Item 1. Business.
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Item 1. Business.
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, fragrances and hospitality. 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 (retail, wholesale, 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. We 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. Our wholesale sales are made principally to major department stores, specialty stores, and third-party digital partners 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. 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, as we sell directly to customers throughout the world via our 530 retail stores and 654 concession-based shop-within-shops, as well as through our own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. Merchandise is also available through our wholesale distribution channels at over 11,000 doors worldwide, the majority in specialty stores, as well as through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers. In addition to our directly-operated stores and shops, our international licensing partners operate 80 Ralph Lauren stores, 31 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 139 Club Monaco stores and shops.
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We continue to invest in our business to stimulate growth. Over the past five fiscal years, we have invested approximately $1.331 billion for capital improvements, primarily funded through strong operating cash flow. We also have continued 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 $1.800 billion and dividends paid amounted to approximately $892 million.
We have been controlled by the Lauren family since the founding of our Company. As of March 28, 2020, Mr. R. Lauren, or entities controlled by the Lauren family, held approximately 84% of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock.
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:

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Global Citizenship and Sustainability
Global citizenship and sustainability at Ralph Lauren Corporation is rooted in the heritage of our brand and our purpose to inspire the dream of a better life through authenticity and timeless style. We believe that delivering the next 50 years for Ralph Lauren means rethinking our impact on the environment and society and utilizing creativity, the power of design, and innovative technologies to drive meaningful change.
Although we are at the beginning of this journey, the values and purpose that have defined our business for half a century underline the authenticity of our commitment for our next 50 years. We call our plan "Design the Change," which is guided by the following three pillars:
| 1. | Create Timeless Style |
| • | Sustainable Product Design — We commit to designing more sustainable products and experiences by sourcing responsibly, manufacturing efficiently, and investing in innovation that advances these efforts. |
| • | Sourcing & Traceability — We are committed to sourcing responsibly, securing a long-term, sustainable supply for key raw materials, as well as implementing a supplier engagement strategy that drives transparency, efficiency and partnerships that advance our work to deliver positive social and environmental impacts across our value chain. |
| • | Chemical Management — We commit to monitor and reduce hazardous chemical use and discharge, ultimately eliminating all hazardous chemicals from the production of our products. |
| 2. | Protect the Environment |
| • | Carbon and Energy — We commit to address the issue of global climate change and the contributing impacts of our business by reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain. |
| • | Waste Management — We commit to integrating zero waste principles across our business with an aim to divert waste from landfill through increasing recycling and upcycling, reducing waste at its source, and implementing other best practices. |
| • | Water Stewardship — We commit to reducing water consumption across our value chain, and to safeguarding and preserving water resources in the communities where we operate. |
| 3. | Champion Better Lives |
| • | Diversity and Inclusion — We are committed to advancing an inclusive environment where everyone has a sense of belonging throughout our value chain. |
| • | Health, Safety & Working Conditions — We aim to enrich the quality of work and life for all workers in our value chain by ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential in a safe and comfortable work environment. |
| • | Community Engagement & Philanthropy — We commit to meaningfully engaging our communities through our work across cancer care as well as our global employee volunteerism program. |
Additional information relating to Design the Change can be found in our annual sustainability report, which is available at our website at http://investor.ralphlauren.com under the caption "Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report." The content of our sustainability reports are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC.
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Recent Developments
COVID-19 Pandemic
A novel strain of coronavirus commonly referred to as COVID-19 has spread rapidly across the globe in recent months, including throughout all major geographies in which we operate (North America, Europe, and Asia), resulting in adverse economic conditions and business disruptions, as well as significant volatility in global financial markets. Governments worldwide have imposed varying degrees of preventative and protective actions, such as temporary travel bans, forced business closures, and stay-at-home orders, all in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus. Such factors, among others, have resulted in a significant decline in retail traffic, tourism, and consumer spending on discretionary items. Additionally, during this period of uncertainty, companies across a wide array of industries have implemented various initiatives to reduce operating expenses and preserve cash balances, including work furloughs and reduced pay, which could lower consumers’ disposable income levels or willingness to purchase discretionary items. Further, even after such government restrictions and company initiatives are lifted, consumer behavior, spending levels, and/or shopping preferences, such as their willingness to congregate in shopping centers or other populated locations, could be adversely affected.
In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced varying degrees of business disruptions and periods of closure of our stores, distribution centers, and corporate facilities, as have our wholesale customers, licensing partners, suppliers, and vendors. For example, a significant number of our stores in parts of Asia were closed for a substantial portion of our fourth quarter of Fiscal 2020. Although our stores in Asia were largely reopened by the end of our Fiscal 2020, certain countries, including Japan, began imposing new restrictions during our first quarter of Fiscal 2021. Retail traffic also continues to be challenging in those regions in which our stores are open. Additionally, our stores in North America and the majority in Europe closed mid-March or earlier, and although certain stores have since reopened, a large number remain closed and we are uncertain when they will reopen. Our wholesale business has also been adversely affected, particularly in North America and Europe, as a result of department store closures and lower traffic and consumer demand.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken preemptive actions to preserve cash and strengthen our liquidity, including:
| • | drawing down $475 million from our Global Credit Facility to bolster cash balances; |
| • | entering into a new credit facility with the same lenders that are parties to the Global Credit Facility, which provides for an additional $500 million senior unsecured revolving line of credit that matures on May 25, 2021, or earlier in the event we are able to obtain other additional financing, as described in Note 11 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements; |
| • | temporarily suspending our common stock repurchase program and our quarterly cash dividend; |
| • | temporarily reducing the base compensation of our executives and senior management team, as well as our Board of Directors; |
| • | carefully managing our expense structure across all key areas of spend, including aligning inventory levels with anticipated demand and postponing non-critical capital build-out and other investments and activities; and |
| • | temporarily furloughing or reducing work hours for a significant portion of our employees who nevertheless remain eligible for employee benefits during such period. |
The COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis. Accordingly, we cannot predict for how long and to what extent this crisis will impact our business operations or the global economy as a whole. We will continue to assess our operations location-by-location, taking into account the guidance of local governments and global health organizations to determine when our operations can begin returning to normal course of business. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Infectious disease outbreaks, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on our business" for additional discussion regarding risks to our business associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Swiss Tax Reform
In May 2019, a public referendum was held in Switzerland that approved the Federal Act on Tax Reform and AHV Financing (the "Swiss Tax Act"), which became effective January 1, 2020. The Swiss Tax Act eliminates certain preferential tax items at both the federal and cantonal levels for multinational companies and provides the cantons with parameters for establishing local tax rates and regulations. The Swiss Tax Act also provides transitional provisions, one of which allows eligible companies to
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increase the tax basis of certain assets based on the value generated by their business in previous years, and to amortize such adjustment as a tax deduction over a transitional period. In connection with this transitional provision, we recorded a one-time income tax benefit and corresponding deferred tax asset of $122.9 million during Fiscal 2020, which decreased our effective tax rate by 3,760 basis points.
