UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549
FORM
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
State of (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Yes
The number of outstanding shares of Qurate Retail, Inc.'s common stock as of July 31, 2019 was:
Series A common stock | | ||
Series B common stock | |
Table of Contents
I-2
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(unaudited)
| June 30, |
| December 31, |
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2019 | 2018 | |||||
amounts in millions | ||||||
Assets | ||||||
Current assets: | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | |
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Trade and other receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $ |
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Inventory, net |
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Other current assets |
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Total current assets |
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Investments in equity securities |
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Property and equipment, net |
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Intangible assets not subject to amortization (note 6): | ||||||
Goodwill |
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Trademarks |
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Intangible assets subject to amortization, net (note 6) |
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Other assets, at cost, net of accumulated amortization |
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Total assets | $ | |
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(continued)
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-3
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Continued)
(unaudited)
June 30, | December 31, |
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2019 | 2018 |
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amounts in millions, |
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except share amounts |
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Liabilities and Equity |
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Current liabilities: | ||||||
Accounts payable | $ | |
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Accrued liabilities |
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Current portion of debt, including $ |
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Other current liabilities |
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Total current liabilities |
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Long-term debt, including $ |
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Deferred income tax liabilities |
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Other liabilities |
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Total liabilities |
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Equity | ||||||
Stockholders' equity: | ||||||
Preferred stock, $ |
| — |
| — | ||
Series A Qurate Retail common stock, $ |
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Series B Qurate Retail common stock, $ |
| — |
| — | ||
Series C Qurate Retail common stock, $ | — | — | ||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| — |
| — | ||
Accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss), net of taxes |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Retained earnings |
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Total stockholders' equity |
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Noncontrolling interests in equity of subsidiaries |
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Total equity |
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Commitments and contingencies (note 9) | ||||||
Total liabilities and equity | $ | |
| |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-4
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations
(unaudited)
Three months ended | Six months ended |
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June 30, | June 30, |
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| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
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amounts in millions |
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Total revenue, net | $ | |
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Operating costs and expenses: | |||||||||||
Cost of retail sales (exclusive of depreciation shown separately below) |
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Operating expense |
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Selling, general and administrative, including stock-based compensation and transaction related costs (note 3) |
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Depreciation and amortization |
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Operating income (loss) |
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Other income (expense): | |||||||||||
Interest expense |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | |||
Share of earnings (losses) of affiliates, net |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | |||
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net (note 5) |
| ( |
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| ( |
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Other, net |
| ( |
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| ( |
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| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||||
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes |
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Income tax (expense) benefit |
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| ( |
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| ( | |||
Earnings (loss) from continuing operations | | | | | |||||||
Earnings (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes | — | — | — | | |||||||
Net earnings (loss) | | | | | |||||||
Less net earnings (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interests |
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Net earnings (loss) attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders | $ | |
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Net earnings (loss) attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders: | |||||||||||
Qurate Retail common stock (note 1) | $ | |
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Liberty Ventures common stock (note 1) |
| — |
| — |
| — |
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$ | |
| |
| |
| |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-5
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations (Continued)
(unaudited)
Three months ended | Six months ended | ||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||||
2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 | |||||
Basic net earnings (losses) from continuing operations attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders per common share (note 4): | |||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | |
| |
|
| | ||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| | |||
Diluted net earnings (losses) from continuing operations attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders per common share (note 4): | |||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | |
| |
|
| | ||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| | |||
Basic net earnings (losses) attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders per common share (note 4): | |||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | |
| |
|
| | ||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| | |||
Diluted net earnings (losses) attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders per common share (note 4): | |||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | |
| |
|
| | ||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-6
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Earnings (Loss)
(unaudited)
Three months ended | Six months ended |
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June 30, | June 30, |
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| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
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amounts in millions |
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Net earnings (loss) | $ | |
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Other comprehensive earnings (loss), net of taxes: | ||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustments |
| |
| ( |
| |
| ( | ||
Recognition of previously unrealized losses (gains) on debt, net |
| — |
| |
| — |
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Share of other comprehensive earnings (losses) of equity affiliates | — | ( | — | ( | ||||||
Comprehensive earnings (loss) attributable to debt credit risk adjustments | | ( | ( | ( | ||||||
Other comprehensive earnings (loss) |
| |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Comprehensive earnings (loss) |
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Less comprehensive earnings (loss) attributable to the noncontrolling interests |
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Comprehensive earnings (loss) attributable to Qurate Retail, Inc. shareholders | $ | |
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| |
| |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-7
Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows
(unaudited)
Six months ended |
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June 30, |
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| 2019 |
| 2018 |
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amounts in millions |
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Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||
Net earnings (loss) | $ | |
| | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||
(Earnings) loss from discontinued operations | — | ( | ||||
Depreciation and amortization |
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Stock-based compensation |
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Share of (earnings) losses of affiliates, net |
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Realized and unrealized (gains) losses on financial instruments, net |
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| ( | ||
Deferred income tax expense (benefit) |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Other, net |
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities | ||||||
Current and other assets |
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Payables and other liabilities |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities |
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Cash flows from investing activities: | ||||||
Investments in and loans to cost and equity investees |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Capital expenditures |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Other investing activities, net |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||
Borrowings of debt |
| |
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Repayments of debt |
| ( |
| ( | ||
GCI Liberty Split-Off | — | ( | ||||
Repurchases of Qurate Retail common stock |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Withholding taxes on net settlements of stock-based compensation |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Indemnification payment from GCI Liberty, Inc. | — | | ||||
Other financing activities, net |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Effect of foreign currency exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
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Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period |
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Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period | $ | |
| |
The following table reconciles cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported in our condensed consolidated balance sheets to the total amount presented in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:
June 30, | December 31, | ||||
2019 | 2018 | ||||
in millions | |||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | ||||
Restricted cash included in other current assets | |||||
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows | $ |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-8
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Statement Of Equity
(unaudited)
Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||
Qurate | Additional | other | Noncontrolling |
| ||||||||||||||
Preferred | Retail | paid-in | comprehensive | Retained | interest in equity | Total |
| |||||||||||
| stock |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| capital |
| earnings (loss) |
| earnings |
| of subsidiaries |
| equity |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||||||||||
Balance at January 1, 2019 | $ | — | | — | — | ( | | | | |||||||||
Net earnings (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | | | | |||||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | ( | — | | ( | |||||||||
Stock compensation | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||
Series A Qurate Retail stock repurchases |
| — | — | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||
Distribution to noncontrolling interest | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ||||||||||
Other | — | — | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | ||||||||||
Reclassification | — | — | — | | — | ( | — | — | ||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2019 | $ | — | | — | — | ( | | | |
Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||
Qurate | Additional | other | Noncontrolling | |||||||||||||||
Preferred | Retail | paid-in | comprehensive | Retained | interest in equity | Total | ||||||||||||
| stock |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| capital |
| earnings (loss) |
| earnings |
| of subsidiaries |
| equity | |||
amounts in millions | ||||||||||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2019 | $ | — | | — | — | ( | | | | |||||||||
Net earnings (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | | | | |||||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | | — | | | |||||||||
Stock compensation | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||
Series A Qurate Retail stock repurchases |
| — | — | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||
Distribution to noncontrolling interest | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ||||||||||
Reclassification | — | — | — | | — | ( | — | — | ||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2019 | $ | — | | — | — | ( | | | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-9
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed Consolidated Statement Of Equity
(unaudited)
Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||||||
Qurate | Liberty | Additional | other | Noncontrolling | ||||||||||||||||||
Preferred | Retail | Ventures | paid-in | comprehensive | Retained | interest in equity | Total | |||||||||||||||
| stock |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| capital |
| earnings (loss) |
| earnings |
| of subsidiaries |
| equity | |||
amounts in millions | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at January 1, 2018 | $ | — | | — | | — | | ( | | | | |||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | |||||||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | | ( | |||||||||||
Stock compensation | — | — | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||
Series A Qurate Retail stock repurchases |
| — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||||
Distribution to noncontrolling interest | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | ( | ||||||||||||
Cumulative effect of accounting change | — | — | — | — | — | — | | ( | — | | ||||||||||||
GCI Liberty Split-Off | — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | — | | ( | ||||||||||||
Other | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | ||||||||||||
Reclassification | — | — | — | — | — | | — | ( | — | — | ||||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2018 | $ | — |
| |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| — |
| ( |
| |
| |
| |
|
Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Common stock | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||||||
Qurate | Liberty | Additional | other | Noncontrolling | ||||||||||||||||||
Preferred | Retail | Ventures | paid-in | comprehensive | Retained | interest in equity | Total | |||||||||||||||
| stock |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| Series A |
| Series B |
| capital |
| earnings (loss) |
| earnings |
| of subsidiaries |
| equity | |||
amounts in millions | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance at March 31, 2018 | $ | — | | — | — | — | — | | | | | |||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | |||||||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | ( | |||||||||||
Stock compensation | — | — | — | — | — | | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||
Series A Qurate Retail stock repurchases |
| — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | — | — | ( | |||||||||||
Other | — | — | — | — | — | ( | — | ( | — | ( | ||||||||||||
Reclassification | — | — | — | — | — | | — | ( | — | — | ||||||||||||
Balance at June 30, 2018 | $ | — | | — | — | — | — | ( | | | |
See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
I-10
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(unaudited)
(1) Basis of Presentation
The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Qurate Retail, Inc. (formerly named Liberty Interactive Corporation, prior to the Transactions defined and described below, or “Liberty”) and its controlled subsidiaries (collectively, "Qurate Retail," the "Company," “Consolidated Qurate Retail,” “us,” “we,” or “our” unless the context otherwise requires). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Qurate Retail is made up of wholly-owned subsidiaries QVC, Inc. (“QVC”), which includes HSN, Inc. (“HSN”) following the transfer of ownership of HSN to QVC (described below), Cornerstone Brands, Inc. (former subsidiary of HSN prior to the transfer of ownership of HSN to QVC, “Cornerstone”), Zulily, LLC (“Zulily”), and other cost and equity method investments.
Qurate Retail is primarily engaged in the video and online commerce industries in North America, Europe and Asia. The businesses of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, QVC, Cornerstone and Zulily, are seasonal due to a higher volume of sales in the fourth calendar quarter related to year-end holiday shopping.
