TPR, §1A diff (2016 → 2017)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS You should consider carefully all of the information set forth or incorporated by reference in this document and, in particular, the following risk factors associated with the business of the Company and forward-looking information in this document. Please also see “Special Note on Forward-Looking Information” at the beginning of this report. The risks described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also have an adverse effect on us. If any of the risks below actually occur, our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition could suffer. Acquisitions may not be successful in achieving intended benefits, cost savings and synergies and may disrupt current operations. One component of our growth strategy is acquisitions, such as our acquisition of Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC during fiscal 2015 and our recent acquisition of Kate Spade & Company on July 11, 2017. Our management team has and will consider growth strategies and expected synergies when considering any acquisition, and while we continually review potential acquisition opportunities, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify suitable candidates or consummate these transactions on acceptable terms. The integration process of any newly acquired company may be complex, costly and time-consuming. The potential difficulties of integrating the operations of an acquired business, such as Stuart Weitzman and Kate Spade, and realizing our expectations for an acquisition, including the benefits that may be realized, include, among other things: • failure of the business to perform as planned following the acquisition or achieve anticipated revenue or profitability targets; • delays, unexpected costs or difficulties in completing the integration of acquired companies or assets; • higher than expected costs, lower than expected cost savings or synergies and/or a need to allocate resources to manage unexpected operating difficulties; • difficulties assimilating the operations and personnel of acquired companies into our operations; • diversion of the attention and resources of management or other disruptions to current operations; • the impact on our or an acquired business’ internal controls and compliance with the requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; • unanticipated issues in integrating manufacturing, logistics, information, communications and other systems; • unanticipated changes in applicable laws and regulations; • unanticipated changes in the combined business due to potential divestitures or other requirements imposed by antitrust regulators; • retaining key customers, suppliers and employees; • retaining and obtaining required regulatory approvals, licenses and permits; • operating risks inherent in the acquired business and our business; • consumers’ failure to accept product offerings by us or our licensees; • assumption of liabilities not identified in due diligence; and • other unanticipated issues, expenses and liabilities. Our failure to successfully complete the integration of any acquired business, including Stuart Weitzman and/or Kate Spade, and any adverse consequences associated with future acquisition activities, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results. Completed acquisitions may result in additional goodwill and/or an increase in other intangible assets on our balance sheet. We are required annually, or as facts and circumstances exist, to test goodwill and other intangible assets to determine if impairment has occurred. If the testing performed indicates that impairment has occurred, we are required to record a non-cash impairment charge for the difference between the carrying value of the goodwill or other intangible assets and the implied fair value of the goodwill or the fair value of other intangible assets in the period the determination is made. We determined there was no impairment in fiscal 2017, fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015; however, we cannot accurately predict the amount and timing of any impairment of assets. Should the value of goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The successful execution of our operational efficiency and multi-year transformation initiatives is key to the long-term growth of our business. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, we announced a plan to enhance organizational efficiency, update core technology platforms and streamline the Company’s supply chain network. These initiatives were undertaken as a result of a strategic review of the Company’s corporate structure which focused on creating an agile and scalable business model. The charges under this plan began in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 and were substantially completed by the end of fiscal year 2017. There is no assurance these actions will be successful in achieving our intended results. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, we announced a multi-year strategic plan with the objective of transforming the brand and reinvigorating growth, which will enable the Company to return to 'best-in-class' profitability. Key operational and cost elements in order to fund and execute this plan included: (i) the investment in capital improvements in our stores and wholesale locations to drive comparable sales improvement; (ii) the optimization and streamlining of our organizational model as well as the closure of underperforming stores in North America, and select International stores; (iii) the realignment of inventory levels and mix to reflect our elevated product strategy and consumer preferences; (iv) the investment in incremental advertising costs to elevate consumer perception of our Coach brand, drive sales growth and promote our new strategy; and (v) the significant scale-back of our promotional cadence in an increased global promotional environment, particularly within our outlet Internet sales site. The Company's execution of these key operational and cost measures concluded during fiscal 2016. The Company believes that long-term growth will be realized through these transformational efforts over time. There is no assurance that such efforts will be successful in achieving long-term growth or changing the perception of the Company from an accessories brand to a global lifestyle brand. Actual costs incurred and the timeline of these initiatives may differ from our expectations. Refer to Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Note 3, "Restructuring Activities" for further information regarding these initiatives. The growth of our business depends on the successful execution of our growth strategies, including our efforts to expand internationally into a global lifestyle brand. Our growth depends on the continued success of existing products, as well as the successful design and introduction of new products. Our ability to create new products and to sustain existing products is affected by whether we can successfully anticipate