Unless the context otherwise indicates, references to "we," "us," "our" and "the
Company" refer to Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. or "BNED", a Delaware
corporation. References to "Barnes & Noble College" or "BNC" refer to our
subsidiary Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC. References to "MBS" refer to
our subsidiary MBS Textbook Exchange, LLC. References to "Student Brands" refer
to our subsidiary Student Brands, LLC.
Overview
Description of Business
Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. ("BNED") is one of the largest contract operators
of physical and virtual bookstores for college and university campuses and K-12
institutions across the United States. We are also one of the largest textbook
wholesalers, inventory management hardware and software providers, and a leading
provider of digital education solutions. We operate 1,439 physical, virtual, and
custom bookstores and serve more than 6 million students, delivering essential
educational content and tools within a dynamic omnichannel retail environment.
Additionally, we offer direct-to-student products and services to help students
study more effectively and improve academic performance.
The strengths of our business include our ability to compete by developing new
products and solutions to meet market needs, our large operating footprint with
direct access to students and faculty, our well-established, deep relationships
with academic partners and stable, long-term contracts and our well-recognized
brands. We expect to continue to introduce scalable and advanced digital
solutions focused largely on the student, expand our e-commerce capabilities,
increase market share with new accounts, and expand our strategic opportunities
through acquisitions and partnerships. We expect general merchandise sales to
continue to increase over the long term, as our product assortments continue to
emphasize and reflect the changing consumer trends, and we evolve our
presentation concepts and merchandising of products in stores and online, as we
improve our e-commerce capabilities through investments we are making in new
systems, processes and people.
We believe the BNC and MBS brands are synonymous with innovation in bookselling
and campus retail, and are widely recognized and respected brands in the United
States. Our large college footprint, reputation, and credibility in the
marketplace not only support our marketing efforts to universities, students,
and faculty, but are also important for leading publishers who rely on us as one
of their primary distribution channels, and for being a trusted source for
students in our direct-to-student digital solutions business.
For additional information related to our business, see Part I - Item 1.
Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 2,
2020.
In August 2020, we expanded our existing strategic partnership with VitalSource®
to provide students with increased access to additional learning opportunities
through a unique bundle of its bartleby homework help services, bartleby learn™
and bartleby write™. The VitalSource direct-to-student channel will now offer
students unique access to the bartleby study bundle™ with the purchase of a
qualifying VitalSource eBook.
In Fiscal 2020, we retained Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC to serve as a financial
advisor in connection with our review of strategic opportunities. The review was
designed to accelerate the execution of customer-focused strategic initiatives
and enhance value for our shareholders, including, but not limited to, continued
execution of our current business plan, new partnerships, joint ventures and
other potential opportunities. On August 24, 2020, we announced that we had
concluded our review of strategic opportunities. After extensive evaluation and
deliberation, and in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, the
Board unanimously determined that the continued execution of the Company's
current business plan is the best path forward for the Company and its
shareholders.
COVID-19 Business Impact
Our business experienced an unprecedented and significant impact as a result of
COVID-19 related campus store closures. Beginning in March 2020, colleges and
universities nationwide began to close their campuses in light of safety
concerns and as a result of local and state issued stay-at-home orders. By
mid-March, during our fiscal fourth quarter, we closed the majority of our
physical campus stores to protect the health and safety of our customers and
employees.
While our campus stores were closed, we continued to serve institutions and
students through our campus websites, providing free shipping on all orders and
an expanded digital content offering to provide immediate access to course
materials to students at our campuses that closed due to COVID-19. We developed
and implemented plans to safely reopen our campus stores based on national,
state and local guidelines, as well as the campus policies set by the school
administration. Colleges and universities in the United States continue to
adjust their plans for each academic term, with some implementing shortened
semesters or choosing to remain fully virtual in order to best protect students
and faculty. As many schools adjusted their learning model and curtailed
on-campus activities in response to the pandemic, our flexible offerings ensured
that students were
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equipped with their course materials regardless of whether schools resumed
classes on campus, remotely or via a hybrid learning model.
Our fiscal 2021 second quarter results were significantly impacted by the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as many schools continued to adjust their learning
model and on-campus activities in response to the pandemic. Fewer students
returned to campus this fall, as many schools implemented a remote learning
model and curtailed on-campus classes and activities. While many big athletic
conferences resumed their sport activities, fan attendance at the games was
either eliminated or severely restricted, which further impacted the company's
high-margin general merchandise business. Additionally, sales were impacted by
overall enrollment declines in higher education.

