PART I
|
|
|
|
Item 1.
|
|
3 |
|
Item 1B.
|
|
50 |
|
Item 2.
|
|
50 |
|
Item 3.
|
|
52 |
|
Item 4.
|
|
52 |
PART II
|
|
|
|
Item 5.
|
|
53 |
|
Item 6.
|
|
55 |
|
Item 7.
|
|
55 |
|
Item 7A.
|
|
78 |
|
Item 8.
|
|
79
|
|
Item 9.
|
|
111 |
|
Item 9A.
|
|
111 |
|
Item 9B.
|
|
113 |
|
Item 9C. |
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
|
113 |
PART III
|
|
|
|
Item 10.
|
|
114 |
|
Item 11.
|
|
114 |
|
Item 12.
|
|
114 |
|
Item 13.
|
|
114 |
|
Item 14.
|
|
114 |
PART IV
|
|
|
|
Item 15.
|
|
115 |
|
Item 16.
|
|
120 |
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information in this Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K, regarding our strategy, future operations, financial
position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, the words “could,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“project” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and
assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. When considering forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements
described under the heading “Risk Factors,” “Business,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in this Form 10-K. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current
belief, based on currently available information, as to the outcome and timing of future events.
Forward-looking statements may include statements about:
|
• |
general economic conditions, including changes in employment levels, rates of inflation, consumer demand, preferences and confidence levels, fuel prices, levels of discretionary income, consumer spending patterns and uncertainty
regarding the timing, pace and extent of an economic recovery in the United States;
|
|
• |
economic conditions in certain geographic regions in which we primarily generate our revenue;
|
|
• |
credit markets and the availability and cost of borrowed funds;
|
|
• |
our business strategy, including acquisitions and Dealership same-store growth;
|
|
• |
our ability to integrate acquisitions;
|
|
• |
our ability to maintain our relationships with manufacturers, including meeting the requirements of our dealer agreements and receiving the benefits of certain manufacturer incentives;
|
|
• |
demand for our products and our ability to maintain acceptable pricing for our products and services, including financing, insurance and extended service contracts;
|
|
• |
effects of an inflationary environment on the cost of the products we sell and personnel and other expenses that are incurred within our operations;
|
|
• |
our ability to finance working capital and capital expenditures;
|
|
• |
our operating cash flows, the availability of capital and our liquidity;
|
|
• |
our future revenue, Dealership same-store sales, income, financial condition, and operating performance;
|
|
• |
our ability to sustain and improve our utilization, revenue and margins; seasonality and inclement weather such as hurricanes, severe storms, fire and floods, generally and in certain geographic regions in which we primarily generate our
revenue;
|
|
• |
any potential tax savings we may realize as a result of our organizational structure;
|
|
• |
our future operating results and profitability;
|
|
• |
our ability to integrate the operations of Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (“Ocean Bio-Chem”) with our existing operations and fully realize the expected synergies of the Ocean Bio-Chem acquisition or on the expected timeline; and
|
|
• |
plans, objectives, expectations and intentions contained in this Form 10-K that are not historical.
|
We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Should one or more of the risks
or uncertainties occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to:
|
• |
decline in demand for our products and services;
|
|
• |
the effects of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic on the Company’s business;
|
|
• |
other risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic including, among others, the ability to safely operate our locations, access to inventory and customer demand;
|
|
• |
the seasonality and volatility of the boat industry;
|
|
• |
global public health concerns, including the COVID-19 pandemic;
|
|
• |
general domestic and international political and regulatory conditions, including changes in tax or fiscal policy and the effects of current restrictions on various commercial and economic activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
|
|
• |
environmental conditions and real or perceived human health or safety risks;
|
|
• |
our acquisition strategies and our ability to integrate additional marine retailers;
|
|
• |
effects of industry-wide supply chain challenges and our ability to manage our inventory;
|
|
• |
our ability to retain key personnel and the effects of labor shortages;
|
|
• |
the inability to comply with the financial and other covenants and metrics in our credit facilities;
|
|
• |
cash flow and access to capital;
|
|
• |
the timing of development expenditures; and
|
|
• |
the other risks described under “Risk Factors” and discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2022.
|
All forward-looking statements, expressed or implied, included in this Form 10-K are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection
with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that we or persons acting on our behalf may issue.
Any forward-looking statement that we make in this Form 10-K speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements,
all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K.
PART I
OneWater Marine Inc. (“OneWater Inc.”) is a holding company and the sole managing member of One Water Marine Holdings, LLC (“OneWater LLC”), which became the principal operating subsidiary of
OneWater Inc. on February 11, 2020 in the corporate reorganization (the “Reorganization”) completed in connection with OneWater Inc.’s initial public offering (the “IPO”), which closed on February 11, 2020.
Except as otherwise indicated or required by the context, all references in this Form 10-K to the “Company,” “OneWater,” “we,” “us” or “our” relate to (i) for periods after the Reorganization,
OneWater Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and (ii) for periods on or prior to the Reorganization, to OneWater LLC, our accounting predecessor, and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Overview
We believe that we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States with 96 dealerships, 12 distribution centers/warehouses and multiple online marketplaces as of September 30, 2022. Our
dealerships are located within highly attractive markets throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, many of which are in the top twenty states for marine retail expenditures. We believe that we are a market leader by volume
in sales of premium boats in 13 of the markets in which we operate. Additionally, the recent acquisitions of T-H Marine Supplies, LLC (“T-H Marine”) and Ocean Bio-Chem will significantly expand our sales of marine-related parts and accessories. The
combination of our significant scale, diverse inventory, access to premium boat brands, access to a broad array of parts and accessories, and meaningful group brand equity enables us to provide a consistently professional experience as reflected in
the number of our repeat customers and Dealership same-store sales growth.
Effective August 9, 2022, our reportable segments changed as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Ocean Bio-Chem, which changed management’s reporting structure and operating activities. We now report our
operations through two reportable segments: Dealerships and Distribution.
As of September 30, 2022, the Dealerships segment includes operations of 96 dealerships in 15 states including Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia, among others, and represents approximately 92% of revenues. The
Dealership segment engages in the sale of new and pre-owned boats, arranges financing and insurance products, performs repairs and maintenance services, offers marine related parts and accessories and offers slip and storage accommodations in
certain locations. In fiscal year 2022, we sold over 10,500 new and pre-owned boats, many of which were sold to customers who had a trade-in or with whom we otherwise had established relationships. We offer a wide array of new boats at various
price points through relationships with 50 manufacturers covering 71 brands. We believe we are currently a top-three customer for 30 of our 71 brands and the single largest customer for each of our top five highest-selling brands. While we believe
our order volume amounts to between 10% to 40% of total sales for those top five brands, no single brand accounts for more than 9% of our total sales volume.
As of September 30, 2022, the Distribution segment includes the activity of three of our fully-owned businesses, PartsVu, Ocean Bio-Chem and T-H Marine and its subsidiaries, which together operate 12 distribution
centers/warehouses in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Tennessee and Illinois and represents approximately 8% of revenues. The Distribution segment engages in the manufacturing, assembly and distribution of primarily marine related
products for sale to distributors, big box retailers, online retailers and direct to consumers. We offer a wide array of branded parts and accessories including jack plates, rigging parts, plumbing components, LED lighting, storage systems, and
appearance, cleaning, and maintenance products for the marine and ancillary industries. All revenue for the Distribution segment is reported in service, parts & other in our consolidated statements of operations.
We have a diversified revenue profile that is comprised of new boat sales, pre-owned boat sales, finance & insurance products, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories. Non-boat sales were
approximately 17.8% of revenue and 30.1% of gross profit in fiscal year 2022, 11.3% of revenue and 25.8% of gross profit in fiscal year 2021 and 9.8% of revenue and 28.3% of gross profit in fiscal year 2020. We believe that our diversification
revenue streams, the strength of our industry relationships and our scale enables us to receive among the best pricing and terms available across all of the products that we carry. We routinely evaluate our sales performance and consumer demand to
ensure that the economic relationship we have in place with our manufacturers and suppliers optimizes our profitability.
We were formed in 2014 as OneWater LLC through the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine, which created a marine retail platform that collectively owned and operated 19 dealerships. Since the combination
in 2014, we have acquired a total of 75 additional dealerships, 12 distribution centers/warehouses and multiple online marketplaces through 30 acquisitions. Our current portfolio as of September 30, 2022 consists of multiple brands which are
recognized on a local, regional or national basis. Because of this, we believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States based on number of dealerships and total boats sold. While we have opportunistically
opened new dealerships in select markets, or launched additional parts and accessory products, we believe that it is generally more effective economically and operationally to acquire existing businesses with experienced staff and established
reputations.
Our Market and Our Customer
Consumer spending in the United States on boats, engines, services, parts, accessories and related purchases reached $56.7 billion in 2021, up 12.7% from 2020, and has, on average, grown in excess of 7% annually since
2010. New powerboat sales have driven market growth and reached $15.4 billion in 2021, resulting in a 12% average annual growth rate since 2010. Of the approximately 1,171,000 powerboats sold in the United States in 2021, 81% of total units sold
(approximately 952,000) were pre-owned. Relative demand for new and late-model boats has increased in recent years in part due to the continuous evolution of boat technology and design including, but not limited to, seating configurations, power,
efficiency, instrumentation and electronics, and wakesurf gates, each of which represents a material design improvement that cannot be matched by more dated boat models. We believe the increasing pace of innovation in technology and design will
result in more frequent upgrade purchases and ultimately higher sales volumes of new and late-model, pre-owned boat sales. While we continue to monitor the impact of the macro-economic environment, including challenges with inflation, civil unrest
and the continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations, our financial position through September 30, 2022 suggests that spending in our regions and across product lines has proven resilient as families have increasingly focused on
outdoor socially distanced recreation, driving increased sales.
The boat dealership market is highly fragmented and is comprised of approximately 4,200 dealerships nationwide. Most competing boat retailers are operated by local business owners who own three or fewer stores; however
we do have two large competitors – MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. We believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States. Despite our size, we comprise less than 3% of total industry sales. Our scale and
business model allow us to leverage our extensive inventory to provide consumers with the ability to find a boat that matches their preferences (e.g., make, model, color, configuration and other options) and to deliver the boat within days while
providing a personalized sales experience. In addition to boat sales, we also generate sales from related products including finance & insurance and service, parts and other sales. The recent acquisitions of T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem have
significantly expanded our sales of marine parts and accessories. Our strategic growth in this area is also expected to materially expand our addressable market in the parts and accessories business. We are able to operate with a comparatively
higher degree of profitability than other independent retailers because we allocate support resources across our broader base, focus on high-margin service parts and accessories, utilize floor plan financing and provide core back-office functions
on a scale that many independent retailers are unable to match. We seek to be the leading marine retailer by total market share within each boating market and within the product segments in which we participate. To the extent that we are not, we
will evaluate acquiring other local retailers in order to increase our sales, to add additional brands or to provide us with additional high-quality personnel.
Our inventory and product selection allow us to cater to a highly diverse customer base with price points and boat types that appeal to a broad spectrum of budgets and preferences. The boating industry’s and
MarineMax’s average selling prices for a new boat were $71,000 in calendar year 2021 and $256,000 in fiscal year 2022, respectively. By comparison, our average selling price for a new boat in fiscal year 2022 was $209,000.
Growth Strategy
Organic Growth Strategy: Our business model utilizes our unique scale to drive profitable Dealership same-store sales growth. We seek to gain market share by delivering
high-quality products and services, with customized attributes tailored to our customers’ product specifications. Additionally, we are able to leverage our potential customer database to garner new sales. Sales growth from our existing dealerships
is a core component of our current and future strategy. We may also develop a greenfield location if an attractive acquisition is not available in a market we choose to target. We believe non-boat sales will be a driver of our organic growth
strategy in the future. We have completed acquisitions and implemented a targeted marketing strategy across our platform focused on growing new and existing customer awareness and usage of our finance & insurance products, repair and
maintenance services, and parts and accessories products. We intend to expand our online presence and sales through digital platforms to engage in online new and pre-owned boat sales, parts and accessories as well as financing & insurance. We
believe this will further advance our long-term growth opportunity, while broadening our customer base and geographic reach.
Acquisition Strategy: We believe there is a tremendous opportunity for us to expand in both existing and new markets, given that the industry is highly fragmented with most boat
retailers owning three or fewer stores. We seek to create value by implementing the best tested operational practices to family-owned and operated businesses that previously lacked the resources, management experience and expertise to maximize the
profitability of the acquired standalone businesses. We believe that our dealer group branding strategy, which retains the name, logo and trademarks associated with each dealership or dealer group at the time of acquisition, significantly
differentiates us from our largest competitors who employ singular, national branding strategies. In addition, we intend to continue to acquire businesses that focus on the sales of parts and accessories. We believe there is a significant
opportunity for us to expand our presence in this less cyclical and higher margin business. We are committed to maintaining local and regional branding because we believe that the value of retaining the goodwill and long-standing customer
relationships of these local businesses, many of which have been built by families over decades, far exceeds the benefits of attempting to establish a potentially unfamiliar “OneWater” national brand. In addition, preserving this established
identity maintains the long-term engagement of former owners because their name and reputation remain figuratively and literally “on the door.” We believe that the marine industry is underpinned by strong fundamental drivers, and that, with the
implementation of operational control measures and the injection of resources, local dealerships can significantly increase revenues and profitability. We believe our status as a consolidator of choice is based on the expertise we have developed
through completing 30 acquisitions (75 dealerships, 12 distribution centers/warehouses acquired) since the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine in 2014, our growing cash flow and financial profile, and our footprint of retailers
within prime markets. Our ability to acquire additional locations or dealer groups at attractive multiples is further enhanced by our growing reputation for retaining the seller’s management team and keeping their branding and legacy intact.
Accordingly, the sellers remain actively involved in the business and many have remained employed with us for years beyond the closing of the acquisition. We believe there is significant opportunity to expand our dealership footprint in regions
with strong boating cultures. While we have a strong presence in the Southeastern portion of the United States, there are several areas of opportunity in states adjacent to our current geographic footprint as well as states in new regions in the
Midwest and Western United States. We continue to strategically evaluate potential acquisitions and as a result of our reputation in the marketplace, we expect our pipeline of potential acquisitions to grow over time.
Industry Trends and Market Opportunity
U.S. Recreational Boating Industry
Recreational boating is a well-established American pastime that attracts millions of people each year to the water. While Florida is the leading state for new boating sales and registrations due to its abundance of
both fresh water and salt water, boating is very popular throughout the United States with Texas, Michigan, North Carolina and Minnesota representing the rest of the top five states for new marine retail expenditures.
In 2021, $56.7 billion was spent on retail boating sales, which has contributed to annual growth in excess of 7% percent since 2010. Consumer marine spending includes purchases of new and pre-owned boats; marine
products such as engines, trailers, equipment, and accessories; and related expenditures, such as fuel, insurance, docking, storage, and repairs. New boat sales and pre-owned boat sales constituted 37% and 25% of 2021 boating retail sales,
respectively, based on industry data from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (“NMMA”). The NMMA estimates that approximately 1,145,000 pre-owned boats were sold in 2021. Non-boat sales include aftermarket accessories (19% of total 2021
boating retail sales) and finance & insurance products and ancillary services, such as insurance, maintenance and fuel (19% of total 2021 boating retail sales). The strategic acquisitions we made in our Distribution segment have increased our
presence in the significant aftermarket accessories market.
Boat sales volumes are correlated with consumer confidence and the availability of consumer credit. Recent growth in spending has been driven by both an increase in units sold as well as rising average selling prices.
Innovation, including updated boat configurations, hull designs, wake gates and other electronics, have contributed to shorter boat upgrade cycles which result in higher unit sales volume. Pre-owned traditional powerboat sales were approximately
$13.1 billion in 2021, which represents an increase of 21.7% over 2020. With the exception of the significant growth in 2020 and 2021, pre-owned traditional powerboat sales have remained relatively consistent since 2006 and through economic cycles.
The boat dealership market is highly fragmented with approximately 4,200 dealerships nationwide, and the majority of retailers are owner-operated with three stores or fewer. Independent retailers typically offer a limited selection of boat brands,
and they predominantly focus on new boat sales with less expertise and capacity to create a meaningful business from non-boat sales such as finance & insurance products.
Products and Services
We offer new and pre-owned recreational boats, yachts and related marine products, including parts and accessories, with a specific focus on premium brands. We also provide boat repair and maintenance services, arrange
boat financing and insurance and offer other ancillary services, including indoor and outdoor storage, marina services, and rentals of boats and personal watercraft.
New and Pre-Owned Boat Sales
Our Dealership segment focuses primarily on the sale of new and pre-owned recreational boats, including pontoon, runabout, saltwater fishing boats, wake/ski boats, and yachts. We offer products from a broad variety of
manufacturers and brands without relying on any one manufacturer or brand in particular. No single brand accounted for more than 9% of our total sales volume in fiscal year 2022. We also sell pre-owned versions of the brands we offer and pre-owned
boats of other brands we take as trade-ins or acquire. During fiscal year 2022, new boat sales accounted for approximately $1,139.3 million or 65.3% of our consolidated revenue, and pre-owned boat sales accounted for approximately $294.8 million or
16.9% of our consolidated revenue.
We offer new and pre-owned recreational boats in a broad range of product categories. We believe that the product lines and brands we offer are among the highest quality within their respective market categories, with
well-established brand recognition and reputations for quality, performance, styling and innovation.
Fishing Boats. Revenue from fishing boats comprised 39% of our new boat revenue for fiscal year 2022. The fishing boats we offer range from entry-level models to advanced
models, from brands such as Everglades, Grady-White, Pursuit, Scout, Sea Hunt and World Cat, each designed for fishing and water sports in lakes, bays and off-shore waters, with cabins with limited live-aboard capability. The fishing boats we offer
typically feature livewells, in-deck fishboxes, rodholders, rigging stations, cockpit coaming pads and fresh and saltwater washdowns.
Pontoon Boats and Runabouts. Revenue from pontoon boats and runabouts comprised 33% of our new boat revenue for fiscal year 2022. We offer a variety of some of the most
innovative, luxurious, and premium pontoon models to fit boaters’ needs, from brands such as Bennington, Barletta and Harris. Our runabouts, such as Cobalt, Regal and Chris-Craft, target the family recreational boating markets and come in a variety
of configurations to suit each customer’s particular recreational boating style. The models we offer may include amenities such as advanced navigation electronics and sound systems, a variety of hull, deck, and cockpit designs that can include a
swim platform, bow pulpit and raised bridges, and swivel bucket helm seats, lounge seats, sun pads, wet bars, built-in ice chests, and refreshment centers. With a variety of designs and options, the pontoon boats and runabouts we offer appeal to a
broad audience of boat enthusiasts and existing customers.
Wake/Ski Boats. Revenue from wake/ski boats comprised 6% of our new boat revenue for fiscal year 2022. The ski boats we offer range from entry-level models to advanced models,
from brands such as Axis and Malibu, all of which are designed to generate specific wakes for optimal skiing, surfing and wakeboarding performance and safety. With a broad range of designs and options, the ski boats we offer appeal to both
competitive and recreational users.
Yachts. Revenue from yachts comprised 17% of our new boat revenue for fiscal year 2022. The yachts we offer range from traditional models to advanced models, from brands such as
Absolute, Riviera, Tiara and Sunseeker. The yacht product lines typically include state-of-the-art designs with live-aboard luxuries, offering amenities such as flybridges with extensive guest seating; covered aft deck, which may be fully or
partially enclosed, providing the boater with additional living space; an elegant salon; and multiple staterooms for accommodations.
Motors, Trailers, Personal Water Crafts (“PWC”), Wholesale and Other. Revenue from motors, trailers, PWC, wholesale and other sales comprised 5% of our new boat revenue for
fiscal year 2022. The motors and trailers we offer range in size, horsepower, length and style dependent upon the type of boat our customers may own. We offer PWC, primarily including models from Yamaha and Sea Doo, which appeal to a broad audience
of customers. Wholesale sales primarily consist of transactions with other dealers and other sales include the remaining new inventory products we offer.
Finance & Insurance Products
At each of our dealerships, our customers have the ability to finance their new or pre-owned boat purchase, purchase a third-party extended service contract and arrange insurance covering boat property, disability, gel
sealant, fabric protection and casualty insurance coverage (collectively, “finance & insurance”). Our relationships with various national marine product lenders allow buyers to purchase retail installment contracts originated by us in
accordance with existing pre-sale agreements between us and the lenders. These retail installment contracts provide us with a portion of the expected finance charges based on a variety of factors, including the buyer’s credit rating, the annual
percentage rate of the contract and the lender’s then-existing minimum required annual percentage rate. These contracts are subject to repayment by us upon buyer prepayment or default within a designated time period (typically within 180 days). To
the extent required by applicable state law, our dealer groups are licensed to originate and sell retail installment contracts financing the sale of boats and other marine products.
We offer our customers third-party extended service contracts, which allow us to extend customers’ new boat coverage beyond the time frame or scope of the manufacturer’s standard hull and engine warranty. We also offer
purchasers of pre-owned boats the ability to purchase a third-party extended service contract, even if the applicable boat is no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. We also provide the related repair services, when needed by our
customers, pursuant to the service contract guidelines during the contract term at no additional charge to the customer above a deductible. Generally, we receive a fee for arranging these extended service contracts and most of the required services
under the contracts are provided by us and paid for by the third-party contract holder.
We also assist our customers with obtaining property and casualty insurance. Property and casualty insurance covers loss or damage to their boat. We do not act as an insurance broker or agent or issue insurance
policies on behalf of insurers. We provide marketing activities and other related services to insurance companies and brokers for which we receive marketing fees. One of our strategies is to generate increased marketing fees by offering more
competitive insurance products.
Fee income generated from finance & insurance products accounted for approximately $56.0 million or 3.2% of our revenue during fiscal year 2022. We believe that our customers’ ability to obtain competitive, prompt
and convenient financing at our dealerships strengthens our ability to sell new and pre-owned boats and gives us an advantage over many of our competitors, particularly our smaller competitors that lack the resources to arrange boat financing at
their dealerships or that do not generate enough finance & insurance product volume to attract the broad range of financing sources that are available to us.
Service, Parts & Other
Service, parts & other accounted for approximately $254.7 million or 14.6% of our revenue during fiscal year 2022 and $96.4 million or 7.8% of our revenue during fiscal year 2021. The growth in service parts and
other revenues is related to the expansion of revenue in our Dealership segment and the strategic acquisitions in our Distribution segment.
Dealerships
We provide repair and maintenance services at most of our dealerships. We believe that our repair and maintenance services help strengthen our customer relationships and that our quality service and emphasis on
preventative maintenance increases the quality and supply of well-maintained boats available for our pre-owned boat business. We perform both warranty and non-warranty repair services, with the cost of warranty work reimbursed by the manufacturer
in accordance with the manufacturer’s warranty reimbursement program. For any warranty work we perform, most of our manufacturers reimburse a percentage of the dealership’s posted service labor rates, with the percentage varying depending on the
dealership’s customer satisfaction index rating and attendance at service training courses. Certain other of our manufacturers reimburse warranty work at a fixed amount per repair. Because boat manufacturers require that warranty work be performed
at authorized dealerships, our dealerships receive substantially all of the warrantied repair and maintained work required for the boats we offer. We also offer third-party extended warranty contracts, which result in a continuous demand for our
repair and maintenance services for the term of the extended warranty contract.
We offer engine parts, oils, lubricants, steering and control systems, electronics, safety products, water sport accessories (such as tubes, wakeboards, surfboards, lines, and lifejackets), products relating to docking
and anchoring, boat covers, trailer parts, and a complete line of other boating accessories at our dealerships and online, primarily to retail customers to repair their current engines or other marine related parts and equipment.
At certain of our dealerships, we offer marina and boat rental services, which are generally recurring in nature and create additional opportunities to connect with potential buyers. We maintain a small fleet of rental
boats, and, after one season, the rental boats are repurposed for pre-owned sales. Additionally, we operate 16 marina locations that provide fueling, docking and indoor and outdoor storage.
Our focus on customer service, which we believe is one of our core competitive advantages in the retail marine industry, is critical to our efforts in creating and maintaining long-term customers.
Distribution
We offer the sale of marine related parts and accessories along with appearance and maintenance products for the marine and other ancillary markets.
The acquisitions of T-H Marine and PartsVu expanded our sale of marine related parts and accessories, including general boat accessories, electronics (GPS, radar, sonar, etc.), original equipment manufacturer (“OEM”)
marine parts, boat performance items, access hatches, deck plates, deck hardware, live well aeration, plumbing fittings, battery trays, fishing rod holders, boat lights, rigging accessories, trolling motor accessories, and safety equipment. These
products are sold to boat manufacturers, distributors, big box retailers, boat dealerships and after-market customers.
