Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections NA
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Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections NA
| | | | | | | | | | | PART III | | | | | | | | | | Item 10. | | | Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance | | | 107 | | | | Item 11. | | | Executive Compensation | | | 107 | | | | Item 12. | | | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | | | 107 | | | | Item 13. | | | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | | | 108 | | | | Item 14. | | | Principal Accountant Fees and Services | | | 108 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | PART IV | | | | | | | | | | Item 15. | | | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules | | | 109 | | | | Item 16. | | | Form 10-K Summary | | | 109 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | INDEX TO EXHIBITS | | | | | | 110 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SIGNATURES | | | | | | 115 | | |
Market positions and industry data discussed in this Form 10-K are as of calendar 2024 and have been obtained or derived from industry and government publications and our estimates. The industry and government publications include: Beer Marketers Insights; Beverage Information Group; Impact Databank Review and Forecast; International Wine and Spirits Research (IWSR); Circana; Beer Institute; and National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. We have not independently verified the data from the industry and government publications. Unless otherwise noted, all references to market positions are based on U.S. dollar sales.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K are forward-looking statements, including without limitation:
*•*The statements under Item 1. “Business” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding:
*◦*upholding our leadership position in the U.S. beer market and repositioning our wine and spirits business, including through the 2025 Wine Divestitures Transaction, to a portfolio of exclusively higher-end brands that we believe will generate higher growth and higher margins, as well as expanding our supply channels;
*◦*our mission, core values, business strategy, including our strategic vision, growth plans, and Digital Business Acceleration initiatives;
*◦*our beer expansion, optimization, and/or construction activities, including anticipated scope, capacity, costs, capital expenditures, and timeframes for completion;
*◦*our innovation, marketing, sales, and distribution plans, activities, and strategies, access to and availability of production materials, impacts of government regulations, environmental sustainability, CSR, and human capital strategies, aspirations, and targets;
*◦*our enterprise-wide cybersecurity program, including our ability to prevent, identify, respond to, or mitigate the impacts of cyber threats or incidents;
*◦*the condition, working order, and planned divestiture of certain of our facilities;
*◦*our long-term financial model, target comparable net leverage and target dividend payout ratios, future operations, financial condition and position, net sales, expenses including potential future impairment losses, hedging programs, cost savings, restructuring, and efficiency initiatives, capital expenditures, effective tax rates and anticipated tax liabilities, expected volume, inventory, supply and demand levels, balance, and trends, access to capital markets, liquidity and capital resources, including our ability to consistently generate robust cash flow and raise or repay debt, and prospects, plans, and objectives of management;
◦the evolving consumer demand environment and trends, non-structural socioeconomic factors, including subdued spend, value-seeking behaviors, and reductions in the discretionary income, elevated unemployment, changing prices, inflation, other unfavorable global and regional economic conditions, demographic trends in the U.S., global supply chain disruptions and constraints, and geopolitical events, as well as retailer destocking impacting our wine and spirits business, and our responses thereto;
*◦*recent and potential future changes to trade and tariff policies, particularly on imports from Mexico, the European Union including Italy, and New Zealand into the U.S. and retaliatory tariffs imposed on certain product imports originating from the U.S.;
*◦*expected or potential actions of third parties, including possible changes to laws, rules, and regulations;
*◦*the potential impact of severe weather events or other weather conditions;
*◦*the manner, timing, and duration of the share repurchase program and source of funds for share repurchases;
*◦*the amount and timing of future dividends; and
*◦*the statements regarding the impacts of recent accounting pronouncements.
*•*The statements regarding the future reclassification of net gains from AOCI.
