Vince Holding (VNCE) 10-K2020 FY Annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021

Commission File Number: 001-36212

VINCE HOLDING CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

500 5th Avenue—20th Floor

New York, New York 10110

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

(212) 944-2600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes   ☒     No   ☐

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

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

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates as of August 1, 2020, the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second quarter, was approximately $14.3 million based on a closing price per share of $4.57 as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on July 31, 2020. As of March 31, 2021, there were 11,812,800 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding.

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the registrant’s 2021 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

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INTRODUCTORY NOTE

On November 27, 2013, Vince Holding Corp. (“VHC” or the “Company”), previously known as Apparel Holding Corp., closed an initial public offering (“IPO”) of its common stock and completed a series of restructuring transactions (the “Restructuring Transactions”) through which Kellwood Holding, LLC acquired the non-Vince businesses, which included Kellwood Company, LLC (“Kellwood Company” or “Kellwood”), from the Company. The Company continues to own and operate the Vince business, which includes Vince, LLC.

On November 18, 2016, Kellwood Intermediate Holding, LLC and Kellwood Company, LLC entered into a Unit Purchase Agreement with Sino Acquisition, LLC (the “Kellwood Purchaser”) whereby the Kellwood Purchaser agreed to purchase all of the outstanding equity interests of Kellwood Company, LLC. Prior to the closing, Kellwood Intermediate Holding, LLC and Kellwood Company, LLC conducted a pre-closing reorganization pursuant to which certain assets of Kellwood Company, LLC were distributed to a newly formed subsidiary of Kellwood Intermediate Holding, LLC, St. Louis Transition, LLC (“St. Louis, LLC”). The transaction closed on December 21, 2016 (the “Kellwood Sale”).

On November 3, 2019, Vince, LLC, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of VHC, completed its acquisition (the “Acquisition”) of 100% of the equity interests of Rebecca Taylor, Inc. and Parker Holding, LLC (collectively, the “Acquired Businesses”) from Contemporary Lifestyle Group, LLC (“CLG”). Because the Acquisition was a transaction between commonly controlled entities, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) required the retrospective combination of the entities for all periods presented as if the combination had been in effect since the inception of common control. See Note 2 “Business Combinations” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for further information.

DISCLOSURES REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report, and any statements incorporated by reference herein, contain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are indicated by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan,” “target,” “project,” “forecast,” “envision” and other similar phrases. Although we believe the assumptions and expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these assumptions and expectations may not prove to be correct and we may not achieve the results or benefits anticipated. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of actual results, and our actual results may differ materially from those suggested in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, including, without limitation: the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business, results of operations and liquidity; our ability to continue having the liquidity necessary to service our debt, meet contractual payment obligations, and fund our operations; further impairment of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets; general economic conditions; our ability to realize the benefits of our strategic initiatives; our ability to maintain our larger wholesale partners; the loss of certain of our wholesale partners; our ability to make lease payments when due; the execution and management of our retail store growth plans; the expected effects of the acquisition of the Acquired Businesses on the Company; our ability to successfully manage the transition of the new Chief Executive Officer; our ability to expand our product offerings into new product categories, including the ability to find suitable licensing partners; our ability to remediate the identified material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting; our ability to optimize our systems, processes and functions; our ability to mitigate system security risk issues, such as cyber or malware attacks, as well as other major system failures; our ability to comply with privacy-related obligations; our ability to comply with domestic and international laws, regulations and orders; our ability to anticipate and/or react to changes in customer demand and attract new customers, including in connection with making inventory commitments; our ability to remain competitive in the areas of merchandise quality, price, breadth of selection and customer service; our ability to keep a strong brand image; our ability to attract and retain key personnel; our ability to protect our trademarks in the U.S. and internationally; the execution and management of our international expansion, including our ability to promote our brand and merchandise outside the U.S. and find suitable partners in certain geographies; our current and future licensing arrangements; seasonal and quarterly variations in our revenue and income; our ability to ensure the proper operation of the distribution facilities by third-party logistics providers; the extent of our foreign sourcing; fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials; commodity, raw material and other cost increases; our reliance on independent manufacturers; ; other tax matters; and other factors as set forth from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including those described in this Annual Report under the heading “Item 1A—Risk Factors.” We intend these forward-looking statements to speak only as of the date of this Annual Report and do not undertake to update or revise them as more information becomes available, except as required by law.

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PART I

For purposes of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our,” refer to Vince Holding Corp. (“VHC”) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Vince Intermediate Holding, LLC and Vince, LLC. References to “Kellwood” refer, as applicable, to Kellwood Holding, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries (including Kellwood Company, LLC) or the operations of the non-Vince businesses after giving effect to the Restructuring Transactions and prior to the Kellwood Sale. References to “Vince,” “Rebecca Taylor” or “Parker” refer only to the referenced brand.

Overview

We are a global contemporary group, consisting of three brands: Vince, Rebecca Taylor, and Parker. As mentioned above, on November 3, 2019, we completed the acquisition of 100% of the equity interests of Rebecca Taylor, Inc. and Parker Holding, LLC from CLG. We serve our customers through wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels that reinforce our brand images.

We have a select number of wholesale partners who account for a significant portion of our net sales. In fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, sales to one wholesale partner, Nordstrom Inc., accounted for more than ten percent of the Company’s net sales. These sales represented 21% of fiscal 2020 and 22% of fiscal 2019 net sales, respectively.

We design our products in the U.S. and source the vast majority of our products from contract manufacturers outside the U.S., primarily in Asia.     

The Company operates on a fiscal calendar widely used by the retail industry that results in a given fiscal year consisting of a 52 or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31.

Each of fiscal years 2020 and 2019 consisted of a 52-week period.

Our principal executive office is located at 500 5^th Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, New York 10110, and our telephone number is (212) 944-2600. Our corporate website address is www.vince.com.

Recent Developments

The spread of COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, caused state and municipal public officials to mandate jurisdiction-wide curfews, including “shelter-in-place” and closures of most non-essential businesses as well as other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The following summarizes the various measures we have implemented to effectively manage our business as well as the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic during the year ended January 30, 2021.

As a result of store closures and the decline in projected cash flows, the Company recognized a non-cash impairment charge related to property and equipment and operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets to adjust the carrying amounts of certain store locations to their estimated fair value.  During the year ended January 30, 2021, the Company recorded an impairment of property and equipment and operating lease ROU assets of $4,470 and $8,556, respectively. The impairment charges are recorded within Impairment of long-lived assets on the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) in this Annual Report. See Note 1 “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – (K) Impairment of Long-lived Assets” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for additional information.

The Company incurred a non-cash impairment charge of $13,848 on goodwill and intangible assets during the year ended January 30, 2021 as a result of the decline in long-term projections due to COVID-19.  See Note 3 “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for additional information;

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The COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis.  See Item 1A. Risk Factors — “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations” for additional discussion regarding risks to our business associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Brands

Vince

Vince, established in 2002, is a leading global luxury apparel and accessories brand best known for creating elevated yet understated pieces for every day effortless style. Known for its range of luxury products, Vince offers women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories through 47 full-price retail stores, 15 outlet stores, its e-commerce site, www.vince.com and through its subscription service Vince Unfold, www.vinceunfold.com, as well as through premium wholesale channels globally.

Our wholesale business is comprised of sales to major department stores and specialty stores in the U.S. and in select international markets. We have distribution arrangements with a small number of wholesale partners for non-licensed product which has improved profitability in the wholesale business and enables us to focus on other areas of growth for the brand, particularly in the direct-to-consumer business. We continue to collaborate with our wholesale partners in various areas including merchandising and logistics to build a more profitable and focused wholesale business.

Our wholesale business also includes our licensing business related to our licensing arrangement for our women’s and men’s footwear. The licensed products are sold in our own stores and by our licensee to select wholesale partners. We earn a royalty based on net sales to the wholesale partners.

Our direct-to-consumer business includes our company-operated retail and outlet stores and our e-commerce business. As of January 30, 2021, we operated 62 Vince stores, consisting of 47 company-operated full-price retail stores and 15 company-operated outlet locations. The direct-to-consumer business also includes our e-commerce website, www.vince.com, and our subscription business, Vince Unfold, www.vinceunfold.com.  

The following table details the number of Vince retail stores we operated for the past two fiscal years:

Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca Taylor, founded in 1996 in New York City, is a contemporary womenswear line lauded for its signature prints, romantic detailing and vintage inspired aesthetic, reimagined for a modern era. The Rebecca Taylor collection is available at six full-

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price retail stores, three outlet stores, through our e-commerce site at www.rebeccataylor.com and through our subscription service Rebecca Taylor RNTD, www.rebeccataylorrntd.com, as well as through major department and specialty stores worldwide.

Our wholesale business is comprised of sales to major department stores and specialty stores in the U.S. and in select international markets.   

Our direct-to-consumer business includes our company-operated retail stores and our e-commerce business. During fiscal 2020, we opened three net retail stores. As of January 30, 2021, we operated nine Rebecca Taylor stores, consisting of six company-operated full-price retail stores and three company-operated outlet locations. The direct-to-consumer business also includes our e-commerce website, www.rebeccataylor.com, and our subscription business, Rebecca Taylor RNTD, www.rebeccataylorrntd.com.

The following table details the number of Rebecca Taylor retail stores we operated for the past two fiscal years:

Parker

Parker, founded in 2008 in New York City, is a contemporary women’s fashion brand that is trend focused. While we continue to believe that the Parker brand complements our portfolio, during the first half of fiscal 2020 the Company decided to pause the creation of new products to focus resources on the operations of the Vince and Rebecca Taylor brands and to preserve liquidity.

The Parker collection was previously available through major department stores and specialty stores in the U.S. and select international markets as well as through its e-commerce website.

Business Segments

We serve our customers through a variety of channels that reinforce our brand images. Our diversified channel strategy allows us to introduce our products to customers through multiple distribution points that are presented in three reportable segments: Vince Wholesale, Vince Direct-to-consumer, and Rebecca Taylor and Parker.

Our Vince Wholesale segment is comprised of sales to major department stores and specialty stores in the U.S. and in select international markets. Our Vince Wholesale segment also includes our licensing business related to our licensing arrangement for our women’s and men’s footwear line.  