The accompanying (a) condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and (b) the interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for such periods have been included. Additionally, certain prior period amounts have been reclassified for comparability with current period presentation. In the current quarter the Company corrected a prior year immaterial error of $
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Qurate Retail considers (i) fair value measurements, (ii) accounting for income taxes, and (iii) estimates of retail-related adjustments and allowances to be its most significant estimates.
Prior to the Transactions (described and defined below), the Company utilized tracking stocks in its capital structure. A tracking stock is a type of common stock that the issuing company intends to reflect or "track" the economic performance of a particular business or "group," rather than the economic performance of the company as a whole. Qurate Retail had
On December 31, 2018, Qurate Retail transferred its
On March 9, 2018, Qurate Retail completed the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (as amended, the “Reorganization Agreement,” and the transactions contemplated thereby, the
I-11
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
“Transactions”) among General Communication, Inc. (“GCI”), an Alaska corporation, and Liberty Interactive LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty (“LI LLC”). Pursuant to the Reorganization Agreement, GCI amended and restated its articles of incorporation (which resulted in GCI being renamed GCI Liberty, Inc. (“GCI Liberty”)) and effected a reclassification and auto conversion of its common stock. After market close on March 8, 2018, Qurate Retail’s board of directors approved the reattribution of certain assets and liabilities from Qurate Retail’s Ventures Group to its QVC Group, which was effective immediately. The reattributed assets and liabilities included cash, Qurate Retail’s interest in ILG, certain green energy investments, LI LLC’s exchangeable debentures, and certain tax benefits.
Following these events, Qurate Retail acquired GCI (renamed “GCI Liberty, Inc.”) through a reorganization in which certain Qurate Retail interests, assets and liabilities attributed to the Ventures Group were contributed (the “contribution”) to GCI Liberty in exchange for a controlling interest in GCI Liberty. Qurate Retail and LI LLC contributed to GCI Liberty their entire equity interest in Liberty Broadband, Charter, and LendingTree, the Evite operating business and other assets and liabilities attributed to Qurate Retail’s Venture Group (following the reattribution), in exchange for (a) the issuance to LI LLC of a number of shares of GCI Liberty Class A Common Stock and a number of shares of GCI Liberty Class B Common Stock equal to the number of outstanding shares of Series A Liberty Ventures common stock and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock on March 9, 2018, respectively, (b) cash and (c) the assumption of certain liabilities by GCI Liberty. The following is a reconciliation of the assets and liabilities that were derecognized by the Company (in millions) at the date of the GCI Liberty Split-Off (as defined below):
Investment in Liberty Broadband | $ | |
Investment in Charter | | |
Corporate Cash | | |
Margin Loan | ( | |
Deferred Income Tax Liabilities | ( | |
Other, net | ( | |
$ | |
Following the contribution, Qurate Retail effected a tax-free separation of its controlling interest in the combined company (the “GCI Liberty Split-Off”), GCI Liberty, to the holders of Liberty Ventures common stock in full redemption of all outstanding shares of such stock, in which each outstanding share of Series A Liberty Ventures common stock was redeemed for
On October 17, 2018, Qurate Retail announced a series of initiatives designed to better position its HSN and QVC- U.S. businesses (“QRG Initiatives”). As part of the QRG Initiatives, QVC will close its fulfillment centers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Roanoke, Virginia and has entered into an agreement to lease a new fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, commencing in 2019 (see note 8). As a result of changes in internal reporting from the QRG Initiatives, during the first quarter of 2019 the Company changed its reportable segments to combine HSN and QVC U.S. into one reportable segment called “QxH.”
As a result of repurchases of Series A Qurate Retail common stock, the Company’s additional paid-in capital balance was in a deficit position as of June 30, 2019. In order to ensure that the additional paid-in capital account is not negative, we reclassified the amount of the deficit ($
I-12
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Qurate Retail has entered into certain agreements with Liberty Media Corporation ("LMC") (for accounting purposes, a related party of the Company), a separate publicly traded company. These agreements include a reorganization agreement, services agreement and facilities sharing agreement. Neither Qurate Retail nor LMC has any stock ownership, beneficial or otherwise, in the other. In connection with the GCI Liberty Split-Off, Qurate Retail and GCI Liberty (for accounting purposes a related party of Qurate Retail) entered into a tax sharing agreement.
The reorganization agreement with LMC provides for, among other things, provisions governing the relationship between Qurate Retail and LMC, including certain cross-indemnities. Pursuant to the services agreement, LMC provides Qurate Retail with certain general and administrative services including legal, tax, accounting, treasury and investor relations support. Qurate Retail reimburses LMC for direct, out-of-pocket expenses incurred by LMC in providing these services and for Qurate Retail's allocable portion of costs associated with any shared services or personnel based on an estimated percentage of time spent providing services to Qurate Retail. Under the facilities sharing agreement, LMC shares office space and related amenities at its corporate headquarters with Qurate Retail. Under these various agreements, approximately $
Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
Internal-Use Software. In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued new guidance which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. The guidance will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2020 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.
(2) Disposals
On March 9, 2018, Qurate Retail completed the GCI Liberty Split-Off. At the time of the GCI Liberty Split-Off, GCI Liberty was comprised of, among other things, GCI Liberty’s legacy business, Qurate Retail’s former interest in Liberty Broadband, Charter and LendingTree, and Qurate Retail’s former wholly-owned subsidiary Evite. Qurate Retail viewed Liberty Broadband, LendingTree and Evite as separate components and evaluated them separately for discontinued operations presentation. As Qurate Retail’s former interest in Charter was accounted for as a cost method investment it did not meet the definition of a component for discontinued operation presentation. The disposition of Liberty Broadband was considered significant to the overall financials. Accordingly, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Qurate Retail have been prepared to reflect Qurate Retail’s interest in Liberty Broadband as a discontinued operation. The disposition of LendingTree and Evite as part of the GCI Liberty Split-Off does not have a major effect on Qurate Retail’s historical or future results. Accordingly, LendingTree and Evite are not presented as discontinued operations in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Qurate Retail. LendingTree and Evite are included in the Corporate and other segment through March 8, 2018.
Included in revenue in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations is $
I-13
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Certain financial information for the Company’s investment in Liberty Broadband, which is included in earnings (loss) from discontinued operations is as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended | |||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 2018 | ||||||
amounts in millions | ||||||||||
Earnings (loss) before income taxes | $ | NA | NA | NA | | |||||
Income tax (expense) benefit | $ | NA | NA | NA | ( |
The impact from discontinued operations on basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share is as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended | |||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 2018 | ||||||
Basic earnings (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Qurate Retail shareholders per common share: | ||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA | NA | NA | | |||||
Diluted earnings (loss) from discontinued operations attributable to Qurate Retail shareholders per common share: | ||||||||||
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail common stock | $ | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||||
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures common stock | $ | NA | NA | NA | |
(3) Stock-Based Compensation
The Company has granted to certain of its directors, employees and employees of its subsidiaries, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock (collectively, "Awards"). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for an equity classified Award (such as stock options and restricted stock) based on the grant-date fair value (“GDFV”) of the Award, and recognizes that cost over the period during which the employee is required to provide service (usually the vesting period of the Award). The Company measures the cost of employee services received in exchange for a liability classified Award based on the current fair value of the Award, and remeasures the fair value of the Award at each reporting date.
Included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations are $
I-14
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
The following table presents the number and weighted average GDFV of options granted by the Company during the six months ended June 30, 2019:
Six months ended | ||||||
June 30, 2019 | ||||||
Options Granted (000's) | Weighted Average GDFV | |||||
Series A Qurate Retail common stock, QVC employees (1) | | $ | | |||
Series A Qurate Retail common stock, Zulily employees (1) | | $ | | |||
Series B Qurate Retail common stock, Qurate Retail Chairman of the Board (2) | | $ | |
1) | Grants vest semi-annually over |
2) | Grant cliff vested immediately upon grant. |
In addition to the stock option grant to the Qurate Retail Chairman of the Board and in connection with our Chairman’s employment agreement, during the six months ended June 30, 2019, Qurate Retail granted
The Company has calculated the GDFV for all of its equity classified Awards and any subsequent remeasurement of its liability classified Awards and certain performance-based Awards using the Black-Scholes-Merton Model. The Company estimates the expected term of the Awards based on historical exercise and forfeiture data. The volatility used in the calculation for Awards is based on the historical volatility of Qurate Retail's stock and the implied volatility of publicly traded Qurate Retail options. The Company uses a
Qurate Retail—Outstanding Awards
The following tables present the number and weighted average exercise price ("WAEP") of the Awards to purchase Qurate Retail common stock granted to certain officers, employees and directors of the Company, as well as the weighted average remaining life and aggregate intrinsic value of the Awards.
Qurate Retail | ||||||||||||
|
|
| Weighted |
| Aggregate |
| ||||||
average | intrinsic | |||||||||||
Series A | remaining | value | ||||||||||
(000's) | WAEP | life | (millions) | |||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2019 |
| | $ | | ||||||||
Granted |
| | $ | | ||||||||
Exercised |
| ( | $ | | ||||||||
Forfeited/Cancelled |
| ( | $ | | ||||||||
Outstanding at June 30, 2019 |
| | $ | |
| years | $ | | ||||
Exercisable at June 30, 2019 |
| | $ | |
| years | $ | |
I-15
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Qurate Retail | ||||||||||||
|
|
| Weighted |
| Aggregate |
| ||||||
average | intrinsic | |||||||||||
Series B | remaining | value | ||||||||||
(000's) | WAEP | life | (millions) | |||||||||
Outstanding at January 1, 2019 |
| | $ | | ||||||||
Granted |
| | $ | | ||||||||
Exercised |
| — | $ | — | ||||||||
Forfeited/Cancelled | — | $ | — | |||||||||
Outstanding at June 30, 2019 |
| | $ | |
| years | $ | — | ||||
Exercisable at June 30, 2019 |
| | $ | |
| years | $ | — |
As of June 30, 2019, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested Awards was approximately $
As of June 30, 2019, Qurate Retail reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding stock options approximately
(4) Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share
Basic earnings (loss) per common share ("EPS") is computed by dividing net earnings (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding ("WASO") for the period. Diluted EPS presents the dilutive effect on a per share basis of potential common shares as if they had been converted at the beginning of the periods presented. Potentially dilutive shares are excluded from the computation of diluted EPS during periods in which losses are reported since the result would be antidilutive.
