Stein Mart 2012 Annual Report Download - page 10

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weather conditions over a prolonged period might make it difficult for our customers to travel to our stores, which could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A lack of adequate sources of merchandise at acceptable prices may adversely affect our sales. Our business is dependent to a
significant degree upon our ability to purchase fashion and brand name merchandise, and to do so at acceptable wholesale prices. We
continuously seek out buying opportunities and compete for these opportunities with other retailers. In the event of a further decrease in
retail sales and the resulting pressure on manufacturers, the opportunities to purchase merchandise could become limited by the
consolidation or demise of merchandise vendors. Our ability to obtain merchandise may also depend on manufacturers’ ability to obtain
vendor financing through banks and factoring companies. To the extent they are unable to secure sufficient credit, they may not be able to
sell to us at acceptable terms. Although we do not depend on any single vendor or group of vendors and believe we can successfully
compete in seeking out new vendors, the loss of key vendors could make it difficult for us to acquire sufficient quantities and an
appropriate mix of merchandise, and to do so at acceptable prices which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Increases in the price of merchandise, could increase our costs which could negatively impact our margins. Our procurement of
goods and services from outside the United States is subject to risks associated with political or financial instability, trade restrictions,
tariffs, currency exchange rates, transport capacity and costs and other factors relating to foreign trade. In addition, our procurement of all
our goods and services is subject to the effects of price increases which we may or may not be able to pass through to our customers. All
of these factors may affect our ability to access suitable merchandise on acceptable terms and are beyond our control and could negatively
impact our margins.
We are dependent on certain key personnel and our ability to attract and retain qualified employees. Our business is dependent on
attracting and retaining quality employees. Many of our employees are in entry level or part-time positions with historically high rates of
turnover. Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling the costs associated with hiring and training new employees is subject to
external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation and changing demographics. Our success
also depends to a significant extent upon the efforts and abilities of our senior executives. Competition for key executives in the retail
industry is intense, and our operations could be adversely affected if we cannot retain our key executives. Any circumstances that
adversely impact our ability to attract, train, develop and retain quality individuals throughout the organization could adversely affect our
business and results of operations.
Increases in the cost of employee benefits could impact our financial results and cash flow. Our expenses relating to employee
health benefits are significant. Unfavorable changes in the cost of such benefits could impact our financial results and cash flow.
Healthcare costs have risen significantly in recent years, and recent legislative and private sector initiatives regarding healthcare reform
could result in significant changes to the U.S. healthcare system. We are not able at this time to determine the impact that healthcare
reform could have on the cost of our employee health benefits.
The seasonality of our business and fluctuations in sales and operating results could cause volatility in the price of our common
stock. Our business is seasonal with our highest sales occurring in the first and fourth quarters, which include the spring and holiday
seasons. Our annual operating results depend significantly upon sales generated during these quarters, and any factor that negatively
impacts these selling seasons could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for the entire year. Comparable store
sales and quarterly operating results have fluctuated in the past and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future. Our stock price is
influenced by these financial fluctuations, as well as other factors, including economic conditions, timing of promotional events, actions of
competitors, inventory management, changes in fashion trends and unseasonable weather conditions.
If the third parties that we currently rely on for a majority of the distribution aspects of our business experience labor strikes,
increased fuel costs, or do not adequately perform our distribution functions, our business could be disrupted and our cost of
goods could increase. We are dependent on our ability to receive merchandise in our stores throughout the United States in a timely
manner. We currently depend on vendors and logistics providers to sort and pack substantially all of our merchandise and on third parties
to deliver this merchandise to our stores. These vendors and logistics providers may experience labor strikes or other disruptions in the
future, the resolution of which will be out of our control, and could result in a material disruption in our business. Any failure by these third
parties to respond adequately to our distribution needs, including labor strikes or other disruptions in the business, would disrupt our
operations and negatively impact our profitability. In addition, although fluctuations in the price of fuel have not materially affected our cost
of goods in recent years, if we are unable to mitigate cost increases sufficiently through our pricing actions, our profitability may decrease.
We are planning to transition a majority of our distribution functions away from third-party vendors and logistics providers and
will perform such functions in the future and if we experience any business interruptions or disruptions in the distribution
process, our profitability could be materially impacted. We currently depend on third-party vendors and logistics providers to sort and
pack substantially all of our merchandise and on third parties to deliver this merchandise to our stores. We are planning to transition all of
our distribution centers and certain of our consolidation centers away from third parties and plan to perform these distribution functions
internally in the future. In the event that we experience problems transitioning our third-party operated distribution centers or consolidation