SITEONE LANDSCAPE SUPPLY, INC. The following information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited
consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q. The following discussion may contain forward-looking
statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs. Our actual results
could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include
those factors discussed below and elsewhere in this report, particularly in
"Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information" and the
section entitled "Risk Factors" included herein and in the Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended
Overview
We are the largest and only national wholesale distributor of landscape supplies
in
Business Environment and Trends
Although our operations are focused in
Despite rapid product cost inflation, certain supply shortages, ongoing freight
and labor constraints, and overall economic uncertainty, we continue to
experience a high demand for our products due primarily to the stay-at-home
trends associated with the remote work environment and COVID-19. As consumers
spend more time at home, they are upgrading their backyards and patios and
investing in their outdoor living spaces. Homeowners are spending more on
maintaining their yards, which has increased demand for agronomic products. The
stay-at-home trend has also driven strong growth in the new construction end
market, which has resulted in increased demand for landscaping products. We
achieved Net sales growth of 24% and Organic Daily Sales growth was 17% for the
three months ended
During the three months ended
We continued to experience negative impacts from broad-based supply chain
disruptions during the three months ended
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As of the start of the 2022 Fiscal Year, we are operational in four distribution
center facilities across
As we continue to navigate the challenges discussed above, we remain confident in our ability to execute our commercial and operational initiatives to meet our customer's needs and drive further improvements in our business.
Impact of COVID-19 on Our Business
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, we continue to keep the safety of our associates, customers, and suppliers as a top priority while striving to deliver quality products and exceptional service to our customers and communities. We continue to monitor developments and follow appropriate recommendations from health and government authorities while proactively implementing safe behaviors, minimizing potential exposures, and facilitating safe and healthy environments in our branches and other facilities.
Although we have experienced operational and other challenges to date, there has
been no material adverse impact as a result of the pandemic on our results of
operations during the three months ended
Uncertainty remains regarding the full impact and duration of the COVID-19
pandemic, including, the impact of new strains and variants of the coronavirus
and the pandemic's impact on the
Presentation
Our financial statements included in this report have been prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in
We manage our business as a single reportable segment. Within our organizational framework, the same operational resources support multiple geographic regions and performance is evaluated at a consolidated level. We also evaluate performance based on discrete financial information on a regional basis. Since all of our regions have similar operations and share similar economic characteristics, we aggregate regions into a single operating and reportable segment. These similarities include (i) long-term financial performance, (ii) the nature of products and services, (iii) the types of customers we sell to, and (iv) the distribution methods utilized. Further, all of our product categories have similar supply chain processes and classes of customers.
Key Business and Performance Metrics
We focus on a variety of indicators and key operating and financial metrics to monitor the financial condition and performance of our business. These metrics include:
Net sales. We generate Net sales primarily through the sale of landscape supplies, including irrigation supplies, fertilizer and control products, hardscapes, landscape accessories, nursery goods, outdoor lighting, and ice melt products to our customers who are primarily landscape contractors serving the residential and commercial construction sectors. Our Net sales include billings for freight and handling charges, and commissions on the sale of control products that we sell as an agent. Net sales are presented net of any discounts, returns, customer rebates, and sales or other revenue-based taxes.
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Non-GAAP Organic Sales. In managing our business, we consider all growth, including the opening of new greenfield branches, to be organic growth unless it results from an acquisition. When we refer to Organic Sales growth, we include increases in growth from newly-opened greenfield branches and decreases in growth from closing existing branches but exclude increases in growth from acquired branches until they have been under our ownership for at least four full fiscal quarters at the start of the fiscal reporting period.
Non-GAAP Selling Days. Selling Days are defined as business days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, that our branches are open during the year. Depending upon the location and the season, our branches may be open on Saturdays and Sundays; however, for consistency, those days have been excluded from the calculation of Selling Days.
Non-GAAP Organic Daily Sales. We define Organic Daily Sales as Organic Sales divided by the number of Selling Days in the relevant reporting period. We believe Organic Sales growth and Organic Daily Sales growth are useful measures for evaluating our performance as we may choose to open or close branches in any given market depending upon the needs of our customers or our strategic growth opportunities. Refer to "Results of Operations - Quarterly Results of Operations Data" for a reconciliation of Organic Daily Sales to Net sales.
Cost of goods sold. Our Cost of goods sold includes all inventory costs, such as the purchase price paid to suppliers, net of any volume-based incentives, as well as inbound freight and handling, and other costs associated with inventory. Our Cost of goods sold excludes the cost to deliver the products to our customers through our branches, which is included in Selling, general and administrative expenses. Cost of goods sold is recognized primarily using the first-in, first-out method of accounting for the inventory sold.
Gross profit and gross margin. We believe that Gross profit and gross margin are useful for evaluating our operating performance. We define Gross profit as Net sales less Cost of goods sold. We define gross margin as Gross profit divided by Net sales.
Selling, general and administrative expenses (operating expenses). Our operating expenses are primarily comprised of Selling, general and administrative costs, which include personnel expenses (salaries, wages, employee benefits, payroll taxes, stock-based compensation, and bonuses), rent, fuel, vehicle maintenance costs, insurance, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and professional fees. Operating expenses also include depreciation and amortization.
Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA. In addition to the metrics discussed above, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful for evaluating the operating performance and efficiency of our business. EBITDA represents our Net income (loss) plus the sum of income tax (benefit) expense, interest expense, net of interest income, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA as further adjusted for items such as stock-based compensation expense, (gain) loss on sale of assets and termination of finance leases not in the ordinary course of business, other non-cash items, financing fees, other fees and expenses related to acquisitions, and other non-recurring (income) loss. Refer to "Results of Operations - Quarterly Results of Operations Data" for more information regarding how we calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA and the limitations of those metrics.