Series A and Series B Qurate Retail Common Stock
Excluded from diluted EPS for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, are
Qurate Retail Common Stock | |||||||||
| Three months ended |
| Six months ended | ||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||
2019 | 2018 | 2019 | 2018 | ||||||
number of shares in millions | |||||||||
Basic WASO |
| | |
| |
| | ||
Potentially dilutive shares |
| — | |
| — |
| | ||
Diluted WASO |
| | |
| |
| |
I-16
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Series A and Series B Liberty Ventures Common Stock
Excluded from diluted EPS for the six months ended June 30, 2018 were
Liberty Ventures Common Stock |
| ||||||||
| Three months ended |
| Six months ended |
| |||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||
2019 (1) | 2018 (1) | 2019 (1) | 2018 |
| |||||
number of shares in millions |
| ||||||||
Basic WASO |
| NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| | |
Potentially dilutive shares |
| NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| ||
Diluted WASO |
| NA |
| NA |
| NA |
| |
(1) | All of the outstanding shares of Liberty Ventures Series A and B common stock were redeemed for GCI Liberty Series A and B common stock as a result of the GCI Liberty Split-Off on March 9, 2018. |
(5) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value
For assets and liabilities required to be reported at fair value, GAAP provides a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 inputs are inputs, other than quoted market prices included within Level 1, that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.
The Company's assets and liabilities measured at fair value are as follows:
Fair Value Measurements at | Fair Value Measurements at |
| ||||||||||||
June 30, 2019 | December 31, 2018 |
| ||||||||||||
|
| Quoted |
|
|
| Quoted |
|
| ||||||
prices | prices |
| ||||||||||||
in active | Significant | in active | Significant |
| ||||||||||
markets for | other | markets for | other |
| ||||||||||
identical | observable | identical | observable |
| ||||||||||
assets | inputs | assets | inputs |
| ||||||||||
Description | Total | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | Total | (Level 1) | (Level 2) |
| |||||||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||||||
Cash equivalents | $ | |
| |
| — |
| |
| |
| — | ||
Indemnification asset | $ | | — | | | — | | |||||||
Debt | $ | |
| — |
| |
| |
| — |
| |
The majority of the Company's Level 2 financial assets and liabilities are primarily debt instruments with quoted market prices that are not considered to be traded on "active markets," as defined in GAAP. The fair values for such instruments are derived from a typical model using observable market data as the significant inputs.
Pursuant to an indemnification agreement, GCI Liberty has agreed to indemnify LI LLC for certain payments made to a holder of LI LLC’s
I-17
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
purchased
Following the initial six month period, the remaining indemnification to LI LLC for certain payments made to a holder of the
Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Financial Instruments
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments are comprised of changes in the fair value of the following:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Equity securities | $ | ( |
| |
| |
| | ||
Exchangeable senior debentures |
| ( |
| |
| ( |
| | ||
Indemnification asset | | ( | | ( | ||||||
Other financial instruments | | ( | | ( | ||||||
$ | ( |
| |
| ( |
| |
(6) Intangible Assets
Goodwill
Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows:
Corporate and | ||||||||||||
| QxH | QVC Int'l | Zulily |
| Other |
| Total |
| ||||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||||
Balance at January 1, 2019 | $ | | | |
| |
| | ||||
Foreign currency translation adjustments |
| — | | — |
| — |
| | ||||
Balance at June 30, 2019 | $ | | | |
| |
| |
Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization
Amortization expense for intangible assets with finite useful lives was $
I-18
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Remainder of 2019 |
| $ | | |
2020 | $ | | ||
2021 | $ | | ||
2022 | $ | | ||
2023 | $ | |
Zulily’s business model is highly challenged and based on current results it may not be able to realize its long-term forecast. The Company continues to monitor Zulily’s current business performance versus the long-term forecast, among other relevant considerations, to determine if any impairments exist. With recent management succession, Zulily initiated a process to evaluate how its current business model and long-term business strategy may respond in this challenging retail environment, and is in the process of updating its long-term forecast, but there are no guarantees that such efforts will result in Zulily recovering the diminished operations. Future outlook declines in revenue, cash flows, or other factors could result in a sustained decrease in fair value that may result in a determination that an impairment adjustment is required, which could be material. Accordingly, the Company believes the reporting unit is at an elevated risk of impairment.
(7) Long-Term Debt
Debt is summarized as follows:
Outstanding |
| ||||||||
principal at | Carrying value |
| |||||||
| June 30, 2019 |
| June 30, 2019 |
| December 31, 2018 |
| |||
amounts in millions |
| ||||||||
Corporate level debentures | |||||||||
$ | |
| |
| | ||||
| |
| |
| | ||||
| | | |||||||
| | | |||||||
| | | |||||||
— | | | |||||||
| | | |||||||
Subsidiary level notes and facilities | |||||||||
QVC |
| — |
| — |
| | |||
QVC |
| |
| |
| | |||
QVC |
| |
| |
| | |||
QVC |
| |
| |
| | |||
QVC | | | | ||||||
QVC | | | | ||||||
QVC |
| |
| |
| | |||
QVC | | | | ||||||
QVC Bank Credit Facilities |
| |
| |
| | |||
Other subsidiary debt |
| — |
| — |
| | |||
Deferred loan costs | — | ( | ( | ||||||
Total consolidated Qurate Retail debt | $ | |
| |
| | |||
Less current classification |
| ( |
| ( | |||||
Total long-term debt | $ | |
| |
QVC Bank Credit Facilities
On December 31, 2018, QVC entered into the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with Zulily as co-borrower (collectively, the “Borrowers”) which is a multi-currency facility that provides for a $
I-19
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
facility, with a $
The payment and performance of the Borrowers’ obligations (including Zulily’s obligations) under the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are guaranteed by each of QVC’s Material Domestic Subsidiaries (as defined in the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement). Further, the borrowings under the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement are secured, pari passu with QVC’s existing notes, by a pledge of all QVC’s equity interests. In addition, the payment and performance of the Borrowers’ obligations with respect to the $
The Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants, including certain restrictions on QVC and Zulily and each of their respective restricted subsidiaries (subject to certain exceptions) with respect to, among other things: incurring additional indebtedness; creating liens on property or assets; making certain loans or investments; selling or disposing of assets; paying certain dividends and other restricted payments; dissolving, consolidating or merging; entering into certain transactions with affiliates; entering into sale or leaseback transactions; restricting subsidiary distributions; and limiting the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio, and the Borrowers’ Combined Consolidated Leverage Ratio.
The interest rate on borrowings outstanding under the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement was
Exchangeable Senior Debentures
The Company has elected to account for its exchangeable senior debentures using the fair value option. Accordingly, changes in the fair value of these instruments are recognized as unrealized gains (losses) in the statements of operations. As of June 30, 2019 the balance of the
In April 2019, QVC repaid the outstanding balance on its
Debt Covenants
Qurate Retail and its subsidiaries are in compliance with all debt covenants at June 30, 2019.
I-20
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Other Subsidiary Debt
Other subsidiary debt at December 31, 2018 is comprised primarily of capitalized satellite transponder lease obligations.
Fair Value of Debt
Qurate Retail estimates the fair value of its debt based on the quoted market prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rate offered to Qurate Retail for debt of the same remaining maturities (Level 2). The QVC
Senior debentures | $ | | ||
QVC senior secured notes |
| $ | |
Due to the variable rate nature, Qurate Retail believes that the carrying amount of its other debt, not discussed above, approximated fair value at June 30, 2019.
(8) Leases
In February 2016 and subsequently, the FASB issued new guidance which revises the accounting for leases (“ASC 842”). Under the new guidance, entities that lease assets are required to recognize assets and liabilities on the balance sheet related to the rights and obligations created by those leases regardless of whether they are classified as finance or operating leases. In addition, new disclosures are required to meet the objective of enabling users of the financial statements to better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2019 and elected the optional transition method that allowed for a cumulative-effect adjustment in the period of adoption. Results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2019 are presented under the new guidance, while prior period amounts were not adjusted and continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for those periods.
The Company elected certain of the available transition practical expedients, including those that
The Company recognized $
The Company has finance lease agreements with transponder and transmitter network suppliers for the right to transmit its signals in the U.S. and Germany. The Company is also party to a finance lease agreement for data processing hardware and a warehouse. The Company also leases data processing equipment, facilities, office space, retail space and land. These leases are classified as operating leases. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the future lease payments using our incremental borrowing rate.
I-21
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Our leases have remaining lease terms of less than
The components of lease cost during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 were as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended | ||||
June 30, 2019 | June 30, 2019 | ||||
in millions | |||||
Operating lease cost | $ | | | ||
Finance lease cost | |||||
Depreciation of leased assets | $ | | |||
Interest on lease liabilities | | ||||
Total finance lease cost | $ | |
The remaining weighted-average lease term and the weighted-average discount rate were as follows:
June 30, 2019 | |||
Weighted-average remaining lease term (years): | |||
Finance leases | |||
Operating leases | |||
Weighted-average discount rate: | |||
Finance leases | |||
Operating leases |
I-22
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:
June 30, | |||
2019 | |||
in millions | |||
Operating leases: | |||
Operating lease ROU assets (1) | $ | ||
Current operating lease liabilities (2) | $ | ||
Operating lease liabilities (3) | |||
Total operating lease liabilities | $ | ||
Finance Leases: | |||
Finance lease ROU assets (4) | $ | ||
Finance lease ROU asset accumulated depreciation (4) | ( | ||
Finance lease ROU assets, net | $ | ||
Current finance lease liabilities (2) | $ | ||
Finance lease liabilities (3) | |||
Total finance lease liabilities | $ |
(1) | Included within the Other assets, at cost, net of accumulated amortization line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
(2) | Included within the Other current liabilities line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
(3) | Included within the Other liabilities line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
(4) | Included within the Property and equipment, net line item on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. |
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:
Six months ended | |||
June 30, 2019 | |||
in millions | |||
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: | |||
Operating cash flows from operating leases | $ | ||
Operating cash flows from finance leases | $ | ||
Financing cash flows from finance leases | $ | ||
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations | |||
Operating leases | $ | ||
Finance leases | $ | — |
I-23
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Future lease payments under finance leases and operating leases with initial terms of one year or more at June 30, 2019 consisted of the following:
Finance Leases | Operating Leases | ||||
in millions | |||||
Remainder of 2019 | $ | ||||
2020 | |||||
2021 | |||||
2022 | |||||
2023 | |||||
Thereafter | |||||
Total lease payments | $ | ||||
Less: imputed interest | |||||
Total lease liabilities | $ |
On October 5, 2018, QVC entered into a lease (“ECDC Lease”) for an East Coast distribution center. The
(9) Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation
The Company has contingent liabilities related to legal and tax proceedings and other matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Although it is reasonably possible Qurate Retail may incur losses upon conclusion of such matters, an estimate of any loss or range of loss cannot be made. In the opinion of management, it is expected that amounts, if any, which may be required to satisfy such contingencies will not be material in relation to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.
