementation of our growth strategy.

We have developed a long-term growth strategy with the objective of delivering sustainable, profitable growth and long-term value creation for shareholders, as described in Item 1 — "Business — Objectives and Opportunities." Our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties, as described within this "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K.

Although we believe that our growth strategy will lead to long-term growth in revenue and profitability, there can be no assurance regarding the timing of or extent to which we will realize the anticipated benefits, if at all. Our failure to realize the anticipated benefits, which may be due to our inability to execute the various elements of our growth strategy, changes in consumer preferences, competition, economic conditions, and other risks described herein, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Such a failure could also result in the implementation of additional restructuring-related activities, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term.

Achievement of our growth strategy may require investment in new capabilities, distribution channels, and technologies. These investments may result in short-term costs without accompanying current revenues and, therefore, may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term. There can be no assurance regarding the timing of or extent to which we will realize the anticipated benefits of these investments and other costs, if at all.

	22

We may not be successful in the expansion of our multi-channel distribution network or accelerating growth in certain product categories.

Implementation of our growth strategy involves the continuation and expansion of our multi-channel distribution network, including within international markets such as China, which is subject to many factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:

•	identify new or underpenetrated markets where our products and brand will be accepted by consumers;

•	attract customers, particularly in new markets;

•	identify desirable freestanding and department store locations, the availability of which may be out of our control;

•	negotiate acceptable lease terms, including desired tenant improvement allowances;

•	efficiently and cost effectively build-out stores and shop-within-shops;

•	source sufficient inventory levels to meet the needs of the new stores and shop-within-shops;

•	hire, train, and retain competent store personnel; and

•	integrate new stores and shop-within-shops into our existing systems and operations.

Any of these challenges could delay or otherwise prevent us from successfully executing our distribution expansion strategy. There can be no assurance that our new stores and shop-within-shops will be successful and profitable or if the capital costs associated with the build-out of such new locations will be recovered. Further, entry into new markets may bring us into competition with new or existing competitors that have a more established market presence than us or other competitive advantages. Other risks related to our international expansion plans include general economic conditions in specific countries or markets, changes in diplomatic and trade relationships and any resulting anti-American sentiment, political instability, and foreign government regulation, among other risks described herein. If our expansion plans are unsuccessful or do not deliver an appropriate return on our investments, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The success of our business also depends on our ability to continue to maintain, enhance, and expand our digital footprint and capabilities. Consumers are increasingly shopping online using computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Any failure on our part, or on the part of our third party digital partners, to provide attractive, reliable, secure, and user-friendly digital commerce platforms could negatively impact our customers' shopping experience resulting in reduced website traffic, diminished loyalty to our brands, and lost sales. In addition, as we continue to expand and increase the global presence of our digital commerce business, sales from our brick and mortar stores and wholesale channels of distribution in areas where digital commerce sites are introduced may decline due to changes in consumer shopping habits and cannibalization.

Our growth strategy also includes accelerating grow

Showing the first 8K of 70K characters. Open the full section

Not applicable.

We lease space for our retail stores, showrooms, warehouses, and offices in various domestic and international locations. We do not own any real property except for our retail digital commerce call center and distribution facility in High Point, North Carolina; and our retail stores in Southampton and Easthampton, New York, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

We believe that our existing facilities are well maintained, in good operating condition, and are adequate for our present level of operations.

The following table sets forth information relating to our key properties as of March 30, 2019:

Location		Use		Approximate Square Feet
NC Highway 66, High Point, NC		Wholesale and retail distribution facility		847,000
N. Pendleton Street, High Point, NC		Retail digital commerce call center and distribution facility		805,000
Greensboro, NC		Wholesale and retail distribution facility		439,000
625 Madison Avenue, NYC(a)		Corporate offices and showrooms		385,300
601 West 26th Street, NYC		Corporate offices		275,300
650 Madison Avenue, NYC		Executive and corporate offices, design studio, and showrooms		270,000
Lyndhurst, NJ(a)		Corporate and retail administrative offices		178,000
Geneva, Switzerland		European corporate offices		107,000
7th Avenue, NYC		Corporate offices, design studio, and Women's showrooms		104,000
Manhattan Place, Hong Kong		Asia sourcing offices		46,000
Gateway Office, Hong Kong		Asia corporate offices		37,500
888 Madison Avenue, NYC		Retail flagship store		37,900
N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago		Retail flagship store		37,500
New Bond Street, London, UK		Retail flagship store		31,500
867 Madison Avenue, NYC		Retail flagship store		27,700
Paris, France		Retail flagship store		25,700
Tokyo, Japan		Retail flagship store		25,000
N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills		Retail flagship store		19,400
Regent Street, London, UK		Retail flagship store		19,000
Prince's Building, Hong Kong		Retail flagship store		9,800

