UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-Q



Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


For the quarterly period ended October 29, 2017 April 30, 2023


Commission file number 000-25349


HOOKER FURNITUREFURNISHINGS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Virginia
54-0251350
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(IRS employer identification no.)

440 East Commonwealth Boulevard, Martinsville, VA 24112

(Address of principal executive offices, zip code)


(276) 632-2133

(Registrant’sRegistrants telephone number, including area code)



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, and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐


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

Large accelerated Filer ☐
Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated Filer ☐ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)  
Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐


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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒


Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the issuer’s classesAct:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, no par value

HOFT

NASDAQ Global Select Market

As of June 2, 2023, there were 10,916,369 shares of the registrant’s common stock as of December 1, 2017:outstanding.

 

Common stock, no par value
11,762,409
(Class of common stock)
(Number of shares)

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS



PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 
   

Item 1.

3

   

Item 2.

20

17

   

Item 3.

35

28

   

Item 4.

36

28

   

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 
   

Item 1A.2.

Risk FactorsUnregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 37

29

   

Item 6.

38

29

   

39

30


 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION


Item 1. Financial Statements


HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 
(In thousands) 
       
As of October 29,  January 29, 
  2017  2017 
  (unaudited)    
Assets      
Current assets      
    Cash and cash equivalents $32,357  $39,792 
    Trade accounts receivable, net  79,850   92,578 
    Inventories  83,550   75,303 
    Income Tax Recoverable  954   - 
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets  5,220   4,244 
         Total current assets  201,931   211,917 
Property, plant and equipment, net  30,846   25,803 
Cash surrender value of life insurance policies  23,322   22,366 
Deferred taxes  5,512   7,264 
Intangible assets, net  37,825   25,923 
Goodwill  40,832   23,187 
Other assets  2,249   2,236 
         Total non-current assets  140,586   106,779 
               Total assets $342,517  $318,696 
         
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity        
Current liabilities        
    Current portion of term loan $7,526  $5,817 
    Trade accounts payable  33,748   36,552 
    Accrued salaries, wages and benefits  8,373   8,394 
    Income tax accrual  -   4,323 
    Customer deposits  4,290   5,605 
    Other accrued expenses  3,338   3,369 
         Total current liabilities  57,275   64,060 
Long term debt  47,660   41,772 
Deferred compensation  11,043   10,849 
Pension plan  3,017   3,499 
Other long-term liabilities  852   589 
Total long-term liabilities  62,572   56,709 
              Total liabilities  119,847   120,769 
         
Shareholders’ equity        
    Common stock, no par value, 20,000 shares authorized,
    11,762 and 11,563 shares issued and outstanding on each date
  48,910   39,753 
    Retained earnings  173,245   157,688 
    Accumulated other comprehensive income  515   486 
              Total shareholders’ equity  222,670   197,927 
                   Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $342,517  $318,696 

HOOKER FURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)


As of

 

April 30,

  

January 29,

 
  

2023

  

2023

 
  

(unaudited)

     

Assets

        

Current assets

        

    Cash and cash equivalents

 $30,976  $19,002 

    Trade accounts receivable, net

  54,528   62,129 

    Inventories

  73,188   96,675 

    Income tax recoverable

  2,985   3,079 

    Prepaid expenses and other current assets

  7,551   6,418 

         Total current assets

  169,228   187,303 

Property, plant and equipment, net

  29,070   27,010 

Cash surrender value of life insurance policies

  27,899   27,576 

Deferred taxes

  14,208   14,484 

Operating leases right-of-use assets

  66,806   68,949 

Intangible assets, net

  30,895   31,779 

Goodwill

  14,952   14,952 

Other assets

  11,010   9,663 

         Total non-current assets

  194,840   194,413 

               Total assets

 $364,068  $381,716 
         

Liabilities and Shareholders Equity

        

Current liabilities

        

    Current portion of long-term debt

 $1,393  $1,393 

    Trade accounts payable

  15,991   16,090 

    Accrued salaries, wages and benefits

  5,743   9,290 

    Customer deposits

  6,582   8,511 

    Current portion of lease liabilities

  7,363   7,316 

    Other accrued expenses

  2,685   7,438 

         Total current liabilities

  39,757   50,038 

Long term debt

  22,526   22,874 

Deferred compensation

  8,022   8,178 

Operating lease liabilities

  61,877   63,762 

Other long-term liabilities

  855   843 

Total long-term liabilities

  93,280   95,657 

              Total liabilities

  133,037   145,695 
         

Shareholders’ equity

        

    Common stock, no par value, 20,000 shares authorized,

11,029 and 11,197 shares issued and outstanding on each date

  50,067   50,770 

    Retained earnings

  180,152   184,386 

    Accumulated other comprehensive income

  812   865 

              Total shareholders’ equity

  231,031   236,021 

                   Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 $364,068  $381,716 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.


HOOKER FURNITUREFURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOMEOPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)


 

For the

 
 Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
 October 29,  October 30,  October 29,  October 30,  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
 2017  2016  2017  2016  

2023

  

2022

 
                    
Net sales $157,934  $145,298  $445,114  $403,292  $121,815  $147,314 
                        
Cost of sales  123,656   114,372   349,576   317,289   93,909   117,855 
                        
Gross profit  34,278   30,926   95,538   86,003   27,906   29,459 
                        
Selling and administrative expenses  22,449   20,653   64,139   61,038   25,048   24,658 
Intangible asset amortization  624   334   1,291   2,801   883   878 
                        
Operating income  11,205   9,939   30,108   22,164   1,975   3,923 
                        
Other income, net  330   218   1,052   636   56   278 
Interest expense, net  327   245   860   755   179   28 
                        
Income before income taxes  11,208   9,912   30,300   22,045   1,852   4,173 
                        
Income tax expense  4,006   3,453   10,574   7,737   402   991 
                        
Net income $7,202  $6,459  $19,726  $14,308  $1,450  $3,182 
                        
Earnings per share                        
Basic $0.62  $0.56  $1.70  $1.24  $0.13  $0.27 
Diluted $0.61  $0.56  $1.69  $1.23  $0.13  $0.26 
                        
Weighted average shares outstanding:                        
Basic  11,679   11,537   11,596   11,528   10,976   11,866 
Diluted  11,700   11,559   11,626   11,556   11,077   11,949 
                        
Cash dividends declared per share $0.12  $0.10  $0.36  $0.30  $0.22  $0.20 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.




HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 
(In thousands) 
(Unaudited) 
             
  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,  October 30,  October 29,  October 30, 
  2017  2016  2017  2016 
             
Net Income $7,202  $6,459  $19,726  $14,308 
       Other comprehensive income (loss):                
                 Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)  15   (18)  46   (53)
                 Income tax effect on amortization  (5)  7   (17)  19 
        Adjustments to net periodic benefit cost  10   (11)  29   (34)
                 
Total comprehensive Income $7,212  $6,448  $19,755  $14,274 

HOOKER FURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

  

For the

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 
         

Net income

 $1,450  $3,182 

       Other comprehensive income:

        

                 Amortization of actuarial (loss) / gain

  (70)  (18)

                 Income tax effect on amortization

  17   4 

        Adjustments to net periodic benefit cost

  (53)  (14)
         

Total comprehensive income

 $1,397  $3,168 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.





HOOKER FURNITUREFURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)


 

For the

 
 Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
 October 29,  October 30,  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
 2017  2016  

2023

  

2022

 
Operating Activities:              
Net income $19,726  $14,308  $1,450  $3,182 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
provided by operating activities:
        

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities:

        
Depreciation and amortization  4,399   6,340   2,147   2,287 
Gain on disposal of assets  (37)  (60)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)  1,735   (1,767)

Deferred income tax expense

  293   1,838 
Noncash restricted stock and performance awards  1,175   927   371   354 
Provision for doubtful accounts  125   (168)

Provision for doubtful accounts and sales allowances

  37   (349)
Gain on life insurance policies  (453)  (665)  (634)  (568)
Changes in assets and liabilities:                
Trade accounts receivable  16,179   (105)  7,564   (7,386)

Inventories

  23,487   (30,082)
Income tax recoverable  (954)  -   93   (762)
Inventories  (5,867)  6,597 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  (836)  (306)

Prepaid expenses and other assets

  (2,080)  (4,145)
Trade accounts payable  (3,529)  (319)  (240)  10,493 
Accrued salaries, wages, and benefits  (539)  (332)  (3,547)  (1,827)
Accrued income taxes  (4,323)  1,142 
Customer deposits  (1,314)  4,485   (1,928)  (906)

Operating lease assets and liabilities

  305   (168)
Other accrued expenses  (254)  2,409   (4,743)  (1,830)
Deferred compensation  (435)  (1,265)  (225)  (149)
Other long-term liabilities  267   44 
Net cash provided by operating activities $25,065  $31,265 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 $22,350  $(30,018)
                
Investing Activities:                
Acquisitions $(32,650) $(86,062)  -   (25,912)
Purchases of property and equipment  (2,708)  (1,905)  (3,158)  (830)
Proceeds received on notes from sale of assets  98   116 
Proceeds received on life insurance policies  -   908 
Premiums paid on life insurance policies  (639)  (682)  (107)  (118)
Net cash used in investing activities  (35,899)  (87,625)  (3,265)  (26,860)
                
Financing Activities:                
Proceeds from long-term debt $12,000  $60,000 
Payments for long-term debt  (4,393)  (10,825)
Debt issuance cost  (39)  (165)

Purchase and retirement of common stock

  (4,317)  - 

Payments for long-term loans

  (350)  - 
Cash dividends paid  (4,169)  (3,466)  (2,444)  (2,388)
Net cash provided by financing activities  3,399   45,544 

Cash used in financing activities

  (7,111)  (2,388)
                
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents  (7,435)  (10,816)

Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

  11,974   (59,266)
Cash and cash equivalents - beginning of year  39,792   53,922   19,002   69,366 
Cash and cash equivalents - end of quarter $32,357  $43,106  $30,976  $10,100 
                
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:                
Cash paid for income taxes $14,103  $8,360 

Cash paid/(refund) for income taxes

 $16  $(85)
Cash paid for interest, net  754   547   202   - 
        
Non-cash transactions:                
Acquisition cost paid in common stock $8,396  $20,267 

Increase in lease liabilities arising from changes in right-of-use assets

 $-  $3,689 
Increase in property and equipment through accrued purchases  26   22   145   47 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.statements.



HOOKER FURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

(In thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

              

Accumulated

     
              

Other

  

Total

 
  

Common Stock

  

Retained

  

Comprehensive

  

Shareholders'

 
  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Earnings

  

Income (loss)

  

Equity

 

      Balance at January 30, 2022

  11,922  $53,295  $207,884  $(51) $261,128 

Net income

          3,182       3,182 

Unrealized loss on defined benefit plan, net of tax of $4

              (14)  (14)

Cash dividends paid and accrued ($0.20 per share)

          (2,388)      (2,388)

Restricted stock grants, net of forfeitures

  80   (96)          (96)

Restricted stock compensation cost

      296           296 

Performance-based restricted stock units costs

      154           154 

      Balance at May 1, 2022

  12,002  $53,649  $208,678  $(65) $262,262 
                     
                     
                     

      Balance at January 29, 2023

  11,197  $50,770  $184,386  $865  $236,021 

Net income

          1,450       1,450 

Unrealized loss on defined benefit plan, net of tax of $17

              (53)  (53)

Cash dividends paid and accrued ($0.22 per share)

          (2,444)      (2,444)

Purchase and retirement of common stock

  (227) $(1,081)  (3,240)      (4,321)

Restricted stock grants, net of forfeitures

  59   (150)          (150)

Restricted stock compensation cost

      335           335 

Performance-based restricted stock units costs

      193           193 

      Balance at April 30, 2023

  11,029  $50,067  $180,152  $812  $231,031 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

HOOKER FURNITUREFURNISHINGS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Dollar and share amounts in tables, except per share amounts, in thousands unless otherwise indicated)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

For the Thirty-NineThirteen Weeks Ended October 29, 2017April 30, 2023



1.Preparation of Interim Financial Statements

1.Preparation of Interim Financial Statements

The condensed consolidated financial statements of Hooker FurnitureFurnishings Corporation and subsidiaries (referred to as “we,” “us,” “our,” “Hooker” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All references to the “Hooker”, “Hooker Division” or “traditional Hooker” divisions or companies refer to the current components of our Hooker Casegoods and Upholstery operating segments, including Shenandoah since its characteristics (e.g. management, price points, margins and domestic manufacturing base), are like that of the other components of what we previously defined as the “legacy Hooker” business. In the opinion of management, these statements include all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results of all interim periods reported herein. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. Certain information and footnote disclosures prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) are condensed or omitted pursuant to SEC rules and regulations. However, we believe that the disclosures made are adequate for a fair presentation of our results of operations and financial position. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 20172023 (“20172023 Annual Report”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect both the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from our estimates. Operating results for the interim periods reported herein may not be indicative of the results expected for the fiscal year.


The financial statements contained herein are being filed as part of a quarterly report on Form 10-Q covering the 2024 fiscal year thirteen-week period (also referred to as “three months,” “three-month period,” “quarter,” “third“first quarter” or “quarterly period”) that began July 31, 2017, and the thirty-nine week period (also referred to as “nine months,” “nine-month period” or “year-to-date period”) that began January 30, 2017, which both2023 and ended October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023. This report discusses our results of operations for this period compared to the 2023 fiscal year thirteen-week period that began AugustJanuary 31, 2022 and ended May 1, 2016 and the thirty-nine week period that began February 1, 2016, which both ended October 30, 2016;2022; and our financial condition as of October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 compared to January 29, 2017.


2023.

References in these notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company to:


§

the 20182024 fiscal year and comparable terminology mean the fifty-two-week fiscal year that began January 30, 20172023 and will end January 28, 2018;2024; and


§

the 20172023 fiscal year and comparable terminology mean the fifty-two-week fiscal year that began February 1, 2016January 31, 2022 and ended January 29, 2017.2023.


References in this document to “SFI” refer to the counterparties to the asset purchase agreement, Shenandoah Furniture, Inc. and its two former shareholders, entered into on September 6, 2017. References in this document to “Shenandoah” or “Shenandoah Furniture” refer to the newly acquired business operations of SFI acquired on September 29, 2017.

On September 29, 2017, we acquired substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of SFI for $32.7 million in cash and the issuance of 176,018 shares of our common stock valued at $8.4 million (such numbers are subject to agreed upon post-closing working capital adjustments). Based on the way we manage, evaluate and internally report our operations, we determined that Shenandoah’s newly acquired business will be reported in our Upholstery segment.

The results of operations of Shenandoah are included in our results of operations beginning on September 29, 2017 through the end of our fiscal 2018 third quarter ended on October 29, 2017. Consequently, comparable prior-year information for Shenandoah is not included

2. Recently Adopted Accounting Policies

No new accounting pronouncements have been adopted in the financial statements presented in this report. The acquisition is discussed in greater detail below in Note 2. “Acquisition.”



In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”)2024 fiscal year. We reviewed newly issued new accounting guidance for the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. Subsequent Accounting Standards Updates have been issued to provide claritypronouncements and defer the effective date of the new guidance. The new revenue recognition standard eliminates the transaction- and industry-specific revenue recognition guidance under current GAAP and replaces it with a principles-based approach. Our analysis to date has included reviewing material agreements and sales policies and procedures, interviewing sales and customer care management and analyzing those findings based on the five-step model described in the new standard.  Additionally, we have decided to implement the standard using the modified retrospective adjustment method as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. Implementation matters remaining include completing our analysis, assessing accounting policy elections and disclosures under the new guidance and evaluating the systems and processes to support any possible changesconcluded they are either not applicable to our revenue recognition practices. Based on our analysisbusiness or are not expected to date, we do not believe the standard will have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. However, our analysis is not yet complete and this preliminary conclusion is subject to change. The new revenue recognition guidance is effective for us beginning in fiscal 2019, which begins on January 29, 2018.


