Restructuring

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

The Company has engaged and expects to continue to engage in restructuring activities, which requires management to utilize significant estimates related to the timing and amount of severance and other employee separation costs for workforce reductions and other separation programs and other exit costs associated with restructuring activities. The Company’s accrual for severance and other employee separation costs depends on whether the costs result from an ongoing severance plan or are one-time costs. The Company accounts for relevant expenses as severance costs when we have an established severance policy, statutory requirements dictate the severance amounts, or if our historical experience is to routinely provide certain benefits to impacted employees. The Company recognizes severance costs when it is probable that benefits will be paid and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company estimates one-time severance and other employee costs related to exit and disposal activities not resulting from an ongoing severance plan based on the benefits available to the employees being terminated. The Company recognizes these costs when it identifies the specific classification or functions of the employees being terminated, notifies the employees who might be included in the termination, and expects to terminate employees within the legally required notification period. When employees are receiving incentives to stay beyond the legally required notification period, the Company records the cost of their severance over the remaining service period. All cash payments are expected to be paid within one year of charges being incurred.

To better align its resources with its strategy and operating model and to reduce the cost structure of its global operations, the Company commits to restructuring plans as necessary and as follows:

Organizational Realignment Plan

In January 2024, the Company announced an organizational realignment (the “Realignment Plan”), which is expected to strengthen the Company’s front-end commercial capabilities, such as consumer understanding and brand communication, in support of the “where to play” and “how to win” strategy choices the Company unveiled in June of 2023. In addition to improving accountability, the Realignment Plan was designed to unlock operational efficiencies and cost savings, reduce complexity and free up funds for reinvestment. As part of the Realignment Plan, the Company has made several operating model changes, which entailed: standing up a cross-functional brand management organization, realigning business unit finance to fully support the new global brand management model, further simplifying and standardizing regional go-to-market organizations, and centralizing domestic retail sales teams, the digital technology team, business-aligned accounting personnel, the Manufacturing Quality team, and the Human Resources functions into the appropriate center-led teams to drive standardization, efficiency and scale with a One Newell approach. The Company has also further optimized the Company’s real estate footprint and pursued other cost reduction initiatives. These actions were primarily implemented by the end of 2024. Remaining actions, subject to applicable local law and consultation requirements, are expected to be implemented by the end of fiscal year 2025. Restructuring and restructuring-related charges associated with these actions were estimated to be in the range of $75 million to $90 million. This estimate of charges consists primarily of $60 million to $70 million related to cash severance payments and other termination benefits, $11 million to $16 million associated with office space reduction and consolidation and approximately $4 million of other charges. The Company expects the majority of the aggregate charges to be cash expenditures.

The Company commenced organizational realignment activities during the first quarter of 2024. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded restructuring and restructuring-related charges of $37 million and $15 million, respectively. The Company has incurred aggregate charges of $52 million since inception in connection with the Realignment Plan.

In June 2024, as part of optimizing the Company’s real estate footprint, the Company entered into a lease agreement for a new location of its corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, which will allow it to consolidate five different facilities and bring together employees in the area into a single location. Also in June 2024, the Company entered into an agreement with an unrelated third party to sell and leaseback its current headquarters facility. The transaction closed during the fourth quarter of 2024 and the Company received cash proceeds for the sale, for a purchase price that is not material to the Company. The Company intends to occupy the current facility while waiting to build-out the new facility, which is anticipated to be completed during the first half of fiscal year 2025. The Company wrote down the carrying value of the assets to their fair value less cost to sell and recorded a net charge of $8 million inclusive of a fair market value adjustment related to the below market rental payments associated with the sale leaseback transaction, which was recorded within impairment of goodwill, intangibles and other assets in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024. The net charge of $8 million was included in the $15 million restructuring-related charges mentioned above. See Footnote 13 for further information.

Network Optimization Project

In May 2023, the Company announced a restructuring and cost savings initiative that is intended to simplify and streamline its North American distribution network (the “Network Optimization Project”) in order to improve the Company’s cost structure and operating margins while maintaining focus on customer and consumer fulfillment. The Network Optimization Project incorporated a variety of initiatives, including a reduction in the overall number of distribution centers, an optimization of distribution by location, and completion of select automation investments intended to further streamline the Company’s cost structure and to maximize operating performance. These actions were substantially implemented by the end of 2024. The Company estimated that it will incur approximately $37 million to $49 million in restructuring and restructuring-related charges associated with execution of the Network Optimization Project. This estimate of charges consists primarily of $8 million to $11 million related to cash severance payments and other termination benefits and approximately $29 million to $38 million associated with industrial site reductions. The Company expects that approximately $35 million to $44 million of the aggregate charges will be cash expenditures.