(a)	In connection with our initiative to consolidate our corporate office footprint, we anticipate exiting these leased facilities during Fiscal 2020, with the related corporate functions relocating to our corporate office located at 601 West 26th Street in New York City and a new 255,000 square foot facility located in Nutley, New Jersey.

As of March 30, 2019, we directly operated 501 retail stores, totaling approximately 4.0 million square feet. We anticipate that we will be able to extend our retail store leases, as well as those leases for our non-retail facilities, which expire in the near future on satisfactory terms or relocate to desirable alternate locations. We generally lease our freestanding retail stores for initial periods ranging from 5 to 15 years, with renewal options. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with leasing real estate and other assets under long-term, non-cancellable leases."

	35

We are involved, from time to time, in litigation, other legal claims, and proceedings involving matters associated with or incidental to our business, including, among other things, matters involving credit card fraud, trademark and other intellectual property, licensing, importation and exportation of products, taxation, unclaimed property, and employee relations. We believe at present that the resolution of currently pending matters will not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. However, our assessment of any litigation or other legal claims could potentially change in light of the discovery of facts not presently known or determinations by judges, juries, or other finders of fact which are not in accord with management's evaluation of the possible liability or outcome of such litigation or claims.

Not applicable.

PART II

As of May 10, 2019, there were 681 holders of record of our Class A common stock and 6 holders of record of our Class B common stock. Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "RL." All of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock are owned by Mr. Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, and entities controlled by the Lauren family. Shares of our Class B common stock may be converted immediately into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis by the holder. There is no cash or other consideration paid by the holder converting the shares and, accordingly, there is no cash or other consideration received by the Company. The shares of Class A common stock issued by the Company in such conversions are exempt from registration pursuant to Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. No shares of our Class B common stock were converted into Class A common stock during the fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2019.

The following table sets forth repurchases of shares of our Class A common stock during the fiscal quarter ended March 30, 2019:

		Total Number of Shares Purchased			Average Price Paid per Share				Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs			Approximate Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(b)
												(millions)
December 30, 2018 to January 26, 2019		—			$	—			—			$	700
January 27, 2019 to February 23, 2019		—			—				—			700
February 24, 2019 to March 30, 2019		579,575		(a)	121.93				573,984			630
		579,575							573,984

(a)	Includes 5,591 shares surrendered to or withheld by the Company in satisfaction of withholding taxes in connection with the vesting of awards issued under its long-term stock incentive plans.

(b)

As of March 30, 2019, the remaining availability under our Class A common stock repurchase program was approximately $630 million, reflecting the June 4, 2018 approval by our Board of Directors to expand the program by up to an additional $1.000 billion of Class A common stock repurchases. On May 13, 2019, our Board of Directors approved a further expansion of the common stock repurchase program that allows us to repurchase up to an additional $600 million of Class A common stock. Repurchases of shares of Class A common stock are subject to overall business and market conditions.

	36

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return (stock price appreciation plus dividends) on our Class A common stock to the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and a peer group index of companies that we believe are closest to ours (the "Peer Group") for the period from March 29, 2014, the last day of our 2014 fiscal year, through March 30, 2019, the last day of our 2019 fiscal year. Our Peer Group consists of Burberry Group PLC, Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, EssilorLuxottica SA, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Hermes International, Kering, LVMH, PVH Corp., Tapestry, Inc., Tiffany & Co., Tod's S.p.A., and V.F. Corporation. All calculations for foreign companies in our Peer Group are performed using the local foreign issue of such companies. The returns are calculated by assuming a $100 investment made on March 29, 2014 in Class A common stock or March 31, 2014 in an index, with all dividends reinvested.

