UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549 

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 


 

(Mark One)

 

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

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30,December 31, 2019

 

OR

 

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

 

For the transition period from  ______________ to ______________

  

Commission File No. 001-33531

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

NEVADA

46-0510685

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

  

6075 Longbow Drive, Suite 200,5405 Spine Rd, Boulder, Colorado

80301

 (Address of principal executive offices)

 (Zip Code)

 

(303) 444-7755

(Registrant'sRegistrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

 

None

 

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

 

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share

AERO

OTCQB

 

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 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 (§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, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ☐

Accelerated filer   ☐

 

Non-accelerated filer   ☒ 

Emerging growth 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 ☒

 

Number of shares of issuer'sissuer’s common stock outstanding as of February August 27, 20201920:  34,328,03634,328,

036

 

 

 

 

AeroGrow International, Inc.

TABLETABLE OF CONTENTSCONTENTS

FORM 10-Q REPORT

June 30,December 31, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART I   Financial Information

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements

3

 

Condensed Balance Sheets as of June 30,December 31, 2019 (Unaudited) and March 31, 2019

3

 

Unaudited Condensed Statements of Operations for the Three and Nine Months Ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018 (Unaudited)

4

 

Unaudited Condensed Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the Three and Nine Months Ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018 (Unaudited)

5

 

Unaudited Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the ThreeNine Months Ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018 (Unaudited)

6

 

Notes to the Unaudited Condensed Financial Statements (Unaudited)

8

 

 

 

Item 2.

Management'sManagement’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

1819

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

2529

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

2629

 

 

 

PART II  Other Information

 

 

 

 

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

2732

Item 1A. 

Risk Factors

2732

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

2732

Item 3.

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

2732

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

2732

Item 5.

Other Information

2732

Item 6.

Exhibits

2833

 

 

Signatures

29

34

 

 

Table of Contents

 

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. CondensedCondensed Financial Statements

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

June 30,

2019

  

March 31,

2019

  

December 31, 2019

  

March 31, 2019

 

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

(Unaudited)

  

(Derived from

Audited Statements)

 

ASSETS

        

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

ASSETS

 

(Unaudited)

  

(Derived from

Audited Statements)

 

Current assets

                

Cash

 $1,389  $1,741  $2,278  $1,741 

Restricted cash

  15   15   15   15 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $100 and $89

at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively

  3,102   5,102 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $381 and $89 at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively

  8,734   5,102 

Other receivables

  729   207   623   207 

Inventory, net

  7,384   8,440   7,290   8,440 

Prepaid expenses and other

  1,403   490   1,722   490 

Total current assets

  14,022   15,995   20,662   15,995 

Property and equipment and intangible assets, net of accumulated depreciation of $4,959 and $4,828 at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively

  906   1,006 

Property and equipment and intangible assets, net of accumulated depreciation of $5,284 and $4,828 at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively

  1,184   1,006 

Operating lease right of use

  754   -   743   - 

Deposits

  739   39   769   39 

Total assets

 $16,421  $17,040  $23,358  $17,040 
                

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

        

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

        

Current liabilities

                

Accounts payable

 $837  $1,508  $2,657  $1,508 

Accounts payable related party

  1,256   1,102   2,000   1,102 

Accrued expenses

  1,091   1,437   2,284   1,437 

Customer deposits

  124   181   124   181 

Notes payable related party-current portion

  2,515   - 

Debt associated with sale of intellectual property-current portion

  23   25   19   25 

Operating lease liability-current portion

  64   - 

Total current liabilities

  3,395   4,253   9,599   4,253 

Long term liabilities

                

Debt associated with sale of intellectual property

  19   23   10   23 

Finance lease liability

  60   72   39   72 

Operating lease liability

  1,291   -   1,236   - 

Notes payable related party

  900   - 

Other liability

  262   240   240   240 

Total liabilities

  5,027   4,588   12,024   4,588 

Commitments and contingencies

                

Stockholders' equity

        

Common stock, $.001 par value, 750,000,000 shares authorized, 34,328,036 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019

  34   34 

Stockholders’ equity

        

Common stock, $.001 par value, 750,000,000 shares authorized, 34,328,036 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively

  34   34 

Additional paid-in capital

  140,817   140,817   140,817   140,817 

Accumulated deficit

  (129,457

)

  (128,399

)

  (129,517)  (128,399

)

Total stockholders' equity

  11,394   12,452 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 $16,421  $17,040 

Total stockholders’ equity

  11,334   12,452 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 $23,358  $17,040 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed financial statements.

 

3

Table of Contents

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months ended June 30,

 
 

2019

  

2018

  

Three Months ended

December 31,

  

Nine Months ended

December 31,

 

(in thousands, except per share data)

         

2019

  

2018

  

2019

  

2018

 

Net revenue

 $4,475  $3,743  $18,526  $12,941  $27,424  $25,261 

Cost of revenue

  3,020   2,310   12,001   8,930   17,978   16,487 

Gross profit

  1,455   1,433   6,525   4,011   9,446   8,774 
                        

Operating expenses

                        

Research and development

  210   160   308   76   794   366 

Sales and marketing

  1,404   1,242   3,780   3,898   6,553   6,770 

General and administrative

  894   685   1,230   572   3,017   2,155 

Total operating expenses

  2,508   2,087   5,318   4,546   10,364   9,291 
                        

Loss from operations

  (1,053

)

  (654

)

Profit (loss) from operations

  1,207   (535

)

  (918

)

  (517

)

                        

Other (expense) income, net

                        

Interest expense

  (2

)

  - 

Interest expense – related party

  (137

)

  (156

)

  (191

)

  (185

)

Other (expense) income, net

  (3

)

  20   (4

)

  (16

)

  (9

)

  7 

Total other (expense) income, net

  (5

)

  20   (141

)

  (172

)

  (200

)

  (178

)

                        

Net loss

 $(1,058

)

 $(634

)

Net income (loss)

 $1,066  $(707

)

 $(1,118

)

 $(695

)

                        

Net loss per common share, basic and diluted

 $(0.03

)

 $(0.02

)

Net income (loss) per share, basic and diluted

 $0.03  $(0.02

)

 $(0.03

)

 $(0.02

)

                        

Weighted average number of common

shares outstanding, basic and diluted

  34,328   34,328   34,328   34,328   34,328   34,328 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed financial statements.

 

4

Table of Contents

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

STATEMENTSTATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

                  

Additional

  

Stock dividend

      

Total

 

(in thousands,

 

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

to be

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

 

except share data)

 

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

distributed

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

 

Balances, March 31, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $-  $(128,399

)

 $12,452 

Net (loss)

  -   -   -   -   -   -   (1,058

)

  (1,058

)

Balances, June 30, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $-  $(129,457

)

 $11,394 
  

Three months ended December 31, 2019

 
                  

Additional

      

Total

 

(in thousands,

 

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

 

except share data)

 

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

 

Balances, September 30, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(130,583

)

 $10,268 

Net income

  -   -   -   -   -   1,066   1,066 

Balances, December 31, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(129,517

)

 $11,334 

 

 

 

Three months ended December 31, 2018

 
                 

Additional

  

Stock dividend

      

Total

                  

Additional

      

Total

 

(in thousands,

 

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

to be

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

  

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

 

except share data)

 

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

distributed

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

 

Balances, March 31, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $-  $(128,108

)

 $12,743 

Balances, September 30, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(128,096

)

 $12,755 

Net (loss)

  -   -   -   -   -   -   (634

)

  (634

)

  -   -   -   -   -   (707

)

  (707

)

Balances, June 30, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $-  $(128,742

)

 $12,109 

Balances, December 31, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(128,803

)

 $12,048 

  

Nine months ended December 31, 2019

 
                  

Additional

      

Total

 

(in thousands,

 

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

 

except share data)

 

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

 

Balances, March 31, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(128,399

)

 $12,452 

Net (loss)

  -   -   -   -   -   (1,118

)

  (1,118

)

Balances, December 31, 2019

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(129,517

)

 $11,334 

  

Nine months ended December 31, 2018

 
                  

Additional

      

Total

 

(in thousands,

 

Preferred Stock

  

Common Stock

  

Paid-in

  

Accumulated

  

Stockholders

 

except share data)

 

Shares

  

Amount

  

Shares

  

Amount

  

Capital

  

(Deficit)

  

Equity

 

Balances, March 31, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(128,108

)

 $12,743 

Net (loss)

  -   -   -   -   -   (695

)

  (695

)

Balances, December 31, 2018

  -  $-   34,328,036  $34  $140,817  $(128,803

)

 $12,048 

 

See accompanying notes to the condensed financial statements.

 

5

Table of Contents

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

CONDENSEDCONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended

June 30,

 
 

2019

  

2018

  

 Nine Months Ended

December 31,

 

(in thousands)

         

2019

  

2018

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net loss

 $(1,058

)

 $(634

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used by operations:

        

Net (loss)

 $(1,118

)

 $(695

)

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) to cash (used) by operations:

        

Depreciation and amortization expense

  131   95   456   308 

Amortization of lease liability

  16   - 

Bad debt expense (recovery)

  11   (16

)

Amortization of lease liability and right of use asset

  46   - 

Bad debt expense

  293   40 

Inventory allowance

  (15

)

  -   5   40 

Accretion of debt associated with sale of intellectual property

  (6

)

  (9

)

  (19

)

  (24

)

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Decrease in accounts receivable

  1,989   2,299 

(Increase) in accounts receivable

  (3,925

)

  (4,260

)

Decrease in other receivable

  63   86   31   103 

Decrease in inventory

  1,071   839 

(Increase) in prepaid expense and other

  (913

)

  (2,374

)

Decrease (increase) in inventory

  1,145   (5,266

)

(Increase) in prepaid expenses and other

  (1,232

)

  (703

)

(Increase) in deposits

  (700

)

  -   (730

)

  - 

(Decrease) in accounts payable and accounts payable related party

  (517

)

  (46

)

(Decrease) in accrued expenses and other liability

  (324

)

  (676

)

(Decrease) in customer deposits

  (57

)

  (17

)

Increase in accounts payable

  2,047   1,170 

Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses

  847   (492

)

Increase in accrued interest-related party

  15   155 

(Decrease) increase in customer deposits

  (57

)

  154 

Net cash (used) by operating activities

  (309

)

  (453

)

  (2,196

)

  (9,470

)

Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Purchases of equipment

  (31

)

  (21

)

  (634

)

  (843

)

Net cash (used) by investing activities

  (31

)

  (21

)

  (634

)

  (843

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Proceeds from notes payable-related party

  5,400   6,000 

Repayment of notes payable-related party

  (2,000

)

  - 

Repayment of capital lease

  (12

)

  (3

)

  (33

)

  (6

)

Net cash (used) by financing activities

  (12

)

  (3

)

Net (decrease) in cash

  (352

)

  (477

)

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

  1,756   7,497 

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

 $1,404  $7,020 

Net cash provided by financing activities

  3,367   5,994 

Net increase (decrease) in cash

  537   (4,319

)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period

  1,756   7,497 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period

 $2,293  $3,178 

 

See supplemental disclosures below and the accompanying notes to the condensed financial statements.

 

6

Table of Contents

 

Continued from previous page

 

  

Three Months Ended

June 30,

(in thousands)

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

Cash paid during the year for:

        

Interest

 $-  $- 

Income taxes

 $-  $- 
         

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash transactions:

        

Initial recognition of right-of-use asset (Note 8)

 $758  $- 

Tenant improvement allowance (Note 8)

 $585   - 

Lease liability arising from right-of-use asset (Note 8)

 $1,355  $- 

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

 Cash paid during the year for:

        

Interest-related party

 $136  $24 

Income taxes

 $-  $- 
         

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:

        

Initial recognition of right-of-use asset (Note 8)

 $805  $- 

Tenant improvement allowance (Note 8)

 $585  $- 

Initial lease liability arising from right-of-use asset (Note 8)

 $805  $- 

 

 

 

7

Table of Contents

 

AEROGROW INTERNATIONAL, INC.

