Item 1A. Risk Factors.
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Our business involves significant risks. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC. The realization of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, growth and future prospects as well as our ability to accomplish our strategic objectives. In addition to the factors discussed in Item 7 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the risk factors below, global economic and geopolitical conditions and additional or unforeseen circumstances, developments or events may amplify the risks discussed below. In that event, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related To Our Business
Our historical growth may not be sustainable or indicative of future results.
Our historical rate of growth may not be sustainable or indicative of our future results. We believe that growth in net revenues, as well as our ability to improve or maintain margins and profitability, will depend upon, among other factors, our ability to address the challenges, risks and difficulties described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to successfully manage any such challenges or risks to our future growth. Any of these factors could cause our net revenues growth to slow or decline and may adversely affect our margins and profitability. Even if our net revenues increase, we expect that our growth rate could be negatively impacted due to a number of other reasons, including if there is a slowdown in the growth of demand for our products, increased competition, a decrease in the growth or reduction in the size of our overall market or if we cannot capitalize on growth opportunities. Failure to grow our net revenues or improve or maintain margins would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should not rely on our historical rate of growth as an indication of our future performance.
If we fail to manage the expansion of our business effectively, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
To manage the expansion of our business effectively, we must continue to implement our operational plans and strategies, improve and expand our infrastructure of people and information systems and expand, train and manage our employee base. We face significant competition for personnel, including in Southern California, where our headquarters is located, and in Goodyear, Arizona, where our fulfillment center is located. To attract top talent, we may need to increase our employee compensation levels to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talented employees. In addition, we could be required to continue to expand certain departments, to upgrade our management information systems and other processes and technology and to obtain more space for our workforce. Additionally, the growth of our business places significant demands on our existing management and other employees. Failure to manage our employee base and hiring needs effectively, including successfully integrating our new hires, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we are required to manage relationships with a growing number of customers, suppliers, manufacturers and other third parties. If we are unable to expand supply, manufacturing and distribution capabilities when required, or our information technology systems and our other processes are inadequate to support the future growth of these relationships, we could experience, and from time to time have experienced, delays in customer service and order response and shipping times, which could adversely impact our reputation and brand. If we are unable to manage the growth of our organization effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have not always been profitable and may not be profitable in the future.
We have not always been profitable. We expect our operating expenses to increase in the future as we increase our sales and marketing efforts, continue to invest in developing new products, including new fabrics, hire additional personnel as needed, expand our operating infrastructure, Community Hubs footprint and TEAMS capabilities, and expand into new geographies. Further, as a public company, we incur additional legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. Additionally, stock-based compensation expense related to equity awards has been, and may from time to time be, a significant expense in future periods, which impacts our net income. These efforts and additional expenses may be more costly than we expect, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to increase our net revenues to offset our increased operating expenses. In the future, our net revenues could also grow more slowly than in the past or decline for a number of reasons, including if we experience reduced demand for our products, increased competition, a decrease in the growth or reduction in the size of our overall market or if we cannot capitalize on growth opportunities. If
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our net revenues do not grow at a greater rate than our operating expenses, we will not be able to maintain the level of profitability that we have achieved.
Our success depends on our ability to maintain the value and reputation of our brand.
The FIGS brand is integral to our business strategy and our ability to attract and engage customers. Maintaining, promoting and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing and branding efforts and our ability to provide a consistent, high quality product and customer experience. Our brand may suffer if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image were to be tarnished by negative publicity about us, including our products, technology, customer service, personnel, marketing efforts, ambassadors or suppliers. Even isolated incidents involving our company, suppliers, agents or third-party service providers, or the products we sell, could erode the trust and confidence of our customers and damage the strength of our brand, especially if such incidents result in adverse publicity, governmental investigations, product recalls or litigation.
In addition, the importance of our brand may increase to the extent we experience increased competition, which could require additional expenditures on our brand promotion activities. Maintaining and enhancing our brand image also may require us to make additional investments in areas such as merchandising, marketing and online operations. These investments may be substantial and may not ultimately be successful. Moreover, if we are unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property rights in our brand, the value of our brand may be harmed. Any harm to our brand and reputation could adversely affect our ability to attract and engage customers and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to attract new customers, retain existing customers, or fail to maintain or increase sales to those customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects will be harmed.
Our success depends in large part upon widespread adoption of our products by healthcare professionals. In order to attract new customers and continue to expand our customer base, we must appeal to and attract healthcare professionals who identify with our products. If the number of healthcare professionals who are willing to purchase our products does not continue to increase, if we fail to deliver a high quality shopping experience or if our current or potential future customers are not convinced that our products are superior to alternatives, then our ability to retain existing customers, acquire new customers and grow our business may be harmed. We have made significant investments in enhancing our brand and attracting new customers, and we expect to continue to make significant investments to promote our products, including marketing campaigns that can be expensive and may not always result in new customers or increased sales of our products. These factors, in turn, have from time to time increased and may again increase our customer acquisition costs over time. As our brand becomes more widely known, we may not attract new customers or increase our net revenues at historical rates, or retain existing customers to the same extent as we have in the past. For example, our rate of new customer acquisition has fluctuated over time. If we are unable to acquire new customers or retain existing customers who purchase products in numbers sufficient to grow our business, we may not be able to generate the scale necessary to drive beneficial network effects with our suppliers, our net revenues may decrease, and our business, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
In addition, our future success depends in part on our ability to increase sales to our existing customers over time. A significant portion of our net revenues are generated from sales to existing customers, particularly those existing customers who are highly engaged and make frequent and/or large purchases of the products we offer. If existing customers no longer find our products appealing, are not satisfied with our customer service, including shipping times, or if we are unable to timely update our products to meet current trends and customer demands, our existing customers may not make purchases, or if they do, they may make fewer or smaller purchases in the future.
Moreover, our success depends in part on the condition of the healthcare workforce. There have been reports of elevated fatigue and stress among workers in the healthcare industry, which we believe may have impacted customer purchasing behavior from time to time. As a replenishment-driven healthcare apparel brand, demand for our products may be impacted by healthcare workforce-related stress, including if the number of employed healthcare workers were to decline.
If we are unable to attract new customers or our existing customers decrease their spending on the products we offer or fail to make repeat purchases of our products, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects will be harmed.
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If our marketing efforts are not successful, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
We create differentiated brand marketing content and utilize performance marketing to drive customers from awareness to consideration to conversion, and promoting awareness of our brand and products is important to our ability to grow our business, drive customer engagement and attract new customers. Our marketing strategy includes brand marketing campaigns across platforms, including email, digital, display, site, direct-mail, commercials, social media, out-of-home campaigns, ambassadors and celebrities, as well as performance marketing efforts, including retargeting, paid search and product listing advertisements, paid social media advertisements, search engine optimization, personalized emails and mobile push notifications through our mobile app.
We have historically also benefited from social media, customer referrals and word of mouth to advertise our brand. Social networks are important as a source of new customers and as a means by which to connect with existing customers, and such importance may be increasing. In addition, we have implemented grassroots marketing efforts such as engaging with local healthcare professionals, some of whom we refer to as our ambassadors, to assist us by introducing our brand and culture to their communities. Our social media and grassroots efforts must be tailored to each particular market, which requires substantial efforts as we enter new markets, as well as ongoing attention and resources. We also seek to engage with our customers and build awareness of our brands through sponsoring unique events and experiences. If our marketing efforts and messaging are not appropriately tailored to and accepted by the healthcare community, we may fail to attract customers and our brand and reputation may be harmed. Our future growth and profitability and the success of our brand will depend in part upon the effectiveness and efficiency of these marketing efforts.
We also receive a significant amount of visits to our digital platform via social media or other channels used by our existing and prospective customers. As eCommerce and social media continue to rapidly evolve, we must continue to establish relationships with these channels and may be unable to develop or maintain these relationships on acceptable terms. In addition, we currently receive a significant number of visits to our website and mobile app via search engine results. Search engines frequently change the algorithms that determine the ranking and display of results of a user’s search, which could reduce the number of visits to our website, in turn reducing new customer acquisition and adversely affecting our results of operations. If we are unable to cost-effectively drive traffic to our digital platform, our ability to acquire new customers and our financial condition would suffer. Email marketing efforts are also important to our marketing efforts. If we are unable to successfully deliver emails to our customers or if our customers do not engage with our emails, whether out of choice, because those emails are marked as low priority or spam or for other reasons, our business could be adversely affected.
We also have and may in the future adjust our marketing activity, techniques and spend from period to period or within a period as we launch new campaigns or offerings, or for other reasons. Because of these adjustments and because marketing initiatives may become increasingly expensive, generating a meaningful return on those initiatives may be difficult or unpredictable. Moreover, even if we successfully increase net revenues as a result of our marketing efforts, it may not offset the additional marketing expenses we incur.
If our marketing efforts are not successful in promoting awareness of our products, driving customer engagement or attracting new customers, or if we are not able to cost-effectively manage our marketing expenses, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our business depends on our ability to maintain a strong community of engaged customers and ambassadors, including through the use of social media. We may not be able to maintain and enhance our brand if we experience negative publicity related to our marketing efforts or use of social media, fail to maintain and grow our network of ambassadors or otherwise fail to meet our customers’ expectations.
We partner with ambassadors to help raise awareness of our brand and engage with our community. Our ability to maintain relationships with our existing ambassadors and to identify new ambassadors is critical to expanding and maintaining our customer base. As our market becomes increasingly competitive or as we expand internationally, recruiting and maintaining new ambassadors may become increasingly difficult. If we are not able to develop and maintain strong relationships with our ambassador network, our ability to promote and maintain awareness of our brand may be adversely affected. Further, if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We and our ambassadors use third-party social media platforms to raise awareness of our brand and engage with our community. As existing social media platforms evolve and new platforms develop, we and our ambassadors must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on emerging popular social media platforms. If
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we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools, our ability to acquire new customers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations governing the use of these platforms evolve, any failure by us, our ambassadors, our sponsors or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, an increase in the use of social media for product promotion and marketing may cause an increase in the burden on us to monitor compliance of such materials, and increase the risk that such materials could contain problematic product or marketing claims in violation of applicable regulations. For example, in some cases, the Federal Trade Commission has sought enforcement action where an endorsement has failed to clearly and conspicuously disclose a financial relationship or material connection between an influencer and an advertiser.
Our ambassadors could engage in behavior or use their platforms in a manner that reflects poorly on our brand or is in violation of applicable regulations or platform terms of service, and may be attributed to us. Negative commentary regarding us, our products or ambassadors and other third parties who are affiliated with us, whether accurate or not, may be publicized, including on social media platforms, at any time and may adversely affect our reputation, brand and business. The harm may be immediate, without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, customer complaints or negative publicity related to our website, mobile app, Community Hubs, products, product delivery times, customer data handling, marketing efforts, security practices or customer support, especially on blogs and social media, could diminish customer loyalty and community engagement.
If we do not continue to successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our sales and profitability.
We are an apparel and lifestyle brand for healthcare professionals. As a result, our success depends in part on our ability to create apparel for healthcare professionals, as well as to anticipate and react to changing customer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing customer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. If we do not continue to introduce new products or innovations on existing products in a timely manner or our existing or new products or innovations are not accepted by our customers, or if our competitors introduce similar products in a more timely fashion, our brand or our position as a leader in healthcare apparel could be harmed.
Further, our new products and innovations, including to fit, style, and fabric, on existing and future products, may not, and from time to time have not, received the same level of customer acceptance as our products or innovations have in the past. Customer preferences could change, especially as we expand our product offerings beyond our core scrubwear, and our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. If we fail to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing customer preferences or if customers do not accept our new products or innovations, including to fit, style and fabric, we could experience, among other things, lower sales, excess inventory or inventory shortages, markdowns and write-offs, increases in donations by us, and diminished brand loyalty, some of which have occurred from time to time and could occur again in the future. Even if we are successful in anticipating customer needs and preferences, our ability to adequately address those needs and preferences will in part depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high quality products and designs and maintain our distinctive brand identity as we expand the range of products we offer. A failure to effectively introduce new products or innovations on existing products that appeal to our customers could result in a decrease in net revenues and excess inventory levels, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The market for healthcare apparel is highly competitive.
We compete in the healthcare apparel industry, principally on the basis of product quality, innovation, style, price, brand image, distribution model, as well as customer experience and service. The industry is highly competitive and includes established companies as well as new entrants. Some of our competitors also have longer operating histories, larger market share and greater resources than we do.
We compete against wholesalers of healthcare apparel, such as Barco Uniforms, Landau Uniforms and Superior Group of Companies. Additionally, we compete with healthcare apparel specialty retailers, such as Scrubs & Beyond and Uniform Advantage, as well as digitally native brands such as Jaanuu, Mandala and Fabletics. We also currently and in the future may continue to face competition from other large, diversified apparel brands with name recognition and well-
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established sales, manufacturing and distribution infrastructure that choose to expand into the production and marketing of healthcare apparel.
Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain market share more quickly and effectively than we can. Similarly, if customers perceive the products offered by our competitors to be of higher quality than ours, or our competitors offer similar products at lower prices, our revenues may decline, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Many of our potential competitors promote their brands primarily through traditional forms of advertising, such as print media, and have substantial resources to devote to such efforts. Our competitors may also use traditional forms of advertising more quickly in new markets than we can. While we believe that our direct-to-consumer business model offers us competitive advantages, our competitors may also be able to increase sales in their new and existing markets faster than we do by emphasizing extensive wholesale capabilities and networks of retail stores, and many of our competitors have substantial resources to devote toward increasing sales in such ways. Competition may result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins or lost market share or a failure to grow our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our future success depends on the continuing efforts of our key employees and our ability to attract and retain highly skilled team members.
We are dependent on our ability to continue to identify, attract, develop and retain qualified and highly skilled team members. In particular, we are highly dependent on the services of our co-founders, Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, who serve as our Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, respectively, and who are critical to the development of our business, future vision and strategic direction. We also heavily rely on the continued service and performance of other members of our senior management team. If the senior management team, including any new hires that we make, fails to work together effectively or to execute our plans and strategies on a timely basis, our business and future growth prospects could be harmed.
