ITEM 1A RISK FACTORS
An investment in our common stock involves certain risks and uncertainties. In addition to other information in this Form 10-K, the following risk factors should be considered. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are currently unaware could also have a material adverse effect on our business and financial conditions. These disclosures reflect our beliefs and opinions as to factors that could materially and adversely affect us and our securities in the future. References to past events are provided by way of example only and are not intended to be a complete listing or a representation as to whether or not such factors have occurred in the past or their likelihood of occurring in the future.
MACROECONOMIC AND INDUSTRY RISKS
Changes in the United States and international trade policies, including tariffs, trade restrictions and retaliatory trade actions taken by other countries, may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In early 2025, the United States administration announced tariffs on products manufactured in several jurisdictions from which we import our products. We continue to actively monitor the impact of tariffs that become effective, as well as potential retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries. Throughout the year, our net sales and gross margins were negatively impacted by tariffs. The enactment of additional tariffs and the uncertainty surrounding the future tariff policies and rates pose a significant risk to our business operations and may materially increase our costs and reduce our margins. Future trade disputes or phases of negotiations with China could lead to the imposition of tariffs that could adversely affect our supply chain and our business. General trade tensions between the U.S. and China continue to be contentious. Additionally, certain tariffs are subject to legal challenges. The tariff uncertainty also creates challenges in our supply chain management, our pricing strategies and the management of customer orders. While we have implemented strategies to mitigate tariff impacts by optimizing production in lower tariff countries and negotiating with suppliers, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.
On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated tariffs previously imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”). Following this ruling, the U.S. Administration initiated new tariffs at different rates under alternative legislative powers, which increases the uncertainty around tariffs. The current administration may continue to impose additional tariffs under U.S. trade laws. Although certain tariffs were invalidated, the potential availability, timing, and amount of any refunds associated with the ruling remains highly uncertain. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of the current and potential tariffs, as well as the potential for additional trade actions by the United States or other countries, the specific impact to our business, results of operations and financial conditions is not certain but could be material.
Consumer demand for our products may be adversely impacted by economic conditions and other factors.
Worldwide economic conditions continue to be uncertain. Consumer confidence and spending are strongly influenced by general economic conditions and other factors, including tariffs, trade restrictions, or taxes on imports from countries where we manufacture products, inflation, concerns of a recession, elevated interest rates, fiscal policy, the changing tax and regulatory environment, minimum wage rates and regulations, consumer debt levels, the availability of consumer credit, the liquidity of consumers’ assets, health care costs, currency exchange rates, taxation, energy costs, real estate values, foreclosure rates, unemployment trends, weather conditions and the economic consequences of military action or terrorist activities, such as the heightened geo-political tensions between China and Taiwan, along with angst surrounding escalated foreign policy actions taken by the United States in the Middle East and South American regions and the potential impact of sanctions on the domestic and global economy. Consumer sentiment, including a preference for products made in the United States, may be impacted by tariffs or taxes on imports from countries where we source products, which may impact demand for our products that are sourced internationally. In addition, with a significant amount of our supply originating in China, any negative development related to relations between United States and China, including additional
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tariffs imposed on imports from China, may adversely impact the cost or demand for our products sourced from China. Negative economic conditions generally decrease disposable income and, consequently, consumer purchases of discretionary items like our products. As a result, our customers may choose to purchase fewer of our products or purchase the lower priced products of our competitors, and our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions may adversely impact our business operations and financial results.
Inflationary pressures in the United States and the global economy such as elevated interest rates, higher product and transportation costs, in part driven by higher and more volatile oil prices, and wage inflation, as well as fears of a recession, are creating a complex and challenging retail environment that may impact discretionary spending. The extent and duration of these inflationary pressures are uncertain and may limit our ability to meet incremental consumer demand, potentially impacting our net sales. In addition, declines in consumer spending may result in reduced demand for our products, increased inventories, reduced orders from retailers for our products, order cancellations, lower revenues, higher discounts, pricing pressure and lower gross margins. Macroeconomic factors, including these inflationary pressures and volatility in interest rates, also impact a number of accounting estimates, such as impairment calculations, the value of inventory measured using the last-in, first out (“LIFO”) method, and other estimates that utilize fair value. These macroeconomic factors could result in incremental volatility in certain valuations and provisions required in the Company’s financial statements. In addition, a disruption within our logistics or supply chain network could adversely affect our ability to deliver inventory in a timely manner, which could impair our ability to meet customer demand for products and result in lost sales and increased supply chain costs. Vessel, container and other transportation shortages, labor shortages and port congestion have in the past delayed inventory orders and, in turn, deliveries to our wholesale customers and availability in our retail stores and e-commerce sites. In addition, the vast majority of our products pass through the United States ports and any slowdown or stoppage relating to labor agreement negotiations may further delay the receipt of inventory or increase costs.
