UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Form 10-K
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(Mark One)
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| For the fiscal year ended December 29, 2002 | ||
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
Commission File Number 000-32369
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Minnesota
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58-2016606 | |
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(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.) |
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Six Concourse Parkway, Suite 1700
Atlanta, Georgia (Address of principal executive offices) |
30328-5352
(Zip Code) |
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(770) 391-9500
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12 (g) of the Exchange Act:
Title of each class
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes o No þ
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. Yes o No þ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes þ No o
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of July 13, 2003 (the last day of the registrants second quarter for 2003), as quoted by the National Quotation Service, was approximately $327,106,000. As of November 30, 2003, there were 27,954,510 shares of the registrants common stock outstanding.
Documents incorporated by reference: None.
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
INDEX TO FORM 10-K
| PART I | ||||||
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Item 1.
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Business | 1 | ||||
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Item 2.
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Properties | 12 | ||||
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Item 3.
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Legal Proceedings | 14 | ||||
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Item 4.
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Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders | 15 | ||||
| PART II | ||||||
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Item 5.
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Market for Registrants Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters | 16 | ||||
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Item 6.
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Selected Financial Data | 17 | ||||
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Item 7.
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Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 22 | ||||
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Item 7A.
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Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk | 53 | ||||
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Item 8.
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Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 53 | ||||
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Item 9.
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Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 53 | ||||
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Item 9A.
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Controls and Procedures | 53 | ||||
| PART III | ||||||
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Item 10.
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Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant | 56 | ||||
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Item 11.
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Executive Compensation | 58 | ||||
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Item 12.
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 65 | ||||
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Item 13.
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions | 69 | ||||
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Item 14.
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Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 70 | ||||
| PART IV | ||||||
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Item 15.
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Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K | 71 | ||||
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PART I.
| Item 1. | BUSINESS |
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements regarding future events, future developments and future performance, as well as managements expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates or projections relating to the future, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of these laws. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.
Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: adverse effects of litigation or regulatory actions arising in connection with the restatement of our previously issued financial statements, the loss of franchisees and other business partners, failure of our franchisees, the loss of senior management and the inability to attract and retain additional qualified management personnel, a decline in the number of new units to be opened by franchisees, the inability to relist our securities with the Nasdaq National Market or another major securities market or exchange, our inability to address deficiencies and weaknesses in our internal controls, limitations on our business under our credit facility, our inability to enter into new franchise relationships and a decline in our ability to franchise new units, increased costs of our principal food products, labor shortages or increased labor costs, slowed expansion into new markets, changes in consumer preferences and demographic trends, as well as concerns about health or food quality, the ability of our competitors to successfully manage their respective operations in the foodservice industry, unexpected and adverse fluctuations in quarterly results, increased government regulation, growth in our franchise system that exceeds our resources to serve that growth, supply and delivery shortages or interruptions, currency, economic and political factors that affect our international operations, inadequate protection of our intellectual property and liabilities for environmental contamination. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations Risk Factors that May Affect Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a discussion of these factors.
The financial data in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the first three quarters of 2002 and for fiscal years 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998 has been restated from amounts previously reported. A discussion of the restatement in relation to fiscal years 2001 and 2000 and to the affected quarters of 2002, 2001 and 2000 is provided in Notes 23 and 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. A discussion of the restatement in relation to 1999 and 1998 is provided in Note 1 to the Selected Financial Data. An overview of the restatement is provided in the introduction to Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
General
AFC Enterprises, Inc. (AFC) develops, operates and franchises quick service restaurants, bakeries and cafes (generally referred to as QSRs, units or stores throughout this filing) in three distinct business segments: chicken, bakery and coffee. Our chicken segment operates under the trade names Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits (Popeyes) and Churchs Chicken (Churchs); our bakery segment operates under the trade name Cinnabon® (Cinnabon); and our coffee segment currently franchises cafes under the trade name Seattles Best Coffee®. Prior to July 14, 2003, our coffee segment also operated under the trade name Torrefazione Italia® Coffee. Financial information for these segments can be found in Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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As of December 29, 2002, we operated or
franchised 4,071 QSRs that did business in the United
States, Puerto Rico (which we include in our international
operations), and 33 foreign countries. That total, by
brand, was as follows:
Domestic
International
Company-
Company-
Operated
Franchised
Operated
Franchised
Total
96
1,298
318
1,712
284
963
262
1,509
84
369
159
612
54
79
84
217
18
3
21
536
2,709
3
823
4,071
Brand Profiles
Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits. Founded in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1972, our Popeyes brand is renowned for its signature spicy and mild fried chicken and its Louisiana inspired side items. As of December 29, 2002, there were 1,712 Popeyes restaurants worldwide. Whether measured by number of QSRs or system-wide sales, Popeyes is currently the second largest chicken QSR concept in the world.
As of December 29, 2002, Popeyes restaurants were located in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 19 foreign countries. Our 96 company-operated Popeyes restaurants were concentrated in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Over 70% of our 1,298 domestic franchised Popeyes restaurants were located in California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, Texas and Virginia. Over 60% of Popeyes 318 international franchised restaurants were located in Korea.
Churchs Chicken . Founded in San Antonio, Texas in 1952, our Churchs brand is one of the oldest QSR systems in the United States. Churchs restaurants focus on serving traditional Southern fried chicken and other Southern specialties. As of December 29, 2002, there were 1,509 Churchs restaurants worldwide. Measured by number of QSRs, Churchs is currently the third largest chicken QSR concept in the world (measured by sales it is the fourth largest chicken QSR concept).
As of December 29, 2002, Churchs restaurants were located in 28 states, Puerto Rico and 11 foreign countries. Our 284 company-operated Churchs restaurants were concentrated in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. Over 70% of our 963 domestic franchised Churchs restaurants were located in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio and Texas. Over 90% of Churchs 262 international franchised restaurants were located in Canada, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Cinnabon® . Founded in Seattle, Washington in 1985, our Cinnabon brand is the market leader among cinnamon roll bakeries. Cinnabon serves fresh, aromatic, oven-hot cinnamon rolls as well as a variety of other baked goods and specialty beverages. As of December 29, 2002, Cinnabon had 612 bakeries worldwide.
As of December 29, 2002, Cinnabon bakeries were located in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and 20 foreign countries, primarily in high traffic venues such as shopping malls, airports, train stations and travel plazas. Our 84 company-operated Cinnabon bakeries were concentrated in California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Over 60% of our 369 domestic franchised Cinnabon bakeries were located in California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. Over 60% of our 159 international franchised Cinnabon bakeries were located in Canada, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
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Seattles Best Coffee® and Torrefazione Italia® Coffee. In 1994, Seattle Coffee Company (Seattle Coffee) was created from the combination of Seattles Best Coffee, Inc. and Torrefazione Italia, Inc. As of December 29, 2002, we had 217 Seattles Best Coffee cafes and 21 Torrefazione Italia Coffee cafes. Of these, 75 were company-operated and 163 were franchised. These cafes were located in 16 states and eight foreign countries. As of December 29, 2002, Seattles Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia Coffee had 3,775 wholesale accounts with approximately 11,000 points of distribution.
On July 14, 2003, we sold our Seattle Coffee subsidiary to Starbucks Corporation (Starbucks) for $72.0 million. Net proceeds of the sale, after transaction costs and other adjustments, are expected to be approximately $63.0 million, which is subject to adjustment based upon the determination of certain financial results of Seattle Coffee for pre-closing periods of operations. In this transaction, we sold substantially all of the continental U.S. and Canadian operations of Seattle Coffee, which included 52 company-operated Seattles Best Coffee cafes, 21 company-operated Torrefazione Italia cafes, Seattle Coffees existing franchise business in North America (which consisted of 76 Seattles Best Coffee cafes) and its wholesale coffee business. Following the transaction, we continue to franchise the Seattles Best Coffee brand in retail locations in Hawaii, in certain international markets outside North America and on certain U.S. military bases.
Overall Business Strategy
AFCs business strategy incorporates the following seven elements:
| 1. | Building and managing a portfolio of recognizable QSR brands. We will continue to focus on enhancing the value of our portfolio of recognizable QSR brands. Toward this end, we see our success and that of our shareholders and our franchisees as integrally linked. |
We will continue our ongoing efforts to improve our brands and our brand portfolio in ways that offer promising opportunities to increase shareholder value. These efforts include both strategic acquisitions and strategic divestitures where appropriate. The sale of our Seattle Coffee subsidiary in the third quarter of 2003 constitutes a strategic divestiture designed to improve our brand portfolio. To our franchisees, we will provide exceptional support, systems and services. We are committed to being the Franchisor of Choice ®.
| 2. | Growing Through Our Franchise Network. We will fuel our business growth principally through franchising activities. From time-to-time, we will also sell company-operated units to franchisees, when strategically desirable. We believe that our focus on franchising provides us with higher profit margins and enhanced investment returns. In addition, a franchising-based growth strategy requires significantly less operating capital. As of December 29, 2002, over 85% of our brands 4,071 system-wide units were franchised, and we had development commitments from existing and new franchisees to open 2,622 additional units. As of November 30, 2003, we had commitments to open 2,351 additional units. However, we have been required to temporarily suspend certain domestic franchising activities due to the delay in releasing our financial statements for 2002 and our quarterly financial information for 2003. | |
| 3. | Building Our Model Markets Program. Each of our brands will continue to own and operate units in one or more markets. The objective is to have a limited number of company-operated units that are concentrated in only a few geographic markets. This will allow us to focus on establishing best practices and developing new menu items for each of our brands, thereby creating model markets. Innovations and best practices established in each of these model markets will be shared with our franchisees. We believe these best practices, combined with our marketing initiatives, will aid our efforts to improve same-store sales and operating margins throughout our systems. | |
| 4. | Promoting Uniquely Positioned Brands. We continually promote and refresh the image of our brands in order to increase consumer interest and sales. In the fourth quarter of 2000, we implemented a new re-imaging program that is designed to update the general publics perception |
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| of our brands. We plan to have substantially all of the QSRs in our systems re-imaged by the end of 2007. Most of our Popeyes and Churchs franchisees are contractually required to re-image their restaurants every six to seven years. Most of our Cinnabon franchisees are contractually required to re-image their bakeries within a time frame specified by us. The re-imaging program typically involves an interior and exterior makeover of the QSR along with new logos, dining room upgrades, uniforms, menu boards and menu items. | ||
| 5. | Increasing Domestic Market Penetration. Currently, most of our brands domestic markets are under-penetrated. We are increasing the number of our QSRs in new and existing markets. In addition, we are expanding the number and type of non-traditional formats in which our Popeyes and Churchs chicken restaurants are located, including convenience stores, mall food courts and airports. | |
| 6. | Expanding Our Franchise Networks Internationally. We believe that we have the opportunity to establish or expand a leading market position in a number of countries, due to the appeal of our highly recognizable American brands. Our international operations have increased from 346 franchised units in Puerto Rico and 17 foreign countries at the end of 1995, to 823 franchised units in Puerto Rico and 33 foreign countries at the end of 2002. Additionally, commitments to develop international franchised units have increased from 502 at the end of 1995 to 1,261 at the end of 2002. | |
| 7. | Improving Operational Efficiencies. Through our purchasing cooperative and various training initiatives, we seek to improve operational efficiencies for company-operated and franchised restaurants. We are also working to strengthen our brands franchise systems by inspecting operations and taking curative actions against chronically weak performers. |
Site Selection
We employ a site identification and new unit development process that assists our franchisees and us in identifying and obtaining favorable sites for new domestic QSRs. This process begins with an overall market plan for each targeted market, which we develop together with our franchisees. For our Popeyes and Churchs brands, we emphasize free-standing sites with ample parking and easy dinnertime access from high traffic roads. For our Cinnabon brand and our Seattle Coffee brands, we emphasize high traffic venues such as malls, in-line shopping centers, transportation facilities, central business districts, airports and office buildings. International sites are often located in densely populated urban areas, and are generally built with a multi-floor layout because of the scarcity and high cost of real estate and the higher percentage of dine-in customers.
Franchise Development
Our strategy places a heavy emphasis on growth through franchising activities. The following discussion describes the standard arrangements we enter into with our franchisees.
Domestic Development Agreements. Our domestic franchise development agreements provide for the development of a specified number of QSRs within a defined geographic territory. Generally, these agreements call for the development of the specified number of sites over a three to five year period with target opening dates for each unit. Our Popeyes franchisees currently pay a development fee of $7,500 per unit. Our Churchs franchisees currently pay a development fee of $10,000 for the first unit to be developed ($5,000 in the case of a convenience store unit) and then a reduced fee of $7,500 for each additional unit to be developed under the same agreement ($3,750 in the case of convenience store units). Our Cinnabon franchisees currently pay a development fee of $5,000 per unit. Our Seattles Best Coffee franchisees currently pay a development fee of $5,000 per unit. These development fees typically are paid when the agreement is executed and they are non-refundable.
International Development Agreements. Our international franchise development agreements are similar to our domestic franchise development agreements, though the fee can be as much as $45,000 for
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Franchise Agreements. Once we execute a development agreement, approve a site to be developed under that agreement, and our franchisee secures the property, we enter into a franchise agreement with our franchisee that conveys the right to operate the specific unit to be developed at the site. Our current franchise agreements provide for payment of the following franchise fees. Popeyes franchisees pay $30,000 per location. Churchs franchisees pay $15,000 per location for free-standing units and $10,000 per location for units opened in convenience stores or travel plazas. Cinnabon franchisees pay $30,000 for the first unit, $20,000 per location for any second or third unit and $15,000 per unit for any additional units developed under a single development agreement. Our Seattles Best Coffee franchisees pay $20,000 per location for traditional cafes.
Our Popeyes, Churchs and Cinnabon franchise agreements generally require franchisees to pay a 5% royalty on net QSR sales. Our Seattles Best Coffee franchise agreements generally require franchisees to pay a 4% royalty on net QSR sales. In addition, our franchise agreements require franchisees to participate in certain advertising funds. Payments to the advertising funds are 3% of net QSR sales for Popeyes franchisees; 4% of net QSR sales for Churchs franchisees (reduced to a maximum of 1% if a local advertising co-operative is formed); up to 3% of net QSR sales for Cinnabon franchisees; and 3% of net QSR sales for our Seattles Best Coffee franchisees. Some of our older franchise agreements provide for lower royalties and advertising fund contributions. These older agreements constitute a decreasing percentage of our total outstanding franchise agreements.
All of our franchise agreements require that each franchisee operate its QSRs in accordance with our defined operating procedures, adhere to the menu established by us and meet applicable quality, service, health and cleanliness standards. We may terminate the franchise rights of any franchisee who does not comply with these standards and requirements.
AFC Loan Guarantee Programs. In March 1999, we implemented a program to assist qualified current and prospective franchisees in obtaining competitive financing needed to purchase or develop franchised units. Under the program, we guarantee up to 20% of the loan amount and we have a maximum aggregate liability for the entire pool of $1.0 million. As of December 29, 2002, approximately $8.8 million was borrowed by some of our franchisees under this program, of which we were contingently liable for $1.0 million.
In November 2002, we implemented a second loan guarantee program to provide qualified franchisees with financing to fund new construction, re-imaging and facility upgrades. The duration of the loans made under this program is five to seven years. Under its terms, we provide a first loss guarantee to the lending institution in an aggregate amount not to exceed 10% of the sum of the original funded principal balances of all program loans. As of December 29, 2002, there were no outstanding borrowings under this program.
Suppliers and Purchasing Cooperative
Suppliers. Our franchisees are generally required to purchase all ingredients, products, materials, supplies and other items necessary in the operation of their businesses solely from suppliers who have been approved by us. These suppliers must demonstrate the ability to meet our standards and specifications and possess adequate quality controls and capacity to supply our franchisees reliably.
Purchasing Cooperative. Supplies are generally provided to our franchised and company-operated QSRs, pursuant to supply agreements negotiated by Supply Management Services, Inc. (SMS), a not-for-profit purchasing cooperative. We and our Popeyes, Churchs and Cinnabon franchisees hold ownership interests in SMS in proportion to the number of QSRs we each own. As of December 29, 2002, AFC owned approximately 16% of SMS and held three of its eleven board seats. For its part, AFC does not guarantee the operations, indebtedness, or the contracts entered into by SMS.
Our Popeyes and Churchs franchise agreements require that each franchisee join SMS.
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Generally, SMS does not commit itself, us, or our franchisees to any purchase volumes for on-going menu items. Occasionally though, for limited time offer programs, volume commitments are obtained for each operator, including AFC.
Supply Agreements. The principal raw material for our Popeyes and Churchs systems is fresh chicken, representing approximately half of their restaurant food, beverages and packaging costs. Our company-operated and franchised restaurants purchase fresh chicken from approximately 13 suppliers who service us from 37 plant locations. These costs are significantly affected by increases in the cost of fresh chicken, which can result from a number of factors, including increases in the cost of grain, disease, declining market supply of fast-food sized chickens and other factors that affect availability.
In order to ensure favorable pricing for chicken purchases and to maintain an adequate supply of fresh chicken for AFC and its franchisees, SMS has entered into four types of chicken purchasing contracts with chicken suppliers. The first is a grain-based cost-plus pricing contract that utilizes prices based upon the cost of feed grains plus certain agreed upon non-feed and processing costs. The second is a market-priced formula that includes a premium for cut specifications. The market-priced contracts have maximum and minimum prices that AFC and its franchisees will pay for chicken during the term of the contract. The third is a modified fixed-price contract for dark meat, with adjustments that occur only if market prices move outside of specific ranges, with provisions for certain annual price adjustments. The fourth has fixed prices for both eight-piece and dark meat, for periods up to one year. These contracts have terms ranging from six months to three years. These contracts establish pricing arrangements, but do not establish any firm purchase commitments on the part of AFC or its franchisees.
We have entered into long-term purchase agreements with our beverage suppliers. These contracts are customary to the QSR industry. Pursuant to the terms of these agreements, the range of marketing rebates and the dollar volume of purchases will vary according to our demand for beverage syrup and fluctuations in the market rates for beverage syrup.
We also have a long-term agreement with Diversified Foods and Seasonings, Inc. (Diversified), under which we have designated Diversified as the sole supplier of certain proprietary products for the Popeyes system. Diversified sells these products to our approved distributors, who in turn sell them to our franchised and company-operated Popeyes restaurants.
The principal raw material for our Seattle Coffee brands is green coffee beans. Seattle Coffee typically enters into supply contracts to purchase a pre-determined quantity of green coffee beans at a fixed price per pound. These contracts usually cover periods up to five years. As of December 29, 2002, Seattle Coffee had commitments to purchase green coffee beans at a total cost of approximately $39.5 million through December 2007. Seattle Coffees green coffee bean purchase commitments were transferred in connection with the July 14, 2003 sale of Seattle Coffee.
Marketing and Advertising
We generally market our food and beverage products to customers using a three-tiered marketing strategy consisting of (1) television and radio advertising, (2) print advertisement and signage, and (3) point-of-purchase materials. Each of our brands frequently offers new programs that are intended to generate and maintain consumer interest, address changing consumer preferences and enhance the position of our brands. New product introductions and limited time only promotional items also play a major role in building sales and encouraging repeat customers.
Sales at restaurants located in markets in which we utilize television advertising are generally 5% to 10% higher than the sales generated by restaurants that are located in other markets. Consequently, we intend to target growth of our Popeyes and Churchs restaurants primarily in markets where we have or can achieve sufficient unit concentration to justify the expense of television advertising.
Together with our franchisees, we contribute to a national advertising fund to pay for the development of marketing materials and also contribute to local advertising funds to support programs in our local markets. In markets where there is sufficient unit concentration to affect such savings, our franchisees and
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Employees
As of December 29, 2002, we had 8,935 hourly employees working in our company-operated restaurant, bakery and cafe operations. Additionally, we had 1,157 salaried employees involved in the management of these same units, and 64 multi-unit managers and field management employees. We also had 639 employees responsible for corporate administration, franchise administration and business development, and 60 employees responsible for coffee roasting and distribution. None of our employees is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We believe that the dedication of our employees is critical to our success and that our relationship with our employees is good.
Community Activity
We believe strongly in supporting the communities we serve. Through the AFC Foundation, Inc., we have sponsored and helped construct more than 300 homes worldwide in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit builder of housing for the poor. In addition, each of our brands is involved in various community support programs. For example, Popeyes promotes music education and culinary education. Churchs sponsors summer camp programs through the Boys and Girls Clubs. Cinnabon encourages reading awareness through its Reading Rewards Program. In 2002 and 2001, we contributed approximately $500,000 to these programs and our franchisees and employees contributed thousands of volunteer hours. We believe, through our involvement with these programs, we have established a meaningful presence in the communities we serve, while building customer loyalty and positive brand awareness.
New Age of Opportunity®
Through our New Age of Opportunity program, we make diversity a part of our culture. We believe the New Age of Opportunity program gives us an important competitive advantage by focusing on the following four areas:
| | expanding franchise ownership opportunities for minorities and women; | |
| | cultivating new supplier relationships for minorities and women; | |
| | attracting and developing outstanding employees; and | |
| | enhancing the quality of life for people through meaningful community service. |
Diversity enables us to look at a situation from all angles and provides us with the capacity to better understand our communities, our employees, our customers, our suppliers and our businesses, and provides us with the vision to meet emerging trends with creative ideas. Women and minorities constitute approximately 50% of the total number of our franchisees.
Intellectual Property and Other Proprietary Rights
We own a number of trademarks and service marks that have been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including the marks AFC, AFC Enterprises, Popeyes, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Churchs, Cinnabon, World Famous Cinnamon Roll, and each of the brand logos for Popeyes, Churchs and Cinnabon, as well as the trademark Franchisor of Choice. We also have registered trademarks for a number of additional marks, including Gotta Love It, Day of Dreams, Love That Chicken From Popeyes and New Age of Opportunity. In addition, we have registered, or made application to register, one or more of these marks, or their linguistic equivalents, in approximately 150 foreign countries. There is no assurance that we can obtain the registration for the marks in every country where registration has been sought. We consider our intellectual property rights to be important to our business and we actively defend and enforce them.
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Seattle Coffees intellectual property rights were transferred to Starbucks in connection with the July 14, 2003 sale of Seattle Coffee. We retained a license to the intellectual property necessary for the operation of the Seattles Best Coffee franchising business in Hawaii, in certain international markets and on certain U.S. military bases.
Formula Agreement. We have a formula licensing agreement with Alvin C. Copeland, the founder of Popeyes. Under this agreement, we have the worldwide exclusive rights to the Popeyes spicy fried chicken recipe and certain other ingredients, which are used in Popeyes products. The agreement provides that we pay Mr. Copeland approximately $3.1 million annually through March 2029.
King Features Agreements. We have several agreements with the King Features Syndicate Division (King Features) of Hearst Holdings, Inc. under which we have the exclusive right to use the image and likeness of the cartoon character Popeye, and other companion characters such as Olive Oyl, in connection with Popeyes international restaurants. We also have the exclusive right to use the image and likeness of the Popeye character in connection with Popeyes domestic restaurants. Under these agreements, as amended, we are obligated to pay King Features a royalty of $0.9 million annually, as adjusted for fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index, plus twenty percent of our gross revenues from the sale of Popeye products sold through retail outlets and by way of Internet websites outside of the Popeyes restaurant system. These agreements extend through June 30, 2010.
International Operations
An important component of our overall business strategy is to expand our operations internationally through franchising. As of December 29, 2002, we had franchised internationally 318 Popeyes QSRs, 262 Churchs QSRs, 159 Cinnabon QSRs and 84 Seattles Best Coffee QSRs. In 2002, franchise revenues from these operations constituted approximately 17% of our total franchise revenues. For each of 2002, 2001 and 2000, foreign-sourced revenues (principally royalties from international franchisees and coffee sales to international customers) represented 4.4%, 4.1% and 3.3% of total revenues, respectively.
Insurance
We carry property, general liability, business interruption, crime, directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, environmental and workers compensation insurance policies, which we believe are customary for businesses of our size and type. Pursuant to the terms of their franchise agreements, our franchisees are also required to maintain certain types and levels of insurance coverage, including commercial general liability insurance, workers compensation insurance, all risk property and automobile insurance.
Seasonality
Our Cinnabon bakeries and Seattle Coffee cafes experience their strongest operating results during the holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and New Years. Seasonality has little effect on the remaining portions of our business.
Competition
The foodservice industry in general, and particularly the QSR industry, is intensely competitive with respect to price, quality, name recognition, service and location. We compete against other QSRs, including chicken, hamburger, pizza, Mexican and sandwich restaurants, other purveyors of carryout food and convenience dining establishments, including national restaurant chains. Many of our competitors possess substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than we do. In particular, KFC, our primary competitor in the chicken segment of the QSR industry, has far more units, greater brand recognition and greater financial resources, all of which may affect our ability to compete.
Our Cinnabon bakeries compete directly with national chains located in malls and transportation centers such as Auntie Annes, The Great American Cookie Company and Mrs. Fields, as well as
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Following the sale of our Seattle Coffee subsidiary to Starbucks, we continue to franchise the Seattles Best Coffee brand in retail locations in Hawaii, in certain international markets and on certain U.S. military bases. The Seattles Best Coffee cafes compete directly with specialty coffees sold at retail through supermarkets, specialty retailers and a growing number of specialty coffee cafes and kiosks and all restaurant and beverage outlets that serve coffee.
Government Regulation
We are subject to various federal, state and local laws affecting our business, including various health, sanitation, fire and safety standards. Newly constructed or remodeled QSRs are subject to state and local building code and zoning requirements. In connection with the re-imaging and alteration of our company-operated QSRs, we may be required to expend funds to meet certain federal, state and local regulations, including regulations requiring that remodeled or altered units be accessible to persons with disabilities. Difficulties or failures in obtaining the required licenses or approvals could delay or prevent the opening of new units in particular areas.