Additionally, the loss of any key team members could make it more difficult to manage our business, including operations, research, development, production, marketing, design, merchandising, engineering and finance activities, reduce our employee retention and net revenues and impair our ability to compete. Although we have entered into employment agreements with certain key team members, these agreements generally have no specific duration and constitute at-will employment. We have not obtained key man life insurance policies on any of our senior management team. As a result, we would have no way to cover the financial loss if we were to lose the services of members of our senior management team.
Competition for highly skilled team members is often intense, especially in Southern California, where our headquarters is located. We may not be successful in attracting or retaining qualified team members to fulfill our current or future needs. We may experience difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. Failure to manage our employee base and hiring needs effectively, including successfully integrating our new hires, or to retain and motivate our current team members may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to international business uncertainties.
Our current operations and customer base are based largely in the United States, and our future growth depends in part on our ongoing expansion efforts outside of the United States. While we currently ship to certain countries in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, we have a relatively limited number of customers, employees and experience operating outside of the United States. We also have relatively limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices outside of the United States and cannot guarantee that we will be able to penetrate or successfully operate in any market outside of the United States. In connection with our expansion efforts, we have from time to time encountered, and may in the future continue to encounter, obstacles we do not face in the United States, including cultural and linguistic differences, differences in regulatory environments and market practices, difficulties in keeping abreast of market, business and technical developments and foreign customers’ differing tastes and preferences.
We may also encounter difficulty expanding into new markets because of limited brand recognition in those markets, leading to delayed acceptance of our apparel by customers there. In particular, we have no assurance that our
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marketing efforts will prove successful outside of the narrow geographic regions in which they have been used in the United States. The expansion into new markets may also present competitive, merchandising, forecasting and distribution challenges that are different from or more severe than those we currently face. As we expand into new markets and hire additional international employees, we will also be subject to a variety of foreign laws and regulations regarding employment, labor, and workplace practices, which may differ significantly from those in the United States.
There are also other risks and costs inherent in doing business in international markets, including:
• the need to adapt and localize products for specific countries to account for, among other things, different cultural tastes, size and fit preferences or regulatory requirements;
• difficulty establishing and managing international operations and the increased operations, travel, infrastructure, including establishment of local delivery service and customer service operations, and legal compliance costs associated with locations in different countries or regions;
• increased shipping times to and from international markets;
• the need to vary pricing and margins to effectively compete in international markets;
• increased competition from local providers of similar products;
• the ability to protect and enforce intellectual property rights abroad;
• the need to offer customer support in various languages;
• difficulties in understanding and complying with local laws, regulations and customs in other jurisdictions;
• compliance with anti-bribery laws, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”), and the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 (the “U.K. Bribery Act”), by us, our employees and our business partners;
• complexity and other risks associated with current and future legal requirements in other countries, including legal requirements related to medical apparel, customer advertising protection, consumer product safety, sustainability disclosure, artificial intelligence and data privacy and security frameworks, such as the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR;
• the potential need to utilize new suppliers or comply with additional regulations regarding our suppliers, supply chain or value chain;
• varying business practices and customs related to the sale of medical apparel;
• varying levels of internet technology adoption and infrastructure, and increased or varying network and hosting service provider costs;
• tariffs and other non-tariff barriers, such as quotas, local content rules and local import regulations, as well as tax consequences;
• fluctuations in inflationary conditions, which could increase our costs of doing business in certain countries;
• fluctuations in currency exchange rates and the requirements of currency control regulations, which might restrict or prohibit conversion of other currencies into U.S. dollars; and
• political or social unrest, economic instability or armed conflict in a specific country or region in which we operate, including, for example, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East.
Our failure to successfully manage these risks could harm our international operations and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Shipping is a critical part of our business and changes in, or disruptions to, our shipping arrangements have in the past and may in the future adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently rely on third-party global logistics and shipping providers to ship raw materials, receive inbound inventory to our fulfillment center and retail stores, and deliver our products to our customers. If we are not able to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these providers, or if these providers experience performance problems or other difficulties in delivering inventory, processing our orders or delivering our products to customers, it could negatively impact our results of operations and our customers’ experience. Furthermore, changes to the terms of our shipping
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arrangements or the imposition of surcharges, surge pricing or accessorials have in the past and may in the future adversely impact our margins and profitability. For example, volatility in the global oil markets, including as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and other wars or armed conflicts, and changes in global supply generally, have from time to time resulted in higher fuel prices, which shipping companies have from time to time passed on to their customers by way of increased fuel surcharges. We have from time to time experienced increased shipping costs as a result of these and other factors, and these costs may continue to increase in the future. We may not be able to or choose to pass such increases on to our customers in the future.
Our supply of raw materials and ability to receive inbound inventory efficiently and ship merchandise to customers, including at costs to which we are accustomed, may also be negatively affected by military conflicts, political or social instability, terrorism or global trade policy. For example, as a result of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, from time to time there have been disruptions in commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways. Global ocean freight traffic has also been impacted by the conflict and shifts in global trade policy, resulting in shipping delays, and volatility in freight costs, capacity and transit times. We have from time to time experienced delays in the delivery of raw materials to, and finished goods from, our manufacturers, as well as elevated ocean freight rates and shipping costs. To address these impacts, we have from time to time proactively sought alternative ways to ship raw materials and receive inventory, including selecting new vessel routes and ports, using increased air freight from time to time, pre-negotiating ocean freight shipping rates, and adjusting our product launch schedule to account for delays. If there are continued or increased hostilities in the Middle East or continued uncertainty surrounding global trade policy, there could be continued increases in shipping times and ocean and air freight rates, as well as other impacts to our supply chain, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the operations of our third-party providers have in the past been disrupted, and may in the future again be disrupted, by pandemics or health crises. Future pandemics, epidemics or outbreaks of an infectious disease may adversely affect workforces and supply chains globally, potentially impacting the operations of our third-party shipping providers, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, shipping delays for other reasons outside of our control. For example, weather, fires, floods, power loss, earthquakes, or other events specifically impacting our or other shipping partners, such as labor disputes or shortages, financial difficulties, system failures and other disruptions to the operations of the shipping companies on which we rely, may negatively impact our ability to ship raw materials, receive inbound inventory and ship merchandise to customers efficiently and cost-effectively. A strike, threat of a strike, work slow-down or other disruptions at any of our third-party global providers, other parcel carriers or by port workers at major international shipping hubs, including at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, New York and New Jersey, each of which we use to import our products into the United States, could also significantly disrupt our business. For instance, the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents workers at east coast ports, went on strike briefly in 2024, which caused us to select new vessel routes, use additional air freight and adjust our product launch schedule to mitigate delays. Additional strikes in the future could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are also subject to risks related to damaged or lost goods by our inbound and outbound shipping vendors, which have occurred from time to time. If our goods are damaged or lost during transit, or not delivered in a timely fashion, our brand reputation could be adversely affected. Our customers could also become dissatisfied, require refunds or other financial accommodations and/or cease buying products from us. In addition, some claims may not be fully covered under our insurance policies or exceed recoverable limits. We may also incur additional costs shipping replacement goods and in maintaining heightened customer support, which has occurred from time to time. In such cases, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we experience problems with our distribution center’s operational infrastructure, our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies could be harmed.
We rely on our sole fulfillment center in Goodyear, Arizona, which is leased by us and operated by a third-party logistics provider, for all of our product distribution. We also from time to time rely on several additional third-party storage locations to house inventory and for other logistics purposes. Our fulfillment center and storage locations include computer-controlled and automated equipment and rely on warehouse management systems to manage supply chain fulfillment operations, which means our operations are complicated, require coordination between our fulfillment, storage and retail operations, and are subject to a number of risks related to cybersecurity, the proper operation of software and hardware, including connections between software and/or hardware, electronic or power interruptions or other system failures, some of which have occurred from time to time. In addition, because all of our products are distributed from our
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Goodyear fulfillment center, our operations could also be interrupted by labor difficulties, or by floods, fires or other natural disasters near our fulfillment center or other locations we may use from time to time. We maintain business interruption insurance, but it may not adequately protect us from the adverse effects that could result from significant disruptions to our distribution system, such as the long-term loss of customers or an erosion of our brand image. Moreover, if we or our third-party logistics provider are unable to adequately staff our fulfillment center to meet demand or if the cost of such staffing is higher than historical or projected costs due to mandated wage increases, regulatory changes, hazard pay, international expansion or other factors, some of which has occurred from time to time and may occur again in the future, our results of operations could be harmed.
Operating a fulfillment center comes with additional potential risks, such as workplace safety issues and employment claims for the failure or alleged failure to comply with labor laws or laws respecting union organizing activities. Our distribution capacity is also dependent on the timely performance of services by third parties, including the shipping of our products to and from our facilities. We will need, and intend, to operate additional fulfillment centers in the future to keep pace with the growth of our business, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate suitable facilities on commercially acceptable terms in accordance with our expansion plans, nor can we assure you that we will be able to recruit qualified managerial and operational personnel to support our expansion plans. If we encounter problems with our operational infrastructure, our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory and fulfillment capacity, complete sales, fulfill orders in a timely manner and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies could be harmed, which could also harm our reputation and our relationship with our customers.
In addition, fulfillment center operations may also be disrupted by epidemics or pandemics. For example, like other similarly situated companies, we have from time to time experienced, and may from time to time experience in the future, inbound shipping delays of our product and labor shortages in our fulfillment center that impact our ability to fulfill orders on the timeline to which we have been accustomed. Any future pandemics, epidemics or other health crises may adversely affect workforces and supply chains globally, potentially impacting the operations of our third-party logistics provider, which could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
If we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand, manage our inventory and plan for future expenses, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
We base our current and future inventory needs and expense levels on our operating forecasts and estimates of future demand. To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must be able to forecast inventory needs and expenses and place orders sufficiently in advance with our suppliers and manufacturers, based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Our ability to forecast demand for our products has from time to time been, and will continue to be, affected by various factors, including unanticipated changes in general market conditions, economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions and geopolitical conditions, including as a result of changes in global trade policy. Failure to accurately forecast demand has in the past, and may in the future, result in inefficient inventory supply or increased costs. This risk may be exacerbated by the fact that we may not carry a significant amount of inventory and may not be able to satisfy short-term demand increases. In addition, if we experience increased shipping times from our suppliers and manufacturers and/or production disruptions, we may experience a shortage of products available for sale. Alternatively, if we advance the timing of inventory shipments to mitigate perceived freight transit time volatility and/or sales below our expectations, we may experience excess inventory levels. For example, faster than anticipated ocean freight transit times following our decision to increase weeks of supply during periods of ocean freight transit time volatility, and sales below our expectations as a result of inflationary pressure on consumer spending, have from time to time resulted in increased levels of inventory on hand, which has from time to time resulted in increased storage needs and costs.
We also routinely monitor and recognize excess or obsolete inventory write-off charges when appropriate, and inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would negatively impact our results of operations. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2025, we recorded an inventory write-off in the amount of $5.6 million arising from aged and obsolete inventory. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may also result in increases in donations by us or the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, some of which have occurred from time to time and which could cause our gross margin to suffer or impair the strength and premium nature of our brand.
Lower than forecasted demand could also result in excess manufacturing capacity or reduced manufacturing efficiencies, which could result in lower margins. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand, our suppliers and manufacturers may not be able to deliver products to meet our requirements, and we may be subject to higher costs in order to secure the necessary production capacity or we may incur increased shipping costs. An inability to meet customer
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demand and delays in the delivery of our products to our customers could result in reputational harm and damaged customer relationships and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Moreover, while we devote significant attention to forecasting efforts, the volume, timing, value and type of orders we receive are inherently uncertain. In addition, we cannot be sure the same growth rates, trends and other key performance metrics are meaningful predictors of future growth. Our business, as well as our ability to forecast demand, is also affected by changes in general domestic and global economic, business and geopolitical conditions, including inflationary pressures, tariffs and other trade barriers, and the degree of customer confidence in future economic conditions, and we anticipate that our ability to forecast demand due to these types of factors will be increasingly affected by conditions in international markets. A significant portion of our expenses is fixed, and as a result, we may be unable to adjust our spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in net revenues. Any failure to accurately predict net revenues or gross margins could cause our operating results to be lower than expected, which could adversely affect our financial condition.
Consumer confidence, shopping behavior and spending have been and may continue to be negatively impacted by factors beyond our control, including supply chain disruptions, inflation, tariffs, high interest rates, fear of recession or entry into a recession, geopolitical tensions and military conflicts, and healthcare workforce-related stress, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Macroeconomic conditions may adversely affect our business. While we believe our business is largely resistant to recessionary pressures due to the largely non-discretionary nature of scrubwear, consumer spending may decline if general economic conditions deteriorate, and demand for our products from time to time has been and may continue to be adversely affected. Significant risks and uncertainty in the global economy have emerged as a result of government policy decisions and geopolitical tensions, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, which have resulted in significant macroeconomic consequences. These have included increased fuel and energy prices and depressed financial markets from time to time, and as a result consumer behavior, confidence and spending patterns have been affected and may continue to be negatively impacted in the future. Other factors affecting consumers’ spending levels include, among others: high interest rates, the size and timing of federal stimulus programs, wages, levels of employment, inflation, recession and fears of recession or depression or entry into a recession or depression, housing costs, energy costs, income tax rates, tariffs, such as those implemented by the United States in recent years, financial market fluctuations, consumer perceptions of personal well-being and security, availability of consumer credit and consumer debt levels, and consumer confidence in future economic conditions.
Moreover, our success depends in part on the condition of the healthcare workforce. There have been reports of elevated fatigue and stress among workers in the healthcare industry, which we believe may have impacted customer purchasing behavior from time to time. As a replenishment-driven healthcare apparel brand, demand for our products may be impacted by healthcare workforce-related stress, including if the number of employed healthcare workers were to decline.
These factors and their impact on our customers’ spending behavior have from time to time impacted, and we expect some of these to continue to impact in the future, the demand for our products, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our reliance on a limited number of third-party suppliers to provide materials for and produce our products could cause problems in our supply chain and subject us to additional risks.