See Note 10 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional discussion regarding the Swiss Tax Act.
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 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 have recorded cumulative charges of $145.8 million since its inception, of which $48.5 million and $97.3 million were recorded during Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2019, respectively. Actions associated with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan are complete and no additional charges are expected to be incurred in connection with this plan.
See Note 9 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional discussion regarding charges recorded in connection with the Fiscal 2019 Restructuring Plan.
Our Brands and Products
Our products, which include apparel, footwear, accessories, and fragrance collections for men and women, as well as childrenswear and home furnishings, together with our hospitality portfolio, comprise one of the most widely recognized families of consumer brands. Reflecting a distinctive American perspective, we have been an innovator in aspirational lifestyle branding and believe that, under the direction of internationally renowned designer Mr. Ralph Lauren, we have had a considerable influence on the way people dress and the way that fashion is advertised throughout the world.
We combine consumer insight with our design, marketing, and imaging skills to offer, along with our licensing alliances, broad lifestyle product collections with a unified vision:
| • | Apparel — Our apparel products include extensive collections of men's, women's, and children's clothing, which are sold under various brand names, including Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, RLX Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others; |
| • | Footwear and Accessories — Our range of footwear and accessories encompasses men's, women's, and children's, including casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, umbrellas, and leather goods, including handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts, which are sold under the Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Double RL, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco brands; |
| • | Fragrance — Our fragrance offerings capture the essence of Ralph Lauren's men's and women's brands with numerous labels, designed to appeal to a variety of audiences. Women's fragrance products are sold under our Ralph Lauren Collection, Woman by Ralph Lauren, Romance Collection, Ralph Collection, and Big Pony Women's brands. Men's fragrance products are sold under our Polo Blue, Safari, Purple Label, Polo Red, Polo Green, Polo Black, Polo Supreme, Polo Sport, and Big Pony Men's brands; |
| • | Home — Our coordinated home products include bedding and bath products, furniture, fabric and wallpaper, lighting, tabletop, floorcoverings, and giftware; and |
| • | Hospitality — Continuing to engage our consumers with experiential and unique expressions of the brand, our hospitality portfolio is a natural extension of the World of Ralph Lauren as expressed through the culinary arts. Ralph Lauren's global hospitality collection is comprised of our restaurants including The Polo Bar in New York City, RL |
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Restaurant located in Chicago, Ralph's located in Paris, and our Ralph's Coffee concept in various cities around the world.
Our lifestyle brand image is reinforced by our distribution through our stores and concession-based shop-within-shops, our wholesale channels of distribution, our global digital commerce sites, and our Ralph Lauren restaurants. We sell our products under the following key brand platforms:
| 1. | Ralph Lauren Luxury — Our Luxury group includes: |
Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label. Ralph Lauren Collection embodies the highest expression of chic, feminine glamour. Each piece is inspired by a vision of timeless luxury and modern elegance, and is crafted with unparalleled passion and artistry. For men, Ralph Lauren Purple Label is the ultimate expression of luxury for the modern gentleman. Refined suitings are hand-tailored, including custom made-to-measure suits crafted in the time-honored traditions of Savile Row. Purple Label's sophisticated sportswear is designed with a meticulous attention to detail, capturing the elegance and ease of Ralph Lauren's signature, timeless style. Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label are available in Ralph Lauren stores around the world, an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Double RL. Founded in 1993 and named after Ralph Lauren's working cattle ranch in Colorado, Double RL is a tribute to America's pioneering spirit and tradition of rugged independence. The foundation of Double RL lies in timeless wardrobe staples, including authentic American made selvedge denim, military-grade chinos, tube-knit t-shirts, thermals, and flannels. Beyond these iconic styles are added seasonal vintage-inspired collections, along with a full collection of footwear and accessories, including quality belts, bags, and leather goods. Double RL is available at Double RL stores, at select Ralph Lauren stores, and an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores around the world, as well as online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Ralph Lauren Home. Ralph Lauren Home represents a full expression of modern luxury — style is a life well-lived. Based on an immersive design ethos, the collection includes furniture, lighting, bed and bath linens, tabletop, decorative accessories and gifts, as well as fabric, wallcoverings, and floorcoverings. Each piece is crafted with the greatest attention to detail. Ralph Lauren Home offers exclusive luxury goods at select Ralph Lauren stores, home specialty stores, trade showrooms, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. The complete world of Ralph Lauren Home can be explored online at RalphLaurenHome.com.
Ralph Lauren Watches and Fine Jewelry. We offer a premier collection of timepieces, which embody Ralph Lauren's passion for impeccable quality and exquisite design. We also offer premium collections of fine jewelry, which capture the glamour and craftsmanship of Ralph Lauren's most luxurious designs. Ralph Lauren watches and fine jewelry are available at select Ralph Lauren stores and flagship locations around the world. A selection of watches is also available online at RalphLauren.com and the finest watch retailers.
| 2. | Polo Ralph Lauren — The Polo Ralph Lauren group includes: |
Polo Ralph Lauren. Men's Polo combines Ivy League classics and time-honored English haberdashery with downtown styles and all-American sporting looks in sportswear and tailored clothing. Women's Polo represents the epitome of classic and iconic American style with a modern and cool twist. Polo's signature aesthetic includes our renowned polo player logo. Men's and Women's Polo apparel, footwear, and accessories are available in Polo and Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department and specialty stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.
Polo Ralph Lauren Children. Polo Ralph Lauren Children is designed to reflect the timeless heritage and modern spirit of Ralph Lauren's collections for men and women. Signature classics include iconic polo knit shirts and luxurious cashmere cable-knit sweaters. Polo Ralph Lauren Children is available in a full range of sizes, from baby to girls 2-16 and boys 2-20. Polo Ralph Lauren Children can be found in select Polo and Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com, as well as certain of our retailer partner digital commerce sites.