(10) Information About Qurate Retail's Operating Segments
Qurate Retail, through its ownership interests in subsidiaries and other companies, is primarily engaged in the video and online commerce industries. Qurate Retail identifies its reportable segments as (A) those operating segments that represent 10% or more of its consolidated annual revenue, annual Adjusted OIBDA or total assets and (B) those equity method affiliates whose share of earnings represent 10% or more of Qurate Retail's annual pre-tax earnings.
Qurate Retail evaluates performance and makes decisions about allocating resources to its operating segments based on financial measures such as revenue, Adjusted OIBDA, gross margin, average sales price per unit and revenue or sales per customer equivalent. In addition, Qurate Retail reviews nonfinancial measures such as unique website visitors, number of units shipped, conversion rates and active customers, as appropriate.
During the first quarter of 2019 the Company changed its reportable segments to combine HSN and QVC U.S. into one reportable segment called “QxH,” and presented prior period information to conform with this change. As a result of the QRG Initiatives and additional integration activities to drive synergies between HSN and QVC U.S., the chief operating decision maker began reviewing HSN and QVC U.S. information as one business unit during the first quarter of 2019.
I-24
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
For the six months ended June 30, 2019, Qurate Retail has identified the following operating segments as its reportable segments:
● | QxH - QVC U.S. and HSN market and sell a wide variety of consumer products in the United States, primarily by means of their televised shopping programs and via the Internet through their websites and mobile applications. |
● | QVC International – QVC International markets and sells a wide variety of consumer products in several foreign countries, primarily by means of its televised shopping programs and via the Internet through its international websites and mobile applications. |
● | Zulily – Zulily markets and sells a wide variety of consumer products in the United States and several foreign countries through flash sales events, primarily through its app, mobile and desktop experiences. |
Qurate Retail's operating segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services. They are managed separately because each segment requires different technologies, distribution channels and marketing strategies. The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in the Company's Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Performance Measures
Disaggregated revenue by segment and product category consisted of the following:
Three months ended | ||||||||||||
June 30, 2019 | ||||||||||||
QxH | QVC Int'l | Zulily | Corp and other | Total | ||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||
Home | $ | | | | | | ||||||
Apparel | | | | | | |||||||
Beauty | | | | — | | |||||||
Accessories | | | | — | | |||||||
Electronics | | | | — | | |||||||
Jewelry | | | | — | | |||||||
Other revenue | | | | — | | |||||||
Total Revenue | $ | | | | | |
Six months ended | ||||||||||||
June 30, 2019 | ||||||||||||
QxH | QVC Int'l | Zulily | Corp and other | Total | ||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||
Home | $ | | | | | | ||||||
Apparel | | | | | | |||||||
Beauty | | | | — | | |||||||
Accessories | | | | — | | |||||||
Electronics | | | | — | | |||||||
Jewelry | | | | — | | |||||||
Other revenue | | | | — | | |||||||
Total Revenue | $ | | | | | |
I-25
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Three months ended | |||||||||||
June 30, 2018 | |||||||||||
QxH | QVC Int'l | Zulily | Corp and other | Total | |||||||
in millions | |||||||||||
Home | $ | | | | | | |||||
Apparel | | | | | | ||||||
Beauty | | | | — | | ||||||
Accessories | | | | — | | ||||||
Electronics | | | | — | | ||||||
Jewelry | | | | — | | ||||||
Other revenue | | | | | | ||||||
Total Revenue | $ | | | | | |
Six months ended | ||||||||||||
June 30, 2018 | ||||||||||||
QxH | QVC Int'l | Zulily | Corp and other | Total | ||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||
Home | $ | | | | | | ||||||
Apparel | | | | | | |||||||
Beauty | | | | — | | |||||||
Accessories | | | | — | | |||||||
Electronics | | | | — | | |||||||
Jewelry | | | | — | | |||||||
Other revenue | | | | | | |||||||
Total Revenue | $ | | | | | |
Qurate Retail defines Adjusted OIBDA, a non-GAAP measure, as revenue less cost of sales, operating expenses, and selling, general and administrative expenses excluding all stock-based compensation and transaction related costs. Qurate Retail believes this measure is an important indicator of the operational strength and performance of its businesses by identifying those items that are not directly a reflection of each business’ performance or indicative of ongoing business trends. In addition, this measure allows management to view operating results and perform analytical comparisons and benchmarking between businesses and identify strategies to improve performance. This measure of performance excludes depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, certain acquisition accounting adjustments, separately reported litigation settlements, transaction related costs (including restructuring, integration, and advisory fees), and impairment charges that are included in the measurement of operating income pursuant to GAAP. Accordingly, Adjusted OIBDA should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, operating income, net income, cash flow provided by operating activities and other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Qurate Retail generally accounts for intersegment sales and transfers as if the sales or transfers were to third parties, that is, at current prices.
I-26
QURATE RETAIL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
(unaudited)
Adjusted OIBDA is summarized as follows:
Three months ended June 30, |
| |||||
2019 | 2018 |
| ||||
amounts in millions |
| |||||
QxH | $ | |
| | ||
QVC International | | | ||||
Zulily |
| |
| | ||
Corporate and other |
| |
| | ||
Consolidated Qurate Retail | $ | |
| |
Six months ended June 30, |
| |||||
2019 | 2018 |
| ||||
amounts in millions |
| |||||
QxH | $ | |
| | ||
QVC International | | | ||||
Zulily |
| |
| | ||
Corporate and other |
| ( |
| | ||
Consolidated Qurate Retail | $ | |
| |
Other Information
June 30, 2019 |
| |||||||
Total assets | Investments in affiliates | Capital expenditures |
| |||||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||
QxH | $ | |
| | | |||
QVC International | | — | | |||||
Zulily | | — | | |||||
Corporate and other |
| |
| | | |||
Consolidated Qurate Retail | $ | |
| | |
The following table provides a reconciliation of Consolidated segment Adjusted OIBDA to Operating income (loss) and Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Consolidated segment Adjusted OIBDA | $ | |
| |
| |
| | ||
Stock-based compensation |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Depreciation and amortization |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Transaction related costs | ( | ( | ( | ( | ||||||
Operating income (loss) | | | | | ||||||
Interest expense |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Share of earnings (loss) of affiliates, net |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( |
| ( | ||
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net |
| ( |
| |
| ( |
| | ||
Other, net |
| ( |
| |
| ( |
| | ||
Earnings (loss) before income taxes | $ | |
| |
| |
| |
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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Certain statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our business strategies; QRG Initiatives (as defined below); revenue growth at QVC, Inc. ("QVC"); our projected sources and uses of cash; the recoverability of our goodwill and other intangible assets; and fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. Where, in any forward-looking statement, we express an expectation or belief as to future results or events, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. The following include some but not all of the factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated:
● | customer demand for our products and services and our ability to adapt to changes in demand; |
● | competitor responses to our products and services; |
● | increased digital TV penetration and the impact on channel positioning of our programs; |
● | the levels of online traffic to our businesses' websites and our ability to convert visitors into customers or contributors; |
● | uncertainties inherent in the development and integration of new business lines and business strategies; |
● | our future financial performance, including availability, terms and deployment of capital; |
● | our ability to successfully integrate and recognize anticipated efficiencies and benefits from the businesses we acquire; |
● | the ability of suppliers and vendors to deliver products, equipment, software and services; |
● | the outcome of any pending or threatened litigation; |
● | availability of qualified personnel; |
● | changes in, or failure or inability to comply with, government regulations, including, without limitation, regulations of the Federal Communications Commission, and adverse outcomes from regulatory proceedings; |
● | changes in the nature of key strategic relationships with partners, distributors, suppliers and vendors; |
● | domestic and international economic and business conditions and industry trends, including the impact of Brexit (as defined below); |
● | consumer spending levels, including the availability and amount of individual consumer debt; |
● | changes in distribution and viewing of television programming, including the expanded deployment of personal video recorders, video on demand and Internet protocol television and their impact on home shopping programming; |
● | rapid technological changes; |
● | failure to protect the security of personal information, subjecting us to potentially costly government enforcement actions and/or private litigation and reputational damage; |
● | the regulatory and competitive environment of the industries in which we operate; |
● | threatened terrorist attacks, political and economic unrest in international markets and ongoing military action around the world; and |
● | fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. |
For additional risk factors, please see Part I, Item 1A. of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. These forward-looking statements and such risks, uncertainties and other factors speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein, to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto, or any other change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
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The following discussion and analysis provides information concerning our results of operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.
See note 1 and note 8 of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for an overview of new accounting standards that we have adopted or that we plan to adopt that have had or may have an impact on our financial statements.
The information herein relates to Qurate Retail, Inc. (formerly named Liberty Interactive Corporation, prior to the Transactions defined and described below, or “Liberty”) and its controlled subsidiaries (collectively “Qurate Retail,” the “Company,” “Consolidated Qurate Retail,” “us,” “we” or “our” unless the context otherwise requires).