We rely on a global network of third-party suppliers to manufacture our raw materials, product components and products, and our raw materials, product components and products may be available, in the short-term, from a limited number of sources. While we currently utilize sourcing agent services to identify potential suppliers and manufacturers and to help manage such relationships, we choose not to enter into long-term contracts with any of our suppliers or manufacturers for the production and supply of our raw materials, product components and products, and typically transact business with our suppliers on an order-by-order basis. We also compete with other companies for raw materials, product components and production.
Our supply chain consists of a diversified network of global production partners spread across multiple continents. We source the vast majority of the fabrics used in our products from a limited number of suppliers in China, and we source the other raw materials and product components used in our products from suppliers located predominantly in the Asia
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Pacific region. We then work with manufacturing partners to produce our products in facilities located in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, China and South America. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the production of our finished goods was divided approximately evenly between suppliers in Vietnam and Jordan, and limited production also occurred in China and Peru. We continuously work to strengthen our sourcing and manufacturing capabilities, which from time to time includes diversifying manufacturing operations geographically and strategically refining our manufacturing base into high-quality manufacturing partners to improve product quality and consistency. We have also implemented, and plan to continue to implement as needed, various mitigation strategies in response to the sustained elevated U.S. tariff levels, which have included, and may in the future again include, adjusting the countries from which we source our products and renegotiating prices with suppliers, but we cannot be certain how effective these measures will be over the long term. These efforts may also subject us to additional risks and costs, which may adversely impact our results of operations in the short term.
We may experience a disruption in the supply of fabrics, raw materials or product components from current sources, and we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, if we experience significantly increased demand, or if we need to replace or discontinue our relationship with an existing supplier or manufacturer, which has occurred from time to time, we may be unable to locate additional suppliers of fabrics, raw materials or product components or additional manufacturing capacity on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or we may be unable to locate any supplier or manufacturer with sufficient capacity to meet our requirements or to fill our orders in a timely manner. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with its quality control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labor and other ethical practices. Even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or fabric sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products, and quality control standards. In addition, a dispute with, or disruption at, a significant third-party supplier or service provider, which has occurred from time to time, may impact our ability to produce, sell or fulfill our products. Our failure or inability to obtain alternate capabilities in a timely manner or on satisfactory terms could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our supply of fabric or the manufacture of our products could also be disrupted or delayed by the impact of global conflict or war, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East. Our supply of fabric or the manufacture of our products could also be, and from time to time has been, disrupted or delayed by the impact of pandemics, and the related government and private sector responsive actions, such as border closures, restrictions on product shipments and travel restrictions. As a result of these and other supply chain challenges, we from time to time contended, and may again contend with, delays receiving finished products from our manufacturers, reduced ability to keep certain products in stock and interrupted product and color launch schedules. In order to manage the impact of these disruptions and meet our customers’ expectations, we from time to time shipped goods earlier when possible, adjusted shipments to alternate origin and destination ports to avoid delays and used faster but more expensive air freight. We may from time to time need to continue to use more expensive air freight, which has in the past and may in the future increase our cost of goods sold. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or the manufacture of our products, or extended period of global supply chain disruption, could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower net revenues, increased cost of goods sold and lower net income from operations, both in the short and long term.
Moreover, our suppliers have from time to time manufactured, and may in the future manufacture, products that fail to comply with our technical specifications or that fail to conform to our quality control standards. Under these circumstances, unless we are able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenues resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs, as well as potential inventory write-offs and/or increased fees in connection with additional inspections of our products, which have occurred from time to time. Additionally, if the unacceptability of our products is not discovered until after such products are purchased by our customers, our customers could lose confidence in our products, and our business and brand could be harmed.
Our ability to source and distribute our products, including our ability to do so profitably, is impacted by global trade policy.
The United States and the countries in which our products are produced or sold internationally have imposed and may impose additional quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions or regulations, or may adversely adjust prevailing quota, duty or tariff levels. Countries impose, modify and remove tariffs and other trade restrictions in response to a diverse array of factors, including global and national economic and political conditions, which make it impossible for us to predict future developments regarding tariffs and other trade restrictions.
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The United States has announced and implemented changes to U.S. trade policy in recent years, including increasing tariffs on imports, in some cases significantly, and potentially modifying or terminating existing trade agreements, which, in certain instances, has prompted retaliatory trade measures by other countries. These measures have increased our product costs. The changes to U.S. trade policy and the tariff environment have also been dynamic, unpredictable and subject to ongoing modification. For example, in April 2025, the United States announced a new universal baseline tariff of 10% on all U.S. imports, plus additional country-specific tariffs applicable to certain trading partners, including Vietnam and Jordan. Since that announcement, tariff rates and effective dates have been adjusted on several occasions. In February 2026, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) to impose tariffs was not permitted, invalidating a significant portion of tariffs that had been in effect since April 2025. While the ruling struck down the IEEPA-based tariffs, it does not address the Administration’s ability to impose tariffs using other mechanisms. The Administration responded by invoking alternative mechanisms to impose a 10% global tariff and by expressing an intention to subsequently raise such tariff to 15%. The Administration also initiated trade investigations that could result in additional future tariffs.
The ruling, and the Administration’s subsequent actions, have created substantial uncertainty regarding the tariff environment, including with respect to (i) whether and to what extent refunds will be issued for tariffs previously collected under IEEPA, (ii) the timing and scope of any new tariffs that may be imposed under alternative legal authorities and (iii) the potential for further legal challenges to any such tariffs. Any prolonged uncertainty or volatility in tariff policy could disrupt our supply chain planning, increase our costs and adversely affect our ability to price our products competitively. Moreover, tariffs and other trade barriers, including those by other countries on the United States, could adversely impact demand for our products domestically and in international markets, which in turn could adversely affect our inventory levels. Given that substantially all of our products are currently manufactured outside of the United States, additional trade actions by the United States or other countries could further increase our product costs and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have implemented, and plan to continue to implement as needed, various mitigation strategies in response to the sustained elevated U.S. tariff levels, which have included, and may in the future again include, adjusting the countries from which we source our products and renegotiating terms with suppliers, but we cannot be certain how effective these measures will be over the long term. We have also increased prices on certain products, which could reduce the competitiveness of our products and adversely affect demand. If we fail to manage these dynamics successfully, net revenues, gross margin and profitability could be adversely affected.
Moreover, our products could be held for inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), which has occurred from time to time, in connection with the U.S.’s trade restrictions related to the Xinjiang region of China, or for other reasons. Although we have not experienced material shipping delays as a result of such inspections, future inspections could cause material delays and unexpectedly affect our inventory levels. CBP has also in the past and may in the future challenge or disagree with our classification of our imports, or our valuation or country of origin determinations. While we haven’t experienced material duty or tariff liabilities in such instances, such challenges could in the future result in material duty or tariff liabilities, including duties or tariffs on past imports, as well as penalties and interest.
Lastly, we cannot predict whether, and to what extent, there may be changes to international trade agreements, or whether, or to what extent, quotas, duties, additional tariffs, exchange controls or other restrictions will be changed or imposed by the United States or by other countries. Additional trade restrictions, including tariffs, quotas, export controls, trade sanctions, embargoes, safeguards and customs restrictions implemented by the United States or other countries, in connection with a trade war or otherwise could increase the cost or reduce the supply of products available to us or may require us to modify our supply chain organization or other current business practices, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. A trade war could also have a significant adverse effect on world trade and the world economy. Uncertainty surrounding international trade policy and regulations as well as disputes and protectionist measures could also have an adverse effect on consumer confidence and spending.
Merchandise returns could harm our business.
We allow our customers to return our products, subject to our return policy. We generally accept merchandise returns for full refund or exchange within 30 days of the original purchase date. Our net revenues are reported net of returns and discounts. We estimate our liability for product returns based on historical return trends and an evaluation of current economic and market conditions. We record the expected customer refund liability as a reduction to revenue, and the expected inventory right of recovery as a reduction of cost of goods sold. The introduction of new products, changes in customer confidence or shopping habits or other competitive and general economic conditions could cause actual returns to exceed our estimates. If actual return costs differ from previous estimates, the amount of the liability and corresponding revenue are adjusted in the period in which such costs occur. In addition, from time to time, our products may be damaged in transit, which can also increase return rates. Returned goods may also be damaged prior to or in connection with the
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return process, which can and has from time to time impeded our ability to restock and resell returned goods. Competitive pressures could cause us to alter our return policies or our shipping policies, which could result in an increase in damaged products and an increase in product returns. If the rate of product returns increases significantly or if product return economics become less efficient, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
The fluctuating cost and availability of raw materials could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to suffer.
We have from time to time experienced, and may in the future experience, fluctuations in the cost and availability of raw materials used in our products for reasons beyond our control. For example, our core scrubs fabric includes synthetic fabric, the components of which may experience price fluctuations. We have also from time to time seen increases in the cost of cotton, which we use in certain of our non-scrubwear products. Our costs for raw materials are affected by, among other things, weather, customer demand, high interest rates, inflation, geopolitical tensions, volatility in the commodities market, the relative valuations and fluctuations of the currencies of producer versus customer countries and other factors that are generally unpredictable and beyond our control.
In addition, the U.S. government’s presumptive import ban on materials mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang region of China, the source of a large portion of certain raw materials, including cotton and rayon, from time to time has impacted and may in the future impact global prices and availability of raw materials from which some of our products are made. Furthermore, the United States has in recent years imposed additional tariffs on products manufactured in China. Although we do not import raw materials or product components to the United States from China directly, these tariffs may lead to increases in market costs for certain raw materials and components generally, further exacerbating price volatility and supply chain disruptions. Increases in the cost of raw materials or unavailability of raw materials, including as a result of current or future tariffs, could adversely affect our cost of goods sold, business, financial condition and results of operations.
The operations of many of our suppliers and manufacturers are subject to additional risks that are beyond our control and that could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Substantially all of our suppliers and manufacturers are located outside of the United States, and as a result, we are subject to risks associated with doing business abroad, including:
• the imposition of new laws, regulations and executive orders, including those relating to our due diligence and disclosure of our supply chain as well as sustainability, labor conditions, quality and safety standards, imports, duties, tariffs and other trade barriers, taxes and other charges on imports, as well as trade restrictions and restrictions on currency exchange or the transfer of funds;
• political unrest, conflict or war, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East, terrorism, labor disputes and economic instability resulting in the disruption of trade from foreign countries in which our products are manufactured, and geopolitical tensions or conflicts affecting global trade or resulting in trade barriers or disputes among countries;
• reduced protection for intellectual property rights, including trademark protection, in some countries, particularly in China;
• disruptions or delays in shipments across our supply chain, whether due to port congestion, labor disputes, product regulations and/or inspections or other factors, natural disasters, including in connection with climate change, or health pandemics, or other transportation disruptions; and
• the impact of health conditions and related government and private sector responsive actions, and other changes in local economic conditions in countries where our manufacturers, suppliers or customers are located.
These and other factors beyond our control could interrupt our suppliers’ production in offshore facilities, influence the ability of our suppliers to export our products cost-effectively or at all and inhibit our suppliers’ ability to procure certain materials, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Any failure by us or our suppliers or manufacturers to comply with product safety, labor or other laws, provide safe conditions for our or their workers or use or be transparent about ethical business practices may damage our reputation and brand and harm our business.
We are committed to supporting our communities around the globe. Operating with compassion and integrity is core to our values, which makes our reputation sensitive to allegations of unethical or improper business practices, whether real or perceived. The failure, or alleged failure, of any of our suppliers or manufacturers to provide safe and humane factory conditions and oversight at their facilities could damage our reputation and brand, result in legal claims against us or cause us to seek alternate suppliers or manufacturers. For example, previously there were allegations relating to the working conditions at our Jordanian supplier, and as a result, we worked with that supplier to put measures in place that are consistent with our high standards. We also continue to shift some production to other countries as part of our supply chain strategy. These supply chain decisions may subject us to additional costs and challenges, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not control our suppliers and manufacturers or their business, and they may not comply with our guidelines or applicable law. Moreover, while we rely on our manufacturers’ and suppliers’ compliance reporting as well as contractual provisions in our vendor manual in order to comply with regulations applicable to our products, expectations of ethical business practices continually evolve and may be substantially more demanding than applicable legal requirements. The products we sell are also subject to regulation by the Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and similar state and international regulatory authorities. Product safety, labeling and licensing concerns may require us to voluntarily remove selected merchandise from our inventory. Such recalls or voluntary removal of merchandise can result in, among other things, lost sales, diverted resources, potential harm to our reputation and increased customer service costs and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Moreover, failure of our suppliers or manufacturers to comply with applicable laws and regulations and contractual requirements could lead to litigation against us or cause us to seek other vendors, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations.
Ethical business practices are also driven in part by legal developments and by groups active in publicizing and organizing public responses to perceived ethical shortcomings. For example, there are varying expectations across jurisdictions that companies monitor the environmental and social performance of their suppliers, including compliance with a variety of labor practices, as well as consider a wider range of potential environmental and social matters, including the end-of-life considerations for products. While we have taken efforts to assess our suppliers, expectations on these matters are evolving rapidly. Compliance can be costly and, in certain cases, require us to design supply chains to avoid certain regions altogether. Failure to comply with such regulations can result in fines, reputational damage, denial of import for our products, or otherwise adversely impact our business. In addition to evaluating the substance of companies’ practices, such groups also often scrutinize companies’ transparency as to such practices and the policies and procedures they use to ensure compliance by their suppliers and other business partners. If we do not meet the transparency standards expected by parties active in promoting ethical business practices, we may attract negative publicity, regardless of whether the actual labor and other business practices adhered to by us and our independent manufacturers are consistent with ethical business practices. Such negative publicity could harm our brand image, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We conduct business in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business there.