If we are unable to anticipate and respond to consumer preferences and fashion trends and successfully apply new technology, we may not be able to maintain or increase our net sales and earnings.
The footwear industry is subject to rapidly changing consumer shopping preferences and patterns and fashion trends. Our products must appeal to a broad range of consumers whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to rapid change. New footwear designs that we introduce may not resonate with consumers or our brands may fall out of favor with customers. If we are unable to react appropriately to changes in consumer preferences, our revenues may decrease, brand image may suffer, and we may not be able to execute our growth plans. Further, the value of our brands is based on evolving consumer perceptions, including as a result of shifting ethical, political or social standards, and concerns with respect to product pricing, quality, design, technical performance, components or materials, or customer service could result in negative perceptions and the loss of brand loyalty and value. In addition, as consumers increasingly embrace online and mobile shopping, retailers have been required to lower shipping costs charged to customers, improve shipping speeds and optimize mobile platforms. The trend toward online and mobile shopping has also increased the volume of smaller shipments, including single-pair shipments, from our warehouses. The increased volume of smaller shipments has resulted in higher average distribution costs, including both shipping and processing costs incurred at our distribution centers. In addition, an increase in the volume of e-commerce sales, which have higher return rates than in-store sales, may in turn lead to higher shipping and processing costs. New and emerging technology may enable new approaches or choices for how our customers procure goods and services and pay for those goods and services. We may be unable to quickly adapt to rapid change resulting from artificial intelligence and other machine learning technologies that may result in changes to our supply chain, distribution channels, and point-of-sale capabilities. The success of both our wholesale and retail operations depends largely on our ability to anticipate, understand and react to these changing consumer shopping patterns. If we fail to respond to changes in consumer shopping patterns, demands and fashion trends, develop new products and designs, and implement effective, responsive merchandising and distribution strategies and programs, we could experience lower sales, excess inventories and lower gross margins, any of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition .
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Certain branded suppliers are becoming more selective in their distribution channels. The loss of one or more of our major branded suppliers may adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our Famous Footwear segment purchases a substantial portion of its footwear products from major branded suppliers. Products purchased from three key third-party suppliers (Nike, Skechers and adidas) represented approximately 24% of consolidated net sales in 2025. As is common in the industry, we do not have any long-term contracts with our suppliers. In addition, the success of our financial performance is dependent on the ability of our Famous Footwear segment to obtain products from our suppliers on a timely basis and on acceptable terms. While we believe we have positive working relationships with our current suppliers, the loss of any of our major suppliers or product developed exclusively for our Famous Footwear stores could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, negative trends in global economic conditions, including the impact of the wars in Iran, Israel and Eastern Europe and heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, along with unpredictable tariff volatility, may adversely impact our suppliers. If these third parties do not perform their obligations or are unable to provide us with the materials and services we need at prices and terms that are acceptable to us, our ability to meet our consumers’ demand could be adversely affected.
Customer concentration and other trends in customer behavior may lead to a reduction in or loss of sales.
Our wholesale customers include e-commerce retailers, national chains, department stores, independent retailers and mass merchandisers. Several of our customers operate multiple department store divisions. Furthermore, we often sell multiple types of branded, licensed and private-label footwear to these same customers. While we believe purchasing decisions in many cases are made independently by the buyers and merchandisers of each of the customers, a decision by a significant customer to decrease the amount of footwear products purchased from us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We extend credit to our wholesale customers based on an evaluation of each customer’s financial condition, usually without collateral. Various retailers, including some of our customers, have experienced financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, increasing the risk of extending credit to such retailers. If any of our customers experience a shortage of liquidity, the risk that the customer’s outstanding payables to us not being paid could cause us to assume more credit risk relating to the customer’s accounts payable.
In addition, with the growing trend toward retail trade consolidation, including store count reductions at major retail chains, and consumers’ preference for online shopping, we and our wholesale customers increasingly depend upon a reduced number of key retailers whose bargaining strength is growing. This consolidation may result in the following adverse consequences:
Our wholesale customers may seek more favorable terms for their purchases of our products, which could limit our ability to raise prices, recoup cost increases or achieve our profit goals.
The number of stores that carry our products could decline, thereby exposing us to a greater concentration of accounts receivable risk and negatively impacting our brand visibility.
We also face the following risks with respect to our customers:
Our customers could develop in-house brands or use a higher mix of private-label footwear products, which may negatively impact our sales.
As we sell our products to customers and extend credit based on an evaluation of each customer’s financial condition, the financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, of a customer could cause us to stop doing business with that customer, reduce our business with that customer or be unable to collect from that customer.
