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Note 6 - Related-party Transactions

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Notes to Financial Statements

Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]

6.	Related-Party Transactions

SPAR's policy respecting approval of transactions with related persons, promoters and control persons is contained in the SPAR Group Code of Ethical Conduct for its Directors, Executives, Officers, Employees, Consultants and other Representatives Amended and Restated (as of) March 15, 2018 (the "Ethics Code"). The Ethics Code is intended to promote and reward honest, ethical, respectful and professional conduct by each director, executive, officer, employee, consultant and other representative and each other Covered Person (as defined in the Ethics Code) in his or her position with the Company anywhere in the world, including (among other things) serving each customer, dealing with each vendor and treating each other with integrity and respect, and behaving honestly, ethically and professionally with each customer, each vendor, each other and the Company. Article II of the Ethics Code specifically prohibits various forms of self-dealing (including dealing with relatives) and collusion and Article V of the Ethics Code generally prohibits each "Covered Person" (including SGRP's officers and directors) from using or disclosing the Confidential Information of the Company or any of its customers or vendors, seeking or accepting anything of value from any competitor, customer, vendor, or other person relating to doing business with the Company, or engaging in any business activity that conflicts with his or her duties to the Company, and directs each "Covered Person" to avoid any activity or interest that is inconsistent with the best interests of the SPAR Group, in each case except for any "Approved Activity" (as such terms are defined in the Ethics Code). Examples of violations include (among other things) having any ownership interest in, acting as a director or officer of or otherwise personally benefiting from business with any competitor, customer or vendor of the Company other than pursuant to any Approved Activity. Approved Activities include anything disclosed to and approved by SGRP's Board of Directors (the "Board"), its Governance Committee or its Audit Committee, as required and as the case may be, as well as the ownership, board, executive and other positions held in and services and other contributions to affiliates of SGRP and its subsidiaries by certain directors, officers or employees of SGRP, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective family members. The Governance Committee and Audit Committee are each required to consist solely of independent outside directors (see Domestic Related Party Services, Affinity Insurance and Related Reimbursement Dispute, International Related Party Services, Other Related Party Transactions and Arrangements, and SBS Bankruptcy, Settlement and March 2020 Claim, below, and Item 4 - Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting).

SPAR's Audit Committee has the specific duty and responsibility to review and approve the overall fairness to the Company and terms of all material related-party transactions and payments. The Audit Committee receives affiliate contracts and amendments thereto for its review and approval (to the extent approval is given), and these contracts are periodically (often annually) again reviewed, in accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, the Ethics Code, the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq"), and other applicable law to ensure that the overall economic and other terms will be (or continue to be) no less favorable to the Company than would be the case in an arms-length contract with an unrelated provider of similar services (i.e., its overall fairness to the Company, including pricing, payments to related parties, and the ability to provide services at comparable performance levels). The Audit Committee periodically reviews all related party relationships and transactions described below. See Item 4 - Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financials Reporting, below.

Domestic Related Party Transactions

National Merchandising Services, LLC ("NMS"), is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by SPAR through its indirect ownership of 51% of the NMS membership interests and by National Merchandising of America, Inc. ("NMA"), through its ownership of the other 49% of the NMS membership interests. Mr. Edward Burdekin is the Chief Executive Officer and President and a director of NMS and also is an executive officer and director of NMA. Ms. Andrea Burdekin, Mr. Burdekin's wife, is the sole stockholder and a director of NMA and a director of NMS. NMA is an affiliate of the Company but is not under the control of or consolidated with the Company. Mr. Burdekin also owns 100% of National Store Retail Services ("NSRS"). Since September 2018, NSRS provided substantially all the domestic merchandising specialist field force used by NMS. For those services, NMS agrees to reimburse NSRS certain costs for providing those services plus a premium ranging from 4.0% to 10.0% of certain costs as discussed below. Effective July 1, 2021, those services were no longer provided by NSRS and are currently provided by National Remodel & Setup Services, LLC ("NRSS") under the same arrangements. Ms. Burdekin owns 100% of NRSS.

Also, NMS leases office and operational space that is owned personally by Mr. Burdekin. The lease expense is $2,000 a month. While there is no formal signed agreement, there is no expected change to the arrangement.

Resource Plus is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by SGRP through its indirect ownership of 51% of the Resource Plus membership interests and by Mr. Richard Justus through his ownership of the other 49% of the Resource Plus membership interests. Mr. Justus has a 50% ownership interest in RJ Holdings which owns the buildings where Resource Plus is headquartered and operates. Both buildings are subleased to Resource Plus.

International Related Party Services

SGRP Meridian (Pty), Ltd. ("Meridian") is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned 51% by SGRP, 23% by Friedshelf 401 Proprietary Limited and 26% by Lindicom Empowerment Holdings Proprietary Limited. Mr. Adrian Wingfield, who is a Director of CMR Meridian, is one of the beneficial owners of Merhold Holding Trust ("MHT"). MHT owns the building where Meridian is headquartered.

SPAR Todopromo is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned 51% by SGRP and 49% by the following individuals: Mr. Juan F. Medina Domenzain ("JFMD"), Juan Medina Staines, Julia Cesar Hernandez Vanegas, and Jorge Medina Staines. Mr. Juan F. Medina Domenzain is an officer and director of SPAR Todopromo and is also majority shareholder (90%) of CONAPAD ("CON") which had supplied administrative and operational consulting support to SPAR Todopromo from 2016 to November 2020.

JFMD also leased a warehouse to SPAR Todopromo. The lease expense is 85,000 per month Mexican Pesos or approximately $4,000 USD (based upon the exchange rate at September 30, 2021). The lease expires on December 31, 2021.