The COVID-19 impact on higher education remains a fluid situation, and we are
committed to supporting our campus partners through our flexible offerings and
our ability to quickly pivot to ensure uninterrupted service as institutions
manage the safety of their campuses. There is still uncertainty about the
duration and extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. If economic
conditions caused by the pandemic do not recover as currently estimated by
management or market factors currently in place change, there could be a further
impact to our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows from
operations.
Segments
We have three reportable segments: Retail, Wholesale and DSS. Additionally,
unallocated shared-service costs, which include various corporate level expenses
and other governance functions, continue to be presented as "Corporate
Services".
We identify our segments in accordance with the way our business is managed
(focusing on the financial information distributed) and the manner in which our
chief operating decision maker allocates resources and assesses financial
performance. The following summarizes the three segments. For additional
information about each segment's operations, see Part I - Item 1. Business in
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 2, 2020.
Retail Segment
The Retail Segment operates 1,439 college, university, and K-12 school
bookstores, comprised of 768 physical bookstores and 671 virtual bookstores. Our
bookstores typically operate under agreements with the college, university, or
K-12 schools to be the official bookstore and the exclusive seller of course
materials and supplies, including physical and digital products. The majority of
the physical campus bookstores have school-branded e-commerce sites which we
operate and which offer students access to affordable course materials and
affinity products, including emblematic apparel and gifts. The Retail Segment
also offers inclusive access programs, in which course materials are offered at
a reduced price through a fee charged by the institution or included in tuition,
and delivered to students on or before the first day of class. Additionally, the
Retail Segment offers a suite of digital content and services to colleges and
universities, including a variety of open educational resource-based courseware.
Wholesale Segment
The Wholesale Segment is comprised of our wholesale textbook business and is one
of the largest textbook wholesalers in the country. The Wholesale Segment
centrally sources, sells, and distributes new and used textbooks to
approximately 3,400 physical bookstores (including our Retail Segment's 768
physical bookstores) and sources and distributes new and used textbooks to our
671 virtual bookstores. Additionally, the Wholesale Segment sells hardware and a
software suite of applications that provides inventory management and
point-of-sale solutions to approximately 400 college bookstores.
DSS Segment
The Digital Student Solutions ("DSS") Segment includes direct-to-student
products and services to assist students to study more effectively and improve
academic performance. The DSS Segment is comprised of the operations of Student
Brands, LLC, a leading direct-to-student subscription-based writing services
business, and bartleby®, a direct-to-student subscription-based offering
providing textbook solutions, expert questions and answers, writing and
tutoring.
Corporate Services represents unallocated shared-service costs which include
corporate level expenses and other governance functions, including executive
functions, such as accounting, legal, treasury, information technology, and
human resources.
Seasonality
Our business is highly seasonal. Our quarterly results also may fluctuate
depending on the timing of the start of the various schools' semesters, as well
as shifts in our fiscal calendar dates. These shifts in timing may affect the
comparability of our results across periods. Our fiscal year is comprised of 52
or 53 weeks, ending on the Saturday closest to the last day of April.
For our retail operations, sales are generally highest in the second and third
fiscal quarters, when students generally purchase and rent textbooks and other
course materials, and lowest in the first and fourth fiscal quarters. Sales
attributable to
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our wholesale business are generally highest in our first, second and third
quarter, as it sells textbooks and other course materials for retail
distribution. For our DSS segment, or direct-to-student business, sales and
operating profit are realized relatively consistently throughout the year.
Trends, Competition and Other Business Conditions Affecting Our Business
The market for educational materials is undergoing unprecedented change. As
tuition and other costs rise, colleges and universities face increasing pressure
to attract and retain students and provide them with innovative, affordable
educational content and tools that support their educational development.
Current trends, competition and other factors affecting our business include:
•Overall Economic Environment, College Enrollment and Consumer Spending
Patterns. Our business is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall
economic environment, funding levels at colleges and universities, by changes in
enrollments at colleges and universities, and spending on course materials and
general merchandise.
•Impact of COVID-19: The COVID-19 pandemic has materially and adversely impacted
certain segments of the U.S. economy, with legislative and regulatory responses
including unprecedented monetary and fiscal policy actions across all sectors,
and there is significant uncertainty as to timing of stabilization and recovery.
Many colleges and K-12 schools have been required to cease in-person classes in
an attempt to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the safety of
their students. Although many institutions have reopened, academic institutions
are considering alternatives to traditional in-person instruction, including
on-line learning and significantly reduced classroom size.
•Economic Environment: Retail general merchandise sales are subject to
short-term fluctuations driven by the broader retail environment.
•Enrollment Trends: The growth of our business depends on our ability to attract
new customers and to increase the level of engagement by our current student
customers. We continue to see downward enrollment trends and shrinking resources
from state and federal government for colleges and universities. Enrollment
trends, specifically at community colleges, generally correlate with changes in
the economy and unemployment factors, e.g. low unemployment tends to lead to low
enrollment and higher unemployment rates tend to lead to higher enrollment
trends, as students generally enroll to obtain skills that are in demand in the
workforce. Enrollment trends have been negatively impacted overall by COVID-19
concerns at physical campuses. A significant reduction in U.S. economic activity
and increased unemployment could lead to decreased enrollment and consumer
spending. Additionally, enrollment trends are impacted by the dip in the United
States birth rate resulting in fewer students at the traditional 18-24 year-old
college age. Online degree program enrollments continue to grow, even in the
face of declining overall higher education enrollment.
•Increased Use of Online and Digital Platforms as Companions or Alternatives to
Printed Course Materials. Students and faculty can now choose from a wider
variety of educational content and tools than ever before, delivered across both
print and digital platforms.
•Distribution Network Evolving. The way course materials are distributed and
consumed is changing significantly, a trend that is expected to continue. The
market for course materials, including textbooks and supplemental materials, is
intensely competitive and subject to rapid change.
•Disintermediation. We are experiencing growing competition from alternative
media and alternative sources of textbooks and other course materials. In
addition to the official physical or virtual campus bookstore, course materials
are also sold through off-campus bookstores, e-commerce outlets, digital
platform companies, publishers, including Cengage, Pearson and McGraw Hill,
bypassing the bookstore distribution channel by selling or renting directly to
students and educational institutions, and student-to-student transactions over
the Internet.
•Supply Chain and Inventory. Since the demand for used textbooks has
historically been greater than the available supply, our financial results are
highly dependent upon Wholesale's ability to build its textbook inventory from
suppliers in advance of the selling season. Some textbook publishers have begun
to supply textbooks pursuant to consignment or rental programs which could
impact used textbook supplies in the future. Additionally, Wholesale is a
national distributor for rental textbooks offered through McGraw-Hill
Education's and Pearson Education's consignment rental program, both of which
are relatively nascent.
•Price Competition. In addition to the competition in the services we provide to
our customers, our textbook and other course materials business faces
significant price competition. Students purchase textbooks and other course
materials from multiple providers, are highly price sensitive, and can easily
shift spending from one provider or format to another.
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•A Large Number of Traditional Campus Bookstores Have Yet to be Outsourced.
•Outsourcing Trends. We continue to see the trend towards outsourcing in the
campus bookstore market and also continue to see a variety of business models
being pursued for the provision of course materials (such as inclusive access
programs and publisher subscription models) and general merchandise.
•New and Existing Bookstore Contracts. We expect awards of new accounts
resulting in new physical and virtual store openings will continue to be an
important driver of future growth in our business. We also expect that certain
less profitable or essential bookstores we operate may close. Such stores could
be included in contracts for stores we operate that may be deemed non-essential;
and such stores could be operated by others or independently by schools. The
scope of any such store closures remains uncertain, although we are not aware,
at this time, of any significant volume of stores which we operate that are
likely to close or have informed us of upcoming closures.
For additional discussion of our trends and other factors affecting our
business, see Part I - Item 1. Business in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended May 2, 2020.
Elements of Results of Operations
Our condensed consolidated financial statements reflect our consolidated
financial position, results of operations and cash flows in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP").
Our sales are primarily derived from the sale of course materials, which include
new, used and digital textbooks, and at college and university bookstores which
we operate, we sell high margin general merchandise, including emblematic
apparel and gifts, trade books, computer products, school and dorm supplies,
convenience and café items and graduation products. Our rental income is
primarily derived from the rental of physical textbooks. We also derive revenue
from other sources, such as sales of inventory management, hardware and
point-of-sale software, direct-to-student subscription-based services, and other
services.
Our cost of sales primarily includes costs such as merchandise costs, textbook
rental amortization, content development cost amortization, warehouse costs
related to inventory management and order fulfillment, insurance, certain
payroll costs, and management service agreement costs, including rent expense,
related to our college and university contracts and other facility related
expenses.
Our selling and administrative expenses consist primarily of store payroll and
store operating expenses. Selling and administrative expenses also include
long-term incentive plan compensation expense and general office expenses, such
as merchandising, procurement, field support, finance and accounting, and
operating costs related to our direct-to-student subscription-based services
business. Shared-service costs such as human resources, legal, treasury,
information technology, and various other corporate level expenses and other
governance functions, are not allocated to any specific reporting segment and
are recorded in Corporate Services as discussed in the Overview - Segments
discussion above.
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Results of Operations - Summary
                                            13 weeks ended                     26 weeks ended
                                    October 31,       October 26,       October 31,       October 26,
Dollars in thousands                    2020              2019              2020             2019
Sales:
Product sales and other            $    551,832      $    718,543      $    745,042      $ 1,020,770
Rental income                            43,653            53,685            54,457           71,115
Total sales                        $    595,485      $    772,228      $    799,499      $ 1,091,885