Since we transact primarily in United States dollars, our international customers could purchase from competitors who will transact business in their local currency.
If our customers experience significant downturns or disruptions in their business, or file for bankruptcy, they may reduce their purchases of our products.
Retailers are directly sourcing more of their products directly from international manufacturers and reducing their reliance on wholesalers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
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We operate in a highly competitive industry, and we face significant pricing pressures from existing and new competitors.
Competition is intense in the footwear industry. There has also been consolidation of competitors in the industry, resulting in certain competitors that are larger and have greater financial, marketing and technological resources than we do. In addition, a move toward vertical integration by our competitors could create additional competitive pressures that may decrease our market share. Other competitors are able to offer footwear on a lateral basis alongside their apparel products, or have successfully branded their trademarks as lifestyle brands, resulting in greater competitive advantages. Low barriers to entry into this industry further intensify competition by allowing new companies to easily enter the markets in which we compete. Further, the fast fashion, value fashion and off-price retailers have shifted customer expectations of pricing for well-known brands and have contributed to additional promotional and pricing pressures in recent years. Some of our suppliers further compound these competitive pressures by allowing consumers to purchase their products directly through supplier-maintained e-commerce sites and retail stores. The Internet facilitates price transparency and comparison shopping, which increases the level of competition we face and puts competitive pressure on us to keep our prices low.
We believe that our ability to compete successfully in the footwear industry depends on a number of factors, including style, price, performance, quality, location and service, as well as the strength of our brand names. We remain competitive by increasing awareness of our brands, improving the efficiency of our supply chain and enhancing the style, comfort, fashion and perceived value of our products. However, our competitors may implement more effective marketing campaigns, adopt more aggressive pricing policies, make more attractive offers to potential employees, distribution partners and manufacturers, or respond more quickly to changes in consumer preferences than us. As a result, we may not be able to compete successfully in the future, and increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced gross margins, loss of market share and an inability to generate cash flows that are sufficient to maintain or expand the development and marketing of our products, which could adversely impact our financial results.
Our quarterly sales and earnings may fluctuate, which may result in volatility in, or a decline in, our stock price.
Our quarterly sales and earnings can vary due to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:
Our Famous Footwear retail business is seasonally weighted to the back-to-school season, which primarily falls in our third fiscal quarter. As a result, the success of our back-to-school offering, which is affected by our ability to anticipate consumer demand and fashion trends, could have a disproportionate impact on our full year results. Because of this seasonality, factors negatively affecting us during the third fiscal quarter of any year, including adverse weather or economic conditions, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations for the entire year.
In our wholesale business, sales of footwear are dependent on orders from our major customers, and they may change delivery schedules, change the mix of products they order or cancel orders without penalty.
Our wholesale customers have increasingly shifted toward lower initial orders and more replenishment and drop ship orders, which may result in shifts of sales between quarters.
Our estimated annual tax rate is based on projections of our domestic and international operating results for the year, which we review and revise as necessary each quarter.
Our earnings are also sensitive to a number of factors that are beyond our control, including manufacturing and transportation costs, changes in product sales mix, geographic sales trends, weather conditions, consumer sentiment and currency exchange rate fluctuations.
As a result of these specific and other general factors, our operating results will vary from quarter to quarter and the results for any particular quarter may not be indicative of results for the full year. Further, we may not be able to accurately predict our quarterly sales. Any shortfall in sales or earnings from the levels expected by investors could cause a decrease in the trading price of our common stock.
Foreign currency fluctuations may result in higher costs and decreased gross profits.
Although we purchase most of our products from international manufacturers in United States dollars and otherwise may engage in foreign currency hedging transactions from time to time, we may experience cost variations with respect to exchange rate changes. We operate on a global basis, with approximately 7% of our total net sales for the year ended
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January 31, 2026 generated from operations outside of the United States. As we continue to expand our international operations, our sales and expenditures transacted in foreign currencies could become increasingly material and be subject to greater foreign currency fluctuations. Currency exchange rate fluctuations may also adversely impact third parties who manufacture the Company’s products by making their purchases of raw materials or other production costs more expensive and more difficult to finance, resulting in higher prices and lower margins for the Company and its distributors.
Perception of the overall retail industry and other macroeconomic conditions may impact our stock price and operations.
The retail industry continues to evolve and undergo structural change. This evolution and structural change have resulted in the bankruptcy and/or reorganization of various other publicly traded retailers, including major customers. Despite our best efforts to differentiate our business model and processes, our stock price has fluctuated as a result of perceptions of the overall retail environment and investor confidence in the retail sector. The volatility in our stock price could be exacerbated by macroeconomic conditions that affect the market generally or our industry in particular.