We are also subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and various other laws governing such matters as minimum wage requirements, overtime and other working conditions and citizenship requirements. A significant number of our foodservice personnel are paid at rates related to the federal minimum wage, and increases in the minimum wage have increased our labor costs.
Many states and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as certain foreign countries, require franchisors to transmit specified disclosure statements to potential franchisees before granting a franchise. Additionally, some states and certain foreign countries require us to register our franchise offering documents before we may offer a franchise. We currently do not have effective domestic uniform franchise offering circulars due to the delay in releasing our 2002 financial statements and the financial filings due thereafter. See Risk Factors The number of new units to be opened by franchisees has been and may continue to be adversely affected by our delay in releasing audited financial statements for 2002 included in Item 7 hereof. We believe that our international disclosure statements, franchise offering documents and franchising procedures comply with the laws of the foreign countries in which we have offered franchises.
Environmental Matters
We are subject to various federal, state and local laws regulating the discharge of pollutants into the environment. We believe that we conduct our operations in substantial compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, as well as other applicable laws and regulations governing our operations. However, approximately 125 of our owned and/or leased properties are known or suspected to have been used by prior owners or operators as retail gas stations, and a few of these properties may have been used for other environmentally sensitive purposes. Many of these properties previously contained underground storage tanks, and some of these properties may currently contain abandoned underground storage tanks. It is possible that petroleum products and other contaminants may have been released at these properties into the soil or groundwater. Under applicable federal and state environmental laws, we, as the current owner or operator of these sites, may be jointly and severally liable for the costs of remediation of any contamination, as well as any other environmental conditions at our properties that are unrelated to underground storage tanks. In 2000, after an analysis of our property portfolio and an initial assessment of our properties, including testing of soil and groundwater at a representative sample of our facilities, we obtained insurance coverage that we believe is adequate to cover any potential environmental remediation liabilities. We are currently not subject to any administrative or court order requiring remediation at any of our properties.
10
Where You Can Find Additional Information
We file our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports with the SEC. You may obtain copies of these documents by visiting the SECs Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549, by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 or by accessing the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, we make copies of these documents (except for exhibits) available to the public free of charge through our web site at www.afce.com or by contacting our Secretary at our principal offices, which are located at Six Concourse Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta, Georgia 30328-5352, telephone number (770) 391-9500.
11
| Item 2. | PROPERTIES |
Facilities
We either own, lease or sublease the land and buildings for our company-operated QSRs. In addition, we own, lease or sublease land and buildings, which we lease or sublease to our franchisees and third parties. While we expect to continue to lease many of our sites in the future, we also may purchase the land or buildings for QSRs to the extent acceptable terms are available.
The following table sets forth the locations by
state of our domestic company-operated restaurants, bakeries and
cafes as of December 29, 2002:
Land and
Land and/or
Building Owned
Building Leased
Total
82
77
159
36
49
85
3
40
43
28
12
40
28
28
19
6
25
24
24
11
3
14
2
9
11
10
1
11
10
10
9
9
7
1
8
4
4
8
5
2
7
7
7
5
1
6
4
2
6
6
6
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
1
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
279
257
536
12
We typically lease our restaurants under triple net leases that require us to pay minimum rent, real estate taxes, maintenance costs and insurance premiums and, in some cases, percentage rent based on sales in excess of specified amounts. Bakeries and cafes are typically leased under standard retail lease terms for malls, community shopping centers and office buildings. Generally, our leases have initial terms ranging from five to 20 years, with options to renew for one or more additional periods, although the terms of our leases vary depending on the facility.
Our typical leases or subleases to Popeyes or Churchs franchisees are triple net to the franchisee, provide for minimum rent, based upon prevailing market rental rates, as well as percentage rent based on sales in excess of specified amounts, and have a term that usually coincides with the term of the underlying base lease for the location. These leases are typically cross-defaulted with the corresponding franchise agreement for that site.
Our corporate headquarters is located in approximately 75,000 square feet of leased office space in Atlanta, Georgia. This lease is subject to extensions through 2018. We lease approximately 30,000 square feet in another facility located in Atlanta, Georgia that is the headquarters for our Popeyes brand. This lease is subject to extensions through 2015. We also lease approximately 25,000 square feet of office space in a third facility located in Atlanta, Georgia that is the headquarters for our Churchs brand. This lease is subject to extensions through 2016. Cinnabon is currently located in our Atlanta corporate headquarters location.
Seattle Coffee leases approximately 27,000 square feet of office space in Seattle, Washington that is subject to extension through 2014 and has three distribution facilities that service its wholesale coffee operations. One distribution center is located in the Seattle, Washington area and the other two facilities are located in Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon. Seattle Coffee leases approximately 30,000 square feet for its roasting facility on Vashon Island, near Seattle, Washington. This lease is subject to extensions through 2018. The lease for Seattle Coffees prior headquarters, 19,000 square feet of office space in Seattle, Washington, was terminated in the second quarter of 2003. In the July 14, 2003 sale of Seattle Coffee to Starbucks, Seattle Coffee (as a unit of Starbucks) remained the tenant under all of its active leases.
Our accounting and computer facilities are located in San Antonio, Texas and are housed in three buildings that are located on approximately 16 acres of land that we own. We currently lease our accounting facilities to Deloitte & Touche, LLP, our accounting service outsource provider. We believe that our existing headquarters and other leased and owned facilities provide sufficient space to support our corporate and operational needs.
13
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Matters Relating to the Restatement
We are involved in several matters relating to our announcement on March 24, 2003 indicating we would restate our financial statements for fiscal year 2001 and the first three quarters of 2002 and our announcement on April 22, 2003 indicating that we would also restate our financial statements for fiscal year 2000. See Notes 23 and 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information concerning the restatement of our financial statements.
On March 25, 2003, plaintiffs filed the first of eight securities class action lawsuits in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against AFC and several of our present and former officers. These actions all purport to be brought on behalf of a class of purchasers of our common stock during the period from March 2, 2001 through and including March 24, 2003 (the Class Period). The complaints all allege claims under the federal securities laws, specifically Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. The complaints generally allege that the defendants knowingly or recklessly made false or misleading statements during the Class Period concerning our financial condition and that our financial statements did not present our true financial condition and were not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The complaints seek certification as a class action, unspecified compensatory damages, attorneys fees and costs, and other relief.
By order dated May 21, 2003, the district court consolidated the eight lawsuits into one consolidated action. We expect that the plaintiffs will file a consolidated amended complaint in early 2004, to which we will respond in lieu of responding to the individual complaints.
On June 5, 2003, a shareholder claiming to be acting on behalf of AFC filed a shareholder derivative suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against certain current and former members of our board of directors and our largest shareholder. On July 24, 2003, a different shareholder filed a substantially identical lawsuit in the same court against the same defendants. By order dated September 23, 2003, the District Court consolidated the two lawsuits into one consolidated action. On November 24, 2003, the plaintiffs filed a consolidated amended complaint that added as defendants three additional current or former officers of AFC and two other large shareholders of AFC. The consolidated complaint alleges, among other things, that the director defendants breached their fiduciary duties by permitting AFC to issue financial statements that were materially in error. The lawsuit seeks, on behalf of AFC, unspecified compensatory damages, disgorgement or forfeiture of certain bonuses and options earned by certain defendants, disgorgement of profits earned through alleged insider selling by certain defendants, recovery of attorneys fees and costs, and other relief.
On August 7, 2003, a shareholder claiming to be acting on behalf of AFC filed a shareholder derivative suit in Gwinnett County Superior Court, State of Georgia, against certain current and former members of our board of directors. The complaint alleges that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by permitting AFC to issue financial statements that were materially in error and by failing to maintain adequate internal accounting controls. The lawsuit seeks, on behalf of AFC, unspecified compensatory damages, attorneys fees, and other relief.
On May 15, 2003, a plaintiff filed a securities class action lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court, State of Georgia, against AFC and certain current and former members of our board of directors on behalf of a class of purchasers of our common stock in or traceable to AFCs December 2001 $161 million public offering of common stock. The lawsuit asserts claims under Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act). The complaint alleges that the registration statement filed in connection with the offering was false or misleading because it included financial statements issued by the Company that were materially in error. The complaint seeks certification as a class action, compensatory damages, attorneys fees and costs, and other relief. The plaintiff claims that as a result of AFCs announcement that we are restating our financial statements for fiscal year 2001 (and at the time of the complaint, were examining restating our financial statements for fiscal year 2000), AFC will be absolutely liable under the
14
On April 30, 2003, we received an informal, nonpublic inquiry from the SEC requesting voluntary production of documents and other information. The requests for documents and information relate primarily to our announcement on March 24, 2003 indicating we would restate our financial statements for fiscal year 2001 and the first three quarters of 2002. The SEC is also investigating whether the disclosure of certain financial information in November 2002 was in compliance with SEC Regulation FD. We intend to cooperate with the SEC in these inquiries.
AFC has purchased directors and officers liability (D&O) insurance that may provide coverage for some or all of these matters. We have given notice to our D&O insurers of the claims described above, and the insurers have responded by requesting additional information and by reserving their rights under the policies, including the rights to deny coverage under various policy exclusions or to rescind the policies in question as a result of our announced restatement of our financial statements. There is risk that the D&O insurers will rescind the policies; that some or all of the claims will not be covered by such policies; or that, even if covered, AFCs ultimate liability will exceed the available insurance.
The lawsuits against AFC described above present material and significant risk to us. Although we believe that we have meritorious defenses to the claims of liability or for damages in these actions, we are unable at this time to predict the outcome of these actions or reasonably estimate a range of damages. The amount of a settlement of, or judgment on, one or more of these claims or other potential claims relating to the same events could substantially exceed the limits of our D&O insurance. The ultimate resolution of these matters could have a material adverse impact on our financial results, financial condition and liquidity.
Other Matters
We are a defendant in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business, including claims resulting from slip and fall accidents, employment-related claims and claims from guests or employees alleging illness, injury or other food quality, health or operational concerns. We have established reserves in our Consolidated Financial Statements to provide for the defense and settlement of such matters and we believe their ultimate resolution will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or our results of operations.
Item 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
Not applicable.
15
PART II.
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Our common stock currently trades on the National
Quotation Service Bureau (commonly known as the Pink
Sheets) under the symbol AFCE. From
March 2, 2001 (the date of our initial public offering) to
August 18, 2003, our common stock traded on the Nasdaq
National Market. Prior to March 2, 2001, there was no
public market for our common stock. The following table sets
forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices
per share of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq National
Market.
2002
2001
High
Low
High
Low
$
34.55
$
26.00
$
23.50
$
16.12
$
34.81
$
26.04
$
25.00
$
18.90
$
27.16
$
18.27
$
23.75
$
18.93
$
22.23
$
16.42
$
29.42
$
22.00
On April 16, 2003, the Nasdaq National Market notified us by letter that we had failed to file our 2002 Form 10-K, which was required to be filed pursuant to Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14). In connection with this notification, a fifth character, the letter E, was temporarily added to our stock symbol. On May 29, 2003, the Nasdaq National Market notified us that we had failed to file our Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended April 20, 2003, also required by Rule 4310(c)(14). We were unable to make these filings on a timely basis due to the extended time needed to complete the audit work on our 2002, 2001 and 2000 financial statements and the associated restatement described in Notes 23 and 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
On June 19, 2003, we announced that the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel had determined that they would continue listing our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market, subject to certain specified conditions, including the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K by July 16, 2003 and the filing of our 2003 quarterly reports on Form 10-Q by certain specified dates. On July 15, 2003, we informed the Panel that we would not be able to meet the conditions, and we requested that the Panel provide us an additional extension. On August 14, 2003, we announced that the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel had notified us that our common stock would be delisted from the Nasdaq National Market as of the opening of business on Monday, August 18, 2003, because we had not yet made the required SEC filings. On that date our common stock began trading on the Pink Sheets. Because we are not current in our periodic SEC reporting requirements, we are presently ineligible to trade on the OTC Bulletin Board. Securities that trade on the Pink Sheets, including our common stock, may be subject to higher transaction costs for trades and have reduced liquidity compared to securities that trade on the Nasdaq National Market and other organized markets and exchanges.
Shareholders of Record
As of November 30, 2003, we had 71 shareholders of record of our common stock.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and, in the foreseeable future, we do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock. Declaration of dividends on our common stock will depend upon, among other things, levels of indebtedness, future earnings, our operating and financial condition, our capital requirements and general business conditions. Our 2002 Credit Facility, as amended, restricts the extent to which we, or any of our subsidiaries, may declare or pay a cash dividend.
16
Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The data in the following table was derived from
our Consolidated Financial Statements for 2002, 2001 and 2000
and from unaudited consolidated financial information for 1999
and 1998. You should read such data in conjunction with our
Consolidated Financial Statements for 2002, 2001 and 2000 and
the notes thereto and Managements Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. The data for
2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998 has been restated from amounts
previously reported. A discussion of the restatement in relation
to 2001 and 2000 is provided in Note 23 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements. A discussion of the restatement in
relation to 1999 and 1998 is provided in Note 1 to this
table. For periods prior to 2002, certain items in the financial
statements have been reclassified to conform to the current
presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on our
reported results of operations.
2001
2000
1999(1)
1998(1)
2002
As Restated
As Restated
As Restated
As Restated
(Dollars in millions, except per share data)
$
413.3
$
507.0
$
567.4
$
560.4
$
487.4
111.3
101.1
88.7
77.5
64.2
69.5
61.1
55.9
50.7
36.4
25.5
18.0
11.2
8.6
9.2
$
619.6
$
687.2
$
723.2
$
697.2
$
597.2
$
38.7
$
53.9
$
67.3
$
54.4
$
22.2
0.1
15.6
18.3
12.0
(5.1
)
(11.7
)
15.6
18.3
9.8
(10.4
)
$
$
0.53
$
0.70
$
0.46
$
(0.21
)
(0.39
)
0.53
0.70
0.37
(0.43
)
$
$
0.50
$
0.64
$
0.42
$
(0.21
)
(0.37
)
0.50
0.64
0.34
(0.42
)
$
487.3
$
525.3
$
547.8
$
587.4
$
538.7
226.6
209.5
313.1
348.1
360.7
109.8
187.3
115.1
95.4
84.9
$
93.8
$
57.4
$
59.9
$
51.7
$
44.9
35.4
39.9
28.9
6.3
1.3
(49.7
)
(58.0
)
(50.0
)
(53.3
)
(38.9
)
17
| (1) | The effect of the restatement on 1999 was to decrease net income from amounts previously reported by $2.3 million and to decrease basic and diluted earnings per common share by $0.09 and $0.08, respectively. The effect of the restatement on 1998 was to decrease net income from amounts previously reported by $1.7 million and to decrease both basic and diluted earnings per common share by $0.08. The principal corrections concerned the accounting for escalating rents, provisions for the allowance for doubtful accounts and the adjustment of various accruals. |
| The effect of the restatement increased the accumulated net losses at the beginning of 1998 by $1.4 million. The only issue impacting that balance was an adjustment, net of income taxes, to properly account for escalating rents. |
| (2) | On July 14, 2003, we sold our Seattle Coffee subsidiary to Starbucks for $72.0 million. Net proceeds of the sale, after transaction costs and other adjustments, are expected to be approximately $63.0 million, which is subject to adjustment based upon the determination of certain financial results of Seattle Coffee for pre-closing periods of operations. In the transaction, we sold substantially all of the continental U.S. and Canadian operations of Seattle Coffee and its wholesale coffee business. Following the transaction, we continue to franchise the Seattles Best Coffee brand in retail locations in Hawaii, in certain international markets outside North America and on certain U.S. military bases. |
| (3) | Factors that impact the comparability of revenues for the years presented include: |
| (a) | Our fiscal year ends on the last Sunday in December. Fiscal year 2000 included 53 weeks. All other years shown included 52 weeks. | |
| (b) | In 2000, we began a program to strategically sell company-operated QSRs to franchisees which reduce sales from company-operated restaurants as well as related restaurant costs. These transactions also result in increased franchise revenues. By brand, the number of unit conversions and the associated gains and losses on such sales in our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years presented were as follows. |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| (Dollars in millions) | |||||||||||||
|
Popeyes
|
| 27 | 36 | ||||||||||
|
Churchs
|
111 | 70 | 25 | ||||||||||
|
Cinnabon
|
63 | 36 | 10 | ||||||||||
|
Seattle Coffee brands
|
1 | | | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Total unit conversions
|
175 | 133 | 71 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
(Losses) gains recognized, net
|
$ | (4.0 | ) | $ | (1.3 | ) | $ | 6.4 | |||||
|
Gains deferred
|
10.3 | 6.4 | 2.9 | ||||||||||
| In addition, during 2002, 2001 and 2000, we recognized approximately $8.0 million, $4.9 million and $1.8 million, respectively, in fees associated with these unit conversions. These fees are a component of other revenues in our Consolidated Financial Statements. |
| (c) | Increases in the number of franchised units as detailed in the Summary of System-Wide Data included in this Item 6. |
| (4) | In addition to the matters discussed in Note 2, factors that impact the comparability of operating profit for the years presented include: |
| (a) | During 2002, we recorded charges for impairment and other write-downs of non-current assets of $44.6 million, versus $13.5 million in 2001, $7.5 million in 2000, $9.4 million in 1999, and $14.8 million in 1998. | |
| (b) | During the first quarter of 2002, we adopted SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets , and, at that time, discontinued our prior practice of amortizing goodwill and other |
18
| indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets are now being accounted for by the impairment-only approach. This change reduced amortization expense for 2002 by approximately $5.4 million. | ||
| (c) | During 2001 and 2000, we recorded charges to write-down inventory balances in our coffee segment of $1.8 million and $0.7 million, respectively. | |
| (d) | During 2001, general and administrative expenses include $2.9 million relating to the retirement of a former officer. During 2000, general and administrative expenses were reduced by the reversal of a $6.0 million environmental reserve. In 2000, the reversal of the environmental reserve was partially offset by $2.8 million of costs at Seattle Coffee related to personnel reductions and concept development efforts. |
| (5) | Net income includes the cumulative effect of adopting new accounting standards and the effect of discontinued operations. In 2002, in connection with our adoption of SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets , we recorded a transitional goodwill impairment charge. The cumulative effect from this change in accounting principle reduced net income in 2002 by $11.8 million. In 1999 and 1998, we had net losses associated with discontinued operations of $1.9 million and $5.3 million, respectively. |
| (6) | Weighted average common shares for the computation of basic earnings per common share were 30.0 million, 29.5 million, 26.3 million, 26.2 million and 24.4 million for 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively. Weighted average common shares for the computation of diluted earnings per common share were 31.5 million, 31.3 million, 28.7 million, 28.4 million and 24.4 million for 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively. |
| (7) | Total debt includes the long-term and the current portions of debt facilities, capital lease obligations, lines of credits and other borrowings. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements as it concerns 2002 and 2001 year-end amounts. |
| (8) | During 2001, we completed an initial public offering of 3.1 million shares of our common stock and received approximately $46.0 million of proceeds. During 2002, we repurchased 3.7 million shares of our common stock for $77.9 million. |
19
Summary of System-Wide Data
The following table presents combined financial
and operating data for the QSRs we operate or franchise. The
data presented is unaudited. Information for franchised units is
reported to us by our franchisees. We present this data because
it includes important operational metrics relevant to the QSR
industry. This data can assist readers in their interpretation
of operational trends.
2002
2001
2000(1)
1999
1998
System-wide same-store sales growth
(decline)
(2):
0.7 %
4.2 %
3.4 %
4.4 %
5.2 %
(1.6)%
2.3 %
0.8 %
1.1 %
4.6 %
(5.7)%
(0.7)%
4.7 %
2.4 %
(1.8)%
(2.0)%
0.9 %
3.3 %
(5.4)%
(6.9)%
(0.1)%
(4.8)%
(13.3)%
(1.4)%
0.0 %
(1.5)%
(2.7)%
(1.5)%
(23.3)%
(21.6)%
6.3 %
11.5 %
(7.9)%
3.1 %
169
177
143
151
198
110
79
98
133
87
102
121
81
46
6
70
52
39
27
18
451
429
361
357
309
4,071
3,857
3,618
3,374
3,131
539
722
856
940
933
3,532
3,135
2,762
2,434
2,198
1,712
1,620
1,501
1,396
1,292
96
96
130
175
171
1,616
1,524
1,371
1,221
1,121
1,509
1,517
1,534
1,492
1,399
284
397
468
494
491
1,225
1,120
1,066
998
908
612
544
451
388
369
84
152
187
195
212
528
392
264
193
157
238
176
132
98
71
75
77
71
76
59
163
99
61
22
12
2,622
2,390
2,289
1,933
1,608
20
| (1) | Our fiscal year ends on the last Sunday in December. Fiscal year 2000 included 53 weeks. All other years shown included 52 weeks. |
| (2) | QSRs are included in the computation of same-store sales after they have been open 15 months for 2002, 2001 and 2000 and 12 months for 1999 and 1998. Prior-year sales figures used to calculate same-store sales include sales from our Cinnabon and Seattle Coffee brands prior to our acquisition of these two businesses in 1998. Same-store sales for 2000 is calculated by comparing the 53 weeks of sales for 2000 to the prior 53 weeks, which includes the 52 weeks from 1999 plus the first week of 2000. |
| (3) | System-wide unit openings include the openings of both company-operated QSRs and franchised QSRs, which were as follows: |
| Unit Openings | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Company-operated QSRs
|
8 | 26 | 11 | 54 | 96 | |||||||||||||||
|
Franchised QSRs
|
443 | 403 | 350 | 303 | 213 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Total
|
451 | 429 | 361 | 357 | 309 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| (4) | Commitments outstanding at the end of each year represent obligations to open franchised QSRs under executed development agreements. Commitments, by brand, were as follows: |
| Franchise Commitments | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Popeyes
|
1,198 | 903 | 896 | 713 | 656 | |||||||||||||||
|
Churchs
|
677 | 671 | 743 | 561 | 750 | |||||||||||||||
|
Cinnabon
|
476 | 522 | 426 | 387 | 65 | |||||||||||||||
|
Seattle Coffee brands
|
271 | 294 | 224 | 272 | 137 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Total
|
2,622 | 2,390 | 2,289 | 1,933 | 1,608 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
| Of the 271 Seattle Coffee commitments outstanding at December 29, 2002, 199 relate to the international portion of Seattle Coffees business that we retained after the July 14, 2003 sale of substantially all of the continental U.S. and Canadian operations of Seattle Coffee to Starbucks. |
21
Item 7. MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data and the Consolidated Financial Statements that are included elsewhere in this filing.
Our discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those factors set forth in this section under the heading Risk Factors That May Affect Results of Operations and Financial Condition and other factors presented throughout this filing.
The financial data in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the first three quarters of 2002 and for fiscal years 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998 has been restated from amounts previously reported for the correction of accounting errors. A discussion of the restatement in relation to fiscal years 2001 and 2000 and to the affected quarters of 2002, 2001 and 2000 is provided in Notes 23 and 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. A discussion of the restatement in relation to 1999 and 1998 is provided in Note 1 to the Selected Financial Data. All information presented in this Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations reflects the restatement.
Nature of Business
AFC develops, operates and franchises quick service restaurants, bakeries and cafes in three distinct business segments: chicken, bakery and coffee. Our chicken segment operates under the trade names Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits (Popeyes) and Churchs Chicken (Churchs); our bakery segment operates under the trade name Cinnabon® (Cinnabon); and our coffee segment currently franchises cafes under the trade name Seattles Best Coffee®. Prior to July 14, 2003, our coffee segment also operated under the trade name Torrefazione Italia® Coffee. Financial information for these segments can be found at Note 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
We also sell wholesale bakery items under our Cinnabon brand. Prior to July 14, 2003, we sold our premium specialty coffees through wholesale and retail distribution channels under our Seattles Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia Coffee brands.
As of December 29, 2002, we operated and
franchised 4,071 QSRs in 44 states, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico and 33 foreign countries. As of
December 29, 2002, our total QSRs, by brand, were as
follows:
Domestic
International
Company-
Company-
Operated
Franchised
Operated
Franchised
Total
96
1,298
318
1,712
284
963
262
1,509
84
369
159
612
54
79
84
217
18
3
21
536
2,709
3
823
4,071
Management Overview
Restatement of Prior Years Financial Information. We have restated our financial statements for the first three quarters of 2002 and for fiscal years 2001 and 2000 and restated certain financial information for 1999 and 1998 for the correction of accounting errors. All information presented in this Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations reflects the restatement. Notes
22
The aggregate effect of the restatement increased previously reported net income for the first three quarters of 2002 by $3.1 million and decreased previously reported net income for fiscal years 2001 and 2000 by $21.3 million and $9.2 million, respectively.
We initially announced our intention to restate certain financial statements on March 24, 2003. The time required to complete the restatement and the audits of the affected financial statements delayed the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as our 2003 Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Background on the Restatement. In the third quarter of 2002, we recorded an adjustment at our Seattle Coffee subsidiary to write-down inventory to net realizable value. The write-down was due to the correction of errors made in prior periods relating to inventory costing. In the closing process for fiscal 2002, we identified other potential adjustments to be made to our prior years financial statements. Based on these developments, we conducted a detailed review of our accounting and reporting policies. As a result of that review, which was performed in consultation with our independent auditors KPMG LLP, we determined to restate our financial statements for the first three quarters of 2002 and for fiscal years 2001 and 2000, and restated certain financial information for 1999 and 1998.