2.Acquisition

On September 29, 2017, we completed the previously announced acquisition (the “Acquisition”)statements as a result of substantially all of the assets of SFI pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement the Company and SFI entered into on September 6, 2017 (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”).  Upon completion and subject to post-closing working capital adjustments, the Company paid $32.7 million in cash (the “Cash Consideration”) and issued 176,018 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Stock Consideration”) to the shareholders of SFI as consideration for the Acquisition. The Cash Consideration included an additional payment of approximately $650,000 pursuant to working capital adjustments provided for in the Asset Purchase Agreement. The number of shares of common stock issued at closing for the Stock Consideration was determined by reference to the mean closing price of the Company’s common stock for the ten trading days immediately preceding the business day preceding the closing date ($45.45).  Under the Asset Purchase Agreement, we also assumed certain liabilities of SFI. The assumed liabilities did not include the indebtedness (as defined in the Asset Purchase Agreement) of SFI.future adoption.


3.Accounts Receivable

  

April 30,

  

January 29,

 
  

2023

  

2023

 
         

Gross accounts receivable

 $59,941  $67,600 

Customer allowances

  (3,461)  (3,702)

Allowance for doubtful accounts

  (1,952)  (1,769)

   Trade accounts receivable

 $54,528  $62,129 
Also on September 29, 2017, we entered into a second amended and restated loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Bank of America, N.A. (“BofA”) in connection with the completion of the Acquisition. The Loan Agreement amends and restates the amended and restated loan agreement the Company entered into with BofA on February 1, 2016, in connection with its acquisition of the substantially all of the assets of Home Meridian International, Inc. The Amended and Restated Loan Agreement provides us with a new $12 million unsecured term loan (the “New Unsecured Term Loan”). On September 29, 2017, we borrowed the full $12 million available under the New Unsecured Term Loan in connection with the completion of the Acquisition. For additional details regarding the Loan Agreement, see Note 9.  “Debt,” below.


In accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 805, “Business Combinations” (“ASC 805”), the Acquisition has been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting. We recorded assets acquired, including identifiable intangible assets, and liabilities assumed, from SFI at their respective fair values at the date of completion of the Acquisition.  The excess of the purchase price over the net fair value of such assets and liabilities was recorded as goodwill.

The following table summarizes the estimates of the fair values of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the Acquisition as of September 29, 2017. Inventory, prepaids and accounts payable values have been finalized. We are currently reviewing the net working capital adjustment as specified in the Asset Purchase Agreement, consequently, the accounts receivable, and accrued expenses values are subject to change. The preliminary estimates of fair value of property and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill are preliminary values, and subject to change as our appraisals and estimates are finalized during the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter.



Fair value estimates of assets acquired and liabilities assumed   
Purchase price consideration   
     Cash paid for assets acquired, including working capital adjustment $32,650 
     Value of shares issued for assets acquired  8,000 
     Fair value adjustment to shares issued for assets acquired*  396 
Total purchase price $41,046 
     
   Accounts receivable $3,576 
   Inventory  2,380 
   Prepaid expenses and other current assets  52 
   Property and equipment  5,418 
   Intangible assets  13,193 
   Goodwill  17,645 
   Accounts payable  (699)
   Accrued expenses  (519)
Total purchase price $41,046 


4. Inventories

  

April 30,

  

January 29,

 
  

2023

  

2023

 

Finished furniture

 $89,658  $115,015 

Furniture in process

  1,766   1,943 

Materials and supplies

  13,391   13,509 

   Inventories at FIFO

  104,815   130,467 

Reduction to LIFO basis

  (31,627)  (33,792)

   Inventories

 $73,188  $96,675 
*As provided

5.Property, Plant and Equipment

  

Depreciable Lives

  

April 30,

  

January 29,

 
  

(In years)

  

2023

  

2023

 
            

Buildings and land improvements

 15 - 30  $32,783  $32,723 

Computer software and hardware

 3 - 10   16,000   15,887 

Machinery and equipment

 10   11,335   11,013 

Leasehold improvements

 

Term of lease

   15,064   11,894 

Furniture and fixtures

 3 - 10   6,313   5,991 

Other

 5   695   694 

   Total depreciable property at cost

     82,190   78,202 

Less accumulated depreciation

     (54,663)  (53,427)

   Total depreciable property, net

     27,527   24,775 

Land

     1,077   1,077 

Construction-in-progress

     466   1,158 

   Property, plant and equipment, net

    $29,070  $27,010 

6. Cloud Computing Hosting Arrangement

We are in the process of implementing a common Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP) across all divisions. The ERP went live at Sunset West in December 2022 and is expected to go-live in other legacy Hooker divisions during fiscal 2024, with the Home Meridian segment following afterwards.

Based on the provisions of ASU 2018-15, Intangibles Goodwill and Other Internal-Use Software, we capitalize implementation costs associated with hosting arrangements that are service contracts. In addition, based on the provisions of ASC 835 Interest, we capitalize interest associated with this ERP project by applying the Asset Purchase Agreement, we calculatedinterest rate on our unsecured term loan to the numberamount of common shares issued to SFI by dividing $8 million by the mean closing price of our common stockaccumulated expenditures for the ten trading days immediately preceding the business day immediately preceding the closing date ($45.45). However, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Standards provide that we value stock consideration exchanged in the Acquisition at fair value. Consequently, we adjusted the purchase price by $396,000, which represents the difference in the mean closing price of our common shares described in this paragraph and the price on September 29, 2017, multiplied by the number of common shares issued (176,018.)  No additional consideration was transferred to SFI as a result of this adjustment.

Property and equipment wereERP asset. Both these costs are recorded at fair value and primarily consist of machinery and equipment and leasehold improvements. Property and equipment will be amortized over their estimated useful lives and leasehold improvements will be amortized over the lesser of their useful lives or the remaining lease period.
Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the purchase price over the net assets acquired. The goodwill recognized is attributable to growth opportunities and expected synergies. All goodwill in expected to be deductible for income tax purposes.
Intangible assets, consist of three separately identified assets:

§Shenandoah customer relationships, which are definite-lived intangible assets with an aggregate fair value of $12.1 million. The customer relationships are amortizable and will be amortized over a period of thirteen years;
§The Shenandoah tradename, an indefinite lived intangible asset with a fair value of $645,000. The tradename is not subject to amortization, but will be evaluated annually, and as circumstances dictate, for impairment; and
§Shenandoah’s order backlog which is a definite-lived intangible asset with an aggregate fair value of $479,000 that we will amortize over four months, with most of the expense recognized in the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter.
The total weighted average amortization period for these assets is 12.5 years.


The following unaudited consolidated pro forma summary has been prepared by adjusting our historical data to give effect to the Acquisition as if it had occurred on February 1, 2016:

  13 Weeks Ended  39 Weeks Ended 
  October 30, 2016  October 30, 2016 
  (Pro forma)  (Pro forma) 
Net Sales $156,570  $434,921 
Net Income $7,268  $16,257 
Basic EPS $0.63  $1.41 
Diluted EPS $0.62  $1.39 
  Pro Forma - Unaudited 
  13 Weeks Ended  39 Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017  October 29, 2017 
  (Pro forma)  (Pro forma) 
Net Sales $165,777  $474,610 
Net Income $9,218  $24,223 
Basic EPS $0.79  $2.09 
Diluted EPS $0.78  $2.06 

The unaudited consolidated pro forma financial information was prepared in accordance with existing standards and is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations that would have occurred if the Acquisition had been completed on the date indicated, nor is it indicative of our future operating results.

Material adjustments included in the pro forma financial information in the table above consist of amortization of intangible assets, elimination of transaction related costs in fiscal 2018 proforma results and recording of interest on short and long-term debt incurred to facilitate this transaction.

The unaudited pro forma results do not reflect events that either have occurred or may occur after the Acquisition, including, but not limited to, the anticipated realization of savings from operating synergies in subsequent periods. They also do not give effect to certain charges that we expect to incur in connection with the Acquisition, including, but not limited to, additional professional fees, employee integration, retention, potential asset impairments and accelerated depreciation and amortization.

We have incurred approximately $700,000 in Acquisition-related costs so far in fiscal 2018. These expenses are included in the “Selling and administrative expenses”“Other noncurrent assets” line of our condensed consolidated statementsbalance sheets. Amortization expense commenced when the ERP went live at Sunset West in the fourth quarter of income. Included in our fiscal 2018 third quarter2023. Capitalized implementation costs and year-to-date resultsinterest are Shenandoah’s October results, which include $3.1 million in net salesamortized over ten years on a straight-line basis. The capitalized implementation costs and $197,000 of operating income, including $290,000 in intangible amortization expense.interest expenses at April 30, 2023 and January 29, 2023 were as follows:

  

Capitalized Implementation Costs

  

Capitalized interest expenses

 
         

Balance at January 29, 2023

 $8,598  $84 

Costs capitalized during the period

  1,298   66 

Accumulated amortization

  (19)  (1)

Balance at April 30, 2023

 $9,877  $149 




3.          Shareholders’ Equity

The number of shares and the amount of common stock outstanding changed materially from the end of the 2017 fiscal year, as a result of issuing 176,018 shares of common stock to the shareholders of SFI as partial consideration for the Acquisition. The table below reconciles the number of shares and amounts of common stock outstanding from our most recent fiscal year end to the end of the fiscal 2018 third quarter. The table shows the effects of the Acquisition issuance, as well as other activity in the common stock account unrelated to the Acquisition.

  Common Stock 
  Shares  Amount 
       
Outstanding shares January 29, 2017  11,563  $39,753 
Shares issued for Acquisition  176   8,396 
Restricted share grants  23   431 
Restricted stock compensation costs  -   330 
Outstanding shares October 29, 2017  11,762  $48,910 


4.          Accounts Receivable

  October 29,  January 29, 
  2017  2017 
       
Trade accounts receivable $86,409  $99,378 
Receivable from factor  -   6 
Other accounts receivable allowances  (5,630)  (6,298)
Allowance for doubtful accounts  (929)  (508)
   Accounts receivable $79,850  $92,578 


5.Inventories

  October 29,  January 29, 
  2017  2017 
Finished furniture $91,624  $85,520 
Furniture in process  1,338   735 
Materials and supplies  9,444   7,536 
   Inventories at FIFO  102,406   93,791 
Reduction to LIFO basis  (18,856)  (18,488)
   Inventories $83,550  $75,303 




6.          Property, Plant and Equipment

  Depreciable Lives  October 29,  January 29, 
  (In years)  2017  2017 
          
Buildings and land improvements 15 - 30  $24,073  $23,392 
Computer software and hardware 3 - 10   18,181   17,308 
Machinery and equipment 10   8,448   5,031 
Leasehold improvements Term of lease   9,470   7,104 
Furniture and fixtures 3 - 8   2,181   1,903 
Other 5   660   562 
Total depreciable property at cost     63,013   55,300 
Less accumulated depreciation     34,160   31,167 
Total depreciable property, net     28,853   24,133 
Land     1,067   1,067 
Construction-in-progress     926   603 
Property, plant and equipment, net  $30,846  $25,803 


7. Fair Value Measurements


Fair value is the price that would be received to sellupon the sale of an asset or paid toupon the transfer of a liability (an “exit price”)exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants on the applicable measurement date. We use a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include:


Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;

Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;

Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and

Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

As of October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 and January 29, 2017,2023, Company-owned life insurance was measured at fair value on a recurring basis based on Level 2 inputs. The fair value of the Company-owned life insurance is determined by inputs that are readily available in public markets or can be derived from information available in publicly quoted markets. Additionally, the fair value of the Company-owned life insurance is marked to market each reporting period and any change in fair value is reflected in income for that period.


As of January 29, 2017, our Pension Plan (the “Plan”) assets were measured at fair value on a recurring basis based on Level 1 inputs. Pension plan assets, held in a trust account by the Plan’s trustee, primarily consist of a wide-range of mutual fund asset classes, including domestic and international equities, fixed income securities such as corporate bonds, mortgage-backed securities, real estate investments and U.S. Treasuries. As of January 31, 2017, the date of the latest actuarial valuation, Plan assets were netted against the Plan’s Projected Benefit Obligation (“PBO”) on that date to determine the Plan’s funded status. Since the PBO exceeded the market value of the Plan’s assets, the funded status is recorded in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as a net liability. As of January 31, 2017, the net liability for this plan was $3.5 million shown on the “Pension Plan” line of our condensed consolidated balance sheets.  The market value of pension plan assets shown below are as of January 31, 2017, the actuarial valuation date of the Pension Plan.  See Note 10. “Employee Benefit Plans” for additional information about the Plan.



Our assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis at October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 and January 29, 2017,2023, were as follows:

  

Fair value at April 30, 2023

  

Fair value at January 29, 2023

 

Description

 

Level 1

  

Level 2

  

Level 3

  

Total

  

Level 1

  

Level 2

  

Level 3

  

Total

 
  

(In thousands)

 

Assets measured at fair value

                                

Company-owned life insurance

 $-  $27,899  $-  $27,899  $-  $27,576  $-  $27,576 


  Fair value at October 29, 2017  Fair value at January 29, 2017 
Description Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total  Level 1  Level 2  Level 3  Total 
                         
Assets measured at fair value                        
Company-owned life insurance $-  $23,322  $-  $23,322  $-  $22,366  $-  $22,366 
Pension plan assets*  13,881   -   -   13,881   13,881   -   -   13,881 
* as

8.Intangible Assets

Our intangible assets with indefinite lives consist of January 29, 2017 for Pension Plan assets.


8.          Intangible Assets

goodwill related to the Shenandoah and Sunset West acquisitions and trademarks and tradenames related to the acquisitions of Bradington-Young, Sam Moore and Home Meridian. During the fiscal 2018 third2024 first quarter, we recorded both non-amortizableannounced the rebranding of the Sam Moore product line to “HF Custom”. As a result, we reassessed the characteristics of the Sam Moore trade name and amortizablethe roll-out process, and determined it qualified for amortization. We will amortize the value of Sam Moore trade name over a 24-month period using the straight-line method, starting from mid-April. Our intangible assets as a result of the Acquisition. Shenandoah’s trade names, customer relationships and order backlog have been assigned preliminary fair values subject to additional analysis during the measurement period as we continue to gather information. Details of these new intangible assets, as well as previously recorded intangible assets assigned to our Upholstery and Home Meridian reportable segments, are as follows:

    October 29,  January 29, 
 Segment 2017  2017 
Non-amortizable Intangible Assets       
GoodwillHome Meridian $23,187  $23,187 
GoodwillUpholstery $17,645   - 
Trademarks and trade names - Home MeridianHome Meridian  11,400   11,400 
Trademarks and trade names - Bradington-YoungUpholstery  861   861 
Trademarks and trade names - ShenandoahUpholstery  645   - 
Trademarks and trade names - Sam MooreUpholstery  396   396 
   Total non-amortizable assets  $54,134  $35,844 

Our amortizable intangible assets consist of customer relationships, trademarks and order backlog andwith definite lives are recorded in theour Home Meridian and Domestic Upholstery segments. Details of our intangible assets are as follows:

  April 30, 2023  January 29, 2023 
                 
  

Gross carrying amount

  

Accumulated Amortization

  

Gross carrying amount

  

Accumulated Amortization

 

Intangible assets with indefinite lives:

                

Goodwill

                

 Domestic Upholstery - Shenandoah *

  490   -   490   - 

 Domestic Upholstery - Sunset West

  14,462   -   14,462   - 
Goodwill  14,952   -   14,952   - 
                 

Trademarks and Trade names *

  7,511   -   7,907   - 

Intangible assets with definite lives:

                

Customer Relations

  38,001   (16,460)  38,001   (15,618)

Trademarks and Trade names

  2,334   (491)  1,938   (449)
                 

Intangible assets, net

  47,846   (16,951)  47,846   (16,067)

*: The estimatedamounts are net of impairment charges of $16.4 million related to Shenandoah goodwill and $4.8 million related to certain Home Meridian segment trade names, which were recorded in fiscal 2021.

Amortization expenses for intangible assets with definite lives were $883,000 and $878,000 for the first quarters of fiscal 2024 and 2023, respectively. For the remainder of fiscal 2024, amortization expense associated with these assets is expected to be approximately $2.8 million.

