CDW-2011.12.31-10K
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
(Mark One)
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ý | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011
or
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¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 333-169258
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CDW CORPORATION |
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
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Delaware | | 26-0273989 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
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200 N. Milwaukee Avenue Vernon Hills, Illinois | | 60061 |
(Address of principal executive offices) | | (Zip Code) |
(847) 465-6000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
None
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ¨ Yes ý No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. ý Yes ¨ No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ¨ Yes ý No The registrant is a voluntary filer of reports required of companies with public securities under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and has filed all reports which would have been required of the registrant during the preceding 12 months had it been subject to such provisions.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). ý Yes ¨ No
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):
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Large accelerated filer | ¨ | Accelerated filer | ¨ |
Non-accelerated filer | x (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) | Smaller reporting company | ¨ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ¨ Yes ý No
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2011, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was zero.
As of March 7, 2012, there were 100,000 Class A common shares, $0.01 par value, outstanding, and 912,706 Class B common shares, $0.01 par value, outstanding, all of which were owned by CDW Holdings LLC.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None
CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
Year Ended December 31, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Item | | Page |
PART I | | |
Item 1. | | |
Item 1A. | | |
Item 1B. | | |
Item 2. | | |
Item 3. | | |
Item 4. | | |
PART II | | |
Item 5. | | |
Item 6. | | |
Item 7. | | |
Item 7A. | | |
Item 8. | | |
Item 9. | | |
Item 9A. | | |
Item 9B. | | |
PART III | | |
Item 10. | | |
Item 11. | | |
Item 12. | | |
Item 13. | | |
Item 14. | | |
PART IV | | |
Item 15. | | |
SIGNATURES | |
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this report are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to analyses and other information, which are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements also relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies. We claim the protection of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all forward-looking statements in this report.
These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “will” and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. However, these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve those plans, intentions or expectations. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected.
Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations, or cautionary statements, are disclosed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report as well as other cautionary statements that are made from time to time in our other SEC filings and public communications. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this report in the context of these risks and uncertainties.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our operations in the way we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this report are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
PART I
Item 1. Business
Overview
CDW is a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the U.S. and Canada. We provide comprehensive and integrated solutions for our customers’ technology needs through our extensive hardware, software and value-added service offerings. We serve over 250,000 customers through our experienced and dedicated sales force of more than 3,600 coworkers. We offer over 100,000 products from over 1,000 brands and a multitude of advanced technology solutions. Our broad range of technology products includes leading brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Cisco, Lenovo, EMC, IBM, Apple and VMware. Our offerings range from discrete hardware and software products to complex technology solutions such as virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing. Our sales and operating results have been driven by the combination of our large and knowledgeable selling organization, highly skilled technology specialists and engineers, extensive range of product offerings, strong vendor partner relationships, and fulfillment and logistics capabilities. For the year ended December 31, 2011, our net sales, net income and Adjusted EBITDA were $9,602.4 million, $17.1 million and $717.3 million, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See “Selected Financial Data” included elsewhere in this report for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA, the reason for its inclusion and a reconciliation to net income.
We have two reportable segments:
Corporate. Our Corporate segment customers are primarily in the small and medium business category, which we define as customers with up to 1,000 employees at a single location. We also serve larger customers, including FORTUNE 1000 companies, that value our broad offerings, brand selection and flexible delivery model. We have over 200,000 active accounts, well diversified across numerous industries. Our Corporate segment is divided into a small business customer channel, primarily serving customers with up to 100 employees, and a medium-large business customer channel, primarily serving customers with more than 100 employees. Our Corporate segment sales team is primarily organized by geography and customer size. We believe this enables us to better understand and serve customer needs, optimize sales resource coverage and strengthen relationships with vendor partners to create more sales opportunities. Our Corporate segment generated net sales of $5,334.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2011.
Public. Our Public segment is divided into government, education and healthcare customer channels. The government channel serves federal as well as state and local governments. The education channel serves higher education and K-12 customers. The healthcare channel serves customers across the healthcare provider industry. We have built sizable businesses in each of our three Public customer channels as annual net sales for the year ended December 31, 2011 exceeded $1 billion for each customer channel. Our Public segment sales teams are organized by customer channel, and within each customer channel, they are generally organized by geography, except our federal government sales teams, which are organized by agency. We believe this enables our sales teams to address the specific needs of their customer channel while promoting strong customer relationships. Our Public segment generated net sales of $3,757.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011.