Net income (loss)                  $      7,515      $     35,931      $    (39,137)     $     3,776

Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) (a) $ 11,075 $ 37,834 $ (30,641) $ 7,759



Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) (a)
Retail                             $     18,324      $     62,572      $    (22,316)     $    41,080
Wholesale                                 6,568             7,942            19,534           18,101
DSS                                         689               314             2,353            1,342
Corporate Services                       (5,501)           (5,668)          (10,745)         (10,675)
Elimination                               4,455             9,384            (2,308)            (427)

Total Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 24,535 $ 74,544 $ (13,482) $ 49,421

(a)Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. See Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) and Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) discussion below.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage relationship that certain items bear to total sales:


                                                              13 weeks ended                                        26 weeks ended
                                                 October 31,                October 26,                October 31,                October 26,
                                                     2020                       2019                       2020                       2019
Sales:
Product sales and other                                  92.7  %                      93.0  %                  93.2  %                      93.5  %
Rental income                                             7.3                          7.0                      6.8                          6.5
Total sales                                             100.0                        100.0                    100.0                        100.0
Cost of sales:
Product and other cost of sales (a)                      82.0                         77.0                     83.0                         77.5
Rental cost of sales (a)                                 63.5                         60.0                     64.5                         58.9
Total cost of sales                                      80.6                         75.8                     81.7                         76.3
Gross margin                                             19.4                         24.2                     18.3                         23.7
Selling and administrative expenses                      15.4                         14.7                     20.3                         19.3
Depreciation and amortization expense                     2.2                          2.0                      3.4                          2.9
Impairment loss (non-cash)                                  -                            -                        -                            -
Restructuring and other charges                           0.6                          0.2                      1.1                          0.3

Operating income (loss)                                   1.2  %                       7.3  %                  (6.5) %                       1.2  %


(a)Represents the percentage these costs bear to the related sales, instead of total sales.


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Results of Operations - 13 and 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 compared with the
13 and 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019

13 weeks ended, October 31, 2020


                                                                                                  Corporate
Dollars in thousands                       Retail           Wholesale             DSS             Services            Eliminations            Total
Sales:
Product sales and other                 $ 532,861          $  36,387          $  5,947          $        -          $     (23,363)         $ 551,832
Rental income                              43,653                  -                 -                   -                      -             43,653
Total sales                               576,514             36,387             5,947                   -                (23,363)           595,485
Cost of sales:
Product and other cost of sales           453,277             25,673             1,285                   -                (27,760)           452,475
Rental cost of sales                       27,725                  -                 -                   -                      -             27,725
Total cost of sales                       481,002             25,673             1,285                   -                (27,760)           480,200
Gross profit                               95,512             10,714             4,662                   -                  4,397            115,285
Selling and administrative expenses        77,380              4,146             5,003               5,501                    (58)            91,972
Depreciation and amortization expense       9,985              1,322             1,855                  31                      -             13,193
                             Sub-Total: $   8,147          $   5,246          $ (2,196)         $   (5,532)         $       4,455             10,120

Restructuring and other charges                                                                                                                3,387

Operating income                                                                                                                           $   6,733


                                                                               13 weeks ended, October 26, 2019
                                                                                                  Corporate
Dollars in thousands                       Retail           Wholesale             DSS             Services            Eliminations            Total
Sales:
Product sales and other                 $ 688,084          $  40,210          $  5,215          $        -          $     (14,966)         $ 718,543
Rental income                              53,685                  -                 -                   -                      -             53,685
Total sales                               741,769             40,210             5,215                   -                (14,966)           772,228
Cost of sales:
Product and other cost of sales           548,621             27,675             1,074                   -                (24,300)           553,070
Rental cost of sales                       32,208                  -                 -                   -                      -             32,208
Total cost of sales                       580,829             27,675             1,074                   -                (24,300)           585,278
Gross profit                              160,940             12,535             4,141                   -                  9,334            186,950
Selling and administrative expenses        98,578              4,593             4,615               5,668                    (50)           113,404
Depreciation and amortization expense      11,696              1,483             2,335                  32                      -             15,546
                             Sub-Total: $  50,666          $   6,459          $ (2,809)         $   (5,700)         $       9,384             58,000

Restructuring and other charges                                                                                                                1,569

Operating income                                                                                                                           $  56,431



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                                                                               26 weeks ended, October 31, 2020
                                                                                                  Corporate
Dollars in thousands                       Retail           Wholesale             DSS             Services            Eliminations            Total
Sales:
Product sales and other                 $ 680,833          $ 116,681          $ 11,819          $        -          $     (64,291)         $ 745,042
Rental income                              54,457                  -                 -                   -                      -             54,457
Total sales                               735,290            116,681            11,819                   -                (64,291)           799,499
Cost of sales:
Product and other cost of sales           588,531             89,210             2,411                   -                (61,912)           618,240
Rental cost of sales                       35,112                  -                 -                   -                      -             35,112
Total cost of sales                       623,643             89,210             2,411                   -                (61,912)           653,352
Gross profit                              111,647             27,471             9,408                   -                 (2,379)           146,147
Selling and administrative expenses       134,365              7,937             9,039              10,745                    (71)           162,015
Depreciation and amortization expense      20,555              2,617             4,020                  64                      -             27,256
                             Sub-Total: $ (43,273)         $  16,917          $ (3,651)         $  (10,809)         $      (2,308)           (43,124)

Restructuring and other charges                                                                                                                9,058

Operating loss                                                                                                                             $ (52,182)


                                                                                 26 weeks ended, October 26, 2019
                                                                                                   Corporate
Dollars in thousands                       Retail            Wholesale             DSS             Services            Eliminations             Total
Sales:
Product sales and other                 $  945,310          $ 112,519          $ 10,589          $        -          $     (47,648)         $ 1,020,770
Rental income                               71,115                  -                 -                   -                      -               71,115
Total sales                              1,016,425            112,519            10,589                   -                (47,648)           1,091,885
Cost of sales:
Product and other cost of sales            751,469             85,066             2,034                   -                (47,168)             791,401
Rental cost of sales                        41,877                  -                 -                   -                      -               41,877
Total cost of sales                        793,346             85,066             2,034                   -                (47,168)             833,278
Gross profit                               223,079             27,453             8,555                   -                   (480)             258,607
Selling and administrative expenses        182,393              9,352             8,728              10,675                    (53)             211,095
Depreciation and amortization expense       23,673              3,048             4,639                  65                      -               31,425
                             Sub-Total: $   17,013          $  15,053          $ (4,812)         $  (10,740)         $        (427)              16,087
Impairment loss (non-cash)                                                                                                                          433
Restructuring and other charges                                                                                                                   3,035