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Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren. Tested and worn by top-ranked professional golfers, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren for men and women define excellence in the world of golf. With a sharpened focus on the needs of the modern player but rooted in the rich design tradition of Ralph Lauren, the Golf collections combine state-of-the-art performance wear with luxurious finishing touches. Our Golf collections are available in select Polo stores, exclusive private clubs and resorts, and online at RalphLauren.com.
Pink Pony. Established in 2000, the Pink Pony campaign is our worldwide initiative in the fight against cancer. In the U.S., a percentage of sales from Pink Pony products benefit the Pink Pony Fund of the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (formerly known as the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation), which supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment, and research, and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities. Internationally, a network of local cancer charities around the world benefit from the sale of Pink Pony products. Pink Pony consists of dual gender sportswear and accessories. Pink Pony items feature our iconic pink polo player – a symbol of our commitment to the fight against cancer. Pink Pony is available at select Polo and Ralph Lauren stores and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. Pink Pony is also available at select Macy's stores and online at Macys.com.
| 3. | Lauren Ralph Lauren — Our Lauren group includes: |
Lauren Ralph Lauren. Lauren for women combines timeless style with modern femininity in a lifestyle collection of sportswear, denim, and dresses, as well as footwear and accessories at a more accessible price point. Lauren for women is available in select department stores around the world and online at select digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. Lauren for men offers a complete collection of men's tailored clothing, including suits, sport coats, dress shirts, dress pants, tuxedos, topcoats, and ties at a more accessible price point. Lauren for men is available at select department stores in North America and Europe.
Lauren Home. Launched in 2017, the Lauren Home collection includes accessibly-priced, timeless bath and bedding designs, updated with a fresh, modern spirit. The collection is built upon an assortment of essentials that is designed to be periodically augmented with trend-relevant colors and patterns.
| 4. | Chaps — Launched in 1978, Chaps celebrates real American style, delivering classic collections updated for modern lifestyles for men, women, children and home. The modern lifestyle collection offers versatile sportswear, workday essentials, tailored clothing, and occasion dresses that are wearable from season to season. Chaps is available in select department stores and retail partner digital commerce sites across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China. |
| 5. | Club Monaco — Founded in 1985, Club Monaco is a modern, urban-minded brand with an element of ease and a spark of entrepreneurship. The brand prides itself on creating elevated essentials recognized for their style, design, fit, and functionality with a relaxed, of-the-moment sensibility. Club Monaco apparel, footwear, and accessories are available at Club Monaco stores and select department stores in North America and around the world, as well as online at ClubMonaco.com and ClubMonaco.ca. |
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Our Segments
We organize our business into the following three reportable segments:
| • | North America — Our North America segment, representing approximately 51% of our Fiscal 2020 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through our retail and wholesale businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. In North America, our retail business is primarily comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, and our digital commerce site, www.RalphLauren.com. Our wholesale business in North America is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. |
| • | Europe — Our Europe segment, representing approximately 26% of our Fiscal 2020 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through our retail and wholesale businesses in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, excluding Club Monaco. In Europe, our retail business is primarily comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, our concession-based shop-within-shops, and our various digital commerce sites. Our wholesale business in Europe is comprised of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country, as well as to various third-party digital partners. |
| • | Asia — Our Asia segment, representing approximately 17% of our Fiscal 2020 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and related products made through our retail and wholesale businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Our retail business in Asia is primarily 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. |
No operating segments were aggregated to form our reportable segments. In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments, representing approximately 6% of our Fiscal 2020 net revenues, which primarily consist of (i) sales of Club Monaco branded products made through our retail and wholesale businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and our licensing alliances in Europe and Asia, and (ii) royalty revenues earned through our global licensing alliances, excluding Club Monaco.
This segment structure is consistent with how we establish our overall business strategy, allocate resources, and assess performance of our Company.
Effective beginning in the first quarter of Fiscal 2020, operating results related to our business in Latin America are included within our Europe segment due to a change in how we manage this business. Previously, such results were included within our other non-reportable segments. All prior period segment information has been recast to reflect this change on a comparative basis.
Approximately 46% of our Fiscal 2020 net revenues were earned outside of the U.S. See Note 20 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for a summary of net revenues and operating income by segment, as well as net revenues and long-lived assets by geographic location.
Our Retail Business
Our retail business sells directly to customers throughout the world via our 530 retail stores and 654 concession-based shop-within-shops, totaling approximately 4.1 million and 0.7 million square feet, respectively, as well as through our own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. We operate our business using a global omni-channel retailing strategy that seeks to deliver an integrated shopping experience with a consistent message of our brands and products to our customers, regardless of whether they are shopping for our products in physical stores or online.
Ralph Lauren Stores
Our Ralph Lauren stores feature a broad range of apparel, footwear, accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments in an atmosphere reflecting the distinctive attitude and image of the Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Double RL brands, including exclusive merchandise that is not sold in department stores. During Fiscal 2020, we opened 23 new Ralph Lauren
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stores and closed six stores. Our Ralph Lauren stores are primarily situated in major upscale street locations and upscale regional malls, generally in large urban markets.
The following table presents the number of Ralph Lauren stores by segment as of March 28, 2020:
| Ralph Lauren Stores | |||
| North America | 41 | ||
| Europe | 30 | ||
| Asia | 67 | ||
| Total | 138 |
Our nine flagship Ralph Lauren regional store locations showcase our iconic styles and products and demonstrate our most refined merchandising techniques. In addition to generating sales of our products, our worldwide Ralph Lauren stores establish, reinforce, and capitalize on the image of our brands. Our Ralph Lauren stores range in size from approximately 600 to 37,900 square feet.
Factory Stores
We extend our reach to additional consumer groups through our 318 factory stores worldwide, which are principally located in major outlet centers. Our worldwide factory stores offer selections of our apparel, footwear, accessories, and fragrances. In addition to these product offerings, certain of our factory stores in North America and Europe offer home furnishings. During Fiscal 2020, we opened 24 new factory stores and closed 11 factory stores.
The following table presents the number of factory stores by segment as of March 28, 2020:
| Factory Stores | |||
| North America | 189 | ||
| Europe | 64 | ||
| Asia | 65 | ||
| Total | 318 |
Our factory stores range in size from approximately 1,100 to 28,300 square feet. Factory stores obtain products from our suppliers, our product licensing partners, and our other retail stores and digital commerce operations, and also serve as a secondary distribution channel for our excess and out-of-season products.