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Among Ralph Lauren Corporation, the S&P 500 Index, and a Peer Group

See the "Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Information," and specifically "Selected Financial Information" appearing at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Item 8 — "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Historical results may not be indicative of future results.

The following management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations ("MD&A") should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We utilize a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to March 31. As such, Fiscal 2019 ended on March 30, 2019 and was a 52-week period; Fiscal 2018 ended on March 31, 2018 and was a 52-week period; Fiscal 2017 ended on April 1, 2017 and was a 52-week period; and Fiscal 2020 will end on March 28, 2020 and will be a 52-week period.

	37

INTRODUCTION

MD&A is provided as a supplement to the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto to help provide an understanding of our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity. MD&A is organized as follows:

•

Overview. This section provides a general description of our business, global economic conditions and industry trends, and a summary of our financial performance for Fiscal 2019. In addition, this section includes a discussion of recent developments and transactions affecting comparability that we believe are important in understanding our results of operations and financial condition, and in anticipating future trends.

•	Results of operations. This section provides an analysis of our results of operations for Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 as compared to the respective prior fiscal year.

•

Financial condition and liquidity. This section provides a discussion of our financial condition and liquidity as of March 30, 2019, which includes (i) an analysis of our financial condition as compared to the prior fiscal year-end; (ii) an analysis of changes in our cash flows for Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2018 as compared to the respective prior fiscal year; (iii) an analysis of our liquidity, including the availability under our commercial paper borrowing program and credit facilities, common stock repurchases, payments of dividends, and our outstanding debt and covenant compliance; and (iv) a summary of our contractual and other obligations as of March 30, 2019.

•	Market risk management. This section discusses how we manage our risk exposures related to foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and our investments as of March 30, 2019.

•

Critical accounting policies. This section discusses accounting policies considered to be important to our results of operations and financial condition, which typically require significant judgment and estimation on the part of management in their application. In addition, all of our significant accounting policies, including our critical accounting policies, are summarized in Note 3 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

•	Recently issued accounting standards. This section discusses the potential impact on our reported results of operations and financial condition of certain accounting standards that have been recently issued.

OVERVIEW

Our Business

Our Company is a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products, including apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product categories. Our long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across an expanding number of products, brands, sales channels, and international markets. Our brand names include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others.

We diversify our business by geography (North America, Europe, and Asia, among other regions) and channel of distribution (wholesale, retail, and licensing). This allows us to maintain a dynamic balance as our operating results do not depend solely on the performance of any single geographic area or channel of distribution. Our wholesale sales are made principally to major department stores and specialty stores around the world, as well as to certain third party-owned stores to which we have licensed the right to operate in defined geographic territories using our trademarks. We also sell directly to consumers through our integrated retail channel, which includes our retail stores, concession-based shop-within-shops, and digital commerce operations around the world. In addition, we license to third parties for specified periods the right to access our various trademarks in connection with the licensees' manufacture and sale of designated products, such as certain apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings.

We organize our business into the following three reportable segments:

•

North America — Our North America segment, representing approximately 51% of our Fiscal 2019 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. In North America, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. Our retail business in North America is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, and our digital commerce site, www.RalphLauren.com.

	38

•

Europe — Our Europe segment, representing approximately 26% of our Fiscal 2019 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in Europe and the Middle East, excluding Club Monaco. In Europe, our wholesale business is comprised of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country. Our retail business in Europe is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, our concession-based shop-within-shops, and our various digital commerce sites.

•

Asia — Our Asia segment, representing approximately 17% of our Fiscal 2019 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Our retail business in Asia is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, our concession-based shop-within-shops, and our digital commerce site, www.RalphLauren.cn, which launched in September 2018. In addition, we sell our products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites. In Asia, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, with related products distributed through shop-within-shops.

In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments, representing approximately 6% of our Fiscal 2019 net revenues, which primarily consist of (i) sales of Club Monaco branded products made through our retail businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and our licensing alliances in Europe and Asia, (ii) sales of Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale business in Latin America, and (iii) royalty revenues earned through our global licensing alliances, excluding Club Monaco.

Approximately 46% of our Fiscal 2019 net revenues were earned outside of the U.S. See Note 19 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our segment reporting structure.