Operating income                                                                                                                            $    12,619


Sales

The following table summarizes our sales for the 13 and 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019:


                                               13 weeks ended                                                  26 weeks ended
                            October 31,         October 26,                              October 31,
Dollars in thousands           2020                2019                  %                  2020              October 26, 2019               %
Product sales and other    $  551,832          $  718,543             (23.2)%           $  745,042          $       1,020,770             (27.0)%
Rental income                  43,653              53,685             (18.7)%               54,457                     71,115             (23.4)%
Total Sales                $  595,485          $  772,228             (22.9)%           $  799,499          $       1,091,885             (26.8)%


Sales decreased by $176.7 million, or 22.9%, to $595.5 million during the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $772.2 million during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019.


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Sales decreased by $292.4 million, or 26.8%, to $799.5 million during the 26
weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $1,091.9 million during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019.
The sales decrease is primarily related to the impact from temporary store
closings related to COVID-19, as well as lower in store foot traffic, lower
enrollments and fewer on-campus events due to COVID-19.
The components of the variances for the 13 and 16 week periods are reflected in
the table below.
Sales variances                                            13 weeks ended                                       26 weeks ended
Dollars in millions                         October 31, 2020           October 26, 2019          October 31, 2020           October 26, 2019
Retail Sales
New stores                                 $           27.6          $            39.3          $           35.4          $            46.7
Closed stores                                         (16.4)                     (24.5)                    (21.9)                     (32.9)
Comparable stores (a)                                (196.5)                     (45.5)                   (302.7)                     (52.3)
Textbook rental deferral                               16.4                        1.5                      10.1                        2.3
Service revenue (b)                                     1.0                       (2.0)                     (3.7)                      (2.5)
Other (c)                                               2.7                      (10.9)                      1.7                      (15.9)
              Retail sales subtotal:       $         (165.2)         $           (42.1)         $         (281.1)         $           (54.6)

Wholesale Sales                            $           (3.8)         $            (0.6)         $            4.2          $           (18.3)
DSS Sales                                  $            0.7          $             0.3          $            1.2          $               -
Eliminations (d)                           $           (8.4)         $            (0.1)         $          (16.7)         $            12.5
               Total sales variance:       $         (176.7)         $           (42.5)         $         (292.4)         $           (60.4)


(a)  Comparable store sales includes sales from physical stores that have been
open for an entire fiscal year period and virtual store sales for the period,
does not include sales from closed stores for all periods presented, and digital
agency sales are included on a gross basis.
(b)  Service revenue includes Promoversity, brand partnerships, shipping and
handling, digital content, software, services, and revenue from other programs.
(c)  Other includes inventory liquidation sales to third parties, marketplace
sales and certain accounting adjusting items related to return reserves, and
other deferred items.
(d)  Eliminates Wholesale sales and service fees to Retail and Retail
commissions earned from Wholesale. See discussion of intercompany activities and
eliminations below.
Retail
Retail sales decreased by $165.2 million, or 22.3%, to $576.5 million during the
13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $741.8 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. Retail sales decreased by $281.1 million, or 27.7%, to $735.3
million during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $1,016.4 million during
the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. Retail added 80 new stores and closed 60
stores (not including temporary store closings due to COVID-19) during the 26
weeks ended October 31, 2020, ending the period with a total of 1,439 stores.
                                                                  13 weeks ended                                                                                  26 weeks ended
                                       October 31, 2020                                October 26, 2019                                October 31, 2020                                October 26, 2019
Number of Stores:              Physical                Virtual                 Physical                   Virtual              Physical                Virtual                 Physical                   Virtual
Number of stores at
beginning of period                772                    670                         777                     714                  772                    647                         772                     676
Opened                               5                     11                           2                       9                   29                     51                          40                      55
Closed                               9                     10                           7                      59                   33                     27                          40                      67
Number of stores at end of
period                             768                    671                         772                     664                  768                    671                         772                     664



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Product and other sales for Retail for the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020
decreased by $155.2 million, or 22.6% to $532.9 million from $688.1 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. Product and other sales for Retail
for the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 decreased by $264.5 million, or 28.0% to
$680.8 million from $945.3 million during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019.
Product and other sales are impacted by comparable store sales (as noted in the
chart below), new store openings and store closings, as well as the impact from
the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales were impacted by the temporary store closings due
to COVID-19 earlier in the fiscal year, as well as the impact of fewer students
returning to campus this fall, as many schools implemented a remote learning
model and curtailed on-campus classes and activities. While many big-conferences
resumed their sport activities, fan attendance at the games was either
eliminated or severely restricted, which further impacted the company's
high-margin general merchandise business. Additionally, sales were impacted by
overall enrollment declines in higher education. Textbook (Course Materials)
revenue for Retail decreased primarily due to lower new and used textbook and
other course materials sales, while First Day (our inclusive access program),
digital and eTextbook revenue increased. General merchandise sales for Retail
decreased primarily due to lower emblematic apparel sales (as many athletic
events were canceled due to COVID-19), lower supply product sales and lower
graduation product sales (primarily due to COVID-19 related campus closures). We
have made continued progress in the development of our next generation
e-commerce platform, which launched in Fiscal 2021 to deliver increased
high-margin general merchandise sales.
Rental income for Retail for the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 decreased by
$10.0 million, or 18.7% to $43.7 million from $53.7 million during the 13 weeks
ended October 26, 2019. Rental income for Retail for the 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020 decreased by $16.7 million, or 23.4% to $54.5 million from
$71.1 million during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. Rental income is
impacted by comparable store sales, new store openings and store closings. The
decrease in rental income is primarily due to decreased rental activity due to
the COVID-19 pandemic as discussed above and the impact of increased digital
offerings.
Comparable store sales for Retail decreased for the 13 and 26 week sales period.
Comparable store sales were impacted primarily by COVID-19 related campus
temporary store closures, lower enrollment and on-campus events (all discussed
above), a shift to lower cost options and more affordable solutions, including
digital offerings, increased consumer purchases directly from publishers and
other online providers, lower general merchandise sales (including graduation
products and logo products for athletic events). These decreases were partially
offset by increased First Day, digital and eTextbook revenue. Comparable store
sales variances for Retail by category for the 13 and 26 week periods are as
follows:
Comparable Store Sales
variances - Retail                                        13 weeks ended                                                         26 weeks ended
Dollars in millions                    October 31, 2020                    October 26, 2019                   October 31, 2020                    October 26, 2019
Textbooks (Course
Materials)                       $  (101.6)           (19.0) %       $  (43.9)            (7.7) %       $  (112.5)           (17.5) %       $  (55.4)            (8.0) %
General Merchandise                  (97.2)           (52.0) %           (0.2)           (10.0) %          (184.8)           (58.6) %            5.7              1.9  %
Trade Books                           (6.3)           (62.3) %           (1.4)           (12.1) %           (14.0)           (73.2) %           (2.6)           (11.9) %
Total Comparable Store
Sales                            $  (205.1)           (28.1) %       $  (45.5)            (5.9) %       $  (311.3)           (31.8) %       $  (52.3)            (5.1) %