NOTESNOTES TO THE CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

1.    Description of the Business

 

AeroGrow International, Inc. (collectively, the “Company,” “AeroGrow,” “we,” “our”“our,” or “us”) was incorporated in the State of Nevada on March 25, 2002. The Company’s principal business is developing, marketing, and distributing advanced indoor aeroponic garden systems designed and priced to appeal to the consumer gardening, cooking and small indoor appliance markets worldwide.  The Company manufactures, distributes and markets ten different models of its AeroGarden systems in multiple colors, as well as over 40 varieties of seed pod kits and a full line of accessory products through multiple channels including retail distribution (brickvia online retail outlets and mortar and online),brick-and-mortar storefronts, catalogue and direct-to-consumer sales primarily in the United States and Canada.Canada, as well as selected countries in Europe.

 

2.    Basis of Presentation, Liquidity and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

The unaudited interim financial statements of the Company included herein have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for interim reporting including the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. These condensed statements do not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for annual audited financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements and related notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019, (“Fiscal 2019”), as filed with the SEC on June 25,26, 2019.

 

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim financial statements reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the financial position of the Company at June 30,December 31, 2019, the results of operations for the three monthsthree- and nine–month periods ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the cash flows for the three monthsnine–month periods ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the expected results of operations for the full year or any future period. In this regard, the Company’s business is highly seasonal, with approximately 66.2% of revenues in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 (“Fiscal 20192019”) occurring in the fivefour consecutive calendar months from Septemberof October through January.  DuringFurthermore, during the three-monthnine-month period ended June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company has further expandedcontinued to expand its distribution channels and invested in necessary overhead in anticipation ofchannel to prepare for the Fiscal 2020 peak sales season.  The balance sheet as of March 31, 2019 is derived from the Company’s audited financial statements.

 

Liquidity

Sources of funding to meet prospective cash requirements during Fiscal 2020 include the Company’s existing cash balances, cash flow from operations, and borrowings under the Company’s debt arrangements as discussed in Note 3.  We may need to seek additional debt or equity capital, however, to address the seasonal nature of our working capital needs, to enable us to invest further in trying to increase the scale of our business and provide a cash reserve against contingencies.  There can be no assurance we will be able to raise this additional capital.

On June 20 2019, the Company entered into a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $10.0 million and a Real Estate Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million with a wholly owned subsidiary of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (collectively with its subsidiary, “SMG” or “Scotts Miracle-Gro”).  See Note 10 for subsequent events.3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt” below.

 

Significant Accounting Policies

 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent 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 those estimates.  It is reasonably possible that a change in the Company’s estimates could occur in the near term as additional or new information becomes available.

8

Table of Contents

 

Net Income (Loss) per Share of Common Stock

The Company computes net income (loss) per share of common stock in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 260.  ASC 260 requires companies with complex capital structures to present basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”).  Basic EPS is measured as the income or loss available to common stockholders divided by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is similar to basic EPS, but presents the dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common stock equivalents (e.g., convertible securities, options, and warrants) as if such securities had been converted into common stock at the beginning of the periods presented. Securities that have an anti-dilutive effect (i.e., those that increase income per share or decrease loss per share) are excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS include:and include the following: (i) employee stock options to purchase 94,00011,000 shares of common stock for the period ended June 30,December 31, 2019; and (ii) employee stock options to purchase 125,00093,000 shares and warrants to purchase 2,000 sharesof common stock for the three monthsperiod ended June 30,December 31, 2018.

8

Table of Contents

 

Concentrations of Risk

ASC 825-10-50-20 requires disclosure of significant concentrations of credit risk regardless of the degree of such risk.  

 

Reclassifications:

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Cash:

The Company maintains cash depository accounts with financial institutions.  The amount on deposit with severalone financial institutionsinstitution exceeded the $250,000 federally insured limit as of June 30,December 31, 2019 and two institutions as of March 31, 2019.  The Company has not historically incurred any losses related to these deposits.  The financial institutions are highly rated, financially sound and the risk of loss is minimal.

Customers and Accounts Receivable:

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company had two customers, Amazon.com and 2018, one customer, Amazon.com,Woot.com, that represented 33.8%30.2% and 41.8%, respectively,12.5% of the Company’s net revenue.

Asrevenue, respectively. For the three months ended December 31, 2018, the Company had two customers, Amazon.com and Woot.com, that represented 26.7% and 10.9% of June 30,the Company’s net revenue. For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, the Company had one customer, Amazon.com, that represented 25.3%35.8% of the Company’s net revenue. For the nine months ended December 31, 2018, the Company had one customer, Amazon.com, that represented 38.3% of the Company’s net revenue, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had one customer, Amazon.com, which represented 35.5% of the Company’s outstanding accounts receivable.  As of March 31, 2019, the Company had two customers, Amazon.com and Target, which represented 44.3% and 12.0%, respectively, of outstanding accounts receivable.  The Company believes that all receivables from these customers are collectible.

 

Suppliers:

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company purchased inventoriesinventory and other inventory-related items from one supplier totaling $1.3$4.2 million. For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018, the Company purchased inventoriesinventory and other inventory-related items from one supplier totaling $2.7$4.3 million. The purchase of inventoriesFor the nine months ended December 31, 2019, the Company purchased inventory and other inventory-related items is tied tofrom one supplier totaling $10.5 million. For the anticipated timingnine months ended December 31, 2018, the Company purchased inventory and amount of sales for our highly seasonal business and payment terms with our suppliers.other inventory-related items from one supplier totaling $15.5 million.

 

The Company’s primary contract manufacturers are located in China.  As a result, the Company may be subject to political, currency, regulatory, transportation/shipping, third-party labor, spread and virulence of diseases, and weather/natural disaster risks.  Although the Company believes alternate sources of manufacturing could be obtained, these risks and any potential loss of supply could have an adverse impact on operations especially in the short term.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company follows the guidance in ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”), as it relates to the fair value of its financial assets and liabilities. ASC 820 provides for a standard definition of fair value to be used in new and existing pronouncements. This guidance requires disclosure of fair value information about certain financial instruments (insurance contracts, real estate, goodwill and taxes are excluded) for which it is practicable to estimate such values, whether or not these instruments are included in the balance sheet at fair value. The fair values presented for certain financial instruments are estimates which, in many cases, may differ significantly from the amounts that could be realized upon immediate liquidation.

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Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability, (i.e., exit price), in an orderly transaction between market participants.  ASC 820 also provides a hierarchy for determining fair value, which emphasizes the use of observable market data whenever available. The three broad levels defined by the hierarchy are as follows, with the highest priority given to Level 1 as these are the most reliable, and the lowest priority given to Level 3.

 

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets.

Level 2 – Quoted prices for similar assets in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data, including model-derived valuations.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity.

 

The carrying value of financial instruments including cash, receivables, and accounts payable, and accrued expenses, and notes payable related party approximates their fair value at June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019 due to the relatively short-term nature of these instruments. 

 

The Company’s intellectual property liability carrying value was determined by utilizing Level 3 inputs.  As discussed below in Notes 3 and 4, this liability was incurred in conjunction with the Company’s strategic alliance with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the fair value of the Company'sCompany’s note payable sale of the intellectual property liability was estimated using the discounted cash flow method, which is based on expected future cash flows, discounted to present value using a discount rate of 15%.  As of June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company did not have any financial assets or liabilities that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis subsequent to initial recognition. 

 

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Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company sells its products to retailers and directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer transactions are primarily paid by credit card.  Retailer sales terms vary by customer, but generally range from net 30 days to net 60 days, while direct-to-consumer transactions are primarily paid by credit card.days.  Accounts receivable are reported at net realizable value and net of the allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company uses the allowance method to account for uncollectible accounts receivable. The Company'sCompany’s allowance estimate is based on a review of the current status of trade accounts receivable, which resulted in an allowance of $100,000$381,000 and $89,000 at June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

 

Other Receivables

In conjunction with the Company’s processing of credit card transactions for its direct-to-consumer sales activities and as security with respect to the Company’s performance for credit card refunds and charge backs, the Company is required to maintain a cash reserve with Fidelity Information Services, the Company’s credit card processor. This reserve is equal to 5% of the credit card sales processed during the previous six months. As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the balance in this reserve account was $144,000$176,000 and $207,000, respectively. The other receivables also includesinclude $585,000 for the estimateestimated leasehold improvement reimbursement from the landlord of the new lease discussed within the lease section.

 

Advertising and Production CostsInventory

The Company expenses all production costs related to advertising, including print, television, and radio advertisements when the advertisement has been broadcast or otherwise distributed.  In contrast, the Company records media and marketing costs related to its direct-to-consumer advertisements, inclusive of postage and printing costs incurred in conjunction with mailings of direct-response catalogues, and related direct-response advertising costs, in accordance with ASC 340-20-25 Reporting on Advertising Costs. As prescribed by ASC 340-20-25, direct-to-consumer advertising costs incurred are reported as assets and should be amortized over the estimated period of the benefits, based on the proportion of current period revenue from the advertisement to probable future revenue.  

As the Company has continued to expand its retail distribution channel, the Company has expanded its advertising to include online gateway and portal advertising, as well as placement in third party catalogues.

Advertising expense for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2018, were as follows:

  

Three Months Ended

June 30,

(in thousands)

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

Direct-to-consumer

 $83  $89 

Retail

  416   372 

Other

  13   15 

Total advertising expense

 $512  $476 

As of June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company had deferred $37,000 and $3,000, respectively, related to such media and advertising costs which include the catalogue costs described above.  The costs are included within the “prepaid expenses and other” line of the balance sheets.

Inventory

Inventories are is valued at the lower of cost, determined on the basis of standard costing, which approximates the first-in, first-out method, or net realizable value.  When the Company is the manufacturer, raw materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead are included in inventory costs. The Company records the raw materials at delivered cost. Standard labor and manufacturing overhead costs are applied to the finished goods based on normal production capacity.  A majority of the Company’s products are manufactured overseas and are recorded at standard cost, which includes product costs for purchased and manufactured products, and freight and transportation costs for inbound freight from manufacturers. Inventory values at June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019 were as follows:

 

  

June 30,

  

March 31,

 
  

2019

(in thousands)

  

2019

(in thousands)

 

Finished goods

 $5,900  $7,071 

Raw materials

  1,484   1,369 
  $7,384  $8,440 

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December 31,

2019

  

March 31,

2019

 
  

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

 

Finished goods

 $5,709  $7,071 

Raw materials

  1,581   1,369 

Total inventory

 $7,290  $8,440 

 

The Company determines an inventory obsolescence reserve based on management’s historical experience and establishes reserves against inventory according to the age of the product. As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company had reserved $112,000$131,000 and $126,000 respectively, for inventory obsolescence.obsolescence, respectively.  The inventory values are shown net of these reserves.

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Leases

At lease inception, the Company determines whether an arrangement is or contains a lease. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, current operating lease liabilities, and noncurrent operating lease liabilities in the financial statements. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use leased assets over the term of the lease. Lease liabilities represent the Company’s contractual obligation to make lease payments over the lease term. For operating leases, ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the commencement date. The lease liability is measured as the present value of the lease payments over the lease term. The Company uses the rate implicit in the lease if it is determinable. When the rate implicit in the lease is not determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate at the commencement date of the lease to determine the present value of the lease payments. Operating ROU assets are calculated as the present value of the remaining lease payments, plus unamortized initial direct costs and any prepayments, less any unamortized lease incentives received. Lease terms may include renewal or extension options to the extent they are reasonably certain to be exercised. The assessment of whether renewal or extension options are reasonably certain to be exercised is made at lease commencement. Factors considered in determining whether an option is reasonably certain of exercise include, but are not limited to, the value of any leasehold improvements, the value of renewal rates compared to market rates, and the presence of factors that would cause a significant economic penalty to the Company if the option were not exercised. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company has elected not to recognize an ROU asset and obligation for leases with an initial term of twelve months or less. The expense associated with short term leases is included in lease expense in the statement of operations.

 

For finance leases, after lease commencement the lease liability is measured on an amortized cost basis and increased to reflect interest on the liability and decreased to reflect the lease payment made during the period. Interest on the lease liability is determined each period during the lease term as the amount that results in a constant period discount rate on the remaining balance of the liability. The ROU asset is subsequently measured at cost, less any accumulated amortization and any accumulated impairment losses. Amortization on the ROU asset is recognized over the period from the commencement date to the earlier of (1) the end of the useful life of the ROU asset, or (2) the end of the lease term. The discount rate used by the Company for the finance leases is 10.0% which is the rate specified in the lease agreement or incremental borrowing rate, as appropriate, as the present value rate. To the extent a lease arrangement includes both lease and non-lease components, the components are accounted for separately.