Certain of the adjustments reflected in the restatement resulted from previously applied accounting policies that we have determined were in error. We selected and employed those original accounting policies in consultation with, and relying on the professional advice of, Arthur Andersen LLP, which served as our independent auditors from 1992 until April 2002. In April 2002, we engaged KPMG LLP as our independent auditors following the decision of our Board of Directors to no longer engage Arthur Andersen LLP. The correction of those errors reflected in our restatement were made in consultation with KPMG LLP during the detailed review of our accounting and reporting policies described above.
Our management and our Audit Committee took a leadership role in assessing these issues and in taking corrective action. Management and the Audit Committee took these actions in consultation with our independent auditors. In addition, independent legal counsel to the Audit Committee and a forensic accounting firm performed an independent investigation into several accounting issues that arose in connection with the restatement. That investigation concluded that while there were material weaknesses in our control environment, there was not evidence that our management intentionally used improper accounting practices to manipulate earnings or that there was any fraud or intentional misconduct on the part of AFC, our officers or our employees. Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K provides a description of actions we have taken to improve our internal controls and procedures based on our review of our accounting and reporting policies, the independent review conducted by the Audit Committee and its advisors and advice from our independent auditors.
2002 Operating Results. For the full year of 2002, we incurred a net loss of $11.7 million. That loss was driven by approximately $45.1 million of goodwill and other impairment charges associated with our coffee segment ($33.3 million included in impairment charges and other, net in our Consolidated Financial Statements and $11.8 million associated with the adoption of a new accounting standard). Those charges came after several years of operating losses in that segment.
Despite our net loss in 2002, there are certain favorable results to report. In our core business segment, our chicken segment, 2002 was a record year generating $108.1 million of operating profit, which constituted an 18.5% improvement compared with 2001. On a consolidated basis, 2002 was also a record year as it relates to cash flows from operating activities. Our consolidated operations generated $93.8 million of cash, an amount 50% greater than any year in our history.
23
| Consolidated Results of Operations: 2002, 2001 and 2000 |
Our consolidated statements of operations include the following items and events that affect comparability with other periods:
| | Fiscal years 2002 and 2001 include 52 weeks. Fiscal year 2000 includes 53 weeks. | |
| | As part of our ongoing effort to grow our business through franchising, we continue to sell company-operated QSRs to franchisees. While these transactions have no effect on system-wide sales, they reduce sales from company-operated restaurants, as well as related restaurant costs. At the same time, these transactions increase franchise revenues. By brand, the number of unit conversions and the associated gains and losses on such sales for 2002, 2001 and 2000 were as follows: |
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| (Dollars in millions) | |||||||||||||
|
Popeyes
|
| 27 | 36 | ||||||||||
|
Churchs
|
111 | 70 | 25 | ||||||||||
|
Cinnabon
|
63 | 36 | 10 | ||||||||||
|
Seattle Coffee brands
|
1 | | | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Total unit conversions
|
175 | 133 | 71 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
(Losses) gains recognized, net
|
$ | (4.0 | ) | $ | (1.3 | ) | $ | 6.4 | |||||
|
Gains deferred
|
10.3 | 6.4 | 2.9 | ||||||||||
| In addition, during 2002, 2001 and 2000, we recognized approximately $8.0 million, $4.9 million and $1.8 million, respectively, in fees associated with these unit conversions. |
| | During 2002, we recorded charges for the impairment and other write-downs of non-current assets of $44.6 million, versus $13.5 million in 2001 and $7.5 million in 2000. | |
| | During the first quarter of 2002, we adopted SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets , and, at that time, discontinued our prior practice of amortizing goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets. These assets are now being accounted for by the impairment-only approach. In 2002, this change reduced amortization expense by approximately $5.4 million. At the same time, upon adopting SFAS No. 142, we recorded a transitional charge of $11.8 million to reduce the carrying value of goodwill associated with our coffee segment. | |
| | During 2001 and 2000, we recorded charges to write-down inventory balances in our coffee segment of $1.8 million and $0.7 million, respectively. | |
| | During 2001, we accrued expenses relating to the retirement of a former officer. This increased 2001 general and administrative expenses by $2.9 million. | |
| | In 2000, general and administrative expenses were reduced by the reversal of a $6.0 million environmental reserve. In 2000, we accrued $2.8 million of costs in our coffee segment related to personnel reductions and concept development efforts. | |
| | Included in interest expense are premiums and discounts associated with the repurchase of our Senior Subordinated Notes and the amortization and write-off of debt issuance costs, which aggregate to $10.7 million, $3.2 million and $2.0 million in 2002, 2001 and 2000, respectively. | |
| | For periods prior to 2002, certain items in the financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on our reported results of operations. |
In reviewing our operating results and the relationships between various components of revenue and expense, we believe the following table can be helpful to readers. It presents selected revenues and
24
| 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Revenues
|
||||||||||||||
|
Sales by company-operated restaurants
|
67% | 74% | 78% | |||||||||||
|
Franchise revenues
|
18% | 15% | 12% | |||||||||||
|
Wholesale revenues
|
11% | 9% | 8% | |||||||||||
|
Other revenues
|
4% | 2% | 2% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Total revenues(1)
|
100% | 100% | 100% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Expenses
|
||||||||||||||
|
Restaurant employee, occupancy and other
expenses(2)
|
53% | 51% | 53% | |||||||||||
|
Restaurant food, beverages and packaging(2)
|
28% | 29% | 28% | |||||||||||
|
General and administrative expenses
|
18% | 17% | 14% | |||||||||||
|
Wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses(3)
|
81% | 89% | 83% | |||||||||||
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
5% | 6% | 6% | |||||||||||
|
Impairment charges and other, net
|
8% | 2% | 1% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Total expenses
|
94% | 92% | 91% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Operating profit
|
6% | 8% | 9% | |||||||||||
|
Interest expense, net
|
4% | 4% | 5% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Income before income taxes and accounting
change
|
2% | 4% | 4% | |||||||||||
|
Income tax expense
|
2% | 2% | 2% | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Income before accounting
change
|
| 2% | 2% | |||||||||||
|
Loss from the cumulative effect of an accounting
change
|
(2 | )% | | | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Net (loss) income
|
(2 | )% | 2% | 2% | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
| (1) | The changing mix of revenues between sales by company-operated restaurants and franchise revenues is a function of our ongoing efforts to grow the franchising side of our business, including the sale of company-operated QSRs to new or existing franchisees. |
| (2) | Expressed as a percentage of sales by company-operated restaurants. |
| (3) | Expressed as a percentage of wholesale revenues. |
25
Comparisons of Fiscal Years 2002 and
2001
Sales by Company-Operated
Restaurants
As a
2002
2001
(Decrease)
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
339.0
$
410.9
$
(71.9
)
(17.5
)%
46.9
68.4
(21.5
)
(31.4
)
27.4
27.7
(0.3
)
(1.1
)
$
413.3
$
507.0
$
(93.7
)
(18.5
)%
Chicken. Of the $71.9 million decrease in sales by company-operated restaurants, approximately $69.9 million of it was due to a net reduction of 113 company-operated Churchs restaurants during 2002. In 2002, we sold 111 restaurants to franchisees, closed four restaurants, and opened two new restaurants. Approximately $2.4 million of the decrease was attributable to a net decrease in same-store sales for 2002 compared to 2001 (a 1.3% decline in same-store sales at Churchs company-operated restaurants offset by a 1.0% increase in same-store sales at Popeyes company-operated restaurants). The remaining fluctuation was due to various influences including the actual number and timing of restaurant conversions, openings and closings.
Bakery. Of the $21.5 million decrease in sales by company-operated bakeries, approximately $16.7 million was due to a net reduction of 67 company-operated bakeries during 2002. In 2002, we sold 63 bakeries to franchisees, closed ten bakeries, and opened six new bakeries. Approximately $2.0 million of the decrease was due to a 2.6% decline in same-store sales in 2002 compared to 2001. The remaining fluctuation was due to various influences including the actual number and timing of bakery conversions, openings and closings.
Coffee.
Of
the $0.3 million decrease in sales by company-operated
cafes, approximately $1.5 million was due to a 5.9%
decrease in same-store sales in 2002 compared to 2001, which was
partially offset by approximately $1.2 million of sales at
five stores opened in the fourth quarter of 2001 that were not
included in the calculation of same-store sales.
Franchise Revenues
As a
2002
2001
Increase
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
97.9
$
90.1
$
7.8
8.7
%
9.9
9.0
0.9
10.0
3.5
2.0
1.5
75.0
$
111.3
$
101.1
$
10.2
10.1
%
Within each of our business segments, franchise revenues has three basic components: (1) ongoing royalty payments that are determined based on a percentage of franchisee sales; (2) franchise fees associated with new unit openings; and (3) development fees associated with the opening of new units in a given market. Royalty revenues are the largest component of franchise revenues constituting more than 80% of franchise revenues in our chicken segment and approximately 60% of franchise revenues in our bakery and coffee segments.
Chicken. Of the $7.8 million increase in franchise revenues, approximately $8.2 million was due to an increase in royalties resulting from new unit growth and conversions within our network of franchisees, which was partially offset by an approximately $0.4 million decrease in royalties attributable to a decrease in same-store sales for 2002 compared to 2001. The remaining fluctuation was due to the collection of franchise and development fees from new franchised unit openings and the recognition of deferred development fees from the termination of defaulted development agreements.
26
During 2002, the chicken segment had 279 new franchised restaurant openings, 111 new franchised restaurants from the sale of company-operated restaurants to franchisees, and 193 permanent or temporary restaurant closings for reimaging. With respect to the restaurant closings, the largest component of closings related to Churchs international franchisees in Taiwan, Indonesia and Venezuela. As of December 29, 2002, we had 2,841 franchised restaurants, compared to 2,644 as of December 30, 2001.
Bakery. Of the $0.9 million increase in franchise revenues, approximately $1.3 million was due to an increase in royalties resulting from new bakery conversions and growth, which was partially offset by approximately $0.5 million due to a decrease in royalties attributable to declines in same-store sales for 2002 compared to 2001. As of December 29, 2002, we had 528 franchised bakeries open, compared to 392 as of December 30, 2001.
Coffee.
Of
the $1.5 million increase in franchise revenues,
approximately $0.8 million was due to an increase in
royalties resulting from new cafe growth. Approximately
$0.8 million of the increase was due to higher franchise
fees from new cafe openings in 2002 and the recognition of
deferred development fees from the termination of two defaulted
development agreements. As of December 29, 2002, we had 163
franchised cafes open, compared to 99 as of December 30,
2001.
Wholesale Revenues
As a
2002
2001
Increase
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
3.6
$
$
3.6
N/A
65.9
61.1
4.8
7.9
%
$
69.5
$
61.1
$
8.4
13.7
%
Bakery. Wholesale bakery sales of $3.6 million in 2002 relate to the sale of pre-packaged cinnamon rolls to a major retailer. This was a new business activity for our bakery segment in 2002. During 2003, we discontinued sales of pre-packaged Cinnamon rolls to the major retailer and we commenced the licensing of Cinnabon flavors and trade name to selected food companies.
Coffee.
The
$4.8 million increase in wholesale revenues was primarily
due to growth in the number of points of distribution from our
wholesale accounts, despite a decrease in overall wholesale
accounts. As of December 29, 2002, we had approximately
3,775 wholesale accounts with approximately 11,000 points of
distribution. As of December 30, 2001, we had approximately
4,200 wholesale accounts with approximately 7,200 points of
distribution.
Other Revenues
Increase
As a
2002
2001
(Decrease)
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
17.3
$
12.4
$
4.9
39.5
%
8.0
4.9
3.1
63.3
0.2
0.7
(0.5
)
(71.4
)
$
25.5
$
18.0
$
7.5
41.7
%
Substantially all of the $4.9 million increase in rental income was due to the increase in units leased to franchisees during 2002 and 2001 that were a result of unit conversions. The $3.1 million increase in conversion related fees (franchise and conversion fees collected from conversions) was due to the increased number of unit conversions in 2002 compared to 2001. We sold 175 company-operated QSRs to franchisees in 2002 compared to 133 in 2001.
27
Restaurant Employee, Occupancy and Other Expenses
Restaurant employee, occupancy and other expenses were $218.3 million in 2002, a $41.8 million decrease from 2001. This decrease was attributable to the reduction in the number of company-operated restaurants from 2001 to 2002 (which was principally due to the conversion of company-operated QSRs to franchised QSRs). Restaurant employee, occupancy and other expenses were approximately 53% of sales from company-operated restaurants in 2002, compared to approximately 51% in 2001.
Restaurant Food, Beverages and Packaging
Restaurant food, beverages and packaging expenses were $116.9 million in 2002, a $30.2 million decrease from 2001. This decrease was attributable to the reduction in sales from company-operated restaurants from 2001 to 2002 (which was principally due to the conversion of company-operated QSRs to franchised QSRs). Restaurant food, beverage and packaging expenses were approximately 28% of sales from company-operated restaurants in 2002, compared to approximately 29% in 2001.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were $110.4 million in 2002, a $5.6 million decrease from 2001. The decrease was due to a reduction in general and administrative expenses within our chicken segment. As the number of company-operated QSRs declined (due to the conversion of company-operated QSRs to franchised QSRs), we decreased our divisional overhead supporting those units. Additionally, our coffee segment expenses were lower in 2002 due to personnel restructuring that occurred in the fourth quarter of 2001. General and administrative expenses were approximately 18% of total revenues in 2002, compared to approximately 17% in 2001.
Wholesale Cost of Sales and Operating Expenses
Wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses were $56.1 million in 2002, a $1.8 million decrease from 2001. Wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses constituted 81% of wholesale revenues in 2002 compared with 89% of wholesale revenues in 2001. The reduction of wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses from 2001 to 2002 is primarily due to lower marketing costs in 2002 and a $1.8 million writedown of inventory in our coffee segment in 2001 partially offset by increased cost of sales in 2002 related to increased wholesale revenues.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization was $29.6 million in 2002, a $10.7 million decrease from 2001. The decrease was primarily due to the adoption of SFAS 142 in the first quarter of 2002, which eliminated amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. During 2001, amortization expense associated with such assets was approximately $9.0 million. Depreciation and amortization as a percentage of total revenues was approximately 5% in 2002, compared to 6% in 2001.
Impairment Charges and Other
Impairment charges and other includes (1) impairment charges associated with goodwill balances, other intangible assets and other long-lived assets, (2) costs associated with unit closures and refurbishments, and (3) gains and losses on the sale of assets. These aggregated to $49.6 million in 2002, a $34.1 million increase from 2001. The increase was primarily due to $33.3 million of impairment charges relating to goodwill and long-lived assets in our coffee segment recorded in 2002 versus $3.1 million in 2001. In 2002, we also recorded charges for impairment of long-lived assets of $6.0 million relating to our chicken segment versus $7.5 million in 2001 and $5.3 million relating to our bakery segment versus $2.2 million in 2001.
28
Operating Profit
Increase
As a
2002
2001
(Decrease)
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
108.1
$
91.2
$
16.9
18.5
%
(12.1
)
(3.4
)
(8.7
)
(255.9
)
(32.5
)
(12.2
)
(20.3
)
(166.4
)
(24.8
)
(21.7
)
(3.1
)
(14.3
)
$
38.7
$
53.9
$
(15.2
)
(28.2
)%
On a consolidated basis, operating profit decreased by $15.2 million in 2002 when compared to 2001. Fluctuations in the various components of revenue and expense giving rise to this change are discussed above. The following is a general discussion of the fluctuations in operating profit by business segment.
Our chicken segment had $108.1 million of operating profit in 2002, a $16.9 million increase when compared to 2001. The increase was due to an increase in franchise royalties and other fees associated with growth in the number of franchised units in our chicken segment.
The $8.7 million decline in operating profit associated with our bakery segment was principally a result of a significant decline in per-bakery operating margins, declining same-store sales and $3.1 million of higher impairment charges in that segment in 2002 compared with 2001.
The $20.3 million decline in operating profit associated with our coffee segment was principally due to asset impairments of $33.3 million associated with our coffee segment. As discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we sold a substantial portion of our coffee operations to Starbucks in the third quarter of 2003.
The $3.1 million decline in operating profit associated with our corporate operations was principally due to higher professional and accounting fees.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net was $22.6 million in 2002, a $2.0 million decrease from 2001. Interest expense, net includes interest expense of $24.2 million and $26.1 million in 2002 and 2001, respectively, net of interest income. Interest expense for 2002 included $6.5 million related to the premium paid to retire all our outstanding Senior Subordinated Notes, $3.1 million in write-offs of associated debt issuance costs and $1.1 million of amortization expense associated with our debt issuance costs. Interest expense for 2001 included $1.2 million related to a premium paid to retire a portion of our Senior Subordinated Notes, $0.5 million in write-offs of associated debt issuance costs and $1.6 million in amortization expense associated with our debt issuance costs. Excluding the impact of these amounts, the decrease in interest expense from 2001 to 2002 was $9.3 million, which was primarily due to lower debt balances and lower interest rates in 2002.
Income Taxes
In 2002, our effective tax rate was 372.6% of pre-tax income. Our effective tax rate was 46.8% in 2001. Our effective tax rate increased from 2001 to 2002 due primarily to the write-off of $39.1 million of goodwill in 2002 which was a non-deductible expense for income tax purposes.
Loss from the Cumulative Effect of an Accounting Change
In connection with our adoption of SFAS 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, we recorded an $11.8 million transitional charge in the first quarter of 2002 to write-down goodwill in our coffee segment.
29
Comparisons of Fiscal Years 2001 (52 Weeks)
and 2000 (53 Weeks)
Sales by Company-Operated
Restaurants
As a
2001
2000
(Decrease)
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
410.9
$
463.0
$
(52.1
)
(11.3
)%
68.4
75.9
(7.5
)
(9.9
)
27.7
28.5
(0.8
)
(2.8
)
$
507.0
$
567.4
$
(60.4
)
(10.6
)%
Chicken. Of the $52.1 million decrease in sales by company-operated restaurants, approximately $6.4 million was due to fiscal year 2000 having an extra week. Approximately $53.0 million of the decrease was due to a net reduction of 105 company-operated restaurants during 2001. In 2001, we sold 97 of these restaurants to franchisees, closed an additional 13 restaurants and opened five new restaurants. These decreases were partially offset by approximately $12.8 million attributable to an increase in same-store sales in 2001 compared to 2000 (same-store sales at company-operated Churchs and Popeyes units increased in 2001 by 2.8% and 4.8%, respectively). The remaining fluctuation was due to various influences including the actual number and timing of restaurant conversions, openings and closings in 2000.
Bakery. Of the $7.5 million decrease in sales by company-operated bakeries, approximately $1.9 million was due to fiscal year 2000 having an extra week. Approximately $6.4 million of the decrease was due to a net reduction of 35 company-operated bakeries during 2001. In 2001, we sold 36 bakeries to franchisees, closed an additional ten bakeries and opened 11 new bakeries. These decreases were partially offset by approximately $0.7 million attributable to a 1.1% increase in same-store sales during 2001.
Coffee.
Of
the $0.8 million decrease in sales by company-operated
cafes, approximately $0.3 million was due to fiscal year
2000 having an extra week. Approximately $0.5 million of
the decrease was attributable to a 2.0% reduction in same-store
sales.
Franchise Revenues
As a
2001
2000
Increase
Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
90.1
$
80.6
$
9.5
11.8
%
9.0
6.7
2.3
34.3
2.0
1.4
0.6
42.9
$
101.1
$
88.7
$
12.4
14.0
%
Chicken. Of the $9.5 million increase in franchise revenues, approximately $8.1 million of the increase was due to an increase in royalties resulting from new unit growth and conversions. Approximately $1.4 million of the increase in franchise revenues was due to an increase in royalties attributable to a net increase in same-store sales for 2001 compared to 2000 (a 3.5% increase among domestic franchisees and a 3.2% decrease among international franchisees). Additional increases were due to the collection of franchise and development fees from the opening of franchised restaurants and the recognition of deferred development fees from the termination of defaulted development agreements. These increases were partially offset by approximately $2.7 million attributable to fiscal year 2000 having an extra week.
As of December 30, 2001, we had 2,644 franchised chicken restaurants open, compared to 2,437 as of December 31, 2000.
Bakery. Of the $2.3 million increase in franchise revenues, approximately $1.3 million was due to an increase in royalties resulting from new unit growth and conversions. The remaining increase was due to the collection of franchise and development fees from the opening of franchised bakeries and the
30
Coffee. Of the $0.6 million increase in franchise revenues, approximately $0.5 million was due to an increase in royalties resulting from new unit growth. Approximately $0.1 million of the increase was due to higher franchise fees from new franchise openings in 2001. As of December 30, 2001, we had 99 franchised cafes open, compared to 61 as of December 31, 2000.
Wholesale Revenues
In 2001 and 2000, we only had wholesale revenue in our coffee segment.
Wholesale coffee sales were $61.1 million in
2001, a $5.2 million increase from 2000. The increase was
due primarily to growth in the number of points of distribution
from our wholesale accounts, despite a decrease in overall
wholesale accounts. As of December 30, 2001, we had
approximately 4,200 wholesale accounts with approximately
7,200 points of distribution. As of December 31, 2000,
we had approximately 4,300 wholesale accounts with approximately
6,300 points of distribution.
Other Revenues
2001
2000
Increase
As a Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
12.4
$
9.2
$
3.2
34.8
%
4.9
1.8
3.1
172.2
0.7
0.2
0.5
250.0
$
18.0
$
11.2
$
6.8
60.7
%
Substantially all of the $3.2 million increase in rental income was due to the increase in units leased to franchisees during 2001 and 2000 that were a result of unit conversions. The $3.1 million increase in conversion related fees was due to the increased number of unit conversions in 2001 compared to 2000. We sold 133 company-operated QSRs to franchisees in 2001 compared to 71 in 2000.
Restaurant Employee, Occupancy and Other Expenses
Restaurant employee, occupancy and other expenses were $260.1 million in 2001, a $39.0 million decrease from 2000. This decrease is directly attributable to the reduction in the number of company-operated restaurants (which was principally due to the conversion of company-operated QSRs to franchised QSRs). Restaurant employee, occupancy and other expenses were approximately 51% of sales from company-operated restaurants in 2001 compared to approximately 53% in 2000. The decrease in costs as a percentage of the associated revenues was primarily due to a decrease in marketing expenses.
Restaurant Food, Beverages and Packaging
Restaurant food, beverages and packaging expenses were $147.1 million in 2001, a $11.9 million decrease from 2000. This decrease is directly attributable to the reduction in sales from company-operated restaurants (which was principally due to the conversion of company-operated QSRs to franchised QSRs). Restaurant food, beverages and packaging expenses were approximately 29% of sales from company-operated restaurants in 2001, compared to approximately 28% of sales in 2000.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were $116.0 million in 2001, a $12.7 million increase from 2000. Approximately $6.0 million of the increase was related to the reversal of an environmental reserve in 2000 as a result of our determination that the liability was not probable. Also, in 2000, we accrued $2.8 million of costs in our coffee segment related to personnel reductions and concept development efforts. The remainder of the increase in general and administrative expenses from 2000 to 2001 was primarily due to
31
Wholesale Cost of Sales and Operating Expenses
Wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses were $54.3 million in 2001, an $8.0 million increase from 2000. Wholesale cost of sales and operating expenses were approximately 89% of wholesale revenues in 2001 compared with 83% in 2000. The increase in wholesale cost of sales and other operating expenses is primarily related to an increase in wholesale revenues and a $1.8 million book to physical inventory write-down in 2001 recorded in our coffee segment.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization was $40.3 million in 2001, a decrease of $0.9 million from 2000. The decrease was mainly due to reductions in depreciation expense resulting from the sale of company-operated QSRs to franchisees in our chicken and bakery segments, partially offset by depreciation expense associated with 2001 capital additions. Depreciation and amortization as a percentage of total revenues was approximately 6% in both 2001 and 2000.
Impairment Charges and Other
Impairment charges and other was
$15.5 million in 2001, a $8.5 million increase from
2000. Approximately $6.0 million of this increase was
associated with higher impairment charges in 2001 and
approximately $7.7 million of the increase was attributable
to net losses on the sale of assets in 2001 compared to net
gains in 2000. Partially offsetting this increase was
approximately $4.8 million related to lower provisions
associated with planned unit closures in 2001 compared to 2000.
Operating Profit
Increase
2001
2000
(Decrease)
As a Percent
(Dollars in millions)
$
91.2
$
86.7
$
4.5
5.2
%
(3.4
)
(1.1
)
(2.3
)
(209.1
)
(12.2
)
(3.5
)
(8.7
)
(248.6
)
(21.7
)
(14.8
)
(6.9
)
(46.6
)
$
53.9
$
67.3
$
(13.4
)
(19.9
)%
On a consolidated basis, operating profit decreased by $13.4 million in 2001 when compared to 2000. Fluctuations in the various components of revenue and expense giving rise to this change have been discussed above. The following is a general discussion of the fluctuations in operating profit by business segment.
Our chicken segment had $91.2 million of operating profit in 2001, a $4.5 million increase when compared to 2000. That improvement was driven by franchise and other revenue increases related to franchise unit growth from conversions of company-operated units and new unit openings. Converted and new unit openings among franchisees favorably impact royalty revenue, franchise and development fees, conversion fees and rental revenue.
The $2.3 million decline in operating profit associated with our bakery segment was driven by $2.0 million of higher impairment charges in that segment in 2001 compared with 2000.
The $8.7 million decline in operating profit associated with our coffee segment was driven by a $1.8 million book to physical inventory adjustment and $2.4 million of higher impairment charges in that segment in 2001 compared with 2000.