9. Leases

We recognized sublease income of $29,000 and $348,000 in the first quarters of fiscal 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The components of lease cost and supplemental cash flow information for leases in the first quarters of fiscal 2024 and 2023 were:

  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30, 2023

  

May 1, 2022

 

Operating lease cost

 $2,838  $2,527 

Variable lease cost

  82   55 

Short-term lease cost

  79   80 

Total operating lease cost

 $2,999  $2,662 
         
         

Operating cash outflows

 $2,694  $2,829 

The right-of-use assets and lease liabilities recorded on our condensed consolidated balance sheets as follows:


Fiscal Year Amount 
    
Remainder of 2018 $833 
2019  2,263 
2020  2,263 
2021  2,263 
2022  2,263 
Thereafter  14,640 
  $24,525 

Accumulated amortization on intangible assets was $4.4 million at October 29, 2017of April 30, 2023 and was $3.1 million at January 29, 2017.2023 were as follows:

  

April 30, 2023

  

January 29, 2023

 

Real estate

 $66,173  $68,212 

Property and equipment

  633   737 

Total operating leases right-of-use assets

 $66,806  $68,949 
         
         

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 $7,363  $7,316 

Long term operating lease liabilities

  61,877   63,762 

Total operating lease liabilities

 $69,240  $71,078 

For leases that commenced before July 2022, we used our incremental borrowing rate which was LIBOR plus 1.5%. When we entered into the new loan agreement (described in Note 10 below), our incremental borrowing rate for unsecured term loan became the current BSBY rate plus 1.40%. We use this rate as discount rate for leases commenced in July 2022 and thereafter. The weighted-average discount rate is 4.01%. The weighted-average remaining lease term is 7.8 years.

The following table reconciles the undiscounted future lease payments for operating leases to the operating lease liabilities recorded in the condensed consolidated balance sheets on April 30, 2023:

  

Undiscounted Future Operating Lease Payments

 

Remainder of fiscal 2024

 $7,463 

2025

  10,102 

2026

  10,182 

2027

  10,267 

2028

  8,931 

2029 and thereafter

  35,130 

Total lease payments

 $82,075 

Less: impact of discounting

  (12,835)

Present value of lease payments

 $69,240 



9.          Debt


On September 29, 2017,

As of April 30, 2023, the Company had an additional lease for a showroom in Atlanta, Georgia. This lease commenced in May of calendar 2023 with an initial lease term of 3 years and estimated future minimum rental commitments of approximately $1.0 million. Since the lease had not yet commenced at quarter end, the undiscounted amounts are not included in the table above. Subsequent to the fiscal 2024 first quarter, we entered into a loanan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”)to reduce our footprint in the Georgia warehouse. This amendment results in an approximate $6 million decrease in rental payments over the remaining lease term. Since the agreement had not yet commenced, the modification is not reflected in the table above.

10.Long-Term Debt

On July 26, 2022, we entered into the Fourth Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement with Bank of America, N.A. (“BofA”) in connection withto replenish cash used to make the completionacquisition of substantially all of the Acquisition discussed in Note 2 Acquisition, above.assets of Sunset West (which closed at the beginning of the first quarter of fiscal 2023) (the “Sunset Acquisition”). The Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement amendsdated as of September 29, 2017, had previously been amended by a First Amendment to Second Amended and restates the amended and restated loan agreement that the Company entered into with BofA on February 1, 2016. TheRestated Loan Agreement provides us withdated as of January 31, 2019, a Second Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated as of November 4, 2020, and a Third Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated as of January 27, 2021 (as so amended, the New“Existing Loan Agreement”). Details of the individual credit facilities provided for in the Amendment are as follows:

Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility. Under the Amendment, the expiration date of the existing $35 million Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (the “Existing Revolver”) was extended to July 26, 2027. Any amounts outstanding will bear interest at a rate per annum, equal to the then current Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index (“BSBY”) (adjusted periodically) plus 1.00%. The interest rate will be adjusted on a monthly basis. The actual daily amount of undrawn letters of credit is subject to a quarterly fee equal to a per annum rate of 1%. We must also pay a quarterly unused commitment fee that is based on the average daily amount of the facility utilized during the applicable quarter;

2022 Secured Term Loan. The Amendment provided us with a $18 million term loan (the “Secured Term Loan”), which was disbursed to us on July 26, 2022. We are required to pay monthly interest only payments at a rate per annum equal to the then current BSBY rate (adjusted periodically) plus 0.90% on the outstanding balance until the principal is paid in full. The interest rate will be adjusted on a monthly basis. On July 26, 2027, the entire outstanding indebtedness is due in full, including all principal and interest. The Secured Term Loan is secured by certain company-owned life insurance policies under a Security Agreement (Assignment of Life Insurance Policy as Collateral) dated July 26, 2022, by and between the Company and BofA; and

2022 Unsecured Term Loan. The Amendment provided us with a $7 million unsecured term loan (the “Unsecured Term Loan”), which was disbursed to us on July 26, 2022. We are required to pay monthly principal payments of $116,667 and monthly interest payments at a rate per annum equal to the then current BSBY (adjusted periodically) plus 1.40% on the outstanding balance until paid in full. The interest rate will be adjusted monthly. On July 26, 2027, the entire outstanding indebtedness is due in full, including all principal and interest.

We may prepay any outstanding principal amounts borrowed under either the Secured Term Loan or the Unsecured Term Loan at any time, without penalty provided that any payment is accompanied by all accrued interest owed. As of $12 million.


AmountsApril 30, 2023, $5.9 million was outstanding under the New Unsecured Term Loan, will bear interest at a rate, adjusted monthly, equal to the then current LIBOR monthly rate plus 1.50%. We must repay the principal amount borrowed under the New Unsecured Term Loan in monthly installments of approximately $143,000, together with any accrued interest, until the full amount borrowed is repaid or until the earlier of September 30, 2022 or the expiration of the Company’s existing $30and $18 million revolving credit facility (the “Existing Revolver”), at which time all amountswas outstanding under the New UnsecuredSecured Term Loan will become due and payable. Loan.

We may prepay the outstanding principal amount under the New Unsecured Term Loan, in full or in part, on any interest payment date without penalty. On September 29, 2017, we borrowed the full $12 million available under the New Unsecured Term Loan.

Additionally, we incurred $39,000$37,500 in debt issuance costs in connection with our term loans in the fiscal 2018 third quarter. These costs are amortized over the life of the loan using the interest method and are included in the “interest expense” line of our condensed consolidated income statements. Unamortized debt issuance costs are netted against the carrying value of our term loans on our condensed consolidated balance sheets.loans. As of October 29, 2017, including the debt issuance costs in connection with a previous acquisition, totalApril 30, 2023, unamortized loan costs of $131,000$31,875 were netted against the carrying value of our term loans on our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The Loan AgreementAmendment also included customary representations and warranties and requires us to comply with customary covenants, including, among other things, the following financial covenants:

·

Maintain a ratio of funded debt to EBITDA not exceeding:

o

o

2.50:1.0 through August 31, 2018;July 30, 2023;

o

o

2.25:1.0 through August 31, 2019;July 30, 2024; and

o

o

2.00:1.00 thereafter.

·

A basic fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.25:1.00; and

·

Limit capital expenditures to no more than $15.0 million during any fiscal year with expenditures to acquire fixed assets pursuant to the Acquisition being excluded for the fiscal year in which the Acquisition occurs.year.

The Existing Loan Agreement also limits our right to incur other indebtedness, make certain investments and create liens upon our assets, subject to certain exceptions, among other restrictions. The Existing Loan Agreement does not restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock, subject to our compliance with the financial covenants discussed above if we are not otherwise in default under the Existing Loan Agreement.

We were in compliance with each of these financial covenants at October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 and expect to remain in compliance with existing covenants through fiscal 2018 and for the foreseeable future.

As of October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023, we had an aggregate $28.5$27.2 million available under our $35 million Existing Revolver to fund working capital needs. Standby letters of credit in the aggregate amount of $1.5$7.8 million, used to collateralize certain insurance arrangements and for imported product purchases, were outstanding under the Existing Revolver as of October 29, 2017.April 30, 2023. There were no additional borrowings outstanding under the Existing Revolver on October 29, 2017.




10.      Employee Benefit Plans

We maintain three retirement plans for the benefit of certain former and current employees, including a supplemental retirement income plan (“SRIP”) for certain former and current employees of Hooker Furniture Corporation, as well as two plans for the benefit of certain and former employees of Pulaski Furniture Corporation, one of two entities combined to form Home Meridian International. These legacy pension plan obligations include:

§the Pulaski Furniture Corporation Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) for certain former executives. The SERP is an unfunded plan and all benefits are paid solely out of our general assets; and
§the Pulaski Furniture Corporation Pension Plan (“Pension Plan”) for former Pulaski Furniture Corporation employees.

The SRIP, SERP and Pension Plan are all “frozen” and we do not expect to add additional employees to any of these plans in the future. Pension plan assets include a range of mutual fund asset classes and are measured at fair value using Level 1 inputs, which are quoted prices in active markets.

Components of net periodic benefit cost for the SRIP, SERP and Pension Plans are included in our condensed consolidated statements of income under selling and administrative expenses.
  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,  October 30,  October 29,  October 30, 
  2017  2016  2017  2016 
Net periodic benefit costs            
      Service cost  76   94   228   282 
      Interest cost  280   295   839   885 
      Actuarial loss (gain)  15   (18)  45   (54)
      Expected return on pension plan assets  (234)  (197)  (700)  (591)
      Expected administrative expenses  70   70   210   210 
                 
Consolidated net periodic benefit costs $207  $244  $622  $732 
The expected long-term rate of return on Pension Plan assets is 7.0% as of the Pension Plan’s most recent valuation date of January 29, 2017. We contributed $511,000 in required contributions to the Pension Plan in the first nine months of fiscal 2018. There are no required Pension Plan contributions due during the remainder of fiscal 2018. The SRIP and SERP plans are unfunded plans. Consequently, we expect to pay a total of approximately $210,000 in benefit payments from our general assets during the remainder of fiscal 2018 to fund SRIP and SERP payments.April 30, 2023.



11.Earnings Per Share


We refer you to the discussion of Earnings Per Share in Note 1 “Summary2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in the financial statements included in our 20172023 Annual Report, for additional information concerning the calculation of earnings per share.


share (EPS).

All stock awards are designed to encourage retention and to provide an incentive for increasing shareholder value. We have issued restricted stock awards to non-employee members of the board of directors since 2006 and to certain non-executive employees since 2014. We have issued restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to certain senior executives since fiscal 2012 under the Company’s Stock Incentive Plan. Each RSU entitles an executive to receive one share of the Company’s common stock if the executive remains continuously employed with the Company through the end of a three-year service period. The RSUs may be paid in shares of our common stock, cash or both at the discretion of the Compensation Committee of our board of directors. We have issued Performance-based Restricted Stock Units (“PSUs”) to certain senior executives since fiscal 2019 under the Company’s Stock Incentive Plan. Each PSU entitles the executive officer to receive one share of our common stock based on the achievement of two specified performance conditions if the executive officer remains continuously employed through the end of the three-year performance period. One target is based on our annual average growth in our EPS over the performance period and the other target is based on EPS growth over the performance period compared to our peers. The payout or settlement of the PSUs will be made in shares of our common stock.

We expect to continue to grant these types of awards annually in the future. The following table sets forth the number of outstanding restricted stock awards and RSUs and PSUs, net of forfeitures and vested shares, as of the fiscal period-end dates indicated:

  

April 30,

  

January 29,

 
  

2023

  

2023

 
         

Restricted shares

  175   132 

RSUs and PSUs

  156   101 
   331   233 


  October 29,  January 29, 
  2017  2017 
       
Restricted shares  16   26 
Restricted stock units  19   20 
   35   46 



All restricted shares, RSUs and RSUsPSUs awarded that have not yet vested are considered when computing diluted earnings per share. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:

  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 
         

Net income

 $1,450  $3,182 

   Less: Unvested participating restricted stock dividends

  30   19 

            Net earnings allocated to unvested participating restricted stock

  18   25 

Earnings available for common shareholders

  1,402   3,138 
         

Weighted average shares outstanding for basic earnings per share

  10,976   11,866 

Dilutive effect of unvested restricted stock, RSU and PSU awards

  101   83 

   Weighted average shares outstanding for diluted earnings per share

  11,077   11,949 
         

Basic earnings per share

 $0.13  $0.27 
         

Diluted earnings per share

 $0.13  $0.26 


  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,  October 30,  October 29,  October 30, 
  2017  2016  2017  2016 
             
Net income $7,202  $6,459  $19,726  $14,308 
   Less: Unvested participating restricted stock dividends  2   3   8   8 
            Net earnings allocated to unvested participating restricted stock  10   14   37   32 
Earnings available for common shareholders  7,190   6,442   19,681   14,268 
                 
Weighted average shares outstanding for basic earnings per share  11,679   11,537   11,596   11,528 
Dilutive effect of unvested restricted stock and RSU awards  21   22   30   28 
   Weighted average shares outstanding for diluted earnings per share  11,700   11,559   11,626   11,556 
                 
Basic earnings per share $0.62  $0.56  $1.70  $1.24 
                 
Diluted earnings per share $0.61  $0.56  $1.69  $1.23 


12.        Income Taxes

We recorded income tax expenseexpenses of $4 million$402,000 and $991,000 for the fiscal 2018 third quarter compared to $3.5 million for the comparable prior year period.2024 and fiscal 2023 first quarters, respectively. The effective tax rates for the fiscal 20182024 and 2017 third quarter2023 first quarters were 35.7%21.7% and 34.8%23.7%, respectively. Our effective tax rate was higher in the fiscal 2018 third quarter primarily due to higher state tax expenses as the result of expanding territory.


We recorded income tax expense of $10.6 million for the fiscal 2018 first nine months, compared to $7.7 million for the same prior-year period.  The effective tax rates for the first nine months of fiscal 2018

No material and 2017 were 34.9% and 35.1%, respectively. The effective tax rate was lower in the 2018 first nine months due to the settlement of annon-routine positions have been identified that are uncertain tax position on captive insurance, excess tax benefits from share-based compensation and a state tax credit received during the first quarter of fiscal 2018.


The net unrecognized tax benefits as of October 29, 2017 and January 29, 2017, which, if recognized, would affect our effective tax rate are $129,000 and $201,000, respectively.

positions.

Tax years ending February 2, 20142020 through January 29, 20172023 remain subject to examination by federal and state taxing authorities.



13.Segment Information


As a public entity, we are required to present disaggregated information by segment using the management approach. The objective of this approach is to allow users of our financial statements to see our business through the eyes of management based upon the way management reviews performance and makes decisions. The management approach requires segment information to be reported based on how management internally evaluates the operating performance of the company’s business units or segments. The objective of this approach is to meet the basic principles of segment reporting as outlined in Accounting Standards Codification TopicASC 280 “Segment Reporting” (“Segments (“ASC 280”), which are to allow the users of our financial statements to:


§

better understand our performance;

§

better assess our prospects for future net cash flows; and

§

make more informed judgments about us as a whole.



We define our segments as those operations our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews to analyze performance and allocate resources. We measure the results of our segments using, among other measures, each segment’s net sales, gross profit and operating income, as determined by the information regularly reviewed by the CODM.


For financial reporting purposes, we are organized into fourthree reportable segments:


segments and “All Other”, which includes the remainder of our businesses:

§

Hooker CasegoodsBranded, an imported casegoods business; 

§
Upholstery, which includesconsisting of the domestic upholstery manufacturing operations of Bradington-Young, Sam Moore, Shenandoah Furnitureour imported Hooker Casegoods and the imported upholstery operations of Hooker Upholstery;
Upholstery businesses;  

§

Home Meridian, a business acquired at the beginning of fiscal 2017, is a stand-alone, mostly autonomous business that serves a different type or class of customer than do our other operating segments and at much lower margins; and

§
All other,

Domestic Upholstery, which includes the domestic upholstery manufacturing operations of Bradington-Young, HF Custom (formerly Sam Moore Furniture), Shenandoah Furniture and Sunset West, a business acquired at the beginning of fiscal 2023; and

All Other, consisting of H Contract and Homeware, two businesses started in 2013.Lifestyle Brands. Neither of these operating segments met the ASC 280 aggregation criteria nor were individually reportable; therefore, we combined them in an “All other” segmentOther” in accordance with ASC 280. We note that Homeware failed to reach critical mass and its operations were wound down during the fiscal 2018 second quarter.



The following table presents segment information for the periods, and as of the dates, indicated:indicated.