 

The Company has various operating leases primarily for office space and other distribution centers, some of which include escalating lease payments and options to extend or terminate the lease. The Company determines if a contract is a lease at the inception of the arrangement. The exercise of lease renewal option is at the Company’s sole discretion and options are recognized when it is reasonably certain the Company will exercise the option. The Company’s leases have remaining terms of less than one year to seven years. The Company does not have lease agreements with residual value guarantees, sale leaseback terms or material restrictive covenants.



Operating lease right-of-useROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date of lease agreements greater than one year based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and variable lease costs are expensed as incurred.

Revenue Recognition

The Company currently has two operating and reportable segments: (i) the Direct-to-Consumer segment, which is composed of sales directly from our website, mail order or customer calls to our customer service department; and (ii) the Retail segment, which is comprised of all sales related to retailers, including where possession of our product is taken and sold by the retailer in store or online, and drop ship orders that process from the retailer and drop directly to our warehouse for us to ship on behalf of the retailer.

 

The majority of the Company’s revenue is recognized when it satisfies a single performance obligation by transferring control of its products and the risk of loss to a customer. Control is generally transferred when the Company’s products are either shipped or delivered based on the terms contained within the underlying contracts or agreements.  The Company’s general payment terms are short-term in duration. The Company does not have significant financing components or payment terms. The Company did not have any material unsatisfied performance obligations as of June 30,December 31, 2019 or March 31, 2019.

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The Company excludes from revenues all taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are imposed on the sale of its products and collected from customers.

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There were no changes to the Company’s accounting for variable consideration under ASC 606. However, the classification from a liability to a contra asset to show net realizable accounts receivable results in a change in presentation on the balance sheet. Promotional and other allowances (variable consideration) recorded as a reduction to net sales, primarily include consideration given to retail customers including, but not limited to the following:

 

 

discounts granted off list prices to support price promotions to end-consumers by retailers;

 

the Company’s agreed share of fees given directly to retailers for advertising, in-store marketing and promotional activities; and

 

incentives given to the Company’s retailers for achieving or exceeding certain predetermined purchases (i.e., rebates).

 

The Company’s promotional allowance programs with its retailers are executed through separate agreements in the ordinary course of business. These agreements generally provide for one or more of the arrangements described above and are of varying durations, ranging from one day to one year. The Company’s promotional and other allowances are calculated based on various programs with retail customers, and accruals are established during the year for its anticipated liabilities. These accruals are based on agreed upon terms, as well as the Company’s historical experience with similar programs, and require management’s judgment with respect to estimating consumer participation and retail customer performance levels. Differences between such estimated expense and actual expenses for promotional and other allowance costs have historically been insignificant and are recognized in earnings in the period such differences are determined.

 

The Company records estimated reductions to revenue for customer and distributor programs and incentive offerings, including promotions, rebates, and other volume-based incentives, based on historical rates.  Certain incentive programs require the Company to estimate the number of customers who will actually redeem the incentive based on our historical industry experience. As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company reduced accounts receivable $523,000$1.4 million and $1.2 million, respectively, as an estimate for the foregoing deductions and allowances within the “accounts receivable, net” and “accrued expenses” line of the balance sheets, respectively.

 

Warranty and Return Reserves

The Company records warranty liabilities at the time of sale for the estimated costs that may be incurred under its basic warranty program. The specific warranty terms and conditions vary depending upon the product sold, but generally include technical support, repair parts, and labor for periods up to one year. Factors that affect the Company’s warranty liability include the number of installed units currently under warranty, historical and anticipated rates of warranty claims on those units, and cost per claim to satisfy the Company’s warranty obligation.  Based upon the foregoing, the Company has recorded a provision for potential future warranty costs of $181,000$211,000 and $166,000 as of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively.  These expenses are recorded in the accrued expenses line of the condensed balance sheets.

 

The Company reserves for known and potential returns from customers and associated refunds or credits related to such returns based upon historical experience. In certain cases, retail customers are provided a fixed allowance, usually in a range ofthe 1% to 2%, range, to cover returned goods and this allowance is deducted from payments made to us by such customers. As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company has recorded a reserve for customer returns of $156,000$517,000 and $313,000, respectively. Additionally, the Company calculates specific returns for any customers that are deemed to have a right of return and the customer specific calculation is reviewed for reasonableness at the end of each period. These expenses are recorded as an offset to the accounts receivable line of the condensed balance sheets.

Advertising and Production Costs

The Company expenses all production costs related to advertising, including print, television, and radio advertisements when the advertisement has been broadcast or otherwise distributed.  The Company records media costs related to its direct-to-consumer advertisements, inclusive of postage and printing costs incurred in conjunction with mailings of direct-response catalogues, and related direct-response advertising costs, in accordance with ASC 340-20 Reporting on Advertising Costs.  As prescribed by ASC 340-20-25, direct response advertising costs incurred are reported as assets and are amortized over the estimated period of the benefits, based on the proportion of current period revenue from the advertisement to probable future revenue.  

Advertising expense for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, were as follows:

  

Three Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands) 

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 
  

2019

  

2018

  

2019

  

2018

 

Direct-to-consumer

 $338  $168  $526  $321 

Retail

  1,468   2,110   2,222   2,774 

Brand and other

  917   276   919   297 

Total advertising expense

 $2,723  $2,554  $3,667  $3,392 

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As of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company deferred $107,000 and $3,000, respectively, related to such media and advertising costs, which include the catalogue cost described above and commercial production costs.  The costs are included in the prepaid expenses and other line of the condensed balance sheets.

 

Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information

U.S. GAAP utilizes a management approach based on allocating resources and assessing performance as the source of the Company'sCompany’s reportable segments.  U.S. GAAP also requires disclosures about products and services, geographic areas and major customers.  At present, the Company operates in two segments, Direct-to-Consumer and Retail Sales.

 

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13“Financial Instruments – Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” which requires entities to estimate all expected credit losses for certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables, held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. The updated guidance also expands the disclosure requirements to enable users of financial statements to understand the entity’s assumptions, models and methods for estimating expected credit losses over the entire contractual term of the instrument from the date of initial recognition of that instrument. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the potential impact of this new guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

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Accounting Standards Recently Adopted

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASC 842”), which, among other things, requires an entity to recognize a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for substantially all leases, including operating leases. The Company adopted ASC 842 effective April 1, 2019 utilizing the modified retrospective approach such that prior year Financial Statements were not recast under the new standard. Adoption of this standard resulted in changes to the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, Condensed Statements of Operations and accounting policies for leases but did not have an impact on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income or Cash Flows. See Note 8 for additional information regarding the new standard and its impact on the Company’s Financial Statements.

 

The Company adopted the new guidance as of the effective date of April 1, 2019 with no adjustments to the comparative period presented in the financial statements. In addition, the Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance to not reassessreassess: (1) whether any expired or existing contracts are, or contain, leases,leases; (2) the lease classification for expired or existing leases,leases; and (3) initial direct costs for existing leases.

 

The adoption of the guidance resulted in the recognition of right-of-use ("ROU")ROU assets of $758,000$805,000 which amortization of the ROU began in June 2019 and additional lease liabilities for operating leases of $1.3 million$805,000 as of April 1, 2019. The guidance did not havehad an impact on the Company's consolidated condensed statements of operations.operations from the adoption date forward based on amortization of the asset and liability. See Note 8 for disclosures related to the Company's leases.

 

3.    Notes Payable, and Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt

 

The following represents the changes to our Notes Payable and Long Term Debt for the periods presented. For a more detailed discussion on our previously outstanding Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt, refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on June 25,26, 2019.  The following summarizes the changes to our Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt for the periods presented.

 

As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company had no outstanding balance of notethe Company’s notes payable orand debt, including accrued interest, that require a cash payment. The Company has debt associated with the saleis as follows:

  

December 31,

2019

(in thousands)

  

March 31,

2019

(in thousands)

 

Notes payable and debt-related party

  3,415   - 

Sale of intellectual property liability (see Note 4)

  29   48 

Total notes payable and debt

  3,444   48 

Less current portion – long term debt

  2,534   25 

Long term debt

 $910  $23 

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Table of the intellectual property liability (see Note 4) that amounts to a total of $42,000.

Contents

 

Scotts Miracle-Gro Term Loan Agreements

 

On June 20, 2019, the Company renewed a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $10.0 million with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  The proceeds will be made available as needed in increments of $500,000, the Company may pay down and reborrow during the Term Loan, not to exceed $10.0 million with a due date of March 31, 2020.  The Term Loan Agreement wasis secured by a lien on the assets of the Company.  Interest will beis charged at the stated rate of 10% per annum and will be paid, in cash, quarterly in arrears at the end of each September, December and March. The funds provided under the Term Loan are used for general working capital and to acquire inventory to support anticipated growth as the Company expands its retail and its direct-to-consumer sales channels.  The Term Loan permits prepayments without penalty or premium and, as of June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company had borrowed $0$4.5 million under the Term Loan.Loan and repaid $2.0 million of principal.  The Term Loan Agreement was filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on June 26, 2019. Refer to Note 10 “Subsequent Events” for additional information regarding the term loan.

 

On June 20, 2019, the Company entered into a Real Estate Term Loan Agreement with Scotts Miracle-Gro in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million, with Scotts Miracle-Gro.a due date of March 31, 2022.  The funding will provideprovides capital to fund real estate related lease obligations. The proceeds will be made available as neededobligations in increments of $100,000 not to exceed $1.5 million with a due date of March 31, 2022.$100,000. Interest will be charged at the stated rate of 10% and will be paid quarterly in arrears on each of April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. As of June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company had borrowed $0$900,000 under the Real Estate Term Loan.  Refer to Note 10 “Subsequent Events” for additional information regarding the term loan.

 

Liability Associated with Scotts Miracle-Gro Transaction

 

TheOn April 22, 2013, the Company and Scotts Miracle-Gro, also agreed to enterthe owner of approximately 80.5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, have entered into an Intellectual Property Sale Agreement, a Technology License Agreement, a Brand License Agreement, and a Supply Chain Services Agreement.Agreement, each of which has been filed with the SEC.  The Intellectual Property Sale Agreement and the Technology License constitute an agreement of sales of future revenues.  SinceBecause the Company (a) received cash from Scotts Miracle-Gro, and(b) agreed to pay a specified percentage of its revenue to Scotts Miracle-Gro for a defined period, a specified percentage of revenue, and because the Company(c) has significant involvement in the generation of its revenue, the excess paid over net book value is classified as debt and is being amortized under the effective interest method.  As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, a liability of $42,000$29,000 and $48,000, respectively, was recorded on the balance sheets for the Intellectual Property Sale Agreement.  As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the accrued liability for the Technology Licensing Agreement, the accrualwhich is calculated as 2% of the annual net sales, and recorded as a liability and amounts to $767,000$1.2 million and $680,000, respectively.  The accrued liability for the Brand License Agreement, which is calculated at an amount equal to 5% of all seed pod kit and seed pod kit related sales, and is recorded as a liability and amounts to $489,000$767,000 and $422,000 as of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

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4.    Scotts Miracle-Gro Transactions – Convertible Preferred Stock, Warrants and Other Transactions

 

Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Related Transactions

 

On April 22, 2013, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with SMG Growing Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Scotts Miracle-Gro (NYSE: “SMG”), a worldwide marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products.  Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, Scotts Miracle-Gro acquired 2,649,007 shares of the Company’s Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the Series“Series B Preferred Stock”) and a warrant to purchase up to 80% of the Company’s common stock (the “Warrant”“Warrant,”) for an aggregate purchase price of $4.0 million.  The Securities Purchase Agreement, Certificates of Designations for the Series B Preferred Stock, Form of Warrant, Indemnification Agreement, Investor’s Rights Agreement and Voting Agreement were filed as exhibits to a Current Report on Form 8-K that was filed with the SEC on April 23, 2013.  On November 29, 2016, Scotts Miracle-Gro fully exercised the Warrant and, by its terms, the Series B Preferred Stock automatically converted into the Company’sshares of common stock. Scotts Miracle-Gro currently owns approximately 80.5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock.

 

Upon demand by Scotts Miracle-Gro, the Company must use its best efforts to file a Registration Statement on Form S-3, or, if the Company is not eligible for Form S-3, on Form S-1 (collectively, the “Registration Statement”), within 120 calendar days after receipt of Scotts Miracle-Gro’s demand for registration. The Company must use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to become effective as soon as possible thereafter.