and respond to consumer preferences and fashion trends. The failure to develop and launch successful new products could hinder the growth of our business. Also, any delay in the development or launch of a new product could result in our company not being the first to bring product to market, which could compromise our competitive position. Additionally, our current growth strategy includes plans to expand in a number of international regions, including Asia and Europe. We currently plan to open additional Coach and Stuart Weitzman stores in mainland China, Europe and other international markets, both directly and through strategic partners. Our brands may not be well-established or widely sold in some of these markets, and we may have limited experience operating directly or working with our partners there. In addition, some of these markets have different operational characteristics, including but not limited to employment and labor, transportation, logistics, real estate, environmental regulations and local reporting or legal requirements. Furthermore, consumer demand and behavior, as well as tastes and purchasing trends may differ in these countries, and as a result, sales of our product may not be successful, or the margins on those sales may not be in line with those we currently anticipate. Further, such markets will have upfront investment costs that may not be accompanied by sufficient revenues to achieve typical or expected operational and financial performance and therefore may be dilutive to our brands in the short-term. In many of these countries, there is significant competition to attract and retain experienced and talented employees. Consequently, if our international expansion plans are unsuccessful, or we are unable to retain and/or attract key personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially adversely affected. We face risks associated with operating in international markets. We operate on a global basis, with approximately 46% of our net sales from the Coach and Stuart Weitzman brands coming from operations outside of United States. While geographic diversity helps to reduce the Company’s exposure to risks in any one country, we are subject to risks associated with international operations, including, but not limited to: • political or economic instability or changing macroeconomic conditions in our major markets, including the potential impact of (1) new policies that may be implemented by the U.S. or other jurisdictions, particularly with respect to tax and trade policies or (2) the United Kingdom ("U.K.") voting to leave the European Union ("E.U."), commonly known as Brexit. On March 29, 2017, the U.K. triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty formally starting negotiations with the E.U. The U.K. has two years to complete these negotiations. Although the terms of the U.K.'s future relationship with the E.U. are still unknown, it is possible that there will be increased regulatory and legal complexities, including potentially divergent national laws and regulations between the U.K. and E.U. Brexit may also cause disruption and create uncertainty surrounding our business, including affecting our relationship with our existing and future customers, suppliers and employees; • changes in exchange rates for foreign currencies, which may adversely affect the retail prices of our products, result in decreased international consumer demand, or increase our supply costs in those markets, with a corresponding negative impact on our gross margin rates; • compliance with laws relating to foreign operations, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the U.K. Bribery Act, and other global anti-corruption laws, which in general concern the bribery of foreign public officials; • changes in tourist shopping patterns, particularly that of the Chinese consumer; • natural and other disasters; • changes in legal and regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to safeguard measures, anti-dumping duties, cargo restrictions to prevent terrorism, restrictions on the transfer of currency, climate change legislation, product safety regulations or other charges or restrictions • changes to the U.S.'s participation in, withdrawal out of, renegotiation of certain international trade agreements or other major trade related issues including the non-renewal of expiring favorable tariffs granted to developing countries, tariff quotas, trade sanctions, new or onerous trade restrictions, retaliatory tariffs, embargoes and other stringent government controls Economic conditions could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and consumer purchases of luxury items. Our results can be impacted by a number of macroeconomic factors, including but not limited to consumer confidence and spending levels, unemployment, consumer credit availability, raw materials costs, fuel and energy costs (including oil prices), global factory production, commercial real estate market conditions, credit market conditions and the level of customer traffic in malls and shopping centers. Demand for our products, and consumer spending in the premium handbag, footwear and accessories categories generally, is significantly impacted by trends in consumer confidence, general business conditions, interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates, the availability of consumer credit, and taxation. Consumer purchases of discretionary luxury items, such as the Company's products, tend to decline during recessionary periods or periods of sustained high unemployment, when disposable income is lower. Unfavorable economic conditions may also reduce consumers’ willingness and ability to travel to major cities and vacation destinations in which our stores are located. A decline in the volume of traffic to our stores could have a negative impact on our net sales. The success of our retail stores located within malls and shopping centers may be impacted by (1) the location of the store within the mall or shopping center; (2) surrounding tenants or vacancies; (3) increased competition in areas where malls or shopping centers are located; (4) the amount spent on advertising and promotion to attract consumers to the mall; and (5) a shift towards online shopping resulting in a decrease in mall traffic. Declines in consumer traffic could have a negative impact on our net sales and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, declines in traffic could result in store impairment charges if expected future cash flows of the related asset group do not exceed the carrying value. Our business may be subject to increased costs due to excess inventories and a decline in profitability as a result of increasing pressure on margins if we misjudge the demand for our products. Our industry is subject to significant pricing pressure caused by many factors, including intense competition and a highly promotional environment, fragmentation in the retail industry, pressure from retailers to reduce the costs of products, and changes in consumer spending patterns. If we