Our Vince Direct-to-consumer segment includes our Vince company-operated retail and outlet stores, our Vince e-commerce business and our subscription business, Vince Unfold.  

Our Rebecca Taylor and Parker segment consists of our operations to distribute Rebecca Taylor and Parker brand products to major department and specialty stores in the U.S. and select international markets and directly to the consumer through their own branded e-commerce platforms, our Rebecca Taylor retail and outlet stores and through our subscription business, Rebecca Taylor RNTD.

Unallocated corporate expenses are related to the Vince brand and are comprised of selling, general and administrative expenses attributable to corporate and administrative activities (such as marketing, design, finance, information technology, legal and human resource departments), and other charges that are not directly attributable to the Company’s Vince Wholesale and Vince Direct-to-consumer reportable segments.  

Products

We believe that our differentiated design aesthetic and strong attention to detail and fit allow us to maintain premium pricing, and that the combination of quality and value positions us as everyday luxury brands that encourage repeat purchases among our

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customers. We also believe that we can expand our product assortments and distribute these expanded product assortments through our branded retail locations and our branded e-commerce platforms, as well as through our premier wholesale partners in the U.S. and select international markets.

The Vince women’s collection includes seasonal collections of luxurious cashmere sweaters and silk blouses, leather and suede leggings and jackets, dresses, skirts, denim, pants, t-shirts, footwear, outerwear, and accessories. The Vince men’s collection includes t-shirts, knit and woven tops, sweaters, denim, pants, blazers, footwear, and outerwear.

The Rebecca Taylor collection includes seasonal collections of occasion-forward dresses, suiting, silk blouses, leather and tweed jackets, outerwear, jumpsuits, cotton dresses and blouses, denim, sweaters, pants, skirts and knit and woven tops. The Rebecca Taylor collections are grounded in artful prints, dimensional textures, and feminine silhouettes.

The Parker collection, prior to the pause in the creation of new products as discussed above, previously included seasonal collections of occasion-forward dresses, cotton dresses, jumpsuits, silk blouses, knit and woven tops, leather jackets, sweaters, pants, and skirts.

We continue to evaluate other brand extension opportunities through both in-house development activities as well as through potential partnerships or licensing arrangements with third parties.

Design and Merchandising

Our creative teams are focused on developing and implementing the design direction for the Vince and Rebecca Taylor brands. We have dedicated design and merchandising teams for our brands which ensures that we focus on the unique positioning of each brand. Our design efforts are supported by well-established product development and production teams. We believe continued collaboration between design and merchandising will ensure we respond to consumer preferences and market trends with new innovative product offerings while maintaining our core fashion foundation.

While we continue to believe that the Parker brand complements our portfolio, during the first half of fiscal 2020 the Company decided to pause the creation of new products to focus resources on the operations of the Vince and Rebecca Taylor brands and to preserve liquidity.

Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations

We use marketing, advertising and public relations as critical tools to deliver a consistent and compelling brand message to consumers. The message and marketing strategies of our brands are cultivated by dedicated creative, design, marketing, visual merchandising, and public relations teams. These teams work closely together to develop and execute campaigns that appeal to both our core and aspirational customers.

To execute our marketing strategies, we engage in a wide range of campaign tactics that include traditional media (such as direct mail, print advertising, cooperative advertising with wholesale partners and outdoor advertising), digital media (such as email, search social, and display) and experiential campaigns (such as events) to drive traffic, brand awareness, conversion and ultimately sales across all channels. In addition, we use social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to engage customers and create excitement about our brands. The visits to www.vince.com and www.rebeccataylor.com also provide an opportunity to grow our customer base and communicate directly with our customers.

Our public relations team conducts a wide variety of press activities to reinforce our brand images and create excitement around the brands. Our apparel has appeared in the pages of major fashion magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle, GQ, Esquire and WSJ. Well-known trend setters in entertainment and fashion are also regularly seen wearing our brands.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We contract for the purchase of finished goods with manufacturers who are responsible for the entire manufacturing process, including the purchase of piece goods and trim. Although we do not have long-term written contracts with manufacturers, we have long-standing relationships with a diverse base of vendors which we believe to be mutually satisfactory. We work with more than 50 manufacturers across nine countries, with 88% of our products produced in China in fiscal 2020. For cost and control purposes, we contract with select third-party vendors in the U.S. to produce a small portion of our merchandise.

All of our garments are produced according to our specifications, and we require that all of our manufacturers adhere to strict regulatory compliance and standards of conduct. Our vendors’ factories are monitored by our production team to ensure quality control, and they are monitored by independent third-party inspectors we employ for compliance with local manufacturing standards and regulations on an annual basis. We also monitor our vendors’ manufacturing facilities regularly, providing technical assistance and performing in-line and final audits to ensure the highest possible quality.

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Distribution Facilities

As of January 30, 2021, we operated out of seven distribution centers, two located in the U.S., two in Hong Kong, one in Canada, one in the United Kingdom and one in Belgium.

Our two warehouses in the U.S., located in California, are operated by third-party logistics providers and include dedicated space to fulfilling orders to support our wholesale partners, retail locations and e-commerce business and utilize warehouse management systems that are fully customer and vendor compliant.

Our two warehouses in Hong Kong are operated by third-party logistics providers and support our wholesale orders for international customers located primarily in Asia.

Our warehouse in the United Kingdom is operated by a third-party logistics provider and supports our Rebecca Taylor wholesale orders for international customers located primarily in Europe.

Our warehouse in Belgium is operated by a third-party logistics provider and supports our Vince wholesale orders for international customers located primarily in Europe and our Vince UK store.

Our warehouse in Canada is operated by a third-party logistics provider and supports our wholesale orders for this region.

We believe we have sufficient capacity in our domestic and international distribution facilities to support our current and projected business.

Information Systems

During fiscal 2020 we completed the migration of Rebecca Taylor and Parker brands to Vince’s enterprise resources planning (“ERP”) system. Our strategy includes consolidating further systems across our brands including point of sale (“POS”) and other systems over time to create operational efficiencies, as well as to achieve a common platform across the Company.

See Item 1A. Risk Factors — “Risks Related to Our Information Technology and Security — We are continuing to optimize and improve our information technology systems, processes and functions. If these systems, processes, and functions do not operate successfully, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially harmed” and Part II, Item 9A. “Controls and Procedures.”

Seasonality

The apparel and fashion industry in which we operate is cyclical and, consequently, our revenues are affected by general economic conditions and the seasonal trends characteristic to the apparel and fashion industry. Purchases of apparel are sensitive to a number of factors that influence the level of consumer spending, including economic conditions and the level of disposable consumer income, consumer debt, interest rates and consumer confidence as well as the impact of adverse weather conditions. In addition, fluctuations in the amount of sales in any fiscal quarter are affected by the timing of seasonal wholesale shipments and other events affecting direct-to-consumer sales. As such, the financial results for any particular quarter may not be indicative of results for the fiscal year. We expect such seasonality to continue.

Competition

We face strong competition in each of the product categories and markets in which we compete on the basis of style, quality, price, and brand recognition. Some of our competitors have achieved significant recognition for their brand names or have substantially greater financial, marketing, distribution and other resources compared to us. However, we believe that we have established a sustainable and distinct position in the current marketplace, driven by a product assortment that combines classic and fashion-forward styling, and a pricing strategy that offers customers accessible luxury.

Human Capital

As of January 30, 2021, we had 497 employees, of which 230 were employed in our company-operated retail stores. Except for nine employees in France, who are covered by collective bargaining agreements pursuant to French law, none of our employees are currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement and we believe our employee relations are good.

Our key human capital measures include associate turnover, pay equity, professional development as well as safety, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We have programs in place to provide associates with feedback on performance and professional development, including our formal annual performance review process.  We frequently benchmark our compensation and benefits practices against comparable peers and assess them, so we continue to attract and retain talent throughout our organization.

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We strive to maintain an inclusive environment free from discrimination of any kind. Associates have multiple ways to report inappropriate behavior, including through a confidential hotline. All reports of inappropriate behavior are promptly investigated with appropriate action taken to stop such behavior.

Trademarks and Licensing

We own the Vince, Rebecca Taylor and Parker trademarks for the production, marketing, and distribution of our products in the U.S. and internationally. We have registered the trademark domestically and have registrations on file or pending in a number of foreign jurisdictions. We intend to continue to strategically register, both domestically and internationally, trademarks that we use today and those we develop in the future. We license the domain name for our website, www.vince.com, pursuant to a license agreement. Under this license agreement, we have an exclusive, irrevocable license to use the www.vince.com domain name without restriction at a nominal annual cost. While we may terminate such license agreement at our discretion, the agreement does not provide for termination by the licensor. We also own unregistered copyright rights in our design marks.

Available Information

We make available free of charge on our website, www.vince.com, copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy and information statements and all amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such material electronically with, or otherwise furnishing it to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding the Company and other companies that electronically file materials with the SEC. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the website, and the information contained on the website is not part of this Annual Report.

The following risk factors should be carefully considered when evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report. See “Disclosures Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” All amounts disclosed are in thousands except shares, per share amounts, percentages, stores, and number of leases.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity, and results of operations.

The spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, has caused state and municipal public officials to mandate jurisdiction-wide curfews, including “shelter-in-place” and closures of most non-essential businesses as well as other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. While we continued to serve our customers through our online e-commerce websites during the period in which we were forced to shut down all of our domestic and international retail locations alongside other retailers, including our wholesale partners, the store closures resulted in a sharp decline in our revenue and ability to generate cash flows from operations. Since May 2020, substantially all of the Company’s stores have reopened without reclosing and are operating in a reduced capacity in accordance with state and local regulations. In many of our locations, we are experiencing significantly reduced customer traffic and sales relative to the same period last year. The negative impact of COVID-19 on our operations is ongoing and the extent of which remains uncertain and wide-spread, including:

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To date, we have taken various measures in response to COVID-19, as further described in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations — COVID-19. However, the COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis, for example, the occurrence of additional waves of infections in the United States and globally and uncertainty related to the effectiveness and speed of vaccination distribution.  Therefore, there can be no assurance that measures we have taken to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic will prove successful.  These and other impacts of COVID-19 are expected to continue to adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations.