 

In conjunction with the private offering described above, the Company and Scotts Miracle-Gro also agreed to enter an Intellectual Property Sale Agreement, a Technology License Agreement, a Brand License Agreement, and a Supply Chain Services Agreement.  The Intellectual Property Sale Agreement and the Technology License constitute an agreement of sales of future revenues. For more details regarding these agreements, please refer to Note 3 “Scotts Miracle-Gro Transactions” to the financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on June 25,26, 2019.  See also Note 103 above for subsequent events.a description of the Term Loan with Scotts Miracle-Gro.

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5.    Equity Compensation Plans and Employee Benefit Plans

 

For the three monthsthree- and nine-month periods ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and June 30,December 31, 2018, the Company did not grant any options to purchase the Company’s common stock under the Company’s 2005 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2005 Plan”) and no new options will be granted under this plan until a new plan is adopted.  

 

During the three and nine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, zero and 93,000 options to purchase shares of common stock were cancelled or expired, respectively, and no shares of common stock were issued upon exercise of outstanding stock options under the 2005 Plan.  During the three and nine months ended December 31, 2018, 20,000 and 70,000 options to purchase shares of common stock were cancelled or expired, and no shares of common stock were issued upon exercise of outstanding stock options. Duringoptions under the three months ended June 30, 2018, 50,000 options to purchase shares of common stock were cancelled or expired, and no shares of common stock were issued upon exercise of outstanding stock options.  2005 Plan.

 

As of June 30,December 31, 2019, the Company had no unvested outstanding options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock and that will result in no additional compensation expense.

 

Information regarding all stock options outstanding under the Company’s 2005 Plan as of June 30,December 31, 2019 is as follows:

 

   

OPTIONS OUTSTANDING AND EXERCISABLE

 

 

OPTIONS OUTSTANDING AND EXERCISABLE

 

       

Weighted-

         

 

 

 

Weighted-

 

 

 

 

 

       

average

  

Weighted-

  

Aggregate

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Weighted-

 

Aggregate

 

       

Remaining

  

average

  

Intrinsic

 

 

 

 

Remaining

 

Average

 

Intrinsic

 

Exercise

Exercise

  

Options

  

Contractual

  

Exercise

  

Value

 

Exercise

 

Options

 

Contractual

 

Exercise

 

Value

 

price

price

  

(in thousands)

  

Life (years)

  

Price

  

(in thousands)

 

price

 

(in thousands)

 

Life (years)

 

Price

 

(in thousands)

 

$1.55   11   1.14  $1.55     

1.55

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

0.63

 

 

$

1.55

 

 

 

$5.31   94   0.10  $5.31     
    105   0.21  $4.90  $1 

 

 

 

 

11

 

 

 

0.63

 

 

$

1.55

 

$

-

 

 

The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding table represents the difference between the Company’s closing stock price and the exercise price of each in-the-money option on the last trading day of the period presented, which was June 28,December 31, 2019.

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6.    Income Taxes

 

The Company follows the guidance in ASC 740, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), which clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements.  This interpretation defines the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements.

 

Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences in future years of differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their financial reporting amounts at the end of each period, based on enacted laws and statutory rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income.  Any liability for actual taxes to taxing authorities is recorded as income tax liability.  

 

A valuation allowance is established against such assets where management is unable to conclude more likely than not that such asset will be realized. As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, the Company recognized a valuation allowance equal to 100% of the net deferred tax asset balance and the Company has no unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions.

 

7.    Related Party Transactions

 

See Note 6 “Related Party Transactions” of Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on June 25,26, 2019 for a detailed discussion of related party transactions.  Additionally, see

On June 20, 2019, AeroGrow entered into a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $10.0 million and a Real Estate Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  Interest is charged at the stated rate of 10% per annum and will be paid quarterly in arrears, in cash at the end of each September, December and March.  See Note 10 “Subsequent Events” to our financial statements for discussion related to debt transactions involving our officers, directors3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and 5% or greater shareholders. Current Portion – Long Term Debt” above.

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8.    Leases

 

The Company adopted ASU 2016-02, "Leases" “ASC 842” on April 1, 2019, the Company adopted using the modified retrospective approach applied to all leases with a remaining lease term greater than one year. Results for reporting periods beginning after April 1, 2019, are presented in accordance with the new guidance under ASC 842, while prior period amounts are not restated. The adoption of the new lease guidance resulted in the Company recognizing operating lease right-of-useROU assets and lease liabilities based on the present value of remaining minimum lease payments.payments less incentives for tenant improvements. For the discount rate assumption, the implicit rate was not readily determinable in the Company’s lease agreements. Therefore, the Company used an estimated incremental borrowing rate, in determining the present value of lease payments. There was no impact to opening retained earnings.



The Company elected the practical expedients available under ASC 842 and applied them consistently to all applicable leases. The Company did not apply ASC 842 to any leases with a remaining term of 12 months or less. For these leases, no asset or liability was recorded and lease expense continues to be recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. As allowed by the practical expedients, the Company does not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, does not reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases and does not reassess initial direct costs for existing leases.

 

The table below sets forth supplemental Balance Sheet information for the Company’s leases.

 

 

June 30,

2019

  

December 31,

2019

 
 

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

 

Assets

        

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 $754 

Operating lease ROU assets

 $743 
        

Liabilities

        

Operating lease, current

  64 

Operating lease, noncurrent

  1,291  $1,236 

Total lease liabilities

 $1,355 

 

As of June 30,December 31, 2019, the weighted average remaining lease term for operating leases was 7 years, and the weighted average discount rate was 10%.

 

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The table below sets forth the future cash payments under such agreements for the remaining years are as follows:

 

Year Ending

 

Operating Leases

  

Financing Leases

  

Operating Leases

  

Financing Leases

 
 

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

 

March 31, 2020

 $126  $35  $63   11 

March 31, 2021

  257   30   257   30 

March 31, 2022

  266   -   266   - 

March 31, 2023

  275   -   275   - 

March 31, 2024

  285   -   285   - 

Thereafter

  754   -   754   - 

Total lease payments

 $1,963  $65  $1,900   41 

Less: amount of lease payments representing interest

  (608)  (5)

Less: amount of lease payments representing interest and expected receipt of lease incentive

  (1,111)  (2)

Present value of future minimum lease payments

  1,355   60   789   39 

Less: current obligations under leases

  (64)  (42)

Plus: net, lease incentive and current obligations under leases

  447   (39)

Long-term lease obligations

 $1,291  $18  $1,236   0 



Rent expense for the three monthsmonth ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $128,000$118,000 and $89,000,$85,000, respectively. Rent expense for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $383,000 and $250,000, respectively.

 

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9.    Segment Information

 

The Company has determined that its reportable segments are those that are based on its method of internal reporting and the perspective of the chief operating decision maker. The Company has two reportable segments,segments; Retail Sales and Direct-to-Consumers. The Company evaluates performance based on the primary financial measure of contribution margin (“segment profit”). Segment profit reflects the income or loss from operations before corporate expenses, non-operating income, net interest expense, and income taxes.  The Company does not have any individually identified assets regarding specific segments as all processes to manufacture products are not different based on segment.

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2019

  

Three Months Ended December 31, 2019

 

(in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

(dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $1,902  $2,573  $-  $4,475  $4,666  $13,860  $-  $18,526 

Cost of revenue

  1,389   1,631   -   3,020   3,003   8,998   -   12,001 

Gross profit

  513   942   -   1,455   1,663   4,862   -   6,525 

Gross profit percentage

  27.0

%

  36.6

%

  -   32.5

%

  35.6

%

  35.0

%

  -   35.2

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  32   602   172   806   546   1,559   951   3,056 

Segment profit margin

  481   340   (172

)

  649 

Segment profit margin percentage

  25.3

%

  13.2

%

  -   14.5

%

Segment profit

  1,117   3,303   (951

)

  3,469 

Segment profit percentage

  23.9

%

  23.8

%

  -   18.7

%

(1) Sales and marketing expense includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section of our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, which is included in Part II. Item 2. of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (the “MD&A”).

  

Three Months Ended December 31, 2018

 

(dollar amounts in thousands) 

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $2,872  $10,069  $-  $12,941 

Cost of revenue 

  2,223   6,707   -   8,930 

Gross profit

  649   3,362   -   4,011 

Gross profit percentage

  22.6

%

  33.4

%

  -   31.0

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  493   2,170   723   3,386 

Segment profit

  156   1,192   (723

)

  625 

Segment profit percentage

  5.4

%

  11.8

%

  -   4.8

%

(1) Sales and marketing includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section of the MD&A.

  

Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019

 

(dollar amounts in thousands) 

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $8,196  $19,228  $-  $27,424 

Cost of revenue 

  5,312   12,666   -   17,978 

Gross profit

  2,884   6,562   -   9,446 

Gross profit percentage

  35.2

%

  34.1

%

  -   34.4

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  790   2,510   1,282   4,582 

Segment profit

  2,094   4,052   (1,282

)

  4,864 

Segment profit percentage

  25.5

%

  21.1

%

  -   17.7

%

 

(1) Sales and marketing expense includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section of the MD&A.

 

  

Three Months Ended June 30, 2018

 

(in thousands) 

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $1,454  $2,289  $-  $3,743 

Cost of revenue 

  889   1,421   -   2,310 

Gross profit

  565   868   -   1,433 

Gross profit percentage

  38.9

%

  37.9

%

  -   38.3

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  75   432   111   618 

Segment profit margin

  490   436   (111

)

  815 

Segment profit margin percentage

  33.7

%

  19.0

%

  -   21.8

%

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Nine Months Ended December 31, 2018

 

(dollar amounts in thousands) 

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $5,480  $19,780  $-  $25,260 

Cost of revenue 

  3,617   12,870   -   16,487 

Gross profit

  1,863   6,910   -   8,773 

Gross profit percentage

  34.0

%

  34.9

%

  -   34.7

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  655   2,954   1,080   4,689 

Segment profit

  1,208   3,956   (1,080

)

  4,084 

Segment profit percentage

  22.0

%

  20.0

%

  -   16.2

%

 

(1) Sales and marketing expense includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section of the MD&A.

 

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10.    Subsequent Events

 

On July 5, 2019, AeroGrow borrowed $700,000 onAs disclosed in Note 3 above, the Real Estate Term Loan Agreement to fund real estate lease obligations and $600,000 onCompany may pay down the Working Capital Term Loan Agreement to fund anticipated growth as discussedwith a due date of March 31, 2020.  In January and February, 2020, the Company fully repaid the remaining $2.5 million in Note 3.

principal and interest under the Working Capital Term Loan.

 

 

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

 

The discussion contained herein is for the three and nine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and June 30,December 31, 2018.  The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements of AeroGrow International, Inc. (the “Company,” “AeroGrow,” “we,” “our,“AeroGrow,” or “us,”“our”) and the notes to the financial statements included in Item 1 above in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30,December 31, 2019 (this “Quarterly Report”). The following discussion contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including statements that include words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “may,” “will,” or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our intent, belief, or current expectations regarding our strategies, plans, and objectives, our product release schedules, our ability to design, develop, manufacture, and market products, the ability of our products to achieve or maintain commercial acceptance, our ability to obtain financing and/or generate cash flow sufficientnecessary to fund our future operations, and our ability to continue as a going concern. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could cause or contribute to the differences are discussed in this Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019.  Except as required by applicable law or regulation, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report. The information contained in this Quarterly Report is not a complete description of our business or the risks associated with an investment in our common stock. Each reader should carefully review and consider the various disclosures we made in this Quarterly Report and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

Overview

 

AeroGrow International, Inc. was formed as a Nevada corporation inon March 25, 2002. The Company’s principal business is developing, marketing, and distributing advanced indoor aeroponic garden systems designed and priced to appeal to the consumer gardening, cooking and small indoor appliance markets worldwide.  The Company’s principal activities from its formation through March 2006, consisted of product research and development, market research, business planning, and raising the capital necessary to fund these activities. In December 2005, the Company commenced initial production of its AeroGarden system and, in March 2006, began shipping these systems to retail and catalogue customers. The Company manufactures, distributes and markets eightten different models of its AeroGarden systems in multiple colors, as well as over 40 varieties of seed pod kits and a full line of accessory products through multiple channels including online retail distribution, in-store retail distribution, catalogue and direct-to-consumer sales primarily in the United States and Canada as well as selected countries in Europe.