misjudge the market for our products we may be faced with significant excess inventories for some products and missed opportunities for other products. If that occurs, we may be forced to rely on destruction, donation, markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess, slow-moving inventory, which may negatively impact our gross margin, overall profitability and efficacy of our brands. Increases in our costs, such as raw materials, labor or freight could negatively impact our gross margin. Labor costs at many of our manufacturers have been increasing significantly and, as the middle class in developing countries continues to grow, it is unlikely that such cost pressure will abate. Furthermore, the cost of transportation may fluctuate significantly if oil prices show volatility. We may not be able to offset such increases in raw materials, labor or transportation costs through pricing measures or other means. Significant competition in our industry could adversely affect our business. We face intense competition in the product lines and markets in which we operate. Our competitors are European and American luxury brands, as well as private label retailers, including some of the Company's wholesale customers. There is a risk that our competitors may develop new products or product categories that are more popular with our customers. We may be unable to anticipate the timing and scale of such product introductions by competitors, which could harm our business. Our ability to compete also depends on the strength of our brand, whether we can attract and retain key talent, and our ability to protect our trademarks and design patents. A failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our growth and profitability. Computer system disruption and cyber security threats, including a privacy or data security breach, could damage our relationships with our customers, harm our reputation, expose us to litigation and adversely affect our business. We depend on digital technologies for the successful operation of our business, including corporate email communications to and from employees, customers and stores, the design, manufacture and distribution of our finished goods, digital marketing efforts, collection and retention of customer data, employee information, the processing of credit card transactions, online e-commerce activities and our interaction with the public in the social media space. The possibility of a cyber-attack on any one or all of these systems is a serious threat. The retail industry, in particular, has been the target of many recent cyber-attacks. As part of our business model, we collect, retain, and transmit confidential information over public networks. In addition to our own databases, we use third party service providers to store, process and transmit this information on our behalf. Although we contractually require these service providers to implement and use reasonable security measures, we cannot control third parties and cannot guarantee that a security breach will not occur in the future either at their location or within their systems. We also store all designs, goods specifications, projected sales and distribution plans for our finished products digitally. We have confidential security measures in place to protect both our physical facilities and digital systems from attacks. Despite these efforts, however, we may be vulnerable to targeted or random security breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other similar events. Awareness and sensitivity to privacy breaches and cyber security threats by consumers, employees and lawmakers is at an all-time high. Any misappropriation of confidential or personally identifiable information gathered, stored or used by us, be it intentional or accidental, could have a material impact on the operation of our business, including severely damaging our reputation and our relationships with our customers, employees and investors. We may also incur significant costs implementing additional security measures to protect against new or enhanced data security or privacy threats, or to comply with state, federal and international laws governing the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information as well as increased cyber security protection costs such as organizational changes, deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees, and engaging third party experts and consultants and lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information including our intellectual property. Lastly, we could face sizable fines, significant breach-notification costs and increased litigation as a result of cyber security breaches. In addition, we maintain e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, Japan, mainland China, South Korea and several throughout Europe and have plans for additional e-commerce sites in other parts of the world. Additionally, Coach has informational websites in various countries, as described in Item I, "Business." Our e-commerce programs also include an invitation-only Coach outlet flash sale site. Given the robust nature of our e-commerce presence and digital strategy, it is imperative that we and our e-commerce partners maintain uninterrupted operation of our: (i) computer hardware, (ii) software systems, (iii) customer marketing databases, and (iv) ability to email our current and potential customers. Despite our preventative efforts, our systems are vulnerable from time-to-time to damage, disruption or interruption from, among other things, physical damage, natural disasters, inadequate system capacity, system issues, security breaches, email blocking lists, computer viruses or power outages. Any material disruptions in our e-commerce presence or information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company has embarked on a multi-year ERP implementation. The Company began implementation in fiscal 2017 and will continue in fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2019. If the execution of our plans falls short, our business, financial condition and results of operation could be materially adversely affected. The success of our business depends on our ability to retain the value of our brands and to respond to changing fashion and retail trends in a timely manner. We believe that the Coach brand, established over 75 years ago, is regarded as America's preeminent designer, producer, and marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men. We attribute the prominence of the Coach brand to the unique combination of our original American attitude and design, our heritage of fine leather goods and custom fabrics, our superior product quality and durability and our commitment to customer service. Furthermore, the Stuart Weitzman brand is viewed as a leading design house of women's luxury footwear within North America, with a strong opportunity for growth globally, and is built upon the idea of crafting a beautifully-constructed shoe, merging fashion and function. Any misstep in product quality or design, customer