Concession-based Shop-within-Shops
The terms of trade for shop-within-shops are largely conducted on a concession basis, whereby inventory continues to be owned by us (not the department store) until ultimate sale to the end consumer. The salespeople involved in the sales transactions are generally our employees and not those of the department store.
The following table presents the number of concession-based shop-within-shops by segment as of March 28, 2020:
| Concession-based Shop-within-Shops | |||
| North America | 2 | ||
| Europe | 29 | ||
| Asia | 619 | ||
| Other non-reportable segments | 4 | ||
| Total**(a)** | 654 |
| (a) | Our concession-based shop-within-shops were located at approximately 300 retail locations. |
The size of our concession-based shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 100 to 3,500 square feet. We may share in the cost of building out certain of these shop-within-shops with our department store partners.
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Club Monaco Stores
Our Club Monaco stores feature fashion apparel, footwear, and accessories for both men and women with clean and contemporary signature styles. During Fiscal 2020, we opened one new Club Monaco store and closed two stores. Our Club Monaco stores range in size from approximately 1,500 to 17,400 square feet.
The following table presents the number of Club Monaco stores by geographic location as of March 28, 2020:
| Club Monaco Stores | |||
| North America | 70 | ||
| Europe | 4 | ||
| Total**(a)** | 74 |
| (a) | Our Club Monaco business has been aggregated with other non-reportable segments. |
Directly-Operated Digital Commerce Websites
In addition to our stores, our retail business sells products online in North America and Europe through our various directly-operated digital commerce sites, which include www.RalphLauren.com and www.ClubMonaco.com, among others, as well as through our Polo mobile app in North America and the United Kingdom. In Asia, we sell products online through our directly-operated digital commerce site, www.RalphLauren.cn, which launched in September 2018, as well as through various third-party digital partner commerce sites.
Our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites offer our customers access to a broad array of Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Double RL apparel, footwear, accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments, and reinforce the luxury image of our brands. While investing in digital commerce operations remains a primary focus, it is an extension of our investment in the integrated omni-channel strategy used to operate our overall retail business, in which our digital commerce operations are interdependent with our physical stores.
Our Club Monaco digital commerce sites offer our domestic and Canadian customers access to our global assortment of Club Monaco apparel, footwear, and accessories product lines, as well as select online exclusives.
Our Wholesale Business
Our wholesale business sells our products globally to leading upscale and certain mid-tier department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops, as well as to various third-party digital partners. We have continued to focus on elevating our brand by improving in-store product assortment and presentation, as well as full-price sell-throughs to consumers. As of the end of Fiscal 2020, our wholesale products were sold through over 11,000 doors worldwide, with the majority in specialty stores. Our products are also increasingly being sold through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers.
The primary product offerings sold through our wholesale channels of distribution include apparel, footwear, accessories, and home furnishings. Our luxury brands, including Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label, are distributed worldwide through a limited number of premier fashion retailers. In North America, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. In Europe, our wholesale business is comprised of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country, as well as to various third-party digital partners. In Asia, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, with related products distributed through shop-within-shops. We also distribute our wholesale products to certain licensed stores operated by our partners in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
We sell the majority of our excess and out-of-season products through secondary distribution channels worldwide, including our retail factory stores.
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Worldwide Wholesale Distribution Channels
The following table presents by segment the number of wholesale doors in our primary channels of distribution as of March 28, 2020:
| Doors | |||
| North America | 5,735 | ||
| Europe | 4,928 | ||
| Asia | 500 | ||
| Total | 11,163 |
We have three key wholesale customers that generate significant sales volume. During Fiscal 2020, sales to our three largest wholesale customers accounted for approximately 18% of our total net revenues. Substantially all sales to our three largest wholesale customers related to our North America segment.
Our products are sold primarily by our own sales forces. Our wholesale business maintains its primary showrooms in New York City. In addition, we maintain regional showrooms in London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, and Stockholm.
Shop-within-Shops. As a critical element of our distribution to department stores, we and our licensing partners utilize shop-within-shops to enhance brand recognition, to permit more complete merchandising of our lines by the department stores, and to differentiate the presentation of our products.
The following table presents by segment the number of shop-within-shops in our primary channels of distribution as of March 28, 2020:
| Shop-within-Shops | |||
| North America | 12,623 | ||
| Europe | 7,229 | ||
| Asia | 685 | ||
| Total | 20,537 |
The size of our shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 85 to 9,200 square feet. Shop-within-shop fixed assets primarily include items such as customized freestanding fixtures, wall cases and components, decorative items, and flooring. We normally share in the cost of building out these shop-within-shops with our wholesale customers.
Replenishment Program. Core products such as knit shirts, chino pants, oxford cloth shirts, select accessories, and home products can be ordered by our wholesale customers at any time through our replenishment program. We generally ship these products within two to five days of order receipt.
Our Licensing Business
Through licensing alliances, we combine our consumer insight, design, and marketing skills with the specific product or geographic competencies of our licensing partners to create and build new businesses. We generally seek out licensing partners who are leaders in their respective markets, contribute the majority of product development costs, provide the operational infrastructure required to support the business, and own the inventory. Our licensing business has been aggregated with other non-reportable segments.
Product Licensing
We grant our product licensees 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. Each product licensing partner pays us royalties based upon its sales of our products, generally subject to a minimum royalty requirement for the right to use our trademarks and design services. In addition, our licensing partners may be required to allocate a portion of their revenues to advertising our products and sharing in the creative costs associated with these products. Larger allocations typically are required in connection with launches of new products or in new territories. Our license agreements generally have two to five-year terms and may grant the licensees conditional renewal options.
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We work closely with all of our licensing partners to ensure that their products are developed, marketed, and distributed to reach the intended consumer and are presented consistently across product categories to convey the distinctive identity and lifestyle associated with our brands. Virtually all aspects of the design, production quality, packaging, merchandising, distribution, advertising, and promotion of Ralph Lauren products are subject to our prior approval and continuing oversight. We perform a broader range of services for most of our Ralph Lauren Home licensing partners than we do for our other licensing partners, including design, operating showrooms, marketing, and advertising.