 

InAs discussed in Note 4 to the Company’s Condensed Consolidated financial statements, in April 2013 we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement and strategic alliance with a wholly owned subsidiary of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (collectively with its subsidiary, “SMG” or “Scotts Miracle-Gro”). Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we issued (i) 2.6 million shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Series B Preferred Stock); and (ii) a warrant to purchase up to 80% of the Company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $4.0 million.  In addition, asAs part of the strategic alliance, we entered into several other agreements with Scotts Miracle-Gro, including: (i) ana Securities Purchase Agreement in which Scotts Miracle-Gro invested approximately $4.0 million in the Company; (ii) a $500,000 Intellectual Property Sale Agreement; (ii)(iii) a Technology Licensing Agreement; (iii)(iv) a Brand License Agreement; and (iv)(v) a Supply Chain Management Agreement. In November 2016, Scotts Miracle-Gro fully exercised the Warrant and, by its terms, the Series B Preferred Stock automatically converted into the Company’s common stock. Scotts Miracle-Gro currently owns approximately 80.5%80,5% of the Company’sour outstanding common stock.

 

Pursuant to the Intellectual Property Agreement, we agreed to sell all intellectual property associated with our hydroponic products (the “Hydroponic IP”), other than the AeroGrow and AeroGarden trademarks, free and clear of all encumbrances, to Scotts Miracle-Gro for $500,000.  Scotts Miracle-Gro has the right to use the AeroGrow and AeroGarden trademarks in connection with the sale of products incorporating the Hydroponic IP.  In addition to the total working capital infusion of approximately $4.5 million from the Securities Purchase Agreement and Intellectual Property Sale Agreement, as amended, the strategic alliance affordsallows us to use the globally recognized and highly trusted Miracle-Gro brand name.  We believe that the strategic alliance also gives Scotts Miracle-Gro an entry into the burgeoning indoor gardening market, while providing AeroGrow a broad base of support in marketing, distribution, supply chain logistics, R&D, and sourcing.  We intend to usehave also used our strategic alliance with Scotts Miracle-Gro to re-establish our presence in the retail and international sales channels. In Fiscal

On June 20, 2019, we amended the Brand LicenseCompany entered into a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $10.0 million with Scotts Miracle-GroMiracle-Gro.  The proceeds will be made available as needed in increments of $500,000, and the Company may pay down and reborrow during the Term Loan, not to allow us to removeexceed $10.0 million with a due date of March 31, 2020.  The Term Loan Agreement is secured by a lien on the Miracle-Gro brand from AeroGardens, thereby eliminating the cost associated with this portionassets of the agreement.Company.  Interest is charged at the stated rate of 10% per annum and is payable quarterly in arrears, at the end of each September, December and March. The funding provides general working capital and is being used for the purpose of acquiring inventory to support anticipated growth as the Company expands its retail and its direct-to-consumer sales channels.  See Note 3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt” to our condensed financial statements.

 

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On June 20, 2019, the Company entered into a Real Estate Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  The proceeds will be made available as needed in increments of $100,000, and the Company may pay down and reborrow during the Term Loan, not to exceed $1.5 million with a due date of March 31, 2022.  The Term Loan Agreement is secured by a lien on the assets of the Company.  Interest is charged at the stated rate of 10% per annum and is payable quarterly in arrears on each of April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. See Note 3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt” to our condensed financial statements.

Results of Operations

 

Three Months Ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and June 30,December 31, 2018

 

Summary Overview

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, we generated $4.5$18.5 million of total net revenue, an increase of 19.6%43.2%, or $732,000,$5.6 million, relative to the same period in the prior year.  Retail sales increased by 8.4%46.4% to $2.4$13.6 million, primarily due to continuedtiming of load-in sales intoto the housewares channel and Amazon.ca,brick-and-mortar customers which occurred in the prior year at the end of the quarter ended September 30, 2018, as well as new retail accounts and continued enthusiasm about indoor gardening.  Direct-to-consumerstrong sales with our web/internet channels (Amazon.com, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohls.com, Walmart.com, etc.).  In addition, we expect returns from brick and mortar retail customers to decrease as a result of improved advertising efforts, which generate better understanding of the product by end users. Sales in our direct-to-consumer channel increased 30.8%62.4%, to $1.9 million, reflecting more efficient use$4.7 million.  This increase resulted primarily from our efficiency of advertisingour promotional campaigns, scheduled promotional calendar and marketing campaigns, increased visibilityredesigned and more focused sales programs.  effective website.

 

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, total gross dollar sales of AeroGarden units increased by 21.4%35.3% from the prior year period and seedperiod.  Seed pod kit and accessory sales increased by 44.6%28.8% over the prior year period. AeroGarden sales, net of allowances, represented 76.1%81.1% of total revenue, as compared to 75.0%79.0% in the prior year period.  This percentage increase, on a product line basis, was attributable to growththe later load-in of brick-and-mortar sales in the retail channel,quarter, which typically resultstends initially to favor garden sales over seed pod kit or accessory sales, especially during the high demand holiday season.  Seed pod kit and accessory sales decreased as a percent of the total to 18.9% from 21.0% due to the increase in new customers purchasing AeroGardens beforethe sales of AeroGardens. The decrease in sales of seed pod kits and accessories.  Salesaccessories are typically dependent on prior purchases of gardens. As noted above, the increase in seed pod kits increased from 75,000 to 94,000 units, primarilykit and accessories sales as a resultpercentage of new AeroGrowrevenue represented a total dollar sales and resulting increased sizeincrease of our active customer database.$783,000 or 28.8%.

 

The Company continues to spend advertising dollars in order to strategically build market awareness and enhance initiatives implemented in the prior year. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020 (“Fiscal 2020”), we intend to expand consumer awareness of the AeroGrow brand, andas well as the product line.  As a result, duringDuring the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, (the first quarterwe spent $2.7 million in advertising expenditures, an increase of Fiscal 2020), we incurred $512,000 of advertising expenses to support our direct-to-consumer and retail channels, a $36,000$169,000, or 7.7% year-over-year increase6.6%, compared to the same period ended December 31, 2018. This increase was primarily due to an increase in Fiscal 2019.our retail marketing campaigns and change in the advertising program mix, from digital advertising to television-related advertising. The advertising expenditures were divided as follows:

 

RetailRetail-specific advertising increaseddecreased to $416,000$1.5 million from $372,000$2.1 million for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, as the Company continues to invest in driving product awareness through: (i)changed from platforms made available by our retailers; (ii) various promotional programs to increase product awareness withfocused on our retail accounts, including catalogues and email campaigns; and (iii) web-based advertising programsoutlets (e.g. including retail catalogues, website banner ads, email blasts, targeted search campaigns, media groupinclusion in retail catalogues, etc.) towards more general and marketing service campaigns, etc.).broad programs designed to generate product and brand awareness.

 

Direct-to-consumerThe Company continues to drive category and brand awareness the quarter ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we spent approximately $917,000 and $276,000, respectively, in linear TV, Online TV, Connected TV, general TV, YouTube, Facebook and other media advertising.  The Company views this investment as a long term commitment to increasing awareness of the AeroGarden brand.

Finally, direct-to-consumer advertising increased $6,000 to $95,000 during$338,000 from $168,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2019.  TheDecember 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.  This increase is relatively insignificantreflects an increase in spending for catalogues, pay-per-click campaigns, and reflects increases in specific pay-per-click advertising geared toward the direct-to-consumer customer base and direct advertising campaigns.other social media expenditures.  Efficiency, as measured by dollars of direct-to-consumer sales per dollar of related advertising expense, increaseddecreased to $20.07$13.79 for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, as compared to $16.37a 19.3% decline from $17.09 for the same period in Fiscal 2019.2019, in part due to the spillover effect of increased sales through retail outlets.

 

Our grossGross profit for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 was 32.5%35.2%, downup from 38.3%31.0% in the prior year period, primarily dueperiod. This increase was attributable to changes in customer and product mix and expensesthe following factors: (1) the introduction of new products with higher margins; (2) better pricing strategies in the supply chain which will be areasdirect-to-consumer channel as compared to the prior year quarter; and (3) a shift to retailers with higher margins and the impact of focus for the coming yeara lower return reserve.  This increase was partially offset by increases in shipping costs and warehousing costs, as we began using several different warehouses that put us in a better position to reduce costs within our warehouse process including costs for freight, warehouse supplies and better distribution. fulfill orders as we grow.  

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In aggregate, our total operating expenses increased 20.2%17.0%, or $421,000,$772,000, year-over-year, principally becauseas we spent moredrive our business toward future growth.  The increase in anticipationgross spending was attributable to a $644,000 increase in personnel expenses driven by the company-wide incentive program and a few increases in employee headcount, $310,000 increase in bad debt and depreciation expenses, and approximately $75,000 of currentvarious contracted services, including web services, brick-and-mortar product set up and future revenue growth.  Gross spending increased in the following areas:legal fees. This increase was partially offset by approximately $252,000 of reduced media, advertising, marketing expenses, new product development costs and company-wide travel expenses.

 

a $161,000 increase in sales and marketing costs to promote all sales channels;

a $105,000 increase in personnel expenses due to changes in our compensation program to better align with our growth initiatives;

a $102,000 increase in one-time expenses for outside contractors resulting from a forensic audit and required communications related to a potential data breach; and

a $28,000 increase in general office categories such as depreciation, insurance, repairs and maintenance, supplies, equipment.

As a result of efforts to drive growth and increase sales, ourOur operating lossprofit was $1.1$1.2 million for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, as compared to an operating loss of $654,000$535,000 in the prior year period.period, for the reasons disclosed above.

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Net other expense for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $5,000,$141,000, as compared to net other incomeexpense of $20,000$172,000 in the prior year period.  The current year other expensedecrease is attributable to an increase in foreign exchange losses.  In the prior year period, net other income was primarily attributable to $20,000 of reduced interest income, other income from consulting related revenue, offset by foreign exchange losses.  expense on the current year Term Loan as the average outstanding balance decreased.

 

Net lossincome for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 was $1.1 million, as compared to the $634,000 loss a year earlier.  The net loss reflectedof $707,000 in the increasedprior year quarter.  The increase in net income is primarily a result of the overall increase in net sales revenue, increased operating expenses as a percentage of revenue and decreases in margins.   discussed above.

 

The following table sets forth, as a total percentage of sales, our financial results for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018:

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

  

Three Months Ended December 31,

 
 

2019

  

2018

  

2019

  

2018

 

Net revenue

               

Direct-to-consumer

  42.5%  38.9% 25.2%  22.2%

Retail

  54.6%  60.1% 73.3%  71.7%

International

  2.9%  1.0% 1.5%  6.1%

Total net revenue

  100.0%  100.0% 100.0%  100.0%
               

Cost of revenue

  67.5%  61.7% 64.8  69.0%

Gross profit

  32.5%  38.3% 35.2%  31.0%
               

Operating expenses

               

Research and development

  4.7%  4.3% 1.7%  0.6%

Sales and marketing

  31.4%  33.2% 20.4% 30.1%

General and administrative

  20.0%  18.3% 6.6%  4.4%

Total operating expenses

  56.1%  55.8% 28.7%  35.1

Loss from operations

  (23.6)%  (17.5)%

Income (loss) from operations

 6.5%  (4.1)%

 

Revenue

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, revenue totaled $4.5$18.5 million, a year-over-year increase of 19.6%43.2% or $732,000,$5.6 million, from the three months ended June 30, 2018.December 31, 2019.

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

(in thousands)

  

Three Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 
 

2019

  

2018

 

Net revenue

        

Net Revenue

 

2019

  

2018

 

Direct-to-consumer

 $1,902  $1,454  $4,665  $2,872 

Retail

  2,443   2,253   13,579   9,274 

International

  130   36   282   795 

Total

 $4,475  $3,743  $18,526  $12,941 

 

Direct-to-consumer sales for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $1.9$4.7 million, an increase of $448,000,up $1.8 million, or 30.8%62.4%, from the prior year period.  ThisThe increase was caused by drivingin sales through direct-to-consumer awareness duringchannels is due a change in our non-peak season through focused marketing follow-on direct sales to customers that have previously purchased AeroGardens,campaign contractor, better promotional scheduling and continued momentum frombetter returns on the general brand awareness campaigns.advertising programs established in the prior year quarter.