The acquisition of Ocean Bio-Chem further expanded our Distribution segment. Ocean Bio-Chem is principally engaged in the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of a broad line
of appearance, performance and maintenance products for the marine, automotive, power sports, recreational vehicle, home care and outdoor power equipment markets, under the Star brite® and Star Tron® brand names. In addition, Ocean Bio-Chem
produces private label formulations of many of its products for various customers and provide custom blending and packaging services for these and other products. Ocean Bio-Chem also manufactures, markets and distributes chlorine dioxide-based
deodorizing disinfectant, and sanitizing products under the Star brite® and Performacide® brand names, utilizing a patented delivery system for use with products containing chlorine dioxide
We believe this segment will advance our strategic growth and diversification strategies and is expected to materially expand our addressable market in the parts and accessories business. We believe that the expansion
will allow us to drive deeper customer engagements through the offer of private label consumable products and may help partially offset the industry cyclicality of boat sales.
Locations
In our Dealership segment, we offer new and pre-owned recreational boats and other related marine products and boat services through 96 dealerships in 15 states as of September 30, 2022. Each dealership generally
includes an indoor showroom and an outside display area for our new and pre-owned boat inventories, along with a business office to facilitate finance & insurance products and repair and maintenance services facilities. We also have 12
locations spanning 7 states in our Distribution segment. The use of these facilities varies and primarily includes manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, warehouses, administrative and product testing centers.
Operations
Operations and Management
The operational management of our retail locations are decentralized, with certain administrative functions centralized at the corporate level and the primary responsibility of day-to-day operations localized at the
dealership. Each location is managed by a general manager, often a former owner, who oversees the day-to-day operations and financial performance of that particular individual location. Typically, each retail location also has a staff consisting of
sales representatives, a finance & insurance manager, a service manager, a parts manager, maintenance and repair technicians and additional support personnel. Distribution centers/warehouses typically have an on-site management team and
warehouse workers. Sales, administrative functions and marketing for distribution centers/warehouses are primarily at a centralized level.
We provide employees with ongoing training, career advancement opportunities and favorable benefit packages as a part of our strategy to attract and retain high quality employees. Sales training sessions are held at
various locations, including the manufacturers’ facilities, and cover a broad array of topics from technical product details, features and benefits, to general sales techniques. Our highly-trained professional sales teams recognize the importance
of building relationships with customers, assisting them in selecting the boat that best fits their needs and making the entire sales process enjoyable, all of which are critical to our successful sales efforts. The overall focus of our training
program is to provide exemplary customer service.
Members of our sales teams receive compensation on primarily a commission basis. Additionally, each manager within a dealership receives a salary along with incentive compensation based on the performance of the
managed location or their respective departments.
Sales and Marketing
Our sales strategy focuses on highlighting the joys of the boating lifestyle while also providing convenient repair and maintenance services to maintain a stress-free boating experience. Our sales strategy is built on
our high levels of customer service, hassle-free sales approach, appealing dealership layouts, highly-trained sales teams and the ability of our sales teams to educate customers and their families on boating. We constantly aim to provide the
highest levels of customer service and support before, during and after each sale.
Each of our dealerships offer our customers the opportunity to evaluate a variety of new and pre-owned boats in an environment that is convenient, comfortable and professional. Our dealerships provide a full-service
purchasing process, which includes attractive finance & insurance packages and extended third-party service agreements. We have a number of waterfront dealerships, most of which include marina-type facilities and docks at which we display our
new and pre-owned boats. These waterfront dealerships and marinas are easily accessible to boating customers, operate as in-water showrooms and enable our sales team to give potential customers impromptu in-water demonstrations of our various boat
models. Our sales team members are providing certain customers with the option of in-person or virtual walkthroughs of inventory and/or private, at home or on water showings. We continue to expand our online presence and sales through digital
platforms to engage in online new and pre-owned boat sales, parts and accessories as well as finance & insurance products. We continue to launch tools for our internally developed customer relationship management system, our websites and online
sales portals, which we expect to be further enhanced by our continued investments in digital initiatives.
We provide customers a diverse offering of boat brands, which span across a multitude of sizes, uses and activities, including leisure, fishing, watersports, luxury and vacation. We believe this diverse offering of
brands allows us to reach a broad expanse of customers and maximizes our ability to provide high quality service to each customer that walks into one of our dealerships.
An important part of our sales strategy is our participation in boat shows and specialized events in areas with high levels of boating activity. These shows and events help drive sales during and after the show or
event and are typically held in January, February, March and toward the end of the boating season at convention centers or marinas that have been rented out by area dealers. Additionally, we focus on customer education through personalized
education by our sales representatives and other professionals, before, during and after a sale through product demonstrations on the use and operation of their boat. Typically, one of our delivery professionals or the sales representative delivers
the customer’s boat to the customer’s boating location and thoroughly instructs the customer about the operation of the boat, including hands-on instructions for docking and trailering the boat.
With the addition of T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem, we sell our manufactured and assembled products through national retailers, direct to OEM manufacturers and online. Our branded and private
label products are sold through national retailers such as Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply, West Marine and Bass Pro Shops. Additionally, we market our products via online retailers such as Amazon. We also sell to national and regional distributors that
resell our products to specialized retail outlets.
Suppliers and Inventory Management
We purchase substantially all of our new boat inventory directly from manufacturers. Manufacturers typically allocate new boats to dealerships or dealer groups based on the amount of boats sold by the dealership or
dealer group and their market share. We exchange new boats with other dealers to maintain flexibility, meet customer demand and balance inventory. We also display a select number of boats and yachts through consignment agreements, including with
related parties.
We offer a wide array of new boats at various price points through relationships with 50 manufacturers covering 71 brands. We believe we are currently a top-three customer for 30 of our 71 brands and the single largest
customer for each of our top five highest-selling brands. While we believe our order volume amounts to between 10% to 40% of total sales for those top five brands, no single brand accounts for more than 9% of our total sales volume. Additionally,
our top brand only accounts for approximately 13% of new boat sales. However, sales of new boats from the top ten brands represent approximately 41.8% of our total sales volume for fiscal year 2022.
As part of our business, we enter into renewable annual dealer agreements with boat manufacturers. Provided that we are in compliance with the material obligations of such dealer agreements, they designate an exclusive
geographical territory for our dealership to sell a particular boat brand and typically do not restrict our right to sell any other product lines or competing products.
We are able to transfer boats between our dealerships to maintain flexibility, meet customer demand and balance inventories. This flexibility reduces delays in delivery, helps us maximize inventory turnover and assists
in minimizing potential overstock or out-of-stock situations. We actively monitor our inventory levels to maintain levels appropriate to meet current anticipated market demands. We are not bound by contractual agreements governing the amount of
inventory that we must purchase in any year from any manufacturer; however, the failure to purchase at agreed upon levels may result in the loss of certain manufacturer incentives or dealership rights.
We also maintain diverse relationships with domestic and international suppliers of products and raw materials that are used in our Distribution segment. Our sophisticated sourcing model allows us to acquire products
and materials at competitive prices. We believe that these relationships, many of which have been in place for 10+ years, allows for industry leading delivery times, flexible capacity to support growth, and category expansion. These relationships
also allow us to reduce capital expenditure requirements to produce core components but allows us to assemble the components or systems our customers need.
Our inventory turnover ratio, which is calculated as cost of goods sold for the period divided by the average inventory over the same period, was 4.6x and 5.9x for fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Inventory Financing
Boat manufacturers customarily provide various levels of interest assistance programs to retailers, which may include periods of free financing or reduced interest rate programs. The interest assistance may be paid
directly to the retailer or the financial institution depending on the arrangements the manufacturer has established. We believe that our financing arrangements with manufacturers are standard within the industry.
We are party to our Inventory Financing Facility (as defined below). For the year ended September 30, 2022, interest on new boats and for rental unites is calculated using the Adjusted 30-Day Average
SOFR (as defined in the Inventory Financing Facility section below). For the years ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, interest on new boats and for rental units was calculated using the legacy one month London
Inter-Bank Offering Rate (“LIBOR”). Our Inventory Financing Facility requires us to pay the benchmark rate plus an applicable margin of 2.75% to 5.00% depending on the age of the inventory. The interest rate for pre-owned boats is
calculated using the new boat rate set forth above plus 0.25%.
The collateral for the Inventory Financing Facility consists primarily of our inventory that is financed through the Inventory Financing Facility and related assets, including accounts receivable,
bank accounts, and proceeds of the foregoing, and excludes the collateral that underlies our A&R Credit Facility (as defined below). For additional information relating to the terms of our Inventory Financing Facility, please see “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Debt Agreements—Inventory Financing Facility.”
Customers
We are not dependent on any one customer or group of customers, and no individual customer, or together with its affiliates, contributed on an aggregate basis 10% or more to our revenues.
Seasonality
Our business, along with the entire retail marine industry, is highly seasonal, and such seasonality varies by geographic market. With the exception of Florida, we generally realize significantly lower sales and higher
levels of inventories, and related floor plan borrowings, in the quarterly periods ending December 31 and March 31. Revenue generated from our dealerships in Florida serves to offset generally lower winter revenue in our other states and enables us
to maintain a more consistent revenue stream. Over the three-year period ended September 30, 2022, the average revenue for the quarters ended December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30 represented approximately 18%, 24%, 34%, and 24%,
respectively, of our average annual revenues. Every January, the onset of consumer boat and recreation shows generally marks the beginning of an increase in boat sales which allows us to begin to reduce our inventory levels and related short-term
borrowings for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Our limited ability to participate in boat shows in our existing target markets, including cancellation of boat shows for any reason, including a pandemic, could have an impact on our seasonality. To the extent boat
shows may be delayed or cancelled, we intend to hold complementary sales events on a smaller, more personalized scale. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused industry wide supply chain challenges, which has impacted inventory availability
especially during peak selling seasons, which may also impact our overall seasonality.
Our business is also sensitive to weather patterns, such as unseasonably cool weather, prolonged winter conditions, drought conditions (or merely reduced rainfall levels) or excessive rain, which may shorten the
selling season, limit access to certain locations for boating or render boating hazardous or inconvenient, thereby curtailing customer demand for our products and services and adversely affecting our results of operations. Additionally, hurricanes
and other storms may cause disruptions to our business operations or damage to our inventories and facilities. We believe our geographic diversity is likely to reduce the overall impact to us of adverse weather conditions in any one market area.
Environmental and Other Regulatory Issues
Our business operations, along with the entire retail marine industry, are subject to numerous environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations that may be imposed in the United States at the
federal, state and local levels. Federal agencies that implement and enforce these laws and regulations include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). The more
significant of these environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations include the following federal legal standards that currently exist in the United States, as amended from time to time:
|
• |
the Clean Air Act (“CAA”), which restricts the emission of air pollutants from many sources, including outboard marine engines and chemical manufacturing operations, and imposes various pre-construction, operational, monitoring, and
reporting requirements, and that the EPA has relied upon as authority for adopting climate change regulatory initiatives relating to greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions;
|
|
• |
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the “Clean Water Act”), which regulates discharges of pollutants from facilities to state and federal waters and establishes the extent to which waterways are subject to federal jurisdiction and
rulemaking as protected waters of the United States;
|
|
• |
the Oil Pollution Act (“OPA”), which subjects owners and operators of vessels, onshore facilities, and pipelines, as well as lessees or permittees of areas in which offshore facilities are located, to liability for removal costs and
damages arising from an oil spill in waters of the United States;
|
|
• |
the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), which imposes liability on generators, transporters, disposers and arrangers of hazardous substances at sites where hazardous substance releases have
occurred or are threatening to occur;
|
|
• |
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), which governs the generation, treatment, storage, transport, and disposal of solid wastes, including hazardous wastes;
|
|
• |
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, which requires facilities to implement a safety hazard communication program and disseminate information to employees, local emergency planning committees, and fire departments on
toxic chemical uses and inventories; and
|
|
• |
the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which establishes workplace standards for the protection of the health and safety of employees, including the implementation of hazard communications programs designed to inform employees about
hazardous substances in the workplace, potential harmful effects of these substances, and appropriate control measures.
|
Additionally, there exist state and local jurisdictions in the United States where we operate that also have, or are developing or considering developing, similar environmental and occupational health and safety laws
and regulations governing many of these same types of activities, which requirements may impose additional, or more stringent, conditions or controls than required under federal law and that can significantly alter, delay or cancel the permitting,
development, or expansion of operations or substantially increase the cost of doing business. Environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations, including new or amended legal requirements that may arise in the future to address
potential environmental concerns such as air and water impacts or to address perceived human health or safety-related concerns, including a global or national health crisis, are expected to continue to have a considerable impact on our operations.
As with companies in the marine retail industry generally, and parts and service operations in particular, our business involves the use, handling, storage and contracting for recycling or disposal of petroleum-based
products and wastes, as well as other hazardous and toxic substances and wastes, including gasoline, diesel fuels, motor oil, waste motor oil and filters, transmission fluid, antifreeze, freon, waste paint and lacquer thinner, batteries, solvents,
lubricants, and degreasing agents. Environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations generally impose requirements for the use, storage, management, handling, transport and disposal of these materials, and restrict the level of
pollutants emitted into the environment, including into ambient air, discharges to surface water, and disposals or other releases to surface and below-ground soils and ground water. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in
the assessment of sanctions, including administrative, civil, and criminal penalties or liabilities to third parties; the imposition of investigatory, remedial, and corrective action obligations or the incurrence of capital expenditures; the
occurrence of restrictions, delays or cancellations in the permitting, development, or expansion of projects; and the issuance of injunctions restricting or prohibiting some or all of our activities in a particular area. Moreover, there exist
environmental laws that provide for citizen suits, which allow individuals or organizations to act in the place of the government and sue operators for alleged violations of environmental law.
Additionally, like other manufacturers, the manufacturing operations of Ocean Bio-Chem are subject to extensive Federal, state and local environmental laws and requirements concerning emissions to the air, discharges
onto land or surface waters, and the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances and waste materials. Many of these laws and regulations provide for substantial fines or penalties.
Existing or future regulations may restrict our operations, increase our costs of operations or require us to make additional capital expenditures.
We are also subject to laws and regulations governing the investigation and remediation of contamination at the facilities we currently or formerly own or operate, as well as at third-party sites to which we send
hazardous substances or wastes for treatment, recycling or disposal. Some environmental laws, such as CERCLA and similar state statutes, impose strict joint and several liability for the entire cost of investigation or remediation of a contaminated
property and for any related damages to natural resources, upon current or former site owners or operators, as well as persons who arranged for the transportation, treatment or disposal of hazardous substances. We may also be subject to third-party
claims alleging property damage and/or personal injury in connection with releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances at our current or former properties or off-site waste disposal sites or from the products we sell.
Additionally, certain of our locations utilize underground storage tanks (“USTs”) and aboveground storage tanks (“ASTs”), primarily for storing and dispensing petroleum-based products. The USTs and ASTs are generally
subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations that require obtaining financial assurance to own or operate USTs and ASTs, testing and upgrading of tanks and remediation of contaminated soils and groundwater resulting from leaking tanks.
Additionally, if leakage from our USTs or ASTs migrates onto the property of others, we may be liable to third parties for remediation costs, natural resource damages or other damages.
Increasingly strict environmental laws and inspection and enforcement policies, could affect the handling, manufacture, use, emission or disposal of products, other materials or
hazardous and non-hazardous waste. Stricter environmental, safety and health laws, regulations and enforcement policies could result in increased operating costs or capital expenditures to comply with such laws and regulations. Additionally, we
are required to have permits for our businesses and are subject to licensing regulations. These permits and licenses are subject to renewal, modification and in some circumstances, revocation.
For additional information relating to environmental protection, including releases, discharges and emissions into the environment, as well as worker health and safety requirements, please see “Risk Factors— Risks
Related to Environmental and Geographic Factors—Climatic events may adversely impact our operations, disrupt the business of our third party vendors on whom we rely upon for products and services, and may not be adequately covered by our
insurance,” “—Environmental and other regulatory issues may impact our operations” and “Our operations are subject to risks arising out of the threat of climate change, which could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the
products that we and the retail recreational boat industry provide.” Historically, our environmental compliance costs have not had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations; however, there can be no
assurance that such costs will not be material in the future or that such future compliance will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Product Liability
Our sale and servicing of boats and other watercraft as well as the sale of parts and accessories which we manufacture may expose us to potential liabilities for personal injury or property damage claims relating to
the use of such products. Historically, product liability claims have not materially affected our business. Our manufacturers generally maintain product liability insurance, and we maintain third-party liability insurance with respect to the sale
and servicing of boats and other watercrafts, which we believe to be adequate. However, we may experience legal claims in excess of our insurance coverage, and those claims may not be covered by insurance. Furthermore, any significant claims
against us, or an increase in insurance premiums resulting from excessive insurance claims, could adversely affect our business, financial performance and results of operations and result in negative publicity.
Competition
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented environment. We face competition from businesses relating to recreational activities, which businesses compete for consumers’ leisure time and discretionary spending
dollars. We face intense competition within the highly fragmented marine retail industry for customers, quality products, boat show space and suitable dealership locations. We rely to a certain extent on boat shows to generate sales. Our inability
to participate in boat shows in our existing or targeted markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.
We compete primarily with local marine retailers who own three or fewer stores, as well as with a limited number of larger operators, including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. Additionally, with respect to sales of
marine parts, accessories, and equipment, we also compete with national specialty marine parts and accessory stores, online catalog retailers, sporting goods stores, and mass merchants. Competition within the retail marine industry is generally
based on the quality and variety of available products, the price and value of the products and services and attention to customer service. We face significant competition from our current market and will likely face significant competition in any
new markets that we may enter. We also face competition from retailers in certain markets who sell boat brands, parts and engines that we do not currently carry in such markets. Additionally, a number of our competitors are large national or
regional chains that have substantially more financial, marketing and other resources than us, especially with regard to those that sell boating accessories. We also face competition from private sellers of pre-owned boats and online merchants
entering the resale boating industry. However, we believe that our integrated corporate infrastructure, marketing and sales capabilities, cost structure, industry expertise and customer experience enable us to compete effectively against these
competitors.
Intellectual Property
We are the registered holder of a U.S. trademark and a domain name that include our primary brand name “OneWater”. Additionally, we have obtained registered trademarks for Star brite®, Star Tron®, Performacide®
and other trade names used on our products. We also rely on a number of trade names with respect to the regional dealer groups that we have acquired, which we do not re-brand under our “OneWater” mark. We view our trademarks as significant assets
because they provide product recognition. We believe that our trademarks provide protection in the geographic markets we serve, but we cannot assure that our intellectual property rights can be successfully asserted in the future or will not be
invalidated, circumvented or challenged. We cannot give any assurance that any trade name and trademark applications that we may file in the future will be granted.
We own several patents, the most significant of which relate to a delivery system for use with products containing chlorine dioxide. In 2021, we were issued a new patent for our ClO2 delivery system that expires on July 8, 2039. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Operations—We may be unable to enforce our intellectual property rights and we may be accused of infringing the
intellectual property rights of third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations,” in Item 1A of this report for additional information.
Human Capital Resources
As of September 30, 2022, we had 2,205 employees, 1,949 of whom were in location-level operations and 256 of whom were in corporate administration and management. We are not a party to any collective bargaining
agreements. We consider our relations with our employees to be excellent.
Throughout our operations, we are focused on recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent in the industry. We devote substantial efforts to train employees on utilizing our proprietary technology, systems and
processes for success. We have developed a robust curriculum covering multiple retail strategies, products and system knowledge, which our employees must develop a proficiency in, prior to working with retail customers. We believe this
differentiates us from others in the marine industry and provides our customers with a differentiated experience when dealing with our team.
We generally believe in paying our employees based on their performance. This philosophy runs deep within the organization, from executive management, location management, sales consultants, department management and
select individuals within a department. We design compensation packages for these employees by providing a competitive base salary and an incentive component where they can earn additional compensation based on the performance of their area of
responsibility or individual sales. As a result of our performance-based compensation philosophy, pay levels may vary significantly from year to year and among our various team members.
Our overall philosophy is to pay competitive wages to all team members, which helps us to attract, motivate, and retain a highly qualified team and reduce turnover. Cash incentive plans and other
bonuses may also be paid and are designed to reward individuals based on the achievement of personal and/or corporate objectives, which contribute to our long-term success. Grants of stock-based awards under our 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan are
intended to align compensation with increasing long-term shareholder value.
Our Offices
Our principal executive offices are located at 6275 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, Georgia 30518, and our telephone number at that address is 678-541-6300. Our website address is www.onewatermarine.com. Within the
Investor Relations section of our website, the following documents are available free of charge: the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports that are
filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These materials are made available through the Company’s website
as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. In addition to its reports filed or furnished with the SEC, the Company publicly discloses material information from time to time in its press
releases, at annual meetings of shareholders, in publicly accessible conferences and investor presentations, and through its website. References to the Company’s website in this Form 10-K are provided as a convenience and do not constitute, and
should not be deemed, an incorporation by reference of the information contained on, or available through, the website, and such information should not be considered part of this Form 10-K.
Our Corporate Structure
OneWater Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in April 2019 for the purpose of completing the IPO and related transactions. On February 12, 2020, in connection with the IPO, OneWater Inc. became a holding
company whose sole material asset consists of units in OneWater LLC (the “OneWater LLC Units”). OneWater LLC holds all of the equity interest in One Water Assets & Operations (“OWAO”), which owns all of our operating assets. The remainder of
the OneWater LLC Units are held by certain Legacy Owners (the “OneWater Unit Holders”). References in this Form 10-K to the “Legacy Owners” refer to the owners of OneWater LLC as they existed immediately prior to the Reorganization, including, but
not limited to, certain affiliates of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, affiliates of The Beekman Group and certain members of our management team.
As the sole managing member of OneWater LLC, OneWater Inc. operates and controls all of the business and affairs of OneWater LLC, and through OneWater LLC and its subsidiaries, conducts its business. As a result, we
consolidate the financial results of OneWater LLC and its subsidiaries and report temporary equity related to the portion of OneWater LLC Units not owned by us, which will reduce net income (loss) attributable to the holders of our Class A common
stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Class A common stock”). As of November 28, 2022, OneWater Inc. owned 90.9% of OneWater LLC.
Certain of the Legacy Owners hold one share of our Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Class B common stock”), for each OneWater LLC Unit such person holds. Each share of Class B common stock has no
economic rights but entitles its holder to one vote on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for
their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. We do not intend to list Class B common stock on any exchange.
Under the fourth amended and restated limited liability company agreement of OneWater LLC (the “OneWater LLC Agreement”), each of OneWater Unit Holders has, subject to certain limitations, the right (the “Redemption Right”) to cause OneWater LLC
to acquire all or a portion of its OneWater LLC Units for shares of Class A common stock of OneWater Inc. on a one-for-one basis or, at OneWater LLC’s election, an equivalent amount of cash. Alternatively, upon the exercise of the Redemption Right,
OneWater Inc. (instead of OneWater LLC) will have the right (the “Call Right”) to, for administrative convenience, acquire each tendered OneWater LLC Unit directly from the redeeming OneWater Unit Holder for, at its election, (x) one share of Class
A common stock, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions, or (y) an equivalent amount of cash. In connection with any redemption of OneWater LLC Units pursuant to
the Redemption Right or the Call Right, the corresponding number of shares of Class B common stock will be cancelled. Under the Registration Rights Agreement (defined below) we entered into with certain of the Legacy Owners in connection with the
IPO, such Legacy Owners have the right, under certain circumstances, to cause us to register the offer and resale of their shares of Class A common stock.
Executive Officers and Directors
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to our executive officers and directors:
Name
|
Position
|
Age
|
|
|
|
P. Austin Singleton
|
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
49
|
|
|
|
Anthony Aisquith
|
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
|
55
|
|
|
|
Jack Ezzell
|
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
|
52
|
|
|
|
Mitchell W. Legler
|
Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors
|
80
|
|
|
|
Bari A. Harlam
|
Director
|
61
|
|
|
|
Christopher W. Bodine
|
Director
|
67
|
|
|
|
J. Steven Roy
|
Director
|
62
|
|
|
|
Jeffery B. Lamkin
|
Director
|
53
|
|
|
|
John F. Schraudenbach
|
Director
|
63
|
|
|
|
John G. Troiano
|
Director
|
52
|
|
|
|
Keith R. Style
|
Director
|
49
|
Executive Officers
P. Austin Singleton has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Director since April 2019, the Chief Executive Officer of OneWater LLC since
its formation in 2014, and the Chief Executive Officer of Singleton Marine, which later merged with Legendary Marine to form OneWater LLC, since 2006. Mr. Singleton served on the Board of Managers of OneWater LLC since its formation in 2006 until
the Reorganization. Mr. Singleton first joined Singleton Marine in 1988, shortly after his family founded Singleton Marine in 1987. Prior to his role as the Chief Executive Officer of OneWater LLC, Mr. Singleton worked in substantially all
positions within the dealership from the fuel dock, to the service department, to the sales department, to general manager. Mr. Singleton studied Business and Finance at Auburn University. Mr. Singleton was selected as a director due to his
management and extensive industry experience.