Other. We also have two other operating segments, CDW Advanced Services and Canada, which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are combined together as “Other.” The CDW Advanced Services business is comprised of customized engineering services, delivered by CDW professional engineers, as well as managed services, including hosting and data center services. Certain other services, such as custom configuration and third-party services, are included in our Corporate and Public segment net sales and not in "Other." Advanced services provided by CDW professional engineers are recorded in CDW Advanced Services. Our CDW Advanced Services and Canada business segments generated net sales of $510.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011.
For further information on our segments, including financial results, see Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
History
CDW was founded in 1984. In 2003, we purchased selected U.S. assets and the Canadian operations of Micro Warehouse, which extended our growth platform into Canada. In 2006, we acquired Berbee Information Networks Corporation, a provider of technology products, solutions and customized engineering services in advanced technologies primarily across Cisco, IBM and Microsoft portfolios. This acquisition increased our capabilities in customized engineering services and managed services.
On October 12, 2007, CDW Corporation, an Illinois corporation, was acquired through a merger transaction by an
entity controlled by investment funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. (the “Acquisition”). CDW Corporation continued as the surviving corporation and same legal entity after the Acquisition, but became a wholly owned subsidiary of VH Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
On December 31, 2009, CDW Corporation merged into CDWC LLC, an Illinois limited liability company owned by VH Holdings, Inc., with CDWC LLC as the surviving entity. This change had no impact on our operations or management. On December 31, 2009, CDWC LLC was renamed CDW LLC (“CDW LLC”). On August 17, 2010, VH Holdings, Inc. was renamed CDW Corporation (“Parent”), a Delaware corporation.
Throughout this report, the terms “the Company,” “CDW” and “Successor” refer to Parent and its wholly owned subsidiaries subsequent to the Acquisition, and “Predecessor” refers to CDW Corporation, an Illinois corporation, and its wholly owned subsidiaries prior to the Acquisition.
Parent is owned directly by CDW Holdings LLC, a company controlled by investment funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. (the “Equity Sponsors”), certain other co-investors and certain members of CDW management. See “Equity Sponsors” below.
Industry Overview
According to International Data Corporation (“IDC”), the overall U.S. technology market generated approximately $601 billion in sales in 2011, including $216 billion in hardware sales, $158 billion in software sales and $227 billion in services sales. The channels through which these products and services are delivered are highly fragmented and served by a multitude of participants. These participants include original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), software publishers, wholesale distributors and resellers. Wholesale distributors, such as Ingram Micro Inc., Tech Data Corporation and SYNNEX Corporation, act as intermediaries between OEMs and software publishers, on the one hand, and resellers, on the other hand, providing logistics management and supply-chain services. Resellers, which include direct marketers, value-added resellers, e-tailers and retailers, sell products and/or services directly to the end-user customer, sourcing products sold to their customers directly from OEMs and software publishers or from wholesale distributors. CDW is a technology solutions provider with both direct marketer and value-added reseller capabilities.
Two key customer groups within our addressable market are the small and medium business market and the public sector market. The small and medium business market is highly fragmented and is generally characterized by companies that employ fewer than 1,000 employees. The public sector market is also fragmented and is generally divided into market verticals, each with specialized needs that require an adaptive and flexible sales, services and logistics model to meet customer needs. We believe that many vendors rely heavily on channel partners like CDW to efficiently serve small and medium business and public sector customers.
