ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Forward Looking Statements
This annual report contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are projections in respect of future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “should”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology and include statements regarding: (1) our product line; (2) our business plan, including our plan to launch a complimentary line of women's innerwear, lounge and sleepwear products during 2015 and in the future extend the Naked brand to active wear, swimwear, sportswear and more; (3) our expectation that in the future all of our primary production will be made outside of North America; (4) the enforceability of our intellectual property rights; (5) projections of market prices and costs; (6) supply and demand for our products; (7) future capital expenditures; and (8) our need for, and our ability to raise, capital. The material assumptions supporting these forward-looking statements include, among other things: (1) our ability to obtain any necessary financing on acceptable terms; (2) timing and amount of capital expenditures; (3) the enforcement of our intellectual property rights; (4) our ability to launch new product lines; (5) retention of skilled personnel; (6) continuation of current tax and regulatory regimes; (7) current exchange rate and interest rates; and (8) general economic and financial market conditions. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, including the risks in the section entitled “Risk Factors” commencing on page 5, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include: (1) a downturn in international economic conditions; (2) any adverse occurrence with respect to the development or marketing of our apparel products; (3) any adverse occurrence with respect to any of our licensing agreements; (4) our ability to successfully bring apparel products to market; (5) product development or other initiatives by our competitors; (6) fluctuations in the availability and cost of materials required to produce our products; (7) any adverse occurrence with respect to distribution of our products; (8) potential negative financial impact from claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings or challenges; (9) our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; (10) our ability to hire and retain senior management and key employees; (11) other factors beyond our control.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and Canada, we do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results.
Our financial statements are stated in United States Dollars (US$) unless otherwise stated and are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
In this annual report, unless otherwise specified, all references to “common shares” refer to the common shares in our capital stock.
As used in this annual report on Form 10-K, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” mean our company, Naked Brand Group Inc., and our wholly-owned subsidiary Naked Inc., as applicable.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated in the State of Nevada on May 17, 2005 under the name of Search By Headlines.com Corp. Effective August 29, 2012, we completed a merger with a newly-formed subsidiary, Naked Brand Group Inc., a Nevada corporation, which was incorporated solely to effect a change of our corporate name. As a result, effective August 29, 2012, we changed our name from “Search By Headlines.com Corp.” to “Naked Brand Group Inc.” (“Naked Brand Group”).
Our wholly owned subsidiary is Naked Inc. (“Naked”). Naked was incorporated under the federal laws of Canada on May 21, 2009 as “In Search of Solutions Inc.”, changed its corporate name to “Naked Boxer Brief Clothing Inc.” on May 17, 2010 and to “Naked Inc.” on February 20, 2013. Naked continued from the federal jurisdiction of Canada to the jurisdiction of the State of Nevada on July 27, 2012. As part of the continuation, all classes of shares of Naked, including Class C, D, E and F common shares, were converted into one class of common shares of the Nevada corporation.
Our principal executive offices are located at 10th Floor, 95 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, USA 10016. Our telephone number is 212.851.8050.
General Development
On July 30, 2012, we closed an Acquisition Agreement with Naked, whereby management and directors of Naked became directors and officers of our company and Naked stockholders exchanged their shares for a total of 13.5 million shares of our company, representing 50% of the company (the “Acquisition”).
Naked is a manufacturer and seller of direct and wholesale men’s undergarments and intimate apparel products in Canada and the United States to consumers and retailers.
As a result of the Acquisition, Naked became a wholly-owned subsidiary of our company and our business became the manufacturer and sale of direct and wholesale men’s undergarments and intimate apparel products in Canada and the United States to consumers and retailers. We operate out of New York, New York, USA.
On August 10, 2012 and November 14, 2013 we entered into Agency and Interlender Agreements (the “Agency Agreements”) with Kalamalka Partners Ltd. (“Kalamalka”) and certain lenders (the “Lenders”) whereby we have issued convertible promissory notes (the “Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $775,000 under revolving loan arrangements. An aggregate of $175,000 in principal amounts owing under these Notes were later settled during the year ended January 31, 2015. The Notes are secured by a general security agreement over the present and future assets of our company and are bearing interest at 6% per annum, calculated and payable quarterly. The principal amount outstanding under the Notes, and all accrued and unpaid interest therein, is convertible into common shares of our company at any time at the option of the Lenders at a conversion price of $0.25 per share.
On June 10, 2014 and July 8, 2014, we entered into Subscription Agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) with several investors (collectively, the “Purchasers”) in connection with a private placement offering (the “Offering”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,309,832 through the sale of 292 units (the “Units”) at a price of $25,000 per Unit. Each Unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 (each, a “Debenture”) and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreements (the “Warrants”).
In connection with the close of the Offering, we issued Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $7,309,832. As consideration, our company (i) received gross cash proceeds equal to $6,094,100, before deducting agent fees and other transaction-related expenses; and (ii) exchanged 6% senior secured convertible notes in the aggregate amount of $1,094,159 for the issuance of Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $1,215,732, at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering.
The aggregate principal amount matures on June 10, 2017 and bears interest at the rate of 6% per annum, payable quarterly, in cash or in kind, at the option of our company, provided certain equity conditions of the Debentures have been met, valued at the then conversion price of the Debentures. The Debentures, along with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, may be converted at any time, at the option of the holder, into common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $0.075 per share, subject to adjustment under the terms of the Debentures
These significant developments have allowed our company to actively pursue our plan of operation.
Our Current Business
We are Naked Brand Group, Inc. and our mission is to build a global lifestyle brand business offering innovative apparel, home and personal products. We currently design, manufacture and sell men's innerwear and lounge apparel products under the "Naked" brand to consumers and retailers. We plan to launch a complimentary line of women's innerwear, lounge and sleepwear products during 2015 and in the future extend the Naked brand to activewear, swimwear, sportswear and more. Our core brand philosophy for Naked is to provide products that make people feel confident, attractive and empowered while being as comfortable as wearing nothing at all. Our goal is to create a new standard for how apparel products worn close to skin fit, feel and function. Our products are sold at a premium fashion stores in North America, primarily in Canada and on the West Coast of the United States including Holt & Renfrew, Hudson Bay Company and Nordstrom.
Current Principal Products
We currently offer a variety of innerwear products for men including trunks, briefs, boxer briefs, undershirts, t-shirts, and lounge pants under the Naked brand. Men’s Health has reviewed our innerwear as “perfect under any suit” (February 8, 2013) and Esquire has said “Naked keeps everything well in order (down there) without cutting off circulation.” (December 14, 2012)
Our products are produced in a variety of styles using a range of the highest quality fabric: MicroModal, Microfiber, Tencel, Silver, Modal Cotton, and Pima Cotton. Our complete underwear line is available in MicroModal, Microfiber, Tencel, Modal Cotton and Cotton Stretch, and we sell limited styles of underwear in Silver. We also produce t-shirts and lounge pants in both Modal Cotton and MicroModal. All of these fabrics are readily available in many countries.
MicroModal and Microfiber are smooth, lightweight fabrics engineered for supreme softness comfort and performance. We market our MicroModal collection as under the name Luxury to reflect the exceptionally soft and luxurious feel of our wool-based MicroModal fabric. Our Active collection is based on our high-performance Microfiber fabric, a nylon-based textile that is smooth and resilient while providing moisture-wicking properties. We have been producing our full line of underwear using these fabrics since our inception. Our Essential Cotton Stretch collection is made of high quality Cotton Stretch fabric for a light, comfortable everyday fit. Underwear and undershirts in this collection, which we introduced in February 2015, are sold in 2-packs to access a broader customer base for Naked. Our Modal Cotton fabrics are the basis for our Signature Collection, also launched in February 2015, which features underwear and t-shirts constructed from an extraordinarily soft blend of cotton and micromodal and offer a tailored fit optimal for wearing under anything. In February 2015, we introduced entirely new packaging for our Luxury, Active, Essential and Signature collections to feature our new logo, enhanced brand messaging and improve of product presentation to customers.
Our Silver collection consists of a boxer brief and V-neck t-shirt and is created with X-Static®, a high-performance fabric, which helps regulate body temperature and provides anti-odor and antimicrobial protection. X-Static® fabric contains 99.9% pure silver woven into the garment's nylon threads, which naturally deters odor-causing bacteria, wicks away moisture, is anti-chaffing and naturally cooling.
Our Tencel collection uses an innovative and premium fabric that is incredibly soft, breathable and easy to care for. Our Tencel collection is available in brief and boxer brief and features a stylish waistband.
In May of 2015, we will bring our first collections of women’s intimate apparel, loungewear and sleepwear to market. These collections are based on the same amazing MicroModal, Tencel and Cotton Stretch fabrics used in our Luxury, Tencel and Essential collections for men. These women’s collection include a range of products soft bras, panties, boyshorts, hipsters, lounge pants and tops, camisoles, tank tops, pajamas, teddies and nightgowns and sleepshirts. We expect some of these products will be available for sales online and in select boutiques during Summer and Fall 2015. Other products, including all of our intimate apparel collections will be introduced for retail in early 2016.
Production
We utilize manufacturing partners outside of the United States to produce our products. Our products have been made in Canada, Turkey, and China. During the year ended January 31, 2015, we entered into a strategic manufacturing partnership pursuant to which our primary production moved to China.
We have developed good relationships with a number of our vendors and take great care to ensure that they share our commitment to quality and ethics. We do not have any long-term agreements requiring us to use any manufacturer, however during fiscal 2015 we engaged a large apparel sourcing and manufacturing company to partner with us as our primary production source, which will allow us to outsource to them the majority of our production operations for current and future products. We believe this partnership allows us access to the best in class fabrics, materials and manufacturing techniques.
Distribution
Our products are currently targeted at men who are fashion conscious and care about innovation and contemporary design, but also care about comfort, quality and fit when purchasing undergarments. We aim to provide an affordable luxury product for the successful and aspirational customer that enjoys the qualities of a premium undergarment at a price they feel delivers excellent value.
We sell our products through wholesale relationships and through direct to consumer channels. The wholesale channel is currently our largest channel and consists of boutique apparel stores, undergarment stores and department stores. In addition to selling in key department stores in North America. Naked also sells through premier online stores such as Amazon.com, hackberry.com, hisroom.com and freshpair.com.
Our direct-to-consumer channel consists of our online e-commerce store, thenakedshop.com. Our ecommerce site, which was substantially improved to reflect our updated branding in April 2015, provides our customers with a premium experience and access to our entire product line. We expect direct to consumer to become an increasingly significant part of our business as our brand awareness increases in North America and internationally. We believe that the availability of online sales is convenient for our customers and enhances the image of our brand, making our brand and products more accessible in more markets than in brick and mortar stores alone.
We plan to expand to international markets by establishing distributor relationships in key European South American and Asian countries.
We currently work with third party logistics providers to outsource our inventory receiving, warehousing and product distribution and shipping needs. We do not currently have any long-term contracts relating to the distribution of our products.
Sources and Availability of Raw Materials
Raw materials, which include fabric and accessories, are sourced from all over the world, including Italy, Turkey and China. We have ordered from a small number of principal suppliers of fabric but we have multiple sources that could produce the exact same quality fabric. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, we have partnered with a strategic manufacturing partner who is responsible for all of the sourcing of our raw materials.
Key Customers
In 2015 sales were heavily concentrated with Nordstrom, which accounted for 28% of our sales. During fiscal 2014, Nordstrom accounted for 37% of our sales and Holt Renfrew accounted for 12%. Nordstrom is currently of key importance to our business and our results of operations would be materially adversely affected if this relationship ceased. Although we continue to receive increasing sales orders from these customers, neither Nordstrom nor Holt Renfrew have any ongoing purchase commitment agreement with us therefore we cannot guarantee that the volume of sales will remain consistent going forward.
We have entered into sales agreements with Nordstrom, Holt Renfrew and the Hudson Bay Company which covers the material terms and conditions of purchase orders such as shipping terms, pricing policies, payment terms and cancellation policies.
Marketing
We expect to significantly increase our marketing expenses in the current fiscal year, particularly in connection with some of our major sales contracts, described above under the heading “Key Customers”.
We have engaged consultants, where necessary, to provide marketing consulting services to our company, including assistance with brand management, public relations, celebrity alignment, strategic retail placement, manufacturing strategy, strategic and creative development, and financing assistance. We have also engaged in online marketing aimed at increasing brand awareness.
We intend to continue to invest in additional brand building activities, including internet and media marketing to consumers and retailers, attendance at apparel trade shows and exploration of other opportunities.
Competition
Men’s innerwear is a very competitive market with several high profile undergarment manufacturers such as, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, 2(x)ist, Hugo Boss, Tommy John, Saxx Giorgio Armani, MeUndies, Bread&Boxers and others. We believe there are currently 70 to 80 competitors in our market sector for men’s undergarments. The market includes increasing competition from established companies who are expanding their production and marketing of undergarments, as well as frequent new entrants to the market. We are in direct competition with such companies. Competition is principally on the basis of brand image and recognition, as well as product quality, innovation, style, distribution and price. To date, we believe that Naked has performed well against competition as a result of our branding strategy and the quality of our products. The products we have introduced to market and the products we plan to introduce come in at a high value point, which means retailing a high quality product at a competitive price to comparable products, which has allowed us to penetrate the market successfully. The women’s intimate apparel, sleepwear and loungewear markets we plan to enter in 2015 and beyond are also highly competitive.
Our competitive advantages include promoting that our products are as comfortable as wearing nothing at all, which leverages our registered brand name, and retailing high quality products at a lower price than competitors’ comparable products. However, many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain brand awareness and market share more quickly and effectively than we can.
Intellectual Property
We believe that our intellectual property is a critical component of our business success. We currently own four trademarks in Canada, one trademark in the United States and one trademark registered in the European Community. We expect to incur significant expenses for intellectual property applications in key international markets in the 2016 fiscal year.
Employees
We currently employ fourteen full-time employees, of which four are employed in Canada and ten are employed in the United States. None of our employees are currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have had no labor-related work stoppages and we believe our relations with our employees are excellent.
Seasonality of Business
We operate in the apparel industry that is subject to seasonality of buying which can affect revenue and cash flows. There are generally two distinct buying seasons in the apparel industry that for men, Fall/Winter season, which falls into the third to fourth quarters of our fiscal year and Spring/Summer season, which falls into the first to second quarters of our fiscal year, with some potential shipments at the last quarter. The womens’ apparel buying markets are more frequent than mens’. In fiscal 2015, the largest revenues were reported in quarters two and three for our fiscal year, arising from seasonal products and sales, and some extraordinary circumstances which are discussed in more detail below. As a result of significant growth and changes to our business with the introductions of a new product line subsequent to the end of the fiscal year, the natural seasonality of our business had a reduced effect. Furthermore, with limited operating history it is difficult to anticipate the effects of seasonality moving forward. Thus, historical quarterly operating trends may not be indicative of future performance because of new product launches and continued early stage sales growth.
ITEM 1A.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Much of the information included in this annual report includes or is based upon estimates, projections or other “forward-looking statements”. Such forward-looking statements include any projections or estimates made by us and our management in connection with our business operations. While these forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business, actual results will almost always vary, sometimes materially, from any estimates, predictions, projections, assumptions, or other future performance suggested herein. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of such statements.
Such estimates, projections or other “forward-looking statements” involve various risks and uncertainties as outlined below. We caution readers of this annual report that important factors in some cases have affected and, in the future, could materially affect actual results and cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in any such estimates, projections or other “forward-looking statements”. In evaluating us, our business and any investment in our business, readers should carefully consider the following factors.
Risks Related To Our Business
We have a limited operating history which makes it difficult to evaluate our company or future operations.
Naked commenced operations in 2010. Since beginning operations, we have generated limited total revenues. For the year ended January 31, 2015, our revenues were $557,212 (2014: $639,107). As a relatively new company, we are subject to many risks associated with the initial organization, financing, expenditures and impediments inherent in a new business. We have a history of operating losses and negative cash flow that may continue into the foreseeable future. If we fail to execute our strategy to achieve and maintain profitability in the future, investors could lose confidence in the value of our common stock, which could cause our stock price to decline and adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital. Potential investors should evaluate an investment in our company in light of the obstacles that may be encountered by a start-up company in a competitive market.
Our limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new international markets may limit our expansion strategy and cause our business and growth to suffer.
Our future growth depends, to an extent, on our international expansion efforts. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices internationally, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in any new market. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into new international markets because of limited brand recognition leading to delayed acceptance of our undergarments by customers in these new international markets. Our failure to develop new international markets or disappointing growth outside of existing markets will harm our business and results of operations.
Our auditors’ report on our January 31, 2015 consolidated financial statements includes an explanatory paragraph regarding there being substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
For the year ended January 31, 2015, we incurred a net loss of $21,078,265. We anticipate generating losses for at least the next 12 months. Therefore, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue operations in the future as a going concern, as highlighted by our auditors with respect to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2015. Although our consolidated financial statements raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, they do not reflect any adjustments that might result if we are unable to continue our business.
Our future operating capital depends on our revenues and ability to raise capital through equity investments. Future equity investments will be dilutive to existing shareholders and the terms of securities issued may be more favorable for new investors. Further, in obtaining further equity investments, we may incur substantial costs including investment banking fees, legal fees and accounting fees. Our business operations may fail if our actual cash requirements exceed our estimates and we are not able to obtain further financing. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our shareholders may lose some or all of their investment in our company.
Our success depends on our ability to maintain the value and reputation of our brand.
Our success depends on the value and reputation of the Naked brand. The Naked name is integral to our business as well as to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. Maintaining, promoting and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing and merchandising efforts and our ability to provide a consistent, high quality customer experience. We rely on social media as one of our marketing strategies to have a positive impact on both our brand value and reputation. Our brand could be adversely affected if we fail to achieve these objectives or if our public image or reputation were to be tarnished by negative publicity. Negative publicity regarding the production methods of any of our suppliers or manufacturers could adversely affect our reputation and sales and force us to locate alternative suppliers or manufacturing sources. Additionally, while we devote considerable efforts and resources to protecting our intellectual property, if these efforts are not successful the value of our brand may be harmed, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
An economic downturn or economic uncertainty in our key markets may adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our products.
Many of our products may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Factors affecting the level of consumer spending for such discretionary items include general economic conditions, particularly those in Canada and the United States, and other factors such as consumer confidence in future economic conditions, fears of recession, the availability of consumer credit, levels of unemployment, tax rates and the cost of consumer credit. As global economic conditions continue to be volatile or economic uncertainty remains, trends in consumer discretionary spending also remain unpredictable and subject to reductions due to credit constraints and uncertainties about the future. The current volatility in the United States economy in particular has resulted in an overall slowing in growth in the retail sector because of decreased consumer spending, which may remain depressed for the foreseeable future. These unfavorable economic conditions may lead consumers to delay or reduce purchase of our products. Consumer demand for our products may not reach our sales targets, or may decline, when there is an economic downturn or economic uncertainty in our key markets, particularly in North America. Our sensitivity to economic cycles and any related fluctuation in consumer demand may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
Our sales and profitability may decline as a result of increasing product costs and decreasing selling prices.
Our business is subject to significant pressure on pricing and costs caused by many factors, including intense competition, constrained sourcing capacity and related inflationary pressure, pressure from consumers to reduce the prices we charge for our products and changes in consumer demand. These factors may cause us to experience increased costs, reduce our sales prices to consumers or experience reduced sales in response to increased prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial conditions, operating results and cash flows.
We have a concentration of sales to key customers and any substantial reduction in sales to these customers would have a material adverse effect on our business.
In fiscal 2015 sales were heavily concentrated with Nordstrom, which accounted for 28% of our sales. In fiscal 2014, Nordstrom accounted for 37% of our sales and Holt Renfrew accounted for 12%. Nordstrom is currently of key importance to our business and our results of operations would be materially adversely affected if this relationship ceased. Although we continue to receive increasing sales orders from these customers, neither Nordstrom nor Holt Renfrew have any ongoing purchase commitment agreement with us; therefore, we cannot guarantee that the volume of sales will remain consistent going forward. Any substantial change in purchasing decisions by one or more of these two customers, whether due to actions by our competitors, industry factors or otherwise, could have an adverse effect on our business.
If we are unable to anticipate consumer preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our sales and profitability.
Our success depends on our ability to identify and originate product trends as well as to anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. We may be unable to introduce new products in a timely manner. Our new products may not be accepted by our customers, or our competitors may introduce similar products in a more timely fashion. Failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences could lead to, among other things, lower sales and excess inventory levels. Even if we are successful in anticipating consumer preferences, our ability to adequately react to and address those preferences will in part depend upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high-quality products. Our failure to effectively introduce new products that are accepted by consumers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
Our results of operations could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products.
To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our manufacturers based on our estimates of future demand for particular products. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products could be affected by many factors, including an increase or decrease in customer demand for our products or for products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast customer acceptance of new products, product introductions by competitors, unanticipated changes in general market conditions, and weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic conditions. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of products available for sale in our stores or for delivery to customers. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which would adversely affect our results of operations and could impair the strength and exclusivity of our brand. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand for our products, our manufacturers may not be able to deliver products to meet our requirements, and this could result in damage to our reputation and customer relationships.
The fluctuating cost of raw materials could increase our cost of goods sold and cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer.
The fabrics used by our suppliers and manufacturers include synthetic fabrics whose raw materials include petroleum-based products. Our products also include natural fibers, including cotton. Our costs for raw materials are affected by, among other things, weather, consumer demand, speculation on the commodities market, the relative valuations and fluctuations of the currencies of producer versus consumer countries and other factors that are generally unpredictable and beyond our control. Increases in the cost of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on our cost of goods sold, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We rely on third-party suppliers to provide fabrics for and to produce our products, and we have limited control over them and may not be able to obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity.