Volatility in securities markets, interest rates and other economic factors could substantially increase defined benefit pension costs.
The Company currently has obligations under its defined benefit pension plans. The funded status of the pension plans is dependent on many factors, including returns on invested assets and the discount rates used to determine pension obligations. Unfavorable impacts from returns on plan assets, changes in discount rates, changes in plan demographics or revisions in the applicable laws or regulations could materially change the timing and amount of pension funding requirements, which could reduce the cash available for normal operations. Operating performance may be negatively impacted by the amount of expense recorded for our pension plans. In addition, pension expense is calculated using actuarial valuations that incorporate assumptions and estimates about financial market, economic and demographic conditions. Differences between estimated and actual results give rise to gains and losses that are deferred and amortized as part of future pension expense, which can create volatility that adversely impacts future operating results.
OPERATIONAL RISKS
We rely primarily on international sources of production, which subjects our business to risks associated with international trade.
We rely primarily on international sourcing for our footwear products through third-party manufacturing facilities located outside the United States. As is common in the industry, we do not have any long-term contracts with our third-party international manufacturers. International sourcing is subject to numerous risks, including trade relations, work stoppages, transportation delays (including delays at international and domestic ports) and costs (including customs duties, quotas, tariffs (including retaliatory tariffs), anti-dumping duties, safeguard measures, cargo restrictions or other trade restrictions), domestic and international political instability, foreign currency fluctuations, variable economic conditions, expropriation, nationalization, natural disasters, terrorist acts and military conflict, changes in governmental regulations (including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). It is also impacted by geo-political events, such as volatility and wars in the Middle East (including the ongoing war involving Iran), the current war in Ukraine and continued tensions between China and Taiwan. Certain of these events may also contribute to increased volatility in global oil prices, which could further increase transportation, manufacturing and other operating costs. Supply chain disruptions and port congestion have in the past delayed receipt of inventory and this could occur again in the future. Delayed inventory receipt could delay deliveries to our wholesale customers, and reduce availability in our stores and e-commerce websites, which could adversely impact our financial results. In addition, the imposition of tariffs or other costs on imported products may result in further increases in product prices, which may in turn continue to adversely impact our gross margins if we are unable to mitigate the impact of the costs. At the same time, potential changes in manufacturing preferences, including, but not limited to the following, pose additional risk and uncertainty:
Manufacturing capacity may shift from footwear to other industries with manufacturing margins that are perceived to be higher.
Some footwear manufacturers may face labor shortages as workers seek better wages and working conditions in other industries or locations.
As a result of these risks, there can be no assurance that we will not experience reductions in available production capacity, increases in our product costs, late deliveries or terminations of our supplier relationships. Furthermore, these sourcing
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risks are compounded by limited diversification in the geographic location of our international sourcing and manufacturing. Approximately 20% of the footwear we sourced in 2025 was from China. With a significant portion of our supply originating in China, a substantial portion of our supply could be at risk in the event of any significant negative development related to relations between United States and China, including additional tariffs imposed on products imported from China. In addition, international expansion in China may be hampered as a result of the adverse economic conditions that China is currently experiencing.
Although we believe we could find alternative manufacturing sources for the products that we currently source from third- party manufacturing facilities in China or other countries, we may not be able to locate alternative manufacturers on terms as favorable as our current terms, including pricing, payment terms, manufacturing capacity, quality standards and lead times for delivery. In addition, there is substantial competition in the footwear industry for quality footwear manufacturers. Accordingly, our future results will partly depend on our ability to maintain positive working relationships with, and offer competitive terms to, our international manufacturers. If supply issues cause us to be unable to provide products consistent with our standards or manufacture our footwear in an efficient and cost-effective manner, our customers may cancel orders, refuse to accept deliveries or demand reductions in purchase prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We also sell footwear in East Asia through our joint venture, licensing and franchise partners, and our recent acquisition of Stuart Weitzman, and plan to increase international sales efforts as part of our growth strategy. Our joint venture, licensing and franchise partners may have objectives that are different than our own. In addition, we may be subject to increased legal and reputational risk associated with the joint venture if it fails to adhere to consistent levels of compliance standards as our fully-owned operations.
Transitional challenges with acquisitions and divestitures could result in unexpected expenditures of time and resources.