We source raw materials and product components from, and conduct limited manufacturing in, the People’s Republic of China. We also sell our products to customers in China and use Chinese-owned social media and payment platforms to market to and transact with customers inside China. Doing business in China and using Chinese-owned social media and payment platforms as tools for marketing, messaging and transacting with customers in China exposes us to political, legal and economic risks in China and elsewhere. In particular, the political, legal and economic climate in China is fluid and unpredictable. Our ability to do business in China may be adversely affected by changes in United States and Chinese laws, regulations and executive orders, including those related to taxation, import and export tariffs and restrictions, custom duties, social media, economic sanctions and export controls, environmental regulations, land use rights, intellectual property, currency controls, network security, employee benefits, hygiene supervision, consumer protection and other matters . For example, in recent years the United States imposed new tariffs on products manufactured in China and China has imposed retaliatory tariffs on the United States. While the U.S. tariffs on China only affect a small portion of our imports and we currently do not anticipate material impacts from China’s retaliatory tariffs, trade regulations are continuously evolving and we cannot predict additional near-term changes in global trade policy. Additional tariffs, future trade barriers or adverse changes in applicable laws could increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Moreover, the U.S. government has in the past implemented restrictions, and may implement further restrictions, which affect conducting business with certain Chinese companies. Continued changes in the relationship between the United States and China, including any new restrictions imposed on U.S. companies that do business in China or other changes that lead to restrictions on our ability to do business in China, may impact our ability to receive raw materials or finished goods from our third-party suppliers. If our vendors are unable to obtain raw materials or finished goods from the countries where we or they wish to purchase them, either because of such regulatory changes or for any other reason, or if the cost of doing so should increase, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Certain legacy trade restrictions related to the Xinjiang region of China could also impact our business. The U.S. Government has taken several steps to address forced labor concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, including sanctions on specific entities and individuals; withhold release orders (“WROs”) issued by CBP that prohibit the entry of imports of certain items from Xinjiang; and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which imposes a rebuttable presumption against U.S. imports of any items from Xinjiang and specifically targets the cotton and apparel industry as high-priority sectors for enforcement. We do not intentionally source any products or materials from the Xinjiang region (either directly or indirectly through our supply chain) and we prohibit our suppliers and manufacturers from doing business with or sourcing from any company or entity located in China’s Xinjiang region. However, the presumptive ban on virtually all imports from that region has from time to time affected and could in the future affect the global sourcing and availability of raw materials, such as cotton and rayon, used in the manufacturing of certain of our products and/or lead to our products being held for inspection by CBP and delayed, which has occurred from time to time, or rejected for entry into the United States, which could unexpectedly affect our inventory levels, result in other supply chain disruptions, or cause us to be subject to penalties, fines or sanctions. Even if we were not subject to penalties, fines or sanctions, if products we source are linked in any way to the Xinjiang region, our reputation could be harmed. If our vendors are unable to obtain raw materials or finished goods from the countries where we or they wish to purchase them, either because of such regulatory changes or for any other reason, or if the cost of doing so should increase, or any new restrictions imposed on U.S. companies that do business in China or other changes that lead to restrictions on our ability to do business in China, including near-term changes in global trade policy and additional tariffs or future trade barriers our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
In addition, with the rapid development of the Chinese economy, the cost of labor has increased and may continue to increase and our manufacturers and suppliers may be unable to find a sufficient number of qualified workers due to the competitive market for skilled labor in China. If the labor costs of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers increase significantly, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our ability to operate in China may also be adversely affected by epidemics or pandemics. For example, China from time to time has, and in the future may again, enforce broad lockdowns in response to pandemics or epidemics, which has affected, and may in the future affect, our third-party suppliers’ and manufacturers’ ability to timely deliver raw materials, product components and products to us.
Finally, the third parties we rely on in China may disclose our confidential information or intellectual property to competitors or third parties, which could result in the illegal sale of counterfeit versions of our products. If any of these events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We may be unable to execute on our B2B growth strategy.
Part of our business strategy involves increasing sales through our TEAMS channel. In so doing, we have established a strategic sales team and are enhancing our B2B infrastructure. There are significant expenses and risks involved with establishing these capabilities, including our ability to hire, retain and appropriately incentivize qualified individuals, generate sufficient sales leads, provide adequate training to sales personnel, grow our customer base and effectively manage a sales team. Additionally, our TEAMS business faces challenges such as longer sales cycles, the need to establish and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers, and the potential for significant customer concentration within the TEAMS business. We must also negotiate favorable contract terms, which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales capabilities, or our inability to generate sufficient sales leads, could impact our ability to scale our TEAMS business, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to execute on our retail growth strategy.
Our retail presence is an important part of our business strategy and we believe that a physical presence helps raise brand awareness and complements our online experience, offering customers an expanded omni-channel buying
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experience. We currently operate five retail stores across the United States and plan to open additional retail stores in the future. In so doing, we have entered into, and may in the future again enter into, long-term leases before we know whether our retail strategy or a particular geography will be successful. We also face a number of challenges in opening stores, including locating retail space with a cost and geographic profile that will allow us to operate in highly desirable shopping locations, hire in-store talent and expand our operations in a cost-effective manner, as well as potential design, construction or inspection delays. Even if we are able to secure attractive retail locations, the opening of new stores brings operational challenges. In opening stores, we must also provide our customers with a consistent experience, which presents additional challenges. Our stores may also be the target of theft or experience property damage. Any such incidents may result in a disruption to our retail operations and significant costs if not covered by our insurance policies.
In addition, operating retail stores creates supply chain, merchandising and pricing challenges, as we must select the right product mix for each individual store while managing inventory and maintaining fulfillment center infrastructure that appropriately supplies our stores. There can also be no assurance that our retail stores will achieve or maintain sales and profitability levels that justify the required investments. In addition, the failure of our retail stores to achieve acceptable results could lead to unplanned store closures and/or impairment and other charges. If this occurs, or if we are not able to manage or execute on our retail growth strategy, or if consumers are not receptive to the products, design layout, or visual merchandising in our stores, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Opening retail stores also subject us to costs and risks related to compliance with labor and employment laws. We may face significant exposure to changes in laws governing our relationships with our workforce, including wage and hour laws and regulations, fair labor standards, minimum wage requirements, overtime pay, unemployment tax rates, union protections, workers’ compensation rates, pension contributions, citizenship requirements and payroll taxes, which could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to be adversely affected. These laws also change frequently, exist at federal, state, and local levels, and may be difficult to interpret and apply. There is also a risk of potential claims related to discrimination and harassment, health and safety, wage and hour laws, criminal activity, personal injury, and other claims, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increases in labor costs, including wages, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Labor is a significant portion of our cost structure and is subject to many external factors, including unemployment levels, inflation, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage laws, immigration laws and policies, potential collective bargaining arrangements, health insurance costs and other insurance costs and changes in employment and labor legislation or other workplace regulation. From time to time, legislative proposals are made to increase the federal minimum wage in the United States, as well as the minimum wage in California and a number of other states and municipalities, and to reform entitlement programs, such as health insurance and paid leave programs. As minimum wage rates increase, related laws and regulations change, or inflationary or other pressures increase wage rates, we and our partners may need to increase not only the wage rates of minimum wage employees, but also the wages paid to other hourly or salaried employees. For example, hourly wages for employees of third-party logistics providers have from time to time increased as a result of inflationary pressures, and may in the future increase further, which could adversely impact our fulfillment costs. Any increase in the cost of our or our third-party partners’ labor could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increases in labor costs could also force us to increase prices, which we have done on certain products and which could adversely impact our sales. If competitive pressures or other factors prevent us from offsetting increased labor costs by increases in prices, our profitability may decline and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the job markets in Southern California, where our principal offices and the majority of our employees are located, and in Goodyear, Arizona, where our fulfillment center is located, are very competitive. If prevailing rates are driven higher by market forces or otherwise but we fail to pay such higher wages, we could suffer increased employee turnover, adversely affecting our business. While none of our employees is currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement, any attempt by our employees to organize a labor union could also result in increased legal and other associated costs.
A significant portion of our products are produced in Asia, with some of our products produced in China. Increases in the costs of labor and other costs of doing business in these regions could also increase our costs to produce our products and could have a negative impact on our operations and earnings. Factors that could negatively affect our business include a potential significant revaluation of the currencies used in these countries, which may result in an
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increase in the cost of producing products, labor shortage and increases in labor costs, and difficulties and additional costs in transporting products manufactured from these countries. Also, the imposition of trade sanctions or other regulations against products imported by us from, or the loss of “normal trade relations” status with, any country in which our products are manufactured, could significantly increase our cost of products and harm our business.
Additionally, as we expand into new international markets, we will be subject to a variety of foreign laws and regulations regarding employment, labor, and workplace practices, which may differ significantly from those in the United States. These may include requirements related to minimum wages, working conditions, overtime pay, collective bargaining, and other employment standards. We may also face increased competition for talent, labor shortages, and wage inflation in certain markets, which could increase our operating costs. Failure to comply with applicable labor and employment laws in international jurisdictions could result in legal claims, penalties, or reputational harm. Additionally, managing a geographically dispersed workforce requires additional resources and could increase our operational complexity.
Our sales and profitability may decline if product costs increase or selling prices decrease.
Our business is subject to pressure on costs and pricing caused by many factors. For example, from time to time, our gross margin has been impacted by higher freight costs, which we believe was as a result of inflation due, in part, to global supply chain disruptions. We continue to monitor the impact of inflation on raw materials, freight, labor, rent, and other costs in order to minimize its effects. A high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain current levels of gross margin and selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues if we are unable, or choose not to, increase the selling prices of our products in proportion with these increased costs.
Competition, constrained sourcing capacity and related inflationary pressure and pressure from customers to reduce the prices we charge for our products and changes in customer demand, among other factors, also impact our costs and pricing strategy. These factors may cause us to experience increased costs while also causing us to reduce prices. If we were to increase prices in response to increased costs, which we have done on certain products, we may experience reduced sales. Any of the foregoing could cause our operating margin to decline if we are unable to offset these factors with reductions in operating costs and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we do not successfully optimize, operate and manage the expansion of the capacity of our fulfillment operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
We rely on our sole fulfillment center in Goodyear, Arizona, which is leased by us and operated by a third-party logistics provider, for all of our product distribution. We also may open additional facilities in the future as our business expands. As we continue to add fulfillment capabilities, technology, warehouse capabilities and space, product categories with different fulfillment requirements or change the mix in products that we sell, our fulfillment network has and will become increasingly complex and operating it will become more challenging. Moreover, the expansion of fulfillment operations could result in significantly increased costs, expenses and/or shipping times, disruptions and complications related to inventory planning and product launch schedules, impeded customer service and reduced sales. The expansion of our fulfillment capacity from time to time has also put pressure on our managerial, financial, operational and other resources, as well as temporarily affected shipping times, caused shipping disruptions and resulted in increased costs. We cannot assure you that we will be able to locate additional suitable facilities on commercially acceptable terms in accordance with our expansion plans, nor can we assure you that we will be able to recruit qualified managerial and operational personnel to support our expansion plans. In addition, we may be required to further expand our capacity sooner than we anticipate. If we are unable to secure new facilities for the expansion of our fulfillment operations, recruit qualified personnel to support any such facilities or effectively control expansion-related expenses, our order fulfillment and shipping times may be delayed and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we cannot maintain our culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, teamwork and passion that we believe contribute to our success and our business may be harmed.
We believe that a critical component of our success has been our corporate culture. We have invested substantial time and resources in building our culture, which is rooted in passion, purpose and innovation. As we continue to grow, including geographically expanding our presence outside of our headquarters in Santa Monica, California, and maintaining the infrastructure associated with being a public company, we will need to continue to maintain our culture among a larger number of employees, dispersed across various geographic regions. Any failure to preserve our culture could negatively
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affect our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit personnel and to effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives.
Our credit agreement contains restrictive covenants that may limit our operating flexibility.
Although we have no outstanding borrowings under our existing credit facility, our credit agreement contains restrictive covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to transfer or dispose of assets, merge with other companies or consummate certain changes of control, acquire other companies, incur additional indebtedness and liens and enter into new businesses. We therefore may not be able to engage in any of the foregoing transactions unless we obtain the consent of the lender or terminate the credit agreement, which may limit our operating flexibility. In addition, our credit agreement is secured by all of our assets and requires us to satisfy certain financial covenants. There is no guarantee that we will be able to generate sufficient cash flow or sales to meet these financial covenants or pay the principal and interest when due under our credit facility. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that future working capital, borrowings or equity financing will be available to repay or refinance any such debt. Any inability to comply with the terms of our credit agreement, including failing to make scheduled payments or to meet the financial covenants, would adversely affect our business. See the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” for additional information regarding the terms of our existing credit agreement.
A downturn in the economy may adversely affect our business.
We believe that due to the largely non-discretionary nature of healthcare apparel, our business is largely resistant to recessionary pressures. However, due to our limited operating history, we have not experienced a sustained recessionary period and therefore cannot predict the effect on our sales and profitability of a prolonged downturn in the economy. Our customers are not immune to macroeconomic pressures and we believe such pressures, including high inflation, impacts the demand for our products. It is possible that a prolonged downturn in the economy in markets in which we sell our products may harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of, or investments in, new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies or products, or through strategic alliances, and the failure to manage these acquisitions, investments or alliances, or to integrate them with our existing business, could adversely affect us.
From time to time, we acquire or make investments in new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies, offerings or products, or enter into strategic alliances, that may enhance or augment our capabilities, expand our outsourcing and supplier network, complement our current products or services or expand the breadth of our markets. Acquisitions, investments and other strategic alliances involve numerous risks, including:
• problems integrating the acquired business, facilities, technologies or products, including issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls, policies and culture;
• unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances;
• diversion of management’s attention from our existing business;
• adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers, outsourced manufacturing partners and other third parties;
• risks associated with entering new markets in which we may have limited or no experience;
• potential loss of key employees of acquired businesses; and
• increased legal and accounting compliance costs.
We may be unable to identify acquisitions or strategic relationships we deem suitable. Even if we do, we may be unable to successfully complete any such transactions on favorable terms or at all, or to successfully integrate any acquired business, facilities, technologies or products into our business or retain any key personnel, suppliers or customers. These efforts could be expensive and time-consuming and may disrupt our ongoing business and prevent management from focusing on our operations. If we are unable to identify suitable acquisitions or strategic relationships, or if we are unable to integrate any acquired businesses, facilities, technologies and products effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
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Certain of our key operating metrics are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and any real or perceived inaccuracies in our metrics or the underlying data may cause a loss of investor confidence in such metrics and the market price of our Class A common stock may decline.