32
The $6.9 million decline in operating profit associated with our corporate operations was driven by the reversal of a $6.0 million environmental reserve in 2000 for which there was no corresponding financial statement effect in 2001.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net was $24.6 million in 2001, an $8.7 million decrease from 2000. Interest expense, net includes interest expense of $26.1 million and $34.6 million in 2002 and 2001, respectively, net of interest income. Interest expense for 2001 included $1.2 million related to the net premium paid to retire a portion of our outstanding Senior Subordinated Notes, $0.5 million in write-offs of associated debt issuance costs and $1.6 million in amortization expense associated with our debt issuance costs. Interest expense for 2000 included $0.1 million related to a net discount associated with the repurchase of a portion of our Senior Subordinated Notes, $0.5 million in write-offs of associated debt issuance costs and $1.6 million in amortization expense associated with our debt issuance costs. Excluding the impact of these amounts, the decrease in interest expense from 2000 to 2001 was $9.6 million, which was primarily due to lower debt balances and lower interest rates in 2001. In 2001, with the proceeds of our initial public offering and cash provided by operations, we paid down $80.0 million of our 1997 Credit Facility and repurchased $24.3 million of our Senior Subordinated Notes.
Income Taxes
Our effective tax rate in 2001 was 46.8% compared to an effective tax rate of 46.2% in 2000. Our effective tax rate increased primarily as a result of an increase in non-deductible goodwill partially offset by an increase in job tax credits.
33
Consolidated Cash Flows
2002
2001
2000
(In millions)
$
93.8
$
57.4
$
59.9
(13.6
)
(17.5
)
(19.9
)
(75.7
)
(50.0
)
(40.4
)
$
4.5
$
(10.1
)
$
(0.4
)
Cash flows provided by operating activities. Net cash flows from operating activities were $93.8 million in 2002, a $36.4 million increase from 2001. The increase was principally the result of a $7.1 million improvement in operating results before consideration of non-cash charges relating to depreciation, amortization, asset write-downs (including the effect of asset write-downs associated with an accounting change) and interest, $14.5 million increase in deferred income tax expense, and a $17.8 million increase in accounts payable and other operating liabilities in 2002 compared to a $4.8 million increase in 2001.
Net cash flows from operating activities in 2001 were $57.4 million, a $2.5 million decrease from 2000. The decrease was the net effect of various offsetting items, most notably certain fluctuations in our working capital components. We had an increase in accounts receivable, inventories and other operating assets of $19.8 million in 2001 versus a corresponding increase of $0.8 million in 2000, which was offset by an increase in accounts payable and other operating liabilities in 2001 of $4.8 million versus a corresponding decrease of $11.3 million in 2000.
Cash flows used in investing activities. Net cash flows used in investing activities were $13.6 million in 2002, a $3.9 million decrease from 2001. The decrease was principally the result of reduced capital expenditures offset by lower proceeds from dispositions of property and equipment. In 2002, capital expenditures were $49.7 million compared to $58.0 million in 2001. Proceeds from the sale of QSRs and turnkey developments were $35.4 million versus $39.9 million in 2001.
Net cash flows used in investing activities were $17.5 million in 2001, a $2.4 million decrease from 2000. The decrease was principally the result of increased proceeds from the sale of company-operated QSRs and turnkey developments to franchisees offset by increased capital expenditures. In 2001, proceeds from the sale of QSRs and turnkey developments were $39.9 million compared to $28.9 million in 2000. In 2001, capital expenditures were $58.0 million compared to $50.0 million in 2000.
Cash flows used in financing activities. Net cash used in financing activities was $75.7 million in 2002. In 2002, we entered into a new $275.0 million credit facility (the 2002 Credit Facility). This facility provided $250.0 million in proceeds, which were used to repurchase $126.9 million of Senior Subordinated Notes, pay a $6.5 million premium associated with the repurchase of the Senior Subordinated Notes, and retire $78.7 million outstanding on our 1997 Credit Facility. As part of our share repurchase program, we repurchased and cancelled approximately 3.7 million of our common shares for $77.9 million using cash provided by operations. We also repaid $27.1 million of the Term A and Term B loans outstanding under the 2002 Credit Facility. The remaining financing activities included debt issuance costs, repayment of our Southtrust Line of Credit, fluctuations in our bank overdraft position and employee stock options.
Net cash used in financing activities was $50.0 million in 2001. In 2001, we sold, pursuant to an underwritten public offering, approximately 3.1 million shares of our common stock at a price of $17.00 per share and received approximately $46.0 million in net cash proceeds after deducting approximately $7.3 million in underwriting commissions, offering expenses and other associated costs. With the proceeds of the public offering and cash provided by operations, we paid down $79.9 million of our 1997 Credit Facility, repurchased $23.1 million of our Senior Subordinated Notes, and paid a $1.2 million premium associated with the repurchase of the Senior Subordinated Notes.
34
Net cash used in financing activities was
$40.4 million in 2000. In 2000, we utilized cash provided
by operations to pay down $12.6 million of our 1997 Credit
Facility and we repurchased $17.0 million of Senior
Subordinated Notes at a discount of $0.1 million.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have financed our business activities
primarily with funds generated from operating activities,
proceeds from the sale of company-operated QSRs to franchisees,
proceeds from the sale of our common stock in our initial public
offering and the issuance of debt under our 2002 Credit Facility.
Based upon our current level of operations,
anticipated growth, and assuming compliance with our 2002 Credit
Facility, we believe that available cash provided from operating
activities, proceeds from the sale of our Seattle Coffee
subsidiary, and available borrowings under our lines of credit
($18.2 million available as of December 29, 2002 and
$30.0 million at November 30, 2003) will be adequate
to meet our anticipated future requirements for working capital,
including various contractual obligations discussed below, and
for capital expenditures throughout 2003 and 2004.
Under caption Matters Relating to the
Restatement in Item 3 of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K, we describe several legal proceedings in which
we are involved that relate to our announcements that we would
restate our financial statements. The lawsuits against AFC
described therein present material and significant risk to us.
Although we believe that we have meritorious defenses to the
claims of liability or for damages in these actions, we are
unable at this time to predict the outcome of these actions or
reasonably estimate a range of damages. The amount of a
settlement of or judgment on one or more of these claims or
other potential claims relating to the same events could
substantially exceed the limits of our D&O insurance. The
ultimate resolution of these matters could have a material
adverse impact on our financial results, financial condition and
liquidity.
Acquisitions and Dispositions
Sale of Seattle Coffee Company.
On July 14, 2003, we sold our
Seattle Coffee subsidiary to Starbucks for $72.0 million.
Net proceeds of the sale, after transaction costs and other
adjustments, are expected to be approximately
$63.0 million, which is subject to adjustment based upon
the determination of certain financial results of Seattle Coffee
for pre-closing periods of operations. In this transaction, we
sold substantially all of the continental U.S. and Canadian
operations of Seattle Coffee and its wholesale coffee business.
Following this transaction, we continue to franchise the
Seattles Best Coffee brand in retail locations in Hawaii,
in certain international markets outside North America and on
certain U.S. military bases.
Pursuant to the terms of our 2002 Credit
Facility, we are required to use the net proceeds from the sale
of Seattle Coffee to pay down indebtedness under the facility in
addition to that otherwise reflected in the table of contractual
obligations below. On July 17, 2003, we paid down
$31.3 million of indebtedness under the facility. On
October 31, 2003, we paid down another $29.2 million
of indebtedness. An additional payment of approximately $2.5
million (representing the remaining estimated net proceeds from
the Seattle Coffee sale) may be required.
35
Contractual Obligations
The following table summarizes our contractual
obligations, due over the next five years and thereafter, as of
December 29, 2002:
Long Term Debt
2002 Credit
Facility.
On May 23, 2002, we
entered into a new bank credit facility (the 2002 Credit
Facility) with J.P. Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse First
Boston and certain other lenders, which consisted of a
$75.0 million, five-year revolving credit facility, a
$75.0 million, five-year Tranche A term loan and a
$125.0 million, seven-year Tranche B term loan. Under the
terms of the 2002 Credit Facility, we may also obtain letters of
credit.
The revolving credit facility is due in full
without installments on May 23, 2007. The outstanding
balances of the Tranche A term loan and the Tranche B term loan
are due in installments through May 23, 2007 and
May 23, 2009, respectively.
36
The Tranche A term loan, the Tranche B term loan
and the revolving credit facility bear interest at LIBOR plus an
applicable margin based on certain financial leverage ratios,
which may fluctuate because of changes in these ratios. As of
December 29, 2002, the margins were 2.00% for the revolving
credit facility and the Tranche A term loan and 2.25% for
the Tranche B term loan. On July 14, 2003, the start
of our third quarter of 2003, these margins changed to 2.25% for
the revolving credit facility and the Tranche A term loan and
2.50% for the Tranche B term loan due to an amendment to the
2002 Credit Facility. On August 22, 2003, these margins
changed to 2.75% for the revolving credit facility and the
Tranche A term loan and 3.00% for the Tranche B term loan due to
an amendment to the 2002 Credit Facility. We also pay a
quarterly commitment fee of 0.125% (0.5% annual rate divided by
4) on the unused portions of the Tranche A term loan and the
revolving credit facility.
At closing, we drew the entire
$125.0 million Tranche B term loan to refinance our
existing bank debt of approximately $62.6 million and
invested the excess in certain highly rated short-term
investments, in accordance with requirements under the 2002
Credit Facility. On June 27, 2002, we retired the remaining
$126.9 million of our Senior Subordinated Notes, due
May 15, 2007 at a price of 105.125 by drawing on the
Tranche A term loan.
On August 9, 2002, we made an optional
prepayment of $25.0 million on our Tranche B term loan
using cash from operations.
The 2002 Credit Facility contains certain
financial and other covenants, including covenants requiring us
to maintain various financial ratios, limiting our ability to
incur additional indebtedness, restricting the amount of capital
expenditures that we may incur, restricting our payment of cash
dividends and limiting the amount of debt which we can loan to
our franchisees or guarantee on their behalf. This facility also
limits our ability to engage in mergers or acquisitions, sell
certain assets, repurchase our stock and enter into certain
lease transactions. This facility is secured by a first priority
security interest in substantially all of our assets. At
December 15, 2003, the Company is in compliance with the
covenants.
Pursuant to the terms of our 2002 Credit
Facility, we are required to use the proceeds from the sale of
Seattle Coffee to pay down indebtedness under the facility in
addition to that reflected in the table of contractual
obligations above. On July 17, 2003, we paid down
$31.3 million of indebtedness under the facility. On
October 31, 2003, we paid down another $29.2 million
of indebtedness. An additional payment of approximately
$2.5 million may be required after the final determination
of any purchase price adjustments.
On March 31, 2003, May 30, 2003,
July 14, 2003, August 22, 2003 and October 30,
2003 we amended our 2002 Credit Facility. The effect of these
amendments was to:
37
In connection with these amendments, we paid fees
of approximately $2.4 million in 2003.
As of December 29, 2002, there was
$50.0 million outstanding under our revolving credit
facility, and $6.8 million in outstanding letters of
credit. Our available balance as of December 29, 2002 was
$18.2 million. As of November 30, 2003, there was
$25.6 million in outstanding borrowings under the revolving
credit facility and $9.4 million of outstanding letters of
credit, leaving amounts available for borrowings and additional
letters of credit of $30.0 million.
Southtrust Line of Credit.
We had an agreement with
Southtrust Bank consisting of a $5.0 million revolving line
of credit, renewable each year on May 30. Our monthly
interest payments were based on LIBOR plus an applicable margin.
As of December 29, 2002, the margin was 1.125%. We also
paid a quarterly 0.5% commitment fee on the unused portion of
this line of credit. There were no outstanding borrowings under
our Southtrust line of credit, as of December 29, 2002. On
March 31, 2003, we and Southtrust agreed to terminate this
facility.
Senior Subordinated Notes.
In May 1997, we completed an
offering of $175.0 million of 10.25% Senior Subordinated
Notes due May 2007. Prior to June 27, 2002, we had
repurchased $48.1 million of these notes in the open market
with proceeds from the sale of company-operated units to
franchisees, cash from operations and proceeds from our 1997
Credit Facility. In 2002, we called the remaining notes
outstanding of $126.9 million and funded the repurchase of
these notes with proceeds from our 2002 Credit Facility.
Share Repurchase Program
On July 22, 2002, our board of directors
approved a share repurchase program of up to $50 million.
On October 7, 2002, our board of directors approved an
increase to this program from $50 million to
$100 million. The program, which is open-ended, allows us
to repurchase our shares from time to time. As of
December 29, 2002, we had repurchased 3,692,963 shares of
our stock for approximately $77.9 million under this
program. We funded these purchases using proceeds from our bank
credit facilities and cash flow from operations. From
December 30, 2002 through the date of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K, there were no additional purchases.
Capital Expenditures
Our capital expenditures consist of re-imaging
activities associated with company-operated QSRs, new unit
construction and development, equipment replacements, the
purchase of new equipment for our company-operated QSRs,
investments in information technology, accounting systems and
improvements at various corporate offices. Capital expenditures
related to re-imaging activities consist of significant
renovations, upgrades and improvements, which on a per unit
basis typically cost between $70,000 and $160,000.
During 2002, we invested $49.7 million in
various capital projects, including $7.7 million in new
restaurant, bakery and cafe locations, $16.9 million in our
re-imaging program, $3.8 million in our Seattle Coffee
wholesale operations, $12.9 million in other capital assets
to maintain, replace and extend the lives of company-operated
QSR equipment and facilities, and $8.4 million to complete
other projects.
During 2001, we invested $58.0 million in
various capital projects, including $12.3 million in new
restaurant, bakery and cafe locations, $21.1 million in our
re-imaging program, $2.9 million in our Seattle Coffee
wholesale operations, $10.9 million in other capital assets
to maintain, replace and extend the lives of company-operated
QSR equipment and facilities, and $10.8 million to complete
other projects.
During 2000, we invested $50.0 million in
various capital projects, including $10.1 million in new
restaurant, bakery and cafe locations, $19.3 million in our
re-imaging program, $2.4 million in our Seattle
38
Substantially all of our capital expenditures
have been financed using cash provided from operating
activities, proceeds from the sale of our company-operated units
to franchisees and borrowings under our bank credit facilities.
Capital expenditures over the next three years
are expected to range from $30 to $35 million per
year. In 2003 and 2004, these expenditures will include
investments in information technology and new accounting systems.
Long-Term Employee Success Plan
Under our Long-Term Employee Success Plan, if our
common stock is publicly traded and the average stock price per
share is at least $46.50 for a period of 20 consecutive
trading days, or our earnings per share for any of the 2001,
2002 or 2003 is at least $3.375, bonuses become payable to all
employees hired before January 1, 2003 who have been
actively employed through the last day of the period in which we
attain either of these financial performance standards. Employee
payouts range from 10% to 110% of the individual employees
base salary at the time either of the standards is met. The
percentage is based upon the individual employees original
date of hire, and can amount to as much as 110% for an employee
whose date of hire was prior to January 1, 1998. The
bonuses are payable in shares of our common stock or, to the
extent an employee is eligible, deferred compensation, and may
be paid in cash if an employee elects to receive a cash payment
and our board of directors agrees to pay the bonus in cash. If
neither of our financial performance standards has been achieved
by December 28, 2003, the plan and our obligation to make
any payments under the plan would terminate. As of
December 29, 2003, AFC did not have a liability recorded in
its consolidated financial statements for the bonus payout as it
is not probable that the financial performance targets discussed
above will be met.
The payment of bonuses that may be required under
our Long-Term Employee Success Plan, whether in cash or stock,
may have a material adverse effect on our earnings per share for
the fiscal quarter and year in which the bonuses are earned, and
could adversely affect our compliance with the covenants and
restrictions contained in our bank credit facility. Further, we
may not have sufficient cash resources to pay these bonuses in
cash at the time they become payable, which would cause us to
pay all or a portion of the bonuses using shares of our common
stock. Assuming that the financial performance standards were
achieved as of the date of this filing, we estimate that we
would be obligated to pay bonuses with an aggregate value of up
to approximately $75 million. We do not expect to pay any
bonuses under this program.
Impact of Inflation
We believe that, over time, we generally have
been able to pass along inflationary increases in our costs
through increased prices of our menu items, and the effects of
inflation on our net income historically have not been, and are
not expected to be, materially adverse. Due to competitive
pressures, however, increases in prices of menu items often lag
behind inflationary increases in costs.
Seasonality
Our Cinnabon bakeries and Seattle Coffee cafes
have traditionally experienced the strongest operating results
during the holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and New
Years. Any factors that cause reduced traffic at our
Cinnabon bakeries and Seattle Coffee cafes during this period
would impair their ability to achieve normal operating results.
Tax Matters
We are continuously involved in U.S., state and
local tax audits for income, franchise, property and sales and
use taxes. In general, the statute of limitations remains open
with respect to tax returns that
39
In connection with our Cinnabon acquisition, we
acquired U.S. net operating loss carry forwards of
$13.4 million and tax credit carry forwards of
$1.8 million. In addition, we acquired numerous state net
operating loss carry forwards in the states where Cinnabon had
operations prior to our acquisition. The utilization of these
U.S. and state tax carry forwards is restricted under the
Internal Revenue Code and the various state laws. Consequently,
the deferred tax asset related to these items has been fully
offset on our balance sheet with a valuation allowance of
$6.5 million. Accordingly, the balance sheet does not
reflect a net deferred tax asset for these net operating loss
and tax carry forwards.
Any subsequently recognized tax benefits relating
to the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets as of
December 29, 2002 would be allocated to goodwill and other
non-current intangible assets.
Market Risk
We are exposed to market risk from changes in
certain commodity prices, foreign currency exchange rates and
interest rates. All of these market risks arise in the normal
course of business, as we do not engage in speculative trading
activities. The following analysis provides quantitative
information regarding these risks.
Chicken Market Risk.
The principal raw material for our
Popeyes and Churchs operations is fresh chicken. It
constitutes approximately half of their restaurant food,
beverages and packaging costs. These costs are
significantly affected by increases in the cost of chicken,
which can result from a number of factors, including increases
in the cost of grain, disease, declining market supply of
fast-food sized chickens and other factors that affect
availability, and greater international demand for domestic
chicken products.
In order to ensure favorable pricing for chicken
purchases and maintain an adequate supply of fresh chicken for
AFC and its franchisees, SMS (a not-for-profit purchasing
cooperative formed by AFC and its franchisees) has entered into
four types of chicken purchasing contracts with chicken
suppliers. The first is a grain-based cost-plus
pricing contract that utilizes prices based upon the cost of
feed grains plus certain agreed upon non-feed and processing
costs. The second is a market-priced formula that includes a
premium for cut specifications. The market-priced contracts have
maximum and minimum prices that AFC and its franchisees will pay
for chicken during the term of the contract. The third is a
modified fixed-price contract for dark meat, with adjustments
that occur only if market prices move outside of specific
ranges, with provisions for certain annual price adjustments.
The fourth contains fixed prices for both eight-piece cut and
dark meat, for periods up to one year. These contracts have
terms ranging from six months to three years. These contracts
establish pricing arrangements, but do not establish any firm
purchase commitments on the part of AFC or its franchisees.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk.
We are exposed to currency risk
from the potential changes in foreign currency rates that
directly impact our revenues and cash flows from our
international operations. For each of 2002, 2001 and 2000,
foreign operations represented less than 1% of sales by
company-operated restaurants; approximately 17% of franchise
revenues; and approximately 10%, 15%, and 13%, respectively, of
wholesale revenues. Aggregated, foreign-sourced revenues for
2002, 2001 and 2000 represented 4.4%, 4.1% and 3.3% of total
revenues, respectively. As of December 29, 2002,
approximately $3.8 million of our accounts receivable were
denominated in foreign currencies.
Due to our international operations, we are
exposed to risks from changes in international economic
conditions and changes in foreign currency rates. On a limited
basis, we have entered into foreign currency agreements with
respect to the Korean Won to reduce our foreign currency risks
associated with royalty
40
Interest Rate Risk.
Our net exposure to interest rate
risk consists of our borrowings under our bank credit facility.
Borrowings made pursuant to that facility include interest rates
that are benchmarked to U.S. and European short-term
floating-rate interest rates. As of December 29, 2002, the
balances outstanding under our 2002 Credit Facility totaled
$222.9 million. The impact on our annual results of
operations of a hypothetical one-point interest rate change on
the outstanding balances under our 2002 Credit Facility would be
approximately $2.2 million.
Critical Accounting Policies
Use of Estimates.
The preparation of financial
statements in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America requires our management
to make assumptions and estimates that can have a material
impact on our results of operations. Estimates and judgments are
inherent in the calculations of allowances for doubtful
accounts, legal matters, medical, pension and other
post-retirement benefits, income taxes, insurance liabilities,
various other commitments and contingencies, impairment of
assets and the estimation of the useful lives of fixed assets
and other long-lived assets and, from time to time, estimates
are revised based upon more current information and additional
analysis. While management applies its judgment based on
assumptions believed to be reasonable under the circumstances,
actual results could vary from these assumptions. It is possible
that materially different amounts would be reported using
different assumptions.
Revenue Recognition Sales by
Company-Operated Restaurants.
Revenue from the sale of food and beverage products at
company-operated QSRs is recognized upon delivery.
Revenue Recognition Franchise
Operations.
Revenue from
franchising activities is recognized based on the terms of the
underlying agreements.
Initial franchise fees and development fees are
recorded as deferred franchise revenue when received and are
recognized as revenue when the QSRs covered by the fees are
opened or all material services or conditions relating to the
fees have been substantially performed or satisfied by AFC. We
recognize royalty revenues as earned.
Revenue Recognition Wholesale
Transactions.
Revenue from our
wholesale operations is recognized upon delivery, based upon the
terms of each sale.
Other Revenues.
Other revenues are principally
composed of rental income associated with properties leased or
sub-leased to franchisees and other fees associated with unit
conversions. Rental revenues are recognized on the straight-line
basis over the lease term. Fees associated with unit conversions
are recognized when all material services or conditions relating
to the fees have been substantively performed or satisfied by AFC
Slotting Fees.
Slotting fees are paid to grocery
stores to obtain favorable shelf positioning for our wholesale
products. Fees paid pursuant to a written contract are deferred
and amortized over the term of
41
Gains and Losses Associated With Unit
Conversions.
In the normal course
of business, we sell the assets of company-operated QSRs to
existing or new franchisees. These transactions are referred to
as unit conversions.
We defer gains on unit conversions when we have
continuing involvement in the assets sold beyond the customary
franchisor role. Our continuing involvement generally includes
seller financing or the leasing of real estate to the
franchisee. Deferred gains are recognized over the remaining
term of the continuing involvement. Losses are recognized
immediately. For unit conversions, the computation of gains or
losses also includes an allocation of goodwill if the underlying
unit was acquired through a transaction accounted for by the
purchase method.
Insurance Accruals.
We are self-insured for most
workers compensation, general liability, automotive
liability losses and health care claims. We record our insurance
liabilities based on historical and industry trends, which are
continually monitored, and accruals are adjusted when warranted
by changing circumstances. Since there are many estimates and
assumptions involved in recording insurance liabilities,
differences between actual future events and prior estimates and
assumptions could result in adjustments to these liabilities.
Employee Benefit Plans.
Retirement and other benefit
plans, including all relevant assumptions required by generally
accepted accounting principles, are evaluated each year. Due to
the technical nature of retirement accounting, outside actuaries
are used once every two years to provide assistance in
calculating the estimated future obligations. Since there are
many estimates and assumptions involved in retirement benefits,
differences between actual future events and prior estimates and
assumptions could result in adjustments to pension expenses and
obligations.
Litigation Accruals.
In the normal course of business,
we must make continuing estimates of outcomes of future legal
proceedings and related liabilities, which requires the use of
managements judgment on the outcome of various issues.
Management may also use outside legal advice to assist in the
estimating process. However, the ultimate outcome of various
legal proceedings could be different than management estimates,
and adjustments to income could be required.
Income Taxes.
Income taxes are accounted for
under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and
liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences
attributable to differences between the financial statement
carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their
respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit
carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured
using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in
the years in which those temporary differences are expected to
be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and
liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in
the period that includes the enactment date.
Depreciation and Amortization.
Depreciation is recognized using
the straight-line method in amounts adequate to depreciate costs
over the following estimated useful lives: buildings, up to
35 years; leasehold improvements, up to 15 years;
equipment, up to 15 years; and property under capital
leases, up to the life of the related lease. For finite-lived
intangible assets, amortization is recognized using the
straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:
20-40 years for franchise value and 3-20 years for
other definite-lived intangible assets.
Impairment of Goodwill, Other Intangible
Assets and Long-Lived Assets.
We
evaluate goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets
for impairment on an annual basis (the fourth quarter of each
year) or when circumstances arise indicating that a particular
asset might be impaired.
In accordance with the requirements of
SFAS 142, we assign goodwill and other indefinite-lived
assets to our reporting units for purposes of our impairment
evaluation. Our reporting units are our business segments. The
impairment evaluation is conducted using a two-step process. In
the first step, we compare the carrying value of each reporting
units net assets to its estimated fair value. We estimate
the fair value
42
For property and equipment at company-operated
QSRs, we perform our annual impairment evaluation on a
site-by-site basis. We evaluate QSRs using a two-year
history of operating losses as our primary indicator of
potential impairment. Based on the best information available,
we write down an impaired QSR to its estimated fair market
value, which becomes its new cost basis. We generally measure
estimated fair market value by discounting estimated future cash
flows. In addition, when we decide to close a QSR, it is
reviewed for impairment and depreciable lives are adjusted. The
impairment evaluation is based on the estimated cash flows from
continuing use through the expected disposal date and the
expected terminal value.