Our ability to continue to have the liquidity necessary to service our debt, meet contractual payment obligations and fund our operations depends on many factors, including our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations, maintain adequate availability under our 2018 Revolving Credit Facility or obtain other financing.

Our ability to timely service our indebtedness, meet contractual payment obligations and to fund our operations will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash, either through cash flows from operations or borrowing availability under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below), and our ability to access the capital markets if other sources of financing are unavailable on acceptable terms. Our primary cash needs are funding working capital requirements, meeting debt service requirements and capital expenditures for new stores and related leasehold improvements.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted, and is expected to continue to negatively impact, our liquidity.  See “— The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations.” While we believe we will have sufficient liquidity for the next twelve months, there can be no assurances in the future that we will be able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet our liquidity needs, that we will have the necessary availability under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility, or be able to obtain other financing when liquidity needs arise. In particular, our ability to continue to meet our obligations is dependent on our ability to generate positive cash flow from a combination of initiatives and failure to successfully implement these initiatives would require us to implement alternative plans to satisfy our liquidity needs. In the event that we are unable to timely service our debt, meet other contractual payment obligations or fund our other liquidity needs, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness before maturity, seek waivers of or amendments to our contractual obligations for payment, reduce or delay scheduled expansions and capital expenditures, sell material assets or operations or seek other financing opportunities. There can be no assurance that these options would be readily available to us and our inability to address our liquidity needs could materially and adversely affect our operations and jeopardize our business, financial condition and results of operations, including causing defaults under the 2018 Term Loan Facility (as defined below), the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility or the Third Lien Credit Facility (as defined below) which could result in all amounts outstanding under those credit facilities becoming immediately due and payable.

Our operations are restricted by our credit facilities.

In August 2018, we entered into an $80,000 senior secured revolving credit facility (the “2018 Revolving Credit Facility”) and a $27,500 senior secured term loan facility (the “2018 Term Loan Facility”). In November 2019, in connection with the Acquisition, we increased the aggregate commitments under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility to $100,000 by exercising the accordion feature thereunder. The Acquired Businesses became guarantors under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and the 2018 Term Loan Facility and jointly and severally liable for the obligations thereunder. In addition, in December 2020, we entered into a $20,000 subordinated credit facility (the “Third Lien Credit Facility”).

Our credit facilities contain significant restrictive covenants. These covenants may impair our financing and operational flexibility and make it difficult for us to react to market conditions and satisfy our ongoing capital needs and unanticipated cash requirements. Specifically, such covenants restrict our ability and, if applicable, the ability of our subsidiaries to, among other things: incur additional debt; make certain investments and acquisitions; enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates; use assets as

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security in other transactions; pay dividends; sell certain assets or merge with or into other companies; guarantee the debt of others; enter into new lines of businesses; make capital expenditures; prepay, redeem, or exchange our debt; and form any joint ventures or subsidiary investments.

Furthermore, the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and the 2018 Term Loan Facility contain certain financial covenants, including a covenant under the 2018 Term Loan Facility requiring us to maintain a specified Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio. Pursuant to the Third Amendment and the Fifth Amendment to the 2018 Term Loan Facility entered into in June 2020 and December 2020, respectively, such requirement was suspended through the delivery of a compliance certificate relating to the fiscal quarter ending January 29, 2022, and replaced it with a springing covenant, under which the obligation to maintain a specified Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.0 to 1.0 is triggered only when the Excess Availability under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility falls below $7,500, or for the period between August 1, 2020 and January 29, 2022, $10,000.

Our ability to comply with the covenants, including the springing covenant described above, and other terms of our debt obligations, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, will depend on our future operating performance. If we fail to comply with such covenants and terms, and are unable to cure such failure under the terms of our credit facilities, if applicable, we would be required to obtain additional waivers from our lenders to maintain compliance with our debt obligations. If we are unable to obtain any necessary waivers and the debt is accelerated, a material adverse effect on our financial condition and future operating performance would likely result.  

The terms of our debt obligations and the amount of borrowing availability under our credit facilities may also restrict or delay our ability to fulfill our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement. See “Tax Receivable Agreement” under Note 14 “Related Party Transactions” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for further information.

Our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets could become further impaired, which may require us to take significant non-cash charges against earnings.

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ASC Topic 350 Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”), goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually during the fourth fiscal quarter and in an interim period if a triggering event occurs. Determining the fair value of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets is judgmental in nature and requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including projected revenues, EBITDA margins, long-term growth rates, working capital, discount rates and future market conditions, among others. We base our estimates on assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are unpredictable and inherently uncertain. Actual future results may differ from those estimates. During the first quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company recorded $13,848 of impairment charges relating to goodwill and the tradename intangible assets due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the second quarter of fiscal 2019, the Company recorded impairment charges of $13,376 relating to goodwill and the tradename intangible assets of the Acquired Businesses. It is possible that our current estimates of future operating results could change adversely and impact the evaluation of the recoverability of the remaining carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets and that the effect of such changes could be material. There can be no assurances that we will not be required to record further charges in our financial statements which would negatively impact our results of operations during the period in which any impairment of our goodwill or intangible assets is determined.

General economic conditions in the U.S. and other parts of the world, including a weakening of the economy and restricted credit markets, can affect consumer confidence and consumer spending patterns.

The success of our operations depends on consumer spending. Consumer spending is impacted by a number of factors, including actual and perceived economic conditions affecting disposable consumer income, customer traffic within shopping and selling environments, business conditions, interest rates and availability of credit and tax rates in the general economy and in the international, regional and local markets in which our products are sold, including those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. A worsening of the economy may negatively affect consumer and wholesale purchases of our products and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial conditions.

We may not be able to realize the benefits of our strategic initiatives.

Our business growth depends on the successful execution of our strategic initiatives for the brands.  The success of our strategic initiatives depends on a number of factors including our ability to position our retail and e-commerce businesses for further strategic growth particularly through omni-channel initiatives, the effectiveness of our wholesale expansion efforts, our ability to apply certain growth strategies modeled on the Vince brand to the Acquired Businesses, our ability to properly identify appropriate future growth opportunities, and other macroeconomic impact on our business, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, some or all of the strategic initiatives currently contemplated may become infeasible or impractical in the post-pandemic operating environment. There can be no assurance that the strategic initiatives would produce intended positive results and if we are unable to realize the benefits of the strategic initiatives, our financial conditions, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.   

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We may be unable to successfully implement and optimize our omni-channel strategy.

One of our strategic priorities is to expand our omni-channel capabilities to promote direct-to-consumer growth and enhance customer engagement and shopping experience. Our omni-channel efforts include the integration and implementation of new technology, software, and processes, involving significant investments, operational changes and employee resources.  These efforts involve risks such as implementation delays, unexpected costs, technology interruptions, supply and distribution difficulties, and other issues that can affect the successful implementation and operation of our omni-channel initiatives.  As we are in the initial stages of adopting and implementing these initiatives, it is unclear whether we will be able to realize the expected return on our investment in these initiatives.  If our omni-channel initiatives are not successful, our financial condition, results of operations and ability for future growth could be materially and adversely affected.

One of our strategic initiatives is to focus on our direct-to-consumer business, which includes opening retail stores in select locations under more favorable and shorter lease terms and operating and maintaining our new and existing retail stores successfully. If we are unable to execute this strategy in a timely manner, or at all, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

As part of our strategy to increase focus on our direct-to-consumer business, we continue to seek retail opportunities in targeted streets or malls with desirable size and adjacencies, typically near luxury retailers that we believe are consistent with our key customers’ demographics and shopping preferences, and seek to negotiate more favorable leases including shorter terms. The success of this strategy depends on a number of factors, including the identification of suitable markets and sites, negotiation of acceptable lease terms while securing those favorable locations, including desired term, rent and tenant improvement allowances, and if entering a new market, the timely achievement of brand awareness and proper evaluation of the market particularly for locations with shorter term, affinity and purchase intent in that market, as well as our business condition in funding the opening and operations of stores. Furthermore, we may not be able to maintain the successful operation of our retail stores if the areas around our existing retail locations undergo changes that result in reductions in customer foot traffic or otherwise render the locations unsuitable, such as economic downturns in the area, changes in demographics and customer preferences, and the closing or decline in popularity of adjacent stores.

As of January 30, 2021, we operated 71 stores, including 46 company-operated Vince full-price stores, 6 company-operated Rebecca Taylor full-price stores, 15 company-operated Vince outlet stores and 3 company-operated Rebecca Taylor outlet stores throughout the United States and one company-operated Vince full price store in the United Kingdom. During fiscal 2020, our retail stores were temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions and we engaged in discussions with landlords to address the impact of the pandemic.  There is no assurance that such closures and the need to engage in additional discussions with landlords will not recur in the future.  In addition, following the reopening of our stores, we experienced reduced customer foot-traffic at our stores which negatively affected our business and financial results. Although we plan to continue evaluating our store base consistent with the current operating environment, there can be no assurance that our strategies will effectively address the various prolonged impact of the pandemic, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

During fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, we recorded non-cash asset impairment charges of $13,026 and $818, respectively, within Impairment of long-lived assets on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) related to the impairment of property and equipment and operating lease right-of-use assets of certain retail stores with carrying values that were determined not to be recoverable and exceeded their fair value. We may in the future record further impairments of these assets.

We are subject to risks associated with leasing retail and office space, are historically subject to long-term non-cancelable leases and are required to make substantial lease payments under our operating leases, and any failure to make these lease payments when due would likely harm our business, profitability and results of operations.

We do not own any of our stores or our offices, including our New York, Los Angeles or Paris offices and showroom spaces, but instead lease all of such space under operating leases. Although our more recent leases are subject to shorter terms as a result of the implementation of our strategy to pursue shorter lease terms, many of our leases have initial terms of 10 years, and generally can be extended only for one additional 5-year term. Substantially all of our leases require a fixed annual rent, and most require the payment of additional rent if store sales exceed a negotiated amount. Most of our leases are “net” leases, which require us to pay the cost of insurance, taxes, maintenance, and utilities, and we generally cannot cancel these leases at our option. Additionally, certain of our leases allow the lessor to terminate the lease if we do not achieve a specified gross sales threshold. We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve these required thresholds and in the event we are not able to do so, we may be forced to find an alternative store location and may not be successful in doing so. Any loss of our store locations due to underperformance may harm our results of operations, stock price and reputation.