Key Factors Affecting Our Operating Results
In addition to the metrics described above, a number of other important factors may affect our results of operations in any given period.
Weather Conditions and Seasonality
In a typical year, our operating results are impacted by seasonality. Historically, our Net sales and Net income have been higher in the second and third quarters of each fiscal year due to favorable weather and longer daylight conditions during these quarters. Our Net sales have been significantly lower in the first and fourth quarters due to lower landscaping, irrigation, and turf maintenance activities in these quarters, and we have incurred net losses in these quarters. Seasonal variations in operating results may also be significantly impacted by inclement weather conditions, such as snow storms, wet weather, and hurricanes, which not only impact the demand for certain products like fertilizer and ice melt, but also may delay construction projects where our products are used.
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Table of Contents Industry and Key Economic Conditions
Our business depends on demand from customers for landscape products and services. The landscape supply industry includes a significant amount of landscape products, such as irrigation systems, outdoor lighting, lawn care supplies, nursery goods, and landscape accessories, for use in the construction of newly built homes, commercial buildings, and recreational spaces. The landscape supply industry has historically grown in line with rates of growth in residential housing and commercial building. The industry is also affected by trends in home prices, home sales, and consumer spending. As general economic conditions improve or deteriorate, consumption of these products and services also tends to fluctuate. The landscape supply industry also includes a significant amount of agronomic products such as fertilizer, herbicides, and ice melt for use in maintaining existing landscapes or facilities. The use of these products is also tied to general economic activity, but levels of sales are not as closely correlated to construction markets.
Popular Consumer Trends
Preferences in housing, lifestyle, and environmental awareness can also impact the overall level of demand and mix for the products we offer. Examples of current trends we believe are important to our business include a heightened interest in professional landscape services inspired by the popularity of home and garden television shows and magazines, the increasingly popular concept of "outdoor living," which has been a key driver of sales growth for our hardscapes and outdoor lighting products, and the social focus on eco-friendly products that promote water conservation, energy efficiency, and the adoption of "green" standards.
Acquisitions
In addition to our organic growth, we continue to grow our business through
acquisitions in an effort to better service our existing customers and to
attract new customers. These acquisitions have allowed us to further broaden our
product lines and extend our geographic reach and leadership positions in local
markets. In accordance with GAAP, the results of the acquisitions are reflected
in our financial statements from the date of acquisition forward. Additionally,
we incur transaction costs in connection with identifying and completing
acquisitions as well as ongoing integration costs as we integrate acquired
companies and seek to achieve synergies. As of
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Volume-Based Pricing
We generally procure our products through purchase orders rather than under long-term contracts with firm commitments. We work to develop strong relationships with select suppliers that we target based on a number of factors, including brand and market recognition, price, quality, product support, service levels, delivery terms, and strategic positioning. We typically have annual supplier agreements, and while they generally do not provide for specific product pricing, many include volume-based financial incentives that we earn by meeting or exceeding purchase volume targets. Our ability to earn these volume-based incentives is an important factor in our financial results. In certain cases, we have entered into supply contracts with terms that exceed one year for the manufacture of our LESCO® branded fertilizer, some nursery goods, and grass seed, which may require us to purchase products in the future.
Strategic Initiatives
We continue to undertake operational initiatives, utilizing our scale to improve our profitability, enhance supply chain efficiency, strengthen our pricing and category management capabilities, streamline and refine our marketing process, and invest in more sophisticated information technology systems and data analytics. We are focusing on our procurement and supply chain management initiatives to better serve our customers and reduce sourcing costs. We are also implementing new inventory planning and stocking system functionalities and new transportation management systems in an effort to reduce costs as well as improve our reliability and level of service. In addition, we continue to enhance our website and B2B e-Commerce platform. We also work closely with our local branches to improve sales, delivery, and branch productivity. We believe we will continue to benefit from the following initiatives, among others:
•Category management initiatives, including the implementation of organic growth strategies, the development of our private label product strategy, the expansion of product lines, and the reorganization of brands and products by preferred suppliers.
•Supply chain initiatives, including the implementation of new inventory planning and stocking systems and functionalities, the installation of new distribution centers, local hubs in large markets, and local fleet utilization and cost improvements.
•Sales force performance initiatives, including the implementation of new compensation plans, the restructuring of our sales force, formal sales and product training for our sales force and sales force management, and the implementation of a comprehensive CRM.
•Marketing initiatives, including product marketing, customer strategy and analytics, Hispanic customer engagement, implementation of our digital marketing strategy, and the relaunch of our Partners Program.
•Digital initiatives, including increasing customer demand and adoption of our website and B2B e-Commerce platform SiteOne.com, which provides the convenience of an online sales channel, enhanced account management functionality, and industry specific productivity tools for our customers.
•Operational excellence initiatives, including the implementation of best practices in branch operations which encompasses safety, merchandising, stocking and assortment, customer engagement, delivery, labor management, as well as branch systems automation and enhancement including the rollout of barcoding.
Working Capital
Our business is characterized by a relatively high level of reported working capital, the effects of which can be compounded by changes in prices. In addition to affecting our Net sales, fluctuations in prices of supplies tend to result in changes in our reported inventories, trade receivables, and trade payables, even when our sales volumes and our rate of turnover of these working capital items remain relatively constant. Our working capital needs are exposed to these price fluctuations, as well as to fluctuations in our cost for transportation and distribution. We might not always be able to reflect these increases in our pricing. The strategic initiatives described above are designed to reduce our exposure to these fluctuations and maintain and improve our efficiency.
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