As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on October 18, 2005

Registration No. 333-        

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Zumiez Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Washington

 

5600

 

91-1040022

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B
Everett, WA 98203
(425) 551-1500

(Address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Richard M. Brooks
President and Chief Executive Officer
Zumiez Inc.
6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B
Everett, WA 98203

(Name, address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Gary J. Kocher, Esq.
Chris K. Visser, Esq.
Preston Gates & Ellis LLP
925 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 623-7580

 

Brenda I. Morris
Chief Financial Officer
Zumiez Inc.
6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B
Everett, WA 98203
(425) 551-1500

 

Eric S. Haueter, Esq.
Bradley S. Fenner, Esq.
Prashant Gupta, Esq.

Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
555 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 772-1200

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box: o

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering: o

If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box: o

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proposed Maximum

 

 

 

Proposed Maximum

 

 

 

 

 

Title of Each Class of

 

 

 

Amount to

 

 

 

Offering Price

 

 

 

Aggregate

 

 

 

Amount of

 

Securities to be Registered

 

 

 

be Registered(1)

 

 

 

per Share(2)

 

 

 

Offering Price(2)

 

 

 

Registration Fee

 

Common Stock, no par value

 

 

 

2,127,500

 

 

 

$32.75

 

 

 

$69,675,625

 

 

 

$8,200.83

 

 

(1)                  Includes shares to be sold upon exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. See “Underwriting.”

(2)                  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) of Regulation C under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock as reported by the Nasdaq National Market on October 14, 2005.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 




SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED OCTOBER 18, 2005

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

 

1,850,000 Shares

GRAPHIC

Zumiez Inc.

Common Stock

 

The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus are offering 1,850,000 shares of our common stock. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by the selling shareholders.

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “ZUMZ.” On October 17, 2005, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market was $32.20 per share.

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7.

 

 

Per Share

 

Total

 

Public Offering Price

 

$

 

$

 

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions

 

$

 

$

 

Proceeds to the Selling Shareholders

 

$

 

$

 

 

Delivery of the shares of our common stock will be made on or about             , 2005.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus have granted the underwriters an option to purchase a maximum of 277,500 additional shares of our common stock to cover over-allotment of shares, if any, exercisable at any time until 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

 

Wachovia Securities

 

 

 

Piper Jaffray

 

 

William Blair & Company

The date of this prospectus is                       , 2005.




GRAPHIC




TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Prospectus Summary

1

Risk Factors

7

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data

18

Use of Proceeds

19

Price Range of Common Stock

19

Dividend Policy

19

Capitalization

20

Selected Financial Data

21

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

23

Business

36

Management

45

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

56

Principal and Selling Shareholders

59

Description of Capital Stock

61

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

64

Underwriting

66

Legal Matters

69

Experts

69

Where You Can Find More Information

69

Index to Financial Statements

F-1

 


You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We and the underwriters are not making an offer to sell or seeking offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where an offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing herein is accurate as of the date appearing on the front cover of this prospectus only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

i




PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our common stock. You should carefully read the following summary together with the more detailed information regarding us and our common stock being sold in this offering, including “Risk Factors” and the financial statements and the related notes, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus before making an investment decision.

Zumiez Inc.

We are a leading specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories operating under the Zumiez brand name. Our stores cater to young men and women between the ages of 12 and 24 who seek popular brands representing a lifestyle centered on activities that include skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, bicycle motocross (or “BMX”) and motocross. We support the action sports lifestyle and promote our brand through a multi-faceted marketing approach that is designed to integrate our brand image with our customers’ activities and interests. As of July 30, 2005, we operated 150 stores primarily located in shopping malls, giving us a presence in 18 states.

Our stores bring the look and feel of an independent specialty shop to the mall through a differentiated merchandising strategy, high-energy sales personnel and a distinctive store environment. We offer a diverse and dynamic collection of brands that currently includes Billabong, Burton, DC Shoe, DVS Shoes, Element, Etnies, Hurley, Quiksilver, Roxy and Volcom, among many others. We believe that our strategic mix of both apparel and hardgoods, including skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components and other equipment, allows us to strengthen the potential of the brands we sell and helps to affirm our credibility with our customers. In addition, we supplement our stores with a select offering of private label apparel and products as a value proposition that we believe complements our overall merchandise selection. We seek to staff our stores with store associates who are knowledgeable users of our products, which we believe provides our customers with enhanced customer service and supplements our ability to identify and react quickly to emerging trends and fashions. Most of our stores, which average approximately 2,700 square feet, feature couches and action sports oriented video game stations that are intended to encourage our customers to shop for longer periods of time and to interact with each other and our store associates.

Over our 26-year history, we have developed a corporate culture based on a passion for the action sports lifestyle. Our management philosophy emphasizes an integrated combination of results measurement, training and incentive programs, all designed to drive sales productivity at the individual store associate level. We have:

·     increased our store count from 53 as of the end of fiscal 1999 to 150 as of the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2005;

·     improved net sales per store from approximately $882,000 in fiscal 1999 to approximately $1.2 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%;

·     maintained net sales per square foot in excess of $440 for our last five fiscal years ending with fiscal 2004;

·     increased net sales from approximately $44.5 million in fiscal 1999 to approximately $153.6 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 28.1%;

·     increased operating profit from $3.1 million in fiscal 1999 to $12.0 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 31.1%; and

·     been profitable in every fiscal year of our 26-year history.

In fiscal 2002, certain affiliates (the “Brentwood Affiliates”) of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a private equity firm, acquired an indirect minority interest in us through Zumiez Holdings LLC, or “Zumiez Holdings.” Since the investment by the Brentwood Affiliates, we have positioned ourselves for accelerated growth by enhancing our infrastructure and deepening our management team. We believe that these initiatives will improve our ability to continue to expand our business. On May 11, 2005, we completed our

1




initial public offering in which we sold 1,875,000 shares of our common stock and certain selling shareholders sold 1,718,750 shares of our common stock. We received net proceeds from the offering of approximately $29.7 million, after payment of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares of our common stock by the selling shareholders in our initial public offering.

Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following competitive strengths differentiate us from our competitors and are critical to our continuing success:

·     attractive lifestyle retailing concept targeting the large action sports segment;

·     differentiated merchandising strategy in which we offer an extensive selection of relevant brands and styles encompassing apparel, equipment and accessories;

·     deep-rooted corporate culture that we believe allows us to successfully attract and retain passionate and knowledgeable employees;

·     distinctive store experience that is designed to enhance our image as an authentic action sports retailer;

·     disciplined operating philosophy and comprehensive training programs driven by our experienced management team; and

·     high-impact, integrated marketing approach designed to reach our target customer audience through interactive events, promotions, live entertainment and contests.

However, as further described below in “Risk Factors,” our business operates in a highly competitive market and some of our competitors have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition and significantly greater financial and other resources than we do. As a result, these competitors may be able to undertake more extensive sales and marketing campaigns than our own; adopt more aggressive pricing policies than our own; and make more attractive offers to potential employees and customers than we can.

Growth Strategy

We intend to expand our presence as a leading action sports lifestyle retailer by:

·     opening new store locations;

·     continuing to generate sales growth through improved store level productivity;

·     enhancing our operating efficiency; and

·     enhancing our brand awareness through continued marketing and promotion.

Recent Developments

On August 31, 2005, we issued a press release announcing our sales results for August 2005. Total net sales for the four-week period ended August 27, 2005 increased 25.1% to $24.7 million, compared to $19.7 million for the four-week period ended August 28, 2004. Our comparable store sales for the four-week period ended August 27, 2005 increased 9.4%, versus a comparable store sales decrease of 3.3% for the four-week period ended August 28, 2004.

On October 5, 2005, we issued a press release announcing our sales results for September 2005. Total net sales for the five-week period ended October 1, 2005 increased 26.8% to $19.5 million, compared to $15.4 million for the five-week period ended October 2, 2004. Our comparable store sales for the five-week period ended October 1, 2005 increased 10.1%, versus a comparable store sales increase of 27.3% for the five-week period ended October 2, 2004.

See note (2) under “—Summary Financial Data—Other Financial Data” below for information as to how we compute changes in comparable store sales.

2




We opened four new stores during the four-week period ended August 27, 2005, four new stores during the five-week period ended October 1, 2005 and two new stores during the period from October 2, 2005 through October 14, 2005. As of October 14, 2005 we had a total of 160 stores.

Corporate Information

We were founded in 1978 as a Washington corporation. In 2002, we reincorporated in Delaware and, on April 29, 2005, we reincorporated back to Washington. Our principal executive offices are located at 6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B, Everett, WA 98203. Our telephone number is (425) 551-1500 and our principal website address is www.zumiez.com. The information contained on our website does not constitute part of, nor is it incorporated into, this prospectus.

Through and including December 31, 2002, our fiscal year ended on December 31 and was the same as the calendar year. After December 31, 2002, we changed our fiscal year to end on the Saturday closest to January 31. As a result of this change in our fiscal year, our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus include our statement of operations for the one month period ended February 1, 2003, which was the one month transition period following the end of fiscal 2002 and prior to the beginning of fiscal 2003. Information in this prospectus regarding the compound annual growth rates of our net sales, net sales per store and operating profit, as well as the annual percentage changes in our comparable store net sales and other data regarding changes in our results of operations, for periods encompassing fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2003 do not take into account the one month transition period. In this prospectus, we refer to our fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 as “fiscal 2003” and to our fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 as “fiscal 2004,” and we refer to the twenty-six week periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 as the “six month” periods ended on those dates.

3




The Offering

Common stock offered by selling shareholders

 

1,850,000 shares

Common stock to be outstanding immediately prior to and after this offering

 

13,457,330 shares

Use of Proceeds

 

The selling shareholders will receive all of the net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling shareholders.

Nasdaq National Market symbol

 

“ZUMZ”

Risk Factors

 

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7 for a discussion of some of the factors that you should consider carefully before deciding to purchase our common stock.

 

The number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to and after this offering is based on the number of shares outstanding on July 30, 2005 and excludes the following shares:

·     1,578,327 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options at July 30, 2005, with a weighted average exercise price of $3.87 per share; and

·     an aggregate of 3,425,000 additional shares that were available for future awards under our 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2005 Incentive Plan”) and our 2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Stock Purchase Plan”) at July 30, 2005, plus scheduled annual increases and other potential increases in the number of shares available for issuance under the 2005 Incentive Plan.

During the period from July 31, 2005 through October 1, 2005, we issued a total of 153,997 shares of our common stock upon the exercise of outstanding stock options mentioned in the first bullet point above.

Unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, the information in this prospectus:

·     assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to 277,500 additional shares of common stock from the selling shareholders;

·     assumes no exercise of outstanding options; and

·     is based upon the number of our shares and options outstanding on July 30, 2005.

4




Summary Financial Data

The following tables provide summary historical financial data for the periods indicated. You should read this information in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Through and including December 31, 2002, our fiscal year ended on December 31 and was the same as the calendar year. Subsequent to December 31, 2002, we changed our fiscal year to end on the Saturday closest to January 31 and, as a result, the following tables include financial data as of and for the one month ended February 1, 2003, which was the one month transition period following the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002 and prior to the beginning of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004. Each fiscal year ending subsequent to December 31, 2002 consists of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added to the fourth quarter every five or six years. Our fiscal years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 each consisted of 52 weeks. In this prospectus, we refer to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 as “fiscal 2003” and to the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 as “fiscal 2004,” and we refer to the twenty-six week periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 as the “six month” periods ended on those dates.

The summary statement of operations data for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, the one month ended February 1, 2003, the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 and the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 and the summary balance sheet data as of January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 are derived from our audited financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary statement of operations data for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001 and the summary balance sheet data as of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and February 1, 2003 are derived from our audited financial statements not included in this prospectus. The summary statement of operations data for the six month periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 and the summary balance sheet data as of July 30, 2005 are derived from our unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited financial statements as of and for the six month periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and, in the opinion of our management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly our financial position and results of operations as of and for those periods.  Our financial position and results of operations as of and for the six months ended July 30, 2005 are not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations to be expected as of or for the fiscal year ending January 28, 2006 and there can be no assurance that any trend reflected in the following summary financial data for such six month period will continue in the future.

 

 

 

 

One month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

 

Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

$

60,827

 

$

84,735

 

$

101,391

 

 

$

6,392

 

 

$

117,857

 

$

153,583

 

 

$

55,444

 

 

 

$

72,776

 

 

 

Cost of goods sold

 

41,027

 

57,534

 

71,017

 

 

4,575

 

 

81,320

 

103,152

 

 

40,212

 

 

 

50,154

 

 

 

Gross margin

 

19,800

 

27,201

 

30,374

 

 

1,817

 

 

36,537

 

50,431

 

 

15,232

 

 

 

22,622

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses 

 

14,010

 

20,470

 

23,404

 

 

2,013

 

 

29,076

 

38,422

 

 

15,639

 

 

 

21,332

 

 

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

5,790

 

6,731

 

6,970

 

 

(196

)

 

7,461

 

12,009

 

 

(407

)

 

 

1,290

 

 

 

Other income (expense)

 

36

 

(3

)

148

 

 

 

 

8

 

8

 

 

2

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Interest income (expense)

 

(335

)

(322

)

(317

)

 

(12

)

 

(293

)

(250

)

 

(156

)

 

 

48

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

 

5,491

 

6,406

 

6,801

 

 

(208

)

 

7,176

 

11,767

 

 

(561

)

 

 

1,339

 

 

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes(1)

 

 

 

1,096

 

 

(39

)

 

2,701

 

4,500

 

 

(122

)

 

 

531

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

5,491

 

$

6,406

 

$

5,705

 

 

$

(169

)

 

$

4,475

 

$

7,267

 

 

$

(439

)

 

 

$

808

 

 

 

Net income (loss) per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.54

 

$

0.63

 

$

0.49

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.40

 

$

0.64

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.07

 

 

 

Diluted

 

$

0.43

 

$

0.50

 

$

0.42

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.35

 

$

0.56

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

10,128,132

 

10,132,983

 

11,547,012

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

12,296,076

 

 

 

Diluted

 

12,629,007

 

12,718,806

 

13,581,579

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

12,811,855

 

12,938,858

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

13,115,740

 

 

 


(1)       For fiscal 2000 and 2001 and for the portion of fiscal 2002 ended November 3, 2002, we were treated as a Subchapter S corporation for federal income tax purposes and, as a result, we were exempt from paying federal and state income taxes for those periods. As a result, our results of operations for fiscal 2000 and 2001 do not reflect any provision for income taxes and our provision for income taxes for fiscal 2002 reflects a provision for only the last two months of fiscal 2002. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes and our total and per share net income for fiscal 2000, 2001 and 2002 are not comparable to our provision for income taxes and our total and per share net income for the subsequent periods reflected in this table. See note 1 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

5




 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2005

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

3,536

 

$

645

 

$

7,722

 

 

$

482

 

 

 

$

578

 

 

 

$

1,026

 

 

 

$

17,844

 

 

 

Working capital

 

1,335

 

1,108

 

(556

)

 

(455

)

 

 

2,975

 

 

 

4,756

 

 

 

35,375

 

 

 

Total assets

 

20,996

 

28,180

 

42,608

 

 

36,003

 

 

 

41,558

 

 

 

54,811

 

 

 

99,666

 

 

 

Total long term liabilities

 

1,772

 

2,237

 

1,955

 

 

1,935

 

 

 

2,613

 

 

 

5,576

 

 

 

6,976

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

7,488

 

11,916

 

14,136

 

 

13,967

 

 

 

18,438

 

 

 

25,799

 

 

 

59,253

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One Month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands except net sales per square foot)

 

Other Financial Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin percentage(1)

 

32.6

%

 

32.1

%

 

30.0

%

 

28.4

%

 

 

31.0

%

 

 

32.8

%

 

 

27.5

%

 

 

31.1

%

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

3,315

 

 

$

7,500

 

 

$

7,186

 

 

$

42

 

 

 

$

5,937

 

 

 

$

11,060

 

 

 

$

4,817

 

 

 

$

6,382

 

 

Depreciation

 

$

1,694

 

 

$

2,348

 

 

$

3,571

 

 

$

332

 

 

 

$

4,185

 

 

 

$

5,857

 

 

 

$

2,569

 

 

 

$

3,466

 

 

Store Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of stores open at end of period

 

64

 

 

80

 

 

99

 

 

99

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

140

 

 

 

129

 

 

 

150

 

 

Comparable store sales increase (decrease)(2)(3)

 

18.5

%

 

20.2

%

 

(1.1

)%

 

(5.8

)%

 

 

4.3

%

 

 

9.6

%

 

 

7.5

%

 

 

11.6

%

 

Net sales per store(3)(4)

 

$

1,049

 

 

$

1,203

 

 

$

1,105

 

 

$

65

 

 

 

$

1,131

 

 

 

$

1,195

 

 

 

$

458

 

 

 

$

499

 

 

Total square footage at end of period(5)

 

147,223

 

 

194,651

 

 

247,476

 

 

247,476

 

 

 

288,784

 

 

 

371,864

 

 

 

337,921

 

 

 

404,576

 

 

Average square footage per store at end of period(6)

 

2,300

 

 

2,433

 

 

2,500

 

 

2,500

 

 

 

2,556

 

 

 

2,656

 

 

 

2,599

 

 

 

2,679

 

 

Net sales per square foot(3)(7)

 

$

456

 

 

$

506

 

 

$

443

 

 

$

26

 

 

 

$

448

 

 

 

$

457

 

 

 

$

178

 

 

 

$

187

 

 


(1)       Gross margin percentage represents gross margin divided by net sales.

(2)       Comparable store sales percentage changes are calculated by comparing comparable store sales for the applicable fiscal year or six month period to comparable store sales for the prior fiscal year or the same six month period in the prior fiscal year, as the case may be, or, in the case of the one month ended February 1, 2003, by comparison to comparable store sales for the one month ended February 2, 2002. Comparable store sales are based on net sales, and stores are considered comparable beginning on the first anniversary of their first day of operation. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—General” for more information about how we compute comparable store sales.

(3)       Comparable store sales, net sales per store and net sales per square foot include our in-store sales and our Internet sales. Our Internet sales represented less than 1.0% of our total net sales in each of the periods presented.

(4)       Net sales per store represents net sales for the period divided by the average number of stores open during the period. For purposes of this calculation, the average number of stores open during the period is equal to the sum of the number of stores open as of the end of each month during the period divided by the number of months in the period.

(5)       Total square footage at end of period includes retail selling, storage and back office space.

(6)       Average square footage per store at end of period is calculated on the basis of the total square footage at end of period, including retail selling, storage and back office space, of all stores open at the end of the period.

(7)       Net sales per square foot represents net sales for the period divided by the average square footage of stores open during the period. For purposes of this calculation, the average square footage of stores open during the period is equal to the sum of the total square footage of the stores open as of the end of each month during the period divided by the number of months in the period.

6




RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with the financial statements and other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to buy our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment in our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our growth strategy depends on our ability to open and operate a significant number of new stores each year, which could strain our resources and cause the performance of our existing stores to suffer.

Our growth largely depends on our ability to open and operate new stores successfully. However, our ability to open new stores is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, and we may be unable to open new stores as planned, and any failure to successfully open and operate new stores would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and on the market price of our common stock. We opened 27 stores in fiscal 2004 and 15 stores in fiscal 2003. We plan to open approximately 35 stores in our fiscal year ending in January 2006, which we refer to as “fiscal 2005” (including 11 stores that we opened during the six months ended July 30, 2005), an increase of 25.0% over our store base as of the end of fiscal 2004. We intend to continue to open a significant number of new stores in future years while remodeling a portion of our existing store base annually. However, there can be no assurance that we will open the planned number of new stores in fiscal 2005 or thereafter. In addition, our proposed expansion will place increased demands on our operational, managerial and administrative resources. These increased demands could cause us to operate our business less effectively, which in turn could cause deterioration in the financial performance of our individual stores and our overall business. To the extent our new store openings are in markets where we already have stores, we may experience reduced net sales in existing stores in those markets. In addition, successful execution of our growth strategy may require that we obtain additional financing, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain that financing on acceptable terms or at all.

If we fail to effectively execute our expansion strategy, we may not be able to successfully open new store locations in a timely manner, if at all, which could have an adverse affect on our net sales and results of operations.

Our ability to open and operate new stores successfully depends on many factors, including, among others, our ability to:

·         identify suitable store locations, the availability of which is outside of our control;

·         negotiate acceptable lease terms, including desired tenant improvement allowances;

·         source sufficient levels of inventory at acceptable costs to meet the needs of new stores;

·         hire, train and retain store personnel;

·         successfully integrate new stores into our existing operations; and

·         identify and satisfy the merchandise preferences of new geographic areas.

In addition, many of our planned new stores are to be opened in regions of the United States in which we currently have few, or no, stores. The expansion into these markets may present competitive, merchandising and distribution challenges that are different from those currently encountered in our existing markets. Any of these challenges could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our business is dependent upon our being able to anticipate, identify and respond to changing fashion trends, customer preferences and other fashion-related factors; failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on us.

Customer tastes and fashion trends in the action sports lifestyle market are volatile and tend to change rapidly. Our success depends on our ability to effectively anticipate, identify and respond to changing fashion tastes and consumer preferences, and to translate market trends into appropriate, saleable product offerings

7




in a timely manner. If we are unable to successfully anticipate, identify or respond to changing styles or trends and misjudge the market for our products or any new product lines, our sales may be lower than predicted and we may be faced with a substantial amount of unsold inventory or missed opportunities. In response to such a situation, we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow-moving inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our ability to attract customers to our stores depends heavily on the success of the shopping malls in which our stores are located; any decrease in customer traffic in those malls could cause our sales to be less than expected.

In order to generate customer traffic we depend heavily on locating our stores in prominent locations within successful shopping malls. Sales at these stores are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic in those malls. Our stores benefit from the ability of a mall’s other tenants to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores and the continuing popularity of malls as shopping destinations. Our sales volume and mall traffic generally may be adversely affected by, among other things, economic downturns in a particular area, competition from Internet retailers, non-mall retailers and other malls, increases in gasoline prices and the closing or decline in popularity of other stores in the malls in which we are located. A reduction in mall traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our sales and inventory levels fluctuate on a seasonal basis, leaving our operating results particularly susceptible to changes in back-to-school and holiday shopping patterns.

Our sales are typically disproportionately higher in the third and fourth fiscal quarters of each fiscal year due to increased sales during the back-to-school and winter holiday shopping seasons. Sales during these periods cannot be used as an accurate indicator of annual results. Our sales in the first and second fiscal quarters are typically lower than in our third and fourth fiscal quarters due, in part, to the traditional retail slowdown immediately following the winter holiday season. Any significant decrease in sales during the back-to-school and winter holiday seasons would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, in order to prepare for the back-to-school and winter holiday shopping seasons, we must order and keep in stock significantly more merchandise than we carry during other parts of the year. Any unanticipated decrease in demand for our products during these peak shopping seasons could require us to sell excess inventory at a substantial markdown, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our quarterly results of operations are volatile and may decline.

Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated significantly in the past and can be expected to continue to fluctuate significantly in the future. As discussed above, our sales and operating results are typically lower in the first and second quarters of our fiscal year due, in part, to the traditional retail slowdown immediately following the winter holiday season. Our quarterly results of operations are affected by a variety of other factors, including:

·         the timing of new store openings and the relative proportion of our new stores to mature stores;

·         fashion trends and changes in consumer preferences;

·         calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods;

·         changes in our merchandise mix;

·         timing of promotional events;

·         general economic conditions and, in particular, the retail sales environment;

·         actions by competitors or mall anchor tenants;

·         weather conditions;

·         the level of pre-opening expenses associated with our new stores; and

·         inventory shrinkage beyond our historical average rates.

8




Our business is susceptible to weather conditions that are out of our control, and unseasonable weather could have a negative impact on our results of operations.

Our business is susceptible to unseasonable weather conditions. For example, extended periods of unseasonably warm temperatures during the winter season or cool weather during the summer season could render a portion of our inventory incompatible with those unseasonable conditions. These prolonged unseasonable weather conditions, particularly in the western United States where we have a concentration of stores, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We may be unable to compete favorably in the highly competitive retail industry, and if we lose customers to our competitors, our sales could decrease.

The teenage and young adult retail apparel, hardgoods and accessories industry is highly competitive. We compete with other retailers for vendors, teenage and young adult customers, suitable store locations, qualified store associates and management personnel. In the softgoods markets, which includes apparel, accessories and footwear, we currently compete with other teenage-focused retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Aeropostale, Inc., American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., Anchor Blue Clothing Company, Charlotte Russe Inc., Claire’s Stores, Inc., Forever 21, Inc., Hollister Co., Hot Topic, Inc., Old Navy, Inc., Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc., The Buckle, Inc., The Wet Seal, Inc. and Urban Outfitters, Inc. In addition, in the softgoods market we compete with independent specialty shops, department stores, and direct marketers that sell similar lines of merchandise and target customers through catalogs and e-commerce. In the hardgoods markets, which includes skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components and other equipment, we compete directly or indirectly with the following categories of companies: other specialty retailers that compete with us across a significant portion of our merchandising categories, such as local snowboard and skate shops; large-format sporting goods stores and chains, such as Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., Sport Chalet, Inc. and The Sports Authority Inc., which operates stores under the brand names Sports Authority, Gart Sports, Oshman’s and Sportmart; and Internet retailers.

Some of our competitors are larger than we are and have substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. Direct competition with these and other retailers may increase significantly in the future, which could require us, among other things, to lower our prices and could result in the loss of our customers. Current and increased competition could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we fail to maintain good relationships with vendors or if a vendor is otherwise unable or unwilling to supply us with adequate quantities of their products at acceptable prices, our business and financial performance could suffer.

Our business is dependent on continued good relations with our vendors. In particular, we believe that we generally are able to obtain attractive pricing and other terms from vendors because we are perceived as a desirable customer, and a deterioration in our relationship with our vendors would likely have a material adverse effect on our business. We do not have any contractual relationships with our vendors and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that our vendors will provide us with an adequate supply or quality of products or acceptable pricing. Our vendors could discontinue selling to us or raise the prices they charge at any time. There can be no assurance that we will be able to acquire desired merchandise in sufficient quantities on terms acceptable to us in the future. Also, certain of our vendors sell their products directly to the retail market and therefore compete with us directly, and other vendors may decide to do so in the future. There can be no assurance that such vendors will not decide to discontinue supplying their products to us, supply us only less popular or lesser quality items, raise the prices they charge us or focus on selling their products directly. Any inability to acquire suitable merchandise at acceptable prices, or the loss of one or more key vendors, would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we lose key management or are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our financial performance could suffer.

Our performance depends largely on the efforts and abilities of our senior management, including our Co-Founder and Chairman, Thomas D. Campion, our President and Chief Executive Officer,

9




Richard M. Brooks, our Chief Financial Officer, Brenda I. Morris, and our General Merchandising Manager, Lynn K. Kilbourne. None of our employees, except Mr. Brooks, has an employment agreement with us and we do not have, and do not plan to obtain, key person life insurance covering any of our employees. If we lose the services of one or more of our key executives, we may not be able to successfully manage our business or achieve our growth objectives. As our business grows, we will need to attract and retain additional qualified management personnel in a timely manner and we may not be able to do so.

Our failure to meet our staffing needs could adversely affect our ability to implement our growth strategy and could have a material impact on our results of operations.

Our success depends in part upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, including regional managers, district managers, store managers and store associates, who understand and appreciate our corporate culture based on a passion for the action sports lifestyle and are able to adequately represent this culture to our customers. Qualified individuals of the requisite caliber, skills and number needed to fill these positions may be in short supply in some areas, and the employee turnover rate in the retail industry is high. Competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages to attract a sufficient number of suitable employees. If we are unable to hire and retain store managers and store associates capable of consistently providing a high level of customer service, as demonstrated by their enthusiasm for our culture and knowledge of our merchandise, our ability to open new stores may be impaired and the performance of our existing and new stores could be materially adversely affected. We are also dependent upon temporary personnel to adequately staff our stores and distribution center, particularly during busy periods such as the back-to-school and winter holiday seasons. There can be no assurance that we will receive adequate assistance from our temporary personnel, or that there will be sufficient sources of temporary personnel. Although none of our employees is currently covered by collective bargaining agreements, we cannot guarantee that our employees will not elect to be represented by labor unions in the future, which could increase our labor costs and could subject us to the risk of work stoppages and strikes. Any such failure to meet our staffing needs, any material increases in employee turnover rates, any increases in labor costs or any work stoppages or interruptions or strikes could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Our operations, including our sole distribution center, are concentrated in the western United States, which makes us susceptible to adverse conditions in this region.

Our home office and sole distribution center are located in a single facility in Washington, and a substantial number of our stores are located in Washington and the western half of the United States. As a result, our business may be more susceptible to regional factors than the operations of more geographically diversified competitors. These factors include, among others, economic and weather conditions, demographic and population changes and fashion tastes. In addition, we rely on a single distribution center in Everett, Washington to receive, store and distribute merchandise to all of our stores and to fulfill our Internet sales. As a result, a natural disaster or other catastrophic event, such as an earthquake affecting western Washington, in particular, or the West Coast, in general, could significantly disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are required to make substantial rental payments under our operating leases and any failure to make these lease payments when due would likely have a material adverse effect on our business and growth plans.

We do not own any of our retail stores or our combined home office and distribution center, but instead we lease all of these facilities under operating leases. Payments under these operating leases account for a significant portion of our operating expenses. For example, total rental expense, including additional rental payments (or “percentage rent”) based on sales of some of the stores, common area maintenance charges and real estate taxes, under operating leases was $13.9 million and $17.1 million for fiscal year 2003 and fiscal year 2004, respectively, and $7.6 million and $9.6 million for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005, respectively, and, as of July 30, 2005, we were a party to operating leases requiring future minimum lease payments aggregating approximately $49.0 million through fiscal year 2009 and approximately $34.1 million thereafter. In addition, substantially all of our store leases provide for additional rental payments based on sales of the respective stores, as well as common area maintenance charges, and require that we pay real estate

10




taxes, none of which is included in the amount of future minimum lease payments. We expect that any new stores we open will also be leased by us under operating leases, which will further increase our operating lease expenses.

Our substantial operating lease obligations could have significant negative consequences, including:

·         increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

·         limiting our ability to obtain additional financing;

·         requiring that a substantial portion of our available cash be applied to pay our rental obligations, thus reducing cash available for other purposes;

·         limiting our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business or in the industry in which we compete; and

·         placing us at a disadvantage with respect to some of our competitors.

We depend on cash flow from operations to pay our lease expenses and to fulfill our other cash needs. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities, and sufficient funds are not otherwise available to us from the remaining net proceeds we received from our initial public offering in May 2005, borrowings under bank loans or from other sources, we may not be able to service our operating lease expenses, grow our business, respond to competitive challenges or to fund our other liquidity and capital needs, which would have a material adverse effect on us.

The terms of our revolving credit facility impose operating and financial restrictions on us that may impair our ability to respond to changing business and economic conditions. This impairment could have a significant adverse impact on our business.

We have a $20 million revolving credit facility with Bank of America, N.A., which we use for inventory financing and other general corporate purposes, that contains a number of significant restrictions and covenants that generally limit our ability to, among other things, (1) incur additional indebtedness or certain lease obligations outside the ordinary course of business; (2) enter into sale/leaseback transactions; (3) make certain changes in our management; and (4) undergo a change in ownership. In addition, our obligations under the revolving credit facility are secured by almost all of our personal property, including, among other things, our inventory, equipment and fixtures. Our revolving credit facility also contains financial covenants that require us to meet certain specified financial ratios, including a debt to earnings ratio, an earnings to interest expense ratio and an inventory to debt ratio. Our ability to comply with these ratios may be affected by events beyond our control.

A breach of any of these restrictive covenants or our inability to comply with the required financial ratios could result in a default under the revolving credit facility. If a default occurs, the lender may elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. If we are unable to repay outstanding borrowings when due, whether at their maturity or if declared due and payable by the lender following a default, the lender has the right to proceed against the collateral granted to it to secure the indebtedness. As a result, any breach of these covenants or failure to comply with these ratios could have a material adverse effect on us. In that regard, in fiscal 2002 we breached certain financial covenants in a prior credit facility which required that we obtain waivers from the lender. These breaches did not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will not breach the covenants or fail to comply with the ratios in our revolving credit facility or any other debt agreements we may enter into in the future and, if a breach occurs, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain necessary waivers or amendments from the lenders.

The restrictions contained in our revolving credit facility could: (1) limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions or meet capital needs or otherwise restrict our activities or business plans; and (2) adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, strategic acquisitions, investments or other capital needs or to engage in other business activities that would be in our interest.

11




Our business could suffer as a result of United Parcel Service being unable to distribute our merchandise.

We rely upon United Parcel Service for our product shipments, including shipments to, from and between our stores. Accordingly, we are subject to risks, including employee strikes and inclement weather, which may affect United Parcel Service’s ability to meet our shipping needs. Among other things, any circumstances that require us to use other delivery services for all or a portion of our shipments could result in increased costs and delayed deliveries and could harm our business materially. In addition, although we have a contract with United Parcel Service that expires in June 2008, United Parcel Service has the right to terminate the contract upon 30 days written notice. Although the contract with United Parcel Service provides certain discounts from the shipment rates in effect at the time of shipment, the contract does not limit United Parcel Services’ ability to raise the shipment rates at any time. Accordingly, we are subject to the risk that United Parcel Service may increase the rates they charge, that United Parcel Service may terminate their contract with us, that United Parcel Service may decrease the rate discounts provided to us when an existing contract is renewed or that we may be unable to agree on the terms of a new contract with United Parcel Service, any of which could materially adversely affect our operating results.

Our business could suffer if a manufacturer fails to use acceptable labor practices.

We do not control our vendors or the manufacturers that produce the products we buy from them, nor do we control the labor practices of our vendors and these manufacturers. The violation of labor or other laws by any of our vendors or these manufacturers, or the divergence of the labor practices followed by any of our vendors or these manufacturers from those generally accepted as ethical in the United States, could interrupt, or otherwise disrupt, the shipment of finished products to us or damage our reputation. Any of these, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In that regard, most of the products sold in our stores are manufactured overseas, primarily in Asia and Central America, which may increase the risk that the labor practices followed by the manufacturers of these products may differ from those considered acceptable in the United States.

Our failure to adequately anticipate a correct mix of private label merchandise may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Sales from private label merchandise accounted for 12.8% of our net sales in fiscal 2004. We may take steps to increase the percentage of net sales of private label merchandise in the future, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve increases in private label merchandise sales as a percentage of net sales. Because our private label merchandise generally carries higher gross margins than other merchandise, our failure to anticipate, identify and react in a timely manner to fashion trends with our private label merchandise, particularly if the percentage of net sales derived from private label merchandise increases, may have a material adverse effect on our comparable store sales, financial condition and results of operations.

Most of our merchandise is produced by foreign manufacturers; therefore the availability and costs of these products may be negatively affected by risks associated with international trade and other international conditions.

Most of our merchandise is produced by manufacturers in Asia and Central America. Some of these facilities are also located in regions that may be affected by natural disasters, political instability or other conditions that could cause a disruption in trade. Trade restrictions such as increased tariffs or quotas, or both, could also affect the importation of merchandise generally and increase the cost and reduce the supply of merchandise available to us. Any reduction in merchandise available to us or any increase in its cost due to tariffs, quotas or local issues that disrupt trade could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Although the prices charged by vendors for the merchandise we purchase are all denominated in United States dollars, a decline in the relative value of the United States dollar to foreign currencies could lead to increased merchandise costs, which could negatively affect our competitive position and our results of operation.

12




If our information systems hardware or software fails to function effectively or does not scale to keep pace with our planned growth, our operations could be disrupted and our financial results could be harmed.

Over the past several years, we have made improvements to our existing hardware and software systems, as well as implemented new systems. If these or any other information systems and software do not work effectively, this could adversely impact the promptness and accuracy of our transaction processing, financial accounting and reporting and our ability to manage our business and properly forecast operating results and cash requirements. To manage the anticipated growth of our operations and personnel, we may need to continue to improve our operational and financial systems, transaction processing, procedures and controls, and in doing so could incur substantial additional expenses which could harm our financial results. In addition, as discussed below, we will be required to improve our financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Our inability or failure to protect our intellectual property or our infringement of other’s intellectual property could have a negative impact on our operating results.

We believe that our trademarks and domain names are valuable assets that are critical to our success. The unauthorized use or other misappropriation of our trademarks or domain names could diminish the value of the Zumiez brand, our store concept, our private label brands or our goodwill and cause a decline in our net sales. At this time, we have not secured protection for our trademarks in any jurisdiction outside of the United States, and thus we cannot prevent other persons from using our trademarks outside of the United States, which also could materially adversely affect our business. We are also subject to the risk that we may infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties. Any infringement or other intellectual property claim made against us, whether or not it has merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, cause product delays or require us to pay royalties or license fees. As a result, any such claim could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

The effects of war or acts of terrorism could adversely affect our business.

Substantially all of our stores are located in shopping malls. Any threat of terrorist attacks or actual terrorist events, particularly in public areas, could lead to lower customer traffic in shopping malls. In addition, local authorities or mall management could close shopping malls in response to security concerns. Mall closures, as well as lower customer traffic due to security concerns, would likely result in decreased sales. Additionally, the escalation of the armed conflicts in the Middle East, or the threat, escalation or commencement of war or other armed conflict elsewhere, could significantly diminish consumer spending, and result in decreased sales for us. Decreased sales would have a material adverse effect on the our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to successfully integrate any businesses or stores that we acquire could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

We may from time to time acquire other retail stores, individually or in groups, or businesses. We may experience difficulties in assimilating any stores or businesses we may acquire, and any such acquisitions may also result in the diversion of our capital and our management’s attention from other business issues and opportunities. We may not be able to successfully integrate any stores or businesses that we may acquire, including their facilities, personnel, financial systems, distribution, operations and general operating procedures. If we fail to successfully integrate acquisitions, we could experience increased costs and other operating inefficiencies, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our executive officers and the Brentwood Affiliates have significant influence over, and acting collectively have the ability to control, our management and affairs.

Our executive officers and the Brentwood Affiliates will, in the aggregate, beneficially own approximately     % of our outstanding common stock immediately following the completion of this offering, or approximately     % of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. Specifically, the Brentwood Affiliates will beneficially own approximately     % of our outstanding common stock immediately following this offering, and Thomas D. Campion, our Chairman of the Board, and Richard M. Brooks, our President and Chief Executive Officer, will beneficially own

13




approximately     % and     %, of our outstanding common stock, respectively, immediately following this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, then the Brentwood Affiliates will beneficially own approximately     % of our outstanding common stock, and Mr. Campion and Mr. Brooks will beneficially own approximately     % and     % of our outstanding common stock, respectively, immediately following this offering. For purposes of calculating the foregoing percentages, we have assumed that shares held by the Campion Foundation, one of the selling shareholders, are beneficially owned by Mr. Campion.

As a result, the Brentwood Affiliates and Messrs. Campion and Brooks individually have significant influence over, and acting together have the ability to control, matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and approval of mergers, consolidations, sales of assets, recapitalizations and amendments to our articles of incorporation. These shareholders may take actions with which you do not agree, including actions that delay, defer or prevent a change of control of our company and that could cause the price that investors are willing to pay for our common stock to decline.

Our Internet operations subject us to numerous risks that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Although Internet sales constitute only a small portion of our overall sales, our Internet operations subject us to certain risks that could have an adverse effect on our operational results, including:

·         diversion of traffic and sales from our stores;

·         liability for online content; and

·         risks related to the computer systems that operate our website and related support systems, including computer viruses and electronic break-ins and similar disruptions.

In addition, risks beyond our control, such as governmental regulation of the Internet, entry of our vendors in the Internet business in competition with us, online security breaches and general economic conditions specific to the Internet and online commerce could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

The outcome of litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are involved, from time to time, in litigation incidental to our business. Management believes, after considering a number of factors and the nature of the legal proceedings to which we are subject, that the outcome of current litigation will not have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations or financial condition. However, management’s assessment of our current litigation could change in light of the discovery of facts not presently known to us or determinations by judges, juries or other finders of fact that are not in accord with management’s evaluation of the possible liability or outcome of such litigation. As a result, there can be no assurance that the actual outcome of pending or future litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses as a result of being a public company, which will negatively impact our financial performance.