We do not manufacture our products or the raw materials for them and rely instead on third-party suppliers. Many of the specialty fabrics used in our products are technically advanced textile products developed and manufactured by third parties and may be available, in the short-term, from only one or a very limited number of sources. We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative materials suppliers of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. In addition, if we experience significant increased demand, or if we need to replace an existing supplier manufacturer, we may be unable to locate additional suppliers of fabrics or raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or we may be unable to locate any supplier or manufacturer with sufficient capacity to meet our requirements or to fill our orders in a timely manner. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labor and other ethical practices. Even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or fabric sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products and quality control standards. Delays related to supplier changes could also arise due to an increase in shipping times if new suppliers are located farther away from other participants in our supply chain. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower net revenue and income from operations both in the short and long term. We have occasionally received, and may in the future continue to receive, shipments of products that fail to comply with our technical specifications or that fail to conform to our quality control standards. In that event, unless we are able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenue resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs. Additionally, if defects in the manufacture of our products are not discovered until after such products are purchased by our customers, our customers could lose confidence in the technical attributes of our products and our results of operations could suffer and our business could be harmed.
We operate in a highly competitive market and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of our market share and a decrease in our net revenue and profitability.
The market for undergarments is highly competitive. Competition may result in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins or lost market share or a failure to grow our market share, any of which could substantially harm our business and results of operations. We compete directly against wholesalers and direct retailers of undergarments, including large, diversified companies with substantial market share and strong worldwide brand recognition, such as Calvin Klein and Armani. Many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, marketing, distribution and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain brand awareness and market share more quickly and effectively than we can. In contrast to our “grassroots” marketing approach, many of our competitors promote their brands through traditional forms of advertising, such as print media and television commercials, and through celebrity endorsements, and have substantial resources to devote to such efforts. Our competitors may also create and maintain brand awareness using traditional forms of advertising more quickly than we can. Our competitors may also be able to increase sales in their new and existing markets faster than we can by emphasizing different distribution channels than we do, such as catalog sales or an extensive franchise network, as opposed to distribution through retail stores, wholesale or internet, and many of our competitors have substantial resources to devote toward increasing sales in such ways.
Any material disruption of our information systems could disrupt our business and reduce our sales.
We are increasingly dependent on information systems to operate our e-commerce website, process transactions, respond to customer inquiries, manage inventory, purchase, sell and ship goods on a timely basis and maintain cost-efficient operations. Any material disruption or slowdown of our systems, including a disruption or slowdown caused by our failure to successfully upgrade our systems, system failures, viruses or other causes, could cause information, including data related to customer orders, to be lost or delayed which could result in delays in the delivery of merchandise to our customers or lost sales, which could reduce demand for our merchandise and cause our sales to decline. If changes in technology cause our information systems to become obsolete, or if our information systems are inadequate to handle our growth, we could lose customers.
Our fabrics and manufacturing technology are not patented and can be imitated by our competitors.
The intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacture our products are owned or controlled by our suppliers and are generally not unique to us. Our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for our products is therefore limited and we currently own no patents or exclusive intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics or processes underlying our products. As a result, our current and future competitors are able to manufacture and sell products with performance characteristics, fabrics and styling similar to our products. Because many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, distribution, marketing and other resources than we do, they may be able to manufacture and sell products based on our fabrics and manufacturing technology at lower prices than we can. If our competitors do sell similar products to ours at lower prices, our net revenue and profitability could suffer.
Our failure or inability to protect our intellectual property rights could diminish the value of our brand and weaken our competitive position.
We currently rely on trademarks, as well as confidentiality procedures, to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that the steps taken by us to protect our intellectual property rights will be adequate to prevent infringement of such rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand. In addition, intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in some foreign countries where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our intellectual property rights as fully as in the United States or Canada, and it may be more difficult for us to successfully challenge the use of our intellectual property rights by other parties in these countries. If we fail to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could be diminished and our competitive position may suffer.
Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management.
Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management and other key employees. The loss of the services of our senior management or other key employees could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals. We also may be unable to retain existing personnel that are critical to our success, which could result in harm to our customer and employee relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and training costs.
Because a significant portion of our sales are generated in Canada, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may negatively affect our results of operations.
The reporting currency for our consolidated financial statements is the US dollar. In the future, we expect to continue to derive a significant portion of our net revenue in Canada, and changes in exchange rates between the Canadian dollar and the US dollar may have a significant, and potentially adverse, effect on our results of operations. Our primary risk of loss regarding foreign currency exchange rate risk is caused by fluctuations in the exchange rates between the US dollar and the Canadian dollar. The exchange rate of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar has fallen in the last twelve months and our results of operations have suffered from the weakness in the Canadian dollar. If the Canadian dollar continues to weaken relative to the US dollar, our net loss could continue to be adversely affected. We have not historically engaged in hedging transactions and do not currently contemplate engaging in hedging transactions to mitigate foreign exchange risks. As we continue to recognize gains and losses in foreign currency transactions, depending upon changes in future currency rates, such gains or losses could have a significant, and potentially adverse, effect on our results of operations.
Our ability to source our merchandise profitably or at all could be hurt if new trade restrictions are imposed or existing trade restrictions become more burdensome.
The United States and the countries in which our products are produced or sold internationally have imposed and may impose additional quotas, duties, tariffs, or other restrictions or regulations, or may adversely adjust prevailing quota, duty or tariff levels. Countries impose, modify and remove tariffs and other trade restrictions in response to a diverse array of factors, including global and national economic and political conditions, which make it impossible for us to predict future developments regarding tariffs and other trade restrictions. Trade restrictions, including tariffs, quotas, embargoes, safeguards and customs restrictions, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of products available to us or may require us to modify our supply chain organization or other current business.
Risk Related to our Stock and Public Reporting Requirements
While we believe we have taken the steps necessary to improve the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to successfully address or prevent material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to comply with disclosure and other requirements may be adversely affected.
Our management identified material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2015 related to the (i) inadequate segregation of duties and effective risk assessment, and (ii) insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting and financial reporting with respect to the requirements and application of both US GAAP and Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines (iii) inadequate security and restricted access to computer systems, including insufficient disaster recovery plans and (iv) lack of a written whistle-blower policy (see “Item 9A. Controls and Procedures”). As a result of these material weaknesses, our management concluded that, as of January 31, 2015, we did not maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We can give no assurances that the measures we take to remediate material weaknesses that we identified will be successful, or that any additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future.
Any material weakness or other deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting may affect our ability to report our financial results on a timely and accurate basis and to comply with disclosure obligations or cause our consolidated financial statements to contain material misstatements, which could negatively affect the market price and trading liquidity of our common stock or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information.
Because we can issue additional shares of common stock, purchasers of our common stock may incur immediate dilution and may experience further dilution.
We are authorized to issue up to 450,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 42,510,063 shares are issued and outstanding as of April 30, 2015. Our board of directors has the authority to cause us to issue additional shares of common stock without consent of any of our shareholders. Consequently, our shareholders may experience more dilution in their ownership of our stock in the future.
Trading on the OTCQB may be volatile and sporadic, which could depress the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for our shareholders to resell their shares.
Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB marketplace operated by the OTC Markets Group. Trading in stock quoted on the OTCQB is often thin and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices, due to many factors that may have little to do with our operations or business prospects. This volatility could depress the market price of our common stock for reasons unrelated to operating performance. Moreover, the OTCQB is not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on the OTCQB is often more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on stock exchanges like NYSE and NASDAQ. Accordingly, shareholders may have difficulty reselling any of their shares.
A decline in the price of our common stock could affect our ability to raise further working capital, may adversely impact our ability to continue operations and we may go out of business.
A prolonged decline in the price of our common stock could result in a reduction in the liquidity of our common stock and a reduction in our ability to raise capital. Because we may attempt to acquire a significant portion of the funds we need in order to conduct our planned operations through the sale of equity securities, a decline in the price of our common stock could be detrimental to our liquidity and our operations because the decline may cause investors to not choose to invest in our stock. If we are unable to raise the funds we require for all our planned operations, we may be forced to reallocate funds from other planned uses and may suffer a significant negative effect on our business plan and operations, including our ability to develop new products and continue our current operations. As a result, our business may suffer, and not be successful and we may go out of business. We also might not be able to meet our financial obligations if we cannot raise enough funds through the sale of our common stock and we may be forced to go out of business.
Because we do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the near future, our shareholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them.
We intend to retain any future earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the near future. The declaration, payment and amount of any future dividends will be made at the discretion of the board of directors, and will depend upon, among other things, the results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, operating and capital requirements, and such other factors as the board of directors considers relevant. There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount of any such dividend. Unless we pay dividends, our shareholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them.
The exercise of outstanding options and warrants, as well as the conversion of convertible debt instruments, may have a dilutive effect on the price of our common stock.
To the extent that outstanding stock options and warrants are exercised and convertible debt instruments are converted into shares of our common stock, dilution to our shareholders will occur. Moreover, the terms upon which we will be able to obtain additional equity capital may be adversely affected, since the holders of the outstanding options, warrants and convertible debt instruments can be expected to exercise them at a time when we would, in all likelihood, be able to obtain any needed capital on terms more favorable to us than the exercise terms provided by the outstanding options, warrants or convertible debt instruments. At April 30, 2015, the total dilutive securities outstanding, including options, warrants and shares issuable upon conversion of convertible debt instruments was approximately 237,278,000 shares.
Our stock is a penny stock. Trading of our stock may be restricted by the SEC’s penny stock regulations which may limit a shareholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
Our stock is a penny stock. The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted Rule 15g-9 which generally defines “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules; the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our common stock.
FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit a shareholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
In addition to the “penny stock” rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. The FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our stock.
ITEM 1B.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We currently maintain offices at 10th Floor - 95 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, USA, which we lease for approximately $5,000 per month. The lease is on a month to month basis.
Subsequent to January 31, 2015, we closed our Canadian offices which were located at #2 - 34346 Manufacturers Way in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.
We believe our New York offices are suitable and adequate premises from which to operate our business at this time as they provide us with sufficient space to conduct our operations.
The description of our intellectual property rights is under the section entitled “Business - Intellectual Property”.
ITEM 3.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We know of no material, existing or pending legal proceedings to which our company or our subsidiary is a party or of which any of their property is subject. There are no proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates, or any registered or beneficial stockholder holding more than 5% of our shares, is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our company’s or our subsidiary’s interest.
ITEM 4.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market for Securities
Our common stock is not traded on any exchange. Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB marketplace operated by the OTC Markets Group under the trading symbol “NAKD”. Trading in stocks quoted on the OTCQB is often thin and is characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices due to many factors that may have little to do with a company’s operations or business prospects.
Set forth below are the range of high and low bid quotations for our common stock from the OTCQB for each fiscal quarter during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014. The market quotations were obtained from the OTCQB, and reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual transactions:
(1)
Such quotes reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.
On April 28, 2015, the closing price for our common stock as reported by the OTCQB was $0.1049.
Transfer Agent
Our shares of common stock are issued in registered form. The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Standard Registrar and Transfer Company, Inc. Its address is 12528 South 1840 East Draper, UT 84020.
Holders of Common Stock
As of April 30, 2015, there were approximately xx registered holders of record of our common stock. As of such date, 42,510,063 shares were issued and outstanding.
Dividends
We have not declared any dividends since incorporation and do not anticipate that we will do so in the foreseeable future. Subject to compliance with applicable corporate laws, our directors will determine if and when dividends should be declared and paid in the future based on our financial position at the relevant time. All shares of our common stock are entitled to an equal share of any dividends declared and paid.
Securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans
2014 Stock Option Plan
On June 6, 2014, our board of directors approved a 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”), which provides for the grant of stock options, restricted shares, restricted share units and performance stock and units to directors, officers, employees and consultants of our Company. Stockholder approval of the plan was obtained on August 21, 2014.
The maximum number of our common shares reserved for issue under the plan is 110,000,000 shares subject to adjustment in the event of a change of the Company’s capitalization (as described in the 2014 Plan). As a result of the adoption of the 2014 Plan, no further option awards will be granted under any previously existing stock option plan. Stock option awards previously granted under previously existing stock option plans remain outstanding in accordance with their terms.
The 2014 Plan is administered by the board of directors, except that it may, in its discretion, delegate such responsibility to a committee of such board. The exercise price will be determined by the board of directors at the time of grant. Stock options may be granted under the 2014 Plan for an exercise period of up to ten years from the date of grant of the option or such lesser periods as may be determined by the board, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the 2014 Plan.
The following table summarizes certain information regarding our equity compensation plans as at January 31, 2015:
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Since the beginning of our fiscal year ended January 31, 2015, we have not sold any equity securities that were not registered under the Securities Act of 1933 that were not previously reported in an annual report on Form 10-K, in a quarterly report on Form 10-Q or in a current report on Form 8-K.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
ITEM 6.
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Not Applicable.
ITEM 7.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes for the year ended January 31, 2015 included in this annual report and the factors that could affect our future financial condition and results of operations that are discussed in this annual report. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of any contingent liabilities at the financial statement date and reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. On an on-going basis, we review our estimates and assumptions. The estimates were based on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results are likely to differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions. Historical results may not be indicative of future performance.
The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this annual report, particularly in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 of this annual report and “Forward-Looking Statements” beginning on page 1 above.
Our audited financial statements are stated in United States Dollars and are prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America.
Overview of business operations
We are a manufacturer and seller of direct and wholesale men’s undergarments to consumers and retailers.
Our primary operations are conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Naked. We will continue to produce men’s undergarments, loungewear and sleepwear. We are also developing a line of women’s underwear and intimate apparel.
Recent Corporate Developments
Since the commencement of our fourth quarter ended January 31, 2015, we have experienced the following significant corporate developments, not discussed elsewhere:
•
We launched a Fall 2015 men’s collection with cutting edge cotton and cotton blend fabrics and a broader array of underwear, loungewear and sleepwear styles. The Fall 2015 men’s collection features redesigned tailoring, packaging and expanded product groupings. In February 2015, the expanded and redesigned collection was made available at premium Nordstrom locations across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, including an expanded Nordstrom in-store presence.
•
We presented at the Noble Financial conference in January 2015 in Florida. Our presentation included a runway fashion show featuring 18 of the newest Naked designs for men and women.
•
On February 3, 2015, we appointed Paul Hayes as a director of our company and a member of our audit committee (Chairman). Mr. Hayes, a certified public accountant, led the commercial finance and accounting team for the $500 million Calvin Klein brand business in Europe in his capacity as Chief Financial Officer for the Europe region of The Warnaco Group, which was acquired in 2013 by PVH Corporation. He has extensive global experience managing and driving growth in a wide range of industries, particularly in the intimate apparel and sleepwear categories through his tenure at Calvin Klein. Currently, Mr. Hayes serves as the Vice President Finance for Parfums de Coeur, a fragrance and bath products concern.
•
On February 25, 2015, we appointed Martha Olson as a director of our company. Ms. Olson has a proven track record over her 30 year career of growing global, iconic brands such as Calvin Klein Underwear and Ralph Lauren Intimates while delivering superior shareholder returns. As a Warnaco Corporate Officer and the Group President of Calvin Klein Underwear Global and the Heritage Brands (Speedo, Chaps and Core Intimates Divisions), the businesses she had responsibility for grew to $1.4 billion and contributed 70% of Warnaco’s Operating Income. Calvin Klein Underwear revenue grew at an annualized compound rate of 8%. She has strong global expertise in general management, operations, commercial execution and marketing across a wide range of industries.
•
On March 11, 2015 we announced that the European Community Trademark Office issued a Registration Certificate for our Naked trademark covering apparel. As a result, the Naked trademark is protected in all 28 Member States of the European Union and further facilitates our Company’s strategy to become a global lifestyle brand.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED JANUARY 31, 2015
Revenue
During the year ended January 31, 2015, we generated net sales of $557,212 compared to $639,107 for the same period in 2014, a decrease of $81,895 or 12.8% . Net sales decreased as a result of the liquidation of old inventory as a result of our planned transition to new product collections featuring new branding, product design and production improvements, all of which were brought to market subsequent to the end of the fiscal year. The reduction was also the result of new product introductions in the comparative period (our Tencel and Silver product lines) which resulted in larger initial bulk up orders during fiscal 2014.
Gross Margins
During the year ended January 31, 2015, we recorded net write-downs of inventory in the amount of approximately $250,000 to reduce inventory to its estimated net realizable value. These write downs are a result of a new core management team and manufacturing partnership which triggered a period of transition in branding, product design and production changes implemented concurrent and subsequent to the end of our fiscal year ended January 31, 2015. We continued to sell pre-existing inventory through to the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 when we launched our new Fall 2015 men’s collection.
Operating Expenses
(1) There was an increase to $3,315,993 for non-cash stock option compensation charges included in salaries and benefits for the year ended January 31, 2015, as compared to $250,361 for the year ended January 31, 2014, an increase of $3,065,632. These stock based compensation charges relate to stock options issued to a new core management team as part of certain incentive based compensation packages.
There was an increase in general and administrative expenses to $6,690,553 for the year ended January 31, 2015, compared to $2,830,661 for the year ended January 31, 2014, an increase of $3,859,890, or 136.4% .
Of the total operating expenses, $3,318,241 was related to non-cash stock option compensation charges for the year ended January 31, 2015, as compared to $731,615 for the year ended January 31, 2014, an increase of $2,586,626. These amounts are included in the salaries and benefits, investor relations and consulting components of general and administrative expenses above. These stock based compensation charges relate mostly to stock options issued to a new core management team as part of certain incentive based compensation packages. The fair value of stock option compensation is calculated using the Black Scholes option pricing model and is charged to operating expenses over the vesting term of the related option awards. See the notes to our consolidated financial statements for more detailed information.
We incurred lower consulting charges in fiscal 2015 as compared to the prior year. Included in consulting fees in the prior year is an amount of $338,179 related to share based compensation expense as a result of stock options issued to consultants engaged for key person, product and sales alignment and event promotion. No such consultant’s options were granted in fiscal 2015.
Director fees decreased in fiscal 2015 as a result of charges related to equity based compensation in connection with the appointment of a new director in that period. In fiscal 2015, equity based compensation issued to new directors is being amortized over the vesting term of the related awards, resulting in less current period expense.
Our investor relations expenses were significantly reduced in fiscal 2015 as a result of the termination of contractual relationships with investor relations firms who had been assisting in capital raising efforts through introductions to the institutional and retail investment community. These capital raising efforts were continued internally within the company and, as described above, are reflected in the successful Offering, which closed in June and July 2014.
We significantly increased spending on product development in fiscal 2015 in connection with the engagement of a team of designers and consultants, who are working with employees of the company, and other involved partners, on an expanded and redesigned men’s collection and the fabrication and design of an entire complimentary women’s line of intimate apparel. The new Fall 2015men’s collection was introduced in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 and we expect to introduce our first women’s collections during calendar 2015 as well.
Professional fees increased year over year, as a result of higher legal fees associated with the Offering, new employment contracts, a new incentive stock option plan and the related written consent solicitation from our stockholders, and from the preparation of a registration statement in connection with the Offering.
Salaries and benefits increased due to increased staffing levels related to a new core management team and related employment contracts, and as a result of the allocation of non-cash stock based compensation charges, as described above.
Other income and expenses
We incurred interest expense of $465,618 for the year ended January 31, 2015 as compared to $77,381 for the year ended January 31, 2014. This increase in interest is attributable to long term financings entered into during the year ended January 31, 2015, in connection with the Offering. Long-term debt is accruing interest at 6% per annum, payable semi-annually. Of the total interest expense, an amount of $274,823 was paid in shares of our common stock. These shares were recorded at the fair value of the shares on the date they were issued as payment, which was in excess of the amount of cash interest owing.
Financing and accretion charges increased to $2,425,697 for the year ended January 31, 2015 from $737,595 for the year ended January 31, 2014. This is the result of the immediate recognition of all commissions and direct financing related expenses associated with the $7.3 Million Offering. Accounting rules required the immediate recognition of all transaction related expenses associated with the Offering as a result of the classification and treatment of the related host contract as a derivative financial instrument, as outlined below. In the comparative period, financing and accretion charges were mostly the result of the amortization of financing fees associated with the issuance of short term promissory notes, as well as amendment of an existing loan facility with Kalamalka Partners.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, in connection with the Offering, we issued convertible debentures and warrants, each of which were convertible or exercisable into shares of our common stock and, these embedded conversion features and warrants were subject to a registration rights agreement which, pursuant to the terms of this agreement, triggered the requirement to account for these instruments as derivative financial instruments. In connection with the issuance of these securities as part of the Offering, we recorded a derivative expense of $12,028,383 related to the fair value of these outstanding contracts at the contract inception date. Further, we recorded net mark to market adjustments of $1,921,568 during the year ended January 31, 2015, in correlation with fluctuations in the price of our common stock. In the comparative period, we had net mark to market derivative adjustments of $9,358, in connection with a derivative liability that was being recognized in our financial statements because of a full ratchet provision included in a convertible promissory note. This promissory note was repaid during the year ended January 31, 2015.
We had debt conversion expenses of $309,011 and net losses on extinguishment of debt of $810,765 during the year ended January 31, 2015. These charges arose in connection with the settlement of various short term financing arrangements that had been entered into to bridge operations until the Offering was completed. Subsequent to and concurrent with the Offering we settled these short-term obligations through a combination of cash and stock issuances, as described in detail in our financial statements filed herein.
For the year ended January 31, 2014, other expenses included a $468,753 loss associated with the amendment to the Kalamalka Notes that had entered into default in a previous reporting period. This loss is the result of providing concessions to the Lenders as compensation for defaulting on the covenants under these Notes. These concessions included a reduced conversion price for the Notes and modified terms associated with warrants issued in connection with the Notes.