Anthony Aisquith has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since April 2019, as a Director since May 2020, and as the President
and Chief Operating Officer of OneWater LLC (including its predecessor entity, Singleton Marine) since 2008. Mr. Aisquith served on the Board of Managers of OneWater LLC from 2014 until the Reorganization. Mr. Aisquith has 25 years of experience in
the boating industry, and prior to joining OneWater LLC in 2008, he held several senior management positions at MarineMax (NYSE: HZO). Specifically, from 2003 to 2008, he served as Vice President, and from 2000 to 2008, he served as a Regional
President, overseeing MarineMax’s operations in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Texas and California. Prior to serving as Regional President, Mr. Aisquith held a variety of management and sales positions at MarineMax. Before joining MarineMax in
June of 1985, Mr. Aisquith worked for ten years in the auto industry. Our board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) believes Mr. Aisquith’s extensive industry experience and his familiarity with the Company qualify him to serve as a director.
Jack Ezzell has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2019 and as the Chief Financial Officer of OneWater LLC since 2017. Mr.
Ezzell has over 25 years of accounting and finance experience, with over 18 years of experience in the boating industry specifically. Immediately prior to beginning his tenure as Chief Financial Officer of OneWater LLC, Mr. Ezzell was a General
Manager at MarineMax (NYSE: HZO), where he oversaw all dealership operations at MarineMax’s Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida locations. From 2010 to 2015, Mr. Ezzell served as Chief Accounting Officer of Masonite International Corporation
(NYSE: DOOR), and from 1998 to 2010, he served as the Controller and as the Chief Accounting Officer at MarineMax. Prior to joining MarineMax, Mr. Ezzell began his career as an auditor for Arthur Andersen. Mr. Ezzell is a Certified Public
Accountant and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Western Carolina University.
Mitchell W. Legler has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO in February 2020 and served as Chairman of the Board of
Managers of OneWater LLC from 2015 until the Reorganization. Mr. Legler is a business lawyer representing clients in corporate, commercial, and real estate law, and is a majority shareholder of the law firm Kirschner & Legler, P.A. Mr. Legler
was a director of IMC Mortgage Company and Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) (“Stein Mart”), both public companies, and served as general counsel to Stein Mart until his retirement in 2019. Mr. Legler has served as Director to a number of private
companies in the healthcare, software development, international transportation, automotive retail, and real estate development fields. Mr. Legler received a B.A. with honors in Political Science from the University of North Carolina and a J.D.
from the University of Virginia. Our Board of Directors believes Mr. Legler is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his public company experience and his general legal expertise.
Bari A. Harlam was appointed to our Board of Directors on May 12, 2020. Ms. Harlam is a business leader, marketer, educator and author. From
April 2018 to March 2020, Ms. Harlam has served as, Chief Marketing Officer North America at Hudson’s Bay Company (TSX: HBC). She has also served on the Board of Directors of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBC) since February 2014, of Aterian,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ATER) since February 2020, of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) since September 2020, and of Champion Petfoods, LP since March 2020. Prior to her time at Hudson’s Bay Company, she was EVP, Membership, Marketing & Analytics at BJ’s
Wholesale Club (NYSE: BJ) from July 2012 to December 2016. Before joining BJ’s Wholesale Club, she served as Chief Marketing Officer at Swipely, now called Upserve, from August 2011 to July 2012 and prior to that, she served as SVP, Marketing at
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) from 2000 to August 2011. Early in her career, she was a Professor at Columbia University from July 1989 to July 1992 and The University of Rhode Island from July 1992 to July 2000. In addition, she was an Adjunct Professor
at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania from January 2015 to May 2018. She received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Decision Sciences, a Master of Science in Econometrics and a Ph.D. in Marketing from The University of
Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. Our Board of Directors believes that Ms. Harlam is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of her extensive business and marketing experience as well as her prior board experience.
Christopher W. Bodine has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO. Mr. Bodine retired as President, Health Care Services
at CVS Caremark Corporation (NYSE: CVS) (“CVS Caremark”) after 24 years with CVS Caremark in 2009. During his tenure as President, Mr. Bodine was responsible for Strategy, Business Development, Trade Relations, Sales and Account Management,
Pharmacy Merchandising, Marketing, Information Technology, and Minute Clinic. Mr. Bodine is currently Chairman and Director of ContinuumRX Services, Inc. Mr. Bodine is also a Venture Partner at NewSpring Capital and a Director of Russell Medical
Center Foundation. Prior to these positions, he was a director at Allergan Plc, Fred’s, Inc., and Nash-Finch Company. Mr. Bodine formerly served as a Trustee for Bryant University and is active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and
the American Heart Association. Mr. Bodine attended Troy State University and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration from Johnson & Wales University. Our Board of Directors believes Mr. Bodine is qualified to serve on
our Board of Directors because of his prior leadership experience and his public company experience.
J. Steven Roy has served on our Board of Directors since August 2022. Mr. Roy has served as an independent financial advisor since 2019,
managing investment activities for a large family office. Prior to working independently, Mr. Roy was the Chief Financial Officer for AAA Cooper Transportation (“ACT”) from 2004 to 2019, a multi-regional logistics company. Mr. Roy simultaneously
served as a member of the ACT Board of Directors. Prior to that, he was the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of Movie Gallery, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed video specialty retailer. Mr. Roy has served on the University of Alabama
President’s Cabinet, and as a Director at the Business Council of Alabama and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Roy earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Alabama. Our Board of Directors believes that Mr. Roy is qualified to
serve on our Board of Directors because of his public company experience, as well as his financial and leadership background.
Jeffrey B. Lamkin has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO and served on the Board of Managers and on the
Compensation Committee of OneWater LLC (including its predecessor entity, Singleton Marine) from 2012 until the Reorganization. Mr. Lamkin currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Sea Oats Group, a family office focused on luxury
lifestyle businesses, and has served in this capacity since 2001. In addition to his role at Sea Oats Group, he serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Cinnamon Shore, a beach town development in Texas, and he is involved with the development of
Lively Beach, a beach town development in Texas. Prior to his positions with Sea Oats Group and Cinnamon Shore, Mr. Lamkin spent approximately 16 years in the advertising and marketing industry, specializing in non-traditional media solutions,
where he advised many Fortune 100 companies on marketing investments. Mr. Lamkin received a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Management and a minor in Economics from Towson State University. Our Board of Directors believes Mr. Lamkin is
qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive business experience and his familiarity with OneWater LLC.
John F. Schraudenbach has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO. Mr.
Schraudenbach is a partner with The Goodwin Group, an executive retained search firm. Prior to joining Goodwin, Mr. Schraudenbach held various positions at Ernst & Young for 37 years until his
retirement in June 2019. He served as the Americas Senior Client Service Partner at Ernst & Young beginning in 2014, where he established structure and policies for Ernst & Young’s Americas Assurance practice. Prior to this, Mr.
Schraudenbach was the Managing Partner of Business Development for the Southeast U.S. Region and an Audit Partner. Mr. Schraudenbach serves on the board of Printpack, Inc a private manufacturer of packaging materials for consumer products and
other industries. Mr. Schraudenbach also serves on the University of Georgia Foundation Board as well as various other civic organizations. Mr. Schraudenbach received both a Bachelor and Masters of Accounting from the University of Georgia. He
was a Certified Public Accountant. Our Board of Directors believes Mr. Schraudenbach is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his substantial financial and audit expertise.
John G. Troiano has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO and served on the Board of Managers and as Chairman of the
Compensation Committee of OneWater LLC from October 2016 until the Reorganization. Mr. Troiano is the Managing Partner and CEO of The Beekman Group, which he co-founded in 2004. Mr. Troiano spent two years at the mergers and acquisitions boutique
firm Gleacher & Company, Inc. before joining Onex Corporation (TSX: ONEX) in 1996, where he became a Managing Director in Onex Corporation’s New York office in 1999. Mr. Troiano serves on the Board and is a Chairman of numerous Beekman
portfolio companies. Mr. Troiano is on the board of two academic institutions and is involved with various charitable organizations. Mr. Troiano graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of The University of
Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance and Accounting. Mr. Troiano then earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Our Board of Directors believes Mr. Troiano is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his financial
expertise and prior professional experience.
Keith R. Style has served on our Board of Directors since the closing of our IPO and served on the Board of Managers of OneWater LLC from 2015
until the Reorganization. Mr. Style has over 25 years of finance and accounting experience and is a Managing Director at The Presidio Group, a leading merchant bank and investment banking advisor in the retail automotive sector. From March 2017 to
February 2018, Mr. Style served as interim Chief Financial Officer of OneWater LLC. Prior to OneWater LLC, Mr. Style served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG) (“Asbury”), a Fortune
500 company and one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. After joining Asbury in 2003, Mr. Style held various roles in SEC Reporting, Treasury, Compliance, Investor Relations, Risk Management, Dealership Services and Process
Innovation. Prior to joining Asbury, Mr. Style served in several finance and accounting positions at Sirius Satellite Radio, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI). Mr. Style holds a B.A. in Economics and Business from Lafayette College. Our Board of Directors
believes that Mr. Style is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his industry and public company experience, as well as his financial and leadership background.
Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. Before making any investment decision, you should carefully consider the information in this Form 10-K, including the risks described below, the matters addressed
under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Some of these risks include:
|
• |
General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
|
|
• |
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.
|
|
• |
The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain adequate boat inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to finance boat purchases and our ability to fund
future acquisitions.
|
|
• |
Failure to implement strategies to enhance our performance could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
|
|
• |
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices and to integrate the operations of acquired marine retailers and each marine retailer we
acquire in the future.
|
|
• |
We are required to obtain the consent of our manufacturers prior to the acquisition of other marine retailers.
|
|
• |
Our failure to successfully order and manage our inventory to reflect consumer demand and to anticipate changing consumer preferences and buying trends could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
|
|
• |
OneWater Inc. is a holding company. OneWater Inc.’s only material asset is its equity interest in OneWater LLC, and OneWater Inc. will accordingly be dependent upon distributions from OneWater LLC to pay
taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and cover OneWater Inc.’s corporate and other overhead expenses.
|
|
• |
If we experience any material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our financial
condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.
|
|
• |
The Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock, and their interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders.
|
|
• |
In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes subject to the
Tax Receivable Agreement.
|
|
• |
If we do not effectively utilize or successfully assert intellectual property rights, our competitiveness could be materially adversely affected.
|
Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties discussed herein. The trading price of our Class A common stock could decline
due to any of these risks discussed herein, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business,
financial condition, or future results. Certain statements made herein are forward-looking statements.
Risks Related to Our Industry and Competition
Our success depends to a significant extent on our manufacturers, and the loss of certain manufacturers could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on our manufacturers for the sale of new boats. Sales of new boats from our top ten brands represents approximately 41.8%, 42.9% and 41.1% of total sales for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, 2021
and 2020, respectively, making them major suppliers of our company. Of this amount, Malibu Boats, Inc., including its brands Malibu, Axis, Cobalt, Pursuit, Maverick, Hewes, Cobia and Pathfinder accounted for 15.6%, 17.0% and 17.0% of our
consolidated revenue for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Any adverse change in the reputation, product development efforts, technological advancement, manufacturing capabilities, supply chain and third-party
suppliers and financial condition of our manufacturers and their respective brands, would have a substantial adverse impact on our business. Any difficulties encountered by our manufacturers resulting from economic, financial, or other factors
could also adversely affect the quality and amount of new boats and products that they are able to supply to us and the services and support they provide to us.
Additionally, any interruption or discontinuance of the operations of our manufacturers, including due to the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shortages or bankruptcy or insolvency, could also cause us to experience
shortfalls, disruptions, or delays with respect to new boats and inventory. During the course of the pandemic, a number of our manufacturers faced inventory shortages due to a combination of these facts as well as high demand. We also enter into
renewable annual dealer agreements with manufacturers, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to renew such dealer agreements in the future. We may not be able to easily replace the loss of certain manufacturers or brands, including at the
necessary quantity, quality or price, and the loss of certain manufacturers or brands may therefore have an adverse material effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Boat manufacturers exercise control over our business.
We depend on our dealer agreements, which generally provide for renewable, one-year terms. Through dealer agreements, boat manufacturers exercise control over their dealers, restrict them to specified locations and
retain approval rights over changes in management and ownership, among other things. The continuation of our dealer agreements with most manufacturers depends upon, among other things, our achieving stated performance goals for customer
satisfaction ratings and market share penetration in the market served by the applicable marine retailer. Failure to meet performance goals and other conditions set forth in any existing or new dealer agreement could have various consequences,
including the following:
|
• |
the termination or nonrenewal of the dealer agreement;
|
|
• |
the imposition of additional conditions in subsequent dealer agreements;
|
|
• |
limitations on boat inventory allocations;
|
|
• |
reductions in reimbursement rates for warranty work performed by the dealer;
|
|
• |
loss of certain manufacturer-to-dealer incentives;
|
|
• |
denial of approval of future acquisitions; or
|
|
• |
the loss of exclusive rights to sell in the geographic territory.
|
These events could have a material adverse effect on our product availability, competitive position and financial performance.
Manufacturer recall campaigns could adversely affect our business.
Manufacturer recall campaigns could adversely affect our new and pre-owned boat sales or customer residual trade-in valuations, could cause us to temporarily remove vehicles from our inventory, could force us to incur
increased costs and could expose us to litigation and adverse publicity related to the sale of recalled boats, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our business, as well as the entire retail marine industry, is highly seasonal, with seasonality varying in different geographic markets.
Over the three-year period ended September 30, 2022, the average revenue for the quarterly periods ended December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30 represented approximately 18%, 24%, 34% and 24%, respectively, of
our average annual revenue. With the exception of Florida, we generally realize significantly lower sales and higher levels of inventories, and related floor plan borrowings, in the quarterly periods ending December 31 and March 31. Revenue
generated from our dealerships in Florida serves to offset generally lower winter revenue in our other states and enables us to maintain a more consistent revenue stream. The onset of the public boat and recreation shows in January stimulates boat
sales and allows us to reduce our inventory levels and related floor plan borrowings throughout the remainder of the fiscal year. We also have various dealerships in the Northeast and Midwest region of the United States, which typically experience
colder temperatures in the winter months. The impact of seasonality on our results of operations could be materially impacted based on the location of our acquisitions. For example, the impact of seasonality could change if we acquire additional
marine retailers that operate in colder regions of the United States, or if we acquire additional distribution businesses. Additionally, due to pandemic or other external factors, our seasonal trends may also change as a result of, among other
things, dealership closures, disruptions to the supply chain and inventory availability, manufacturer delays, or cancellation of boat shows.
The failure to receive rebates and other manufacturer incentives on inventory purchases or retail sales could substantially reduce our margins.
We rely on manufacturers’ programs that provide incentives for dealers to purchase and sell particular boat makes and models or for consumers to buy particular boat makes or models. Any eliminations, reductions,
limitations or other changes relating to rebate or incentive programs that have the effect of reducing the benefits we receive, whether relating to the ability of manufacturers to pay or our ability to qualify for such incentive programs, could
increase the effective cost of our boat purchases, reduce our margins and competitive position and have a material adverse effect on our financial performance.
Other recreational activities, poor industry perception, real or perceived human health or safety risks, changing consumer attitudes and environmental conditions can adversely affect the levels of
boat purchases.
Other recreational activities, poor industry perception, real or perceived human health or safety risks, changing consumer attitudes and environmental conditions can adversely affect the levels of boat purchases.
Demand for our products can be adversely affected by competition from other activities that occupy consumers’ time, including other forms of recreation as well as religious, cultural and community activities. In addition, real or perceived human
health or safety risks from engaging in outdoor activities generally or boating activities specifically could deter consumers from purchasing our products. Local environmental conditions in the areas in which we operate dealerships could also
adversely affect the levels of boat purchases, including adverse weather conditions or natural disasters. Changing trends and attitudes toward large discretionary purchases on the part of younger consumers in particular, who may prefer to share or
borrow a boat rather than incur the expense of ownership, may impact our future sales. Further, as a seller of high-end consumer products, we must compete for discretionary spending with a wide variety of other recreational activities and consumer
purchases. In addition, perceived hassles of boat ownership and customer service and customer education throughout the retail boat industry, which has traditionally been perceived to be relatively poor, represent impediments to boat purchases. We
may attempt to shift the focus or product mix in response to changing consumer sentiments, but there is no guarantee that we will be successful.
We face intense competition.
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented environment. In addition to facing competition generally from recreation businesses seeking to attract consumers’ leisure time and discretionary spending dollars, the
recreational boat industry itself is highly fragmented, resulting in intense competition for customers, quality products, boat show space and suitable dealership locations. We rely to a certain extent on boat shows to generate sales. Our inability
to participate in boat shows in our existing or targeted markets, including due to cancellations of boat shows in connection with pandemics or other external factors, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We compete primarily with local marine retailers who own three or fewer stores, as well as with a limited number of larger operators, including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. Additionally, with respect to sales of
marine parts, accessories, and equipment, we also compete with national specialty marine parts and accessory stores, online catalog retailers, sporting goods stores, and mass merchants. Competition within the retail marine industry is generally
based on the quality and variety of available products, the price and value of the products, and attention to customer service. There is significant competition both within markets we currently serve and in new markets that we may enter. We compete
in each of our markets with retailers of brands of boats and engines we do not sell in that market. In addition, several of our competitors, especially those selling marine equipment and accessories, are large national or regional chains that have
substantial financial, marketing, and other resources. Private sales of pre-owned boats represent an additional source of competition.
Additional competitors, including boat clubs, may enter the businesses in which we currently operate or intend to expand. In particular, an increase in the number of aggregator and price comparison sites for our
products may negatively impact our sales of these products. If any of our competitors successfully provides a broader, more efficient or attractive combination of services, protection plans, products and resources to our target customers, our
business results could be materially adversely affected. Our inability to compete effectively with existing or potential competitors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Due to various matters, including environmental concerns, permitting and zoning requirements, and competition for waterfront real estate, some markets in the United States have experienced an increased waiting list for
marina and storage availability. In general, the markets in which we currently operate are not experiencing any unusual difficulties. However, marine retail activity could be adversely affected in markets that do not have sufficient marina and
storage availability to satisfy demand.
Risks Related to Our Acquisition and Growth Strategies
Failure to implement strategies to enhance our performance could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
We are increasing our efforts to grow our repair and maintenance services, parts and accessories, and financing and insurance businesses to better serve our customers and thereby increase revenue and improve
profitability as a result of these comparatively higher margin businesses. These efforts are designed to increase our revenue and reduce our dependence on the sale of new and pre-owned boats. In addition, we are pursuing strategic acquisitions to
capitalize upon the consolidation opportunities in the highly fragmented recreational boat dealer industry by acquiring additional marine retailers and related operations and improving their performance and profitability through the implementation
of our operating strategies. These business initiatives have required, and will continue to require, us to add personnel, invest capital, enter businesses or geographic regions in which we do not have extensive experience and encounter substantial
competition. As a result, our strategies to enhance our performance may not be successful and we may increase our expenses or write off such investments if not successful.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices and to integrate the operations of acquired marine retailers and each marine
retailer we acquire in the future.
Since the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine in 2014, we have acquired 75 additional dealerships and 12 warehouses/distribution centers through 30 acquisitions. Additionally, we actively evaluate and
pursue acquisitions on an ongoing basis. We continue to strategically evaluate and monitor our pipeline for potential acquisitions. Each acquired marine retailer operated independently prior to our acquisition. Our success depends, in part, on our
ability to continue to make successful acquisitions at attractive or fair prices that align with our culture and focus on customer service and to integrate the operations of acquired marine retailers, including centralizing certain functions to
achieve cost savings and pursuing programs and processes that promote cooperation and the sharing of opportunities and resources among our companies. We may not be able to oversee the combined entity efficiently, realize anticipated synergies or
effectively implement our growth and operating strategies. To the extent that we successfully pursue our acquisition strategy, our resulting growth will place significant additional demands on our management and infrastructure. Our failure to
successfully pursue our acquisition strategies or effectively operate the combined entity could have a material adverse effect on our rate of growth and operating performance. Further, if we acquire businesses or products that depend on a small
number of customers, if we are unable to retain key customers following the acquisition, our revenues may be adversely affected. For example, our revenues may be adversely affected if we are unable to retain the top three customers of Ocean
Bio-Chem, who collectively accounted for 43.7% and 41.5% of Ocean Bio-Chem’s consolidated net sales for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Unforeseen expenses, difficulties and delays frequently encountered in connection with expansion through acquisitions could inhibit our growth and negatively impact our profitability.
Our growth strategy of acquiring additional marine retailers involves significant risks. In fiscal year 2022 we acquired four marine retailers and completed the acquisitions of T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem. This
strategy entails reviewing and potentially reorganizing acquired business operations, corporate infrastructure and systems, and financial controls. These activities may require management to devote significant attention and resources to integrating
acquired businesses with our business. Unforeseen expenses (including potential environmental legacy liabilities due to spills or other releases of regulated substances on or under real properties or resulting from a failure to comply with laws and
regulations), difficulties and delays frequently encountered in connection with rapid expansion through acquisitions could inhibit our growth and negatively impact our profitability. We may be unable to identify suitable acquisition candidates or
to complete the acquisitions of candidates that we identify. Even if we are able to integrate acquired business operations successfully, there can be no assurance that the integration will result in the realization of the full benefit of synergies,
cost savings, margin growth, insulation from cyclicality or operation effectiveness that we may expect or that any such benefits may be achieved within an anticipated time frame. Increased competition for acquisition candidates or increased asking
prices by acquisition candidates may increase purchase prices for acquisitions to levels beyond our financial capability or to levels that would not result in expected returns required by our acquisition criteria to be in the best interest of
stockholders or bondholders. Acquisitions also may become more difficult or less attractive in the future as we acquire more of the most attractive marine retailers that best align with our culture and focus on customer service. In addition, we may
encounter difficulties in integrating the operations of acquired marine retailers with our own operations, in retaining employees, in retaining and maintaining relationships with customers, suppliers or other business contacts, and in managing
acquired marine retailers profitably without substantial costs, delays or other operational or financial problems. As part of our growth strategy, we generally retain existing key staff, including senior management, when we complete an acquisition.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain marine retailers’ key staff, including senior management, when we complete an acquisition in the future and failure to do so could adversely affect our businesses.
We may issue common or preferred stock and incur substantial indebtedness in making future acquisitions. The size, timing, and integration of any future acquisitions may cause substantial fluctuations in operating
results from quarter to quarter. Consequently, operating results for any quarter may not be indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full fiscal year. These fluctuations could adversely affect the market
price of our common stock.
Our ability to continue to grow through the acquisition of additional marine retailers will depend upon various factors, including the following:
|
• |
the availability of suitable acquisition candidates at attractive purchase prices;
|
|
• |
the ability to compete effectively for available acquisition opportunities;
|
|
• |
the availability of cash on hand, borrowed funds, common stock with a sufficient market price or other sources of financing to complete the acquisitions;
|
|
• |
the ability to obtain any requisite manufacturer, governmental or other required approvals;
|
|
• |
the ability to obtain approval of our lenders under our current credit agreements; and
|
|
• |
the absence of one or more manufacturers attempting to impose unsatisfactory restrictions on us in connection with their approval of acquisitions.
|
As a part of our acquisition strategy, we frequently engage in discussions with various marine retail groups regarding their potential acquisition by us. In connection with these discussions, we and each potential
acquisition candidate exchange confidential operational and financial information, conduct due diligence inquiries and consider the structure, terms, and conditions of the potential acquisition. In certain cases, the prospective acquisition
candidate agrees not to discuss a potential acquisition with any other party for a specific period of time, grants us an option to purchase the prospective marine retailers for a designated price during a specific time period, and agrees to take
other actions designed to enhance the possibility of the acquisition, such as preparing audited financial information and converting its accounting system to the system specified by us. Potential acquisition discussions frequently take place over a
long period of time and involve difficult business integration and other issues, including in some cases management succession and related matters. As a result of these and other factors, a number of potential acquisitions that from time to time
appear likely to occur do not result in binding legal agreements and are not consummated.
We are required to obtain the consent of our manufacturers prior to the acquisition of other marine retailers.