Overview
We own controlling and non-controlling interests in a broad range of video and online commerce companies. Our largest businesses and reportable segments are QxH and QVC International. QVC markets and sells a wide variety of consumer products in the United States (“U.S.”) and several foreign countries, primarily by means of its televised shopping programs and the Internet through its domestic and international websites and mobile applications. On December 31, 2018, Qurate Retail transferred its 100% ownership interest in HSN to QVC, Inc. through a transaction among entities under common control. Following this transaction, Cornerstone (a former subsidiary of HSN) remains a subsidiary of Qurate Retail. HSN is included in the QxH reportable segment, and Cornerstone is included in the “Corporate and other” reportable segment. Zulily, LLC (“Zulily”), an online retailer offering customers a fun and entertaining shopping experience with a fresh selection of new product styles launched every day, is a reportable segment.
Our “Corporate and other” category includes our consolidated subsidiary Cornerstone, along with various cost and equity method investments. See discussion below for the entities that were included in Corporate and other in prior periods.
Prior to the Transactions (described and defined below), the Company utilized tracking stocks in its capital structure. A tracking stock is a type of common stock that the issuing company intends to reflect or "track" the economic performance of a particular business or "group," rather than the economic performance of the company as a whole. Qurate Retail had two tracking stocks—QVC Group common stock and Liberty Ventures common stock, which were intended to track and reflect the economic performance of the businesses, assets and liabilities attributed to the QVC Group and the Ventures Group, respectively. The QVC Group was comprised of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries QVC, Zulily, HSN, and Cornerstone among other assets and liabilities. The Ventures Group was comprised of businesses not included in the QVC Group including Evite Inc. (“Evite”) and our interests in Liberty Broadband Corporation (“Liberty Broadband”), LendingTree, Inc. (“LendingTree”), investments in Charter Communications, Inc. (“Charter”) and ILG, Inc. (“ILG”), among other assets and liabilities (which were all included in the Corporate and other category). The Company’s results are attributed to the QVC Group and the Ventures Group through March 9, 2018.
On March 9, 2018, Qurate Retail completed the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (as amended, the “Reorganization Agreement,” and the transactions contemplated thereby, the “Transactions”) among General Communication, Inc. (“GCI”), an Alaska corporation, and Liberty Interactive LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty (“LI LLC”). Pursuant to the Reorganization Agreement, GCI amended and restated its articles of incorporation (which resulted in GCI being renamed GCI Liberty, Inc. (“GCI Liberty”)) and effected a reclassification and auto conversion of its common stock. After market close on March 8, 2018, Qurate Retail’s board of directors approved the reattribution of certain assets and liabilities from Qurate Retail’s Ventures Group to its QVC Group, which was effective immediately. The reattributed assets and liabilities included cash, Qurate Retail’s interest in ILG, certain green energy investments, LI LLC’s exchangeable debentures, and certain tax benefits.
Following these events, Qurate Retail acquired GCI (renamed “GCI Liberty, Inc.”) through a reorganization in which certain Qurate Retail interests, assets and liabilities attributed to the Ventures Group were contributed (the “contribution”) to GCI Liberty in exchange for a controlling interest in GCI Liberty. Qurate Retail and LI LLC contributed to GCI Liberty their entire equity interest in Liberty Broadband, Charter, and LendingTree, the Evite operating business and other assets and liabilities attributed to Qurate Retail’s Venture Group (following the reattribution), in exchange for (a) the issuance to LI LLC of a number of shares of GCI Liberty Class A Common Stock and a number of shares of GCI Liberty Class B Common Stock equal to the number of outstanding shares of Series A Liberty Ventures common stock and Series B Liberty
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Ventures common stock on March 9, 2018, respectively, (b) cash and (c) the assumption of certain liabilities by GCI Liberty.
Following the contribution, Qurate Retail effected a tax-free separation of its controlling interest in the combined company (the “GCI Liberty Split-Off”), GCI Liberty, to the holders of Liberty Ventures common stock in full redemption of all outstanding shares of such stock, in which each outstanding share of Series A Liberty Ventures common stock was redeemed for one share of GCI Liberty Class A common stock and each outstanding share of Series B Liberty Ventures common stock was redeemed for one share of GCI Liberty Class B common stock. Simultaneous with the closing of the Transactions, QVC Group common stock became the only outstanding common stock of Qurate Retail, and thus QVC Group common stock ceased to function as a tracking stock. On April 9, 2018, Liberty Interactive Corporation was renamed Qurate Retail, Inc. On May 23, 2018, Qurate Retail amended its charter to eliminate the tracking stock capitalization structure and reclassify each share of QVC Group common stock into one share of the corresponding series of new common stock of Qurate Retail. With respect to events on or after May 23, 2018, we refer to our Series A and Series B common stock as “Qurate Retail common stock.” In July 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) completed its review of the GCI Liberty Split-Off and informed Qurate Retail that it agreed with the nontaxable characterization of the transactions. Qurate Retail received an Issue Resolution Agreement from the IRS documenting this conclusion.
As discussed in note 2 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, Qurate Retail’s interest in Liberty Broadband has been presented as a discontinued operation as a result of the Transactions.
On October 17, 2018, Qurate Retail announced a series of initiatives designed to better position its HSN and QVC- U.S. businesses (“QRG Initiatives”). As part of the QRG Initiatives, QVC will close its fulfillment centers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Roanoke, Virginia and has entered into an agreement to lease a new fulfillment center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, commencing in 2019 (see note 8 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements).
Results of Operations—Consolidated
General. We provide in the tables below information regarding our consolidated Operating Results and Other Income and Expense, as well as information regarding the contribution to those items from our principal reporting segments. The "Corporate and other" category consists of those assets or businesses which we do not disclose separately. For a more detailed discussion and analysis of the financial results of the principal reporting segments, see "Results of Operations—Businesses" below.
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Operating Results
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 (a) |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Revenue | ||||||||||
QxH |
| $ | 1,874 | 1,900 | 3,731 | 3,826 | ||||
QVC International | 640 | 656 | 1,284 | 1,332 | ||||||
Zulily | 363 | 415 | 760 | 834 | ||||||
Corporate and other | 234 | 262 | 421 | 471 | ||||||
Consolidated Qurate Retail |
| $ | 3,111 | 3,233 | 6,196 | 6,463 | ||||
Operating Income (Loss) | ||||||||||
QxH |
| $ | 292 | 308 | 539 | 575 | ||||
QVC International | 73 | 82 | 152 | 171 | ||||||
Zulily | (23) | (27) | (36) | (55) | ||||||
Corporate and other | (6) | (5) | (31) | (39) | ||||||
Consolidated Qurate Retail |
| $ | 336 | 358 | 624 | 652 | ||||
Adjusted OIBDA | ||||||||||
QxH |
| $ | 395 | 401 | 747 | 770 | ||||
QVC International | 106 | 100 | 207 | 207 | ||||||
Zulily | 7 | 29 | 24 | 56 | ||||||
Corporate and other | 5 | 12 | (5) | 1 | ||||||
Consolidated Qurate Retail |
| $ | 513 | 542 | 973 | 1,034 | ||||
(a) | Due to the GCI Liberty Split-Off, including the redemption of outstanding shares of Liberty Ventures common stock, the Ventures Group and the QVC Group tracking stock structure no longer exists as of March 9, 2018, however amounts were attributed to the Ventures Group and the QVC Group from January 1, 2018 through March 9, 2018. Attributed to the Ventures Group was revenue of $3 million, operating loss of $8 million, and an Adjusted OIBDA loss of $5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. |
Revenue. Consolidated Qurate Retail revenue decreased 3.8% or $122 million and 4.1% or $267 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was due to decreased revenue at QxH of $26 million and $95 million for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2019, respectively, decreased revenue at QVC International of $16 million and $48 million for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2019, respectively, decreased revenue at Zulily of $52 million and $74 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and decreased revenue in the Corporate and other segment of $28 million and $50 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, due to a decrease in Cornerstone revenue primarily due to lower units sold, slightly offset by increased average selling price (“ASP”). See "Results of Operations—Businesses" below for a more complete discussion of the results of operations of QVC and Zulily.
Stock-based compensation. Stock-based compensation includes compensation primarily related to options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units for shares of our common stock that are granted to certain of our officers and employees.
We recorded $18 million and $23 million of stock-based compensation for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and $37 million and $46 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The decrease of $5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease in stock compensation at the corporate level of $3 million, and a decrease at QVC of $2 million. The decrease of $9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease at QVC of $4 million, a decrease of $3 million at Liberty Ventures due to the GCI Liberty Split-Off, and a decrease at the corporate level of $2 million. As of June 30, 2019, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested Qurate Retail equity awards was approximately $59 million. Such
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amount will be recognized in our condensed consolidated statements of operations over a weighted average period of approximately 2.0 years.
Operating income. Our consolidated operating income decreased 6.1% or $22 million and 4.3% or $28 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in operating income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease in operating income at QxH of $16 million and $36 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and a decrease at QVC International of $9 million and $19 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in operating losses at Zulily of $4 million and $19 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. Operating loss in the Corporate and other segment increased $1 million and decreased $8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in operating loss for the six month period is primarily related to a reduction in Liberty Ventures expenses due to the GCI Liberty Split-Off. See "Results of Operations—Businesses" below for a more complete discussion of the results of operations of QVC and Zulily.
Adjusted OIBDA. To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we also disclose Adjusted OIBDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. We define Adjusted OIBDA as revenue less cost of sales, operating expenses and selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expenses excluding all stock-based compensation and transaction related costs. Our chief operating decision maker and management team use this measure of performance in conjunction with other measures to evaluate our businesses and make decisions about allocating resources among our businesses. We believe this is an important indicator of the operational strength and performance of our businesses by identifying those items that are not directly a reflection of each business’ performance or indicative of ongoing business trends. In addition, this measure allows us to view operating results, perform analytical comparisons and benchmarking between businesses and identify strategies to improve performance. This measure of performance excludes depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, certain purchase accounting adjustments, separately reported litigation settlements, transaction related costs (including restructuring, integration, and advisory fees), and impairment charges that are included in the measurement of operating income pursuant to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Accordingly, Adjusted OIBDA should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, operating income, net income, cash flow provided by operating activities and other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. See note 10 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of Adjusted OIBDA to Operating income and Earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes.