We track certain key operating metrics using internal data analytics tools, which have certain limitations. In addition, we rely on data received from third parties, including third-party platforms, to track certain performance indicators, and we may be limited in our ability to verify such data. In addition, our methodologies for tracking metrics may change over time, which could result in changes to the metrics we report. If we undercount or overcount performance due to the internal data analytics tools we use or issues with the data received from third parties, or if our internal data analytics tools contain algorithmic or other technical errors, the data we report may not be accurate or comparable with prior periods. In addition, limitations, changes or errors with respect to how we measure data may affect our understanding of certain details of our business, which could affect our longer-term strategies. If our performance metrics are not, or are not perceived to be, accurate representations of our business, if we discover material inaccuracies in our metrics or the data on which such metrics are based, or if we can no longer calculate any of our key performance metrics with a sufficient degree of accuracy, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of such metrics, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.
We may incur losses from fraud.
We have occasionally in the past incurred, and may in the future incur, losses from various types of fraud, including stolen credit card numbers, claims that a customer did not authorize a purchase and merchant fraud. As a general matter, we are liable for fraudulent credit card transactions. Although we have measures in place to detect and reduce the occurrence of fraudulent activity on our digital platform, those measures may not always be effective. In addition to the direct costs of such losses, if the fraud is related to credit card transactions and becomes excessive, it could potentially result in us paying higher fees or affecting our ability to accept credit cards for payment. Our failure to adequately prevent fraudulent transactions could damage our reputation, result in litigation or regulatory action and lead to expenses that could substantially impact our operating results.
Additionally, we have occasionally in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to fraudulent purchases by individuals or organizations purchasing our products in bulk with the intention of unlawfully reselling such products. We have also in the past been the target of, and may in the future be the target of, fraudulent websites with similar domain names or content to our website, that attempt to unlawfully divert our customer traffic to such fraudulent websites to defraud our customers. While we have procedures in place to detect and prevent such practices, our failure to identify those activities may adversely affect our brand and reputation.
Our business may be affected by seasonality.
Unlike the traditional apparel industry, the healthcare apparel industry is generally not seasonal in nature. However, due to our general historical pattern of sequential growth, as well as our decision to conduct select promotions during the holiday season, we historically have generated a higher proportion of net revenues, and incurred higher selling and marketing expenses, during the fourth quarter of the year compared to other quarters, and these trends could continue.
Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Data Privacy
System interruptions that impair customer access to our website or other performance failures in our or our third-party vendors ’ technology infrastructure could damage our business, reputation and brand and substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on information technology networks, systems and services, and our website and mobile app (collectively, “IT Systems”) to market and sell our products, manage a variety of internal and external business processes and activities and to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. We depend on our IT Systems for digital marketing activities, for electronic communications among our personnel, customers, manufacturers and suppliers around the world, and for our warehousing and order fulfillment operations. We face numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our IT Systems and data, including risks heightened by the misuse of artificial intelligence. Our website, portions of which are run through a third-party backend engine and other IT Systems, including those integral to our warehousing and order fulfillment operations and some of which are managed by third parties, may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers,
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telecommunication failures, user errors or catastrophic events. Our website and mobile app serve as an effective extension of our marketing strategies by exposing potential new customers to our brand, product offerings and enhanced content. Due to the importance of our IT Systems, we are vulnerable to downtime and other technical failures, which may be outside of our control. Further, any slow down or material disruption of our IT Systems, or the systems of our third-party service providers, or our website or mobile app has from time to time, and could in the future, disrupt our ability to track, record and analyze the products that we sell and could negatively impact our operations, shipment of goods, ability to process financial information and transactions, and our ability to receive and process customer orders or engage in normal business activities. Our third-party technology providers may also change their policies, terms or offerings from time to time, may fail to introduce new features and offerings that meet our needs as we expand, or may cease to provide services to us on favorable terms, or at all, which could require us to adjust how we use our IT Systems, including our website and mobile app, or switch to alternative third-party service providers which could be costly, cause interruptions and could ultimately adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our IT Systems, including those run by us or those of our third-party providers, suffer damage, disruption or shutdown and we or our third-party providers do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results. If our computer and communications hardware fail, or if we suffer an interruption or degradation of services, we could also lose customer data and miss order fulfillment deadlines, which could harm our business. Our IT Systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, cyberattacks, data loss, acts of war, break-ins, earthquake and similar events. Any failure or interruption of our IT Systems could harm our ability to serve our clients, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We also use complex custom-built proprietary software in our IT Systems. Our proprietary software may contain undetected errors or vulnerabilities, some of which may only be discovered after the software has been implemented in our production environment or released to end users. In addition, we seek to continually update and improve our software, and we may not always be successful in executing these upgrades and improvements, and the operation of our IT Systems may be subject to failure. We may experience slowdowns or interruptions in our website when we are updating it. For example, in the past we have experienced minor slowdowns while updating our website. Moreover, new technologies or infrastructures may not be fully integrated with existing IT Systems on a timely basis, or at all. Any errors or vulnerabilities discovered in our software after commercial implementation or release could result in damage to our reputation, loss of customers, disruption to our eCommerce channels, loss of revenue or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, if we expand our use of third-party services, including cloud-based services, our IT Systems may be subject to increased risk of slowdown or interruption as a result of integration with such services and/or failures by such third parties, which are out of our control. Our net revenues depend on the number of visitors who shop on our website and mobile app and the volume of orders we can handle. Unavailability of our website or mobile app or reduced order fulfillment performance would reduce the volume of goods sold and could also adversely affect customer perception of our brand. We may experience periodic system interruptions from time to time. In addition, continued growth in our transaction volume, as well as surges in online traffic and orders associated with promotional activities or seasonal trends in our business, place additional demands on our technology platform and could cause or exacerbate slowdowns or interruptions. If there is a substantial increase in the volume of traffic on our website or the number of orders placed by customers, we will be required to further expand, scale and upgrade our IT Systems. There can be no assurance that we will be able to accurately project the rate or timing of increases, if any, in the use of our website or mobile app or expand, scale and upgrade our IT Systems to accommodate such increases on a timely basis. In order to remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the responsiveness, functionality, features and accessibility of our website, which is particularly challenging given the rapid rate at which new technologies, customer preferences and expectations and industry standards and practices are evolving in the eCommerce industry. Our or our third-party vendors’ inability to continue to update, improve and scale our website or mobile app and the underlying technology infrastructure could harm our reputation and our ability to acquire, retain and serve our customers, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, we endeavor to continually upgrade existing IT Systems, and we may be required to implement new technologies or business applications in the future. The implementation of upgrades and changes requires significant investments. Our results of operations may be affected by the timing, effectiveness and costs associated with the successful implementation of any upgrades or changes to our IT Systems. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to buy products from us on their mobile devices, or if our customers choose not to buy products from us on their mobile devices or
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to use mobile products that do not offer access to our website or mobile app, our customer growth could be harmed and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We must continue to expand and scale our IT Systems, including our security systems, and our failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We will need to continue to expand and scale our IT Systems, personnel, security systems and practices to support recent and future growth. As such, we will continue to invest in and implement modifications and upgrades to our IT Systems and procedures. These activities subject us to inherent costs and risks associated with replacing and changing these systems, including impairment of our ability to fulfill customer orders, potential disruption of our internal control structure, capital expenditures, additional administration and operating expenses, acquisition and retention of sufficiently skilled personnel to implement and operate the new systems, demands on management time, the introduction of errors or vulnerabilities and other risks and costs of delays or difficulties in transitioning to or integrating new systems into our current IT Systems. These implementations, modifications and upgrades may not result in productivity improvements at a level that outweighs the costs of implementation, or at all. Additionally, difficulties with implementing new technology systems, delays in our timeline for planned improvements, significant system failures or our inability to successfully modify our IT Systems to respond to changes in our business needs may cause disruptions in our business operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to provide our customers a cost-effective shopping platform that is able to respond and adapt to rapid changes in technology.
The number of people who access the internet through devices other than personal computers, including smartphones and portable computers, such as laptops and tablets, has increased dramatically in the past few years. The smaller screen size, functionality and memory associated with some alternative devices may make the use of our website and purchasing our products more difficult. The versions of our website and our mobile app developed for such alternative devices may not be compelling to customers. In addition, it is time consuming and costly to keep pace with rapidly changing and continuously evolving technology.
As existing mobile devices and platforms evolve and new mobile devices and platforms are released, it is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in adjusting and developing applications for changed and alternative devices and platforms, and we may need to devote significant resources to the redevelopment, support and maintenance of our website and mobile app. The timing, effectiveness and costs associated with the successful implementation of any upgrades or changes to our IT Systems and infrastructure serving website or mobile device users may affect our results of operations. If we are unable to attract customers to our websites through these devices or are slow to develop versions of our website or mobile app that are more compatible with alternative devices, or if our customers choose not to buy products from us on their mobile devices or use mobile products that do not offer access to our websites, we may fail to capture a significant share of customers in the medical apparel market, which could adversely affect our business. In addition, in the event that it is more difficult for our customers to buy products from us on their mobile devices, or if our customers choose not to buy products from us on their mobile devices or to use mobile products that do not offer access to our website or mobile app, our customer growth could be harmed and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Our customer engagement on mobile devices depends upon effective operation with mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control.
An increasing number of our customers purchase our products through our mobile app. We are dependent on the interoperability of our website and mobile app with popular mobile operating systems that we do not control, such as Android and iOS, and any changes in such systems that degrade the functionality of our digital offering could adversely affect the user experience of our website and mobile app on mobile devices. Additionally, in order to deliver a consistent shopping experience to mobile devices, it is important that our mobile app is designed effectively and works well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks, and standards that we do not control. App store license agreements are also generally not negotiable, and we must be responsive to changing requirements under those agreements. Further, we may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing products that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks, or standards. In the event that it is more difficult for our customers to access and use our mobile app on their mobile devices or if our customers choose not to access or use our mobile app on their mobile devices or use mobile products that do not offer access to our platform, our sales and growth prospects could be adversely impacted.
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If proprietary, confidential or sensitive information or personal data about our customers is disclosed, or if we or our third-party providers are subject to real or perceived cyberattacks, our customers may curtail use of our website or mobile app, we may be exposed to liability and our reputation could suffer.
Operating our business and platform involves the collection, storage, processing and transmission of proprietary and confidential data, as well as the personal information of our employees and customers (collectively, “Confidential Information”). Some of our third-party service providers, such as identity verification and payment processing providers, also regularly have access to customer data. In an effort to protect Confidential Information, we rely on a variety of security measures, including encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties. However, advances in computer capabilities, increasingly sophisticated tools and methods used by hackers and cyber terrorists, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, machine learning, artificial intelligence or other developments may result in our failure or inability to adequately protect sensitive information. As a result, we may be unable to detect, investigate, remediate or recover from attacks or incidents, or to avoid an adverse impact to our IT Systems, Confidential Information or business.
Like other eCommerce companies, we (along with our supply chain partners and other third-party vendors) are vulnerable to hacking, malware, computer viruses, unauthorized access, phishing or social engineering attacks, ransomware and extortion-based attacks, credential stuffing attacks, denial-of-service attacks, bugs, misconfigurations, exploitation of software vulnerabilities and other real or perceived cyberattacks. Additionally, our workforce predominantly remains in a hybrid work environment, which has heightened the risk of these potential vulnerabilities. Cyberattacks are expected to accelerate on a global basis in frequency and magnitude as threat actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using techniques and tools. Any of these incidents could lead to interruptions or shutdowns of our platform, loss or corruption of data or unauthorized access to or disclosure of personal data or other sensitive information. Cyberattacks could also result in the theft of our intellectual property, damage to our IT Systems, operational disruptions, or disruption of our ability to make financial reports and other public disclosures required of public companies. There can also be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our IT Systems and Confidential Information.
We and our third-party vendors have from time to time been subject to cyber, phishing, social engineering, business email compromise and credential stuffing attacks in the past, none of which individually or in the aggregate has led to costs or consequences that have materially impacted our business; however, we and our third-party vendors may continue to be subject to such attacks and other cybersecurity incidents in the future. If we gain greater visibility, we may face a higher risk of being targeted by cyberattacks. Advances in computer capabilities, new technological discoveries or other developments may result in cyberattacks or other incidents becoming more sophisticated or obscure and more difficult to detect. We and our third-party service providers may not have the resources or technical sophistication to anticipate or prevent all such cyberattacks. Moreover, techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to systems change frequently and may not be known until launched against us or our third-party service providers. Security breaches can also occur as a result of non-technical issues, including intentional or inadvertent actions by our employees, our third-party service providers, or their personnel.
In addition, we and our third-party service providers may experience cyberattacks aimed at disrupting our and their services. If we or our third-party service providers experience, or are believed to have experienced, security breaches that result in marketplace performance or availability problems or the loss or corruption of, or unauthorized access to or disclosure of, personal data or confidential information, people may become unwilling to provide us the information necessary to make purchases on our website or mobile app. Existing customers may also decrease or stop their purchases altogether. Additionally, any adverse impact to the availability, integrity or confidentiality of our IT Systems or those of third-parties we rely on can result in legal claims or proceedings (such as class actions), regulatory investigations and enforcement actions, fines and penalties, and/or significant incident response, system restoration or remediation and future compliance costs. While we maintain cyber and errors and omissions insurance coverage that covers certain aspects of cyber risks, these losses may not be adequately covered by insurance or other contractual rights available to us. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceed or are not covered by our insurance coverage or changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The actual or perceived failure to comply with federal, state or foreign laws and regulations or our contractual obligations relating to data privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and consumer protection, or the expansion of current
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or the enactment of new laws and regulations relating to data privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and consumer protection, could adversely affect our business and our financial condition.
We collect, store, maintain and otherwise process significant amounts of personal data relating to our customers, business partners and employees, and we face risks inherent in both handling large volumes of data and in protecting the security of such data. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with any federal, state or foreign laws and regulations, or applicable industry standards that govern or apply to our collection, use, retention, sharing and security of data, could result in enforcement actions that require us to change our business practices in a manner that may negatively impact our revenue, as well as expose ourselves to litigation, fines, civil and/or criminal penalties and adverse publicity that could cause our customers to lose trust in us, negatively impacting our reputation and business in a manner that harms our financial position.