In determining whether to approve acquisitions, manufacturers may consider many factors, including our financial condition and ownership structure. Manufacturers may also impose conditions on granting their approvals
for acquisitions, including a limitation on the number of their dealers that we may acquire. Our ability to meet manufacturers’ requirements for approving future acquisitions will have a direct bearing on our ability to complete acquisitions and
effect our growth strategy. There can be no assurance that a manufacturer will not terminate its dealer agreement, refuse to renew its dealer agreement, refuse to approve future acquisitions or take other action that could have a material adverse
effect on our acquisition program.
Our growth strategy also entails expanding our product lines and geographic scope by obtaining additional distribution rights from our existing and new manufacturers. We may not be able to secure additional
distribution rights or obtain suitable alternative sources of supply if we are unable to obtain such distribution rights. The inability to expand our product lines and geographic scope by obtaining additional distribution rights could have a
material adverse effect on the growth and profitability of our business.
Our internal growth and operating strategies of opening new dealerships and offering new products involve risk.
In addition to pursuing growth by acquiring marine retailers, we intend to continue to pursue a strategy of growth through opening new dealerships and offering new products in our existing and new territories.
Accomplishing these goals for expansion will depend upon a number of factors, including the following:
|
• |
our ability to identify new markets in which we can obtain distribution rights to sell our existing or additional product lines;
|
|
• |
our ability to lease or construct suitable facilities at a reasonable cost in existing or new markets;
|
|
• |
our ability to hire, train and retain qualified personnel;
|
|
• |
the timely and effective integration of new dealerships into existing operations;
|
|
• |
our ability to achieve adequate market penetration at favorable operating margins without the acquisition of existing marine retailers; and
|
|
• |
our financial resources.
|
Our dealer agreements require manufacturer consent to open or change dealership locations that sell certain products. We may not be able to open and operate new dealership locations or introduce new product lines on a
timely or profitable basis. Moreover, the costs associated with opening new dealership locations or introducing new product lines may adversely affect our profitability.
As a result of these growth strategies, we expect to continue to expend significant time and effort in opening and acquiring new dealership locations, improving existing dealership locations in our current markets, and
introducing new products. Our systems, procedures, controls, and financial resources may not be adequate to support expanding operations. The inability to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Our planned growth also will impose significant added responsibilities on members of senior management and require us to identify, recruit, and integrate additional senior level managers. We may not be able to
identify, hire or train suitable additions to management.
Our growth strategy may require us to secure significant additional capital, the amount of which will depend upon the size, timing and structure of future acquisitions and our working capital and
general corporate needs.
If we finance future acquisitions in whole or in part through the issuance of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, existing stockholders will experience dilution in the voting
power of their common stock and earnings per share could be negatively impacted. The extent to which we will be able and willing to use our common stock for acquisitions will depend on the market value of our common stock and the willingness of
potential sellers to accept our common stock as full or partial consideration. Our inability to use our common stock as consideration, to generate cash from operations or to obtain additional funding through debt or equity financings in order to
pursue our acquisition program could materially limit our growth.
Any borrowings made to finance future acquisitions or for operations could make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our operating results, a downturn in economic conditions, or increases in interest rates on borrowings
that are subject to interest rate fluctuations. If our cash flow from operations is insufficient to meet our debt service requirements, we could be required to sell additional equity securities, refinance our obligations or dispose of assets in
order to meet our debt service requirements. In addition, our credit arrangements contain financial covenants and other restrictions with which we must comply, including limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness. Adequate financing
may not be available if and when we need it or may not be available on terms acceptable to us. The failure to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and our
business, financial condition and results of operations. For additional information relating to our credit arrangements, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Debt Agreements” in this Form 10-K.
With our growth and diversification strategy into marine related parts, products and accessories with the acquisitions of Ocean Bio-Chem, T-H Marine and PartsVu, we now import, assemble and/or
manufacturer marine parts, products and accessories, which could expose us to potential increased costs and certain additional risks.
In calendar 2022 and 2021, we completed our acquisitions of Ocean Bio-Chem, T-H Marine and PartsVu. The acquisitions expanded our business to include the import, assembly, manufacture and sale of marine parts and
accessories. We may invest considerable resources to develop, import, warehouse and distribute new and existing parts, products and accessories, and there is no assurance that they will be successful. Consequently, we might curtail or abandon them
at any time, which could result in asset impairments and inventory write-downs.
Factors that could cause us to curtail or abandon one of such products include unexpected or increased costs or delays in development or manufacturing, excessive demands on management resources, legal or
regulatory constraints, changes in consumer demands, preferences and shopping patterns regarding boat parts and accessories, or a determination that consumer demand no longer supports the product. Additional risks relating to such product offerings
include product liability and product recalls for which we do not have third-party indemnification and contractual rights or remedies; increasing costs for labor or raw materials used to manufacture products; our ability to successfully protect our
proprietary rights (e.g., defending against counterfeit or otherwise unauthorized goods) and intellectual property rights; our ability to successfully navigate and avoid claims related to the proprietary rights of third parties; and our ability to
successfully administer and comply with obligations under license agreements that we have with third-party licensors of certain brands.
Risks Related to Our Operations
The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain adequate boat inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to finance boat purchases and our
ability to fund future acquisitions.
The availability and costs of borrowed funds can adversely affect our ability to obtain and maintain adequate boat inventory and the holding costs of that inventory, the ability and willingness of our customers to
finance boat purchases and our ability to fund future acquisitions.
OneWater LLC and certain of its subsidiaries are parties to the Inventory Financing Facility, which consists of uncommitted inventory floorplan financing of up to $500.0 million as of September 30, 2022. The Inventory
Financing Facility has a maturity date of December 1, 2023. Failure to extend or source alternative financing arrangements could adversely impact our business. As of September 30, 2022 and 2021, we had an aggregate of $267.1 million and $114.2
million, respectively, outstanding under the Inventory Financing Facility. We rely on the Inventory Financing Facility to purchase and maintain our inventory of boats. The collateral for the Inventory Financing Facility consists primarily of our
inventory that is financed through the Inventory Financing Facility and related assets, including accounts receivable, bank accounts and proceeds of the foregoing, and excludes the collateral that underlies the A&R Credit Facility.
Effective August 9, 2022, we entered into the A&R Credit Facility (together with the Inventory Financing Facility, the “Credit Facilities”) with Truist Bank as administrative agent, collateral agent, issuing bank
and swingline lender, and the other lenders party thereto. The A&R Credit Facility amends and restates the Credit Agreement, dated July 22, 2020 (as amended by Incremental Amendment No. 1, dated February 2, 2021, and Incremental Amendment No. 2
dated November 20, 2021), by and among the Company, OWAO, and he other parties party thereto. The A&R Credit Facility provides for, among other things, (i) a single tranche of Revolving Commitments in an amount equal to $65.0 million (including
up to $5.0 million in swingline loans and up to $5.0 million in letters of credit from time to time) (the “Revolving Facility”) and (ii) a single tranche of Initial Term Loans in an aggregate principal amount equal to $445.0 million (the “Term
Facility”). Subject to certain conditions, the available amount under the Term Facility and the Revolving Facility may be increased by $125.0 million in aggregate (with up to $50.0 million allocable to the Revolving Facility). The proceeds of the
A&R Credit Facility were used to finance a portion of the Ocean Bio-Chem acquisition. The Revolving Facility matures on August 9, 2027. The Term Facility is repayable in installments beginning on December 31, 2022, with the remainder due on
August 9, 2027.
As of September 30, 2022, we had $445.0 million outstanding under the Term Facility and no amount outstanding under the Revolving Facility.
Our ability to borrow under the Credit Facilities depends on our ability to continue to satisfy our covenants and other obligations under the Credit Facilities. In particular, our ability to borrow under our Inventory
Financing Facility depends on the ability of our manufacturers to be approved vendors under our Inventory Financing Facility. The aging of our inventory limits our borrowing capacity as defined curtailments under the Inventory Financing Facility
reduce the allowable advance rate as our inventory ages. Depressed economic conditions, as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise, weak consumer spending, turmoil in the credit markets and lender difficulties, among other potential reasons, could
interfere with our ability to maintain compliance with our debt covenants and to utilize the Credit Facilities to fund our operations. Accordingly, under such circumstances, it may be necessary for us to close dealerships, further reduce our
expense structure, liquidate inventory below cost to free up capital, or seek to modify the covenants with our lenders. Any inability to utilize the Credit Facilities or the acceleration of amounts owed, resulting from a covenant violation,
insufficient collateral or lender difficulties, could require us to seek other sources of funding to repay amounts outstanding under the Credit Facilities or replace or supplement the Credit Facilities, which may not be possible at all or under
commercially reasonable terms. As of September 30, 2022, we were in compliance with all of the covenants under our Credit Facilities and our additional available borrowings under the Credit Facilities were approximately $297.9 million in the
aggregate based upon the outstanding borrowings and maximum facility amounts.
Additionally, the replacement of LIBOR could materially adversely affect our revenue or expenses and the value of those assets or obligations. LIBOR and certain other “benchmarks” are the subject of recent national,
international, and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. These reforms may cause such benchmarks to perform differently than in the past or have other consequences which cannot be predicted. Recent actions taken by the U.K. Financial
Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, indicate that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after June 30, 2023. Moreover, it is possible that the U.S. LIBOR will be discontinued or modified prior to
June 30, 2023. While there is no consensus on what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, a group of large banks and the Alternative Reference Rate Committee selected, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in May 2018 started
to publish, the Secured Overnight Finance Rate (“SOFR”) as an alternative to LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by Treasury securities, given the depth and robustness of the U.S. Treasury
repurchase market.
As a result and with the expectation that the publication of LIBOR, the Credit Facilities were previously amended such that the interest rate applied to the loans are no longer calculated using LIBOR but instead
calculated using SOFR (as further described in the Credit Facilities). SOFR will fluctuate with changing market conditions and, as SOFR increases, our interest expense will mechanically increase. The market transition away from LIBOR to an
alternative reference rate, including the conversion of our LIBOR-based loans to SOFR, is complex and could have a range of material adverse effects on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In particular, any such transition
could:
|
• |
adversely affect the interest rates paid, and the expenses associated with, our obligations, loans and other financial instruments tied to LIBOR rates, due to the significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR;
|
|
• |
result in disputes, litigation, or other actions with counterparties regarding the interpretation and enforceability of certain fallback language contained in the Inventory Financing Facility; and/or
|
|
• |
require the transition to or development of appropriate systems to effectively transition from LIBOR-based loans to those based on SOFR or another applicable alternative pricing benchmark.
|
Similarly, decreases in the availability of credit and increases in the cost of credit could adversely affect the ability of our customers to purchase boats from us and thereby adversely affect our ability to sell our
products and impact the profitability of our finance & insurance activities. For example, tight credit conditions during each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2008 and continuing through fiscal year 2011 adversely affected the ability of
customers to finance boat purchases, which had a negative effect on our operating results.
Increases in fuel prices may adversely affect our business.
All of the recreational boats we sell are powered by gasoline or diesel engines. Consequently, a significant increase in the price or tax on the sale of fuel on a regional or national basis could have a material
adverse effect on our sales and operating results. Increases in fuel prices (such as those that occurred during 2008) may negatively impact boat sales. The price of or tax on fuels may significantly increase in the future, adversely affecting our
business.
Our sales may be adversely affected by a material increase in interest rates and adverse changes in fiscal policy or credit market conditions.
Over the past several years, our economy has been positively impacted by historically unprecedented low interest rates. Such interest rates are driven by the policies of the Federal Reserve System. Although interest
rates generally decreased in 2019 and 2020 and remained low in 2021, interest rates have begun to rise in 2022 and may continue to rise, and there can be no assurance as to what actions the Federal Reserve System will take in the future. Any change
in interest rates or the market expectation of such change may result in significantly higher long-term interest rates.
Given that we sell products that are often financed, a material increase in interest rates and adverse changes in fiscal policy or credit market conditions may negatively impact our customers’ ability or desire to
purchase our products. In addition, such an increase or adverse change could reduce the availability or increase the costs of obtaining new debt and refinancing existing indebtedness or negatively impact the market price of our common stock.
The availability of boat insurance is critical to our success.
The ability of our customers to secure reasonably affordable boat insurance that is satisfactory to lenders that finance our customers’ purchases is critical to our success. Historically, affordable boat insurance has
been available. However, as a severe storm approaches land, insurance providers cease underwriting until the storm passes. This loss of insurance prevents or delays lenders from lending. As a result, sales of boats can be temporarily halted making
our revenue difficult to predict and causing sales to be delayed or potentially cancelled. Any difficulty of customers to obtain affordable boat insurance could impede boat sales and adversely affect our business.
Our failure to successfully order and manage our inventory to reflect consumer demand and to anticipate changing consumer preferences and buying trends, or the lack of inventory
generally in the industry, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success depends upon our ability to procure sufficient inventory for our needs and to successfully manage our inventory and to anticipate and respond to product trends and consumer demands in a timely manner. Our
products appeal to consumers across a number of states who are, or could become, boat owners. The preferences of these consumers cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to change. Further, the retail consumer industry, by its nature, is
volatile and sensitive to numerous economic factors, including consumer preferences, competition, market conditions, general economic conditions and other factors outside of our control. For example, the impact of COVID-19 on our suppliers and the
recent increase in demand for marine retail products has led to industry-wide supply chain constraints. We have experienced inventory shortages in marine retail products in fiscal year 2021, and it is possible that further shortages could occur. We
cannot predict consumer preferences with certainty, and consumer preferences often change over time. We typically order product several months in advance, although such orders are not binding until the merchandise is delivered to our locations. The
extended lead times for many of our purchases may make it difficult for us to respond rapidly to new or changing product trends, increases or decreases in consumer demand or changes in prices. If we misjudge either the market for our products or
our consumers’ purchasing habits in the future, our revenues may decline significantly and we may not have sufficient quantities of product to satisfy consumer demand or sales orders or we may be required to discount excess inventory, either of
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on our ability to attract and retain customers.
Our future success depends in large part upon our ability to attract and retain customers for our boat sales, repair and maintenance services, parts and accessories and finance & insurance products. The extent to
which we achieve growth in our customer base and retain existing customers materially influences our profitability. Any number of factors could affect our ability to grow and maintain our customer base. These factors include consumer preferences,
the frequency with which customers utilize our products, repair and maintenance services and finance & insurance products, general economic conditions, our ability to maintain our dealership locations, weather conditions, the availability of
alternative services, protection plans, products and resources, significant increases in gasoline prices, the disposable income of consumers available for discretionary expenditures and the external perception of our brands. Any significant decline
in our customer base, or the usage of our services, protection plans or products by our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on income from financing, insurance and extended service contracts.
A portion of our income results from referral fees derived from the placement or marketing of various finance & insurance products, consisting of customer financing, insurance products and extended service
contracts, the most significant component of which is the participation and other fees resulting from our sale of customer financing contracts.
The availability of financing for our boat purchasers and the level of participation and other fees we receive in connection with such financing depend on the particular agreement between us and the lender and the
current interest rate environment. Lenders may impose terms in their boat financing arrangements with us that may be unfavorable to us or our customers, resulting in reduced demand for our customer financing programs and lower participation and
other fees. Laws or regulations may be enacted nationally or locally which could result in fees from lenders being eliminated or reduced, materially impacting our operating results. If customer financing becomes more difficult to secure, it may
adversely impact our business.
Changes, including the lengthening of manufacturer warranties, may reduce our ability to offer and sell extended service contracts which may have a material adverse impact on our ability to sell finance and insurance
products. Moreover, these products are subject to complex federal and state laws and regulations. There can be no assurance that regulatory authorities in the jurisdictions in which these products are offered will not seek to regulate or restrict
these products. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could result in fines or other penalties including orders by state regulators to discontinue sales of the warranty products in one or more jurisdictions. Such a result could
materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) established a consumer financial protection bureau with broad regulatory powers. Although boat dealers are generally excluded, the
Dodd-Frank Act could lead to additional, indirect regulation of boat dealers through its regulation of other financial institutions which provide such financing to our customers.
The reduction of profit margins on sales of finance & insurance products or the lack of demand for or the unavailability of these products could have a material adverse effect on our operating margins.
Our operations are dependent upon key personnel and team members.
Our success depends, in large part, upon our ability to attract, train, and retain qualified team members and executive officers, as well as the continuing efforts and abilities of team members and executive officers.
Although we have employment agreements with certain of our executive officers and management succession plans, we cannot ensure that these or other executive personnel and team members will remain with us, or that our succession planning will
adequately mitigate the risk associated with key personnel transitions. Expanding our operations may require us to add additional executive personnel and team members in the future. As a result of our decentralized operating strategy, we also rely
on the management teams of our marine retailers. In addition, we likely will depend on the senior management of any significant businesses we acquire in the future. The loss of the services of one or more key employees before we are able to attract
and retain qualified replacement personnel could adversely affect our business. Additionally, our ability to manage our personnel costs and operating expenses is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates,
healthcare and other benefit costs, changing demographics and our reputation and relevance within the labor markets where we are located. Increases in the prevailing wage rates due to competitive market pressures or other factors could increase our
personnel costs and operating expenses and have a material adverse effect on our business.
The products we sell or service may expose us to potential liability for personal injury, product liability or property damage claims relating to the use of those products.
Manufacturers of the products we sell generally maintain product liability insurance. We maintain third-party liability insurance with respect to the sale and servicing of boats and other watercrafts along with limited
product liability insurance. We may therefore experience claims that are not covered by our insurance coverage. While we have not experienced material losses related to product liability, personal injury or property damage claims in the past, we
could be exposed to such claims or losses in the future. The institution of any significant claims against us could subject us to damages, result in higher insurance costs and harm our business reputation with potential customers.
If we cannot dispose of pre-owned boats acquired through our trade-in or direct purchase processes at prices that allow us to recover its costs, our profitability will be adversely affected.
The resale values of any pre-owned boats that we acquire through trade-ins or direct purchase may be lower than our estimates, which are based on expected retail sales prices. If the resale value of the pre-owned boats
we acquire is lower than our estimates and/or we are not able to resell them timely or at all, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Additionally, certain pre-owned boats or other vehicles that we acquire through trade-ins may fail to meet our retail quality standards. Instead, we sell these units through a wholesale process. If the prices that we
receive for our pre-owned boats sold in this process are not sufficient to cover the prices paid or credit given at trade-in for such pre-owned boats, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial
condition.
Our sales of boats and other products produced by certain foreign manufacturers expose us to international political, economic, and other risks.
Our sales of products produced in Italy, France, Australia, China and the United Kingdom, as well as any other non-U.S. manufacturer whose products we may sell, expose us to international political, economic and other
risks. We also import certain boat components from international suppliers which could further our exposure to such international risks. Protectionist trade legislation in the United States, the European Union, and other countries, such as changes
in current tariff structures, export or import compliance laws, or other trade policies could adversely affect our ability to import boats or boat components from these foreign suppliers under economically favorable terms and conditions.
There have been recent changes, and future, additional changes may occur, to United States and foreign trade and tax policies, including heightened import restrictions, import and export licenses, new tariffs, trade
embargoes, government sanctions or trade barriers. Any of these restrictions could prevent or make it difficult or more costly for us to import boats and boat components from foreign suppliers under economically favorable terms and conditions.
Increased tariffs could require us to increase our prices which likely could decrease demand for our products. In addition, other countries may limit their trade with the United States or retaliate through their own restrictions and/or increased
tariffs which would affect our ability to export products and therefore adversely affect our sales.
Our foreign purchase of boats and boat components creates a number of logistical and communications challenges. The economic, political and other risks we face resulting from these foreign purchases include the
following:
|
• |
compliance with U.S. and local laws and regulatory requirements as well as changes in those laws and requirements;
|
|
• |
transportation delays or interruptions and other effects of less developed infrastructures;
|
|
• |
limitations on imports and exports;
|
|
• |
foreign exchange rate fluctuations;
|
|
• |
imposition of restrictions on currency conversion or the transfer of funds;
|
|
• |
maintenance of quality standards;
|
|
• |
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
|
|
• |
differing labor regulations;
|
|
• |
potentially adverse tax consequences;
|
|
• |
possible employee turnover or labor unrest;
|
|
• |
the burdens and costs of compliance with a variety of foreign laws; and
|
|
• |
political or economic conflicts or instability.
|
We have established online marketplaces and a failure in such online operations, security breaches and cybersecurity risks could disrupt our business and lead to reduced sales and growth prospects
and reputational damage.
Consumers are increasingly embracing shopping online and through mobile commerce applications. However, consumer preferences and e-commerce buying trends could change, and we may be vulnerable to additional risks and
uncertainties associated with online sales, including rapid changes in technology, website downtime and other technical failures, security breaches, cyber-attacks, consumer privacy concerns, changes in state tax regimes and government regulation of
internet activities. Online marketplaces may also increase our access to sensitive, confidential or personal data or information that is subject to data privacy and information security laws and regulations. Our failure to successfully respond to
these risks and uncertainties could reduce our online sales, increase our costs, diminish our growth prospects and damage our brands, and subject us to regulatory fines or investigations, which could negatively impact our results of operations and
stock price. In addition, there is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully expand our online platforms. Our competitors may have e-commerce businesses that are substantially larger and more developed than ours, which could place us at a
competitive disadvantage. If we are unable to expand our online platforms, our growth plans could suffer, and the price of our common stock could decline.
We may be unable to enforce our intellectual property rights and we may be accused of infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a number of trade names with respect to the marine retailers that we have acquired, which we do not re-brand under our “OneWater” mark, including Star brite® and Star Tron®. In addition, we own patents we
have viewed as providing some degree of competitive support for our Performacide® products. If any of our or the marine retailers’ current trade names, trademarks or any other intellectual property that we or they may own in the future become
generic or if third parties adopt marks similar to such marks, our ability to differentiate our marine retailers may be adversely affected, we could lose brand recognition and be forced to devote additional resources to advertising and marketing
for our marine retailers.
Despite our efforts to protect proprietary rights, certain third parties, including our business partners, may attempt to unlawfully copy, obtain or otherwise use our intellectual property and proprietary information
without our consent. Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly, and the steps we have taken or will take to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient to effectively prevent third parties from
infringing, misappropriating, diluting or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. From time to time, we may be compelled to protect our intellectual property, which may involve litigation. Such litigation may be time-consuming,
expensive and distract our management from running the day-to-day operations of our business, and could result in the impairment or loss of the involved intellectual property. There is no guarantee that the steps we take to protect our intellectual
property, including litigation when necessary, will be successful.
We cannot assure that our intellectual property rights will be effectively utilized or, if necessary, successfully asserted. There is a risk that we will not be able to obtain and perfect our own intellectual property
rights, or, where appropriate, license from others intellectual property rights. Our intellectual property rights, and any additional rights we may obtain in the future, may be invalidated, circumvented or challenged, and the legal costs necessary
to protect our intellectual property rights could be significant. Our failure to perfect or successfully assert intellectual property rights could harm our competitive position and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition,
results of operations and cash flows.
Competitors or other third parties also may claim that we are infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating their intellectual property rights. Litigation related to such claims, whether or not meritorious,
may result in injunctions against us or the payment of damages. Even if intellectual property claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the
resources of our management and require significant expenditures. Any of the foregoing could prevent us from competing effectively and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Changes in the assumptions used to calculate our acquisition related contingent consideration liabilities could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.
Some of our acquisitions have included, and future acquisitions may include, contingent consideration liabilities relating to payments based on the future performance of the operations acquired. Under generally
accepted accounting principles, we are required to estimate the fair value of any contingent consideration. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable but which are uncertain and involve significant judgments.
Changes in business conditions or other events could materially change the projection of future earnings used in the fair value calculations of contingent consideration liabilities. We reassess the fair value quarterly, and increases or decreases
based on the actual or expected future performance of the acquired operations will be recorded in our results of operations. These quarterly adjustments could have a material effect on our results of operations.
An impairment in the carrying value of long-lived assets, goodwill and identifiable intangible assets could negatively impact our financial results and net worth.
Our long-lived assets, such as property and equipment, are required to be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstance indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. As of
September 30, 2022, we have approximately $109.7 million of property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation, recorded on our consolidated balance sheet. Recoverability of an asset is measured by comparison of its carrying amount to
undiscounted future net cash flows the asset is expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair market value.
Estimates of expected future cash flows represent our best estimate based on currently available information and reasonable and supportable assumptions. Our impairment loss calculations contain uncertainties because they require us to make
assumptions and to apply judgment in order to estimate expected future cash flows.
Additionally, our goodwill and identifiable intangible assets are recorded at fair value at the time of acquisition and are reviewed for impairment at least annually or more frequently if impairment indicators arise.
In evaluating the potential for impairment of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, we make assumptions regarding industry conditions, our future financial performance, and other factors. Uncertainties are inherent in evaluating and applying
these factors to the assessment of goodwill. While we do not believe there is currently a reasonable likelihood that there will be a change in the judgments and assumptions used in our assessments of goodwill and long-lived assets which would
result in a material effect on our operating results, we cannot predict whether events or circumstances will change in the future that could result in non-cash impairment charges that could adversely impact our financial results and net worth.