We completed our initial public offering in May 2005 and we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting, audit, insurance and other expenses as a result of being a public company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related rules implemented by the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market, have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. Compliance with these laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as discussed in the following risk factor, have increased and will substantially increase our expenses, including our legal, audit and accounting costs, and have made and will continue to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These laws, rules and regulations have made and will continue to make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors (our “Board”) or as officers. As a result of the foregoing, we expect a substantial increase in legal, accounting, audit, insurance and

14




certain other expenses in the future, which will negatively impact our financial performance and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, we currently have only two directors who qualify as independent directors under the rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market, and those rules require that we appoint additional independent directors as needed so that, by May 6, 2006, a majority of our directors are independent and all members of our Board committees are independent. Any failure to appoint additional independent directors as required by The Nasdaq Stock Market would allow The Nasdaq Stock Market to de-list our common stock and could result in adverse publicity and other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the market value of our common stock.

Failure to maintain adequate financial and management processes and controls could lead to errors in our financial reporting and could harm our ability to manage our expenses.

Reporting obligations as a public company and our anticipated growth have placed and will continue to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel. In addition, as a public company we will be required to document and test our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 so that our management can certify as to the effectiveness of our internal controls and our independent registered public accounting firm can render an opinion on management’s assessment and on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting by the time our annual report for fiscal 2006 is due and thereafter, which will require us to document and make significant changes to our internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, we will be required to improve our financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures, to incur substantial expenses to test our systems and to make such improvements and to hire additional personnel. If our management is unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls or if our independent registered public accounting firm cannot render an opinion on management’s assessment and on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, or if material weaknesses in our internal controls are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our stock price and adversely affect our ability to raise capital.

Risks Related to this Offering

The price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and may decline.

The stock market in general, and the market for stocks of some retailers, have been highly volatile. As a result, the market price of our common stock is likely to be similarly volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience a decrease, which could be substantial, in the value of their stock, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors, including those listed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section and other such as:

·         variations in our operating performance and the performance of our competitors;

·         actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;

·         changes in our net sales or earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;

·         publication of research reports by securities analysts about us or our competitors or our industry;

·         our failure or the failure of our competitors to meet analysts’ projections or guidance that we or our competitors may give to the market;

·         additions and departures of key personnel;

 

·         strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic investments or changes in business strategy;

·         the passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;

15




·         speculation in the press or investment community;

·         changes in accounting principles;

·         terrorist acts, acts of war or periods of widespread civil unrest; and

·         changes in general market and economic conditions.

In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management's attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Immediately after completion of this offering, we will have 13,457,330 shares of common stock outstanding, including approximately          shares (or        shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that will be beneficially owned by the Brentwood Affiliates, in each case based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005. In general, the shares sold in this offering will be, and the 3,593,750 shares of common stock that were sold in our initial public offering are, freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act of 1933, or the “Securities Act.”

In addition to the shares sold in our initial public offering and the shares to be sold in this offering, we will have       additional shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after completion of this offering, based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005. Of these       shares,       shares may at any time be sold in the public markets pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act, an additional       shares will be available for sale in the public markets pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act on approximately November 2, 2005 (subject to possible extension by up to an additional 34 days under limited circumstances or, as described below, possible waiver) following the expiration of the lock-up agreements entered into by some of our shareholders in connection with our initial public offering, and the remaining       shares (or       shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available for sale in the public market pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act 90 days (subject to possible extension by up to an additional 34 days under limited circumstances as described under “Underwriting” or, as described below, possible waiver ) after the date of this prospectus following the expiration of lock-up agreements entered into by our directors, some of our officers and the selling shareholders in connection with this offering. In addition, subsequent to July 30, 2005, one of our officers acquired 55,136 newly issued shares of common stock upon the exercise of stock options and pledged those shares as collateral for a loan. The lock-up agreement entered into by that officer in connection with our initial public offering was waived to permit, and the lock-up agreement entered into by such officer in connection with this offering permits, the pledge and, in the event of a default under such loan, transfer of such shares. Furthermore, immediately after completion of this offering and based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005, the holders of       shares (or       shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of our outstanding common stock, including the Brentwood Affiliates, will also have the right to include those shares in any registration statement we file with the SEC, subject to exceptions, which would enable those shares to be sold in the public markets, subject in some cases to the restrictions under the lock-up agreements referred to above.

In addition, as of July 30, 2005, options to purchase 1,578,327 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding and 3,425,000 additional shares of our common stock were available for future awards under our stock option and stock purchase plans, plus scheduled annual increases and other potential increases in the number of shares available for issuance under our 2005 Incentive Plan. We have filed a registration statement under the Securities Act covering all of the shares of common stock currently reserved for issuance under these plans. This registration statement has become effective and permits the resale of shares issued upon exercise of those stock options or pursuant to those stock purchase plans in the public markets without restriction under the Securities Act.

16




Any or all of the shares subject to the lock-up agreements referred to above may be released for sale in the public market prior to expiration of the applicable lock-up periods at the discretion of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co.  For additional information, see “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.”

We have outstanding options that have the potential to dilute shareholder value and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

In the past, we have offered, and we expect to continue to offer, stock options or other forms of stock-based compensation to our directors, officers and employees. Stock options issued in the past have per share exercise prices below the public offering price per share in this offering. As of July 30, 2005, we had options outstanding to purchase 1,578,327 shares of our common stock at exercise prices ranging from $0.46 to $7.73 per share, and a weighted average exercise price of $3.87 per share. If some or all of these options are exercised and such shares are sold into the public market, the market price of our common stock may decline.

Washington law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain antitakeover provisions that could delay, discourage or prevent takeover attempts that shareholders may consider favorable or attempts to replace or remove our management that would be beneficial to our shareholders.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and our bylaws and of Washington law may delay, discourage or prevent transactions that our shareholders may consider favorable, including transactions that could provide for payment of a premium over the prevailing market price of our common stock, and also may limit the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for our common stock. For example, our articles of incorporation contain provisions, such as allowing our Board to issue preferred stock with rights superior to those of our common stock without the consent of our shareholders and prohibitions on cumulative voting in the election of directors, which could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us without the consent of our Board. In addition, our articles of incorporation provide for our Board to be divided into three classes serving staggered terms of three years each, permit removal of directors only for cause, provide that vacancies on the Board may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, and require two-thirds shareholder approval of certain types of business transactions and to amend our bylaws. Furthermore, our bylaws require advance notice of shareholder proposals and nominations of candidates for election to our Board and eliminate the ability of shareholders to call for special shareholder meetings. In addition, Chapter 23B.19 of the Washington Business Corporation Act prohibits certain business combinations between us and certain significant shareholders unless certain conditions are met. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a third-party from acquiring us. See “Description of Capital Stock—Antitakeover Effects of Washington Law and Certain Provisions of Our Articles of Incorporation and Our Bylaws.”

17




CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND MARKET DATA

This prospectus includes forward-looking statements that are based on our expectations regarding net sales, selling, general and administrative expenses, profitability, financial position, business strategy, new store openings, and plans and objectives of management. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us and our business, industry, markets and consumers, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, among others, those described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, and the following:

·         our ability to open and operate new stores successfully;

·         our ability to anticipate, identify and respond to fashion trends and customer preferences;

·         our dependence on mall traffic for our sales;

·         seasonal fluctuations in our business;

·         unseasonable weather conditions;

·         competition, including promotional and pricing competition; and

·         changes in the availability or cost of merchandise, labor or delivery services.

These risks are not exhaustive. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements.

The market and demographic data included in this prospectus concerning our business and markets, including data regarding retail sales of skateboard, snowboard and surf/bodyboard merchandise, data regarding participation in board sports and data regarding spending by teenagers in the United States is estimated and is based on data made available by market research firms, industry trade associations or other publicly available information.

18




USE OF PROCEEDS

The selling shareholders will receive all of the net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares of our common stock by the selling shareholders.

PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

As of July 30, 2005, there were 13,457,330 shares of our common stock outstanding held by approximately 12 holders of record. Our common stock has traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “ZUMZ” since it began trading on May 6, 2005. Our initial public offering was priced at $18.00 per share on May 5, 2005. The following table shows the high and low last reported sales prices for our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market for the periods presented.

Fiscal 2005

 

 

 

High

 

Low

 

Second Fiscal Quarter (commencing May 6, 2005 through July 30, 2005)

 

$

34.38

 

$

23.12

 

Third Fiscal Quarter (July 31, 2005 through October 17, 2005)

 

$

34.79

 

$

28.69

 

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We anticipate that we will retain all of our available funds for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Any future determination as to the payment of cash dividends will be at the discretion of our Board and will depend on our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion and other factors that our Board considers to be relevant. In addition, financial and other covenants in any instruments and agreements that we enter into in the future may restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock.

19




CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of July 30, 2005. You should read this information together with the sections of this prospectus entitled “Selected Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

As of
July 30,
2005

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands,
except per share data)

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

$

17,844

 

 

Long-term debt(1)

 

 

$

 

 

Shareholders’ equity(2)

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, no par value per share, 20,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding

 

 

 

 

Common stock, no par value per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 13,457,330 shares issued and outstanding

 

 

32,460

 

 

Employee stock options

 

 

177

 

 

Retained earnings

 

 

26,616

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

59,253

 

 

Total capitalization(1)

 

 

$

59,253

 

 


(1)                 All of the indebtedness outstanding under our $20.0 million revolving credit facility is classified as short-term debt. As of July 30, 2005, we had no short-term debt, and $1,568,000 of letters of credit, outstanding under our revolving credit facility. See note 5 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition, we have substantial obligations under operating leases which are not reflected in the above table. See note 9 to our financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus for information as to our obligations under operating leases.

(2)                 The outstanding share information in the table above excludes: 1,578,327 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options with a weighted average exercise price of $3.87 per share and an aggregate of 3,425,000 additional shares available for future awards under our 2005 Incentive Plan and our Stock Purchase Plan, plus scheduled annual increases and other potential increases in the number of shares available for issuance under our 2005 Incentive Plan. During the period from July 31, 2005 through October 1, 2005, we issued a total of 153,997 shares of our common stock upon the exercise of outstanding stock options mentioned in the previous sentence.

20




SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Through and including December 31, 2002, our fiscal year ended on December 31 and was the same as the calendar year. Subsequent to December 31, 2002, we changed our fiscal year to end on the Saturday closest to January 31 and, as a result, the following tables include financial data as of and for the one month ended February 1, 2003, which was the one month transition period following the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002 and prior to the beginning of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004. Each fiscal year ending subsequent to December 31, 2002 consists of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added to the fourth quarter every five or six years. Our fiscal years ended December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 each consisted of 52 weeks. In this prospectus, we refer to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 as “fiscal 2003” and to the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 as “fiscal 2004,” and we refer to the twenty-six week periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 as the “six month” periods ended on those dates.

The selected statement of operations data for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, the one month ended February 1, 2003, the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 and the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005 and the selected balance sheet data as of January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 are derived from our audited financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. The selected statement of operations data for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2000 and 2001 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and February 1, 2003 are derived from our audited financial statements not included in this prospectus. The selected statement of operations data for the six month periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 and the selected balance sheet data as of July 30, 2005 are derived from our unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our unaudited financial statements as of and for the six month periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 have been prepared on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and, in the opinion of our management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly our financial position and results of operations as of and for those periods.  Our financial position and results of operations as of and for the six months ended July 30, 2005 are not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations to be expected as of or for the fiscal year ending January 28, 2006 and there can be no assurance that any trend reflected in the following selected financial data for such six month period will continue in the future.

 

 

 

 

One Month
Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

 2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

 

Statement of Operations Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

$

60,827

 

 

$

84,735

 

 

$

101,391

 

 

$

6,392

 

 

$

117,857

 

$

153,583

 

 

$

55,444

 

 

 

$

72,776

 

 

Cost of goods sold

 

41,027

 

 

57,534

 

 

71,017

 

 

4,575

 

 

81,320

 

103,152

 

 

40,212

 

 

 

50,154

 

 

Gross margin

 

19,800

 

 

27,201

 

 

30,374

 

 

1,817

 

 

36,537

 

50,431

 

 

15,232

 

 

 

22,622

 

 

Selling, general and administrative
expenses

 

14,010

 

 

20,470

 

 

23,404

 

 

2,013

 

 

29,076

 

38,422

 

 

15,639

 

 

 

21,332

 

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

5,790

 

 

6,731

 

 

6,970

 

 

(196

)

 

7,461

 

12,009

 

 

(407

)

 

 

1,290

 

 

Other income (expense)

 

36

 

 

(3

)

 

148

 

 

 

 

8

 

8

 

 

2

 

 

 

1

 

 

Interest income (expense)

 

(335

)

 

(322

)

 

(317

)

 

(12

)

 

(293

)

(250

)

 

(156

)

 

 

48

 

 

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

 

5,491

 

 

6,406

 

 

6,801

 

 

(208

)

 

7,176

 

11,767

 

 

(561

)

 

 

1,339

 

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes(1)

 

 

 

 

 

1,096

 

 

(39

)

 

2,701

 

4,500

 

 

(122

)

 

 

531

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

5,491

 

 

$

6,406

 

 

$

5,705

 

 

$

(169

)

 

$

4,475

 

$

7,267

 

 

$

(439

)

 

 

$

808

 

 

Net income (loss) per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.54

 

 

$

0.63

 

 

$

0.49

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.40

 

$

0.64

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.07

 

 

Diluted

 

$

0.43

 

 

$

0.50

 

 

$

0.42

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.35

 

$

0.56

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

10,128,132

 

 

10,132,983

 

 

11,547,012

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

12,296,076

 

 

Diluted

 

12,629,007

 

 

12,718,806

 

 

13,581,579

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

12,811,855

 

12,938,858

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

13,115,740

 

 

 


(1)                     For fiscal 2000 and 2001 and for the portion of fiscal 2002 ended November 3, 2002, we were treated as a Subchapter S corporation for federal income tax purposes and, as a result, we were exempt from paying federal and state income taxes for those periods. As a result, our results of operations for fiscal 2000 and 2001 do not reflect any provision for income taxes and our provision for income taxes for fiscal 2002 reflects a provision for only the last two months of fiscal 2002. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes and our total and per share net income for fiscal 2000, 2001 and 2002 are not comparable to our provision for income taxes and our total and per share net income for the subsequent periods reflected in this table. See note 1 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

21




 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

3,536

 

$

645

 

$

7,722

 

 

$

482

 

 

 

$

578

 

 

 

$

1,026

 

 

 

$

17,844

 

 

Working capital

 

1,335

 

1,108

 

(556

)

 

(455

)

 

 

2,975

 

 

 

4,756

 

 

 

35,375

 

 

Total assets

 

20,996

 

28,180

 

42,608

 

 

36,003

 

 

 

41,558

 

 

 

54,811

 

 

 

99,666

 

 

Total long term liabilities

 

1,772

 

2,237

 

1,955

 

 

1,935

 

 

 

2,613

 

 

 

5,576

 

 

 

6,976

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

7,488

 

11,916

 

14,136

 

 

13,967

 

 

 

18,438

 

 

 

25,799

 

 

 

59,253

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

One Month
Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2000

 

2001

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands except net sales per square foot)

 

Other Financial Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross margin percentage(1)

 

32.6

%

32.1

%

30.0

%

 

28.4

%

 

 

31.0

%

 

 

32.8

%

 

 

27.5

%

 

 

31.1

%

 

Capital expenditures

 

$

3,315

 

$

7,500

 

$

7,186

 

 

$

42

 

 

 

$

5,937

 

 

 

$

11,060

 

 

 

$

4,817

 

 

 

$

6,382

 

 

Depreciation

 

$

1,694

 

$

2,348

 

$

3,571

 

 

$

332

 

 

 

$

4,185

 

 

 

$

5,857

 

 

 

$

2,569

 

 

 

$

3,466

 

 

Store Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number of stores open at end of period

 

64

 

80

 

99

 

 

99

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

140

 

 

 

129

 

 

 

150

 

 

Comparable store sales increase (decrease)(2)(3)

 

18.5

%

20.2

%

(1.1

)%

 

(5.8

)%

 

 

4.3

%

 

 

9.6

%

 

 

7.5

%

 

 

11.6

%

 

Net sales per store(3)(4)

 

$

1,049

 

$

1,203

 

$

1,105

 

 

$

65

 

 

 

$

1,131

 

 

 

$

1,195

 

 

 

$

458

 

 

 

$

499

 

 

Total square footage at end of period(5)

 

147,223

 

194,651

 

247,476

 

 

247,476

 

 

 

288,784

 

 

 

371,864

 

 

 

337,921

 

 

 

404,576

 

 

Average square footage per store at end of period(6)

 

2,300

 

2,433

 

2,500

 

 

2,500

 

 

 

2,556

 

 

 

2,656

 

 

 

2,599

 

 

 

2,679

 

 

Net sales per square foot(3)(7)

 

$

456

 

$

506

 

$

443

 

 

$

26

 

 

 

$

448

 

 

 

$

457

 

 

 

$

178

 

 

 

$

187

 

 

 


(1)                     Gross margin percentage represents gross margin divided by net sales.

(2)                     Comparable store sales percentage changes are calculated by comparing comparable store sales for the applicable fiscal year or six month period to comparable store sales for the prior fiscal year or the same six month period in the prior fiscal year, as the case may be, or, in the case of the one month ended February 1, 2003, by comparison to comparable store sales for the one month ended February 2, 2002. Comparable store sales are based on net sales, and stores are considered comparable beginning on the first anniversary of their first day of operation. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—General” for more information about how we compute comparable store sales.

(3)                     Comparable store sales, net sales per store and net sales per square foot include our in-store sales and our Internet sales. Our Internet sales represented less than 1.0% of our total net sales in each of the periods presented.

(4)                     Net sales per store represents net sales for the period divided by the average number of stores open during the period. For purposes of this calculation, the average number of stores open during the period is equal to the sum of the number of stores open as of the end of each month during the period divided by the number of months in the period.

(5)                     Total square footage at end of period includes retail selling, storage and back office space.

(6)                     Average square footage per store at end of period is calculated on the basis of the total square footage at end of period, including retail selling, storage and back office space, of all stores open at the end of the period.

(7)                     Net sales per square foot represents net sales for the period divided by the average square footage of stores open during the period. For purposes of this calculation, the average square footage of stores open during the period is equal to the sum of the total square footage of the stores open as of the end of each month during the period divided by the number of months in the period.

22




MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those discussed in “Risk Factors” above. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Market Data.”

Through and including December 31, 2002, our fiscal year ended on December 31 and was the same as the calendar year. Subsequent to December 31, 2002, we changed our fiscal year to end on the Saturday closest to January 31 and to consist of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added to the fourth quarter every five or six years. Our fiscal years ended December 31, 2002, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 each consisted of 52 weeks and references in this prospectus to “fiscal 2000,” “fiscal 2001,” “fiscal 2002,” “fiscal 2003” and “fiscal 2004” refer to the 52-week periods ended December 31, 2000, December 31, 2001, December 31, 2002, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005, respectively. For subsequent fiscal years, we refer to each fiscal year by using the calendar year that is prior to the year in which the fiscal year actually ends. For example, we refer to the fiscal year ending in January 2006 as “fiscal 2005.” In this prospectus, we sometimes refer to the twenty-six week periods ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 as the “six month” periods ended as of those respective dates.

As a result of this change in our fiscal year, the financial data and our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus include financial information for the one month ended February 1, 2003, which was the one month transition period following the end of fiscal 2002 and prior to the beginning of fiscal 2003. The following discussion of our results of operations for fiscal 2003 compared to 2002 disregards this one month transition period because we do not believe it is material to an understanding of our results of operations. Likewise, information in this prospectus regarding the compound annual growth rates of our net sales, net sales per store and operating profit, as well as the annual percentage changes in our comparable store net sales and other data regarding changes in our results of operations, for periods encompassing fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2003, do not take into account this one month transition period. We sometimes refer to this one month transition period, which began on January 1, 2003 and ended on February 1, 2003, as the “one-month ended February 1, 2003.”

Overview

We were founded in 1978 by Thomas D. Campion, our Chairman. Our current President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard M. Brooks, joined us as Chief Financial Officer in 1993. In fiscal 2002, certain affiliates (the “Brentwood Affiliates”) of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a private equity firm, acquired an indirect 41% minority interest in us through Zumiez Holdings LLC, or “Zumiez Holdings.” Since the investment by the Brentwood Affiliates, we have positioned ourselves for accelerated growth by enhancing our infrastructure and deepening our management team. Although these initiatives resulted in increased selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales in fiscal 2003, fiscal 2004 and for the six months ended July 30, 2005, we believe that they improved our ability to continue to expand our business. Moreover, the additional expenses resulting from these initiatives consisted primarily of infrastructure improvements, most of which were incurred during fiscal 2003, and increased administrative personnel costs, and we believe that we can leverage these additional expenses to the extent we are able to increase our net sales.

On May 11, 2005, we completed our initial public offering in which we sold 1,875,000 shares of our common stock and certain selling shareholders sold 1,718,750 shares of our common stock. We received net proceeds fr0m the offering of approximately $29.7 million, after payment of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. We did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling shareholders in our initial public offering. In connection with our initial public offering, all of the shares of our common stock held by Zumiez Holdings were distributed in accordance with the terms of its limited liability company agreement and Zumiez Holdings was dissolved.

23




Our net sales increased from approximately $44.5 million in fiscal 1999 to approximately $153.6 million in fiscal 2004, a compound annual growth rate of 28.1%. Net sales for the six months ended July 30, 2005 increased $17.3 million, or 31.3%, over net sales for the six months ended July 31, 2004. Net sales for fiscal 2004 increased by $35.7 million, or 30.3%, over net sales for fiscal 2003. Over the five fiscal years ended with fiscal 2004, we increased our store base from 53 to 140 and our comparable store net sales increased an average of 10.3% per fiscal year. As of July 30, 2005, we operated 150 stores that averaged approximately 2,700 square feet per store, giving us a presence in 18 states.

We intend to expand our presence as a leading action sports lifestyle retailer by opening new stores and continuing to generate sales growth through improved store level productivity. We have successfully and consistently implemented our store concept across a variety of mall classifications and geographic locations, and our strategy is to continue to open stores in both new and existing markets. We plan to open 35 new stores in fiscal 2005 (including eleven stores that we have opened during the six months ended July 30, 2005) and to continue to open a significant number of new stores in future years. Through our merchandising and marketing efforts, we have generally been successful in increasing the level of net sales in our existing stores and we will seek to continue such increases going forward.

We believe that we have developed an economically compelling store model. Our new stores opened during fiscal 2003 generated average net sales of approximately $1.0 million during their first full year of operations. On average, our net investment to open these stores was approximately $360,000, which includes capital expenditures, net of landlord contributions, and initial inventory, net of payables. However, net sales and other operating results for stores that we open or have opened subsequent to the end of fiscal 2003, as well as our net investment to open those stores, may differ substantially from net sales and other operating results and our net investment for stores we opened in fiscal 2003. See “Business—Stores.”

In any given period, our overall gross margin may be impacted by changes in the margins of the various products we offer as well as changes in the relative mix of revenues from the different categories of apparel and hardgoods products that we sell. We believe our ability to effectively manage our gross margin despite these factors is evidenced by the relative stability of our gross margin as a percentage of net sales over the last five fiscal years. Over the past five fiscal years, our annual gross margin as a percentage of our net sales has ranged from a low of 30.0% to a high of 32.8%. For the six months ended July 30, 2005, our gross margin as a percentage of our net sales was 31.1%. We achieved these results while continuing to adjust our merchandise mix to respond to changing consumer preferences and market conditions. A number of other factors may also positively or negatively impact our gross margins and results of operations, including, but not limited to:

·     the timing of new store openings and the relative proportion of our new stores to mature stores;

·     fashion trends and changes in consumer preferences;

·     calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods;

·     timing of promotional events;

·     general economic conditions and, in particular, the retail sales environment;

·     actions by competitors or mall anchor tenants;

·     weather conditions;

·     the level of pre-opening expenses associated with our new stores; and

·     inventory shrinkage beyond our historical average rates.

One of our goals is to better leverage our expenses, particularly general corporate overhead and fixed costs such as non-variable occupancy costs, through increases in both comparable store sales and total net sales. At the store level, our strategy is to increase comparable store sales in an effort to improve operating results by spreading our store level fixed costs over increased net sales per comparable store. We also seek to increase our total net sales, both through increases in comparable store sales and by opening new stores, in an effort to better leverage our corporate level expenses and decrease our general and administrative expenses as a percentage of our net sales.

24




General

Net sales constitute gross sales net of returns. Net sales include our in-store sales and our Internet sales and, accordingly, information in this prospectus with respect to comparable store sales, net sales per store and net sales per square foot includes our Internet sales. For fiscal 1999 through fiscal 2004 and for the six months ended July 30, 2005, Internet sales represented less than 1% of our net sales for each of these periods. Sales with respect to gift cards are deferred and recognized when gift cards are redeemed.

We report “comparable store sales” based on net sales, and stores are included in our comparable store sales beginning on the first anniversary of their first day of operation. Changes in our comparable store sales between two periods are based on net sales of stores which were in operation during both of the two periods being compared and, if a store is included in the calculation of comparable store sales for only a portion of one of the two periods being compared, then that store is included in the calculation for only the comparable portion of the other period. When additional square footage is added to a store that is included in comparable store sales, that store remains in comparable store sales. There may be variations in the way in which some of our competitors and other apparel retailers calculate comparable or same store sales. As a result, data in this prospectus regarding our comparable store sales may not be comparable to similar data made available by our competitors or other retailers.

Cost of goods sold consists of the cost of merchandise sold to customers, inbound shipping costs, distribution costs, depreciation on leasehold improvements at our distribution center, buying and merchandising costs and store occupancy costs. This may not be comparable to the way in which our competitors or other retailers compute their cost of goods sold.

In early February 2005, we completed our move from the 49,000 square foot combined home office and distribution center we had leased since 1994 to a newly leased 87,000 square foot combined home office and distribution center. As a result, we expect a slight increase in our distribution and warehousing costs, which are included as a component of our costs of goods sold, in fiscal 2005 and future periods attributable to the new facility.

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of store personnel wages and benefits, administrative staff and infrastructure expenses, store supplies, depreciation on leasehold improvements at our home office and stores, facility expenses, and training, advertising and marketing costs. Credit card fees, insurance and other miscellaneous operating costs are also included in selling, general and administrative expenses. This may not be comparable to the way in which our competitors or other retailers compute their selling, general and administrative expenses. Our selling, general and administrative expenses have increased, as described below, and will further increase in future periods due in part to increased expenses associated with operating as a public company, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

In conjunction with the Brentwood Affiliates’ investment in fiscal 2002, we terminated our Subchapter S tax election on November 4, 2002 and elected to be taxed as a Subchapter C corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, we became subject to federal and state income taxes. Prior to this date, we were not subject to federal or state income taxes and, accordingly, our financial statements for fiscal 2000 and fiscal 2001 do not include any provision for income taxes and our financial statements for fiscal 2002 reflect a provision for income taxes for only the last two months of fiscal 2002. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes and net income for fiscal 2000, fiscal 2001 and fiscal 2002 are not comparable to our provision for income taxes and net income for subsequent periods. Our financial statements for fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2004 include a provision for income taxes for the entire fiscal year and our financial statements for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 include a provision for income taxes for each of those six month periods.

In connection with our initial public offering, we recognized stock-based compensation expense of approximately $95,000 in fiscal 2004 and we expect to recognize additional stock-based compensation expense in connection with our initial public offering of approximately $164,000, $164,000, $164,000, $164,000, $121,000, $78,000, $78,000 and $28,000 in fiscal 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. As a result of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment (Revised 2004),” which will become effective for us beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2006, share-based payments granted in future periods will increase compensation expense that would otherwise have been

25




recognized in accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting For Stock Issued To Employees,” and outstanding unvested options will result in additional compensation expense that otherwise would only have been recognized on a pro-forma basis. Accordingly, our results of operations in future periods will be adversely affected by all of this additional stock-based compensation expense. For more information regarding the implementation of SFAS 123R, see “—Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements” below.

Our success is largely dependent upon our ability to anticipate, identify and respond to the fashion tastes of our customers and to provide merchandise that satisfies customer demands. Any inability to provide appropriate merchandise in sufficient quantities in a timely manner could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We have incurred and will continue to incur significant additional legal, accounting, audit, insurance and other expenses as a result of being a public company which will adversely affect our results of operations, perhaps materially. Among other things, we expect that compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules and regulations have increased and will substantially increase our legal, audit and accounting costs in the future. See “Risk Factors—We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses as a result of being a public company, which will negatively impact our financial performance” and “—Failure to maintain adequate financial and management processes and controls could lead to errors in our financial reporting and could harm our ability to manage our expenses.”

We may take steps, such as increased promotional activities, to increase the percentage of net sales of private label merchandise in the future, although there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve increases in private label merchandise sales as a percentage of net sales. Because our private label merchandise generally carries higher gross margins than other merchandise, our failure to anticipate, identify and react in a timely manner to fashion trends with our private label merchandise, particularly if the percentage of net sales derived from private label merchandise increases, may have a material adverse effect on our comparable store sales, financial condition and results of operations. Please refer to “Risk Factors—Our failure to adequately anticipate a correct mix of private label merchandise may have a material adverse effect on our business.”

Results of Operations

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, selected items in the statements of operations as a percent of net sales:

 

 

 

One

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year

 

Month

 

Fiscal Year

 

Fiscal Year

 

 

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

Net sales

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

Cost of goods sold

 

70.0

 

 

 

71.6

 

 

 

69.0

 

 

 

67.2

 

 

 

72.5

 

 

 

68.9

 

Gross margin

 

30.0

 

 

 

28.4

 

 

 

31.0

 

 

 

32.8

 

 

 

27.5

 

 

 

31.1

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

23.1

 

 

 

31.5

 

 

 

24.7

 

 

 

25.0

 

 

 

28.2

 

 

 

29.3

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

6.9

 

 

 

(3.1

)

 

 

6.3

 

 

 

7.8

 

 

 

(0.7

)

 

 

1.8

 

Other income

 

0.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense

 

(0.3

)

 

 

(0.2

)

 

 

(0.2

)

 

 

(0.1

)

 

 

(0.3

)

 

 

 

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

 

6.7

 

 

 

(3.3

)

 

 

6.1

 

 

 

7.7

 

 

 

(1.0

)

 

 

1.8

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

1.1

 

 

 

(0.6

)

 

 

2.3

 

 

 

2.9

 

 

 

(0.2

)

 

 

0.7

 

Net income (loss)

 

5.6

%

 

 

(2.7

)%

 

 

3.8

%

 

 

4.8

%

 

 

(0.8

)%

 

 

1.1

%

 

26




Six Months (26 weeks) Ended July 30, 2005 Compared with Six Months (26 weeks) Ended July 31, 2004

Net Sales

Net sales increased to $72.8 million for the six months ended July 30, 2005 from $55.4 million for the six months ended July 31, 2004, an increase of $17.3 million, or 31.3%. This increase in total net sales was due to an increase in comparable store net sales of approximately $6.4 million and an increase in net sales from non-comparable stores of approximately $10.9 million. We sometimes refer to stores that are not comparable stores as “non-comparable stores.”  For information as to how we define comparable stores, see “—General” above.

Comparable store net sales increased by 11.6% in the six months ended July 30, 2005 compared to 7.5% for the six months ended July 31, 2004. This increase was primarily due to higher net sales of juniors’ apparel, footwear, hardgoods and men’s apparel at our comparable stores. The increase in non-comparable store net sales was primarily due to the opening of 22 new stores subsequent to July 31, 2004.

Gross Margin

Gross margin for the six months ended July 30, 2005 was $22.6 million compared with $15.2 million for the six months ended July 31, 2004, an increase of $7.4 million, or 48.6%. As a percentage of net sales, gross margin increased to 31.1% for the six months ended July 30, 2005 from 27.5% for the six months ended July 31, 2004. The increase in gross margin as a percentage of net sales was due primarily to a reduced markdown rate compared to the prior year period due to less aged inventory, improved pricing from some of our vendors due to our larger merchandise purchases and, to a lesser extent, our ability to leverage certain fixed costs, primarily non-variable occupancy costs, over greater overall net sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative, or “SG&A,” expenses in the six months ended July 30, 2005 were $21.3 million compared with $15.6 million in the six months ended July 31, 2004, an increase of $5.7 million, or 36.4%. This increase was primarily the result of costs associated with operating new stores as well as increases in infrastructure and administrative staff to support our growth and additional expenses resulting from our being a public company. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A expenses increased to 29.3% in the six months ended July 30, 2005 from 28.2% in the six months ended July 31, 2004. The increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales was primarily attributable to an increase in store payroll for new stores of $2.3 million and additional depreciation of $0.8 million and, to a lesser extent, additional infrastructure and administrative staff costs to support our growth and additional costs resulting from our being a public company.

Operating Profit (Loss)

As a result of the above factors, operating profit increased by $1.7 million to $1.3 million in the six months ended July 30, 2005 compared with an operating loss of ($0.4) million in the six months ended July 31, 2004. As a percentage of net sales, operating profit (loss) was 1.8% in the six months ended July 30, 2005 compared with (0.7%) in the six months ended July 31, 2004.

Provision (Benefit)  for Income Taxes

Provision for income taxes was $0.5 million for the six months ended July 30, 2005 compared with a benefit for income taxes of $0.1 million for the six months ended July 31, 2004.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income increased by $1.2 million to $0.8 million in the six months ended July 30, 2005 from a net loss of ($0.4) million in the six months ended July 31, 2004. As a percentage of net sales, net income (loss) was 1.1% in the six months ended July 30, 2005 compared with (0.8%) in the six months ended July 31, 2004.

27




Fiscal Year Ended January 29, 2005 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2004

Net Sales

Net sales increased to $153.6 million for fiscal 2004 from $117.9 million for fiscal 2003, an increase of $35.7 million, or 30.3%. This increase in total net sales was due to an increase in comparable store net sales of approximately $11.3 million and an increase in net sales from non-comparable stores of approximately $24.4 million.

Comparable store net sales increased by 9.6% in fiscal 2004 compared to fiscal 2003. This increase was primarily due to higher net sales of footwear, snowboard hardgoods, juniors’ apparel and accessories at our comparable stores. The increase in non-comparable store net sales was primarily due to the opening of 27 new stores subsequent to the end of fiscal 2003.

Gross Margin

Gross margin for fiscal 2004 was $50.4 million compared with $36.5 million for fiscal 2003, an increase of $13.9 million, or 38.0%. As a percentage of net sales, gross margin increased to 32.8% in fiscal 2004 from 31.0% in fiscal 2003. The increase in gross margin as a percentage of net sales was due primarily to the increase in net sales for fiscal 2004 compared fiscal 2003, which allowed us to leverage certain fixed costs, primarily non-variable occupancy costs, over greater overall net sales, improved pricing from some of our vendors due to our larger merchandise purchases and reduced freight and distribution costs as a percentage of net sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses in fiscal 2004 were $38.4 million compared with $29.1 million in fiscal 2003, an increase of $9.3 million, or 32.1%. This increase was primarily the result of costs associated with operating new stores as well as increases in infrastructure and administrative staff to support our growth. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A expenses increased to 25.0% in fiscal 2004 from 24.7% in fiscal 2003. The increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales was primarily attributable to an increase in store payroll for new stores of $3.3 million and additional depreciation of $1.6 million and, to a lesser extent, additional infrastructure and administrative staff costs to support our growth, which increased at a faster rate than our net sales.

Operating Profit

As a result of the above factors, operating profit increased by $4.5 million, or 61.0%, to $12.0 million in fiscal 2004 from $7.5 million in fiscal 2003. As a percentage of net sales, operating profit was 7.8% in fiscal 2004 compared with 6.3% in fiscal 2003.

Provision for Income Taxes

Provision for income taxes was $4.5 million for fiscal 2004 compared with $2.7 million for fiscal 2003. The effective tax rate was 38.2% for fiscal 2004 compared with 37.6% for fiscal 2003.

Net Income

Net income increased by $2.8 million, or 62.4%, to $7.3 million in fiscal 2004 from $4.5 million in fiscal 2003. As a percentage of net sales, net income was 4.8% in fiscal 2004 compared with 3.8% in fiscal 2003.

Fiscal Year Ended January 31, 2004 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2002

Through and including December 31, 2002, our fiscal year ended on December 31. Subsequent to December 31, 2002, we changed our fiscal year to end on the Saturday closest to January 31 and to consist of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added to the fourth quarter every five or six years. Our fiscal years ended December 31, 2002 and January 31, 2004 each consisted of 52 weeks. As a result of this change in our fiscal year, the financial data and our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus include financial information for the one month ended February 1, 2003, which was the one month transition period following the end of fiscal 2002 and prior to the beginning of fiscal 2003. The following discussion of our

28




results of operations for fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002 disregards this one month transition period because we do not believe it is material to an understanding of our results of operations.

Net Sales

Net sales increased to $117.9 million for fiscal 2003 from $101.4 million for fiscal 2002, an increase of $16.5 million, or 16.2%. This increase in total net sales was due to an increase in comparable store net sales of approximately $3.5 million and an increase in net sales from non-comparable stores of approximately $13.0 million.

Comparable store net sales increased by 4.3% in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002. This increase was primarily due to higher net sales of men’s and juniors’ apparel and accessories at our comparable stores, partially offset by lower net sales of skateboard hardgoods and boys’ apparel at those stores. The increase in non-comparable store net sales was primarily due to the opening of 15 new stores subsequent to the end of fiscal 2002.

Gross Margin

Gross margin for fiscal 2003 was $36.5 million compared with $30.4 million for fiscal 2002, an increase of $6.1 million, or 20.3%. As a percentage of net sales, gross margin increased to 31.0% in fiscal 2003 from 30.0% in fiscal 2002. The increase in gross margin as a percentage of net sales was due primarily to the increase in net sales for fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002, which allowed us to leverage certain fixed costs, primarily non-variable occupancy costs, over greater overall net sales and, to a lesser extent, to improved pricing from some of our vendors due to our larger merchandise purchases and reduced freight and distribution costs as a percentage of net sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses in fiscal 2003 were $29.1 million compared with $23.4 million in fiscal 2002, an increase of $5.7 million, or 24.2%. This increase was primarily the result of costs associated with operating new stores as well as increases in infrastructure and staff to support our growth. As a percentage of net sales, SG&A expenses increased to 24.7% in fiscal 2003 from 23.1% in fiscal 2002. The increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net sales was attributable to an increase in store payroll for new stores of $2.4 million, and to the fact that the costs of additional infrastructure and administrative staff to support our growth increased at a faster rate than our net sales.

Operating Profit

As a result of the above factors, operating profit increased by $491,000, or 7.0%, to $7.5 million in fiscal 2003 from $7.0 million in fiscal 2002. As a percentage of net sales, operating profit was 6.3% in fiscal 2003 compared with 6.9% in fiscal 2002.

Provision for Income Taxes

Provision for income taxes was $2.7 million for fiscal 2003 compared with $1.1 million for fiscal 2002. Effective November 4, 2002, we terminated our Subchapter S tax election for federal income tax purposes. As a Subchapter S corporation, we were not subject to federal and state income taxes and, accordingly, our financial statements reflected in this prospectus do not include a provision for income taxes for periods prior to November 4, 2002. The provision for income taxes for fiscal 2002 therefore reflects a provision for only the last two months of fiscal 2002, while fiscal 2003 reflects a full year’s provision for income taxes. Accordingly, the provision for income taxes in fiscal 2002 is not comparable to the provision for income taxes in fiscal 2003. The effective tax rate was 37.6% for fiscal 2003 compared with 16.1% for fiscal 2002.

Net Income

Net income decreased by $1.2 million, or 21.6%, to $4.5 million in fiscal 2003 from $5.7 million in fiscal 2002. This decrease in net income was due primarily to the termination of our election to be taxed as a

29




Subchapter S corporation, effective November 4, 2002. As a percentage of net sales, net income was 3.8% in fiscal 2003 compared with 5.6% in fiscal 2002. Earnings before income taxes increased by $375,000, or 5.5%, to $7.2 million in fiscal 2003 from $6.8 million in fiscal 2002. As a percentage of net sales, earnings before income taxes decreased to 6.1% in fiscal 2003 from 6.7% in fiscal 2002.