As part of our business strategy to expand into complementary product categories and markets, we periodically pursue acquisitions of other companies, businesses or brands, such as the acquisition of the Stuart Weitzman business in August 2025. Such acquisitions involve numerous risks, challenges and uncertainties, including the potential to expose us to risks inherent in a new market or geographic region, loss of significant customers or key personnel of the acquired business, difficulties managing and implementing acquired assets or difficulties managing geographically remote operations. Although we review the financial results and records of acquisition candidates, the review may not reveal all existing or potential problems. As a result, we may not accurately assess the value of the business and may, accordingly, ultimately assume unknown adverse operating conditions and/or unanticipated expenses and liabilities related to the acquisition. Acquisitions may also cause us to incur write-offs of goodwill or intangible assets if the business does not perform as well as expected and substantial amortization expenses associated with other intangible assets. We also face the risk that we will not be able to integrate acquisitions into our existing operations or divest our businesses effectively without substantial expense, delay or other operational or financial problems. Integration may be hindered by, among other things, differing procedures, including internal controls, business practices and technology systems. We may need to allocate more management resources to integration than we planned, which may adversely affect our ability to pursue other profitable activities. We may experience difficulty integrating acquired businesses into our operations and may not achieve anticipated synergies. The acquisition of Stuart Weitzman was funded through our revolving credit agreement and we face the risk that the return on the acquisition will not support the expenditures or indebtedness to acquire the business. We may face similar challenges with any brands or businesses we choose to divest.
We are reliant upon our information technology systems, and any major disruption of these systems could adversely impact our ability to effectively operate our business.
Our computer network and systems are essential to all aspects of our operations, including design, pricing, production, accounting, reporting, forecasting, ordering, manufacturing, transportation, marketing, sales and distribution. Our ability to manage and maintain our inventory and to deliver products in a timely manner depends on these systems. With the continued growth in e-commerce direct-to-consumer sales, any system disruption may result in an adverse impact to our operations. If any of these systems fails to operate as expected, we experience problems with transitioning to upgraded or replacement systems, we fail to realize the expected return on our technology investment, a breach in security occurs or a natural disaster interrupts system functions, we may experience delays in product fulfillment, reduced efficiency in our
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operations, or delays in reporting our financial results to investors, or we may be required to expend significant capital to correct the problem, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
A cybersecurity breach may adversely affect our sales and reputation.
We routinely possess sensitive consumer and associate information and periodically provide it to third parties for analysis, benefit distribution or compliance purposes. Consumers are also increasingly using mobile devices and applications to shop online and do comparison shopping. Additionally, a significant portion of our Corporate employees are periodically working remotely, which may result in heightened cybersecurity risk. Remote working environments may be less secure and more susceptible to hacking attacks, including phishing and social engineering attempts. From time to time, we have experienced, and may continue to experience, attacks on our systems or those of our vendors. While we believe we have taken reasonable and appropriate steps to protect sensitive information, hackers and data thieves operate sophisticated, large-scale attacks that could breach our information systems, despite ongoing security measures. In addition, we are required to comply with increasingly complex regulations designed to protect our business and personal data. Any breach of our network security, a third-party’s network security or failure to comply with applicable regulations may result in (a) the loss of valuable business data and/or our consumers’ or associates’ personal information, (b) increased costs associated with implementing additional protections and processes, (c) a disruption of our business and a loss of sales, (d) negative media attention, (e) damage to our consumer and associate relationships and reputation, and (f) fines or lawsuits.
Our operating results depend on preparing accurate sales forecasts and properly managing our inventory levels.
Based on sales forecasts, we place advance orders with manufacturers for certain products before receiving all customer orders to minimize purchasing costs. We also maintain an inventory of certain products that we anticipate will be in greater demand. At the retail level, we place orders for products many months in advance of our key selling seasons. Adverse economic conditions and rapidly changing consumer preferences can make it difficult for us and our retail customers to accurately forecast product trends in order to match production with demand. If we fail to accurately assess consumer fashion tastes and the impact of economic factors on consumer spending or to effectively differentiate our retail and wholesale offerings, our inventory levels may exceed customer demand, resulting in inventory write-downs, higher carrying costs, lower gross margins or the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which could significantly impact our financial results. Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our products or if our manufacturers fail to supply the quality products that we require in a timely manner, we may experience inventory shortages. Inventory shortages may delay shipments to customers (and possibly require us to offer discounts or costly expedited shipping), negatively impact retailer and distributor relationships, adversely impact our sales results and diminish brand awareness and loyalty.
In addition, our retail stores are inherently subject to the risk of inventory loss and theft. In recent years, the retail industry has experienced an increase in inventory shrinkage, and although we have taken steps to reduce inventory shrinkage, higher rates of shrinkage or increased costs associated with addressing inventory theft, including maintaining a safe store environment for our customers and associates, may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.
A disruption in the effective functioning of our distribution centers could adversely affect our ability to deliver inventory on a timely basis.