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) and many state attorneys general are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination, and security of data. Such standards require us to publish statements that describe how we handle personal data and choices individuals may have about the way we handle their personal data. If such information that we publish is considered untrue or inaccurate, we may be subject to government claims of unfair or deceptive trade practices, which could lead to significant liabilities and consequences. Moreover, according to the FTC, violating consumers’ privacy rights or failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers’ personal data secure may constitute unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. State consumer protection laws provide similar causes of action for unfair or deceptive practices. Further, privacy advocates and industry groups have regularly proposed and sometimes approved, and may propose and approve in the future, self-regulatory standards with which we must legally comply or that contractually apply to us.
In addition, many state legislatures have adopted legislation that regulates how businesses operate online, including measures relating to data privacy, data security, and data breaches. For example, California enacted the CCPA, which gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as statutory damages and a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The enactment of the CCPA has prompted other states to enact similar bills. For example, Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Montana, Iowa, Utah and Connecticut also maintain comprehensive privacy laws, and several other states have passed comprehensive privacy laws that will take effect over the next few years. Similar laws have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. We will be required to comply with these new privacy laws if our operations fall within their scope, which may increase our compliance costs and potential liability and may require us to make changes to our business practices.
In addition to fines and penalties that may be imposed for failure to comply with state laws, some states also provide for private rights of action to customers for misuse of or unauthorized access to personal data. Our compliance with these changing, increasingly burdensome and sometimes conflicting regulations and requirements may cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices, which may impact our financial condition. If we fail to comply with these regulations or requirements, we may be exposed to litigation expenses and possible significant liability, fees or fines. Further, any such claim, proceeding or action could harm our reputation, brand and business, force us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceedings, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, result in a loss of customers and suppliers or an inability to process credit card payments and may result in the imposition of monetary penalties. We may also be contractually required to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any laws, regulations or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection or any inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure of data that we store or handle as part of operating our business.
In addition to risks posed by new privacy laws, we could be, and have been from time to time, subject to claims alleging violations of long-established federal and state privacy and consumer protection laws. For example, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (the “TCPA”) is a federal law that imposes significant restrictions on the ability to make telephone calls or send text messages to mobile telephone numbers without the prior consent of the person being contacted. The TCPA provides for substantial statutory damages for violations, which has generated extensive class-action litigation. In addition, class-action plaintiffs in the United States are employing novel legal theories to allege that federal and state eavesdropping/wiretapping laws and state constitutions prohibit the use of analytics technologies widely employed by website and mobile app operators to understand how their users interact with their services. Despite our compliance efforts, our use of text messaging communications or similar analytics technologies could expose us to costly litigation,
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government enforcement actions, damages and penalties, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Further, some laws may require us to notify governmental authorities and/or affected individuals of data breaches involving certain personal data or other unauthorized or inadvertent access to or disclosure of such information. We may need to notify governmental authorities and affected individuals with respect to such incidents. For example, laws in all 50 U.S. states may require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal data has been disclosed as a result of a data breach. These laws are not consistent with each other, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach may be difficult and costly. We also may be required to notify consumers or other counterparties of a security incident, including a breach. Any such disclosures under state data breach notification laws can be costly, and the disclosures we make to comply with, or the failure to comply with, such requirements could lead to adverse consequences. Any actual or perceived security incident or breach, or breach of our contractual obligations, could also harm our reputation and brand, expose us to potential liability or require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to any such actual or perceived breach.
Outside of the United States, certain foreign jurisdictions, including the EEA, and the UK, have laws and regulations which are more restrictive in certain respects than those in the United States. For example, the EEA and the UK have adopted the EU GDPR or the UK GDPR respectively, which may apply to our collection, control, use, sharing, disclosure and other processing of data relating to an identified or identifiable living individual (personal data). Any violation of data or security laws, including the EU GDPR or UK GDPR, by our third-party processors, or their acts or omissions that cause us to violate our legal obligations, could have an adverse effect on our business and result in substantial fines and penalties. We may also face civil claims including representative actions and other class action type litigation (where individuals have suffered harm), potentially amounting to significant compensation or damages liabilities, as well as associated costs, diversion of internal resources and reputational harm.
We also may be subject to specific requirements with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data out of the EEA and UK. Recent legal developments in the EEA and UK have created complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal data out of Europe. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, and/or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, and/or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our products, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant systems and operations, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.
These recent developments may require us to review and amend the legal mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers to/in the United States. We could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, and/or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant systems and operations, and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are also subject to evolving privacy laws on cookies and e-marketing. Cookies are small data files that are sent by websites and stored locally on an internet user’s computer or mobile device. These laws have created intense scrutiny regarding Interest-based advertising, or the use of data to draw inferences about a consumer’s interests and deliver relevant advertising to that consumer, by legislative, regulatory, and self-regulatory bodies, privacy advocates, academics, and commercial interests in the United States and abroad that focus on consumer data protection and privacy. In particular, much of this scrutiny has focused on the use of cookies and other tracking technologies that collect or aggregate information about consumers’ online browsing and mobile app usage activity. In the EEA and UK, regulators are increasingly focusing on compliance with requirements in the online behavioral advertising ecosystem. As regulators, activists, consumer protection organizations and third parties increasingly enforce the strict approach in recent guidance, this could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. Regulation of cookies and similar technologies, and any decline of cookies or similar online tracking technologies as a means to identify and potentially target individuals, may lead to broader restrictions and impairments on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand users.
There is a range of UK and EEA laws and regulations concerning consumer rights and product liability that govern the sale of goods and services (including the way consumer products are marketed), both online and in-stores, that may be applicable to our sales operations. Such laws impose certain standards, including minimum contractual rights for
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the consumer (such as with regard to title and fitness for purpose) and with regard to the information that must be provided to a consumer, and also create product liability regimes that may lead to claims against us (including for personal injury).
Certain requirements from our third-party technology and platform providers could also cause us to modify our offerings or strategy due to privacy concerns or negatively affect our financial performance. For example, Apple iOS requires apps in the Apple App Store to opt in to the tracking of users across apps and websites owned by third parties for advertising and measurement purposes. Additionally, Google has at various times indicated its intention to block third party cookies in the future. As a result, we have had to, and may in the future again have to, develop alternative systems and methods to determine our customer's behavior, customize their online experience, and efficiently market to them. If the use of cookies or other tracking technologies are further restricted, regulated or blocked, if changes in technology cause existing tracking technologies to become less reliable or acceptable as a means of tracking consumer behavior, or if our alternative approaches are unreliable, the amount or accuracy of user information we collect could decrease, which could have an adverse effect on our targeted advertising and related activities.
As we accept payment cards as a form of payment, we are also subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI-DSS”), which is a security standard designed to protect payment card data as mandated by payment card industry entities. We rely on vendors to handle PCI-DSS matters and to ensure PCI-DSS compliance. Despite our compliance efforts, we may become subject to claims that we have violated the PCI-DSS, which could subject us to substantial fines, penalties, restrictions and expulsion from card acceptance programs, and which could adversely affect our business.
Any actual or perceived non-compliance with these rapidly changing laws, regulations or standards or our contractual obligations relating to data privacy, data protection and consumer protection by us or the third-party companies we work with could result in litigation and proceedings against us by governmental entities, consumers or others, fines and civil or criminal penalties for us or company officials, obligations to cease offerings or to substantially modify our business in a manner that makes it less effective in certain jurisdictions, negative publicity and harm to our brand and reputation, and reduced overall demand for our products, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Government regulation of the internet and eCommerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to comply with these regulations could substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws as well as regulations and laws specifically governing the internet and eCommerce. Existing and future regulations, laws and executive orders could impede the growth of the internet, eCommerce or mobile commerce, which could in turn adversely affect our growth. These regulations and laws may involve taxes, tariffs, data privacy and data security, anti-spam, content protection, artificial intelligence, electronic contracts and communications, customer protection and internet neutrality. Since taking office, President Trump has signed numerous executive orders, including some that revoke executive orders and actions from previous administrations. It is not clear how existing and changing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes and customer data privacy apply to the internet as the vast majority of these laws were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by the internet or eCommerce. It is possible that general business regulations, laws and executive orders, or those specifically governing the internet or eCommerce, may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. We cannot be sure that our practices comply fully with all such laws and regulations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation, a loss in business and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, customers, suppliers or others. Any such proceeding or action could hurt our reputation, force us to spend significant amounts in defense of these proceedings, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, decrease the use of our website and mobile app by customers and suppliers and may result in the imposition of monetary liabilities. We may also be contractually liable to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of our own non-compliance with any such laws or regulations. As a result, adverse
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developments with respect to these laws and regulations could substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Some of our software and IT Systems contain open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary applications.
We use software licensed to us by third-party developers under “open source” licenses in connection with the development or deployment of our proprietary software and expect to continue to use open source software in the future. Some open source licenses contain express requirements, which may be triggered under certain circumstances, that licensees make available source code for modifications or derivative works created or prohibit such modifications or derivative works from being licensed for a fee. Although we monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our platform to such requirements, the terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to develop or use our proprietary software. We may face claims from third parties demanding the release or license of the open source software or derivative works that we developed from such software (which could include our proprietary source code) or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of applicable open source licenses. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to publicly release portions of our proprietary source code or cease distributing or otherwise using the implicated solutions unless and until we can re-engineer them.
In addition, our use of open source software may present greater risks than use of other third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. To the extent that our platform depends upon the successful operation of open source software, any undetected errors or defects in open source software that we use could prevent the deployment or impair the functionality of our IT Systems and injure our reputation. In addition, the public availability of such software may make it easier for others to compromise our platform. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage and, if not addressed, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The use of artificial intelligence could adversely affect our business.
An increasing number of the IT Systems upon which we rely offer artificial intelligence capabilities, including those based on machine learning and large language models. We currently use third-party artificial intelligence tools to aid with certain business purposes, including in the operation of our Goodyear, Arizona fulfillment center, marketing efforts, data summarization and interpretation, coding, market research, asset development, administrative tasks and customer support.
We expect that increased investment will be required in the future to continuously improve our use of artificial intelligence technologies. As with many technological innovations, there are significant risks involved in developing, maintaining and deploying these technologies and there can be no assurance that the usage of or our investments in such technologies will always enhance our products or services or be beneficial to our business, including our efficiency or profitability. In particular, if the models underlying our artificial intelligence technologies are incorrectly designed or implemented; trained or reliant on incomplete, inadequate, inaccurate, biased or otherwise poor quality data, or on data to which we do not have sufficient rights or in relation to which we and/or the providers of such data have not implemented sufficient legal compliance measures; used without sufficient oversight and governance to ensure their responsible use; and/or adversely impacted by unforeseen defects, technical challenges, cybersecurity threats or material performance issues, the performance of our business, as well as our reputation could suffer or we could incur liability resulting from the violation of laws or contracts to which we are a party or civil claims. Further, use of artificial intelligence platforms by our team members, whether authorized or unauthorized, may increase the risk that our proprietary information will be unintentionally disclosed or undermine our claims to certain intellectual property.
Because we use artificial intelligence technologies licensed from third parties, our ability to continue to use such technologies at the scale we need may be dependent on access to specific third-party software and infrastructure. We cannot control the availability or pricing of such third-party artificial intelligence technologies, especially in a highly competitive environment, and we may be unable to negotiate favorable economic terms with the applicable providers. If any such third-party artificial intelligence technologies become incompatible with our IT Systems or unavailable for use, or if the providers of such models unfavorably change the terms on which their artificial intelligence technologies are offered or terminate their relationship with us, our business will be harmed. In addition, to the extent any third-party artificial intelligence technologies are used as a hosted service, any disruption, outage, or loss of information through such hosted
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services could disrupt our operations or solutions, damage our reputation, cause a loss of confidence in our solutions, or result in legal claims or proceedings, for which we may be unable to recover damages from the affected provider.
Any of the foregoing, as well as our failure to responsibly deploy artificial intelligence in our operations, the failure of, or overreliance on, artificial intelligence systems, or the failure of our team members to identify and/or rectify erroneous or problematic outputs from artificial intelligence tools, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
Any failure or inability to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our brand, weaken our competitive position and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, trade dress, design patent and other intellectual property laws as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. However, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate to prevent infringement of these rights by others, including imitation or counterfeiting of our products and misappropriation of our brand.
Our success depends in large part on our brand image. We believe that our trademarks, design patents and other intellectual property rights have significant value and are important to differentiating our products from those of our competitors and creating and sustaining demand for our products. We have applied for and obtained certain U.S. and foreign trademark registrations, design patents and design registrations and will continue to evaluate the registration of additional trademarks and designs and the application for additional design patents as appropriate. However, we cannot guarantee that any of our pending trademark or design patent applications will be approved by the applicable governmental authorities. Moreover, even if our applications are approved, third parties from time to time have, and may in the future, seek to oppose or otherwise challenge these registrations or other of our intellectual property rights. In addition, third parties from time to time have infringed, and may again in the future infringe, on our intellectual property rights. As a result, we from time to time have expended, and may again in the future expend, significant time and resources to defend or enforce our rights.
We also currently hold various domain names relating to our brand. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that are confusingly similar to our trademarks, or that otherwise have a negative impact on, the value of our trademarks and other proprietary rights. For example, we have in the past been the target of, and may in the future be the target of, fraudulent websites with similar domain names or content to our website that attempt to unlawfully divert our customer traffic to such fraudulent websites to defraud our customers. Any inability to prevent these practices could adversely affect our brand and make it more difficult for users to find our website.
Additionally, the expansion of our product lines and the geographic scope of our sales and marketing could pose additional intellectual property challenges. For example, certain foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights as fully as they are protected in the United States, and accordingly, intellectual property protection may be limited, or in some circumstances unavailable, in some foreign countries where we choose to do business. Thus, it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our intellectual property rights by other parties in these countries. If we fail to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished, and our competitive position may suffer.
Our fabrics and manufacturing technology may be imitated by our competitors.