Net loss and comprehensive loss
Our net loss for the year ended January 31, 2015 was $(21,078,265), or $(0.58) per share, as compared to a net loss of $(4,238,490), or $(0.14) per share, for the year ended January 31, 2014. The most significant factors for the increase in net loss in the current period are substantial non-cash losses associated with the derivative accounting in connection with the Offering, as described above as well as an increase in general and administrative expenses as a result of stock based compensation charges related to stock options issued to a new core management team as part of incentive based compensation packages.
LIQUIDITY AND FINANCIAL CONDITION
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Private Placement Offering (the “Offering”)
During the year ended January 31, 2015, we entered into Subscription Agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) with several investors (collectively, the “Purchasers”) in connection with a brokered private placement offering (the “Offering”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,309,832 through the sale of 292 units (the “Units”) at a price of $25,000 per Unit. Each Unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 (each, a “Debenture”) and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreements (the “Warrants”).
In connection with the close of the Offering, we issued Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $7,309,832. As consideration, we (i) received gross cash proceeds equal to $6,094,100, before deducting agent fees and other transaction-related expenses; and (ii) exchanged our 6% senior secured convertible notes in the aggregate amount of $1,094,159, being the principal and accrued interest due under such notes, for the issuance of Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $1,215,732, at an exchange rate equal to ninety percent (90%) of the purchase price paid in the Offering. Interest accruing under the debentures is payable semi-annually, in cash or in kind, at the option of the Company as long as certain equity conditions are satisfied. At January 31, 2015, such equity conditions had not been satisfied and, consequently, interest is payable in cash unless such equity conditions failure has been waived by each holder. The funds raised from the sale of the Units are being used for marketing and new product development and design, as well as general working capital requirements.
The Debentures are secured against all the tangible and intangible assets of the Company.
In connection with the issuance of the Units, we entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with each purchaser pursuant to which we agreed to file a registration statement covering the resale of the shares issuable upon conversion of the debentures and upon exercise of the warrants. The Company filed such registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on October 8, 2014. However, due to a limit on the number of shares that could be registered pursuant to SEC policy, the Company was unable to include in such registration statement the shares underlying the debentures (the “Conversion Shares”). As a result of our Company’s inability to include such Conversion Shares, a condition of the Debentures is triggered which limits the ability of our Company to elect payment of interest accruing under the Debentures in shares of common stock (“in kind”) unless such condition is formally waived by each holder. During the year ended January 31, 2015 and in connection with the first interest payment date, the Company received waivers from holders of $4,874,832 in outstanding principal amounts of the Debentures. Such holders received payment of interest in kind, resulting in the issuance of 1,949,933 shares of our common as payment for $146,245 in interest due.
Bridge Financing
On April 7, 2014, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain purchasers pursuant to which we agreed to issue 6% Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes (the “SPA Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $1,083,797. As consideration, the Company (i) received cash proceeds equal to $878,704 (the “Cash Proceeds”), of which $50,000 was received subsequent to October 31, 2014; (ii) exchanged a promissory note with an outstanding amount of $76,388, being the principal and accrued interest due under a convertible promissory note dated December 24, 2013 for the issuance of a SPA Note in the same amount; and (iii) exchanged a promissory note with an outstanding amount of $128,705, being the remaining principal amount due under a convertible promissory note dated October 2, 2013 for the issuance of a SPA Note in the same amount.
The principal amount of $1,083,797 were to mature on April 7, 2015 (the “Maturity Date”) and were bearing interest at the rate of 6% per annum, payable on the Maturity Date. The principal amount of the SPA Notes and all acquired and unpaid interest thereon were contractually exchanged for securities issued by the Company in connection with the Offering, as defined and described above, at an exchange rate equal to ninety percent (90%) of the aggregate purchase price paid in the Offering.
Agency Agreement with Kalamalka Partners
On August 10, 2012, we entered into the Agency Agreement with Kalamalka and certain lenders (the “Lenders”) as set out in the Agency Agreement whereby we agreed to borrow up to $800,000 from the Lenders under a revolving loan arrangement by the issuance of Notes from time to time as such funds are required by us. The Notes are secured by a general security agreement over the present and future assets of the Company and were bearing interest at 12% per annum, calculated and payable monthly. The principal amount outstanding under any Note and all accrued and unpaid interest therein, were convertible into common shares at $0.75 per share at any time at the option of the Lender. These terms were later amended, as described below. During the year ended January 31, 2014, we entered into another Agency and Interlender Agreement with Kalamalka, and certain lenders whereby we agreed to borrow up to an additional $300,000.
On April 4, 2014, we entered into Amendment Agreements with Kalamalka and the Lenders (the “Amendment Agreements”). In connection with the Amendment Agreements, we amended several convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $600,000 as follows: (i) we extended the due date of the Notes to October 1, 2016; (ii) we reduced the interest rate accruing under the Notes to 6% per annum, calculated and payable quarterly; (iii) we removed borrowing margin requirements; (iv) we reduced the conversion price on Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $400,000 from $0.50 per share to $0.25 per share. Also in connection with the Amendment Agreements and pursuant to an Inter-Lender Agreement dated April 4, 2014 between CSD Holdings LLC (“CSD”), a company controlled by a director of our company, Kalamalka and each of the Lenders, CSD and Kalamalka have acknowledged that the Offering Debentures (as described above) shall rank pari passu with the Notes and that Kalamalka shall provide CSD with a written notice of at least 119 days prior to taking any action or enforcing any right against the Company in respect of the Notes. The parties also agreed that neither Kalamalka nor the Lenders would take any action or position in enforcement of their security interest that is contrary to that taken by CSD in respect of the Offering Debentures.
As consideration for entering into these amendments, 500,000 share purchase warrants exercisable at a price of $0.50 until August 10, 2018 held by Kalamalka were exchanged for 600,000 warrants exercisable at a price of $0.15 for a period of 5 years from the date of issuance (“New Warrants”) and we issued an additional 1,800,000 New Warrants.
Also on April 4, 2014, we entered into a Conversion Agreement with an additional Lender, pursuant to which we issued an aggregate of 1,018,685 shares, at a conversion price of $0.10 per share, to settle a Note in the amount of $100,000 plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon of $1,868.
Further, on April 7, 2014, the other remaining principal balance of $75,000 plus accrued interest was converted into a SPA Note, as defined and described above.
Future Financing
At January 31, 2015, we required further financing to implement our proposed business plan.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, we increased our working capital position as follows;
(i)
we extended the maturity date and certain other terms of other current obligations in the aggregate amount of $600,000, thus improving our working capital position; and
(ii)
we received cash proceeds of $6,094,100 in connection with the issuance of 6% senior secured convertible promissory notes.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, in connection with the Offering, we raised aggregate gross proceeds, before debt settlements, of $7,309,832 through the issuance of units consisting of convertible debentures and share purchase warrants. Further, we settled short terms obligations totaling $225,308 through the issuance of 2,205,745 shares of our common stock.
Cash Flows
Operating Activities
Cash flows used in our operating activities was $3,702,330 for the year ended January 31, 2015, compared to $1,751,618 for the comparative period. The cash used in operations during the 2015 period was largely the result of a net loss for the period, offset by net non-cash charges of $17,546,983, mostly related to derivative liability accounting and share based compensation charges as described above.
Investing Activities
Investing activities used cash of $48,978 during the year ended January 31, 2015, compared to $11,747 for the comparative period. Investing activities in the 2015 period included cash outlays for some retail display and for patent and trademark acquisitions, maintenance and protection being incurred as we develop new products.
Financing Activities
Financing activities provided cash of $5,627,065 for the year ended January 31, 2015, compared to $1,787,063 for the comparative period. We received cash of $6,094,100 in connection with the Offering, which were partially offset by repayments of short term promissory notes in the amount of $413,385 and convertible promissory notes in the amount of $364,640. We also incurred debt offering costs of $616,178 related to commissions and direct transaction related expenses related to the Offering.
Proceeds from financing activities during the year ended January 31, 2014 were mostly related to funds received for private placements and the issuance of short term promissory notes. We received proceeds of $983,250 related to private placements. We also received cash of $571,122 in connection with the issuance of short term promissory notes and $958,500 in connection with the issuance of convertible promissory notes during the year.
Commitments and capital expenditures
We do not anticipate that we will expend any significant amount on capital expenditures like equipment over the next twelve months or enter into any other material commitments.
Going Concern
As at January 31, 2015 we had not yet achieved profitable operations and expect to continue to incur significant losses from operations in the immediate future. These factors cast substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. To remain a going concern, we will be required to obtain the necessary financing to meet our obligations and repay our substantial existing liabilities as well as further liabilities arising from normal business operations as they come due. Management plans to obtain the necessary financing through the issuance of equity to existing stockholders. Should we be unable to obtain this financing, we may need to substantially scale back operations or cease business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. There are no assurances that we will be able to obtain additional financing necessary to support our working capital requirements. To the extent that funds generated from operations are insufficient, we will have to raise additional working capital. No assurance can be given that additional financing will be available, or if available, will be on terms acceptable to us.
These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset carrying amounts or the amount and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
Segment Reporting
We used several factors in identifying and analyzing reportable segments, including the basis of organization, such as differences in products and services, and geographical areas. Our chief operating decision makers review financial information presented on a consolidated basis for the purposes of making operating decisions and assessing financing performance. Accordingly, we have determined that as of January 31, 2015 and 2014, there is only a single reportable operating segment.
We operate in one industry, the manufacture and sale of direct and wholesale undergarments. Revenues from external customers are all derived from customers located within North America as follows:
At January 31, 2015, the net book value of long-lived assets were located within North America as follows:
At January 31, 2014 substantially all of the Company’s long-lived assets were located in Canada.
Disclosure of Outstanding Share Data
As of April 30, 2015, there were 42,510,063 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. In addition, at April 30, 2015, the total dilutive securities outstanding, including options, warrants and shares issuable upon conversion of convertible debt instruments was approximately 237,092,000 shares.
Off-balance sheet arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.
Application of Critical Accounting Policies
Our financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles used in the United States. Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses. These estimates and assumptions are affected by management’s application of accounting policies. We believe that understanding the basis and nature of the estimates and assumptions involved with the following aspects of our financial statements is critical to an understanding of our financial statements.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires that we make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. There have been no material changes to these estimates for the periods presented in this annual report.
We believe that of our significant accounting policies, which are described in Note 3 to our annual financial statements, the following accounting policies involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, the following policies are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations.
Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Sales are recorded when title and risk of loss has passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, the selling price is fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonable assured. Significant management judgments and estimates must be made in connection with determination of revenue to be recognized in any accounting period in respect of the timing of when the applicable revenue recognition criteria have been met. If we made different judgments or utilized different estimates for any period material differences in the amount and timing of revenue recognized could result.
Accounts receivables consist of amounts due from customers and are recorded upon the shipment of product to customers. Credit terms are extended to customers in the normal course of business and no collateral is required. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical losses, the existing economic conditions and the financial stability of its customers. Accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. Significant management judgment is involved in making the determination with respect to uncollectible amounts.
Inventory
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market value. Cost is determined using the weighted average method, which under the circumstances, management believes will provide for the most practical basis for the measurement of periodic income. Management periodically reviews inventory for slow moving or obsolete items and consider realizability based on the Company’s marketing strategies and sales forecasts to determine if an allowance is necessary. If market value is below cost then an allowance is created to adjust the inventory carrying amount to reflect this.
Assumptions and estimates about the recoverability of certain inventory may be subject to significant judgment. A variety of factors must be incorporated into these estimates and assumptions such as industry and economic trends and internal factors such as changes in our business and forecasts.
Impairment of Long-Lived Asset
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carry amounts may not be recoverable, or on an annual basis, where appropriate. Such a review involves assessing qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that a long-lived asset is impaired.
If the Company assesses that there is a likelihood of impairment, then the Company will perform a quantitative analysis comparing the carrying value of the assets with the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets, including cash flows from disposition. Should the sum of the expected future net cash flows be less than the carrying value, the company would recognize an impairment loss at that date for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value.
Assumptions and estimates about future values and remaining useful lives of our intangible and other long-lived assets are complex and subjective. These estimates and assumptions may include revenue growth rates and operating margins used to calculate projected future cash flows and risk adjusted discounted rates and future economic and market conditions. If applicable, our long-term financial forecast represent the best estimate that our management has at this time and we believe that its underlying assumptions are reasonable. Management has determined that no impairment currently exists.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. The most significant estimates we made are those relating to uncollectible receivables, inventory valuation and obsolescence, stock-based compensation expense, and derivative valuations.
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
ASC Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, requires that compensation expense for employee stock-based compensation be recognized over the requisite service period based on the fair value of the award, at the date of grant.
Stock-based compensation represents the cost related to stock-based awards granted to employees and non-employee consultants. We measure stock-based compensation cost at measurement date, based on the estimated fair value of the award, and generally recognize the cost as expense on a straight-line basis (net of estimated forfeitures) over the employee requisite service period or the period during which the related services are provided by the non-employee consultants and the options are earned. We estimate the fair value of stock options using a Black-Scholes option valuation model, which utilizes various assumptions and estimates that are subject to management judgment.
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company has estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities. The expected life of options granted has been determined utilizing the "simplified" method as prescribed by the SEC's Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 110 Share-Based Payment. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected term of the stock options. We have not paid and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our shares of common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero. In addition, ASC 718 requires companies to utilize an estimated forfeiture rate when calculating the expense for the period. We applied an estimated forfeiture rate of 0% in determining the expense recorded in our consolidated statement of operations given our limited forfeiture experience history.
Derivative Liabilities
From time to time, we may issue warrants and convertible instruments with embedded conversion options which, dependent on their specific contractual terms, may be required to be accounted for as separate derivative liabilities. These liabilities are required to be measured at fair value. These instruments are then adjusted to reflect fair value at each period end. Any increase or decrease in the fair value is recorded in results of operations as change in fair value of derivative liabilities. In determining the appropriate fair value, we use the binomial pricing model because these instruments are not quoted on an active market.
Option pricing models require the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected price volatility. Changes in assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate and therefore the binomial model does not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of these instruments.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period ("ASU 2014-12"). ASU 2014-12 requires that a performance target that affects vesting, and that could be achieved after the requisite service period, be treated as a performance condition. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant date fair value of the award. This update further clarifies that compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15”). ASU 2014-15 will explicitly require management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, and to provide related footnote disclosure in certain circumstances. The new standard will be effective for all entities in the first annual period ending after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
On May 28, 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a converged standard on revenue recognition from contracts with customers, ASU 2014-09 (Topic 606 and IFRS 15). This standard will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Other than noted above, we do not expect the adoption of recently issued accounting pronouncements to have a significant impact on our results of operations, financial position or cash flow.
ITEM 7A.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Not applicable.
ITEM 8.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Our financial statements are stated in United States Dollars (US$) and are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
Report of BDO USA, LLP
Report of BDO Canada LLP
Consolidated Balance Sheets as at January 31, 2015 and January 31, 2014
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014
Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity (Capital Deficit) for the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Financial Statements
For the Year Ended January 31,
Tel: 212-885-8000 100 Park Avenue
Fax: 212-697-1299 New York, NY 10017
www.bdo.com
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Board of Directors and Stockholders
Naked Brand Group Inc.
New York, NY
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Naked Brand Group Inc. as of January 31, 2015 and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (capital deficit), and cash flows for the year then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Naked Brand Group Inc. at January 31, 2015, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company incurred a net loss of $21,078,265 for the year ended January 31, 2015, had a capital deficit of $2,224,180 at January 31, 2015 and the Company expects to incur further losses in the development of its business. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
New York, NY
April 30, 2015
BDO USA, LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, is the U.S. member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms.
BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms.
Tel: 604 688 5421 BDO Canada LLP
Fax: 604 688 5132 600 Cathedral Place
www.bdo.ca 925 West Georgia Street
Vancouver BC V6C 3L2 Canada
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Naked Brand Group Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Naked Brand Group Inc. as of January 31, 2014 and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (capital deficit), and cash flows for the year ended January 31, 2014. These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Naked Brand Group Inc. at January 31, 2014 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended January 31, 2014, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2014 have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company had a working capital deficiency, is in default with respect to certain loan agreements and expects to incur further losses in the development of its business. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
/s/ BDO CANADA LLP
Chartered Accountants
Vancouver, Canada
May 14, 2014
BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity (Capital Deficit)
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
1.
Nature of Business
Naked Brand Group Inc. (the “Company”) is a manufacturer and seller of direct and wholesale men’s undergarments and intimate apparels in the United States and Canada to consumers and retailers through its wholly owned subsidiary, Naked Inc. (“Naked”). Established in 2010, Naked was founded on one basic desire, to create a new standard for how products worn close to the skin fit, feel and function.
The Company currently operates out of New York, New York, United States of America and Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. In the future, Naked plans to expand into other women's intimate apparel, sleepwear and loungewear as well as other apparel and product categories that can exemplify the mission of the brand, such as activewear, swimwear, sportswear and more.
2.
Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) on a going concern basis, which assumes that the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its obligations and commitments in the normal course of operations. Realization values may be substantially different from carrying values as shown and these consolidated financial statements do not give effect to adjustments that would be necessary to the carrying values and classification of assets and liabilities should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
As of January 31, 2015, the Company had not yet achieved profitable operations and expects to incur significant further losses in the development of its business, which casts substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. To remain a going concern, the Company will be required to obtain the necessary financing to pursue its plan of operation. Management plans to obtain the necessary financing through the issuance of equity and/or debt. Should the Company not be able to obtain this financing, it may need to substantially scale back operations or cease business. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
3.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Accounting
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Naked. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated.
Reporting Currency and Foreign Currency
The functional currency of the Company is the US dollar. Transaction amounts denominated in foreign currencies are translated into their US dollar equivalents at exchange rates prevailing at the transaction dates. Foreign currency gains and losses on transactions or settlements are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations.
These consolidated financial statements have been presented in US dollars, which is the Company’s reporting currency.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
Segment Reporting
The Company used several factors in identifying and analyzing reportable segments, including the basis of organization, such as differences in products and services, and geographical areas. The Company’s chief operating decision makers review financial information presented on a consolidated basis for the purposes of making operating decisions and assessing financing performance. Accordingly, the Company has determined that as of January 31, 2015 and 2014, there is only a single reportable operating segment.
The Company operates in one industry, the manufacture and sale of direct and wholesale undergarments. Revenues from external customers are all derived from customers located within North America as follows:
At January 31, 2015, the net book value of long-lived assets all located within North America were as follows:
Revenue Recognition, Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
Sales are recorded when title and risk of loss has passed to the customer, when persuasive evidence of a sales arrangement exists, the selling price is fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonable assured.
Accounts receivable consist of amounts due from customers and are recorded upon the shipment of product to customers. Credit terms are extended to customers in the normal course of business and no collateral is required. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical losses, the existing economic conditions and the financial stability of its customers. Accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of accounts receivable previously written off are recorded when received.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Inventory
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market value. Cost is determined using the weighted average method, which under the circumstances, management believes will provide for the most practical basis for the measurement of periodic income. Management periodically reviews inventory for slow moving or obsolete items and considers realizability based on the Company’s marketing strategies and sales forecasts to determine if an allowance is necessary. If market value is below cost then an allowance is created to adjust the carrying amount of inventory.
Equipment
Equipment is recorded at cost. Equipment is depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives.
The estimated useful lives for each asset group are as follows:
At the time depreciable property is retired or otherwise disposed of the related cost and accumulated depreciation is removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.
Intangible Assets
Indefinite-life intangible assets, consisting of costs to acquire trademarks with an indefinite life, are recorded at cost, net of impairment charges, if applicable. No amortization has been taken on indefinite life intangible assets. Indefinite-life intangible assets are reviewed for impairment annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.
Website Costs
The Company recognizes the costs associated with developing a website in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350-40, Website development costs (“ASC 350-40”).
Internal and external costs incurred during the preliminary project stage are expensed as they are incurred. Internal and external costs incurred to develop internal-use computer software during the application development stage are capitalized. Training costs are not internal-use software development costs and, if incurred during this stage, are expensed as incurred.
These capitalized costs are amortized based on their estimated useful life over two years.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carry amounts may not be recoverable. Such a review involves assessing qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that a long-lived asset is impaired.
If the Company assesses that there is a likelihood of impairment, then the Company will perform a quantitative analysis comparing the carrying value of the assets with the estimated future net undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets, including cash flows from disposition. Should the sum of the expected future net cash flows be less than the carrying value, the Company would recognize an impairment loss at that date for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds its fair value. Management has determined that no impairment has been identified in the years ended January 31, 2015 or 2014.
Shipping and Handling Costs
Costs associated with the Company’s third-party shipping, warehousing and handling activities are included within operating expenses on the statement of operations.
(i)
Shipping costs associated with marketing related promotions are included as a component of general and administrative expenses as office and miscellaneous expense. These shipping costs were $25,930 for the year ended January 31, 2015 ($41,696 for the year ended January 31, 2014).
(ii)
Shipping costs billed to customers are recorded as revenues and related out-bound shipping costs incurred by the Company are recorded as cost of sales.
(iii)
Warehousing and handling costs, and shipping costs associated with transfers of inventory to and from third party warehouses to the Company’s warehouse are included in general and administrative expense as warehouse management. These warehousing, shipping and handling costs were $91,000 for the year ended January 31, 2015 ($104,580 for the year ended January 31, 2014).
Advertising Expense
The Company expenses advertising costs to operations during the period in which they were incurred. The Company expensed $38,278 and $60,011 related to advertising for the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Income Taxes
The current income tax represents the amount of income taxes expected to be paid or the benefit expected to be received for the current year taxable income or loss. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences arising between the carrying value of assets and liabilities for financial statement and tax reporting purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
In assessing the recoverability of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the period in which those temporary differences become deductible. Management considers projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment.