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Sales to retailer customers for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $2.4$13.6 million, up $190,000,$4.3 million, or 8.4%46.4%, principally reflecting organic growth inthe delayed timing of our existingload-in of sales to our brick-and-mortar stores and the additional testing of several new retail accounts, namely Amazon.ca and Macy’s.  accounts. 

International sales increasedtotaled $282,000, as compared to $95,000 to $130,000$795,000 in the first quarter of Fiscal 2020 primarily due to timing of European market testsprior year period, as we continue to selectively test international markets in order to understand the trends, that impactdistribution models and acceptance of our products in the international market.

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Our products consist of AeroGardens, and seed pod kits and accessories.  A summary of the sales of these two product categories for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 and June 30,December 31, 2018 is as follows:

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

(in thousands)

  

Three Months Ended December 31,

(in thousands)

 
 

2019

  

2018

  

2019

  

2018

 

Product revenue

                

AeroGardens

 $3,406  $2,806  $18,845  $13,925 

Seed pod kits and accessories

  1,681   1,162   3,498   2,715 

Discounts, allowances and other

  (612

)

  (225

)

  (3,817

)

  (3,699

)

Total

 $4,475  $3,743  $18,526  $12,941 

% of total revenue

                

AeroGardens

  76.1

%

  75.0

%

  101.7

%

  107.6

%

Seed pod kits and accessories

  37.6

%

  31.0

%

  18.9

%

  21.0

%

Discounts, allowances and other

  (13.7

)%

  (6.0

)%

  (20.6

)%

  (28.6

)%

Total

  100.0

%

  100.0

%

  100.0

%

  100.0

%

 

AeroGarden sales increased $600,000,$4.9 million, or 21.4%35.3%, from the prior year period, reflecting: (i)reflecting increased retail channel sales as we continued our growth with existing customersdue to gain customer acceptancedelayed timing of our productthe load-in into brick-and-mortar stores in historically slower sales period, primarily from Amazon.ca and Macy’s; (ii) increased sales in Direct-to-consumer channels; and (iii) continued focus on advertising and general awareness campaigns toward the general population, which inform buyers about our products.quarter.  The increase in seed pod kit and accessory sales which increased by $518,000,of $783,000, or 44.6%28.8%, principally reflects the prior period focus on acquiring new AeroGarden customers, who have historically purchased seed pod kits and accessories after purchasing and using new AeroGardens, partially offset by a decreaseincrease in light bulb sales as the demand for AeroGardens with LED lighting increases.our established base of AeroGardens. For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, sales of seed pod kits and accessories represented 37.6%18.9% of total revenue, as compared to 31.0%21.0% in the prior year period.  Other revenue, which is comprised primarily of grow club revenue, shipping revenue, accruals and deductions, increaseddecreased as a percent of total revenue to (13.7)(20.6)% from (6.0)(28.6)% in the prior year period, primarily due to increasesdecreases in discounts for in-store retail accounts, which incentivized higher retail sales, and revenue deductions for estimated future returns and sales allowances.discounts and allowances for certain retail accounts. At the end of each reporting period we analyze the possibility of product returns from customers and determine if specific reserves are satisfactory or should be adjusted and determined the customer specific reserve was appropriate.

 

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $3.0$12.0 million, an increase of $709,000,$3.1 million, or 32.5%34.4%, from the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  Cost of revenue includes product costs for purchased and manufactured products, freight costs for inbound freight from manufacturers, costs related to warehousing and the shipping of products to customers, credit card processing fees for direct sales, and duties and customs applicable to imported products.  As a percent of total revenue, cost of revenue represented 67.5%64.8% of revenue, as compared to 69.0% for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, as compared to 61.7% for the quarter ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  The increase inpercentage decrease was primarily attributable to increased sales during the current quarter for customers with a higher margin product mix, partially offset by higher shipping and order fulfillment costs, as we began using additional warehouses that put us in a percent of revenue reflected friction in the supply chain which will be areas of focusbetter position for the coming year including better cost management within our warehouse process including costs for freight, warehouse supplies and better distribution.long-term growth.  

 

Gross Profit

Our gross profit varies based upon the factors impacting net revenue and cost of revenue as discussed above, as well as the mix of our revenue that comes from the retail, direct-to-consumer, and international channels.  In a direct-to-consumer sale, we recognize as revenue the full consumer purchase price for the product.  In retail and international sales, by comparison, we recognize as revenue the wholesale price that we charge to the retailer or international distributor.  Media costs associated with direct sales are included in sales and marketing expenses.  For international sales, when we sell to a distributor, margins are structured based on the distributor purchasing products by letter of credit or cash in advance, terms with the distributor bearing all of the marketing and distribution costs within its territory.  As a result, international sales generally have lower gross profits than domestic retail sales.  We have continued to test international test markets through Amazon in various countries, so this margin model may change over time.   The gross profit for the quarter ended June 30,December 31, 2019 was 32.5%35.2%, as compared to 38.3%31.0% for the quarter ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  The decreaseincrease in our gross profit was primarily attributabledue to the changesshift to our customerretailers with higher margin products and product within both the impact of a lower return reserve, partially offset by one-time fees related to establishing new retail customers and direct-to-consumer.additional shipping costs.

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Research and Development

Research and development costs for the quarter ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $210,000,$308,000, an increase of $51,000$232,000 from the quarter ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  Our research and development spending increased for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, particularlyThe increase principally reflected expense increases of $118,000 related to new product design, development and testing, consulting service$83,000 in personnel expenses for tooling automationfull time employees and salariesthe company-wide incentive program, and wages partially$40,000 due to the termination of a collaboration expense offset by decreased product testing and certification fees.program with Scotts Miracle-Gro.

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Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing costs for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $1.4$3.8 million, or up 13.0% fromas compared to $3.9 million for the prior year period.three months ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 3.0%.  Sales and marketing costs include all costs associated with the marketing, sales, operations, customer support, and sales order processing for our products, and consisted of the following:

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30,

(in thousands)

  

Three Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 
 

2019

  

2018

  

2019

  

2018

 

Advertising

 $512  $476  $2,723  $2,554 

Personnel

  491   504   571   328 

Sales commissions

  9   6   44   47 

Trade shows

  7   - 

Market research

  112   - 

Travel

  66   70   43   59 

Media production and promotional products

  7   5   35   54 

Quality control and processing fees

  33   46   65   78 

Market research

  50   29 

General brand marketing

  -   567 

Other

  236   106   180   211 
 $1,404  $1,242  $3,780  $3,898 

 

Advertising expense is composed primarily of television advertising, catalogue development, production, printing, and postage costs, web media expenses for search and affiliate web marketing programs, and the cost of developing and employing other forms of advertising.  Each is a key component of our integrated marketing strategy because it helps build consumer awareness and demand for our products in the retailer and direct-to-consumer sales channels.  TotalAs noted above, during the three months ended December 31, 2019, we spent $2.7 million in advertising expense was $512,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2019,expenditures to support our retail and direct-to-consumer channels, a 6.6% year-over-year increase of 7.7%, or $36,000, primarily duecompared to the same period in Fiscal 2019.  The increase resulted from retail-specific advertising, which increased to $2.7 million from $2.6 million, as the Company invested more in driving brand product awareness through platforms made available by our retail partners, including increased spending on pay-per clickin (i) general TV, YouTube, Facebook and other general media advertising general brand awareness and marketing, and email campaigns.(2) direct-to-consumer advertising.

 

Sales and marketing personnel costs include salaries, payroll taxes, employee benefits and other payroll costs for our sales, operations, customer service, graphics and marketing departments.  For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, personnel costs for sales and marketing were $491,000, down $13,000$571,000, up $243,000 or 2.6%74.2% from the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  The decreaseincrease reflected changes in the number of full-time employees,estimated employee incentive program expenses.  Personnel expenses include all related payroll including departmental incentive programs, including salaries, bonuses and a decrease related toemployee benefits.

 

Other marketing expenses increaseddecreased year-over-year as we continue to grow our business and increaseprincipally because of changes in overall promotional programs including a decrease in social media, digital marketing, market research programs and other programs, including increased third party agencies for sales planning.retailer marketing programs.

 

General and Administrative

General and administrative costs for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $894,000,$1.2 million, as compared to $685,000$572,000 for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018, an increase of 30.6%115.2%, or $209,000. The increase was$658,000, primarily attributabledue to consulting and legal fees associated with a credit card breach, increases in salaries and wages, andthe departmental incentive program, bad debt and depreciation expense, and the use of outside contractors for improved webhosting/system integration, and legal expenses.

 

Operating Income and Loss

Our operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was $1.2 million, an increase of $1.7 million from a $535,000 operating loss for the three months ended June 30, 2019 was $1.1 million, an increase of $399,000 from the $654,000 operating loss for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018. The increased operating loss was attributable to decreased margins on ourincrease reflected increased sales in both our retail and direct-to-consumer channels, along with fewer revenue reductions for various returns and allowances, partially offset by increases in operating expenses, including overall general advertising, as well as increased marketing and brand awareness advertising expenses and outside consulting fees.discussed in greater detail above. 

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Net Income and Loss

For the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, we recorded a net lossincome of $1.1 million, a $434,000 decline$1.8 million increase over the $634,000$707,000 net loss for the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2018.  The increase in the net lossincome is primarily a result of decreased margins on increased sales volume in the current year period, partially offset by the increase in operating expenses.

Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018

Summary Overview

For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, total revenue increased $2.2 million, or 8.6%, to $27.4 million relative to the same period in the prior year.  Retail sales decreased $158,000, or 0.8%, due to fewer gardens sold to retailers, as wellwe adopted a marketing strategy designed to focus on retailers with the lowest product returns. Sales in our direct-to-consumer channel increased 49.6%, or $2.7 million, primarily due to visibility and continued momentum from our general advertising and marketing campaign, increased user base, and increased presence on Amazon accounts and other select online retail distribution channels.  Sales to international distributors decreased $395,000 to $481,000 in the nine months ended December 31, 2019, relative to the same period in the prior year, primarily due to reduced distribution in certain international markets such as Amazon.uk, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. 

For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, total dollar sales of AeroGardens decreased by 3.6% and seed pod kit accessories increased by 28.1%, over the prior year period.  AeroGarden sales, net of allowances, represented 75.1% of total revenue, as compared to 78.9% in the prior year period. This percentage decrease, on a product line basis, was attributable to the strategic approach to reduce possible returns in the current year. Seed pod kit and accessory gross sales increased as a percent of the total sales to 24.9% from 21.1% in the prior year period, with total dollar sales increasing by $1.5 million.  

During the nine months ended December 31, 2019, we spent $3.7 million in advertising expenditures to support our direct-to-consumer and retail channels, a year-over-year increase of 8.1%, compared to the same period ended December 31, 2018. These expenditures included the following:

Retail-specific advertising decreased $310,000 to $2.2 million from $2.5 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, as the Company continues to invest in: (i) platforms made available by our retailers; (ii) various promotional programs to increase product awareness with our housewares channel of retail accounts, including catalogues and email campaigns; and (iii) web-based advertising programs (e.g. inclusion in retail catalogues, website banner ads, email blasts, targeted search campaigns, etc.).

Other advertising related expenses increased $622,000 to $919,000 during the nine months ended December 31, 2019, due to increased spending on linear, connected and online TV, YouTube, Facebook and other media advertising. The Company views this general investment as a long term commitment to increasing awareness of the AeroGarden brand.

Finally, direct-to-consumer advertising increased to $526,000 from $322,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.  This increase reflects increased spending on catalogues and increases in pay-per-click campaigns.  Efficiency, as measure by dollars of direct-to-consumer sales per dollar of related advertising expense, decreased to $15.58 or 4.7% for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $16.35 for the same period in Fiscal 2019.

Gross profit for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 was 34.4%, as compared to 34.7% during the prior year period. This decrease was attributable changes in customer and product mix, and several one-time fees related to set up of a new warehouse to serve select customers.

In aggregate, our total operating expenses increased 11.6%, or $1.1 million, year-over-year, principally to support new product introductions, general office category expenses and increases in third party hosting and security..  Gross spending increased in the following areas:

A $363,000 increase in general office categories such as depreciation, bad debt, insurance, repairs and maintenance, office supplies, and equipment;

A $175,000 increase in new product development, prototype and design;

A $105,000 increase in additional web hosting services due to the new website introduced in the prior year and new strategies in web promotions;

A $128,000 increase in one-time expenses for outside contractors relating to e-commerce security;

A $26,000 increase in company-wide travel to manufacturers in China, warehouses and potential domestic and European customers.