We have obtained design patents in the United States and corresponding industrial design registrations in other countries on certain aspects of some of our product designs, and we have applications pending for additional design patents and industrial design registrations. In addition, our products are made using our proprietary blends of raw materials, fabrics and fabric treatments, which results in products unique to us; however, we do not own the intellectual property rights for the underlying fabric technology, fabrics treatments or fabrics. Our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our products is therefore limited. As a result, our current and future competitors may attempt to imitate our products and fabrics and do so at lower prices. If our competitors are successful in doing so, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
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We may incur costs to defend against, face liability for or be vulnerable to intellectual property infringement claims brought against us by others.
Third parties may assert claims against us alleging that we infringe upon, misappropriate, dilute or otherwise violate their intellectual property rights, particularly as we expand our business and the number of products we offer. These risks have been amplified by the increase in third parties whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims. Our defense of any claim, regardless of its merit, could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management resources. We cannot predict the outcome of lawsuits and cannot ensure that the results of any such actions will not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability or prevent us from selling some of our products. In addition, resolution of claims may require us to redesign or rebrand our products, license rights from third parties, cease using certain brand names or other intellectual property rights altogether or make substantial payments for royalty or license fees, legal fees, settlement payments or other costs or damages. Any of these events could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The inability to acquire, use or maintain our marks and domain names for our websites could substantially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We currently are the registrant of marks for our products in numerous jurisdictions and are the registrant of the internet domain name for the website wearfigs.com, as well as various related domain names. However, we have not registered our marks represented by our domain names in all major international jurisdictions. Domain names generally are regulated by internet regulatory bodies and may not be generally protectable as trademarks in and of themselves. As our business grows, we may incur material costs in connection with the registration, maintenance and protection of our marks. If we do not have or cannot obtain on reasonable terms the ability to use our marks in a particular country, or to use or register our domain name, we could be forced either to incur significant additional expenses to market our products within that country, including the development of a new brand and the creation of new promotional materials and packaging, or to elect not to sell products in that country. Either result could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, the regulations governing domain names and laws protecting marks and similar proprietary rights could change in ways that block or interfere with our ability to use relevant domains or the FIGS brand. Also, we might not be able to prevent third parties from registering, using or retaining domain names that interfere with our customer communications or infringe or otherwise decrease the value of our marks, domain names and other proprietary rights. Regulatory bodies have and may continue to establish additional generic or country-code top-level domains, or may allow modifications of the requirements for registering, holding or using domain names. As a result, we have and may continue to incur costs to register new domain names that use the name FIGS or “wearFIGS,” and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to register, use or maintain such domain names in all of the countries and territories in which we currently or intend to conduct business.
Risks Related to Other Legal, Regulatory and Tax Matters
We may face exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations.
While we currently recognize revenue from nearly all sales to international customers in U.S. dollars, sales by our wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary are denominated in Canadian dollars, and we may transact directly and recognize revenue in foreign currencies more broadly in the future as we expand offerings and operations internationally. Certain of our foreign operating expenses are also denominated in the currencies of the countries in which our third-party vendors are located. Because we conduct limited business in currencies other than U.S. dollars but report our results of operations in U.S. dollars, changes in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar may affect our net revenues and results of operations.
We also face remeasurement exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which, to the extent we transact in foreign currencies in greater volumes in the future, could hinder our ability to detect underlying trends in our business, impact our ability to predict future results and materially impact our results of operations. If fluctuations in currency exchange rates cause our results of operations to differ from our expectations or the expectations of our investors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
In addition, most of our products for sale in foreign countries are priced in the country’s local currency based primarily on an applicable currency exchange rate to the U.S. dollar, which we generally review and adjust periodically. To the extent the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to foreign currencies, prices for customers in foreign countries may be more
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expensive relative to that of competition in those markets and the general purchasing power of customers in foreign countries could be weakened, each of which may adversely affect our demand.
We do not currently maintain a program to hedge transactional exposures in foreign currencies. However, in the future, we may use derivative instruments, such as foreign currency forward and option contracts, to hedge certain exposures to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The use of such hedging activities may not offset any or more than a portion of the adverse financial effects of unfavorable movements in foreign exchange rates over the limited time the hedges are in place and may introduce additional risks if we are unable to structure effective hedges with such instruments.
Any failure to comply with trade, anti-corruption and other regulations could lead to investigations or actions by government regulators and negative publicity.
The labeling, distribution, importation, marketing and sale of our products are subject to extensive regulation by various federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission and state attorneys general in the United States, the Competition Bureau and Health Canada in Canada, as well as by various other federal, state, provincial, local and international regulatory authorities in the countries in which our products are distributed or sold. If we fail to comply with any of these regulations, we could become subject to enforcement actions or the imposition of significant penalties or claims, which could harm our results of operations or our ability to conduct our business. Certain laws, particularly relating to environmental, health and safety matters, may also impose liability without regard to fault or to the legality of the action at the time of occurrence. Any investigations or inquiries by governmental agencies could result in significant settlement amounts, damages, fines or other penalties, divert financial and management resources and result in significant legal fees. An unfavorable outcome of any particular proceeding could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the adoption of new regulations or changes in the interpretation of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs, difficulties in the marketing or sale of our products, the discontinuation of product sales, inventory write-offs, or increased donations, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our products are predominantly produced by third-party manufacturing and supply partners in foreign countries and territories, including countries and territories perceived to carry an increased risk of corrupt business practices. We are subject to the FCPA, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and possibly other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. These laws prohibit companies and their employees and third-party intermediaries from corruptly promising, authorizing, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything of value to foreign government officials, political parties and private-sector recipients for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, directing business to any person or securing any advantage. In addition, U.S. public companies are required to maintain records that accurately and fairly represent their transactions and have an adequate system of internal accounting controls. In many foreign countries, including countries in which we may conduct business, it may be a local custom that businesses engage in practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other applicable laws and regulations. We face significant risks if we or any of our directors, officers, employees, agents or other partners or representatives fail to comply with these laws, and governmental authorities in the United States and elsewhere could seek to impose substantial civil and/or criminal fines and penalties, which could adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our employees, contractors and agents, and companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations were to take actions in violation of our policies or applicable law, there could be an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any violation of the FCPA, other applicable anti-corruption laws or anti-money laundering laws could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, severe criminal or civil sanctions and, in the case of the FCPA, suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracts, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, responding to any enforcement action may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense costs and other professional fees.
Changes in tax laws may adversely impact our future financial position and results of operations. Our effective income tax rate could also change as a result of various evolving factors, including changes in the scope of our operations.
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Net income, sales, use or other tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time, or interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us, any of which could adversely affect our business operations and financial performance. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted in 2025 (“OBBBA”) resulted in significant changes to U.S. federal income tax laws. Uncertainty remains regarding the timing and interpretation by tax authorities in affected jurisdictions. These and other legislative changes could have an adverse impact on our future effective tax rate, tax liabilities, and cash tax.
Furthermore, over 140 member jurisdictions of the G20/Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) Inclusive Framework have joined the Two-Pillar Solution to Address the Tax Challenges of the Digitalization of the Economy as part of the OECD’s base erosion and profit sharing project (“BEPS”), which includes a reallocation of taxing rights among market jurisdictions and a global minimum tax rate of 15% (“Pillar Two”). Pillar Two remains under varying states of implementation among such member jurisdictions. Although many member jurisdictions have advanced Pillar Two by enacting legislation and issuing additional guidance in connection with the implementation of Pillar Two, this initiative remains under negotiation and continues to evolve. For example, in response to concerns raised by the United States, the OECD recently released a “side-by-side” framework under which certain U.S.-parented multinational enterprises may be exempt from certain Pillar Two rules. However, it is not entirely clear how the side-by-side framework will be implemented by member jurisdictions. Accordingly, the extent to which any such changes will ultimately impact our business is uncertain.
To the extent that changes in tax laws have a negative impact on us, our suppliers, manufacturers or our customers, such changes may adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Finally, changes in the scope of our operations, including expansion to new U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions, could increase the amount of taxes to which we are subject (including as a result of the implementation of Pillar Two) and our effective tax rate.
We could be required to collect additional sales taxes that may increase the costs our customers would have to pay for our products and adversely affect our results of operations.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2018 in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., a state may impose sales tax collection obligations on certain retailers, including eCommerce companies, that lack any physical presence within such state. The Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision has removed a significant impediment to the enactment of laws imposing sales tax collection obligations on out-of-state eCommerce companies, and an increasing number of states have adopted such laws. Although we believe that we currently collect sales taxes in all states that require us to do so, a successful assertion by one or more states requiring us to collect sales taxes where we currently do not collect sales taxes, or to collect additional sales taxes in a state in which we currently collect sales taxes, could result in substantial tax liabilities (including penalties and interest). In addition, the imposition of additional sales tax collection obligations, whether for prior years or prospectively, could create additional administrative burdens for us, put us at a competitive disadvantage if similar obligations are not imposed on our competitors and decrease our future sales, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards may be limited.
As of December 31, 2025, we had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $1.0 million and $1.1 million, respectively. Unused U.S. federal net operating losses generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, will not expire and may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal net operating loss carryforwards in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80% of taxable income. Our ability to utilize our federal net operating carryforwards may be limited under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The limitations apply if we experience an “ownership change,” which is generally defined as a greater than 50 percentage point change (by value) in the ownership of our equity by certain stockholders over a rolling three-year period. Similar provisions of state tax law may also apply to limit the use of our state net operating loss carryforwards. We have previously experienced ownership changes, and although such prior ownership changes have not materially limited our utilization of affected net operating loss carryforwards, future changes in our stock ownership, which may be outside of our control, may trigger an ownership change that materially impacts our ability to utilize pre-change net operating loss carryforwards. In addition, there may be periods during which the use of net operating loss carryforwards is suspended or otherwise limited. Accordingly, our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards to offset taxable income may be subject to such limitations or special rules that apply at the state level, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
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Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
Our stock price has been volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance, resulting in substantial losses for investors.
The market price of our Class A common stock has fluctuated significantly since our initial public offering (“IPO”), and may continue to fluctuate in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations;
• the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;
• failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our company, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, results of operations or capital commitments;
• changes in stock market valuations and operating performance of other healthcare and technology companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;
• price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;
• changes in our board of directors or management;
• sales of large blocks of our Class A common stock, including sales by our co-founders or our other executive officers or directors;
• lawsuits threatened or filed against us;
• anticipated or actual changes in laws, regulations or government policies applicable to our business, including executive orders;
• changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities;
• short sales (or concerted efforts by short sellers to spread negative information in order to gain a market advantage), hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock;
• general economic conditions in the United States and globally, such as a continued increase in inflation rates or interest rates and the impact of tariffs and other trade barriers;
• other geopolitical events, conflicts or factors, including those resulting from war (such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflict in the Middle East), pandemics, incidents of terrorism or responses to these events, adverse weather events and climate conditions; and
• the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The stock market has recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of companies have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to their results of operations. Market fluctuations have resulted and could continue to result in extreme volatility in the price of shares of our Class A common stock, which could cause a decline in the value of your investment. Price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of shares of our Class A common stock is low.
Furthermore, short sellers may engage in manipulative activity intended to drive down the market price of target company stock. We have in the past been the subject of a short seller report containing certain allegations against us. While we reviewed the allegations in such report and believe them to be unsubstantiated, we may in the future become subject to additional unfavorable reports, which may cause us to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and may lead to increased volatility in the price of our Class A common stock.
In the past, following periods of volatility, stockholders have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against companies, and such litigation has been filed against us as well. This or future litigation against us could result in substantial costs, divert management’s attention and resources, and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our quarterly results of operations have from time to time, and may in the future fluctuate, and if our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the guidance that we have provided to the public or the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, the trading price of our Class A common stock may decline.
Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, many of which are beyond our control. These reasons include those described in these risk factors as well as the following:
• fluctuations in product mix;
• our ability to effectively launch and manage new products;
• fluctuations in the levels or quality of inventory;
• fluctuations in capacity as we expand our operations;
• our success in engaging existing customers and attracting new customers;
• the amount and timing of our operating expenses;
• the timing and success of new products launches;
• the impact of competitive developments and our response to those developments;
• our ability to manage our existing business and future growth; and
• economic and market conditions, particularly those affecting our industry.
Fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations from time to time have caused, and may again in the future cause, those results to fall below the guidance that we have provided to the public or the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, which has from time to time caused, and may again in the future cause, the trading price of our Class A common stock to decline. Fluctuations in our results could also cause a number of other problems. For example, analysts or investors might change their models for valuing our Class A common stock, we could experience short-term liquidity issues, our ability to retain or attract key personnel may diminish and other unanticipated issues may arise.
In addition, we believe that our quarterly results of operations may vary in the future and that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations may not always be meaningful. You should not rely on the results of one quarter as an indication of future performance.
Sales, directly or indirectly, of a substantial amount of our Class A common stock in the public markets by our existing security holders may cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock into the public market, particularly sales by our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline. All of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise or vesting and settlement of equity grants under our equity plans are registered for public resale under the Securities Act and may be resold in the public market, subject, in the case of shares held by our affiliates, to the limitations under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. Further, Baron Capital Management, Inc. (“BCM”) and BAMCO, Inc. (“BAMCO” and, together with BCM, “Baron”) have rights, subject to certain conditions, to require us to file registration statements for the public resale of up to approximately 59,959,449 shares owned by Baron and its affiliates or to include such shares in registration statements that we may file for us or other stockholders. Many of our existing security holders have substantial unrecognized gains on the value of the equity they hold and may take steps to sell their shares or otherwise secure or limit their risk exposure to the value of their unrecognized gains on those shares. We are unable to predict the timing or effect of such sales on the market price of our Class A common stock.
The dual-class structure of our common stock, the voting agreement among us and our co-founders, Heather Hasson and Trina Spear, and certain related persons and trusts, and the stockholders agreement among us, Baron Capital Management, Inc. and BAMCO, may limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters, including the election of directors and the approval of any change of control transaction.
Our Class B common stock has 20 votes per share and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. All outstanding shares of our Class B common stock are held by our co-founders, Mses. Hasson and Spear, who also serve as our Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, respectively. These holders represent a majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock as of the date hereof and have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of any change of control transaction.
