Certain statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our business strategies; COVID-19 (as defined below); revenue growth at QVC, Inc. ("QVC"); remediation of a material weakness; our projected sources and uses of cash; the recoverability of our goodwill and other intangible assets; and fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. The following include some but not all of the factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated:

the impact of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic and local, state and

? federal governmental responses to the pandemic on the economy, our customers,

our vendors and our businesses generally;

? customer demand for our products and services and our ability to anticipate

customer demand and to adapt to changes in demand;

? competitor responses to our products and services;

? increased digital TV penetration and the impact on channel positioning of our

programs;

? the levels of online traffic to our businesses' websites and our ability to

convert visitors into customers or contributors;

? uncertainties inherent in the development and integration of new business lines

and business strategies;

? our future financial performance, including availability, terms and deployment

of capital;

? our ability to successfully integrate and recognize anticipated efficiencies

and benefits from the businesses we acquire;

? the cost and ability of shipping companies, suppliers and vendors to deliver

products, equipment, software and services;

? the outcome of any pending or threatened litigation;

? availability of qualified personnel;

changes in, or failure or inability to comply with, government regulations,

? including, without limitation, regulations of the Federal Communications

Commission, and adverse outcomes from regulatory proceedings;

? changes in the nature of key strategic relationships with partners,

distributors, suppliers and vendors;

? domestic and international economic and business conditions and industry

trends, including the impact of Brexit (as defined below);

? consumer spending levels, including the availability and amount of individual

consumer debt and customer credit losses;

? advertising spending levels;

changes in distribution and viewing of television programming, including the

? expanded deployment of video on demand technologies and Internet protocol

television and their impact on home shopping programming;

? rapid technological changes;

failure to protect the security of personal information, subjecting us to

? potentially costly government enforcement actions and/or private litigation and

reputational damage;

? the regulatory and competitive environment of the industries in which we

operate;

? natural disasters, public health crises (including COVID-19), political crises,

and other catastrophic events or other events outside of our control;

? threatened terrorist attacks, political and economic unrest in international

markets and ongoing military action around the world; and

? fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

I-24

  Table of Contents

For additional risk factors, please see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the "2019 10-K"), as well as Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. These forward-looking statements and such risks, uncertainties and other factors speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

The following discussion and analysis provides information concerning our results of operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto and the 2019 10-K.

The information herein relates to Qurate Retail, Inc. (formerly named Liberty Interactive Corporation) and its controlled subsidiaries (collectively "Qurate Retail," the "Company," "Consolidated Qurate Retail," "us," "we" or "our" unless the context otherwise requires).

Overview

We own controlling and non-controlling interests in a broad range of video and online commerce companies. Our largest businesses and reportable segments are our operating segment comprised of QVC U.S. and HSN ("QxH") and QVC International. QVC markets and sells a wide variety of consumer products in the United States ("U.S.") and several foreign countries, primarily by means of its televised shopping programs and the Internet through its domestic and international websites and mobile applications. Zulily, LLC ("Zulily"), an online retailer offering customers a fun and entertaining shopping experience with a fresh selection of new product styles launched every day, is a reportable segment.

Our "Corporate and other" category includes our consolidated subsidiary Cornerstone Brands, Inc. ("Cornerstone"), along with various cost and equity method investments.

In December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China and has subsequently spread across the globe, impacting all countries where Qurate Retail operates. As a result of the spread of the virus, certain local governmental agencies have imposed travel restrictions, local quarantines or stay at home restrictions to contain the spread, which has caused a significant disruption to most sectors of the economy.

In response to these stay at home restrictions, QVC has mandated that non-essential employees work from home, has reduced the number of employees who are allowed on its production set and has implemented increased cleaning protocols, social distancing measures and temperature screenings for those employees who enter into certain facilities. In some cases, the move to a work from home arrangement for QVC's non-essential employees will be permanent, which may result in the reduction of office space. QVC has also mandated that all essential employees who do not feel comfortable coming to work will not be required to do so. As a result of these resource constraints, QVC included fewer hours of live programming on some of its secondary channels and has experienced some delays in shipping at certain fulfillment centers. In certain markets, QVC temporarily increased the wages and salaries for those employees deemed essential who do not have the ability to work from home, including production and fulfillment center employees. QVC has also paid a one-time work from home allowance to its employees during the second quarter of 2020. While the temporary increase in wages and salaries has been terminated in most of QVC's facilities, the inability to control the spread of COVID-19, or the expansion or extension of these stay at home restrictions could negatively impact QVC's results in the future.

The stay at home restrictions imposed in response to COVID-19 required many traditional brick and mortar retailers to temporarily close their stores, but allowed distance retailers, including QVC, to continue operating. As a result, beginning at the end of March 2020, QVC observed an increase in new customers and an increase in demand for certain categories, such as home.

As a result, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, management has increased certain estimated reserves including, but not limited to, uncollectible receivables in anticipation of higher defaults by customers billed through QVC's installment payment option, and inventory obsolescence due to decreased demand for certain categories, such as apparel. Management's estimates may change, however, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and any such changes will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements.

I-25

  Table of Contents

Zulily has seen increased freight surcharges from China due to COVID-19 and in concert with QVC has made work accommodations in its fulfillment centers which has resulted in an increase in labor expense. Zulily has also incurred additional expenses to deep cleanse its fulfillment centers and office buildings, coupled with a work-from-home allowance to reimburse its employees for home office and associated technology costs as a result of COVID-19. In addition, Zulily management cut all travel expenses, and reduced capital expenditures due to uncertainty created by COVID-19.

In addition, there are several potential adverse impacts of COVID-19 that could cause a material negative impact to the Company's financial results, including its capital and liquidity, for the remainder of 2020 and beyond. These include governmental restrictions on the Company's ability to continue to operate under stay at home restrictions, produce content, reduced demand for products sold, decreases in the disposable income of existing and potential new customers, the impacts of any recession and other uncertainties with respect to the continuity of government stimulus programs implemented in response to COVID-19, increased currency volatility resulting in adverse currency rate fluctuations, higher unemployment, labor shortages, an adverse impact to our supply chain and shipping disruptions for both the products we import and purchase domestically and the products the Company sells, including essential products experiencing higher demand due to factory closures, labor shortages and other resource constraints. While the impact is currently uncertain, the inability to control the spread of COVID-19 could cause any one of these adverse impacts, or combination of adverse impacts, to have a material impact on the Company's financial results.

In July 2020, QVC implemented a planned workforce reduction with the goal of making the organizational structure more streamlined and efficient. As part of the workforce reduction, QVC decided to eliminate live hours on QVC 2 in the U.S. and other secondary channels within the various markets. See more details below in the "Results of Operations-Businesses" section.

I-26

  Table of Contents

Results of Operations-Consolidated

General. We provide in the tables below information regarding our consolidated Operating Results and Other Income and Expense, as well as information regarding the contribution to those items from our principal reporting segments. The "Corporate and other" category consists of those assets or businesses which we do not disclose separately. For a more detailed discussion and analysis of the financial results of the principal reporting segments, see "Results of Operations-Businesses" below.

© Edgar Online, source Glimpses