  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

     
  

2023

      

2022

     
      

% Net

      

% Net

 

Net Sales

     

Sales

      

Sales

 

   Hooker Branded

 $41,891   34.4% $42,230   28.7%

   Home Meridian

  41,921   34.4%  62,085   42.1%

   Domestic Upholstery

  35,104   28.8%  41,220   28.0%

   All Other

  2,899   2.4%  1,779   1.2%

Consolidated

 $121,815   100% $147,314   100.0%
                 

Gross Profit

                

   Hooker Branded

 $13,091   31.3% $13,240   31.4%

   Home Meridian

  6,713   16.0%  6,305   10.2%

   Domestic Upholstery

  7,023   20.0%  9,354   22.7%

   All Other

  1,079   37.2%  560   31.5%

Consolidated

 $27,906   22.9% $29,459   20.0%
                 

Operating Income/(Loss)

                

   Hooker Branded

 $2,300   5.5% $4,142   9.8%

   Home Meridian

  (2,119)  -5.1%  (3,095)  -5.0%

   Domestic Upholstery

  1,328   3.8%  2,752   6.7%

   All Other

  466   16.1%  124   7.0%

Consolidated

 $1,975   1.6% $3,923   2.7%
                 

Capital Expenditures

                

   Hooker Branded

 $2,787      $468     

   Home Meridian

  227       40     

   Domestic Upholstery

  116       322     

   All Other

  28       -     

Consolidated

 $3,158      $830     
                 

Depreciation & Amortization

                

   Hooker Branded

 $491      $684     

   Home Meridian

  687       662     

   Domestic Upholstery

  947       938     

   All Other

  22       3     

Consolidated

 $2,147      $2,287     

  

As of April 30,

      

As of

January 29,

     
  

2023

  

%Total

  

2023

  

%Total

 

Identifiable Assets

     

Assets

      

Assets

 

   Hooker Branded

 $172,499   54.2% $174,523   52.1%

   Home Meridian

  80,709   25.4%  92,469   27.6%

   Domestic Upholstery

  63,307   19.9%  66,435   19.8%

   All Other

  1,706   0.5%  1,558   0.5%

Consolidated

 $318,221   100% $334,985   100%

   Consolidated Goodwill and Intangibles

  45,847       46,731     

Total Consolidated Assets

 $364,068      $381,716     


  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,     October 30     October 29,     October 30    
  2017     2016     2017     2016    
     % Net     % Net     % Net     % Net 
Net Sales    Sales     Sales     Sales     Sales 
   Hooker Casegoods $36,373   23.0% $36,861   25.4% $104,067   23.4% $103,372   25.6%
   Upholstery  26,701   16.9%  19,664   13.5%  71,247   16.0%  61,404   15.2%
   Home Meridian  92,068   58.3%  86,053   59.2%  262,173   58.9%  231,391   57.4%
   All other  2,792   1.8%  2,720   1.9%  7,627   1.7%  7,125   1.8%
   Intercompany eliminations  -       -       -       -     
Consolidated $157,934   100.0% $145,298   100% $445,114   100.0% $403,292   100%
                                 
Gross Profit                                
   Hooker Casegoods $11,346   31.2% $12,081   32.8% $32,984 �� 31.7% $32,897   31.8%
   Upholstery  6,190   23.2%  4,311   21.9%  17,255   24.2%  14,029   22.8%
   Home Meridian  15,808   17.2%  13,742   16.0%  42,875   16.4%  36,865   15.9%
   All other  934   33.4%  791   29.1%  2,420   31.7%  2,204   30.9%
   Intercompany eliminations  -       1       4       8     
Consolidated $34,278   21.7% $30,926   21.3% $95,538   21.5% $86,003   21.3%
                                 
Operating Income                                
   Hooker Casegoods $3,990   11.0% $5,092   13.8% $11,918   11.5% $11,514   11.1%
   Upholstery  2,199   8.2%  1,178   6.0%  6,807   9.6%  4,256   6.9%
   Home Meridian  4,607   5.0%  3,503   4.1%  10,658   4.1%  5,956   2.6%
   All other  409   14.6%  165   6.1%  721   9.5%  430   6.0%
   Intercompany eliminations  -       1       4       8     
Consolidated $11,205   7.1% $9,939   6.8% $30,108   6.8% $22,164   5.5%
                                 
Capital Expenditures                                
   Hooker Casegoods $268      $343      $1,259      $1,065     
   Upholstery  145       430       359       638     
   Home Meridian  580       122       1,090       193     
   All other  -       9       -       9     
Consolidated $993      $904      $2,708      $1,905     
                                 
Depreciation & Amortization                                
   Hooker Casegoods $490      $566      $1,452      $1,650     
   Upholstery  538       253       929       718     
   Home Meridian  673       770       2,012       3,965     
   All other  1       3       6       7     
Consolidated $1,702      $1,592      $4,399      $6,340     
  
As of
October 29,
2017
  %Total  
As of
January 29,
2017
  %Total 
Assets    Assets     Assets 
   Hooker Casegoods $125,232   47.5% $130,917   48.6%
   Upholstery  42,636   16.2%  31,018   11.5%
   Home Meridian  95,483   36.2%  107,101   39.7%
   All other  509   0.2%  554   0.2%
   Intercompany eliminations  -   0.0%  (4)  0.0%
Consolidated assets $263,860   100.0% $269,586   100%
Consolidated goodwill and intangibles  78,657       49,110     
Total consolidated assets $342,517      $318,696     



Sales by product type are as follows:

  

Net Sales (in thousands)

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30, 2023

  

 %Total

  

May 1, 2022

  

%Total

 

Casegoods

 $67,975   56% $74,192   50%

Upholstery

  53,840   44%  73,122   50%
  $121,815   100% $147,314   100%


  Net Sales (in thousands) 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,     October 30,     October 29,     October 30,    
  2017  %Total  2016  %Total  2017  %Total  2016  %Total 
Casegoods $115,106   73% $107,994   74% $316,639   71% $286,039   71%
Upholstery  42,828   27%  37,304   26%  128,475   29%  117,253   29%
  $157,934   100% $145,298   100% $445,114   100% $403,292   100%


14.      Related Party Transactions

We lease the four properties utilized in Shenandoah’s operations. One of our employees has an ownership interest in the entities that own these properties. The leases commenced on September 29, 2017, have an initial 48-month term, and an option to renew each for an additional seven years. All four leases include annual rent escalation clauses with respect to minimum lease payments after the initial 48-month term of the lease is completed. In addition to monthly lease payments, we also incur expenses for property taxes, routine repairs and maintenance and other operating expenses.  We paid $68,000 in lease payments to these entities during the fiscal 2018 third quarter.

15.        Subsequent Events

Dividends

On December 7, 2017,June 5, 2023, our board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.14$0.22 per share payablewhich will be paid on December 29, 2017June 30, 2023 to shareholders of record at December 18, 2017.June 16, 2023.

Additional Share Repurchase Authorization

On June 5, 2023 our Board of Directors approved an additional $5 million for the repurchase of our common shares, adding to the $20 million authorization it approved in June 2022. As of the filing date of this report, approximately $5.5 million remains available for the repurchase of our shares under these authorizations.



Item 2.Management’sManagements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations


All references to the “Company,Company, “we,we, “us”us and “our”our in this document refer to Hooker FurnitureFurnishings Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless specifically referring to operating segment information. All references to the “Hooker”Hooker,Hooker Division(s), “Hooker Division”Hooker Legacy Brands or “traditional Hooker”traditional Hooker divisions or companies refer to all current business units and brands except for those in the current components of ourHome Meridian segment. The Hooker Branded segment includes Hooker Casegoods and Hooker Upholstery. The Domestic Upholstery operating segments, including Shenandoah since its characteristics (e.g. management, price points, margins and domestic manufacturing base)segment includes Bradington-Young, HF Custom (formerly Sam Moore), are like that of the other components of what we previously defined as the “legacy Hooker” business. References to the “Acquisition” refer to the recently completed acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Shenandoah Furniture Inc. on September 29, 2017.and Sunset West. All references to specific quarterly periods are referring to our fiscal quarters. Our quarterly periods are based on thirteen-week “reporting periods” (which end on a Sunday) rather than quarterly periods consisting of three calendar months. As a result, each quarterly period generally is thirteen weeks, or 91 days, long, except as noted below. All references to the years 2018, 2017Other includes H Contract and other years are referring to our fiscal years, unless otherwise stated. Our fiscal years end on the Sunday closest to January 31. In some years (generally once every six years) the fourth quarter will be fourteen weeks long and the fiscal year will consist of fifty-three weeks.Lifestyle Brands.


Forward-Looking Statements


Certain statements made in this report, including statements included under Item 2. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in this report, are not based on historical facts, but are forward-looking statements.  These statements reflect our reasonable judgment with respect to future events and typically can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could” or “anticipates,” or the negativenegatives thereof, or other variations thereon,thereof, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy.  Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.  Those risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to:


§

general economic or business conditions, both domestically and internationally, including the current macro-economic uncertainties and challenges to the retail environment for home furnishings along with instability in the financial and credit markets, in part due to inflation and rising interest rates, including their potential impact on (i) our (i) sales and operating costs and access to financing, or (ii) customers, and (iii) suppliers and their ability to obtain financing or generate the cash necessary to conduct their respective businesses;

§
the risks related to the recent Acquisition including  integration costs, costs related to Acquisition debt, maintaining Shenandoah’s existing customer relationships, debt service costs, interest rate volatility, the use of operating cash flows to service debt to the detriment of other corporate initiatives or strategic opportunities, financial statement charges related to the application of current accounting guidance

difficulties in accountingforecasting demand for the Acquisition, the recognition of significant additional depreciationour imported products and amortization expenses by the combined entity,  the loss of key employees from Shenandoah, the disruption of ongoing businesses or inconsistenciesraw materials used in standards, controls, procedures and policies across the companies which could adversely affect our internal control or information systems and the costs of bringing them into compliance and failure to realize benefits anticipated from the Acquisition;domestic operations;

§the risks specifically related to the concentrations of a material part of our sales and accounts receivable in only a few customers;
§

achieving and managing growth and change, and the risks associated with new business lines, acquisitions (including the recent Acquisition), restructurings, strategic alliances and international operations;
§

risks associated with our reliance on offshore sourcing and the cost of imported goods, including fluctuation in the prices of purchased finished goods, customs issues, freight costs, including the price and availability of shipping containers, ocean vessels, ocean and domestic trucking, and warehousing costs and the risk that a disruption in our offshore suppliers or the transportation and warehousing costs;handling industries, including labor stoppages, strikes, or slowdowns, could adversely affect our ability to timely fill customer orders;

§

risks associated with HMI segment restructuring and cost-savings efforts, including our ability to timely dispose of excess inventories, reduce expenses and return the segment to profitability;

the impairment of our long-lived assets, which can result in reduced earnings and net worth;

adverse political acts or developments in, or affecting, the international markets from which we import products, including duties or tariffs imposed on those products by foreign governments or the U.S. government includingand possible future U.S. conflict with China;

the direct and indirect costs and time spent by our associates associated with the implementation of a possible border-adjustment tax;our Enterprise Resource Planning system (“ERP”), including costs resulting from unanticipated disruptions to our business;

§our ability to successfully implement our business plan to increase sales and improve financial performance;
§

changes in actuarial assumptions, the interest rate environment, the return on plan assets and future funding obligations related to the Pension Plan, which can affect future funding obligations, costs and plan liabilities;
§the possible impairment of our long-lived assets, which can result in reduced earnings and net worth;
§the cost and difficulty of marketing and selling our products in foreign markets;
§disruptions involving our vendors or the transportation and handling industries, particularly those affecting imported products from Vietnam and China, including customs issues, labor stoppages, strikes or slowdowns and the availability of shipping containers and cargo ships;
§

the interruption, inadequacy, security breaches or integration failure of our information systems or information technology infrastructure, related service providers or the internet;internet or other related issues including unauthorized disclosures of confidential information, hacking or other cyber-security threats or inadequate levels of cyber-insurance or risks not covered by cyber- insurance;

§

risks associated with our Georgia warehouse including the inability to realize anticipated cost savings and subleasing excess space on favorable terms;

risks associated with domestic manufacturing operations, including fluctuations in capacity utilization and the prices and availability of key raw materials, as well as changes in transportation, warehousing and domestic labor costs, availability of skilled labor, and environmental compliance and remediation costs;

the risks related to the Sunset Acquisition including integration costs, maintaining Sunset West’s existing customer relationships, debt service costs, interest rate volatility, the use of operating cash flows to service debt to the detriment of other corporate initiatives or strategic opportunities, the loss of key employees from Sunset West, the disruption of ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies across the business which could adversely affect our internal control or information systems and the costs of bringing them into compliance and failure to realize benefits anticipated from the Sunset Acquisition;

changes in U.S. and foreign government regulations and in the political, social and economic climates of the countries from which we source our products;

risks associated with product defects, including higher than expected costs associated with product quality and safety, regulatory compliance costs (such as the costs associated with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s new mandatory furniture tip-over standard, STURDY) related to the sale of consumer products and costs related to defective or non-compliant products, product liability claims and costs to recall defective products and the adverse effects of negative media coverage;

disruptions and damage (including those due to weather) affecting our Virginia or Georgia warehouses, our Virginia, North Carolina or California warehouses, our Virginia or North Carolina administrative facilities, our High Point, Las Vegas, and Atlanta showrooms or our representative offices or warehouses in Vietnam and China;

§when

the risks specifically related to the concentrations of a material part of our sales and accounts receivable in only a few customers, including the loss of several large customers through business consolidations, failures or whether other reasons, or the loss of significant sales programs with major customers;

our inability to collect amounts owed to us or significant delays in collecting such amounts;

achieving and managing growth and change, and the risks associated with new business initiatives,lines, acquisitions, including the recent Acquisitionselection of suitable acquisition targets, restructurings, strategic alliances and the acquisition of Home Meridian, meet growth and profitability targets;international operations;

§price competition in the furniture industry;

capital requirements and costs;

§

risks associated with distribution through third-party retailers, such as non-binding dealership arrangements;

the cost and difficulty of marketing and selling our products in foreign markets;

changes in domestic and international monetary policies and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates affecting the price of our imported products and raw materials;

§

the cyclical nature of the furniture industry, which is particularly sensitive to changes in consumer confidence, the amount of consumers’ income available for discretionary purchases, and the availability and terms of consumer credit;

§risks associated with domestic manufacturing operations, including fluctuations

price competition in capacity utilization and the prices and availability of key raw materials, as well as changes in transportation, warehousing and domestic labor costs and environmental compliance and remediation costs;furniture industry;

§risks associated with distribution through third-party retailers, such as non-binding dealership arrangements;
§

capital requirements and costs, including the servicing of our floating-rate term loans;
§

competition from non-traditional outlets, such as internet and catalog retailers; and internet retailers and home improvement centers;

§

changes in consumer preferences, including increased demand for lower-quality, lower-priced furniture due to, among other things, declines in consumer confidence, amounts of discretionary income available for furniture purchases and the availability of consumer credit;furniture.

§higher than expected costs associated with product quality and safety, including regulatory compliance costs related to the sale of consumer products and costs related to defective or non-compliant products; and
§higher than expected employee medical and workers’ compensation costs that may increase the cost of our self-insured healthcare and workers’ compensation plans.

Our forward-looking statements could be wrong in light ofconsidering these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The future events, developments or results described in this report could turn out to be materially different. Any forward-looking statement we make speaks only as of the date of that statement, and we undertake no obligation, except as required by law, to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise and you should not expect us to do so.


Our

Also, our business is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties any of which can adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or future prospects. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties that we face, see the Forward LookingForward-Looking Statements detailed above and Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in our 2017 annual report on Form 10-K (the “20172023 Annual Report”), and Item 1AReport.


Investors should also be aware that while we occasionally communicate with securities analysts and others, it is against our policy to selectively disclose to them any material nonpublic information or other confidential commercial information. Accordingly, investors should not assume that we agree with any projection, forecast or report issued by any analyst regardless of the content of the statement or report, as we have a policy against confirming information issued by others.


21

Quarterly Reporting



This quarterly report on Form 10-Q includes our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the 2024 fiscal year thirteen-week period (also referred to as “three months,” “three-month period,” “quarter,” “third“first quarter” or “quarterly period”) that began July 31, 2017, and the thirty-nine week period (also referred to as “nine months,” or “nine-month period”) that began January 30, 2017, which both2023 and ended October 29, 2017.April 30, 2023. This report discusses our results of operations for this period compared to the 20172023 fiscal year thirteen-week period that began AugustJanuary 31, 2022 and ended May 1, 2016 and the thirty-nine week period that began February 1, 2016, which both ended October 30, 2016;2022; and our financial condition as of October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 compared to January 29, 2017.2023.