Consolidated Adjusted OIBDA decreased 5.4% or $29 million and 5.9% or $61 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in Adjusted OIBDA for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a decrease at QxH of $6 million and $23 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, a decrease at Zulily of $22 million and $32 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and a decrease of $7 million and $6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, in the Corporate and other segment, partially offset by an increase at QVC International of $6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019. The decrease in the Corporate and other segment for the three months ended June 30, 2019 was due to a decrease in Cornerstone Adjusted OIBDA. The decrease in the Corporate and other segment for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was due to a decrease in Cornerstone Adjusted OIBDA and legal expenses incurred at the corporate level, partially offset by a reduction in corporate expenses in 2019 due to the GCI Liberty Split-Off. See "Results of Operations—Businesses" below for a more complete discussion of the results of operations of QVC and Zulily.
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Other Income and Expense
Components of Other income (expense) are presented in the table below.
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 (a) |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Interest expense |
| $ | (93) | (96) | (189) | (194) | ||||
Share of earnings (losses) of affiliates |
| (23) | (46) | (68) | (60) | |||||
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net |
| (113) | 20 | (194) | 119 | |||||
Other, net |
| (7) | 8 | (15) | 19 | |||||
Other income (expense) |
| $ | (236) | (114) | (466) | (116) | ||||
(a) | Due to the GCI Liberty Split-Off, the Ventures Group and the QVC Group tracking stocks no longer exist as of March 9, 2018, however amounts were attributed to the Ventures Group and the QVC Group from January 1, 2018 through March 9, 2018. Attributed to the Ventures Group was other income of $120 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018. |
Interest expense. Interest expense decreased $3 million and $5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year, primarily due to the derecognition of a margin loan as part of the GCI Liberty Split-Off and lower average debt balances at QVC, partially offset by a higher interest rate on the QVC Bank Credit Facilities during the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to the same periods in the prior year.
Share of earnings (losses) of affiliates. Share of losses of affiliates decreased $23 million and increased $8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease for the three month period is primarily due to a decrease in losses related to the sale of the Company’s investment in FTD Companies, Inc. (“FTD”) during the second quarter of 2019, partially offset by an increase in losses at the Company’s alternative energy solution entities. The increase for the six month period is primarily due to an increase in losses at the Company’s alternative energy solutions entities, partially offset by losses in the prior year related to FTD and no losses in the current year due to the sale of FTD during the second quarter of 2019.
Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net. Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net are comprised of changes in the fair value of the following:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Equity securities |
| $ | (3) | 30 | 2 | 144 | ||||
Exchangeable senior debentures | (139) | 26 | (255) | 43 | ||||||
Indemnification asset | 23 | (35) | 55 | (64) | ||||||
Other financial instruments | 6 | (1) | 4 | (4) | ||||||
| $ | (113) | 20 | (194) | 119 |
The changes in realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net are due to market activity in the period on the various financial instruments that are marked to market on a periodic basis. The decrease in unrealized gains for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to the corresponding period in the prior year was primarily driven by a decrease in unrealized gains on the exchangeable debentures and a decrease in realized gain on the investment in ILG due to the purchase of ILG by Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the third quarter of 2018 and subsequent sale of this investment, partially offset by an increase in unrealized gains on the indemnification asset with GCI Liberty. The decrease in unrealized gains for the six months ended June 30, 2019, compared to the corresponding period in the prior year, was primarily driven by a decrease in unrealized gains on exchangeable debt, a decrease due to the contribution of our equity interest in Charter to GCI Liberty in the GCI Liberty Split-Off, and a decrease in realized gain on the investment in ILG
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due to the purchase of ILG by Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the third quarter of 2018 and subsequent sale of this investment, partially offset by an increase in unrealized gain on the indemnification asset with GCI Liberty.
Other, net. Other, net expense decreased $15 million and increased $34 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The activity captured in other, net is primarily attributable to extinguishment of debt in the prior year, interest and dividend income and the impact of the tax sharing arrangement with GCI Liberty.
Income taxes. We had income tax benefit of $30 million and expense of $46 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and tax benefit of $38 million and tax expense of $82 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Income tax benefit during the three months ended June 30, 2019 was due primarily to tax benefits from tax credits generated by our alternative energy investments and tax benefits from losses generated in 2019 and eligible for carryback to tax years with federal income tax rates greater than the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21%. Income tax expense was lower than the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% during the three months ended June 30, 2018 due to tax benefits from tax credits generated by our alternative energy investments, and a reduction in the Company’s state effective tax rate used to measure deferred taxes resulting from a state law change during the second quarter, partially offset by an increase in the valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets. Income tax benefit during the six months ended June 30, 2019 was due primarily to tax benefits from tax credits generated by our alternative energy investments and tax benefits from losses generated in 2019 and eligible for carryback to tax years with federal income tax rates greater than the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21%. Income tax expense was lower than the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% during the six months ended June 30, 2018 due to tax benefits from tax credits generated by our alternative energy investments, a reduction in the Company’s state effective tax rate used to measure deferred taxes resulting from the GCI Liberty Split-Off in March 2018, and a reduction in the Company’s state effective tax rate used to measure deferred taxes resulting from a state law change during the second quarter, partially offset by an increase in the valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets.
Net earnings. We had net earnings of $130 million and $198 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and net earnings of $196 million and $595 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The change in net earnings was the result of the above-described fluctuations in our revenue, expenses and other gains and losses.
Material Changes in Financial Condition
As of June 30, 2019, substantially all of our cash and cash equivalents are invested in U.S. Treasury securities, other government agencies, AAA rated money market funds and other highly rated financial and corporate debt instruments.
The following are potential sources of liquidity: available cash balances, equity issuances, dividend and interest receipts, proceeds from asset sales, monetization of our public investment portfolio, debt (including availability under QVC’s Senior Secured Credit Facility, (the “Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Facility”)), as discussed in note 7 of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements) and cash generated by the operating activities of our wholly-owned subsidiaries. Cash generated by the operating activities of our subsidiaries is only a source of liquidity to the extent such cash exceeds the working capital needs of the subsidiaries and is not otherwise restricted such as, in the case of QVC and Zulily, due to a requirement that a leverage ratio (calculated in accordance with the terms of the document governing such indebtedness which is filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018) of less than 3.5 to 1.0 must be maintained.
During the three months ended June 30, 2019 there have been no changes to our corporate or subsidiary debt credit ratings.
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As of June 30, 2019, Qurate Retail's liquidity position included the following:
Cash and cash | ||||
equivalents | ||||
amounts in millions | ||||
QVC |
| $ | 450 | |
Zulily | 11 | |||
Corporate and other | 58 | |||
Total Qurate Retail |
| $ | 519 |
To the extent that the Company recognizes any taxable gains from the sale of assets we may incur tax expense and be required to make tax payments, thereby reducing any cash proceeds. Additionally, we have borrowing capacity of approximately $1.9 billion under the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Facility at June 30, 2019, including the remaining portion of the $400 million tranche that Zulily may utilize. As of June 30, 2019, the Company had approximately $215 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash held in foreign subsidiaries that is available for domestic purposes with no significant tax consequences upon repatriation to the U.S. QVC accrues foreign taxes on the unremitted earnings of its international subsidiaries. Approximately 64% of QVC’s foreign cash balance was that of QVC-Japan. QVC owns 60% of QVC-Japan and shares all profits and losses with the 40% minority interest holder, Mitsui & Co., LTD (“Mitsui”).
Additionally, our operating businesses have generated, on average, more than $1 billion in annual cash provided by operating activities over the prior three years and we do not anticipate any significant reductions in that amount in future periods.
Six months ended |
| |||||
June 30, |
| |||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||
Cash Flow Information | ||||||
Net cash provided (used) by operating activities |
| $ | 593 | 711 | ||
Net cash provided (used) by investing activities |
| $ | (367) | (206) | ||
Net cash provided (used) by financing activities |
| $ | (360) | (756) |
During the six months ended June 30, 2019, Qurate Retail's primary uses of cash were the repurchases of Series A Qurate Retail common stock of $296 million, capital expenditures of $167 million and payments for television distribution rights at QVC of $124 million which are included in the Other investing activities, net line item in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.
The projected uses of Qurate Retail cash for the remainder of 2019 are the continued capital improvement spending of approximately $250 million, the repayment of certain debt obligations (including approximately $185 million for interest payments on outstanding debt), the potential buyback of common stock under the approved share buyback program and additional investments in existing or new businesses. We also may be required to make net payments of income tax liabilities to settle items under discussion with tax authorities. We expect that cash on hand and cash provided by operating activities and borrowing capacity in future periods will be sufficient to fund projected uses of cash.
Results of Operations—Businesses
QVC. QVC is a retailer of a wide range of consumer products, which are marketed and sold primarily by merchandise-focused televised shopping programs, the Internet and mobile applications. In the U.S., QVC’s televised shopping programs, including live and recorded content, are broadcast across multiple channels nationally on a full-time basis, including QVC, QVC 2, HSN and HSN2. During the six months ended June 30, 2019, QVC transitioned its Beauty iQ channel to QVC 3. QVC U.S. programming is also available on QVC.com and HSN.com, QVC’s U.S. websites; mobile applications via streaming video; over-the-air broadcasters; and over-the-top content platforms (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Facebook, etc.).
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QVC’s digital platforms enable consumers to purchase goods offered on its broadcast programming, along with a wide assortment of products that are available only on QVC.com and HSN.com. QVC.com and HSN.com and QVC’s other digital platforms (including mobile applications, social pages, and others) are natural extensions of its business model, allowing customers to engage in its shopping experience wherever they are, with live or on-demand content customized to the device they are using. In addition to offering video content, QVC.com and HSN.com allow shoppers to browse, research, compare and perform targeted searches for products, read customer reviews, control the order-entry process and conveniently access their account.
QVC’s international televised shopping programs, including live and recorded content, are distributed to households outside of the U.S., primarily in Germany, Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom ("U.K."), the Republic of Ireland and Italy. In some of the countries where QVC operates, its televised shopping programs are broadcast across multiple QVC channels: QVC Style and QVC2 in Germany and QVC Beauty, QVC Extra, and QVC Style in the U.K. Similar to the U.S., QVC’s international businesses also engage customers via websites, mobile applications, and social pages. QVC’s international business employs product sourcing teams who select products tailored to the interests of each local market.
QVC's Japanese operations (“QVC-Japan”) are conducted through a joint venture with Mitsui. QVC-Japan is owned 60% by QVC and 40% by Mitsui. QVC and Mitsui share in all profits and losses based on their respective ownership interests. During the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, QVC-Japan paid dividends to Mitsui of $28 million and $23 million, respectively.