Our Competitive Strengths
We believe the following strengths have contributed to our success and enabled us to become an important strategic partner for both our customers and our vendor partners:
Significant scale and scope
We are a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider in the U.S. and Canada. Based upon publicly available information, we believe that our net sales are significantly larger than any other multi-brand direct marketer or value-added reseller in the U.S. Our significant scale and scope create competitive advantages through:
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• | Breadth of solutions for our customers. The breadth and depth of knowledge that our direct selling organization, specialists and engineers have across multiple industries and technologies position us well to anticipate and meet our customers’ needs. Our size allows us to provide our customers with a broad selection of over 100,000 technology products from over 1,000 brands and a multitude of advanced technology solutions at competitive prices. We have leveraged our scale to provide a high level of customer service and a breadth of technology options, making it easy for customers to do business with us. |
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• | Broad market access for our vendor partners. We believe we are an attractive route to market for our vendor partners in part because we provide them with access to a cost-effective and highly knowledgeable sales and marketing organization that reaches over 250,000 customers. Our vendor partners recognize that, in addition to providing broad customer reach, our scale and scope enables us to sell, deliver and implement their products and services to customers with a high level of knowledge and consistency. |
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• | Operational cost efficiencies and productivity. Our large scale provides us with operational cost efficiencies across our |
organization, including purchasing, operations, IT, sales, marketing and other support functions. We leverage these advantages through our two modern distribution centers, our efficient business processes and constant focus on productivity improvements, and our proprietary information systems, which has enabled us to provide cost-efficient service to our customers.
Coworker culture
Our steadfast focus on serving customers and investing in coworkers has fostered a strong, “get it done” culture at CDW. Since our founding, we have adhered to a core philosophy known as the Circle of Service, which places the customer at the center of all of our actions. We have consistently and cost effectively invested in our coworkers by providing broad and deep coworker training, supplying resources that contribute to their success and offering them broad career development opportunities. This constant focus on customers and coworkers has created a customer-centric, highly engaged coworker base, which ultimately benefits our customers and fosters customer loyalty.
Large and knowledgeable direct selling organization
We have a large and experienced sales force, consisting of more than 3,600 coworkers, including almost 2,900 account managers and field account executives. We believe our success is due, in part, to the strength of our account managers’ dedicated relationships with customers that are developed by calling on existing and new customers, providing advice on products, responding to customer inquiries and developing solutions to our customers’ complex technology needs. The deep industry knowledge of our dedicated sales, marketing and support resources within each of our customer channels allows us to understand and solve the unique challenges and evolving technology needs of our customers. Multiple customer surveys administered by independent parties consistently show that customers view CDW as a leader in customer service compared to other multi-brand resellers and solution providers.
Highly skilled technology specialists and engineers
Our direct selling organization is supported by a team of almost 800 technology specialists and almost 600 service delivery engineers with more than 3,400 industry-recognized certifications who bring deep product and solution knowledge and experience to the technology challenges of our customers. We believe our technology specialists, who work with customers and our direct selling organization to design solutions and provide recommendations in the selection and procurement process, are an important resource and differentiator for us as we seek to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions.
Large and established customer channels
We have grown our customer channels within the Corporate and Public segments to sizeable businesses. Our government, education, healthcare and small business channels each has net sales that exceed $1 billion. Our scale allows us to create specialized sales resources across multiple customer markets, which enables us to better understand and meet our customers’ evolving IT requirements. Our scale also provides us diversification benefits. For instance, our Public segment, which is comprised of our government, education and healthcare channels, has historically been less correlated to economic cycles, as evidenced by its 5% net sales growth in 2009 while overall technology spending declined in the U.S. market, according to IDC.
Strong, established vendor partner relationships
We believe that our strong vendor partner relationships differentiate us from other multi-brand technology solutions providers. In addition to providing a cost-effective route to market for vendor partners, we believe that many of our competitive strengths enhance our value proposition to our vendor partners. We believe we are an important extension of our vendor partners’ sales and marketing capabilities as we are the largest U.S. reseller for many of our vendor partners, including Hewlett-Packard. We have three vendor partners with whom we have annual $1 billion-plus relationships, and we have 14 vendor partners with whom we have relationships exceeding $100 million a year. As such, we are able to provide technology resources and insights to our customers that might otherwise be difficult for them to access independently or through other technology providers. Our direct selling organization, technology specialists and large customer channels allow us to develop intimate knowledge of our customers’ environments and their specific needs. Frequently, vendor partners will select CDW as a partner to develop and grow new customer solutions. We are regularly recognized with top awards from our vendor partners. In 2011, we were named Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Partner of the Year and received eight Cisco Partner of the Year awards.