References in this report to:


§

the 20182024 fiscal year and comparable terminology mean the fiscal year that began January 30, 20172023 and will end January 28, 2018;2024; and


§

the 20172023 fiscal year and comparable terminology mean the fiscal year that began February 1, 2016January 31, 2022 and ended January 29, 2017.2023.


Dollar amounts presented in the tables below are in thousands except for per share data.


The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, contained elsewhere in this quarterly report. We also encourage users of this report to familiarize themselves with all of our recent public filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”),SEC, especially our 20172023 Annual Report filed with the SEC on April 14, 2017.Report. Our 20172023 Annual Report contains critical information regarding known risks and uncertainties that we face, critical accounting policies and information on commitments and contractual obligations that are not reflected in our condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as a more thorough and detailed discussion of our corporate strategy and new business initiatives.


Our 20172023 Annual Report and our other public filings made with the SEC are available, without charge, at www.sec.gov and at http://investors.hookerfurniture.com.investors.hookerfurnishings.com.


Overview

Nature of Operations


Hooker FurnitureFurnishings Corporation, (referred to as “we,” “us”, “our” “Hooker” or the “Company”), incorporated in Virginia in 1924, is a designer, marketer and importer of casegoods (wooden and metal furniture), leather furniture, and fabric-upholstered furniture for the residential, hospitality and contract markets. We also domestically manufacture premium residential custom leather, and custom fabric-upholstered furniture and outdoor furniture.

Orders and Backlog

In the discussion below and herein, we reference changes in sales orders or “orders” and sales order backlog (unshipped orders at a point in time) or “backlog” over and compared to certain periods of time and changes discussed are in sales dollars and not units of inventory, unless stated otherwise. We believe orders are ranked amonggenerally good current indicators of sales momentum and business conditions. If the nation’s top five largest publicly traded furniture sources, based on 2016 shipments to U.S. retailers, according to a 2017 survey by a leading trade publication.


Our strategy is to leverageitems ordered are in stock and the financial strength afforded us by Hooker’s slower-growing but highly profitable traditional Hooker companiescustomer has requested immediate delivery, we generally ship products in about seven days or less from receipt of order; however, orders may be shipped later if they are out of stock or there are production or shipping delays or the customer has requested the order to boost revenuesbe shipped at a later date. It is our policy and earnings both organicallyindustry practice to allow order cancellation for casegoods up to the time of shipment or, in the case of container direct orders, up until the time the container is booked with the ocean freight carrier; therefore, customer orders for casegoods are not firm. However, domestically produced upholstered products are predominantly custom-built and by acquiring companies selling in faster-growing channelsconsequently, cannot be cancelled once the leather or fabric has been cut. Our hospitality products are highly customized and are generally not cancellable. For our outdoor furnishings, most orders require a deposit upon order and the balance before production is started, and hence are generally non-cancellable.

For the Hooker Branded and Domestic Upholstery segments and All Other, we generally consider backlogs to be one helpful indicator of distribution in whichsales for the upcoming 30-day period, but because of our legacy businesses are under-represented. Consequently, Hooker acquired Home Meridian on February 1, 2016.

Hooker’s acquisitionrelatively quick delivery and our cancellation policies, we do not consider order backlogs to be a reliable indicator of Home Meridian has better positioned us in some of the fastest growing and emerging channels of distribution, including e-commerce, warehouse membership clubs, and contract channels of distribution, although at lower margins. This acquisition has providedexpected long-term sales. We generally consider the Home Meridian segment’s current leadership team with greater financial flexibility by virtuebacklog to be one helpful indicator of Hooker’s strong balance sheetthat segment’s sales for the upcoming 90-day period. Due to (i) the average sales order sizes of its mass and mega account channels of distribution, (ii) the proprietary nature of many of its products and (iii) the project nature of its hospitality business, for which average order sizes tend to be larger and consequently, has afforded it greater operational focus.
Additionally, the Acquisition of Shenandoah, a North Carolina-based domestic upholsterer, on September 29, 2017 should better position us in the “lifestyle specialty” retail distribution channel, which we believe is gaining market share and doing well with multiple demographic groups. For that channel, domestically-produced, customizable upholstery is extremely viable and preferred by the end consumers who shop at retailers in that channel.Home Meridian segment’s order backlog tends to be larger.



Overview


Our net sales are derived from

There have been exceptions to the salegeneral predictive nature of home furnishings,our orders and backlogs noted in this paragraph, such as during times of extremely high demand and supply chain challenges as experienced during the immediate aftermath of the initial COVID-19 crisis and subsequent recovery. Orders were not being converted to shipments as quickly as would be expected compared to the pre-pandemic environment due to the lack and cost of shipping containers and vessel space as well as hospitalitylimited overseas vendor capacity and contract furniture. We believe that consumer home furnishings purchases are impacted by an arrayour domestic production capacity. As a result, backlogs were significantly elevated and reached historical levels in the prior two years.

At April 30, 2023, our backlog of factors, including general economic conditions (suchunshipped orders was as consumer confidence, availabilityfollows:

  

Order Backlog

 
  

(Dollars in 000s)

 
             

Reporting Segment

 

April 30, 2023

  

January 29, 2023

  

May 1, 2022

 
             

Hooker Branded

 $17,357  $19,276  $76,562 

Home Meridian

  40,413   43,052   120,844 

Domestic Upholstery

  24,402   28,404   79,018 

All Other

  5,188   4,654   6,153 
             

Consolidated

 $87,360  $95,386  $282,577 

At the end of consumer credit, energy and other commodity prices), and housing and mortgage markets. These purchases are also impacted by lifestyle-driven factors suchfiscal 2024 first quarter, order backlog decreased as changes in fashion trends, disposable income, household formation and turnover, as well as competition with other discretionary purchases. Hospitality furniture sales are driven primarily by new hotel construction and hotel remodeling activity, which is linkedcompared to the strengthfiscal 2023 year-end and the prior year first quarter end. The decrease was attributable to more normalized levels of theshipping and lower incoming orders driven by a decrease in overall economy, including business and personal spending levels. Contract furniture sales are driven largely by senior living facility construction and remodeling activity, which is linked to the number of consumers entering retirement, which is partially related to the strength of the overall economy, including stock market performance.demand.


Approximately 90% of our fiscal 2017 sales were of imported furniture products, primarily from Asia. Our lower overhead, variable-cost import operations help drive our profitability and provide us with more flexibility to respond to changing demand by adjusting inventory purchases from suppliers. This import model requires constant vigilance due to a larger investment in inventory and longer production lead times. We constantly evaluate our imported furniture suppliers and when quality concerns, inflationary pressures, or trade barriers (such as duties and tariffs) diminish our value proposition, we transition sourcing to other suppliers, often located in different countries or regions. Our domestic upholstery operations have both significantly higher overhead and fixed costs than our import operations, and their profitability can be and has been adversely affected by economic downturns.

Executive Summary-Results of Operations


The Acquisition closed on the last business day of our September fiscal period. Consequently, the Upholstery segment’s results include only Shenandoah’s October results. Shenandoah’s prior year results are not included in the results discussed below.

Consolidated net sales for the fiscal 2018 third2024 first quarter grew 8.7%decreased by $25.5 million, or 17.3% compared to $157.9 million and grew 10.4% to $445.1 millionthe prior year quarter, driven by a 32.5% sales decrease in the first nine months of fiscal 2018 due primarilyHome Meridian segment and to net sales increasesa lesser extent, a 14.8% decrease in the Domestic Upholstery and Home Meridian segments.segment. Despite being a smaller part of overall results, All Other contributed a $1.1 million sales increase. Net sales in the Hooker Branded segment remained relatively unchanged. Consolidated gross profit decreased mainly due to lower sales volume, while gross margin increased. Consolidated operating income was $2.0 million or 1.6% of net sales, compared to $3.9 million or 2.7% in the prior year period. Consolidated net income was $1.5 million or $0.13 per diluted share for the quarter, compared to a $3.2 million or $0.26 per diluted share in the prior year period.

Our fiscal 2024 first quarter performance is discussed in greater detail below under “Review” and “Results of Operations.”

Review

The home furnishings industry continues to experience decreased demand and a sluggish retail environment, as well as other economic uncertainties such as increased inflation and rising interest rates. We remain cautious yet positive for fiscal 2024 as during the first quarter of fiscal 2024 we managed to strengthen our financial position by building up cash by $12 million from the 2023 fiscal year ended in January, reducing inventory levels by $23 million, and maintaining profitability in the Hooker Branded and Domestic Upholstery segments. The Home Meridian segment’s operating loss was lower than prior year quarter’s result and better than management expected for the current year considering the current retail environment and the significant amount of closeout sales recorded in the first quarter.

The Hooker Branded segments net sales were essentially flat, decreasing slightly by 0.8% or $339,000 compared to the prior year period. Discounting increased by $7.0230 bps from abnormally low levels in the prior year due to softened demand in the quarter. In addition, returns and allowances increased by 140 bps compared to the prior year period. At the end of the first quarter, inventory levels decreased by $14 million or 35.8%as compared to fiscal 2023 year-end but were still elevated and much higher than pre-pandemic levels in fiscal 2020. We are actively working to reduce inventory levels to align with current demand. This segment reported an operating income of $2.3 million and an operating margin of 5.5%, compared to $4.1 million and 9.8%, respectively, in the prior year period. The decrease was due to higher professional services fees and increased marketing and advertising expenses to support the growth and expansion strategies. Additionally, compensation expenses also increased due to wage inflation and higher benefits expenses. Quarter-end backlog was much lower than the prior year first quarter end but remained 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels at fiscal 2020 first quarter end. Incoming orders decreased by 16.6% as compared to the prior year quarter primarilyand approached levels similar to fiscal 2020 first quarter, reflecting more normalized demand after the pandemic.

The Home Meridian segments net sales decreased by $20.2 million, or 32.5% in the fiscal 2024 first quarter versus the prior year first quarter. In addition, this segment recorded an operating loss of $2.1 million resulting from sales volume losses. Sales of inventory that was written down in the fiscal 2023 fourth quarter totaled $12.2 million in the fiscal 2024 first quarter. Sales of previously written-down or written-off inventory had an immaterial impact on gross profit in the quarter. While the results were disappointing, the operating loss improved by $1 million as compared to prior year first quarter. The sales declines were attributed to decreases with major furniture chains and mass merchants, due to a slower retail environment for home furnishings and slower order rates and delayed orders from our retail customers as they continue to reduce their inventory levels. Prime Resources International and Samuel Lawrence Furniture accounted for nearly all the net sales increases in the Hooker Upholstery divisiondecreases and the inclusion of Shenandoah’s sales for one monthabout 70% of the quarter. Home Meridian’soperating loss, while Pulaski Furniture’s net sales increased $6.0 million or 7%decreased by $1.2 million. Meanwhile, at the Accentrics Home business unit (ACH), which focused on e-commerce customers, net sales remained flat as compared to the prior year third quarter. Hooker Casegoodsquarter, and accounted for 30% of the operating loss in this segment due to the liquidation of the ACH business. On a more positive note, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality’s net sales decreased 1.3% while All other segment net sales increased 2.7% for the fiscal 2018 third quarter.


For the fiscal 2018 first nine-months, Home Meridian, Upholstery and All other segments had net sales increases of 13.3%, 16% and 7%, respectively. Net sales in Hooker Casegoods were essentially flat. Consolidated net income for the fiscal 2018 third quarter increased $743,000 or 11.5% asmore than doubled compared to the prior year third quarter and increased $5.4 million or 37.9% compared toindicating a strong recovery in the hospitality industry after the COVID pandemic. Additionally, freight costs improved by approximately 300 bps versus the prior year first nine months, despite the inclusion of approximately $700,000 of Acquisition-related expenses in both current year periods.

As discussed in greater detail under “Results of Operations” below, the following are the primary factors that affected our consolidated fiscal 2018 third quarter and first nine months results of operations:

§
Gross profit. Consolidated gross profit increased in absolute terms and as a percentage of net sales for the fiscal 2018 third quarter due primarily to higher net sales in the Home Meridian and Upholstery segments. Upholstery segment gross profit increased due to increased net sales at Hooker Upholstery, Bradington-Young and the addition of Shenandoah’s sales in the last month of the fiscal period. Home Meridian segment gross profit increased due to higher net sales and lower returns, sales allowance and discount expense as a percentage of net sales.  Consolidated gross profit increased in absolute terms and as a percentage of net sales for the fiscal 2018 first nine-months for primarily the same reasons as noted for the quarterly periods.

§
Selling and administrative expenses. During the fiscal 2018 third quarter, consolidated selling and administrative (“S&A”) expenses increased in absolute terms but remained flat as a percentage of net sales primarily due to higher selling expense, higher compensation and bonus expense, the inclusion of approximately $700,000 Acquisition-related costs, and, to a lesser extent, the addition of Shenandoah’s S&A expenses during the quarter. During the 2018 first nine months, consolidated S&A expenses increased in absolute terms primarily due to higher bonus and salaries expenses, selling expense, bad debt expense and the inclusion of approximately $700,000 in acquisition-related costs.


§
Intangible asset amortization expense. Amortization of intangibles of $624,000 and $1.3 million was recorded in the fiscal 2018 third quarter and the fiscal 2018 first nine months, respectively, compared to $334,000 and $2.8 million in the comparable prior year periods. Amortization expense for the fiscal 2018 third quarter includes $290,000 in amortization expense on newly-acquired Shenandoah intangibles.

§
Operating income. Consolidated operating income increased $1.3 million or 12.7% in the fiscal 2018 third quarter and increased $7.9 million or 35.8% in the fiscal 2018 first nine months, due to the factors discussed above and in greater detail below.

Review

We were pleased to have achieved an approximate 9% consolidated sales increase during the fiscal 2018 third quarter, with sales up across all segments. The Home Meridian segment led the consolidated net sales increase with a 7% increase in net sales for the fiscal 2018 third quarter and 13.3% net sales increase for the fiscal 2018 first nine months, primarily due to increased sales to mega, e-commerce and alternate channel accounts. The Home Meridian segment ended the first nine months with a 17.3% year-to-date increase in sales orders; however, that segment’s sales order backlog is down 14.7% as of quarter-end. Additionally, the customer mix and related sales allowance issues that strained Home Meridian’s margins in the fiscal 2018 first quarter, were muted in the second and third quarters. Consequently, that segment’s gross margins increased in both the fiscal third quarter and first nine months. Upholstery segment net sales increased in the double-digits for the quarter and for the nine-month period, due to the additionstabilization of Shenandoah’s sales for the last month of the fiscal periodocean freight rates. Incoming orders and on the strength of double-digit sales increases in the Hooker Upholstery division and including upper single-digit increases at the Bradington-Young division of that segment. Hooker Upholstery’s sales increased primarily due to a better in-stock position, now that the division has fully recovered from inventory shortages that resulted from a vendor-quality issue inquarter-end backlog were lower than the prior year and due to the shipments of recently introduced and well-received new products. Bradington-Young’s net sales increased primarily due to increased sales of higher priced luxury motion products. Net sales increased 7.6% at Sam Moore in the third quarter; however, that division’s sales were essentially flat for the first nine-months of the fiscal year. Additionally, Sam Moore’s operating profit performance was flat for the third quarter and is lower for the nine-month period, as that division continues to struggle with labor efficiency issues that have led to longer delivery times, which has resulted in lower orders and net sales and increased manufacturing costs. The Upholstery segment’s year-to-date sales orders were up 7.7%; however, its order backlog was down 4.5% as of the end of the thirdfiscal 2020 first quarter, both as compared to the comparable prior year periods. Hooker Casegoods segment net sales were essentially flat for both the quarter and nine-month period and operating profit for both periods remained strong despite the approximate $700,000 in Acquisition-related expenses included in that segment. Hooker Casegoods sales orders increased 5.7% year-to-date October and backlog was up 25.1% at quarter-end.

In addition to increased net sales, consolidated operating profitability improved for the nine-month period both due to the absence of approximately $1orders from Clubs channel and the ACH business, as well as decreased incoming orders from the retail customers.