We currently use several leased distribution centers, which serve as the source of replenishment of inventory for our footwear stores and e-commerce websites operated by our Famous Footwear and Brand Portfolio segments and serve the wholesale operations of our Brand Portfolio segment. Our success depends on our ability to handle the high volume of e-commerce sales and single pair shipments, which requires significant capital to operate with a greater level of sophistication and automation, as well as higher processing and distribution costs. We may be unable to successfully manage, negotiate or renew our distribution center leases, or we may experience complications with respect to our distribution centers, such as substantial damage to, or destruction of, such facilities due to natural disasters. In such an event, our other distribution centers may not be able to support the resulting additional distribution demands and we may be unable to locate alternative persons or entities capable of fulfilling our distribution needs, resulting in an adverse effect on our ability to deliver inventory on a timely basis. The effective operation of our distribution centers may also be impacted by wage inflation, labor shortages and disruptions to the supply chain. Although we believe that our receiving and distribution processes are efficient and well positioned to support our current business and potential expansions, we cannot offer assurances that we have anticipated all of the changing demands that our expanding operations will impose
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on our receiving and distribution system or that events beyond our control will not result in delays in the delivery of merchandise to our stores, e-commerce consumers or wholesale customers.
Our success depends on our ability to retain senior management and recruit and retain other key associates.
Our success depends on our ability to attract, retain and motivate qualified management, administrative, product development, marketing and sales personnel to support existing operations and future growth. In addition, our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses often depends on our ability to retain incumbent personnel, many of whom possess valuable institutional knowledge and operating experience. Competition for qualified personnel in the footwear industry is intense and we compete for these individuals with other companies that in many cases have superior financial and other resources. The loss of the services of any member of our senior management or key associates, the inability to attract and retain other qualified personnel or the inability to effectively transition positions could adversely affect the sales, design and production of our products as well as the implementation of our strategic initiatives. Management transitions may create uncertainty, and if we do not successfully manage the transition, it could be disruptive to our daily operations or impact public or market perception, which could negatively impact our ability to operate effectively and have an adverse impact on our business.
Our retail business depends on our ability to secure affordable and desirable leased locations.
The success of the retail business within our Famous Footwear and Brand Portfolio segments depends, in part, on our ability to secure affordable, long-term leases in desirable locations for our leased retail footwear stores and to secure renewals of such leases. As consumer shopping preferences have evolved, we continue to focus on opening stores in locations with a greater penetration of high-value consumers. No assurance can be given that we will be able to successfully negotiate lease renewals for existing stores or obtain acceptable terms for new stores in desirable locations. As a result, the number of consumers and financial performance of individual stores may decline and the average sales per square foot at our stores may be reduced. Further, the Company may not be able to renew some leases in the portfolio at the same favorable lease rates during renegotiation. This may result in impairments or lease termination charges that adversely impact our financial results. Due to the changing retail landscape, we may want to reduce the number of retail store locations but may be unable to successfully exit lease agreements.
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Failure to successfully finalize our planned headquarters sale and relocation could result in unexpected expenditures and operational disruptions.
We have completed the sale of a portion of our headquarters campus in Clayton, Missouri and entered into an agreement to sell one remaining portion of the campus, while the other is being actively marketed. Should the sale of either of the remaining parcels not be completed, we may have to carry a portion of the campus property longer than intended and incur unexpected costs, or if comparable sales prices cannot be secured, we may have to recognize a loss on disposal, adversely impacting our financial results.
In addition, the build-out of our new leased headquarters could be delayed or cost more than expected, which could cause disruption to our business operations or negatively impact our financial results.
Damage to our reputation or brands may negatively impact our business .
Our ability to maintain our reputation is integral to the success of our business. Failure to maintain quality merchandise and quality customer service may damage our reputation. The consumer’s perception of us, our stores and our brands, whether justified or not, could harm our reputation. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to keep existing consumers, while also attracting new consumers, and a damaged reputation will hinder that ability .
In addition, the increased use of social media by us and our consumer has also increased the risk to our reputation. Negative commentary regarding us or the products we sell may be posted on social media at any time. Consumers value readily available information and may rely on negative commentary without regard to its accuracy. If we are unable to effectively manage social media, our reputation and consumer’s perception of our brands may be negatively impacted.
Our responsible business initiatives may result in increased scrutiny from stakeholders or regulators with respect to our responsible business goals and objectives. We may not be able to achieve those goals within the timelines established, or at all. Failure to successfully achieve our established goals may damage our reputation, or the reputation of our brands. Our reputation may also be damaged if we do not act, or are perceived by our consumers to not act, responsibly with respect to our impact on the environment or other social or governance matters. Damage to our brands and reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial position and cash flow.
A significant portion of our Famous Footwear sales are dependent on our Famous Footwear loyalty program, Famously You Rewards ("Rewards"), and any decrease in sales from Rewards could have a material adverse impact on our sales.