Our Dealership same-store sales may fluctuate and may not be a meaningful indicator of future performance.
Our Dealership same-store sales may vary from quarter to quarter. A number of factors have historically affected, and will continue to affect, our Dealership same-store sales results, including:
|
• |
changes or anticipated changes to regulations related to some of the products we sell;
|
|
• |
consumer preferences, buying trends and overall economic trends;
|
|
• |
our ability to identify and respond effectively to local and regional trends and customer preferences;
|
|
• |
our ability to provide quality customer service that will increase our conversion of shoppers into paying customers;
|
|
• |
competition in the regional market of a dealership;
|
|
• |
atypical weather patterns;
|
|
• |
changes in our product availability and mix;
|
|
• |
changes in sales of services; and
|
|
• |
changes in pricing and average unit sales.
|
An unanticipated decline in revenues or Dealership same-store sales may cause the price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate significantly.
We primarily lease our locations. If we are unable to maintain those leases or locate alternative sites for our locations in our target markets and on terms that are acceptable to us, our revenues
and profitability could be adversely affected.
We currently lease 104 of the real properties where we conduct operations. Most locations operate under long-term leases with an initial term of at least 10 years and one or more renewal options for an additional 5 to
10 years. Additionally, we have entered into location leases with certain related parties for which we incurred $2.8 million in lease expense in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain
our existing locations as leases expire, extend the leases or be able to locate alternative sites in our target markets and on favorable terms. Any failure to maintain our existing locations, extend the leases or locate alternative sites on
favorable or acceptable terms could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because we use various materials and substances in manufacturing our chemical products, our production facilities are subject to operating hazards that could cause personal injury and loss of life,
severe damage to, or destruction of, property and equipment.
We are dependent on the continued operation of our Kinpak facility to blend various chemicals. This facility is subject to hazards associated with the manufacture, handling, storage and transportation of chemical
materials and products, including natural disasters, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtime, labor difficulties, transportation interruptions, and environmental hazards, such as spills, discharges or release of toxic or hazardous substances and
remediation complications. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to, or destruction of, property and equipment and business interruption and could adversely affect our financial condition.
Risks Related to Environmental and Geographic Factors
Climatic events may adversely impact our operations, disrupt the business of our third party vendors on whom we rely upon for products and services, and may not be adequately covered by our
insurance.
Climatic events in the areas where we operate can cause disruptions and in some cases delays or suspensions in our operations that may adversely impact our business. For example, the physical effects of unseasonably
wet weather, extended periods of below freezing weather, tropical storms, hurricanes or other natural disasters occurring on land or in the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean may force boating areas to close or render boating dangerous or
inconvenient, which could result in curtailment of customer demand for our products and services. Similarly, drought conditions arising from minimal or reduced rainfall events may have a similar effect in respect of the availability of boating
areas or usable dock space, and result in reduced interest in boating activities. One or more of these climatic events may result in physical damage to, or closure of, one or more of our facilities, inadequate work force in our markets, and
disruption or reduction in the availability of products at our locations. Concerns regarding global changes in climate could also adversely affect the levels of boat purchases. In addition, unseasonably cool weather and prolonged winter conditions
may lead to shorter selling seasons in certain locations. Many of our dealerships sell boats to customers for use on reservoirs, which could be subject to reduced capacity as a result of drought, extreme temperatures, or other climatic changes,
thereby subjecting our business to the continued viability of these reservoirs for boating use.
In addition, the physical effects of climatic events, including wintry conditions, increased frequency and severity of tropical storms or hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, as well as sea
level rise, could result in the disruption of our operations and/or third party supply chain vendors on whom we rely upon for products and services, including boat deliveries from manufacturers, or damage to or the loss of our boat inventories and
facilities as has been the case when the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions and other markets have been affected by hurricanes. Such disruptions in our supply chain could damage our on-site inventory at our locations or cause serious limitations or
delays in the operations of our locations. We maintain hurricane and casualty insurance, subject to deductibles. Our planning for normal climatic variation, insurance programs and emergency recovery plans may inadequately mitigate the effects of
such climatic conditions, and not all such effects can be predicted, eliminated, mitigated, or insured against. Accordingly, while we traditionally maintain property and casualty insurance coverage for damage caused by climatic events such as
severe weather or other natural disasters, there can be no assurance that such insurance coverage is adequate to cover losses that we may sustain as a result thereof.
A significant amount of our boat sales are from the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions.
Economic conditions, weather and environmental conditions, competition, market conditions and any other adverse conditions impacting the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions of the United States, in which we generated
approximately 79%, 80% and 75% of our revenue during fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, could have a major impact on our operations.
Environmental and other regulatory issues may impact our operations.
Our operations are subject to stringent federal, state and local laws and regulations governing such matters as finance & insurance, consumer protection, consumer privacy, escheatment, anti-money laundering,
releases, discharges and emissions or other releases into the environment and environmental protection, human health and safety, and employment practices, including wage and hour and anti-discrimination legal requirements. These laws and
regulations affect many aspects of our operations, such as requiring the acquisition and renewal of permits, licenses and other governmental approvals to conduct regulated activities, including the retail sale of recreational boats, restricting the
manner in which we use, handle, store, recycle, transport and dispose of our discarded substances and wastes, responding to and performing investigatory, remedial and corrective actions with respect to any discharges and emissions or other release
of regulated substances, requiring capital and operating expenditures to construct, maintain and upgrade pollution control and containment equipment and facilities, imposing specific human health and safety criteria addressing worker protection,
and imposing liabilities for failure to comply with applicable environmental or other legal requirements, pollution incidents or inappropriate payment or treatment of our workers with respect to our operations. The failure to satisfy those and
other legal requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, failure to comply with those and other legal requirements, or with U.S. trade sanctions, the U.S. Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act and other applicable laws or regulations could result in the assessment of damages, the imposition of sanctions including monetary penalties, changes to our processes, or a delay, suspension or cessation of our operations, as
well as damage to our image and reputation, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Numerous governmental agencies, including OSHA, the EPA and similar federal agencies as well as analogous state and local agencies regulate and maintain enforcement authority over the operation of our locations, repair
facilities, and other operations, with respect to matters such as consumer protection, human safety and environmental protection, including any contamination of or releases into ambient air, surficial and subsurface soils, surface water and
groundwater. Marine engine manufacturers are subject to emissions standards imposed under the CAA, and the EPA has enacted a number of legal requirements imposing more stringent emissions standards for two-cycle, gasoline outboard marine engines.
It is possible that regulatory bodies such as the EPA may impose more stringent emissions standards in the future for marine engines, including with respect to recreational use. Any increased costs of those manufacturers producing engines resulting
from current or future EPA standards could be passed on to dealers in the retail recreational boat industry, such as ourselves, or could result in the inability of, or potential unforeseen delays by, these manufacturers to manufacture and make
timely delivery of recreational boats to such dealers, which developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, we cannot guarantee that would be able to pass any such
increased costs on to our customers, or that such increased costs could deter customer interest and otherwise adversely affect boating sales.
As with companies in the marine retail industry generally, and parts and service operations in particular, our business involves the use, handling, storage, transportation and contracting for recycling or disposal of
waste materials, including hazardous or toxic substances and wastes as well as environmentally sensitive materials, such as motor oil, waste motor oil and filters, transmission fluid, antifreeze, freon, waste paint and lacquer thinner, batteries,
solvents, lubricants, degreasing agents, gasoline, and diesel fuels. Laws and regulations regarding the prevention of pollution or remediation of environmental contamination generally apply regardless of whether we lease or purchase the land and
facilities. Additionally, certain of our locations and/or repair facilities utilize USTs and ASTs, primarily for storing and dispensing petroleum-based products. Storage tanks in the United States are generally subject to financial responsibility
requirements and testing, containment, upgrading and removal requirements under the RCRA, and its state law counterparts, as well as federal, state and local legal standards relating to investigation and remediation of contaminated soils, surface
water and groundwater resulting from leaking tanks and associated inground lifts. We also may be subject to civil liability to third parties for remediation costs or other damages if leakage from our owned or operated tanks migrates onto the
property of others.
We are subject to regulation by federal, state, and local authorities establishing investigatory, remedial, human health and environmental quality standards and imposing liability related thereto, which liabilities may
include sanctions, including monetary penalties for violations of those standards. Certain of our locations and/or repair facility properties have been operated in the past by third parties whose use, handling and disposal of petroleum-based
products or wastes were not under our control. Given the strict liability nature of environmental laws, we may be liable for the remediation of such past releases notwithstanding that our operations did not cause or contribute to the contamination.
We also are subject to laws, ordinances, and regulations governing investigation and remediation of contamination at facilities we operate or to which we send hazardous or toxic substances or wastes for treatment,
recycling, or disposal. In particular, CERCLA, also known as the Superfund law, and analogous state laws, impose strict joint and several liability on generators, transporters, disposers and arrangers of hazardous substances at sites where
hazardous substance releases have occurred or are threatening to occur.
A majority of states have adopted Superfund laws comparable to and, in some cases, more stringent than CERCLA. If we were to be found to be a responsible party under CERCLA or a similar state statute, we could be held
liable for all investigative and remedial costs associated with addressing such contamination as well as for natural resource damages. In addition, claims alleging personal injury or property damage may be brought against us as a result of alleged
exposure to hazardous substances resulting from our operations. Moreover, certain of our locations are located on waterways that are subject to federal laws, including the Clean Water Act and the OPA, as well as analogous state laws regulating
navigable waters, oil pollution (including prevention and cleanup of the same), adverse impacts to fish and wildlife, and other matters. For example, under the OPA, owners and operators of vessels and onshore facilities may be subject to liability
for removal costs and damages arising from an oil spill in waters of the United States.
We could be required to conduct remediation in the future in accordance with applicable state and federal standards in the cleanup of petroleum hydrocarbons or other substances or wastes released on, under or from
properties owned or leased by us, including some of our properties that were previously used as gasoline service stations. For example, we are performing soil and groundwater monitoring activities as required by applicable state and federal
standards. We may also be required in the future to remove USTs, ASTs and inground lifts containing petroleum-based products and hazardous or toxic substances or wastes should they represent a risk of release or threatened release into the
environment. Historically, our costs of compliance with these investigatory, remedial and monitoring requirements have not had a material adverse effect on our results of operations; however, there can be no assurance that such costs will not be
material in the future or that such future compliance will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition. We also may have additional storage tank liability insurance and other insurance coverage
with respect to pollution-related liabilities where available, but such coverages may be insufficient to address such liabilities. Environmental laws and regulations are comprehensive and subject to frequent change. Compliance with amended, new, or
more stringent laws or regulations, more strict interpretations of existing laws, or the future discovery of environmental conditions may require additional expenditures by us, and such expenditures may be material.
Additionally, certain states have imposed legal requirements or are considering the imposition of such requirements that would obligate buyers and/or operators of recreational boats to obtain a license in order to
operate such boats. These requirements could discourage potential buyers of recreational boats, thereby limiting future sales and adversely affecting our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Furthermore, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act increased our annual employee health care costs that we fund, and significantly increased our cost of compliance and compliance risk related to offering
health care benefits.
Moreover, adverse changes in labor policy could lead to increased unionization efforts, which could lead to higher labor costs, disrupt our locations operations, and adversely affect our business, results of operations
and financial condition.
Our operations are subject to risks arising out of the threat of climate change, which could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the products that we and the retail
recreational boat industry provide.
The threat of climate change continues to attract considerable attention in the United States and foreign countries. As a result, numerous proposals have been made and are likely to continue to be made at the
international, national, regional and state levels of government to monitor and limit existing emissions of GHGs and eliminate future GHG emissions. Governmental and public concern arising from GHG emissions has resulted in increasing regulatory,
political, financial and litigation risks in the United States and globally that target predominantly fossil fuel-related energy entities or their operations, which may have indirect adverse effects on other companies or industries, such as the
retail recreational boat industry, for example, whose services or products generate GHGs or rely upon motor fuels refined from fossil fuels, which effects could be material.
In the United States, no comprehensive federal climate change legislation has been implemented. With the U.S. Supreme Court finding that GHG emissions constitute a pollutant under the CAA, the EPA has adopted rules
that, among other things, establish permit reviews for GHG emissions from certain large stationary sources, require the monitoring and annual reporting of GHG emissions from specified sources in the United States, implement standards reducing
emissions of methane, a form of GHG, from specified oil and gas sectors, and together with the U.S. Department of Transportation, implement GHG emissions limits on vehicles manufactured for operation in the United States. While these rules largely
do not directly impact our operations, they do represent a concerted effort at the federal level to reduce emissions of GHGs in an effort to mitigate adverse effects associated with climate change. Additionally, in August 2022 the Inflation
Reduction Act of 2022 was signed into law, which appropriates significant federal funding for renewable energy initiatives and, for the first time ever, imposes a fee on GHG emissions from certain facilities in the oil and natural gas sector. The
emissions fee and renewable and low carbon energy funding provisions of the law could accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels or otherwise adversely impact the production of marine motor fuels, which could in turn have an indirect adverse
effect on our business and results of operations. Under the Biden Administration, it is anticipated that efforts by the EPA or other federal agencies to restrict GHG emissions will continue. Additionally, various states and groups of states have
adopted or are considering adopting legislation, regulations or other regulatory initiatives that are focused on such areas as GHG cap and trade programs, carbon taxes, reporting and tracking programs, and restriction of emissions. At the
international level, there exists the United Nations-sponsored “Paris Agreement,” which requires nations to submit non-binding GHG emissions reduction goals every five years after 2020. President Biden announced in April 2021 a new, more rigorous
nationally determined emissions reduction level of 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net GHG emissions by 2030. The international community gathered again in Glasgow in November 2021 at the 26th Conference to the Parties (“COP26”),
during which multiple announcements were made, including a call for parties to eliminate certain fossil fuel subsidies and pursue further action on non-carbon dioxide GHGs. Relatedly, the United States and European Union jointly announced at COP26
the launch of the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative committing to a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels by 2030. As a result, there exists the possibility of executive orders being issued
or federal legislation or regulatory initiatives being adopted that could result in further restrictions on fossil fuels and have a further indirect adverse effect on the demand for our and the retail recreational boat industry products.
Litigation risks, including lawsuits against fossil-fuel energy companies arising from the production and use of fossil fuels that contribute to global warming effects, such as rising sea levels, erosion and damage to
existing physical infrastructure, and financial risks for such entities as stockholders and bondholders currently invested in fossil fuel energy companies concerned about the potential effects of climate change may elect in the future to shift some
or all of their investments into non-fossil fuel energy related sectors further exacerbate the potential for these indirect adverse effects. Moreover, the increased competitiveness of alternative “clean” energy sources such as wind and solar
photovoltaic could also reduce demand for fossil fuels and therefore for our boating products, which would lead to a reduction in our revenues. For example, at COP26, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (“GFANZ”) announced that commitments
from over 450 firms across 45 countries had resulted in over $130 trillion in capital committed to net zero goals. The various suballiances of GFANZ generally require participants to set short-term, sector-specific targets to transition their
financing, investing, and/or underwriting activities to net zero by 2050.
There is also the possibility that financial institutions will be required to adopt policies that limit funding for companies producing, developing or bolstering the use of fossil fuels. Increasing attention to
climate change, investor and societal expectations regarding voluntary Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) disclosures and consumer demand for alternative forms of energy may result in demand shifts for fossil-fuel products and additional
governmental investigations and private litigation against such companies. While we may create and publish voluntary disclosures regarding ESG matters from time to time, many of the statements in those voluntary disclosures are based on
hypothetical expectations and assumptions that may or may not be representative of current or actual risks or events or forecasts of expected risks or events, including the costs associated therewith. Such expectations and assumptions are
necessarily uncertain and may be prone to error or subject to misinterpretation given the long timelines involved and the lack of an established single approach to identifying, measuring and reporting on many ESG matters. Moreover, organizations
that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors to inform their investment and
voting decisions. Unfavorable ESG ratings and recent activism directed at shifting funding away from companies with fossil fuel-related assets could lead to increased negative investor sentiment toward us and our industry and to the diversion of
investment to other, non-fossil fuel markets, which could have a negative impact on our access to and costs of capital. Additionally, in March of 2022, the SEC released a proposed rule that would establish a framework for reporting of climate
risks, targets, and metrics. A final rule is expected to be released at the end of 2022 but we cannot predict what any such rule may require. To the extent the final rule imposes additional reporting obligations, we could incur increased costs,
particularly as it relates to the requirement to collect and disclose data on physical climate-related risks.
Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
OneWater Inc. is a holding company. OneWater Inc.’s only material asset is its equity interest in OneWater LLC, and OneWater Inc. is accordingly dependent upon distributions from OneWater LLC to pay
taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and cover OneWater Inc.’s corporate and other overhead expenses.
OneWater Inc. is a holding company and has no material assets other than its equity interest in OneWater LLC. OneWater Inc. has no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent OneWater LLC has available cash
and subject to the terms of any current or future debt instruments, the OneWater LLC Agreement requires OneWater LLC to make pro rata cash distributions to OneWater Unit Holders, including OneWater Inc., in an amount sufficient to allow OneWater
Inc. to pay its taxes and to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. We generally expect OneWater LLC to fund such distributions out of available cash and in the event that payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are accelerated,
where applicable, we generally expect to fund such accelerated payment out of the proceeds of the change of control transaction giving rise to such acceleration. When OneWater LLC makes distributions, the OneWater Unit Holders are entitled to
receive proportionate distributions based on their interests in OneWater LLC at the time of such distribution. In addition, the OneWater LLC Agreement requires OneWater LLC to make non-pro rata payments to OneWater Inc. to reimburse it for its
corporate and other overhead expenses, which payments are not treated as distributions under the OneWater LLC Agreement. To the extent that OneWater Inc. needs funds and OneWater LLC or its subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions
or payments under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any current or future financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, our liquidity and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Moreover, because OneWater Inc. has no independent means of generating revenue, OneWater Inc.’s ability to make tax payments and payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement is dependent on the ability of OneWater LLC
to make distributions to OneWater Inc. in an amount sufficient to cover OneWater Inc.’s tax obligations and obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement. This ability, in turn, may depend on the ability of OneWater LLC’s subsidiaries to make
distributions to it. The ability of OneWater LLC, its subsidiaries and other entities in which it directly or indirectly holds an equity interest to make such distributions is subject to, among other things, (i) the applicable provisions of
Delaware law (or other applicable jurisdiction) that may limit the amount of funds available for distribution and (ii) restrictions in relevant debt instruments issued by OneWater LLC or its subsidiaries and other entities in which it directly or
indirectly holds an equity interest. To the extent that OneWater Inc. is unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley
Act”), may strain our resources, increase our costs and distract management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner.
As a public company, we are required to comply with laws, regulations and requirements, certain corporate governance provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, related regulations of the SEC and the requirements of The
Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), with which we were not required to comply as a private company. Complying with these statutes, regulations and requirements occupies a significant amount of time of our Board of Directors and management and
significantly increases our costs and expenses. We are required to:
|
• |
maintain a comprehensive compliance function;
|
|
• |
comply with rules promulgated by Nasdaq;
|
|
• |
prepare and distribute periodic public reports in compliance with our obligations under the federal securities laws;
|
|
• |
accurately implement and interpret U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”);
|
|
• |
comply with certain internal policies, such as those relating to insider trading; and
|
|
• |
involve and retain to a greater degree outside counsel and accountants in the above activities.
|
As a public company, we are also required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly
and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. We are required to have our auditors formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“Section 404”). Our compliance with Section 404 necessitates that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts.
In addition, we expect that being a public company subject to these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required
to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve on our board of directors or
as executive officers. We are currently evaluating these rules, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
If we experience any material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately report our
financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our
reputation and operating results would be harmed. As a result of being a public company, we are required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal
control over financial reporting. This assessment must include disclosure of any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting identified by our management or our independent registered public accounting firm. We continue to
take additional steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented, and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for our internal control over financial reporting.
If we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting during the evaluation and testing process or we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, we may be unable to
conclude that our internal controls are effective. For additional information, please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Controls and Procedures.”
Our independent registered public accounting firm is required to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls. If in the future we are unable to confirm that our internal control over financial
reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our
financial reports, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our disclosure controls or our internal controls over financial
reporting in the future.
An active, liquid and orderly trading market for our Class A common stock may not develop or be maintained, and our stock price may be volatile.
Although our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq, we do not know how liquid that market might be at any point in time. You may not be able to resell your Class A common stock at or above the price at which you
purchased it. Additionally, lack of liquidity may result in wide bid-ask spreads, contribute to significant fluctuations and volatility in the market price of the Class A common stock and limit the number of investors who are able to buy the Class
A common stock.
The market price of our Class A common stock could vary significantly as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control. In the event of a drop in the market price of our Class A common stock,
you could lose a substantial part or all of your investment in our Class A common stock. You may not be able to sell shares of our Class A common stock at prices equal to or greater than the price paid by you.
The following factors could affect our stock price:
|
• |
quarterly variations in our financial and operating results;
|
|
• |
the public reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;
|
|
• |
strategic actions by our competitors or suppliers;
|
|
• |
changes in revenue, Dealership same-store sales or earnings estimates, or changes in recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage, by equity research analysts;
|
|
• |
acquisitions or integration of acquired marine retailers or other businesses;
|
|
• |
the failure of our operating results to meet the expectations of equity research analysts and investors;
|
|
• |
speculation in the press or investment community;
|
|
• |
the failure of research analysts to continue to cover our Class A common stock;
|
|
• |
sales of our Class A common stock by us or other stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur;
|
|
• |
changes in accounting principles, policies, guidance, interpretations or standards;
|
|
• |
additions or departures of key management personnel;
|
|
• |
actions by our stockholders;
|
|
• |
general market conditions, including fluctuations in commodity prices;
|
|
• |
the publication of boating industry sales data or new boat registration data;
|
|
• |
domestic and international economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance; and
|
|
• |
the realization of any risks described under this “Risk Factors” section.
|
The stock markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. For some companies this volatility has been exacerbated by wide
ranging impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of
volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in very substantial costs, divert our management’s attention and resources and materially harm our business,
operating results and financial condition.
Our Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock, and their interests may conflict with those of our other stockholders.
The Legacy Owners own a significant amount of our voting stock. As a result, the Legacy Owners may be able to substantially influence matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors,
approval of any potential acquisition of us, changes to our organizational documents and significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership makes it unlikely that any other holder or group of holders of our Class A common stock
will be able to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of the Legacy Owners with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings and other
corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.
For example, the Legacy Owners may have different tax positions from us, especially in light of the Tax Receivable Agreement, that could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to support the disposition
of assets, the incurrence or refinancing of new or existing indebtedness, or the termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement and acceleration of our obligations thereunder. In addition, the determination of future tax reporting positions, the
structuring of future transactions and the handling of any challenge by any taxing authority to our tax reporting positions may take into consideration the Legacy Owners tax or other considerations which may differ from the considerations of us or
our other stockholders. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Tax Receivable Agreement” in this Form 10-K.
Certain of our executive officers and directors have significant duties with, and spend significant time serving, entities that may compete with us in seeking business opportunities and,
accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating time or pursuing business opportunities.
Certain of our executive officers and directors, who are responsible for managing the direction of our operations, hold positions of responsibility with other entities (including affiliated entities) that are in the
boat retail industry. These executive officers and directors may become aware of business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as to the other entities with which they are or may become affiliated. Due to these
existing and potential future affiliations, they may present potential business opportunities to other entities prior to presenting them to us, which could cause additional conflicts of interest. They may also decide that certain opportunities are
more appropriate for other entities with which they are affiliated, and as a result, they may elect not to present those opportunities to us. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of
our Class A common stock and could deprive our investors of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval in one or more series, designate the number of shares constituting any series, and fix the
rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, redemption price or prices and liquidation preferences of such series. If our board of directors elects to issue
preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of
control would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions include:
|
• |
providing that all vacancies, including newly created directorships, may, except as otherwise required by law or, if applicable, the rights of holders of a series of preferred stock, only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority
of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum;
|
|
• |
permitting any action by stockholders to be taken only at an annual meeting or special meeting rather than by a written consent of the stockholders, subject to the rights of any series of preferred stock with respect to such rights;
|
|
• |
permitting special meetings of our stockholders to be called only by our Chief Executive Officer, the chairman of our board of directors and our board of directors pursuant to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of
the total number of authorized directors whether or not there exist any vacancies in previously authorized directorships;
|
|
• |
subject to the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock, requiring the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority in voting power of all then outstanding common stock entitled to vote generally in
the election of directors, voting together as a single class, to remove any of all of the directors from office at any time;
|
|
• |
prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors;
|
|
• |
establishing advance notice provisions for stockholder proposals and nominations for elections to the board of directors to be acted upon at meetings of stockholders; and
|
|
• |
providing that the board of directors is expressly authorized to adopt, or to alter or repeal our bylaws.
|
On February 23, 2022, following shareholder approval at our 2022 annual meeting, we revised our certificate of incorporation and bylaws to eliminate our staggered board of directors and supermajority stockholder voting
provisions.