Accounting Standards Adopted in 2002
In the first quarter of 2002, we adopted SFAS
No. 142,
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
(SFAS 142)
. At that time, we discontinued
our prior practice of amortizing goodwill and other
indefinite-lived assets. These assets are now being accounted
for by the impairment-only approach. Our finite-lived intangible
assets continue to be amortized on a straight-line basis as in
prior years. In adopting SFAS 142, we recorded a transitional
charge of $11.8 million to reduce the carrying value of the
goodwill associated with our coffee segment. In the Consolidated
Financial Statements, this charge is presented as the cumulative
effect of an accounting change. In the fourth quarter of 2002,
we recorded an additional impairment charge of
$25.5 million relating to goodwill in our coffee segment.
In the Consolidated Financial Statements, this additional charge
is reflected in the caption impairment charges and other
expenses, net.
In the first quarter of 2002, we adopted, SFAS
No. 144. At that time, SFAS 144 had no effect on our
consolidated financial statements. During the fourth quarter of
2002, as part of our annual assessment of impairment, we
recognized impairment charges of $13.6 million pursuant to
the guidelines of SFAS 144. In the Consolidated Financial
Statements, these charges are included within the caption
impairment charges and other expenses, net. These
charges relate to various company-operated QSRs whose operating
results had deteriorated in 2002, warranting a write-down of
fixed asset balances.
During 2002, we adopted SFAS No. 145,
Rescission of FASB Statements No. 4,
44 and 64, Amendment of FASB Statement No. 13,
and Technical Corrections
(SFAS 145). As a
result, we have included the write-off of debt issuance costs
associated with the early extinguishment of debt as a component
of interest expense, net in our Consolidated
Financial Statements. Prior years have been reclassified to
reflect adoption of SFAS 145.
Accounting Standards That We Have Not Yet
Adopted
In May 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board (the FASB) issued SFAS No. 150,
Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with
Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity
(SFAS 150). SFAS 150 establishes
standards for how an issuer classifies and measures three
classes of freestanding financial instruments with
characteristics of both liabilities and equity. It requires that
an issuer classify a financial instrument that is within its
scope as a liability (or an asset in some circumstances).
SFAS 150 was effective for financial instruments entered
into or modified after May 31, 2003, and otherwise was
effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning
after June 15,
43
In April 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 149,
Amendment of Statement on Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities
(SFAS 149). SFAS 149 amends
and clarifies financial accounting and reporting for derivative
instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded
in other contracts and hedging activities. SFAS 149 is effective
for contracts entered into or modified after June 30, 2003.
We believe adoption of SFAS 149 will not have a material
effect on our financial position or our results of operations.
In January 2003, the FASB issued Interpretation
No. 46,
Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities, an
interpretation of ARB No. 51
(FIN 46).
FIN 46 addresses the consolidation of entities whose equity
holders have either (a) not provided sufficient equity at
risk to allow the entity to finance its own activities or
(b) do not possess certain characteristics of a controlling
financial interest. FIN 46 requires the consolidation of
these entities, known as variable interest entities
(VIEs), by the primary beneficiary of the entity.
The primary beneficiary is the entity, if any, that is subject
to a majority of the risk of loss from the VIEs
activities, entitled to receive a majority of the VIEs
residual returns, or both. FIN 46 applies immediately to
variable interest in VIEs created or obtained after
January 31, 2003. As amended by FASB Staff Position
(FSP) No. FIN 46-6, FIN 46 is
effective for variable interests in a VIE created before
February 1, 2003 at the end of the first interim or annual
period ending after December 15, 2003 (the end of fiscal
2003, December 27, 2003, for the Company). FIN 46
requires certain disclosures in financial statements issued
after January 31, 2003, if it is reasonably possible that
the Company will consolidate or disclose information about
variable interest entities when FIN 46 becomes effective.
As discussed in Note 13, we have guaranteed
franchisee loan and lease obligations of approximately
$1.5 million and have provided an additional
$1 million in guarantees under a loan program for
franchisees to purchase or develop new units.
Also as discussed in Note 13, we and our
franchisees own a purchasing cooperative, SMS, for the purpose
of purchasing certain restaurant products. Our equity ownership
is generally proportional to the percentage ownership of the
QSRs we own in relation to the total QSRs that participate in
SMS. We are continuing to evaluate whether this cooperative is a
VIE under the provisions of FIN 46, and if so, whether we
are the primary beneficiary. We do not currently believe
consolidation of this cooperative will be required as a result
of the adoption of FIN 46.
As of the date of this filing, we understand the
FASB is in the process of modifying and/or clarifying certain
provisions of FIN 46. Additionally, certain FSPs relating
to FIN 46 are being deliberated. These modifications and
FSPs, when finalized, could impact our analysis of the
applicability of FIN 46 to entities that are franchisees of
our brands. We are aware of certain interpretations by some
parties of the provisions of FIN 46, given its continuing
evolution, which could have applicability when certain
conditions exist that are not representative of a typical
franchise relationship. These conditions include the franchisor
possessing an equity interest in, or providing significant
levels of, financial support to a franchisee. Except as
discussed in Assets Under Contractual Agreement, of
Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, we do not
possess any ownership interests in our franchisees.
Additionally, we generally do not provide
financial support to the franchisee in our typical franchise
relationship. While we continue to monitor and analyze
developments regarding FIN 46 that would impact its
applicability to franchise relationships, at this time we do not
believe that the required consolidation of franchise entities,
if any, would materially impact our consolidated financial
statements.
In December 2002, the FASB issued SFAS
No. 148,
Accounting for Stock-Based
Compensation Transition and Disclosure
an Amendment of FASB Statement No. 123
(SFAS 148). SFAS 148 provides
alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the
fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee
compensation. In addition, SFAS 148 amends the disclosure
requirements of SFAS 123 requiring more prominent
disclosures in both annual and interim financial statements
about the effect of the method used on reported results.
Regardless of whether, when or how a
44
In November 2002, the FASB issued Interpretation
No. 45,
Guarantors Accounting and Disclosure
Requirements for Guarantees, Including Indirect Guarantees of
Indebtedness of Others
(Interpretation 45).
Interpretation 45 elaborates on the disclosures to be made by a
guarantor in its interim and annual financial statements about
its obligations under certain guarantees that it has issued. It
also clarifies that a guarantor is required to recognize, at the
inception of a guarantee, a liability for the fair value of the
obligation undertaken in issuing the guarantee. Interpretation
45 does not prescribe a specific approach for subsequently
measuring the guarantors recognized liability over the
term of the related guarantee. The initial recognition and
initial measurement provisions of this Interpretation are
applicable on a prospective basis to guarantees issued or
modified after December 31, 2002. The disclosure
requirements are effective for financial statements of interim
or annual periods after December 15, 2002. As it relates to our
loan guarantee programs, we have complied with the disclosure
requirements of Interpretation 45. As it concerns the
recognition provisions of Interpretation 45, we do not believe
that their adoption, in the first quarter of 2003, will have a
material effect on our financial position or our results of
operations.
In June 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued SFAS No. 146,
Accounting for Costs Associated
with Exit or Disposal Activities
(SFAS 146). SFAS 146 supercedes Emerging
Issues Task Force Issue No. 94-3,
Liability Recognition
for Certain Employee Termination Benefits and Other Costs to
Exit an Activity (including Certain Costs Incurred in a
Restructuring)
. SFAS 146 requires the fair value of a
liability for a cost associated with an exit or disposal
activity be recognized when the liability is incurred as opposed
to the date of an entitys commitment to an exit plan. The
provisions of SFAS 146 are effective for exit or disposal
activities initiated after December 31, 2002, with early
application encouraged. We believe adoption of SFAS 146 will not
have a material effect on our financial position or our results
of operations.
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards
Board issued SFAS No. 143,
Accounting for Asset Retirement
Obligations
(SFAS 143)
.
SFAS 143
addresses financial accounting and reporting for obligations
associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived assets
that result from the acquisition, construction, development
and/or the normal operation of a long-lived asset, except for
certain obligations of leases and the associated asset
retirement costs. It is effective for fiscal years beginning
after June 15, 2002. SFAS 143 requires that the fair
value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation be
recognized in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable
estimate of fair value can be made. SFAS 143 will be adopted in
the first quarter of 2003. We believe the effect of adopting
SFAS 143 will result in a charge of less than $1.0 million
to our consolidated results of operation.
Risks Factors That May Affect Financial
Condition and Results of Operations
Certain statements we make in this filing, and
other written or oral statements made by or on our behalf, may
constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the federal securities laws. Words or phrases such as
should result, are expected to, we
anticipate, we estimate, we
project, we believe, or similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from our
historical experience and our present expectations or
projections. We believe that these forward-looking statements
are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on
such statements. Such statements speak only as of the date they
are made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of
future events, new information or otherwise. The following risk
factors, and others that we may add from time to time, are some
of the factors that could cause our actual results to differ
materially from the expected results described in our
forward-looking statements.
45
We, and various of our present and former
directors and officers, are involved in several matters relating
to our announcement that we would restate our financial
statements for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2002 and
for fiscal years 2001 and 2000. Those lawsuits and other legal
matters in which we have become involved following the
announcement of the restatement are described in Item 3,
Legal Proceedings in Part I of this Annual Report on
Form 10-K. Those lawsuits present material and significant
risk to us. Although we believe that we have meritorious
defenses to the claims of liability or for damages in these
actions, we are unable at this time to predict the outcome of
these actions or reasonably estimate a range of damages in the
event plaintiffs in these or other potential matters relating to
the same events prevail under one or more of their claims. The
amount of a settlement of or judgment on one or more of these
claims could substantially exceed the limits of our D&O
insurance. The ultimate resolution of these matters could have a
material adverse impact on our financial results, financial
condition, and liquidity, and on the trading price of our common
stock.
There can be no assurance that these lawsuits and
other legal matters will not have a disruptive effect upon the
operations of the business, or that these matters will not
consume the time and attention of our senior management. In
addition, we are likely to incur substantial expenses in
connection with such matters, including substantial fees for
attorneys and other professional advisors.
We have purchased D&O insurance that may
provide coverage for some or all of these matters. We have given
notice to our D&O insurers of the claims described above,
and the insurers have responded by requesting additional
information and by reserving their rights under the policies,
including the rights to deny coverage under various policy
exclusions or to rescind the policies in question as a result of
our announced restatement of our financial statements. There is
risk that the D&O insurers will rescind the policies; that
some or all of the claims will not be covered by such policies;
or that, even if covered, our ultimate liability will exceed the
available insurance.
Due to our restatement of our financial
statements and related litigation, new or existing franchisees,
vendors, suppliers or others may have concerns that we will
become unreliable in operating our business or that our brand
image will be harmed. As a result, we may experience a decrease
in the number of new franchisees or a reluctance on the part of
existing franchisees to renew their agreements with us. In
addition, we may experience a loss of other important business
relationships. If our franchisees, vendors, suppliers or others
lose confidence in our ability to operate our business or the
reputation of our brands, our business may be materially harmed.
Our operating results are increasingly dependent
on our franchisees and, in some cases, on certain franchisees
that operate a large number of restaurants and bakeries. How
well our franchisees operate their units is outside of our
direct control. Any failure of these franchisees to operate
their franchises successfully could adversely affect our
operating results. From the beginning of 1996 to
December 29, 2002, the number of our franchised units
increased from 1,477 to 3,532. We currently have over 575
franchisees. In addition, one of our domestic franchisees
currently operates over 150 Popeyes restaurants, another
domestic franchisee currently operates approximately 100
Churchs restaurants, and a third domestic franchisee
currently operates over 100 Cinnabon bakeries. In addition, each
of our international franchisees is generally responsible for
the development of significantly more restaurants, bakeries or
cafes than our domestic franchisees. As a result, our
international operations are more closely tied to the success of
a smaller number of franchisees than our domestic operations.
There can be no assurance that our domestic and international
franchisees will operate their franchises successfully.
46
We are dependent on the experience and industry
knowledge of Frank J. Belatti, our Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer, and Dick
R. Holbrook, our President and Chief Operating Officer, and
other members of our senior management team. Since the departure
of our previous Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Belatti has
also been serving in that capacity while we undertake a search
to hire a new Chief Financial Officer. If, for any reason, our
senior executives do not continue to be active in management or
if we are unable to retain qualified new members of senior
management, our operating results could be adversely affected.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain
additional qualified senior executives as needed. Specifically,
the restatement of our financial statements and the pending
securities litigation may adversely affect our ability to
attract and retain qualified senior management. We have
employment agreements with each of Messrs. Belatti and
Holbrook; however, these agreements do not ensure their
continued employment with us.
Under federal regulations and certain state
franchising laws in the United States, we must provide a
franchise offering circular to prospective franchisees at the
earlier of the first personal meeting with a prospective
franchisee or ten business days before the franchisee signs a
franchise agreement or pays us any money. This offering circular
must include current financial information. Because of our delay
in releasing audited financial statements for 2002 and filing
quarterly financial statements for 2003, we have not had an
offering circular with current financial information and, with
certain exceptions, we have been unable to sell or offer to sell
franchises to prospective franchisees in the United States since
the expiration of our prior years franchise offering
circular. This delay will result in the number of new units to
be opened by domestic franchisees during 2003 being below the
number we had previously anticipated and may adversely affect
the number of new units to be opened by franchisees in 2004 and
future years.
On April 16, 2003, the Nasdaq National
Market notified us by letter that we had failed to file our 2002
Annual Report on Form 10-K, which we were required to file
pursuant to Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(14). In
connection with this notification, a fifth character, the letter
E, was temporarily added to our stock symbol. On May 29,
2003, the Nasdaq National Market notified us that we had failed
to file our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly
period ended April 20, 2003, also required by
Rule 4310(c)(14). We were unable to make these filings on a
timely basis due to the extended time needed to complete the
audit work on our 2002, 2001 and 2000 financial statements and
the associated restatement described in Note 23 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
On June 19, 2003, we announced that the
Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel had determined that they
would continue listing our common stock on the Nasdaq National
Market, subject to certain specified conditions, including the
filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K by July 16,
2003 and the filing of our 2003 Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q by certain specified dates. On July 15,
2003, we informed the Panel that we would not be able to meet
the conditions, and we requested that the Panel provide us an
additional extension. On August 14, 2003, we announced that the
Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel had notified us that our
common stock would be delisted from the Nasdaq National Market
as of the opening of business on Monday, August 18, 2003,
because we had not yet made the required SEC filings. On that
date our common stock began trading on the Pink Sheets. Because
we are not current in our periodic SEC reporting requirements,
we are presently ineligible to trade on the OTC Bulletin Board.
47
There can be no assurance that we will be able to
relist our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market or any
other major securities market or exchange. If we are unable to
relist our common stock, the trading price of our common stock
may decline substantially and shareholders will experience a
significant decrease in the liquidity of our common stock.
Securities that trade on the Pink Sheets, including our common
stock, may also be subject to higher transaction costs for
trades and have reduced liquidity compared to securities that
trade on the Nasdaq National Market and other organized markets
and exchanges.
Our independent auditors advised our Audit
Committee that, in connection with their audits of our 2002,
2001 and 2000 financial statements, they identified certain
deficiencies that constituted material control weaknesses. These
weaknesses contributed to the restatement of our financial
statements for the first three quarters of 2002 and for fiscal
years 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998. In addition, our Audit
Committee, pursuant to an independent investigation into several
accounting issues that arose in connection with the restatement,
concluded that our accounting, financial reporting and internal
control functions needed significant improvement. We have begun
implementing various actions to address the issues identified in
the evaluation of our controls and procedures. If these actions
are not successful in addressing these internal control issues,
our ability to report our financial results on a timely and
accurate basis may continue to be adversely affected.
Our 2002 Credit Facility contains financial and
other covenants requiring us, among other things, to maintain
financial ratios and meet financial tests. It also restricts our
ability to incur additional indebtedness, engage in mergers,
acquisitions or reorganizations, pay dividends, create or allow
liens, and make capital expenditures. The restrictive covenants
in our 2002 Credit Facility may limit our ability to expand our
business, and our ability to comply with these provisions and to
repay or refinance our 2002 Credit Facility may be affected by
events beyond our control. A failure to make any required
payment under our 2002 Credit Facility or to comply with any of
the financial and operating covenants included in the 2002
Credit Facility would result in an event of default, permitting
the lenders to accelerate the maturity of outstanding
indebtedness. This acceleration could also result in the
acceleration of other indebtedness that we may have outstanding
at that time. During 2003 we obtained amendments to our 2002
Credit Facility extending the periods in which we may file our
2002 audited financial statements, our 2003 quarterly financial
statements and to adjust certain financial ratios for 2003.
As of December 29, 2002, we franchised 2,709
Popeyes, Churchs, Cinnabon and Seattle Coffee units
domestically and 823 units in Puerto Rico and 33 foreign
countries. Our growth strategy is significantly dependent on
increasing the number of our franchised QSRs, both through sales
of new franchises and sales of existing company-operated units
to new and existing franchisees. If we are unable to franchise a
sufficient number of QSRs, our growth strategy could be
significantly impaired.
Our ability to successfully franchise additional
QSRs will depend on various factors, including the availability
of suitable sites, the negotiation of acceptable leases or
purchase terms for new locations, permitting and regulatory
compliance, the ability to meet construction schedules, the
financial and other capabilities of our franchisees, our ability
to manage this anticipated expansion, and general economic and
business conditions. Many of the foregoing factors are beyond
the control of our franchisees. Further, there can be no
assurance that our franchisees will successfully develop or
operate their units in a manner consistent with our concepts and
standards, or will have the business abilities or access to
financial resources necessary to open the units required by
their agreements. Historically, there have been many
48
The principal raw material for our Popeyes and
Churchs operations is fresh chicken. It constitutes
approximately half of their restaurant food, beverages and
packaging costs. Any material increase in the costs of
these food products could adversely affect our operating
results. Our company-operated and franchised restaurants
purchase fresh chicken from approximately 13 suppliers who
service us from 37 plant locations. These costs are
significantly affected by increases in the cost of chicken,
which can result from a number of factors, including increases
in the cost of grain, disease, declining market supply of
fast-food sized chickens and other factors that affect
availability. Because our purchasing agreements for fresh
chicken allow the prices that we pay for chicken to fluctuate, a
rise in the prices of chicken products could expose us to cost
increases. If we fail to anticipate and react to increasing food
costs by adjusting our purchasing practices or increasing our
sales prices, our cost of sales may increase and our operating
results could be adversely affected.
Labor is a primary component in the cost of
operating our QSRs. As of December 29, 2002, we employed
8,935 hourly-paid employees in our company-operated units. If we
face labor shortages or increased labor costs because of
increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover
rates or increases in the federal minimum wage or other employee
benefits costs (including costs associated with health insurance
coverage), our operating expenses could increase and our growth
could be adversely affected. Our success depends in part upon
our and our franchisees ability to attract, motivate and
retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, including QSR
managers, kitchen staff and servers, necessary to keep pace with
our expansion schedule. The number of qualified individuals
needed to fill these positions is in short supply in some areas.
Although we have not yet experienced any significant problems in
recruiting or retaining employees for our company-operated
units, any future inability to recruit and retain sufficient
individuals may delay the planned openings of new units.
Competition for qualified employees could also require us to pay
higher wages to attract a sufficient number of employees.
We expect to enter into new geographic markets in
which we have no prior operating or franchising experience. We
face challenges in entering new markets, including
consumers lack of awareness of our brands, difficulties in
hiring personnel, and problems due to our unfamiliarity with
local real estate markets and demographics. New markets may also
have different competitive conditions, consumer tastes and
discretionary spending patterns than our existing markets. Any
failure on our part to recognize or respond to these differences
may adversely affect the success of our new units. The failure
of a significant number of the units that we open in new markets
could adversely affect our operating results.
Foodservice businesses are often affected by
changes in consumer tastes, national, regional and local
economic conditions, discretionary spending priorities,
demographic trends, traffic patterns and the type, number and
location of competing restaurants. Our franchisees, and we, are
from time to time, the subject of complaints or litigation from
guests alleging illness, injury or other food quality, health or
operational concerns. Adverse publicity resulting from these
allegations may harm our reputation or our franchisees
reputation, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or
not, whether we are found liable or not, or
49
The QSR industry is intensely competitive with
respect to price, quality, brand recognition, service and
location. If we are unable to compete successfully against other
foodservice providers, we could lose customers and our revenues
may decline. We compete against other QSRs, including chicken,
hamburger, pizza, Mexican and sandwich restaurants, other
purveyors of carry out food and convenience dining
establishments, including national restaurant chains. Many of
our competitors possess substantially greater financial,
marketing, personnel and other resources than we do. There can
be no assurance that consumers will continue to regard our
products favorably, that we will be able to develop new products
that appeal to consumer preferences, or that we will be able to
continue to compete successfully in the QSR industry. In
addition, KFC, our primary competitor in the chicken segment of
the QSR industry, has far more units, greater brand recognition
and greater financial resources, all of which may affect our
ability to compete.
Our Cinnabon bakeries compete directly with
national chains located in malls and transportation centers such
as Auntie Annes, The Great American Cookie Company and
Mrs. Fields, as well as numerous regional and local
companies. Our Cinnabon bakeries also compete indirectly with
other QSRs, traditional bakeries, donut shops, ice cream and
frozen yogurt shops and pretzel and cookie companies.
Our quarterly operating results and same-store
sales have fluctuated significantly in the past and may continue
to fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a
variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. If
our quarterly results or same-store sales fluctuate or fall
below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, the
market price of our common stock could decline. Our business is
subject to seasonal fluctuations, which may cause our operating
results to vary significantly depending upon the region of the
U.S. in which a particular unit is located, as well as the time
of year and the weather. For example, inclement weather may
reduce the volume of consumer traffic at QSRs, and may impair
the ability of our system-wide units to achieve normal operating
results for short periods of time. In particular, our Cinnabon
bakeries and Seattle Coffee cafes have traditionally experienced
the strongest operating results during the holiday shopping
season between Thanksgiving and New Years. Consequently,
any factors that cause reduced traffic at our Cinnabon bakeries
and Seattle Coffee cafes during this period would have a greater
effect because of this seasonality.
Factors that may cause our quarterly results and
same-store sales to fluctuate include the following:
50
Accordingly, results for any one-quarter are not
indicative of the results to be expected for any other quarter
or for the full year, and same-store sales for any future period
may decrease.
We are subject to numerous federal, state, local
and foreign government laws and regulations, including those
relating to:
If we fail to comply with existing or future
regulations, we may be subject to governmental or judicial fines
or sanctions. In addition, our capital expenses could increase
due to remediation measures that may be required if we are found
to be noncompliant with any of these laws or regulations.
We are also subject to regulation by the Federal
Trade Commission and to state and foreign laws that govern the
offer, sale and termination of franchises and the refusal to
renew franchises. The failure to comply with these regulations
in any jurisdiction or to obtain required approvals could result
in a ban or temporary suspension on future franchise sales or
fines or require us to make a rescission offer to franchisees,
any of which could adversely affect our business and operating
results.
The continued growth of our franchisee system
will require the implementation of enhanced business support
systems, management information systems and additional
management, franchise support and financial resources. Failure
to implement these systems and secure these resources could have
a material adverse effect on our operating results. There can be
no assurance that we will be able to manage our expanding
franchisee system effectively.
We and our franchisees are dependent on frequent
deliveries of fresh food products that meet our specifications.
Shortages or interruptions in the supply of fresh food products
caused by unanticipated demand, problems in production or
distribution, inclement weather or other conditions could
adversely affect the availability, quality and cost of
ingredients, which would adversely affect our operating results.
51
As of December 29, 2002, we had 821
franchised restaurants, bakeries and cafes in Puerto Rico and 33
foreign countries, including a significant number of franchised
restaurants in Asia. Such operations are transacted in the
respective local currency. The amount owed us is based on a
conversion of the royalties and other fees to U.S. dollars
using the prevailing exchange rate. In particular, the royalties
are based on a percentage of net sales generated by our foreign
franchisees operations. Consequently, our revenues from
international franchisees are exposed to the potentially adverse
effects of our franchisees operations, currency exchange
rates, local economic conditions, political instability and
other risks associated with doing business in foreign countries.
We intend to expand our international franchise
operations significantly over the next several years. We expect
that the portion of our revenues generated from international
operations will increase in the future, thus increasing our
exposure to changes in foreign economic conditions and currency
fluctuations.
We depend in large part on our brands and branded
products and believe that they are very important to the conduct
of our business. We rely on a combination of trademarks,
copyrights, service marks, trade secrets and similar
intellectual property rights to protect our brands and branded
products. The success of our expansion strategy depends on our
continued ability to use our existing trademarks and service
marks in order to increase brand awareness and further develop
our branded products in both domestic and international markets.
We also use our trademarks and other intellectual property on
the Internet. If our efforts to protect our intellectual
property are not adequate, or if any third party misappropriates
or infringes on our intellectual property, either in print or on
the Internet, the value of our brands may be harmed, which could
have a material adverse effect on our business, including the
failure of our brands and branded products to achieve and
maintain market acceptance.
We franchise our QSRs to various franchisees.
While we try to ensure that the quality of our brands and
branded products is maintained by all of our franchisees, we
cannot be certain that these franchisees will not take actions
that adversely affect the value of our intellectual property or
reputation.
We have registered certain trademarks and have
other trademark registrations pending in the U.S. and
foreign jurisdictions. The trademarks that we currently use have
not been registered in all of the countries in which we do
business and may never be registered in all of these countries.