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As a result of continued growth in the online and housewares channels and our efforts to provide general awareness of our product, our operating loss increased by $401,000 to $918,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, from $517,000 in the prior year period.

Other expense for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, totaled to net other expense of $200,000, as compared to net other expense of $177,000 in the prior year period.  The net other expense in the current and prior year periods are attributable to interest expense on the Term Loans, offset by other income from consulting related revenue, and foreign exchange gains.

The net loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, was $1.1 million, as compared to a $695,000 loss in the prior year. The increased net loss is attributable to the factors discussed above.

The following table sets forth, as a percentage of sales, our financial results for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and the nine months ended December 31, 2018:

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

Net revenue

        

Direct-to-consumer

  29.9

%

  21.7

%

Retail

  68.3

%

  74.8

%

International

  1.8

%

  3.5

%

Total net revenue

  100.0

%

  100.0

%

         

Cost of revenue

  65.6

%

  65.3

%

Gross profit

  34.4

%

  34.7

%

         

Operating expenses

        

Research and development

  2.9

%

  1.4

%

Sales and marketing

  23.8

%

  26.8

%

General and administrative

  11.0

%

  8.5

%

Total operating expenses

  37.7

%

  36.7

%

(Loss) income from operations

  (3.3

)%

  (2.0

)%

Revenue

For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, revenue totaled $27.4 million, a year-over-year increase of 8.6%, or $2.2 million, from the nine months ended December 31, 2018.

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 

Net Revenue

 

2019

  

2018

 

Direct-to-consumer

 $8,196  $5,480 

Retail

  18,747   18,905 

International

  481   876 

Total

 $27,424  $25,261 

Direct-to-consumer sales for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $8.2 million, up $2.7 million, or 49.6%, from the prior year period.  The increase in sales to direct-to-consumer channels is due to focused marketing, expenses designedbetter promotional scheduling, follow-on direct sales to customers that have previously purchased AeroGardens, and better returns on existing general advertising programs. As in the prior year, our launch of a new website encountered some difficulty and online sales were driven mostly by pricing strategies.

Sales to retailer customers for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $18.7 million, down $258,000, or 1.4%, from the prior-year period, principally reflecting our marketing strategy of focusing on brick-and-mortar retailer programs that have generated lower product return rates.

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International sales for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 decreased $395,000, primarily due to reduced sales testing in Europe and as we continue growing brand awarenessto expand our understanding of international market factors, distribution models and outside consulting fees,acceptance of our products.

Our products consist of AeroGardens, seed pod kits and accessories.  A summary of the sales of these product categories for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

Product revenue

 

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

 

AeroGardens

 $25,654  $26,615 

Seed pod kits and accessories

  6,823   5,327 

Discounts, allowances and other

  (5,053

)

  (6,682

)

Total

 $27,424  $25,260 

% of total revenue

        

AeroGardens

  93.5

%

  105.4

%

Seed pod kits and accessories

  24.9

%

  21.1

%

Discounts, allowances and other

  (18.4

)%

  (26.5

)%

Total

  100.0

%

  100.0

%

AeroGarden sales decreased $961,000, or 3.6%, from the prior year period, reflecting decreased sales in the retail channel, partially offset by increased sales volume.in direct-to-consumer channels.  This percentage decrease was attributable to strategic sales to existing customers, in particular brick-and-mortar retailers from the prior year, partially offset by expansion and product introduction into new retail accounts and increased direct-to-consumer channels.  Sales of seed pod kits and accessories increased $1.5 million, or 28.1%, reflecting a large increase in direct-to-consumer sales, partially offset by a decrease in retail sales. Our customers have historically purchased seed pod kits and accessories after purchasing and using AeroGardens.  For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, sales of seed pod kits and accessories represented 24.9% of total revenue, as compared to 21.1% in the prior year period.  Other revenue, which is comprised primarily of grow club revenue, shipping revenue, accruals and deductions, decreased as a percent of the total to (18.4)% from (26.5)% in the prior year period due to fewer deductions for returns and accruals for sales allowances and future discounts for new in-store retail accounts.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $18.0 million, an increase of $1.5 million, or 9.0%, from the nine months ended December 31, 2018.  Cost of revenue includes product costs for purchased and manufactured products, freight costs for inbound freight from manufacturers, costs related to warehousing and shipping products to customers, credit card processing fees for direct sales, and duties and customs applicable to imported products. As a percent of total revenue, cost of revenue for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, represented 65.6% of revenue, as compared to 65.3% during the nine months ended December 31, 2018.  The increase in costs as a percent of revenue reflected additional costs related to the new warehouses established in prior periods.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit varies based upon the factors affecting net revenue and cost of revenue as discussed above, as well as the mix of our revenue that comes from the retail, direct-to-consumer, and international channels.  In a direct-to-consumer sale, we recognize as revenue the full consumer purchase price for the product.  In retail and international sales, by comparison, we recognize as revenue the wholesale price that we charge to the retailer or international distributor.  Media costs associated with direct sales are included in sales and marketing expenses.  For international sales, when we sell to a distributor margins are structured based on the distributor purchasing products by letter of credit or cash in advance terms, with the distributor bearing all of the marketing and distribution costs within its territory.  As a result, international sales generally have lower gross profits than domestic retail sales.  We have begun international test sales through Amazon in various countries, so this margin model may change over time.  We saw increases at our established accounts, including direct-to-consumer, which were offset by the lower margins at some new retail accounts.  The gross profit for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 was 34.4% as compared to 34.7% for the nine months ended December 31, 2018.  

Research and Development

Research and development costs for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $794,000, an increase of 117.2%, or $428,000, from the nine months ended December 31, 2019.  The increase is related to increases in prototype development, which includes investments in product development that we anticipate hitting the market in the next fiscal year, increased employee headcount and incentive program expenses, and $85,000 due to the termination of a collaboration expense offset program with Scotts Miracle-Gro.

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Table of Contents

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing costs for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $6.6 million, as compared to $6.8 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 3.2%, or $217,000.  Sales and marketing costs include all costs associated with the marketing, sales, operations, customer support, and order processing for our products, and consisted of the following:

  

Nine Months Ended

December 31,

(in thousands)

 
  

2019

  

2018

 

Advertising

 $3,667  $3,392 

Personnel

  1,556   1,591 

Sales commissions

  67   103 

Trade shows

  8   3 

Market research

  256   158 

Travel

  200   190 

Media production and promotional products

  64   66 

Quality control and processing fees

  148   198 

General brand marketing

  -   614 

Other

  587   455 
  $6,553  $6,770 

Advertising expense totaled $3.7 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2019, a year-over-year increase of 8.1%, or $275,000.  These increase in advertising expenditures was attributable to: (i) approximately $919,000 in general TV, YouTube, Facebook and other general media advertising; and (ii) direct-to-consumer advertising (which increased to $526,000 from $321,000). The increase was partially offset by a $205,000 decrease in retail-specific advertising, from $2.8 million to $2.2 million.

Sales and marketing personnel costs include salaries, payroll taxes, employee benefits and other payroll costs for our sales, operations, customer service, graphics and marketing departments.  For the nine months ended December 31, 2019, personnel costs for sales and marketing were $1.6 million, for a 2.2% decrease from the nine months ended December 31, 2018.  The decrease reflected changes in the incentive program and employees.  Personnel expenses include all related payroll expenses, including incentive programs, bonuses and employee benefits.

Other marketing expenses decreased year-over-year because of decreases in a variety of spending categories, primarily related to general brand marketing. In the prior year our advertising approach was highly focused on general branding and we did not utilize the same agency or campaign in the current year.

General and Administrative

General and administrative costs for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $3.0 million, as compared to $2.2 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2018, an increase of 40.0%, or $862,000.  The increase is attributable to (i) payroll-related expenses, including incentive programs, salaries, bonuses and employee benefits; (ii) consulting and legal fees associated with a credit card breach, and web hosting, electronic data processing, and network consulting and software troubleshooting fees; (iii) office rent relating to new accounting guidance on leases and relocation of the corporate headquarters; and (iv) estimates for the allowance for bad debt and depreciation.

Operating Loss

Our operating loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 was $918,000, a decline of $401,000 from the operating loss of $517,000 for the nine months ended December 31, 2018.  The increased operating loss was attributable to a decrease in the retail channel sales and increased general operating and media expenses designed to drive brand awareness (as discussed in greater detail above), partially offset by increased sales in the direct-to consumer channels.

Net Loss

The net loss for the nine months ended December 31, 2019 was $1.1 million, as compared to a $694,000 net loss in the prior year, as discussed above.

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Table of Contents

 

Segment Results

We report our segment information in the same way that management assesses the business and makes decision regarding the allocations of resources in accordance with the Segment Reporting Topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). Factors considered in determining our reportable segments include the nature of the business activities, the reports provided to the Company’s chief operating decision maker (CODM) for operating and administrative activities, available information and information that is presented to our Board of Directors.

The Company’s CODM has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer because he has final authority over the performance assessment and resource allocation decisions. The CODM: (i)CODM regularly receives discrete financial information about each reportable segment, (ii)segment. The CODM uses all such information for performance assessment and resource allocation decisions; and (iii)decisions. The CODM evaluates the performance of and allocates resources based upon the contribution margins of each segment.

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As a result, we divide our business into two reportable segments: Direct-to-Consumer and Retail. This division of reportable segments is consistent with how the segments report to and are managed by the CODMchief operating decision maker of the Company.  The Company evaluates performance based on the primary financial measure of contribution margin (“segment profit margin”profit”). Segment profit margin reflects the income or loss from operations before corporate expenses, non-operating income, net interest expense, and income taxes.

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2019

  

Nine Months Ended December 31, 2019

 

(in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

(dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $1,902  $2,573  $-  $4,475  $8,196  $19,228  $-  $27,424 

Cost of revenue

  1,389   1,631   -   3,020   5,312   12,666   -   17,978 

Gross profit

  513   942   -   1,455   2,884   6,562   -   9,446 

Gross profit percentage

  27.0

%

  36.6

%

  -   32.5

%

  35.2

%

  34.1

%

  -   34.4

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  32   602   172   806   790   2,510   1,282   4,582 

Segment profit margin

  481   340   (172

)

  649 

Segment profit margin percentage

  25.3

%

  13.2

%

  -   14.5

%

Segment profit

  2,094   4,052   (1,282

)

  4,864 

Segment profit percentage

  25.5

%

  21.1

%

  -   17.7

%

 

(1)  Sales and marketing expense includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section.

 

 

Three Months Ended June 30, 2018

  

Nine Months Ended December 31, 2018

 

(in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

(dollar amounts in thousands)

 

Direct-to-consumer

  

Retail

  

Corporate/Other

  

Consolidated

 

Net sales

 $1,454  $2,289  $-  $3,743  $5,480  $19,781  $-  $25,261 

Cost of revenue

  889   1,421   -   2,310   3,617   12,870   -   16,487 

Gross profit

  565   868   -   1,433   1,863   6,911   -   8,774 

Gross profit percentage

  38.9

%

  37.9

%

  -   38.3

%

  34.0

%

  34.9

%

  -   34.7

%

Sales and marketing (1)

  75   432   111   618   655   2,954   1,080   4,689 

Segment profit margin

  490   436   (111

)

  815 

Segment profit margin percentage

  33.7

%

  19.0

%

  -   21.8

%

Segment profit

  1,208   3,957   (1,080

)

  4,085 

Segment profit percentage

  22.0

%

  20.0

%

  -   16.2

%

 

(1)  Sales and marketing expense includes advertising, trade shows, media production and promotional products and other as discussed in the sales and marketing section.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

After adjusting the net loss for non-cash items and changes in operating assets and liabilities, the net cash used by operating activities totaled $309,000$2.2 million for the threenine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, as compared to cash used of $453,000 for$9.5 million in the three months ended June 30, 2018.  prior year period.

 

Non-cash items, comprising depreciation, amortization, bad debt (recoveries) allowances, accretion of debt association with sale of intellectual property and inventory allowances,allowance, totaled to a net gain of $137,000$782,000 for the threenine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, as compared to a net gain of $70,000$364,000 in the prior year period.  The increase principally reflected nominal non-cash expenses, including charges arising from all ofbad debt expense, depreciation and changes in the non-cash compensation expenses. inventory allowance.