The Company recognizes the impact of a tax position in the consolidated financial statements if the position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination on the technical merits of the position. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits and penalties as income tax expense. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. Federal jurisdiction and various state and local jurisdiction. The Company’s returns are no longer subject to U.S Federal tax examination for years before 2011. The Company has no uncertain tax positions as of January 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively; consequently no interest or penalties have been accrued by the Company.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The Company accounts for its financial assets and liabilities in accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The fair value hierarchy contains three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value as follows:
Level 1 inputs utilize quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2 inputs are inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals;
Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability which are typically based on an entity’s own assumptions, as there is little, if any, related market activity.
In instances where the determination of the fair value measurement is based on inputs from different levels of the fair value hierarchy, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the entire fair value measurement falls is based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the asset or liability.
The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, notes payable, related party payables and convertible promissory notes. Other than convertible promissory notes, the fair values of these financial instruments approximate their respective carrying values because of the short maturity of these instruments. The Company determined that the aggregate fair value of promissory notes payable outstanding at January 31, 2015 and 2014, based on Level 2 inputs in the fair value hierarchy, was equal to their aggregate book value based on the short maturities and current borrowing rates available to the Company.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The fair value of the Company’s convertible promissory notes is based on Level 3 inputs in the fair value hierarchy. The Company calculated the fair value of these notes by discounting future cash flows using rates representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments without a conversion feature and by using the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of the conversion feature using the following assumptions:
(1) Where the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company has estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
The Company determined that the fair value of the convertible promissory notes at January 31, 2015 was $15,476,300 (2014: $1,209,300) based on a market interest rate of 18%.
Debt issuance costs
The Company incurs costs in connection with debt issuances, such as commissions and professional fees. Debt issuance costs are initially recorded as deferred financing expense on the consolidated balance sheets, and are amortized to financing expense over the term of the respective borrowings using the effective interest method.
Any costs incurred or paid to the lender in connection with the issuance of debt represent a reduction in the proceeds received by the Company. The resulting discount is amortized as accretion expense over the term of the debt using the effective interest method.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates stock options, stock warrants and other contracts to determine if those contracts or embedded components of those contracts qualify as derivative financial instruments to be separately accounted for under the relevant sections of ASC 815-40, Derivative Instruments and Hedging: Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (“ASC 815”). The result of this accounting treatment could be that the fair value of a financial instrument is classified as a derivative financial instrument and is marked-to-market at each balance sheet date and recorded as a liability. In the event that the fair value is recorded as a liability, the change in fair value is recorded in the statement of operations as other income or other expense. Upon conversion or exercise of a derivative financial instrument, the instrument is marked to fair value at the conversion date and then that fair value is reclassified to equity. Financial instruments that are initially classified as equity that become subject to reclassification under ASC 815 are reclassified to a liability account at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date.
Certain of the Company’s embedded conversion features on debt and outstanding warrants are treated as derivative liabilities for accounting purposes under ASC 815 due to insufficient authorized shares to settle these outstanding contracts, or due to other rights connected with these contracts, such as registration rights. In the case of insufficient authorized share capital available to fully settle outstanding contracts, the Company utilizes the latest inception date sequencing method to reclassify outstanding contracts as derivative instruments. These contracts are recognized currently in earnings until such time as the warrants are exercised, expire, the related rights have been waived and/or the authorized share capital has been amended to accommodate settlement of these contracts. These instruments do not trade in an active securities market.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period. Derivative instruments that become subject to reclassification are reclassified at the fair value of the instrument on the reclassification date. Derivative instrument liabilities will be classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not settlement of the derivative instrument is expected within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
The Company estimates the fair value of these instruments using the binomial option pricing model. This model uses Level 3 inputs in the fair value hierarchy established by ASC 820 Fair Value Measurement.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.
Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. The most significant estimates made by the Company are those relating to uncollectible receivables, inventory valuation and obsolescence, product returns, and derivative valuations.
Loss per share
Earnings or loss per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted-average of all potentially dilutive shares of common stock that were outstanding during the periods presented.
The treasury stock method is used in calculating diluted EPS for potentially dilutive stock options and share purchase warrants, which assumes that any proceeds received from the exercise of in-the-money stock options and share purchase warrants, would be used to purchase common shares at the average market price for the period.
EPS for convertible debt is calculated under the “if-converted” method. Under the if converted method, EPS is calculated as the more dilutive of EPS (i) including all interest (both cash interest and non-cash discount amortization) and excluding all shares underlying the Notes or; (ii) excluding all interest and costs directly related to the convertible debt (both cash interest and non-cash discount amortization) and including all shares underlying the convertible debt. For the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, diluted EPS was calculated by including interest expense related to the convertible debt and excluding the shares underlying the convertible debt.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Net loss per share was determined as follows:
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
ASC Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, requires that compensation expense for employee stock-based compensation be recognized over the requisite service period based on the fair value of the award, at the date of grant.
The Company accounts for the granting of equity based awards to employees using the fair value method whereby all awards to employees will be recorded at fair value on the date of the grant. The fair value of all equity based awards is expensed over their vesting period with a corresponding increase to additional paid in capital. Compensation costs for stock-based payments to employees with graded vesting are recognized on a straight-line basis. The amount of cumulated compensation expense recognized at any date must at least equal the portion of the grant date value of the award that is vested at that date.
Based on guidance in ASC 505-50, stock-based payments to non-employees are measured at the fair value of the consideration received, or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, or liabilities incurred, whichever is more reliably measurable. The fair value of stock-based payments to non-employees is periodically re-measured until the counterparty performance is complete, and any change therein is recognized over the vesting period of the award. Compensation costs for stock-based payments with graded vesting are recognized on a straight-line basis. The cost of the stock-based payments to non-employees that are fully vested and non-forfeitable as at the grant date are measured and recognized at that date, unless there is a contractual term for services in which case such compensation would be amortized over the contractual term.
New Accounting Pronouncements
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”), which are adopted by the Company as of the specified date. Unless otherwise discussed, management believes the impact of recently issued standards, which are not yet effective, will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements upon adoption.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
On May 28, 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a converged standard on revenue recognition from contracts with customers, ASU 2014-09 (Topic 606 and IFRS 15). This standard will supersede nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance. ASU 2014-09 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period (“ASU 2014-12”). ASU 2014-12 requires that a performance target that affects vesting, and that could be achieved after the requisite service period, be treated as a performance condition. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant date fair value of the award. This update further clarifies that compensation cost should be recognized in the period in which it becomes probable that the performance target will be achieved and should represent the compensation cost attributable to the period(s) for which the requisite service has already been rendered. The amendments in this ASU are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15”). ASU 2014-15 will explicitly require management to assess an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, and to provide related footnote disclosure in certain circumstances. The new standard will be effective for all entities in the first annual period ending after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
4.
Inventory
Inventory of the Company consisted of the following:
Balances at January 31, 2015 and 2014 are recorded at historical cost, less amounts for potential declines in value. At January 31, 2015, management has recorded an allowance for obsolescence of $179,000 (2014: $Nil) to reduce inventory to its estimated net realizable value.
5.
Equipment
Equipment of the Company consisted of the following at January 31, 2015 and January 31, 2014:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Depreciation expense for the year ended January 31, 2015 was $6,588 (2014: $1,694).
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
6.
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets of the Company consisted of the following at January 31, 2015 and 2014:
Amortization expense for the year ended January 31, 2015 was $23,270 (2014: $21,054).
7.
Related Party Transactions and Balances
Related Party Balances
At January 31, 2015, included in advances receivable is an amount of $Nil (2014: $50,000) paid to a director of the Company as an advance for expenses to be incurred on behalf of the Company in the January, 2015 fiscal year.
At January 31, 2015, included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities is $17,060 (2014: $24,682) owing to directors and officers of the Company for reimbursable expenses and accrued management bonuses. These amounts are unsecured, non-interest bearing with no specific terms of repayment.
At January 31, 2015, an amount of $978,779 (2014: $Nil) in principal amounts of convertible notes payable and $8,247 in accrued interest payable, was owing to directors and officers of the Company. Included in convertible notes payable at January 31, 2015 is an amount of $791 (2014: $Nil) in respect of these amounts owing, after applicable unamortized debt discounts.
Related party transactions
During the year ended January 31, 2015, included in general and administrative expenses is $58,400 (2014: $112,700) in respect of directors fees and investor relations fees, $3,147,400 (2014: $267,918) in respect of share based compensation expense for the vesting of stock options granted to directors and officers of the Company, and $132,500 (2014: $Nil) in respect of marketing fees paid to a firm of which a direct family member of a director and officer of the Company is a principal.
Pursuant to a board agreement dated September 24, 2013, the Company agreed to issue 75,000 shares of common stock every three months over the term of the one year contract in connection with the appointment of a director of the Company, for an aggregate of 300,000 common shares over the term. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded directors fees of $24,900 (2014: $25,500) in respect of common shares earned under this agreement. The fair values per share were determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s shares on the date these shares were committed to be issued.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Effective June 10, 2014, the Company entered into an employment agreement with the Chief Executive Officer and Director (the “CEO”) of the Company for a term of three years whereby (a) the CEO shall be entitled to a base salary of $400,000 per year, provided the CEO will forgo the first twelve months of the base salary and only receive minimum wage during that period; (b) the CEO received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 57,150,000 shares of common stock of the Company, equal to 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company on a fully-diluted basis, (the “CEO Options”), with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting in equal monthly instalments over a period of three years from the date of grant; and (c) the CEO will be eligible to receive an annual cash bonus for each whole or partial year during the employment term payable based on the achievement of one or more performance goals established annually by the Company’s board of directors. In connection with this employment agreement, the Company has agreed to issue 100,000 common shares to a consultant of the Company. An amount of $15,000 is included in common stock to be issued at January 31, 2015. The fair value of $0.15 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s shares on the date these shares were committed to be issued. At January 31, 2015, an amount of $170,369 (2014: $Nil) in deferred compensation related to the amortization of total base salary compensation due under this employment agreement, which is being amortized on a straight line basis over the term of the employment agreement. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the CEO received minimum wages compensation of $10,400 (2014: $Nil) under the terms of this employment agreement.
Effective June 9, 2014, the Company entered into an employment agreement with the Chief Financial Officer (the “CFO”) of the Company for a term of four years whereby (a) the CFO shall be entitled to a base salary of $200,000 per year; and (b) the CFO received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 2,800,000 shares of common stock of the Company (the “CFO Options”), with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant.
On June 6, 2014, the Company’s board of directors granted options to purchase an aggregate of 4,320,000 of our common shares to two directors of the Company (the “Director Options”). The options are exercisable at $0.128 per share and are vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant, commencing on the first anniversary of the grant date.
Effective June 23, 2014, the Company entered into an employment agreement with an officer (the “Officer”) of the Company for a term of four years whereby (a) the Officer shall be entitled to a base salary of $175,000 per year; and (b) the Officer received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 3,700,000 shares of common stock of the Company (the “Officer Options”), with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
8.
Promissory Notes Payable
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(i)
On April 7, 2014, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain purchasers pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue 6% Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes (the “SPA Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $1,083,797. As consideration, the Company (i) received cash proceeds equal to $878,704 (the “Cash Proceeds”); (ii) exchanged a promissory note with an outstanding amount of $76,388 (Note 9(i)), being the principal and accrued interest due under a convertible promissory note dated December 24, 2013 for the issuance of a SPA Note in the same amount; and (iii) exchanged a promissory note with an outstanding amount of $128,705 (Note 9(iii)), being the remaining principal amount due under a convertible promissory note dated October 2, 2013 for the issuance of a SPA Note in the same amount.
Repayment of the SPA Notes was collateralized against all the tangible and intangible assets of the Company. The principal amount of $1,083,797 were to mature on April 7, 2015 (the “Maturity Date”) and was bearing interest at the rate of 6% per annum, payable on the Maturity Date. On June 10, 2014, these notes, along with accrued interest of $10,362 were exchanged for securities in a subsequent offering (Note 9(i)), at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the price paid by investors in that offering. The Company recorded debt conversion expense of $121,573, related to this purchase price discount upon these Notes being converted for units in the subsequent offering.
The Company incurred $89,849 in issuance costs in respect of the SPA Notes.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded $10,372 (2014: $Nil) in respect of interest on this note and $89,849 (2014: $Nil) in respect of the accretion of deferred financing fees.
(ii)
During the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company received $75,000 in respect of a promissory note in the principal amount of $75,000. The promissory note matured on February 1, 2014 and was bearing interest at a rate of 10% per annum payable at maturity.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company issued 796,850 common shares of the Company in full and final settlement of this note, along with accrued interest of $4,685. This resulted in a loss on extinguishment of debt of $119,528. The fair value of $0.25 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded $935 (2014: $3,750) in respect of interest on this note, up to the date of settlement of this note.
(iii)
During the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $309,062, which was comprised of: (i) $250,000 consideration received; (ii) a one-time interest charge of $37,500, being 15% of the proceeds received (the “OID”); and (iii) an amount of $21,562, being the remaining principal balance due under a separate note agreement with the same lender.
The promissory note was repayable in five monthly instalments of $41,667 over the term of the note plus one final balloon payment of $63,229 at its maturity on July 13, 2014. The Company repaid this promissory note during the year ended January 31, 2015.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The issuance of this promissory note as consideration of the remaining balance due and payable under the previous Note was recorded at the redemption amount pursuant to the applicable guidance under ASC 470-20.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $33,972 (2014: $3,528) in respect of the accretion of the discount on this note.
(iv)
On November 7, 2013, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of CDN$28,750. The Company received $24,467 (CDN$25,000) in respect of this note, after an original issue discount (“OID”) of 15%, or $3,670 (CDN$3,750). The principal amount, net of the OID, matured and was repaid during the year ended January 31, 2015. The OID is repayable upon the Company recognizing net income from operations in any given month during the term of the note.
As additional consideration for entering into the loan, the Company issued 22,000 common shares of the Company to the lender. The fair value at issuance of these shares of $5,720, determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares at the date of issuance, together with the OID of $3,670 resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $9,390, which was amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the note.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $3,280 (2014: $6,110) in respect of the accretion of the discount on this note.
(v)
On December 20, 2013, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of CDN$57,500. The Company received $47,660 (CDN$50,000) in respect of this note, after an original issue discount (“OID”) of 15%, or $7,149 (CDN$7,500). The note matured and was repaid during the year ended January 31, 2015.
As additional consideration for entering into the loan, the Company issued 25,000 common shares of the Company to the lender. The fair value at issuance of these shares of $3,000, determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares at the date of issuance, together with the OID of $7,149 resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $10,149, which was amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the note.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense $7,985 (2014: $2,164) in respect of the accretion of the discount on this note.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(vi)
On February 12, 2014, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of CDN$61,295. The Company received $48,463 (CDN$53,300) in respect of this note, after an original issue discount (“OID”) of 15%, or $7,270 (CDN$7,995). The note matured and was repaid during the year ended January 31, 2015.
As additional consideration for entering into the loan, the Company issued 25,000 common shares of the Company to the lender. The fair value at issuance of these shares of $1,500, determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares at the date of issuance, together with the OID of $7,270 resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $8,770, which was amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the note.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $8,770 (2014: $Nil) in respect of the accretion of the discount on this note and financing fees of $935 (2014: $Nil) in respect of a finder’s fee paid in connection with the issuance of this note.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
9.
Convertible Promissory Notes Payable
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(i)
Senior Secured Convertible Debentures
On June 10, 2014 and July 8, 2014, the Company entered into Subscription Agreements (collectively, the “Subscription Agreements”) with several investors (collectively, the “Purchasers”) in connection with a private placement offering (the “Offering”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $7,309,832 through the sale of 292 units (the “Units”) at a price of $25,000 per Unit. Each Unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 (each, a “Debenture”) and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreements (the “Warrants”).
In connection with the close of the Offering, the Company issued Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $7,309,832. As consideration, the Company (i) received gross cash proceeds equal to $6,094,100, before deducting agent fees and other transaction-related expenses; and (ii) exchanged 6% senior secured convertible notes in the aggregate amount of $1,094,159 (Note 8(i)), being the principal and accrued interest due under such notes, for the issuance of Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $1,215,732, at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering.
The aggregate principal amount matures on June 10, 2017 and bears interest at the rate of 6% per annum, payable quarterly, in cash or in kind, at the option of the Company provided certain equity conditions of the Debentures have been met, valued at the then conversion price of the Debentures. At January 31, 2015, such equity conditions had not been met and, consequently, payment of interest owing in shares of common stock (“in kind”) is not permitted under the terms of the Debentures, unless such condition is formally waived by each holder. During the year ended January 31, 2015 and in connection with the first interest payment dates, the Company received waivers from holders of $4,874,832 in outstanding principal amounts of the Debentures. Such holders received payment of interest in kind, resulting in the issuance of 1,949,933 shares of our common stock as payment for $146,245 in interest due. The fair value of the shares issued of $274,823 was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the shares on the date they were issued as payment in kind.
The Debentures, along with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, may be converted at any time, at the option of the holder, into common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $0.075 per share, subject to adjustment under the terms of the Debentures.
Repayment of the Debentures are collateralized against all the assets of the Company and its subsidiary, pursuant to a security agreement between the Company and an agent for the Purchasers.
The Company issued an aggregate of 48,732,310 Warrants to the Purchasers to purchase, for a period of five years from the date of issuance, up to 48,732,310 shares of common stock at an initial exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to adjustment. The Company has the right to call the Warrants if the volume weighted average closing price of its common shares exceeds $0.40 per share for more than 20 consecutive trading days at any time after June 10, 2016. In that event, the Warrants will expire 30 days following the date the Company delivers notice in writing to the Warrant holders announcing the call of the Warrants.
At the date of issuance of the Debentures and Warrants, the Company was authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common stock, which was insufficient to settle the conversion of the Debentures and exercise of the Warrants. Consequently, under the guidance of ASC 815, management recorded a derivative financial instrument in the Company’s consolidated financial statements (Note 10).
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
In connection with the Subscription Agreements, the Company also entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with each Purchaser (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company has agreed to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement to register for resale the shares that have been or may be issued to the Purchasers upon conversion of the Debentures and upon exercise of the Warrants (the “Registration Statement”). The terms of the Registration Rights Agreement also trigger the requirement to account for the related embedded conversion option and investor warrants that have not been included in an effective registration statement as derivative financial instruments pursuant to the guidance of ASC 815.
The Company also agreed to grant piggyback registration rights whereby the Company is required to include the shares of common stock issuable pursuant to exercise of the Agent Warrants in the Registration Statement.
The Company allocated the proceeds from the issuance of the Debentures first to the derivative financial instruments, at their fair values, with the remainder being allocated to the Debentures. The fair value of the derivative financial instruments of $19,338,215 at issuance resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $7,309,832, the entire aggregate principal balance of the Debentures. The remaining derivative financial instruments value over the proceeds of the debt at issuance of $12,028,383 was immediately expensed on the consolidated statement of operations as derivative expense, during the year ended January 31, 2015. This discount was being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the Debentures.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $5,895 (2014: $Nil) in accretion of this discount.
In connection with the Offering, the Company incurred finance fees of $2,021,213 as follows:
(i)
The Company paid a cash commission of $468,513, or 8% of the gross proceeds raised from certain of the Purchasers;
(ii)
The Company issued 11,063,696 warrants to acquire common shares equal to 8% of the aggregate number of shares issuable upon conversion of the Debentures and exercise of the Warrants with respect to certain of the Purchasers (the “Agent Warrants”), on the same terms as the Warrants, except that the Agent Warrants are (i) exercisable at 100% of the conversion or exercise price of the Debentures and Warrants issued to the Purchasers in the Offering and (ii) contain a cashless exercise provision.
The fair value of the finder’s warrants of $1,552,700 was determined using an option pricing model under the following assumptions:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
The finance fees were allocated to the Debentures and related derivative financial instruments in the same proportion as the allocation of proceeds to each instrument at the issuance date and, consequently, since the derivative financial instruments were allocated 100% of the proceeds, these finance charges were allocated to the derivative financial instrument at issuance and, as a result of these instruments being carried at fair value, were recorded as an immediate finance expense on the consolidated statement of operations during the year ended January 31, 2015.
On September 8, 2014, the Company filed an initial prospectus on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to register the sale of up to 41,569,071 shares issuable upon exercise of certain of the warrants issued in connection with the Offering, including 2,400,000 warrants issued under the Kalamalka Notes (Note 8(ii)) which contained piggyback registration rights, and 39,169,071 of the Warrants. On October 8, 2014, the SEC declared the registration statement effective.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,866,668 shares of common stock pursuant to the conversion of $140,000 in principal amounts owing under the Debentures.
(ii)
Senior Secured Convertible Note Agreements with Kalamalka Partners
August, 2012 Credit Facility
On August 10, 2012, the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Naked, entered into the Agency Agreement with Kalamalka and certain lenders (the “Lenders”) as set out in the Agency Agreement whereby the Company agreed to borrow up to $800,000 from the Lenders under a revolving loan arrangement by the issuance of convertible promissory notes from time to time as such funds are required by the Company.
During the year ended January 31, 2013, the Company issued convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $500,000 (the “First KPL Notes”) and an aggregate of 100,000 share purchase warrants to the Lenders (the “Lender Warrants”) exercisable into one common share of the Company as follows: 25,000 Lender Warrants exercisable at $0.25 until August 10, 2015, 25,000 Lender Warrants exercisable at $0.50 until August 10, 2015 and 50,000 Lender Warrants exercisable at $0.25 until August 10, 2014.
The First KPL Notes were initially bearing interest at 12% per annum, calculated and payable monthly. The principal amount outstanding under any First KPL Note and all accrued and unpaid interest therein, were initially convertible into common shares of the Company at $0.75 per share at any time at the option of the Lender. These terms were later amended, as set forth below.
The First KPL Notes were collateralized by a first priority general security agreement over the present and future assets of the Company.