When used in this Form 10-K, the words “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. In addition to the risks and
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I i |
uncertainties of ordinary business operations and conditions in the general economy and markets in which we compete, our forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K are also subject to the risk, uncertainty, and possible variance from our current expectations regarding:
*•*potential declines in the consumption of products we sell and our dependence on sales of our Mexican beer brands;
*•*impacts of our acquisition, divestiture, investment, and NPD strategies and activities, including the 2025 Wine Divestitures Transaction and our ability to complete the transaction on the expected terms, conditions, and timetable;
*•*dependence upon our trademarks and proprietary rights, including the failure to protect our intellectual property rights;
*•*potential damage to our reputation;
*•*competition in our industry and for talent;
*•*economic and other uncertainties associated with our international operations, including new or increased tariffs;
*•*water, agricultural and other raw material, and packaging material supply, production, and/or transportation difficulties, disruptions, and impacts, including limited groups of certain suppliers;
*•*reliance on complex information systems and third‐party global networks as well as risks associated with cybersecurity and AI;
*•*dependence on limited facilities for production of our Mexican beer brands, including beer operations expansion, optimization, and/or construction activities, scope, capacity, supply, costs (including impairments), capital expenditures, and timing;
*•*operational disruptions or catastrophic loss to our breweries, wineries, other production facilities, or distribution systems;
*•*severe weather, natural and man-made disasters, climate change, environmental sustainability and CSR-related regulatory compliance and failure to meet environmental sustainability and CSR targets, commitments, and aspirations;
*•*the success of our cost savings, restructuring, and efficiency initiatives;
*•*reliance on wholesale distributors, major retailers, and government agencies;
*•*contamination and degradation of product quality from diseases, pests, weather, and other conditions;
*•*communicable infection or disease outbreaks, pandemics, or other widespread public health crises impacting our consumers, employees, distributors, retailers, and/or suppliers;
*•*effects of employee labor activities that could increase our costs;
*•*our indebtedness and interest rate fluctuations;
*•*our international operations, worldwide and regional economic trends and financial market conditions, geopolitical uncertainty, or other governmental rules and regulations;
*•*class action or other litigation we face or may face, including relating to alleged securities law violations, abuse or misuse of our products, product liability, marketing or sales practices, including product labeling, or other matters;
*•*potential impairments of our intangible assets, such as goodwill and trademarks;
*•*changes to tax laws, fluctuations in our effective tax rate, accounting for tax positions, the resolution of tax disputes, changes to accounting standards, elections, assertions, or policies, and the potential impact of a global minimum tax rate;
*•*uncertainties related to future cash dividends and share repurchases, which may affect the price of our common stock;
*•*ownership of our Class A Stock by the Sands Family Stockholders and their Board of Director nomination rights; and
*•*the choice-of-forum provision in our Amended and Restated By-laws regarding certain stockholder litigation.
For additional information about risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by our forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-K are those described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC.
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I ii |
Defined Terms
Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Company,” “CBI,” “we,” “our,” or “us” refer to Constellation Brands, Inc. and its subsidiaries. We use terms in this Form 10-K and in our Notes that are specific to us or are abbreviations that may not be commonly known or used.
| Term | Meaning | |||||||
| $ | U.S. dollars | |||||||
| 10b5-1 Trading Plan | a pre-arranged trading plan intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c) of the Exchange Act | |||||||
| 2018 Authorization | authorization to repurchase up to $3.0 billion of our publicly traded common stock, approved by our Board of Directors in January 2018 and fully utilized during Fiscal 2023 | |||||||
| 2021 Authorization | authorization to repurchase up to $2.0 billion of our publicly traded common stock, approved by our Board of Directors in January 2021 and fully utilized during Fiscal 2025 | |||||||
| 2022 Credit Agreement | tenth amended and restated credit agreement, dated as of April 14, 2022, provides for an aggregate revolving credit facility of $2.25 billion, inclusive of October 2022 Credit Agreement Amendment | |||||||
| 2022 Restatement Agreement | restatement agreement, dated as of April 14, 2022, that amended and restated our ninth amended and restated credit agreement, dated as of March 26, 2020, which was our then-existing senior credit facility as of February 28, 2022 | |||||||
| 2022 Wine Divestiture | sale of certain mainstream and premium wine brands and related inventory on October 6, 2022 | |||||||
| 2023 Authorization | authorization to repurchase up to $2.0 billion of our publicly traded common stock, approved by our Board of Directors in November 2023, replaced by the 2025 Authorization | |||||||
| 2023 Canopy Promissory Note | C$100.0 million principal amount of 4.25% promissory note issued to us by Canopy in April 2023, exchanged, in part, for Exchangeable Shares in April 2024 | |||||||