QVC's operating results were as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Net revenue |
| $ | 2,514 |
| 2,556 |
| 5,015 |
| 5,158 | |
Cost of sales | (1,578) |
| (1,589) |
| (3,188) |
| (3,245) | |||
Operating | (179) |
| (209) |
| (356) |
| (422) | |||
SG&A expenses (excluding stock-based compensation and transaction related costs) | (256) |
| (257) |
| (517) |
| (514) | |||
Adjusted OIBDA | 501 |
| 501 |
| 954 |
| 977 | |||
Stock-based compensation | (11) |
| (12) |
| (20) |
| (24) | |||
Depreciation and amortization | (124) |
| (98) |
| (242) |
| (198) | |||
Transaction related costs | (1) | (1) | (1) | (9) | ||||||
Operating income |
| $ | 365 |
| 390 |
| 691 |
| 746 |
Net revenue was generated in the following geographical areas:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| |||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| |||||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| |||||
amounts in millions |
| ||||||||||||
QxH |
| $ | 1,874 |
| 1,900 |
| 3,731 |
| 3,826 | ||||
QVC International | 640 | 656 | 1,284 | 1,332 | |||||||||
Consolidated QVC |
| $ | 2,514 | 2,556 | 5,015 | 5,158 |
QVC's consolidated net revenue decreased 1.6% and 2.8% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in net revenue for the three month period was primarily due to a 0.6% decrease in units shipped and $26 million in unfavorable foreign exchange rates across all markets, which was partially offset by a slight increase in ASP. The decrease in net revenue for the six month period is primarily due to a 1.9% decrease in units shipped and $61 million in unfavorable foreign exchange rates across all markets, which was partially offset by a $23 million decrease in estimated product returns, primarily driven by the decrease in sales volume at QxH and a slight increase in ASP driven by the international market.
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During the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, the changes in revenue and expenses were affected by changes in the exchange rates for the U.K. Pound Sterling, the Euro and the Japanese Yen. In the event the U.S. Dollar strengthens against these foreign currencies in the future, QVC's revenue and operating cash flow will be negatively affected.
In describing QVC’s operating results, the term currency exchange rates refers to the currency exchange rates QVC uses to convert the operating results for all countries where the functional currency is not the U.S. Dollar. QVC calculates the effect of changes in currency exchange rates as the difference between current period activity translated using the prior period's currency exchange rates. QVC refers to the results of this calculation as the impact of currency exchange rate fluctuations. Constant currency operating results refers to operating results without the impact of the currency exchange rate fluctuations. The disclosure of constant currency amounts or results permits investors to better understand QVC’s underlying performance without the effects of currency exchange rate fluctuations.
The percentage change in net revenue for each of QVC's geographic areas in U.S. Dollars and in constant currency was as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| |||||||||||||||||
June 30, 2019 | June 30, 2019 |
| |||||||||||||||||
| U.S. Dollars | Foreign Currency Exchange Impact | Constant Currency | U.S. Dollars | Foreign Currency Exchange Impact | Constant currency |
| ||||||||||||
QxH |
| (1.3) | % | — | % | (1.3) | % | (2.5) | % | — | % | (2.5) | % | ||||||
QVC International |
| (2.4) | % | (3.7) | % | 1.3 | % | (3.6) | % | (4.6) | % | 1.0 | % |
The decrease in QxH net revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a 2.6% decrease in ASP, partially offset by a 1.2% increase in units shipped. QxH experienced shipped sales declines in jewelry and apparel, partially offset by growth in accessories and electronics, while home and beauty remained flat. The decrease in QxH net revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was due to a 1.7% decrease in units shipped and a 1.3% decline in ASP, which was partially offset by a $23 million decrease in estimated product returns, primarily driven by the decrease in sales volume. For the six months ended June 30, 2019, QxH experienced shipped sales decline in all categories except accessories and electronics.
QVC International net revenue growth in constant currency for the three months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a 6.7% increase in ASP, driven by ASP increases in all markets, as well as a $2 million decrease in estimated product returns which was partially offset by a 4.5% decrease in units shipped driven by Germany and the U.K. The decrease in estimated product returns was primarily due to a lower return rate offset by increased sales volume. QVC International net revenue growth in constant currency for the six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily due to a 3.8% increase in ASP in all markets, which was partially offset by a 2.3% decrease in units shipped driven by Germany and the U.K. For both the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, QVC International experienced shipped sales growth in constant currency in all categories except accessories.
QVC's future net revenue growth will primarily depend on sales growth from e-commerce and mobile platforms, additions of new customers from households already receiving QVC's broadcast programming and increased spending from existing customers. QVC's future net revenue may also be affected by (i) the willingness of cable television and direct-to-home satellite system operators to continue carrying QVC's programming service; (ii) QVC's ability to maintain favorable channel positioning, which may become more difficult due to governmental action or from distributors converting analog customers to digital; (iii) changes in television viewing habits because of personal video recorders, video-on-demand and Internet video services; (iv) QVC’s ability to source new and compelling products; and (v) general economic conditions.
On June 23, 2016, the U.K. held a referendum in which British citizens approved an exit from the European Union (the “E.U.”), commonly referred to as “Brexit.” As a result of the referendum, the global markets and currencies have been adversely impacted, including a sharp decline in the value of the U.K. Pound Sterling as compared to the U.S. Dollar. Volatility in exchange rates is expected to continue in the short term as the U.K. negotiates its exit from the E.U. In the longer term, any impact from Brexit on us will depend, in part, on the outcome of tariff, trade, regulatory and other negotiations. Although it is unknown what the result of those negotiations will be, or whether the U.K. will leave the E.U.
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with any agreement as to the terms of its withdrawal, it is possible that new terms may adversely affect QVC’s operations and financial results in a number of ways, not all of which are currently readily apparent. The U.K. is scheduled to withdraw from the E.U. no later than October 31, 2019. The U.K. government’s draft agreement on the withdrawal of the U.K. from the E.U. was defeated in the House of Commons on January 15, 2019. As a result, the final terms of the U.K.’s exit from the E.U. are, and will remain for the immediate future, unclear. The U.K. may leave the E.U. without any agreement as to the terms of its withdrawal or the future economic relationship between the U.K. and the E.U. It is also possible that the U.K. will withdraw its notification to leave the E.U. or that there will be a second referendum on Brexit.
QVC's cost of sales as a percentage of net revenue was 62.8% and 63.6% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, compared to 62.2% and 62.9% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, cost of sales as a percentage of revenue increased primarily due to an increase in product fulfillment costs at QxH.
QVC's operating expenses are principally comprised of commissions, order processing and customer service expenses, credit card processing fees and telecommunications expenses. Operating expenses decreased $30 million or 14.4% and $66 million or 15.6% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, compared to the same periods in the prior year. For the three months ended June 30, 2019, operating expenses decreased primarily due to a $25 million decrease in commissions at QxH, a $4 million decrease in personnel costs at QxH and a $2 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. For the six months ended June 30, 2019, operating expenses decreased primarily due to a $53 million decrease in commissions at QxH, an $8 million decrease in personnel costs at QxH and a $5 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. The decrease in commissions for both comparable periods is primarily due to new longer term television distribution rights agreements entered into at HSN, which led to increased capitalization of television distribution rights agreements and favorable terms on commissions.
QVC's SG&A expenses (excluding stock-based compensation and transaction related costs) include personnel, information technology, provision for doubtful accounts, production costs, and marketing and advertising expenses. Such expenses decreased $1 million and increased $3 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the same periods in the prior year, and as a percentage of net revenue, increased from 10.1% to 10.2% and from 10.0% to 10.3% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. For the three months ended June 30, 2019, the decrease was primarily due to a $7 million decrease in personnel costs primarily at QxH, France and the U.K., offset by increases in Japan, and a $4 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. The decreases were partially offset by a $6 million increase in bad debt expense, and a $5 million increase in outside services primarily at QxH. For the six months ended June 30, 2019, the increase was primarily due to a $5 million increase in online marketing expenses primarily at QxH, a $10 million increase in bad debt expense, and a $9 million increase in outside services primarily at QxH. These increases were partially offset by a $13 million decrease in personnel costs primarily in QxH, France and the U.K., offset by increases in Japan and Germany, and a $9 million decrease due to favorable exchange rates. The increase in bad debt expense for both comparable periods is primarily due to increased Easy Pay usage and the number of installments taken at QxH, and to a lesser extent, Germany.
Stock-based compensation includes compensation related to options and restricted stock units granted to certain officers and employees. QVC recorded $11 million and $20 million of stock-based compensation expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and recorded $12 million and $24 million of stock-based compensation expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. The decrease in stock compensation expense is primarily due to forfeitures of non-vested options from terminated individuals.
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Depreciation and amortization consisted of the following:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Affiliate agreements |
| $ | 1 |
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 2 | |
Customer relationships |
| 12 |
| 12 |
| 24 |
| 24 | ||
Other technology | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||||||
Acquisition related amortization |
| 17 |
| 17 |
| 34 |
| 34 | ||
Property and equipment |
| 54 |
| 43 |
| 100 |
| 87 | ||
Software amortization |
| 22 |
| 22 |
| 44 |
| 46 | ||
Channel placement amortization and related expenses |
| 31 |
| 16 |
| 64 |
| 31 | ||
Total depreciation and amortization |
| $ | 124 |
| 98 |
| 242 |
| 198 |
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, channel placement amortization expense increased primarily due to new television distribution contracts entered into at HSN, and property and equipment depreciation increased due to the disposition of assets in France.
Transaction related costs were $1 million for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, and $1 million and $9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively. The costs in the prior year related to the Company’s acquisition of HSN on December 29, 2017 and related follow on restructuring activities.
Zulily. Zulily is an online retailer offering customers a fun and entertaining shopping experience with a fresh selection of new product styles launched each day. The Zulily website was launched in January 2010 with the goal of revolutionizing the way consumers shop. Through its app, mobile and desktop experiences, Zulily helps its customers discover new and unique products at great values that they would likely not find elsewhere. Zulily’s merchandise includes women’s, children’s and men’s apparel and other products such as home, accessories and beauty products.