service, marketing, unfavorable publicity or excessive product discounting could negatively affect the image of our brands with our customers. Furthermore, the product lines we have historically marketed and those that we plan to market in the future are becoming increasingly subject to rapidly changing fashion trends and consumer preferences, including the increasing shift to digital brand engagement and social media communication. If we do not anticipate and respond promptly to changing customer preferences and fashion trends in the design, production, and styling of our products, as well as create compelling marketing campaigns that appeal to our customers, our sales and results of operations may be negatively impacted. Our success also depends in part on our ability to execute on our plans and strategies, including our operational efficiency initiatives and Transformation Plan. Even if our products, marketing campaigns and retail environments do meet changing customer preferences and/or stay ahead of changing fashion trends, our brand image could become tarnished or undesirable in the minds of our customers or target markets, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Our business is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We monitor our global foreign currency exposure. In order to minimize the impact on earnings of foreign currency rate movements, we hedge our subsidiaries’ U.S. dollar-denominated inventory purchases in Japan and Canada and Euro-denominated inventory purchases in Spain, as well as the Company's cross currency denominated intercompany loan portfolio. We cannot ensure, however, that these hedges will fully offset the impact of foreign currency rate movements. Additionally, our international subsidiaries primarily use local currencies as the functional currency and translate their financial results from the local currency to U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar strengthens against these subsidiaries’ foreign currencies, the translation of their foreign currency denominated transactions may decrease consolidated net sales and profitability. Our continued international expansion will increase our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations. The majority of the Company's purchases and sales involving international parties, excluding international consumer sales, are denominated in U.S. dollars. As a result of operating retail stores outside of the U.S., we are also exposed to market risk from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. For example, the announcement of Brexit caused significant volatility in the global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations. A substantial weakening of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar could impact consumers’ willingness or ability to travel abroad and/or purchase our products while traveling, as well as require us to raise our retail prices or reduce our profit margin in various locations outside of the U.S. In addition, our sales and profitability could be negatively impacted if consumers in those markets were unwilling to purchase our products at increased prices. Our stock price may periodically fluctuate based on the accuracy of our earnings guidance or other forward-looking statements regarding our financial performance, including our ability to return value to investors. Our business and long-range planning process is designed to maximize our long-term strength, growth, and profitability, and not to achieve an earnings target in any particular fiscal quarter. We believe that this longer-term focus is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. At the same time, however, we recognize that it is helpful to provide investors with guidance as to our forecast of net sales, earnings per share and other financial metrics or projections. While we generally expect to provide updates to our financial guidance when we report our results each fiscal quarter, we do not have any responsibility to update any of our forward-looking statements at such times or otherwise. In addition, any longer-term guidance that we provide is based on goals that we believe, at the time guidance is given, are reasonably attainable for growth and performance over a number of years. However, such long-range targets are more difficult to predict than our current quarter and fiscal year expectations. If, or when, we announce actual results that differ from those that have been predicted by us, outside investment analysts, or others, our stock price could be adversely affected. Investors who rely on these predictions when making investment decisions with respect to our securities do so at their own risk. We take no responsibility for any losses suffered as a result of such changes in our stock price. We periodically return value to investors through payment of quarterly dividends. Investors may have an expectation that we will continue to pay our quarterly dividend at certain levels. The market price of our securities could be adversely affected if our cash dividend rate differs from investors’ expectations. See “If we are unable to pay quarterly dividends at intended levels, our reputation and stock price may be harmed” for addition discussion of our quarterly dividend. Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property and curb the sale of counterfeit merchandise could injure our brands and negatively affect sales. We believe our trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights are extremely important to our success and our competitive position. We devote significant resources to the registration and protection of our trademarks and to anti-counterfeiting efforts worldwide. In spite of our efforts, counterfeiting still occurs and if we are unsuccessful in challenging a third-party’s rights related to trademark, copyright, or patent this could adversely affect our future sales, financial condition, and results of operations. We are aggressive in pursuing entities involved in the trafficking and sale of counterfeit merchandise through legal action or other appropriate measures. We cannot guarantee that the actions we have taken to curb counterfeiting and protect our intellectual property will be adequate to protect the brand and prevent counterfeiting in the future. Our trademark applications may fail to result in registered trademarks or provide the scope of coverage sought. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights are often met with defenses and counterclaims attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Unplanned increases in legal fees and other costs associated with defending our intellectual property rights could result in higher operating expenses. Finally, many countries’ laws do not protect intellectual property rights to the same degree as U.S. laws. Our business is subject to the risks inherent in global sourcing activities. As a Company engaged in sourcing on a global scale, we are subject to the risks inherent in such activities, including, but not limited to: • unavailability of, or significant fluctuations in the cost of, raw materials; • compliance by us and our independent manufacturers and suppliers with labor laws and other foreign governmental regulations; • imposition of additional duties, taxes and other charges on imports or exports; • increases in the cost of labor, fuel (including volatility in the price of oil), travel and transportation; • compliance with our Global Business Integrity Program; • compliance by our independent manufacturers and suppliers with our Global Operating Principles and/or Supplier Code of Conduct, as applicable; • compliance with U.S. laws regarding the identification and reporting on the use of “conflict minerals” sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Company’s products and the FCPA, U.K. Bribery Act and other global anti-corruption laws, as applicable; • disruptions or delays in shipments; • loss or impairment of key manufacturing or distribution sites; • inability to engage new independent manufacturers that meet the Company’s cost-effective sourcing model; • product quality issues; • political unrest; • unforeseen public health crises, such as pandemic and epidemic diseases; • natural disasters or other extreme weather events, whether as a result of climate change or otherwise; and • acts of war or terrorism and other external factors over which we have no control. We are subject to labor laws governing relationships with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions, and citizenship requirements. Compliance with these laws may lead to increased costs and operational complexity and may increase our exposure to governmental investigations or litigation. In addition, we require our independent manufacturers and suppliers to operate in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as our Global Operating Principles and/or Supplier Code of Conduct; however, we do not control these manufacturers or suppliers or their labor, environmental or other business practices. Copies of our Global Business Integrity Program, Global Operating Principles and Supplier Code of Conduct are available through our website, www.coach.com. The violation of labor, environmental or other laws by an independent manufacturer or supplier, or divergence of an independent manufacturer’s or supplier’s labor practices from those generally accepted as ethical or appropriate in the U.S., could interrupt or otherwise disrupt the shipment of our products, harm our trademarks or damage our reputation. The occurrence of any of these events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are dependent on a limited number of distribution and sourcing centers. Our ability to meet the needs of our customers and our retail stores and e-commerce sites depends on the proper operation of these centers. If any of these centers were to shut down or otherwise become inoperable or inaccessible for any reason, we could suffer a substantial loss of inventory and/or disruptions of deliveries to our retail and wholesale customers. While we have business continuity and contingency plans for our sourcing and distribution center sites, significant disruption of manufacturing or distribution for any of the above reasons could interrupt product supply, result in a substantial loss of inventory, increase our costs, disrupt deliveries to our customers and our retail stores, and, if not remedied in a timely manner, could have a material adverse impact on our business. Because our distribution centers include automated and computer controlled equipment, they are susceptible to risks including power interruptions, hardware and system failures, software viruses, and security breaches. We maintain a distribution center in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Coach. To support our growth in mainland China and Europe, we established distribution centers in Shanghai, China and Oldenzaal, The Netherlands, owned and operated by a third-party, allowing us to better manage the logistics in these regions while reducing costs. We also operate distribution centers, through third-parties, in Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, The United States, Spain, Canada and South Korea. The warehousing of the Company's merchandise, store replenishment and processing direct-to-customer orders is handled by these centers and a prolonged disruption in any center’s operation could materially adversely affect our business and operations. We are subject to risks associated with leasing retail space subject to long-term and non-cancelable leases. We may be unable to renew leases at the end of their terms. If we close a leased retail space, we remain obligated under the applicable lease. We do not own any of our retail store locations. We lease the majority of our stores under long-term, non-cancelable leases, which usually have initial terms ranging from five and ten years, often with renewal options. We believe that the majority of the leases we enter into in the future will likely be long-term and non-cancelable. Generally, our leases are “net” leases, which require us to pay our proportionate share of the cost of insurance, taxes, maintenance and utilities. We generally cannot cancel these leases at our option. If we determine that it is no longer economical to operate a retail store subject to a lease and decide to close it as we have done in the past and will do in the future, we may remain obligated under the applicable lease for, among other things, payment of the base rent for the balance of the lease term. In some instances, we may be unable to close an underperforming retail store due to continuous operation clauses in our lease agreements. In addition, as each of our leases expire, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could cause us to close retail stores in desirable locations. Our inability to secure desirable retail space or favorable lease terms could impact our ability to grow. Likewise, our obligation to continue making lease payments in respect of leases for closed retail spaces could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our success depends, in part, on attracting, developing and retaining qualified employees, including key personnel. The ability to successfully execute against our goals is heavily dependent on attracting, developing and retaining qualified employees, including our senior management team. Competition in our industry to attract and retain these employees is intense and is influenced by: our ability to offer competitive compensation and benefits, employee morale, our reputation, recruitment by other employers, perceived internal opportunities, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements and macro unemployment rates. Our operational efficiency initiatives as well as acquisitions and related integration activity may intensify this risk. We depend on the guidance of our senior management team and other key employees who have significant experience and expertise in our industry and our operations. In recent years, we have evolved our senior leadership team and have focused on