| 2025 Authorization | authorization to repurchase up to $4.0 billion of our publicly traded common stock, approved by our Board of Directors in April 2025 | |||||||
| 2025 Restructuring Initiative | an enterprise-wide cost savings and restructuring initiative designed to help optimize the performance of our business, including through enhanced organizational efficiency and optimized expenditures across our organization, with the majority of the work expected to be completed within Fiscal 2026 and net annualized cost savings expected to be fully realized by Fiscal 2028 | |||||||
| 2025 Wine Divestitures Transaction | in April 2025, we entered into a definitive agreement to fully divest and, in certain instances, exclusively license the trademarks of a portion of our wine and spirits business, primarily centered around our remaining mainstream wine brands and associated inventory, wineries, vineyards, offices, and facilities | |||||||
| 3-tier | distribution channel where products are sold to a distributor (wholesaler) who then sells to a retailer; the retailer sells the products to a consumer | |||||||
| 3-tier eCommerce | digital commerce experience for consumers to purchase beverage alcohol from retailers | |||||||
| 3.60% May 2022 Senior Notes | $550.0 million principal amount of 3.60% senior notes issued in May 2022, now repaid in full | |||||||
| 4.75% November 2014 Senior Notes | $400.0 million principal amount of 4.75% senior notes issued in November 2014, now repaid in full | |||||||
| ABA | alternative beverage alcohol | |||||||
| Administrative Agent | Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent for the senior credit facility | |||||||
| AI | artificial intelligence | |||||||
| Amended and Restated By-Laws | our amended and restated by-laws | |||||||
| Amended and Restated Charter | our amended and restated certificate of incorporation | |||||||
| AOCI | accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I iii |
| Term | Meaning | |||||||
| April 2022 Term Credit Agreement | amended and restated term loan credit agreement, dated as of March 26, 2020, that provided for aggregate facilities of $491.3 million, consisting of a five-year term loan facility, inclusive of amendments dated as of June 10, 2021, and April 14, 2022, now repaid in full | |||||||
| August 2022 Term Credit Agreement | term loan credit agreement, dated as of August 9, 2022, that provided for a $1.0 billion unsecured delayed draw three-year term loan facility, now repaid in full | |||||||
| C$ | Canadian dollars | |||||||
| California | the state of California (U.S.) unless otherwise specified | |||||||
| Canopy | Canopy Growth Corporation, an Ontario, Canada-based public company in which we have an investment | |||||||
| Canopy Debt Securities | debt securities issued by Canopy in June 2018, no longer outstanding | |||||||
| Canopy Equity Method Investment | an investment in Canopy common shares, no longer applicable following conversion of Canopy common shares into Exchangeable Shares in April 2024 | |||||||
| CB International | CB International Finance S.à r.l., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours | |||||||
| CIO | Chief Information Officer | |||||||
| CISO | Chief Information Security Officer | |||||||
| Class 1 Stock | our Class 1 Convertible Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | |||||||
| Class A Stock | our Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share | |||||||
| Class B Stock | our Class B Convertible Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, eliminated on November 10, 2022, pursuant to the Reclassification | |||||||
| CMP | crisis management plan | |||||||
| CODM | chief operating decision maker, our President and Chief Executive Officer | |||||||
| Comparable Adjustments | certain items affecting comparability that have been excluded because management uses this information in monitoring and evaluating the results and underlying business trends of the core operations of the Company and/or in internal goal setting | |||||||
| CPG | consumer packaged goods | |||||||
| Craft Beer Divestitures | the Four Corners Divestiture and the Funky Buddha Divestiture, collectively | |||||||
| CSR | corporate social responsibility | |||||||
| current Mexican breweries | the Nava Brewery and the Obregón Brewery, collectively | |||||||
| Daleville Facility | production facility located in Roanoke, Virginia, sold in May 2023 | |||||||
| Depletions | represent U.S. distributor shipments of our respective branded products to retail customers, based on third-party data | |||||||
| DGCL | General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware | |||||||
| Digital Business Acceleration | a multi-year initiative by the Company to create a cohesive digital strategy and build an advanced digital business | |||||||
| DTC | direct-to-consumer inclusive of (i) a digital commerce experience for consumers to purchase directly from brand websites with inventory coming straight from the supplier and (ii) consumer purchases at hospitality locations (tasting rooms and tap rooms) from the supplier | |||||||
| Effective Time | the time that the Amended and Restated Charter was duly filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 10, 2022 | |||||||
| EHS | environmental, health, and safety | |||||||
| Employee Stock Purchase Plan | the Company’s 1989 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, under which 9,000,000 shares of Class A Stock may be issued | |||||||
| ERM | enterprise risk management | |||||||
| ESG | environmental, social, and governance | |||||||
| Exchangeable Shares | class of non-voting and non-participating exchangeable shares in Canopy which are convertible into common shares of Canopy on a one-for-one basis |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I iv |
| Term | Meaning | |||||||
| Exchange Act | Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended | |||||||
| FASB | Financial Accounting Standards Board | |||||||
| Financial Statements | our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included herein | |||||||