Seasonality and Quarterly Results

We have historically experienced and expect to continue to experience seasonal and quarterly fluctuations in our comparable store sales and operating results. As is the case with many retailers of apparel and related merchandise, our business is subject to seasonal influences. Our net sales and operating results are typically lower in the first and second quarters of our fiscal year, while the winter holiday and back-to-school periods historically have accounted for the largest percentage of our annual net sales. Quarterly results of operations may also fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of factors, including the timing of store openings and the relative proportion of our new stores to mature stores, fashion trends and changes in consumer preferences, calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods, changes in merchandise mix, timing of promotional events, general economic conditions, competition and weather conditions.

The following table sets forth selected unaudited quarterly statement of operations data for the periods indicated. The unaudited quarterly information has been prepared on a basis consistent with the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and includes all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, which we consider necessary for a fair statement of the information shown. This information should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The operating results for any fiscal quarter are not indicative of the operating results for a full fiscal year or for any future period and there can be no assurance that any trend reflected in such results will continue in the future.

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended
January 31, 2004

 

Fiscal Year Ended
January 29, 2005

 

Fiscal Year Ending
January 28, 2006

 

 

 

First
Quarter

 

Second
Quarter

 

Third
Quarter

 

Fourth
Quarter

 

First
Quarter

 

Second
Quarter

 

Third
Quarter

 

Fourth
Quarter

 

First
Quarter

 

Second
Quarter

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands except per share data)

 

Statement of Operations Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

 

$

19,989

 

 

 

$

23,601

 

 

 

$

34,448

 

 

 

$

39,819

 

 

 

$

24,829

 

 

 

$

30,615

 

 

 

$

45,138

 

 

 

$

53,001

 

 

 

$

33,369

 

 

 

$

39,407

 

 

Gross margin

 

 

$

4,909

 

 

 

$

6,595

 

 

 

$

11,710

 

 

 

$

13,323

 

 

 

$

6,131

 

 

 

$

9,101

 

 

 

$

16,185

 

 

 

$

19,014

 

 

 

$

9,847

 

 

 

$

12,771

 

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

 

$

(1,006

)

 

 

$

(96

)

 

 

$

3,730

 

 

 

$

4,833

 

 

 

$

(930

)

 

 

$

523

 

 

 

$

5,576

 

 

 

$

6,840

 

 

 

$

17

 

 

 

$

1,272

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

(629

)

 

 

$

(90

)

 

 

$

2,307

 

 

 

$

2,887

 

 

 

$

(678

)

 

 

$

239

 

 

 

$

3,459

 

 

 

$

4,247

 

 

 

$

(40

)

 

 

$

848

 

 

Basic net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

(0.06

)

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

$

0.20

 

 

 

$

0.27

 

 

 

$

(0.06

)

 

 

$

0.02

 

 

 

$

0.31

 

 

 

$

0.37

 

 

 

$

0.00

 

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

(0.06

)

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

$

0.18

 

 

 

$

0.22

 

 

 

$

(0.06

)

 

 

$

0.02

 

 

 

$

0.27

 

 

 

$

0.32

 

 

 

$

0.00

 

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

Number of stores open at end of period

 

 

99

 

 

 

102

 

 

 

105

 

 

 

113

 

 

 

118

 

 

 

129

 

 

 

132

 

 

 

140

 

 

 

146

 

 

 

150

 

 

Comparable store sales increase (decrease)

 

 

(4.8

)%

 

 

3.5

%

 

 

5.4

%

 

 

9.0

%

 

 

8.3

%

 

 

6.8

%

 

 

9.0

%

 

 

12.5

%

 

 

12.1

%

 

 

11.3

%

 

 

Comparable store sales percentage changes are calculated by comparing comparable store sales for the applicable fiscal quarter to comparable store sales for the same fiscal quarter in the prior fiscal year. Comparable store sales are based on net sales and stores are considered comparable beginning on the first anniversary of the first day of operations. See “—General” above for more information about how we compute comparable store sales.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary capital requirements are for capital investments, inventory, store remodeling, store fixtures and ongoing infrastructure improvements such as technology enhancements and distribution capabilities. Historically, our main sources of liquidity have been cash flows from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility.

The registration statement for our initial public offering was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 5, 2005. We and certain selling shareholders sold 1,875,000 shares and

30




1,718,750 shares of common stock, respectively, in the offering at a public offering price of $18.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $33.8 million and $30.9 million, respectively. In connection with our initial public offering, we paid underwriting discounts and commissions of approximately $2.4 million and incurred offering expenses of approximately $1.7 million. After deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and the offering expenses, we received net proceeds of approximately $29.7 million from the offering.

The significant components of our working capital are inventory and liquid assets such as cash and receivables, specifically credit card receivables, reduced by short-term debt, accounts payable and accrued expenses. Our working capital position benefits from the fact that we generally collect cash from sales to customers the same day or within several days of the related sale, while we typically have extended payment terms with our vendors.

Our capital requirements include construction and fixture costs related to the opening of new stores and for maintenance and remodeling expenditures for existing stores. Future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the pace of new store openings, the availability of suitable locations for new stores, and the nature of arrangements negotiated with landlords. In that regard, our net investment to open a new store has varied significantly in the past due to a number of factors, including the geographic location and size of the new store, and is likely to vary significantly in the future. During fiscal 2005, we expect to spend approximately $15.7 million on capital expenditures, a majority of which will relate to leasehold improvements and fixtures for the 35 new stores we plan to open in fiscal 2005, and a smaller amount will relate to equipment, systems and improvements for our distribution center and support infrastructure. For the six months ended July 30, 2005, we made capital expenditures of approximately $6.4 million and opened 11 new stores. However, there can be no assurance that the number of stores that we actually open in fiscal 2005 will not be different from the number of stores we plan to open, or that actual fiscal 2005 capital expenditures will not differ from this expected amount.

We expect cash flows from operations, available borrowings under our revolving credit facility and the remaining net proceeds from our initial public offering will be sufficient to meet our foreseeable cash requirements for operations and planned capital expenditures for at least the next twelve months. Beyond this time frame, if cash flows from operations, borrowings under our revolving credit facility and the remaining net proceeds from our initial public offering are not sufficient to meet our capital requirements, then we will be required to obtain additional equity or debt financing in the future. There can be no assurance that equity or debt financing will be available to us when we need it or, if available, that the terms will be satisfactory to us and not dilutive to our then-current shareholders.

Net cash used in operating activities in the six months ended July 30, 2005 was $8.8 million and $4.6 million in the six months ended July 31, 2004, in each case primarily related to an increase in inventory levels and receivables, partially offset by an increase in accrued liabilities.

Net cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2004 was $16.4 million, primarily related to income from operations and an increase in other accrued liabilities, partially offset by an increase in inventory levels. Net cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2003 was $7.0 million, primarily related to income from operations, partially offset by an increase in inventory levels and a decrease in accounts payable. Net cash provided by operating activities in fiscal 2002 was $7.9 million, primarily related to income from operations, partially offset by an increase in inventory levels.

Net cash used in investing activities was $6.4 million in the six months ended July 30, 2005 and $4.8 million in the six months ended July 31, 2004, in each case primarily related to capital expenditures for new store openings and existing store renovations.

Net cash used in investing activities was $11.1 million in fiscal 2004, $5.9 million in fiscal 2003 and $7.3 million in fiscal 2002, in each case primarily related to capital expenditures for new store openings and existing store renovations.

Net cash provided from financing activities in the six months ended July 30, 2005 was $32.0 million, primarily related to our initial public offering on May 5, 2005. Net cash provided by financing activities in the six months ended July 31, 2004 was $10.6 million, primarily related to net borrowing under our revolving

31




credit facility offset by the decrease in our book overdraft. Our book overdraft represents checks that we have issued to pay accounts payable but that have not yet been presented for payment.

Net cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2004 was $4.9 million, primarily related to the decrease in our book overdraft. Net cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2003 was $942,000, primarily related to net repayments of borrowing under our revolving credit facility and net repayments of long-term debt. Net cash provided by financing activities in fiscal 2002 was $6.4 million, primarily related to the sale of stock to Zumiez Holdings.

We have a $20.0 million secured revolving credit facility with a lender. The revolving credit facility provides for the issuance of commercial letters of credit in an amount not to exceed $7.5 million outstanding at any time and with a term not to exceed 180 days, although the amount of borrowings available at any time under our revolving credit facility is reduced by the amount of letters of credit outstanding at that time. As of July 30, 2005, we had no borrowings and approximately $1.6 million of letters of credit outstanding under the revolving credit facility. The revolving credit facility bears interest at floating rates based on the lower of the prime rate (6.25% at July 30, 2005) minus a prime margin or the LIBOR rate (3.46% at July 30, 2005) plus a LIBOR margin, with the margin in each case depending on the ratio of our adjusted funded debt (as defined in the loan agreement, as amended) to EBITDAR (as defined in the loan agreement, as amended). Average and peak borrowings, respectively, under the revolving credit facility were $6.2 million and $13.8 million for fiscal 2004. The revolving credit facility will expire on July 1, 2006. The borrowing capacity can be increased to $25.0 million if we request and if we are in compliance with certain provisions. Our obligations under the revolving credit facility are secured by almost all of our personal property, including, among other things, our inventory, equipment and fixtures. We must also provide financial information and statements to our lender and we must reduce the amount of any outstanding advances under the revolving credit facility to no more than $5.0 million for a period of at least 30 consecutive days of each year. Our revolving credit facility also contains financial covenants that require us to meet certain specified financial ratios, including a debt to earnings ratio, an earnings to interest expense ratio and an inventory to debt ratio. We were in compliance with all covenants at July 30, 2005.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

There were no material changes outside the ordinary course of business in our contractual obligations during the six months ended July 30, 2005. Our operating lease obligations are not recognized as liabilities in our financial statements. The following table summarizes the total amount of future payments due under certain of our contractual obligations at July 30, 2005 and the amount of those payments due in future periods as of July 30, 2005:

 

 

 

 

Payments Due In Fiscal Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

2005

 

 

 

2010 and

 

 

 

 

Total

 

(last 6 months)

 

2006

 

2007

 

2008

 

2009

 

 Beyond 

 

 

 

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Contractual obligations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-cancelable operating lease obligations

 

$

83,143

 

 

$

5,732

 

 

$

11,593

 

$

11,036

 

 

$

10,370

 

 

$

10,284

 

 

$

34,128

 

 

Total contractual cash obligations

 

$

83,143

 

 

$

5,732

 

 

$

11,593

 

$

11,036

 

 

$

10,370

 

 

$

10,284

 

 

$

34,128

 

 

 

We occupy our retail stores and combined home office and distribution center under operating leases generally with terms of seven to ten years. Some of our leases have early cancellation clauses, which permit the lease to be terminated by us if certain sales levels are not met in specific periods. Some leases contain renewal options for periods ranging from one to five years under substantially the same terms and conditions as the original leases. In addition to future minimum lease payments, substantially all of our store leases provide for additional rental payments (or “percentage rent”) if sales at the respective stores exceed specified levels, as well as the payment of common area maintenance charges and real estate taxes. Amounts in the above table do not include percentage rent, common area maintenance charges or real estate taxes. Most of our lease agreements have defined escalating rent provisions, which we have straight-lined over the term of the lease, including any lease renewals deemed to be probable. For certain locations, we receive cash tenant allowances and we have reported these amounts as a deferred liability which is amortized to rent expense

32




over the term of the lease, including any lease renewals deemed to be probable. Total rental expenses, including percentage rent, common area maintenance costs and real estate taxes, under operating leases were $13.9 million and $17.1 million for fiscal year 2003 and fiscal year 2004, respectively, and $7.6 million and $9.6 million for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005, respectively. We amortize our leasehold improvements over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or the lease term.

Off-Balance Sheet Obligations

Our only off-balance sheet contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of July 30, 2005 related to operating lease obligations and letters of credit. We have excluded these items from our balance sheet in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. We presently do not have any non-cancelable purchase commitments. At July 30, 2005, we had outstanding purchase orders to acquire merchandise from vendors for approximately $41.7 million. These purchases are expected to be financed by cash flows from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. We have an option to cancel these commitments with no notice prior to shipment. At July 30, 2005, we had approximately $1.6 million of letters of credit outstanding under our revolving credit facility.

Impact of Inflation

We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our net sales or operating results for the past three fiscal years or for the six months ended July 30, 2005. There can be no assurance that our business will not be affected by inflation in the future.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

During different times of the year, due to the seasonality of our business, we have borrowed under our revolving credit facility. To the extent we borrow under our revolving credit facility, which bears interest at floating rates based either on the prime rate or LIBOR, we are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. At July 30, 2005, we had no borrowings outstanding under our credit facility. We are not a party to any derivative financial instruments.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. In preparing financial statements in accordance with GAAP we are required to make estimates and assumptions that have an impact on the assets, liabilities, revenue and expense amounts reported. These estimates can also affect supplemental information disclosed by us, including information about contingencies, risk, and financial condition. We believe, given current facts and circumstances, that our estimates and assumptions are reasonable, adhere to GAAP, and are consistently applied. Inherent in the nature of an estimate or assumption is the fact that actual results may differ from estimates and estimates may vary as new facts and circumstances arise. In preparing the financial statements, we make routine estimates and judgments in determining the net realizable value of accounts receivable, inventory, fixed assets, and prepaid allowances. We believe our most critical accounting estimates and assumptions are in the following areas:

Valuation of merchandise inventories.   We carry our merchandise inventories at the lower of cost or market. Merchandise inventories may include items that have been written down to our best estimate of their net realizable value. Our decisions to write-down our merchandise inventories are based on our current rate of sale, the age of the inventory and other factors. Actual final sales prices to our customers may be higher or lower than our estimated sales prices and could result in a fluctuation in gross margin. Historically, any additional write-downs have not been significant and we do not adjust the historical carrying value of merchandise inventories upwards based on actual sales experience.

Leasehold improvements and equipment.   We review the carrying value of our leasehold improvements and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable. Measurement of the impairment loss is based on the fair value of the

33




asset or group of assets. Generally, fair value will be determined using valuation techniques, such as the expected present value of future cash flows. The actual economic lives of these assets may be different than our estimated useful lives, thereby resulting in a different carrying value. These evaluations could result in a change in the depreciable lives of those assets and therefore our depreciation expense in future periods.

Revenue recognition and sales returns reserve.   We recognize revenue upon purchase by customers at our retail store locations or upon shipment for orders placed through our website as both title and risk of loss have transferred. We offer a return policy of generally 30 days and we accrue for estimated sales returns based on our historical sales returns results. The amounts of these sales returns reserves vary during the year due to the seasonality of our business. Actual sales returns could be higher or lower than our estimated sales returns due to customer buying patterns that could differ from historical trends.

Stock-based compensation.   We account for our employee compensation plans under the recognition and measurement provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees," and related interpretations. We amortize stock based compensation using the straight-line method over the vesting period of the related options, which is either five or eight years. We have recorded deferred stock based compensation representing the difference between the option exercise price and the fair value of our common stock on the grant date for financial reporting purposes. We determined the fair value of our common stock based upon several factors, including the market capitalization of similar retailers, management and third party estimates, and the expected valuation we would obtain in an initial public offering. Had different assumptions or criteria been used to determine the fair value of our common stock, different amounts of stock based compensation could have been reported. No awards have been granted subsequent to our initial public offering on May 5, 2005.

Pro forma information regarding net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders and net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is required in order to show our net income (loss) as if we had accounted for employee stock options under the fair value method of SFAS No. 123, as amended by SFAS No. 148. This information is contained in note 2 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The fair values of options and shares issued pursuant to our option plans at each grant date were estimated using the minimum value method, which requires us to make certain assumptions regarding dividend payments, risk-free interest rates and the options' expected terms. Had different assumptions or criteria been used to determine the fair value of our common stock, different amounts of pro-forma stock based compensation could have been reported.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or “FASB,” issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 151, “Inventory Costs—an Amendment of ARB No. 43, Chapter 4.” This statement clarifies the accounting for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling costs, and spoilage, requiring these items be recognized as current-period charges. In addition, this statement requires that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. The provisions of this statement are effective for inventory costs incurred during fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005 and will become effective for us beginning in fiscal 2006. The effect of adopting this statement is not expected to be significant to our financial position and results of operations.

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment (Revised 2004)” (“FAS 123R”). This statement addresses the accounting for share-based payment transactions in which a company receives employee services in exchange for the company’s equity instruments or liabilities that are based on the fair value of the company’s equity securities or may be settled by the issuance of these securities. SFAS 123R eliminates the ability to account for share-based payments using APB 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” and generally requires that such transactions be accounted for using a fair value method. On April 14, 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the adoption of a new rule that delays SFAS 123R compliance.

Under the SEC rule, the provisions of this statement are effective for annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005 and will become effective for us beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2006. We have not yet determined which transaction method we will use to adopt SFAS 123R. The full impact that the adoption of

34




this statement will have on our financial position and results of operations will be determined by share-based payments granted in future periods and will increase the compensation expense that would otherwise have been recognized in accordance with APB 25. In addition, outstanding unvested options will result in additional compensation expense that otherwise would only have been recognized on a pro-forma basis.

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 153, “Exchanges of Non-Monetary Assets.” This statement refines the measurement of exchanges of non-monetary assets between entities. The provisions of this statement are effective for fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005 and became effective for us beginning with the third quarter of fiscal 2005. Historically, we have not transacted significant exchanges of non-monetary assets, but future such exchanges would be accounted for under the standard, when effective.

In May 2005, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections.”  This Statement requires retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in accounting principle. The provisions of this statement become effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2005. The standard dictates that changes in accounting principle that are a result of a new pronouncement shall be subject to the reporting provisions of that pronouncement if they exist.

35




BUSINESS

Overview

We are a leading specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories operating under the Zumiez brand name. As of July 30, 2005, we operated 150 stores primarily located in shopping malls, giving us a presence in 18 states. Our stores cater to young men and women between the ages of 12 and 24 who seek popular brands representing a lifestyle centered on activities that include skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, BMX and motocross. We support the action sports lifestyle and promote our brand through a multi-faceted marketing approach that is designed to integrate our brand image with our customers’ activities and interests. This approach, combined with our differentiated merchandising strategy, store design, comprehensive training programs and passionate employees, allows us to provide an experience for our customers that we believe is consistent with their attitudes, fashion tastes and identities and is otherwise unavailable in most malls.

Our stores bring the look and feel of an independent specialty shop to the mall by emphasizing the action sports lifestyle through a distinctive store environment and high-energy sales personnel. We seek to staff our stores with store associates who are knowledgeable users of our products, which we believe provides our customers with enhanced customer service and supplements our ability to identify and react quickly to emerging trends and fashions. We design our stores to appeal to teenagers and to serve as a destination for our customers. Most of our stores, which average approximately 2,700 square feet, feature couches and action sports oriented video game stations that are intended to encourage our customers to shop for longer periods of time and to interact with each other and our store associates. To increase customer traffic, we generally locate our stores near busy areas of the mall such as food courts, movie theaters, music or game stores and other popular teen retailers. We believe that our distinctive store concept and compelling store economics will provide continued opportunities for growth in both new and existing markets.

We believe that our customers desire merchandise and fashion that is rooted in the action sports lifestyle and reflects their individuality. We strive to keep our merchandising mix fresh by continuously introducing new brands and styles. Our focus on a diverse collection of brands allows us to quickly adjust to changing fashion trends. The brands we currently offer include Billabong, Burton, DC Shoe, DVS Shoes, Element, Etnies, Hurley, Quiksilver, Roxy and Volcom, among many others. We believe that our strategic mix of both apparel and hardgoods, including skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components and other equipment, allows us to strengthen the potential of the brands we sell and helps to affirm our credibility with our customers. In addition, we supplement our stores with a select offering of private label apparel and products as a value proposition that we believe complements our overall merchandise selection.

Over our 26-year history, we have developed a corporate culture based on a passion for the action sports lifestyle. Our management philosophy emphasizes an integrated combination of results measurement, training and incentive programs, all designed to drive sales productivity at the individual store associate level. We empower our store managers to make store-level business decisions and consistently reward their success. We seek to enhance the productivity of our employees and encourage their advancement by offering comprehensive in-store, regional and national training programs, which we refer to collectively as “Zumiez University.” We have:

·     increased our store count from 53 as of the end of fiscal 1999 to 150 as of the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2005;

·     improved net sales per store from approximately $882,000 in fiscal 1999 to approximately $1.2 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%;

·     maintained net sales per square foot in excess of $440 for our last five fiscal years ending with fiscal 2004;

·     increased net sales from approximately $44.5 million in fiscal 1999 to approximately $153.6 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 28.1%;

·     increased operating profit from $3.1 million in fiscal 1999 to $12.0 million in fiscal 2004, representing a compound annual growth rate of 31.1%; and

 

·     been profitable in every fiscal year of our 26-year history.

36




In fiscal 2002, the Brentwood Affiliates acquired an indirect minority interest in us. Since the investment by the Brentwood Affiliates, we have positioned ourselves for accelerated growth by enhancing our infrastructure and deepening our management team. We believe that these initiatives will improve our ability to continue to expand our business.

Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following competitive strengths differentiate us from our competitors and are critical to our continuing success.

·     Attractive Lifestyle Retailing Concept. We target a large and growing population of 12 to 24 year olds, many of whom we believe are attracted to the action sports lifestyle and desire to promote their personal independence and style through the apparel they wear and the equipment they use. We believe that action sports are a permanent and growing aspect of youth culture, reaching not only consumers that actually participate in action sports, but also those who seek brands and styles that fit a desired action sports image. We believe we have developed a brand image that our customers view as consistent with their attitudes, fashion tastes and identity that should allow us to benefit from our market’s anticipated growth.

·     Differentiated Merchandising Strategy. We have created a highly differentiated retailing concept by offering an extensive selection of current and relevant action sports brands encompassing apparel, equipment and accessories. The breadth of merchandise offered at our stores exceeds that offered by many other action sports specialty stores and includes some brands and products that are available within the mall only at our stores. The action sports lifestyle includes activities that are popular at different times throughout the year, providing us the opportunity to shift our merchandise selection seasonally. Many of our customers desire to update their wardrobes and equipment as fashion trends evolve or the action sports season dictates. We believe that our ability to quickly recognize changing brand and style preferences and transition our merchandise offerings allows us to continually provide a compelling offering to our customers.

·     Deep-rooted Corporate Culture. Our culture and brand image enable us to successfully attract and retain high quality employees who are passionate and knowledgeable about the products we sell. We place great emphasis on customer service and satisfaction, and we have made this a defining feature of our corporate culture. To preserve our culture, our store managers are typically promoted from within and are given extensive responsibility for most aspects of store level management. We provide these managers with the knowledge and tools to succeed through our comprehensive training programs and the flexibility to manage their stores to meet localized customer demand.

·     Distinctive Store Experience. We strive to provide a convenient shopping environment that is appealing and clearly communicates our distinct brand image. Our stores are designed to reflect an “organized chaos” that we believe is consistent with many teenagers’ lifestyles. We seek to attract knowledgeable store associates who identify with the action sports lifestyle and are able to offer superior customer service, advice and product expertise. To further enhance our customers’ experience, most of our stores feature areas with couches and action sports oriented video game stations that are intended to encourage our customers to shop for longer periods of time, to interact with each other and our store associates in a familiar and comfortable setting and to visit our stores more frequently. We believe that our distinctive store environment enhances our image as a leading source for apparel and equipment for the action sports lifestyle.

·     Disciplined Operating Philosophy. We have an experienced senior management team, with an average of approximately 15 years of experience in retail or related industries as of the end of fiscal 2004. Our management team has built a strong operating foundation based on sound retail principles that underlie our unique culture. Our philosophy emphasizes an integrated combination of results measurement, training and incentive programs, all designed to drive sales productivity down to the individual store associate level. Our comprehensive training programs are designed to provide our managers and store associates with enhanced product knowledge, selling skills and operational expertise. We believe that our merchandising team’s immersion in the actions sports lifestyle, supplemented with feedback from our customers, store associates and managers, allows us to

37




consistently identify and react to emerging fashion trends. We believe that this, combined with our inventory planning and allocation processes and systems, helps us mitigate markdown risk.

·     High-Impact, Integrated Marketing Approach. We seek to build relationships with our customers through a multi-faceted marketing approach that is designed to integrate our brand image with the action sports lifestyle. Our marketing efforts focus on reaching our customers in their environment and feature extensive grassroots marketing events, such as the Zumiez Couch Tour, which is a series of interactive sports, music and lifestyle events held at various locations throughout the United States. Our marketing efforts also incorporate local sporting and music event promotions, advertising in magazines popular with our target market, interactive contest sponsorships that actively involve our customers with our brands and products, and distribution of about eight million Zumiez stickers in the past calendar year. Events and activities such as these provide opportunities for our customers to develop a strong identity with our culture and brand. We believe that our immersion in the action sports lifestyle allows us to build credibility with our customers and gather valuable feedback on evolving customer preferences.

Growth Strategy

We intend to expand our presence as a leading action sports lifestyle retailer by:

·     Opening New Store Locations. We believe that the action sports lifestyle has national appeal that provides store expansion opportunities throughout the country. Since the end of fiscal 2002 through the six months ended July 30, 2005, we have opened 53 new stores, consisting of 15 new stores in fiscal 2003, 27 new stores in fiscal 2004 and 11 new stores in the six months ended July 30, 2005. We have successfully opened stores in diverse markets throughout the United States, which we believe demonstrates the portability and growth potential of our concept. We plan to open approximately 35 stores in fiscal 2005 (including eleven stores that we have opened during the six months ended July 30, 2005), including stores in our existing markets and in new markets, to take advantage of what we believe to be a compelling economic store model. We plan to continue to increase the size of our average store by opening new store locations that average approximately 3,000 square feet. These larger locations will accommodate an expanded merchandise mix, while maintaining our unique in-store experience and culture.

·     Continuing to Generate Sales Growth through Improved Store Level Productivity. We seek to maximize our comparable store sales and net sales per square foot by maintaining consistent store-level execution and offering our customers a broad and relevant selection of action sports brands and products. We also intend to continue to expand our brand awareness in an effort to maintain high levels of customer traffic.

·     Enhancing our Operating Efficiency. As we continue to expand our business and open new stores, we plan to improve our operating results by taking advantage of economies of scale in purchasing our inventory, leveraging our existing infrastructure and continually optimizing and improving our operations in areas such as inventory and supply chain management. We seek to better leverage our expenses, particularly general corporate overhead and fixed costs such as non-variable occupancy costs, through increases in both comparable store sales and total net sales.

·     Enhancing our Brand Awareness through Continued Marketing and Promotion. We believe that a key component of our success is the brand exposure that we receive from our marketing events, promotions and activities that embody the action sports lifestyle. These are designed to assist us in increasing brand awareness in our existing markets and expanding into new markets by strengthening our connection with our target customer base. We believe that our marketing efforts have also been successful in generating and promoting interest in our product offerings. In addition, we use our Internet presence, designed to convey our passion for the action sports lifestyle, to increase our brand awareness. We plan to continue to expand our integrated marketing efforts by promoting more events and activities in our existing and new markets, including additional Zumiez Couch Tour destinations.

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The Action Sports Market

We believe that action sports are a permanent and growing aspect of youth culture, reaching not only consumers that actually participate in action sports, but also those who seek brands and styles that fit a desired action sports image. According to Board-Trac, a market research firm, retail sales of skateboard, snowboard and surf/bodyboard apparel, equipment and accessories in the United States were estimated to be approximately $11.5 billion in 2003. We believe that events such as the ESPN X Games, the inclusion of snowboarding as a medal event in the Winter Olympics and the national recognition of leading board sport athletes have broadened general awareness of the action sports lifestyle. The following table, which is based upon data made available by SGMA International, an industry trade group, indicates the estimated number of U.S. participants in board sports, which we define as skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing, during 2004:

 

Board Sport

 

 

U.S. Participants

 

Skateboarding

 

 

10.6 million

 

 

Snowboarding

 

 

7.1 million

 

 

Surfing

 

 

1.9 million

 

 

 

We believe teens and young adults are the primary participants in action sports. This concentrated interest is particularly appealing for us, as teens have significant spending power. According to Teenage Research Unlimited, a market research firm, spending by U.S. teens was projected to be $169 billion in 2004 and has increased at an average of 5% per year over the past seven years. We believe that teens enjoy shopping in malls and purchasing clothing and fashion-related merchandise.

Merchandising and Purchasing

Merchandising.   Our goal is to be viewed by our customers, both young men and young women, as the definitive source of merchandise for the action sports lifestyle. We believe that the breadth of merchandise offered at our stores, which includes apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories, exceeds that offered by many other action sports specialty stores at a single location, and makes our stores a single-stop purchase destination for our target customers. Our apparel offerings include tops, bottoms, outerwear and accessories such as caps, belts and sunglasses. Our footwear offerings primarily consist of action sports related athletic shoes and sandals. Our equipment offerings, or hardgoods, include skateboards, snowboards and ancillary gear such as boots and bindings. We also offer a selection of other items, such as miscellaneous novelties and DVDs.

We seek to identify action sports oriented fashion trends as they develop and to respond in a timely manner with a relevant in-store product assortment. We strive to keep our merchandising mix fresh by continuously introducing new brands or styles in response to the evolving desires of our customers. We also take advantage of the change in action sports seasons during the year to maintain an updated product selection. Our merchandise mix may vary by region, reflecting the specific action sports preferences and seasons in different parts of the country.

We believe that offering an extensive selection of current and relevant brands used and sometimes developed by professional action sports athletes is integral to our overall success. The brands we currently offer include: Billabong, Burton, DC Shoe, DVS Shoes, Element, Etnies, Hurley, Quiksilver, Roxy and Volcom, among many others. No single brand accounted for more than 7.2% and 4.8% of our net sales in fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003, respectively. We believe that our strategic mix of both apparel and hardgoods, including skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components and other equipment, allows us to strengthen the potential of the brands we sell and affirms our credibility with our customers.

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We believe that our ability to maintain an image consistent with the action sports lifestyle is important to our key vendors. Given our scale and market position, we believe that many of our key vendors view us as an important retail partner. This position helps ensure our ability to procure a relevant product assortment and quickly respond to the changing fashion interests of our customers. Additionally, we believe we are presented with a greater variety of products and styles by some of our vendors, as well as certain specially designed items that are only distributed to our stores.

We supplement our merchandise assortment with a select offering of private label products across many of our apparel product categories. Our private label products complement the branded products we sell, and allow us to cater to the more value-oriented customer. For fiscal 2004, 2003 and 2002, our private label merchandise represented approximately 12.8%, 12.6% and 12.0%, respectively, of our net sales.

Purchasing.   Our merchandising staff consists of a general merchandising manager, planning staff and a staff of buyers and assistant buyers. Our purchasing approach focuses on quality, speed and cost in order to provide timely delivery of merchandise to our stores. We have developed a disciplined approach to buying and a dynamic inventory planning and allocation process to support our merchandise strategy. We utilize a broad vendor base that allows us to shift our merchandise purchases as required to react quickly to changing market conditions. We manage the purchasing and allocation process by reviewing branded merchandise lines from new and existing vendors, identifying emerging fashion trends and selecting branded merchandise styles in quantities, colors and sizes to meet inventory levels established by management. We also coordinate inventory levels in connection with our promotions and seasonality. Our management information systems provide us with current inventory levels at each store and for our company as a whole, as well as current selling history within each store by merchandise classification and by style. We purchase most of our branded merchandise from domestic vendors.

Our merchandising staff remains in tune with the action sports culture by participating in action sports, attending relevant events and concerts, watching action sports related programming and reading action sports publications. In order to identify evolving trends and fashion preferences, our staff spends considerable time analyzing sales data by category and brand down to the stock keeping unit, or “SKU” (an identification used for inventory tracking purposes), level, gathering feedback from our stores and customers, shopping in key markets and soliciting input from our vendors. As part of our feedback collection process, our merchandise team receives merchandise requests from both customers and store associates and meets with our store managers two to three times per year to discuss current customer trends.

We purchase our private label merchandise from independent third parties with the expertise to source through foreign manufacturers in Asia. We have cultivated our private brand sources with a view towards high quality merchandise, production reliability and consistency of fit. We believe that our knowledge of fabric and production costs combined with a flexible sourcing base enables us to buy high-quality private label goods at favorable costs.

Distribution and Fulfillment

Timely and efficient distribution of merchandise to our stores is an important component of our overall business strategy. We process all of our merchandise through our distribution center in Everett, Washington. At this facility, merchandise is inspected, entered into our computer system, allocated to stores, ticketed when necessary, and boxed for distribution to our stores or segregated in our e-commerce fulfillment area for delivery to our Internet customers. A significant percentage of our merchandise is currently pre-ticketed by our vendors, which allows us to ship merchandise more quickly, reduces labor costs and enhances our inventory management. We continue to work with our vendors to increase the percentage of pre-ticketed merchandise. Each store is typically shipped merchandise five times a week, providing our stores with a steady flow of new merchandise. We currently use United Parcel Service to ship merchandise to our stores. We believe our current distribution infrastructure is sufficient to accommodate our expected store growth and expanded product offerings over the next several years.

Stores

As of July 30, 2005, we operated 150 stores with an average of approximately 2,700 square feet per store in 18 states. All of our stores are leased and substantially all are located in shopping malls of different types.

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All references in this prospectus to square footage of our stores refers to gross square footage, including retail selling, storage and back-office space.

The following store list shows the number of stores we operated in each state as of July 30, 2005:


State

 

 

 

Number
of Stores

 

Alaska

 

 

2

 

 

Arizona

 

 

9

 

 

California

 

 

28

 

 

Colorado

 

 

10

 

 

Idaho

 

 

5

 

 

Illinois

 

 

9

 

 

Minnesota

 

 

10

 

 

Montana

 

 

4

 

 

Nevada

 

 

4

 

 

 

State

 

 

 

Number
of Stores

 

New Jersey

 

 

1

 

 

New Mexico

 

 

4

 

 

New York

 

 

18

 

 

Oregon

 

 

10

 

 

Texas

 

 

1

 

 

Utah

 

 

11

 

 

Washington

 

 

21

 

 

Wisconsin

 

 

2

 

 

Wyoming

 

 

1

 

 

 


As of July 30, 2005, approximately 75% of our stores had been opened or remodeled within the previous five years, and all of our stores except one had been opened or remodeled within the previous ten years. The following table shows the number of stores (excluding temporary stores that we operate from time to time for special events) opened and closed in each of our last four fiscal years:

Fiscal Year

 

 

 

Stores
Opened

 

Stores
Closed

 

Total Number of
Stores at End of Period

 

2001

 

 

17

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

80

 

 

2002

 

 

19

 

 

 

 

 

 

99

 

 

2003

 

 

15

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

113

 

 

2004

 

 

27

 

 

 

 

 

 

140

 

 

Six months ended July 30, 2005

 

 

11

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

150

 

 

 

Store Design and Environment.   We design our stores to create a distinctive and engaging shopping environment that we believe resonates with our customers and reflects an “organized chaos” that is consistent with many teenagers’ lifestyles. Our stores feature an industrial look with concrete floors and open ceilings, dense merchandise displays, action sports focused posters and signage and popular music, all of which are consistent with the look and feel of an independent action sports specialty shop. Most of our stores have couches and action sports oriented video game stations that are intended to encourage our customers to shop for longer periods of time, to interact with each other and our store associates and to visit our stores more frequently. Our stores are constructed and finished to allow us to efficiently shift merchandise displays throughout the year as the action sports season dictates. To further enhance our customers’ experience, we seek to attract enthusiastic store associates who are knowledgeable about our products and are able to offer superior customer service and expertise. We believe that our store atmosphere enhances our image as a leading provider of action sports lifestyle merchandise.

As of July 30, 2005, our stores averaged 2,700 square feet. We have been, and plan to continue, opening new stores that average 3,000 square feet, slightly larger than our historical average size. These larger stores are intended to enable us to offer an expanded merchandise selection while maintaining our distinctive store environment.

Expansion Opportunities and Site Selection.   Since the end of fiscal 2002, we have opened 53 stores to enhance our position in existing markets and to enter into new markets, to build our brand awareness and to capitalize on our successful store model. We plan to open 35 new stores in fiscal 2005 (including 11 stores that we have opened during the six months ended July 30, 2005) and to continue to open a significant number of new stores in future years. Our new store openings are planned in both existing and new markets.

In selecting a location for a new store, we target high-traffic mall space with suitable demographics and favorable lease terms. We seek locations near busy areas of the mall such as food courts, movie theaters, music or game stores and other popular teen retailers. We generally locate our stores in malls in which other teen-oriented retailers have performed well. We also focus on evaluating the market and mall-specific

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competitive environment for potential new store locations. We seek to diversify our store locations regionally and by caliber of mall. We have currently identified a significant number of potential sites for new stores in malls with appropriate market characteristics.

We have successfully and consistently implemented our store concept across a variety of mall classifications and geographic locations. Our new stores opened during fiscal 2003 generated average net sales of approximately $1.0 million during their first full year of operations. On average, our net investment to open these stores was approximately $360,000, which includes capital expenditures, net of landlord contributions, and initial inventory, net of payables. However, our net investment to open new stores and net sales generated by new stores vary significantly and depend on a number of factors, including the geographic location and size of those stores. Accordingly, net sales and other operating results for stores that we open or have opened subsequent to the end of fiscal 2003, as well as our net investment to open those stores, may differ substantially from net sales and other operating results and our net investment for the stores we opened in fiscal 2003.

Store Management, Operations and Training.   We believe that our success is dependent in part on our ability to attract, train, retain and motivate qualified employees at all levels of our organization. We have developed a corporate culture that we believe empowers the individual store managers to make store-level business decisions and consistently rewards their success. We are committed to improving the skills and careers of our workforce and providing advancement opportunities for employees, as evidenced by a significant number of our store managers that began their careers with us as store associates.

Our store operations are currently organized into regions and districts. Each region is managed by a regional manager, responsible for approximately 50 stores. We employ one district sales manager per district, responsible for the sales and operations of approximately 10 stores. Each of our stores is typically staffed with one store manager, one or more assistant managers and two or more store associates, depending on the season. The number of store associates we employ generally increases during peak selling seasons, particularly the back-to-school and the winter holiday seasons, and will increase to the extent that we open new stores.

We provide our managers with the knowledge and tools to succeed through our comprehensive training programs and the flexibility to manage their stores to meet customer demands. While general guidelines for our merchandise assortments, store layouts and in-store visuals are provided by our home office, we give our store managers substantial discretion to tailor their stores to the individual market and empower them to make store-level business decisions. We design group training programs for our managers, such as our “Zumiez Managers Retreat,” to improve both operational expertise and supervisory skills. Our comprehensive training programs are offered at the store, regional and national levels. Our programs allow managers from all geographic locations to interact with each other and exchange ideas to better operate stores. Our regional, district and store managers are compensated in part based on the sales volume of the store or stores they manage.

Our store associates generally have an interest in the action sports lifestyle and are knowledgeable about our products. Through our training, evaluation and incentive programs, we seek to enhance the productivity of our store associates. Our store associates receive extensive training from their managers to improve their product expertise and selling skills. We evaluate our store associates weekly on measures such as sales per hour, items per transaction and dollars per transaction to ensure consistent productivity, to reward top performers, and to identify potential training opportunities. We provide sales incentives for store associates such as sales-based commissions in addition to hourly wages and our annual “Zumiez 100K” event, which recognizes outstanding sales performance in a resort setting that combines recreation and education. These and other incentive programs are designed to promote a competitive, yet fun, corporate culture that is consistent with the action sports lifestyle we seek to promote.

Internet Operations.   We use our website primarily as an information source for our customers. Our website provides current information on our upcoming events and promotions, store locations and merchandise selection. We also sell products directly through our website, although Internet sales currently comprise, and are expected to continue to comprise, a small portion of our overall net sales. In the six months ended July 30, 2005 and fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003, Internet sales represented less than 1% of our total net sales.

