NOTE A — BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and business

Lifetime Brands, Inc. (the “Company”) designs, sources and sells branded kitchenware, tableware and other products used in the home and markets its products under a number of brand names and trademarks, which are either owned or licensed by the Company, or through retailers’ private labels. The Company markets and sells its products principally on a wholesale basis to retailers. The Company also markets and sells a limited selection of its products directly to consumers through its Pfaltzgraff, Mikasa, Fred and Friends, Built NY, Lifetime Sterling and The English Table internet websites.

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, which consist only of normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. Operating results for the three month period ended March 31, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016.

The Company’s business and working capital needs are highly seasonal, with a majority of sales occurring in the third and fourth quarters. In 2015 and 2014, net sales for the third and fourth quarters accounted for 59% and 60% of total annual net sales, respectively. In anticipation of the pre-holiday shipping season, inventory levels increase primarily in the June through October time period.

Revenue recognition

The Company sells products wholesale, to retailers and distributors, and retail, directly to the consumer. Wholesale sales and retail sales are recognized when title passes to the customer, which is primarily at the shipping point for wholesale sales and upon delivery to the customer for retail sales. Shipping and handling fees that are billed to customers in sales transactions are included in net sales and amounted to $394,000 and $409,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Net sales exclude taxes that are collected from customers and remitted to the taxing authorities.

The Company offers various sales incentives and promotional programs to its customers from time to time in the normal course of business. These incentives and promotions typically include arrangements such as cooperative advertising, buydowns, volume rebates and discounts. These arrangements and an estimate of sales returns are reflected as reductions in net sales in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Cost of sales

Cost of sales consists primarily of costs associated with the production and procurement of product, inbound freight costs, purchasing costs, royalties and other product procurement related charges.

Distribution expenses

Distribution expenses consist primarily of warehousing expenses and freight-out expenses.

Inventory

Inventory consists principally of finished goods sourced from third-party suppliers. Inventory also includes finished goods, work in process and raw materials related to the Company’s manufacture of sterling silver products. Inventory is priced using the lower of cost (first-in, first-out basis) or market method. The Company estimates the selling price of its inventory on a product by product basis based on the current selling environment. If the estimated selling price is lower than the inventory’s cost, the Company reduces the value of the inventory to its net realizable value.

The components of inventory are as follows:


	March 31,		December 31,
	2016		2015
	(in thousands)
Finished goods	$	136,929	$	133,618
Work in process		1,662		1,754
Raw materials		1,079		1,518

Total	$	139,670	$	136,890

Fair value of financial instruments

The Company determined the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable are reasonable estimates of their fair values because of their short-term nature. The Company determined that the carrying amounts of borrowings outstanding under its revolving credit facility, term loan and short term loan approximate fair value since such borrowings bear interest at variable market rates.

Derivatives

The Company accounts for derivative instruments in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic No. 815, Derivatives and Hedging. ASC Topic No. 815 requires that all derivative instruments be recognized on the balance sheet at fair value as either an asset or liability. Changes in the fair value of derivatives that qualify as hedges and have been designated as part of a hedging relationship for accounting purposes have no net impact on earnings to the extent the derivative is considered highly effective in achieving offsetting changes in fair value or cash flows attributable to the risk being hedged, until the hedged item is recognized in earnings. If a derivative which is designated as part of a hedging relationship is considered ineffective in achieving offsetting changes in fair value or cash flows attributable to the risk being hedged, the changes in fair value are recorded in operations. For derivatives that do not qualify or are not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes, changes in fair value are recorded in operations.

Employee healthcare

The Company self-insures certain portions of its health insurance plan. The Company maintains an accrual for unpaid claims and estimated claims incurred but not yet reported (“IBNR”). Although management believes that it uses the best information available to estimate claims IBNR, actual claims may vary significantly from estimated claims.

Restructuring Expenses

Costs associated with restructuring activities are recorded at fair value when a liability has been incurred. A liability has been incurred at the point of closure for any remaining operating lease obligations and at the communication date for severance.

In December 2015, the Company commenced an in-depth review of its U.S. Wholesale business segment, which included the evaluation of the segment’s efficiency and effectiveness. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company recorded $0.6 million of restructuring expense, primarily for severance, related to the execution of this plan. At March 31, 2016, $0.6 million was accrued related to the restructuring plan. During 2016 the Company expanded this restructuring plan to focus on more specific actions required to achieve the plan’s objectives. The Company expects to incur an additional $1.2 million of expense during the second quarter of 2016 for the development and execution of this phase of the U.S. Wholesale restructuring.

Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

Effective January 1, 2016, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2015-03, Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs and ASU 2015-15, Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements. This guidance requires debt issuance costs to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability. ASU 2015-15 clarifies that the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. In connection with the adoption of this standard, debt issuance costs associated with the Company’s Term Loan are presented as a deduction from the Term loan balance as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015. The retrospective adoption of this pronouncement results in a reduction of Other assets of $621,000, a reduction of the Current maturity of Credit Agreement Term Loan of $354,000 and a reduction of Credit Agreement Term Loan of $267,000 on the condensed consolidated statement of financial position as of December 31, 2015. The debt issuance costs associated with the Company’s Revolving Credit Facility are presented as Other assets as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

Effective January 1, 2016, the Company adopted ASU 2015-05, Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement, which provides guidance about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. The Company will apply the guidance prospectively to all arrangements entered into or materially modified after January 1, 2016. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Effective January 1, 2016, the Company adopted ASU 2015-16, Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments, which eliminates the requirement to restate prior period financial statements for measurement period adjustments. The Company will apply the new guidance prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the January 1, 2016 effective date. The adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Pronouncements to be Adopted in Future Periods

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This standard will require all income tax effects of awards to be recognized in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled. The standard will also allow an employer to repurchase more of an employee’s shares than it currently can for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting, and will allow companies to make a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect of adopting this pronouncement.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which requires a lessee, in most leases, to initially recognize a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within with those years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect of adopting this pronouncement.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory: Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which affects reporting entities that measure inventory using first-in, first-out or average cost. Specifically, the guidance requires that inventory be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable cost of completion, disposal, and transportation. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the effect of adopting this pronouncement, but the adoption is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to clarify the principles of recognizing revenue and create common revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. Following the FASB’s finalization of a one year deferral of this standard, the ASU is now effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15, 2016. This ASU can be adopted either retrospectively to each reporting period presented or as a cumulative effect adjustment as of the date of the adoption. The Company is currently determining its implementation approach and assessing the impact, if any, on its condensed consolidated financial statements.