Wholesale
Wholesale sales decreased by $3.8 million, or 9.5% to $36.4 million during the
13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $40.2 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. The decrease is primarily due to decreased gross sales,
partially offset by a lower returns and allowances, both impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Wholesale sales increased by $4.2 million, or 3.7% to $116.7 million during the
26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $112.5 million during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. The increase is primarily due to lower returns and allowances
as a result of customer sales mix. During the 26 months ended October 31, 2020,
the Wholesale operations assumed direct-to-student fulfillment of course
material orders for the Retail Segment campus bookstores that were not fully
operational due to COVID-19 campus store closures.
DSS
DSS total sales increased by $0.7 million, or 14.0% to $5.9 million during the
13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $5.2 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. DSS total sales increased by $1.2 million, or 11.6% to $11.8
million during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $10.6 million during the
26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. Sales increased primarily due to an increase in
bartleby subscription sales.
Cost of Sales and Gross Margin
Our cost of sales increased as a percentage of sales to 80.6% during the 13
weeks ended October 31, 2020 compared to 75.8% during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. Our gross margin decreased by $71.7 million, or 38.3%, to
$115.3 million, or 19.4% of sales, during the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020
from $187.0 million, or 24.2% of sales during the 13 weeks ended October 26,
2019.
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Our cost of sales increased as a percentage of sales to 81.7% during the 26
weeks ended October 31, 2020 compared to 76.3% during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. Our gross margin decreased by $112.5 million, or 43.5%, to
$146.1 million, or 18.3% of sales, during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020
from $258.6 million, or 23.7% of sales during the 26 weeks ended October 26,
2019.
Retail
The following table summarizes the Retail cost of sales for the 13 and 26 weeks
ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019:
                                                                13 weeks ended                                                                          26 weeks ended
                                October 31,              % of               October 26,              % of               October 31,              % of               October 26,              % of
Dollars in thousands               2020              Related Sales             2019              Related Sales             2020              Related Sales             2019              Related Sales
Product and other cost of
sales                          $  453,277                85.1%             $  548,621                79.7%             $  588,531                86.4%             $  751,469                79.5%
Rental cost of sales               27,725                63.5%                 32,208                60.0%                 35,112                64.5%                 41,877                58.9%
Total Cost of Sales            $  481,002                83.4%             $  580,829                78.3%             $  623,643                84.8%             $  793,346                78.1%

The following table summarizes the Retail gross margin for the 13 and 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019:


                                                                 13 weeks ended                                                                          26 weeks ended
                                 October 31,              % of               October 26,              % of               October 31,              % of               October 26,              % of
Dollars in thousands                2020              Related Sales             2019              Related Sales             2020              Related Sales             2019              Related Sales
Product and other gross margin  $   79,584                14.9%             $  139,463                20.3%             $   92,302                13.6%             $  193,841                20.5%
Rental gross margin                 15,928                36.5%                 21,477                40.0%                 19,345                35.5%                 29,238                41.1%
Gross Margin                    $   95,512                16.6%             $  160,940                21.7%             $  111,647                15.2%             $  223,079                21.9%


For the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, the Retail gross margin as a percentage
of sales decreased as discussed below:
•Product and other gross margin decreased (535 basis points), driven primarily
by an unfavorable sales mix (355 basis points) due to lower high-margin general
merchandise sales of approximately $98.1 million and the shift to lower margin
digital courseware, and lower margin rates (220 basis points) due to higher
markdowns, partially offset by lower contract costs as a percentage of sales
related to our college and university contracts (40 basis points) resulting from
contract renewals and new store contracts.
•Rental gross margin decreased (355 basis points), driven primarily by higher
contract costs as a percentage of sales related to our college and university
contracts (450 basis points), partially offset by higher rental margin rates (95
basis points).
For the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, the Retail gross margin as a percentage
of sales decreased as discussed below:
•Product and other gross margin decreased (695 basis points), driven primarily
by an unfavorable sales mix (485 basis points) due to lower high-margin general
merchandise sales of approximately $187.9 million and the shift to lower margin
digital courseware, and lower margin rates (295 basis points) due to higher
markdowns, partially offset by lower contract costs as a percentage of sales
related to our college and university contracts (85 basis points) resulting from
contract renewals and new store contracts.
•Rental gross margin decreased (560 basis points), driven primarily by higher
contract costs as a percentage of sales related to our college and university
contracts (575 basis points) and unfavorable rental mix (75 basis points),
partially offset by higher rental margin rates (90 basis points).
Wholesale
The cost of sales and gross margin for Wholesale were $25.7 million, or 70.6% of
sales, and $10.7 million, or 29.4% of sales, respectively, during the 13 weeks
ended October 31, 2020. The cost of sales and gross margin for Wholesale was
$27.7 million or 68.8% of sales and $12.5 million or 31.2% of sales,
respectively, during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019.
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The cost of sales and gross margin for Wholesale were $89.2 million, or 76.5% of
sales, and $27.5 million, or 23.5% of sales, respectively, during the 26 weeks
ended October 31, 2020. The cost of sales and gross margin for Wholesale was
$85.1 million or 75.6% of sales and $27.5 million or 24.4% of sales,
respectively, during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019.
The gross margin rate decreased during the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020
primarily due to an unfavorable sales mix, partially offset by the favorable
impact of returns and allowances and lower markdowns. The gross margin rate
decreased during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 primarily due an
unfavorable sales mix and inventory markdowns, partially offset by the favorable
impact of returns and allowances.
DSS
The gross margin for the DSS segment was $4.7 million, or 78.4% of sales, during
the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and $4.1 million, or 79.4% of sales, during
the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. The gross margin for the DSS segment was
$9.4 million, or 79.6% of sales, during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and
$8.6 million, or 80.8% of sales, during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. The
high gross margins are driven primarily by high margin subscription service
revenue earned. The decrease in gross margin for the 13 and 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020 is primarily due to increased amortization of content
development costs for bartleby textbook solutions of $0.2 million and $0.5
million, respectively.
Intercompany Eliminations
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, our sales
eliminations were $(23.4) million and $(15.0) million, respectively. During the
26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, our sales eliminations
were $(64.3) million and $(47.6) million, respectively. These sales eliminations
represent the elimination of Wholesale sales and fulfillment service fees to
Retail and the elimination of Retail commissions earned from Wholesale.
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, the cost of
sales eliminations were $(27.8) million and $(24.3) million, respectively.
During the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, the cost of
sales eliminations were $(61.9) million and $(47.2) million, respectively. These
cost of sales eliminations represent (i) the recognition of intercompany profit
for Retail inventory that was purchased from Wholesale in a prior period that
was subsequently sold to external customers during the current period and the
elimination of Wholesale service fees charged for fulfillment of inventory for
virtual store sales, net of (ii) the elimination of intercompany profit for
Wholesale inventory purchases by Retail that remain in ending inventory at the
end of the current period.
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, the gross
margin eliminations were $4.4 million and $9.3 million, respectively. During the
26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019, the gross margin
eliminations were $(2.4) million and $(0.5) million, respectively. The gross
margin eliminations reflect the net impact of the sales eliminations and cost of
sales eliminations during the above mentioned reporting periods.
Selling and Administrative Expenses
                                                         13 weeks ended                                                           26 weeks ended
                               October 31,           % of           October 26,           % of           October 31,           % of           October 26,           % of
Dollars in thousands               2020             Sales              2019              Sales              2020              Sales              2019              Sales
Total Selling and
Administrative Expenses        $  91,972            15.4%          $  113,404            14.7%          $  162,015            20.3%          $  211,095            19.3%