Payments under these leases account for a significant portion of our selling, general and administrative expenses. For example, as of January 30, 2021, we were a party to 77 operating leases associated with our retail stores and our office and showroom spaces requiring future minimum lease payments of $28,590 in the aggregate through fiscal 2021 and $113,113 thereafter. Any new retail stores leased by us under operating leases will further increase our operating lease expenses and some of those stores may require

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significant capital expenditures. We depend on cash flow from operations to pay our lease expenses and to fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities, and sufficient funds are not otherwise available to us from borrowings under our credit facilities or from other sources, we may not be able to service our operating lease expenses, grow our business, respond to competitive challenges or fund our other liquidity and capital needs, which would harm our business. In addition, we may remain obligated under the applicable lease for, among other things, payment of the base rent for the remaining lease term, even after the space is exited or otherwise closed (such as our temporary store closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic). Such costs and obligations related to the early or temporary closure of our stores or termination of our leases could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

If an existing or future store is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may nonetheless be committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among others, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term if we cannot negotiate a mutually acceptable termination payment. In addition, as our leases expire, we may fail to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, or to find a suitable alternative location, which could cause us to close stores in desirable locations or in the case of office leases, incur costs in relocating our office space. In fiscal 2021, three of our existing store leases will expire.

A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from a small number of large wholesale partners, and the loss of any of these wholesale partners could substantially reduce our total revenue.

We historically had a small number of wholesale partners who account for a significant portion of our net sales. Our consolidated net sales to the full-price, off-price and e-commerce operations of our largest wholesale partner comprised 21% of our total revenue for fiscal 2020. We do not have formal written agreements with any of our wholesale partners and purchases generally occur on an order-by-order basis. A decision by any of our major wholesale partners, whether motivated by marketing strategy, competitive conditions, financial difficulties or otherwise, to significantly decrease the amount of merchandise purchased from us or our licensing partners, to change their manner of doing business with us or our licensing partners, could substantially reduce our revenue and have a material adverse effect on our profitability. Furthermore, due to the concentration of and/or ownership changes in our wholesale partner base, our results of operations could be adversely affected if any of these wholesale partners fails to satisfy its payment obligations to us when due or no longer takes part in the distribution arrangements. These changes could also decrease our opportunities in the market and decrease our negotiating strength with our wholesale partners. Furthermore, our wholesale partners have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the other wholesalers, and may become unable to continue business with us as they had pre-pandemic.  These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

The acquisition of the Rebecca Taylor and Parker brands, and any other future acquisitions, may not achieve its intended benefits.

We face risks associated with our strategy to grow our business through acquisitions of other brands and geographic licensees, such as our acquisition of the Rebecca Taylor and Parker brands in November 2019. For example, on June 16, 2020, we announced that in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily suspended further creation of new product for the Parker brand. In addition, during the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and the second quarter of fiscal 2019, the Acquired Businesses recorded impairment charges $386 and $19,491, respectively, relating to goodwill, tradename, and customer relationship intangible assets. The additional difficulties that we may face that could cause the results of the Acquisition, including any anticipated operational synergies, to not be in line with our expectations include, among others:

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Our post-closing recourse with respect to the Acquisition is limited under the related purchase agreement. We obtained and paid for a representation and warranty insurance containing customary terms and conditions, which policy is our sole recourse for any losses we may suffer due to breaches of the representations and warranties of CLG and the Acquired Businesses in the purchase agreement other than fraud.  

We may continue to pursue future acquisitions as part of our growth strategy.  Any such acquisition may subject us to further risks as those described above and could have a material adverse effect on the combined businesses and impact the intended results of such acquisitions.

We may not successfully manage the transition associated with the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, which could have an adverse impact on us.

On August 28, 2020, Brendan Hoffman resigned from his positions as Chief Executive Officer of the Company and member of the Board to pursue another opportunity.  In connection with Mr. Hoffman’s resignation, the Board appointed David Stefko, our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, to serve as our Interim Chief Executive Officer in addition to his role of Chief Financial Officer. On March 8, 2021, we announced that we had appointed Jack Schwefel as our Chief Executive Officer, effective as of March 29, 2021.  David Stefko resigned from the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer effective March 29, 2021, and remains Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, his previously held position.

The effectiveness of our new Chief Executive Officer, and our senior leadership team generally, following these transitions and any further transition as a result of these changes, could have a significant impact on our results of operations. The failure to ensure a smooth and effective transfer of knowledge could negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition as well as our ability to execute our business strategies.

Our plans to improve and expand our product offerings may not be successful, and the implementation of these plans may divert our operational, managerial, and administrative resources, which could harm our competitive position and reduce our net sales and profitability.

We continue to grow our core product offerings and categories. For example, in fiscal 2020, we launched a limited layette capsule and an inclusive sizing collection. The principal risks to our ability to successfully carry out our plans to improve and expand our product offerings include our failure to maintain our brand identity and image, lack of expertise in the expanded categories and inherent limitations in the utilization of external partners in those categories, increased product liability exposure and general economic conditions, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, our expansion into new product categories could be abandoned, cost more than anticipated or divert resources from other areas of our business, any of which could negatively impact our competitive position and reduce our net revenue and profitability.

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting that could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in our financial statements.

In fiscal 2020 there continues to exist a material weakness relating to our internal control over financial reporting which was previously identified in fiscal 2016. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of an entity’s financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As further described in Part II, Item 9A in this Annual Report, although during fiscal 2020 we made significant progress on our comprehensive remediation plan related to the previously identified material weakness, the material weakness will not be remediated until all necessary internal controls have been implemented, tested and determined to be operating effectively. In addition, we may need to take additional measures to address such material weakness or modify the planned remediation steps, and we cannot be certain that the measures we have taken, and expect to take, to improve our internal controls will be sufficient to address the issues identified, to ensure that our internal controls are effective or to ensure that the identified material weakness will not result in a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements. Moreover, although no additional material weakness was identified in fiscal 2020, other material weaknesses or deficiencies may develop or be identified in the future. If we are unable to correct material weaknesses or deficiencies in internal controls in a timely manner, our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information accurately and within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, will be adversely affected. This failure could negatively affect the market price and trading liquidity of our common stock, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, subject us to civil and criminal investigations and penalties, and otherwise materially and adversely impact our business and financial condition.

For so long as we remain a “non-accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC, our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to deliver an annual attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We will cease

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to be a non-accelerated filer if the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter is $75 million or more, in which case we would become subject to the requirement for an annual attestation report by our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Failure to comply with laws and regulations could adversely impact our business.

We are subject to numerous domestic and international laws, regulations and advisories, including labor and employment, wage and hour, customs, truth-in-advertising, consumer protection, data and privacy protection, and zoning and occupancy laws and ordinances that regulate retailers generally or govern the importation, promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. If these regulations were violated by our management, employees, vendors, independent manufacturers or partners, the costs of certain goods could increase, or we could experience delays in shipments of our products, be subject to fines or penalties, or suffer reputational harm, which could reduce demand for our merchandise and hurt our business and results of operations. Moreover, changes in product safety or other consumer protection laws could lead to increased costs to us for certain merchandise, or additional labor costs associated with readying merchandise for sale. It is often difficult for us to plan and prepare for potential changes to applicable laws and future actions or payments related to such changes could be material to us.

If we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products, our results of operations could be materially impacted.

We stock our stores, and provide inventory to our wholesale partners, based on our or their estimates of future demand for particular products. Our inventory management and planning team determines the number of pieces of each product that we will order from our manufacturers based upon past sales of similar products, sales trend information and anticipated demand at our suggested retail prices. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including an increase or decrease in demand for our products or for products of our competitors, product introductions by competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to match supply with demand in all cases in the future, whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our inability to produce sufficient levels of desirable product or our failure to forecast demand accurately. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products. In fiscal 2020, we recorded a charge of $6,095 associated with inventory write-downs of excess and aged product inventory. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully manage our inventory at a level appropriate for future customer demand.

Intense competition in the apparel and fashion industry could reduce our sales and profitability.

As a fashion company, we face intense competition from other domestic and foreign apparel, footwear and accessories manufacturers and retailers. Competition has and may continue to result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins, lost market share or failure to grow our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business and results of operations. Some of our competitors have more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution and other resources than we do. These capabilities of our competitors may allow them to better withstand downturns in the economy or apparel and fashion industry. Any increased competition, or our failure to adequately address any of these competitive factors which we have seen from time to time, could result in reduced sales, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Competition, along with such other factors as consolidation within the retail industry and changes in consumer spending patterns, could also result in significant pricing pressure and cause the sales environment to be more promotional, as it has been in recent years, impacting our financial results. For instance, we operated through a highly promotional sales environment during fiscal 2020 which had a negative impact on our operating results. If promotional pressure remains intense, either through actions of our competitors or through customer expectations, this may cause a further reduction in our sales and gross margins and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our business depends on a strong brand image, and if we are not able to maintain or enhance our brands, particularly in new markets where we have limited brand recognition, we may be unable to sell sufficient quantities of our merchandise, which would harm our business and cause our results of operations to suffer.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brands is critical to maintaining and expanding our customer base. Maintaining and enhancing our brands may require us to make substantial investments in areas such as visual merchandising, marketing, and advertising, employee training and store operations. Certain of our competitors in the fashion industry have faced adverse publicity surrounding the quality, attributes and performance of their products or company culture. Any or all our brands may similarly be adversely affected if our public image or reputation is tarnished by failing to maintain high standards for merchandise quality and corporate integrity. Any negative publicity about these types of concerns may reduce demand for our merchandise. Maintaining and

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enhancing our brands will depend largely on our ability to be a leading global contemporary group of apparel and accessories brands and to continue to provide high quality products. Moreover, we anticipate that, as our business expands into new markets and further penetrates existing markets, and as the markets in which we operate become increasingly competitive, maintaining, and enhancing our brands may become increasingly difficult and expensive. If we are unable to maintain or enhance our brand images, our results of operations may suffer and our business may be harmed.