The following table lists our largest licensing agreements as of March 28, 2020 for the product categories presented. Except as noted in the table, these product licenses cover North America only.
| Category | Licensed Products | Licensing Partners | ||
| Men's Apparel | Underwear and Sleepwear | Hanesbrands, Inc. (includes Japan) | ||
| Chaps, Lauren, and Ralph Tailored Clothing | Peerless Clothing International, Inc. | |||
| Women's Apparel | Outerwear | S. Rothschild & Co., Inc. | ||
| Swimwear | Manhattan Beachwear, Inc. (includes Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and portions of South America) | |||
| Beauty Products | Fragrances, Cosmetics, Color, and Skin Care | L'Oreal S.A. (global) | ||
| Accessories | Eyewear | Luxottica Group S.p.A. (global) | ||
| Home | Bedding and Bath | Ichida Co., Ltd. (Japan only) | ||
| Utility and Blankets | Ichida Co., Ltd. (Japan only) and Hollander Sleep Products LLC | |||
| Fabric and Wallpaper | P. Kaufmann, Inc. (includes Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and portions of South America and Asia) |
International Licensing
Our international licensing partners acquire the right to sell, promote, market, and/or distribute various categories of our products in a given geographic area and source products from us, our product licensing partners, and independent sources. International licensees' rights may include the right to own and operate retail stores. As of March 28, 2020, our international licensing partners operated 80 Ralph Lauren stores, 31 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 139 Club Monaco stores and shops.
Digital Ecosystem
Investing in our digital ecosystem remains a primary focus and is a key component of our integrated global omni-channel strategy that spans across owned and partnered channels, both physical and digital. Our digital ecosystem is comprised of directly-operated platforms, wholesale partner websites, third-party digital pure players, and social commerce.
Our directly-operated digital commerce sites represent our digital flagships, displaying the most elevated expression of our brands. The strategy for our digital flagships is to deliver distinct and immersive brand experiences, continuously enhance consumer experience, and develop digital content that drives deeper consumer engagement and conversion. With the ongoing launch of our localized sites, including in Ireland and Switzerland this year, we continue to expand the reach of our digital flagship experience. In connection with our long-term growth strategy, we are also working to broaden our omni-channel service offerings, such as buy online and pickup and return in store. In addition to our directly-operated digital commerce sites, we have also recently launched our Polo mobile app in the United Kingdom, our first mobile app launch outside of North America.
Our products are also sold through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers across the globe. With all partners in our ecosystem, we seek to showcase the brand consistently with our values. We collaborate with our key wholesale customers to deliver the right content to the right audience, and leverage consumer insights to develop a holistic, channel-agnostic view of our consumer.
We also sell our products online through various third-party digital pure-play sites to reach younger consumers and amplify our brand messages. On many of these sites, we have created digital shop-in-shop environments with a consistent brand experience, tailored product stories, and an assortment that is carefully curated by our merchants. We also partner closely with our pure-play
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customers on marketing content and events, as well as optimizing search and other data analyses to drive higher traffic and conversion for our brands. We also continue to tap into the social commerce opportunity, such as our launch of Instagram shopping in Europe this year.
In connection with our digital commerce operations, we engage consumers through various digital and social media platforms, which are supported through our collaboration with influencers who have an authentic connection to our brand.
Seasonality of Business
Our business is typically affected by seasonal trends, with higher levels of retail sales in our second and third fiscal quarters and higher wholesale sales in our second and fourth fiscal quarters. These trends result primarily from the timing of key vacation travel, back-to-school, and holiday shopping periods impacting our retail business and timing of seasonal wholesale shipments. As a result of changes in our business, consumer spending patterns, and the macroeconomic environment, historical quarterly operating trends and working capital requirements may not be indicative of our future performance. In addition, fluctuations in sales, operating income, and cash flows in any fiscal quarter may be affected by other events affecting retail sales, such as changes in weather patterns.
Working capital requirements vary throughout the year. Working capital requirements typically increase during the first half of the fiscal year as inventory builds to support peak shipping/selling periods and, accordingly, typically decrease during the second half of the fiscal year as inventory is shipped/sold. Cash provided by operating activities is typically higher in the second half of the fiscal year due to reduced working capital requirements during that period.
Product Design
Our products reflect a timeless and innovative interpretation of American style with a strong international appeal. Our consistent emphasis on new and distinctive design has been an important contributor to the prominence, strength, and reputation of the Ralph Lauren brands.
Our Ralph Lauren products are designed by, and under the direction of, Mr. Ralph Lauren and our design staff. We form design teams around our brands and product categories to develop concepts, themes, and products for each brand and category. Through close collaboration with merchandising, sales, and production staff, these teams support all of our businesses in order to gain market information and other valuable input.
Marketing and Advertising
Our marketing and advertising programs communicate the themes and images of our brands and are integral to the success of our product offerings. The majority of our advertising program is created and executed by our in-house creative and advertising agency to ensure consistency of presentation, which is complemented by our marketing experts in each region who help to execute our international strategies.
We create distinctive image advertising for our brands, conveying the particular message of each one within the context of the overall Ralph Lauren aesthetic. Advertisements generally portray a lifestyle rather than a specific item and include a variety of products offered by us and, in some cases, our licensing partners. Our communication campaigns are increasingly being executed through digital and social media platforms to drive further engagement with the younger consumer, with a focus on influencers. With regard to influencers, we believe in fostering long-term relationships with those who have an authentic connection to our brand and influence the areas of culture that matter most to our audiences. We also continue to advertise through print and outdoor media, and, to a lesser extent, through television and cinema.
Our digital advertising programs focus on high impact and innovative digital media outlets, which allow us to convey our key brand messages and lifestyle positioning. We also develop digital editorial initiatives that allow for deeper education and engagement around the Ralph Lauren lifestyle, including the RL Magazine, RL Style Guide, and a wide array of video and social media content. We deploy these marketing and advertising initiatives through online, mobile, video, email, and social media. Our digital commerce sites present the Ralph Lauren lifestyle online, while offering a broad array of our apparel, footwear, accessories, and home product lines.
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Additionally, we advertise in consumer and trade publications, and participate in cooperative advertising on a shared cost basis with some of our retail and licensing partners. We have outdoor advertising placements in key cities as well, focusing on impact and reach. We also provide point-of-sale fixtures and signage to our wholesale customers to enhance the presentation of our products at their retail locations. In addition, when our licensing partners are required to spend an amount equal to a percentage of their licensed product sales on advertising, in certain cases we coordinate the advertising placement on their behalf. We believe our investments in shop-within-shop environments and retail stores, including our global flagship locations, contribute to and enhance the themes of our brands to consumers.