SPAR BSMT is owned 51% by the Company, 39% by JK Consultoria Empresarial Ltda.-ME, a Brazilian limitada ("JKC"), and 10% by EILLC. In November 2020, SPAR BSMT hired Peter Brown as a consultant to provide Brazil acquisition strategy services to SPAR BSMT, with a one-time initiation fee of $30,000 Brazilian Real and a monthly fee of $15,000 Brazilian Real effective December 1, 2020.

JKC is owned by Mr. Jonathan Dagues Martins, a Brazilian citizen and resident ("JDM") and his sister, Ms. Karla Dagues Martins, a Brazilian citizen and resident. JDM is the Chief Executive Officer and President of each SPAR Brazil company pursuant to a Management Agreement between JDM and SPAR BSMT dated September 13, 2016. JDM also is a director of SPAR BSMT. Accordingly, JKC and JDM are each a related party respecting the Company. EILLC is owned by Mr. Peter W. Brown, a director of SPAR BSMT and SGRP.

SPAR BSMT has contracted with Ms. Karla Dagues Martins, JDM's sister and a part owner of SPAR BSMT, to handle the labor litigation cases for SPAR BSMT and its subsidiaries. These legal services are being provided to them by Ms. Martins' company, Karla Martins Sociedade de Advogados ("KMSA"). Accordingly, Ms. Karla Dagues Martins is considered a related party respecting of the Company.

Summary of Certain Related Party Transactions

The following costs of affiliates were charged to the Company (in thousands):

		*Three Months Ended*								*Nine Months Ended*
		*September 30,*								*September 30,*
		*2021*				*2020*				*2021*				*2020*
Services provided by affiliates:
National Store Retail Services (NSRS)		$	-				1,532			$	3,799				3,924
National Remodel & Setup Services (NRSS)			2,109				-				2,109				-
Office lease expenses (Mr. Burdekin)			6				6				18				18
Consulting and administrative services (RJ Holdings)			186				174				628				524
Office lease expenses (RJ Holdings)			62				62				186				186
Office and vehicle lease expenses (MPT)			16				13				51				40
Vehicle rental expenses (MCPT)			12				267				36				847
Office and vehicle rental expenses (MHT)			29				65				88				196
Consulting and administrative services (CON)			-				8				-				31
Legal Services (KMSA)			41				20				71				77
Warehousing rental (JFMD)			12				12				36				37
Consulting and administrative fees (SPARFACTS)			40				43				178				115
Total services provided by affiliates		$	2,513			$	2,202			$	7,200			$	5,995

Due to affiliates consists of the following (in thousands):		September 30,				December 31,
		*2021*				*2020*
Loans to local investors:
China (included in Other Receivables)		$	-			$	613

Loans from local investors:(1)
Australia		$	562			$	586
Mexico			623				623
Brazil			139				139
China			1,762				1,746
South Africa			364				415
Resource Plus			266				266
Total due to affiliates		$	3,716			$	3,775

(1)

Represent loans from the local investors into the Company's subsidiaries (representing their proportionate share of working capital loans). The loans have no payment terms and are due on demand and as such have been classified as current liabilities in the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Bartels' Retirement and Director Compensation

William H. Bartels retired as an employee of the Company as of January 1, 2020. However, he continues to serve as a member of SPAR's Board, a position he has held since July 8, 1999. Mr. Bartels is also one of the founders and a significant stockholder of SGRP.

Effective as of January 18, 2020, SPAR's Governance Committee proposed and unanimously approved the following benefits for the five year period commencing January 1, 2020, and ending December 31, 2024 (the "Five Year Period"), for Mr. Bartels in connection with his retirement: (a) retirement payments of $100,000 per year ("Retirement Compensation"); (b) the then applicable regular non-employee director fees ("Regular Fees"), currently $55,000 per year, and a supplemental Board fee of $50,000 per year ("Supplemental Fees"); and (c) the same medical, dental, eye and life insurance benefits he received as of December 31, 2019, under an arrangement whereby Mr. Bartels shared part of the cost of Medicare and supplemental health benefits, currently valued at approximately $15,588 per year ("Medical Benefits"); in each case paid in accordance with SGRP's payroll schedule and policies, and payable whether or not Mr. Bartels remains a director of SGRP for any reason.

Based on current rates and benefits, the aggregate value of such compensation, fees and benefits payable to Mr. Bartels will be approximately $220,558 per year and a total of $1,102,790 for the Five-Year Period. The Company recognized $700,000 of retirement benefits during the year ended December 31, 2020, representing the present value of the future Retirement Compensation, Supplemental Fees and Medical Benefits payments due Mr. Bartels.

Other Related Party Transactions and Arrangements

SPAR Business Services, Inc. ("SBS") and SPAR InfoTech, Inc. ("Infotech") are related parties and affiliates of SGRP, but are not under the control or part of the consolidated Company. SBS is an affiliate because it is owned by SBS LLC, which in turn is beneficially owned by Robert G. Brown, director, chairman of the Board, and significant shareholder of SGRP. Infotech is an affiliate because it is owned principally by Robert G. Brown. In July 1999, SMF, SBS and Infotech entered into a perpetual software ownership agreement providing that each party independently owned an undivided share of and has the right to unilaterally license and exploit certain portions of the Company's proprietary scheduling, tracking, coordination, reporting and expense software are co-owned with SBS and Infotech and each entered into a non-exclusive royalty-free license from the Company to use certain "SPAR" trademarks in the United States.