We have developed licensing and strategic relationships with some of the leading retail and cultural organizations. We plan to continue to add partnerships with companies that have strong, family-oriented brands and provide us with attractive marketing and merchandising opportunities. These relationships for specific products are generally reflected in contractual arrangements for limited terms that are terminable by either party upon specified notice. Specifically, we have key strategic relationships with select companies in which we feature their brands on products sold in our stores, including Disney ® , Hasbro, Sanrio ® , Star Wars, and major professional and collegiate sports along with other culturally relevant brands. Additionally, we have developed promotional arrangements with select organizations. Our arrangements with Major League Baseball teams, including the Chicago Cubs ® , St. Louis Cardinals ™  and Pittsburg Pirates ®  have featured stuffed animal giveaways at each club’s ballpark on a day when our brand is highly promoted within the stadium. In 2013, we partnered with McDonald’s ®  for the fifth time to feature limited edition, collectible mini Build-A-Bear Workshop animals in Happy Meals ® . We also have had arrangements featuring product sampling, cross promotions and shared media with companies such as Dairy Queen in North America and Betty Crocker’s Fruit Roll-ups. 

## Availability of Information 

We make certain filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments and exhibits to those reports, available free of charge in the Investor Relations section of our corporate website, http:// ir.buildabear.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with the SEC. The filings are also available through the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 or by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Also, these filings are available on the internet at http://www.sec.gov. Our Annual Reports to shareholders, press releases and investor updates are also available on our website, free of charge, in the Investor Relations section or by writing to the Investor Relations department at World Bearquarters, 1954 Innerbelt Business Center Dr., St. Louis, MO 63114. 

## ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 

We operate in a changing environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could materially affect our operations. The risks, uncertainties and other factors set forth below may cause our actual results, performances or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by our forward- looking statements. If any of these risks or events occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected. 

## Risks Related to Our Business 

A decline in general global economic conditions could lead to disproportionately reduced consumer demand for our products, which represent relatively discretionary spending, and have an adverse effect on our liquidity and profitability. 

Since purchases of our merchandise are dependent upon discretionary spending by our guests, our financial performance is sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that affect consumer spending. Consumer spending habits are affected by, among other things, prevailing economic conditions, levels of employment, salaries and wage rates, consumer confidence and consumer perception of economic conditions. A continued slowdown in the United States, Canadian or European economies or uncertainty as to the economic outlook could reduce discretionary spending or cause a shift in consumer discretionary spending to other products. Any of these factors would likely result in lower net retail sales and could also result in excess inventories, which could, in turn, lead to increased merchandise markdowns and related costs associated with higher levels of inventory and adversely affect our liquidity and profitability. For example, for fiscal 2008 through 2010 and again in 2012, we attributed a portion of our decline in comparable store sales to the slower economy in the United States and Europe. 

A decrease in the customer traffic generated by the shopping malls in which we are located, which we depend upon to attract guests to our stores, could adversely affect our financial condition and profitability. 

While we invest heavily in integrated marketing efforts and believe we are more of a destination location than traditional retailers, we rely to a great extent on customer traffic in the malls in which our stores are located. In order to generate guest traffic, we generally attempt to locate our stores in prominent locations within high traffic shopping malls. We rely on the ability of the malls’ anchor tenants, generally large department stores, and on the continuing popularity of malls as shopping destinations. We cannot control the development of new shopping malls, the addition or loss of anchors and co-tenants, the availability or cost of appropriate locations within existing or new shopping malls or the desirability, safety or success of shopping malls. In addition, customer mall traffic may be reduced due to a loss of consumer confidence because of the economy, terrorism or war. If we are unable to generate sufficient guest traffic, our sales and results of operations will be harmed. A significant decrease in shopping mall traffic could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and profitability. For example, we have experienced flat or declining transactions at comparable locations for the last three years. 