We also conduct a variety of public relations activities. For example, we typically introduce each of the spring and fall menswear and womenswear collections at press presentations in major cities such as New York City and Milan. Such fashion events, in addition to celebrity red carpet dressing moments and events hosted in our stores and restaurants, including The Polo Bar in New York City, generate extensive domestic and international media and social coverage.
We continue to be the official outfitter for all on-court officials at both the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open tennis tournaments. Both tournaments provide worldwide exposure for our brand in a relevant lifestyle environment. We also continue to be the exclusive Official Parade Outfitter for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, with the right to manufacture, distribute, advertise, promote, and sell products in the U.S. which replicate the Parade Outfits and associated leisure wear. Most recently, we dressed Team U.S.A. for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and will be dressing the team for the next Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. As part of our involvement with Team U.S.A., we have established a partnership with athletes serving as brand ambassadors and as the faces of our advertising, marketing, and public relations campaigns. We are also the official apparel outfitter for the Professional Golfers' Association ("PGA") of America, the PGA Championship, and the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, as well as a partner of the American Junior Golf Association. We sponsor a roster of professional golfers, including Billy Horschel, Davis Love III, Doc Redman, Justin Thomas, Nick Watney, and Tom Watson.
We believe our partnerships with such prestigious global athletic events reinforce our brand's sporting heritage in a truly authentic way and serve to connect our Company and brands to our consumers through their individual areas of passion.
Sourcing, Production and Quality
We contract for the manufacture of our products and do not own or operate any production facilities. Over 500 different manufacturers worldwide produce our apparel, footwear, accessories, and home products, with no one manufacturer providing more than 4% of our total production during Fiscal 2020. We source both finished products and raw materials. Raw materials include fabric, buttons, and other trim. Finished products consist of manufactured and fully assembled products ready for shipment to our customers. In Fiscal 2020, approximately 98% of our products (by dollar value) were produced outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, with approximately 25% of our products sourced from China. See "Import Restrictions and Other Government Regulations," Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Economic conditions could have a negative impact on our major customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business," and Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications."
Most of our businesses must commit to the manufacturing of our garments before we sell finished goods, whether to wholly-owned retail stores or to wholesale customers. We also must commit to the purchase of fabric from mills well in advance of our sales. If we overestimate our primary customers' demand for a particular product or the need for a particular fabric or yarn, we primarily sell the excess products or garments made from such fabric or yarn in our factory stores or through other secondary distribution channels.
Suppliers operate under the close supervision of our global manufacturing division and buying agents headquartered in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe. All products are produced according to our specifications and standards. Production and quality control staff in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe monitor manufacturing at supplier facilities in order to correct problems prior to shipment of the final product. Procedures have been implemented under our vendor certification and compliance programs so that quality assurance is reviewed early in the production process, allowing merchandise to be received at the distribution facilities and shipped to customers with minimal interruption.
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Competition
Competition is very strong in the segments of the fashion and consumer product industries in which we operate. We compete with numerous designers and manufacturers of apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrances, and home furnishing products, both domestic and international. We also face increasing competition from companies selling our product categories through the Internet. Some of our competitors may be significantly larger and have substantially greater resources than us. We compete primarily on the basis of fashion, quality, value, and service, which depend on our ability to:
| • | anticipate and respond to changing consumer demands and shopping preferences, including the increasing shift to digital brand engagement, social media communications, and online shopping; |
| • | create and maintain favorable brand recognition, loyalty, and reputation for quality; |
| • | develop and produce innovative, high-quality products that appeal to consumers of varying age groups; |
| • | competitively price our products and create an acceptable value proposition for consumers; |
| • | provide strong and effective marketing support; |
| • | obtain additional points of distribution and sufficient retail floor space, and effectively present our products to consumers; |
| • | attract consumer traffic to stores, shop-within-shops, and websites; |
| • | source raw materials at cost-effective prices; |
| • | anticipate and maintain proper inventory levels; |
| • | ensure product availability and optimize supply chain and distribution efficiencies; |
| • | maintain and grow market share; |
| • | recruit and retain key employees; and |
| • | protect our intellectual property. |
See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — We face intense competition worldwide in the markets in which we operate."
Distribution
To facilitate global distribution, our products are shipped from manufacturers to a network of distribution centers around the world for inspection, sorting, packing, and delivery to our retail locations and digital commerce and wholesale customers. This network includes the following primary distribution facilities:
| Facility Location | Geographic Region Serviced | Facility Ownership | ||
| N. Pendleton Street, High Point, North Carolina | U.S. | Owned | ||
| NC Highway 66, High Point, North Carolina | U.S. | Leased | ||
| Greensboro, North Carolina | U.S. | Leased | ||
| Chino Hills, California | U.S. | Third-party | ||
| Miami, Florida | U.S. | Third-party | ||
| Toronto, Ontario | Canada | Third-party | ||
| Parma, Italy | Europe and Latin America | Third-party | ||
| Yokohama, Japan | Japan | Third-party | ||
| Bugok, South Korea | South Korea | Leased | ||
| Tuen Mun, Hong Kong | China and Southeast Asia**(a)** | Third-party |
| (a) | Includes Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
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All facilities are designed to allow for high-density cube storage and value-added services, and utilize unit and carton tracking technology to facilitate process control and inventory management. The distribution network is managed through globally integrated information technology systems.
Information Systems
Our information systems facilitate business processes, consumer experiences, and decision-making support across the Company and our extended ecosystem of manufacturers, vendors, business partners, and customers. Our system applications are connected to support the flow of information across functions, including:
| • | product design, sourcing, and production; |
| • | comprehensive order processing, fulfillment, and distribution; |
| • | retail store and digital commerce operations; |
| • | marketing and advertising; |
| • | financial accounting and management reporting; and |
| • | human resources. |
Our retail operation systems, including point-of-sale registers and merchandising, planning, and inventory management systems, support operational processes within our store network and link with our digital commerce processes to support omni-channel capabilities.
We are continually improving and upgrading our computer systems and software. During Fiscal 2020, we migrated our Asia operations to a new financial reporting information technology system, Microsoft AX Dynamics 365. In addition to this system implementation, during Fiscal 2020, we began reconfiguring the financial reporting information technology system used by our Europe operations, SAP, in order to utilize enhanced financial reporting functionality. We are also continually enhancing the consumer experience by adding new functionality on our digital commerce sites.