During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, selling and administrative expenses
decreased by $21.4 million, or 18.9%, to $92.0 million from $113.4 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. During the 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020, selling and administrative expenses decreased by $49.1
million, or 23.3%, to $162.0 million from $211.1 million during the 26 weeks
ended October 26, 2019.
The variances by segment are as follows:
Retail
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, Retail selling and administrative
expenses decreased by $21.2 million, or 21.5%, to $77.4 million from $98.6
million during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. This decrease was primarily
due to a $17.5 million decrease in stores payroll and operating expenses,
including comparable stores, primarily due to furloughed store employees, lower
virtual stores and new/closed stores payroll and operating expenses, and a
decrease of $3.7 million in corporate payroll, infrastructure costs, product
development costs and digital operations costs.
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During the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, Retail selling and administrative
expenses decreased by $48.0 million, or 26.3%, to $134.4 million from $182.4
million during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. This decrease was primarily
due to a $40.4 million decrease in stores payroll and operating expenses,
including comparable stores, primarily due to furloughed store employees, lower
virtual stores and new/closed stores payroll and operating expenses, and a
decrease of $7.7 million in corporate payroll, infrastructure costs, product
development costs and digital operations costs.
Wholesale
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, Wholesale selling and administrative
expenses decreased by $0.5 million or 9.7% to $4.1 million from $4.6 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. During the 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020, Wholesale selling and administrative expenses decreased by
$1.4 million or 15.1% to $7.9 million from $9.4 million during the 26 weeks
ended October 26, 2019.The decrease in selling and administrative expenses was
primarily driven by lower payroll and operating costs.
DSS
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, DSS selling and administrative
expenses increased by $0.4 million or 8.4% to $5.0 million from $4.6 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. During the 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020, DSS selling and administrative expenses increased by $0.3
million or 3.6% to $9.0 million from $8.7 million during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. The increase in costs was primarily driven by higher
professional services and advertising costs.
Corporate Services
During the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, Corporate Services' selling and
administrative expenses decreased by $0.2 million or 2.9% to $5.5 million from
$5.7 million during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. During the 26 weeks
ended October 31, 2020, Corporate Services' selling and administrative expenses
increased by $0.1 million or 0.7% to $10.8 million from $10.7 million during the
26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. The increase was primarily due to higher
compensation-related expense, partially offset by lower operating expenses.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense
                                                      13 weeks ended                                                          26 weeks ended
                             October 31,           % of          October 26,           % of          October 31,           % of          October 26,           % of
Dollars in thousands             2020             Sales              2019             Sales              2020             Sales              2019             Sales
Total Depreciation and
Amortization Expense         $  13,193             2.2%          $  15,546             2.0%          $  27,256             3.4%          $  31,425             2.9%


Depreciation and amortization expense decreased by $2.4 million, or 15.1%, to
$13.2 million during the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $15.5 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019. Depreciation and amortization
expense decreased by $4.2 million, or 13.3%, to $27.3 million during the 26
weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $31.4 million during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019.The decrease was primarily attributable to lower depreciation
related to closed stores and lower capital expenditures.
Impairment loss (non-cash)
We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable in accordance with ASC 360-10, Accounting for the Impairment or
Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. During the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019, we
recognized an impairment loss (non-cash) of $0.4 million in the Retail segment
related to net capitalized development costs for a project which are not
recoverable.
Restructuring and other charges
During the 13 and 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, we recognized restructuring
and other charges totaling $3.4 million and $9.1 million, respectively,
comprised primarily of $1.1 million and $4.5 million, respectively, for
severance and other employee termination and benefit costs associated with
elimination of various positions as part of cost reduction objectives, $2.3
million and $4.6 million, respectively, for professional service costs related
to restructuring, process improvements, shareholder activist activities, and
costs related to liabilities for a facility closure.
During the 13 and 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019, we recognized restructuring
and other charges totaling $1.6 million and $3.0 million, respectively,
comprised primarily of $0.1 million and $0.8 million, respectively, for
severance and other employee termination and benefit costs associated with
several management changes and the elimination of various positions as part of
cost reduction objectives, and $1.5 million and $2.2 million, respectively,
related to professional service costs related to restructuring, process
improvements, shareholder activist activities, and costs related to liabilities
for a facility closure.
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Operating Income (Loss)
                                                   13 weeks ended                                                           26 weeks ended
                          October 31,           % of          October 26,           % of           October 31,           % of          October 26,           % of
Dollars in thousands          2020             Sales              2019             Sales              2020              Sales              2019             Sales
Total Operating Income
(Loss)                    $   6,733             1.2%          $  56,431             7.3%          $  (52,182)           (6.5)%         $  12,619             1.2%


Our operating income was $6.7 million during the 13 weeks ended October 31,
2020, compared to an operating income of $56.4 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. The decrease in operating income is due to the matters
discussed above. For the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, excluding the $3.4
million of restructuring and other charges, discussed above, operating income
was $10.1 million (or 1.7%). For the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019, excluding
the $1.6 million of restructuring and other charges, discussed above, operating
income was $58.0 million (or 7.5% of sales).
Our operating loss was $(52.2) million during the 26 weeks ended October 31,
2020, compared to an operating income of $12.6 million during the 26 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. The decrease in operating income is due to the matters
discussed above. For the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, excluding the $9.1
million of restructuring and other charges, discussed above, operating loss was
$(43.1) million (or 5.4%). For the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019, excluding
the $3.0 million of restructuring and other charges and impairment loss
(non-cash) of $0.4 million, discussed above, operating income was $16.1 million
(or 1.5% of sales).
Interest Expense, Net
                                                        13 weeks ended                                        26 weeks ended
Dollars in thousands                      October 31, 2020           October 26, 2019           October 31, 2020           October 26, 2019
Interest Expense, Net                   $             912          $           1,446          $           3,565          $           3,978