In connection with the Network Optimization Project, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $3 million and $7 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company also recorded restructuring-related charges of $18 million and $16 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company has incurred aggregate charges of $44 million since inception of the Network Optimization Project.

Project Phoenix

In January 2023, the Company announced a restructuring and savings initiative (“Project Phoenix”) that was intended to strengthen the Company by leveraging its scale to further reduce complexity, streamline its operating model and drive operational efficiencies. Project Phoenix was substantially implemented by the end of 2023 and incorporated a variety of initiatives designed to simplify the organizational structure, streamline the Company’s real estate portfolio, centralize the Company’s supply chain functions, transition to a unified One Newell go-to-market model in key international geographies, and reduce overhead costs. The Company estimated that it will incur approximately $100 million to $130 million in restructuring and restructuring-related charges in connection with Project Phoenix. These charges consist primarily of $80 million to $105 million in charges related to severance payments and other termination benefits; $15 million to $20 million in charges associated with office space reductions; and approximately $5 million of other charges, including those associated with employee transition and legal costs. The Company expects approximately $95 million to $120 million of the aggregate charges will be cash expenditures. While the program was mostly complete by the end of 2023, charges were recognized during 2024, as the Company completed remaining actions in accordance with local regulations and consultation requirements.

In connection with Project Phoenix, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $2 million and $78 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company also recorded restructuring-related charges of $8 million and $19 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The Company has incurred aggregate charges of $107 million since inception of Project Phoenix.

Restructuring charges, net and restructuring-related charges incurred from inception for the Realignment Plan, Network Optimization Project and Project Phoenix (collectively, the “Plans”) were as follows (in millions):


	Severance and termination costs		Contract termination and other costs		Total restructuring costs		Restructuring-related costs		Total costs
Realignment Plan	$	35	$	2	$	37	$	15	$	52
Network Optimization Project	6		4		10		34		44
Project Phoenix	78		2		80		27		107
	$	119	$	8	$	127	$	76	$	203

Restructuring charges, net and restructuring-related charges incurred by reportable business segment in connection with the Plans, since inceptions were as follows (in millions):


	Total restructuring costs		Restructuring-related costs		Total costs
Home and Commercial Solutions	$	51	$	38	$	89
Learning and Development	27		1		28
Outdoor and Recreation	15		10		25
Corporate	34		27		61
	$	127	$	76	$	203

Other Restructuring and Restructuring-Related Charges

The Company also incurs other restructuring and restructuring-related charges in connection with various discrete initiatives. The Company recorded $3 million, $10 million and $15 million of other restructuring costs during the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Restructuring-related charges are recorded in cost of products sold, SG&A and impairment of other assets in the Consolidated Statements of Operations based on the nature of the underlying charges incurred. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded other restructuring-related charges of $16 million, $64 million and $24 million, respectively.

Restructuring costs incurred by reportable business segment for all restructuring activities for the years ended December 31, are as follows (in millions):


	2024		2023		2022
Home and Commercial Solutions	$	9	$	50	$	5
Learning and Development	14		18		4
Outdoor and Recreation	4		11		5
Corporate	18		16		1
	$	45	$	95	$	15

Accrued restructuring costs activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 are as follows (in millions):


	Balance at December 31, 2023		Restructuring Costs, Net		Payments		Balance at December 31, 2024
Severance and termination costs	$	30	$	40	$	(58)	$	12
Contract termination and other costs	—		5		(5)		—
	$	30	$	45	$	(63)	$	12

Accrued restructuring costs activity for the year ended December 31, 2023 are as follows (in millions):


	Balance at December 31, 2022		Restructuring Costs, Net		Payments		Foreign Currency and Other		Balance at December 31, 2023
Severance and termination costs	$	7	$	89	$	(66)	$	—	$	30
Contract termination and other costs	—		6		(5)		(1)		—
	$	7	$	95	$	(71)	$	(1)	$	30