We have a longstanding information security risk program committed to regular risk management practices surrounding the protection of confidential data. This program includes various technical controls, including security monitoring, data leakage protection, network segmentation and access controls around the computer resources that house confidential or sensitive data. We have also implemented employee awareness training programs around phishing, malware, and other cyber risks. We continually evaluate the security environment surrounding the handling and control of our critical data, especially the private data we receive from our customers, employees and partners, and have instituted additional measures to help protect us from system intrusion or data breaches. Additionally, we have purchased network security and cyber liability insurance in order to provide a level of financial protection, should a data breach occur.
See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — A data security or privacy breach could damage our reputation and our relationships with our customers or employees, expose us to litigation risk, and adversely affect our business" and "Risk Factors — Our business could suffer if our computer systems and websites are disrupted or cease to operate effectively."
Wholesale Credit Control
We manage our own credit function. We sell our merchandise principally to major department stores, specialty stores, and third-party digital partners, and extend credit based on an evaluation of the wholesale customer's financial capacity and condition, usually without requiring collateral. We monitor credit levels and the financial condition of our wholesale customers on a continuing basis to minimize credit risk. We do not factor or underwrite our accounts receivables, nor do we maintain credit insurance to manage the risk of bad debts. In North America, collection and deduction transactional activities are provided through a third-party service provider. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from a limited number of large wholesale customers. Our business could be adversely affected as a result of consolidations, liquidations, restructurings, other ownership changes in the retail industry, and/or any financial instability of our large wholesale customers."
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Wholesale Backlog
We generally receive wholesale orders approximately three to five months prior to the time the products are delivered to customers, with the exception of orders received through our replenishment program, which ship within two to five days of order receipt. Our wholesale orders are generally subject to broad cancellation rights.
The following table presents our wholesale backlog by segment as of March 28, 2020 and March 30, 2019:
| March 28, 2020 | March 30, 2019 | |||||||
| (billions) | ||||||||
| North America | $ | 0.6 | $ | 0.6 | ||||
| Europe | 0.5 | 0.4 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 1.1 | $ | 1.0 |
Approximately 45% of our wholesale backlog was subsequently canceled during the first quarter of Fiscal 2021 driven by adverse impacts associated with COVID-19 business disruptions, which include temporary department and specialty store closures worldwide, as well as declines in retail traffic, tourism, and consumer spending on discretionary items. The COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis. Accordingly, we cannot predict at this time how much of our remaining wholesale backlog will be fulfilled within the next 12 months.
The size of our order backlog depends upon a number of factors, including the timing of the market weeks for our particular lines during which a significant percentage of our orders are received and the timing of shipments, which varies from year-to-year with consideration for holidays, consumer trends, concept plans, and the replenishment program's usage. As a consequence, a comparison of the size of our order backlog from period-to-period may not be meaningful, nor may it be indicative of eventual shipments.
Trademarks
We own the RALPH LAUREN, POLO, POLO BY RALPH LAUREN DESIGN, and the famous polo player astride a horse trademarks in the U.S. and approximately 120 countries worldwide. Other trademarks that we own include:
| • | PURPLE LABEL; |
| • | DOUBLE RL; |
| • | RRL; |
| • | RLX; |
| • | LAUREN RALPH LAUREN; |
| • | PINK PONY; |
| • | LAUREN; |
| • | RALPH; |
| • | CHAPS; |
| • | CLUB MONACO; and |
| • | Various other trademarks, including those pertaining to fragrances and cosmetics. |
Mr. Ralph Lauren has the royalty-free right to use as trademarks RALPH LAUREN, DOUBLE RL, and RRL in perpetuity in connection with, among other things, beef and living animals. The trademarks DOUBLE RL and RRL are currently used by the Double RL Company, an entity wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren. In addition, Mr. R. Lauren has the right to engage in personal projects involving film or theatrical productions (not including or relating to our business) through RRL Productions, Inc., a company wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren. Any activity by these companies has no impact on us.
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Our trademarks are the subject of registrations and pending applications throughout the world for use on a variety of items of apparel, apparel-related products, home furnishings, restaurant and café services, online services and online publications, and beauty products, as well as in connection with retail services, and we continue to expand our worldwide usage and registration of related trademarks. In general, trademarks remain valid and enforceable as long as the marks are used in connection with the related products and services and the required registration renewals are filed. We regard the license to use the trademarks and our other proprietary rights in and to the trademarks as extremely valuable assets in marketing our products and, on a worldwide basis, vigorously seek to protect them against infringement. As a result of the appeal of our trademarks, our products have been the object of counterfeiting. While we have a broad enforcement program which has been generally effective in protecting our intellectual property rights and limiting the sale of counterfeit products in the U.S. and in most major markets abroad, we face greater challenges with respect to enforcing our rights against trademark infringement in certain parts of Asia.
In markets outside of the U.S., our rights to some or all of our trademarks may not be clearly established. In the course of our international expansion, we have experienced conflicts with various third parties who have acquired ownership rights in certain trademarks, including POLO and/or a representation of a Polo Player Design, which impede our use and registration of our principal trademarks. While such conflicts are common and may arise again from time to time as we continue our international expansion, we have, in general, successfully resolved such conflicts in the past through both legal action and negotiated settlements with third-party owners of the conflicting marks (see Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not be adequately protected outside the U.S." and Item 3 — "Legal Proceedings" for further discussion). Although we have not suffered any material restraints or restrictions on doing business in desirable markets in the past, we cannot assure that significant impediments will not arise in the future as we expand product offerings and introduce trademarks to new markets.
Import Restrictions and Other Government Regulations
Virtually all of our merchandise imported into the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand is subject to duties. In addition, most of the countries to which we ship could impose safeguard quotas and duties to protect their local industries from import surges that threaten to create market disruption. The U.S. and other countries may also unilaterally impose additional duties in response to a particular product being imported (from China or other countries) at unfairly traded prices in such increased quantities that would cause (or threaten) injury to the relevant domestic industry (generally known as "anti-dumping" actions). If dumping is suspected in the U.S., the U.S. government may self-initiate a dumping case on behalf of the U.S. textile industry which could significantly affect our costs. Furthermore, additional duties, generally known as countervailing duties, can also be imposed by the U.S. government to offset subsidies provided by a foreign government to foreign manufacturers if the importation of such subsidized merchandise injures or threatens to injure a U.S. industry.