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Future transfers by holders of Class B common stock will generally result in those shares converting to Class A common stock, subject to limited exceptions, such as certain transfers effected for estate planning purposes. The conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock will have the effect, over time, of increasing the relative voting power of those holders of Class B common stock who retain their shares in the long term.
We, Mses. Hasson and Spear and certain related persons and trusts are also party to a voting agreement (the “Voting Agreement”) with respect to the election of directors. This concentrated control limits or precludes our stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or other major corporate transaction requiring stockholder approval. This may also prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
In addition, we are party to a stockholders agreement with Baron, which, along with its affiliates, own a significant portion of our Class A common stock. Under the stockholders agreement, Baron has agreed to vote certain shares of our Class A common stock that it and its affiliates own in excess of twenty-five percent (25%) of our outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock in favor of all persons nominated to serve as directors of the Company by the board of directors of the Company. This may further preclude our stockholders’ ability to influence the election of directors.
The dual-class structure of our common stock may adversely affect the trading market for our Class A common stock.
We cannot predict whether our dual-class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with dual-class or multi-class share structures in certain of their indices. In July 2017 to April 2023, S&P Dow Jones excluded companies with multiple share classes from the S&P Composite 1500 (composed of the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600). Indices have discretion to reassess and implement such policies with respect to multi-class differing voting right structures. Under any such policies, our multi-class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in any of these indices. As a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and, as a result, qualify for, and from time to time rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You do not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
As a result of the Voting Agreement, Ms. Hasson and Ms. Spear together control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock and we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:
• the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors;
• the requirement that our nominating and corporate governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;
• the requirement that our compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
• the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of our governance and compensation committees.
Accordingly, you do not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, the price of our Class A common stock and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If few securities analysts cover us, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our Class A common stock would be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our Class A common stock price would likely
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decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Class A common stock could decrease, which might cause our Class A common stock price and trading volume to decline.
We do not currently intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, as well as fund our share repurchase program, and we do not currently expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the terms of our existing credit agreement restrict our ability to pay dividends, and any additional debt we may incur in the future may include similar restrictions. In addition, Delaware law may impose requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock. As a result, stockholders must rely on sales of their Class A common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. As a result, investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our Class A common stock.
Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and depress the market price of our Class A common stock.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us or tender offer that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management. Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions include that:
• provide for a dual-class common stock structure in which holders of our Class B common stock may have the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets, even if they own significantly less than a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock;
• restrict the forum for certain litigation against us to Delaware or the federal courts, as applicable;
• our board of directors has the exclusive right to expand the size of our board of directors and to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
• our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered three-year terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board of directors;
• our stockholders may act by written consent until such time as holders of our Class B common stock beneficially own less than a majority of the voting power, at which time our stockholders will no longer be able to act by written consent and instead must take action at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders;
• a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the chair of the board of directors, the chief executive officer, or the board of directors, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
• our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
• our board of directors may alter our amended and restated bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval;
• the required approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our amended and restated bylaws or repeal the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors;
• stockholders must provide advance notice and additional disclosures in order to nominate individuals for election to the board of directors or to propose matters that can be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting,
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which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company; and
• our board of directors is authorized to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine the terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer.
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters and the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we otherwise consent in writing, (A) (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, other employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws (as either may be amended or restated) or as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers exclusive jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (4) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the law of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware; and (B) the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision shall not apply to claims seeking to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that it will enhance long-term stockholder value. Share repurchases could also increase the volatility of the trading price of our stock and could diminish our cash reserves.
In August 2024, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program to repurchase up to $50.0 million of our outstanding Class A common stock, with no expiration date. On February 27, 2025, our board of directors authorized an increase of $50.0 million in the share repurchase program, bringing the total authorization for repurchases under the program to up to $100.0 million of our outstanding Class A common stock. As of the date hereof, we have approximately $52.0 million available for future repurchases of our Class A common stock under the share repurchase program.
Although our board of directors has authorized this repurchase program, the program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of shares. The actual timing and amount of repurchases remain subject to a variety of factors, including stock price, trading volume, market conditions and other general business considerations. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of our Class A common stock at that time. In addition, the terms of our credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., impose conditions on our ability to repurchase shares. The share repurchase program may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time, without prior notice, and we cannot guarantee that the program will be fully consummated or that it will enhance
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long-term stockholder value. The program could affect the trading price of our stock and increase volatility, and any announcement of a termination of this program may result in a decrease in the trading price of our stock. Additionally, repurchases under our share repurchase program may have a net negative impact on our cash reserves and/or marketable securities, which could impact our ability to pursue possible strategic opportunities and acquisitions and could result in lower overall returns on our cash balances. Although our share repurchase program is intended to enhance long-term stockholder value, short-term share price fluctuations could reduce the program’s effectiveness.
General Risk Factors
Our estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, or at all.
Our estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates, as well as information obtained from internal sources, market research, publicly available information and industry publications. We believe that these sources and estimates are reliable but have not independently verified them and cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness. They may also not prove to be accurate, including as a result of any of the risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The variables that go into the calculation of our market opportunity are also subject to change over time, and there is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of addressable customers covered by our market opportunity estimates will purchase our products at all or generate any particular level of net revenues for us. Moreover, our success depends in part on the condition of the healthcare workforce. Our market opportunity may be subject to short term fluctuations, depending on changes in that condition, including if the demand for healthcare professionals continues to outpace supply or if the number of employed healthcare workers were to decline. There have been reports of elevated fatigue and stress among workers in the healthcare industry, which we believe may have impacted customer purchasing behavior from time to time. As a replenishment-driven healthcare apparel brand, demand for our products may be impacted by healthcare workforce-related stress, including if the number of employed healthcare workers were to decline.
In addition, our ability to expand in any of our target markets depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance and perceived value associated with our products and traditional medical apparel. Even if the markets in which we compete meet size estimates and growth forecasts, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, or at all. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, our forecasts of market growth should not be taken as indicative of our future growth.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises or other catastrophic events.
Our principal offices are located in Southern California, and our sole fulfillment center is located in Goodyear, Arizona. Each of our locations is vulnerable to damage, and natural disasters or severe weather, such as earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, droughts, floods and other adverse weather and climate conditions; unforeseen public health crises, such as epidemics and pandemics; political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war, a prolonged government shutdown and other political instability; or other catastrophic events, whether occurring in the United States or internationally, some of which have in the past and could in the future disrupt our operations in any of our offices and fulfillment center or the operations of one or more of our third-party providers or vendors.
Certain of these events may become more frequent or intense due to climate change. Climate change may also contribute to chronic changes in the physical environment, such as changes in ambient temperature and precipitation patterns as well as sea-level rise, which may also have adverse impacts on our operations. In particular, these and other types of catastrophic events could impact our merchandise supply chain, including the ability of third parties to manufacture and ship merchandise and our ability to ship products to customers from or to the impacted region, or generally. For example, pandemics or epidemics have caused and may in the future cause certain of our ocean freight providers, as well as some of our suppliers and manufacturers, to experience delays and shutdowns.
An increase in the frequency of such events may result in changes to the cost and availability of insurance. In addition, these types of events could negatively impact customer spending in the impacted regions or globally. To the extent any of these events occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
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We are subject to periodic disputes, claims and litigation that could result in unexpected expenses and could ultimately be resolved against us.
We have been, are and may in the future become involved in disputes, litigation and other proceedings, including matters related to commercial disputes, product liability, intellectual property, trade, customs laws and regulations, employment, regulatory compliance, data privacy, securities and other claims related to our business, as well as stockholder derivative suits. See Part I, Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information about material legal proceedings. We have also been subject to stockholder demands seeking access to the Company’s books and records pursuant to Delaware Code Title 8, Section 220. While we intend to vigorously defend against such claims, these or any other dispute, proceeding or audit could result in significant settlement amounts, damages, fines, penalties or other relief such as an injunction, divert financial and management resources and result in significant legal fees. An unfavorable outcome of any particular dispute or proceeding could exceed the limits of our insurance policies, or our insurance carriers may decline to fund such final settlements or judgments or all or part of the legal costs associated with the dispute or proceeding, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any such dispute or proceeding could negatively impact our brand equity and our reputation.
Our insurance may not provide adequate coverage against claims.
Our operations may expose us to product liability claims and litigation or regulatory actions relating to personal injury. We believe that we maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot or may not be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis. In addition, some of our agreements with our suppliers may not indemnify us from product liability for a particular supplier’s merchandise or our suppliers may not have sufficient resources or insurance to satisfy their indemnity and defense obligations.
We incur significant costs as a result of being a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to compliance with our public company responsibilities and corporate governance practices.
As a public company, we have substantial legal obligations, including under the rules and regulations of the SEC, the NYSE the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. These rules and regulations significantly increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming. In addition, our management team needs to devote substantial attention to interacting with public company analysts and investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies, which may divert attention away from the day-to-day management of our business. Increases in costs incurred or diversion of management’s attention as a result of being a publicly traded company may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could fall below the expectations of our investors and securities analysts, resulting in a decline in the trading price of our Class A common stock.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as discussed in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, equity, net revenues and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below our publicly announced guidance or the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our Class A common stock.
Our reported financial results may be negatively impacted by changes in GAAP.
GAAP is subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. FASB has in the past issued new or revised accounting standards that superseded existing guidance and significantly impacted the reporting of financial results. Any future change in GAAP principles or interpretations could also have a significant effect on our reported financial results
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and may even affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement or effectiveness of a change. It is difficult to predict the impact of future changes to accounting principles or our accounting policies, any of which could negatively affect our reported results of operations.
We are obligated to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and any failure to maintain effective internal controls may cause investors to lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our reported financial information and the market price of our Class A common stock may be negatively affected.
As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in our internal controls, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“Section 404”). Section 404 also requires that we provide a management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, including disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, Section 404 requires our independent registered public accounting firm to provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting on an annual basis.
Our compliance with Section 404 requires significant documentation, testing and possible remediation, requiring us to incur substantial costs and expend significant management efforts. We have engaged outside consultants, and have hired accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge needed to maintain the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404.
In connection with the implementation of the necessary procedures and practices related to internal control over financial reporting, we may identify deficiencies that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. In addition, we may encounter problems or delays in completing the remediation of any deficiencies identified by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the issuance of their attestation report. Our testing, or the subsequent testing (if required) by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses.
If we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, our management will be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm may conclude that there are material weaknesses with respect to our internal controls or the level at which our internal controls are documented, designed, implemented or reviewed. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm were to express an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting because we had one or more material weaknesses, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial disclosures, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline. Internal control deficiencies could also result in a restatement of our financial results in the future or restrict our future access to the capital markets.
Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.
We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We have designed our disclosure controls and procedures to provide reasonable assurance that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
We may require additional capital to support business growth, and this capital might not be available or may be available only by diluting existing stockholders.
We intend to continue making investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to support this growth. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our rate of revenue growth, the
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timing and extent of international expansion efforts and other growth initiatives, the expansion of our marketing activities and overall economic conditions. To the extent that current and anticipated future sources of liquidity are insufficient to fund our future business activities and requirements, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. Any debt financing secured by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited, and our business and prospects could fail or be adversely affected.
Failure to effectively and efficiently address environmental, sustainability, social and governance matters could adversely impact us.
There has been evolving public focus on a variety of ESG matters affecting public companies. Expectations regarding voluntary ESG initiatives and disclosures may result in increased costs (including but not limited to increased costs related to compliance, stakeholder engagement, contracting and insurance), changes in demand for certain products, enhanced compliance or disclosure obligations, or other adverse impacts to our business, financial condition or results of operations.
While we have, from time to time, engaged and may in the future engage in voluntary initiatives (such as voluntary disclosures, certifications or goals, among others) to improve the ESG profile of our company and/or products, such initiatives or achievements of such initiatives may be costly and may not have the desired effect. For example, expectations around our management of ESG matters continues to evolve rapidly. In addition, we may commit to certain initiatives or goals, and we may not ultimately be able to achieve such commitments or goals due to factors that are within or outside of our control. Moreover, statements that we may make or actions that we may take based on expectations, assumptions or third-party information that we believe to be reasonable may subsequently be determined to be erroneous or be subject to misinterpretation. Even if this is not the case, our statements or actions may subsequently be determined to be insufficient by various stakeholders, and we may be subject to investor or regulatory scrutiny on our ESG initiatives and disclosures, even if such initiatives were voluntary. In addition, we have established the FIGS Awesome Humans Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and any negative publicity, regulatory issues, or controversies related to the Foundation or its activities could harm our reputation and brand.
Further, certain market participants, including major institutional investors and capital providers, use third-party benchmarks and scores to assess companies’ ESG profiles in making investment or voting decisions. Unfavorable ESG ratings could lead to negative investor sentiment towards us, which could negatively impact our share price as well as our access to and cost of capital. To the extent ESG matters negatively impact our reputation, it may also impede our ability to compete effectively to attract and retain employees or customers, which may adversely impact our operations.
In addition, there has been varying levels of regulation, disclosure-related and otherwise in the United States and abroad, with respect to ESG matters, which we expect will continue. For example, various policymakers, such as the State of California, have adopted or are considering adopting rules that would require companies to provide significantly expanded climate-related disclosures, which may require us to incur significant additional costs to comply with, including the implementation of significant additional internal controls regarding matters that have not been subject to such controls in the past, and which may impose increased oversight obligations on our management and board of directors. Simultaneously, there are efforts by some parties to reduce companies’ efforts on certain ESG-related matters, such as by some state and federal policymakers. Both advocates and opponents to certain ESG matters are increasingly resorting to a range of activism forms, including media campaigns and litigation, to advance their perspectives. There has also been an increase in litigation in opposition to certain ESG or human capital management initiatives, such as alleging that corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs may discriminate against certain individuals or groups. To the extent we are subject to such activism or challenges, it may require us to incur costs or otherwise adversely impact our business. These and other changes in stakeholder expectations may also lead to increased costs and scrutiny that could heighten all of the risks identified in this risk factor. Additionally, many of our suppliers may be subject to similar expectations, which may augment or create additional risks.
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