Pursuant to the guidance of ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, the Company allocated the proceeds from the issuance of the Closing Notes between the Closing Notes and the detachable Lender warrants using the relative fair value method. The fair value of the Lender Warrants of $22,100 at issuance resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $20,940, which were being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the Notes. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $5,587 (2014: $10,462) in respect of the accretion of this discount and $10,192 (2014: $59,618), in interest in respect of these Notes.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
Funds advanced under the loan were restricted for inventory and accounts receivable whereby we could fund up to 90% of the Company’s accounts receivable and inventory (the “Borrowing Margin Requirements”). “Inventory” included raw materials in transit and in our possession, materials in the course of production, work in progress and unsold finished goods, all valued at cost. Receivables were marginable until 60 days from the invoice date, after which time such receivables had no value for margining purposes, except that up to $10,000 of receivables were marginable if such receivables were more than 60 days old but less than 90 days old.
First Amendments
During the year ended January 31, 2013, the Company’s borrowing under the First KPL Notes exceeded the Borrowing Margin Requirements and these First KPL Notes entered into default. As a result, on July 22, 2013, the Company entered into an Amendment Agreement with Kalamalka and the Lenders. Pursuant to the Amendment Agreement, the Company amended the Notes to reduce the conversion price from $0.75 to $0.50 per share and amended the terms of the Lender Warrants, Bridge Loan Warrants and Agent’s Warrants such that the expiry of all of the warrants was extended by three years. In addition, the Amendment Agreement reduced the total commitment of the revolving loan facility from $800,000 to the $500,000 already advanced.
The amendments were considered a substantial change in the terms of the loan facility and, accordingly, the Company applied debt extinguishment accounting and calculated a loss on extinguishment of debt of $485,704 as the premium of the aggregate fair value of the amended notes of $778,553 over their carrying values of $488,849 immediately prior to the amendments, plus the fair value of the modification of the Lender Warrants, Bridge Loan Warrants and Agent’s Warrants. The Company calculated the fair value of the amended convertible promissory notes by discounting future cash flows using rates representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments without a conversion feature and by using the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of the conversion features, using the following assumptions:
The fair value of the modification of the Lender Warrants, Bridge Loan Warrants and Agent’s Warrants of $196,000 was determined as the difference between the fair value of these warrants immediately prior to the amendments and the fair value of these warrants immediately after the amendment. The fair values were determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The loss was recorded on the consolidated statement of operations during the year ended January 31, 2014, with a corresponding credit to additional paid in capital. In connection with the reduction in borrowing capacity, the Company wrote off $56,555 of unamortized deferred finance charges in proportion to the decrease in the borrowing capacity, and incurred $2,520 in deferred financing fees in connection with the amendments. This cost was recognized as finance charges on the consolidated statement of operations during the year ended January 31, 2014. On April 4, 2014, $400,000 of the $500,000 principal balance was further amended and included in the First Kalamalka Amended Agreement below.
Second Amendments
On April 4, 2014, the Company entered into another Amendment Agreement (the “First Kalamalka Amendment Agreement”) with Kalamalka and certain of the Lenders as set out in the Amendment Agreement (collectively, the “First Tranche Lenders”) amending the Agency and Interlender Agreement dated August 10, 2012 (the “First Agency Agreement”). In connection with the First Agency Agreement, the Company amended several of the Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $400,000 (the “First Tranche Kalamalka Notes”) as follows; (i) the Company extended the due date of the First Tranche Kalamalka Notes to October 1, 2016; (ii) the Company reduced the interest rate accruing under the First Tranche Kalamalka Notes to 6% per annum, calculated and payable quarterly, in cash or in kind; (iv) the Company removed the Borrowing Margin Requirements; (iii) the Company amended the First Tranche Kalamalka Notes to reduce the conversion price from $0.50 per share to $0.25 per share; and (v) 500,000 share purchase warrants exercisable at a strike price of $0.50 until August 10, 2017 held by Kalamalka and 100,000 share purchase warrants at a strike price of $0.50 until August 10, 2018 (the “Existing Warrants”) were exchanged for 600,000 New Warrants, as defined and described below (the “Exchanged Warrants”).
As consideration for facilitating such amendments, the Company granted 1,200,000 share purchase warrants to the First Tranche Lenders and Kalamalka (the “New Warrants”).
Each New Warrant is exercisable into one common share at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of five years from the closing date of the Subsequent Financing (Note 8(i)). The Company has the right to call the New Warrants if the volume weighted average closing price of the Company’s shares exceeds $0.40 per share for more than 20 consecutive trading days at any time after twenty four months following the closing date. In that event, the New Warrants will expire 30 days following the date the Company delivers notice in writing to the warrant holders announcing the call of the New Warrants. In addition, the New Warrants contained piggyback registration rights on any subsequent registration statement filed with the SEC. The New Warrants were included in the registration statement declared effective by the SEC on October 8, 2014 (Note 9(i)).
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The Company assessed the guidance under ASC 470-60 Troubled Debt Restructurings and determined that this guidance did not apply to the amendments. The amendments were considered a substantial change in the terms of the loan facility and, accordingly, the Company applied debt extinguishment accounting and calculated a loss on extinguishment of debt of $480,900 as the premium of the aggregate fair value of the amended notes and New Warrants and Exchanged Warrants of $857,300 over their carrying values of $376,400 immediately prior to the amendments. The Company calculated the fair value of the amended Notes by discounting future cash flows using rates representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments without a conversion feature and by using the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of the conversion features, using the following assumptions:
The fair value of the New Warrants of $256,400 was determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:
The fair value of the Exchanged Warrants of $23,300 was determined as the difference between the fair value of these warrants exchanged and the fair value of the New Warrants received. The fair values were determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The loss was recorded on the consolidated statement of operations during the year ended January 31, 2015, with a corresponding credit to additional paid in capital. In connection with the First Kalamalka Amendment Agreement and the Second Kalamalka Amendment Agreement (as defined and described below), the Company incurred $36,993 in financing fees. These cost have been recorded as a deferred financing charge and are being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the amended Notes. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded financing expense of $23,043 (2014: $Nil) in respect of the amortization of these charges.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
On May 12, 2014, the remaining Note in the aggregate principal amount of $100,000 plus $1,868 in accrued interest therein was settled by the issuance of 1,018,685 common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $0.10 per share. The Company recorded debt conversion expense of $187,438, related to the fair value of the additional units issued as a result of converting at the lower conversion price than the contractual conversion rate. The fair value of the shares issued was determined with reference to their quoted market price on the date of issuance.
November, 2013 Credit Facility
On November 14, 2013, the Company entered into an Agency and Interlender Agreement dated November 14, 2013 (the “Agency Agreement”) with Kalamalka, and certain lenders as set out in the Agency Agreement (the “Lenders”), whereby the Company agreed to borrow up to $300,000 from the Lenders from time to time (the “Loan”). In connection with the closing of the Agency Agreement, the Company issued: (i) two convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “Second KPL Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $100,000 and (ii) an aggregate of 125,000 share purchase warrants (each, a “Lender Warrant”) to the Lenders. On November 26, 2013, the Company issued (i) additional Second KPL Notes in the principal amounts totaling $100,000 and (ii) 125,000 additional Lender Warrants and on December 24, 2013 the Company issued (i) an additional Second KPL Note in the principal amount of $75,000 and (ii) 115,000 additional Lender Warrants.
Each Lender Warrant is exercisable into one Share at a price of $0.10 per Share for a period of two years from the date of issuance.
Each Second KPL Note was due on January 31, 2014 (the “Due Date”) and was bearing interest at the rate of 12% per annum, calculated daily and payable on the Due Date. The principal amount outstanding under any Note, and all accrued but unpaid interest thereon, were convertible into shares of common stock of the Company at a price of $0.25 per share at any time at the option of the respective Lender. Repayment of the Notes was secured by general security agreements dated November 14, 2013, as amended and restated, made by each of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary in favor of Kalamalka, as agent for the Lenders.
As consideration for facilitating the Loans, the Company issued an aggregate of 362,500 warrants (the “Kalamalka Warrants”) to Kalamalka, each Kalamalka Warrant exercisable into Shares at a price of $0.10 per Share for two years from the date of issuance.
Pursuant to the guidance of ASC 470-20 Debt with Conversion and Other Options, the Company allocated the proceeds from the issuance of the Second KPL Notes between the Second KPL Notes and the detachable Lender warrants using the relative fair value method.
The Company recorded a beneficial conversion feature in the amount of $17,600 in respect of first tranche of $100,000 issued in connection with the closing of the Agency Agreement. The beneficial conversion feature was calculated based on a comparison of the proceeds of the Notes allocated to the Second KPL Notes and the fair value of the common stock at the commitment date of the Notes.
The fair value of the Lender Warrants of $58,600 at issuance resulted in a debt discount of $41,225, and along with a beneficial conversion feature of $17,600, resulted in a total debt discount at issuance of $58,825, which was amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the Second KPL Notes to January 31, 2014. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $Nil (2014: $58,825) in respect of the accretion of this discount and $5,605 (2014: $5,531), in interest in respect of these Second KPL Notes.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The fair value of the Agent’s Warrants of $67,600 was recorded as a deferred financing charge and was amortized to income over the term of the Second KPL Notes to January 31, 2014 using the effective interest method. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded $2,968, respectively (2014: $67,600) in financing charges in respect of the amortization of these fees and other legal fees incurred in connection with the issuance of these Second KPL Notes.
The fair value of the Agents Warrants and the Lender Warrants at issuance was determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
On January 31, 2014, the Company did not repay the Notes at maturity. On April 4, 2014, the Company entered into an Amendment Agreement (the “Second Kalamalka Amendment Agreement”) with Kalamalka and certain lenders as set out in the Agreement (collectively, the “Second Tranche Lenders”) amending the Agency and Interlender Agreement dated November 14, 2013 (the “Second Agency Agreement”). In connection with the Second Agency Agreement, the Company amended certain convertible term promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $200,000 (the “Second Tranche Notes”) as follows; (i) the Company extended the due date of the Second Tranche Notes to October 1, 2016; (ii) the Company reduced the interest rate accruing under the Second Tranche Notes to 6% per annum, calculated and payable quarterly, in cash or in kind; and (iii) the Company removed the Borrowing Margin Requirements.
As consideration for facilitating such amendments, the Company granted 600,000 New Warrants to the Second Tranche Lenders and to Kalamalka.
Repayment of the First Tranche Notes and the Second Tranche Notes is collateralized by a general security agreement dated November 14, 2013, as amended on April 4, 2014 (the “Kalamalka Security Agreement”), made by the Company in favour of Kalamalka, as agent for the First Tranche Lenders and Second Tranche Lenders, which Kalamalka Security Agreement ranks pari passu with the Security Agreements entered into with the Lenders in respect of the Offering (Note 9(i)).
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
The Company assessed the guidance under ASC 470-60 Troubled Debt Restructurings and determined that this guidance did not apply to the amendments. The amendments were considered a substantial change in the terms of the loan facility and, accordingly, the Company applied debt extinguishment accounting and calculated a loss on extinguishment of debt of $216,500 as the premium of the aggregate fair value of the amended Second KPL Notes and New Warrants of $416,500 over their carrying values of $200,000 immediately prior to the amendments. The Company calculated the fair value of the amended Second KPL Notes by discounting future cash flows using rates representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments without a conversion feature and by using the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of the conversion features, using the following assumptions:
The fair value of the New Warrants of $127,700 was determined using the Black Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
The loss was recorded on the consolidated statement of operations during the year ended January 31, 2015, with a corresponding credit to additional paid in capital.
In addition, during the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company exchanged a Second KPL Note with an outstanding amount of $76,388, including accrued interest of $1,388, for the issuance of a SPA Note in the same amount (Note 8(i)). The Company assessed the guidance under ASC 470-60 Troubled Debt Restructurings and determined that this guidance did not apply to the exchange of debt instruments. Under the guidance of ASC 470-50, the exchange was considered a substantial change in the terms of the loan facility and, accordingly, the Company applied debt extinguishment accounting. The Company calculated the fair value of the amended Second KPL Note by discounting future cash flows using a discount rate representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments and valuing the discount included in the amended Second KPL Note with respect to its conversion into a Subsequent Financing (Note 8(i)). There was a trivial gain on settlement which was not recorded in these consolidated financial statements.
(iii)
On October 4, 2013, the Company issued an Original Issue Discount (OID) convertible promissory note in the amount of $343,212. The purchase price for this note was $300,000. The note was to mature on February 9, 2014, and was repayable in eight equal instalments of $42,902 over the term of the note (each a “Regular Repayment”).
As additional consideration for entering into the note, the Company issued 200,000 common shares to the lender (the “Fee Shares”). The fair value at issuance of the Fee Shares of $48,000, determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares at the date of issuance, was recorded as a debt discount at issuance, which was being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the note.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
In addition, the lender was entitled to 5,000 common shares in the event the Company did not make a Regular Repayment when due and payable under the terms of the note. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company requested an extension on the sixth, seventh and eighth Regular Repayments and, consequently the Company issued 15,000 common shares to the lender. The fair value of these shares of $1,250, which was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the commitment date, was recorded as a charge to general and administrative expense in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended January 31, 2015.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $7,754 (2014: $83,458) in respect of the accretion of this discount on this note.
In connection with the issuance of this note, the Company incurred deferred finance fees of $53,054 as follows:
(a) The Company paid $2,500 and issued 10,000 common shares as a structuring fee, and paid $12,125 in legal fees and expenses incurred by the lender. The fair value of the common shares issued of $2,400, was determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares on the commitment date of the convertible promissory note.
(b) In addition, the Company paid a finder’s fee of $11,429 and 120,000 share purchase warrants. The share purchase warrants are exercisable into common shares of the Company at $0.2799 per share for a period of two years from the date of issuance. The fair value of the finder’s warrants of $18,400 was determined using an option pricing model under the following assumptions:
(1)
As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
The deferred finance fees were recorded as a deferred finance charge and were amortized to income over the term of the note using the effective interest method. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded financing expense of $3,607 (2014: $48,916) in respect of the amortization of these charges.
On April 7, 2014, the Company entered into a debt settlement agreement with this lender pursuant to which the Company agreed to exchange the remaining outstanding amount of $128,705 for the issuance of a new SPA note (Note 8(i)). The Company assessed the guidance under ASC 470-60 Troubled Debt Restructurings and determined that this guidance did not apply to the exchange of debt instruments. Under the guidance of ASC 470-50, the exchange was considered a substantial change in the terms of the loan facility and, accordingly, the Company applied debt extinguishment accounting. The Company calculated the fair value of the amended Note by discounting future cash flows using a discount rate representative of current borrowing rates for debt instruments and valuing the discount included in the amended note with respect to its conversion into a Subsequent Financing (Note 8(i)). There was a trivial gain on settlement which was not recorded in these consolidated financial statements.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(iv)
On November 13, 2013, the Company issued a promissory note in the principal amount of up to $500,000 plus accrued and unpaid interest and any other fees. On November 13, 2013, the Company received $100,000, after an OID of 10%, with the remaining balance of the note payable by the lender in such amounts and at such dates as the lender may choose in its sole discretion.
The maturity date for the note was November 13, 2015. The principal sum, plus any accrued but unpaid interest thereon, of the note may be converted, at any time by lender, into shares of common stock of the Company at a price which is the lesser of $0.265 or 60% of the lowest trade price in the 25 trading days prior to the conversion (the “Conversion Price”).
The Company was permitted to repay the promissory note at any time on or before 90 days from November 13, 2013 with 0% interest. If the Company did not repay the promissory note within the 90 days then a one-time interest charge of 12% will be applied to the principal sum. The Company did not repay the note on or before 90 days from November 13, 2013 and consequently, a one-time interest charge of 12%, of $13,333, was applied to the principal balance outstanding. This one-time interest charge of $13,333 was accrued in the financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2014.
In connection with the issuance of this promissory note, the Company had agreed that the terms of the promissory note will be amended if any securities are issued, while the promissory note is outstanding, at terms more favorable to the terms contained in the promissory note, such that the more favorable terms would become part of the transaction documents of the Lender. This ratchet provision and conversion feature violated the fixed for fixed criteria resulting in the recording of a derivative financial instrument in the Company’s consolidated financial statements (Note 10).
The Company allocated the proceeds from the issuance of the promissory note first to the derivative financial instrument, at its fair value, with the remainder being allocated to the promissory note. The fair value of the derivative financial instrument of $155,500 at issuance resulted in a debt discount at issuance of $111,111, the entire principal balance of the promissory note. The remaining derivative financial instrument value over the proceeds of the debt at issuance of $55,500 was immediately expensed on the consolidated statement of operations as derivative expense, during the year ended January 31, 2014. This discount was being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the promissory note.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $2,065 (2014: $670) in accretion of this discount.
On June 5, 2014, the Company entered into a Note Termination Agreement pursuant to which the Company agreed to settle the full amount outstanding under the Note in exchange for (i) a one-time cash payment of $175,000 and (ii) 330,000 common shares of the Company. This resulted in a loss on extinguishment of debt of $38,405, being the fair value of aggregate consideration given of $217,240 less the book value of this Note of $3,735 (after a debt discount of $120,709) and a related embedded conversion feature being accounted for as a derivative liability of $175,100. The fair value of $0.128 per share related to the share consideration was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(v)
On December 23, 2013, the Company entered into two securities purchase agreements (the “Securities Purchase Agreements”) dated December 23, 2013 with two lenders, whereby the Company could issue six convertible notes, each in the aggregate principal amount of $25,000 (each, a “Note”). The first two of the Notes were paid for by the lenders in cash (the “Cash Notes”) and the third, fourth, fifth and sixth of the Notes (the “Back End Notes”) were initially paid for by the issuance of four offsetting $25,000 secured notes receivable issued to the Company by the lenders (each, a “Offsetting Note”), provided that prior to conversion of the four Back End Notes as described below, the lenders must have paid off the applicable Offsetting Note in cash.
The Cash Notes matured on September 23, 2014 and were accruing interest at the rate of 8% per annum. The principal sum and any accrued and unpaid interest of the Notes were convertible, at the option of the holder, at any time after 180 days after issuance, and after full cash payment for the shares convertible thereunder, at a price per share equal to 55% of the average of the two lowest closing bid prices as reported on the OTCQB for the ten prior trading days.
The Notes could be redeemed at any time on or before 180 days after issuance, subject to redemption premiums of 20-40%, after which time the notes could not be redeemed.
The Cash Notes were recorded as stock settled debt in accordance with ASC 480 whereby a put premium of $20,455 was recorded on each Cash Note and was being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the respective Cash Note.
The Back End Notes were presented net of their respecting Offsetting Note as these Notes had no substance until the applicable Offsetting Note has been paid for in cash by the Lender.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $16,280 (2014: $4,456) in accretion of these discounts.
In connection with the issuance of the Cash Notes, the Company incurred deferred finance fees of $8,000. The deferred finance fees were recorded as a deferred finance charge and were being amortized to income over the term of the Cash Notes using the effective interest method. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded financing expense of $6,944 (2014: $1,056) in respect of the amortization of these charges.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company repaid the Cash Notes for cash payments totaling $69,464. The repayment of these Cash Notes resulted in a total gain on extinguishment of debt of $5,000, being the carrying value of the Cash Notes less the total cash consideration paid upon redemption.
In accordance with the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement, all Back End Notes and Offsetting Notes were cancelled upon repayment of the Cash Notes.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(vi)
The Company entered into a securities purchase agreement dated December 30, 2013 (the “SPA”) with a lender, whereby the Company issued a convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $83,500 (the “Note”).
The Note matured on September 17, 2014 and was accruing interest at a rate of 8% per annum. The principal sum and any accrued and unpaid interest of the Note was convertible, at the option of the holder, at any time after 180 days after issuance, at a price for each share equal to 61% of the average of the three lowest closing bid prices as reported on the OTCQB for the ten prior trading days.
The Note could be redeemed at any time on or before 180 after issuance, subject to redemption premiums of 15-40%, after which time the notes could not be redeemed.
In connection with the issuance of this Note, the Company had agreed that the terms of the Note would be amended if any securities are issued, while the Note is outstanding, at terms more favorable to the terms contained in the Note, such that the more favorable terms would become part of the transaction documents of the Lender. This ratchet provision and conversion feature violated the fixed for fixed criteria resulting in the recording of a derivative financial instrument in the Company’s consolidated financial statements (Note 10).
The Company allocated the proceeds from the issuance of the Note first to the derivative financial instrument, at its fair value, with the remainder being allocated to the Note. The fair value of the derivative financial instrument of $8,376 at issuance resulted in a debt discount, which was being amortized using the effective interest method over the term of the Note.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded accretion expense of $3,826 (2014: $989) in accretion of this discount.
In connection with the issuance of the Note, the Company incurred deferred finance fees of $11,500. The deferred finance fees were recorded as a deferred finance charge and were being amortized to income over the term of the Note using the effective interest method. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded financing expense of $10,180 (2014: $1,320) in respect of the amortization of these charges.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company repaid the Note. The repayment of these Cash Notes resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $27,958, being the cash consideration paid upon redemption less the carrying value of the Note and the related embedded conversion feature of $64,900, which was being accounted for as a derivative financial instrument.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
10.
Derivative financial instruments
The following table presents the components of the Company’s derivative financial instruments associated with convertible promissory notes (Notes 9 (i), (iv) and (vi)), which have no observable market data and are derived using an option pricing model measured at fair value on a recurring basis, using Level 3 inputs to the fair value hierarchy, at January 31, 2015 and 2014:
These derivative financial instruments arise as a result of applying ASC 815 Derivative and Hedging (“ASC 815”), which requires the Company to make a determination whether an equity-linked financial instrument, or embedded feature, is indexed to the entity’s own stock. This guidance applies to any freestanding financial instrument or embedded features that have the characteristics of a derivative, and to any freestanding financial instruments that are potentially settled in an entity’s own stock.