Rewards is a customer loyalty program that drives sales and traffic for the Famous Footwear segment. Rewards members earn points toward certificates for qualifying purchases. Upon reaching specified point values, members are issued a Rewards certificate, which may be redeemed for purchases at Famous Footwear. Approximately 77% of our 2025 sales within the Famous Footwear segment were generated by our Rewards members. If our Rewards members do not continue to shop at Famous Footwear, our sales may be adversely affected.
TAX, LEGAL, AND REGULATORY RISKS
Changes in tax laws may result in increased volatility in our effective tax rates.
Our financial results are significantly impacted by the effective tax rates of both our domestic and international operations. Future changes in tax laws could materially impact our effective tax rate. Other factors, such as changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in permitted deductions, interpretations, policies and treaties and the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions, may result in higher taxes, lower profitability and increased volatility in our financial results.
In addition, changes in the tax laws of foreign jurisdictions may arise as a result of the Pillar Two (“Pillar Two”) Global Anti-Base Erosion model rules that were released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2021. The OECD continues to release guidance and many countries are implementing legislation to adopt the rules, which became effective on January 1, 2024. In January 2026, the OECD announced that the U.S. multinational regime would be considered a side-by-side regime that should prevent U.S. companies from double taxation. Although we do not anticipate a material change to our tax provision as a result of Pillar Two, there can be no assurance that our effective tax rate or tax payments will not be adversely affected as countries independently amend their tax laws to adopt
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Pillar Two. We continue to evaluate the impact of Pillar Two as additional guidance becomes available; however, uncertainty remains regarding the timing and interpretation of the rules by the jurisdictions in which we operate.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBB Act”) was enacted into law. The OBBB Act includes a broad range of tax reform provisions, including allowing accelerated tax deductions for qualified property and immediate deduction of domestic research and development costs. The OBBB Act also modifies some of the international tax rules. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of certain provisions of the OBBB Act on our consolidated financial statements, but the provisions are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s income tax provision.
Our commitments and shareholder expectations relating to responsible business initiatives may expose us to liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm, and other adverse effects on our business.
We continue to be focused on responsible business initiatives relating to our business, including greenhouse gas emissions, human and civil rights and talent management. New laws and regulations in these areas, including those passed by the State of California, will be required to be adopted, and may be passed by other states or regulatory agencies. The criteria used by regulators and other relevant stakeholders to evaluate our responsible business initiative practices, capabilities, and performance may change rapidly, which in each case could require us to undertake costly initiatives or operational changes. In addition, the requirements may not be uniform across jurisdictions, which may result in increased complexity and cost to become or remain compliant. Further, international expansion into Europe and China resulting from the Stuart Weitzman footprint in those areas present new exposure to responsible business initiative regulations. For example, collection and assurance of responsible business initiative data and developing and acting on such initiatives can be costly, difficult and time consuming and is subject to evolving reporting standards, including climate- and nature-related disclosure requirements and the EU’s disclosure regulations set forth in the Corporate Sustainability Directive (“CSRD”), and similar proposals and laws by other domestic and international regulatory bodies. Non-compliance with these rules or standards or a failure to address regulator, stakeholder and societal expectations may result in potential cost increases, litigation, fines, penalties, production and sales restrictions, brand or reputational damage, loss of customers, suppliers and commercial partners, failure to retain and attract talent, lower valuation and higher investor activism activities. Managing these considerations and implementing these goals and initiatives involves risks and uncertainties, including increased costs, and often depends on third-party performance or data that is outside our control. We cannot guarantee that we will achieve our announced responsible business initiatives, satisfy all stakeholder expectations, or that the benefits of implementing or achieving these goals and initiatives will not surpass their projected costs. Any failure, or perceived failure, to achieve responsible business initiatives, as well as to manage associated risks, adhere to public statements, comply with federal, state or international laws and regulations or meet evolving and varied stakeholder expectations and standards could result in legal and regulatory proceedings against us and materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
Our business, sales and brand value could be harmed by violations of labor, trade or other laws.
We focus on doing business with those suppliers who share our commitment to responsible business practices and the principles set forth in our Production Code of Conduct (the “PCOC”). By requiring our suppliers to comply with the PCOC, we encourage our suppliers to promote best practices and work toward continual improvement throughout their production operations. The PCOC sets forth standards for working conditions and other matters, including compliance with applicable labor practices, workplace environment and compliance with laws. Although we promote ethical business practices, we do not control our suppliers or their labor practices. A failure by any of our suppliers to adhere to these standards or laws could cause us to incur additional costs for our products or cause negative publicity and harm our business and reputation. We also require our suppliers to meet our standards for product safety, including compliance with applicable laws and standards with respect to safety issues, including lead content in paint. Failure by any of our suppliers to adhere to product safety standards could lead to a product recall, which may result in critical media coverage, harm our business and reputation, and cause us to incur additional costs.