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Marketing and Advertising

We seek to reach our target customer audience through a multi-faceted marketing approach that is designed to integrate our brand image with the action sports lifestyle. Our marketing efforts focus on reaching our customers in their environment, and feature extensive grassroots marketing events, such as the Zumiez Couch Tour, which give our customers an opportunity to experience and participate in the action sports lifestyle. Our marketing efforts also incorporate local sporting and music event promotions, advertising in magazines popular with our target market such as Transworld Snowboarding and Transworld Skateboarding, interactive contest sponsorships that actively involve our customers with our brands and products, and the distribution of about eight million Zumiez stickers in the past calendar year. We believe that our immersion in the action sports lifestyle allows us to build credibility with our target audience and gather valuable feedback on evolving customer preferences.

Our grassroots marketing events are built around the demographics of our customer base and offer an opportunity for our customers to develop a strong identity with our brand and culture. For example, the Zumiez Couch Tour is a series of entertainment events that includes skateboarding demonstrations from top professionals, autograph sessions, competitions and live music, and has featured some of today’s most popular teenage personalities in action sports and music. The Zumiez Couch Tour provides a high-impact platform where customers can interact with some of their favorite action sports athletes and vendors can showcase new products. Recently, our Zumiez Couch Tour completed a twelve city tour across the United States. We also offer promotions and contests such as the “Zumiez and Atticus Battle of the Bands,” which provides amateur bands the opportunity to compete against one another for a chance to win Zumiez gift certificates and have their winning track produced on an Atticus CD sampler. Advertising expense (income) was approximately $322,000, $295,000 and $235,000 in fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively and $24,000 for the one month period ended February 1, 2003 and $25,000 and ($900) for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and the six months ended July 30, 2005, respectively. Advertising expense is presented net of payments that we receive from sponsors and, for the six months ended July 30, 2005, these payments exceeded our actual advertising costs.

Management Information Systems

Our management information systems provide integration of store, merchandising, distribution, financial and human resources functions. We use software licensed from ANT USA for merchandise planning and software licensed from CRS Retail that is used for SKU and classification inventory tracking, purchase order management, merchandise distribution, automated ticket making and sales audit functions. Our financial systems are licensed from ACC PAC and Best FAS and are used for general ledger, accounts payable, payroll, budgeting, financial reporting and asset management. We believe that our information systems are scalable, flexible and have the capacity to accommodate our current growth plans.

Sales are updated daily in our merchandising reporting systems by polling sales information from each store’s point-of-sale, or “POS,” terminals. Our POS system consists of registers providing processing of retail transactions, price look-up, time and attendance and e-mail. Sales information, inventory tracking and payroll hours are uploaded to our central host system. The host system downloads price changes, performs system maintenance and provides software updates to the stores through automated nightly two-way electronic communication with each store. We evaluate information obtained through nightly polling to implement merchandising decisions, including product purchasing/reorders, markdowns and allocation of merchandise on a daily basis.

In addition to our home office staff, each of our regional and district managers can access relevant business information, including current and historical sales by store, district and region, transaction information and payroll data.

Competition

The teenage and young adult retail apparel, hardgoods and accessories industry is highly competitive. We compete with other retailers for vendors, teenage and young adult customers, suitable store locations and qualified store associates and management personnel. In the softgoods markets, which includes apparel, accessories and footwear, we currently compete with other teenage-focused retailers such as Abercrombie &

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Fitch Co., Aeropostale, Inc., American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., Anchor Blue Clothing Company, Charlotte Russe Inc., Claire’s Stores, Inc., Forever 21, Inc., Hollister Co., Hot Topic, Inc., Old Navy, Inc., Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc., The Buckle, Inc., The Wet Seal, Inc. and Urban Outfitters, Inc. In addition, in the softgoods markets we compete with independent specialty shops, department stores and direct marketers that sell similar lines of merchandise and target customers through catalogs and e-commerce. In the hardgoods markets, which includes skateboards, snowboards, bindings, components and other equipment, we compete directly or indirectly with the following categories of companies: other specialty retailers that compete with us across a significant portion of our merchandising categories, such as local snowboard and skate shops; large-format sporting goods stores and chains, such as Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., Sport Chalet, Inc. and The Sports Authority Inc., which operates stores under the brand names Sports Authority, Gart Sports, Oshman’s and Sportmart; and Internet retailers.

Competition in our sector is based on, among other things, merchandise offerings, store location, price and the ability to identify with the customer. We believe that we compete favorably with many of our competitors based on our differentiated merchandising strategy, compelling store environment and deep-rooted culture. However, some of our competitors are larger than we are and have substantially greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. See “Risk Factors—We may be unable to compete favorably in the highly competitive retail industry, and if we lose customers to our competitors, our sales could decrease.”

Properties

In early February 2005, we completed our move from the 49,000 square foot combined home office and distribution center that we occupied since 1994 to a new 87,000 square foot combined home office and distribution center, both in Everett, Washington. We occupy the new facility under a lease expiring in July 2012. We have an option to extend the term of this lease for up to two additional five-year periods. All of our stores, encompassing approximately 405,000 total square feet as of July 30, 2005, are occupied under operating leases. The store leases range for a term of five to ten years and we are generally responsible for payment of property taxes and utilities, common area maintenance and marketing fees.

Trademarks

“Zumiez,” “Free World,” “O-Three” and “Limelight” are among our trademarks registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. We regard our trademarks as valuable and intend to maintain such marks and any related registrations. We are currently in the process of filing an application to register the “Empyre” and “Empyre Girl” marks. We are not aware of any claims of infringement or other challenges to our right to use our marks in the United States. We vigorously protect our trademarks. We also own numerous domain names which have been registered with Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Employees

As of July 30, 2005, we employed approximately 554 full-time and approximately 1,581 part-time employees, of which approximately 242 were employed at our home office and approximately 1,893 at our store locations. However, the number of part-time employees fluctuates depending on our seasonal needs and, in fiscal 2004, varied from between approximately 1,076 and 1,927 part-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we become involved in litigation relating to claims arising from our ordinary course of business. Management believes, after considering a number of factors and the nature of legal proceedings to which we are subject, that the outcome of current litigation will not have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations or financial condition. However, see “Risk Factors—The outcome of litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business.”

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MANAGEMENT

Our Directors and Executive Officers

The following table sets forth certain information about our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus.

Name

 

 

 

Age

 

Position

Thomas D. Campion

 

57

 

Chairman of the Board

Richard M. Brooks

 

45

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Brenda I. Morris

 

40

 

Chief Financial Officer

Lynn K. Kilbourne

 

43

 

General Merchandising Manager

Thomas E. Davin(1)(2)

 

47

 

Director

William M. Barnum, Jr.(2)

 

51

 

Director

Gerald F. Ryles(1)(2)

 

69

 

Director

Steven W. Moore

 

30

 

Director


(1)                 Member of the Audit Committee.

(2)                 Member of the Compensation Committee.

Thomas D. Campion, 57, was one of our co-founders and has served on our board of directors (our “Board”) since our inception in 1978. Mr. Campion has held various senior management positions during this time, including serving as our Chairman since June 2000. From November 1970 until August 1978, he held various management positions with JC Penney Company. Mr. Campion holds a B.A. in Political Science from Seattle University. Mr. Campion serves as the Board Chair of the Alaska Wilderness League, a Washington, D.C. based environmental group, and the Treasurer of the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, a Bellingham, Washington based environmental group.

Richard M. Brooks, 45, has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2000. From August 1993 through June 2000, he served as a Vice President and our Chief Financial Officer. From November 1989 until February 1992, Mr. Brooks was with Interchecks, Inc., a subsidiary of Bowater PLC, as a finance officer. Mr. Brooks was with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells, currently known as Deloitte & Touche, from July 1982 to March 1989. Mr. Brooks holds a B.A. in Business from the University of Puget Sound. Mr. Brooks has served on the University of Puget Sound Board of Trustees from May 2002 to the present, where he has served on its Finance and Facilities Committee and its Audit Committee.

Brenda I. Morris, 40, has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2003. From November 1999 until April 2003, she was with K2 Corporation as the Vice President of Finance. Ms. Morris has also held a senior management position with UnionBay Sportswear. Ms. Morris holds a B.S. in Business from Pacific Lutheran University and an M.B.A. from Seattle University. Ms. Morris is a certified public accountant in Washington and a certified management accountant. Ms. Morris is a member of the Journal of Accountancy Review Board for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Ms. Morris serves on the Board of Washington Business Week, a program of the Foundation for Private Enterprise Education serving high school students, where she has served on its Audit Committee and as its Treasurer.

Lynn K. Kilbourne, 43, has served as our General Merchandising Manager since September 2004. From July 1991 until May 2001, she was with Banana Republic, a subsidiary of Gap, Inc., in various senior management positions. After leaving Banana Republic, Ms. Kilbourne served as an independent consultant in the retail industry until she joined us in September 2004. Ms. Kilbourne holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Thomas E. Davin, 47, has served on our Board since November 2002 and is President and Chief Operating Officer of Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., a leading Chinese quick service restaurant chain with more than 700 restaurants, where he has been since 2004. Prior to joining Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., Mr. Davin served, from 2001 to 2004, as the Operating Partner of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a middle-market private equity firm, or “Brentwood Private Equity III.” Mr. Davin is a Director of Oakley Inc.

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(NYSE “OO”) and serves as Chairman of Oakley’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Chairman of Oakley’s Audit Committee. From 1993 to 2000 Mr. Davin was a senior executive with Taco Bell Corporation, a division of YUM! Brands, Inc. (NYSE “YUM”), and served as its Chief Operating Officer from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Davin earned an M.B.A., with distinction, from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. Mr. Davin is a graduate of Duke University and served as a U.S. Marine Corps officer from 1979 to 1985.

William M. Barnum, Jr., 51, has served on our Board since November 2002. Since 1984, Mr. Barnum has been with Brentwood Private Equity III, where he co-founded the firm’s private equity effort, and is currently its General Partner. Prior to joining Brentwood Private Equity III, Mr. Barnum worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. in the investment banking division, where he served as Assistant to the President and also provided investment banking advisory services. He is a graduate of Stanford University, and a graduate of Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Presently, Mr. Barnum is a director of Exhale Enterprises Inc., Filson Holdings, Inc., FleetPride Corporation, Oriental Trading Company, Inc., Quiksilver Corporation and ThreeSixty Asia Ltd.

Gerald F. Ryles, 69, has served on our Board since August 2005. Until it was acquired in September 2003, Mr. Ryles was Chief Executive Officer (from July 1994 through January 2001), Chairman of the Board and a major shareholder of Microserv Technology Services, a privately held information technology services company. Mr. Ryles currently serves on the Board of Directors of Halifax Corporation, the company that acquired Microserv Technology Services. Mr. Ryles has 40 years of experience in many different industries as well as management consulting experience with McKinsey & Company. He is a graduate of the University of Washington, and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.

Steven W. Moore, 30, has served on our Board since April 2005. Mr. Moore is currently a Principal of Brentwood Private Equity III where he has worked since 2000. Prior to joining Brentwood Private Equity III, Mr. Moore worked, from 1998 to 2000, for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation in the investment banking division and, from 1997 to 1998, for Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group. Mr. Moore holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Mr. Moore is currently a director of Filson Holdings, Inc. and ThreeSixty Asia Ltd.

Board Structure and Composition

Our Board currently consists of six members. The Board has determined, after consultation with our legal counsel, that Mr. Davin and Mr. Ryles qualify as independent directors under the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market. Mr. Davin was previously affiliated with the Brentwood Affiliates, which is among our significant shareholders. We intend to appoint additional independent directors as needed so that a majority of our directors are independent by May 6, 2006. It is our intention to be in full and timely compliance with all applicable rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market with respect to the independence of our directors and we intend to avail ourselves of the transition period provided under the applicable rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market for issuers that listed in conjunction with their initial public offering. However, if we fail to comply, when required, with the applicable requirements of the SEC or The Nasdaq Stock Market with respect to the independence of the members of our Board and committees of our Board, our common stock may be delisted by The Nasdaq Stock Market and we may otherwise be subject to adverse publicity and sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the market price of our common stock.

Our Board is divided into three classes of directors, each serving staggered three-year terms as follows:

·     Class I consisting of Mr. Brooks and Mr. Moore, whose initial terms expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2006;

·     Class II consisting of Mr. Barnum and Mr. Ryles, whose initial terms expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2007; and

·     Class III consisting of Mr. Campion and Mr. Davin, whose initial terms expire at the annual meeting of shareholders to be held in 2008.

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Upon expiration of the term of a class of directors, directors for that class will be elected for a new three-year term at the annual meeting of shareholders in the year in which such term expires. Each director’s term is subject to the election and qualification of his successor, or his earlier death, resignation or removal. The authorized number of directors may be changed by resolution duly adopted by our Board and any vacancies on our Board may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. This classification of our Board will make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our company.

Board Committees

Our Board has established an audit committee and a compensation committee and, will establish a governance and nominating committee. It is our intention that the composition of these Board committees comply, when required, with the independence requirements and other applicable rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market. Under those rules, a majority of the members of each of these committees currently must meet these independence requirements (which requirement has been satisfied) and all members of these committees must meet the independence requirements by May 6, 2006.

Audit Committee.

Our audit committee has responsibility for, among other things:

·     assisting our Board in monitoring the integrity of our financial statements;

·     discussing with our management and our independent registered public accounting firm significant financial reporting issues and judgments and any major issues as to the adequacy of our internal controls;

·     reviewing our annual and quarterly financial statements prior to their filing with the SEC and prior to the release of our results of operations; and

·     reviewing the performance and qualifications of our independent registered public accounting firm and presenting its conclusions to our Board and approving, subject to permitted exceptions, any non-audit services proposed to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm.

The audit committee has the power to investigate any matter brought to its attention within the scope of its duties and to retain counsel for this purpose where appropriate.

We plan to nominate a third independent member of our audit committee by May 6, 2006 so that all of our audit committee members will be independent under applicable rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market.  Our Board has determined that Mr. Davin and Mr. Ryles are “audit committee financial experts” under applicable SEC rules and each has the required financial sophistication pursuant to the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market.

Governance and Nominating Committee.

We will establish a governance and nominating committee. The governance and nominating committee will have responsibility for, among other things:

·     recommending persons to be selected by the Board as nominees for election as directors and as Chief Executive Officer;

·     assessing our directors’ and our Board’s performance;

·     recommending director compensation and benefits policies; and

·     considering and recommending to the Board other actions relating to corporate governance.

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Compensation Committee.

Our compensation committee has responsibility for, among other things:

·     reviewing corporate goals and objectives relevant to compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other senior executives;

·     determining and approving our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation and making recommendations to the Board with respect to compensation of other executive employees;

·     administering our incentive compensation plans and equity based plans and making recommendations to the Board with respect to those plans; and

·     making recommendations to our Board with respect to the compensation of directors.

We plan to add a third independent director to our compensation committee by May 6, 2006.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

Prior to our establishment of a compensation committee, Messrs. Barnum and Davin participated in deliberations of our Board concerning executive officer compensation. Neither Mr. Barnum, Mr. Davin nor Mr. Ryles, each of whom currently serves as a member of our compensation committee, serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board or compensation committee.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our Board has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics applicable to our directors, executive officers, including our chief financial officer and other of our senior financial officers, and employees, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market. Our code of business conduct and ethics is available at our website at www.zumiez.com. Information on our website, however, does not form a part of this prospectus.

Board Compensation

For the fiscal year ended January 29, 2005, the individuals serving on our Board who were not our employees did not receive any compensation. We intend to pay our non-employee directors an annual fee for their services as members of our Board and an additional annual fee for each committee on which they serve as a member, although the amount of such fees has not been established. We intend to reimburse all directors for reasonable expenses incurred to attend meetings of our Board or committees. In addition, non-employee directors are eligible to receive equity awards under our 2005 Incentive Plan.

Executive Compensation

The following table sets forth the total compensation awarded, paid or earned for services rendered to us in all capacities during fiscal 2004 by our chief executive officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers. These executives are referred to as the “named executive officers” elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

Annual Compensation

 

 

Name and Principal Position

 

 

 

Salary

 

Bonus

 

Other Annual
Compensation

 

Thomas D. Campion, Co-Founder and Chairman

 

$

210,000

 

$

70,900

 

 

 

 

 

Richard M. Brooks, President and Chief Executive Officer

 

210,000

 

70,900

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda I. Morris, Chief Financial Officer

 

200,000

 

62,038

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn K. Kilbourne, General Merchandising Manager

 

54,619

(1)

23,633

 

 

$

40,678

(2)

 

 


(1)                 Ms. Kilbourne became our General Merchandising Manager in September of 2004. Her annual base salary is $200,000.

(2)                 Consists of moving expense reimbursements.

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Stock Option Grants in Fiscal 2004

The following table sets forth information with respect to stock options granted to each of our named executive officers during fiscal 2004 and includes the potential realizable value, which is the hypothetical gain that could be achieved if options were exercised at the end of their terms. This determination assumes options are exercised at the end of their terms, based on assumed annually compounded rates of stock appreciation of 5% and 10% and based on an initial public offering price of $18.00 per share (which was the public offering price in our May 5, 2005 initial public offering), net of the exercise price but before taxes associated with exercise. These assumed rates of appreciation comply with the rules of the SEC and do not represent our estimate of future common stock prices. Actual gains, if any, on stock option exercises will depend on the future performance of our common stock. We granted options to purchase a total of 400,119 shares of common stock during fiscal 2004.

Options granted in fiscal 2004 to the named executive officers were granted under our 2004 Option Plan, the material terms of which are described below. The Board utilized valuations prepared by management and one of the Brentwood Affiliates to establish the exercise price of options. All options granted to the named executive officers are options to purchase our common stock. All options were granted at or above fair market value as determined in good faith by our Board on the date of grant. There were no option exercises during fiscal 2004 and the named executive officers did not exercise any options in fiscal 2004. Subsequent to the date of the 2004 awards, we updated our valuation based on, in part, our financial performance, the performance of comparable companies and our plans to effect an initial public offering. In connection with this new valuation, we took compensation charges related to some options granted with exercise prices below this updated valuation, which charges have been recorded as unearned compensation in the equity section of the balance sheet. These charges will be amortized to compensation expense in the statement of operations, over the five to eight year vesting period applicable to the awards.

 

 

 

 

Individual Grants

 

 

 

Potential Realizable

 

 

 

 

 

Percentage of

 

 

 

 

 

Value at Assumed

 

 

 

Number of

 

Total Options

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Stock Price

 

 

 

Securities

 

Granted in

 

Exercise

 

 

 

Appreciation Rate for

 

 

 

Underlying

 

Fiscal

 

Price Per

 

Expiration

 

Option Term

 

 

 

Options

 

2004

 

Share

 

Date

 

5%

 

10%

 

Thomas D. Campion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard M. Brooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda I. Morris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn K. Kilbourne(1)

 

 

153,886

 

 

 

41.0

%

 

 

$

7.73

 

 

7/31/2014

 

$

3,159,900

 

$

5,498,947

 


(1)                 Twenty percent of the options vest at the one-year anniversary of the option grant and then 1/48th of the remaining options vest each month thereafter.

Employment Agreements and Change of Control Provisions

On November 4, 2002, we entered into an Executive Agreement with Richard M. Brooks, pursuant to which he serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. The agreement has no fixed term and terminates upon the death or disability of Mr. Brooks or upon written notice from either party. Under the agreement, Mr. Brooks receives an annual base salary of $210,000 and he is eligible to be considered for an annual discretionary bonus of up to $100,000 and future stock option grants. The agreement further provides that if we terminate Mr. Brooks’ employment without cause or if he terminates his employment for good reason, he will continue to receive his base salary until he accepts employment with another employer, but in no event longer than 18 months after the termination of his employment. In addition, the agreement prohibits Mr. Brooks, during his employment with us and for the longest time period permitted by law thereafter, from disclosing confidential information; requires Mr. Brooks to transfer to us any inventions he develops during his employment; and prohibits Mr. Brooks from competing with us in geographic regions in the United States in which we conduct business or from hiring our employees for 18 months after the termination of his employment.

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Stock Based Plans

1993 Stock Option Plan

Our Board adopted the 1993 Stock Option Plan (the “1993 Option Plan”) on December 1, 1997 and our shareholders approved it on December 1, 1997. The 1993 Option Plan will remain in effect until all options granted under the plan have been exercised or terminated, but no additional option grants could be made under the 1993 Option Plan after July 30, 2004. The 1993 Option Plan provided for the grant of nonqualified stock options to executive officers and key employees. As of July 30, 2005, options to purchase 1,204,851 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 1993 Option Plan.

Administration.   A committee of the Board administers the 1993 Option Plan. Subject to the terms of the 1993 Option Plan, the committee determined grant recipients, grant dates, the numbers of stock options to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock options, including the period of their exercisability, vesting and the exercise price.

Stock Options.   Nonqualified stock options were granted pursuant to stock option agreements. The committee determined the exercise prices for stock options, which were at least 100% of the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying the stock options on the date such stock options were granted, and such stock options are not exercisable after the expiration of ten years from the date of grant. The committee determined the vesting period and term of stock options granted under the 1993 Option Plan. Upon the death of an optionee, any options exercisable on the date of death may be exercised by the optionee’s estate or the optionee’s beneficiary for a period of one year after the date of the optionee’s death. Upon the termination of an optionee’s employment relationship with us by reason of retirement or permanent disability, an optionee may, within 12 months from the date of termination, exercise his or her stock options to the extent they are exercisable during such 12-month period. Other than in the case of termination by death, disability or retirement, all options held by an optionee shall terminate upon the termination of the optionee’s employment relationship with us. An optionee may not transfer a nonqualified stock option other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Adjustments to Capital Structure.   In the event of a dividend or other distribution, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, split-up, combination, exchange of shares or the like, the committee may adjust the number of shares that may be delivered under the 1993 Option Plan and the number and price of the shares covered by each outstanding stock option grant.

Amendment and Termination.   The committee may amend the 1993 Option Plan or modify stock option awards in response to changes in securities or other laws or to comply with stock exchange rules at any time. The committee may also terminate or modify the plan at any time.

2004 Stock Option Plan

Our Board adopted the 2004 Stock Option Plan (the “2004 Option Plan”) on June 7, 2004 and our shareholders have approved it. Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the 2004 Option Plan will terminate on June 7, 2014, the tenth anniversary of the date that the plan was adopted by our Board. The 2004 Option Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options, which may be granted to our executive officers and key employees. We will not make any new stock option grants under the 2004 Option Plan. However, all of the 3,307,297 shares that were available for future awards under our 2004 Option Plan at the time we completed our initial public offering in May 2005 may be added to the shares available for award under the 2005 Incentive Plan, subject to the limitation on the maximum number of shares available for award under our 2005 Incentive Plan described below under “—2005 Equity Incentive Plan.”

Share Reserve.   As of July 30, 2005, options to purchase 373,476 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 2004 Option Plan. As of July 30, 2005, no shares of common stock had been issued under the 2004 Option Plan.

Administration.   A committee of the Board administers the 2004 Option Plan. Subject to the terms of the 2004 Option Plan, the committee determines recipients, grant dates, the numbers and types of stock options to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock options, including the period of their

50




exercisability and vesting. Subject to the limitations set forth below, the committee also determines the exercise price of stock options granted.

Stock Options.   Nonqualified stock options, or “nonqualified options,” and incentive stock options, or “incentive options,” are granted pursuant to stock option agreements. The committee determines the exercise price for stock options. Subject to the limitations set forth below regarding persons owning more than ten percent of our stock (“ten percent shareholders”), the exercise price for incentive options generally will be at least 100% of the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying the incentive stock option on the date such incentive option is granted and such incentive options will not be exercisable after the expiration of ten years from the date of grant. For ten percent shareholders, the exercise price for incentive options will be at least 110% of the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying an incentive option on the date such incentive option is granted and such incentive option will not be exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant. The committee determines the vesting period and term of stock options granted under the 2004 Option Plan.

Unless the terms of an optionee’s stock option agreement provide otherwise, stock options granted under the 2004 Option Plan expire: 90 days after voluntary or involuntary termination of an optionee’s employment (other than in the case of death, disability or discharge for misconduct that is willfully or wantonly harmful to us); upon discharge for misconduct that is willfully or wantonly harmful to us; or 12 months after an optionee’s death or disability. In no event may a stock option be exercised after the expiration of its term, as set forth in the stock option agreement. Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will either be cash or, with our approval, common stock owned by the optionee.

Generally, an optionee may not transfer a nonqualified option other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution unless the nonqualified option agreement provides otherwise. Optionees may not transfer incentive options except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and incentive options are exercisable during the lifetime of the optionee only by the optionee.

Recapitalization.   The number of shares for which stock options may be granted under the 2004 Option Plan and the exercise price and the number of shares covered by an outstanding stock option will be adjusted for increases and decreases in the number of our outstanding shares resulting from stock splits and other capital adjustments or the payment of stock dividends.

Changes in Control.   In the event of a change in control of us, all outstanding stock options under the 2004 Option Plan may be assumed or substituted by any surviving or acquiring entity, and the optionee may exercise his or her vested stock options. If the surviving or acquiring entity elects not to assume or substitute for such outstanding stock options, all outstanding stock options that have not been exercised shall terminate upon the consummation of the change in control.

Amendment and Termination.   Our Board may amend (subject to shareholder approval as required by applicable law), suspend or terminate the 2004 Option Plan at any time.

2005 Equity Incentive Plan

Our Board adopted the 2005 Incentive Plan on January 24, 2005 and our shareholders approved it on April 27, 2005. Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the 2005 Incentive Plan will terminate on the day before the tenth anniversary of the date that the plan was approved by our shareholders. The 2005 Incentive Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock bonuses, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and stock appreciation rights, which may be granted to our employees (including officers), directors and consultants.

Share Reserve.   The aggregate number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2005 Incentive Plan will not exceed 2,925,000 plus (1) the number of shares that are subject to awards under the 2005 Incentive Plan, the 1993 Option Plan or the 2004 Option Plan that have been forfeited or repurchased by us or that have otherwise expired or terminated, (2) at our option, the number of shares that were reserved for issuance under the 2004 Option Plan but that were not subject to a grant under such plan at the completion of our initial public offering in May 2005, and (3) an annual increase on the first

51




business day of each fiscal year such that the total number of shares available for issuance under the 2005 Incentive Plan shall equal 15% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on such business day; provided, that with respect to such annual increase, our Board may designate a lesser number of additional shares or no additional shares during such fiscal year. In no event, however, will the aggregate number of shares available for award under our 2005 Incentive Plan exceed 4,387,500 shares.  As a result of this limitation on the aggregate number of shares available for award under our 2005 Incentive Plan, of the 3,307,297 shares of our common stock that were reserved for issuance under our 2004 Option Plan but that were not subject to grants under that plan at the completion of our initial public offering, up to 1,462,500 shares may currently be added to the shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2005 Incentive Plan pursuant to clause (2) of the first sentence of this paragraph; however, we do not currently intend to add any of those shares to the 2005 Incentive Plan. See “—2004 Stock Option Plan” above.

As of July 30, 2005, no options to purchase shares of common stock were outstanding and no shares had been issued under the 2005 Incentive Plan.

The following types of shares issued under the 2005 Incentive Plan may again become available for the grant of new awards under the 2005 Incentive Plan: restricted stock issued under the 2005 Incentive Plan that is forfeited or repurchased by us prior to it becoming fully vested; shares withheld for taxes; shares tendered to us to pay the exercise price of an option; and shares subject to awards issued under the 2005 Incentive Plan that have expired or otherwise terminated without having been exercised in full.

Administration.   The Board administers the 2005 Incentive Plan and may delegate this authority to administer the plan to a committee. Subject to the terms of the 2005 Incentive Plan, the plan administrator, which is our Board or its authorized committee, determines recipients, grant dates, the numbers and types of stock awards to be granted and the terms and conditions of the stock awards, including the period of their exercisability and vesting. Subject to the limitations set forth below, the plan administrator will also determine the exercise price of options granted, the purchase price for restricted stock and restricted stock units, and, if applicable, the strike price for stock appreciation rights.

Stock Options.   Nonqualified options and incentive options are granted pursuant to stock option agreements. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for stock options. Subject to the limitations set forth below regarding persons owning more than ten percent of our stock or of any of our affiliates (“ten percent shareholders”), the exercise price for nonqualified options and incentive options will be at least 100% of the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying the option on the date such option is granted. Incentive options will not be exercisable after the expiration of ten years from the date of grant. For ten percent shareholders, the exercise price for incentive options will be at least 110% of the fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying an incentive option on the date such incentive option is granted and such incentive option will not be exercisable after the expiration of five years from the date of grant. The plan administrator determines the vesting period and term of stock options granted under the 2005 Incentive Plan.

Unless the terms of an optionee’s stock option agreement provide otherwise, if an optionee’s service relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases due to disability or death or the optionee dies within a specified period after termination of service, the optionee, or his or her beneficiary, may exercise any vested options for a period of 12 months in the event of disability or 18 months in the event of death, after the date such service relationship ends or after death, as applicable. If an optionee’s relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason other than disability or death, the optionee may exercise any vested options for a period of three months from cessation of service, unless the terms of the stock option agreement provide for earlier or later termination. In no event, however, may an option be exercised after the expiration of its term, as set forth in the stock option agreement.

Acceptable consideration for the purchase of common stock issued upon the exercise of a stock option will either be cash, common stock owned by the optionee that has been held by the optionee for at least six months, a deferred payment arrangement, a cashless exercise or other legal consideration approved by the plan administrator. The plan administrator may grant stock options with provisions entitling the optionee to a further option, referred to as a re-load option, in the event the optionee exercises the option evidenced by the option agreement, in whole or in part, by surrendering other shares of our common stock.

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Generally, an optionee may not transfer a nonqualified option other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution unless the nonqualified option agreement provides otherwise. Optionees may not transfer incentive options except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and incentive options are exercisable during the lifetime of the optionee only by the optionee. Optionees may designate a beneficiary who may exercise the option following the optionee’s death.

Stock Bonus Awards.   Stock bonus awards are granted pursuant to stock award agreements. The consideration for stock bonus awards may be a recipient’s performance of services for us or our affiliates. Stock bonus awards may be subject to a repurchase right in accordance with a vesting schedule determined by the plan administrator. Upon termination of a recipient’s service with us, stock bonus awards that are unvested as of the date of such termination may be reacquired by us after such time as would not result in negative accounting consequences. Stock bonus awards may be transferable only to the extent provided in a stock award agreement.

Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units.   A restricted stock award or restricted stock unit award is the grant of shares of our common stock either currently (in the case of restricted stock) or at a future date (in the case of restricted stock units) at a price determined by the plan administrator. Restricted stock and restricted stock units are granted pursuant to stock award agreements. Upon termination of a recipient’s service with us, shares of restricted stock that are unvested as of the date of such termination may be reacquired by us subject to the terms of the restricted stock award agreement. Restricted stock awards may be subject to a repurchase right in accordance with a vesting schedule determined by the Board. Restricted stock and restricted stock units may be transferable only to the extent provided in a stock award agreement.

Stock Appreciation Rights.   Stock appreciation rights entitle a participant to receive a payment equal in value to the difference between the fair market value of a share of stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right over the grant price of the stock appreciation right. Stock appreciation rights are granted pursuant to stock award agreements. The plan administrator may grant stock appreciation rights in connection with stock options or in a stand-alone grant. The plan administrator determines the term and grant price for a stock appreciation right. A stock appreciation right granted under the 2005 Incentive Plan vests at the rate specified in the stock award agreement. With respect to stock appreciation rights that are granted in connection with stock options, such stock appreciation rights shall be exercisable only to the extent that the related stock option is exercisable and such stock appreciation rights shall expire no later than the date on which the related stock options expire. If a recipient’s relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason, any unvested stock appreciation rights will be forfeited and any vested stock appreciation rights will be automatically redeemed.

Capitalization Adjustments.   In the event of a dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, shares of common stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, exchange of our common stock or our other securities, or other change in our corporate structure, the plan administrator may adjust the number of shares that may be delivered under the 2005 Incentive Plan and the number and price of the shares covered by each outstanding stock award.

Changes in Control.   In the event of a change in control of us (as defined in the 2005 Incentive Plan), all outstanding options and other awards under the 2005 Incentive Plan may be assumed, continued or substituted for by any surviving or acquiring entity. If the surviving or acquiring entity elects not to assume, continue or substitute for such awards, the vesting of such awards held by award holders whose service with us or any of our affiliates has not terminated will be accelerated and such awards will be fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction, and the stock awards shall automatically terminate upon consummation of such transaction if not exercised prior to such event.

Amendment and Termination.   The plan administrator may amend (subject to shareholder approval as required by applicable law), suspend or terminate the 2005 Incentive Plan at any time.

2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Our Board adopted our Stock Purchase Plan on January 24, 2005 and our shareholders approved it on April 27, 2005.

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Share Reserve.   The Stock Purchase Plan authorizes the issuance of 500,000 shares of common stock pursuant to purchase rights granted to certain of our employees or to employees of any of our subsidiaries that we designate as being eligible to participate.

Administration.   The compensation committee of the Board administers the Stock Purchase Plan. The Stock Purchase Plan provides a means by which employees may purchase our common stock. We will implement the Stock Purchase Plan by offering to our eligible employees the right to purchase shares of common stock. Under the Stock Purchase Plan, we will conduct consecutive six-month offerings with a new offering commencing October 1 and April 1 of each year. The offerings will continue until the Stock Purchase Plan is terminated or until the shares reserved for issuance under the plan have been issued.

Common stock may be purchased by the employees participating in the Stock Purchase Plan at a price per share equal to the lesser of (1) 85% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of commencement of the offering (or the first trading day after the offering if the offering does not commence on a trading day) or (2) 85% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the last trading day of the offering. Generally, all regular employees, including officers, who are customarily employed by us or by any of our designated affiliates for more than 20 hours per week and more than five months per calendar year may participate in the Stock Purchase Plan and may contribute (through payroll deductions) up to 15% of their earnings for the purchase of common stock under the Stock Purchase Plan, as determined by the compensation committee. If an employee’s employment relationship with us, or any of our affiliates, ceases for any reason, the balance in the account of such participating employee will be paid to the employee or his or her estate. Employees may not transfer or encumber either the payroll deductions credited to their account or any rights to purchase shares other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Limitations.   Eligible employees may be granted rights to participate under the Stock Purchase Plan only if, together with any other rights granted under other employee stock purchase plans, they do not permit such employee to purchase our common stock at an accrued rate exceeding $25,000 of the fair market value of such stock for each calendar year in which such rights are outstanding. No employee shall be eligible for the grant of any rights under the Stock Purchase Plan if immediately after such rights are granted, such employee owns five percent or more of the total combined voting power or value of all of our classes of capital stock or of the capital stock of any subsidiary of ours.

Capitalization Adjustments.   In the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, stock split, stock dividend, combination of shares, merger, consolidation, offerings of rights, or any other change in the structure of our common stock, the compensation committee may make such adjustments, if any, as it may deem appropriate in the number, kind and the price of shares available for purchase under the Stock Purchase Plan, and in the number of shares which an employee is entitled to purchase.

Changes in Control.   In the event of a change in control of us (as defined in the Stock Purchase Plan), the outstanding rights to purchase our common stock granted under the Stock Purchase Plan may be assumed or an equivalent purchase right may be substituted by the successor entity. In the event that the successor entity refuses to assume or substitute for the purchase rights, or continue the purchase right, any offering then in progress shall be shortened by setting a new ending date for such offering, which date will be prior to the date of the proposed transaction. The compensation committee will notify each participant in the offering in writing prior to the new ending date for such offering that the end of the offering has been changed and that the participant’s purchase rights will be exercised automatically on such new ending date for the offering.

Amendment and Termination.   The compensation committee may at any time amend or terminate the Stock Purchase Plan.

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification

Sections 23B.08.500 through 23B.08.600 of the Washington Business Corporation Act, or the “WBCA,” authorize Washington corporations to indemnify and advance expenses to directors, officers, employees or agents of the corporation under certain circumstances against liabilities and expenses incurred in legal proceedings involving such individuals because of their being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation. Section 23B.08.560 of the WBCA authorizes a corporation to agree to so indemnify and obligate itself to advance or reimburse expenses without regard to the limitations of Section 23B.08.510

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through 23B.08.550 of the WBCA; provided, however, that no such indemnity shall be made for or on account of any:

·         acts or omissions of the director, officer, employee or agent finally adjudged to be intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

·         conduct of the director, officer, employee or agent finally adjudged to be in violation of Section 23B.08.310 of the WBCA (which section relates to unlawful distributions); or

·         transaction with respect to which it was finally adjudged that such director, officer, employee or agent personally received a benefit in money, property, or services to which the director, officer, employee or agent was not legally entitled.

Furthermore, Section 23B.08.320 of the WBCA authorizes a corporation to limit a director’s liability to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for acts or omissions as a director, except in certain circumstances involving (1) acts or omissions of a director that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (2) conduct violating Section 23B.08.310 of the WBCA (which section relates to unlawful distributions) or (3) any transaction from which the director will personally receive a benefit in money, property or services to which the director is not legally entitled.

Our articles of incorporation provide that we shall indemnify our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the WBCA, subject to exceptions, and require that we advance expenses for those persons pursuant to our bylaws or a separate directors resolution or contract. Our bylaws provide that we shall indemnify our directors, officers and employees to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and also provide that we may indemnify our agents. Our bylaws also provide that we may, or in certain cases must, provide advances for expenses to such indemnified individuals who are parties to such a proceeding. Our articles of incorporation provide that a director shall not be personally liable to us or to any of our shareholders for monetary damages for conduct as a director, subject to the limitations set forth in our articles of incorporation. Our bylaws also provide that we may maintain, at our expense, insurance to protect us and an indemnified director, officer, employee or agent against any liability, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such director, officer, employee or agent against the same liability under Sections 23B.08.510 or 23B.08.520 of the WBCA.

We have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers to effectuate the provisions discussed above and have purchased director and officer liability insurance. The effect of such provisions is to indemnify our directors and officers against all costs, expenses and liabilities incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or proceeding in which they are involved by reason of their affiliation with us, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

Equity Sales and Related Transactions

Zumiez Holdings LLC

In October and November 2002, we entered into a series of transactions with the Brentwood Affiliates and certain of our shareholders (these transactions are referred to as the “2002 Recapitalization”). As part of the 2002 Recapitalization, we entered into a contribution agreement, or the “Contribution Agreement,” and certain other agreements, pursuant to which Zumiez Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or “Zumiez Holdings,” was formed and substantially all of our then-outstanding shares of capital stock were contributed to Zumiez Holdings. In connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we paid $143,000 in fees on behalf of Zumiez Holdings. As a result of this and other payments, we had a receivable from Zumiez Holdings in the amount of $149,000. This receivable was forgiven in the six months ended July 30, 2005 on the dissolution of Zumiez Holdings after our initial public offering in May 2005 and recorded as selling, general and administrative expense. See note 8 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The initial members of Zumiez Holdings were Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC, an entity controlled by the Brentwood Affiliates, Thomas D. Campion, our Co-Founder and Chairman, Richard M. Brooks, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and John G. Haakenson, our Co-Founder. In addition, Thomas E. Davin and William M. Barnum, Jr., each of whom is currently a member of our Board of Directors, were associated with the Brentwood Affiliates at the time of the 2002 Recapitalization and Mr. Barnum and Steven W. Moore, who is also a member of our Board of Directors, are currently associated with the Brentwood Affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of the Zumiez Holdings limited liability company agreement, or the “Holdings LLC Agreement,” the assets of Zumiez Holdings, which consisted solely of shares of our common stock, were distributed to the persons entitled thereto and Zumiez Holdings was dissolved at the time of our initial public offering. Prior to this distribution and based on shares outstanding as of January 29, 2005, Zumiez Holdings held approximately 95% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Information in this prospectus concerning ownership of our common stock by the Brentwood Affiliates and Messrs. Campion, Barnum, Brooks and Haakenson as of any date prior to the distribution of shares by Zumiez Holdings as described above gives effect to that distribution as if it had occured on that date.