The Domestic Upholstery segments net sales decreased by $6.1 million, or 14.8% in the fiscal 2024 first quarter, following a streak of sales growth for the past two years. HF Custom, Sunset West and Shenandoah experienced sales decreases. These decreases were partially offset by increased net sales at Bradington-Young. The sales decline at HF Custom resulted from decreased incoming orders. Sales decreases at Sunset West were attributed to slowed shipping in February and March caused by the December 2022 conversion to our new ERP system. Additionally, during the expansion of our outdoor furniture business to the east coast, we experienced transition issues and start-up delays in the Georgia warehouse, which affected shipping activities at Sunset West. These issues were mostly resolved by the end of the first quarter. Profitability in the segment was negatively impacted by higher medical claims across all divisions and under-absorbed indirect costs at HF Custom due to sales volume loss and reduced working hours. Gross margin benefited from the price increases we implemented last year to help mitigate materials cost inflation. Despite the sales decline and disruptions, this segment reported an operating income of $1.3 million and an operating margin of 3.8%. Quarter-end backlog for Bradington-Young remained over three times of the pre-pandemic levels at fiscal 2020 first quarter end, while the backlogs for HF Custom and Shenandoah decreased to levels similar to fiscal 2020. Incoming orders at Bradington-Young and Shenandoah were at similar levels in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, while HF Custom experienced lower orders compared to this period.

Cash and cash equivalents stood at $31 million at fiscal 2024 first quarter-end, an increase of $12 million from the prior year-end. During the first quarter, we used a portion of the $22.4 million cash generated from operating activities to fund $4.3 million share repurchases, $3.2 million capital expenditures including investments in our new showroom, $2.4 million in cash dividends to our shareholders, and $1.3 million for development of our cloud-based ERP system. In addition to our cash balance, we had an aggregate of $27.2 million available under our existing revolver at quarter-end to fund working capital needs. We believe that our liquidity and capital requirements will be further improved through the liquidation sales of excess inventories at Home Meridian, acquisition-related costs that were incurred inas discussed above. With strategic inventory management, reasonable capital expenditures, and prudent expense management, we believe we have sufficient financial resources to support our business operations for the prior year and a $1.8 million decrease in amortization expense on Home Meridian acquisition-related intangibles.



foreseeable future.

24


Results of Operations


The following table sets forth the percentage relationship to net sales of certain items included in the condensed consolidated statements of incomeoperations included in this report.

  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Net sales

  100%  100%

Cost of sales

  77.1   80.0 

Gross profit

  22.9   20.0 

Selling and administrative expenses

 

 

20.6   16.7 

Intangible asset amortization

  0.7   0.6 

Operating income

  1.6   2.7 

Other income, net

  0.1   0.2 

Interest expense

  0.1   - 

Income before income taxes

  1.5   2.9 

Income tax expense

  0.3   0.7 

Net income

  1.2   2.2 

21

  Thirteen Weeks Ended  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,  October 30,  October 29,  October 30, 
  2017  2016  2017  2016 
Net sales  100.0%  100.0%  100.0%  100.0%
Cost of sales  78.3   78.7   78.5   78.7 
Gross profit  21.7   21.3   21.5   21.3 
Selling and administrative expenses  14.2   14.2   14.4   15.1 
Intangible asset amortization  0.4   0.2   0.3   0.7 
Operating income  7.1   6.8   6.8   5.5 
Other income, net  0.2   0.1   0.2   0.2 
Interest expense, net  0.2   0.2   0.2   0.2 
Income before income taxes  7.1   6.8   6.8   5.5 
Income tax expense  2.5   2.4   2.4   1.9 
Net income  4.6   4.4   4.4   3.5 

Fiscal 2018 Third2024 First Quarter Compared to Fiscal 2017 Third2023 First Quarter


 Net Sales  

Net Sales

 
 Thirteen Weeks Ended  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
 October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
    % Net Sales     % Net Sales        

2023

      

2022

             
Hooker Casegoods $36,373   23.0% $36,861   25.4% $(488)  -1.3%
Upholstery  26,701   16.9%  19,664   13.5%  7,037   35.8%
     

% Net Sales

      

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Hooker Branded

 $41,891   34.4% $42,230   28.7% $(339)  -0.8%
Home Meridian  92,068   58.3%  86,053   59.2%  6,015   7.0%  41,921   34.4%  62,085   42.1%  (20,164)  -32.5%

Domestic Upholstery

  35,104   28.8%  41,220   28.0%  (6,116)  -14.8%
All Other  2,792   1.8%  2,720   1.9%  72   2.6%  2,899   2.4%  1,779   1.2%  1,120   63.0%
Consolidated $157,934   100% $145,298   100% $12,636   8.7% $121,815   100% $147,314   100% $(25,499)  -17.3%

Unit Volume
 
FY18 Q3 % Change vs.
FY17 Q3
  Average Selling Price (ASP) 
FY18 Q3 % Change vs.
FY17 Q3
 
         
Hooker Casegoods  0.3% Hooker Casegoods  -0.7%
Upholstery  42.5% Upholstery  -4.9%
Home Meridian  8.6% Home Meridian  -1.7%
All Other  -12.4% All Other  16.2%
Consolidated  9.1% Consolidated  -0.3%


Unit Volume

 

FY24 Q1 % Increase vs. FY23 Q1

  

Average Selling Price (“ASP”)

 

FY24 Q1 % Increase vs. FY23 Q1

 
           

Hooker Branded

  -6.3% 

Hooker Branded

  8.2%

Home Meridian

  -10.5% 

Home Meridian

  -24.4%

Domestic Upholstery

  -25.0% 

Domestic Upholstery

  13.2%

All Other

  55.1% 

All Other

  4.7%

Consolidated

  -11.1% 

Consolidated

  -6.1%

Consolidated net sales decreased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due to sales declines in the Home Meridian and Domestic Upholstery segments, while net sales at All Other were up $1.1 million and Hooker Branded net sales decreased slightly.

The Hooker Branded segment’s net sales decreased by 0.8% in the fiscal 2024 first quarter compared to the prior year quarter. Although ASP increased due to the price increases we implemented last year in response to product cost inflation, the favorable effect was offset by higher discounting and returns and allowances, which were 370 bps higher than prior year period, as well as decreased unit volume.

The Home Meridian segment’s net sales decreased by 32.5% in the fiscal 2024 first quarter attributed to lower sales in the major furniture chains and mass merchant channels due to a slow retail environment. These decreases were partially offset by strong sales in the hospitality business, which more than doubled as compared to the prior year period. ASP decreased significantly due to the increased volume of liquidation sales, which accounted for over 50% of the total units sold but less than 30% of total sales dollars.

The Domestic Upholstery segment’s net sales decreased by 14.8% in the fiscal 2024 first quarter compared to the prior year period. This decrease was driven by sales declines at HF Custom and Sunset West, and to a lesser extent, a sales decrease at Shenandoah. Bradington-Young reported a sales increase. ASP increased across all divisions due to the price increases we implemented in response to the inflation of raw material costs. However, it was not sufficient to offset the decrease in unit volume.

All Other’s net sales increased significantly in the fiscal 2024 first quarter driven by increased unit volume and ASP at H Contract due to continued recovery of the senior living industry after the COVID pandemic.

  

Gross Profit and Margin

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
  

2023

      

2022

             
      

% Net Sales

      

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Hooker Branded

 $13,091   31.3% $13,240   31.4% $(149)  -1.1%

Home Meridian

  6,713   16.0%  6,305   10.2%  408   6.5%

Domestic Upholstery

  7,023   20.0%  9,354   22.7%  (2,331)  -24.9%

All Other

  1,079   37.2%  560   31.5%  519   92.7%

  Consolidated

 $27,906   22.9% $29,459   20.0% $(1,553)  -5.3%


Consolidated net sales increased primarilygross profit decreased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due to higher net salesa decrease in the Domestic Upholstery and Home Meridian segments, as well as the addition of Shenandoah’s October sales of $3.1 million in the quarter. These increases weresegment, partially offset by a declineincreases in average selling prices (“ASP”) in those same segments. Upholstery segment unit volumegross profit at Home Meridian and All Other. Consolidated gross margin increased primarily due to increased sales at the Hooker Upholstery division and to a lesser extent at Bradington Young and Sam Moore. Upholstery segment ASP decreased primarily due to lower ASP at the Hooker Upholsterynet sales and Sam Moore divisions, partially offset by higher ASPimproved gross margin in the Bradington-Young division. Thetraditionally lower margin Home Meridian segment’s unit volumesegment.

The Hooker Branded segment’s gross profit and gross margin both remained flat. Warehousing costs increased primarily due to higher demurrage and drayage expenses. Although these expenses have shown a downward trend in recent quarters, they were higher than the prior year first quarter. Additionally, operating and shipping supplies expenses, along with benefits expenses, also contributed to the increase in warehousing costs. These increases were partially offset by lower warehouse costs resulting from the exit of a leased warehouse in Asia and lower labor expenses due to reduced shipping activities.

The Home Meridian segment’s gross profit and margin both increased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter despite a net sales decline. Gross profit and margin increased due to lower ocean freight costs, the absence of warehouse transition and start-up costs incurred in the prior year period, and lower wage expenses due to organizational and personnel changes. Sales of previously written-down or written-off inventory had an immaterial impact on gross profit in the quarter.

The Domestic Upholstery segment’s gross profit and margin both decreased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due to sales decline and increased benefits expense driven by higher medical claims, which were 310 bps higher than the prior year period.

All Other’s gross profit and margin both increased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due to increased net sales.

  

Selling and Administrative Expenses (S&A)

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
  

2023

      

2022

             
      

% Net Sales

      

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Hooker Branded

 $10,791   25.8% $9,098   21.5% $1,693   18.6%

Home Meridian

  8,502   20.3%  9,066   14.6%  (564)  -6.2%

Domestic Upholstery

  5,142   14.6%  6,058   14.7%  (916)  -15.1%

All Other

  613   21.1%  436   24.5%  177   40.6%

  Consolidated

 $25,048   20.6% $24,658   16.7% $390   1.6%

Consolidated selling and administrative (“S&A”) expenses increased primarily due to increased sales to emerging channels, especially e-commerce. The decreaseslightly in Home Meridian segment ASP was attributable to customer mix. Although a small part of our consolidated results, unit volume decreased and ASP increased in our All Other segmentabsolute terms due to the lack of Homeware net sales duringincrease in the quarter, as that business completed its wind-down duringHooker Branded segment, which was offset by decreases in the fiscal 2018 second quarter.

  Gross Profit and Margin 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $11,346   31.2% $12,081   32.8% $(735)  -6.1%
Upholstery  6,190   23.2%  4,311   21.9%  1,879   43.6%
Home Meridian  15,808   17.2%  13,742   16.0%  2,066   15.0%
All Other  934   33.4%  791   29.1%  143   18.1%
Intercompany Eliminations  -       1       (1)  -100.0%
  Consolidated $34,278   21.7% $30,926   21.3% $3,352   10.8%

Home Meridian and Domestic Upholstery segments. Consolidated gross profitS&A expenses increased in absolute terms andsignificantly as a percentage of net sales in the fiscal 2018 third quarter, primarily due to improved profit margin in Home Meridian and Upholstery segments due primarily to increasedoverall decreased net sales in those segments, and the addition of Shenandoah’s October sales in the Upholstery segment. The Hooker Upholstery division was the primary driver of increased gross profit in the Upholstery segment due to increased sales and lower product costs. Those increases were partially offset by decreased gross profit in Hooker Casegoods segment due to the sales shortfall and increased returns and allowance and advertising expenses.sales.


  Selling and Administrative Expenses 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $7,356   20.2% $6,988   19.0% $368   5.3%
Upholstery  3,701   13.9%  3,133   15.9%  568   18.1%
Home Meridian  10,867   11.8%  9,906   11.5%  961   9.7%
All Other  525   18.8%  626   23.0%  (101)  -16.1%
  Consolidated $22,449   14.2% $20,653   14.2% $1,796   8.7%

The Hooker Branded segment’s S&A expenses increased both in absolute terms and as a percentage of net sales in the fiscal 2024 first quarter. This increase was attributed to various factors, including higher compensation and benefits expense from salary inflation and higher medical claims, higher marketing costs and higher professional services fees. The increases were partially offset by a decrease in bad debt expense due to decreased AR balance.


Consolidated S&A expenses remained flat as a percentage of net sales but increased in absolute terms due primarily to higher selling expenses, higher compensation and benefits expenses, increased bonus expenses due to increased earnings, the inclusion of approximately $700,000 in Acquisition-related costs, and, to a lesser extent, the addition of Shenandoah’s October S&A expenses.

The Home Meridian segment’s S&A expenses decreased in absolute terms in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due primarily to decreased salary expenses as the result of personnel changes, and to a lesser extent lower selling costs and product development cost. These decreases were partially offset by higher bad debt expense due to an increase in uninsured AR balance, return to more normalized travel expenses and higher compliance costs. S&A expenses increased as a percentage of net sales due to lower net sales.


  Intangible Asset Amortization 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Intangible asset amortization $624   0.4% $334   0.2% $290   86.8%


The Domestic Upholstery segment’s S&A expenses decreased in absolute terms and remained flat as a percentage of net sales in the fiscal 2024 first quarter. The decrease was primarily due to lower selling costs resulting from decreased net sales, the absence of accelerated depreciation expense on its ERP system in the prior year period, as well as decreased wage expenses. The decrease was partially offset by increased benefits expense driven by higher medical claims, higher professional service fees, and other general spending.


All Other S&A expenses increased in the fiscal 2024 first quarter due to increased selling costs on over 60% net sales increase.


  

Intangible Asset Amortization

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
  

2023

      

2022

             
      

% Net Sales

      

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Intangible asset amortization

 $883   0.7% $878   0.6% $5   0.6%

Intangible asset amortization expense was higherincreased slightly in the currentfiscal 2024 first quarter due to Acquisition-relatedthe reassessment and amortization expense.of Sam Moore trade name. See Note 8 to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.


 Operating Profit and Margin  

Operating Profit/(Loss) and Margin

 
 Thirteen Weeks Ended  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
 October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
    % Net Sales     % Net Sales        

2023

      

2022

             
Hooker Casegoods $3,990   11.0% $5,092   13.8% $(1,102)  -21.6%
Upholstery  2,199   8.2%  1,178   6.0%  1,021   86.7%
     

% Net Sales

    

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Hooker Branded

 $2,300   5.5% $4,142   9.8% $(1,842)  -44.5%
Home Meridian  4,607   5.0%  3,503   4.1%  1,104   31.5%  (2,119)  -5.1%  (3,095)  -5.0%  976   31.5%

Domestic Upholstery

  1,328   3.8%  2,752   6.7%  (1,424)  -51.7%
All Other  409   14.6%  165   6.1%  244   147.9%  466   16.1%  124   7.0%  342   275.8%
Intercompany Eliminations  -       1       (1)  -100.0%
Consolidated $11,205   7.1% $9,939   6.8% $1,266   12.7% $1,975   1.6% $3,923   2.7% $(1,948)  -49.7%

Operating profitability increased for the fiscal 2018 third quarterprofit and margin decreased as compared to the prior year quarter both as a percentage of net sales and in absolute terms, due to the factors discussed above. Shenandoah’s October operating profitability of $197,000, net of $290,000 in intangible asset amortization expense on Acquisition-related intangibles, is included in the Upholstery segment’s results.


  Interest Expense, net 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Consolidated interest expense, net $327   0.2% $245   0.2% $82   33.5%
  

Interest Expense, net

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
  

2023

      

2022

             
      

% Net Sales

    

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Consolidated interest expense, net

 $179   0.1% $28   0.0% $151   539.3%

Consolidated interest expense increased primarilywas higher in fiscal 2024 first quarter due to increased interest rates on our variable-ratethe term loans, and the addition of the New Unsecured Term Loan during the quarter.which we entered into in July 2022.


 

Income taxes

 
 Income taxes  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
 Thirteen Weeks Ended  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
 October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change  

2023

      

2022

             
    % Net Sales     % Net Sales            

% Net Sales

    

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 
Consolidated income tax expense $4,006   2.5% $3,453   2.4% $553   16.0% $402   0.3% $991   0.7% $(589)  -59.4%
                                                
Effective Tax Rate  35.7%      34.8%              21.7%      23.7%            

We recorded income tax expenseexpenses of $4 million$402,000 and $991,000 for the fiscal 2018 third quarter compared to $3.5 million for the comparable prior year period.2024 and fiscal 2023 first quarters, respectively. The effective tax rates for the fiscal 20182024 and 2017 third quarter2021 first quarters were 35.7%21.7% and 34.8%23.7%, respectively. Our effective tax rate was higher in the fiscal 2018 third quarter primarily due to higher state tax expense. Higher state tax expense was due to tax nexus in an additional state during the quarter.