From time to time, the Company has issued notes with embedded conversion features which contain price-protection features that result in these instruments being treated as derivatives. In addition, during the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company issued notes with embedded conversion features and warrants to purchase common stock and the Company did not, at the date of issuance of these instruments, have a sufficient number of authorized and available shares of common stock to settle the outstanding contracts (Note 9(i)). Further, these embedded conversion features and warrants issued during the year ended January 31, 2015 were subject to a registration rights agreement which, pursuant to the terms of this agreement, triggered the requirement to account for these instruments as derivative financial instruments until such time as the shares become eligible for sale without volume limitations or other restrictions. As a result, the Company is required to account for these instruments as derivative financial instruments until such time as the shares were no longer subject to the constraints of the registration rights agreement.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company received stockholder approval through written shareholder consent to increase the authorized shares of common stock in the Company from 100,000,000 to 450,000,000, which amount is now sufficient to fully settle all the outstanding contracts. In addition, during the year ended January 31, 2015, the registration statement covering the resale of certain of the warrants covered under the registration rights agreement that were required to be accounted for as derivative liabilities, was filed with and was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additionally, certain registration exemptions were triggered to permit the resale of certain of the shares underlying embedded conversion features. Consequently, certain of these warrants and certain embedded conversion features were no longer required to be accounted for as liabilities. Pursuant to the guidance of ASC 815, the Company reclassified the fair value of these instruments on the date of modification into equity, with the change in fair value up to the date of modification being recorded on the consolidated statements of operations as other income.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
As a result of the application of ASC 815, the Company has recorded these derivative financial instruments for the year ended January 31, 2015 and for the year ended January 31, 2014 at their fair value as follows:
On the commitment date of the related convertible promissory notes, the Company recorded a debt discount to the extent of the gross proceeds of the promissory note, and immediately expensed any remaining derivative value as a derivative expense. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded $12,028,383 (2014: $170,500) in derivative expense.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recorded other income (expenses) of $1,921,568 (2014: $9,358) related to the change in fair value of the warrants and embedded conversion features, which is presented in the change in fair value of derivative financial instruments in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
The embedded conversion features and warrants accounted for as derivative financial instruments have no observable market and the Company estimated their fair values at January 31, 2015 and 2014 using the binomial option pricing model based on the following weighted average management assumptions:
(1) As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
During the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company repaid certain promissory notes which contained derivative financial instruments and the corresponding derivative financial instrument were extinguished upon extinguishment of the related host contract.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
11.
Securities Purchase Agreement
On September 10, 2013, the Company entered into an $8,300,000 securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, (“Lincoln Park”) an Illinois limited liability company (the “Financing”) pursuant to which the Company may sell and issue to Lincoln Park, and Lincoln Park is obligated to purchase, up to $8,300,000 in value of its shares of common stock from time to time over a 24 month period. In connection with the Financing, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement with Lincoln Park whereby the Company agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) covering the shares of the Company’s common stock that may be issued to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement.
The Company will determine, at its own discretion, the timing and amount of its sales of common stock, subject to certain conditions and limitations. The purchase price of the shares that may be sold to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement will be based on the market price of the Company’s shares of common stock immediately preceding the time of sale without any fixed discount, provided that in no event will such shares be sold to Lincoln Park when the closing sale price is less than $0.35 per share. There are no upper limits on the per share price that Lincoln Park may pay to purchase such common stock. The purchase price will be equitably adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split or similar transaction occurring during the business days used to compute such price.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, Lincoln Park initially purchased 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for $300,000. In consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Lincoln Park 919,500 shares of common stock as a commitment fee and shall issue up to 330,000 shares pro rata, when and if, Lincoln Park purchases at the Company’s discretion the remaining $8,000,000 aggregate commitment. The Purchase Agreement may be terminated by the Company at any time at its discretion without any cost to the Company.
On December 12, 2013, this registration statement was declared effective by the SEC.
The Company incurred $58,656 in direct expenses in connection with the Purchase Agreement and registration statement. These were recorded as share issuance costs as a charge against additional paid in capital during the year ended January 31, 2014. The shares of common stock issued as a commitment fee are being recorded as a share issuance cost at par value with a corresponding charge against additional paid in capital in the period they are issued. During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company did not issue any securities under this Purchase Agreement.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
12.
Stockholders’ Equity
Authorized
On June 6, 2014, the Company’s board of directors approved an amendment to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 100,000,000 to 450,000,000. The shareholders of the Company ratified and approved this amendment through a majority vote of written consent of the Company’s stockholders on August 21, 2014.
Year ended January 31, 2015
i)
On May 12, 2014, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,815,535 common shares in settlement of loans outstanding of $180,703, including aggregate accrued interest of $5,703.
ii)
On June 17, 2014, the Company issued 330,000 common shares as partial consideration related to the settlement of a loan outstanding of $124,444.
iii)
On June 17, 2014, the Company issued 60,210 common shares as payment to a vendor for fees rendered, pursuant to a debt settlement agreement dated May 16, 2014 whereby the Company agreed to settle $4,605 (CDN$5,000) in amounts owing to the vendor. This resulted in a loss on extinguishment of debt of $3,945. The fair value of $0.142 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
iv)
On September 25, 2014, the Company issued 225,000 common shares to a director of the Company as consideration under a board agreement dated September 24, 2013 (the “Board Agreement”). These shares were recorded at their fair values on the date they were committed to be issued pursuant to the Board Agreement. The fair values per share were determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the respective commitment dates.
Year ended January 31, 2014
i)
On February 21, 2013, the Company reduced the price of 200,000 units and 14,000 common shares issued during the year ended January 31, 2013 from $0.50 to $0.25 per unit and share, respectively. Consequently, the Company issued 200,000 units and 14,000 common shares for no additional consideration. Each unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.75 per share for a period of two years from the date of the initial offering. The Company determined that the aggregate fair value on the grant date of these units and shares was $239,680 and recorded the entire amount as a shareholder dividend in the financial statements during the year ended January 31, 2014. The fair value of $1.12 per share was determined by reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
ii)
On April 19, 2013, the Company issued 1,993,000 shares of common stock at a price of $0.25 per share and 100,000 units of the Company at $0.25 per unit for gross proceeds of $523,250. Each unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share for a period of two years. In connection with the foregoing private placement, the Company issued 104,440 warrants to four finders. Each warrant is exercisable into one share of common stock of the Company at an exercise price of $0.75 per share for a period of two years. The Company paid finder’s fees of $26,610 in connection with this private placement.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
iii)
On May 6, 2013, the Company issued 1,000,000 shares of common stock at a price of $0.25 per share for gross proceeds of $250,000 to be received in four tranches as follows:
(i)
$50,000 payable on closing of the Financing (the “Closing”)(received);
(ii)
$50,000 payable on or before the date which is five months from the Closing (the “First Tranche”)(received);
(iii)
$50,000 payable on or before the date which is ten months from the Closing (the “Second Tranche”); and
(iv)
the remaining $100,000 payable on or before the date which is one year from the Closing (the “Final Tranche”)
In connection with the 800,000 common shares issuable in connection with the First Tranche, the Second Tranche and the Final Tranche, the Company entered into an escrow agreement pursuant to which these shares were placed in escrow to be released when the Company received full payment for such shares.
The Company paid a finders’ fee of 20,000 warrants in connection with this private placement. These warrants are exercisable at $0.25 per share for a period of two years.
On April 7, 2014, the Company did not receive payment for the Second Tranche and the remaining 600,000 common shares held in escrow were returned to the Company’s treasury for cancellation.
iv)
On June 3, 2013, the Company issued 75,000 common shares in exchange for services rendered pursuant to a consulting agreement dated April 11, 2013. The shares were recorded at a fair value of $89,250. The fair value of $1.19 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the company’s common stock on the commitment date.
v)
On October 7, 2013, the Company issued 240,000 units at a price of $0.25 per share for gross proceeds of $60,000. Each unit consisted of one common share of the Company and one share purchase warrant. Each warrant is exercisable into one share of common stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share for a period of eighteen months.
vi)
On November 21, 2013, the Company issued 4,304 common shares pursuant to a debt settlement agreement dated July 8, 2013, as payment to a vendor of $4,820 owing. This resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $3,701. The fair value of $0.26 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
vii)
On November 21, 2013, the Company issued 25,000 common shares as additional consideration to a lender under a promissory note agreement in the principal amount of $23,992 (CDN$25,000). This loan was issued and repaid during the year ended January 31, 2014. The fair value at issuance of these shares of $6,500, determined with reference to the quoted market price of these shares at the date of issuance. In connection with the issuance of this loan, the Company incurred aggregate financing fees of $10,099, which included the fair value of the shares issued.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
viii)
On January 13, 2014, the Company issued 15,000 common shares in exchange for services rendered pursuant to an investor relations agreement dated December 6, 2012. The Company determined that the fair value on the grant date of these shares was $3,750 and recorded the entire amount as compensation expense in the financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2013. The fair value of $0.25 per share was determined by reference to the price at which common shares were being sold in private placement offerings at or around the transaction date.
ix)
On January 13, 2014, the Company issued 29,843 common shares pursuant to a consulting agreement dated February 15, 2013 (the “Consulting Agreement”), whereby the Company agreed to issue shares in exchange for services to be rendered during the term of the Consulting Agreement, to September 30, 2013. The consultant was entitled to receive a monthly fee of $4,500 payable in shares, based on the average closing price of the Company’s shares for the first month of trading commencing on the date of the Consulting Agreement. As a result, the Company issued 3,979 shares per month for the term of the agreement. During the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company recorded $2,089 (2013: $nil) in fees paid in shares pursuant to this Consulting Agreement.
x)
On January 13, 2014, the Company issued 25,000 common shares as payment to a vendor of $15,000 owing for consulting fees rendered, pursuant to a debt settlement agreement dated July 18, 2013. This resulted in a gain on extinguishment of debt of $13,250. The fair value of $0.07 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
xi)
On January 13, 2014, the Company issued 63,492 common shares as payment to a vendor for consulting fees rendered, pursuant to a debt settlement agreement dated September 18, 2013 whereby the Company has agreed to settle an aggregate of $40,000 in amounts owing to the vendor, along with cash payments totaling $20,000. The Company recorded a reduction in amounts owing to the vendor of $4,444 in connection with the issuance of the shares. The fair value of $0.07 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the Company’s stock on the date of issuance.
xii)
On January 13, 2014, the Company issued 75,000 common shares pursuant to a board agreement dated September 24, 2013, whereby the Company has agreed to issue 75,000 shares of common stock every three months over the term of the one year contract in connection with the appointment of a director of the Company, for an aggregate of 300,000 common shares over the term. During the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company recorded directors fees of $18,000 (2013: $Nil) in respect of the first 75,000 common shares that have been earned under this agreement. The fair value of $0.24 per share was determined with reference to the quoted market price of the shares on the date of issuance.
xiii)
On January 31, 2014, the Company issued 450,000 common shares in exchange for the cancellation of an aggregate of 450,000 stock options pursuant to an Amendment Agreement dated January 6, 2014 with a director of the Company, whereby the Company agreed to amend the terms of the directors’ compensation in connection with a board agreement dated July 19, 2013. During the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company recorded directors fees of $31,200 (2013: $Nil) in respect of the issuance of these shares. The fair value of the grant was determined as the difference between the quoted market price of the shares on the date of issuance of $45,000, less the fair value of the stock options cancelled of $13,800, as exchange for their issuance. The fair value of the stock options cancelled was determined based on the Black Scholes option pricing model using the following weighted average assumptions: Estimated volatility 138.17%, stock price $0.10, risk-free interest rate 0.40%, expected term 1.53 years, estimated dividends 0%.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
2014 Stock Option Plan
On June 6, 2014, the Company’s board of directors approved a 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”), which provides for the grant of stock options, restricted shares, restricted share units and performance stock and units to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. Stockholder approval of the plan was obtained on August 21, 2014.
The maximum number of our common shares reserved for issue under the plan is 110,000,000 shares subject to adjustment in the event of a change of the Company’s capitalization (as described in the 2014 Plan). As a result of the adoption of the 2014 Plan, no further option awards will be granted under any previously existing stock option plan. Stock option awards previously granted under previously existing stock option plans remain outstanding in accordance with their terms.
The 2014 Plan is administered by the board of directors, except that it may, in its discretion, delegate such responsibility to a committee of such board. The exercise price will be determined by the board of directors at the time of grant. Stock options may be granted under the 2014 Plan for an exercise period of up to ten years from the date of grant of the option or such lesser periods as may be determined by the board, subject to earlier termination in accordance with the terms of the 2014 Plan. At January 31, 2015, 41,030,000 options remain available for issuance under the 2014 Plan.
Stock Based Compensation
A summary of the status of the Company’s outstanding stock options for the periods ended January 31, 2015 and 2014 is presented below:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
At January 31, 2015, the following stock options were outstanding, entitling the holder thereof to purchase common shares of the Company as follows:
*Subsequent to January 31, 2015 these options expired unexercised.
The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and the fair value of the Company’s common stock. At January 31, 2015, the aggregate intrinsic value of stock options outstanding is $Nil and exercisable is $Nil (January 31, 2014: $Nil and $Nil, respectively).
During the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company recognized a total fair value of $3,318,241 (2014: $ $715,915) of stock based compensation expense relating to the issuance of stock options in exchange for services. An amount of $11,614,380 in stock based compensation expense is expected to be recognized over the remaining vesting term of these options to June 10, 2018.
The fair value of each option award was estimated on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the following weighted average assumptions:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
(1) As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate the expected term of the options, the Company has elected to apply the short-cut method to determine the expected term under the guidance of Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 110 (“SAB 110”).
(2) As the Company has insufficient historical data on which to estimate expected future share price volatility, the Company has estimated expected share price volatility based on the historical share price volatility of comparable entities.
Share Purchase Warrants
At January 31, 2015, the Company had 65,140,946 share purchase warrants outstanding as follows:
During the year ended January 31, 2015, 24,000 share purchase warrants exercisable at $0.25 per share and 214,506 share purchase warrants exercisable at $0.75 per share expired unexercised.
A summary of the Company’s share purchase warrants outstanding is presented below:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
13.
Income Taxes
The reconciliation of income tax provision computed at statutory rates to reported income tax provision is as follows:
Significant components of the Company’s net deferred tax assets at January 31, 2015 and 2014:
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary basis differences between assets and liabilities reported for financial reporting and tax reporting. The ultimate realization of the net deferred tax asset is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Company considers projected future taxable income, recent financial performance and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. The Company is required to record a valuation allowance to reduce its net deferred tax asset to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Accounting guidance allows the Company to look to future earnings to support the realizability of the net deferred assets. Since the Company has had cumulative net operating losses since inception, the ability to use forecasted future earnings is diminished. As a result, the Company concluded a full valuation allowance against the net deferred tax asset was appropriate. At January 31, 2015 and 2014 the total change in valuation allowance for items affecting the current year was $2,706,000 and $1,066,700, respectively.
Naked Brand Group Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(Expressed in US Dollars)
At January 31, 2015, the Company had accumulated net operating losses in Canada totaling approximately $1,800,000 (2014: $1,666,000), which may be available to reduce taxable income in Canada in future taxation years. At January 31, 2015, the Company had accumulated net operating losses in USA totaling approximately $10,666,000 (2014: $1,419,000), which may be available to reduce taxable income in the United States in future taxation years. Unless previously utilized, these net operating losses will begin to expire in 2025.
The Company files income tax returns in the United States and Canada. All of the Company’s tax returns are subject to tax examinations until the respective statute of limitations expires. The Company currently has no tax years under examination. The Company’s tax filings for the years 2012 to 2014 remain open to examination.
Based on management’s assessment of ASC Topic 740 Income Taxes, the Company does not have an accrual for uncertain tax positions as of January 31, 2015 and 2014. The Company does not anticipate significant changes to its unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months.
14.
Customer Concentrations
The Company has concentrations in the volumes of business transacted with particular customers. The loss of these customers could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.
For the year ended January 31, 2015, the Company had concentrations of sales with a customer equal to 28% of the Company’s net sales (2014: 37%). As at January 31, 2015 the accounts receivable balance for this customer was $2,755 (2014: $15,462).
For the year ended January 31, 2014, the Company had concentrations of sales with another customer equal to 12% of the Company’s net sales. At January 31, 2014 the accounts receivable balance for this customer was $3,821.
15.
Commitments
Pursuant to a service agreement dated May 15, 2014, the Company has agreed to pay a retainer fee of $14,500 per month to a consultant of the Company, in exchange for marketing, sales and design services to be rendered over the term of the agreement to May 15, 2015. The consultant is a firm of which a direct family member of a director and officer of the Company is a principal.
16.
Subsequent Events
Subsequent to January 31, 2015;
a)
The Company issued stock options to purchase an aggregate of 3,150,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.12 as to 1,500,000 shares and $0.112 as to 1,650,000 shares.
ITEM 9.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
On October 22, 2014, the board of directors of our company approved the dismissal of BDO Canada LLP as our company's independent registered public accounting firm as a result of the migration of our head office to New York, New York. Our board of directors has appointed BDO USA, LLP as our principal independent auditor.
BDO Canada LLP's report on our company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, or qualification or modification as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles, except that such report on our company's consolidated financial statements contained an explanatory paragraph in respect to the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
During our company’s fiscal years ended January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013 and in the subsequent interim period through the date of dismissal, there were no disagreements, resolved or not, with BDO Canada LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or audit scope and procedures, which disagreement, if not resolved to the satisfaction of BDO Canada LLP, would have caused BDO Canada LLP to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its report.
During our company’s fiscal years ended January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013 and in the subsequent interim period through the date of dismissal, there were no reportable events as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
During our company’s fiscal years ended January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013 and in the subsequent interim period through the date of appointment of BDO USA, LLP, we have not consulted with BDO USA, LLP regarding either the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on our consolidated financial statements, nor has BDO USA, LLP provided to our company a written report or oral advice that BDO USA, LLP concluded was an important factor considered by our company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, other than in connection with carrying out the review procedures required under Appendix K of SEC Practice Section rules adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). In addition, during such periods, our company has not consulted with BDO USA, LLP regarding any matter that was either the subject of a disagreement (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) and the related instructions) or a reportable event (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K)
ITEM 9A.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this annual report on Form 10-K, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective. The ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures was due to the material weaknesses described below.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer has conducted an assessment, including testing, using the criteria in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Our system of internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Our management believes that because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions and that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Based on our evaluation under the framework in COSO, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of January 31, 2015. The ineffectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting was due to the existence of material weaknesses. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management identified the following material weaknesses:
(i)
inadequate segregation of duties and effective risk assessment;
(ii)
insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting and financial reporting with respect to the requirements and application of both US GAAP and Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines;
(iii)
inadequate security and restricted access to computer systems, including insufficient disaster recovery plans; and
(iv)
lack of a written whistle-blower policy.
To address these material weaknesses, management performed additional analyses and other procedures to ensure that the financial statements included herein fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Accordingly, we believe that the financial statements included in this report fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.
Remediation of Material Weaknesses
The weaknesses and their related risks are not uncommon in a company of our size because of the limitations in the size and number of staff. Due to our size and nature, segregation of all conflicting duties has not always been possible and may not be economically feasible.
However, we intend to take appropriate and reasonable steps to make the necessary improvements to remediate these material weaknesses. In particular, we intend to undertake the below remediation measures to address the material weaknesses described in this Form 10-K. Such remediation activities include the following:
(i)
we intend to update the documentation of our internal control processes, including formal risk assessment of our financial reporting processes; and
(ii)
we intend to establish a formal whistle blower policy.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Subsequent to the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2015, we appointed two new independent directors to our Board of directors and, in connection with these appointments, established a formal, independent audit committee. This change had a material effect on our internal control over financial reporting as it establishes another level of formal review.
ITEM 9B.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
PART III
ITEM 10.
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Directors and Executive Officers
Our directors and executive officers, their ages, positions held, and duration of such, are as follows:
Business Experience
The following is a brief account of the education and business experience of each director and executive officer during at least the past five years, indicating each person’s business experience, principal occupation during the period, and the name and principal business of the organization by which they were employed.
Carole Hochman
We appointed Ms. Carole Hochman as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer, and to serve as a director of our company, effective as of June 10, 2014. Ms. Carole Hochman became an employee of our company on June 6, 2014.
Ms. Hochman is a renowned designer and sleepwear pioneer. She is considered one of the single most influential women in the intimate apparel and sleepwear business in the United States. She has been creating intimate apparel for more than 30 years and was the driving force behind the Carole Hochman Design Group, for which she served as Chief Creative Officer until her departure in 2013 and for which she was previously CEO until its acquisition by Komar in 2010. Under Ms. Hochman’s leadership, Carole Hochman Design Group manufactured Carole Hochman brand of sleepwear, loungewear and daywear and numerous sleepwear collections including Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Jockey, Donna Karan, Tommy Bahama and Betsey Johnson.
We believe Ms. Hochman is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her extensive business experience as described above.
Joel Primus
Joel Primus is the President and a director of our company and was previously the President, CEO, founder and a director of Naked and the Chief Executive Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer of Naked Brand Group Inc. Although he is only 28, Mr. Primus preceded his business activities with a successful athletic career. During his amateur running career, Mr. Primus was selected for three national teams and represented Canada at the World Youth Championships. Mr. Primus was also an Athlete Liaison to Canadian Sport Centre Pacific in addition to sitting on the board with Volunteer Abbotsford. He was awarded a full scholarship to High Point University in North Carolina where he made the Dean’s list and won the student athlete award. When an unfortunate accident ended Mr. Primus’ running career, international travel in Central and South America inspired Mr. Primus to form the Project World Citizen Society, a non-profit society that aims to assist communities in the developing world that are struggling with social injustices. The organization currently works out of Ghana and Mr. Primus sits as the Co-Chair on its board of directors. His travels in South America also inspired Mr. Primus to found Naked. During the start-up phase for Naked, which started in September 2008, Mr. Primus worked as an advertising consultant for the Black Press Group Ltd. (the Abbotsford News), a Canadian privately owned publisher of newspapers, from November 2009 to April 2010. From April 2010 to June 2010, Mr. Primus was employed at Altitude Search Marketing where he handled business development. From September 2008 to October 2009, Mr. Primus operated the Sapera magazine. In promotion of Naked, Mr. Primus has appeared on CBC’s Dragons Den three times in addition to Entertainment Tonight Canada, E Talk Daily Canada, Urban Rush, Shaw’s The Express and The Fanny Kiefer Show.