Net interest expense decreased by $0.5 million, or 36.9%, to $0.9 million during
the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $1.4 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019. Net interest expense decreased by $0.4 million, or 10.4%, to
$3.6 million during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 from $4.0 million during
the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to lower
interest rates and lower net borrowings compared to the prior year.
Income Tax (Benefit) Expense
                                                         13 weeks ended                                                                         26 weeks ended
                         October 31,                                October 26,                                 October 31,                                October 26,
Dollars in thousands         2020            Effective Rate             2019            Effective Rate             2020             Effective Rate             2019            Effective Rate
Income Tax (Benefit)
Expense                  $  (1,694)              (29.1)%            $  19,054                34.7%             $  (16,610)               29.8%             $   4,865                56.3%


We recorded an income tax benefit of $(1.7) million on pre-tax income of $5.8
million of during the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, which represented an
effective income tax rate of (29.1)% and we recorded income tax expense of $19.1
million on a pre-tax income of $55.0 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019, which represented an effective income tax rate of 34.7%.
We recorded an income tax benefit of $(16.6) million on a pre-tax loss of
$(55.7) million of during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, which represented
an effective income tax rate of 29.8% and we recorded income tax expense of $4.9
million on pre-tax income of $8.6 million during the 26 weeks ended October 26,
2019, which represented an effective income tax rate of 56.3%.
The effective tax rate for the 13 and 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020 is lower
as compared to the comparable prior year due to permanent differences and the
impact of benefits available to the Company as a result of the CARES Act in the
current year.
Net Income (Loss)
                                                        13 weeks ended                                    26 weeks ended
                                                                                              October 31,
Dollars in thousands                      October 31, 2020          October 26, 2019              2020              October 26, 2019
Net income (loss)                       $           7,515          $         35,931          $   (39,137)         $           3,776


As a result of the factors discussed above, net income was $7.5 million during
the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, compared with net income of $35.9 million
during the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019 and net loss was $(39.1) million
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during the 26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, compared with net income of $3.8
million during the 26 weeks ended October 26, 2019.
Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) is $11.1 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 31, 2020, compared with $37.8 million during the 13 weeks ended
October 26, 2019 and Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) is $(30.6) million during the
26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, compared with $7.8 million during the 26 weeks
ended October 26, 2019. See Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP) discussion below.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures - Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA
To supplement our results prepared in accordance with GAAP, we use the measure
of Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted EBITDA, which are non-GAAP financial measures
under Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") regulations. We define
Adjusted Earnings as net income as adjusted for items that are subtracted from
or added to net income. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income plus
(1) depreciation and amortization; (2) interest expense and (3) income taxes,
(4) as adjusted for items that are subtracted from or added to net income.
To properly and prudently evaluate our business, we encourage you to review our
consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in the Form 10-K for the
year ended May 2, 2020, the reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings to net income
and the reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income, the most directly
comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, set forth in the
tables below. All of the items included in the reconciliations below are either
(i) non-cash items or (ii) items that management does not consider in assessing
our on-going operating performance.
These non-GAAP financial measures are not intended as substitutes for and should
not be considered superior to measures of financial performance prepared in
accordance with GAAP. In addition, our use of these non-GAAP financial measures
may be different from similarly named measures used by other companies, limiting
their usefulness for comparison purposes.
We review these non-GAAP financial measures as internal measures to evaluate our
performance and manage our operations. We believe that these measures are useful
performance measures which are used by us to facilitate a comparison of our
on-going operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period. We
believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide for a more complete
understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than measures under
GAAP can provide alone, as they exclude certain items that do not reflect the
ordinary earnings of our operations. Our Board of Directors and management also
use Adjusted EBITDA as one of the primary methods for planning and forecasting
overall expected performance, for evaluating on a quarterly and annual basis
actual results against such expectations, and as a measure for performance
incentive plans. We believe that the inclusion of Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted
EBITDA results provides investors useful and important information regarding our
operating results.
Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP)
                                                          13 weeks ended                           26 weeks ended
                                                  October 31,         

October 26, October 31, October 26, Dollars in thousands

                                 2020                2019                2020                 2019
Net income (loss)                                $    7,515          $   35,931          $  (39,137)         $     3,776
Reconciling items, after-tax (below)                  3,560               1,903               8,496                3,983
Adjusted Earnings (non-GAAP)                     $   11,075          $   

37,834 $ (30,641) $ 7,759



Reconciling items, pre-tax
Impairment loss (non-cash) (a)                   $        -          $      

- $ - $ 433



Content amortization (non-cash)                       1,222                 998               2,386                1,909
Restructuring and other charges (a)                   3,387               1,569               9,058                3,035

Reconciling items, pre-tax                            4,609               2,567              11,444                5,377
Less: Pro forma income tax impact (b)                 1,049                 664               2,948                1,394
Reconciling items, after-tax                     $    3,560          $    1,903          $    8,496          $     3,983

(a) See Management Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations discussion above. (b) Represents the income tax effects of the non-GAAP items.


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Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)
                                                          13 weeks ended                          26 weeks ended
                                                  October 31,         

October 26, October 31, October 26, Dollars in thousands

                                 2020                2019                2020                2019
Net income (loss)                                $    7,515          $   35,931          $  (39,137)         $    3,776
Add:
Depreciation and amortization expense                13,193              15,546              27,256              31,425
Content amortization (non-cash)                       1,222                 998               2,386               1,909
Interest expense, net                                   912               1,446               3,565               3,978
Income tax (benefit) expense                         (1,694)             19,054             (16,610)              4,865
Impairment loss (non-cash) (a)                            -                   -                   -                 433

Restructuring and other charges (a)                   3,387               1,569               9,058               3,035

Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) (a)                   $   24,535          $   

74,544 $ (13,482) $ 49,421




(a)   See Management Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations
discussion above.
The following is Adjusted EBITDA by segment for the 13 and 26 weeks ended
October 31, 2020 and October 26, 2019.
Adjusted EBITDA - by Segment                                                