In addition, certain change of control events have the effect of accelerating the payment due under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which could be substantial and accordingly serve as a disincentive to a potential
acquirer of our company. Please see “—In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes subject to the
Tax Receivable Agreement.”
Our certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our
stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or our
stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (iv) any
action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer or other employee of ours that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable
parties named as defendants therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the
federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provisions of our certificate of incorporation
described herein. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits
against us and such persons. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur
additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
While the Board of Directors declared a one-time special cash dividend of $1.80 per share on June 17, 2021, we do not intend to pay cash dividends on our
Class A common stock, and our Credit Facilities place certain restrictions on our ability to do so. Consequently, your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our Class A common stock appreciates.
We do not plan to declare cash dividends on shares of our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. Additionally, the Credit Facilities place certain restrictions on our ability to pay cash dividends. Any future
credit agreements or financing arrangements may also contain restrictions on our ability to pay cash dividends. Consequently, your only opportunity, while such dividend restrictions remain in place, to achieve a return on your investment in us may
be to sell your Class A common stock at a price greater than you paid for it. There is no guarantee that the price of our Class A common stock that will prevail in the market will ever exceed the price that you paid.
Future sales or issuances of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales or issuances may occur, could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised
by us through the sale or issuance of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.
We may sell additional shares of Class A common stock in subsequent public offerings. We may also issue additional shares of Class A common stock or convertible securities. We have 14,211,621 outstanding shares of
Class A common stock and 1,429,940 outstanding shares of Class B common stock as of November 28, 2022. Certain OneWater Unit Holders are party to a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), which requires us to effect the
registration of any shares of Class A common stock that they receive in exchange for their OneWater LLC Units in certain circumstances.
On February 11, 2020, we filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of 1,600,533 shares of our Class A common stock issued or reserved for issuance under our long term
incentive plan (the “LTIP”). On May 7, 2021, we filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-8 providing for the registration of (i) an additional 46,750 shares of Class A common stock that may be
delivered with respect to awards under the LTIP pursuant to an “evergreen” provision contained in the LTIP and (ii) an indeterminate amount of interests to be offered or sold pursuant to the OneWater Marine Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
Subject to the satisfaction of vesting conditions, the expiration of lock-up agreements and the requirements of Rule 144, shares registered under each of the registration statements on Form S-8 may be made available for resale immediately in
the public market without restriction.
On September 7, 2021, we filed a registration statement with the SEC on Form S-3 providing for the registration of (i) an indeterminate number of shares of Class A common stock to be offered, on a primary basis, at
indeterminate prices with an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $250,000,000 and (ii) 375,000 shares of Class A common stock that may be sold in one or more secondary offerings by the selling stockholders named therein.
On July 1, 2022, the first offering period began under the 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”). The ESPP provides for a maximum issuance of 299,505 shares of Class A common stock, subject to certain
adjustments set forth in the ESPP.
We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common
stock will have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition), or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely
affect prevailing market prices of our Class A common stock.
OneWater Inc. is required to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for certain tax benefits that it may claim, and the amounts of such payments could be significant.
The Tax Receivable Agreement generally provides for the payment by OneWater Inc. to each OneWater Unit Holder of 85% of the net cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax and franchise tax
(computed using simplifying assumptions to address the impact of state and local taxes) that OneWater Inc. actually realizes (or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances) in periods after the IPO as a result of certain increases in tax basis
available to OneWater Inc. as a result of the exercise of the Redemption Right or pursuant to our Call Right or that relate to prior transfers of such OneWater LLC Units that will be available to OneWater Inc. as a result of its acquisition of
those units, and certain benefits attributable to imputed interest. OneWater Inc. will retain the benefit of the remaining 15% of these net cash savings.
The terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement commenced upon completion of the IPO and will continue until all tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement have been utilized or expired, unless OneWater
Inc. exercises its right to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement (or the Tax Receivable Agreement is terminated due to other circumstances, including OneWater Inc.’s breach of a material obligation thereunder or certain mergers or other changes
of control), and OneWater Inc. makes the termination payment specified in the Tax Receivable Agreement. In addition, payments OneWater Inc. makes under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be increased by any interest accrued from the due date
(without extensions) of the corresponding tax return. In the event that the Tax Receivable Agreement is not terminated, the payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are anticipated to commence in 2022 and to continue for 20 years after the date
of the last redemption of the OneWater LLC Units.
The payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement are OneWater Inc.’s obligations and not obligations of OneWater LLC, and we expect that the payments OneWater Inc. will be required to make under the Tax
Receivable Agreement will be substantial. Estimating the amount and timing of OneWater Inc.’s realization of tax benefits subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement is by its nature imprecise. The actual increases in tax basis covered by the Tax
Receivable Agreement, as well as the amount and timing of OneWater Inc.’s ability to use any deductions (or decreases in gain or increases in loss) arising from such increases in tax basis, are dependent upon significant future events, including
but not limited to the timing of the redemptions of OneWater LLC Units, the price of OneWater Inc.’s Class A common stock at the time of each redemption, the extent to which such redemptions are taxable transactions, the amount of the redeeming
unit holder’s tax basis in its OneWater LLC Units at the time of the relevant redemption, the depreciation and amortization periods that apply to the increase in tax basis, the amount, character, and timing of taxable income OneWater Inc. generates
in the future, the timing and amount of any earlier payments that OneWater Inc. may have made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, the U.S. federal income tax rate then applicable, and the portion of OneWater Inc.’s payments under the Tax Receivable
Agreement that constitute imputed interest or give rise to depreciable or amortizable tax basis. Accordingly, estimating the amount and timing of payments that may become due under the Tax Receivable Agreement is also by its nature imprecise. For
purposes of the Tax Receivable Agreement, net cash savings in tax generally are calculated by comparing OneWater Inc.’s actual tax liability (determined by using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and
local income tax rate) to the amount OneWater Inc. would have been required to pay had it not been able to utilize any of the tax benefits subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Thus, the amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable
Agreement are also dependent upon significant future events, including those noted above in respect of estimating the amount and timing of OneWater Inc.’s realization of tax benefits. Any distributions made by OneWater LLC to OneWater Inc. in order
to enable OneWater Inc. to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, as well as any corresponding pro rata distributions made to the other OneWater Unit Holders could have an adverse impact on our liquidity.
The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned upon a holder of rights under a Tax Receivable Agreement having a continued ownership interest in OneWater Inc. or OneWater LLC. In addition, certain
of the OneWater Unit Holders’ rights (including the right to receive payments) under the Tax Receivable Agreement are transferable in connection with transfers permitted under the OneWater LLC Agreement of the corresponding OneWater LLC Units or,
subject to OneWater Inc.’s consent (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed), after the corresponding OneWater LLC Units have been acquired pursuant to the Redemption Right or Call Right. For additional information regarding the
Tax Receivable Agreement, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Tax Receivable Agreement” in this Form 10-K.
In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes
subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement.
If OneWater Inc. experiences a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations) or the Tax Receivable Agreement
terminates early (at OneWater Inc.’s election or as a result of OneWater Inc.’s breach), OneWater Inc. would be required to make an immediate payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future payments to be made by it under the Tax
Receivable Agreement (determined by applying a discount rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 100 basis points) and such early termination payment is expected to be substantial. The calculation of anticipated future payments is based upon certain
assumptions and deemed events set forth in the Tax Receivable Agreement, including (i) that OneWater Inc. has sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the tax benefits covered by the Tax Receivable Agreement, and (ii) that any OneWater LLC Units
(other than those held by OneWater Inc.) outstanding on the termination date are deemed to be redeemed on the termination date. Any early termination payment may be made significantly in advance of, and may materially exceed, the actual
realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the early termination payment relates.
If OneWater Inc. experiences a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreement) or the Tax Receivable Agreement otherwise terminates early (at OneWater Inc.’s election or as a result of OneWater Inc.’s
breach), OneWater Inc.’s obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, or other forms of
business combinations or changes of control. For example, if the Tax Receivable Agreement were terminated immediately after the date hereof, and taking into account any redemptions that occur prior thereto, the estimated early termination payment
would, in the aggregate, be approximately $31.9 million (calculated using a discount rate equal to one-year LIBOR plus 100 basis points, applied against an undiscounted liability of $53.6 million calculated based on certain assumptions, including
but not limited to a $30.11 per share price, an estimated blended statutory U.S. federal, state and local corporate income tax rate of 25.0%, no material change in U.S. federal income tax law, and that OneWater Inc. will have sufficient taxable
income to utilize such estimated tax benefits). The foregoing number is merely an estimate and the actual payment could differ materially. In the event that OneWater Inc.’s obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement is
accelerated as a result of a change of control, where applicable, we generally expect the accelerated payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement to be funded out of the proceeds of the change of control transaction giving rise to such
acceleration. However, OneWater Inc. may be required to fund such payment from other sources, and as a result, any early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity. We do not currently
expect to cause an acceleration due to OneWater Inc.’s breach, and we do not currently expect that OneWater Inc. would elect to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement early, except in cases where the early termination payment would not be material.
There can be no assurance that OneWater Inc. will be able to meet its obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Tax Receivable Agreement” in
this Form 10-K.
In the event that OneWater Inc.’s payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement are accelerated upon certain mergers, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control, the
consideration payable to holders of OneWater Inc.’s Class A common stock could be substantially reduced.
If OneWater Inc. experiences a change of control (as defined under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which includes certain mergers, asset sales and other forms of business combinations), OneWater Inc. would be obligated
to make an immediate payment, and such payment may be significantly in advance of, and may materially exceed, the actual realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the payment relates. As a result of this payment obligation, holders
of OneWater Inc.’s Class A common stock could receive substantially less consideration in connection with a change of control transaction than they would receive in the absence of such obligation. Further, OneWater Inc.’s payment obligations under
the Tax Receivable Agreement are not conditioned upon the OneWater Unit Holders’ having a continued interest in OneWater Inc. or OneWater LLC. Accordingly, the OneWater Unit Holders’ interests may conflict with those of the holders of OneWater
Inc.’s Class A common stock. Please read “— In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, OneWater Inc. realizes in respect of the tax attributes subject to
the Tax Receivable Agreement.”
OneWater Inc. will not be reimbursed for any payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits are subsequently disallowed.
Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are based on the tax reporting positions that OneWater Inc. determines and the IRS or another tax authority may challenge all or part of the tax basis increase, as well as
other related tax positions OneWater Inc. takes, and a court could sustain such challenge. The OneWater Unit Holders will not reimburse OneWater Inc. for any payments previously made under the Tax Receivable Agreement if any tax benefits that have
given rise to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are subsequently disallowed, except that excess payments made to any OneWater Unit Holder will be netted against future payments that would otherwise be made to such OneWater Unit Holder, if
any, after OneWater Inc.’s determination of such excess (which determination may be made a number of years following the initial payment and after future payments have been made). As a result, in such circumstances, OneWater Inc. could make
payments that are greater than its actual cash tax savings, if any, and may not be able to recoup those payments, which could materially adversely affect its liquidity.
If OneWater LLC were to become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, OneWater Inc. and OneWater LLC might be subject to potentially significant
tax inefficiencies, and OneWater Inc. would not be able to recover payments previously made by it under the Tax Receivable Agreement even if the corresponding tax benefits were subsequently determined to have been unavailable due to such status.
We intend to operate such that OneWater LLC does not become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A “publicly traded partnership” is a partnership the interests of
which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. Under certain circumstances, redemptions of OneWater LLC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right (or the Call
Right) or other transfers of OneWater LLC Units could cause OneWater LLC to be treated as a publicly traded partnership. Applicable U.S. Treasury regulations provide for certain safe harbors from treatment as a publicly traded partnership, and we
intend to operate such that redemptions or other transfers of OneWater LLC Units qualify for one or more such safe harbors. For example, we intend to limit the number of unitholders of OneWater LLC, and the OneWater LLC Agreement provides for
limitations on the ability of unitholders of OneWater LLC to transfer their OneWater LLC Units and provides OneWater Inc., as managing member of OneWater LLC, with the right to impose restrictions (in addition to those already in place) on the
ability of unitholders of OneWater LLC to redeem their OneWater LLC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right to the extent OneWater Inc. believes it is necessary to ensure that OneWater LLC will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S.
federal income tax purposes.
If OneWater LLC were to become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, significant tax inefficiencies might result for OneWater Inc. and for OneWater LLC, including
as a result of OneWater Inc.’s inability to file a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return with OneWater LLC. In addition, OneWater Inc. may not be able to realize tax benefits covered under the Tax Receivable Agreement, and OneWater Inc. would
not be able to recover any payments previously made by it under the Tax Receivable Agreement, even if the corresponding tax benefits (including any claimed increase in the tax basis of OneWater LLC’s assets) were subsequently determined to have
been unavailable.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of OneWater Inc.’s income or other tax returns could adversely affect its results of operations and
financial condition.
We may be subject to taxes by the U.S. federal, state, and local tax authorities and its future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
|
• |
changes in the valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities;
|
|
• |
expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
|
|
• |
tax effects of stock-based compensation; or
|
|
• |
changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof.
|
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal, state, and local taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating
results and financial condition.
We may issue preferred stock whose terms could adversely affect the voting power or value of our Class A common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designations, preferences, limitations and relative
rights, including preferences over our Class A common stock respecting dividends and distributions, as our board of directors may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could adversely impact the voting power or
value of our Class A common stock. For example, we might grant holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the happening of specified events or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly,
the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences we might assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of the Class A common stock.
If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a result of our ownership of OneWater LLC, applicable restrictions could make
it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (i) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or
proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (ii) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes
to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term
is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.
As the sole managing member of OneWater LLC, we will control and operate OneWater LLC. On that basis, we believe that our interest in OneWater LLC is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act.
However, if we were to cease participation in the management of OneWater LLC, our interest in OneWater LLC could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.
We and OneWater LLC intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including
limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
If securities or industry analysts cease publishing research or reports about our business, if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our Class A common stock or if our operating
results do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of
our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover our company
downgrades our Class A common stock or if our operating results do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.
General Risk Factors
General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
General economic conditions, including changes in employment levels, consumer demand, preferences and confidence levels, the availability and cost of credit, fuel prices, levels of discretionary personal income,
interest rates, periods of economic or political instability, public health crises, inflation, and consumer spending patterns can negatively impact our operating results. Unfavorable local, regional, national or global economic developments or
uncertainties regarding future economic prospects could reduce or defer consumer spending in the markets we serve and adversely affect our business. Consumer spending, including that of high net worth individuals, on discretionary goods may also
decline as a result of political uncertainty and instability, even if prevailing economic conditions are generally favorable. Economic conditions in areas in which we operate dealerships, particularly the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions in which
we generated approximately 79%, 80% and 75% of our revenue during fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, could have a major impact on our operations. Local influences, such as corporate downsizing, inclement weather such as hurricanes,
wintry conditions or other storms, environmental conditions and specific events, also could adversely affect, and in certain instances have adversely affected, our operations in certain markets.
In an economic downturn, consumer discretionary spending levels generally decline, at times resulting in disproportionately large reductions in the sale of discretionary goods. Consumer spending on discretionary goods
also may decline as a result of lower consumer confidence levels, even if prevailing economic conditions are favorable. Our business was significantly impacted during the recessionary period that began in 2007, and this period of weakness in
consumer spending and depressed economic conditions had a substantial negative effect on our operating results. In response to these conditions we reduced our inventory purchases, closed certain dealerships and reduced headcount. Although we have
expanded our operations and increased our focus on pre-owned sales, parts and repair services and finance & insurance products, during periods of stagnant or modestly declining industry trends, the cyclical nature of the retail marine industry
or the lack of industry growth could lead to oversupply and weak demand, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations in the future. Any period of adverse economic conditions or low consumer
confidence could have a negative effect on our business.
Inflation could adversely affect our financial results.
The market prices of certain materials and components used by us and our suppliers in manufacturing our products can be volatile. Significant increases in inflation, particularly those related to wages and increases in
the cost of raw materials may have an adverse impact on the business, financial condition, and results of operations of us or our suppliers, and our suppliers may in turn pass such increases along to us by raising the cost of our inventories. In
addition, new boat buyers often finance their purchases. Inflation, along with rising interest rates, could translate into an increased cost of boat ownership. Should inflation and increased rates continue to occur, prospective consumers may choose
to forego or delay their purchases or buy a less expensive boat in the event credit is not available to finance their boat purchases.
Our business could be materially adversely impacted by the widespread outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 has spread in many of the geographic areas in which we operate. National, state and local governments in affected regions have implemented and may continue to implement safety precautions, including shelter in
place orders, travel restrictions, business closures, cancellations of public gatherings, including boat shows, and other measures. These measures have affected our ability to sell and service boats, required us to temporarily close or partially
close certain locations and may require additional closures in the future. Organizations and individuals are also taking additional steps to avoid or reduce infection, including limiting travel, staying home, working from home and limiting
participation in certain activities. Future measures may also affect our ability to operate our marine retailer locations or our manufacturing facilities.
We continue to monitor federal, state and local government recommendations and have made modifications to our normal operations as a result of COVID-19. If the negative economic effects of COVID-19 or a new pandemic
continue for a prolonged period of time, it could lead to a reduction in demand for our products, which would adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, disruptions in the capital markets, as a result of a global pandemic, may also
adversely affect our ability to access capital and additional liquidity. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to disruptions in our supply chain, including our ability to obtain boats and parts from our suppliers. There have been industry-wide supply
chain constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased sales generally across the industry. To date, we have experienced shortages of inventory, and we believe such shortages resulted in a reduction in our revenues for fiscal year 2021 and
2022. Such shortages could continue to adversely impact our revenues for future periods. It is possible that such shortages could become more severe as a result of a global pandemic and its effects on, among other things, supply chains, operations
and consumer demand. These measures are disrupting normal business operations and may have, significant negative impacts on our business in the future. It is not possible to estimate the entirety of the effect that COVID-19 or any other global
pandemic will have on our business, customers, suppliers or other business partners.
Increased cybersecurity requirements, vulnerabilities, threats and more sophisticated and targeted computer crime could pose a risk to our systems, networks, and data. Our business operations could
be negatively impacted by an outage or breach of our informational technology systems or a cybersecurity event.
Our business is dependent upon the efficient operation of our information systems. The systems facilitate the interchange of information and enhance cross-selling opportunities throughout our company. The systems
integrate each level of operations on a company-wide basis, including but not limited to purchasing, inventory, receivables, payables, financial reporting, budgeting, marketing and sales management. The information systems also prepare our
consolidated financial and operating data. The failure of our information systems to perform as designed or the failure to maintain and enhance or protect the integrity of these systems could disrupt our business operations, impact sales and the
results of operations, expose us to customer or third-party claims, or result in adverse publicity.
Increased global cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and more sophisticated and targeted cyber-related attacks pose a risk to the security of our and our customers’, suppliers’ and third-party service providers’
products, systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. Risks to our information technology systems include potential breakdowns, invasions, viruses, cyber-attacks, cyber-fraud, security breaches, and
destruction or interruption of our information technology systems by third parties or employees. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities, or those of third parties with whom we do business, through fraud,
trickery or other forms of deceiving our team members, contractors, vendors and temporary staff. While we attempt to mitigate these risks by employing a number of measures, including employee training, systems and maintenance of protective systems,
we remain potentially vulnerable to known or unknown threats.
We may also have access to sensitive, confidential or personal data or information that is subject to data privacy and information security laws and regulations. Despite our efforts to protect sensitive, confidential
or personal data or information, we may be vulnerable to security breaches, ransomware theft, cyber phishing attacks, misplaced or lost data, programming errors, employee errors and/or malfeasance that could potentially lead to the compromising of
sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, improper use of our systems, inability to use our systems, and other unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction of information, and operational disruptions. Further,
advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, inadequate facility security or other developments may result in a compromise or breach of the technology we use to protect such sensitive, confidential or personal
data. Despite ongoing efforts to improve our ability to protect data from compromise, we may not be able to protect all of our data across our systems.
Our efforts to improve security and protect data from compromise may also identify previously undiscovered instances of security breaches or other cyber-related attack. It is possible that we might not be aware of a
successful cyber-related attack on our systems until well after the incident. In addition, a cyber-related attack could result in other negative consequences, including damage to our reputation or competitiveness, remediation or increased
protection costs, litigation or regulatory action, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Depending on the nature of the information compromised, we may have obligations to notify customers and/or
employees about the incident, and we may need to provide some form of remedy, such as a subscription to a credit monitoring service, for the individuals affected by the incident.
Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we instituted certain remote work policies, as did many of our service providers. The continued prevalence of remote working has increased our vulnerability to risks
related to our computer and communications hardware and software systems and exacerbated certain related risks, including risks of phishing and other cybersecurity attacks. Controls employed by our information technology department and our
customers and third-party service providers could prove inadequate.
We are subject to laws, rules, regulations and policies regarding data privacy and security, and may be subject to additional related laws and regulations in jurisdictions in which we operate or
expand. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and reinterpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, monetary penalties, increased cost of operations or other harm to our business.
We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws, directives, rules and policies relating to privacy and the collection, protection, use, retention, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing of
personal data and other data. The regulatory framework for data privacy and security worldwide is continuously evolving and developing and, as a result, interpretation and implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain
uncertain for the foreseeable future. It is possible that these types of inquiries regarding cybersecurity breaches increase in frequency and scope. In addition, new laws, amendments to or reinterpretations of existing laws, regulations, standards
and other obligations may require us to incur additional costs and restrict our business operations, and may require us to change how we use, collect, store, transfer or otherwise process certain types of personal data and to implement new
processes to comply with those laws and our customers’ exercise of their rights thereunder. These laws also are not uniform, as certain laws may be more stringent or broader in scope, or offer greater individual rights, with respect to sensitive
and personal information, and such laws may differ from each other, which may complicate compliance efforts. Compliance in the event of a widespread data breach may be costly. Any failure or perceived failure by us or our third-party service
providers to comply with any applicable federal, state or similar foreign laws, rules, regulations, industry standards, policies, certifications or orders relating to data privacy and security, or any compromise of security that results in the
theft, unauthorized access, acquisition, use, disclosure, or misappropriation of personal data or other customer data, could result in significant awards, fines, civil or criminal penalties or judgments, proceedings or litigation by governmental
agencies or customers, including class action privacy litigation in certain jurisdictions and negative publicity and reputational harm, one or all of which could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of
operations.
We may be named in litigation, which may result in substantial costs and reputational harm and divert management’s attention and resources.
We face legal risks in our business, including claims from disputes with our employees and our former employees and claims associated with general commercial disputes, product liability, personal injury and other
matters. Risks associated with legal liability often are difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude can remain unknown for significant periods of time. While we maintain automobile, directors and officers, general liability,
product liability (for our manufacturers), inventory, property and workers compensation insurance, the amount of insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover a claim and the continued availability of this insurance cannot be assured.
Additionally, we may be named in the future as defendants of class action lawsuits. Negative publicity from litigation, whether or not resulting in a substantial cost, could materially damage our reputation. We may in the future be the target of
litigation and this litigation may result in substantial costs and reputational harm and divert management’s attention and resources. Costs, harm to our reputation and diversion could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations and financial condition.
Changes in accounting standards could significantly affect our results of operations and the presentation of those results.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, or other accounting organizations or governmental entities frequently issue new pronouncements or new interpretations of existing accounting standards. Changes in
accounting standards, how the accounting standards are interpreted, or the adoption of new accounting standards can have a significant effect on our reported results, and could even retroactively affect previously reported transactions, and may
require that we make significant changes to our systems, processes and controls. Changes resulting from these new standards may result in materially different financial results and may require that we change how we process, analyze and report
financial information and that we change financial reporting controls. Such changes in accounting standards may have an adverse effect on our business, financial position, and income, which may negatively impact our financial results.
Adverse federal or state tax policies could have a negative effect on us.
Changes in federal and state tax laws, such as an imposition of luxury taxes on new boat purchases, increases in prevailing tax rates, and removal of certain interest deductions, may influence consumers’ decisions to
purchase products we offer and could have a negative effect on our sales. For example, during 1991 and 1992, the federal government imposed a luxury tax on new recreational boats with sales prices in excess of $100,000, which coincided with a sharp
decline in boating industry sales from a high of more than $17.9 billion in 1988 to a low of $10.3 billion in 1992. Any increase in tax rates, including those on capital gains and dividends, particularly those on high-income taxpayers, could
adversely affect our boat sales.