  Net Income 
  Thirteen Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
  Consolidated $7,202   4.6% $6,459   4.4% $743   11.5%
                         
Basic earnings per share $0.62      $0.56             
Diluted earnings per share $0.61      $0.56             
  

Net Income

 
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

      

May 1,

             
  

2023

      

2022

             
      

% Net Sales

    

% Net Sales

  

$ Change

  

% Change

 

Consolidated net income

 $1,450   1.2% $3,182   2.2% $(1,732)  -54.4%
                         

Diluted earnings per share

 $0.13      $0.26             


Fiscal 2018 First Nine Months Compared to Fiscal 2017 First Nine Months


  Net Sales 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $104,067   23.4% $103,372   25.6% $695   0.7%
Upholstery  71,247   16.0%  61,404   15.2%  9,843   16.0%
Home Meridian  262,173   58.9%  231,391   57.4%  30,782   13.3%
All Other  7,627   1.7%  7,125   1.8%  502   7.0%
  Consolidated $445,114   100% $403,292   100% $41,822   10.4%

Outlook


Unit Volume 
FY18 YTD % Change
vs. FY17 YTD
  Average Selling Price (ASP) 
FY18 YTD % Change
vs. FY17 YTD
 
         
Hooker Casegoods  0.5% Hooker Casegoods  0.5%
Upholstery  19.1% Upholstery  -2.9%
Home Meridian  19.3% Home Meridian  -5.0%
All Other  -4.9% All Other  12.2%
Consolidated  16.7% Consolidated  -5.3%


Fiscal 2018 first nine months

While retail conditions remain mixed and economic uncertainties continue, we saw increases in consolidated net sales increasedincoming orders in all reporting segments, led by increases of $30.8 million in the Home Meridian segment and a $9.8 million in the Upholstery segment. The Home Meridian segment’s unit volume increased primarily due to increased sales to mega and e-commerce accounts. The decrease in Home Meridian segment ASP was attributable to customer mix. Hooker Casegoods segment unit volume and ASP slightly increased in the nine-month period.fiscal May. We believe the industry is steadily working through excess inventory and believe incoming order trends are indicative of that progress. Furthermore, we are encouraged by reports from customers about strong Memorial Day sales.

Following Hooker Casegoods sales were flat dueLegacy Brands’ successful new showroom grand opening at the Spring High Point Market, we expect to continue initiatives to enhance visibility and addressable market reach this summer such as debuting a softening in retailnew showroom at the Atlanta Market for Hooker Legacy brands and showing at our fourth Las Vegas Market this summer. Sunset West will debut a new showroom at the Atlanta Market, which is the new sponsor of the Casual Market for outdoor furniture, sales inrecently relocated from Chicago. At HMI, we expect the traditional furniture channels in which that segment competes, a trend which we believe is occurring throughout the industry. Unit volume in the Upholstery segment increased primarily duepreviously announced inventory liquidations to increased sales at Hooker Upholstery and due to the inclusion of Shenandoah’s October sales. Upholstery segment ASP decreased due to the increased proportion of lower priced Hooker Upholstery and Sam Moore products sold during the period. ASP increased in our All Other segment due to the increased H Contract sales and increased share of H Contract sales as a part of All Other sales, as the liquidation of Homeware inventory wasbe substantially completed atby the end of second quarter.


  Gross Profit and Margin 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $32,984   31.7% $32,897   31.8% $87   0.3%
Upholstery  17,255   24.2%  14,029   22.8%  3,226   23.0%
Home Meridian  42,875   16.4%  36,865   15.9%  6,010   16.3%
All Other  2,420   31.7%  2,204   30.9%  216   9.8%
Intercompany Eliminations  4       8       (4)  -50.0%
  Consolidated $95,538   21.5% $86,003   21.3% $9,535   11.1%


Consolidated gross profit increased in absolute terms and stayed nearly flat as a percentage of net sales in the fiscal 2018 first nine months. Home Meridian segment gross profit increased2024 second quarter. While we expect some short-term volatility in absolute terms primarily due to increased sales Upholstery segment gross profit increased primarily due to higher sales in Hooker Upholstery and Bradington Young divisions, and to a lesser extent, the addition of Shenandoah’s October results. The Hooker Upholstery division benefited from lower discounts and allowances, favorable core cost of goods sold, and a one-time vendor price concession due to a prior-year vendor quality issue. Hooker Casegoods segment gross profit was essentially flat in absolute terms and as a percentage of net sales. Increased gross profit in the All Other segment was due to increased gross profit at H Contract due to increased sales, partially offset by higher discounts for the liquidation of Homeware inventory during the first half.

  Selling and Administrative Expenses 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $21,066   20.2% $21,383   20.7% $(317)  -1.5%
Upholstery  10,158   14.3%  9,773   15.9%  385   3.9%
Home Meridian  31,216   11.9%  28,108   12.1%  3,108   11.1%
All Other  1,699   22.3%  1,774   24.9%  (75)  -4.2%
  Consolidated $64,139   14.4% $61,038   15.1% $3,101   5.1%

Consolidated S&A expenses decreased as a percentage of net sales primarily due to increased net sales. Consolidated S&A expenses increased in absolute terms primarily due to higher compensation and benefits expenses, higher bonus expenses due to increased earnings and increased selling expenses, higher bad debt expense due to the write-off of a customer balance in the fiscal 2018 first quarter and the inclusion of approximately $700,000 in Acquisition-related costs.

  Intangible Asset Amortization 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Intangible asset amortization $1,291   0.3% $2,801   0.7% $(1,510)  -53.9%

Intangible asset amortization expense was higher in the prior year period due to the short amortization period of some of the intangible assets. The decrease was partially offset by intangible asset amortization expense recognized in the period on Acquisition-related intangibles.

  Operating Profit and Margin 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Hooker Casegoods $11,918   11.5% $11,514   11.1% $404   3.5%
Upholstery  6,807   9.6%  4,256   6.9%  2,551   59.9%
Home Meridian  10,658   4.1%  5,956   2.6%  4,702   78.9%
All Other  721   9.5%  430   6.0%  291   67.7%
Intercompany Eliminations  4       8       (4)  -50.0%
  Consolidated $30,108   6.8% $22,164   5.5% $7,944   35.8%


Operating profitability increased for the fiscal 2018 first nine months compared to the same prior-year period, both as a percentage of net sales and in absolute terms, dueearnings at HMI, we continue to the factors discussed above.

  Interest Expense, net 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Consolidated interest expense, net $860   0.2% $755   0.2% $105   13.9%

Consolidated interest expense increased primarily due to increases in the interest rates on our variable-rate term loans and the addition of the New Unsecured Term Loan during the fiscal 2018 third quarter.

  Income taxes 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
Consolidated income tax expense $10,574   2.4% $7,737   1.9% $2,837   36.7%
                         
Effective Tax Rate  34.9%      35.1%            

We recorded income tax expense of $10.6 million for the fiscal 2018 first nine months, compared to $7.7 million for the same prior-year period.  The effective tax rates for the first nine months of fiscal 2018 and 2017 were 34.9% and 35.1%, respectively. The effective tax rate was lower in the 2018 first nine months due to the settlement of an uncertain tax position on captive insurance, excess tax benefits from share-based compensation and a state tax credit received during the first quarter of fiscal 2018 first quarter.

  Net Income 
  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29, 2017     October 30, 2016     $ Change  % Change 
     % Net Sales     % Net Sales       
  Consolidated $19,726   4.4% $14,308   3.5% $5,418   37.9%
                         
Basic earnings per share $1.70      $1.24             
Diluted earnings per share $1.69      $1.23             

Outlook

Retail conditions were weak across all segments in September, partially due to the hurricanes that hit Florida and Texas. In October, retail conditions bounced back, along with incoming order trends and shipments across all segments. The October High Point Furniture Market was good for most divisions. However, due to a later than normal Chinese New Year, more of the heavy shipping activity that normally precedes the holiday will fall in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

For the fiscal 2018 fourth quarter, we expect the sales order and shipment trends we are seeing in the Hooker Casegoods and Upholstery segments will favorably impact sales in those segments; however, we expect that reduced orders and backlog in the Home Meridian segment compared to the same period a year ago will negatively impact sales in that segment.


We believe the overall macro-economic environment is strong, especially housing and consumer confidence. Pending home sales recently rebounded after three straight months of declines, which we believe may be indicative of improving existing home sales. Recent data revealed new home purchases to be at their fastest pace in a decade, with a 6.2% monthly increase, marking a third consecutive monthly gain. Additionally, November consumer confidence increased for the fifth consecutive month and remains at a seventeen-year high. Along with recent record-breaking stock market performance and the macro-economic environment, we believe the strategies we have in place are working, and we expect Shenandoah to be a solid contributor going forward.
The Acquisition
We believe that consumer tastes and channels in which they shop for furniture are evolving at a rapid pace and we are changing to meet these demands.
As was the case with Hooker’s 2016 Acquisition of Home Meridian International, we are continuing to leverage Hooker’s financial strength to boost revenues and earnings both organically and by acquisition, as we target growth in channels of distribution that are growing faster than furniture industry averages.
Consequently, on September 29, 2017 we acquired substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of Shenandoah Furniture, Inc. for $32.7 million in cash and the issuance of 176,018 shares of our common stock valued at $8.4 million (such numbers are subject to agreed upon post-closing working capital adjustments). Based on the way we manage, evaluate and internally report our operations, we determined that Shenandoah’s newly acquired business will be reported in our Upholstery segment.
We believe Shenandoah is well-positioned in a distribution channel in which we are currently under-represented; namely, the “lifestyle specialty” retail distribution channel, which is made of up retailers who offer furnishings and decor in the upper medium price points, both in traditional brick and mortar stores and online.  We believe that lifestyle specialty furniture stores are gaining market share and doing well with multiple demographic groups. For that channel, domestically-produced, customizable upholstery is extremely viable and preferredachieve profitability by the end consumer who shops there.
We expect the Acquisition to be accretive to earnings in our 2019 fiscal year, which begins on January 29, 2018. In the short-term, we expect a nominal reduction in earnings for the remainder of fiscal 2018 due to the timing of the Acquisition.2024 fiscal year.

Refer

We continue to Part II Item 1A “Risk Factors” in this report for changes to our risk factors as a result of the Acquisition.  For a complete discussion of our risk factors, you should carefully review the detailed discussionsfocus on organic growth opportunities through expanded visibility, strategic product development, operational improvements, and cost reductions. We believe by focusing on these controllables, we will be in the "Risk Factors" and "Business" section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed withstrongest possible position when the SEC on April 14, 2017.demand environment improves.

Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources


Cash Flows – Operating, Investing and Financing Activities


  Thirty-Nine Weeks Ended 
  October 29,  October 30, 
  2017  2016 
Net cash provided by operating activities $25,065  $31,265 
Net cash used in investing activities  (35,899)  (87,625)
Net cash provided by financing activities  3,399   45,544 
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents $(7,435) $(10,816)
  

Thirteen Weeks Ended

 
  

April 30,

  

May 1,

 
  

2023

  

2022

 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

 $22,350  $(30,018)

Net cash used in investing activities

  (3,265)  (26,860)

Cash used in financing activities

  (7,111)  (2,388)

Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 $11,974  $(59,266)

During the ninethree months period ended October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023, we used a portion of the $22.4 million cash generated from operations to fund $4.3 million share repurchases, $3.2 million capital expenditures including investments in our new showroom, $2.4 million in cash dividends to our shareholders, $1.3 million for development of our cloud-based ERP system, and $107,000 in life insurance premiums on Company-owned life insurance policies.

In comparison, during the three months ended May 1, 2022, we used a portion of the existing cash and cash equivalents on hand and $12 million term-loan proceeds helpedto build up inventory levels, fund the Acquisition, pay $4.4 million in long-term debt payments, cash dividends of $4.2 million and capital expenditures of $2.7 million to enhance our business systems and facilities.



In comparison, during the nine months ended October 30, 2016, cash generated from operations, cash on hand, term-loan proceeds and insurance proceeds helped fund the Home Meridian acquisition, pay $10.8 million in long-term debt payments, pay $3.5$2.4 million in cash dividends, and fund $1.9 million of$830,000 capital expenditures to enhance our business systems and facilities, and to pay $682,000$118,000 in life insurance premiums on Company-owned life insurance policies.


Liquidity, Financial Resources and Capital Expenditures


Our financial resources include:


§

available cash and cash equivalents, which are highly dependent on incoming order rates and our operating performance;

§

expected cash flow from operations; and

§

available lines of credit.credit; and

cash surrender value of Company-owned life insurance.

The most significant components of our working capital are inventory, accounts receivable and cash and cash equivalents reduced by accounts payable and accrued expenses.

We believe these resources are sufficient

Our most significant ongoing short-term cash requirements relate primarily to meetfunding operations (including expenditures for inventory, lease payments and payroll), quarterly dividend payments and capital expenditures related primarily to our business requirements through fiscal 2018ERP project, showroom renovations and upgrading systems, buildings and equipment. The timing of our working capital needs can vary greatly depending on demand for and availability of raw materials and imported finished goods but is generally the greatest in the mid-summer as a result of inventory build-up for the foreseeable future, including:traditional fall selling season. Long term cash requirements relate primarily to funding lease payments and repayment of long-term debt.


§capital expenditures;
§working capital, including capital required to fund our Pension Plan, SERP and SRIP plans;
§the payment of regular quarterly cash dividends on our common stock; and
§the servicing of our acquisition-related debt.

Loan AgreementAgreements and Revolving Credit Facility


On September 29, 2017,July 26, 2022, we entered into a second amendedthe Fourth Amendment to the Second Amended and restated loan agreementRestated Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”“Amendment”) with Bank of America, N.A. (“BofA”) in connection withto replenish cash used to make the completion of the Acquisition Note 2. “Acquisition,” above.Sunset Acquisition. The Loan Agreement amends and restates the amended and restated loan agreement that the Company entered into with BofA on February 1, 2016. TheSecond Amended and Restated Loan Agreement provides us withdated as of September 29, 2017, had previously been amended by a new $12 million unsecured term loan (the “NewFirst Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated as of January 31, 2019, a Second Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated as of November 4, 2020, and a Third Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Loan Agreement dated as of January 27, 2021 (as so amended, the “Existing Loan Agreement”). Details of the individual credit facilities provided for in the Amendment are as follows:

Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility. Under the Amendment, the expiration date of the existing $35 million Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility (the “Existing Revolver”) was extended to July 26, 2027. Any amounts outstanding will bear interest at a rate per annum, equal to the then current Bloomberg Short-Term Bank Yield Index (“BSBY”) (adjusted periodically) plus 1.00%. The interest rate will be adjusted on a monthly basis. The actual daily amount of undrawn letters of credit is subject to a quarterly fee equal to a per annum rate of 1%. We must also pay a quarterly unused commitment fee that is based on the average daily amount of the facility utilized during the applicable quarter;

2022 Secured Term Loan. The Amendment provided us with a $18 million term loan (the “Secured Term Loan”), which was disbursed to us on July 26, 2022. We are required to pay monthly interest only payments at a rate per annum equal to the then current BSBY rate (adjusted periodically) plus 0.90% on the outstanding balance until the principal is paid in full. The interest rate will be adjusted on a monthly basis. On July 26, 2027, the entire outstanding indebtedness is due in full, including all principal and interest. The Secured Term Loan is secured by certain company-owned life insurance policies under a Security Agreement (Assignment of Life Insurance Policy as Collateral) dated July 26, 2022, by and between the Company and BofA; and

2022 Unsecured Term Loan. The Amendment provided us with a $7 million unsecured term loan (the “Unsecured Term Loan”), which was disbursed to us on July 26, 2022. We are required to pay monthly principal payments of $116,667 and monthly interest payments at a rate per annum equal to the then current BSBY (adjusted periodically) plus 1.40% on the outstanding balance until paid in full. The interest rate will be adjusted monthly. On July 26, 2027, the entire outstanding indebtedness is due in full, including all principal and interest.

We may prepay any outstanding principal amounts borrowed under either the Secured Term Loan or the Unsecured Term Loan”).