Our business is typically affected by seasonal trends, with higher levels of wholesale sales in our second and fourth fiscal quarters and higher retail sales in our second and third fiscal quarters. These trends result primarily from the timing of seasonal wholesale shipments and key vacation travel, back-to-school, and holiday shopping periods impacting our retail business.

Glob

Showing the first 8K of 141K characters. Open the full section

For a discussion of our exposure to market risk, see "Market Risk Management" in Item 7 included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

See the "Index to Consolidated Financial Statements" appearing at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

	67

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are the controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to the issuer's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

We have evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as of the end of the fiscal year covered by this annual report. Based on that evaluation, our principal executive and principal financial officers have concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level, as of the fiscal year-end covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(b) Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Internal control over financial reporting includes maintaining records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect our transactions; providing reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary for preparation of our financial statements; providing reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures of the Company's assets are made in accordance with management authorization; and providing reasonable assurance that unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company's assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting is not intended to provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Further, the evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting was made as of a specific date, and continued effectiveness in future periods is subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may decline.

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of the fiscal year covered by this report based on the framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 Framework). Based on this evaluation, management concluded that the Company's internal controls over financial reporting were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of the fiscal year-end covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Ernst & Young LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an attestation report on the Company's internal control over financial reporting as included elsewhere herein.

(c) Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2019 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting. However, as discussed below, we are in the process of implementing and reconfiguring certain financial reporting systems that will go live beginning in Fiscal 2020.

Financial Reporting System Implementation and Reconfiguration

In connection with our initiative to integrate and upgrade our global systems and processes, we are in the process of migrating our Asian operations to a new financial reporting information technology system, Microsoft AX Dynamics 365, which is scheduled to go live beginning in Fiscal 2020. In addition to this system implementation, we are in the process of reconfiguring the financial reporting information technology system used by our European operations, SAP, in order to utilize enhanced financial reporting functionality, effective beginning in Fiscal 2020.

	68

As a result of these actions, we expect to experience certain changes to our processes and procedures which, in turn, will result in changes to our internal control over financial reporting. While we expect these system changes to strengthen our internal financial controls by automating certain manual processes and standardizing business processes and reporting across our organization, management will continue to evaluate and monitor our internal controls as processes and procedures in each of the affected areas evolve. For a discussion of risks related to the implementation of new systems, see Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business could suffer if our computer systems and websites are disrupted or cease to operate effectively."

Not applicable.

PART III

Information relating to our directors and corporate governance will be set forth in the Company's proxy statement for its 2019 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed within 120 days after March 30, 2019 (the "Proxy Statement") and is incorporated by reference herein. Information relating to our executive officers is set forth in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the caption "Information About Our Executive Officers."

We have a Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers that covers the Company's principal executive officer, principal operating officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, and any person performing similar functions, as applicable. We also have a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that covers the Company's directors, officers, and employees. You can find our Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (collectively, the "Codes") on our Internet site, http://investor.ralphlauren.com. We will post any amendments to the Codes and any waivers that are required to be disclosed by the rules of either the SEC or the NYSE on our Internet site.

Information relating to executive and director compensation will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and such information is incorporated by reference herein.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth information as of March 30, 2019 regarding compensation plans under which the Company's equity securities are authorized for issuance:

		(a)			(b)				(c)
Plan Category		Numbers of Securities to be Issued upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights			Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options ($)				Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a))
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders		3,491,022		(1)	$	162.53		(2)	2,858,998		(3)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders		—			—				—
Total		3,491,022			$	162.53			2,858,998

(1)	Consists of 834,329 options to purchase shares of our Class A common stock and 2,656,693 restricted stock units that are payable solely in shares of Class A common stock (including 458,641 service-based restricted stock units that have

	69

fully vested but for which the underlying shares have not yet been delivered as of March 30, 2019). Does not include 10,224 outstanding restricted shares that are subject to forfeiture.

(2)	Represents the weighted-average exercise price of outstanding stock options.

(3)

All of the securities remaining available for future issuance set forth in column (c) may be in the form of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, or other stock-based awards under the Company's 1997 Incentive Plan and 2010 Incentive Plan (the "Plans"). An additional 10,224 outstanding shares of restricted stock granted under the Company's Plans that remain subject to forfeiture are not reflected in column (c).