Item 1B. |
Unresolved Staff Comments.
|
None.
Our corporate headquarters which we lease, is located at 6275 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, Georgia 30518. Additionally, as part of our Dealership segment, we own or lease the following material retail facilities as
of September 30, 2022:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Legendary Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Rambo Marine
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Singleton Marine
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Sunrise Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
California
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Florida
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caribee Boat
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Central Marine
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Legendary Marine
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Marina Mike’s
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Naples Boat Mart
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Ocean Blue Yacht Sales
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
OneWater Yacht Group
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Quality Boats
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Roscioli Yachting Center
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Sundance Marine
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Sunrise Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Tom George Yacht Group
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Walker’s Marine
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Georgia
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
American Boat Brokers
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Singleton Marine
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Kentucky
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lookout Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Massachusetts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bosuns Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Maryland
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bosuns Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
OneWater Yacht Group
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Monaco
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
North Carolina
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OneWater Yacht Group
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
New Jersey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
OneWater Yacht Group
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Stone Harbor Marina
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Ohio
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
South Shore Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Spend-A-Day Marina
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Rhode Island
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
South Carolina
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Captain’s Choice Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Singleton Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Phil Dill Boats
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Slalom Shop
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
SMG Boats
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Texas Marine
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Virginia
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Norfolk Marine Company
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Washington
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denison Yachting
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
As part of our Distribution segment, we own or lease the following material warehouses and distribution facilities as of September 30, 2022.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alabama
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Ocean Bio-Chem
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Florida
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PartsVu
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Ocean Bio-Chem
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Indiana
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Oklahoma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Tennessee
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
T-H Marine
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
We believe that our facilities are adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. |
Legal Proceedings.
|
Due to the nature of our business, we are, from time to time, involved in other routine litigation or subject to disputes or claims related to our business activities, including workers’ compensation claims and
employment related disputes. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors. In the opinion of our management, none of the pending
litigation, disputes or claims against us, if decided adversely, would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
Item 4. |
Mine Safety Disclosures.
|
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. |
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
|
Market Information
Our Class A common stock is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “ONEW.” As of November 28, 2022, there were 14,295,044 shares of Class A common stock and 1,429,940 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. There is no
market for our Class B common stock. Each share of Class B common stock has no economic rights but entitles its holders to one vote on all matters to be voted on by the shareholders generally.
Holders of Record
As of November 28, 2022 there were 12 and 4 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively. In the case of our Class A common stock, the actual number of holders is greater
than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or held by other nominees. The number of holders of record of Class A common stock also does not include
stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.
The following graph illustrates a comparison of the total cumulative stockholder return for our Class A common stock since February 7, 2020, which is the date our shares
began trading, through September 30, 2022, to two indices: the Russell 2000 Index and the Nasdaq Retail Trade Index. The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 on February 7, 2020, in our Class A common stock, the stocks comprising the
Russell 2000 Index, and the stocks comprising the Nasdaq Retail Trade Index. The calculations of cumulative shareholder return on our Class A common stock, the Russell 2000 Index and the Nasdaq Retail Trade Index include reinvestment of
dividends. The comparisons in the table are required by the SEC and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of possible future performance of our Class A common stock. This graph shall not be deemed “soliciting material” or be deemed
“filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of our filings under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act),
as amended, or the Securities Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in any such filing.
|
|
2/7/20
|
|
|
9/30/20
|
|
|
9/30/21
|
|
|
9/30/22
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OneWater Marine Inc.
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
135.34
|
|
|
|
277.33
|
|
|
|
207.67
|
|
Russell 2000
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
94.34
|
|
|
|
139.32
|
|
|
|
106.58
|
|
NASDAQ Retail Trade
|
|
|
100.00
|
|
|
|
149.73
|
|
|
|
159.19
|
|
|
|
118.02
|
|
Dividends
On June 17, 2021, our board of directors declared a one-time special cash dividend of $1.80 per share. The cash dividend of approximately $27.1 million was paid on July 19, 2021 to holders of Class A common stock and
OneWater Unit Holders. Additionally, a $1.0 million cash dividend for restricted stock unit holders was accrued for payment to holders upon future vesting of restricted stock unit awards outstanding on the date the dividend was declared. During the
year ended September 30, 2022, $0.2 million of the previously accrued balance was paid to restricted stock unit holders. The remaining $0.8 million is recorded in other payables and accrued expenses in the consolidated balance sheet as of September
30, 2022.
We do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends to holders of our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the growth of our
business. Holders of our Class B common stock are not entitled to participate in any dividends declared by our board of directors. Our future dividend policy is within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon then-existing
conditions, including our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, investment opportunities, statutory restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition,
under our Credit Facilities, OWAO is restricted from paying cash dividends, and we expect these restrictions to continue in the future, which may in turn limit our ability to pay cash dividends on our Class A common stock. Our ability to pay cash
dividends may also be restricted by the terms of any future credit agreement or any future debt or preferred equity securities that we or our subsidiaries may issue. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock— While our Board of
Directors declared a one-time special cash dividend of $1.80 per share on June 17, 2021, we do not intend to pay cash dividends on our Class A common stock, and our Credit Facilities place certain restrictions on our ability to do so. Consequently,
your only opportunity to achieve a return on your investment is if the price of our Class A common stock appreciates.”
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Issuer’s Purchases of Equity Securities
Issuer’s Purchases of Equity Securities (1)
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
Period
|
|
Total
number of
shares
purchased
|
|
|
Average price
paid per share
|
|
|
Total number of
Shares
purchased as
part of publicly
announced
plans or
programs
|
|
|
Maximum
dollar value of
shares that may
yet be
purchased
under the plans
or programs (in
millions)
|
|
July 1, 2022 through July 31, 2022
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
50.0
|
|
August 1, 2022 through August 31, 2022
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
50.0
|
|
September 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022
|
|
|
10,134
|
|
|
|
34.89
|
|
|
|
10,134
|
|
|
|
49.6
|
|
Total
|
|
|
10,134
|
|
|
$
|
34.89
|
|
|
|
10,134
|
|
|
$
|
49.6
|
|
(1) On March 30, 2022, the Board authorized a share repurchase program of up to $50 million of outstanding shares of Class A common stock. Repurchases under the share repurchase program may be made at any time or from time to time,
without prior notice, in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions at prevailing market prices, or such other means as will comply with applicable state and federal securities laws and regulations, including the provisions of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including Rule 10b5-1 and, to the extent practicable or advisable, Rule 10b-18 thereunder, and consistent with the Company’s contractual limitations and other requirements.
Item 6. |
Selected Financial Data.
|
Part II, Item 6 is no longer required due to amendments to Regulation S-K that eliminate Item 301.
Item 7. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
|
Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to OneWater Marine Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. The following discussion and
analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-K. The following discussion contains
forward-looking statements that reflect our future plans, estimates, beliefs and expected performance. The forward-looking statements are dependent upon events, risks and uncertainties that may be outside our control. Our actual results could
differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties, including those described in this Form 10-K under “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk
Factors.” In light of these risk, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by applicable
law.
Overview
We believe that we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States with 96 dealerships, 12 distribution centers/warehouses and multiple online marketplaces as of September 30, 2022. Our
dealer groups are located within highly attractive markets throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, many of which are in the top twenty states for marine retail expenditures. We believe that we are a market leader by volume
in sales of premium boats in 13 of the markets in which we operate. In addition to boat sales, we also generate sales from related products including finance & insurance and service, parts and other sales. The recent acquisitions of T-H Marine
and Ocean Bio-Chem will significantly expand our sales of marine parts and accessories. The combination of our significant scale, diverse inventory, access to premium boat brands, access to a broad array of parts and accessories and meaningful
group brand equity enables us to provide a consistently professional experience as reflected in the number of our repeat customers and Dealership same-store sales growth.
We were formed in 2014 as OneWater LLC through the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine, which created a marine retail platform that collectively owned and operated 19 dealerships. Since the combination
in 2014, we have acquired a total of 75 additional dealerships, 12 distribution centers/warehouses and multiple online marketplaces through 30 acquisitions. Our current portfolio as of September 30, 2022 consists of multiple brands which are
recognized on a local, regional or national basis. Because of this, we believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States based on number of dealerships and total boats sold. While we have opportunistically
opened new dealerships in select markets, we believe that it is generally more effective economically and operationally to acquire existing dealerships with experienced staff and established reputations.
Effective August 9, 2022, our reportable segments changed as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Ocean Bio-Chem, which changed management’s reporting structure and operating activities. We now report our
operations through two new reportable segments: Dealerships and Distribution.
As of September 30, 2022, the Dealerships reporting segment includes operations of 96 dealerships in 15 states including Florida, Texas, Alabama and Georgia, among others, and represents approximately 92% of revenues.
The Dealership segment engages in the sale of new and pre-owned boats, arranges financing and insurance products, performs repairs and maintenance services, offers marine related parts and accessories and offers slip and storage accommodations in
certain locations.
As of September 30, 2022, the Distribution reporting segment includes the activity of PartsVu, Ocean Bio Chem and T-H Marine and its subsidiaries which together operate 12 distribution centers/warehouses in Alabama,
Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Tennessee and Illinois and represents approximately 8% of revenues. The Distribution segment engages in the manufacturing, assembly and distribution of marine related products (and adjacent industries).
The boat dealership market is highly fragmented and is comprised of approximately 4,200 dealerships nationwide. Most competing boat retailers are operated by local business owners who own three or fewer stores; however
we do have other large competitors including MarineMax and Bass Pro Shops. We believe we are one of the largest and fastest-growing marine retailers in the United States. Despite our size, we comprise less than 3% of total industry sales. Our scale
and business model allow us to leverage our extensive inventory to provide consumers with the ability to find a boat that matches their preferences (e.g., make, model, color, configuration and other options) and to deliver the boat within days
while providing a personalized sales experience. In addition to boat sales, we also generate sales from related products including finance & insurance and service, parts and other sales. The recent acquisitions of T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem
have significantly expanded our sales of marine parts and accessories. Our strategic growth in this area is also expected to materially expand our addressable market in the parts and accessories business. We are able to operate with a comparatively
higher degree of profitability than other independent retailers because we allocate support resources across our broader base, focus on high-margin service parts and accessories, utilize floor plan financing and provide core back-office functions
on a scale that many independent retailers are unable to match. We seek to be the leading marine retailer by total market share within each boating market and within the product segments in which we participate. To the extent that we are not, we
will evaluate acquiring other local retailers in order to increase our sales, to add additional brands or to provide us with additional high-quality personnel.
Impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic and its related effects, including restraints on U.S. economic and leisure activities, has and may continue to have a significant impact on our operations and financial condition. National, state
and local governments in affected regions previously implemented and in the future may reimplement safety precautions, including shelter in place orders, travel restrictions, business closures, cancellations of public gatherings, including boat
shows, and other measures. At times, these measures have affected our ability to sell and service boats, required us to temporarily close or partially close certain locations and may require additional closures in the future.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its related effects have, to date, positively impacted our sales as more customers desire to engage in outdoor recreational activities that can be enjoyed close to first or second homes, in a
socially distanced manner. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also caused significant supply chain challenges as suppliers were, and continue to be, faced with business closures and shipping delays. This has led to an industry wide inventory
shortage of boats, engines and certain marine parts. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related effects may continue to interfere with the ability of our employees, contractors, customers, suppliers, and other business partners to perform our and their
respective responsibilities and obligations with respect to the operation of our business.
While we continue to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations, our financial results for the year ended September 30, 2022 suggest that spending in all our regions and across product
lines has proven resilient despite the challenges posed by the pandemic as customers have continued to focus on socially distanced outdoor recreations. The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business remains uncertain and dependent on
various factors including consumer demand, a possible resurgence of COVID-19, including variants of the virus in certain geographic areas, our ability to safely operate locations and the existence and extent of a prolonged economic downturn.
Trends and Other Factors Impacting Our Performance
Acquisitions
We are a highly acquisitive company. Since the combination of Singleton Marine and Legendary Marine in 2014, we have acquired 75 additional dealerships through 25 dealer group acquisitions. Our team remains focused on
expanding our dealership growth in regions with strong boating cultures, enhancing the customer experience and generating value for our shareholders. In addition to dealership acquisitions, the Company has strategically acquired parts and
accessories companies as part of our growth and diversification strategy. We have acquired 12 distribution centers and warehouses through the acquisition of 5 parts and accessories companies. We plan to continue to strategically evaluate and
complete acquisitions moving forward. For the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, we completed 8 and 5 acquisitions, respectively.
Since September 30, 2022 we have completed the acquisitions of Taylor Marine Centers and Harbor View Marine as of October 1, 2022 and December 1, 2022, respectively.
We have an extensive acquisition track record within the retail marine industry and believe we have developed a reputation for treating sellers and their staff in an honest and fair manner. We typically retain the
management team and name of the acquired group. We believe this practice preserves customer relationships and goodwill in the local marketplace. We believe our reputation and scale have positioned us as a buyer of choice for marine retailers who
want to sell their businesses. Our strategy is to acquire dealerships at attractive EBITDA multiples and then grow same-store sales while benefitting from cost-reducing synergies. Historically, we have typically acquired dealerships for less than
4.0x EBITDA on a trailing twelve month basis and believe that we will be able to continue to make attractive acquisitions within this range. With the expansion of our Distribution segment, we look to acquire parts and accessories manufacturing and
distribution companies within a range of 5.0x – 10.0x EBITDA on a trailing twelve month basis, depending on the size of the business.
General Economic Conditions
General economic conditions and consumer spending patterns can negatively impact our operating results. Unfavorable local, regional, national, or global economic developments or uncertainties, including the adverse
economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain constraints, or a prolonged economic downturn, could reduce consumer spending and adversely affect our business. Consumer spending on discretionary goods may also decline as a result
of lower consumer confidence levels, higher interest rates or higher fuel costs, even if prevailing economic conditions are otherwise favorable. Economic conditions in areas in which we operate dealerships, particularly in the Southeast, can have a
major impact on our overall results of operations. Local influences, such as corporate downsizing and inclement weather such as hurricanes and other storms, environmental conditions, global public health concerns and events could adversely affect
our operations in certain markets and in certain periods. Any extended period of adverse economic conditions or low consumer confidence is likely to have a negative effect on our business.
Our business was significantly impacted during the recessionary period that began in 2007. This period of weakness in consumer spending and depressed economic conditions had a substantial negative effect on our
operating results. In response to these conditions we reduced our inventory purchases, closed certain dealerships and reduced headcount. Additionally, in an effort to counteract the downturn, we increased our focus on pre-owned sales, parts and
repair services, and finance & insurance services. As a result, we surpassed our pre-recession sales levels in less than 24 months. While we believe the measures we took significantly reduced the impact of the downturn on the business, we
cannot guarantee similar results in the event of a future downturn. Additionally, we cannot predict the timing or length of unfavorable economic or industry conditions, including a downturn as a result of pandemics, rising interest rates,
inflation, or the extent to which they could adversely affect our operating results.
Although past economic conditions have adversely affected our operating results, we believe we are capable of responding in a manner that allows us to substantially outperform the industry and gain market share. We
believe our ability to capture such market share enables us to align our retail strategies with the desires of customers. We expect our core strengths, including retail and acquisition strategies, will allow us to capitalize on growth opportunities
as they occur, despite market conditions.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, contingent assets and liabilities, each
as of the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the periods presented. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates their estimates and assumptions, and the effects of any such revisions are reflected in the financial
statements in the period in which they are determined to be necessary. Actual outcomes could differ materially from those estimates in a manner that could have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. Set forth below are the
policies and estimates that we have identified as critical to our business operations and understanding our results of operations, based on the high degree of judgment or complexity in their application.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost of new and pre-owned boat inventory is determined using the specific identification method. New and pre-owned boat sales histories indicated
that the overwhelming majority of such boats are sold for, or in excess of, the cost to purchase those boats. In assessing the lower of cost or net realizable value, we consider the aging of the boats, historical sales of a particular product and
current market conditions. There are inherent uncertainties in assessing net realizable value as management must make assumptions and apply judgment to changes in the market, brands and other factors that drive consumer preferences and spending. The cost of acquired, manufactured and assembled parts and accessories is determined using methods which vary by subsidiary and include both the average cost method and first-in, first-out. Inventory is
reported net of write downs for obsolete and slow moving items of approximately $3.0 million, $0.8 million and $0.6 million at September 30, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Others (“ASC 350”), we review goodwill for impairment annually in the fourth fiscal
quarter, or more often if events or circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. When evaluating goodwill for impairment, if the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, the difference would represent the amount
of required goodwill impairment in accordance with ASC 350. To the extent the reporting unit’s earnings decline significantly or there are changes in one or more of these inputs that would result in a lower valuation, it could cause the carrying
value of the reporting unit to exceed its fair value and thus require the Company to record goodwill impairment.
Identifiable intangible assets as a result of the acquisitions we have completed consist of trade names, developed technologies, including design libraries, and customer relationships. We have determined that trade
names have an indefinite life, as there is no economic, contractual or other factors that limit their useful lives and they are expected to generate value as long as the trade name is utilized by the marine retailer, and therefore, are not subject
to amortization. Developed technologies and customer relationships are amortized over their estimated useful lives of ten years and are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the
asset may not be recoverable.
Impairment testing requires the assessment of both qualitative and quantitative factors, including, but not limited to whether there has been a significant or adverse change in the business climate that could affect
the value of an asset and/or significant or adverse changes in cash flow projections or earnings forecasts. These assessments require management to make judgements, assumptions and estimates regarding the macroeconomic and industry conditions, our
financial performance, and other factors. The Company determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the goodwill and identifiable intangible assets was greater than its carrying amount, and as a result, no impairment for
goodwill and identifiable intangible assets was required for the years ended September 30, 2022, 2021 and 2020. We do not believe that there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a change in the judgements and assumptions used in our
qualitative assessment that would result in a material effect on our operating results.
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which requires recognition of assets acquired and liabilities assumed at fair value as of the date of the acquisition. Determination of
the estimated fair value assigned to each asset acquired or liability assumed can materially impact the net income in subsequent periods through depreciation and amortization and potential impairment charges.
The most critical areas of judgment in applying the acquisition method include selecting the appropriate valuation techniques and assumptions that are used to measure the acquired assets and assumed liabilities at fair
value, particularly for inventory, contingent consideration, trade names, developed technologies, including design libraries, and customer relationships. The fair value of acquired inventory is based on manufacturer invoice cost, curtailments, and
market data. The significant estimates used to value contingent consideration are future earnings and discount rates. Management estimated the fair value of the trade names and developed technologies using the relief from royalty method and
customer relationships using the multi-period excess earnings method. The fair value determination of the trade names and design libraries required management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to future revenues and the
selection of the royalty rate and discount rate. The fair value determination of the customer relationships require management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to future revenues attributable to existing customers, future
EBITDA margins and the selection of the customer attrition rate and discount rate. Changes in assumptions concerning future financial results or other underlying assumptions could have a significant impact on the determination of the fair value.
In selecting the techniques and assumptions noted above, we generally engage third-party, independent valuation professionals to assist us in developing the assumptions and applying the valuation techniques to a
particular business combination transaction. In particular, the discount rates selected are compared to and evaluated with (i) the industry weighted-average cost of capital, (ii) the inherent risks associated with each type of asset and (iii) the
level and timing of future cash flows appropriately reflecting market participant assumptions.
How We Evaluate Our Operations
Revenue
We have a diversified revenue profile that is comprised of new boat sales, pre-owned boat sales, finance & insurance products, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories. During different phases of
the economic cycle, consumer behavior may shift away from new boats; however, we are well-positioned to benefit from revenue from pre-owned boats, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories, which have all historically increased
during periods of economic uncertainty. We generate pre-owned sales from boats traded-in for new and pre-owned boats, boats purchased from customers, brokerage transactions, consignment sales and wholesale sales. We continue to focus on all aspects
of our business including non-boat sales of finance & insurance products, repair and maintenance services, and parts and accessories. Although non-boat sales contributed approximately 17.8%, 11.3% and 9.8% to revenue in fiscal years 2022, 2021
and 2020, respectively, due to the higher gross margin on these product and service lines, non-boat sales contributed 30.1%, 25.8% and 28.3% to gross profit in fiscal years 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We have also diversified our business
across geographies, dealership types (e.g., fresh water and salt water), and product offerings (e.g., focus on parts and accessories businesses through PartsVu, T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem) in order to reduce the effects of seasonality and
cyclicality of our business. In addition to seasonality, revenue and operating results may be significantly affected by quarter-to-quarter changes in economic conditions, manufacturer incentive programs, adverse weather conditions and other
developments outside of our control.
Gross Profit
We calculate gross profit as revenue less cost of sales. Cost of sales consists of actual amounts paid for products, costs of services (primarily labor), transportation costs from manufacturers to our dealerships and
vendor consideration. Gross profit excludes the majority of our depreciation and amortization, which is presented separately in our consolidated statements of operations.
Gross Profit Margin
Our overall gross profit margin varies with our revenue mix. Sales of new and pre-owned boats, which have comparable margins, generally result in a lower gross profit margin than our non-boat sales. As a result, when
revenue from non-boat sales increases as a percentage of total revenue, we expect our overall gross profit margin to increase.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general, and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and incentive-based compensation, advertising, rent, insurance, utilities, and other customary operating expenses. A portion of our cost
structure is variable (such as sales commissions and incentive compensation), or controllable (such as advertising), which we believe allows us to adapt to changes in the retail environment over the long term. We typically evaluate our variable
expenses, selling expenses and all other selling, general, and administrative expenses in the aggregate as a percentage of total revenue.
Dealership Same-Store Sales
We assess the organic growth of our Dealership segment revenue on a same-store basis. We believe that our assessment on a same-store basis represents an important indicator of comparative financial results and provides
relevant information to assess our performance. New and acquired dealerships become eligible for inclusion in the comparable dealership base at the end of the dealership’s thirteenth month of operations under our ownership and revenues are only
included for identical months in the same-store base periods. Dealerships relocated within an existing market remain in the comparable dealership base for all periods. Additionally, amounts related to closed dealerships are excluded from each
comparative base period. Because Dealership same-store sales may be defined differently by other companies in our industry, our definition of this measure may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies, thereby diminishing
its utility.
Adjusted EBITDA
We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense – other, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization and other (income) expense, further adjusted to eliminate the effects of items such as
the change in the fair value of warrant liability, change in fair value of contingent consideration, loss on extinguishment of debt and transaction costs. See “—Comparison of Non-GAAP Financial Measure” for more information and a reconciliation of
Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.
Summary of Acquisitions
The comparability of our results of operations between the periods discussed below is naturally affected by the acquisitions we have completed during such periods. We are also continuously evaluating and pursuing
acquisitions on an ongoing basis, and such acquisitions, if completed, will continue to impact the comparability of our financial results. While we expect continued growth and strategic acquisitions in the future, our acquisitions may have
materially different characteristics than our historical results, and such differences in economics may impact the comparability of our future results of operations to our historical results.
Fiscal Year 2022 Acquisitions
|
• |
Effective October 1, 2021, we acquired Naples Boat Mart, a full-service marine retailer with one location in Florida.
|
|
• |
Effective November 30, 2021, we acquired T-H Marine, a leading provider of branded marine parts and accessories for OEMs and the aftermarket, with locations in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
|
|
• |
Effective December 1, 2021, we acquired Norfolk Marine Company, a full-service marine retailer with one location in Virginia.
|
|
• |
Effective December 31, 2021, we acquired a majority interest in Quality Boats, a full-service marine retailer with three locations in Florida.
|
|
• |
Effective February 1, 2022 we acquired JIF Marine, a leading supplier of stainless steel ladders, dock products and other accessories which is based in Tennessee.
|
|
• |
Effective March 1, 2022, we acquired YakGear, a leading supplier of kayak equipment, paddle sport accessories and boat mounting accessories which is based in Texas.
|
|
• |
Effective April 1, 2022, we acquired Denison Yachting, a leader in yacht and superyacht sales as well as ancillary yacht services, with 20 retail locations.
|
|
• |
Effective August 9, 2022, we acquired Ocean Bio-Chem, including Star Brite Europe, Inc., a leading supplier and distributor of appearance, cleaning and maintenance products for the marine industry and the automotive, powersports,
recreational vehicles, and outdoor power equipment markets with locations in Alabama and Florida.
|
We refer to the fiscal year 2022 acquisitions described above collectively as the “2022 Acquisitions.” Naples Boat Mart is fully reflected in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended September 30,
2022. The remaining 2022 Acquisitions are partially reflected in our consolidated statements of operations for the year ended September 30, 2022, beginning on the date of acquisition. None of our 2022 Acquisitions impact our results of operations
for the years ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.