If we lose any key personnel, are unable to attract key personnel, or assimilate and retain our key personnel, we may not be able to successfully operate or grow our business.

Our continued success is dependent on our ability to attract, assimilate, retain, and motivate qualified management, designers, administrative talent, and sales associates to support existing operations and future growth. Competition for qualified talent in the apparel and fashion industry is intense, and we compete for these individuals with other companies that in many cases have greater financial and other resources. The loss of the services of any members of senior management or the inability to attract and retain qualified executives could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we will need to continue to attract, assimilate, retain, and motivate highly talented employees with a range of other skills and experience.   Competition for employees in our industry, especially at the store management levels, is intense and we may from time to time experience difficulty in retaining our associates or attracting the additional talent necessary to support the growth of our business. We will also need to attract, assimilate, and retain other professionals across a range of disciplines, including design, production, sourcing, and international business, as we develop new product categories and continue to expand our international presence. See also “—We may not successfully manage the transition associated with the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, which could have an adverse impact on us.”

Our competitive position could suffer if our intellectual property rights are not protected.

We believe that our trademarks and designs are of great value. From time to time, third parties have challenged, and may in the future try to challenge, our ownership of our intellectual property. The actions we have taken to establish and protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not be adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others or to prevent others from seeking to invalidate our trademarks or block sales of our products as a violation of the trademarks and intellectual property rights of others. We may need to resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources. On the other hand, successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability, prevent us from selling some of our products or force us to redesign our products. In addition, we rely on cooperation from third parties with similar trademarks to be able to register our trademarks in jurisdictions in which such third parties have already registered their trademarks. Any of these events could harm our business and cause our results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition to suffer.

Our limited operating experience and brand recognition in international markets may delay our expansion strategy and cause our business and growth to suffer.

We face risks with respect to our strategy to expand internationally, including our efforts to further expand our business in Canada, select European countries, Asia, including China, and the Middle East through company-operated locations, wholesale arrangements as well as with international partners. Our current operations are based largely in the U.S., with international wholesale sales representing 10% of net sales for fiscal 2020. Therefore, we have a limited number of customers and experience in operating outside of the U.S. We also do not have extensive experience with regulatory environments and market practices outside of the U.S. and cannot guarantee, notwithstanding our international partners’ familiarity with such environments and market practices, including consumer demand and behavior, that we will be able to penetrate or successfully operate in any market outside of the U.S. Many of these markets have different operational characteristics, including employment and labor regulations, transportation, logistics, real estate (including lease terms) and local reporting or legal requirements, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact on the international markets remains unclear.

Our current and future licensing arrangements may not be successful and may make us susceptible to the actions of third parties over whom we have limited control.

We currently have product licensing agreements for Vince women’s footwear and men’s footwear and on a limited basis, Vince fragrance. In the future, we may enter into select additional licensing arrangements for product offerings which require specialized expertise. In addition, we have entered into select licensing agreements pursuant to which we have granted certain third parties the right to distribute and sell our products in certain geographic areas, and may continue to do so in the future. Although we have taken and will continue to take steps to select potential licensing partners carefully and monitor the activities of our existing licensing partners (through, among other things, approval rights over product design, production quality, packaging, merchandising, marketing, distribution and advertising), such arrangements may not be successful, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Any failure of our licensing arrangement may result in loss of revenue and competitive harm to our operations in regions or product categories

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where we have entered into such licensing arrangements.  In addition, we license our Vince website domain name from a third-party, renewing on an annual basis. Although the licensor has no termination rights under the domain license agreement, any failure by the licensor to perform its obligations thereunder could materially and adversely impact our operations of our website and our e-commerce business.

Our operating results may be subject to seasonal and quarterly variations in our net revenue and income from operations.

The apparel and fashion industry in which we operate is cyclical and, consequently, our revenues are affected by general economic conditions and the seasonal trends characteristic to the apparel and fashion industry.  Purchases of apparel are sensitive to a number of factors that influence the level of consumer spending, including economic conditions and the level of disposable consumer income, consumer debt, interest rates, consumer confidence as well as the impact from adverse weather conditions. In addition, fluctuations in the amount of sales in any fiscal quarter are affected by the timing of seasonal wholesale shipments and other events affecting direct-to-consumer sales; as such, the financial results for any particular quarter may not be indicative of results for the fiscal year. Any future seasonal or quarterly fluctuations in our results of operations may not match the expectations of market analysts and investors to assess the longer-term profitability and strength of our business at any particular point, which could lead to increased volatility in our stock price.

Risks Related to Our Information Technology and Security

System or data security issues, such as cyber or malware attacks, as well as other major system failures could disrupt our internal operations or information technology services, and any such disruption could negatively impact our net sales, increase our expenses and harm our reputation.

From time to time, we are subject to system or data security problems, including viruses and bugs as well as security issues created by third-party software and applications, employee errors and malfeasance and other various causes.  None of these incidents has resulted in any data or information breaches or any other material impact to our financial results.  There is no assurance, however, that we would not be subject to material security problems in the future, including cyber or malware attacks, and we could incur significant expenses or disruptions of our operations in connection with resulting system failures or data and information breaches. The increased use of smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices, as well as the continued need for a substantial portion of our corporate employees to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, may also heighten these and other operational risks. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate security problems, viruses and bugs could be significant, and the efforts to address these problems could result in interruptions, delays or cessation of service that may impede our sales, distribution or other critical functions.  Furthermore, if any of these security issues involve the compromise of personal information of our customers or employees could subject us to litigation and/or penalties and harm our reputation, materially and adversely affecting our business and growth. In addition to taking the necessary precautions ourselves, we require that third-party service providers implement reasonable security measures to protect our customers’ or employees’ identity and privacy, including any personally identifiable information and credit card information. We do not, however, control these third-party service providers and cannot guarantee that no electronic or physical computer break-ins and security breaches will occur in the future. Lastly, in the case of a disaster affecting our information technology systems, we may experience delays in recovery of data, inability to perform vital corporate functions, tardiness in required reporting and compliance, failures to adequately support our operations and other breakdowns in normal communication and operating procedures that could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are continuing to optimize and improve our information technology systems, processes, and functions. If these systems, processes, and functions do not operate successfully, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially harmed.

We continue to optimize and improve our information technology environment.  For example, in fiscal 2020, we completed the optimization of our warehouse systems as the initial step to implementing our omni-channel strategy as well as the migration of Rebecca Taylor and Parker brands to Vince’s enterprise resource planning system as part of the integration efforts. We plan to progress these strategies, including further adoption of omni-channel systems and processes as well as the consolidation of systems across Vince and Rebecca Taylor, including point of sale systems. If we fail in our efforts to continue optimizing and improving these systems, processes and functions as currently planned, we could incur further disruptions to our business operations, including deficiencies or weaknesses in our internal controls, as well as additional costs to replace those systems and functions.

Failure to comply with privacy‑related obligations, including privacy laws and regulations in the U.S. and internationally as well as other legal obligations, could materially adversely affect our business.

A variety of laws and regulations, in the U.S. and internationally, govern the collection, use, retention, sharing, transfer and security of personally identifiable information and data, including the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which became effective during fiscal 2018, and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which became effective on January 1, 2020. Since the enactment of the CCPA, data security laws have been proposed in more than half of the U.S.

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states and in the U.S. Congress, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the U.S. Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission and many state attorneys general are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws as imposing standards for the online collection, use, dissemination, and security of data.  We strive to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, self‑regulatory requirements, policies and legal obligations relating to privacy, data usage, and data protection. It is possible, however, that these laws, rules and regulations, which evolve frequently and may be inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, could be interpreted to conflict with our practices.  In addition to the costs of compliance with and other burdens imposed by privacy and data security laws and regulations, any failure or perceived failure by us or any third parties with whom we do business to comply with these laws, rules and regulations, or with other obligations to which we may be or become subject, may result in actions against us by governmental entities, private claims and litigation, fines, penalties or other liabilities. Any such action would be expensive to defend, could damage our reputation and could adversely affect our business and operating results.

Risks Related to Our Supply Chain

Problems with our distribution process could materially harm our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sale transactions, and achieve targeted operating efficiencies.

In the U.S., we rely on distribution facilities operated by third-party logistics providers in California. Our ability to meet the needs of our wholesale partners and our own direct-to-consumer business depends on the proper operation of these distribution facilities. Because substantially all of our products are distributed from one state, our operations could be interrupted by labor difficulties, or by floods, fires, earthquakes or other natural disasters and health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, at or near such facility. For example, a majority of our ocean shipments go through the ports in California, which had previously been subject to significant processing delays due to COVID-19 as well as the blockage in the Suez Canal, resulting not only in shipment disruptions but also in significantly increased freight costs. We also have warehouses overseas, including in Hong Kong, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Canada, operated by third-party logistics providers, supporting our wholesale orders for customers located primarily in the nearby regions. Disruptions at any of these facilities located outside the U.S. could also materially and negatively impact the business.

We maintain business interruption insurance. These policies, however, may not adequately protect us from the adverse effects that could result from significant disruptions to our distribution system. If we encounter problems with any of our distribution processes, our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales, and achieve targeted operating efficiencies could be harmed. Any of the foregoing factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

We may in the future integrate the warehouse operations of the Acquired Businesses to those of Vince.  If such integration efforts do not progress as planned, or at all, our business operations may be significantly disrupted, materially and adversely impacting our business results.

The extent of our foreign sourcing may adversely affect our business.

We work with more than 50 manufacturers across nine countries, with 88% of our products produced in China in fiscal 2020. A manufacturing contractor’s failure to ship products to us in a timely manner or to meet the required quality standards could cause us to miss the delivery date requirements of our customers for those items. The failure to make timely deliveries may cause customers to cancel orders, refuse to accept deliveries or demand reduced prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. As a result of the magnitude of our foreign sourcing, our business is subject to the following risks:

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If these risks limit or prevent us from manufacturing products in any significant international market, prevent us from acquiring products from foreign suppliers, or significantly increase the cost of our products, our operations could be seriously disrupted until alternative suppliers are found or alternative markets are developed, which could negatively and significantly impact our business.  While we may be able to shift our sourcing options to avoid any negative macroenvironmental impact of a particular region such as China, executing such a shift would be time consuming and would be difficult or impracticable for many products and may result in an increase in our manufacturing costs and/or may negatively impact the quality of our products.  Any increase in the prices of our products and/or decline in the quality of our products could in turn negatively impact the demand for our products. 

Fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials could cause delays and increase costs and cause our operating results and financial condition to suffer.

Fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of the fabrics or other raw materials, particularly cotton, silk, leather and synthetics used in our manufactured apparel, could have a material adverse effect on cost of sales or our ability to meet customer demands. The prices of fabrics depend largely on the market prices of the raw materials used to produce them. The price and availability of the raw materials and, in turn, the fabrics used in our apparel may fluctuate significantly, depending on many factors, including crop yields, weather patterns, labor costs and changes in oil prices as well as other economic factors, such as those related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We may not be able to create suitable design solutions that utilize raw materials with attractive prices or, alternatively, to pass higher raw materials prices and related transportation costs on to our customers. We are not always successful in our efforts to protect our business from the volatility of the market price of raw materials, and our business can be materially affected by dramatic movements in prices of raw materials. The ultimate effect of this change on our earnings cannot be quantified, as the effect of movements in raw materials prices on industry selling prices are uncertain, but any significant increase in these prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our reliance on independent manufacturers could cause delays or quality issues which could damage customer relationships.

We use independent manufacturers to assemble or produce all of our products, whether inside or outside the U.S. We are dependent on the ability of these independent manufacturers to adequately finance the production of goods ordered and maintain sufficient manufacturing capacity. Because we do not control these independent manufacturers, they may not continue to provide products that are consistent with our standards. We receive from time to time shipments of product that fail to conform to our quality control standards or products that are damaged during shipment as they were not properly packed. Failures such as these in our quality control program may result in diminished product quality, which in turn may result in increased order cancellations and returns, decreased consumer demand for our products, or product recalls, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, products that fail to meet our standards, or other unauthorized products, could end up in the marketplace without our knowledge. This could materially harm our brand and our reputation in the marketplace.

We generally do not have long-term written agreements with any independent manufacturers. As a result, any single manufacturing contractor could unilaterally terminate its relationship with us at any time. Our top five manufacturers accounted for the production of approximately 59% of our finished products during fiscal 2020. Supply disruptions from these manufacturers (or any of our other manufacturers) could have a material adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demands, if we are unable to source suitable replacement materials at acceptable prices or at all. Moreover, alternative manufacturers, if available, may not be able to provide us with products or services of a comparable quality, at an acceptable price or on a timely basis. We may also, from time to time, make a decision to enter into a relationship with a new manufacturer. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labor and other ethical practices. There can be no assurance that there will not be a disruption in the supply of our products from independent manufacturers or that any new manufacturer will be successful in producing our products in a manner we expected, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which initially significantly impacted the regions many of these manufacturers are located. Moreover, during fiscal 2017, certain manufacturers demanded accelerated payment terms or prepayments as a condition to delivering finished goods to us, which required us to take various steps to address those requests to avoid disruptions in product deliveries and to return to normal terms. There can be no assurance that such demands would not recur in the future, particularly in light of economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the event of any disruption with a manufacturer, we may not be able to substitute suitable alternative

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manufacturers in a timely and cost-efficient manner. The failure of any independent manufacturer to perform or the loss of any independent manufacturer could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If our independent manufacturers fail to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations, our brand images could be harmed due to negative publicity.

We have established and currently maintain operating guidelines which promote ethical business practices such as fair wage practices, compliance with child labor laws and other local laws. While we monitor compliance with those guidelines, we do not control our independent manufacturers or their business practices. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee their compliance with our guidelines. From time to time, our audit results have revealed a lack of compliance in certain respects, including with respect to local labor, safety, and environmental laws. Other fashion companies have faced criticism after highly publicized incidents or compliance issues have occurred or been exposed at factories producing their products. To the extent our manufacturers do not bring their operations into compliance with such laws or resolve material issues identified in any of our audit results, we may face similar criticism and negative publicity. In addition, other fashion companies have encountered organized boycotts of their products in such situations. If we, or other companies in our industry, encounter similar problems in the future, it could harm our brand images, stock price and results of operations. In addition, a lack of demonstrated compliance by our suppliers could lead us to seek alternative suppliers, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations.  Furthermore, expectations of ethical business practices continually evolve, may be substantially more demanding than applicable legal requirements and are driven in part by legal developments and by diverse groups active in publicizing and organizing public responses to perceived ethical shortcomings. Accordingly, we cannot predict how expectations of ethical business practices might develop in the future and cannot be certain that our guidelines would satisfy all parties who are active in monitoring and publicizing perceived shortcomings in labor and other business practices worldwide.

Risks Related to Our Structure and Ownership

We are required to pay to the Pre-IPO Stockholders 85% of certain tax benefits and could be required to make substantial cash payments in which our stockholders will not participate.

We entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with the Pre-IPO Stockholders (as defined therein) in connection with the IPO and Restructuring Transactions which closed on November 27, 2013. Under the Tax Receivable Agreement, we will be obligated to pay to the Pre-IPO Stockholders an amount equal to 85% of the cash savings in federal, state and local income tax realized by us by virtue of our future use of the federal, state and local net operating losses (“NOLs”) held by us as of November 27, 2013, together with section 197 intangible deductions (collectively, the “Pre-IPO Tax Benefits”). “Section 197 intangible deductions” means amortization deductions with respect to certain amortizable intangible assets which are held by us and our subsidiaries immediately after November 27, 2013. Cash tax savings generally will be computed by comparing our actual federal, state and local income tax liability to the amount of such taxes that we would have been required to pay had such Pre-IPO Tax Benefits not been available to us. Assuming the federal, state and local corporate income tax rates presently in effect which includes the impact of the TCJA, no material change in applicable tax law and no limitation on our ability to use the Pre-IPO Tax Benefits under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), the estimated cash benefit of the full use of these Pre-IPO Tax Benefits as of January 30, 2021 would be approximately $38,327, of which 85%, or approximately $32,578 plus accrued interest, is potentially payable to the Pre-IPO Stockholders under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. As of January 30, 2021, $0, plus accrued interest, is currently outstanding. Accordingly, the Tax Receivable Agreement could require us to make substantial cash payments. Payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement will depend upon a number of factors, including the amount and timing of taxable income we generate in the future and any future limitations that may be imposed on our ability to use the Pre-IPO Tax Benefits, and estimating future taxable income is inherently uncertain and requires judgment.  If we determine in the future that the estimate should be revised, we would be required to either recognize additional liability related to tax benefits expected to be utilized or derecognize liability relating to tax benefits no longer expected to be utilized, which could result in material modifications to our financial statements.

Although we are not aware of any issue that would cause the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) to challenge any tax benefits arising under the Tax Receivable Agreement, the affiliates of Sun Capital will not reimburse us for any payments previously made if such benefits subsequently were disallowed, although the amount of any tax savings subsequently disallowed will reduce any future payment otherwise owed to the Pre-IPO Stockholders. For example, if our determinations regarding the applicability (or lack thereof) and amount of any limitations on the NOLs under Section 382 of the Code were to be successfully challenged by the IRS after payments relating to such NOLs had been made to the Pre-IPO Stockholders, we would not be reimbursed by the Pre-IPO Stockholders and our recovery would be limited to the extent of future payments (if any) otherwise remaining under the Tax Receivable Agreement. As a result, in such circumstances we could make payments to the Pre-IPO Stockholders under the Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of our actual cash tax savings.

Because Vince Holding Corp. is a holding company with no operations of its own, its ability to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent on the ability of Vince, LLC and its subsidiaries to make distributions to it. To the extent that we

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need funds, for such payment or otherwise, and Vince, LLC is restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or is otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition. To the extent that Vince Holding Corp. is unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid, which could adversely affect our results of operations and could also affect our liquidity in periods in which such payments are made.

In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the Pre-IPO Stockholders may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the Pre-IPO Tax Benefits.

Upon the election of an affiliate of Sun Capital to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement pursuant to a change in control (as defined in the Tax Receivable Agreement) or upon our election to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement early, all of our payment and other obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be accelerated and will become due and payable. Additionally, the Tax Receivable Agreement provides that in the event that we breach any of our material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement by operation of law as a result of the rejection of the Tax Receivable Agreement in a case commenced under Title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) then all of our payment and other obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be accelerated and will become due and payable. In the case of any such acceleration, we would be required to make an immediate payment equal to 85% of the present value of the tax savings represented by any portion of the Pre-IPO Tax Benefits for which payment under the Tax Receivable Agreement has not already been made.

Although as of January 30, 2021, we estimate that we would not be required to make any payment under the Tax Receivable Agreement, in the future, such payments could be substantial and could exceed our actual cash tax savings from the Pre-IPO Tax Benefits. In these situations, our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient cash available or that we will be able to finance our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

We are a “controlled company,” controlled by investment funds advised by affiliates of Sun Capital, whose interests in our business may be different from yours.

Affiliates of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. (“Sun Capital”) owned approximately 72% of our outstanding common stock as of March 31, 2021. As such, affiliates of Sun Capital will, for the foreseeable future, have significant influence over our reporting and corporate management and affairs, and will be able to control virtually all matters requiring stockholder approval. For so long as affiliates of Sun Capital own 30% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, Sun Cardinal, LLC, an affiliate of Sun Capital, will have the right to designate a majority of our board of directors.

Affiliates of Sun Capital control actions to be taken by us, our board of directors and our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and approval of significant corporate transactions, including mergers and sales of substantially all of our assets. The directors designated by affiliates of Sun Capital have the authority, subject to the terms of our indebtedness and the rules and regulations of the NYSE, to issue additional stock, implement stock repurchase programs, declare dividends and make other decisions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” does not apply against Sun Capital or its affiliates, or any of our directors who are associates of, or affiliated with, Sun Capital, in a manner that would prohibit them from investing in competing businesses or doing business with our partners or customers. It is possible that the interests of Sun Capital and its affiliates may in some circumstances conflict with our interests and the interests of our other stockholders, including you. For example, Sun Capital may have different tax positions from other stockholders which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when we should dispose of assets, whether and when we should incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, especially in light of the existence of the Tax Receivable Agreement, and whether and when we should terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement and accelerate our obligations thereunder.