Services Agreement

In connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we entered into a Corporate Development and Administrative Services Agreement, dated November 4, 2002, or the “Services Agreement,” with Brentwood Private Equity III, pursuant to which we were obligated to pay Brentwood Private Equity III an annual consulting fee, the amount of which fee depended on our adjusted EBITDA, and to reimburse Brentwood Private Equity III for certain expenses. For fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the six months ended July 30, 2005, we paid Brentwood Private Equity III consulting fees of $31,000, $200,000, $200,000 and $53,000, respectively, under the Services Agreement. We were also obligated under the Services Agreement to pay Brentwood Private Equity III an advisory fee based upon: (1) the aggregate consideration paid by us (A) in connection with an acquisition of all or substantially all of the capital stock, business or assets of another individual or business entity and (B) in connection with any joint venture or minority investment and (2) the amount of any equity interest or similar securities issued by us with the assistance of Brentwood Private Equity III. We were not obligated to pay Brentwood Private Equity III any fees pursuant to clause (2) of the preceding sentence, or any additional advisory or other fees, under the Services Agreement in connection with our initial public offering. The Services Agreement terminated upon the consummation of our initial public offering. The terms of the Services Agreement were negotiated in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization and such negotiations were conducted on an arms-length basis.

Expense Agreement

In connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we entered into an Expense Agreement, dated November 4, 2002, or the “Expense Agreement,” with Zumiez Holdings pursuant to which we were obligated to reimburse Zumiez Holdings, or such other parties as Zumiez Holdings designated, for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with facilitating investments in us. The Expense Agreement terminated upon the

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consummation of our initial public offering. The terms of the Expense Agreement were negotiated in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization and such negotiations were conducted on an arms-length basis.

Redemption Agreements

In October 2002, in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we entered into common stock redemption agreements with Thomas D. Campion, our Co-Founder and Chairman, and Richard M. Brooks, our President and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the terms of our redemption agreement with Mr. Campion, we redeemed 1,485,651 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Campion for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $7.7 million, which amount was paid by us through our delivery of a promissory note in the sum of approximately $6.2 million and the cancellation of a promissory note in the amount of $1.5 million executed by Mr. Campion in favor of us. Pursuant to the terms of our redemption agreement with Mr. Brooks, we redeemed 159,095 shares of our common stock held by Mr. Brooks for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $829,000, which amount was paid by us through our delivery of a promissory note in the sum of approximately $829,000. Each of the promissory notes issued in connection with the redemption agreements has been paid in full.

Loans to Executives

In August 2001, we loaned Thomas D. Campion, our Co-Founder and Chairman, $1.5 million for which he executed a promissory note that was due and payable in full by September 1, 2002 and which promissory note bore interest at a rate of 6.0% per annum. As described above under “Redemption Agreements,” Mr. Campion paid the principal of this promissory note in full.

Issuance of Stock to Zumiez Holdings

In November 2002, in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we issued 1,356,371 shares of our common stock to Zumiez Holdings for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $7.1 million, which was paid in cash at the closing of the Contribution Agreement. The members of Zumiez Holdings at the time of such issuance were Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC, an entity controlled by the Brentwood Affiliates, Thomas D. Campion, our Co-Founder and Chairman, Richard M. Brooks, our President and Chief Executive Officer, and John G. Haakenson, our Co-Founder. Thomas E. Davin and William M. Barnum, Jr., each of whom is currently a member of our Board, were associated with the Brentwood Affiliates at the time of the issuance and sale of our common stock to Zumiez Holdings, and Mr. Barnum and Steven W. Moore, who is also a member of our Board of Directors, are currently associated with the Brentwood Affiliates.

Contribution Agreement

At the closing under the Contribution Agreement:

·         the Brentwood Affiliates contributed approximately $25.3 million to Zumiez Holdings, and Messrs. Campion, Brooks and Haakenson contributed 6,340,768, 2,319,793 and 708,180 shares of our common stock, respectively, to Zumiez Holdings;

·         Zumiez Holdings purchased approximately 1,356,371 shares of our common stock from us for approximately $7.1 million and distributed approximately $13.4 million and $3.7 million in cash to Messrs. Campion and Haakenson, respectively; and

·         after giving effect to the transactions described above, the Brentwood Affiliates received an approximately 43% membership interest in Zumiez Holdings and Messrs. Campion and Brooks received approximately 35% and 22% membership interests, respectively, in Zumiez Holdings.

Under the Contribution Agreement, we agreed to indemnify and hold harmless Zumiez Holdings, its officers, employees, agents, consultants, advisors and other representatives and its controlling persons and affiliates, which include Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC, an entity controlled by the Brentwood Affiliates, Thomas D. Campion, our Co-Founder and Chairman, and Richard M. Brooks, our President and Chief Executive Officer, for certain losses and expenses. Thomas E. Davin and William M. Barnum, Jr., each of whom is currently a member of our Board, were associated with the Brentwood Affiliates at the time of the

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execution of the Contribution Agreement, and Mr. Barnum is currently associated with the Brentwood Affiliates. Except with respect to certain representations and warranties, including representations and warranties related to taxation, our indemnification obligations under the Contribution Agreement expired upon consummation of our initial public offering.

Director and Officer Indemnification

Our articles of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions limiting the liability of our directors and require that we indemnify our directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. In addition, we have entered into agreements to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted under Washington law. See “Management—Limitation on Liability and Indemnification.”

Registration Rights

Some of our shareholders are entitled to registration rights. See “Description of Capital Stock—Registration Rights.”

Stock Option Grants

We have granted options to purchase shares of our common stock to our executive officers and directors. See “Management.”

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PRINCIPAL AND SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock held as of July 30, 2005, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of common stock in this offering for:

·         each of our directors;

·         each of our named executive officers;

·         all of our directors and executive officers as a group;

·         each person who we know beneficially owns 5% or more of our common stock; and

·         each selling shareholder.

Except as otherwise indicated by footnote, and subject to applicable community property laws, we believe that the beneficial owners of the common stock listed below have sole voting power and investment power with respect to their shares. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Based on information provided to us by the selling shareholders, none of the selling shareholders is a broker-dealer or affiliate of a broker-dealer. See “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions—Equity Sales and Related Transactions” for information regarding material relationships between some of the selling shareholders and us.

Thomas D. Campion, our Chairman of the Board, intends to transfer some of his shares of common stock to the Campion Foundation, one of the selling shareholders, prior to the closing of this offering. Information in the following table, which is based on share ownership as of July 30, 2005, and, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires, information elsewhere in this prospectus concerning share ownership by Mr. Campion and the Campion Foundation, has been prepared as if that transfer had taken place on that date.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding used in calculating the percentage for each listed person and entity includes common stock underlying options held by the person or entity that are exercisable within 60 days of July 30, 2005, but excludes common stock underlying options held by any other person or entity. Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 13,457,330 shares of common stock outstanding as of July 30, 2005. Except as noted below, the address for each person that holds 5% or more of our common stock is c/o Zumiez Inc., 6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B, Everett, Washington 98203.

 

 

Shares Beneficially Owned

 

 

 

Shares Beneficially Owned

 

 

 

Prior to this Offering

 

Shares Being

 

After this Offering(7)

 

Executive Officers and Directors

 

Number

 

Percentage

 

Offered(7)

 

Number

 

Percentage

 

Thomas D. Campion(1)

 

3,794,903

 

 

28.2

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard M. Brooks(2)

 

2,256,512

 

 

16.8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda I. Morris(3)

 

59,221

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn K. Kilbourne(4)

 

35,907

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas E. Davin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William M. Barnum, Jr.(5)(6)

 

3,016,795

 

 

22.4

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gerald F. Ryles

 

600

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven W. Moore

 

6,000

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Executive Officers and Directors as a group (8 persons)

 

9,169,938

 

 

67.7

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5% Shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC(6)

 

3,010,795

 

 

22.4

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other Selling Shareholders:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Campion Foundation

 

350,000

 

 

2.6

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


*                           Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1%.

(1)                  Includes 66,795 shares held by grantor retained annuity trusts for which Mr. Campion is trustee. Also includes 350,000 shares held by a trust named the Campion Foundation, one of the selling shareholders listed in the above table, for which Mr. Campion is a co-trustee and which shares are deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Campion.  Mr. Campion is our Chairman of the Board.

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(2)                  Mr. Brooks is our President and Chief Executive Officer and serves on the Board of Directors.

(3)                  Consists of shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of July 30, 2005. Subsequent to July 30, 2005, Ms. Morris exercised options to acquire 55,136 of these shares and pledged those shares as collateral for a loan. Ms. Morris is our Chief Financial Officer.

(4)                  Consists of shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options exercisable within 60 days of July 30, 2005. Ms. Kilbourne is our General Merchandising Manager.

(5)                  Consists of 6,000 shares held by Mr. Barnum and shares held by Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC, an entity controlled by the Brentwood Affiliates. William M. Barnum, Jr., one of our directors, is a managing member of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC.

(6)                  The membership interests of Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC are held by Brentwood Associates Private Equity III, L.P., Brentwood Associates Private Equity III-A, L.P., and BAPE III Executive Fund, L.P. (collectively, “Brentwood Funds”). Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC is the general partner of each of the Brentwood Funds. Mr. Barnum, one of our directors, is a managing member of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, and thus has voting power, investment power and dispositive power over shares held by Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC. Mr. Barnum disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held or controlled by Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address for Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC is 11150 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

(7)                  Assumes that the underwriters' over-allotment option is not exercised. Pursuant to the over-allotment option, the underwriters have the option to purchase up to        shares from        and up to an additional        shares and        shares from        and        , respectively. In the event that the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, then        will offer        shares and the number of shares being offered by              and              will increase by       shares and        shares, respectively, and the number of shares beneficially owned by             ,              and              after this offering will decrease to        shares,        shares and        shares, respectively, or     %,     % and     %, respectively, of the shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering based on shares and options outstanding as of July 30, 2005. As used in this prospectus, the term “selling shareholders” means, when used with reference to the shareholders selling in this offering,      ,        and       , or any of them, as the context requires.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

We are authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock, no par value per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value per share. As of July 30, 2005, there were 13,457,330 shares of common stock outstanding, 1,578,327 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders, except as otherwise required by law and subject to the rights of any preferred stock we may issue in the future. The holders of our common stock are generally entitled to vote on amendments to our articles of incorporation, except for the designation of a series of preferred stock out of our authorized preferred stock. There are no cumulative voting rights for the election of our directors, which means that the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock will be entitled to elect all of our directors. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our Board out of funds legally available for dividends. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of or provision for our liabilities, subject to prior rights of preferred stock, if any, then outstanding. Our common stock has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

Pursuant to our articles of incorporation, our Board has the authority, without action by our shareholders, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The Board may issue this stock from time to time in one or more series and may fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of each series of preferred stock. Some of the rights and preferences that our Board may designate include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and sinking fund terms. The Board may determine the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series. Any or all of the rights and preferences selected by our Board for any series of preferred stock may be greater than the rights of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect, among other things, the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that shareholders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up. The issuance of preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us if, for example, our Board designated and issued a series of preferred stock in an amount that sufficiently increased the number of outstanding shares to overcome a vote by the holders of our common stock or with rights and preferences that included special voting rights to veto a change in control, merger or similar transaction.

Registration Rights

On November 4, 2002, we entered into an Amended and Restated Stockholders’ Agreement, which was subsequently amended effective March 22, 2005, (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”), which grants certain holders of our common stock rights with respect to registration of their shares under the Securities Act of 1933. Such registration will permit the resale of those shares in the public market. Under the Stockholders’ Agreement, we granted Zumiez Holdings the right to demand that we register its shares for sale in an initial public offering. Zumiez Holdings exercised that right in connection with our initial public offering. We also granted all of these shareholders certain “piggyback” registration rights to register the shares of common stock owned by them under the Securities Act. The Stockholders’ Agreement provides that whenever we propose to register shares of our common stock under the Securities Act (other than on a Form S-4 or Form S-8), then these shareholders, with certain exceptions, will have the right to register their shares of common stock as part of that registration. The registration rights under the Stockholders’ Agreement are subject to the rights of

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the lead underwriters, if any, to reduce or exclude certain shares owned by these shareholders from the registration. The Stockholders’ Agreement requires us to pay for all costs and expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions and fees and disbursements of counsel for these shareholders, incurred in connection with the registration of shares under the agreement. No shareholder will have any rights under the Stockholders’ Agreement to include shares in a registration statement if those shares have (1) already been sold pursuant to a registration statement or pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or (2) may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if we have advised that shareholder that we are willing to instruct the transfer agent for our common stock to remove any restrictive legends necessary in connection with that sale.

Immediately after completion of this offering and based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005, the holders of approximately             shares (or approximately              shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of our outstanding common stock will be entitled to the registration rights described above. In addition, the Stockholders’ Agreement provides that all shares of our capital stock acquired by any of those shareholders in the future will also be entitled to these registration rights.

Antitakeover Effects of Washington Law and Certain Provisions of Our Articles of Incorporation and Our Bylaws

Washington RCW 23B.19.   Washington law imposes restrictions on certain transactions between a corporation and certain significant shareholders. Chapter 23B.19 of the WBCA prohibits a “target corporation,” with certain exceptions, from engaging in certain “significant business transactions” with a person or group of persons that beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting securities of the target corporation (an “acquiring person”) for a period of five years after the acquisition of such securities, unless the transaction is approved by a majority of the members of the target corporation’s board of directors prior to the time of acquisition of such securities. Such prohibited transactions include, among other things, a merger or consolidation with, disposition of assets to, or issuance or redemption of stock to or from, the acquiring person; termination of 5% or more of the employees of the target corporation as a result of the acquiring person’s acquisition of 10% or more of the shares; or allowing the acquiring person to receive any disproportionate benefit as a shareholder.

After the five-year period, a “significant business transaction” may occur, as long as it complies with certain “fair price” provisions of the statute. A corporation may not “opt out” of this statute. This provision may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us.

Issuance of preferred stock.   As noted above, our Board, without shareholder approval, has the authority under our articles of incorporation to issue preferred stock with rights superior to the rights of the holders of common stock. As a result, preferred stock could be issued quickly and easily, could adversely affect the rights of holders of common stock and could be issued with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control or to make removal of management more difficult.

Election and removal of directors.   Our articles of incorporation provide for the division of our Board into three classes, as nearly as equal in number as possible, with the directors in each class serving for three-year terms, and one class being elected each year by our shareholders. In addition, our directors are removable only for cause and only by vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock entitled to vote in the election of directors and any vacancies on the Board or newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors shall be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office. Because this system of electing, appointing, removing and replacing directors generally makes it more difficult for shareholders to replace a majority of the Board, it may discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to gain control of us and may maintain the incumbency of the Board.

Approval for certain business combinations.   Our articles of incorporation require that certain business combinations, including a merger, share exchange and the sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets other than in the usual and regular course of business, be approved by the holders of not less than 66 2¤3% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.

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Shareholder meetings.   Our articles of incorporation provide that only the Board or the chairman of the Board may call a special meeting of shareholders. The effect of this provision is that a shareholder will have to wait until an annual meeting or a special meeting called by the Board or the chairman of the Board to bring a proposal for shareholder approval.

No shareholder action by written consent.   Our bylaws and the WBCA provide that as long as we are a public company (as defined by RCW 23B.01.400), shareholders may not take action by written consent, unless such consent is unanimous.

Requirements for advance notification of shareholder nominations and proposals.   Our bylaws contain advance notice procedures with respect to shareholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the Board or a committee thereof.

Amendment of our bylaws.   Our articles of incorporation and our bylaws provide that shareholders can amend our bylaws only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2¤3% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of the capital stock entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Our Board can amend our bylaws without shareholder approval. However, our directors may not amend the bylaws fixing their qualifications, classifications, or term of office.

Transfer Agent And Registrar

The Transfer Agent and Registrar for our common stock is Wachovia Bank, N.A.

Nasdaq National Market Quotation

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “ZUMZ.”

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. Furthermore, because some of our shares are subject to contractual and legal restrictions on resale described below, sales of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market after these restrictions lapse, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price and our ability to raise equity capital in the future.

Upon completion of this offering and based on shares outstanding as of July  30, 2005, we will have 13,457,330 outstanding shares of common stock. All of the 3,593,750 shares of common stock that were sold in our May 2005 initial public offering are, and all of the shares of common stock sold in this offering will be, freely tradable unless purchased by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

In addition to the shares sold in our initial public offering and the shares to be sold in this offering, we will have           additional shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after completion of this offering, based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005. Of these           shares,           shares may at any time be sold in the public markets pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act, an additional              shares will be available for sale in the public markets pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act on approximately November 2, 2005 (subject to possible extension by up to an additional 34 days under limited circumstances or, as discussed below, possible waiver) following the expiration of the lock-up agreements entered into by some of our shareholders in connection with our initial public offering, and the remaining              shares (or              shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available for sale in the public market pursuant to Rule 144 (subject, in some cases, to volume limitations) or Rule 701 under the Securities Act 90 days (subject to possible extension by up to an additional 34 days under limited circumstances as described under “Underwriting” or, as discussed below, possible waiver) after the date of this prospectus following the expiration of the lock-up agreements entered into by our directors, some of our officers and the selling shareholders in connection with this offering. Any or all of the shares subject to the lock-up agreements referred to above may be released for sale in the public market prior to expiration of the applicable lock-up periods at the discretion of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. In that regard, subsequent to July 30, 2005, one of our officers acquired 55,136 newly issued shares of common stock upon the exercise of stock options and pledged those shares as collateral for a loan. The lock-up agreement entered into by that officer in connection with our initial public offering was waived to permit, and the lock-up agreement entered into by such officer in connection with this offering permits, the pledge and, in the event of a default under such loan, transfer of such shares.

No prediction can be made as to the effect, if any, that sales of shares or the availability of shares for sale in the public markets will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. Nevertheless, sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including, sales after the lapse or waiver of the restrictions described in this section, or the perception that sales may occur, could adversely affect the prevailing market price and our ability to raise equity capital in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

Lock-Up Agreements

We, our directors, some of our officers and all of the selling shareholders have agreed that, without the prior written consent of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co., we and they will not, among other things, offer or sell any shares of our common stock during the period beginning on and including the date of this prospectus through and including the date that is the 90th day after the date of this prospectus, except for sales of shares to the underwriters and subject to certain other exceptions. The 90-day lock-up period may be extended by an additional 34 days under certain circumstances described under “Underwriting—Lock-up Agreements.” Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time, without notice, release all or any portion of the shares subject to the lock-up agreements. See “Underwriting—Lock-up Agreements.”

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Rule 144

In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, but subject to the lock-up agreements described above, if applicable, a person (or persons whose shares are aggregated) who has purchased our common stock from us or any “affiliate” of ours at least one year previously would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of 1% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or the average weekly trading volume of the common stock as reported through the Nasdaq National Market during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a Form 144 with respect to such sale. Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. In addition, a person who is not deemed to have been our “affiliate” at any time during the 90 days preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned for at least two years the shares proposed to be sold would be entitled to sell such shares under Rule 144(k) without regard to the volume limitations and other requirements described above.

Rule 701

Our employees, directors and officers who acquired our common stock prior to May 5, 2005 under written compensatory benefit plans or written contracts relating to the compensation of those persons may rely on Rule 701 with respect to the resale of that stock. In general, Rule 701 permits resales of shares issued under compensatory benefit plans and contracts in reliance upon Rule 144, but without compliance with certain restrictions, including the holding period requirements contained in Rule 144. Accordingly, subject to the lock-up agreements described above, if applicable, under Rule 701 persons who are not our “affiliates” may resell those shares subject only to the manner of sale provisions of Rule 144 and persons who are our “affiliates” may resell those shares without compliance with Rule 144’s minimum holding period requirements.

Registration Rights

Immediately after completion of this offering and based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005, the holders of approximately           shares (or        shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of our outstanding common stock will have the right, under the Stockholders’ Agreement, to require that we include those shares in any registration statement we file under the Securities Act, subject to exceptions. Such registration will permit the resale of those shares in the public markets. In addition, all shares of capital stock which those stockholders may acquire in the future will also be entitled to similar registration rights. See “Description of Capital Stock—Registration Rights” for a description of such rights.

Stock Plans

As of July 30, 2005, options to purchase 1,578,327 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding and 3,425,000 additional shares of our common stock were available for future awards under our stock option and stock purchase plans, plus scheduled annual increases and other potential increases in the number of shares available for issuance under the 2005 Incentive Plan. See “Management—Stock Based Plans.” We have filed a registration statement under the Securities Act covering all of the shares of common stock currently reserved for issuance under our outstanding stock option and stock purchase plans. This registration statement has become effective and permits the resale of shares issued upon the exercise of those stock options or pursuant to those stock purchase plans in the public market without restriction under the Securities Act.

65




UNDERWRITING

Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the selling shareholders have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, and the underwriters, for whom Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers and representatives, have severally agreed to purchase, the respective number of shares of common stock appearing opposite their names below:

Underwriter

 

 

 

Number of Shares

 

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

Piper Jaffray & Co.

 

 

 

 

 

William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

1,850,000

 

 

 

The underwriters have agreed to purchase all of the shares shown in the above table if any of those shares are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

The shares of common stock are offered by the underwriters, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by counsel for the underwriters and other conditions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify the offer and to reject orders in whole or in part.

As joint book-running managers on behalf of the underwriting syndicate, Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. will be responsible for recording a list of potential investors that have expressed an interest in purchasing common stock as part of this offering.

Certain of the selling stockholders may be characterized as “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and therefore may be subject to certain statutory liabilities of the Securities Act.

Commissions and Discounts.   The underwriters have advised us that they propose to offer the shares of common stock to the public at the public offering price appearing on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers at that price less a concession of not more than $       per share, of which up to $       may be reallowed to other dealers. After the initial offering, the public offering price, concession and reallowance to dealers may be changed.

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions and proceeds, before expenses, to the selling shareholders, both on a per share basis and in total, assuming either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

Per Share

 

Without
Option

 

With
Option

 

Public offering price

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwriting discounts and commissions payable by the selling shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We estimate that the expenses of this offering payable by us will be approximately $300,000. We have agreed to pay the expenses of the selling shareholders incurred in connection with this offering, other than underwriting discounts and commissions payable in respect of the shares sold by the selling shareholders and fees and disbursements of counsel for the selling shareholders.

Over-allotment Option.   The selling shareholders identified in note (7) to the table under "Principal and Selling Shareholders" have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable during the 30-day period after the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 277,500 additional shares of common stock at the public offering price per share less the underwriting discounts and commissions per share shown on the cover

66




page of this prospectus. To the extent that the underwriters exercise this option, each underwriter will have a firm commitment, subject to conditions, to purchase approximately the same percentage of those additional shares that the number of shares of common stock to be purchased by that underwriter as shown in the above table represents as a percentage of the total number of shares shown in that table.

Indemnity.   We and the selling shareholders have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

Lock-up Agreements.   We, all of our directors, some of our officers and all of the selling shareholders, which directors, officers and shareholders will own a total of approximately    % of our outstanding common stock (or    % if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) immediately upon completion of this offering, based on shares outstanding as of July 30, 2005, have agreed that, without the prior written consent of Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co., we and they will not, during the period beginning on and including the date of this prospectus through and including the date that is the 90th day after the date of this prospectus, directly or indirectly:

·     offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of our common stock or other capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock or other capital stock;

·     in the case of us, file or cause the filing of any registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to any shares of our common stock or other capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock or other capital stock (other than registration statements on Form S-8 relating to benefit plans described in clause (2), or securities issued in a transaction described in clause (6), of the immediately following paragraph); or

·     enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequences of ownership of our common stock or other capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock or other capital stock,

whether any transaction described in any of the foregoing bullet points is to be settled by delivery of our common stock or other capital stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise. Moreover, if:

·     during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period referred to above we issue an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to us occurs, or

·     prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day period,

the restrictions described in the immediately preceding sentence will continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as the case may be, unless Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. waive, in writing, that extension.

The restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph do not apply to:

(1)                 the sale of shares to the underwriters;

(2)                 the issuance by us of shares, or options to purchase shares, of our common stock pursuant to stock based plans described above under “Management—Stock Based Plans,” as those plans are in effect on the date of this prospectus;

(3)                 the issuance by us of shares of common stock upon the exercise of stock options outstanding on the date of this prospectus or issued after the date of this prospectus under stock based plans referred to in clause (2) above, as those stock options and plans are in effect on the date of this prospectus;

(4)                 in the case of any director or officer or any selling shareholder that is a natural person, bona fide gifts for charitable or estate planning purposes;

67




(5)                 in the case of any selling shareholder that is a partnership or limited liability company, transfers to any partner or member, as the case may be, of such partnership or limited liability company if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value; and

(6)                 the issuance by us of shares of common stock or other capital stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock or other capital stock (A) in order to acquire assets or equity of one or more businesses by merger, asset purchase, stock purchase or otherwise or (B) in connection with a strategic transaction involving another company, so long as, in each case described in clause (A) above, the shares of common stock, other capital stock or other securities are issued to the stockholders or other equity owners of the applicable business and, in each case described in clause (B) above, the shares of common stock, other capital stock or other securities are issued directly to such company or to the stockholders or other equity owners of such company,

provided that, in the case of any transfer, gift or issuance described in clause (4), (5) or (6) above, the transferee, donee or recipient, as the case may be, executes and delivers to the representatives of the underwriters, not later than one business day prior to such transfer, gift or issuance, a written agreement wherein it agrees to be subject to the restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph, subject to the applicable exceptions described above in this paragraph. In addition, subsequent to July 30, 2005, one of our officers acquired 55,136 newly issued shares of common stock upon the exercise of stock options and pledged those shares as collateral for a loan, and the lock-up agreement entered into by that officer in connection with this offering permits the pledge and, in the event of a default under such loan, transfer of such shares.

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time, without notice, release all or any portion of the shares or other securities subject to the lock-up agreements. Any determination to release any shares or other securities subject to the lock-up agreements would be based on a number of factors at the time of determination, which may include the market price of the common stock, the liquidity of the trading market for the common stock, general market conditions, the number of shares or other securities proposed to be sold or otherwise transferred and the timing, purpose and terms of the proposed sale or other transfer.

Quotation on the Nasdaq National Market.   Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “ZUMZ.”

Stabilization.   In order to facilitate this offering of our common stock, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of our common stock. Specifically, the underwriters may sell more shares of common stock than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a short position. A short sale is covered if the short position is no greater than the number of shares of common stock available for purchase by the underwriters under the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out a covered short sale by exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing common stock in the open market. In determining the source of common stock to close out a covered short sale, the underwriters may consider, among other things, the market price of common stock compared to the price payable under the over-allotment option. The underwriters may also sell shares of common stock in excess of the over-allotment option, creating a naked short position. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares of common stock in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market after the date of pricing of this offering that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.

As an additional means of facilitating this offering, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, common stock in the open market to stabilize the price of our common stock. The underwriting syndicate may also reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing common stock in this offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed common stock to cover syndicate short positions or to stabilize the price of the common stock.

The foregoing transactions may raise or maintain the market price of our common stock above independent market levels or prevent or retard a decline in the market price of the common stock.

68




The representatives have advised us that these transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq National Market or otherwise. Neither we nor any of the underwriters makes any representation that the underwriters will engage in any of the transactions described above and these transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued without notice. Neither we nor any of the underwriters makes any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of the effect that the transactions described above, if commenced, may have on the market price of our common stock.

Other.   The underwriters for this offering acted as underwriters for our initial public offering in May 2005. Furthermore, Wachovia Bank, N.A., an affiliate of one of the underwriters, serves as the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock. In addition, we appointed Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, one of the underwriters, to hold restricted common stock issued to our directors and officers and other designated employees under our equity incentive plans and to execute transactions in our common stock on behalf of those persons.

LEGAL MATTERS

Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, Seattle, Washington, will pass upon the validity of the common stock offered hereby. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, San Francisco, California, will act as counsel to the underwriters. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP will rely, as to all matters of Washington law, on Preston Gates & Ellis LLP. Partners and other attorneys of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP hold an aggregate of 500 shares of our common stock.

EXPERTS

The financial statements as of January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005, for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2002, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005 and for the one month ended February 1, 2003 included in this prospectus have been so included in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock offered in this offering. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. For further information with respect to Zumiez Inc. and the common stock offered in this offering, we refer you to the registration statement and to the attached exhibits. With respect to each such document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, we refer you to the exhibit for a more complete description of the matters involved.

You may inspect our registration statement and the attached exhibits and schedules without charge at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain copies of all or any part of our registration statement from the SEC upon payment of prescribed fees. You may obtain information on the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

Our SEC filings, including the registration statement and the exhibits filed with the registration statement, are also available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

You can obtain a copy of any of our filings, at no cost, by writing to or telephoning us at:

Zumiez Inc.
6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B
Everett, WA 98203
Attention: Investor Relations
(425) 551-1500

69




INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Page

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 

F-2

 

 

Balance Sheets

 

 

F-3

 

 

Statements of Operations

 

 

F-4

 

 

Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

F-5

 

 

Statements of Cash Flows

 

 

F-6

 

 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

F-7

 

 

 

F-1




REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

Zumiez Inc.

In our opinion, the accompanying balance sheets and the related statements of operations, of changes in shareholders’ equity and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Zumiez Inc. at January 29, 2005 and January 31, 2004, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended January 29, 2005, and for the one month ended February 1, 2003 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

Seattle, Washington

March 29, 2005, except Note 12, as to
which the date is April 20, 2005

F-2




ZUMIEZ INC.
BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

July 30, 
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

$

578

 

 

 

$

1,026

 

 

 

$

17,844

 

 

Receivables

 

 

1,039

 

 

 

1,911

 

 

 

4,863

 

 

Inventory

 

 

20,802

 

 

 

23,230

 

 

 

42,226

 

 

Prepaid expenses and other

 

 

395

 

 

 

1,166

 

 

 

2,820

 

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

668

 

 

 

859

 

 

 

1,059

 

 

Total current assets

 

 

23,482

 

 

 

28,192

 

 

 

68,812

 

 

Leasehold improvements and equipment, net

 

 

18,076

 

 

 

26,619

 

 

 

30,854

 

 

Total assets

 

 

$

41,558

 

 

 

$

54,811

 

 

 

$

99,666

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current portion of long-term debt

 

 

$

544

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

Revolving credit facility

 

 

300

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book overdraft

 

 

4,464

 

 

 

429

 

 

 

 

 

Trade accounts payable

 

 

9,273

 

 

 

11,240

 

 

 

25,168

 

 

Accrued payroll and payroll taxes

 

 

1,609

 

 

 

2,561

 

 

 

2,481

 

 

Income taxes payable

 

 

1,846

 

 

 

2,611

 

 

 

 

 

Current portion of deferred rent and tenant allowances

 

 

319

 

 

 

1,045

 

 

 

960

 

 

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

2,152

 

 

 

5,550

 

 

 

4,828

 

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

20,507

 

 

 

23,436

 

 

 

33,437

 

 

Long-term debt, less current portion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term deferred rent and tenant allowances, less current portion

 

 

1,277

 

 

 

4,065

 

 

 

5,794

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

1,336

 

 

 

1,511

 

 

 

1,182

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

$

23,120

 

 

 

$

29,012

 

 

 

$

40,413

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, no par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding at January 31, 2004, January 29, 2005 and July 30, 2005 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stock, no par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 11,305,261, 11,305,261 and 13,457,330  shares issued and outstanding at January 31, 2004, January 29, 2005 and July 30, 2005 (unaudited), respectively

 

 

44

 

 

 

44

 

 

 

32,460

 

 

Employee stock options

 

 

 

 

 

95

 

 

 

177

 

 

Retained earnings

 

 

18,541

 

 

 

25,808

 

 

 

26,616

 

 

Receivable from parent

 

 

(147

)

 

 

(148

)

 

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

18,438

 

 

 

25,799

 

 

 

59,253

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

 

$

41,558

 

 

 

$

54,811

 

 

 

$

99,666

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-3




ZUMIEZ INC.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

Fiscal Year
Ended

 

One
Month Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,
2002

 

February 1,
2003

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

July 31,
2004

 

July 30,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

Net sales

 

 

$

101,391

 

 

 

$

6,392

 

 

$

117,857

 

$

153,583

 

$

55,444

 

$

72,776

 

Cost of goods sold

 

 

71,017

 

 

 

4,575

 

 

81,320

 

103,152

 

40,212

 

50,154

 

Gross margin

 

 

30,374

 

 

 

1,817

 

 

36,537

 

50,431

 

15,232

 

22,622

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

23,404

 

 

 

2,013

 

 

29,076

 

38,422

 

15,639

 

21,332

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

 

6,970

 

 

 

(196

)

 

7,461

 

12,009

 

(407

)

1,290

 

Other income (expense)

 

 

148

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

8

 

2

 

1

 

Interest income (expense)

 

 

(317

)

 

 

(12

)

 

(293

)

(250

)

(156

)

48

 

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

 

 

6,801

 

 

 

(208

)

 

7,176

 

11,767

 

(561

)

1,339

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

1,096

 

 

 

(39

)

 

2,701

 

4,500

 

(122

)

531

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

5,705

 

 

 

$

(169

)

 

$

4,475

 

$

7,267

 

$

(439

)

$

808

 

Basic net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

0.49

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.40

 

$

0.64

 

$

(0.04

)

$

0.07

 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

0.42

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.35

 

$

0.56

 

$

(0.04

)

$

0.06

 

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

11,547,012

 

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

11,305,261

 

11,305,261

 

12,296,076

 

Diluted

 

 

13,581,579

 

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

12,811,855

 

12,938,858

 

11,305,261

 

13,115,740

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-4




ZUMIEZ INC.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

Employee

 

 

 

Receivable

 

 

 

 

 

Common Stock

 

Paid-In

 

Stock

 

Retained

 

from

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Capital

 

Options

 

Earnings

 

Parent

 

Total

 

Balance at December 31, 2001

 

11,014

 

$

43

 

 

$

407

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

11,467

 

 

 

 

$

11,917

 

Dividends declared

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(922

)

 

 

 

(922

)

Stock issued upon exercise of options

 

580

 

2

 

 

98

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100

 

Stock redemption

 

(1,645

)

(6

)

 

(6,549

)

 

 

 

 

(2,015

)

 

 

 

(8,570

)

Stock purchased by parent

 

1,356

 

5

 

 

6,044

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(143

)

 

5,906

 

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5,705

 

 

 

 

5,705

 

Balance at December 31, 2002

 

11,305

 

$

44

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

14,235

 

 

$

(143

)

 

$

14,136

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(169

)

 

 

 

(169

)

Balance at February 1, 2003

 

11,305

 

$

44

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

14,066

 

 

$

(143

)

 

$

13,967

 

Cost incurred on behalf of parent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4

)

 

(4

)

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,475

 

 

 

 

4,475

 

Balance at January 31, 2004

 

11,305

 

$

44

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

18,541

 

 

$

(147

)

 

$

18,438

 

Stock based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

95

 

 

 

 

 

 

95

 

Cost incurred on behalf of parent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

(1

)

Net income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,267

 

 

 

 

7,267

 

Balance at January 29, 2005

 

11,305

 

$

44

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

95

 

 

$

25,808

 

 

$

(148

)

 

$

25,799

 

Common shares issued, including tax benefit of $2.5 million (unaudited)

 

2,152

 

32,416

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,416

 

Stock based compensation (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

82

 

 

 

 

 

 

82

 

Cost incurred on behalf of parent (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1

)

 

(1

)

Parent receivable forgiven (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

149

 

 

149

 

Net income (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

808

 

 

 

 

808

 

Balance at July 30, 2005 (unaudited)

 

13,457

 

$

32,460

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

177

 

 

$

26,616

 

 

$

 

 

$

59,253

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-5




ZUMIEZ INC.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)

 

 

Fiscal Year
Ended

 

One Month
Ended

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,
2002

 

February 1,
2003

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

July 31,
2004

 

July 30,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

5,705

 

 

 

$

(169

)

 

 

$

4,475

 

 

 

$

7,267

 

 

$

(439

)

$

808

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation

 

 

3,571

 

 

 

332

 

 

 

4,185

 

 

 

5,857

 

 

2,569

 

3,466

 

Deferred tax expense

 

 

(136

)

 

 

83

 

 

 

804

 

 

 

(16

)

 

(116

)

(528

)

Stock compensation expense

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

95

 

 

 

82

 

Loss on disposal of assets

 

 

13

 

 

 

 

 

 

33

 

 

 

126

 

 

3

 

19

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Receivables

 

 

(317

)

 

 

133

 

 

 

(272

)

 

 

(872

)

 

(381

)

(2,952

)

Inventory

 

 

(4,194

)

 

 

(94

)

 

 

(1,957

)

 

 

(1,456

)

 

(10,056

)

(13,581

)

Prepaid expenses

 

 

(179

)

 

 

(24

)

 

 

(79

)

 

 

(771

)

 

(99

)

(1,654

)

Trade accounts payable

 

 

1,599

 

 

 

(2,937

)

 

 

(2,423

)

 

 

995

 

 

5,567

 

8,513

 

Accrued payroll and payroll taxes

 

 

270

 

 

 

(1,007

)

 

 

449

 

 

 

952

 

 

464

 

(80

)

Income taxes payable

 

 

1,056

 

 

 

(120

)

 

 

826

 

 

 

765

 

 

(2,697

)

(2,611

)

Other accrued liabilities

 

 

118

 

 

 

(682

)

 

 

564

 

 

 

3,397

 

 

376

 

(575

)

Deferred rent

 

 

433

 

 

 

34

 

 

 

370

 

 

 

48

 

 

176

 

306

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

 

 

$

7,939

 

 

 

$

(4,451

)

 

 

$

6,975

 

 

 

$

16,387

 

 

$

(4,633

)

$

(8,787

)

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additions to leasehold improvements and equipment

 

 

$

(7,186

)

 

 

$

(42

)

 

 

$

(5,937

)

 

 

$

(11,060

)

 

$

(4,817

)

$

(6,382

)

Advances (to) from shareholders

 

 

(109

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

$

(7,295

)

 

 

$

(42

)

 

 

$

(5,937

)

 

 

$

(11,060

)

 

$

(4,817

)

$

(6,382

)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in book overdraft

 

 

$

2,293

 

 

 

$

2,774

 

 

 

$

1,690

 

 

 

$

(4,035

)

 

$

(1,168

)

$

(429

)

Borrowings on revolving credit facility

 

 

20,440

 

 

 

1,845

 

 

 

25,620

 

 

 

37,852

 

 

24,373

 

16,450

 

Payments on revolving credit facility

 

 

(20,440

)

 

 

 

 

 

(27,165

)

 

 

(38,152

)

 

(12,044

)

(16,450

)

Proceeds from sale of stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32,416

 

Principal payments on long-term debt

 

 

(1,087

)

 

 

(272

)

 

 

(1,087

)

 

 

(544

)

 

(544

)

 

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

 

100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock purchased by parent

 

 

6,049

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Redemption of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

(7,094

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividends paid

 

 

(922

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

 

$

6,433

 

 

 

$

(2,747

)

 

 

$

(942

)

 

 

$

(4,879

)

 

$

10,617

 

$

31,987

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents 

 

 

$

7,077

 

 

 

$

(7,240

)

 

 

$

96

 

 

 

$

448

 

 

$

1,167

 

$

16,818

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

645

 

 

 

7,722

 

 

 

482

 

 

 

578

 

 

578

 

1,026

 

End of period

 

 

$

7,722

 

 

 

$

482

 

 

 

$

578

 

 

 

$

1,026

 

 

$

1,745

 

$

17,844

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash paid during the period for interest

 

 

$

302

 

 

 

$

12

 

 

 

$

265

 

 

 

$

250

 

 

$

103

 

$

59

 

Cash paid during the period for income taxes

 

 

176

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,172

 

 

 

3,812

 

 

2,752

 

2,605

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

F-6




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.   Nature and Ownership of Business and Basis of Presentation

Nature of Business—Zumiez Inc. (the “Company”) is a leading specialty retailer of action sports related apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories operating under the Zumiez brand name. As of July 30, 2005, the Company operated 150 stores primarily located in shopping malls, giving the Company a presence in 18 states. The Company’s stores cater to young men and women between the ages of 12 and 24 who seek popular brands representing a lifestyle centered on activities that include skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, bicycle motocross (or “BMX”) and motocross. The Company supports the action sports lifestyle and promotes its brand through a multi-faceted marketing approach that is designed to integrate its brand image with its customers’ activities and interests. In addition, the Company operates a website which sells merchandise online and provides content and a community for its target customers. The Company, based in Everett, WA, was formed in August 1978 and operates within one reportable segment.