We cannot be certain that we will be able to adequately protect
our trademarks or that our use of these trademarks will not
result in liability for trademark infringement, trademark
dilution or unfair competition.
There can be no assurance that all of the steps
we have taken to protect our intellectual property in the
U.S. and foreign countries will be adequate. In addition,
the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual
property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S.
Further, through acquisitions of third parties, we may acquire
brands and related trademarks that are subject to the same risks
as the brands and trademarks we currently own.
Approximately 125 of our owned and leased
properties are known or suspected to have been used by prior
owners or operators as retail gas stations, and a few of these
properties may have been used for other environmentally
sensitive purposes. Many of these properties previously
contained underground storage tanks, and some of these
properties may currently contain abandoned underground storage
tanks. It is possible that petroleum products and other
contaminants may have been released at these properties into the
soil or groundwater. Under applicable federal and state
environmental laws, we, as the current owner or operator of
these sites, may be jointly and severally liable for the costs
of investigation and remediation
52
Information about market risk can be found in
Item 7 of this report under the caption Market
Risk.
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There-
Total
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
after
(In millions)
$
225.1
$
17.6
$
12.7
$
16.3
$
25.5
$
61.6
$
91.4
166.5
29.9
26.8
22.9
19.0
16.1
51.8
80.1
3.1
3.1
3.1
3.1
3.1
64.6
39.5
12.9
8.3
7.9
7.1
3.3
32.7
4.3
4.3
4.5
4.6
4.8
10.2
21.4
2.7
2.8
2.9
3.1
3.2
6.7
6.8
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
0.9
2.3
2.8
1.1
1.1
0.6
2.8
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
1.0
$
577.7
$
72.9
$
60.4
$
59.5
$
63.6
$
93.3
$
228.0
(1)
In the third and fourth quarters of 2003, we made
$60.5 million of accelerated payments reducing the Tranche
A and Tranche B term loans under our 2002 Credit Facility. The
payments were triggered by the July 14, 2003 sale of our
Seattle Coffee subsidiary. These payments were in addition to
the 2003 payments scheduled above, and they, in turn, reduced
payments scheduled for future years. We used proceeds from the
Seattle Coffee transaction to make the payments. An additional
payment of approximately $2.5 million may be required. See
the discussion below and at Note 10 to our Consolidated
Financial Statements for more information concerning our
long-term borrowings.
(2)
$163.7 million of the minimum lease payments
relate to operating leases and the remaining $2.8 million
relates to capital leases. See Note 11 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements.
(3)
For information concerning the Copeland formula
agreement, green coffee bean purchase commitment, the
information technology outsourcing agreement, the accounting and
tax outsourcing agreement, the King Features agreement, and the
equipment purchase agreements see Note 13 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
(4)
The green coffee bean purchase commitments were
transferred to Starbucks in the sale of Seattle Coffee discussed
elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(5)
On April 1, 2003, the Company entered into
an additional technology outsourcing agreement, which expires on
March 31, 2010. Future minimum payments under the agreement
aggregate to $33.4 million. See Note 24 to the
Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Extend, for purposes of the facility, the filing
deadline for our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K to
December 15, 2003.
Extend, for purposes of the facility, the filing
deadline for our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the
first, second and third quarters of 2003 to February 28,
2004.
Raise the interest rate on outstanding
indebtedness under the 2002 Credit Facility (as indicated above)
until such time as we satisfy our 2002 annual reporting
requirement, our 2003 quarterly reporting requirements and
attain a bank credit rating of Ba3 and BB-, or better, by each
of Moodys and Standard & Poors, respectively.
Temporarily reduce our revolving line of credit
from $75.0 million to $65.0 million until we file and
deliver all of the required financial statements and demonstrate
a total leverage ratio of not greater than two to one, at which
time the revolving line of credit limit will return to the
original amount of $75.0 million.
Approve the Seattle Coffee divestiture.
Deposit $2.8 million in a collateral
account. This occurred on October 31, 2003.
Adjust the computation of certain loan covenant
ratios in 2003 to exclude from the computations certain costs of
a productivity study performed in the first quarter of 2003,
subject to certain
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monetary limits, and the various costs associated
with the restatement of our previously issued financial
statements.
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Franchise Agreements.
In general, our franchise
agreements provide for the payment of a one-time fee associated
with the opening of a new QSR and an ongoing royalty based on a
percentage of sales. These agreements also require contributions
by the franchisee (and AFC) to an advertising fund, as discussed
below.
Development Agreements.
In general, our development
agreements provide for the development of a specified number of
QSRs within a defined geographic territory in accordance with a
schedule of opening dates. Development schedules generally cover
three to five years and typically have benchmarks for the number
of QSRs to be opened at six to twelve month intervals.
Development agreement payments are made when the agreement is
executed and are nonrefundable.
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Litigation or regulatory actions arising in
connection with the restatement of our financial statements
could adversely affect our financial condition.
Relationships with franchisees and our
vendors and suppliers may be adversely affected by our
restatement of our financial results and related
litigation.
Because our operating results are closely
tied to the success of our franchisees, the failure of one or
more of these franchisees could adversely affect our operating
results.
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If our senior management left us, our
operating results could be adversely affected, and we may not be
able to attract and retain additional qualified management
personnel.
The number of new units to be opened by
franchisees has been and may continue to be adversely affected
by our delay in releasing audited financial statements for 2002
and filing quarterly financial statements for
2003.
If we are unable to relist our common stock
with the Nasdaq National Market or another major securities
market or exchange, the trading price of our common stock may
decline substantially and shareholders will experience a
significant decrease in the liquidity of our common
stock.
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If we are unable to successfully address
the deficiencies in our internal controls, our ability to report
our financial results on a timely and accurate basis may
continue to be adversely affected.
Our 2002 Credit Facility may limit our
ability to expand our business, and our ability to comply with
the covenants, tests and restrictions contained in these
agreements may be affected by events that are beyond our
control.
If we are unable to franchise a sufficient
number of QSRs, our growth strategy could be at
risk.
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If the cost of chicken increases, our cost
of sales will increase and our operating results could be
adversely affected.
If we face labor shortages or increased
labor costs, our growth and operating results could be adversely
affected.
Our expansion into new markets may present
additional risks that could adversely affect the success of our
new units, and the failure of a significant number of these
units could adversely affect our operating
results.
Changes in consumer preferences and
demographic trends, as well as concerns about health or food
quality, could result in a loss of customers and reduce our
revenues.
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If we are unable to compete successfully
against other companies in the QSR industry or to develop new
products that appeal to consumer preferences, we could lose
customers and our revenues may decline.
Our quarterly results and same-store sales
may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the
expectations of securities analysts and investors, which could
cause the market price of our common stock to
decline.
the disposition of company-operated restaurants;
the opening of new restaurants, bakeries and
cafes by us or our franchisees;
increases in labor costs;
increases in the cost of food products;
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the ability of our franchisees to meet their
future commitments under development agreements;
consumer concerns about food quality;
the level of competition from existing or new
competitors in the QSR industry; and
economic conditions generally, and in each of the
markets in which we or our franchisees are located.
We are subject to extensive government
regulation, and our failure to comply with existing regulations
or increased regulations could adversely affect our business and
operating results.
the preparation and sale of food;
building and zoning requirements;
environmental protection;
minimum wage, overtime and other labor
requirements;
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act; and
working and safety conditions.
We continue to increase the size of our
franchisee system, and this growth may place a significant
strain on our resources.
Shortages or interruptions in the supply or
delivery of fresh food products could adversely affect our
operating results.
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Currency, economic, political and other
risks associated with our international operations could
adversely affect our operating results.
We may not be able to adequately protect
our intellectual property, which could harm the value of our
brands and branded products and adversely affect our
business.
Because many of our properties were used as
retail gas stations in the past, we may incur substantial
liabilities for remediation of environmental contamination at
our properties.
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Item 7a.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT
MARKET RISK
| Item 8. | CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA |
We have included our Consolidated Financial Statements, which are required by this item, beginning on Page F-1 of this report and hereby incorporate by reference the relevant portions of those statements and accompanying notes into this Item 8.
| Item 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
As recommended by our Audit Committee, our Board of Directors on April 15, 2002 decided to no longer engage Arthur Andersen LLP (Andersen) as AFCs independent public accountants and engaged KPMG LLP (KPMG) to serve as our independent public accountants for the fiscal year ending December 29, 2002.
Andersens reports on our consolidated financial statements for each of the years ended December 30, 2001 and December 31, 2000 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor were they qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.
During our fiscal years ended December 30, 2001 and December 31, 2000 and through the period preceding Andersens dismissal, there were no disagreements with Andersen on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure which, if not resolved to Andersens satisfaction, would have caused them to make reference to the subject matter in connection with their report on our consolidated financial statements for such years; and there were no reportable events, as listed in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
During our fiscal years ended December 30, 2001 and December 31, 2000 and through the period prior to our engagement of KPMG, we did not consult KPMG with respect to the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on our consolidated financial statements, or any other matters or reportable events listed in Items 304(a)(2)(i) and (ii) of Regulation S-K.
53
| Item 9A. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES |
Disclosure controls and procedures. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures of a registrant designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) are properly recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SECs rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include processes to accumulate and evaluate relevant information and communicate such information to a registrants management, including its principal executive and financial officers, as appropriate, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
CEO and CFO certifications. Attached as Exhibit 31.1 and 31.2 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K are certifications by our CEO and CFO. At present, our CEO is serving as our interim CFO. These certifications are required in accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Section 302 Certifications). This portion of our Annual Report on Form 10-K describes the results of our controls evaluation referred to in the Section 302 Certifications.
Our evaluation of AFCs disclosure controls and procedures. We evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of AFCs disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of fiscal year 2002, as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act. This evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO who is also serving as our interim CFO. This evaluation included a review of certain deficiencies in internal controls at our Seattle Coffee subsidiary initially disclosed in Item 4 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 6, 2002; findings and advice from KPMG arising in conjunction with their audits recently completed that included the restatement of previously issued financial information (see Notes 23 and 25 to our Consolidated Financial Statements); and an independent investigation initiated by our Audit Committee, each of which is described below.
KPMG assessed the internal controls at our Seattle Coffee subsidiary as part of their interim review of our consolidated operations for the third quarter of 2002 and they advised us that there were significant deficiencies in those internal controls. From that assessment, we and our Audit Committee received process improvement recommendations related to Seattle Coffees systems and processes. Shortly thereafter, we began to address and implement corrective actions as a result of these recommendations.
In connection with their audits of our financial statements for 2002, 2001 and 2000, KPMG assessed the internal controls of AFC and our subsidiaries and advised our Audit Committee that certain identified deficiencies constituted material control weaknesses (as defined by standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). In their communications with our Audit Committee, KPMG stated that the more significant deficiencies were:
| | inadequate and untimely resolution of balance sheet account reconciliation discrepancies, | |
| | absence of appropriate reviews and approvals of transactions and accounting, | |
| | inadequate procedures for appropriately assessing and applying accounting principles, and | |
| | failure of identified controls in preventing or detecting misstatements of accounting information. |
Our management and our Audit Committee took a leadership role in assessing the underlying issues giving rise to the restatement and in ensuring proper steps were taken to improve our control environment. Our management and our Audit Committee took these actions in consultation with KPMG. Independent legal counsel to the Audit Committee and a forensic accounting firm performed an independent investigation into several accounting issues that arose in connection with the restatement. That investigation concluded that there was not evidence that our management intentionally used improper accounting practices to manipulate earnings and that there was no evidence of any fraud or intentional misconduct on the part of AFC, our officers or our employees. The Audit Committee, however, also concluded that our accounting, financial reporting and internal control functions needed significant improvement, including our system of documenting transactions. The Audit Committee further concluded that our internal technical accounting expertise was weak, and that enhanced training, staffing and discipline in the accounting and internal audit areas were needed. The Audit Committee
54
Actions taken in response to our evaluation. There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2002 identified in connection with the evaluation described above that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of the findings described above, during 2003 we began implementing the following actions to address the issues we identified in our evaluation of controls and procedures:
| | We have sought to thoroughly understand the nature of the issues through discussions with KPMG and the independent counsel and forensic accountants engaged by our Audit Committee. | |
| | Our Audit Committee has exercised increased oversight over managements assessment of internal controls and response to control weaknesses identified in the above assessments. | |
| | We have hired outside consultants to assist our internal audit group in documenting our accounting and business processes and identifying areas that require control or process improvement. | |
| | We are establishing new internal control processes based on discussions with the Audit Committees independent counsel and forensic accountants, KPMG and other consultants we have engaged to help us in this regard and our own management team seeking to remedy the problems identified. | |
| | We are currently engaged in a search for a new chief financial officer. | |
| | We have employed a new Vice President, Finance who has an extensive public accounting background, as a former audit partner of a Big-Four accounting firm, and broad SEC reporting experience. | |
| | We have hired a Director of Internal Control whose primary responsibilities are to oversee the establishment of formalized policies and procedures throughout our organization and to document and assess our system of internal controls. | |
| | We are establishing processes whereby the chief financial officers at each of our brands have responsibility for the accuracy of their brands financial statements and other accounting information associated with their brands operation. | |
| | We have hired controllers for each of our brands who are responsible for the daily maintenance of each respective brands accounting system (such tasks were previously performed through a centralized corporate function). | |
| | We are instituting more rigorous procedures for period-end analysis of balance sheet and income statement accounts, period-end reconciliations of subsidiary ledgers, and the correction of reconciling items in a timely manner. We are also enhancing our accounting documentation policies. | |
| | We are upgrading our IT systems throughout our organization including in-store systems, our general ledger packages, our fixed assets, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and payroll systems, and our corporate reporting packages. We are redesigning our internal reporting packages and standardizing our internal reporting tools, all with the purpose of improving the quality and flow of financial information within our organization. | |
| | We are instituting new procedures around our quarterly reporting processes whereby significant accounting issues are discussed and documented, reviewed with our external auditors and our Audit Committee, formally approved by our management, and given timely effect in our books and records. | |
| | We have formed a Disclosure Committee and adopted a Disclosure Committee Manual to assist our CEO and CFO in certifying our public filings, and complying with all SEC rules and regulations. | |
| | We are broadening the scope of our internal audit function and have changed its reporting responsibility. It now reports directly to the Audit Committee and CEO. | |
| | We have established a whistle-blower policy to accommodate confidential, anonymous submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters as required by Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
We believe that our disclosure controls and procedures have improved due to the scrutiny of such matters by our management and Audit Committee, our external auditors, and other consultants we have engaged to
55
Based in part upon these changes, our CEO, acting also as our interim CFO, believes that as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC.
Other than as described above, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in our evaluation that occurred since our fourth quarter of fiscal 2002 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
56
PART III.
Item 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Executive Officer and Director Biographies
The following provides information about our directors and executive officers as of November 30, 2003.
Frank J. Belatti, age 55, has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer since we commenced operations in November 1992, following the reorganization of our predecessor. Mr. Belatti has served as our interim Chief Financial Officer since the resignation of our prior Chief Financial Officer on April 28, 2003. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Belatti was employed as President and Chief Operating Officer of HFS, the franchisor of hotels for Ramada and Howard Johnson. From 1989 to 1990, Mr. Belatti was President and Chief Operating Officer of Arbys, Inc., and from 1985 to 1989 he served as the Executive Vice President of Marketing at Arbys. From 1986 to 1990, Mr. Belatti also served as President of Arbys Franchise Association Service Corporation, which created and developed the marketing programs and new products for the Arbys system. Mr. Belatti received the 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the International Franchise Association. Mr. Belatti serves as a member of the board of directors of Radio Shack Corporation and Galyans Trading Company, Inc.
Dick R. Holbrook, age 50, has served as our President and Chief Operating Officer since August 1995. From November 1992 to July 1995, Mr. Holbrook served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He has been a director since April 1996. Mr. Holbrook has served as our interim President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits since the resignation of our prior President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits in January 2003. From 1991 to 1992, Mr. Holbrook served as Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations for HFS. From 1972 to 1991, Mr. Holbrook served in various management positions with Arbys, most recently as Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations. Mr. Holbrook serves on the board of directors of Rare Hospitality International, Inc.
Victor Arias, Jr., age 47, has served as a director since May 2001. Mr. Arias has been an executive search consultant for Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, since April 2002. From 1996 until April 2002, Mr. Arias served as Executive Vice President & Regional Managing Director of DHR International, an executive search firm. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Arias was Executive Vice President and National Marketing Director of Faison-Stone, a real estate development company. From 1984 to 1993, Mr. Arias was Vice President of La Salle Partners, a corporate real estate services company. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Stanford University.
Carolyn Hogan Byrd, age 55, has served as a director since May 2001. Ms. Byrd founded GlobalTech Financial, LLC, a financial services and consulting company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2000 and currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer. From November 1997 to October 2000, Ms. Byrd served as president of The Coca-Cola Financial Corporation. From 1977 to 1997, Ms. Byrd served in a variety of domestic and international positions with The Coca-Cola Company. Ms. Byrd currently serves on the board of directors of Rare Hospitality International, Inc., The St. Paul Companies, Inc. and Circuit City Stores, Inc., and on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Advisory Board.
R. William Ide, III, age 63, has served as a director since August 2001. Since January 1, 2003, Mr. Ide has been a partner with McKenna, Long & Aldridge, LLP, a national law firm. From July 2001 to July 2002, Mr. Ide provided legal services and business consulting through the offices of R. William Ide. From 1996 to June 2001, Mr. Ide served as Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of Monsanto Corporation. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. Ide was a partner with Long, Aldridge & Norman, a multi-city law firm. Mr. Ide served as Counselor to the United States Olympic Committee from 1998 to 2001, was president of the American Bar Association from 1993 to 1994 and currently serves as a Fellow to the Directors Institutes of the Conference Board and of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
57
Kelvin J. Pennington, age 45, has served as a director since May 1996. Since 1995, Mr. Pennington has served as President of Pennington Partners & Co. which is a general partner of PENMAN Partners, the management company for the PENMAN Private Equity and Mezzanine Fund, L.P.
John M. Roth, age 45, has served as a director since April 1996. Mr. Roth joined Freeman Spogli & Co. in March 1988 and became a principal in 1993. From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Roth was employed by Kidder, Peabody & Co. Incorporated in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Mr. Roth also serves as a member of the board of directors of Advance Auto Parts, Inc., Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. and Galyans Trading Company, Inc.
Ronald P. Spogli, age 55, has served as a director since April 1996. Mr. Spogli is a founding principal of Freeman Spogli & Co., which he founded in 1983. Mr. Spogli also serves as a member of the board of directors of Hudson Respiratory Care, Inc., Advance Auto Parts, Inc. and Galyans Trading Company, Inc.
Peter Starrett, age 56, has served as a director since September 1998. In August 1998, Mr. Starrett founded Peter Starrett Associates, a retail advisory firm, and currently serves as its President. From 1990 to 1998, Mr. Starrett served as the President of Warner Bros. Studio Stores Worldwide. Previously, he held senior executive positions at both Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores. Mr. Starrett also serves on the boards of directors of Guitar Center, Inc., The Pantry, Inc., Pacific Sunwear, Inc. and Galyans Trading Company, Inc.
Allan J. Tanenbaum, age 57, has served as Senior Vice President Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary since February 2001. From June 1996 to February 2001, Mr. Tanenbaum was a shareholder in Cohen Pollock Merlin Axelrod & Tanenbaum, P.C., an Atlanta, Georgia law firm, and prior to June 1996, for 25 years, a shareholder in Frankel, Hardwick, Tanenbaum & Fink, P.C. Mr. Tanenbaum serves on the board of directors of The National Council of Chain Restaurants, The Atlanta Bar Foundation, The Hank Aaron Chasing The Dream Foundation, Inc. and The Childrens Museum of Atlanta, and represents the State Bar of Georgia in the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association.
Hala Moddelmog, age 47, has served as President of Churchs Chicken since January 1996. From May 1993 to December 1995, Ms. Moddelmog was Vice President of Marketing and then Senior Vice President and General Manager for Churchs. From 1990 to 1993, Ms. Moddelmog was Vice President of Product Marketing and Strategic Planning at Arbys Franchise Association Service Corporation. Ms. Moddelmog serves on the advisory board of Source Food Technology, Inc., Harmony (Atlantas International Youth Chorus), Atlanta Womens Foundation and Advantage: Women 2003. She is the present board chair of Leadership Atlanta and past board member of Emory Universitys Board of Visitors.
Chris Elliot, age 49, has served as President of Cinnabon since January 2003. From June 2002 to December 2002, Mr. Elliot was the Interim President of Cinnabon. From August 2001 to November 2002, Mr. Elliot was Chief Operating Officer of Cinnabon. Prior to joining Cinnabon, Mr. Elliot was Chief Operating Officer of Churchs Chicken from June 1997 to July 2001.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our directors and executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of our equity securities to file with the SEC reports of ownership and changes in ownership of our common stock. Directors, executive officers and greater than 10% shareholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on a review of the copies of these reports furnished to us or written representations that no other reports were required, we believe that during 2002, all of our directors, executive officers and greater than 10% beneficial owners complied with these requirements.
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Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table sets forth the compensation
received for services rendered to us by our Chief Executive
Officer and the other four most highly compensated executive
officers whose salary and bonus exceeded $100,000 for 2002. We
refer to these individuals as our named executive officers.
Summary Compensation Table
Long-Term
Annual Compensation
Compensation
Securities
Underlying
All Other
Name and Principal Position
Year
Salary
Bonus
Options(#)
Compensation(1)
2002
$
574,999
$
181,750
120,000
$
12,240
2001
574,999
382,812
60,000
18,360
2000
529,328
432,500
33,333
18,360
2002
424,999
118,750
70,000
4,623
2001
424,999
285,812
46,666
6,395
2000
376,422
245,000
26,666
6,935
2002
350,000
81,313
52,500
10,966
2001
350,000
362,359
40,531
22,414
2000
325,481
200,000
20,000
5,510
2002
339,999
81,850
50,000
9,696
2001
339,999
271,857
33,333
14,544
2000
319,962
175,000
13,333
14,544
2002
339,999
81,850
40,000
6,687
2001
339,999
113,156
30,000
4,285
2000
324,692
100,000
16,666
3,010
| (1) | Includes life insurance premiums that we paid for split dollar life insurance policies for Mr. Belatti in the amount of $12,240 in 2002, and $18,360 in each of 2001 and 2000, for Mr. Holbrook in the amount of $4,623 in 2002, and $6,935 in each of 2001 and 2000, for Mr. Wilkins in the amount of $2,544 in 2002, and $3,816 in each of 2001 and 2000, for Mr. Luther in the amount of $9,696 in 2002, and $14,544 in each of 2001 and 2000, and for Ms. Moddelmog in the amount of $1,735 in 2002, and $1,735 in each of 2001 and 2000. Ms. Moddelmog received an additional amount of $1,952 for reimbursement of a supplemental life insurance policy. Also includes amounts that we credited to accounts under our Deferred Compensation Plan for Mr. Wilkins in the amounts of $8,422 in 2002, $18,598 in 2001 and $1,694 in 2000, and matching contributions that we made pursuant to our 401(k) Savings Plan for Ms. Moddelmog in the amounts of $3,000 in 2002, $2,550 in 2001 and $1,275 in 2000. |
| (2) | Mr. Wilkins resigned his position as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April 2003. |
| (3) | Mr. Luther resigned his position as President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits effective January 10, 2003. |
Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year
The following table provides summary information regarding stock options granted during fiscal 2002 to each of our named executive officers. The potential realizable value is calculated assuming that the fair market value of our common stock appreciates at the indicated annual rate compounded annually for the entire term of the option, and that the option is exercised and sold on the last day of its term for the
59
| Potential Realizable Value at | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of | % of Total | Assumed Annual Rates of | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Securities | Options | Stock Price Appreciation for | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Underlying | Granted to | Exercise | Option Term | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Options | Employees in | Price Per | Expiration |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Granted(1) | Fiscal Year | Share | Date | 5% | 10% | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Frank J. Belatti
|
120,000 | 11.83 | % | $ | 28.01 | 1/24/2009 | $ | 1,368,346 | $ | 3,188,828 | ||||||||||||||
|
Dick R. Holbrook
|
70,000 | 6.90 | % | $ | 28.01 | 1/24/2009 | $ | 798,202 | $ | 1,860,150 | ||||||||||||||
|
Gerald J. Wilkins(2)
|
52,500 | 5.18 | % | $ | 28.01 | 1/24/2009 | $ | 598,651 | $ | 1,395,112 | ||||||||||||||
|
Jon Luther(3)
|
50,000 | 4.93 | % | $ | 28.01 | 1/24/2009 | $ | 570,144 | $ | 1,328,968 | ||||||||||||||
|
Hala Moddelmog
|
40,000 | 3.94 | % | $ | 28.01 | 1/24/2009 | $ | 456,115 | $ | 1,062,943 | ||||||||||||||
| (1) | Option grants were made under the 1996 Nonqualified Stock Option Plan and are exercisable in four equal annual increments beginning on January 24, 2003. |
| (2) | Mr. Wilkins resigned his position as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April 2003. |
| (3) | Mr. Luther resigned his position as President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits effective January 10, 2003. |
Aggregated Option Exercises in the Last Fiscal Year
The following table provides summary information
concerning exercises of stock options by each of our named
executive officers during fiscal 2002 and the shares of common
stock represented by outstanding options held by each of our
named executive officers as of December 29, 2002. The
values of unexercised options at fiscal year-end is based upon
$21.75, the fair market value of our common stock at
December 27, 2002 (the last trading day of fiscal 2002),
less the exercise price per share.