Other information relating to security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management will be set forth in the Proxy Statement and such information is incorporated by reference herein.

The information required to be included by Item 13 of Form 10-K will be included in the Proxy Statement and such information is incorporated by reference herein.

The information required to be included by Item 14 of Form 10-K will be included in the Proxy Statement and such information is incorporated by reference herein.

PART IV

(a) 1., 2. Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedules. See index on Page F-1.

3. Exhibits

Exhibit Number		Description
3.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-24733) (the "S-1"))
3.2		Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Form 8-K filed August 16, 2011)
3.3		Fourth Amended and Restated By-laws of the Company (filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended July 1, 2017)
4.1		Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2013, by and between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (including the form of Note) (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Form 8-K filed September 26, 2013)
4.2		Second Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 18, 2015, by and between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Form 8-K filed August 18, 2015)
4.3		Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of August 9, 2018, by and between Ralph Lauren Corporation and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (filed as Exhibit 4.2 to the Form 8-K filed August 9, 2018)
10.1		Registration Rights Agreement dated as of June 9, 1997 by and among Ralph Lauren, GS Capital Partners, L.P., GS Capital Partner PRL Holding I, L.P., GS Capital Partners PRL Holding II, L.P., Stone Street Fund 1994, L.P., Stone Street 1994 Subsidiary Corp., Bridge Street Fund 1994, L.P., and the Company (filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the S-1)
10.2		Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Company and its Directors and Executive Officers (filed as Exhibit 10.26 to the S-1)
10.3		Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective as of April 2, 2017, between the Company and Ralph Lauren (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed March 31, 2017)†
10.4		Employment Agreement, dated May 13, 2017, between the Company and Patrice Louvet (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed May 17, 2017)†
10.5		Amendment No. 1 to the Employment Agreement, dated June 30, 2017, between the Company and Patrice Louvet (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended July 1, 2017)†

	70

Exhibit Number		Description
10.6		Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective as of April 4, 2016, between the Company and Valérie Hermann (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed May 4, 2016)†
10.7		Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of November 9, 2016, between the Company and Valérie Hermann (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended October 1, 2016)†
10.8		Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated February 28, 2019, between the Company and Jane Nielsen (filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 8-K filed March 1, 2019)†
10.9		Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement, dated as of June 8, 2004, between the Company and Ralph Lauren (filed as Exhibit 10.15 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 2, 2005)†
10.10		Executive Officer Annual Incentive Plan, as amended as of August 9, 2012 (filed as Appendix B to the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement dated July 2, 2012)†
10.11		Executive Officer Annual Incentive Plan, as amended as of August 10, 2017 (filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended July 1, 2017)†
10.12		1997 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan, as Amended and Restated as of August 12, 2004 (filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Form 8-K filed October 4, 2004)†
10.13		Amendment, as of June 30, 2006, to the 1997 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan, as Amended and Restated as of August 12, 2004 (filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended July 1, 2006)†
10.14		Amendment No. 2, dated as of May 21, 2009, to the 1997 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan, as Amended and Restated as of August 12, 2004 (filed as Exhibit 10.26 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 28, 2009)†
10.15		Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan, amended as of August 11, 2016 (filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended July 2, 2016)†
10.16		Cliff Restricted Performance Share Unit Award Overview containing the standard terms of cliff restricted performance share unit awards under the Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.25 to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 29, 2014 (the "Fiscal 2014 10-K"))†
10.17		Pro-Rata Restricted Performance Share Unit Award Overview containing the standard terms of restricted performance share unit awards under the Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.26 to the Fiscal 2014 10-K)†
10.18		Stock Option Award Overview containing the standard terms of stock option awards under the Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.27 to the Fiscal 2014 10-K)†
10.19		Cliff Restricted Performance Share Unit with TSR Modifier Award Overview containing the standard terms of cliff restricted performance share unit awards under the Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.28 to the Fiscal 2014 10-K)†
10.20		[Form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement under the Amended and Restated 2010 Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan (filed as Exhibit 10.

Showing the first 8K of 269K characters. Open the full section