| Fiscal 2023 | the Company’s fiscal year ended February 28, 2023 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2024 | the Company’s fiscal year ended February 29, 2024 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2025 | the Company’s fiscal year ended February 28, 2025 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2026 | the Company’s fiscal year ending February 28, 2026 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2027 | the Company’s fiscal year ending February 28, 2027 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2028 | the Company’s fiscal year ending February 29, 2028 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2029 | the Company’s fiscal year ending February 28, 2029 | |||||||
| Fiscal 2030 | the Company’s fiscal year ending February 28, 2030 | |||||||
| Form 10-K | this Annual Report on Form 10-K for Fiscal 2025 unless otherwise specified | |||||||
| Four Corners Divestiture | sale of the Four Corners craft beer business | |||||||
| Funky Buddha Divestiture | sale of the Funky Buddha craft beer business | |||||||
| GHG | greenhouse gas | |||||||
| GILTI | global intangible low-taxed income | |||||||
| Glass Plant | glass production plant in Nava operated through an equally-owned joint venture with Owens-Illinois | |||||||
| IRA | Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 | |||||||
| IRP | IT incident response plan | |||||||
| IT | information technology | |||||||
| Lender | Bank of America, N.A., as lender for the April 2022 Term Credit Agreement | |||||||
| LIBOR | London Interbank Offered Rate | |||||||
| Long-Term Stock Incentive Plan | a stockholder-approved omnibus incentive plan that provides the ability to grant various types of equity and cash awards to eligible plan participants | |||||||
| Mainstream | wine that sells less than $11.00 per bottle at retail and sparkling wine and all other wine that sells less than $13.00 per bottle at retail | |||||||
| MD&A | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Part II — Item 7. of this Form 10-K | |||||||
| Mexicali Brewery | canceled brewery construction project located in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; sold the remaining assets classified as held for sale in July 2024 | |||||||
| Mexico Beer Projects | expansion, optimization, and/or construction activities at the Obregón Brewery, Nava Brewery, and Veracruz Brewery | |||||||
| M&T | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | |||||||
| NA | not applicable | |||||||
| Nava | Nava, Coahuila, Mexico | |||||||
| Nava Brewery | our brewery located in Nava | |||||||
| Net sales | gross sales less promotions, returns and allowances, and excise taxes | |||||||
| NM | not meaningful | |||||||
| Non-GAAP | financial measures not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, for example, comparable operating income (loss) | |||||||
| Note(s) | notes to the consolidated financial statements under Item 8. of this Form 10-K | |||||||
| NPD | new product development | |||||||
| Obregón | Obregón, Sonora, Mexico | |||||||
| Obregón Brewery | our brewery located in Obregón | |||||||
| OCI | other comprehensive income (loss) | |||||||
| October 2022 Credit Agreement Amendment | amendment dated as of October 18, 2022, to the 2022 Credit Agreement, effective in April 2024 |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I v |
| Term | Meaning | |||||||
| OECD | Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development | |||||||
| Owens-Illinois | O-I Glass, Inc., the ultimate parent of the company with which we have an equally-owned joint venture to operate the Glass Plant | |||||||
| Pre-issuance hedge contracts | treasury lock and/or swap lock contracts designated as cash flow hedges entered into to hedge treasury rate volatility on future debt issuances | |||||||
| Premium | wine that sells between $11.00 to $24.99 per bottle at retail and sparkling wine that sells between $13.00 to $34.99 per bottle at retail | |||||||
| Proxy Statement | Proxy Statement for Fiscal 2025 to be issued in connection with the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of our Company | |||||||
| Purple-team Tests | testing involving collaboration between offensive and defensive cybersecurity teams | |||||||
| Reclassification | the reclassification, exchange, and conversion of the Company’s common stock to eliminate the Class B Stock pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Reclassification Agreement | |||||||
| Reclassification Agreement | reclassification agreement in support of the Reclassification, dated June 30, 2022, among the Company and the Sands Family Stockholders | |||||||
| Registration Rights Agreement | Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of November 10, 2022, by and among the Company and the Sands Family Stockholders | |||||||
| SEC | Securities and Exchange Commission | |||||||
| Securities Act | Securities Act of 1933, as amended | |||||||
| SOFR | secured overnight financing rate administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York | |||||||
| Specified Time | such time as the domestic sale of marijuana could not reasonably be expected to violate the Controlled Substances Act, the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (as it relates to violation of the Controlled Substances Act), and all related applicable anti-money laundering laws | |||||||
| SVEDKA Divestiture | sale of the SVEDKA brand and related assets, primarily including inventory and equipment on January 6, 2025 | |||||||
| U.S. | United States of America | |||||||
| U.S. GAAP | generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. | |||||||
| Veracruz | Heroica Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico | |||||||
| Veracruz Brewery | our new brewery being constructed in Veracruz | |||||||
| WildStar | WildStar Partners LLC |
| Constellation Brands, Inc. FY 2025 Form 10-K | #WORTHREACHINGFOR I vi |
| PART I | ITEM 1. BUSINESS | Table of Contents |
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