Number of Securities
Value of
Underlying Unexercised
Unexercised In-the-Money
Shares
Options at Fiscal Year-End
Options at Fiscal Year-End
Acquired
Name
on Exercise
Value Realized
Exercisable
Unexercisable
Exercisable
Unexercisable
93,000
$
2,736,577
1,149,398
186,667
$
19,036,501
$
508,686
60,000
$
1,543,588
483,091
122,500
$
7,453,211
$
401,750
70,000
$
1,698,247
64,769
96,233
$
767,732
$
332,131
49,000
$
1,055,580
43,030
85,001
$
429,070
$
265,560
47,115
$
1,295,251
43,020
74,167
$
576,149
$
262,912
| (1) | Mr. Wilkins resigned his position as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in April 2003. |
| (2) | Mr. Luther resigned his position as President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits in January 2003. |
60
Report on Executive Compensation
Filings made by companies with the SEC sometimes incorporate information by reference. This means that you are being referred to information that has been previously filed with the SEC and that this information should be considered as part of the filing you are reading. The Report on Executive Compensation and Stock Performance Graph in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not incorporated by reference into any of our other filings with the SEC.
The People Services (Compensation) Committee was established by the Board of Directors in August 2001 to among other things, establish executive compensation for 2002 and subsequent years. The People Services (Compensation) Committee has furnished the following report on executive compensation for 2002. This report was prepared in February of 2003, prior to our announcement indicating that we would restate our financial statements for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 and the first three quarters of 2002. The People Services (Compensation) Committee is currently reviewing AFCs executive compensation philosophy and policies.
Executive compensation philosophy
We strive to offer compensation and reward programs designed to support our business mandate of Creating Equity Through Opportunity. Our compensation philosophy has four main tenets: (1) desired strategy, (2) desired culture, (3) desired behaviors and (4) desired positioning of pay elements. The tenets are described below:
Desired Strategy
| | to attract, retain, energize and reward superior talent | |
| | drive AFCs short-term performance | |
| | provide equity and ownership opportunities | |
| | build long-term enterprise value |
Desired Culture
| | have a shared purpose and goals for all stakeholders through the vision of the New Age of Opportunity | |
| | attain alignment with our core values |
Desired Behaviors
| | performance-oriented mindset | |
| | energy and motivation | |
| | accountability | |
| | respect for and collaboration with corporate partners |
Desired Positioning of Pay Elements
| | base salary positioned at the median for the industry | |
| | annual incentives targeted to position total cash compensation in the 75th percentile for the industry | |
| | long-term incentives positioned at the median for the industry |
We believe it is important for our executives to have ownership incentives in AFC and to operate in an environment that measures rewards against personal and company goals. We believe this philosophy attracts, retains and motivates key executives critical to our long-term success.
61
Components of executive compensation
Our compensation program for executives consists of three key elements:
| | Annual base salary | |
| | Annual incentive bonus | |
| | Long-term incentive compensation |
Annual base salaries are targeted at the median level for base salaries in our industry and are adjusted to reflect each executives vision, strategic orientation, responsibility level, ethics, global perspective, organizational relationship building skills, service orientation, cross-cultural effectiveness, teamwork, talent development, financial acumen, problem solving and decision making. We review each executives base salary annually.
Annual incentive bonuses are based on achievement of several financial and strategic objectives. In 2002, we established targeted annual cash-based incentive bonuses for each executive as a percentage of base salary that were based primarily on our achievement of specified earnings targets.
Long-term incentive compensation serves to reward executives with equity and cash compensation for meeting operational and financial objectives over a multi-year period. By rewarding our executives for maximizing shareholder value, our long-term incentive compensation is designed to align our executives interests with those of our shareholders. This type of compensation also encourages our key employees to make a long-term commitment to us.
Chief Executive Officer Compensation
In determining Mr. Belattis compensation for 2002, the People Services (Compensation) Committee, with the aid of outside compensation consultants, conducted an external market assessment of competitive levels of compensation for CEOs managing companies of similar size, complexity and performance level and at other companies within AFCs industry.
Mr. Belatti received a base salary of $575,000 in 2002. He also received an annual incentive cash bonus of $181,750, which amounted to 25.89% of his potential annual incentive bonus. The annual bonus is paid as earnings targets for respective quarters are achieved. The bonus paid in 2002 relates to the achievement of earnings goals associated with the first quarter of 2002. Mr. Belatti received a grant of 120,000 stock options based upon the Committees desire to tie his compensation more closely to the achievement of long-term goals. In determining the long-term incentive component of Mr. Belattis compensation, the Committee considered his current equity stake in AFC and utilized an incentive bonus target as a percentage of his base salary.
Long-Term Employee Success Plan
Under the Long-Term Employee Success Plan (LTESP), if our average common stock price per share is at least $46.50 for a period of 20 consecutive trading days or our earnings per share for 2003 is at least $3.375, bonuses become payable to all of our employees who were hired prior to January 1, 2003 who have been actively employed through the last day of the period in which we attain either of these financial performance standards.
Payments to employees would range from 10% to 110% of the individual employees base salary at the time either of the standards is met, depending upon the employees original date of hire.
The bonuses under the LTESP are payable in shares of our common stock or, to the extent an employee is eligible, deferred compensation, and may be paid in cash if an employee elects to receive a cash payment and our Board agrees to pay the bonus in cash. If neither of the financial performance standards is achieved by December 28, 2003, the plan and our obligation to make any payments under the plan would terminate.
62
Limitations on the deductibility of compensation
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code limits the deductibility of executive compensation paid by publicly held corporations to $1 million per employee. The $1 million limitation generally does not apply to compensation based on performance goals if certain requirements are met. We believe that our executive officer compensation plans each satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m). The People Services (Compensation) Committee, as much as possible, uses and intends to use performance-based compensation, which should minimize the effect of these tax deduction limits. However, we believe that we must attract, retain and reward the executive talent necessary to maximize shareholder value and that the loss of a tax deduction may be necessary and appropriate in some circumstances.
This report, dated February 2003, has been furnished by the following members of our People Services (Compensation) Committee:
| | Victor Arias, Jr., Chair | |
| | Kelvin J. Pennington | |
| | John M. Roth |
Employment Agreements
Frank J. Belatti. On August 31, 2001, we entered into an amended employment agreement with Mr. Belatti that provides for a current annual base salary of $575,000, effective as of January 1, 2001, an annual incentive bonus that is based on our achievement of certain performance targets, fringe benefits and participation in our benefit plans. The initial term of the agreement ends December 31, 2004, but automatically extends for an additional year following the end of each year of employment, without further action by us or Mr. Belatti, unless we or Mr. Belatti provide written notice of non-extension to the other at least one year prior to the end of that year of employment. If Mr. Belattis employment is terminated without cause or upon expiration of the term, Mr. Belatti is entitled to receive, or if we give him written notice that we will not extend his employment, Mr. Belatti may elect to receive in lieu of continued employment, among other things, an amount equal to two times his annual base salary plus two times the target incentive bonus for the year in which the termination occurs. In addition, all of his unvested options would become immediately exercisable. If there is a change of control and within one year thereafter a significant reduction of or change in Mr. Belattis responsibilities, title or duties, Mr. Belatti may terminate his employment and receive the same severance he would have received upon a termination without cause.
Dick R. Holbrook. On August 31, 2001, we entered into an amended employment agreement with Mr. Holbrook that provides for a current annual base salary of $425,000, effective as of January 1, 2001, an annual incentive bonus that is based on our achievement of certain performance targets, fringe benefits and participation in our benefit plans. The initial term of the agreement ends on December 31, 2004, but automatically extends for an additional year following the end of each year of employment, without further action by us or Mr. Holbrook, unless we or Mr. Holbrook provide written notice of non-extension to the other at least one year prior to the end of that year of employment. If Mr. Holbrooks employment is terminated without cause or upon expiration of the term, Mr. Holbrook is entitled to receive, or if we give him written notice that we will not extend his employment, Mr. Holbrook may elect to receive in lieu of continued employment, among other things, an amount equal to two times his annual base salary plus two times his target incentive bonus for the year in which the termination occurs. In addition, all of his unvested options would become immediately exercisable. If there is a change of control and within one year thereafter a significant reduction of or change in Mr. Holbrooks responsibilities, title or duties, Mr. Holbrook may terminate his employment and receive the same severance he would have received upon a termination without cause.
Gerald J. Wilkins. On August 31, 2001, we entered into an amended employment agreement with Mr. Wilkins that provided for a current annual base salary of $350,000, effective as of January 1, 2001, an annual incentive bonus based on our achievement of certain performance targets, fringe benefits and participation in our benefit plans. On April 28, 2003, Mr. Wilkins resigned his employment with AFC. In
63
Jon Luther. On August 31, 2001, we entered into an amended employment agreement with Mr. Luther that provided for an annual base salary of $340,000, effective as of January 1, 2001, an annual incentive bonus based on our achievement of certain performance targets, fringe benefits and participation in our benefit plans. Effective January 10, 2003, Mr. Luther resigned his employment with AFC. There were no fringe benefits or severance paid to Mr. Luther as part of resignation other than customary amounts relating to unused vacation.
Hala Moddelmog. On August 31, 2001, we entered into an amended employment agreement with Ms. Moddelmog that provides for a current annual base salary of $340,000, effective as of January 1, 2001, an annual incentive bonus that is based on our achievement of certain performance targets, fringe benefits and participation in our benefit plans. The initial term of the agreement ended on December 31, 2002, but the agreement automatically extends for an additional year following the end of each year of employment, without further action by us or Ms. Moddelmog, unless we or Ms. Moddelmog provide written notice of non-extension to the other at least 30 days prior to the end of that year of employment. If Ms. Moddelmogs employment is terminated without cause or upon expiration of the term, Ms. Moddelmog is entitled to receive an amount equal to her annual base salary plus the amount of her target incentive bonus for the year in which the termination occurs. In addition, all of her unvested options would become immediately exercisable. If there is a change of control and within one year thereafter a significant reduction in Ms. Moddelmogs responsibilities or duties, Ms. Moddelmog may terminate her employment and receive the same severance she would have received upon a termination without cause.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
For fiscal 2002, the People Services (Compensation) Committee established the compensation for all our executive officers. No member of the People Services (Compensation) Committee was an officer or employee of AFC or any of its subsidiaries during fiscal 2002 or any prior year. None of our executive officers currently serves on the compensation committee or board of directors of any other company of which any member of our People Services (Compensation) Committee is an executive officer.
Director Compensation
Victor Arias, Jr., Carolyn Hogan Byrd, R. William Ide, III and Kelvin J. Pennington receive a $15,000 annual retainer, $2,500 per board meeting, $1,000 per committee meeting ($1,500 for the Audit Committee), if a committee meeting is held on any day other than a day on which a board meeting is held and a $5,000 annual retainer ($10,000 for the Audit Committee) for serving as a committee chair. Each of those directors, except for Kelvin J. Pennington, received an initial grant of 5,000 options upon appointment to the Board (with these options vesting over three years, conditioned upon continued service as a member of our Board). Each of those directors will receive an annual grant of 5,000 options subject to the same terms. Our other non-employee directors who joined the board prior to our initial public offering, and our employee directors receive no director compensation. All of our directors are reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in attending board meetings.
64
STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The following stock performance graph compares
the performance of our common stock to the Standard &
Poors 500 Stock Index (S&P 500 Index) and
a Peer Group Index. The stock price performance graph assumes an
investment of $100 in our common stock at the closing price on
March 2, 2001, the first date upon which our common stock
was listed on the Nasdaq National Market after our initial
public offering, and an investment of $100 in each of the two
indexes on March 2, 2001 and further assumes the
reinvestment of all dividends. We did not pay any dividends
during this period. Stock price performance for the period from
March 2, 2001 through December 29, 2002 is not
necessarily indicative of future results.
Stock Performance Graph
3/02/01
12/30/01
12/29/02
$
100
$
140
$
107
$
100
$
94
$
71
$
100
$
133
$
120
The Peer Group Index is comprised of the following restaurant, coffee and bakery companies: Brinker International, Inc., CKE Restaurants, Inc., Darden Restaurants, Inc., Green Mountain Coffee, Inc., Jack in the Box, Inc., Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc., Papa Johns International, Inc., Sonic Corp., Yum! Brands, Inc. and Wendys International, Inc. This Peer Group Index has been weighted by the market capitalization of each component company.
65
| Item 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS |
Stock Ownership
The following table sets forth information known to us regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of November 30, 2003 by:
| | each shareholder known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our common stock; | |
| | each of our directors; | |
| | each of our named executive officers; and | |
| | all of our directors and executive officers as a group. |
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage of ownership held by that person, shares of common stock subject to options held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days after November 30, 2003 are deemed outstanding, while these shares are not deemed outstanding for computing percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes below, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. The address for those individuals for which an address is not otherwise indicated is: c/o AFC Enterprises, Inc., Six Concourse Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta, Georgia 30328-5352.
The percentages of common stock beneficially
owned are based on 27,954,510 shares of common stock outstanding
as of November 30, 2003.
Shares
Beneficially
Percentage
Name
Owned
of Class
1,846,675
6.33
%
788,027
2.76
%
230,661
*
3,334
*
112,821
*
5,000
*
9,000
*
7,000
*
0
*
7,517,615
26.89
%
7,517,615
26.89
%
14,334
*
10,685,047
35.56
%
7,517,615
26.89
%
1,741,500
6.23
%
2,239,985
8.01
%
1,726,084
6.17
%
1,765,848
6.32
%
3,370,070
12.06
%
66
| * | Less than 1% of the outstanding shares of common stock. |
| (1) | Includes 1,216,065 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Also includes 194,476 shares of common stock held by four irrevocable trusts established by Mr. Belatti. |
| (2) | Includes 558,924 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Also, includes 30,805 shares of common stock held by a grantor retained annuity trust established by Mr. Holbrook. |
| (3) | Includes 103,513 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Also, includes 15,403 shares of common stock held by a grantor retained annuity trust established by Mr. Wilkins. |
| (4) | Mr. Luther resigned his position as President of Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits in January 2003. |
| (5) | Includes 89,687 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. |
| (6) | Includes 5,000 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Mr. Arias business address is 1717 Main Street, Suite 5600, Dallas, Texas 75201. |
| (7) | Includes 5,000 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Ms. Byrds business address is GlobalTech Financial, LLC, 2839 Paces Ferry Road, Suite 810, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. |
| (8) | Includes 5,000 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. Mr. Ides business address is Suite 5300, 303 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308. |
| (9) | Mr. Penningtons business address is 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1620, Chicago, Illinois 60602. |
| (10) | Messrs. Roth and Spogli are officers, directors and/or managers of entities that are general or limited partners of FS Equity Partners III, L.P., FS Equity Partners International, L.P., and FS Equity Partners IV, L.P., and may be deemed to be the beneficial owners of the 7,517,615 shares of common stock held by FS Equity Partners III, FS Equity Partners International and FS Equity Partners IV. |
| (11) | The business address of Freeman Spogli & Co., FS Equity Partners III, FS Equity Partners IV and Messrs. Roth, Spogli and Starrett is c/o Freeman Spogli & Co., 11100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 1900, Los Angeles, California 90025. The business address of FS Equity Partners International is c/o Paget-Brown & Company, Ltd., West Winds Building, Third Floor, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies. |
| (12) | Includes 7,517,615 shares of common stock held by affiliates of Freeman Spogli & Co. and 1,994,194 shares of common stock issuable with respect to options granted to directors and executive officers that are exercisable within 60 days of November 30, 2003. |
| (13) | Includes 6,471,103 shares held of record by FS Equity Partners III, 259,980 shares held of record by FS Equity Partners International and 786,532 shares held of record by FS Equity Partners IV. |
| (14) | This information is included in reliance upon a Schedule 13G filed by Wellington Management Company, LLP (WMC) with the SEC on February 12, 2003 relating to shares of common stock owned as of December 31, 2002. WMC is the beneficial owner of 1,741,500 shares of common stock and has shared voting power with respect to 1,254,400 of the shares and shared dispositive power with respect to all 1,741,500 shares. The address of Wellington Management Company is 75 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109. |
| (15) | Represents 2,239,985 shares of common stock beneficially owned by Neuberger Berman, Inc. (NB Inc.), and Neuberger Berman, LLC (NB LLC), Neuberger Berman Management, Inc. (NBM) and Neuberger Berman Genesis Portfolio (NBGP), affiliates of NB Inc., with whom NB Inc. is deemed to form a group for Schedule 13G reporting purposes. NB Inc. has sole voting |
67
| power with respect to 3,100 shares, shared voting power with respect to 1,665,100 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to all 2,239,985 shares. NB LLC has shared dispositive power with respect to all 2,239,985 shares. NBM has shared dispositive power with respect to 1,665,100 shares. NBGP has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,607,000 shares. This information is included in reliance upon a Schedule 13G filed by NB Inc., NB LLC, NBM and NBGP with the SEC on February 13, 2003 relating to shares of common stock owned as of December 31, 2002. The address of NB Inc. is 605 Third Ave., New York, New York 10158-3698. | |
| (16) | Represents shares of common stock beneficially owned by Investors Management Corporation (IMC), and A Few Valuable Businesses Partnership (FVB), Capital Partner Investments Partnership (CPI), Team Capital Limited Partnership (TC), Worthy Companies Partnership (WC), Value Limited Partnership (VLP), Wealth Building Limited Partnership (WB), Capital Strengthening Limited Partnership (CS), Financial Ascent Limited Partnership (FA), Golden Family Limited Partnership (GF), John M. Day (JD), Maynard Capital Partners, L.L.C. (MC), James Maynard (JM), John Amendola (JA), Gene T. Aman (GTA), and Andrew Logan (AL), affiliates of IMC (the IMC Group), with whom IMC is deemed to form a group for Schedule 13G reporting purposes. IMC has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,703,909 shares, FVB has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 187,996 shares, CPI has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 734,567 shares, TC has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 68,984 shares, WC has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 254,100 shares, VLP has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 63,488 shares, WB has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 93,933 shares, CS has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 25,606 shares, FA has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 249,980 shares, GF has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 25,255 shares, JD has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 22,175 shares and shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,703,909 shares, MC has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,703,909 shares, JM has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,703,909 shares, JA has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 275 shares, GA has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 2,200 shares and AL has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to 50 shares. This information is included in reliance upon a Schedule 13G filed by IMC and the IMC Group with the SEC on February 10, 2003 relating to shares of common stock reported as owned as of December 31, 2002. The address of IMC is 5151 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, North Carolina 27612. |
| (17) | Represents 1,765,848 shares of common stock beneficially owned by Duke Buchan, III (Mr. Buchan), Hunter Global Associates L.L.C. (Hunter L.L.C), Hunter Global Investors L.P. (Hunter L.P.), Hunter Global Investors Fund I L.P. (Hunter Fund I L.P.), and Hunter Global Investors Fund II L.P. (Hunter Fund II L.P.), affiliates of Mr. Buchan, with whom Mr. Buchan is deemed to form a group for Schedule 13G reporting purposes. Mr. Buchan has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,765,848 shares. Hunter L.L.C has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 717,017 shares. Hunter L.P. has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,765,848 shares. Hunter Fund I L.P. has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 667,421 shares. Hunter Fund II L.P. has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 49,596 shares. This information is included in reliance upon a Schedule 13G filed by Mr. Buchan on August 4, 2003. The address of the Buchan Group is 350 Park Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, New York 10022. |
| (18) | Represents shares of common stock beneficially owned by Strong Capital Management, Inc. (SCM), a registered investment advisor, and Richard S. Strong (RS), the Chairman of the Board of SCM. RS and SCM have shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 3,370,070 shares. Harbour Holdings Ltd, advised by a subsidiary of SCM, owns 1,855,156 shares or 6.5%. The remaining shares are owned by various other accounts for which SCM acts as the investment advisor. This information is included in reliance upon a Schedule 13G filed by SCM and RS with the SEC on September 9, 2003 relating to shares of common stock reported as owned as of |
68
| August 3, 2003. The address of SCM and RS is 100 Heritage Reserve, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 53051. |
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table gives information about our
common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options,
warrants and rights under all of our existing equity
compensation plans as of December 29, 2002, including the
1992 Stock Option Plan, the 1996 Nonqualified Stock Option Plan,
the 1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option Plan
Executive, the 1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option
Plan General, the 1998 Substitute Nonqualified Stock
Option Plan and the 2002 Incentive Stock Plan
Number of Securities
Weighted-average
Number of Securities
to be Issued Upon
Exercise Price of
Remaining Available for
Exercise of
Outstanding
Future Issuance Under
Outstanding Options,
Options, Warrants
Equity Compensation
Warrants and Rights
and Rights
Plans
Plan Category
(a)
(b)
(c)
817,929
$
0.12
18,771
(1)
2,276,301
$
19.95
1,234,833
(1)
944,228
$
9.37
0
(1)
94,956
$
5.26
0
(1)
0
$
0
4,500,000
(1)
2,266
$
10.13
13,806
(1)
4,135,680
$
13.27
5,767,410
| (1) | On November 13, 2002, the Board of Directors approved a resolution to prohibit future grants of options under the 1992 Stock Option Plan, the 1996 Nonqualified Stock Option Plan, the 1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option Plan-Executive, the 1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option Plan- General and the Substitute Nonqualified Stock Option Plan. All future option grants will be granted pursuant to the 2002 Incentive Stock Plan. |
69
| Item 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS |
Related Party Transactions
In 1996, we loaned to Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Ms. Moddelmog approximately $2.0 million, $1.0 million, $22,000 and $52,000 in order to pay personal withholding income tax liabilities incurred as a result of executive compensation awards earned in 1995 and that we paid using shares of our common stock. In 1997, we loaned to Messrs. Belatti and Holbrook an additional $94,000 and $45,000 related to these tax liabilities. Each person issued to us a full recourse promissory note for the amount borrowed. Each note bears simple interest at a rate of 6.25% per annum. Principal and interest on each note is due and payable on December 31, 2003. The notes are secured by shares of common stock owned by these individuals. During 2002, the largest aggregate amount due from Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Ms. Moddelmog under these notes was $2,946,079, $1,459,898, $31,192 and $73,615. As of December 15, 2003, Mr. Belatti and Ms. Moddelmog had repaid their notes and the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest due from Messrs. Holbrook and Wilkins under their notes was $1,458,156 and $32,504.
In October 1998, we sold 1,863,802 shares of our common stock to a number of existing shareholders and option holders at a purchase price of $11.625 per share. Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Luther purchased 86,022, 8,603, 10,000 and 3,334 shares of common stock for a purchase price of approximately $1.0 million, $100,000, $116,000 and $39,000. Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Luther borrowed from us $750,000, $75,000, $87,000 and $29,000 to finance the purchase of a portion of these shares. Each person issued to us a full recourse promissory note for the amount borrowed. Each note bears simple interest at a rate of 7.0% per annum. Principal and interest on each note is due and payable on December 31, 2005. The notes are secured by shares of common stock owned by these individuals. During 2002, the largest aggregate amount due from Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Luther under these notes was $972,377, $97,231, $113,037 and $37,268. As of November 30, 2003, the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest due from Messrs. Belatti, Holbrook, Wilkins and Luther under their notes was $1,020,419, $102,034, $118,621 and $39,109.
In June 1999, Mr. Wilkins purchased 21,334 shares of common stock from one of our former employees. We loaned Mr. Wilkins approximately $181,000 to purchase a portion of these shares. Mr. Wilkins issued to us a full recourse promissory note for the amount borrowed. The note bears simple interest at a rate of 7.0% per annum, and principal and interest is due and payable on December 31, 2005. The note is secured by shares of common stock owned by Mr. Wilkins. During 2002, the largest aggregate amount due from Mr. Wilkins on this note was $225,741, and as of November 30, 2003, the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest due on the note was $237,334.
In October 1999, Mr. Wilkins purchased 14,627 shares of common stock from one of our former employees. We loaned Mr. Wilkins approximately $135,000 to purchase a portion of the shares. Mr. Wilkins issued to us a full recourse promissory note for the amount borrowed. The note bears simple interest at a rate of 7.0% per annum. Principal and interest is due and payable on December 31, 2005. The note is secured by shares of common stock owned by Mr. Wilkins. During 2002, the largest aggregate amount due from Mr. Wilkins on this note was $165,736, and as of November 30, 2003, the outstanding principal balance plus accrued interest due from Mr. Wilkins under this note was $174,384.
In November 2002, we repurchased 838,637 shares of our common stock, at a purchase price of $21.65 per share, from an equity fund managed by one of our directors. The repurchase was at the market price and was as part of our share repurchase program discussed in Item 7 and in Note 15 of our Consolidated Financial Statements. This transaction was approved by an independent committee of our board of directors.
70
| Item 14. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES |
Fees Paid to Independent Auditors
| Audit Fees |
KPMG billed us aggregate fees and expenses of approximately $8,000,000 for our annual audit for 2002, reaudits of 2001 and 2000, the review of financial statements filed on Forms 10-Q in 2002, and assistance with a registration statement.
Andersen billed us aggregate fees in the amount of $314,900 for our annual audit for 2001.
| Audit-Related Fees |
KPMG did not perform any audit-related services for us in 2002.
During 2001, Andersen billed us fees of approximately $790,000 for audit-related services, principally in connection with our initial public offering and subsequent secondary offering.
| Tax Fees |
KPMG billed us approximately $418,000 for tax services in 2002. These fees were principally related to a tax depreciation project, escheat compliance review and various other tax consulting matters. We also paid approximately $338,000 to Andersen. These fees were for a sales and use tax audit and various lesser matters.