Change in Ownership—Effective November 4, 2002, 95% of the shares of the Company were transferred to Zumiez Holdings LLC (the “Parent”) in exchange for cash, the redemption of a note receivable and the creation of two notes payable to two of the shareholders (the “Transaction”). In connection with the Transaction, the Company entered into common stock redemption agreements with two shareholders. Pursuant to the terms of the redemption agreements with these shareholders, the Company redeemed 1,485,651 shares of its common stock held by one shareholder for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $7.7 million, which amount was paid by the Company through delivery of a note payable for approximately $6.2 million and the cancellation of a $1.5 million note receivable and the Company redeemed 159,095 shares of common stock held by the other shareholder for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $829,000, which amount was paid by the Company through delivery of a note payable for approximately $829,000. Each of these notes payable have been paid in full.

Also on November 4, 2002, approximately 43% of the Parent was sold to certain affiliates (the “Brentwood Affiliates”) of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a private equity firm, for approximately $25.3 million, of which approximately $17.1 million was distributed to two of the original shareholders of the Company. The Transaction did not result in a change in the operating control of the Company. While the Brentwood Affiliates have certain protective rights regarding their investment in the Parent, and therefore the Company, two of the Company’s shareholders continue to serve in the function of the primary operating roles of the Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004 the Company paid Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC consulting fees of $31,000, $200,000 and $200,000, respectively, under a Corporate Development and Administrative Services Agreement.

As part of the Transaction, the Company also authorized 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, with a no par value. Subsequent to January 1, 2003 and prior to March 1, 2004, the Company had the right to require the Brentwood Affiliates to purchase at least $5.0 million, but no more than $10.0 million in the aggregate, of preferred stock. The Company did not exercise this right and no preferred stock was issued.

Also effective November 4, 2002, the Company terminated its Subchapter S tax election and elected to be taxed as a Subchapter C corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, the Company has been subject to federal and state income taxes beginning as of November 4, 2002. Prior to this date, the shareholders were taxed on the earnings of the Company on their personal income tax returns, in accordance with Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. Therefore, no provision for income taxes or deferred taxes is recorded in these financial statements for operating results through November 3, 2002. Upon the conversion to a Subchapter C corporation, the Company recorded a net deferred tax asset of $373,000.

Fiscal Year—Subsequent to December 31, 2002, the Company changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to a 52- or 53- week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31. This fiscal calendar is widely used by the retail industry. As a result of the change in its fiscal year end, there was a one month conversion period ended February 1, 2003. Each fiscal year now consists of four 13-week quarters, with an extra week added to the fourth quarter every five or six years. “Fiscal 2004” was the 52-week period ended January 29, 2005. “Fiscal 2003” was the 52-week period ended January 31, 2004. “Fiscal 2002” was the calendar year ended December 31, 2002.

F-7




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Reincorporation (unaudited)—On April 29, 2005, the Company reincorporated in the State of Washington from the State of Delaware. In connection with the reincorporation, the Company filed new articles of incorporation and adopted new bylaws. The new articles of incorporation changed the Company’s common stock from $0.01 par value per share to no par value per share and increased the Company’s authorized capital stock.

Initial Public Offering (unaudited)—In May 2005, the Company completed an initial public offering of its common stock in which the Company sold 1,875,000 shares and certain selling shareholders sold 1,718,750 shares. The Company received net proceeds from the offering of approximately $29.7 million, after payment of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. The Company did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock by the selling shareholders. Prior to this initial public offering, the Company was a majority owned subsidiary of the Parent, a holding company with no operating activities. The financial position and operating results of the Parent are not included in the Company’s financial statements included in this prospectus. The Parent was dissolved in connection with the Company’s recently completed initial public offering.

Basis of Presentation—The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Unaudited Interim Results

The accompanying balance sheet as of July 30, 2005, the statements of operations and the statements of cash flows for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005, and the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity for the six months ended July 30, 2005, are unaudited. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005. The financial data and other information disclosed in these notes to the financial statements related to the six months ended July 31, 2004 and July 30, 2005 are unaudited. The results for the six months ended July 30, 2005 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the fiscal year ending January 28, 2006 or for any other interim period or for any future year.

2.   Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Comprehensive Income—Comprehensive income represents all changes in equity during a period except those resulting from investments by and distributions to shareholders. There was no difference between net income and comprehensive income for fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the one month period ended February 1, 2003.

Use of Estimates—The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates can also affect supplemental information disclosed by the Company, including information about contingencies, risk, and financial condition. In preparing the financial statements, the Company makes routine estimates and judgments in determining the net realizable value of accounts receivable, inventory, fixed assets, and prepaid allowances. Some of the more significant estimates include the allowance for sales returns, the reserve for inventory valuation estimates and the expected useful lives of fixed assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Concentration of Risk—The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents in accounts with one major financial institution in the United States of America, in the form of demand deposits, certificates of deposits and money market accounts. Deposits in this bank may exceed the amounts of federal deposit insurance provided on such deposits. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and

F-8




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

cash equivalents. The Company’s accounts receivable are primarily derived from credit card purchases from customers and are typically settled within one to two days.

Cash and Cash Equivalents—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Restricted Cash—At December 31, 2002, February 1, 2003, January 31, 2004 and January 29, 2005, restricted cash consisted of a certificate of deposit held for the lessor of the Company’s former combined home office and distribution center of $32,000 and is included in prepaid expenses and other. At July 30, 2005, the Company had no restricted cash balances (unaudited).

Receivables—Consist primarily of tenant allowances and credit card transactions that remain outstanding at the end of the period. The Company does not extend credit to its customers, except through third-party credit cards.

Merchandise Inventories—Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market. The cost of merchandise inventories are based upon an average cost methodology and inventory costs are removed on a first-in, first-out. Merchandise inventories may include items that have been written down to the Company’s best estimate of their net realizable value. The Company’s decisions to write-down its merchandise inventories are based on its current rate of sale, the age of the inventory and other factors. Actual final sales prices to customers may be higher or lower than the Company’s estimated sales prices and could result in a fluctuation in gross profit. Historically, any additional write-downs have not been significant and the Company does not adjust the historical carrying value of merchandise inventories upwards based on actual sales experience.

Leasehold Improvements and Equipment—Leasehold improvements and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Amortization of leasehold improvements is computed on the straight-line method over the lesser of an asset’s estimated useful life or the lease term (generally 7-10 years), whichever is shorter. Depreciation on furniture, fixtures and equipment is computed on the straight-line method over five years. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. The cost and related accumulated depreciation or amortization of assets sold or otherwise disposed of is removed from the accounts and the related gain or loss is reported in the statement of operations.

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets—The Company has adopted SFAS 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” and reviews the carrying value of long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of such assets may not be recoverable. Measurement of the impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset, or group of assets. Generally, fair value will be determined using accepted valuation techniques, such as the present value of expected future cash flows.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments—Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 107 (“SFAS 107”), “Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” requires management to disclose the estimated fair value of certain assets and liabilities defined by SFAS 107 as financial instruments. Financial instruments are generally defined by SFAS 107 as cash, evidence of ownership interest in an entity, or a contractual obligation that both conveys to one entity a right to receive cash or other financial instruments from another entity and imposes on the other entity the obligation to deliver cash or other financial instruments to the first entity. At January 29, 2005 and all other previous periods presented herein, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, receivables, payables and other accrued liabilities approximated fair value because of the short maturity of these financial instruments. The carrying value of the long-term debt and the revolving credit facility approximate the fair value because these financial instruments have floating interest rates which reflect current market conditions.

Deferred Rent, Rent Expense and Tenant Allowances—The Company occupies its retail stores and combined home office and distribution center under operating leases generally with terms of seven to ten years. Some of these leases have early cancellation clauses, which permit the lease to be terminated if certain sales levels are not met in specific periods. Some leases contain renewal options for periods ranging from one to five years under substantially the same terms and conditions as the original leases. Most of the store leases

F-9




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

require payment of a specified minimum rent, plus a contingent rent based on a percentage of the store’s net sales in excess of a specified threshold. Most of the lease agreements have defined escalating rent provisions, which are straight-lined over the term of the related lease, including any lease renewals deemed to be probable. The Company straight-lines and recognizes its rent expense over the term of the lease, plus the construction period prior to occupancy of the retail location, using a mid-month convention. For certain locations, the Company receives cash tenant allowances and has reported these amounts as a deferred liability which is amortized to rent expense over the term of the lease. Also included in rent expense are payments of real estate taxes, insurance and certain common area and maintenance costs in addition to the future minimum operating lease payments.

Income Taxes—The provision for income taxes includes both current and deferred tax expenses. Current tax expense is the amount associated with current operating results. The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes, which requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary difference between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of the assets and liabilities. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax asserts to the amount expected to be realized.

Revenue Recognition—Sales are recognized upon purchase by customers at the Company’s retail store locations or upon shipment for orders placed through the Company’s website as both title and risk of loss have transferred. The Company records the sale of gift cards as a current liability and recognizes revenue when a customer redeems a gift card. The Company reports shipping revenues and costs within sales and cost of goods sold, respectively. The Company accrues for estimated sales returns by customers based on historical sales return results. Sales return reserves were insignificant for all periods presented. The Company offers a return policy of generally 30 days.

The Company does not extend credit to customers, except through third-party credit cards. The majority of sales are through credit cards, and accounts receivable are composed primarily of amounts due from financial institutions related to credit card sales.

The Company records a liability when gift cards are issued and recognizes revenue when gift cards are redeemed. The Company has the right to assess gift card dormancy fees, but has historically not done so.

The Company presents its merchandise assortment as a percentage of net sales for the following categories: “Men’s”, which includes men’s apparel; “Women’s”, which includes women’s apparel; and “Accessories and Other”, which includes all other merchandise (e.g., hardgoods, accessories, footwear, etc.). The percentage of net sales for each of the aforementioned categories for fiscal 2002, the one month period ended February 1, 2003, fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2004 was as follows:

 

 

Fiscal Year

 

One Month

 

Fiscal Year

 

Fiscal Year

 

 

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

 

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

Men’s

 

 

31.0

%

 

 

26.7

%

 

 

29.6

%

 

 

32.1

%

 

Women’s

 

 

13.7

 

 

 

14.2

 

 

 

16.4

 

 

 

16.0

 

 

Accessories and Other

 

 

55.3

 

 

 

59.1

 

 

 

54.0

 

 

 

51.9

 

 

Total

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

Cost of Goods Sold—Cost of goods sold consists of the cost of merchandise sold to customers, inbound shipping costs, distribution costs, depreciation on leasehold improvements at the distribution center, buying and merchandising costs and store occupancy costs. This may not be comparable to the way in which the Company’s competitors or other retailers compute their cost of goods sold.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense—Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of store personnel wages and benefits, administrative staff and infrastructure expenses, store supplies, depreciation on leasehold improvements at the home office and stores, facility expenses, and

F-10




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

training, advertising and marketing costs. Credit card fees, insurance and other miscellaneous operating costs are also included in selling, general and administrative expenses. This may not be comparable to the way in which the Company’s competitors or other retailers compute their selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company does receive insignificant amounts of cash consideration from vendors which have been reported as a reduction of expenses as the amounts are reimbursements of specific, incremental and identifiable costs of selling the vendors’ products.

Advertising—The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expenses are net of sponsorships. Advertising expense was approximately $322,000, $295,000 and $235,000 in fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively, and $24,000 for the one month period ended February 1, 2003. Advertising expense for the six month period ending July 31, 2004 was $25,351 and advertising for the six month period ending July 30, 2005 resulted in net income of $900.

Net Income per Share—Basic net income per common share is computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding. Diluted net income per common share is computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding adjusted for the incremental shares attributed to outstanding options to purchase common stock. Incremental shares of 2,034,567, 1,506,595 and 1,633,597 in fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively, and 1,452,829, 1,489,656 and 819,664 for the one month period ended February 1, 2003, the six months ended July 31, 2004 and the six months ended July 30, 2005, respectively, were used in the calculation of diluted net income per common share.

Stock Compensation—The Company has stock-based employee compensation plans, which are described further in note 7 below. The Company accounts for stock-based employee compensation arrangements on the intrinsic value method in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion (“APB”) No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” and related amendments and interpretations. The Company complies with the disclosure provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (“SFAS 123”), “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” which requires fair value recognition for employee stock-based compensation.

If the computed fair values of the awards had been amortized to expense over the vesting period of the awards, pro forma net income (loss) and net income (loss) per share would have been reduced to the pro forma amounts indicated in the following table (in thousands, except per share data):

 

 

Fiscal Year

 

One Month

 

Fiscal Year

 

Fiscal Year

 

 

 

 

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Ended

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

December 31,

 

February 1,

 

January 31,

 

January 29,

 

July 31,

 

July 30,

 

 

 

2002

 

2003

 

2004

 

2005

 

2004

 

2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

(unaudited)

 

Net income (loss), as reported

 

 

$

5,705

 

 

 

$

(169

)

 

 

$

4,475

 

 

 

$

7,267

 

 

 

$

(439

)

 

 

$

808

 

 

Add: Stock-based compensation expense, as reported, net of tax

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

59

 

 

 

 

 

 

49

 

 

Deduct: Stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair-value-based method, net of tax

 

 

(207

)

 

 

(17

)

 

 

(118

)

 

 

(313

)

 

 

(51

)

 

 

(178

)

 

Pro forma net income (loss)

 

 

5,498

 

 

 

(186

)

 

 

4,357

 

 

 

7,013

 

 

 

(490

)

 

 

679

 

 

Net income (loss) per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic—as reported

 

 

$

0.49

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

$

0.40

 

 

 

$

0.64

 

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.07

 

 

Basic—pro forma

 

 

$

0.48

 

 

 

$

(0.02

)

 

 

$

0.39

 

 

 

$

0.62

 

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

Diluted—as reported

 

 

$

0.42

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

 

$

0.35

 

 

 

$

0.56

 

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

Diluted—pro forma

 

 

$

0.40

 

 

 

$

(0.02

)

 

 

$

0.34

 

 

 

$

0.54

 

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.05

 

 

 

Merchandise Risk—The Company’s success is largely dependent upon its ability to gauge the fashion tastes of its customers and provide merchandise that satisfies customer demand. Any inability to provide appropriate merchandise in sufficient quantities in a timely manner could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition.

F-11




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

Reclassifications—Certain amounts in the prior year financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s financial statement presentation. The reclassifications had no effect on shareholders’ equity or net income.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In November 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 151, “Inventory Costs—an Amendment of ARB No. 43, Chapter 4.” This statement clarifies the accounting for abnormal amounts of idle facility expense, freight, handling costs, and spoilage, requiring these items be recognized as current-period charges. In addition, this statement requires that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. The provisions of this statement are effective for inventory costs incurred during fiscal years beginning after June 15, 2005 and will become effective for the Company beginning in fiscal 2006. The effect of adopting this statement is not expected to be significant to the Company’s financial position and results of operations.

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment (Revised 2004)” (“FAS 123R”). This statement addresses the accounting for share-based payment transactions in which a company receives employee services in exchange for the company’s equity instruments or liabilities that are based on the fair value of the company’s equity securities or may be settled by the issuance of these securities. SFAS 123R eliminates the ability to account for share-based payments using APB 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” and generally requires that such transactions be accounted for using a fair value method. On April 14, 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the adoption of a new rule that delays SFAS 123R compliance.

Under the SEC rule, the provisions of this statement are effective for annual periods beginning after June 15, 2005 and will become effective for the Company beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2006. The Company has not yet determined which transaction method it will use to adopt SFAS 123R. The full impact that the adoption of this statement will have on the Company’s financial position and results of operations will be determined by share-based payments granted in future periods and will increase the compensation expense that would otherwise have been recognized in accordance with APB 25. In addition, outstanding unvested options will result in additional compensation expense that otherwise would only have been recognized on a pro-forma basis.

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 153, “Exchanges of Non-Monetary Assets.” This statement refines the measurement of exchanges of non-monetary assets between entities. The provisions of this statement are effective for fiscal periods beginning after June 15, 2005 and became effective for the Company beginning with the third quarter of fiscal 2005. Historically, the Company has not transacted significant exchanges of non-monetary assets, but future such exchanges would be accounted for under the standard, when effective.

In May 2005, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections.”  This Statement requires retrospective application to prior periods’ financial statements of changes in accounting principle. The provisions of this statement become effective for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2005. The standard dictates that changes in accounting principle that are a result of a new pronouncement shall be subject to the reporting provisions of that pronouncement if they exist.

F-12




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

3.   Transition Period Comparative Data

As a result of the change in the Company’s fiscal year end there was a one month transition period. The following table presents certain condensed financial information for the one month ended February 2, 2002 (unaudited) and the one month ended February 1, 2003, respectively.

 

 

One Month Ended

 

 

 

February 2, 2002

 

February 1, 2003

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Summarized Statements of Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net sales

 

 

$

5,831

 

 

 

$

6,392

 

 

Cost of goods sold

 

 

3,961

 

 

 

4,575

 

 

Gross margin

 

 

$

1,870

 

 

 

$

1,817

 

 

Operating profit (loss)

 

 

$

170

 

 

 

$

(196

)

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

161

 

 

 

$

(169

)

 

Summarized Balance Sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current assets

 

 

$

17,083

 

 

 

$

19,646

 

 

Total assets

 

 

$

30,318

 

 

 

$

36,003

 

 

Liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

$

15,972

 

 

 

$

20,101

 

 

Total liabilities

 

 

$

18,241

 

 

 

$

22,036

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

12,077

 

 

 

13,967

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

 

 

$

30,318

 

 

 

$

36,003

 

 

 

4.   Leasehold Improvements and Equipment

Leasehold improvements and equipment consist of the following:

 

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Leasehold improvements and other equipment

 

 

$

20,102

 

 

 

$

29,706

 

 

Store computer equipment

 

 

3,225

 

 

 

4,179

 

 

Store displays

 

 

9,923

 

 

 

13,822

 

 

Vehicles

 

 

53

 

 

 

53

 

 

 

 

 

33,303

 

 

 

47,760

 

 

Less accumulated depreciation

 

 

(15,227

)

 

 

(21,141

)

 

 

 

 

$

18,076

 

 

 

$

26,619

 

 

 

F-13




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

5.   Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following:

 

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Note payable to bank, payable in quarterly installments of $272,000 plus interest at LIBOR (1.155% per annum at January 31, 2004) plus 2%, maturing July 1, 2004

 

 

$

544

 

 

 

$

 

 

Less current portion

 

 

(544

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

The note payable to bank at January 31, 2004 was collateralized by substantially all the assets of the Company. Additionally, this note payable contained covenants that required the Company to maintain certain working capital ratios and placed certain restrictions on the declaration and payment of dividends. The note was paid in full per the terms of the agreement in fiscal 2004.

In May 2003 the Company entered into an agreement for a new revolving credit facility of $20,000,000. The revolving credit facility has a $7,500,000 sub-limit for the issuance of letters of credit with 180 day maximum maturity. The outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility were $300,000 at January 31, 2004. The Company also had open letters of credit of $447,000 at January 31, 2004.

In September 2004 the Company entered into a loan modification agreement to the existing revolving credit facility. The loan modification agreement reduced certain applicable interest rates and extended the maturity date of the revolving credit facility to July 1, 2006. The borrowing capacity can be increased to $25.0 million if the Company requests and if the Company is in compliance with certain provisions. There were no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility at January 29, 2005. The Company had open letters of credit of $671,000 at January 29, 2005. The revolving credit facility bears interest at floating rates based on the lower of the prime rate (5.25% at January 29, 2005) minus a prime margin ranging from 0.75% to 0.10% or the LIBOR rate (2.53% at January 29, 2005) plus a LIBOR margin ranging from 1.40% to 2.15%, in each case depending on the ratio of the Company’s adjusted funded debt (as defined in the loan agreement, as amended) to EBITDAR (as defined in the loan agreement, as amended). The Company’s obligations under the revolving credit facility are secured by almost all of its personal property, including, among other things, inventory, equipment and fixtures. The Company must reduce the amount of any outstanding advances under the revolving credit facility to no more than $5.0 million for a period of at least 30 consecutive days each year. The revolving credit facility also contains financial covenants that require the Company to meet specified financial ratios, including a debt to earnings ratio, an earnings to interest expense ratio and an inventory to debt ratio. The Company was in compliance with all covenants at January 29, 2005 and for the year then ended.

 

F-14




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

6.   Income Taxes

The components of the current deferred tax assets and net long-term deferred tax assets (liabilities) are:

 

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Current deferred tax assets (liabilities)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inventory

 

 

$

621

 

 

 

$

784

 

 

Employee benefits

 

 

124

 

 

 

167

 

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

(77

)

 

 

(92

)

 

Charitable Contributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total current deferred tax assets

 

 

668

 

 

 

859

 

 

Long-term deferred tax assets (liabilities)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment

 

 

(1,927

)

 

 

(3,437

)

 

Employee benefits

 

 

 

 

 

35

 

 

Deferred rent

 

 

591

 

 

 

1,891

 

 

Total long-term deferred tax liabilities

 

 

(1,336

)

 

 

(1,511

)

 

Net deferred tax liability     

 

 

$

(668

)

 

 

$

(652

)

 

The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes are:

 

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2002

 

One Month
Ended
February 1,
2003

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 31,
2004

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 29,
2005

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Current

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

$

837

 

 

 

$

(122

)

 

 

$

1,526

 

 

 

$

3,831

 

 

State

 

 

395

 

 

 

 

 

 

371

 

 

 

685

 

 

Total current

 

 

1,232

 

 

 

(122

)

 

 

1,897

 

 

 

4,516

 

 

Deferred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

 

(129

)

 

 

77

 

 

 

740

 

 

 

(21

)

 

State

 

 

(7

)

 

 

6

 

 

 

64

 

 

 

5

 

 

Total deferred

 

 

(136

)

 

 

83

 

 

 

804

 

 

 

(16

)

 

Provision (benefit) for income taxes

 

 

$

1,096

 

 

 

$

(39

)

 

 

$

2,701

 

 

 

$

4,500

 

 

 

F-15




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

The reconciliation of the income tax provision at the U.S. federal statutory rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate is as follows for the fiscal year ended:

 

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2002

 

One Month
Ended
February 1,
2003

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 31,
2004

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 29,
2005

 

Expected U.S. federal income taxes at statutory rates

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

State and local income taxes, net of federal effect

 

 

4.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.4

 

 

 

3.9

 

 

Benefit of Subchapter S election and termination 

 

 

(22.3

)

 

 

(0.9

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Permanent differences

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.2

 

 

 

0.5

 

 

Other

 

 

0.1

 

 

 

(14.3

)

 

 

 

 

 

(0.1

)

 

 

 

 

16.1

%

 

 

18.8

%

 

 

37.6

%

 

 

38.3

%

 

 

7.   Stock Options

During fiscal 1997, the Company adopted the 1993 Stock Option Plan (the “Plan”) to provide for the granting of nonqualified stock options to executive officers and key employees of the Company as determined by a committee of the Company’s board of directors, the 1993 Plan Committee (the “Committee”).

The date of grant, option price, vesting period and other terms specific to options granted under the Plan are determined by the Committee. All stock options granted under the Plan vest over a fixed period and expire ten years from the date of grant and no additional awards may be made under the Plan. Prior to fiscal 2004, the option price for all options granted was equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant and no stock-based compensation expense was recognized during fiscal 2002, 2003 or the one month ended February 1, 2003.

During fiscal 2004, the Company adopted the 2004 Stock Option Plan (the “2004 Plan”) to provide for the granting of incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options to executive officers and key employees of the Company as determined by a committee of the Company’s board of directors, the 2004 Plan Committee. The terms of the 2004 Plan are generally the same as the Plan. The Company has authorized 3,682,793 shares of common stock for issuance under the 2004 Plan. The Company does not plan on making any new stock option grants under the 2004 Plan (unaudited).

During fiscal 2004, the Company issued stock options to certain employees with exercise prices below the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant. In accordance with the requirements of APB 25, the Company has recorded stock-based compensation for the difference between the exercise price of the stock options and the fair market value of the Company’s stock at the grant date. During the fiscal 2004, the Company recorded stock-based compensation of $95,000 related to these options. Stock-based compensation expense is currently recognized over the vesting period of the awards, generally five to eight years. Excluding the impact of the adoption of FAS 123R, future compensation expense to be recognized through fiscal 2012 associated with these grants will be $961,000.

F-16




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

All grants of stock options have been to employees of the Company. There were no stock option grants, exercises, forfeitures or cancellations during fiscal 2002 or the one month period ended February 1, 2003. The fair values of the options granted under the Plan and the 2004 Plan were estimated using the minimum-value method with the assumptions from the table below:

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended

 

 

 

January 31,
2004

 

January 29,
2005

 

Dividend yield

 

 

%

 

 

%

 

Average risk-free interest rate:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expected lives—Ten years

 

 

%

 

 

%

 

Expected lives—Eight years

 

 

%

 

 

3.97

%

 

Expected lives—Five years

 

 

3.30

%

 

 

3.41

%

 

 

The following table summarizes stock option activity:

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended
December 31, 2002

 

Fiscal Year Ended
January 31, 2004

 

Fiscal Year Ended
January 29, 2005

 

For Six Months Ended
July 30, 2005

 

 

 

Number of
Options

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

 

Number of
Options

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

 

Number of
Options

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

 

Number of
Options

 

Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

Options outstanding at beginning of period

 

 

2,032,977

 

 

 

$

1.66

 

 

 

1,452,828

 

 

 

$

2.25

 

 

 

1,533,700

 

 

 

$

2.47

 

 

 

1,855,397

 

 

 

$

3.54

 

 

Options granted during the period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

134,670

 

 

 

5.21

 

 

 

400,119

 

 

 

7.73

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options exercised during the period

 

 

(580,149

)

 

 

(0.17

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(277,069

)

 

 

1.65

 

 

Options forfeited during the period

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(53,798

)

 

 

(3.55

)

 

 

(78,422

)

 

 

(3.92

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options outstanding at end of period

 

 

1,452,828

 

 

 

$

2.25

 

 

 

1,533,700

 

 

 

$

2.47

 

 

 

1,855,397

 

 

 

$

3.54

 

 

 

1,578,327

 

 

 

$

3.87

 

 

Weighted-average fair value of options granted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

0.71

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

2.27

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options exercisable

 

 

504,536

 

 

 

$

1.65

 

 

 

672,693

 

 

 

$

1.77

 

 

 

860,057

 

 

 

$

2.03

 

 

 

698,332

 

 

 

$

2.78

 

 

 

The following table summarizes information concerning outstanding and exercisable options at January 29, 2005:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options

 

 

 

Options Outstanding

 

Exercisable

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining

 

 

 

 

Exercise Price

 

 

Number of Options

 

Contractual Life

 

Number of Options

 

 

$

0.46

 

 

 

323,052

 

 

 

2.9

 

 

 

282,670

 

 

 

2.17

 

 

 

591,788

 

 

 

4.3

 

 

 

369,867

 

 

 

3.55

 

 

 

430,391

 

 

 

6.6

 

 

 

161,397

 

 

 

5.21

 

 

 

134,670

 

 

 

8.3

 

 

 

46,123

 

 

 

7.73

 

 

 

375,496

 

 

 

9.4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

1,855,397

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

860,057

 

 

 

 

F-17




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

8.   Related Party Transactions

During fiscal 2004, the Company paid $1,000 in fees related to the Transaction that are receivable from the Parent. At January 29, 2005, due to additional such payments by the Company, the balance was $148,000. This amount is reported in shareholders’ equity.

During fiscal 2001, the Company advanced $1,500,000 to a shareholder under a note receivable. At December 31, 2001, the outstanding balance of the note and accrued interest receivable was $1,533,750, and while the interest was paid in cash in fiscal 2002, the note was redeemed as part of the Transaction.

In fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004 the Company paid Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC a consulting fee of $31,000, $200,000 and $200,000, respectively, under a Corporate Development and Administrative Services Agreement.

Related party transactions for the six months ended July 30, 2005 (unaudited) The Company paid $1,000 in fees on behalf of its Parent, resulting in a balance of $149,000, which was forgiven and the Parent was subsequently dissolved in connection with the Company’s initial public offering. This amount was reported in shareholders’ equity and expensed to selling, general and administrative expense.

During the six months ended July 30, 2005 and July 31, 2004 (unaudited) the Company paid Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC a consulting fee of $53,000 and $100,000, respectively, under a Corporate Development and Administrative Services Agreement. This agreement was subsequently terminated in connection with the initial public offering, resulting in a prorated consulting fee for the six months ended July 30, 2005 of $3,000 compared to the fees per the agreement of $50,000 paid for the six months ended July 31, 2004.

9.   Commitments and Contingencies

LeasesThe Company is committed under operating leases for all of its retail store locations. In addition to minimum future lease payments, all store leases provide for additional rental payments based on sales, as well as common area maintenance charges. During fiscal 2004, the Company entered into a lease for a new combined home office and distribution center under a noncancelable operating lease agreement that expires in July 2012, with two renewal optons. For leases that have fixed escalation clauses, minimum rents are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

Rent expense, including common area maintenance and other occupancy costs, was $11,754,000, $13,871,000, $17,136,000 and $919,000 for fiscal 2002, 2003, 2004 and the one month period ended February 1, 2003, respectively.

Future minimum annual commitments (in thousands) on all leases at January 29, 2005 are as follows:

 

 

Retail
Stores

 

Home
Office

 

Total

 

Fiscal 2005

 

$

9,977

 

$

404

 

$

10,381

 

Fiscal 2006

 

9,871

 

432

 

10,303

 

Fiscal 2007

 

9,228

 

467

 

9,695

 

Fiscal 2008

 

8,508

 

479

 

8,987

 

Fiscal 2009

 

8,376

 

492

 

8,868

 

Thereafter

 

25,183

 

982

 

26,165

 

 

 

$

71,143

 

$

3,256

 

$

74,399

 

 

Purchase CommitmentsThe Company had outstanding purchase orders to acquire merchandise from vendors for approximately $28.1 million at January 29, 2005. These purchases are expected to be financed by cash flows from operations and the Company’s revolving credit facility. The Company has an option to cancel such commitments with no notice prior to shipment.

F-18




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

LitigationThe Company is involved from time to time in litigation incidental to its business and, from time to time, the Company may make provisions for potential litigation losses. The Company follows SFAS 5, “Accounting for Contingencies” when assessing pending or potential litigation. Management believes, after considering a number of factors and the nature of the contingencies to which the Company is subject, that the outcome of these contingencies will not have a material adverse effect upon the results of operations or financial condition of the Company.

Insurance ReservesThe Company is responsible for medical insurance claims up to a specified aggregate amount. The Company maintains a reserve for estimated medical insurance claims based on historical claims experience and other estimated assumptions. The Company follows SFAS 5, “Accounting for Contingencies” when assessing pending or potential claims.

Employment AgreementThe Company has an employment agreement in place with a key employee. The agreement provides that if the Company terminates the employee’s employment without cause or if he terminates his employment for good reason, the employee could be entitled to continue to receive his base salary up to a maximum commitment of $315,000.

10.   Retirement Savings Plan

The Zumiez Investment Plan is a qualified plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Company’s 401(k) matching and profit-sharing contributions are discretionary and are determined annually by the Company. The Company contributed $50,000, $55,000 and $125,000 to the plan during fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004, respectively.

11.   Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic net income (loss) per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. Diluted net income (loss) per share is based on the weighted average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding. Common share equivalents included in the computation represent shares issuable upon assumed exercise of outstanding stock options.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2002

 

One Month
Ended
February 1,
2003

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 31,
2004

 

Fiscal Year
Ended
January 29,
2005

 

Six Months
Ended
July 31,
2004

 

Six Months
Ended
July 31,
2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

Net income (loss)

 

 

$

5,705

 

 

 

$

(169

)

 

$

4,475

 

$

7,267

 

 

$

(439

)

 

 

$

808

 

 

Weighted average common shares for basic net income (loss) per share

 

 

11,547,011

 

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

11,305,261

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

12,296,076

 

 

Dilutive effect of stock options

 

 

2,034,567

 

 

 

 

 

1,506,594

 

1,633,597

 

 

 

 

 

819,664

 

 

Weighted average common shares for diluted net income (loss) per share

 

 

13,581,578

 

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

12,811,855

 

12,938,858

 

 

11,305,261

 

 

 

13,115,740

 

 

Basic net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

0.49

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.40

 

$

0.64

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.07

 

 

Diluted net income (loss) per share

 

 

$

0.42

 

 

 

$

(0.01

)

 

$

0.35

 

$

0.56

 

 

$

(0.04

)

 

 

$

0.06

 

 

 

For the one month ended February 1, 2003, the dilutive effect of 1,452,829 options were excluded and for the six months ended July 31, 2004 (unaudited) the dilutive effect of 1,489,656 options were excluded from weighted average diluted shares outstanding because the effect was antidilutive.

F-19




NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

12.   Subsequent Events

Stock SplitOn April 14, 2005, the Company’s Board of Directors and shareholders approved an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to effect a 1 for 258.6485 split of the Company’s common stock (the “Stock Split”). The Stock Split became effective on April 20, 2005. All reference to shares in the financial statements and the accompanying notes, including but not limited to the number of shares and per share amounts, unless otherwise noted, have been adjusted to reflect the Stock Split on a retroactive basis. Previously awarded stock options in the Company’s common stock have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the Stock Split.

F-20




GRAPHIC




GRAPHIC

1,850,000 Shares
Common Stock


PROSPECTUS

                    , 2005


 

Wachovia Securities

 

Piper Jaffray

 

 

William Blair & Company

 

 

 




PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth the costs and expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us in connection with the sale of common stock being registered. All amounts, other than the SEC registration fee and the NASD fee, are estimates. We will pay all these expenses.

 

 

Amount to be
Paid

 

SEC Registration Fee

 

 

$

8,201

 

 

NASD Filing Fee

 

 

7,468

 

 

Printing Fees and Expenses

 

 

75,000

 

 

Legal Fees and Expenses

 

 

100,000

 

 

Accounting Fees and Expenses

 

 

75,000

 

 

Blue Sky Fees and Expenses

 

 

5,000

 

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar Fees

 

 

15,000

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

14,331

 

 

Total

 

 

$

300,000

 

 

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Sections 23B.08.500 through 23B.08.600 of the Washington Business Corporation Act (the “WBCA”) authorize Washington corporations to indemnify and advance expenses to directors, officers, employees or agents of the corporation under certain circumstances against liabilities and expenses incurred in legal proceedings involving such individuals because of their being or having been a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation. Section 23B.08.560 of the WBCA authorizes a corporation to agree to so indemnify and obligate itself to advance or reimburse expenses without regard to the limitations of Section 23B.08.510 through 23B.08.550 of the WBCA; provided, however, that no such indemnity shall be made for or on account of any:

·     acts or omissions of the director, officer, employee or agent finally adjudged to be intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

·     conduct of the director, officer, employee or agent finally adjudged to be in violation of Section 23B.08.310 of the WBCA (which section relates to unlawful distributions); or

·     transaction with respect to which it was finally adjudged that such director, officer, employee or agent personally received a benefit in money, property, or services to which the director, officer, employee or agent was not legally entitled.

Furthermore, Section 23B.08.320 of the WBCA authorizes a corporation to limit a director’s liability to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for acts or omissions as a director, except in certain circumstances involving (1) acts or omissions of a director that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (2) conduct violating Section 23B.08.310 of the WBCA (which section relates to unlawful distributions) or (3) any transaction from which the director will personally receive a benefit in money, property or services to which the director is not legally entitled.

Zumiez Inc.’s (the “Company”) articles of incorporation provide that the Company shall indemnify its directors to the fullest extent permitted by the WBCA, subject to exceptions, and require that the Company advance expenses for such persons pursuant to the Company’s bylaws or a separate directors resolution or contract. The bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify its directors, officers and employees to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and also provide that the Company may indemnify its agents. The Company’s bylaws also provide that the Company may, or in certain cases must, provide advances for expenses to such indemnified individuals who are parties to such a proceeding. The Company’s articles of incorporation provide that a director shall not be personally liable to the Company or to any of its shareholders for monetary damages for conduct as a director, subject to the limitations set forth in the

II-1




Company’s articles of incorporation. The bylaws also provide that the Company may maintain, at its expense, insurance to protect itself and an indemnified director, officer, employee or agent against any liability, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify such director, officer, employee or agent against the same liability under Sections 23B.08.510 or 23B.08.520 of the WBCA.

The Company has entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of its directors and officers to effectuate the provisions discussed above and to purchase director and officer liability insurance. The effect of such provisions is to indemnify the Company’s directors and officers against all costs, expenses and liabilities incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or proceeding to which they are involved by reason of their affiliation with the Company to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

Issuance of Securities to Zumiez Holdings

In October and November 2002, we entered into a series of transactions with certain affiliates of Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC (the “Brentwood Affiliates”) and certain of our shareholders (the “2002 Recapitalization”). In November 2002, in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization, we issued 1,356,371 shares of our common stock to Zumiez Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that was formed in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization (“Zumiez Holdings”), for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $7.1 million. The issuance of our common stock to Zumiez Holdings in connection with the 2002 Recapitalization was exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder as a transaction by an issuer not involving a public offering. Zumiez Holdings was an accredited investor, as such term is defined in the Securities Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and represented its intention to acquire the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof. Appropriate legends were affixed to the share certificates issued in such transaction.

Exercise of Stock Options

In July 1993, as partial consideration for a loan from Rajnikant R. Shah and Akhil R. Shah (collectively, the “Optionees”) to us, we granted the Optionees an option to purchase 580,150 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.1724 per share. In July 2002, the Optionees exercised their option to purchase shares of our common stock and we issued an aggregate of 580,150 shares of our common stock to the Optionees for an aggregate purchase price of $99,993. The issuance of our common stock to the Optionees was exempt from registration under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act as a transaction by an issuer not involving a public offering. The optionees represented their intention to acquire the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof. Appropriate legends were affixed to the share certificates issued in such transaction.

Stock Option Grants

Since February 2002, we have granted options to employees (including officers) to purchase an aggregate of 534,789 shares of our common stock at exercise prices of between $5.21 and $7.73 per share, as further described below:

Date(s)

 

 

 

Number of
Options

 

Exercise Price

 

Vesting Schedule

 

4/28/2003

 

 

122,527

 

 

 

$

5.21

 

 

20% in year 1, 1/48 monthly
thereafter for 4 years

 

9/4/2003

 

 

12,144

 

 

 

$

5.21

 

 

20% in year 1, 1/48 monthly
thereafter for 4 years

 

6/1/2004

 

 

153,885

 

 

 

$

7.73

 

 

12.5% per year for 8 years

 

7/31/2004

 

 

246,233

 

 

 

$

7.73

 

 

20% in year 1, 1/48 monthly
thereafter for 4 years

 

 

II-2




All option grants during this period have been made in consideration for services rendered or to be rendered by the respective employees. The amount of options included in each grant to employees has been determined by our board of directors in consultation with management taking into consideration the employee’s job description, tenure and level of service. During this same period, we have not issued any shares of our common stock upon exercise of such stock options. The stock option grants were exempt under Rule 701 under the Securities Act as exempt offers and sales of securities under a written compensatory benefit plan.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a)                  The following exhibits are filed herewith:

Exhibit
Number

 

Exhibit Description

1.1

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

3.1

Articles of Incorporation. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

3.2

Bylaws. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

4.1

Form of Common Stock Certificate of Zumiez Inc. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

5.1

Opinion of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP.

10.1

Business Loan Agreement dated May 29, 2003 between Bank of America, N.A. and Zumiez Inc., as modified by Loan Modification Agreement dated September 30, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.2

Lease Agreement between Merrill Creek Holdings, LLC and Zumiez Inc. dated August 2, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.3

Executive Agreement, dated as of November 4, 2002 between Zumiez Inc. and Richard M. Brooks. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.4

Carrier Agreement between United Parcel Service Inc. and Zumiez Inc. dated July 4, 2005. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2005 as filed on September 13, 2005]

10.5

Zumiez Inc. 1993 Stock Option Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.6

Zumiez Inc. 2004 Stock Option Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.7

Zumiez Inc. 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.8

Zumiez Inc. 2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.9

Form of Indemnity Agreement between Zumiez Inc. and each of its officers and directors. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

II-3




 

10.10

Limited Liability Company Agreement of Zumiez Holdings LLC. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-122865)]

10.11

Modification dated May 11, 2005 to Business Loan Agreement dated May 29, 2003 between Bank of America, N.A. and Zumiez Inc., as modified by Loan Modification Agreement dated September 30, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2005 as filed on September 13, 2005]

21.1

Subsidiaries of the registrant.