retaining key roles. The unexpected loss of one or more of our key personnel or any negative public perception with respect to these individuals could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We do not maintain key-person or similar life insurance policies on any of senior management team or other key personnel. Our North American wholesale business could suffer as a result of consolidations, liquidations, restructurings and other ownership changes in the retail industry. Our North American wholesale business comprised approximately 3% of total net sales for fiscal 2017. Continued fragmentation in the retail industry could further decrease the number of, or concentrate the ownership of, stores that carry our and our licensees’ products. Furthermore, a decision by the controlling owner of a group of stores or any other significant customer, whether motivated by competitive conditions, financial difficulties or otherwise, to decrease or eliminate the amount of merchandise purchased from us or our licensing partners could result in an adverse effect on the sales and profitability within this channel. Additionally, certain of our wholesale customers, particularly those located in the U.S., have become highly promotional and have aggressively marked down their merchandise. Despite our reduction in markdown allowances during fiscal 2017, such promotional activity could negatively impact our brands, which could affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. As we outsource functions, we will become more dependent on the third parties performing these functions. As part of our long-term strategy, we look for opportunities to cost effectively enhance capability of business services. While we believe we conduct appropriate due diligence before entering into agreements with these third parties, the failure of any of these third parties to provide the expected services, provide them on a timely basis or to provide them at the prices we expect could disrupt or harm our business. Any significant interruption in the operations of these service providers, over which we have no control, could also have an adverse effect on our business. Furthermore, we may be unable to provide these services or implement substitute arrangements on a timely and cost-effective basis on terms favorable to us. Fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate may result in volatility of our financial results and stock price. We are subject to income taxes in many jurisdictions. We record tax expense based on our estimates of taxable income and required reserves for uncertain tax positions in multiple tax jurisdictions. At any one time, multiple tax years are subject to audit by various taxing jurisdictions. The results of these audits and negotiations with taxing authorities may result in a settlement which differs from our original estimate. As a result, we expect that throughout the year there could be ongoing variability in our quarterly tax rates as events occur and exposures are evaluated. In addition, our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period may be materially impacted by changes in the mix and level of earnings. Further, proposed tax changes that may be enacted in the future could impact our current or future tax structure and effective tax rates. U.S. lawmakers are evaluating proposals for substantial changes to U.S. fiscal and tax policies, which could include comprehensive tax reform. A variety of tax reform proposals that would significantly impact U.S. taxation of corporations are under consideration, including elimination of the interest deduction, taxation of previously unrepatriated foreign earnings and reductions in the U.S. corporate tax rate. We cannot predict which, if any, of these proposals will be enacted into law or the resulting impact any such enactment will have on our financial results. However, if new legislation were enacted, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly fluctuations, which could adversely affect the market price of the Company's common stock. The Company's results are typically affected by seasonal trends. We have historically realized, and expect to continue to realize, higher sales and operating income in the second quarter of our fiscal year. Poor sales in the Company's second fiscal quarter would have a material adverse effect on its full year operating results and result in higher inventories. In addition, fluctuations in net sales, operating income and operating cash flows of the Company in any fiscal quarter may be affected by the timing of wholesale shipments and other events affecting retail sales, including adverse weather conditions or other macroeconomic events. We rely on our licensing partners to preserve the value of our licenses and the failure to maintain such partners could harm our business. The Coach brand currently has multi-year agreements with licensing partners for our eyewear, watches and fragrance products. See Item 1 - “Business - Products” for additional discussion of our licensing arrangements. In the future, we may enter into additional licensing arrangements. The risks associated with our own products also apply to our licensed products as well as unique problems that our licensing partners may experience, including risks associated with each licensing partner’s ability to obtain capital, manage its labor relations, maintain relationships with its suppliers, manage its credit and bankruptcy risks, and maintain customer relationships. While we maintain significant control over the products produced for us by our licensing partners, any of the foregoing risks, or the inability of any of our licensing partners to execute on the expected design and quality of the licensed products or otherwise exercise operational and financial control over its business, may result in loss of revenue and competitive harm to our operations in the product categories where we have entered into such licensing arrangements. Further, while we believe that we could replace our existing licensing partners if required, our inability to do so for any period of time could materially adversely affect our revenues and harm our business. We also may decide not to renew our agreements with our licensing partners. For example, we did not renew our agreement with our prior footwear licensing partner when it expired in late fiscal 2017 and brought the category in-house. While we believe we have the infrastructure and systems in place to successfully bring this category in-house, we may face unexpected difficulties or costs in connection with this process or any future action to bring currently licensed categories in-house. If we are unable to pay quarterly dividends at intended levels, our reputation and stock price may be harmed. The dividend program requires the use of a moderate portion of our cash flow. Our ability to pay dividends will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations in the future. This ability may be subject to certain economic, financial, competitive and other factors that are beyond