Any disputes that arise between us and St. Louis, LLC, or between us and Kellwood, which is now an unaffiliated entity, with respect to our past relationships, could materially harm our business operations.

Disputes may arise between St. Louis, LLC and us and/or between us and Kellwood with respect to any past transitional services provided under the Shared Services Agreement in a number of areas relating to our operations or indemnification obligations. Any such dispute, if not resolved, could materially harm our business operations particularly as we may not obtain adequate recovery of damages from St. Louis, LLC, which has now been dissolved, and Kellwood, which is now an unaffiliated entity.

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We are a “smaller reporting company” and intend to avail ourselves of reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in the Exchange Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “smaller reporting companies,” including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile. We intend to take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer a “smaller reporting company.” We will remain a “smaller reporting company” until the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter is $250,000 or more and annual revenue as of our most recently completed fiscal year is $100,000 or more, or the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter is $700,000 or more, regardless of annual revenue.

None.

The following table sets forth the location, use and size of our significant corporate facilities and showrooms as of January 30, 2021, all of which are leased under various agreements expiring at various time through fiscal 2025, subject to renewal options.

As of January 30, 2021, we leased 174,439 gross square feet related to our 71 company-operated retail stores. Although our more recent leases are subject to shorter terms as a result of the implementation of our strategy to pursue shorter lease terms, many of our leases have initial terms of 10 years, and in many instances, can be extended for an additional term. Substantially all of our leases require a fixed annual rent, and most require the payment of additional rent if store sales exceed a negotiated amount. Most of our leases are “net” leases, which require us to pay all of the cost of insurance, taxes, maintenance, and utilities. Although we generally cannot cancel these leases at our option, certain of our leases allow us, and in some cases, the lessor, to terminate the lease if we do not achieve a specified gross sales threshold.

The following store list shows the location, opening date, type, and size of our company-operated retail locations as of January 30, 2021: 

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ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

On September 7, 2018, a complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York by certain stockholders (collectively, the “Plaintiff”), naming us as well as David Stefko, our Chief Financial Officer, one of our directors, certain of our former officers and directors, and Sun Capital and certain of its affiliates, as defendants. The complaint generally alleges that we and the named parties made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose matters relating to the transition of our ERP systems from Kellwood. The complaint brings causes of action for violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, as amended and Rule 10b-5 promulgated under the Exchange Act against us and the named parties and for violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against the individual parties, Sun Capital Partners, Inc. and its affiliates.  The complaint sought unspecified monetary damages and unspecified costs and fees. On January 28, 2019, in response to our motion to dismiss the original complaint, the Plaintiff filed an amended complaint, naming the same defendants as parties and asserting the same causes of action as those stated in the original complaint. On October 4, 2019, an individual stockholder filed a complaint marked as a related suit to the amended complaint, containing substantially identical allegations and claims against the same defendant parties. On September 9, 2020, the two complaints were dismissed in their entirety and the Plaintiff’s request for leave to replead was denied. On October 6, 2020, the Plaintiff filed notices of appeal. The appeals are pending.

On September 6, 2019, Vince, LLC received a favorable judgment from the second instance court in the People’s Republic of China in connection with a trademark infringement case. The judgment awarded Vince, LLC approximately $700 in damages and fees, net of applicable taxes, which was included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). This amount was subsequently paid in full to Vince, LLC by the defendants in the case in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019.

Additionally, we are a party to legal proceedings, compliance matters, environmental, as well as wage and hour and other labor claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Although the outcome of such items cannot be determined with certainty, we believe that the ultimate outcome of these items, individually and in the aggregate will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

All dollar amounts disclosed are in thousands.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VNCE”.

Record Holders

As of March 31, 2021, there were 3 holders of record of our common stock.

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Dividends

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends depends on our receipt of cash distributions from our subsidiaries. The terms of our indebtedness substantially restrict the ability to pay dividends. See “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financing Activities” of this Annual Report for a description of the related restrictions.

Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, restrictions contained in current and future financing instruments and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

We did not repurchase any shares of common stock during the three months ended January 30, 2021.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

None.

As a “smaller reporting company” as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Security Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), we are not required to provide the information in this item.   

Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. Fiscal years 2020 and 2019 ended on January 30, 2021 (“fiscal 2020”) and February 1, 2020 (“fiscal 2019”), respectively. Fiscal years 2020 and 2019 each consisted of 52 weeks. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. All amounts disclosed are in thousands except store counts, share and per share data and percentages.

For purposes of this Annual Report, the “Company,” “we,” and “our,” refer to Vince Holding Corp. (“VHC”) and our wholly owned subsidiaries, including Vince Intermediate Holding, LLC (“Vince Intermediate”) and Vince, LLC. References to “Kellwood” refer, as applicable, to Kellwood Holding, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries (including Kellwood Company, LLC) or the operations of the non-Vince businesses after giving effect to the Restructuring Transactions and prior to the Kellwood Sale. References to “Vince,” “Rebecca Taylor” or “Parker” refer only to the referenced brands.

On November 3, 2019, Vince, LLC, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of VHC, completed its acquisition (the “Acquisition”) of 100% of the equity interests of Rebecca Taylor, Inc. and Parker Holding, LLC (collectively, the “Acquired Businesses”) from Contemporary Lifestyle Group, LLC (“CLG”). See Note 2 “Business Combinations” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for further information.

This discussion contains forward-looking statements involving risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our results to differ materially from expectations. For a discussion of the risks facing our business, see “Item 1A—Risk Factors” included in this Annual Report.

COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020, caused state and municipal public officials to mandate jurisdiction-wide curfews, including “shelter-in-place” and closures of most non-essential businesses as well as other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The following summarizes the various measures we have implemented to effectively manage the business as well as the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic during the year ended January 30, 2021.

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As a result of store closures and the decline in projected cash flows, the Company recognized a non-cash impairment charge related to property and equipment and operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets to adjust the carrying amounts of certain store locations to their estimated fair value.  During the year ended January 30, 2021, the Company recorded an impairment of property and equipment and operating lease ROU assets of $4,470 and $8,556, respectively. The impairment charges are recorded within Impairment of long-lived assets on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) in this Annual Report. See Note 1 “Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – (K) Impairment of Long-lived Assets” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for additional information.

The Company incurred a non-cash impairment charge of $13,848 on goodwill and intangible assets during the year ended January 30, 2021 as a result of the decline in long-term projections due to COVID-19.  See Note 3 “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for additional information;

The COVID-19 pandemic remains highly volatile and continues to evolve on a daily basis. See Item 1A. Risk Factors — “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition, cash flow, liquidity and results of operations” for additional discussion regarding risks to our business associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Overview

We are a global contemporary group, consisting of three brands: Vince, Rebecca Taylor and Parker. On November 3, 2019, we completed the acquisition of 100% of the equity interests of Rebecca Taylor, Inc. and Parker Holding, LLC from CLG. See Note 2 “Business Combinations” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for additional information.

Vince, established in 2002, is a leading global luxury apparel and accessories brand best known for creating elevated yet understated pieces for every day effortless style. Known for its range of luxury products, Vince offers women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, footwear and accessories through 47 full-price retail stores, 15 outlet stores, its e-commerce site, vince.com and through its subscription service Vince Unfold, vinceunfold.com, as well as through premium wholesale channels globally.

Rebecca Taylor, founded in 1996 in New York City, is a contemporary womenswear line lauded for its signature prints, romantic detailing and vintage inspired aesthetic, reimagined for a modern era. The Rebecca Taylor collection is available at six full-price retail stores, three outlet stores, through its e-commerce site at rebeccataylor.com and through its subscription service Rebecca Taylor RNTD at rebeccataylorrntd.com, as well as through major department and specialty stores worldwide.

Parker, founded in 2008 in New York City, is a contemporary women’s fashion brand that is trend focused. While we continue to believe that the Parker brand complements our portfolio, during the first half of fiscal 2020 the Company decided to pause the

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creation of new products to focus resources on the operations of the Vince and Rebecca Taylor brands and to preserve liquidity. The Parker collection was previously available through major department stores and specialty stores worldwide as well as through its e-commerce website.

We serve our customers through a variety of channels that reinforce our brand images. Our diversified channel strategy allows us to introduce our products to customers through multiple distribution points that are presented in three reportable segments: Vince Wholesale, Vince Direct-to-consumer and Rebecca Taylor and Parker.

Results of Operations

Comparable Sales

Comparable sales include our e-commerce sales in order to align with how we manage our brick-and-mortar retail stores and e-commerce online stores as a combined single direct-to-consumer channel of distribution. As a result of our omni-channel sales and inventory strategy, as well as cross-channel customer shopping patterns, there is less distinction between our brick-and-mortar retail stores and our e-commerce online stores and we believe the inclusion of e-commerce sales in our comparable sales metric is a more meaningful representation of these results and provides a more comprehensive view of our year over year comparable sales metric.

A store is included in the comparable sales calculation after it has completed 13 full fiscal months of operations and includes stores, if any, that have been remodeled or relocated within the same geographic market the Company served prior to the relocation. Non-comparable sales include new stores which have not completed 13 full fiscal months of operations, sales from closed stores, and relocated stores serving a new geographic market. For 53-week fiscal years, we continue to adjust comparable sales to exclude the additional week. There may be variations in the way in which some of our competitors and other retailers calculate comparable sales.

As a result of the extensive temporary store closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, comparable sales are not a meaningful metric for the year ended January 30, 2021 and we have not included a discussion within our Results of Operations. 

Fiscal 2020 Compared to Fiscal 2019

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, our operating results as a percentage of net sales as well as earnings (loss) per share data:

(*) Not meaningful

Net sales for fiscal 2020 were $219,870, decreasing $155,317, or 41.4%, versus $375,187 for fiscal 2019.