 

Changes in current assets providedused net cash of $1.5$4.7 million during the threenine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, principally from decreasesincreases in accounts receivable inventory and deposit balances as we moved away froma result of our retail channel sales during the peak season, partially offset by increases in prepaid assets.holiday season.

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As of June 30,December 31, 2019, the total inventory balance was $7.4$7.3 million, representing approximately 110111 days of sales activity, and 15156 days of sales activity at the average daily rate of product cost expensed during the twelve months and three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, respectively.  The three months’ days in inventory calculation is based on the three months of sales activity and can beis greatly impactedaffected by the seasonality of our sales, which are at their highest level during our quarter ending December 31.  The twelve months’ days in inventory calculation is based on the twelve months of sales activity and is less impacted by the seasonality of our sales.

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Current operating liabilities decreased $898,000increased $2.8 million during the threenine months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, principally because ofreflecting seasonal decreasesincreases in all operating liability accounts.  Accounts payable as of June 30,December 31, 2019 totaled $2.1$4.7 million, representing approximately 2146 days of daily expense activity, and 3425 days of daily expense activity at the average daily rate of expenses incurred during the twelve months and three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019, respectively.

 

Net investing activity used $31,000$634,000 of cash in the current year period, principally becausedue to the purchase of purchasesequipment required to introduce new products.

Net financing activity provided net cash of equipment.$3.4 million during the nine months ended December 31, 2019, due to the Term Loan agreement with Scotts Miracle-Gro.

 

Cash

As of June 30,December 31, 2019, we had a cash balance of $1.4$2.3 million, of which $15,000 was restricted as collateral for various corporate obligations.  This compares to a cash balance of $1.8 million as of March 31, 2019, of which $15,000 was restricted.  The increase in cash is primarily attributable to the purchase of inventory in the current quarter to meet anticipated peak season sales demand, particularly the load-in sales with brick-and-mortar retail customers.

 

Borrowing Agreements

As of June 30,December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2019, we have no$3.4 million and zero of outstanding long-term debt. See Note 3 relateddebt, respectively. We have entered into a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to the Working Capital$10.0 million and Real Estate Term Loan AgreementsAgreement in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million with Scotts Miracle-GroMiracle-Gro. As of December 31, 2019 and Note 10 for subsequent events related toMarch 31, 2019, the same agreements with Scotts Miracle-Gro.outstanding balance of our note payable and debt, including accrued interest, was as follows:

  

December 31,

2019

  

March 31,

2019

 
  

(in thousands)

  

(in thousands)

 

Notes payable-related party

 $3,415  $- 

Total debt

  3,415   - 

Less notes payable and current portion – long term debt

  2,505   - 

Long term debt

 $910  $- 

 

Cash Requirements

 

We generally require cash to:

 

fund our operations and working capital requirements;

develop and execute our product development and market introduction plans;

execute our sales and marketing plans;

fund research and development efforts; and

pay debt obligations as they come due.

 

At this time, we do not expect to enter into additional capital leases to finance major purchases.  In addition, we do not currently have any binding commitments with third parties to obtain any material amount of equity or debt financing other than the financing arrangements described in this report.

 

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Table of Contents

Assessment of Future Liquidity and Results of Operations

 

Liquidity

To assess our ability to fund ongoing operating requirements, we developed assumptions regarding operating cash flow.  Critical sources of funding, and key assumptions and areas of uncertainty include:

 

our cash of $1.4$2.3 million ($15,000 of which is restricted as collateral for our various corporate obligations) as of June 30,December 31, 2019;

our cash of $2.8$2.9 million, ($15,000 of which is restricted as collateral for our various corporate obligations) as of August 2, 2019;February 7, 2020,

continued support of, and extensions of credit by, our suppliers and lenders;lenders, including, but not limited to, the Working Capital Term Loan of up to $10.0 million from Scotts Miracle-Gro and Real Estate Term loan of up to $1.5 million, of which we had borrowed $3.4 million and $900,000 of the combined $11.5 million in principal amount as of December 31, 2019 and February 7, 2020, respectively;

our historical pattern of increased sales between September and March, and lower sales volume from April through August;

the level of spending necessary to support our planned initiatives; and

our sales to consumers, retailers, and international distributors, and the resulting cash flow from operations, which will depend in great measure on the success of our direct-to-consumer sales initiatives, and the acceptance of the product at our various retail distribution customers.

 

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Table

On June 20, 2019, the Company entered into a Working Capital Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of Contents

up to $10.0 million with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  The proceeds will be made available as needed in increments of $500,000, the Company may pay down and reborrow during the Term Loan, not to exceed $10.0 million with a due date of March 31, 2020.  The Term Loan Agreement is secured by a lien on the assets of the Company and interest is charged at the stated rate of 10% per annum to be paid quarterly in arrears at the end of each September, December and March.  The funds provide general working capital and is being used for the purpose of acquiring inventory to support anticipated growth as the Company expands its retail and its direct-to-consumer sales channels.  We have repaid in full, including interest, the remaining $2.5 million borrowed as of February 7, 2020 and can reborrow amounts repaid against the $10.0 million loan in order to purchase inventory during our peak selling season.  See Note 3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt” to our condensed financial statements.

On June 20, 2019, the Company entered into a Real Estate Term Loan Agreement in the principal amount of up to $1.5 million with Scotts Miracle-Gro.  The funding provides capital to fund real estate related lease obligations. The proceeds will be made available as needed in increments of $100,000 not to exceed $1.5 million with a due date of March 31, 2022. Interest is charged at the stated rate of 10% and is payable quarterly in arrears on each of April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had borrowed $900,000 under the Real Estate Term Loan. See Note 3 “Notes Payable, Long Term Debt and Current Portion – Long Term Debt” to our condensed financial statements.

 

Based on these facts and assumptions, we believe our existing cash and cash equivalents along with the Term Loan Agreement and the cash generated by our anticipated results from operations, will be sufficient to meet our operating needs for the next twelve months.  However, we may need to seek additional capital to provide a cash reserve against contingencies, address the seasonal nature of our working capital needs, and to enable us to invest further in trying to increase the scale of our business.  There can be no assurance we will be able to raise this additional capital.

 

Results of Operations

There are several factors that could affect our future results of operations.  These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

the effectiveness of our consumer marketing efforts in generating both direct-to-consumer sales, and sales to consumers by our retailer customer;

uncertainty regarding the impact of macroeconomic conditions on consumer spending;

uncertainty regarding the capital markets and our access to sufficient capital to support our current and projected scale of operations;

the seasonality of our business, in which we have historically experienced higher sales volume in the five-month period from September(September through January;March);

a continued, uninterrupted supply of product from our third-party manufacturing suppliers in China; and

the success of theour Scotts Miracle-Gro relationship, and

uncertainty of appropriate exit strategies with retail customers regardless of the contractual obligations.relationship.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or liabilities, guarantee contracts, retained or contingent interest in transferred assets, and have not entered into any contracts for financial derivative such as futures, swaps, and options.

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Table of Contents

 

Item 3. QuantitativeQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

Our interest income is most sensitive to fluctuations in the general level of U.S. interest rates. As such, changes in U.S. interest rates affect the interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents, and cash equivalents.short-term investments, and the value of those investments. Due to the short-term nature of our cash equivalents and investments, we have concluded that a change in interest rates does not pose a material market risk to us with respect to our interest income. As discussed above, if we acquire additionalOur debt carries fixed interest rates and therefore changes in the general level of market interest rates couldwill not impact our interest expense during the terms of futureour existing debt arrangements.

 

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

 

We transact business primarily in U.S. currency.  Although we purchase our products in U.S. dollars, the prices charged by our suppliers in AsiaChina are predicated upon their cost for components, labor and overhead. Therefore, changes in the valuation of the U.S. dollar in relation to the Chinese currenciescurrency may cause our manufacturers to raise prices of our products which could reduce our profit margins.

  

In future periods, it is possible that we could be exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates on accounts receivable from sales and net monetary assets denominated in foreign currencies and liabilities.  To date, however, virtually all of our transactions have been denominated in U.S. dollars.

 

Foreign Import Tariff Risk

We purchase a significant portion of supplies from suppliers outside the United States. The United States and other countries have levied tariffs and taxes on certain goods. Further tariffs, additional taxes, or trade barriers may increase our selling and/or manufacturing costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit our ability to sell products or purchase necessary supplies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial conditions.

25

Table of Contents

Item 4. ControlsControls and Procedures

 

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports filed or submitted by the Company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported, within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive and financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

The Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of its management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon and as of the date of that evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and financial officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports the Company files and submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

 

(b) Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no changes in the Company’s internal controls or in other factors that could have significantly affected those controls during the three months ended June 30,December 31, 2019.

   

 

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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. LegalLegal Proceedings

 

None.

 

Item 1A. RiskRisk Factors

 

Our operations and financial results are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, future results, and the trading price of our common stock. In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report, you should also carefully consider the factors described in “Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2019, which could materially affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, future results, and the trading price of our common stock.

 

Item 2. UnregisteredUnregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

None.

 

Item 3. DefaultsDefaults Upon Senior Securities

 

None.

 

Item 4. MineMine Safety Disclosures

 

Not applicable.

 

Item 5. OtherOther Information

 

Not applicable.

None. 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Item 6. ExhibitsExhibits

 

Exhibit

Number

 

 

Description

 

 

 

3.1

 

Articles of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.2

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, dated June 25, 2002 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.3

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, dated November 3, 2002 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.4

 

Certificate of Change to Articles of Incorporation, dated January 31, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.5

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, dated July 27, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.6

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, dated February 24, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 of our Current Report on Form 8-K/A-2, filed November 16, 2006)

3.7

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, certified May 3, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 12, 2010)

3.8

 

Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation, dated May 1, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.8 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 10, 2012)

3.9

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed September 26, 2008)

3.10

 

Amendment to Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.9 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, filed July 6, 2009)

3.11

 

Amendment No. 2 to Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed April 23, 2013)

3.12

Certificate of Designations of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, filed July 6, 2009)

3.13

Certificate of Amendment to Series A Convertible Preferred Stock Certificate of Designations, certified June 21, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.11 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter year ended June 30, 2010, filed August 12, 2010)

3.14

Amendment Number 2 to Series A Convertible Preferred Stock Certificate of Designations, as filed with the Nevada Secretary of State on April 6, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.12 to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed April 16, 2012)

3.15

Certificates of Designation of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 23, 2013)

4.1

 

Form of Certificate of Common Stock of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed September 5, 2007)

4.2

Form of Warrant Agreement, dated April 22, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 23, 2013)

4.3

First Amendment to Warrant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2015)

4.4

Second Amendment to Warrant Agreement dated July 15, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed July 21, 2016)

4.5

 

Investor Rights Agreement by and between the Company and SMG Growing Media, Inc., dated April 22, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 23, 2013)

4.34.6

 

Voting Agreement, dated April 22, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 23, 2013)

10.14.7

 

Third Amendment to Collaboration ServicesWaiver Agreement by and among the Company, The Scotts Company LLC and OMS Investments, Inc.dated July 15, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 4, 2018)

10.2

Technology License Agreement Notice10.7 of Renewal by the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 4, 2018)

10.3

Brand License Agreement by and between the Company and OMS Investments, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 4, 2018)

10.4

Distribution, Trademark and Technology Agreement by and between the Company and Airwuan Shanghai ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 4, 2018)

10.5

Term Loan and Security Agreement by and among the Company and The Scotts Company LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed July 12, 2018)21, 2016)

10.64.8

 

Third Amendment to the Technology License Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of our Current Report on Form 10-Q filed November 13, 2017)

10.7

Fourth Amendment to Technology License Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 12, 2018)

31.1*

 

Certifications of the Chief Executive Officer Under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

31.2*

 

Certifications of the Chief Financial Officer Under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

32.1*

 

Certifications of the Chief Executive Officer Under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

32.2*

 

Certifications of the Chief Financial Officer Under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

101.INS*

 

XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE*

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

*  Filed herewith.

 

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SIGNSIGNATURESATURES

 

In accordance with 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AeroGrow International, Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

Date:  August 13, 2019February 11, 2020

 

/s/J. Michael Wolfe

 

 

By: J. Michael Wolfe

 

 

Its: President and Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer) and Director

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:  August 13, 2019February 11, 2020

 

/s/Grey H. Gibbs

 

 

By: Grey H. Gibbs

 

 

Its: Senior Vice President Finance and Accounting

(Principal Accounting Officer)

 

 

34