13 weeks ended October 31, 2020


                                                                                             Corporate
Dollars in thousands                   Retail           Wholesale            DSS             Services            Elimination(b)            Total
Sales                               $ 576,514          $  36,387          $ 5,947          $        -          $       (23,363)         $ 595,485
Cost of sales (a)                     480,810             25,673              255                   -                  (27,760)           478,978
Gross profit                           95,704             10,714            5,692                   -                    4,397            116,507
Selling and administrative
expenses                               77,380              4,146            5,003               5,501                      (58)            91,972
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)          $  18,324          $   6,568          $   689          $   (5,501)         $         4,455          $  24,535


Adjusted EBITDA - by Segment                                               

13 weeks ended October 26, 2019


                                                                                             Corporate
Dollars in thousands                   Retail           Wholesale            DSS             Services            Elimination(b)            Total
Sales                               $ 741,769          $  40,210          $ 5,215          $        -          $       (14,966)         $ 772,228
Cost of sales (a)                     580,619             27,675              286                   -                  (24,300)           584,280
Gross profit                          161,150             12,535            4,929                   -                    9,334            187,948
Selling and administrative
expenses                               98,578              4,593            4,615               5,668                      (50)           113,404
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)          $  62,572          $   7,942          $   314          $   (5,668)         $         9,384          $  74,544



Adjusted EBITDA - by Segment                                               

26 weeks ended October 31, 2020


                                                                                              Corporate
Dollars in thousands                   Retail           Wholesale             DSS             Services            Elimination(b)            Total
Sales                               $ 735,290          $ 116,681          $ 11,819          $        -          $       (64,291)         $ 799,499
Cost of sales (a)                     623,241             89,210               427                   -                  (61,912)           650,966
Gross profit                          112,049             27,471            11,392                   -                   (2,379)           148,533
Selling and administrative
expenses                              134,365              7,937             9,039              10,745                      (71)           162,015
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)          $ (22,316)         $  19,534          $  2,353          $  (10,745)         $        (2,308)         $ (13,482)



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Adjusted EBITDA - by Segment                                                

26 weeks ended October 26, 2019


                                                                                                Corporate
Dollars in thousands                    Retail            Wholesale             DSS             Services            Elimination(b)             Total
Sales                               $ 1,016,425          $ 112,519          $ 10,589          $        -          $       (47,648)         $ 1,091,885
Cost of sales (a)                       792,952             85,066               519                   -                  (47,168)             831,369
Gross profit                            223,473             27,453            10,070                   -                     (480)             260,516
Selling and administrative
expenses                                182,393              9,352             8,728              10,675                      (53)             211,095

Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) $ 41,080 $ 18,101 $ 1,342 $ (10,675) $ (427) $ 49,421





(a) For the 13 weeks ended October 31, 2020, gross margin excludes $0.2 million
and $1.0 million of amortization expense (non-cash) related to content
development costs in the Retail Segment and DSS Segment, respectively. For the
26 weeks ended October 31, 2020, gross margin excludes $0.4 million and $2.0
million of amortization expense (non-cash) related to content development costs
in the Retail Segment and DSS Segment, respectively.

For the 13 weeks ended October 26, 2019, gross margin excludes $0.2 million and
$0.8 million of amortization expense (non-cash) related to content development
costs in the Retail Segment and DSS Segment, respectively. For the 26 weeks
ended October 26, 2019, gross margin excludes $0.4 million and $1.5 million of
amortization expense (non-cash) related to content development costs in the
Retail Segment and DSS Segment, respectively.
(b)  See Management Discussion and Analysis and Results of Operations discussion
above.

Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of cash are net cash flows from operating activities, funds
available under our credit agreement and short-term vendor financing. As of
October 31, 2020, we had $99.5 million outstanding borrowings under the Credit
Agreement. See Financing Arrangements discussion below.
Our business experienced an unprecedented and significant impact as a result of
COVID-19 related campus store closures. Beginning in March 2020, colleges and
universities nationwide began to close their campuses in light of safety
concerns and as a result of local and state issued stay-at-home orders. By
mid-March, during our fiscal fourth quarter, we closed the majority of our
physical campus stores to protect the health and safety of our customers and
employees.
While our campus stores were closed, we continued to serve institutions and
students through our campus websites, providing free shipping on all orders and
an expanded digital content offering to provide immediate access to course
materials to students at our campuses that closed due to COVID-19. We developed
and implemented plans to safely reopen our campus stores based on national,
state and local guidelines, as well as the campus policies set by the school
administration. Colleges and universities in the United States continue to
adjust their plans for each academic term, with some implementing shortened
semesters or choosing to remain fully virtual in order to best protect students
and faculty. As many schools adjusted their learning model and curtailed
on-campus activities in response to the pandemic, our flexible offerings ensured
that students were equipped with their course materials regardless of whether
schools resumed classes on campus, remotely or via a hybrid learning model.
Our fiscal 2021 second quarter results were significantly impacted by the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as many schools continued to adjust their learning
model and on-campus activities in response to the pandemic. Fewer students
returned to campus this fall, as many schools implemented a remote learning
model and curtailed on-campus classes and activities. While many big athletic
conferences resumed their sport activities, fan attendance at the games was
either eliminated or severely restricted, which further impacted the company's
high-margin general merchandise business. Additionally, sales were impacted by
overall enrollment declines in higher education.
The COVID-19 impact on higher education remains a fluid situation, and we are
committed to supporting our campus partners through our flexible offerings and
our ability to quickly pivot to ensure uninterrupted service as institutions
manage the safety of their campuses.
We have implemented a significant cost reduction program designed to streamline
our operations, maximize productivity and drive profitability. Certain elements
of this plan were implemented in late Fiscal 2020, while other actions are
planned for Fiscal 2021. We anticipate meaningful annualized cost savings from
this program, the majority of which is expected to be realized beginning in
Fiscal 2021. The first half of Fiscal 2021 was significantly impacted by
COVID-19 related campus store closures, as well as lower enrollments due to
COVID-19 and fewer on campus events. We cannot accurately predict the
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duration or extent of the impact of COVID-19 on enrollments, university budgets,
athletics and other areas that directly affect our business operations. There is
still uncertainty about the duration and extent of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic. If economic conditions caused by the pandemic do not recover as
currently estimated by management or market factors currently in place change,
there could be a further impact to our results of operations, financial
condition and cash flows from operations.
We believe that our future cash from operations, access to borrowings under the
Credit Facility, FILO Facility and short-term vendor financing will provide
adequate resources to fund our operating and financing needs for the foreseeable
future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including,
but not limited to, the economy and the outlook for and pace of sustainable
growth in our markets, the levels at which we maintain inventory, the number and
timing of new store openings, and any potential acquisitions of other brands or
companies including digital properties. To the extent that available funds are
insufficient to fund our future activities, we may need to raise additional
funds through public or private financing of debt or equity. Our access to, and
the availability of, financing in the future will be impacted by many factors,
including the liquidity of the overall capital markets and the current state of
the economy. There can be no assurances that we will have access to capital
markets on acceptable terms.

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