our control. Our Board of Directors (“Board”) may, at its discretion, decrease the intended level of dividends or entirely discontinue the payment of dividends at any time. Any failure to pay dividends after we have announced our intention to do so may negatively impact our reputation, investor confidence in us and negatively impact our stock price. We have incurred a substantial amount of indebtedness, which could restrict our ability to engage in additional transactions or incur additional indebtedness. As of July 1, 2017, our consolidated indebtedness was approximately $1.6 billion. Subsequent to fiscal year 2017, we borrowed $1.1 billion in term loans. Together with our cash on hand and cash on hand at Kate Spade, along with the $1.0 billion of Senior Notes and $1.1 billion in term loans, we financed our acquisition of Kate Spade. We also have $600 million of additional senior unsecured notes outstanding and capacity to borrow up to $900 million of additional indebtedness under our undrawn revolving credit facility, which may be used to finance our working capital needs, capital expenditures, permitted investments, share purchases, dividends and other general corporate purposes. This substantial level of indebtedness could have important consequences to our business including making it more difficult to satisfy our debt obligations, increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions, limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate and restricting us from pursuing certain business opportunities. In addition, the terms of our credit facility contain affirmative and negative covenants, including a leverage ratio, as well as limitations on our ability to incur debt, grant liens, engage in mergers and dispose of assets. These consequences and limitations could reduce the benefits we expect to achieve from the acquisition of Kate Spade or impede our ability to engage in future business opportunities or strategic acquisitions. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our debt obligations and to fund planned capital expenditures depends on our ability to generate cash from our operations. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. We cannot guarantee that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from our operations or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to make payments of our debt, fund other liquidity needs and make planned capital expenditures. In addition, our ability to access the credit and capital markets in the future as a source of funding, and the borrowing costs associated with such financing, is dependent upon market conditions and our credit rating and outlook. Provisions in the Company's charter, bylaws and Maryland law may delay or prevent an acquisition of the Company by a third party. The Company's charter, bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company without the consent of our Board. The Company's charter permits a majority of its entire Board, without stockholder approval, to amend the charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that the Company has the authority to issue. In addition, the Company's Board may classify or reclassify any unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock and may set the preferences, rights and other terms of the classified or reclassified shares. Although the Company's Board has no intention to do so at the present time, it could establish a class or series of preferred stock that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for the Company's common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of the Company's stockholders. The Company's bylaws can only be amended by our Board. The Company's bylaws provide that nominations of persons for election to the Company's Board and the proposal of business to be considered at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made only in the notice of the meeting, by the Company's Board or by a stockholder who is a stockholder of record as of the record date set by the Company's Board for purposes of determining stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, at the time of giving notice and at the time of the meeting and has complied with the advance notice procedures of the Company's bylaws. Also, under Maryland law, business combinations, including, in certain circumstances specified in the statute, issuances of equity securities, between the Company and any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the Company's common stock or an affiliate of such person are prohibited for a five-year period, beginning on the date such person last becomes a 10% stockholder, unless exempted in accordance with the statute. After this period, a combination of this type must be approved by two super-majority stockholder votes, unless some conditions are met or the business combination is exempted by the Company's Board. Risks relating to our Hong Kong Depositary Receipts (“HDRs”) An active trading market for the Hong Kong Depositary Receipts on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange might not develop or be sustained and their trading prices might fluctuate significantly. We cannot assure you that an active trading market for the HDRs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will develop or be sustained. If an active trading market of the HDRs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange does not develop or is not sustained, the market price and liquidity of the HDRs could be materially and adversely affected. As a result, the market price for HDRs in Hong Kong might not be indicative of the trading prices of Coach’s common stock on the NYSE, even allowing for currency differences. The characteristics of the U.S. capital markets and the Hong Kong capital markets are different. The NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange have different trading hours, trading characteristics (including trading volume and liquidity), trading and listing rules, and investor bases (including different levels of retail and institutional participation). As a result of these differences, the trading prices of common stock and the HDRs representing them might not be the same, even allowing for currency differences. Fluctuations in the price of our common stock due to circumstances particular to the U.S. capital markets could materially and adversely affect the price of the HDRs. Because of the different characteristics of the U.S. and Hong Kong equity markets, the historic market prices of our common stock may not be indicative of the performance of the HDRs. We are a corporation incorporated in the State of Maryland in the United States and our corporate governance practices are principally governed by U.S. federal and Maryland state laws and regulations. We are a corporation incorporated in the State of Maryland in the United States and our HDRs are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Our corporate governance practices are primarily governed by and subject to U.S. federal and Maryland laws and regulations. U.S. federal