We believe Mr. Primus is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive knowledge of our company’s history and current operations, which he gained from working for our company as described above, in addition to his business experience as described above.
Michael Flanagan
We appointed Mr. Michael Flanagan as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer effective June 9, 2014. Mr. Michael Flanagan became an employee of our company on June 6, 2014.
Mr. Flanagan brings more than 30 years of very successful apparel experience in both finance and operations. Mr. Flanagan began his career in 1979 at Warnaco Inc., a Fortune 500 Apparel Company, in the company’s management trainee program and managed cost accounting, financial accounting and internal audit for multiple divisions. Mr. Flanagan next managed Internal Audit at Crystal Brands, another Fortune 500 apparel company, then spent 13 years at Brooks Brothers Inc. as the Senior Vice President of both Finance and Distribution/Logistics/Customer Service, where he helped grow the company from less than $200 million in sales to over $650 million in sales. In 2001, Mr. Flanagan partnered with Morgan Stanley and helped lead the team, as CFO, selling Brooks Brothers to Retail Brand Alliance in 2002. From 2003 to 2009, Mr. Flanagan served as the COO/CFO of luxury brand Nat Nast Inc., after which he became COO/CFO of Summit Golf Brands until 2013.
Carlos Serra
On June 6, 2014, we appointed Mr. Carlos Serra as our company’s Vice President Sales and Merchandising, effective June 23, 2014. Mr. Carlos Serra has been an employee of our company since June 6, 2014.
Mr. Serra is a senior sales, merchandising and marketing executive with over 18 years of experience in the intimate apparel industry. Mr. Serra began his career with Macy’s, completing their retail executive training program. Mr. Serra has worked in the strategic sales, development, merchandising and marketing divisions for the distribution of men’s and women’s collections for brands such as Emporio Armani, Calvin Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren. He has worked with product development teams worldwide to create the proper assortment mix for global distribution within wholesale and proprietary distribution channels. Mr. Serra was instrumental in the global launch of Emporio Armani men’s underwear featuring David Beckham.
David Hochman
On June 6, 2014, we appointed Mr. David Hochman as a director of our company, effective as of June 10, 2014.
Mr. Hochman is a Managing Partner of Orchestra Medical Ventures, an investment firm that employs an innovative strategy to create, build and invest in medical technology companies intended to generate substantial clinical value and superior investor returns. He is also President of Accelerated Technologies, Inc. (ATI), a medical device accelerator managed by Orchestra. Mr. Hochman has over 19 years of venture capital, entrepreneurial and investment banking experience. Mr. Hochman is the Chairman of Vital Access Corp. and serves as a director of MOTUS GI Medical Technologies, Caliber Therapeutics, BackBeat Medical (where he is also President), FreeHold Surgical, Maternity Neighborhood and Corbus Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: CRBP). Prior to joining Orchestra, Mr. Hochman was Chief Executive Officer of Spencer Trask Edison Partners, LLC, a principal investment partnership focused on early stage healthcare companies. He was also Managing Director of Spencer Trask Ventures, Inc. during which time he was responsible for directing the firm’s venture banking group and led financing transactions for over 20 early-stage companies, securing over $420 million in equity capital. Mr. Hochman was a board advisor of Health Dialog Services Corporation, a world leader in collaborative care management that was acquired in 2008 by the British United Provident Association for $750 million. He was also a co-founder and director of PROLOR Biotech, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing longer-lasting versions of approved therapeutic proteins, which was purchased by Opko Health, Inc. (NYSE: OPK) in 2013 for over $600 million. Mr. Hochman also currently serves as a board member of two non-profit organizations, the Citizens Committee for New York City and the Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan.
We believe Mr. Hochman is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive business experience as described above.
Andrew Kaplan
Mr. Kaplan is a Vice President of Barry Kaplan Associates, a 25-year-old investor relations firm that works with small and medium sized public and private companies. He has been with the firm since 1995. Prior to this, Mr. Kaplan had been with major investment firms and a boutique investment bank specializing in the financing of companies going public through IPOs or reverse mergers. Mr. Kaplan received his BSBA in Finance and Insurance from the University of Hartford in 1989.
Mr. Kaplan has been a director of Coral Gold Resources Ltd. since July 2012.
We believe Mr. Kaplan is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive business experience in the area of finance as described above.
Christopher Heyn
Mr. Heyn is currently Chief Executive Officer of Southern Tide, LLC and he was formerly the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Summit Golf Brands and has extensive experience in the apparel merchandizing industry, including experience as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of D.C. Management Group, President of Nautica Sportswear and Nautica Jeans Company and Nautica Apparel, Inc., and Senior Vice President of the National Basketball Association’s Global Merchandising Group.
We believe Mr. Heyn is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive business experiences in the apparel merchandising industries, as described above.
Paul Hayes
Effective February 3, 2015, we appointed Paul Hayes as a director of our company and a member of our audit committee (Chairman).
Mr. Hayes, a certified public accountant, led the commercial finance and accounting team for the $500 million Calvin Klein brand business in Europe in his capacity as Chief Financial Officer for the Europe region of The Warnaco Group, which was acquired in 2013 by PVH Corporation. He has extensive global experience managing and driving growth in a wide range of industries, particularly in the intimate apparel and sleepwear categories through his tenure at Calvin Klein. He has also held senior positions at international powerhouses Nokia Corporation and Deloitte & Touche LLP. Currently, Mr. Hayes serves as the Vice President Finance for Parfums de Coeur, a fragrance and bath products concern.
We believe Mr. Hayes is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive business experiences in the apparel merchandising industries, as described above.
Martha Olson
Effective February 25, 2015, we appointed Martha Olson as a director of our company.
Ms. Olson, has a proven track record over her 30 year career of growing global, iconic brands such as Calvin Klein Underwear and Ralph Lauren Intimates while delivering superior shareholder returns. As a Warnaco Corporate Officer and the Group President of Calvin Klein Underwear Global and the Heritage Brands (Speedo, Chaps and Core Intimates Divisions), the businesses she had responsibility for grew to $1.4B and contributed 70% of Warnaco’s Operating Income. Calvin Klein Underwear revenue grew at an annualized compound rate of 8%. She has strong global expertise in general management, operations, commercial execution and marketing across a wide range of industries.
We believe Ms. Olson is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her extensive business experiences in the apparel merchandising industries, as described above.
Family Relationships
Other than Carole Hochman and her son, David Hochman, there are no family relationships among our directors or officers.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
Our directors and executive officers have not been involved in any of the following events during the past ten years:
(1) a petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law was filed by or against, or a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer was appointed by a court for the business or property of such person, or any partnership in which he or she was a general partner at or within two years before the time of such filing, or any corporation or business association of which he or she was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;
(2) a conviction in a criminal proceeding or named in a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses);
(3) being the subject of any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining him or her from, or otherwise limiting, the following activities:
(i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with such activity;
(ii) engaging in any type of business practice; or
(iii) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities laws or federal commodities laws;
(4) being the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days the right of such person to engage in any activity described in paragraph (3)(i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;
(5) being found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Securities and Exchange Commission to have violated any federal or state securities law, and the judgment in such civil action or finding by the Securities and Exchange Commission has not been subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated;
(6) being found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated any federal commodities law, and the judgment in such civil action or finding by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;
(7) being the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of:
(i) any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation; or
(ii) any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and-desist order, or removal or prohibition order; or
(iii) any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or
(8) being the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization, any registered entity, or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member.
Term of Office
Our directors hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is elected and qualified. Our officers’ remain in their respective position until termination or resignation.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock, to file reports regarding ownership of, and transactions in, our securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission and to provide us with copies of those filings. We are required to disclose delinquent filings of reports by such persons.
Based solely on the copies of such reports and amendments thereto received by us, or written representations that no filings were required, we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our executive officers and directors and 10% stockholders were met for the year ended January 31, 2015, with the exception of the following:
(1)
Failure to file Form 3 - Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities.
(2)
Failure to file Form 4 - Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership.
Audit Committee
Under Canadian National Instrument 52-110 - Audit Committees (“NI 52-110”) reporting issuers are required to provide disclosure with respect to its audit committee.
Audit Committee Charter
We have adopted the following audit committee charter:
Purpose of Audit Committee of Naked Brand Group Inc. (the “Corporation”)
The purpose of the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is to:
1.
Assist the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities relating to:
(a)
the quality and integrity of the Corporation’s financial statements, financial reporting process and systems of internal controls and disclosure controls regarding risk management, finance, accounting, and legal and regulatory compliance;
(b)
the independence and qualifications of the Corporation’s independent accountants and review of the audit efforts of the Corporation’s independent accountants and internal auditing department; and
(c)
the development and implementation of policies and processes regarding corporate governance matters.
2.
Provide an open avenue of communication between the internal auditing department, the independent accountants, the Corporation’s financial and senior management and the Board.
3.
Prepare the report required to be prepared by the Committee pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for inclusion in the Corporation’s annual proxy statement.
The Committee will primarily fulfill these responsibilities by carrying out the activities enumerated in Section VII below of this Audit Committee Charter (this “Charter”).
While the Committee has the responsibilities and powers set forth in this Charter, it is not the duty of the Committee to plan or conduct audits, or to determine that the Corporation’s financial statements are complete and accurate or are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, accounting standards, or applicable laws and regulations. This is the responsibility of management of the Corporation, the Corporation’s internal auditing department and the Corporation’s independent accountants. Because the primary function of the Committee is oversight, the Committee shall be entitled to rely on the expertise, skills and knowledge of management, the internal auditing department, and the Corporation’s independent accountants and the integrity and accuracy of information provided to the Committee by such persons in carrying out its oversight responsibilities. Nothing in this Charter is intended to change the responsibilities of management and the independent accountants.
II.
Composition
The Committee shall be composed of at least one director and if the Corporation has independent board members, the majority of whom shall, in the judgment of the Board, meet (i) the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) and any other rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder; (ii) the independence requirements of the rules of any stock exchange upon which the Company’s securities are listed (the “Exchange Rules”) for audit committee members as in effect from time to time. One or more members of the Committee shall be, in the judgment of the Board, an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder, and be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including the Corporation’s balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement as required by the Exchange Rules.
III.
Authority
The Committee shall have the authority to (i) retain (at the Corporation’s expense) its own legal counsel, accountants and other consultants that the Committee believes, in its sole discretion, are needed to carry out its duties and responsibilities; (ii) conduct investigations that it believes, in its sole discretion, are necessary to carry out its responsibilities; and (iii) take whatever actions that it deems appropriate to foster an internal culture that is committed to maintaining quality financial reporting, sound business risk practices and ethical behaviour within the Corporation. In addition, the Committee shall have the authority to request any officer, director or employee of the Corporation, the Corporation’s outside legal counsel and the independent accountants to meet with the Committee and any of its advisors and to respond to their inquiries. The Committee shall have full access to the books, records and facilities of the Corporation in carrying out its responsibilities. Finally, the Board shall adopt resolutions which provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for (i) services provided by the independent accountants in rendering or issuing an audit report, (ii) services provided by any adviser employed by the Committee which it believes, in its sole discretion, are needed to carry out its duties and responsibilities, or (iii) ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties and responsibilities.
The Committee, in its capacity as a committee of the Board, is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the work of the independent accountants engaged (including resolution of disagreements between the Corporation’s management and the independent accountants regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing and issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Corporation.
The independent accountants shall submit to the Corporation annually a formal written statement delineating all relationships between the independent accountants and the Corporation and its subsidiaries, addressing the non-audit services provided to the Corporation or its subsidiaries and the matters set forth in Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1.
The independent accountants shall submit to the Corporation annually a formal written statement of the fees billed for each of the following categories of services rendered by the independent accountants: (i) the audit of the Corporation’s annual financial statements for the most recent fiscal year and any reviews of the financial statements; (ii) information technology consulting services for the most recent fiscal year, in the aggregate and by each service (and separately identifying fees for such services relating to financial information systems design and implementation); and (iii) all other services rendered by the independent accountants for the most recent fiscal years, in the aggregate and by each service.
IV.
Appointing Members
The members of the Committee shall be appointed or re-appointed by the Board on an annual basis. Each member of the Committee shall continue to be a member thereof until such member’s successor is appointed, unless such member shall resign or be removed by the Board or such member shall cease to be a director of the Corporation. Where a vacancy occurs at any time in the membership of the Committee, it may be filled by the Board and shall be filled by the Board if the membership of the Committee is less than three directors as a result of the vacancy or the Committee no longer has a member who is an “audit committee financial expert” as a result of the vacancy.
V.
Chairperson
The Board, or in the event of its failure to do so, the members of the Committee, must appoint a chairperson from the members of the Committee (the “Chairperson”). If the Chairperson of the Committee is not present at any meeting of the Committee, an acting Chairperson for the meeting shall be chosen by majority vote of the Committee from among the members present. In the case of a deadlock on any matter or vote, the Chairperson shall refer the matter to the Board. The Committee shall also appoint a secretary who need not be a director. All requests for information from the Corporation or the independent accountants shall be made through the Chairperson.
VI.
Meetings
The time and place of meetings of the Committee and the procedure at such meetings shall be determined from time to time by the members thereof provided that:
1.
A quorum for meetings shall be one member.
2.
The Committee shall meet at least quarterly (or more frequently as circumstances dictate).
3.
Notice of the time and place of every meeting shall be given in writing or facsimile communication to each member of the Committee and the external auditors of the Corporation at least 48 hours prior to the time of such meeting.
While the Committee is expected to communicate regularly with management, the Committee shall exercise a high degree of independence in establishing its meeting agenda and in carrying out its responsibilities. The Committee shall submit the minutes of all meetings of the Committee to, or discuss the matters discussed at each Committee meeting with, the Board.
VII.
Specific Duties
In meeting its responsibilities, the Committee is expected to:
1.
Select the independent accountants, considering independence and effectiveness, approve all audit and non- audit services in advance of the provision of such services and the fees and other compensation to be paid to the independent accountants, and oversee the services rendered by the independent accountants (including the resolution of disagreements between management and the independent accountants regarding preparation of financial statements) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work, and the independent accountants shall report directly to the Committee.
2.
Review the performance of the independent accountants, including the lead partner of the independent accountants, and, in its sole discretion, approve any proposed discharge of the independent accountants when circumstances warrant, and appoint any new independent accountants.
3.
Periodically review and discuss with the independent accountants all significant relationships the independent accountants have with the Corporation to determine the independence of the independent accountants, including a review of service fees for audit and non-audit services.
4.
Inquire of management and the independent accountants and evaluate the effectiveness of the Corporation’s process for assessing significant risks or exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor, control and minimize such risks to the Corporation. Obtain annually, in writing, the letters of the independent accountants as to the adequacy of such controls.
5.
Consider, in consultation with the independent accountants, the audit scope and plan of the independent accountants.
6.
Review with the independent accountants the coordination of audit effort to assure completeness of coverage, and the effective use of audit resources.
7.
Consider and review with the independent accountants, out of the presence of management:
(a)
the adequacy of the Corporation’s internal controls and disclosure controls including the adequacy of computerized information systems and security;
(b)
the truthfulness and accuracy of the Corporation’s financial statements; and
(c)
any related significant findings and recommendations of the independent accountants together with management’s responses thereto.
8.
Following completion of the annual audit, review with management and the independent accountants:
(a)
the Corporation’s annual financial statements and related footnotes;
(b)
the independent accountants’ audit of the financial statements and the report thereon;
(c)
any significant changes required in the independent accountants’ audit plan; and
(d)
other matters related to the conduct of the audit which are to be communicated to the committee under generally accepted auditing standards.
9.
Following completion of the annual audit, review separately with each of management and the independent accountants any significant difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information.
10.
Establish regular and separate systems of reporting to the Committee by each of management and the independent accountants regarding any significant judgments made in management’s preparation of the financial statements and the view of each as to appropriateness of such judgments.
11.
In consultation with the independent accountants, review any significant disagreement among management and the independent accountants in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, including management’s responses.
12.
Consider and review with management:
(a)
significant findings during the year and management’s responses thereto; and
(b)
any changes required in the planned scope of their audit plan.
13.
Review filings with the SEC and other regulatory authorities having jurisdiction and other published documents containing the Corporation’s financial statements, including any certification, report, opinion or review rendered by the independent accountants, or any press releases announcing earnings (especially the use of “pro forma” or “adjusted” information not prepared in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles) and all financial information and earnings guidance intended to be provided to analysts and the public or to rating agencies, and consider whether the information contained in these documents is consistent with the information contained in the financial statements.
14.
Prepare and include in the Corporation’s annual proxy statement or other filings of the SEC and other regulatory authorities having jurisdiction any report from the Committee or other disclosures as required by applicable laws and regulations.
15.
Review with management the adequacy of the insurance and fidelity bond coverages, reported contingent liabilities, and management’s assessment of contingency planning. Review management’s plans regarding any changes in accounting practices or policies and the financial impact of such changes, any major areas in management’s judgment that have a significant effect upon the financial statements of the Corporation, and any litigation or claim, including tax assessments, that could have a material effect upon the financial position or operating results of the Corporation.
16.
Review with management and the independent accountants each annual, quarterly and other periodic report prior to its filing with the SEC or other regulators or prior to the release of earnings.
17.
Review policies and procedures with respect to officers’ expense accounts and perquisites, including their use of corporate assets, and consider the results of any review of these areas by the independent accountants.
18.
Establish, review and update periodically a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct for employees, officers and directors of the Corporation and ensure that management has established a system to enforce this Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
19.
Review management’s monitoring of the Corporation’s compliance with the Corporation’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
20.
Review, with the Corporation’s counsel, any legal, tax or regulatory matter that may have a material impact on the Corporation’s financial statements, operations, related Corporation compliance policies, and programs and reports received from regulators.
21.
Evaluate and review with management the Corporation’s guidelines and policies governing the process of risk assessment and risk management.
22.
Consider questions of possible conflicts of interest of Board members and of the corporate officers and approve in advance all related party transactions.
23.
Provide advice on changes in Board compensation.
24.
Meet with the independent accountants and management in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or these groups believe should be discussed privately with the Committee.
25.
Report Committee actions to the Board with such recommendations as the Committee may deem appropriate.
26.
Maintain, review and update the procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Corporation regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Corporation of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters, as set forth in Annex A attached to this Charter.
27.
Review and update this Charter periodically and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval, in accordance with the requirements of the 1934 Act and Exchange Rules.
28.
Perform such other functions consistent with this Charter, the Corporation’s Bylaws and governing law, as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate.
ANNEX A
PROCEDURES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF
COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS REGARDING
ACCOUNTING, INTERNAL ACCOUNTING CONTROLS OR
AUDITING MATTERS
1.
Naked Brand Group Inc. (the “Corporation”) has designated its Audit Committee of its Board of Directors (the “Committee”) to be responsible for administering these procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints received by the Corporation or the Committee directly regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters.
2.
Any employee of the Corporation may on a confidential and anonymous basis submit concerns regarding questionable accounting controls or auditing matters to the Committee by setting forth such concerns in a letter addressed directly to the Committee with a legend on the envelope such as “Confidential” or “To be opened by Committee only”. If an employee would like to discuss the matter directly with a member of the Committee, the employee should include a return telephone number in his or her submission to the Committee at which he or she can be contacted. All submissions by letter to the Committee can be sent to:
Naked Brand Group Inc.
c/o Audit Committee
Attn: Chairperson
10th Floor - 95 Madison Ave
New York NY USA 10016
3.
Any complaints received by the Corporation that are submitted as set forth herein will be forwarded directly to the Committee and will be treated as confidential if so indicated.
4.
At each meeting of the Committee, or any special meetings called by the Chairperson of the Committee, the members of the Committee will review and consider any complaints or concerns submitted by employees as set forth herein and take any action it deems necessary in order to respond thereto.
5.
All complaints and concerns submitted as set forth herein will be retained by the Committee for a period of seven (7) years.
Audit Committee Composition
During our most recent fiscal year end, our entire Board of Directors acted as our company’s Audit Committee. Subsequent to the end of our fiscal year ended January 31, 2015, our board established an Audit Committee. It consists of Paul Hayes, David Hochman and Andrew Kaplan, and oversees and reports to the Board of Directors on various auditing and accounting-related matters, including the maintenance of the integrity of our financial statements, reporting process and internal controls; the selection, evaluation, compensation and retention of our independent registered public accounting firm; legal and regulatory compliance, including our disclosure controls and procedures; and oversight over our risk management policies and procedures.
All members of our Audit Committee are “financially literate” within the meaning of National Instrument 52-110 - Audit Committees of the Canadian Securities Administrators and Paul Hayes and Andrew Kaplan meet the definition of “Independent” as defined in National Instrument 52-110 Audit Committees, while David Hochman does not.
Mr. Hayes serves as chairman of this committee and has been determined by our Board to be an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
For the education and experience of each Audit Committee member that is relevant to the performance of his responsibilities as an Audit Committee member, please see the section entitled “Directors and Executive Officers - Business Experience” above.
Audit Committee Oversight
At no time since the commencement of our most recently completed financial year was a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by our board.
Reliance on Certain Exemptions
At no time since the commencement of our most recently completed financial year have we relied on the exemption in Section 2.4 of NI 52-110 (De Minimis Non-audit Services), or an exemption from NI 52-110, in whole or in part, granted under Part 8 of NI 52-110 (Exemptions).