23.1

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

23.2

Consent of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement).

 

Item 17. Undertakings

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 14 or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

The undersigned registrant undertakes that:

(1)      for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be a part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective, and

(2)      for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

II-4




SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-1 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Everett, State of Washington, on the 18th day of October, 2005.

ZUMIEZ INC.

 

By:

/s/ RICHARD M. BROOKS

 

 

Richard M. Brooks
President and Chief Executive Officer

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Richard M. Brooks and Brenda I. Morris, and each of them, his or her attorney-in-fact, for him or her in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement (including post-effective amendments and abbreviated registration statements), and any and all registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 or Rule 429 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of common stock of Zumiez Inc., and to file or cause to be filed the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact, or their substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement on Form S-1 has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on October 18, 2005.

Signature

 

Title

/s/ RICHARD M. BROOKS

Richard M. Brooks

 

President and Chief Executive Officer, Director (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ BRENDA I. MORRIS

Brenda I. Morris

 

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

/s/ WILLIAM M. BARNUM, JR.

William M. Barnum, Jr.

 

Director

/s/ THOMAS E. DAVIN

Thomas E. Davin

 

Director

/s/ THOMAS D. CAMPION

Thomas D. Campion

 

Chairman

/s/ STEVEN W. MOORE

Steven W. Moore

 

Director

/s/ GERALD F. RYLES

Gerald F. Ryles

 

Director

 

II-5




EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number

 

Exhibit Description

1.1

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

3.1

Articles of Incorporation. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

3.2

Bylaws. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

4.1

Form of Common Stock Certificate of Zumiez Inc. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

5.1

Opinion of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP.

10.1

Business Loan Agreement dated May 29, 2003 between Bank of America, N.A. and Zumiez Inc., as modified by Loan Modification Agreement dated September 30, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.2

Lease Agreement between Merrill Creek Holdings, LLC and Zumiez Inc. dated August 2, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.3

Executive Agreement, dated as of November 4, 2002 between Zumiez Inc. and Richard M. Brooks. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.4

Carrier Agreement between United Parcel Service Inc. and Zumiez Inc. dated July 4, 2005. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2005 as filed on September 13, 2005]

10.5

Zumiez Inc. 1993 Stock Option Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.6

Zumiez Inc. 2004 Stock Option Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.7

Zumiez Inc. 2005 Equity Incentive Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.8

Zumiez Inc. 2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.9

Form of Indemnity Agreement between Zumiez Inc. and each of its officers and directors. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.10

Limited Liability Company Agreement of Zumiez Holdings LLC. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (file No. 333-122865)]

10.11

Modification dated May 11, 2005 to Business Loan Agreement dated May 29, 2003 between Bank of America, N.A. and Zumiez Inc., as modified by Loan Modification Agreement dated September 30, 2004. [Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2005 as filed on September 13, 2005]

21.1

Subsidiaries of the registrant.

23.1

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

23.2

Consent of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24.1

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement).

 



Exhibit 1.1

 

 

 

ZUMIEZ INC.

 

Shares of Common Stock

 

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

 

Dated: , 2005

 

 

 



 

Table of Contents

 

SECTION 1.

Representations and Warranties

 

 

 

 

SECTION 2.

Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing

 

 

 

 

SECTION 3.

Covenants of the Company

 

 

 

 

SECTION 4.

Payment of Expenses

 

 

 

 

SECTION 5.

Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations and Principal Selling Shareholders’ Obligations

 

 

 

 

SECTION 6.

Indemnification

 

 

 

 

SECTION 7.

Contribution

 

 

 

 

SECTION 8.

Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery

 

 

 

 

SECTION 9.

Termination of Agreement

 

 

 

 

SECTION 10.

Default by One or More of the Underwriters

 

 

 

 

SECTION 11.

Notices

 

 

 

 

SECTION 12.

Parties

 

 

 

 

SECTION 13.

Absence of Fiduciary Relationship

 

 

 

 

SECTION 14.

GOVERNING LAW AND TIME

 

 

 

 

SECTION 15.

Effect of Headings

 

 

 

 

SECTION 16.

Definitions

 

 

 

 

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

Exhibit A

-

List of Underwriters

Exhibit B

-

Initial Securities to be Sold

Exhibit C

-

Option Securities Which may be Sold

Exhibit D

-

List of Persons Required to Execute a Lock-Up Agreement

Exhibit E

-

Form of Lock-up Agreement

Exhibit F

-

Form of Opinion of Company Counsel

Exhibit G

-

Form of Opinion of Selling Shareholders’ Counsel

Exhibit H

-

Certificate of Chief Financial Officer

 

1



 

ZUMIEZ INC.

 

Shares of Common Stock

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

, 2005

 

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
7 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

 

Piper Jaffray & Co.
800 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402

 

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Zumiez Inc., a Washington corporation (the “Company,” which term, as used herein, includes its predecessors including, without limitation, Zumiez Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Zumiez Delaware”), and Zumiez Inc., a Washington corporation), and each of the shareholders of the Company named on Exhibits B and C hereto (collectively, the “Selling Shareholders” and each, a “Selling Shareholder”) confirm their respective agreements with Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC (“Wachovia”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Exhibit A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters,” which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Wachovia and Piper Jaffray & Co. (“Piper”) are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the “Representatives”), with respect to the sale by the Selling Shareholders named in Exhibit B hereto of a total of shares (the “Initial Securities”) of the Company’s common stock, no par value (the “Common Stock”), and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of Initial Securities set forth in said Exhibit A hereto, and with respect to the grant by the Selling Shareholders named in Exhibit C hereto to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any.  The Initial Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part of the shares of Common Stock subject to the option described in Section 2(b) hereof (the “Option Securities”) are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Securities.”  Certain terms used in this Agreement are defined in Section 15 hereof.

 

The Company and the Selling Shareholders understand that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

 

1



 

The Company has filed with the Commission the Initial Registration Statement covering the registration of the Securities under the 1933 Act.  Promptly after the execution of this Agreement, the Company will prepare and file with the Commission a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A and Rule 424(b) and the Company has previously advised you of all information (financial and other) that will be set forth therein.  Such prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities is herein called the “Prospectus.”

 

Prior to the date of this Agreement:

 

(a)           the Company reincorporated in the State of Washington pursuant to a merger with and into a newly organized Washington corporation (the “Reincorporation”),

 

(b)           the Company effected a 258.6485-for-one stock split (the “Stock Split”), and the Company and certain of its shareholders sold shares of Common Stock in an initial public offering (the “IPO”),

 

(c)           all shares of Common Stock held by Zumiez Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Zumiez Holdings”), were distributed to its members and any other persons entitled thereto (the “Distribution”) in accordance with the terms of its limited liability company agreement (the “LLC Agreement”),

 

(d)           the Stockholders Agreement (as defined below) was duly amended to delete the last sentence of Section XVIII(A) thereof and to provide that Section XVIII(B) thereof shall not be applicable to any shares of Common Stock that have been sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of pursuant to a registration statement under the 1933 Act (including, without limitation, any sale, transfer or other disposition to the underwriters in connection with any underwritten public offering) and that, from and after the time of such sale, transfer or other disposition, no direct or indirect holder or owner of any such shares shall be entitled to any rights or subject to any obligations under the Stockholders Agreement (the “Stockholders Agreement Amendment”), and

 

(e)           all consents, approvals, waivers and amendments necessary under any of the Shareholder Documents (as defined below), the LLC Agreement, the Existing Credit Agreement or any of the Leases in connection with the Reincorporation, the Stock Split, the IPO, the Distribution, the sale and offering of the Securities or for the Company and/or the Selling Shareholders to enter into this Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this Agreement shall have been obtained and shall be in full force and effect (collectively, the “Amendments and Waivers”).

 

The Reincorporation, the Stock Split, the IPO, the Distribution, the Stockholders Agreement Amendment and the Amendments and Waivers are hereinafter called, collectively, the “Pre-Closing Transactions.”

 

2



 

The following terms, as used herein, have the respective meanings set forth below:

 

(a)                                  Agreement and Waiver” means the Agreement of Waiver and Undertaking dated October 11, 2002 among Thomas D. Campion, Richard M. Brooks, John G. Haakenson, Rajnikant R. Shah, Akhil R. Shah and the Company,

 

(b)                                 Brentwood” means Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and one of the Selling Shareholders,

 

(c)                                  Contribution Agreement” means the Contribution Agreement dated as of October 18, 2002 among Brentwood, the Company, Zumiez Holdings, and the other parties thereto,

 

(d)                                 Corporate Development Agreement” means the Corporate Development and Administrative Services Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 among the Company and Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company,

 

(e)                                  Co-Sale Agreement” means the Information Rights and Co-Sale Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002, among the Company, Rajnikant R. Shah, Akhil R. Shah, Zumiez Holdings, Thomas D. Campion and Richard M. Brooks,

 

(f)                                    Expense Agreement” means the Expense Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 between Zumiez Holdings and the Company,

 

(g)                                 Indemnity Escrow Agreement” means the Escrow Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002, among Brentwood, John G. Haakenson and J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association,

 

(h)                                 Indemnity Pledge Agreement” means the Indemnity Pledge Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 among Brentwood, Zumiez Holdings and Thomas D. Campion and Richard M. Brooks,

 

(i)                                     Investment Agreement” means the Investment Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 between Brentwood and the Company,

 

(j)                                     Principal Selling Shareholders” means each of Brentwood, [Revise as necessary - Thomas D. Campion and Richard M. Brooks],

 

(k)                                  Stockholders Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Stockholders’ Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 among the Company, Zumiez Holdings and the other parties thereto, as amended,

 

(l)                                     Termination Agreement” means the Termination Agreement dated as of November 4, 2002 among Thomas D. Campion, John G. Haakenson and the Company, and

 

3



 

(m)                               Zumiez Holdings Termination Agreement” means the Termination Agreement dated as of May 5, 2005 by and among Zumiez Holdings and the members of Zumiez Holdings.

 

The Agreement and Waiver, the Contribution Agreement, the Corporate Development Agreement, the Co-Sale Agreement, the Expense Agreement, the Indemnity Escrow Agreement, the Indemnity Pledge Agreement, the Investment Agreement, the Stockholders Agreement, the Termination Agreement and the Zumiez Holdings Termination Agreement are sometimes hereinafter called, collectively, the “Shareholder Documents” and, individually, a “Shareholder Document.”

 

SECTION 1.           Representations and Warranties.

 

(a)           Representations and Warranties by the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Option Closing Date (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows, and the Company represents and warrants to each Principal Selling Shareholder as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date and as of each Option Closing Date (if any),  and agrees with each Principal Selling Shareholder, as follows:

 

(1)           Compliance with Registration Requirements.  Each of the Initial Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

 

At the respective times the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto became or become effective and at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date), the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.  Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued, at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date) and at any time when a prospectus is required by applicable law to be delivered in connection with sales of Securities included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.  The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the

 

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Company in writing by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement or Prospectus.

 

Each preliminary prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto filed pursuant to the 1933 Act complied when so filed in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities was and will be identical to the electronically transmitted copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

(2)           Pre-Closing Transactions.  The Pre-Closing Transactions have been consummated prior to the date of this Agreement, all on the terms contemplated by this Agreement and the Prospectus, and the Amendments and Waivers are in full force and effect.

 

(3)           Independent Accountants.  The accountants whose report with respect to the Company’s financial statements and (if applicable) supporting schedules is included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

 

(4)           Financial Statements.  The financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules (if any) and notes, present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (if any) at the dates indicated and the results of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (if any) for the periods specified; and all such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as otherwise may be stated therein, and comply with all applicable accounting requirements under the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.  The supporting schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement present fairly, in accordance with GAAP, the information required to be stated therein.  The information in the Prospectus under the captions “ Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments,” “Prospectus Summary—Summary Financial Data,” “Selected Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Seasonality and Quarterly Results” presents fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and has been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries (if any) included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

 

(5)           No Material Adverse Change in Business.  Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (in each case exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its sole subsidiary considered as one enterprise,

 

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whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company and sole subsidiary that are material with respect to the Company and its sole subsidiary considered as one enterprise, and (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

 

(6)           Good Standing of the Company.  The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation under the laws of the State of Washington (there being no concept of “good standing” for corporations under the laws of the State of Washington) and has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(7)           Subsidiaries.  Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation, limited or general partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited or general partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such subsidiary that is a corporation, all of the issued and outstanding partnership interests of each such subsidiary that is a limited or general partnership and all of the issued and outstanding limited liability company interests, membership interests or other similar interests of each such subsidiary that is a limited liability company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and (except in the case of general partnership interests) non-assessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any Lien; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock, partnership interests or limited liability company interests, membership interests or other similar interests, as the case may be, of any such subsidiary was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary or any other person.

 

The Company does not have and, since August 31, 1999, the Company has not had any subsidiaries other than (a) Zumiez Merger Corp., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary formed by a predecessor of Zumiez Delaware for the purpose of effecting a reincorporation into the State of Delaware (which was effected by merging such predecessor into Zumiez Merger Corp., with Zumiez Merger Corp. surviving such merger and changing its name to Zumiez Inc.), (b) Zumiez Acquisition Corp., a Washington corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary formed by Zumiez Delaware for

 

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the purpose of effecting the Reincorporation (which was effected by merging Zumiez Delaware into such subsidiary and which subsidiary survived such merger and changed its name to Zumiez Inc.) and (c) Zumiez Nevada, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, organized subsequent to May 2005, which is the Company’s only subsidiary.

 

(8)           Capitalization.  The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the column entitled “Actual” and in the corresponding line items under the caption “Capitalization” in the Prospectus (except for subsequent issuances pursuant to the stock based plans described under the caption “Management—Stock Based Plans” in the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of options referred to in the Prospectus).  The shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock of the Company (including the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters under this Agreement) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights.  Except for stock options issued pursuant to the stock based plans described under the caption “Management—Stock Based Plans” in the Prospectus, there are no rights, warrants or options to purchase any Common Stock or other capital stock of the Company outstanding and there are no securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, Common Stock or other capital stock of the Company outstanding.

 

(9)           Authorization of Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(10)         Securities.  No holder of the Securities is or will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder.

 

(11)         Description of Securities.  The Common Stock, the authorized but unissued Preferred Stock, and the Company’s articles of incorporation and bylaws conform in all material respects to all of the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such statements conform to the rights set forth in the respective instruments and agreements defining the same.

 

(12)         Absence of Defaults and Conflicts.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its Organizational Documents or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any Company Document, except (solely in the case of Company Documents other than Subject Instruments) for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.  The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the Pre-Closing Transactions and the sale of the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under this Agreement did not, do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any Company Documents or Shareholder Documents, except (solely in the case of Company Documents other than

 

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Subject Instruments, Shareholder Documents and Leases) for such conflicts, breaches or defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, nor did, does or will any such action require the consent, waiver or approval of any landlord, lessor, or other owner of any real property, stores, buildings or other improvements occupied or used under lease or sublease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (except for such consents, waivers and approvals as have been obtained and as are in full force and effect), nor did, does or will any such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its assets, properties or operations.

 

(13)         Absence of Labor Dispute.  No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent which may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(14)         Absence of Proceedings.  There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (other than as disclosed therein), or which might reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement; and the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of its property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(15)         Accuracy of Descriptions and Exhibits.  All descriptions in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus of any Company Documents or Shareholder Documents are accurate in all material respects; and there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences of indebtedness, leases, subleases or other instruments or agreements required to be described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described and filed as required.

 

(16)         Possession of Intellectual Property.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries owns or possesses or has the right to use any patents, patent rights or patent applications.  The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess or have the right to use on reasonable terms all licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, service names, domain names and other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on their respective businesses as described in the Prospectus; and neither the

 

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Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement or violation of asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company and its subsidiaries therein and which infringement or violation (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, individually or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(17)         Absence of Further Requirements.  (A) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, (B) no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any shareholder or creditor of the Company or any member of Zumiez Holdings, (C) no waiver, consent or other action under any Subject Instrument, Shareholder Document or Lease, and (D) no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any other person or entity was or is necessary or required for the due authorization, execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company, for the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities under this Agreement, for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, or for the consummation of the Pre-Closing Transactions or any of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, in each case on the terms contemplated by the Prospectus and this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or such as may be required under state securities laws and except for such filings with the Secretary of State of the State of Washington or with similar officials of any other applicable jurisdictions as were necessary in connection with the Pre-Closing Transactions (which filings have been duly made).

 

(18)         Possession of Licenses and Permits.  The Company and its subsidiaries possesses such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses that, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(19)         Title to Property.  The Company and its subsidiaries do not own and have never owned any real property.  The Company and its subsidiaries have valid leasehold interests to all real property and improvements described in the Prospectus as being leased by any of them and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any claim that there has been or may be asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to any such real property or

 

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improvements or questioning the rights of the Company to the continued lease, possession or occupancy of such real property or improvements; all Liens or other restrictions on or affecting any real property or improvements leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (a) that are required to be disclosed in the Prospectus are accurately described in the Prospectus and (b) do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect the value of such real property or improvement and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of any such real property or improvement by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; all real property and improvements, and equipment and other property held, used or occupied under lease or sublease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries is held, used or occupied, as the case may be, by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases or subleases, as the case may be, with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property or improvements by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and all such leases and subleases are in full force and effect and there does not exist any breach by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any of the terms of, or any default by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under, any such leases or subleases and the sale of the Securities to the Underwriters and the other transactions contemplated pursuant to this Agreement have not resulted in and will not result in any such breach or default; and there is no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened condemnation, zoning change or other proceeding or action that could in any manner affect the size of, use of, improvements on or access to any of the real property or improvements owned or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except such proceedings and actions that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(20)         Investment Company Act.  The Company is not an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” as such terms are defined in the 1940 Act.

 

(21)         Environmental Laws.  Except as described in the Registration Statement and except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and is in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, Liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigations or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) to the knowledge of the

 

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Company, there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

 

(22)         Absence of Registration Rights.  Except for persons entitled to registration rights under the Stockholders Agreement (all of whom, other than the Selling Shareholders, have waived in writing their right to have any securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement), there are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) (A) registered pursuant to the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement or (B)  otherwise registered by the Company under the 1933 Act.  There are no persons with tag-along rights or other similar rights to have any securities (debt or equity) included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement or sold in connection with the sale of Securities to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, other than persons entitled to such rights pursuant to the Shareholder Documents (all of whom have waived in writing their right to have any securities included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement or sold in connection with the sale of Securities to the Underwriters).

 

(23)         Parties to Lock-Up Agreements.  Each of the Company’s directors and each other person listed in Exhibit D hereto has executed and delivered to the Representatives a lock-up agreement in the form of Exhibit E hereto, except that no lock-up agreement has been delivered by any such person who is a Selling Shareholder.  Exhibit D hereto contains a true, complete and correct list of all directors of the Company (other than any such persons who are Selling Shareholders).

 

(24)         Nasdaq National Market.  The outstanding shares of Common Stock (including the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters under this Agreement) are listed on the Nasdaq National Market.

 

(25)         Tax Returns.  The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all foreign, federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be filed or have requested extensions thereof, except where the failure so to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such tax, assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith by appropriate actions and except for such taxes, assessments, fines or penalties the nonpayment of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(26)         Insurance.  The Company and each of its subsidiaries is insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are customary in the businesses in which each of them is engaged; all policies of insurance and any fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or its business, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies

 

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and instruments in all material respects; there are no claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.  Without limitation to the foregoing, the Company and its subsidiaries carry comprehensive general liability insurance and such other insurance as is customarily carried by lessees of properties similar to those leased by the Company and its subsidiaries in amounts and on terms that are customarily carried by lessees of properties similar to those leased by the Company and its subsidiaries (in the markets in which the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ leased properties are located).

 

(27)         Accounting Controls.  The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls and procedures sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

(28)         Absence of Manipulation.  The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit transactions effected in compliance with Regulation M under the 1933 Act.

 

(29)         No Right of First Refusal.  The Company does not have any preemptive right, right of first refusal or other similar right to purchase or otherwise acquire any of the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.

 

(30)         Stockholders Agreement.  The Stockholders Agreement has been duly amended to delete the last sentence of XVIII(A) thereof and to provide that Section XVIII(B) thereof shall not be applicable to any shares of Common Stock that have been sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of pursuant to a registration statement under the 1933 Act (including, without limitation, any sale, transfer or other disposition to the underwriters in connection with any underwritten public offering) and that, from and after the time of such sale, transfer or other disposition, no direct or indirect holder or owner of any such shares shall be entitled to any rights or subject to any obligations under the Stockholders Agreement; and neither any of the Underwriters nor any of the purchasers, transferees or other holders of any Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement

 

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is or will be required to become a party to any Shareholder Documents or is or will be subject to or bound by any of the terms or provisions of any of the Shareholder Documents.

 

(31)         Tax Matters.  The transactions, pursuant to which the Company was reincorporated in the State of Delaware in 2002 and subsequently reincorporated in the State of Washington in 2005 each constituted tax-free reorganizations pursuant to Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

(32)         Sarbanes Oxley.  The Company is in compliance with all of the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that are currently applicable to it and all of the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations promulgated pursuant to such Act that are currently applicable to the Company.

 

(33)         Shareholder Documents.  The Corporate Development Agreement, the Expense Agreement and Sections III, IV, V, VI, XII and XIV of the Stockholders Agreement have terminated and the Principal Stockholders (as defined in the Stockholders Agreement) no longer have any rights under Section XIII(A) of the Stockholders Agreement; the Company has given all notices and complied with all provisions of the Co-Sale Agreement and the Stockholders Agreement required in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and all Liens on any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Indemnity Pledge Agreement have been released and terminated.  Neither Brentwood nor any of its affiliates has made any claim for indemnification or reimbursement, or otherwise given notice of any potential claim for indemnification or reimbursement, pursuant to the Contribution Agreement.

 

(34)         Stop Transfer Instructions.  (A)  The Company has, with respect to any Common Stock (other than the Securities to be sold pursuant to this Agreement) or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned or held (of record or beneficially) by the Selling Shareholders or any of the persons listed in Exhibit D hereto, instructed the transfer agent or other registrar to enter stop transfer instructions and implement stop transfer procedures with respect to such securities during the Lock-Up Period (as defined below) (as the same may be extended as described below); and, during the Lock-Up Period, the Company will not cause or permit any waiver, release, modification or amendment of any such stop transfer instructions or stop transfer procedures without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper.

 

(B) Pursuant to Section IX of the Stockholders Agreement, Akhil R. Shah and Rajnikant R. Shah (collectively, the “Shahs”) have agreed that they will not effect any public sale or distribution of any shares of Common Stock or any of the Company’s other equity securities owned by either of them, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities, during the period (the “Shah Lock-Up Period”) beginning 10 days before the filing of the Initial Registration Statement and ending 90 days after the date that the Initial Registration Statement becomes effective, the Company has notified the Shahs in writing, in accordance with the Stockholders Agreement, of the

 

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foregoing restrictions on transfer and the Company will not grant or enter into any written or oral waiver, release, modification or amendment of any such restrictions on transfers without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper.

 

(b)           Representations and Warranties by the Selling Shareholders.  Each Selling Shareholder, severally and not jointly, represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date and as of each Option Closing Date (if any), and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows, and each Selling Shareholder, severally and not jointly, represents to each Principal Selling Shareholder as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Date and as of each Option Closing Date (if any), and agrees with each Principal Selling Shareholder (except that each Selling Shareholder makes no representation, warranty or agreement contained in Section 1(b)(14) below to or with any Principal Selling Shareholder), as follows:

 

(1)           Accurate Disclosure.  At the respective times the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto became or becomes effective, at the Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the applicable Option Closing Date), and at any time when a prospectus is required by applicable law to be delivered in connection with sales of Securities, the information relating to such Selling Shareholder (including the information with respect to such Selling Shareholder’s Securities and any other shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company which are owned or held by such Selling Shareholder) that is set forth in the Initial Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement (or in any amendments thereto) or in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or in any amendments or supplements thereto) did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact and did not and will not omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make such information not misleading, it being understood and agreed that the only information furnished by such Selling Shareholder as aforesaid consists of the information relating to such Selling Shareholder set forth in any such document under the caption “Principal and Selling Shareholders.”

 

(2)           Underwriting Agreement.  This Agreement has been duly authorized (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person), executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholder.

 

(3)           Power of Attorney; Custody Agreement.  Except in the case of the representations and warranties made by Brentwood (which has not entered into a Power of Attorney or Custody Agreement, as those terms are defined below), such Selling Shareholder has duly authorized (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person), executed and delivered a Power of Attorney (a “Power of Attorney” and, with respect to such Selling Shareholder, “its Power of Attorney”) appointing each of Richard M. Brooks and Brenda I. Morris as such Selling Shareholder’s attorney-in-fact (with respect to such Selling Shareholder, collectively, the “Attorneys-in-Fact” and, individually, an “Attorney-in-Fact”), and a Letter of Transmittal and Custody Agreement (a “Custody Agreement” and, with respect to such Selling Shareholder, “its Custody Agreement”) with Wachovia Bank, N.A., as custodian (the “Custodian”) (and, if such Selling Shareholder is married, such Selling Shareholder’s spouse has duly executed the spousal consent in the Custody Agreement or similar acknowledgment), and each of its Power of

 

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Attorney and its Custody Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar laws relating to creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles, and each of such Selling Shareholder’s Attorneys-in-Fact, acting alone, is authorized to execute and deliver this Agreement and the certificates referred to in Sections 5(k) and 5(p)(6) hereof on behalf of such Selling Shareholder, to determine the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters to such Selling Shareholder for the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement and the number of Securities to be sold (including pursuant to the Underwriters’ over allotment option) by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement, to authorize the delivery to the Underwriters of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement and to accept payment therefor, to duly endorse (in blank or otherwise) the certificate or certificates representing such Securities or a stock power or powers with respect thereto and otherwise to act on behalf of such Selling Shareholder in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

(4)           Good Standing.  If such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person, such Selling Shareholder has been duly formed and is in good standing and has a legal existence under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization; in the case of the representations and warranties made by Brentwood, each of Brentwood, Brentwood Associates Private Equity III, L.P. and Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC has been duly formed and is in good standing and has a legal existence under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and each of Brentwood, Brentwood Associates Private Equity III, L.P. and Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC is qualified to conduct business as a foreign limited partnership or foreign limited liability company, as the case may be, in the State of California; and, in the case of the representations and warranties made by the Campion Foundation (the “Foundation”), the Foundation has been duly formed and is validly existing as a trust and is duly qualified to conduct business as a trust in the State of Washington and the Foundation has no subsidiaries.

 

(5)           Power and Authority.  Such Selling Shareholder has full right, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under this Agreement and (except in the case of Brentwood) its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement.

 

(6)           Non-Contravention.  The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and (except in the case of Brentwood) its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement by such Selling Shareholder and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and (except in the case of Brentwood) its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement (including the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement), and compliance by such Selling Shareholder with its obligations under this Agreement and (except in the case of Brentwood) its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement, do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement

 

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pursuant to, (A) any Shareholder Documents to which such Selling Shareholder is a party or by which it is bound or (B) any other contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, bond, note, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholder is a party or by which such Selling Shareholder is bound or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Shareholder is subject, except, in each of clause (A) and (B) above, for such conflicts, breaches or defaults as would not adversely affect such Selling Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder, nor does or will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Documents of such Selling Shareholder (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person) or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder or any of its assets, properties or operations.

 

(7)           Good and Marketable Title.  Such Selling Shareholder is and, until the time that the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder to the Underwriters at the Closing Time or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, are delivered to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, such Selling Shareholder will be the sole legal, record and beneficial owner (subject, if such Selling Shareholder is a natural person, to applicable community property laws) of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement, free and clear of all Liens, options, warrants, puts, calls, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase or acquire any such Securities other than pursuant to this Agreement and, without limitation to the foregoing, in the event that financing statements under the Uniform Commercial Code have been filed in respect of any such Securities, appropriate termination statements under the Uniform Commercial Code have been filed in all governmental offices where any such financing statements were filed; and upon payment of the consideration for the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder as provided in this Agreement, delivery of such Securities, as directed by the Underwriters, to Cede & Co. (“Cede”) or such other nominee as may be designated by The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), registration of such Securities in the name of Cede or such other nominee, and the crediting of such Securities on the records of DTC to “securities accounts” (as defined in Section 8-501(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code of the State of New York (the “UCC”)) of the Underwriters (assuming that neither DTC nor any such Underwriter has “notice of an adverse claim” (within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the UCC) to such Securities), (i)  (except in the case of the representations and warranties made by Brentwood) DTC shall be a “protected purchaser” of such Securities within the meaning of Section 8-303 of the UCC, (ii) under Section 8-501 of the UCC, the Underwriters will acquire valid “security entitlements” (within the meaning of Section 8-102(a)(17) of the UCC) in respect of such Securities and (iii) no action based on any “adverse claim” (as defined in Section 8-102(a)(1) of the UCC) to the “financial asset” (as defined in Section 8-102(a)(9) of the UCC) consisting of such Securities deposited with or held by DTC, whether such action is framed in conversion, replevin, constructive trust, equitable lien, or other theory, may be asserted successfully against the Underwriters.

 

(8)           Absence of Manipulation.  Such Selling Shareholder has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that

 

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might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities; provided that the foregoing does not and shall not prohibit transactions effected in compliance with Regulation M under the 1933 Act.

 

(9)           Absence of Further Requirements.  No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, is necessary or required for the execution or delivery by such Selling Shareholder of, or the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under, this Agreement or (except in the case of Brentwood) its Custody Agreement or its Power of Attorney, for the sale and delivery by such Selling Shareholder of the Securities to be sold by it under this Agreement, or for the consummation by such Selling Shareholder of the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (except in the case of Brentwood) its Custody Agreement and its Power of Attorney, except such as (i) have already been obtained, (ii) may be required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act or the 1934 Act Regulations or state securities sky laws, (iii) may be required by the NASD or (iv) may be required under the laws of any foreign jurisdiction in which the Securities may be offered or sold.

 

(10)         Certificates Suitable for Transfer.  Certificates for all of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement, in form suitable for transfer by delivery and accompanied by duly executed stock powers endorsed in blank by such Selling Shareholder with signatures guaranteed and by a duly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 or W-8 BEN (or other applicable form) have been placed in custody with the Custodian for the purpose of effecting delivery hereunder and thereunder or, in the case of Brentwood, have been delivered to the transfer agent for the Common Stock.

 

(11)         Absence of Preemptive Rights.  Such Selling Shareholder hereby waives any and all preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any of the Securities that are sold by any of the other Selling Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement (such waiver being made for the benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the other Selling Shareholders).

 

(12)         No Fees.  Solely in the case of the representations and warranties made by Brentwood, neither Brentwood nor Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is entitled, pursuant to any Shareholder Document, to any brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement.

 

(13)         If such Selling Shareholder (except in the case of Brentwood) is a party to the Indemnity Escrow Agreement or the Indemnity Pledge Agreement, none of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement is or will be subject to any Lien created under or pursuant to the Indemnity Escrow Agreement or the Indemnity Pledge Agreements, as the case may be.

 

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(14)         During the period beginning on and including the date of this Agreement through and including the date that is the 90th day after the date of this Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), such Selling Shareholder will not, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, directly or indirectly:

 

(i)            offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or any shares of the Company’s Preferred Stock or other capital stock (collectively, “Capital Stock”) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by such Selling Shareholder or with respect to which such Selling Shareholder has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or

 

(ii)           enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock,

 

whether any transaction described in (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock, other Capital Stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise.  Moreover, if:

 

(1)           during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or

 

(2)           prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period,

 

the Lock-Up Period shall be extended and the restrictions imposed by this Section 1(b)(14) shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as the case may be, unless Wachovia and Piper waive, in writing, such extension.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, such Selling Shareholder may, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, transfer any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock:

 

(1)           to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement,

 

(2)           if such Selling Shareholder is a natural person, as a bona fide gift or gifts for charitable or estate planning purposes, and

 

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(3)           if such Selling Shareholder is a partnership or a limited liability company, to a partner or member, as the case may be, of such partnership or limited liability company if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value,

 

provided, however, that in the case of any transfer described in clause (2) or (3) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer that (A) the transferee or donee, as the case may be, executes and delivers to Wachovia and Piper, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, not later than one business day prior to such transfer or gift, as the case may be, a written agreement, either (x) in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Wachovia and Piper and in substantially the form of Exhibit E to this Agreement or (y) satisfactory in form and substance to Wachovia and Piper in their sole and absolute discretion, and (B) if such Selling Shareholder is required to file a report under Section 16(a) of the 1934 Act reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock by such Selling Shareholder during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), such Selling Shareholder shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer or distribution is not a disposition for cash and, in the case of any transfer pursuant to clause (2), that such transfer is being made as a gift for charitable or estate planning purposes and, in the case of any distribution pursuant to clause (3), that such distribution is being made to the partners or members, as the case may be, of the applicable partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be.

 

Such Selling Shareholder, further agrees that (i) such Selling Shareholder will not, during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration under the 1933 Act of any shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, and (ii) the Company may, with respect to any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned or held (of record or beneficially) by such Selling Shareholder, cause the transfer agent or other registrar to enter stop transfer instructions and implement stop transfer procedures with respect to such securities during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above).

 

Thomas D. Campion and the Foundation jointly and severally agree that, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, all representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the Foundation in this Agreement (including without limitation those set forth in Sections 1(b), 6, 7, 8 and 13 of this Agreement) are the joint and several representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of Thomas D. Campion and the Foundation.

 

(c)           Certificates.  Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Representatives (or to counsel for the Underwriters) and the Principal Selling Shareholders (or to counsel for the Principal Selling Shareholders) shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter and each Principal Selling Shareholder as to the matters covered thereby; and any certificate signed by or on behalf of any Selling Shareholder and delivered to the Representatives (or counsel for the Underwriters)

 

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and the Principal Selling Shareholders (or to counsel for the Principal Selling Shareholders) shall be deemed a representation and warranty by such Selling Shareholder to each Underwriter and each Principal Selling Shareholder as to the matters covered thereby.

 

SECTION 2.           Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

 

(a)           Initial Securities.  On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, each of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit B, severally and not jointly, agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from each Selling Shareholder set forth in Exhibit B, at the price of $ per share (the “Purchase Price”), that proportion of the number of Initial Securities set forth in Exhibit B opposite the name of such Selling Shareholder, which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Exhibit A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments among the Underwriters as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional Securities.  The price at which the Securities shall initially be offered to the public is $ per share.

 

(b)           Option Securities.  In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, each of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C, severally and not jointly, hereby grants an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to the respective numbers of Option Securities set forth in Exhibit C opposite the names of such Selling Shareholders at a price per share equal to the Purchase Price referred to in Section 2(a) above; provided that the price per share for any Option Securities shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared, paid or payable by the Company on the Initial Securities but not payable on such Option Securities.  The option hereby granted will expire at the close of business on the 30th day after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon notice by the Representatives to the Company and each of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities.  Any such time and date of delivery (an “Option Closing Date”) shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Date.  If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C, severally and not jointly, will sell to the Underwriters that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Option Securities set forth in Exhibit C opposite the name of such Selling Shareholder bears to the total number of Option Securities set forth in Exhibit C, and each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Exhibit A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such

 

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adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares.

 

(c)           Payment.  Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, 555 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94104, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on , 2005 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called “Closing Date”).

 

In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, on each Option Closing Date as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company and each of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C.

 

Payment shall be made to Brentwood by wire transfer or intra-bank transfer of immediately available funds to a single bank account designated by Brentwood and payment shall be made to all other Selling Shareholders by wire transfer or intra-bank transfer of immediately available funds to a single bank account at the Custodian, which account shall be designated by the Custodian, in each case against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased by them.  It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to purchase.  Each of Wachovia and Piper, individually and not as a representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

 

(d)           Denominations; Registration.  Certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be.  The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives not later than noon (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be.

 

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SECTION 3.           Covenants of the Company.  The Company covenants with each Underwriter and with each Principal Selling Shareholder (except the Company makes no covenants contained in Sections 3(b) and 3(j) below with any Principal Selling Shareholder) as follows:

 

(a)           Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests.  The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes.  The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the document transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such document.  The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

 

(b)           Filing of Amendments.  The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)) or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act or otherwise, will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents within a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

 

(c)           Delivery of Registration Statements.  The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts.  The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

(d)           Delivery of Prospectuses.  The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such

 

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copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act.  The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request.  The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

(e)           Continued Compliance with Securities Laws.  The Company will comply with the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus.  If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

(f)            Blue Sky Qualifications.  The Company will use its commercially reasonable best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may reasonably designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.  In each jurisdiction in which the Securities have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date of this Agreement.

 

(g)           Rule 158.  The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

 

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(h)           [Omitted intentionally.]

 

(i)            Listing.  The Company will use its commercially reasonable best efforts to ensure that the Securities continue to be listed on the Nasdaq National Market on the Closing Date and any Option Closing Date.

 

(j)            Restriction on Sale of Securities.  During the period beginning on and including the date of this Agreement through and including the date that is the 90th day after the date of this Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, directly or indirectly:

 

(i)            offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock,

 

(ii)           file or cause the filing of any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock (other than registration statements on Form S-8 to register Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock pursuant to stock option plans and stock purchase plans described in clause (1) of the next paragraph or on Form S-4 to register shares of Common Stock or other securities issued in a transaction described in clause (3) of the next paragraph), or

 

(iii)          enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock,

 

whether any transaction described in (i), (ii) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock, other Capital Stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise.  Moreover, if:

 

(1)           during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or

 

(2)           prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period,

 

the Lock-Up Period shall be extended and the restrictions imposed by this Section 3(j) shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as the case may be, unless Wachovia and Piper waive, in writing, such extension.

 

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Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, the Company may, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper:

 

(1)           issue shares, and options to purchase shares, of Common Stock pursuant to stock option plans and stock purchase plans as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Management—Stock Based Plans,”

 

(2)           issue shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of stock options outstanding on the date of this Agreement or issued after the date of this Agreement under stock option plans referred to in clause (1) above, as those stock options and plans are in effect on the date of this Agreement, and

 

(3)           issue shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock (A) in order to acquire assets or equity of one or more businesses by merger, asset purchase, stock purchase or otherwise or (B) in connection with strategic transactions involving another company, so long as, in each case described in clause (A) above, the shares of Common Stock, other Capital Stock or other securities are issued to the stockholders or other equity owners of the applicable businesses and, in each case described in clause (B) above, the shares of Common Stock, other Capital Stock or other securities are issued directly to such company or to the stockholders or other equity owners of such company,

 

provided, however, that in the case of any issuance described in clause (3) above, it shall be a condition to the issuance that each recipient executes and delivers to Wachovia and Piper, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, not later than one business day prior to the date of such issuance, a written agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Wachovia and Piper, in substantially the form of Exhibit E to this Agreement.

 

(k)           Reporting Requirements.  The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

 

(l)            Preparation of Prospectus.  Immediately following the execution of this Agreement, the Company will, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, prepare the Prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information and other selling terms of the Securities, the plan of distribution thereof and such other information as may be required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or as the Representatives and the Company may deem appropriate, and will file or transmit for filing with the Commission, in accordance with Rule 424(b), copies of the Prospectus.

 

(m)          Option Closing Date Deliverables.  At each Option Closing Date (if any), (i) if the Representatives receive the certificate described in Section 5(p)(1) and/or the opinion of Company Counsel described in Section 5(p)(2), then the Company shall cause such certificate to be delivered to the Principal Selling Shareholders and shall cause such opinion to be delivered to the Principal Selling Shareholders, and (ii) if the

 

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Representatives receive the certificate described in Section 5(p)(6), then the Selling Shareholders shall cause such certificate to be delivered to the Principal Selling Shareholders.

 

SECTION 4.           Payment of Expenses.

 

(a)           Expenses.  The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations and the obligations of the Selling Shareholders under this Agreement (except for expenses payable by the Selling Shareholders pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof), including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplements thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplements thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of the Custodian and the transfer agent and registrar for the Securities, (ix) the filing fees incident to the review by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the Nasdaq National Market, and (xi) any stock transfer taxes, stamp duties, capital duties or other similar duties, taxes or charges, if any, payable in connection with the sale or delivery of the Securities by the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters; provided, that, the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters payable by the Company pursuant to clause (v) above shall not exceed $5,000.