Fiscal Year 2021 Acquisitions
|
• |
Effective December 1, 2020, we acquired Tom George Yacht Group, a full-service marine retailer based in Florida with two locations.
|
|
• |
Effective December 31, 2020, we acquired Walker Marine Group, a full-service marine retailer based in Florida with five locations.
|
|
• |
Effective December 31, 2020, we acquired Roscioli Yachting Center, a full-service marine and yachting facility located in Florida, including the related real estate and in-water slips.
|
|
• |
Effective August 1, 2021, we acquired Stone Harbor Marina, a full-service marine retailer based in New Jersey with one location.
|
|
• |
Effective September 1, 2021 we acquired PartsVu, an online marketplace for OEM marine parts, electronics and accessories with a warehouse in Florida.
|
We refer to the fiscal year 2021 acquisitions described above collectively as the “2021 Acquisitions.” The 2021 Acquisitions are fully reflected in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30,
2022 but are only partially reflected in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2021, beginning on the date of acquisition, and will not impact our results of operations for the year ended September 30, 2020.
Fiscal Year 2020 Acquisitions
We did not complete any acquisitions in fiscal year 2020.
Other Factors Affecting Comparability of Our Future Results of Operations to Our Historical Results of Operations
Our historical financial results discussed below may not be comparable to our future financial results for the reasons described below.
|
• |
OneWater Inc. is subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes as a corporation. Our accounting predecessor, OneWater LLC, was and is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and as such, was and is
generally not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the entity level. Rather, the tax liability with respect to its taxable income is passed through to its members. Accordingly, the financial data attributable to our predecessor contains no
provision for U.S. federal income taxes or income taxes in any state or locality. OneWater Inc.’s effective tax rates were 22.1%, 18.1% and 11.5% for the years ended September 30, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
|
|
• |
As we further implement controls, processes and infrastructure applicable to companies with publicly traded equity securities, it is likely that we will incur additional selling, general, and administrative expenses relative to
historical periods. Our future results will depend on our ability to efficiently manage our combined operations and execute our business strategy.
|
Results of Operations
Year Ended September 30, 2022, Compared to Year Ended September 30, 2021
|
|
For the Year Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
($ in thousands)
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New boat
|
|
$
|
1,139,331
|
|
|
|
65.3
|
%
|
|
$
|
872,680
|
|
|
|
71.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
266,651
|
|
|
|
30.6
|
%
|
Pre-owned boat
|
|
|
294,832
|
|
|
|
16.9
|
%
|
|
|
216,416
|
|
|
|
17.6
|
%
|
|
|
78,416
|
|
|
|
36.2
|
%
|
Finance and insurance income
|
|
|
55,977
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
%
|
|
|
42,668
|
|
|
|
3.5
|
%
|
|
|
13,309
|
|
|
|
31.2
|
%
|
Service, parts and other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.9
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
164.1
|
%
|
Total revenues
|
|
|
1,744,822
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
|
1,228,206
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
|
516,616
|
|
|
|
42.1
|
%
|
Gross Profit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New boat
|
|
|
305,305
|
|
|
|
17.5
|
%
|
|
|
210,916
|
|
|
|
17.2
|
%
|
|
|
94,389
|
|
|
|
44.8
|
%
|
Pre-owned boat
|
|
|
81,665
|
|
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
54,138
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
%
|
|
|
27,527
|
|
|
|
50.8
|
%
|
Finance & insurance
|
|
|
55,977
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
%
|
|
|
42,668
|
|
|
|
3.5
|
%
|
|
|
13,309
|
|
|
|
31.2
|
%
|
Service, parts & other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.3
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
122.6
|
%
|
Total gross profit
|
|
|
553,655
|
|
|
|
31.7
|
%
|
|
|
357,455
|
|
|
|
29.1
|
%
|
|
|
196,200
|
|
|
|
54.9
|
%
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
302,113
|
|
|
|
17.3
|
%
|
|
|
199,049
|
|
|
|
16.2
|
%
|
|
|
103,064
|
|
|
|
51.8
|
%
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
15,605
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
%
|
|
|
5,411
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
10,194
|
|
|
|
188.4
|
%
|
Transaction costs
|
|
|
7,724
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
869
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
|
|
6,855
|
|
|
|
788.8
|
%
|
Change in fair value of contingent
consideration
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
219.5
|
%
|
Income from operations
|
|
|
217,833
|
|
|
|
12.5
|
%
|
|
|
148,877
|
|
|
|
12.1
|
%
|
|
|
68,956
|
|
|
|
46.3
|
%
|
Interest expense - floor plan
|
|
|
4,647
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
%
|
|
|
2,566
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
2,081
|
|
|
|
81.1
|
%
|
Interest expense – other
|
|
|
13,201
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
%
|
|
|
4,344
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
8,857
|
|
|
|
203.9
|
%
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt
|
|
|
356
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
356
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
Other expense (income), net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Income before income tax expense
|
|
|
195,836
|
|
|
|
11.2
|
%
|
|
|
142,215
|
|
|
|
11.6
|
%
|
|
|
53,621
|
|
|
|
37.7
|
%
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
67.5
|
%
|
Net income
|
|
|
152,611
|
|
|
|
8.7
|
%
|
|
|
116,413
|
|
|
|
9.5
|
%
|
|
|
36,198
|
|
|
|
31.1
|
%
|
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests
|
|
|
2,998
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests of One Water Marine Holdings, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37,354
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income attributable to OneWater Marine Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
79,059
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
Overall, revenue increased by $516.6 million, or 42.1%, to $1,744.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $1,228.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. Revenue generated from Dealership
same-store sales increased 11.9% for the year ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the year ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to an increase in the average selling price of new boats, the number of pre-owned boats sold, the model mix of
boats sold, an increase in finance & insurance sales and an increase in service, parts and other sales. We believe that COVID-19 has had a positive overall impact on the retail marine industry as people continue to seek recreational activities
that could be done in a safe, socially distanced way. Overall revenue increased by $147.0 million as a result of our increase in Dealership same-store sales and $369.6 million from revenue from our Distribution segment as well as revenue not
eligible for inclusion in the Dealership same-store sales base. New and acquired dealerships become eligible for inclusion in the comparable dealership base at the end of the dealership’s thirteenth month of operations under our ownership, and
revenues are only included for identical months in the same-store base periods. For the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, we completed 8 and 5 acquisitions, respectively.
New Boat Sales
New boat sales increased by $266.7 million, or 30.6%, to $1,139.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $872.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was the result of our Dealership
same-store sales growth during the twelve-month period, our acquisitions and an increase in our average selling price. We believe the increase in sales was primarily due to continued execution of operational improvements on previously acquired
dealers, the mix on boat brands and models sold, and product improvements in the functionality of technology which drove average unit prices higher.
Pre-owned Boat Sales
Pre-owned boat sales increased by $78.4 million, or 36.2%, to $294.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $216.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. We sell a wide range of brands and sizes of
pre-owned boats under different types of sales arrangements (e.g., trade-ins, brokerage, consigned and wholesale), which causes periodic and seasonal fluctuations in the average sales price. The increase in pre-owned boat sales was primarily
attributable to an increase in the number of units sold which was driven by Dealership same-store sales growth and acquisition growth.
Finance & Insurance Income
We generate revenue from arranging finance & insurance products, including financing, insurance and extended warranty contracts, to customers through various third-party financial institutions and insurance
companies. Finance & insurance income increased by $13.3 million, or 31.2%, to $56.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $42.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to the additional new
and pre-owned boat revenues. We remain very focused on improving sales of finance & insurance products throughout our dealer network and implementing best practices at acquired dealer groups and existing dealerships. Finance & insurance
products decreased slightly as a percentage of total revenue to 3.2% in the year ended September 30, 2022 from 3.5% for the year ended September 30, 2021. Finance & insurance income is recorded net of related fees, including fees charged back
due to any early cancellation of loan or insurance contracts by a customer. Since finance & insurance income is fee-based, we do not incur any related cost of sale.
Service, Parts & Other Sales
Service, parts & other sales increased by $158.2 million, or 164.1%, to $254.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $96.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase in service, parts
& other sales is primarily due to the contributions from our recently acquired parts and accessories businesses, including T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem, as well as increases across the board in labor, parts, fuel and storage sales, driven by
ancillary sales generated from our increase in new and pre-owned boat sales at our dealerships.
Gross Profit
Overall, gross profit increased by $196.2 million, or 54.9%, to $553.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $357.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase was mainly due to our
overall increase in Dealership same-store sales which was driven by increases in all revenue streams, the impact of the 2022 Acquisitions and the Company’s focus on dynamic pricing. Overall gross margins increased 260 basis points to 31.7% for the
year ended September 30, 2022 from 29.1% for the year ended September 30, 2021 due to the factors noted below.
New Boat Gross Profit
New boat gross profit increased by $94.4 million, or 44.8%, to $305.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $210.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase was due to our overall
increase in Dealership same-store sales and acquired dealerships during fiscal year 2022. New boat gross profit as a percentage of new boat revenue was 26.8% for the year ended September 30, 2022 as compared to 24.2% in the year ended September 30,
2021. The increase in new boat gross profit and gross profit margin is due primarily to a shift in the mix and size of boat models sold, the margin profile of recently acquired locations, our emphasis on expanding new boat gross profit margins and
the impact of industry wide inventory and supply chain constraints.
Pre-owned Boat Gross Profit
Pre-owned boat gross profit increased by $27.5 million, or 50.8%, to $81.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $54.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase was primarily due to an
overall increase in pre-owned revenue as a result of our Dealership same-store sales and acquired dealerships during fiscal year 2022. Pre-owned boat gross profit as a percentage of pre-owned boat revenue was 27.7% for the year ended September 30,
2022 as compared to 25.0% for the year ended September 30, 2021. We sell a wide range of brands and sizes of pre-owned boats under different types of sales arrangements (e.g., trade-ins, brokerage, consignment and wholesale), which may cause
periodic and seasonal fluctuations in pre-owned boat gross profit as a percentage of revenue. For the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to the year ended September 30, 2021, we experienced a strong increase in our gross profit on pre-owned
sales for trade-ins, brokerage and consignment which all have a higher margin percentage than wholesale which saw a slight decrease in gross profit.
Finance & Insurance Gross Profit
Finance & insurance gross profit increased by $13.3 million, or 31.2%, to $56.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $42.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. Finance & insurance income
is fee-based revenue for which we do not recognize incremental cost of sales.
Service, Parts & Other Gross Profit
Service, parts & other gross profit increased by $61.0 million, or 122.6%, to $110.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $49.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase in gross profit was primarily the result of our acquisitions of parts and accessories businesses, including T-H Marine and Ocean Bio-Chem, but was also further enhanced by our Dealership same-store sales growth. Service,
parts & other gross profit as a percentage of service, parts & other revenue was 43.5% and 51.6% for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease in gross profit margin was
due to a shift in the mix of revenue towards parts & accessories which has a lower gross profit percentage than service and other sales. Although the service, parts and other mix shifted and led to a year over year decrease in margin
percentage, our parts and accessories gross profit percentage was still accretive to the overall company gross profit percentage of 31.7% for the year ended September 30, 2022.
Selling, General & Administrative Expenses
Selling, general & administrative expenses increased by $103.1 million, or 51.8%, to $302.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 from $199.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. This increase was
primarily due to expenses incurred to support the overall increase in revenues and gross profit. Selling, general & administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue increased to 17.3% from 16.2% for the years ended September 30, 2022 and
2021, respectively. The increase in selling, general & administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue was primarily due to higher variable personnel costs driven by the increased level of profitability
for the year ended September 30, 2022 as well as increased costs given the current personnel environment.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $10.2 million, or 188.4%, to $15.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $5.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase in
depreciation and amortization expense is primarily due to a $7.6 million increase in amortization of identifiable intangible assets, primarily attributable to the 2022 Acquisitions, as well as an increase in our property, plant and equipment.
Transaction Costs
The increase in transaction costs of $6.9 million, or 788.8%, to $7.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $0.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 was primarily attributable to expenses
related to the 2022 Acquisitions.
Change in Fair Value of Contingent Consideration
During the year ended September 30, 2022, we incurred expenses of $10.4 million related to updated forecasts and accretion of contingent consideration liabilities related to fiscal 2021 and 2022 acquisitions.
Income from Operations
Income from operations increased $69.0 million, or 46.3%, to $217.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $148.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily
attributable to the $196.2 million increase in gross profit for the year ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the year ended September 30, 2021, partially offset by a $103.1 million increase in selling, general & administrative expenses, a
$10.2 million increase in depreciation and amortization, a $6.9 million increase in transaction costs and a $7.1 million increase in the change in fair value of contingent consideration during the same periods.
Interest Expense – Floor Plan
Interest expense – floor plan increased $2.1 million, or 81.1%, to $4.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $2.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase in floor plan interest
expense is primarily attributable to an increase in the average inventory for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to the year ended September 30, 2021 as well as an increase in interest rates.
Interest Expense – Other
Interest expense – other increased $8.9 million, or 203.9%, to $13.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $4.3 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase in our long term debt which was primarily used to fund certain 2022 Acquisitions.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
During the year ended September 30, 2022, we incurred $0.4 million in debt extinguishment expenses related to the August 9, 2022 amendment of our term debt.
Other Expense (Income), Net
Other expense (income), net changed by $4.0 million to $3.8 million of expense for the year ended September 30, 2022, compared to $0.2 million of income for the year ended September 30, 2021.
The increase is primarily attributable to the unrealized loss on our Forza X1, Inc. equity investment and expenses associated with Hurricane Ian.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense increased $17.4 million, or 67.5%, to $43.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2022, compared to $25.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to
the 37.7% increase in income before tax expense as well as the increased proportion of consolidated income before income tax expense that is allocated to OneWater Marine Inc. and therefore taxable due to the exchanges of shares of Class B common
stock for shares of Class A common stock.
Net Income (Loss)
Net income increased by $36.2 million to $152.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2022 compared to $116.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase in
gross profit, partially offset by an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization and the increase in the change in fair value of contingent consideration during the same periods.
Results of Operations
Year Ended September 30, 2021, Compared to Year Ended September 30, 2020
|
|
For the Year Ended September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
($ in thousands)
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New boat
|
|
$
|
872,680
|
|
|
|
71.0
|
%
|
|
$
|
717,093
|
|
|
|
70.1
|
%
|
|
$
|
155,587
|
|
|
|
21.7
|
%
|
Pre-owned boat
|
|
|
216,416
|
|
|
|
17.6
|
%
|
|
|
205,650
|
|
|
|
20.1
|
%
|
|
|
10,766
|
|
|
|
5.2
|
%
|
Finance and insurance income
|
|
|
42,668
|
|
|
|
3.5
|
%
|
|
|
36,792
|
|
|
|
3.6
|
%
|
|
|
5,876
|
|
|
|
16.0
|
%
|
Service, parts and other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.9
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.2
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
52.0
|
%
|
Total revenues
|
|
|
1,228,206
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
|
1,022,970
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
%
|
|
|
205,236
|
|
|
|
20.1
|
%
|
Gross Profit
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New boat
|
|
|
210,916
|
|
|
|
17.2
|
%
|
|
|
131,373
|
|
|
|
12.8
|
%
|
|
|
79,543
|
|
|
|
60.5
|
%
|
Pre-owned boat
|
|
|
54,138
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
%
|
|
|
37,389
|
|
|
|
3.7
|
%
|
|
|
16,749
|
|
|
|
44.8
|
%
|
Finance & insurance
|
|
|
42,668
|
|
|
|
3.5
|
%
|
|
|
36,792
|
|
|
|
3.6
|
%
|
|
|
5,876
|
|
|
|
16.0
|
%
|
Service, parts & other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.0
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.9
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
65.9
|
%
|
Total gross profit
|
|
|
357,455
|
|
|
|
29.1
|
%
|
|
|
235,524
|
|
|
|
23.0
|
%
|
|
|
121,931
|
|
|
|
51.8
|
%
|
Selling, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
199,049
|
|
|
|
16.2
|
%
|
|
|
143,575
|
|
|
|
14.0
|
%
|
|
|
55,474
|
|
|
|
38.6
|
%
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
5,411
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
3,249
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
%
|
|
|
2,162
|
|
|
|
66.5
|
%
|
Transaction costs
|
|
|
869
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
%
|
|
|
3,648
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
(2,779
|
)
|
|
|
(76.2
|
)%
|
Change in fair value of contingent
consideration
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(52.0
|
)%
|
Income from operations
|
|
|
148,877
|
|
|
|
12.1
|
%
|
|
|
78,290
|
|
|
|
7.7
|
%
|
|
|
70,587
|
|
|
|
90.2
|
%
|
Interest expense – floor plan
|
|
|
2,566
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
8,861
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
%
|
|
|
(6,295
|
)
|
|
|
(71.0
|
)%
|
Interest expense – other
|
|
|
4,344
|
|
|
|
0.4
|
%
|
|
|
8,828
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
%
|
|
|
(4,484
|
)
|
|
|
(50.8
|
)%
|
Change in fair value of warrant
liability
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
(771
|
)
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)%
|
|
|
771
|
|
|
|
(100.0
|
)%
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
6,559
|
|
|
|
0.6
|
%
|
|
|
(6,559
|
)
|
|
|
(100.0
|
)%
|
Other (income) expense, net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.0
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
Income before income tax expense
|
|
|
142,215
|
|
|
|
11.6
|
%
|
|
|
54,837
|
|
|
|
5.4
|
%
|
|
|
87,378
|
|
|
|
159.3
|
%
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
307.7
|
%
|
Net income
|
|
|
116,413
|
|
|
|
9.5
|
%
|
|
|
48,508
|
|
|
|
4.7
|
%
|
|
|
67,905
|
|
|
|
140.0
|
%
|
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
350
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interests of One Water Marine Holdings, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,733
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income attributable to OneWater Marine Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,425
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue
Overall, revenue increased by $205.2 million, or 20.1%, to $1,228.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $1,023.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. Revenue generated from Dealership
same-store sales increased 9.7% for the year ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the year ended September 30, 2020, primarily due to an increase in the average selling price of new and pre-owned boats, the model mix of boats sold, an increase
in finance & insurance sales and an increase in service, parts and other sales. We believe that COVID-19 has had a positive overall impact on the retail marine industry as people continue to seek recreational activities that could be done in a
safe socially distanced way. Overall revenue increased by $99.3 million as a result of our increase in Dealership same-store sales and $105.9 million from dealerships not eligible for inclusion in the same-store sales base. New and acquired
dealerships become eligible for inclusion in the comparable dealership base at the end of the dealership’s thirteenth month of operations under our ownership, and revenues are only included for identical months in the same-store base periods. For
the year ended September 30, 2021, we completed 5 acquisitions. We did not make any acquisitions in the year ended September 30, 2020.
New Boat Sales
New boat sales increased by $155.6 million, or 21.7%, to $872.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $717.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. The increase was the result of our Dealership
same-store sales growth during the twelve-month period, the increased unit sales attributable to the 2021 Acquisitions and an increase in our average unit price. We believe the increase in sales was primarily due to the shift towards outdoor
leisure activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as, the continued execution of operational improvements on previously acquired dealers. The increase in average sales price was due to consumer demand, the mix of boat brands and models sold,
and product improvements in the functionality and technology of boats.
Pre-owned Boat Sales
Pre-owned boat sales increased by $10.8 million, or 5.2%, to $216.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $205.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. We sell a wide range of brands and sizes of
pre-owned boats under different types of sales arrangements (e.g., trade-ins, brokerage, consigned and wholesale), which causes periodic and seasonal fluctuations in the average sales price. Pre-owned boat
sales for the year ended September 30, 2021 experienced a decrease in the number of units sold due to industry-wide supply constraints. The average sales price per pre-owned unit in the year ended September 30, 2021 increased largely due to the
mix of pre-owned products and the composition of the brands and models sold during the period as well as the industry-wide supply restrictions and higher prices.
Finance & Insurance Income
We generate revenue from arranging finance & insurance products, including financing, insurance and extended warranty contracts, to customers through various third-party financial institutions and insurance
companies. Finance & insurance income increased by $5.9 million, or 16.0%, to $42.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $36.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. The increase was primarily a result of the increase in
Dealership same-store sales, process improvements and additional revenue attributable to the 2021 Acquisitions. We remain very focused on improving sales of finance & insurance products throughout our dealer network and implementing best
practices at acquired dealer groups and existing dealerships. Finance & insurance products decreased slightly as a percentage of total revenue to 3.5% in the year ended September 30, 2021 from 3.6% for the year ended September 30, 2020. Finance
& insurance income is recorded net of related fees, including fees charged back due to any early cancellation of loan or insurance contracts by a customer. Since finance & insurance income is fee-based, we do not incur any related cost of
sale.
Service, Parts & Other Sales
Service, parts & other sales increased by $33.0 million, or 52.0%, to $96.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $63.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. This increase in service, parts
& other sales is primarily due to increases across the board in labor, parts, fuel and storage sales, driven by ancillary sales generated from our increase in new and pre-owned boat sales and the impact of our 2021 Acquisitions.
Gross Profit
Overall, gross profit increased by $121.9 million, or 51.8%, to $357.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $235.5 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. This increase was mainly due to our
overall increase in Dealership same-store sales, primarily driven by an increase in new boat sales, as well as higher pre-owned boat sales, finance & insurance income and service, parts and other sales. The increase in gross profit was also a
result of an increase in the number of locations due to the 2021 Acquisitions. Overall gross margins increased 610 basis points to 29.1% for the year ended September 30, 2021 from 23.0% for the year ended September 30, 2020 due to the factors noted
below.
New Boat Gross Profit
New boat gross profit increased by $79.5 million, or 60.5%, to $210.9 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $131.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. This increase was due to our overall
increase in Dealership same-store sales and acquired dealerships during fiscal year 2021. New boat gross profit as a percentage of new boat revenue was 24.2% for the year ended September 30, 2021 as compared to 18.3% in the year ended September 30,
2020. The increase in new boat gross profit and gross profit margin is due primarily to a shift in the mix and size of boat models sold, the margin profile of recently acquired locations and our emphasis on expanding new boat gross profit margins.
Pre-owned Boat Gross Profit
Pre-owned boat gross profit increased by $16.7 million, or 44.8%, to $54.1 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $37.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. This increase was primarily due to an
overall increase in our Dealership same-store sales and acquired dealerships during fiscal year 2021. Pre-owned boat gross profit as a percentage of pre-owned boat revenue was 25.0% for the year ended September 30, 2021 as compared to 18.2% in the
year ended September 30, 2020. We sell a wide range of brands and sizes of pre-owned boats under different types of sales arrangements (e.g., trade-ins, brokerage, consignment and wholesale), which may cause periodic and seasonal fluctuations in
pre-owned boat gross profit as a percentage of revenue. In the year ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the year ended September 30, 2020, we experienced an increase in our gross profit on pre-owned sales for each of the different sales
arrangements.
Finance & Insurance Gross Profit
Finance & insurance gross profit increased by $5.9 million, or 16.0%, to $42.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $36.8 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. Finance & insurance income
is fee-based revenue for which we do not recognize incremental expense.
Service, Parts & Other Gross Profit
Service, parts & other gross profit increased by $19.8 million, or 65.9%, to $49.7 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $30.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. Service, parts & other
gross profit as a percentage of service, parts & other revenue was 51.6% and 47.2% for the year ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. This increase was the result of the mix of products sold,
which shifted towards service work, which has a higher margin. Additionally, due to the increased demand, we experienced an increase in the overall productivity of our service technicians, which also drove margins higher.
Selling, General & Administrative Expenses
Selling, general & administrative expenses increased by $55.5 million, or 38.6%, to $199.0 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 from $143.6 million for the year ended September 30, 2020 This increase was
primarily due to the impact of acquisitions and expenses incurred to support the overall increase in Dealership same-store sales. The increase in selling, general & administrative expenses primarily consisted of a $45.0 million increase in
personnel expenses, a $5.9 million increase in administrative expenses and a $5.1 million increase in fixed expenses. Selling, general & administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue increased to 16.2% from 14.0% for the years ended
September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in selling, general & administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue was primarily due to higher variable-based compensation expense as a result
of the Company’s increased net profit margin.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense increased $2.2 million, or 66.5%, to $5.4 million for the year ended September 30, 2021 compared to $3.2 million for the year ended September 30, 2020. The increase in depreciation
and amortization expense for the year ended September 30, 2021 compared to the year ended September 30, 2020 was primarily attributable to an increase in property and equipment from our 2021 Acquisitions.
Transaction Costs
The decrease in transaction costs o