In addition, each of the countries in which our products are sold has laws and regulations covering imports. Because the U.S. and the other countries in which our products are manufactured and sold may, from time to time, impose new duties, tariffs, surcharges, or other import controls or restrictions, or adjust presently prevailing duty or tariff rates or levels, we maintain a program of intensive monitoring of import restrictions and opportunities. We seek to minimize our potential exposure to import-related risks through, among other measures, adjustments in product design and fabrication, shifts of production among countries and manufacturers, and through geographical diversification of our sources of supply.
As almost all of our products are manufactured by foreign suppliers, the enactment of new legislation or the administration of current international trade regulations or executive action affecting textile agreements, or changes in sourcing patterns could adversely affect our operations. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our ability to conduct business globally may be affected by a variety of legal, regulatory, political, and economic risks" and "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications."
We are also subject to other international trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and other special trade preference programs. A portion of our imported products are eligible for certain of these duty-advantaged programs.
Apparel and other products sold by us are under the jurisdiction of multiple governmental agencies, including, in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Our products are also subject to regulation in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which relate principally to product labeling, licensing requirements, and consumer product safety requirements and regulatory testing, particularly with respect to products used by children. Any failure to comply with such requirements could result in significant penalties and require us to recall products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with these regulations, as well as
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applicable federal, state, local, and foreign rules and regulations governing the discharge of materials hazardous to the environment. We do not anticipate any significant capital expenditures for environmental control matters either in the next fiscal year or in the near future. Our licensed products, licensing partners, buying/sourcing agents, and the vendors and factories with which we contract for the manufacture and distribution of our products are also subject to regulation. Our agreements require our licensing partners, buying/sourcing agents, vendors, and factories to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and we are not aware of any violations which could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results.
We are also subject to disclosure and reporting requirements, established under existing or new federal or state laws, such as the requirements to identify the origin and existence of certain "conflict minerals" under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and disclosures of specific actions to eradicate abusive labor practices in our supply chain under the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act. While we require our suppliers to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and our operating guidelines which promote ethical and socially responsible business practices, any violation of labor, environmental, health, and safety or other laws, or any divergence by an independent supplier's labor practices from generally accepted industry standards, could damage our reputation, disrupt our sourcing capabilities, and increase the cost of doing business, adversely affecting our results of operations. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business could suffer if we fail to comply with labor laws or if one of our manufacturers fails to use acceptable labor or environmental practices."
Although we have not suffered any material restriction from doing business in desirable markets in the past, we cannot assure that significant impediments will not arise in the future as we expand product offerings and introduce additional trademarks to new markets.
Employees
As of March 28, 2020, we had approximately 24,900 employees, comprised of approximately 13,700 full-time and approximately 11,200 part-time employees. Approximately 13,800 of our employees are located in the U.S. and approximately 11,100 are located in foreign countries. Approximately 15 of our U.S. production employees in the womenswear business are members of Workers United (which was previously known as UNITE HERE) under an industry association collective bargaining agreement, which our womenswear subsidiary has adopted. We consider our relations with both our union and non-union employees to be good.
Information About Our Executive Officers
The following are our current executive officers and their principal recent business experience:
| Ralph Lauren | Age 80 | Mr. Ralph Lauren founded our business in 1967 and, for five decades, has cultivated the iconography of America into a global lifestyle brand. He has been our Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer since November 2015, and a director of the Company since prior to our initial public offering in 1997. He had previously been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since prior to our initial public offering in 1997 until November 2015. In addition, he was previously a member of our Advisory Board or the Board of Directors of our predecessors since their organization. | ||
| Patrice Louvet | Age 55 | Mr. Louvet has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and a director of the Company since July 2017. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the Group President, Global Beauty, of Procter & Gamble Co. ("P&G") since February 2015. Prior to that role, Mr. Louvet held successively senior leadership positions at P&G, including the roles of Group President, Global Grooming (Gillette), and President of P&G's Global Prestige Business. Before he joined P&G, he served as a Naval Officer, Admiral Aide de Camp in the French Navy from 1987 to 1989. Mr. Louvet graduated from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and received his M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. He has served as a member of the board of directors of Bacardi Limited since July 2012. | ||
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| Jane Hamilton Nielsen | Age 56 | Ms. Nielsen has been our Chief Financial Officer since September 2016 and our Chief Operating Officer since April 2019. She served as Chief Financial Officer of Coach, Inc. from September 2011 to August 2016. From 2009 to 2011, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo Beverages Americas and the Global Nutrition Group, divisions of PepsiCo, Inc., with responsibility for all financial management including financial reporting, performance management, capital allocation, and strategic planning. Prior to that, Ms. Nielsen held various senior roles in finance at PepsiCo, Inc. and Pepsi Bottling Group starting in 1996. She also served on the board of directors of Pinnacle Foods Inc. Ms. Nielsen received her M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and B.A. from Smith College. | ||
| Andrew Howard Smith | Age 49 | Mr. Smith has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since April 2019. He has been with our Company for over 16 years, having worked in various capacities based in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Prior to his current role, he was responsible for our International Division based in Geneva, Switzerland, with general management responsibility for all markets outside of North America. Prior to this, he led our businesses across Asia as Group President of Asia Pacific, and before that he was responsible for our Japan market as President & Representative Director of Japan. His roles before this include SVP Global Supply Chain, based in New York, where he worked around the world on operational acquisition integrations through our license buy-back phase, and various roles based in Europe in Supply Chain, Sales Order Management, and Merchandise Allocation. He has been instrumental in turning our Asia businesses to growth, and driving brand elevation and accelerating profitable growth across all of our International markets. Prior to joining our Company, Mr. Smith served as Head of Supply Chain for Selfridges & Co., the UK based department store group. Mr. Smith is a graduate of City, University of London. | ||
| David Lauren | Age 48 | Mr. David Lauren is our Chief Innovation Officer, Strategic Advisor to the CEO, and Vice Chairman of the Board. He has served as our Chief Innovation Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board since October 2016. From November 2010 to October 2016, he served as our Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing and Communications. Prior to that, he served in numerous leadership roles at the Company with responsibility for advertising, marketing, and communications. He has been a director of the Company since August 2013. Mr. D. Lauren oversees the Company's innovation processes and capabilities to drive its brand strength and financial performance across all channels. He has been instrumental in growing the Company's global digital commerce business and pioneering our technology initiatives. He serves on the board of trustees of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention and the board of directors of The National Museum of American History. Mr. D. Lauren is also the Head of the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation (formerly known as the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation). Before joining the Company in 2000, he was Editor-In-Chief and President of Swing, a general interest publication for Generation X. Mr. D. Lauren is the son of Mr. R. Lauren. |
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