 

(b)           Expenses of the Selling Shareholders.  Each Selling Shareholder (other than Brentwood, in the case of clause (i) of this Section 4(b)), severally, will pay the following expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement: (i) the fees and disbursements of its counsel and accountants, and (ii) underwriting discounts and commissions with respect to the Securities sold by it to the Underwriters.

 

(c)           Allocation of Expenses.  Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the provisions of this Section 4 shall not affect any agreement that the Company and the Selling Shareholders have made or may make for the allocation or sharing of such expenses and costs.

 

(d)           Termination of Agreement.  If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 or Section 9(a)(i) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

 

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SECTION 5.           Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations and Principal Selling Shareholders’ Obligations.  The obligations of the several Underwriters and the several Principal Selling Shareholders hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Shareholders contained in this Agreement and in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or signed by or on behalf of any Selling Shareholder pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company and the Selling Shareholders of their respective covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions (provided that clauses (c), (h), (i), (j) and (p) of this Section 5 shall be conditions to the obligations of the several Underwriters but not conditions to the obligations of the several Principal Selling Shareholders):

 

(a)           Effectiveness of Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become effective and at Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters.  The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed by such Rule, and prior to Closing Date, the Company shall have provided evidence satisfactory to the Representatives of such timely filing.

 

(b)           Opinion of Counsel for Company.  At Closing Date, the Representatives and the Principal Selling Shareholders shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Date, of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP, counsel for the Company (“Company Counsel”), in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit F hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

(c)           Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  At Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Date, of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, with respect to this Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and such other matters as the Representatives may request.  In giving such opinion such counsel may rely without investigation as to all matters arising under or governed by the laws of the State of Washington, on the opinion of Company Counsel referred to in Section 5(b) above, and as to all matters governed by the laws of any jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York and the federal law of the United States, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives.  Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and of public officials.

 

(d)           Officers’ Certificate.  At Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any

 

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amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its sole subsidiary considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and, at the Closing Date, the Representatives and the Principal Selling Shareholders shall have received a certificate of the Chairman, the President or the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and of the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Date, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Date, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Date under or pursuant to this Agreement, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, are contemplated by the Commission.

 

(e)           Accountant’s Comfort Letter.  At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received (1) from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP a letter, dated the date of this Agreement and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information of the Company contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and (2) from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company a certificate, dated the date of this Agreement and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, in substantially the form attached as Exhibit H hereto with respect to financial information and other financial data which were not covered by the letter of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP referred to in clause (1) of this paragraph.

 

(f)            Bring-down Comfort Letter.  At Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and a certificate from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each dated as of Closing Date and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter and certificate, respectively, furnished pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to in the letter of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Date.

 

(g)           Approval of Listing.  At Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters at such time shall be listed on the Nasdaq National Market.

 

(h)           Lock-up Agreements.  Prior to the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit E hereto signed by each person listed on Exhibit D hereto.

 

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(i)            No Objection.  Prior to the date of this Agreement, NASD Regulation Inc. shall have confirmed in writing that it has no objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

(j)            Opinion of Counsel for the Selling Shareholders.  At the Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinions, dated as of the Closing Date, of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for Brentwood, in the form heretofore provided to the Representatives, and of Carney Badley Spellman, P.S., counsel for the other Selling Shareholders, to the effect set forth in Exhibit G hereto, each in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letters for each of the other Underwriters.

 

(k)           Certificate of Selling Shareholders.  At the Closing Date, the Representatives and the Principal Selling Shareholders shall have received a certificate signed by each Selling Shareholder or by an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each Selling Shareholder, dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of such Selling Shareholder in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Date, and (ii) such Selling Shareholder has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date under or pursuant to this Agreement.

 

(l)            Stock Certificates; Tax Forms.  Prior to the date of this Agreement, the Custodian shall have received certificates for all of the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders pursuant to this Agreement (including, without limitation, any Option Securities which may be sold by the Selling Shareholders), in form suitable for transfer by delivery and accompanied by duly executed stock powers endorsed in blank by such Selling Shareholders with signatures guaranteed and properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 or W-8 BEN (or other applicable form) from each of the Selling Shareholders and, at the Closing Date, copies of the foregoing shall have been delivered to the Representatives.

 

(m)          Custody Agreement and Powers of Attorney.  Prior to the date of this Agreement, each Selling Shareholder (other than Brentwood) shall have executed and delivered a Custody Agreement and a Power of Attorney (with all spousal consents, notorial acknowledgements and other information called for by such documents duly completed and, if applicable, executed) and the Custodian shall have executed and delivered the Custodian’s Acknowledgement and Receipt set forth in each such Custody Agreement and the Representatives shall have received copies of all such executed Custody Agreements and Powers of Attorney.

 

(n)           Pre-Closing Transactions.  Prior to the time of execution of this Agreement, the Pre-Closing Transactions shall have been duly consummated on the terms contemplated by this Agreement and the Prospectus and at or prior to the Closing Date the Representatives shall have received copies of the Stockholders Agreement Amendment and the Amendments and Waivers, duly executed by the requisite parties,

 

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and such other evidence that the Pre-Closing Transactions have been consummated as the Representatives may reasonably request.

 

(o)           Termination Statements.  Prior to the date of this Agreement, appropriate termination statements under the Uniform Commercial Code shall have been filed with respect to the Securities to be sold by [Messrs. Brooks and Campion] and the Foundation in all offices and jurisdictions where financing statements under the Uniform Commercial Code were filed in connection with any pledge of, security interest in or other Lien created under or pursuant to, the Indemnity Pledge Agreement, and the Representatives shall have received a letter or certificate from an appropriate service bureau to the effect that such filings have been made.

 

(p)           Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities.  In the event that the Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Securities on any Option Closing Date that is after the Closing Date, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the applicable Option Securities shall be subject to the conditions specified in the introductory paragraph of this Section 5 and to the further condition that, at the applicable Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received:

 

(1)           Officers’ Certificate.  A certificate, dated such Option Closing Date, to the effect set forth in, and signed by two of the officers specified in, Section 5(d) hereof, except that the references in such certificate to the Closing Date shall be changed to refer to such Option Closing Date.
 
(2)           Opinion of Counsel for Company.  The opinion of Company Counsel, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(b) hereof.
 
(3)           Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters.  The opinion of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof.
 
(4)           Bring-down Comfort Letter.  A letter from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and a certificate from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Option Closing Date, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter and certificate, respectively, furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof, except that the “specified date” in the letter of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date.

 

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(5)           Opinion of Counsel for Selling Shareholders.  The opinions of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, counsel for Brentwood, in the form heretofore provided to the Representatives, and of Carney Badley Spellman, P.S., counsel for the other Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C, each dated such Option Closing Date, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinions required by Section 5(j) hereof.
 
(6)           Certificate of Selling Shareholders.  A certificate, dated such Option Closing Date, signed by each Selling Shareholder set forth in Exhibit C or by an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each such Selling Shareholder, to the effect set forth in Section 5(k) hereof, except that the references in such certificate to the Closing Date shall be changed to refer to such Option Closing Date.
 

(q)           Additional Documents.  At Closing Date and at each Option Closing Date, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, contained in this Agreement; and all proceedings taken by the Company and the Selling Shareholders in connection with the sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and in connection with the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

 

(r)            Termination of Agreement.  If any condition specified in this Section 5 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities on an Option Closing Date which is after the Closing Date, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities, may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company and the Selling Shareholders (or, in the case of a termination in connection with an Option Closing Date which is after the Closing Date, to the Company and the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C) at any time on or prior to Closing Date or such Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof and except that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8 and 13 hereof shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

SECTION 6.           Indemnification.

 

(a)           Indemnification by the Company.  The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

 

(i)            against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary

 

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to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

(ii)           against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that (subject to Section 6(e) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

 

(iii)          against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including, subject to Section 6(d) below, the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Wachovia and Piper), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above,

 

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto); and provided, further, that this indemnity agreement with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses purchased Securities, or any person controlling such Underwriter, if a copy of the Prospectus (as then amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any such amendments or supplements thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter to such person, if such is required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of such Securities to such person and if the Prospectus (as so amended or supplemented, if applicable) would have corrected the defect giving rise to such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense.

 

(b)           Indemnification by Selling Shareholders.  Each Selling Shareholder agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section 6, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Selling Shareholder furnished in writing to the Company by or on

 

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behalf of such Selling Shareholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only information furnished by such Selling Shareholder as aforesaid consists of the information relating to such Selling Shareholder set forth in any such document under the caption “Principal and Selling Shareholders”; and provided, however, that this indemnity agreement with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses purchased Securities, or any person controlling such Underwriter, if a copy of the Prospectus (as then amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any such amendments or supplements thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter to such person, if such is required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of such Securities to such person and if the Prospectus (as so amended or supplemented, if applicable) would have corrected the defect giving rise to such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense; and provided, further, that the liability under this subsection (b) of any Selling Shareholder shall be limited to an amount equal to the aggregate gross proceeds after underwriting commissions and discounts, but before expenses, to such Selling Shareholder from the sale of Securities sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder.

 

(c)           Indemnification by the Underwriters.  Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Selling Shareholder and (solely in the case of Brentwood) each person, if any, who controls Brentwood within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a)  of this Section 6, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

 

(d)           Actions against Parties; Notification.  Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement.  Counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected as follows: counsel to the Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall be selected by Wachovia and Piper; counsel to the Selling Shareholders shall be selected by those Selling Shareholders who agreed to sell a majority of the Initial Securities to be sold by all of the Selling Shareholders in this offering; and counsel to the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or

 

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Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall be selected by the Company.  An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party.  In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Underwriters and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Selling Shareholders, and the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, in each case in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

 

(e)           Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse.  If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(ii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

 

(f)            Other Agreements with Respect to Indemnification and Contribution.  The provisions of this Section 6 and in Section 7 hereof shall not affect any agreements among the Company and the Selling Shareholders with respect to indemnification of each other or contribution between themselves.

 

SECTION 7.           Contribution.  If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in

 

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such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

 

The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Selling Shareholders and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.

 

The relative fault of the Company and the Selling Shareholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 7.  The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the

 

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Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.  The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Exhibit A hereto and not joint.

 

SECTION 8.           Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery.  All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or signed by or on behalf of any Selling Shareholder submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company, or by or on behalf of any Selling Shareholder, and shall survive delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters.

 

SECTION 9.           Termination of Agreement.

 

(a)           Termination; General.  Wachovia and Piper may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company and the Selling Shareholders, at any time on or prior to Closing Date (and, if any Option Securities are to be purchased on an Option Closing Date which occurs after the Closing Date, the Representatives may terminate the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase such Option Securities, by notice to the Company and the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C, at any time on or prior to such Option Closing Date) (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of Wachovia and Piper, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the Nasdaq National Market, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the NYSE or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the NASD or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or in Europe, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal, Washington or New York authorities.

 

(b)           Liabilities.  If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section 9, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7, 8 and 13 hereof shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

SECTION 10.         Default by One or More of the Underwriters.  If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at Closing Date or an Option Closing Date to purchase the Securities

 

36



 

which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement on such date (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

 

(a)           if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters; or

 

(b)           if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Option Closing Date which occurs after the Closing Date, the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C to sell the Option Securities that were to have been purchased and sold on such Option Closing Date, shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

 

No action taken pursuant to this Section 10 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

 

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of an Option Closing Date which is after the Closing Date, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Selling Shareholders set forth in Exhibit C to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, the Representatives shall have the right to postpone Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.  As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

 

SECTION 11.         Notices.  All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication.  Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives at Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC, 7 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, Maryland  21202, Attention of Michael Cummings, Managing Director-Head of Equity Origination and to Piper Jaffray & Co., 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attention of John Baumgartner, Equity Capital Markets; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at 6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B, Everett, Washington, 98203, Attention of Chief Financial Officer; and notices to the Selling Shareholders shall, in the case of Brentwood, be directed to it at 11150 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 1200, Los Angeles, California, 90025, Attention of William M. Barnum, Jr., and in the case of the other Selling Shareholders, shall be directed to them in care of Richard M. Brooks and Brenda I. Morris, as Attorneys-in-Fact, at Zumiez Inc., 6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B, Everett, Washington 98203.

 

37



 

SECTION 12.         Parties.  This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors.  Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained.  This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation.  No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

 

SECTION 13.         Absence of Fiduciary Relationship.  Each of the Company and the Selling Shareholders, severally and not jointly, acknowledges and agrees that:

 

(a)           Wachovia, Piper and each of the other Underwriters is acting solely as an underwriter in connection with the sale of the Securities and that no fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship between the Company or any of the Selling Shareholders, on the one hand, and Wachovia, Piper or any of the other Underwriters, on the other hand, has been created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether Wachovia, Piper or any of the other Underwriters has advised or is advising the Company or any of the Selling Shareholders on other matters;

 

(b)           the public offering price of the Securities and the price to be paid by the Underwriters for the Securities set forth in this Agreement were established by the Selling Shareholders following discussions and arms-length negotiations with the Representatives;

 

(c)           it is capable of evaluating and understanding and understands and accepts the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

 

(d)           it is aware that Wachovia, Piper and the other Underwriters and their respective affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Selling Shareholders and that neither Wachovia, Piper nor any of the other Underwriters has any obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company or any of the Selling Shareholders by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship; and

 

(e)           it waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against Wachovia, Piper or any of the other Underwriters for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that neither Wachovia, Piper nor any of the other Underwriters shall have any liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract , tort or otherwise) to it in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on its behalf or in right of it or the Company, including stockholders, employees or creditors of Company.

 

38



 

SECTION 14.         GOVERNING LAW AND TIME.  THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.  EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

 

SECTION 15.         Effect of Headings.  The Section and Exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

SECTION 16.         Definitions.  As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the respective meanings set forth below:

 

Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Company Documents” means all contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences of indebtedness, leases, subleases or other instruments or agreements to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, including, without limitation, all Leases and Subject Instruments.

 

EDGAR” means the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System.

 

Existing Credit Agreement” means the Business Loan Agreement dated May 29, 2003 between Bank of America, N.A. and the Company, as modified by the Loan Modification Agreement dated November 30, 2004 and as further amended or supplemented, if applicable, including any promissory notes, pledge agreements, security agreements, mortgages, guarantees and other instruments or agreements entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection therewith or pursuant thereto, in each case as amended or supplemented if applicable.

 

GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles.

 

Initial Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-), as amended at the time it became effective, including the Rule 430A Information.

 

Leases” means all leases or subleases of real property, stores, buildings or other improvements to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it is bound.

 

Lien” means any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity.

 

NASD” means the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.

 

NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange.

 

Organizational Documents” means (a) in the case of a corporation, its articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, charter or other similar document and its bylaws; (b) in the case of a limited or general partnership, its partnership certificate, certificate of

 

39



 

formation or similar organizational document and its partnership agreement; (c) in the case of a limited liability company, its articles of organization, certificate of formation or similar organizational documents and its operating agreement, limited liability company agreement, membership agreement or other similar agreement; (d) in the case of a trust, its certificate of trust, certificate of formation or similar organizational document and its trust agreement or other similar agreement; (e) in the case of the Foundation, the Trust Agreement dated August 30, 2005 (as amended, if applicable) by and among Thomas D. Campion and Sonya L. Campion, as trustors, and Thomas D. Campion and Sonya L. Campion, as trustees; and (f) in the case of any other entity, the organizational and governing documents of such entity.

 

Preferred Stock” means the Company’s preferred stock, no par value.

 

preliminary prospectus” means any prospectus used in connection with the offering of the Securities that was used before the Initial Registration Statement became effective, or that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, or that omitted the Rule 430A Information or that was captioned “Subject to Completion.”

 

Registration Statement” means the Initial Registration Statement; provided that, if a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed with the Commission, then the term “Registration Statement” shall also include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.

 

Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any bond, note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company.

 

Rule 424(b)” “Rule 430A” and “Rule 462(b)” refer to such rules under the 1933 Act.

 

Rule 430A Information” means the information included in the Prospectus that was omitted from the Initial Registration Statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be a part of the Initial Registration Statement at the time it became effective pursuant to Rule 430A.

 

Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” means a registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) for the purpose of registering any of the Securities under the 1933 Act, including the Rule 430A Information.

 

Subject Instruments” means the Existing Credit Agreement, all Shareholder Documents to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound and all instruments and agreements filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-K of the Commission; provided that if any instrument or agreement filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement as aforesaid has been redacted or if any portion thereof has been deleted or is otherwise not filed as part of such exhibit to the Registration Statement (whether pursuant to a request for confidential treatment or otherwise), the term “Subject Instruments” shall nonetheless mean such instrument or agreement, as the case may be, in its entirely, including any portions thereof that shall have been so redacted, deleted or otherwise not filed.

 

1933 Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

40



 

1933 Act Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act.

 

1934 Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

1934 Act Regulations” means the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1934 Act.

 

1940 Act” means the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

All references to the Registration Statement, the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

41



 

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Shareholders in accordance with its terms.

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

ZUMIEZ INC.

 

 

 

 

 

By

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

BRENTWOOD-ZUMIEZ
INVESTORS, LLC

 

 

 

By:

Brentwood Associates Private Equity
III, L.P., its managing member

 

 

 

 

By:

Brentwood Private Equity III, LLC, its
general partner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title: Managing Member

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RICHARD M. BROOKS

 

THOMAS D. CAMPION

 

CAMPION FOUNDATION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

Name:

 

 

Attorney-in-Fact

 

42



 

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED as of the
date first above written:

 

 

 

WACHOVIA CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIPER JAFFRAY & CO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

 

 

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

 

For themselves and as Representatives of the Underwriters named in Exhibit A hereto.

 

43



 

EXHIBIT A

 

Name of Underwriter

 

Number of
Initial
Securities

 

 

 

 

 

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC

 

 

 

Piper Jaffray & Co.

 

 

 

William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

A-1



 

EXHIBIT B

 

Initial Securities to be Sold

 

 

 

Number of Initial
Securities to be Sold

 

 

 

 

 

Selling Shareholders:

 

 

 

Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC

 

 

 

Thomas D. Campion

 

 

 

Campion Foundation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

B-1



 

EXHIBIT C

 

Option Securities Which may be Sold

 

 

 

Number of Option
Securities Which May
Be Sold

 

 

 

 

 

Selling Shareholders:

 

 

 

Brentwood-Zumiez Investors, LLC

 

 

 

Richard M. Brooks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

C-1



 

EXHIBIT D

 

List of Persons required to Execute a Lock-Up Agreement

 

[To be revised as necessary]
William M. Barnum, Jr.
Thomas E. Davin
Steven W. Moore
Brenda I. Morris
Gerald F. Ryles

 

D-1



 

EXHIBIT E

 

Form of Lock-Up Agreement

 

 

Zumiez, Inc.

 

Public Offering of Common Stock

 

Dated as of                         , 2005

 

Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
7 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD  21202

 

Piper Jaffray & Co.
800 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN  55402

 

As Representatives of the Several Underwriters

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

This agreement is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among Zumiez, Inc. (the “Company”), Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC (“Wachovia”) and Piper Jaffray & Co. (“Piper”), as joint book-running managers of the underwriters to be named in the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriters”), and the other parties thereto (if any), relating to a proposed underwritten public offering of common stock (the “Common Stock”) of the Company.

 

In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, and in light of the benefits that the offering of the Common Stock will confer upon the undersigned in its capacity as a shareholder, option holder or other securityholder and/or an officer or director of the Company, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned agrees with each Underwriter that, during the period beginning on and including the date of the Underwriting Agreement through and including the date that is the 90th day after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-Up Period”), the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, directly or indirectly:

 

(i)            offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of any shares of Common Stock, any shares of the Company’s preferred stock or other capital stock (collectively,

 

E-1



 

Capital Stock”) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or

 

(ii)           enter into any swap or other agreement, arrangement or transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, any of the economic consequence of ownership of any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for any Common Stock or other Capital Stock,

 

whether any transaction described in (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock, other Capital Stock, other securities, in cash or otherwise.  Moreover, if:

 

(1)           during the last 17 days of the Lock-Up Period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs, or

 

(2)           prior to the expiration of the Lock-Up Period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the Lock-Up Period,

 

the Lock-Up Period shall be extended and the restrictions imposed by this letter shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event, as the case may be, unless Wachovia and Piper waive, in writing, such extension.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, the undersigned may, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, transfer any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock:

 

(1)           if the undersigned is a selling shareholder party to the Underwriting Agreement, to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement,

 

(2)           if the undersigned is a natural person, as a bona fide gift or gifts for charitable or estate planning purposes, and

 

(3)           if the undersigned is a partnership or a limited liability company, to a partner or member, as the case may be, of such partnership or limited liability company if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value,

 

provided, however, that in the case of any transfer described in clause (2) or (3) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer that (A) the transferee or donee, as the case may be, executes and delivers to Wachovia and Piper, acting on behalf of the Underwriters, not later than one business day prior to such transfer or gift, as the case may be, a written agreement either (x) in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Wachovia and Piper and in substantially the form of Exhibit E to this Agreement or (y) satisfactory in form and substance to Wachovia and Piper in their sole and absolute discretion and (B) if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a)

 

E-2



 

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock by the undersigned during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer or distribution is not a disposition for cash and, in the case of any transfer pursuant to clause (2), that such transfer is being made as a gift for charitable or estate planning purposes and, in the case of any distribution pursuant to clause (3), that such distribution is being made to the partners or members, as the case may be, of the applicable partnership or limited liability company, as the case may be. [For inclusion in the chief financial officer’s lock-up only—  In addition, notwithstanding the provisions set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, the undersigned may, without the prior written consent of Wachovia and Piper, continue to pledge up to 55,136 shares of Common Stock as collateral for certain loans made to the undersigned by Equities First Holdings, LLC (the “Bank”) (the shares pledged as collateral for the Loans being hereinafter called the “Pledged Securities”) and, if the undersigned shall default with respect to the Loans, the Bank may foreclose upon and take possession of the Pledged Securities; provided that, if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock by the undersigned as the result of any such pledge or any foreclosure by the Bank, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such report is being filed in connection with the pledge of Common Stock as collateral for a loan by the Bank or a foreclosure by the Bank.]

 

The undersigned further agrees that (i) it will not, during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above), make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) of any shares of Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock, and (ii) the Company may, with respect to any Common Stock or other Capital Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or other Capital Stock owned or held (of record or beneficially) by the undersigned, cause the transfer agent or other registrar to enter stop transfer instructions and implement stop transfer procedures with respect to such securities during the Lock-Up Period (as the same may be extended as described above).

 

In addition, the undersigned hereby waives any and all notice requirements and other rights with respect to the registration of any securities, and also waives any and all co-sale, tag along or other rights to sell any securities, in each case pursuant to any agreement, instrument, understanding or otherwise, including any registration rights agreement, shareholder agreement, co-sale agreement or similar agreement, to which the undersigned is a party or under which the undersigned is entitled to any right or benefit, provided that such waiver shall apply only to the public offering of Common Stock pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement and each registration statement filed under the 1933 Act in connection therewith.

 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this agreement and that this agreement has been duly authorized (if applicable), executed and delivered by the undersigned and is a valid and binding agreement of the undersigned.  This agreement and all authority herein conferred are irrevocable and shall survive the death or incapacity of the undersigned (if a natural person) and shall be binding upon

 

E-3



 

the heirs and personal representatives (if applicable) and successors and assigns of the undersigned.

 

If the Underwriting Agreement is not executed by the parties thereto prior to October 31, 2005, or if the Underwriting Agreement is executed but the sale to the Underwriters of the shares of Common Stock (other than shares of Common Stock subject to the Underwriters’ over-allotment option) contemplated thereby does not occur on or prior to November 30, 2005, this agreement shall automatically terminate and become null and void.

 

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that whether or not any public offering of Common Stock actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions.

 

This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

 

[Signature Page Immediately Follows]

 

E-4



 

In witness whereof, the undersigned has executed and delivered this agreement as of the date first set forth above.

 

 

Yours very truly,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Print Name:

 

E-5



 

EXHIBIT F

 

Form of Opinion of Company Counsel

 

(1)           The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation under the laws of the State of Washington (and we hereby advise you that the State of Washington does not provide “good standing” certificates for Washington corporations).

 

(2)           The Company has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement.

 

(3)           The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction listed on Schedule A.

 

(4)           To our knowledge, Zumiez Nevada, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, is the only subsidiary of the Company.

 

(5)           The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the column entitled “Actual” and in the corresponding line items under the caption “Capitalization” in the Prospectus (except for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to stock based plans described under the caption “Management—Stock Based Plans” in the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of options referred to in the Prospectus); the shares of issued and outstanding Common Stock of the Company (including the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders to the Underwriters under the Underwriting Agreement) have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company or any other person arising under the charter or bylaws of the Company or Zumiez Delaware, the laws of the State of Washington, the Delaware General Corporation Law or any Shareholder Document.

 

(6)           The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

(7)           No holder of the Securities is or will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder under the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company or the laws of the State of Washington.

 

(8)           The Initial Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement have been declared effective under the 1933 Act; the Prospectus has been filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); and, to our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and, to our knowledge, no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or threatened by the Commission.

 

F-1



 

(9)           The Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as of their respective effective dates, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, as of their respective issue dates (in each case other than the financial statements and schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein or omitted therefrom, as to which we have not been called upon to express an opinion), complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations (except that we express no opinion with respect to compliance as to form with Regulation S-T under the 1933 Act).

 

(10)         The form of certificate used to evidence the Common Stock complies in all material respects with all applicable requirements of the laws of the State of Washington, with any applicable requirements of the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Company and with any applicable requirements of the Nasdaq National Market.

 

(11)         To our knowledge, there is not pending or threatened any action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation to which the Company or its sole subsidiary is a party or to which the property of the Company or its sole subsidiary is subject before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body that is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or that might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder.

 

(12)         The information in the Prospectus under the captions “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business - The terms of our revolving credit facility impose operating and financial restrictions on us that may impair our ability to respond to changing business and economic conditions.  This impairment could have a significant adverse impact on our business,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering—Future sales of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering—Washington law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain antitakeover provisions that could delay, discourage or prevent takeover attempts that shareholders may consider favorable or attempts to replace or remove our management that could be beneficial to our shareholders,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources,” “Business—Legal Proceedings,” “Management—Employment Agreements and Change of Control Provisions,” “Management—Stock Based Plans,” “Management—Limitation on Liability and Indemnification,” “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions,” “Description of Capital Stock” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale,” and the information in the Registration Statement under Item 14, in each case to the extent that it constitutes matters of law, summaries of legal matters, summaries of provisions of the Company’s articles of incorporation or bylaws or Subject Instruments, summaries of legal proceedings, or legal conclusions, constitute accurate summaries of the matters referred to therein in all material respects.

 

(13)         To our knowledge, there are no franchises, contracts, indentures, mortgages, deeds of trust, loan or credit agreements, bonds, notes, debentures, evidences

 

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of indebtedness, leases or other instruments or agreements required by the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been so described or filed as required.

 

(14)         (A) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, (B) no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any shareholder or creditor of the Company or any member of Zumiez Holdings, (C) no waiver, consent or other action under any Subject Instrument, Shareholder Document or Lease, and (D) to our knowledge, no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any other person or entity, is necessary or required for the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement by the Company, for the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities under the Underwriting Agreement or for the performance by the Company of its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement or was or is necessary or required for the consummation by the Company of the Pre-Closing Transactions, in each case on the terms contemplated by the Prospectus and the Underwriting Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or such as may be required under state securities or blue sky laws and except for such filings with the Secretary of State of the State of Washington or with similar officials of any other applicable jurisdictions as have been made in connection with the Pre-Closing Transactions.

 

(15)         The execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement by the Company and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the Pre-Closing Transactions and the sale of the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders) and compliance by the Company with its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement did not (in the case of the Pre-Closing Transactions), do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or its sole subsidiary pursuant to any Subject Instrument or Lease, except (solely in the case of Leases) for such conflicts, breaches, or defaults or Liens that would not have a Material Adverse Effect, nor did (in the case of the Pre-Closing Transactions), does or will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Documents of the Company or its sole subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree, known to us, of any government, government instrumentality or court having jurisdiction over the Company or its sole subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or operations.

 

(16)         The Company is not an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act.

 

Although we have not undertaken to investigate or verify independently and are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (other than those specific matters on which we are opining in Items (5), (12) and (13) hereof) no facts have come

 

F-3



 

to our attention that cause us to believe that (A) the Initial Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, at the time the Initial Registration Statement or any such amendment became effective, or that any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, at the time such Rule 462(b) Registration Statements became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (B)  the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, at the time the Prospectus was issued, at the time any such amendment or supplement was issued or on the date of this letter, included or includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (except in each case that we make no statement and express no belief with respect to financial statements, including the notes thereto, and schedules and other financial or statistical data included in or omitted from the Initial Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto).

 

In the event that such opinion shall define the term “Registration Statement,” “Initial Registration Statement,” “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” or “Prospectus” (rather than indicating that such terms, as used in such opinion, have the respective meanings given thereto in the Underwriting Agreement), such opinion shall define the terms “Registration Statement,” “Initial Registration Statement” and “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” to include the Rule 430A Information and shall define the term “Prospectus” as the Prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in confirming sales of the Securities (and not as the Prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b).

 

In rendering such opinion, Company counsel shall state that such opinion covers matters arising under the laws of the State of Washington, the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and the federal laws of the United States of America that, in their experience, are normally applicable to transactions of the type contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, in each case as generally publicly reported and available through normal means, and that they do not express any opinion as to the laws of any other state or jurisdiction (“Covered Laws”).  In rendering such opinion, Company counsel may rely as to matters involving the laws of any other state upon the opinion of local counsel satisfactory to the Representatives; provided that such opinion shall be addressed to the Representatives, shall state that Company counsel may rely on such opinion as if it were addressed to them in rendering their opinion pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, shall be dated the same date as the opinion of Company counsel, shall be delivered to the Representatives at the same time that the opinion of Company counsel is delivered, and shall be satisfactory in form and substance to counsel for the Underwriters.  In rendering such opinion, Company counsel may rely, as to matters of fact (but not as to legal conclusions), to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials.  Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).  In the event that such opinion shall contain a definition of Company’s counsel’s “knowledge” or other similar definition, such definition shall refer to the knowledge of those attorneys who have given substantive attention to any matters relating to the Company.  Such opinion shall further state that Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, may, in rendering their opinion pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, rely

 

F-4



 

on such opinion of Company counsel with respect to all matters arising under or governed by the laws of the State of Washington.  Such opinion of Company counsel shall further state that, to the extent that any agreement, instruments or other document referred to in such opinion is by its terms governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Covered Laws, Company counsel has assumed that the laws of such jurisdiction are, in all respects relevant to such opinion, identical to laws of the State of Washington.

 

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EXHIBIT G

 

Form of Opinion of Selling Shareholders Counsel

 

(1)           The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person), executed and delivered by each Selling Shareholder.

 

(2)           Each Selling Shareholder has duly authorized (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person), executed and delivered its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement and each such Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable against such Selling Shareholder in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar laws relating to creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles.

 

(3)           In the case of any Selling Shareholders which are not natural persons, each such Selling Shareholder has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and, in the case of the Foundation, qualified to conduct business as a trust in the State of Washington.

 

(4)           Each Selling Shareholder has full right, power and authority to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement and its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under the Underwriting Agreement.

 

(5)           The execution, delivery and performance by each Selling Shareholder of the Underwriting Agreement and its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement and the consummation by each Selling Shareholder of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement (including the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement), and compliance by such Selling Shareholder with its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement and its Power of Attorney and its Custody Agreement, do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any Lien upon any of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under the Underwriting Agreement pursuant to, any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, bond, note, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholder or any of its subsidiaries (if any) is a party or by which such Selling Shareholder or any of its subsidiaries (if any) is bound or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Shareholder or any of its subsidiaries (if any) is subject, nor does or will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the Organizational Documents of such Selling Shareholder (if such Selling Shareholder is not a natural person) or any of its subsidiaries (if any) or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or

 

G-1



 

foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder or any of its subsidiaries (if any) or any of their respective assets, properties or operations.

 

(6)           Each Selling Shareholder is the sole legal, record and beneficial owner (subject, if such Selling Shareholder is a natural person, to applicable community property laws) of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Shareholder under the Underwriting Agreement, free and clear, to our knowledge, of any Liens other than pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement; and, upon payment of the consideration for the Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders as provided in the Underwriting Agreement, delivery of such Securities, as directed by the Underwriters, to Cede or such other nominee as may be designated by DTC, registration of such Securities in the name of Cede or such other nominee, and the crediting of such Securities on the records of DTC to “securities accounts” (as defined in Section 8-501(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code of the State of New York (the “UCC”)) of the Underwriters (assuming that neither DTC nor any such Underwriter has “notice of any adverse claim” (within the meaning of Section 8-105 of the UCC) to such Securities), (i) DTC shall be a “protected purchaser” of such Securities within the meaning of Section 8-303 of the UCC, (B) under Section 8-501 of the UCC, the Underwriters will acquire valid “security entitlements” (within the meaning of Section 8-102(a)(17) of the UCC) to such Securities and (iii) no action based on any “adverse claim” (as defined in Section 8-102 of the UCC) to the “financial asset” (as defined in Section 8-102(a)(9) of the UCC) consisting of such Securities deposited with or held by DTC, whether such action is framed in conversion, replevin, constructive trust, equitable lien, or other theory, may be asserted successfully against the Underwriters.  In rendering the opinion set forth in this paragraph, such counsel may assume that when such payment, delivery and crediting of such Securities occur (x) such Securities will have been registered in the name of Cede or such other nominee designated by DTC, in each case on the Company’s share registry in accordance with the Company’s articles of incorporation and by-laws and applicable law, (y) DTC will be registered as a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of Section 8-102(a)(1) of the UCC, and (z) appropriate entries to credit Securities to the securities accounts of the several Underwriters on the records of DTC will have been made pursuant to the UCC.

 

(7)           The Securities to be sold by the Selling Shareholders under the Underwriting Agreement are not subject to any option, warrant, put, call, right of first refusal or other right to purchase or otherwise acquire any such Securities arising under or pursuant to any Shareholder Documents or the LLC Agreement or, to our knowledge, otherwise except pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement.

 

(8)           (A) No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, (B) no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any creditor of any Selling Shareholder or any member of Zumiez Holdings, (C) no waiver, consent or other action under any Shareholder Document to which any Selling Shareholder is a party or by which it is bound and (D) to our knowledge, no authorization, approval, vote or other consent of any other person or entity, is necessary or required for the execution or delivery by any Selling Shareholder of, or the performance by any Selling Shareholder of its obligations

 

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under, the Underwriting Agreement or its Custody Agreement or its Power of Attorney, for the sale and delivery by any Selling Shareholder of the Securities to be sold by it under the Underwriting Agreement or for the consummation by any Selling Shareholder of the other transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement or its Custody Agreement or its Power of Attorney, except such as may be required under the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act or the 1934 Act Regulations or state securities laws.

 

(9)           None of the Selling Shareholders has any preemptive right, right of first refusal or other similar right to purchase or otherwise acquire any of the Securities that are to be sold by any of the other Selling Shareholders under any Shareholder Document, the LLC Agreement or, to our knowledge, otherwise.

 

In rendering such opinion, such counsel shall state that such opinion covers matters arising under the laws of the State of Washington and the federal laws of the United States of America and (solely insofar as concerns the opinion set forth in paragraph (6)), the Uniform Commercial Code of the State of New York.  In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters involving the application of the laws of any other jurisdiction upon the opinion of local counsel satisfactory to the Representatives; provided that such opinion shall be addressed to the Representatives, shall state that counsel to the Selling Shareholders may rely on such opinion as if it were addressed to them in rendering their opinion pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, shall be dated the same date as the opinion of counsel to the Selling Shareholders, shall be delivered to the Representatives at the same time that the opinion of counsel to the Selling Shareholders is delivered, and shall be satisfactory in form and substance to counsel for the Underwriters.  In rendering such opinion, counsel to the Selling Shareholders may rely, as to matters of fact but not as to legal conclusions, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates of the Selling Shareholders and public officials.  Such opinion shall not state that it is to be governed or qualified by or that it is otherwise subject to any treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions, including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of Business Law (1991).  In the event that such opinion shall contain a definition of “knowledge” or other similar definition, such definition shall refer to the knowledge of those attorneys who have given substantive legal services to the Selling Shareholders.  Such opinion shall further state that, to the extent that any agreement, instruments or other document referred to in such opinion is by its terms governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Washington, such counsel has assumed that the laws of such jurisdiction are, in all respects relevant to such opinion, identical to laws of the State of Washington.

 

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EXHIBIT H

 

Certificate of the Chief Financial Officer

 

Dated: , 2005

 

I, Brenda I. Morris, Chief Financial Officer of Zumiez Inc., a Washington corporation (the “Company”), do hereby certify that this certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 5(e)(2) of the Underwriting Agreement dated , 2005 (the “Underwriting Agreement”) among the Company, the Selling Shareholders, and Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co., as representatives of the several Underwriters named therein, and do hereby further certify on behalf of the Company as follows:

 

I have compared certain amounts, percentages and other information appearing in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-), as amended through the date hereof (the “Registration Statement”), and the Company’s Prospectus dated , 2005 (the “Prospectus”), which amounts, percentages and other information are circled on the attached pages from such Registration Statement and Prospectus, to amounts, percentages and other information appearing in the audited or unaudited financial statements of the Company or the general ledger or comparable financial records of the Company and have found such amounts, percentages and other information to be in agreement or, in the case of any such amounts, percentages and other information which could not be agreed directly to such financial statements, general ledger or other financial or accounting records, I have recomputed such amounts, percentages and other information using data appearing in such financial statements, general ledger or other financial or accounting records and found such amounts, percentages and other information, as so recomputed, to be in agreement.

 

Capitalized terms used herein that are not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Underwriting Agreement.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

H-1



 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand as of the date first written above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda I. Morris

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

H-2


Exhibit 5.1

 

October 18, 2005

 

Zumiez Inc.

6300 Merrill Creek Parkway, Suite B

Everett, WA 98203

 

Re:          Registration Statement on Form S-1

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as counsel for Zumiez Inc., a Washington corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) of the above-referenced Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), relating to the registration of shares of common stock, no par value per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company, covering the offering and sale of shares of Common Stock by the selling shareholders (the “Selling Shareholders”) named in the Registration Statement (the “Shares”).  The Shares, including the Shares for which the underwriters have been granted an over-allotment option, will be sold pursuant to the terms of an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be entered into among the Company, the underwriters named therein and the Selling Shareholders.

 

In connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, we have reviewed the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the form of the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, the resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company relating to the sale of the Shares pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, and such other corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments, and such certificates or comparable documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company, and have made such other investigations as we deemed necessary in order to express the opinions set forth below.  The law covered by the opinions expressed herein is expressly limited to the Washington Business Corporation Act and the Federal law of the United States (the “Covered Law”).  To the extent that the law of any other jurisdiction other than those mentioned in the prior sentence impact the opinions expressed herein, we assume in our opinions that such law is the same as the Covered Law.  No opinion is expressed as to the effect that the law of any other jurisdiction might have upon the subject matter of the opinions expressed herein under conflicts of law principles or otherwise.  We express no opinion except as expressly set forth in the paragraph below and no opinions shall be implied.  The opinion expressed herein is an opinion of legal matters and not factual matters.

 

Based on the foregoing, it is our opinion that the Shares have been validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.

 



 

Our opinion is given as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation and hereby disclaim any obligation to advise upon any change in law, facts or circumstances, occurring after the date hereof except in any additional or supplemental opinions that we may render with respect to the Shares.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto, including any and all post-effective amendments and any registration statement relating to the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus contained within the Registration Statement.  In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.  We express no opinion as to any matters not expressly set forth herein.

 

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

PRESTON GATES & ELLIS LLP

 


Exhibit 21.1

 

List of Subsidiaries

 

1.             Zumiez Nevada, LLC (Nevada)

 


 

Exhibit 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to the use in this Registration Statement on Form S-1 of our report dated March 29, 2005, except for Note 12, as to which the date is April 20, 2005, relating to the financial statements of Zumiez Inc., which appear in such Registration Statement.  We also consent to the references to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

 

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

Seattle, Washington

October 18, 2005