AmountsLoan at any time, without penalty provided that any payment is accompanied by all accrued interest owed. As of April 30, 2023, $5.9 million was outstanding under the New Unsecured Term Loan, will bear interest at a rate, adjusted monthly, equal to the then current LIBOR monthly rate plus 1.50%. We must repay the principal amount borrowed under the New Unsecured Term Loan in monthly installments of approximately $143,000, together with any accrued interest, until the full amount borrowed is repaid or until the earlier of September 30, 2022 and the expiration of the Existing Revolver, at which time all amounts$18 million was outstanding under the New UnsecuredSecured Term Loan will become due and payable. Loan.

We may prepayincurred $37,500 in debt issuance costs in connection with our term loans. As of April 30, 2023, unamortized loan costs of $31,875 were netted against the outstanding principal amount under the New Unsecured Term Loan, in full or in part,carrying value of our term loans on any interest payment date without penalty. On September 29, 2017, we borrowed the full $12 million available under the New Unsecured Term Loan.our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The Loan AgreementAmendment also included customary representations and warranties and requires us to comply with customary covenants, including, among other things, the following financial covenants:

·

Maintain a ratio of funded debt to EBITDA not exceeding:

o

o

2.50:1.0 through August 31, 2018;July 30, 2023;

o

o

2.25:1.0 through August 31, 2019;July 30, 2024; and

o

o

2.00:1.00 thereafter.

·

A basic fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.25:1.00; and

·

Limit capital expenditures to no more than $15.0 million during any fiscal year with expenditures to acquire fixed assets pursuant to the Acquisition being excluded for the fiscal year in which the Acquisition occurs.year.

The Existing Loan Agreement also limits our right to incur other indebtedness, make certain investments and create liens upon our assets, subject to certain exceptions, among other restrictions. The Existing Loan Agreement does not restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock, subject to our compliance with the financial covenants discussed above if we are not otherwise in default under the Existing Loan Agreement.

We were in compliance with each of these financial covenants at October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 and expect to remain in compliance with existing covenants through fiscal 2018 and for the foreseeable future.



Revolving Credit Facility Availability

As of October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023, we had an aggregate $28.5$27.2 million available under our revolving credit facility$35 million Existing Revolver to fund working capital needs. Standby letters of credit in the aggregate amount of $1.5$7.8 million, used to collateralize certain insurance arrangements and for imported product purchases, were outstanding under the revolving credit facilityExisting Revolver as of October 29, 2017.April 30, 2023. There were no additional borrowings outstanding under the revolving credit facility on October 29, 2017.


Capital Expenditures

We expect to spend between $500,000 to $1.0 million in capital expenditures during the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year to maintain and enhance our operating systems and facilities.

Contractual Obligations

The contractual obligations reflected in our 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 29, 2017 have materially changed due to the Acquisition. Estimated additional contractual obligations due to the AcquisitionExisting Revolver as of October 29, 2017 are as follows:April 30, 2023.


  Estimated Additional Cash Payments Due by Period (In thousands) 
  Less than        More than    
  1 Year  1-3 Years  3-5 Years  5 years  Total 
                
Long-Term Debt Obligations (1) $1,716  $3,432  $6,852  $-  $12,000 
Operating leases (2)  821   1,643   1,643   1,643   5,750 
                     
                     
   Total contractual cash obligations $2,537  $5,075  $8,495  $1,643  $17,750 

(1)These amounts represent contractual cash payments due under our acquisition-related term loans. See Note 9, “Debt” for additional information about our debt.
(2)These amounts represent estimated cash payments due under operating leases for real estate utilized in Shenandoah’s operations.

Share Repurchase Authorization


During

In fiscal 2013,2023, our boardBoard of directorsDirectors authorized the repurchase of up to $12.5$20 million of shares of the Company’s common stock.shares. The authorization does not obligate us to acquire a specific number of shares during any period and does not have an expiration date, but it may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time at the discretion of our boardBoard of directors.Directors. Repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, or through privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and subject to our cash requirements for other purposes, compliance with the covenants under the Loan Agreementloan agreement for our revolving credit facility and other factors we deem relevant. No shares have been repurchased since fiscal 2013. Approximately $11.8 million remained available for future repurchases under the authorization as of October 29, 2017.


Recently Issued Accounting Standards

In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. ASU 2017-09 was issued to provide clarity and reduce diversity in practice, cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. The amendments in this ASU provide guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718. Essentially, an entity will not have to account for the effects of a modification if: (a) The fair value of the modified award is the same immediately before and after the modification; (b) the vesting conditions of the modified award are the same immediately before and after the modification; and (c) the classification of the modified award as either an equity instrument or liability instrument is the same immediately before and after the modification. The amendments in ASU 2017-09 will become effective for us as of the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year on January 29, 2018. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact upon our financial condition or results of operations.


In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, “Compensation – Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost (“ASU 2017-07).”  Currently, net benefit cost is reported as an employee cost within operating income.  The amendment requires the bifurcation of net benefit cost.  The service cost component will be presented with the other employee compensation costs in operating income.  The other components will be reported outside of operating income and will not be eligible for capitalization.  The guidance is required to be applied on a retrospective basis for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net benefit cost (including gains and losses on curtailments and settlements, and termination benefits paid through plans), and on a prospective basis for the capitalization of only the service cost component of net benefit cost.  Amounts capitalized into assets prior to the date of adoption should not be adjusted through a cumulative effect adjustment, but should continue to be recognized in the normal course, as for example, inventory is sold or fixed assets are depreciated. The amendments in ASU 2017-07 will become effective for us at the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year beginning on January 29, 2018.  We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of ASU 2017-17 will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. ASU 2017-01 provides a screen to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities (collectively referred to as a “set”) does not constitute a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. This screen reduces the number of transactions that need to be further evaluated. If the screen is not met, the amendments in ASU 2017-01 (a) require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and (b) remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. The amendments in ASU 2017-01 will apply prospectively and will become effective for as at the beginning of our 2019 fiscal year on January 29, 2018. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact upon our financial condition or results of operations.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 Leases, which, among other things, requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a liability on the balance sheet for all leases, with the exception of short-term leases. This change will increase reported assets and liabilities by lessees– in some cases very significantly. The lease liability recognized will be equal to the present value of lease payments and the right-of-use asset will be based on the lease liability, subject to adjustment such as for initial direct costs. Leases will continue to be classified as either operating or finance leases in the income statement. Lessor accounting remains substantially similar to current U.S. GAAP. ASU 2016-02 supersedes Topic 840, Leases. The transitional guidance for adopting the requirements of ASU 2016-02 calls for a modified retrospective approach that includes a number of optional practical expedients that entities may elect to apply. This standard is effective for public entities for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, which will be

During the first quarter of our 2020 fiscal year. We are currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated financial statements and have not made any decision on the method of adoption with respect to the optional practical expedients.


In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”). The amendments in ASU 2014-09 affects any entity that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of nonfinancial assets unless those contracts are within the scope of other standards. This ASU will supersede the revenue recognition requirements in Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, and most industry-specific guidance, and creates a Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle2024, we used approximately $4.3 million of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenueauthorization to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date (“ASU 2015-14”), which defers the effective date of ASU 2014-09 for all entities by one year. ASU 2014-09 is now effective for financial statements issued for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. We will adopt ASU No. 2014-09 on January 30, 2018, the first daypurchase 227,330 of our 2019 fiscal year.

Entities may adopt this new standard either retrospectivelycommon shares (at an average price of $18.99 per share), with approximately $2.3 million remaining available for all periods presented infuture purchases under the financial statements (i.e., the full retrospective method) orauthorization as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption (i.e., the modified retrospective method), without applying to comparative years’ financial statements. We plan to adopt the standard using the modified retrospective method.

In the process of evaluating the impact that ASU No. 2014-09 will have on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures, we have followed the five-step model imposed by the new guidance and are in the process of completing a comprehensive review of revenue streams across our reporting segments. The review includes the determination of whether a contract or an arrangement exists, the identification of performance obligations, factors affecting the determination of transaction price, such as promotional incentives and allowances, and factors affecting the classification of receipts as revenue, such as principal versus agent considerations on logistics services and our container direct sales. Our analysis to date has included reviewing material agreements, sales policies and procedures, interviewing sales and customer care management and analyzing those findings based on the five-step model described in the new standard.
As of the end of the fiscal 2018 third quarter,2024 first quarter. See Note 14 to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statement “Additional Share Repurchase Authorization” herein for an update on our share repurchase program.

Capital Expenditures

We expect to spend approximately $2.0-3.0 million in capital expenditures over the remainder of fiscal 2024 to maintain and enhance our operating systems and facilities.

Enterprise Resource Planning Project

During calendar 2021, our Board of Directors approved an upgrade to our current ERP system and implementation efforts began shortly thereafter. The ERP system went live at Sunset West in December 2022 and is expected to go live in other legacy Hooker divisions in fiscal 2024, with the exceptionHome Meridian segment following afterwards. To complete the ERP system implementation as anticipated, we will be required to expend significant financial and human resources. We anticipate spending approximately $2.5 million over the remainder of the newly acquired operationsfiscal 2024, with a significant amount of Shenandoah, we estimatetime invested by our analysis is approximately fifty percent complete. Implementation matters remaining include completingassociates.

Dividends

On June 5, 2023, our analysis, assessing accounting policy elections and disclosures under the new guidance and evaluating the systems, processes and controlsboard of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.22 per share which will be paid on June 30, 2023 to support any possible changes to our revenue recognition practices. Based on our analysis to date, we do not believe the standard will have a material effect on our financial statements. However, our analysis is not yet complete and this preliminary conclusion is subject to change. We expect our evaluationshareholders of the impact of adopting ASU No. 2014-09 to be completed in the fourth quarter of our 2018 fiscal year, which ends January 28, 2018.record at June 16, 2023.


Critical Accounting Policies


There have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates from the information provided in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” included in our 20172023 Annual Report.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures aboutAbout Market Risk


We are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of our business, including the impact of interest rate changes, raw materials price risk and fluctuationschanges in foreign currency exchange rates, which could impact our results of operations or financial condition. We manage our exposure to this risk through our normal operating activities.


Interest Rate Risk


Borrowings under our revolving credit facility, the Secured Term Loan and the Unsecured Term Loanloan bear interest based on LIBORBSBY plus 1.5%1.00%, BSBY plus 0.90% and borrowings under the Secured Term Loan bear interest based on LIBORBSBY plus 0.5%.1.40%, respectively. As such, these debt instruments expose us to market risk for changes in interest rates. There was no outstanding balance under our revolving credit facility as of October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023 other than standby letters of credit in the amount of $1.5$7.8 million. However, asAs of October 29, 2017, $55.2April 30, 2023, $23.9 million was outstanding under our term loans. A 1% increase in the LIBORBSBY rate would result in an annual increase in interest expenses on our terms loans of approximately $512,000.$233,000.


Raw Materials Price Risk


We are exposed to market risk from changes in the cost of raw materials used in our domestic upholstery manufacturing processes:processes; principally, wood, fabric, and foam products. Increases in home construction activity could result in increases in wood and fabric costs. Additionally, the cost of petroleum-based foam products we utilize are sensitive to crude oil prices, which vary due to supply, demand, and geopoliticalgeo-political factors.


Currency Risk


For imported products, we generally negotiate firm pricing denominated in U.S. Dollars with our foreign suppliers, typically for periods of at least one year.  We accept the exposure to exchange rate movements beyond these negotiated periods. We do not use derivative financial instruments to manage this risk but could choose to do so in the future.  Most of our imports are purchased from suppliers located in Vietnam and China.  The Chinese currency floats within a limited range in relation to the U.S. Dollar, resulting in exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.


Since we transact our imported product purchases in U.S. Dollars, a relative decline in the value of the U.S. Dollar could increase the price we pay for imported products beyond the negotiated periods. We generally expect to reflect substantially all of the effect of any price increases from suppliers in the prices we charge for imported products. However, these changes could adversely impact sales volume or profit margins during affected periods.



Item 4. Controls and Procedures


Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures


Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the fiscal quarter ended October 29, 2017.April 30, 2023. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of October 29, 2017April 30, 2023 to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and are effective to provide reasonable assurance that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.


Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting


On September 29, 2017,January 31, 2022, we completedclosed on the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Shenandoah Furniture, Inc.Sunset HWM, LLC (“Sunset West"). As permitted by SEC guidance for newly acquired businesses, we intend to exclude the Shenandoahexcluded Sunset West’s operations from the scope of our Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 report on internal controls over financial reporting for the year endedending January 28, 2018.29, 2023. We are in the process of implementing our internal control in the Shenandoah operationsstructure at Sunset West and expect that this effort will be completed in fiscal 2019.2024.


There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal quarter ended October 29, 2017,April 30, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.



PART II. OTHER INFORMATION


Item 1A.   Risk Factors


Due to the Acquisition2.Unregistered Sales of Shenandoah Furniture, Inc., (the “Acquisition”) there have been changes to the risk factors described in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with theEquity Securities and Exchange Commission on April 14, 2017, and in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 8, 2017 . For a complete discussionUse of the Company's risk factors, you should carefully review the detailed discussions in the "Risk Factors" and "Business" section in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed April 14, 2017 and the following risk factors:Proceeds (1).

  

Total Number of Shares Purchased

  

Average Price Paid Per Share

  

Total Number of Shares Purchased As Part of Publicly Announced Program

  

Maximum Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under The Program

 
              $6,646,127 

January 30, 2023 - March 5, 2023

  57,772   20.94   57,772   5,435,040 

March 6, 2023 - April 2, 2023

  58,216   19.79   58,216   4,281,603 

April 3, 2023 - April 30, 2023

  111,342   17.55   111,342   2,325,293 
                 

Total

  227,330  $18.99   227,330     

We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the Acquisition.

(1)

On June 6, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $20 million of the Company’s common shares. The authorization does not obligate us to acquire a specific number of shares during any period and does not have an expiration date, but it may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Repurchases may be made from time to time in the open market, or through privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and subject to our cash requirements for other purposes, compliance with the covenants under the loan agreement for our revolving credit facility and other factors we deem relevant.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2024, we used approximately $4.3 million of the authorization to purchase 227,330 of our common shares (at an average price of $18.99 per share), with approximately $2.3 million remaining available for future purchases under the authorization as of the end of the fiscal 2024 first quarter. See Note 14 to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statement “Additional Share Repurchase Authorization” herein for an update on our share repurchase program.

While we believe the Acquisition, will be accretive to our earnings per share beginning in fiscal 2019, this expectation is based on preliminary estimates which may materially change. While we do not expect to merge operations or change customer-facing services, the success of this acquisition will depend, in part, on our ability to improve each business by sharing best practices in order to lower costs, improve efficiencies and grow sales. While we have based our expectations in part on the historical results and trends in Shenandoah’s business, there can be no assurance regarding when or the extent to which we will be able to realize these benefits. Achieving the anticipated benefits is subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether the business acquired can be operated in the manner we intend. Events outside of our control could also adversely affect our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from the acquisition. Thus, the integration of Shenandoah’s business may be unpredictable, subject to delays or changed circumstances, and we can give no assurance that the acquired business will perform in accordance with our expectations, or that our expectations with respect to integration or benefits as a result of the contemplated acquisition will materialize.
Additionally, a major asset to be acquired in this contemplated acquisition is Shenandoah’s existing customer relationships. Almost all of Shenandoah’s sales and accounts receivable are concentrated in a very small number of customers. While we believe these relationships will continue and result in profitable sales, there can be no assurance they will.
The anticipated benefits and cost savings of the acquisition may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected. The integration process could result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies. If the integration is not completed as planned, our ongoing business and financial results may be adversely affected, which could adversely affect our sales, earnings, financial condition and liquidity.






4.2

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, as amended (See Exhibit 3.2)



32.1**

101*

Interactive Data Files (formatted as Inline XBRL)

104*

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).



101*The following financial statements from the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 29, 2017, formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (“XBRL”): (i) condensed consolidated balance sheets, (ii) condensed consolidated statements of income, (iii) condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive income, (iv) condensed consolidated statements of cash flows, and (v) the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements

____________

*Filed herewith

** Furnished herewith






SIGNATURE


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



 HOOKER FURNITURE CORPORATION

HOOKER FURNISHINGS CORPORATION

Date: DecemberJune 8, 20172023

By:

/s/Paul A. Huckfeldt

Paul A. Huckfeldt

Chief Financial Officer and

Senior Vice President – Finance and Accounting

Paul A. Huckfeldt
30
Chief Financial Officer and
Senior Vice President – Finance and
Accounting




39
iso4217:USD xbrli:shares