Certain statements in this Earnings Release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, the Company’s targets and outlook for future reporting periods (including the extent and timing of revenue and profit trends and the Consumer Beauty division’s stabilization), future profit trends and return to profitable growth, future gross margins, its future operations and strategy (including brand relaunches and performance in emerging markets and channels), synergies, savings, performance, cost, timing and integration relating to our recent acquisitions (including The Procter & Gamble Company’s beauty business (the “P&G Beauty Business”)), ongoing and future cost efficiency and restructuring initiatives and programs (including timing and impact), finalization of a strategic plan, FY19 adjusted operating income, positive free cash flow and liquidity, future effective tax rates, timing and size of cash outflows and debt deleveraging, and impact and timing of supply chain disruptions and resolution thereof. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by words or phrases, such as “anticipate”, “are going to”, “estimate”, “plan”, “project”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend”, “foresee”, “forecast”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “outlook”, “continue”, “temporary”, “target”, “aim”, “potential” and similar words or phrases. These statements are based on certain assumptions and estimates that we consider reasonable, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual events or results (including our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects) to differ materially from such statements, including:
• the Company’s ability to achieve its global business strategies (including any changes to its strategy or operations as a result of its strategic review of the business), compete effectively in the beauty industry and achieve the benefits contemplated by its strategic initiatives within the expected time frame or at all;
• the Company’s ability to anticipate, gauge and respond to market trends and consumer preferences, which may change rapidly, and the market acceptance of new products, including any relaunched or rebranded products, execution of new launches, and the anticipated costs and discounting associated with such relaunches and rebrands, and consumer receptiveness to its marketing and consumer engagement activities (including digital marketing and media);
• use of estimates and assumptions in preparing the Company’s financial statements, including with regard to revenue recognition, stock compensation expense, income taxes, the assessment of goodwill and other intangible and long-lived assets for impairments, the market value of inventory, pension expense and the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities associated with acquisitions;
• the impact of any future impairments;
• managerial, integration, operational, regulatory, legal and financial risks, including diversion of management attention to and management of, cash flows, expenses and costs associated with multiple ongoing and future strategic initiatives, internal reorganizations;
• the continued integration of the P&G Beauty Business and other recent acquisitions with the Company's business, operations, systems, financial data and culture and the ability to realize synergies, avoid future supply chain and other business disruptions, reduce costs (including through the Company's cash efficiency initiatives) and realize other potential efficiencies and benefits (including through the Company's restructuring initiatives) at the levels and at the costs and within the time frames contemplated or at all;
• increased competition, consolidation among retailers, shifts in consumers’ preferred distribution and marketing channels (including to digital and luxury channels), distribution and shelf-space resets or reductions, compression of go-to-market cycles, changes in product and marketing requirements by retailers, reductions in retailer inventory levels and order lead-times or changes in purchasing patterns, and other changes in the retail, e-commerce and wholesale environment in which the Company does business and sells its products and the Company's ability to respond to such changes;
• the Company and its business partners' and licensors' abilities to obtain, maintain and protect the intellectual property used in its and their respective businesses, protect its and their respective reputations (including those of its and their executives or influencers), public goodwill, and defend claims by third parties for infringement of intellectual property rights;
• any change to the Company's capital allocation and/or cash management priorities;
• any unanticipated problems, liabilities or other challenges associated with an acquired business which could result in increased risk or new, unanticipated or unknown liabilities, including with respect to environmental, competition and other regulatory, compliance or legal matters;
• the Company’s international operations and joint ventures, including enforceability and effectiveness of its joint venture agreements and reputational, compliance, regulatory, economic and foreign political risks, including difficulties and costs associated with maintaining compliance with a broad variety of complex local and international regulations;
• the Company's dependence on certain licenses (especially in its Luxury division) and the Company's ability to renew expiring licenses on favorable terms or at all;
• the Company's dependence on entities performing outsourced functions, including outsourcing of distribution functions, third-party manufacturers, logistics and supply chain suppliers, and other suppliers, including third-party software providers;
• administrative, development and other difficulties in meeting the expected timing of market expansions, product launches and marketing efforts;
• global political and/or economic uncertainties, disruptions or major regulatory or policy changes, and/or the enforcement thereof that affect our business, financial performance, operations or products, including the impact of Brexit, the current U.S. administration, the results of elections in European countries and in Brazil, changes in the U.S. tax code and recent changes and future changes in tariffs, retaliatory or trade protection measures, trade policies and other international trade regulations in the U.S. and in other regions where the Company operates including the European Union and China;
• currency exchange rate volatility and currency devaluation;
• the number, type, outcomes (by judgment, order or settlement) and costs of any current or future legal, compliance, tax, regulatory or administrative proceedings, investigations and/or litigation;
• the Company’s ability to manage seasonal factors and other variability and to anticipate future business trends and needs;
• disruptions in operations and sales, including due to disruptions in supply chain, logistics, restructurings and other business alignment activities, manufacturing or information technology systems, labor disputes, extreme weather and natural disasters, and the impact of such disruptions on the Company's ability to generate profits, stabilize or grow revenues or cash flows, comply with its contractual obligations and accurately forecast demand and supply needs and/or future results;
• restrictions imposed on the Company through its license agreements, credit facilities and senior unsecured bonds or other material contracts, its ability to generate cash flow to repay, refinance or recapitalize debt and otherwise comply with its debt instruments, and changes in the manner in which the Company finances its debt and future capital needs;
• increasing dependency on information technology and the Company’s ability to protect against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks or network security breaches, costs and timing of implementation and effectiveness of any upgrades or other changes to information technology systems, including the Company's digital transformation initiatives, and the cost of compliance or the Company's failure to comply with any privacy or data security laws (including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation or to protect against theft of customer, employee and corporate sensitive information;
• the Company's ability to attract and retain key personnel and the impact of the recent senior management transitions;
• the distribution and sale by third parties of counterfeit and/or gray market versions of the Company’s products; and
• other factors described elsewhere in this document and from time to time in documents that the Company file with the SEC.
When used herein, the term “includes” and “including” means, unless the context otherwise indicates, “including without limitation”. More information about potential risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s business and financial results is included under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 and other periodic reports the Company has filed and may file with the SEC from time to time.
All forward-looking statements made in this release are qualified by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation, other than as may be required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated or otherwise, or changes in future operating results over time or otherwise.
Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.