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee is authorized by the Board to review the performance of our external auditors and approve in advance provision of services other than auditing and to consider the independence of the external auditors, including a review of the range of services provided in the context of all consulting services to our company.
Exemption
We are relying on the exemption provided by section 6.1 of NI 52-110 which provides that we, as a venture issuer, are not required to comply with Part 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and Part 5 (Reporting Obligations) of NI 52-110.
Corporate Governance
General
Our board of directors believes that good corporate governance improves corporate performance and benefits all shareholders. Canadian National Policy 58-201 Corporate Governance Guidelines provides non-prescriptive guidelines on corporate governance practices for reporting issuers such as the Company. In addition, Canadian National Instrument 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices prescribes certain disclosure by our company of its corporate governance practices. This disclosure is presented below.
Board of Directors
We currently act with seven directors consisting of Carole Hochman, Joel Primus, David Hochman, Andrew Kaplan, Christopher Heyn, Paul Hayes and Martha Olson. Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB operated by the OTC Markets Group, which does not impose any director independence requirements. Under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2), a director is not considered to be independent if he is also an executive officer or is, or at any time during the past three years was, employee of the company. Under this rule, Joel Primus and Carole Hochman are not independent because Mr. Primus is our president and Ms. Hochman is our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer. David Hochman is not independent because he is Ms. Hochman’s son. Under this rule, Andrew Kaplan, Christopher Heyn, Paul Hayes and Martha Olson are independent.
Board Leadership Structure
The positions of our principal executive officer and the chairman of our board of directors are served by one individual: Carole Hochman. We have determined that the leadership structure of our board of directors is appropriate. Our board of directors provides direct oversight of our risk exposure regarding matters relating to financial, operational, legal and strategic risks and mitigation strategies for such risks.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
We are not aware of any conflicts of interest with our directors and officers.
Directorships
Mr. Kaplan has been a director of Coral Gold Resources Ltd. since July, 2012.
Mr. Hochman has been a director of Corbus Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc. since December 4, 2014.
Orientation and Continuing Education
We have an informal process to orient and educate new recruits to the board regarding their role on the board, our committees and our directors, as well as the nature and operations of our business. This process provides for an orientation with key members of the management staff, and further provides access to materials necessary to inform them of the information required to carry out their responsibilities as a board member. This information includes the most recent board approved budget, the most recent annual report, the audited financial statements and copies of the interim quarterly financial statements.
The board does not provide continuing education for its directors. Each director is responsible to maintain the skills and knowledge necessary to meet his obligations as director.
Ethical Business Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees of our company and its subsidiaries. This Code of Ethics covers a wide range of business practices and procedures and was adopted by our company for the purpose of promoting honest and ethical conduct, full, fair, accurate and timely disclosure in all reports and documents that our company files under public communication, compliance with all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations, protection of company assets, and fair dealing practices.
Nomination of Directors
Our board of directors does not have a policy with regards to the consideration of any director candidates recommended by our shareholders. Our board of directors has determined that it is in the best position to evaluate our company’s requirements as well as the qualifications of each candidate when the board considers a nominee for a position on our board of directors. If shareholders wish to recommend candidates directly to our board, they may do so by sending communications to the president of our company at the address on the cover of this annual report.
Compensation
Our board of directors is responsible for determining compensation for the directors of our company to ensure it reflects the responsibilities and risks of being a director of a public company.
Other Board Committees
Other than our Audit Committee, we have no committees.
Assessments
The board intends that individual director assessments be conducted by other directors, taking into account each director’s contributions at board meetings, service on committees, experience base, and their general ability to contribute to one or more of our company’s major needs. However, due to our stage of development and our need to deal with other urgent priorities, the board has not yet implemented such a process of assessment.
ITEM 11.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
The following table summarizes the compensation of our executive officers during the two years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014. No other officers or directors received annual compensation in excess of $100,000 during the last completed fiscal year. The following executive officers are referred to as “named executive officers” in this annual report on Form 10-K.
(1)
For a description of the methodology and assumptions used in valuing the option awards granted to our named executive officers and directors during the year ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, please review Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements included herein. Option awards shown here represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all options granted.
(2)
Compensation paid in Canadian dollars is stated in United States dollars based on an exchange rate of 0.91 (2014: 09640) US dollars for each Canadian dollar.
(3)
We appointed Ms. Carole Hochman as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer, and to serve as a director of our company, effective as of June 11, 2014. Ms. Carole Hochman became an employee of our company on June 6, 2014.
(4)
Mr. Primus resigned as CEO on June 11, 2014 in connection with the appointment of Carole Hochman as CEO.
(5)
We appointed Mr. Michael Flanagan as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer effective June 9, 2014. Mr. Michael Flanagan became an employee of our company on June 6, 2014.
(6)
On June 6, 2014, we appointed Mr. Carlos Serra as our company’s Vice President Sales and Merchandising, effective June 23, 2014. Mr. Carlos Serra has been an employee of our company since June 6, 2014.
Narrative Disclosure
In connection with the appointment of Carole Hochman, we entered into an employment agreement, dated June 6, 2014, for a term of three years whereby (a) we will pay Ms. Hochman a base salary of $400,000 per year, provided Ms. Hochman will forgo the first twelve months of the base salary and will receive only $1 for that period; (b) Ms. Hochman received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 57,150,000 shares of our common stock, equal to 20% of our issued shares of common stock on a fully-diluted basis following the final closing of the private placement, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting in equal monthly installments over a period of three years from June 10, 2014; (c) Ms. Hochman will be eligible to receive an annual cash bonus for each whole or partial year during the employment term payable based on the achievement of one or more performance goals established annually by our board of directors; (d) Ms. Hochman will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans; and (e) Ms. Hochman will be entitled to an annual expense allowance.
Ms. Hochman’s employment agreement further provides that if Ms. Hochman’s employment is terminated for any reason she will be entitled to all earned but unpaid base salary and bonus, accrued vacation, vested benefits or compensation, indemnification rights she would otherwise be entitled to and any incurred but unreimbursed expenses. In addition, if Ms. Hochman’s employment is terminated by our company without cause, or by Ms. Hochman for good reason (each as defined in Ms. Hochman’s employment agreement), she will also be entitled to (a) a pro-rata portion of her target bonus for the year in which the termination of employment occurs and (b) continued payments of base salary paid in cash in equal monthly installments for a period of 12 months following the termination date. In the event that Ms. Hochman’s employment is terminated due to death or disability, she will be entitled to receive benefits in accordance with our company’s then established plans, programs and practices and her outstanding equity awards will be treated in accordance with their terms.
Pursuant to the employment agreement with Mr. Primus, we agreed to employ Mr. Primus as President and CEO of the company in consideration for compensation of CDN$65,000 per year, to be reviewed annually or upon completion of a subsequent financing by our company. We agreed to reimburse Mr. Primus for expenses he incurred in connection with his employment with our company, including for fashion industry related expenses. Mr. Primus was entitled to remuneration by equity awards, including stock option grants and was eligible for a bonus annually based on criteria set out in the employment agreement.
On June 10, 2014, subsequent to the close of the Offering by our company, Joel Primus resigned as CEO of our company, and his employment agreement ceased to be effective, in connection with the appointment of Carole Hochman as CEO. Mr. Primus remains our company’s President, with a salary of $164,000 per year. Mr. Primus is entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
We appointed Mr. Michael Flanagan as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer effective June 9, 2014. Mr. Michael Flanagan became an employee of our company on June 6, 2014. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Flanagan, we entered into an employment agreement commencing June 6, 2014 for a term of four years whereby (a) we will pay Mr. Flanagan a base salary of $200,000 per year; (b) Mr. Flanagan received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 2,800,000 shares of our common stock, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant; and (c) Mr. Flanagan will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
On June 6, 2014, we appointed Mr. Carlos Serra as our company’s Vice President Sales and Merchandising, effective June 23, 2014. Mr. Carlos Serra has been an employee of our company since June 6, 2014. In connection with the appointment of Mr. Serra, we entered into an employment agreement commencing June 6, 2014 for a term of four years whereby (a) we will pay Mr. Serra a base salary of $175,000 per year; (b) Mr. Serra received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 3,700,000 shares of our common stock, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant; and (c) Mr. Serra will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth for each named executive officer certain information concerning the outstanding equity awards as of January 31, 2015:
(1)
Of the total, 10,504,861 options exercisable and 43,520,139 options unexercisable are held through Carole S. Hochman Trust, of which Carole’s son, David Hochman and daughter are trustees. These options are vesting monthly over a term of 36 months to June 6,
(2)
The options are vesting annually over a term of four years to June 6, 2018.
Retirement or Similar Benefit Plans
We do not currently have any plans in place that provide for the payment of retirement benefits, or benefits that will be paid primarily following retirement, including but not limited to tax-qualified defined benefit plans, supplemental executive retirement plans, tax-qualified defined contribution plans and nonqualified defined contribution plans.
Resignation, Retirement, Other Termination, or Change in Control Arrangements
For a description of the material terms of each contract, agreement, plan or arrangement, whether written or unwritten, that provides for payment(s) to a named executive officer at, following, or in connection with the resignation, retirement or other termination of a named executive officer, or a change in control of the company or a change in the named executive officer's responsibilities following a change in control, see above under the heading “Item 11. Executive Compensation - Narrative Disclosure”.
Directors Compensation
The following table provides information concerning the compensation of directors of our company for our last completed fiscal year, for whom information has not been disclosed above under the heading “Summary Compensation Table”:
(1)
For a description of the methodology and assumptions used in valuing the option awards granted to our named executive officers and directors during the year ended January 31, 2015 and 2014, please review Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements included herein. Option awards shown here represent the aggregate grant date fair value of all options granted
(2)
Pursuant to a board agreement dated October 7, 2013, we agreed to issue Mr. Heyn 75,000 shares of common stock each quarter for a term of one year, as compensation for serving as a member of our board of directors. During the year ended January 31, 2015, 150,000 shares of common stock vested under this agreement.
(3)
Mr. McAulay resigned as a director on February 25, 2015.
(4)
Mr. Hochman was granted options to purchase 2,880,000 of our common shares at $0.128 pursuant to his appointment as a director of our company. These options are vesting over a term of three years to June 10, 2017.
(5)
Mr. Kaplan was granted options to purchase 1,440,000 of our common shares at $0.128 during the year ended January 31, 2015. These options are vesting over a term of three years to June 10, 2017.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth for each director of our company, for whom information has not been disclosed above under the heading “Summary Compensation Table”, certain information concerning the outstanding equity awards as of January 31, 2015:
ITEM 12.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth, as at April xx, 2015, certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by each shareholder known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent (5%) of our common stock, by each of our named executive officers and current directors, and by all of our directors and executive officers as a group. Each person has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares of common stock, except as otherwise indicated. Beneficial ownership consists of a direct interest in the shares of common stock, except as otherwise indicated.
(1)
Except as otherwise indicated, we believe that the beneficial owners of the common stock listed above, based on information furnished by such owners, have sole investment and voting power with respect to such shares, subject to community property laws where applicable. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Shares of common stock subject to options or warrants currently exercisable, or exercisable within 60 days, are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the person holding such option or warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.
(2)
Based on 42,510,063 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding as of April xx, 2015.
(3)
Includes 1,041,667 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share, which are exercisable within 60 days and warrants to acquire 4,704,667 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 9,409,333 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock.
(4)
Includes 300,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.25 per share, which are currently exercisable.
(5)
Includes rights to acquire 1,497,067 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable and warrants to acquire 748,533 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable.
(6)
Includes rights to acquire 333,333 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable, warrants to acquire 166,667 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable.
(7)
Includes 700,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share which are exercisable within 60 days.
(8)
Includes 925,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share which are exercisable within 60 days.
(9)
Includes rights to acquire 1,810,653 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable, and warrants to acquire 905,327 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable, 960,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share which are exercisable within 60 days and 18,008,333 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share, which are exercisable within 60 days by Carole S. Hochman Trust, over which Mr. Hochman exercises control along with his sister, Ms. Sara Allard.
(10)
Includes an aggregate of 300,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.25 per share, which are currently exercisable, an aggregate of 22,115,000 options to acquire shares of our common stock at a price of $0.128 per share, which are exercisable within 60 days, aggregate rights to acquire 3,641,053 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to convertible senior secured debentures, which are currently exercisable, and aggregate warrants to acquire 6,525,195 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 9,409,333 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock
(11)
Includes warrants to acquire 6,178,527 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share and warrants to acquire 3,089,249 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 and warrants to acquire 985,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.20 which are currently exercisable.
(12)
Based on the information contained in the Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2015. Represents 13,666,666 shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of the debt and 6,833,341 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. Bard Associates, Inc. has the sole dispositive power over all of these shares, but sole voting power over only 2,001,001 of these shares.
(13)
Includes warrants to acquire 1,333,336 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 2,666,667 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable.
(14)
Includes warrants to acquire 2,000,004 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire approximately 2,678,34 shares of our common stock that are currently exercisable pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 921,646 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock.
(15)
Includes warrants to acquire 2,500,005 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire approximately 2,178,353 shares of our common stock that are currently exercisable pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 2,821,647 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock.
(16)
Includes warrants to acquire 1,333,336 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 2,666,667 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable.
(17)
Includes warrants to acquire 2,704,672 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 1,973,686 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 3,435,647 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock.
(18)
Includes warrants to acquire 866,668 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 1,733,333 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable.
(19)
Includes warrants to acquire 1,000,002 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 2,000,001 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable.
(20)
Includes rights to acquire 4,678,358 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable. Excludes rights to acquire approximately 9,942,975 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which are currently exercisable only to the extent that after giving effect to such conversion, the holder or any of its affiliates would not beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of our company’s common stock
(21)
Includes, warrants to acquire 963,402 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 1,445,100 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable
(22)
Includes warrants to acquire 963,402 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable and rights to acquire 1,445,100 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.075 per share pursuant to a convertible senior secured debenture, which is currently exercisable.
(23)
Includes warrants to acquire 3,108,277 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.15 per share, which are currently exercisable.
Future Changes in Control
We are unaware of any contract or other arrangement, the operation of which may, at a subsequent date, result in a change in control of our company.
ITEM 13.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Other than as set forth below, since February 1, 2013, there has been no transaction, or currently proposed transaction, in which our company was or is to be a participant and the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year end for the last two completed fiscal years and in which any of the following persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest:
(i)
Any of our directors or officers;
(ii)
Any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, shares carrying more than 5% of the voting rights attached to our outstanding shares of common stock; and
(iii)
Any member of the immediate family (including spouse, parents, children, siblings and in- laws) of any of the foregoing persons.
On June 10, 2014, Carole Hochman, our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Creative Officer and a director of our company, (1) purchased 17 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit and (2) exchanged a 6% senior secured convertible notes in the principal amount of $252,630, being the principal and accrued interest due under such note, for the issuance of 11.2 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering. Each unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreement.
On June 10, 2014, David Hochman, a director of our company, (1) purchased 2 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit and (2) exchanged a 6% senior secured convertible notes in the principal amount of $77,219, being the principal and accrued interest due under such note, for the issuance of 3.4 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering. Each unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreement.
On June 10, 2014, Andrew Kaplan, a director of our company exchanged a 6% senior secured convertible notes in the principal amount of $101,052, being the principal and accrued interest due under such note, for the issuance of 4.49 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering. Each unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreement.
On June 10, 2014, Andrew Kaplan, a director of our company exchanged a 6% senior secured convertible notes in the principal amount of $101,052, being the principal and accrued interest due under such note, for the issuance of 4.49 units of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit at an exchange rate equal to 90% of the purchase price paid in the Offering. Each unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreement.
On July 8, 2014, Chris Heyn, a director of our company, purchased 1 unit of our securities at a price of $25,000 per unit. Each unit consisted of (i) a 6% convertible senior secured debenture in the principal amount of $25,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase 166,667 of our common shares at an exercise price of $0.15 per share, subject to certain adjustment as set out in the warrant agreement.
On June 6, 2014, our board of directors granted options to purchase 2,880,000 of our common shares to David Hochman, a director of our company pursuant his appointment as a director of our Company, and options to purchase 1,440,000 of our common shares to Andrew Kaplan, a director of our company. The options carry an exercise price of $0.128 per share and shall vest annually over a period of four years from the date of grant, commencing on the first anniversary of the grant date.
On June 6, 2014, in connection with the appointment of Carole Hochman as our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer and director, we entered into an employment agreement for a term of three years whereby (a) we shall pay Ms. Hochman a base salary of $400,000 per year, provided Ms. Hochman will forgo the first twelve months of the base salary; (b) Ms. Hochman received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 57,150,000 shares of our common shares, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting in equal monthly instalments over a period of three years from June 10, 2014; (c) Ms. Hochman will be eligible to receive an annual cash bonus for each whole or partial year during the employment term payable based on the achievement of one or more performance goals established annually by our board of directors; (d) Ms. Hochman will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans; and (e) Ms. Hochman will be entitled to an annual expense allowance.
Pursuant to the employment agreement with Mr. Primus, we agreed to employ Mr. Primus as President and CEO of the company in consideration for compensation of CDN$65,000 per year, to be reviewed annually or upon completion of a subsequent financing by our company. We agreed to reimburse Mr. Primus for expenses he incurred in connection with his employment with our company, including for fashion industry related expenses. Mr. Primus was entitled to remuneration by equity awards, including stock option grants and was eligible for a bonus annually based on criteria set out in the employment agreement.
On June 10, 2014, subsequent to the close of the Offering by our company, Joel Primus resigned as CEO of our company, and his employment agreement ceased to be effective, in connection with the appointment of Carole Hochman as CEO. Mr. Primus remains our company’s President, with a salary of $164,000 per year. Mr. Primus is entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
In connection with the appointment of Michael Flanagan as our Chief Financial Officer, we entered into an employment agreement commencing June 6, 2014 for a term of four years whereby (a) we shall pay Mr. Flanagan a base salary of $200,000 per year; (b) Mr. Flanagan received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 2,800,000 of our common shares, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant; and (c) Mr. Flanagan will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
In connection with the appointment of Carlos Serra, we entered into an employment agreement commencing June 6, 2014 for a term of four years whereby (a) we shall pay Mr. Serra a base salary of $175,000 per year; (b) Mr. Serra received a sign-on stock option grant to purchase 3,700,000 of our common shares, with each option exercisable at $0.128 per share and vesting annually over a period of four years from the date of grant; and (c) Mr. Serra will be entitled to participate in our company’s employee benefit plans.
Pursuant to an employment agreement dated July 30, 2012 with Mr. McAulay, we agreed to employ Mr. McAulay as CFO of the company in consideration for compensation of CDN$65,000 per year, to be reviewed annually. We agreed to reimburse Mr. McAulay for expenses he incurred in connection with his employment with our company, including for fashion industry related expenses and payment of annual fees necessary to maintain his Chartered Accountant designation. Mr. McAulay was entitled to remuneration by equity awards, including stock option grants and was eligible for a bonus annually based on criteria set out in the employment agreement. Mr. McAulay was entitled to participate in any benefit plans.
Effective November 29, 2013, Alex McAulay resigned as CFO of our company and his employment agreement ceased to be effective.
During the year ended January 31, 2015, included in general and administrative expenses is $58,400 (2014: $112,700) in respect of directors fees and investor relations fees, $3,147,400 (2014: $267,918) in respect of share based compensation expense for the vesting of stock options granted to directors and officers of the Company, and $132,500 (2014: $Nil) in respect of marketing fees paid to a firm of which a direct family member of a director and officer of the Company is a principal.
Director Independence
We currently act with seven directors consisting of Carole Hochman, Joel Primus, David Hochman, Andrew Kaplan, Christopher Heyn, Paul Hayes and Martha Olson. Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB operated by the OTC Markets Group, which does not impose any director independence requirements. Under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2), a director is not considered to be independent if he or she is also an executive officer or is, or at any time during the past three years was, employee of the company. Under this rule, Carole Hochman and Joel Primus are not independent because Ms. Hochman is our CEO and CCO and Mr. Primus is our president. David Hochman is not independent because he is Ms. Hochman’s son. Under this rule, Andrew Kaplan, Christopher Heyn, Paul Hayes and Martha Olson are independent.
We did not enter into any transactions with independent directors of the Company, other than as disclosed under Item 11 of this report.
ITEM 14.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Audit Fees
The following tables set forth fees billed to our company by our independent registered public accounting firms during the years ended January 31, 2015 and 2014:
BDO USA, LLP
BDO Canada LLP
*Tax fees consist of fees billed for the preparation of corporate tax returns.
The fees paid to BDO Canada LLP during the year ended January 31, 2015 related to the review of the Company’s interim consolidated financial statements filed on Form 10-Q for the three and six month periods ended April 30, 2014 and July 31, 2014 and involvement in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1.
Policy on Pre-Approval by Audit Committee of Services Performed by Independent Auditors
The audit committee pre-approves all services provided by our independent auditors. All of the above services and fees were reviewed and approved by the audit committee or board of directors before the respective services were rendered.
The audit committee has considered the nature and amount of fees billed by BDO USA LLP and believes that the provision of services for activities unrelated to the audit is compatible with maintaining BDO USA LLP’s independence.
PART IV
ITEM 15.
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
* Filed herewith
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.
NAKED BRAND GROUP INC.
By:
/s/ Michael Flanagan
Michael Flanagan, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Dated: April 30, 2015
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
By:
/s/ Carole Hochman
Carole Hochman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Creative Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Michael Flanagan
Michael Flanagan, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Joel Primus
Joel Primus, President and Director
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Andrew Kaplan
Andrew Kaplan Director
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Christopher Heyn
Christopher Heyn
Director
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ David Hochman
David Hochman
Director
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Paul Hayes
Paul Hayes
Director
Dated: April 30, 2015
/s/ Martha Olson
Martha Olson
Director
Dated: April 30, 2015