In addition, if we, or our suppliers or international manufacturers, violate United States or international trade laws or regulations, we may be subject to additional duties, significant monetary penalties, the seizure and forfeiture of the products we are attempting to import or the loss of our import privileges. Possible violations of United States or international laws or regulations could include inadequate recordkeeping of our imported products, misstatements or errors as to the origin, classification, marketing or valuation of our imported products, fraudulent visas or labor violations. The
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effects of these factors could render our conduct of business in a particular country undesirable or impractical and have a negative impact on our operating results.
Our reputation and competitive position are dependent on our ability to license well-recognized brands, license our own brands under successful licensing arrangements and protect our intellectual property rights.
Licenses - Company as Licensee
Although we own most of our wholesale brands, we also rely on our ability to attract, retain and maintain good relationships with licensors that have strong, well-recognized brands and trade names. Our license agreements are generally for an initial term of two to four years, subject to renewal, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to renew these licenses. Even our longer-term or renewable licenses are typically dependent upon our ability to market and sell the licensed products at specified levels, and the failure to meet such levels may result in the termination or non-renewal of such licenses. Furthermore, many of our license agreements require minimum royalty payments, and if we are unable to generate sufficient sales and profitability to cover these minimum royalty requirements, we may be required to make additional payments to the licensors that could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, because certain of our license agreements are non-exclusive, new or existing competitors may obtain licenses with overlapping product or geographic terms, resulting in increased competition for a particular market.
Licenses - Company as Licensor
We have entered into numerous license agreements with respect to the brands and trade names that we own. While we have significant control over our licensees’ products and advertising, we generally cannot control their operational and financial issues. If our licensees are not able to meet annual sales and royalty goals, obtain financing, manage their supply chain, control quality and maintain positive relationships with their customers, our business, results of operations and financial position may be adversely affected. While we would likely have the ability to terminate an underperforming license, it may be difficult and costly to locate an acceptable substitute distributor or licensee, and we may experience a disruption in our sales and brand visibility. In addition, although many of our license agreements prohibit the licensees from entering into licensing arrangements with certain of our competitors, they are generally not prohibited from offering, under other brands, the types of products covered by their license agreements with us.
Trademarks
We believe that our trademarks and trade names are important to our success and competitive position because they create a market for our products and distinguish our products from other products. We cannot, however, guarantee that we will be able to secure protection for our intellectual property in the future or that such protection will be adequate for future operations. Furthermore, we face the risk of ineffective protection of intellectual property rights in jurisdictions where we source and distribute our products, some of which do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the United States. If we are unsuccessful in challenging a party’s products on the basis of infringement of our intellectual property rights, continued sales of these products could adversely affect our sales, devalue our brands and result in a shift in consumer preference away from our products. We may face significant expenses and liability in connection with the protection of our intellectual property rights, and if we are unable to successfully protect our rights or resolve intellectual property conflicts with others, our business or financial condition could be adversely affected.
We are subject to periodic litigation and other regulatory proceedings, which could result in the unexpected expenditure of time and resources.
We are a defendant from time to time in lawsuits and regulatory actions (including environmental matters) relating to our business and to our past operations. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such proceedings. An unfavorable outcome could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, regardless of the outcome of any litigation or regulatory proceedings, such proceedings are expensive and will require that we devote substantial resources and executive time to defend, thereby diverting management’s attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business. See Item 3, Legal Proceedings , for further discussion of pending matters.
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LIQUIDITY RISKS
Our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be adversely affected by the failure of financial institutions to fulfill their commitments under our Credit Agreement.
The Seventh Amendment to the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), which matures on June 27, 2030, is provided by a syndicate of financial institutions, with each institution agreeing severally (and not jointly) to make revolving credit loans to us in an aggregate amount of up to $700.0 million in accordance with the terms of the Credit Agreement. In addition, the Credit Agreement provides for an increase at the Company’s option by up to $250.0 million. If one or more of the financial institutions participating in the Credit Agreement were to default on its obligation to fund its commitment, the portion of the facility provided by such defaulting financial institution may not be available to us. In addition, as of January 31, 2026, total borrowing availability under the Credit Agreement was $207.7 million. Failure to meet our debt covenants under the Credit Agreement may require the Company to seek waivers or amendments of the debt covenants, alternative or additional sources of financing or reduce expenditures. In addition, borrowings under our Credit Agreement bear interest at varying rates based on either the secured overnight financing rate or the prime rate, plus a spread. As a result, increases in interest rates, such as those we have recently experienced, could require a greater portion of our cash flow to be used to pay interest, which will negatively impact our net income and cash flow from operations .
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