See note 6 to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for a discussion regarding an elevated risk of impairment of goodwill and intangibles at the Zulily reporting unit due to a recent decline in stand-alone operating results. Zulily's stand-alone operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:
Three months ended | Six months ended |
| ||||||||
June 30, | June 30, |
| ||||||||
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| 2019 |
| 2018 |
| ||
amounts in millions |
| |||||||||
Net revenue |
| $ | 363 |
| 415 |
| 760 |
| 834 | |
Costs of sales | (270) |
| (300) |
| (565) |
| (609) | |||
Operating | (10) |
| (11) |
| (21) |
| (23) | |||
SG&A expenses (excluding stock-based compensation) | (76) |
| (75) |
| (150) |
| (146) | |||
Adjusted OIBDA | 7 |
| 29 |
| 24 |
| 56 | |||
Stock-based compensation | (4) |
| (4) |
| (8) |
| (8) | |||
Depreciation and amortization | (26) |
| (52) |
| (52) |
| (103) | |||
Operating income (loss) |
| $ | (23) |
| (27) |
| (36) |
| (55) |
Zulily's consolidated net revenue decreased 12.5% and 8.9% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease in net revenue for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was primarily attributed to a 7.4% and 4.9% decrease, respectively, in total units shipped driven by a decrease in new customers and lower purchasing frequency from existing customers compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year, and a 4.9% and 3.8% decrease, respectively, in ASP due to a change in customer behavior towards lower price points.
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Zulily's cost of sales as a percentage of net revenue was 74.4% and 72.3% for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and 74.3% and 73.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, the increase was primarily due to an increase in freight costs and lower ASP.
Operating expenses are principally comprised of credit card processing fees and customer service expenses. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, operating expenses were relatively flat compared to the corresponding period in the prior year.
Zulily’s SG&A expenses (excluding stock-based compensation) include personnel related costs for general corporate functions, marketing and advertising expenses, information technology, and the costs associated with the use by these functions of facilities and equipment, including rent. For the three months ended June 30, 2019, as a percentage of net revenue, these expenses increased from 18.1% to 20.9%, and for the six months ended June 30, 2019, as a percentage of net revenue, these expenses increased from 17.5% to 19.7%. The increase is primarily attributable to deleverage on the decline in sales and an increase in wages and benefits.
Zulily’s total depreciation and amortization of intangible assets expense decreased for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, as compared to the corresponding periods in the prior year. The decrease is primarily attributed to fully amortized assets recognized in purchase accounting.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
We are exposed to market risk in the normal course of business due to our ongoing investing and financial activities and the conduct of operations by our subsidiaries in different foreign countries. Market risk refers to the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. The risk of loss can be assessed from the perspective of adverse changes in fair values, cash flows and future earnings. We have established policies, procedures and internal processes governing our management of market risks and the use of financial instruments to manage our exposure to such risks.
We are exposed to changes in interest rates primarily as a result of our borrowing and investment activities, which include investments in fixed and floating rate debt instruments and borrowings used to maintain liquidity and to fund business operations. The nature and amount of our long-term and short-term debt are expected to vary as a result of future requirements, market conditions and other factors. We manage our exposure to interest rates by maintaining what we believe is an appropriate mix of fixed and variable rate debt. We believe this best protects us from interest rate risk. We have achieved this mix by (i) issuing fixed rate debt that we believe has a low stated interest rate and significant term to maturity, (ii) issuing variable rate debt with appropriate maturities and interest rates and (iii) entering into interest rate swap arrangements when we deem appropriate. As of June 30, 2019, our debt is comprised of the following amounts:
Variable rate debt | Fixed rate debt |
| |||||||||
|
| Weighted |
|
| Weighted |
| |||||
Principal | average | Principal | average |
| |||||||
amount | interest rate | amount | interest rate |
| |||||||
dollar amounts in millions |
| ||||||||||
QxH and QVC International |
| $ | 1,315 | 3.9 | % | $ | 3,625 | 4.9 | % | ||
Zulily | $ | 168 | 3.9 | % | $ | — | — | % | |||
Corporate and other |
| $ | — | — | % | $ | 2,296 | 5.1 | % |
Qurate Retail is exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations related primarily to the monetary assets and liabilities and the financial results of QVC's foreign subsidiaries. Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries for which the functional currency is the local currency are translated into U.S. Dollars at period-end exchange rates, and the statements of operations are generally translated at the average exchange rate for the period. Exchange rate fluctuations on translating foreign currency financial statements into U.S. Dollars that result in unrealized gains or losses are referred to as translation adjustments. Cumulative translation adjustments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive earnings (loss) as a separate component of stockholders' equity. Transactions denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are recorded based on exchange rates at the time such transactions arise. Subsequent changes in exchange rates result in transaction gains and losses, which are reflected in income as unrealized (based on period-end translations) or realized
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upon settlement of the transactions. Cash flows from our operations in foreign countries are translated at the average rate for the period. Accordingly, Qurate Retail may experience economic loss and a negative impact on earnings and equity with respect to our holdings solely as a result of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. QVC's reported Adjusted OIBDA for the six months ended June 30, 2019 would have been impacted by approximately $2 million, for every 1% change in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. Dollar.
We periodically assess the effectiveness of our derivative financial instruments. With regard to interest rate swaps, we monitor the fair value of interest rate swaps as well as the effective interest rate the interest rate swap yields, in comparison to historical interest rate trends. We believe that any losses incurred with regard to interest rate swaps would be largely offset by the effects of interest rate movements on the underlying debt facilities. These measures allow our management to evaluate the success of our use of derivative instruments and to determine when to enter into or exit from derivative instruments.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
In accordance with Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), the Company carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including its chief executive officer and its principal accounting and financial officer (the "Executives"), of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the Executives concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of June 30, 2019 because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as discussed in more detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “2018 Form 10-K”). Management has continued to monitor the implementation of the remediation plan described in the 2018 Form 10-K, as described below.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the second quarter of 2019, we continued to review the design of our controls, made adjustments and continued implementing controls to alleviate the noted control deficiencies. Other than these items, there has been no change in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended June 30, 2019 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, its internal control over financial reporting.
Remediation Plan for Material Weaknesses in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
In response to the material weaknesses identified in Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting as set forth in Part II, Item 9A in the 2018 Form 10-K, the Company developed a plan with oversight from the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Qurate Retail to remediate the material weaknesses. The remediation efforts being implemented include the following:
● | Improvement of the design and operation of control activities and procedures associated with user and administrator access to the affected IT systems, including removing all inappropriate IT system access associated with the information technology general controls ("ITGCs") material weakness; |
● | Improvement of change management and computer operation control activities that contributed to the ITGC material weakness; |
● | Implementation of user activity monitoring for control activities contributing to the ITGC material weakness; |
● | Delivery of training to control owners addressing control operating protocols including ITGCs and policies; and |
● | Enhancement of the design and operation of control activities meant to validate the completeness and accuracy of revenue recorded in the U.K. |
The Company believes the foregoing efforts will remediate the material weaknesses disclosed in our 2018 Form 10-K. Because the reliability of the internal control process requires repeatable execution, the successful on-going remediation of the material weaknesses will require on-going review and evidence of effectiveness prior to concluding that the controls
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are effective. Our remediation efforts are underway, and we expect that the remediation of these material weaknesses will be completed prior to the end of 2019.
Additionally, the Company will continue to enhance the ITGC and U.K. revenue risk assessment process, evaluate talent and address identified gaps, deliver training on internal control over financial reporting, and monitor information system access and program changes to determine whether additional adjustments should be made to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of access and program change management issues.
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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
None.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Share Repurchase Programs
In August 2015, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $1 billion of Series A or Series B QVC Group common stock. On October 26, 2016, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $300 million of either the QVC Group common stock or Liberty Ventures common stock. On September 19, 2017, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $1 billion of Series A QVC Group common stock. In March 2018, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $693 million of Series A QVC Group common stock. In May 2019, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $500 million of Series A or Series B Qurate Retail common stock. Previous authorizations with respect to QVC Group common stock remain effective and now apply to Qurate Retail common stock.
A summary of the repurchase activity for the three months ended June 30, 2019 is as follows:
Series A Qurate Retail Common Stock |
| |||||||||||||
|
|
| (c) Total Number |
| (d) Maximum Number |
| ||||||||
of Shares | (or Approximate Dollar |
| ||||||||||||
Purchased as | Value) of Shares that |
| ||||||||||||
(a) Total Number | (b) Average | Part of Publicly | May Yet Be Purchased |
| ||||||||||
of Shares | Price Paid per | Announced Plans or | Under the Plans or |
| ||||||||||
Period | Purchased | Share | Programs | Programs |
| |||||||||
April 1 - 30, 2019 |
| — | $ | — |
| — | $179 | million | ||||||
May 1 - 31, 2019 |
| 1,675,823 | $ | 13.34 |
| 1,675,823 | $657 | million | ||||||
June 1 - 30, 2019 |
| 5,002,058 | $ | 12.81 |
| 5,002,058 | $593 | million | ||||||
Total |
| 6,677,881 | $ | 12.94 |
| 6,677,881 |
During the three months ended June 30, 2019, 1,809 shares of Series A Qurate Retail common stock were surrendered by our officers and employees to pay withholding taxes and other deductions in connection with the vesting of their restricted stock and restricted stock units.
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Item 6. Exhibits
(a) Exhibits
Listed below are the exhibits which are filed as a part of this Quarterly Report (according to the number assigned to them in Item 601 of Regulation S-K):
31.1 | ||
31.2 | ||
32 | ||
99.1 | ||
101.INS | Inline XBRL Instance Document* - The instance document does not appear in the interactive data file because its XBRL tags are embedded within the inline XBRL document. | |
101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document* | |
101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document* | |
101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document* | |
101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document* | |
101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Definition Document* | |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)* |
* | Filed herewith |
** | Furnished herewith |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
QURATE RETAIL, INC. | |||
Date: August 8, 2019 | By: | /s/ MICHAEL A.GEORGE | |
Michael A. George President and Chief Executive Officer | |||
Date: August 8, 2019 | By: | /s/ BRIAN J. WENDLING | |
Brian J. Wendling Senior Vice President, Controller and Principal Financial Officer |
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