Gross profit decreased $89,833, or 50.3%, to $88,597 in fiscal 2020 from $178,430 in fiscal 2019. As a percentage of sales, gross margin was 40.3%, compared with 47.6% in the prior year. The total gross margin rate decrease was primarily driven by the following factors:

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Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets for the year ended January 30, 2021 was $13,848 which includes the impairment of $9,462 related to goodwill and $4,386 related to indefinite-lived tradenames. Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets for the year ended February 1, 2020 was $19,491 which includes the impairment of $2,129 related to goodwill, $11,247 related to indefinite-lived tradenames, and $6,115 related to definite-lived customer lists, all related to the Rebecca Taylor and Parker segment.

Impairment of long-lived assets for the year ended January 30, 2021 was $13,026 which includes the impairment of $4,470 related to property and equipment and $8,556 related to operating lease ROU assets. Impairment of long-lived assets for the year ended February 1, 2020 was $818 which includes the impairment of $641 related to property and equipment and $177 related to operating lease ROU assets.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses for fiscal 2020 were $122,803, decreasing $55,708, or 31.2%, versus $178,511 for fiscal 2019. SG&A expenses as a percentage of sales were 55.9% and 47.6% for fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, respectively. The change in SG&A expenses compared to the prior year period was primarily due to:

The above decreases were partially offset by:

Interest expense, net increased $49, or 1.0%, to $5,007 in fiscal 2020 from $4,958 in fiscal 2019 primarily due to the composition of debt.

Other (income) expense, net was $(2,304) in fiscal 2020 and $(55,842) in fiscal 2019. The change was primarily attributable to a benefit from re-measurement of the liability related to the Tax Receivable Agreement (“TRA”). See “Critical Accounting Policies – Tax Receivable Agreement” below and Note 14 “Related Party Transactions” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for further information.

Provision for income taxes for fiscal 2020 was $1,866 as compared to $98 for fiscal 2019. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019 was (2.9)% and 0.3%, respectively. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2020 differed from the U.S. statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the impact of the valuation allowance established against our deferred tax assets partly offset by state taxes. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2019 differed from the U.S. statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the impact of pre-tax items with no corresponding tax impact, primarily the revaluation of the TRA liability as well as the impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, partially offset by the impact of state taxes, and the impact of the valuation allowance established against our deferred tax asset.

Performance by Segment

The Company has identified three reportable segments as further described below:

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Unallocated corporate expenses are related to the Vince brand and are comprised of SG&A expenses attributable to corporate and administrative activities (such as marketing, design, finance, information technology, legal and human resources departments), and other charges that are not directly attributable to the Company’s Vince Wholesale and Vince Direct-to-consumer reportable segments.

Vince Wholesale

Net sales from our Vince Wholesale segment decreased $61,068, or 36.6%, to $105,737 in fiscal 2020 from $166,805 in fiscal 2019, primarily due to the delay and cancellation of order receipts as a result of the temporary closure of our wholesale partner’s doors due to COVID-19 as well as lower off-price shipments.

Income from operations from our Vince Wholesale segment decreased $25,381, or 45.8%, to $30,059 in fiscal 2020 from $55,440 in fiscal 2019 primarily due to the aforementioned decrease in sales and the unfavorable impact of year-over-year adjustments to inventory and accounts receivable reserves, partly offset by reduced spending.

Vince Direct-to-consumer

Net sales from our Vince Direct-to-consumer segment decreased $47,086, or 35.3%, to $86,326 in fiscal 2020 from $133,412 in fiscal 2019. The decrease in sales was primarily due to the temporary store closures of our domestic and international retail locations due to COVID-19 and reduced traffic partly offset by growth of over 25% in e-commerce, which includes Vince Unfold. Since the end of fiscal 2019, our total retail store count remains unchanged, bringing our total retail store count to 62 consisting of 47 full price stores and 15 outlet stores as of January 30, 2021, compared to 62 (consisting of 48 full price stores and 14 outlet stores) as of February 1, 2020.

Our Vince Direct-to-consumer segment had a loss from operations of $20,734 in fiscal 2020 compared to income from operations of $10,127 in fiscal 2019. The decrease was primarily due to the aforementioned decrease in sales, as well as the

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impairment of property and equipment and operating lease ROU assets, partly offset by reduced spending and lower rent and occupancy expense.

Rebecca Taylor and Parker

Net sales from our Rebecca Taylor and Parker segment decreased $47,163, or 62.9%, to $27,807 in fiscal 2020 from $74,970 in fiscal 2019 primarily due to a $38,506 decrease in wholesale sales and a $8,657 decrease in the direct-to-consumer channels primarily due to temporary store closures of our domestic retail locations alongside other retailers, including our wholesale partners, as well as due to our strategic initiatives to refresh the Rebecca Taylor brand and our pause in the development of new product for the Parker brand.

Loss from operations from our Rebecca Taylor and Parker segment decreased $12,450, or 43.6%, to $16,112 in fiscal 2020 from $28,562, in fiscal 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by the impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, and long-lived assets recognized during fiscal 2019.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our sources of liquidity are cash and cash equivalents, cash flows from operations, if any, borrowings available under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and our ability to access capital markets. Our primary cash needs are funding working capital requirements, meeting our debt service requirements and capital expenditures for new stores and related leasehold improvements. The most significant components of our working capital are cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventories, accounts payable and other current liabilities. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken various measures to improve our liquidity as described above (see “COVID-19”).  Based on these measures and our current expectations, we believe that our sources of liquidity will generate sufficient cash flows to meet our obligations during the next twelve months from the date these financial statements are issued.

Amendments to Existing Credit Facilities

On June 8, 2020, Vince, LLC entered into the Third Amendment (the “Third Revolver Amendment”) to the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below) and the Third Amendment (the “Third Term Loan Amendment”) to the 2018 Term Loan Credit Facility (as defined below). The Third Revolver Amendment, among others, temporarily increased availability under the facility’s borrowing base by increasing the aggregate commitments to $110,000 from $100,000 through November 30, 2020 and revises certain eligibility criteria of trade receivables to be included in the borrowing base during that period, as well as waived certain events of default. The Third Term Loan Amendment, among others, temporarily suspended the requirement to maintain a specified Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio through the delivery of a compliance certificate relating to the fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2021, and replaced it with a springing covenant, under which the obligation to maintain a specified Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of 1.0 to 1.0 is triggered only when the excess availability under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility falls below $15,000, or for the period between September 6, 2020 and January 9, 2021, $10,000, and for the period between January 10, 2021 and January 31, 2021, $12,500. The Third Term Loan Amendment also revised the Consolidated Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio required to be maintained following the period of the covenant suspension such that the required ratio is now 1.50 to 1.0 for the fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2021 and 1.75 to 1.0 for each fiscal quarter thereafter, as well as waived certain events of default.

On December 11, 2020, Vince, LLC entered into the Fifth Amendment (the “Fifth Revolver Amendment”) to the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility and the Fifth Amendment (the “Fifth Term Loan Amendment”) to the 2018 Term Loan Facility. The amendments, among others, extended the period during which the testing under a financial covenant is suspended, lowered the fixed charge coverage ratio to be maintained thereafter, extended the applicability of certain revised eligibility criteria for trade receivables and waived certain term loan amortization payments.

On April 26, 2021, Vince, LLC entered into the Sixth Amendment (the “Sixth Term Loan Amendment”) to the 2018 Term Loan Facility. This amendment extends the waiver of the fixed charge coverage ratio measurement until January 28, 2023 in order to create more flexibility as the Company recovers from the pandemic. Until January 28, 2023, Vince will continue to be subject to the springing covenant whereby Vince is required to maintain a fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.0 to 1.0 in the event the excess availability under its existing revolver facility is less than $7,500 until July 31, 2021 and $10,000 after August 1, 2021. Concurrently with the Sixth Term Loan Amendment, the Company entered into the Sixth Amendment (the “Sixth Revolver Amendment”) to the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility which consents to the Sixth Term Loan Amendment and amends certain definitions to reflect the Sixth Term Loan Amendment.

See “Financing Activities” below, Note 5 “Long-Term Debt and Financing Arrangements” and Note 15 “Subsequent Events” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for more details on these amendments.

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Third Lien Credit Agreement

On December 11, 2020, Vince, LLC entered into a $20,000 subordinated term loan credit facility (the “Third Lien Credit Facility”) pursuant to a credit agreement (the “Third Lien Credit Agreement”), dated December 11, 2020, by and among Vince, LLC, as the borrower, SK Financial Services, LLC (“SK Financial”), as agent and lender, and other lenders from time to time party thereto. SK Financial is an affiliate of Sun Capital, whose affiliates own approximately 72% of the Company’s common stock.  The Third Lien Credit Facility was reviewed and approved by the Special Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, consisting solely of directors not affiliated with Sun Capital, which committee was represented by independent legal advisors. Interest and closing fees on loans under the Third Lien Credit Facility are payable in kind. The proceeds were received on December 11, 2020 and were used to repay a portion of the borrowings outstanding under the 2018 Revolving Credit Facility. See “Financing Activities” below and Note 5 “Long-Term Debt and Financing Arrangements” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report for more details.

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal 2020 was $25,071 which consisted of a net loss of $65,649, impacted by non-cash items of $37,630 and cash provided by working capital of $2,948. Net cash provided by working capital resulted from a cash inflow in receivables, net of $6,594 driven largely by the timing of collections offset by a cash outflow in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $6,563 primarily due to the timing of payments to vendors and a cash outflow in inventories of $1,823 as higher aged inventory (which was driven by the impact of COVID-19) was mostly offset by reduced inventory purchases and the timing of inventory receipts.

Net cash provided by operating activities during fiscal 2019 was $16,819 which consisted of a net income of $30,396, impacted by non-cash items of $(23,581) and cash provided by working capital of $10,004. Net cash provided by working capital resulted from a cash inflow in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $7,606 primarily due to the timing of payments to vendors and a cash inflow in inventories of $5,252 due to lower in-transit inventories, partly offset by a cash outflow in receivables, net of $2,577 driven largely by the timing of collections.

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Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities of $3,497 during fiscal 2020 represents capital expenditures related to retail store build-outs, including leasehold improvements and store fixtures.

Net cash used in investing activities of $4,523 during fiscal 2019 represents capital expenditures related to retail store build-outs, including leasehold improvements and store fixtures.

Financing Activities