and Maryland laws and regulations differ in a number of respects from comparable laws and regulations in Hong Kong. There are certain differences between the stockholder protection regimes in Maryland and the United States and in Hong Kong. We have obtained a ruling from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (the “SFC”) that we will not be regarded as a public Company in Hong Kong for the purposes of the Code on Takeovers and Mergers and the Share Repurchases Code of Hong Kong and hence, these codes will not apply to us. We have also obtained a partial exemption from the SFC in respect of the disclosure of interest provisions set out in the Securities and Futures Ordinance of Hong Kong. In addition, we have been granted waivers or exemptions by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange from certain requirements under its listing rules. Neither our stockholders nor the HDR holders will have the benefit of those Hong Kong rules, regulations and the listing rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for which we have applied, and been granted, waivers or exemptions by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and SFC. Additionally, if any of these waivers or exemptions were to be revoked in circumstances including our non-compliance with applicable undertakings for any reason, additional legal and compliance obligations might be costly and time consuming, and might result in issues of interjurisdictional compliance, which could adversely affect us and HDR holders. As the SFC does not have extra-territorial jurisdiction on any of its powers of investigation and enforcement, it will also have to rely on the regulatory regimes of Maryland state authorities and the SEC to enforce any corporate governance breaches committed by us in the United States. Investors in the HDRs should be aware that it could be difficult to enforce any judgment obtained outside the United States against us or any of our associates. Furthermore, prospective investors in the HDRs should be aware, among other things, that there are U.S. federal withholding and estate tax implications for HDR holders. HDR holders are not stockholders of the Company and must rely on the depositary for the HDRs (the “HDR Depositary”) to exercise on their behalf the rights that are otherwise available to the stockholders of the Company. HDR holders do not have the rights of stockholders. They only have the contractual rights set forth for their benefit under the deposit agreement for the HDRs (the “Deposit Agreement”). Holders of HDRs are not permitted to vote at stockholders’ meetings, and they may only vote by providing instructions to the HDR Depositary. There is no guarantee that holders of HDRs will receive voting materials in time to instruct the HDR Depositary to vote and it is possible that holders of HDRs, or persons who hold their Hong Kong depositary shares through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote, although both we and the HDR Depositary will endeavor to make arrangements to ensure as far as practicable that all holders of HDRs will be able to vote. As the HDR Depositary or its nominee will be the registered owner of the common stock underlying their HDRs, holders of HDRs must rely on the HDR Depositary (or its nominee) to exercise rights on their behalf. In addition, holders of HDRs will also incur charges on any cash distribution made pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and on transfers of certificated HDRs. Holders of HDRs will experience dilution in their indirect interest in the Company in the event of an equity offering which is not extended to them. If we decide to undertake an equity offering (that is not a rights or other offering that is extended to HDR holders), HDR holders may suffer a dilution in their indirect ownership and voting interest in the common stock, as compared to their holdings in the HDRs immediately prior to such an offering. Holders of HDRs will be reliant upon the performance of several service providers. Any breach of those service providers of their contractual obligations could have adverse consequences for an investment in HDRs. An investment in HDRs will depend for its continuing viability on the performance of several service providers, including but not limited to the HDR Depositary, the registrar for the HDRs, the custodian and any sub-custodian appointed in respect of the underlying common stock. A failure by any of those service providers to meet their contractual obligations, whether or not by culpable default, could detract from the continuing viability of the HDRs as an investment. The Company will not have direct contractual recourse against the custodian, any sub-custodian or the registrar; hence the potential for redress in circumstances of default will be limited. However, the Company and the HDR Depositary have executed a deed poll in favor of HDR holders in relation to the exercise by them of their rights as HDR holders under the Deposit Agreement against the Company or the HDR Depositary. Withdrawals and exchanges of HDRs into common stock traded on the NYSE might adversely affect the liquidity of the HDRs. Our common stock is presently traded on the NYSE. Any HDR holder may at any time request that their HDRs be withdrawn and exchanged into common stock for trading on the NYSE. Upon the exchange of HDRs into common stock, the relevant HDRs will be canceled. In the event that a substantial number of HDRs are withdrawn and exchanged into Common Stock and subsequently canceled, the liquidity of the HDRs on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange might be adversely affected. The time required for HDRs to be exchanged into common stock (and vice versa) might be longer than expected and investors might not be able to settle or effect any sales of their securities during this period. There is no direct trading or settlement between the NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on which the common stock and the HDRs are respectively traded. In addition, the time differences between Hong Kong and New York and unforeseen market circumstances or other factors may delay the exchange of HDRs into common stock (and vice versa). Investors will be prevented from settling or effecting the sale of their securities across the various stock exchanges during such periods of delay. In addition, there is no assurance that any exchange of HDRs into common stock (and vice versa) will be completed in accordance with the timelines investors might anticipate. Investors are subject to exchange rate risk between Hong Kong dollars and U.S. dollars. The value of an investment in the HDRs quoted in Hong Kong dollars and the value of dividend payments in respect of the HDRs could be affected by fluctuations in the U.S. dollar/Hong Kong dollar exchange rate. While the Hong Kong dollar is currently linked to the U.S. dollar using a specified trading band, no assurance can be given that the Hong Kong government will maintain the trading band at its current limits or at all. ITEM 1B.