Andersen billed us approximately $343,171 for tax services in 2001. These fees were principally related to state tax consulting and restructuring matters.
71
PART IV.
| Item 15. | EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K |
(a) Financial Statements
The following consolidated financial statements appear beginning on Page F-1 of the report:
| Pages | ||||
|
|
||||
|
Report of Independent Auditors
|
F-1 | |||
|
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
December 29, 2002 and December 30, 2001
|
F-2 | |||
|
Consolidated Statements of Operations for Fiscal
Years 2002, 2001 and 2000
|
F-3 | |||
|
Consolidated Statements of Changes in
Shareholders Equity for Fiscal Years 2002, 2001 and 2000
|
F-4 | |||
|
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Fiscal
Years 2002, 2001 and 2000
|
F-5 | |||
|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
|
F-6 | |||
We have omitted all other schedules because the conditions requiring their filing do not exist or because the required information appears in our Consolidated Financial Statements, including the notes to those statements.
| (b) | Current Reports on Form 8-K |
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on March 25, 2003, to disclose our announcement regarding the restatement of our earnings for 2001 and the first three quarters of 2002.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on April 3, 2003, to disclose our key business drivers for the first three periods in 2003.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on April 16, 2003, to announce we had entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement pursuant to which we would sell the continental U.S. and Canadian operations of our Seattle Coffee Company subsidiary to Starbucks. Copies of the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 15, 2003, and our press release announcing the sale were included in the filing.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on April 29, 2003, to announce the resignation of Gerald Wilkins, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and the hiring of Mel Hope as our Vice President Finance. A copy of our press release was included in the filing.
We furnished a Current Report on Form 8-K on June 3, 2003, to announce non-GAAP financial information about our results of operations for the first quarter ended April 20, 2003.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on June 9, 2003, to announce the postponement of first quarter 2003 earnings results.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on July 17, 2003, to update the status of: (1) our ongoing efforts to restate of our prior year financial statements; (2) our plan for filing our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2002; and (3) the trading of our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on July 18, 2003, to announce that on July 14, 2003 we completed the sale of the continental U.S. and Canadian operations of our Seattle Coffee Company subsidiary to Starbucks.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on July 25, 2003, to announce that our Audit Committee had begun an investigation into certain matters arising from the audits of our financial statements.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on July 29, 2003, to update the status of the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market.
72
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on August 1, 2003, to announce second quarter 2003 operating performance results and to provide an update on key measures and other business matters.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on August 11, 2003, to announce that the independent counsel to the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors had delivered to the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel a report on its investigation into certain accounting issues, as requested by the Listing Qualifications Panel.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on August 20, 2003, to announce that the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel had notified us that our common stock would be delisted from the Nasdaq National Market as of the opening of business on Monday, August 18, 2003.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on August 22, 2003, to announce that the lenders under our 2002 Credit Facility had agreed to an amendment under which the filing deadlines for our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for each of the first three quarters of 2003 had been extended.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on September 23, 2003, to provide a mid-quarter business update for third quarter 2003 and key business drivers for periods 8 and 9 of 2003.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on October 31, 2003, to announce that the lenders participating in our Credit Facility had agreed to an amendment under which the filing deadlines of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2002 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for each of the first three quarters of 2003 had been extended. We also announced that our third quarter 2003 business review would be released after the market close on Tuesday, November 4, 2003.
We filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on November 12, 2003, to provide quarterly information for 2003 for total domestic comparable store sales, new unit openings, new commitments and unit count.
(c) Exhibits
Exhibit
Number
Description
2.1(h)
Stock Purchase Agreement between AFC Enterprises,
Inc. and Starbucks, dated as of April 15, 2003.
3.1(c)
Articles of Incorporation of AFC Enterprises,
Inc., as amended, dated June 24, 2002.
3.2(c)
Amended and Restated Bylaws of AFC Enterprises,
Inc.
4.1(e)
Form of registrants common stock
certificate.
10.1(a)
Stockholders Agreement dated April 11, 1996
(the 1996 Stockholders Agreement) among FS Equity
Partners III, L.P. and FS Equity Partners
International, L.P., CIBC, Pilgrim Prime Rate Trust, Van Kampen
American Capital Prime Rate Income Trust, Senior Debt Portfolio,
ML IBK Positions, Inc., Frank J. Belatti, Dick R.
Holbrook, Samuel N. Frankel (collectively, the
Shareholders) and AFC Enterprises, Inc.
10.2(a)
Amendment No. 1 to the 1996
Stockholders Agreement dated as of May 1, 1996 by and
among the Shareholders and PENMAN Private Equity and Mezzanine
Fund, L.P.
10.3(e)
Form of Popeyes Development Agreement, as amended.
10.4(e)
Form of Popeyes Franchise Agreement.
10.5(e)
Form of Churchs Development Agreement, as
amended.
10.6(e)
Form of Churchs Franchise Agreement.
10.7(a)
Formula Agreement dated July 2, 1979 among
Alvin C. Copeland, Gilbert E. Copeland, Mary L.
Copeland, Catherine Copeland, Russell J. Jones,
A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc. and Popeyes Famous Fried
Chicken, Inc., as amended to date.
10.8(a)
Supply Agreement dated March 21, 1989
between New Orleans Spice Company, Inc. and Biscuit Investments,
Inc.
73
Exhibit
Number
Description
10.9(a)
Recipe Royalty Agreement dated March 21,
1989 by and among Alvin C. Copeland, New Orleans Spice
Company, Inc. and Biscuit Investments, Inc.
10.10(a)
Licensing Agreement dated March 11, 1976
between King Features Syndicate Division of The Hearst
Corporation and A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc.
10.11(a)
Assignment and Amendment dated January 1,
1981 between A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc., Popeyes Famous
Fried Chicken, Inc. and King Features Syndicate Division of The
Hearst Corporation.
10.12(a)
Letter Agreement dated September 17, 1981
between King Features Syndicate Division of The Hearst
Corporation, A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc. and Popeyes
Famous Fried Chicken, Inc.
10.13(a)
License Agreement dated December 19, 1985 by
and between King Features Syndicate, Inc., The Hearst
Corporation, Popeyes, Inc. and A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc.
10.14(a)
Letter Agreement dated July 20, 1987 by and
between King Features Syndicate, Division of The Hearst
Corporation, Popeyes, Inc. and A. Copeland Enterprises, Inc.
10.15(b)
Amendment dated January 1, 2002 by and
between Hearst Holdings, Inc., King Features Syndicate Division
and AFC Enterprises, Inc.
10.16(a)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 4,
1995 between AFC and Samuel N. Frankel, as amended through
February 8, 2001.*
10.17(a)
1992 Stock Option Plan of AFC, effective as of
November 5, 1992, as amended to date.*
10.18(a)
1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option
Plan Executive of AFC, effective as of
April 11, 1996.*
10.19(a)
1996 Nonqualified Performance Stock Option
Plan General of AFC, effective as of April 11,
1996.*
10.20(a)
1996 Nonqualified Stock Option Plan of AFC,
effective as of April 11, 1996.*
10.21(a)
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option
Agreement General between AFC and stock option
participants.*
10.22(a)
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option
Agreement Executive between AFC and certain key
executives.*
10.23(a)
1996 Employee Stock Bonus Plan
Executive of AFC effective as of April 11, 1996.*
10.24(a)
1996 Employee Stock Bonus Plan
General of AFC effective as of April 11, 1996.*
10.25(a)
Form of Stock Bonus Agreement
Executive between AFC and certain executive officers.*
10.26(a)
Form of Stock Bonus Agreement General
between AFC and certain executive officers.*
10.27(a)
Form of Secured Promissory Note issued by certain
members of management.
10.28(a)
Form of Stock Pledge Agreement between AFC and
certain members of management.
10.29(a)
AFC 1994 Supplemental Benefit Plan for Executive
Officers dated May 9, 1994.*
10.30(a)
AFC 1994 Supplemental Benefit Plan for Senior and
Executive Staff Officer dated April 19, 1994.*
10.31(a)
AFC 1994 Supplemental Benefit Plan for Senior
Officers/ General Manager dated May 9, 1994.*
10.32(a)
AFC 1994 Supplemental Benefit Plan for Designated
Officers dated May 9, 1994.*
10.33(a)
Settlement Agreement between Alvin C.
Copeland, Diversified Foods and Seasonings, Inc., Flavorite
Laboratories, Inc. and AFC dated May 29, 1997.
10.34(f)
Shareholder Agreement by and among AFC Franchise
Acquisition Corp. and other signatories dated as of
August 13, 1998.
10.35(b)
AFC Deferred Compensation Plan dated as of
January 1, 1998 and First Amendment to Deferred
Compensation Plan dated as of December 31, 1998.*
10.36(d)
AFC Enterprises, Inc. 1999-2003 Long-Term
Employee Success Plan, effective January 1, 1999.*
74
Exhibit
Number
Description
10.37(e)
Supply Agreement dated October 5, 1998
between Churchs Operators Purchasing Association, Inc. and
Cagles, Inc. (Cagles 92), as
amended.
10.38(e)
Supply Agreement dated October 5, 1998
between AFC d/b/a Popeyes Chicken and Biscuits and Cagles,
Inc. as amended.
10.39(e)
Supply Agreement dated April 1, 1999 between
Churchs Operators Purchasing Association, Inc. and Tyson
Foods, Inc, as amended.
10.40(e)
Stockholders Agreement dated as of March 18,
1998 among FS Equity Partners III, L.P., FS Equity
Partners International, L.P., the new shareholders identified
therein and AFC.
10.41(e)
Form of Cinnabon Development Agreement.
10.42(e)
Form of Cinnabon Franchise Agreement.
10.43(e)
Form of Seattles Best Coffee Development
Agreement, as amended.
10.44(e)
Form of Seattles Best Coffee Franchise
Agreement.
10.45(a)
Indemnification Agreement dated April 11,
1996 by and between AFC and Ronald P. Spogli.*
10.46(a)
Indemnification Agreement dated April 11,
1996 by and between AFC and John M. Roth.*
10.47(a)
Indemnification Agreement dated May 1, 1996
by and between AFC and Kelvin J. Pennington.*
10.48(a)
Indemnification Agreement dated April 11,
1996 by and between AFC and Matt L. Figel.*
10.49(a)
Indemnification Agreement dated April 11,
1996 by and between AFC and Frank J. Belatti.*
10.50(e)
First Amendment to the Amended and Restated
Credit Agreement dated as of October 1, 1999 by and among
AFC, the Syndication Agent, the Lenders, CIBC and the Subsidiary
Guarantors listed thereto.
10.51(e)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 8,
2000 between AFC and Frank J. Belatti.*
10.52(e)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 8,
2000 between AFC and Dick R. Holbrook.*
10.53(e)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 8,
2000 between AFC and Gerald J. Wilkins.*
10.54(e)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 8,
2000 between AFC and Hala Moddelmog.*
10.55(e)
Employment Agreement dated as of December 8,
2000 between AFC and Jon Luther, as amended.*
10.56(e)
Amendment No. 3 to the 1996 Stockholders
Agreement dated as of February 8, 2001 by and among AFC and
the other signatories thereto.
10.57(e)
Second Amendment to Deferred Compensation Plan
dated as of July 24, 2000.*
10.58(e)
Substitute Nonqualified Stock Option Plan,
effective March 17, 1998.*
10.59(e)
Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit
Agreement dated as of February 6, 2001 by and among AFC,
the Syndication Agent, the Lenders, CIBC, the Subsidiary
Guarantors listed thereto, and the other signatories thereto.
10.60(e)
First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
February 8, 2001 between AFC and
Frank J. Belatti.*
10.61(e)
Fourth Amendment to Employment Agreement dated as
of February 9, 2001 between AFC and Samuel N. Frankel.*
10.62(e)
First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
February 8, 2001 between AFC and Dick R. Holbrook.*
10.63(e)
First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
February 8, 2001 between AFC and Gerald J. Wilkins.*
10.64(e)
First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
February 8, 2001 between AFC and Hala Moddelmog.*
10.65(e)
Amendment to Second Cagles, Inc. Agreement dated
February 23, 2001 between Supply Management Services, Inc.
and Cagles, Inc.
75
Exhibit
Number
Description
10.66(f)
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
August 31, 2001 between AFC and Frank J. Belatti.*
10.67(f)
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
August 31, 2001 between AFC and Dick R. Holbrook.*
10.68(f)
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
August 31, 2001 between AFC and Gerald J. Wilkins.*
10.69(f)
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
August 31, 2001 between AFC and Hala Moddelmog.*
10.70(f)
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated
August 31, 2001 between AFC and Jon Luther.*
10.71(f)
Indemnification Agreement dated May 16, 2001
by and between AFC and Gerald J. Wilkins.*
10.72(f)
Indemnification Agreement dated May 16, 2001
by and between AFC and Victor Arias Jr.*
10.73(f)
Indemnification Agreement dated May 16, 2001
by and between AFC and Carolyn Hogan Byrd.*
10.74(f)
Indemnification Agreement dated May 16, 2001
by and between AFC and R. William Ide, III.*
10.75(h)
Credit Agreement dated as of May 23, 2002
among AFC Enterprises, Inc., as borrower, and the Lenders Party
thereto, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, as Administrative Agent,
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, as Administrative Agent, J.P.
Morgan Securities, Inc., as Joint Bookrunner and Co-Lead
Arranger, Credit Suisse First Boston, as Joint Bookrunner and
Co-Lead Arranger, Credit Lyonnais New York Branch, as
Co-Documentation Agent, Fleet National Bank, Inc., as
Co-Documentation Agent and SunTrust Bank, as Co-Documentation
Agent.
10.76(g)
AFC Enterprises, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase
Plan.*
10.77(g)
AFC Enterprises, Inc. 2002 Incentive Stock Plan.*
10.78(g)
AFC Enterprises, Inc. Annual Executive Bonus
Program.*
10.79
Consulting Agreement, dated May 27, 2003,
between AFC and Gerald Wilkins.
10.80
First Amendment to Employment Agreement dated as
of December 4, 1995 between AFC Enterprises, Inc. and
Samuel N. Frankel.
10.81
Second Amendment to Employment Agreement dated as
of December 4, 1995 between AFC Enterprises, Inc. and
Samuel N. Frankel.
10.82
Third Amendment to Employment Agreement dated as
of December 4, 1995 between AFC Enterprises, Inc. and
Samuel N. Frankel.
11.1**
Statement regarding computation of per share
earnings.
21.1
Subsidiaries of AFC.
23.1
Consent of Independent Auditors
31.1
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as
Adopted Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certification Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as
Adopted Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a), as Adopted Pursuant
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Certification of Chief Executive Officer,
pursuant to 18 U.S.C Section 1350, as adopted pursuant
to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2
Certification of Chief Financial Officer,
pursuant to 18 U.S.C Section 1350, as adopted pursuant
to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
| | Certain portions of this exhibit have been granted confidential treatment. |
| * | Management contract, compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit. |
| ** | Data required by SFAS No. 128, Earnings per Share, is provided in the notes to the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
76
| (a) | Filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of AFC on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-29731) on June 20, 1997 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (b) | Filed as an exhibit to the Form 10-K of AFC for the year ended December 27, 1998 on March 29, 1999 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (c) | Filed as an exhibit to the Form 10-Q of AFC for the quarter ended July 14, 2002, on August 14, 2002 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (d) | Filed as an exhibit to the Form 10-Q of AFC for the quarter ended June 13, 1999 on July 28, 1999 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (e) | Filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of AFC on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-52608) on December 22, 2000 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (f) | Filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of AFC on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-73182) on November 13, 2001 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (g) | Filed as an exhibit to the Proxy Statement and Notice of 2002 Annual Shareholders Meeting of AFC on April 12, 2002 and incorporated by reference herein. |
| (h) | Filed as an exhibit to the Form 8-K of AFC filed April 16, 2003 and incorporated by reference herein. |
77
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on the 15th day of December 2003.
| AFC ENTERPRISES, INC. |
| By: | /s/ FRANK J. BELATTI |
|
|
|
| Frank J. Belatti | |
| Chairman of the Board and | |
| Chief Executive Officer |
| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. |
| Signature | Title(s) | Date | ||||
|
|
|
|
||||
|
/s/ FRANK J. BELATTI
Frank J. Belatti |
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Executive Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) |
December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ DICK R. HOLBROOK
Dick R. Holbrook |
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ VICTOR ARIAS, JR.
Victor Arias, Jr. |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ CAROLYN H. BYRD
Carolyn H. Byrd |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ R. WILLIAM IDE, III
R. William Ide, III |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ KELVIN J. PENNINGTON
Kelvin J. Pennington |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ JOHN M. ROTH
John M. Roth |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ RONALD P. SPOGLI
Ronald P. Spogli |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
|
/s/ PETER STARRETT
Peter Starrett |
Director | December 15, 2003 | ||||
78
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Board of Directors and Shareholders
We have audited the consolidated balance sheets
of AFC Enterprises, Inc. and subsidiaries (the
Company) as of December 29, 2002 and
December 30, 2001, and the related consolidated statements
of operations, changes in shareholders equity, and cash
flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 29, 2002. These consolidated financial statements
are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated
financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with
auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of
America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits
provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial
statements referred to above present fairly, in all material
respects, the financial position of AFC Enterprises, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of December 29, 2002 and December 30,
2001, and the results of their operations and their cash flows
for each of the years in the three-year period ended
December 29, 2002, in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America.
As discussed in Note 2 to the accompanying
consolidated financial statements, effective December 31,
2001, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, Goodwill and
Other Intangible Assets.
As discussed in Note 23 to the accompanying
consolidated financial statements, the Companys
consolidated balance sheet as of December 30, 2001, and the
related consolidated statements of operations, changes in
shareholders equity, and cash flows for the years ended
December 30, 2001 and December 31, 2000, which were
audited by other independent auditors who have ceased
operations, have been restated.
Atlanta, Georgia
F-1
KPMG LLP
Table of Contents
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
2002
2001
(As Restated)
$
9.6
$
5.1
36.2
27.7
14.9
15.9
20.6
12.2
14.5
13.6
95.8
74.5
213.8
238.2
27.9
67.0
115.4
114.8
34.4
30.8
391.5
450.8
$
487.3
$
525.3
$
58.0
$
59.0
19.1
17.8
17.6
33.7
94.7
110.5
209.0
175.8
73.8
51.7
282.8
227.5
377.5
338.0
0.3
0.3
144.7
212.1
(6.1
)
(7.7
)
(29.1
)
(17.4
)
109.8
187.3
$
487.3
$
525.3
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-2
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
OPERATIONS
2002
2001
2000
(As Restated)
(As Restated)
$
413.3
$
507.0
$
567.4
111.3
101.1
88.7
69.5
61.1
55.9
25.5
18.0
11.2
619.6
687.2
723.2
218.3
260.1
299.1
116.9
147.1
159.0
110.4
116.0
103.3
56.1
54.3
46.3
29.6
40.3
41.2
49.6
15.5
7.0
580.9
633.3
655.9
38.7
53.9
67.3
22.6
24.6
33.3
16.1
29.3
34.0
16.0
13.7
15.7
0.1
15.6
18.3
(11.8
)
$
(11.7
)
$
15.6
$
18.3
$
$
0.53
$
0.70
(0.39
)
$
(0.39
)
$
0.53
$
0.70
$
$
0.50
$
0.64
(0.37
)
$
(0.37
)
$
0.50
$
0.64
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-3
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
Capital
Common Stock
in
Excess
Officer
Number of
of Par
Notes
Accumulated
Shares
Amount
Value
Receivable
Losses
Total
26,295,673
$
0.3
$
153.4
$
(7.0
)
$
(51.3
)
$
95.4
56,044
2.2
2.2
(12,238
)
(0.1
)
(0.1
)
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
(0.4
)
(0.4
)
(0.1
)
(0.1
)
18.3
18.3
26,339,479
0.3
155.5
(7.7
)
(33.0
)
115.1
3,136,328
46.0
46.0
991,860
10.9
10.9
(25,780
)
(0.3
)
0.3
0.3
0.3
(0.4
)
(0.4
)
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
15.6
15.6
30,441,887
0.3
212.1
(7.7
)
(17.4
)
187.3
19,365
0.3
0.3
710,455
10.2
10.2
(3,692,963
)
(77.9
)
(77.9
)
2.1
2.1
(0.3
)
(0.3
)
(0.2
)
(0.2
)
(11.7
)
(11.7
)
27,478,744
$
0.3
$
144.7
$
(6.1
)
$
(29.1
)
$
109.8
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-4
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH
FLOWS
2002
2001
2000
(As Restated)
(As Restated)
$
(11.7
)
$
15.6
$
18.3
29.6
40.3
41.2
44.6
13.5
7.5
11.8
12.9
(1.6
)
6.8
3.8
1.6
1.6
4.0
1.3
(6.4
)
2.1
1.3
1.2
0.3
0.4
1.8
(9.6
)
(8.0
)
(0.6
)
(8.4
)
(9.5
)
(1.8
)
(3.4
)
(2.3
)
1.6
17.8
4.8
(11.3
)
93.8
57.4
59.9
(49.7
)
(58.0
)
(50.0
)
35.4
39.9
28.9
0.7
0.6
1.2
(13.6
)
(17.5
)
(19.9
)
250.0
(133.4
)
(24.3
)
(16.9
)
(78.7
)
(79.9
)
(12.6
)
(27.1
)
(0.3
)
(2.0
)
(4.6
)
(1.7
)
1.7
0.3
46.0
(77.9
)
(0.1
)
(7.8
)
4.4
(2.6
)
(4.9
)
(0.1
)
5.8
4.1
(3.5
)
(75.7
)
(50.0
)
(40.4
)
4.5
(10.1
)
(0.4
)
5.1
15.2
15.6
$
9.6
$
5.1
$
15.2
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-5
AFC ENTERPRISES, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
Note 1 Description of
Business
During fiscal years 2002, 2001 and 2000, AFC
Enterprises, Inc. and subsidiaries (AFC or the
Company) developed, operated and franchised quick-service
restaurants, bakeries and cafes (generally referred to as
QSRs or units throughout these notes)
under the trade names Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits
(Popeyes), Churchs Chicken
(Churchs), Cinnabon®
(Cinnabon), Seattles Best Coffee®
(SBC) and Torrefazione Italia® Coffee
(TI). The Company also operated wholesale coffee and
bakery businesses.
Of AFCs company-operated QSRs, the majority
are located in the southern and southwestern United States. The
Companys international franchisees operate in Canada,
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Korea and various countries throughout
South America, Asia and Europe.
During 2002, 2001 and 2000, the Company had a
subsidiary, the Seattle Coffee Company (Seattle
Coffee), which was the holding company for its SBC and
TI brands. As discussed in Note 24, on July 14,
2003, the Company sold Seattle Coffee. Because these operations
were not held for sale at December 29, 2002, the Company
has classified them as a component of continuing operations in
the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Restatement of Prior Years Financial
Information.
As discussed in
Note 23, the Companys consolidated balance sheet as
of December 30, 2001 and its consolidated statements of
operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders equity
for 2001 and 2000 have been restated from amounts previously
reported to correct certain accounting errors. All information
presented in these notes reflects the effects of the restatement.
Principles of Consolidation.
The consolidated financial
statements include the accounts of AFC Enterprises, Inc. and its
wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances
and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates.
The preparation of consolidated
financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles requires the Companys management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities. These estimates affect the disclosure
of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the
consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of
revenues and expenses during each reporting period. Actual
results could differ from those estimates.
Reclassifications.
In the accompanying consolidated
financial statements and in these notes, certain prior year
amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current
years presentation. These reclassifications had no effect
on previously reported net income.
Foreign Currency Transactions.
Substantially all of the
Companys foreign-sourced revenues (principally royalties
from international franchisees and coffee sales to international
customers) are recorded in U.S. dollars. The aggregate
effects of any exchange gains or losses upon settlement are
included in the accompanying consolidated statements of
operations as a component of general and administrative
expenses and were net losses of $0.1 million,
$0.2 million and $0.4 million in 2002, 2001 and 2000,
respectively.
Fiscal Year.
The Companys fiscal year
ends on the last Sunday in December. The 2002 and 2001 fiscal
years consisted of 52 weeks each, while the 2000 fiscal
year consisted of 53 weeks.
F-6
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS (Continued)
Cash and Cash Equivalents.
The Company considers all money
market investment instruments and certificates of deposit with
original maturities of three months or less to be cash
equivalents. Under the terms of the Companys bank
agreements, outstanding checks in excess of the cash balances in
the Companys primary disbursement accounts create a bank
overdraft liability. As of December 29, 2002 and
December 30, 2001 such overdrafts were approximately
$6.5 million and $14.3 million, respectively and were
included in accounts payable in the accompanying
consolidated balance sheets.
Supplemental
Cash Flow Information.
Accounts Receivable,
Net.
At
December 29, 2002 and December 30, 2001, accounts
receivable, net were $34.6 million and $26.9 million,
respectively. Accounts receivable consist primarily of amounts
due from franchisees related to royalties, rents and other
miscellaneous items. Accounts receivable also includes amounts
related to the sale of food products to supermarkets and other
foodservice retailers. The accounts receivable balance is stated
net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. During 2002, 2001 and
2000, changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts were as
follows:
Note 2
Summary of Significant Accounting
Policies
Table of Contents
2002
2001
2000
(In millions)
$
21.2
$
25.0
$
33.5
7.2
21.7
9.0
4.4
3.6
4.6
0.1
0.3
8.0
2002
2001
2000
(In millions)
$
2.6
$
2.0
$
2.2
1.8
1.3
1.3
0.1
(0.1
)
(1.1
)
(0.8
)
(1.4
)
$
3.3