Our Business Strategies
Our goal is to continue to strengthen our position as a leading multi-brand national provider of technology products and solutions by growing our revenues and driving profitability. We plan to achieve this objective by capitalizing on our competitive strengths and pursuing the following strategies:
Focus on customer requirements and market segmentation
We have grown our revenues faster than the market, which we attribute in large part to our focus on customer requirements and market segmentation. We believe our customer intimacy enables us to better understand our customers’ needs and to better identify profitable growth opportunities. We intend to maintain this focus with a goal of continuing to outpace our competitors in revenue growth in the markets we serve through increased “share of wallet” from existing customers, sales to new customers and expanded IT services offerings to both new and existing customers. We believe our efforts in these areas will be augmented as we improve our sales coverage and further segment our customer base, further leverage our knowledge of our customers’ environments and continue to help our customers adopt proven technologies that meet their needs and make the most of their IT investments.
Leverage our superior sales and marketing model
We intend to continue to leverage our large, highly productive sales and marketing organization to serve existing customer requirements, effectively target new customer prospects, improve our product and solutions offerings, maximize sales resource coverage, strategically deploy internal sales teams, technology specialists and field sales account executives, and strengthen vendor partner relationships, all with the end goal of creating profitable sales opportunities. Some of the initiatives we have implemented within the last few years, including our realignment of our medium and large Corporate account managers into geographic regions, our addition of selling resources to our healthcare customer channel and our addition of more technology specialists to facilitate sales of newer and more complex technology solutions, have contributed to an increase in our annualized net sales per coworker from $1.364 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2007 to $1.476 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2011. We plan to continue to identify and pursue opportunities that further enhance productivity. Recently, we have added sales operations supervisors to handle administrative tasks for our direct sales force coworkers, which we believe will further enhance their productivity, and we have continued to align our compensation programs to drive profitable revenue growth.
Meet our customers’ changing needs through expanded service offerings and solutions
We intend to continue to expand the range of technology solutions we offer to continue to keep pace with the technology marketplace. As customers increasingly demand more elaborate services and solutions in addition to traditional hardware and software products, we believe that expanding the range of technology solutions that we offer will enhance our value proposition to our customers and help us to maximize our revenue and profit growth potential. We have added almost 600 technology specialists since mid-2004 and almost 500 services delivery engineers since mid-2006. CDW currently has almost 800 technology specialists, organized around core solutions and aligned with our selling organization. CDW is growing its presence in geographic markets across the U.S. with coworkers focused on delivering customized engineering solutions. We plan to continue to invest in resources and training for our technology specialists and services delivery coworkers to provide our customers with the expert advice and experience they need to make the most of their technology expenditures.
Leverage relationships with leading vendor partners
We intend to continue to leverage our long-standing relationships with major vendor partners to support the growth and profitability of our business. We plan to use our vendor partner relationships to ensure that our sales organization remains well-positioned and well-trained to market new and emerging technologies to end users. As one example, we are currently working with several large vendor partners to assist them in the sales of cloud computing solutions to the small and medium business marketplace. We believe our strong vendor partner relationships will also provide collaborative opportunities for our sales organization and vendor field sales representatives to identify and fulfill additional customer requirements, creating increased sales to both new and existing customers. In addition, we plan to leverage our significant scale to maximize the benefits from volume discounts, purchase or sales rebates, vendor incentive programs and marketing development funds.
Hardware, Software and Value-Added Service Offerings
Our broad offering of multi-brand products and services includes over 100,000 discrete hardware and software products as well as comprehensive solutions. Solutions generally have hardware, software and/or service components to them. For example, a virtualization solution could include assessment and design advice, sales of servers, storage, desktops and virtualization software, a services implementation and ongoing support. While we believe customers increasingly view certain technology purchases as solutions rather than product categories, the following table sets forth our net sales by major category, based upon our internal category definitions, as this presentation is more consistent with how industry sources and competitors generally categorize technology sales. Amounts for the year ended December 31, 2010 have been reclassified for certain changes in individual product classifications to conform to the presentation for the year ended December 31, 2011.
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| | Year Ended December 31, 2011 | | Year Ended December 31, 2010 |
| | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales |
Hardware: | | | | | | | | |
Notebook/Mobile Devices | | $ | 1,340.0 |
| | 14.0 | % | | $ | 1,142.5 |
| | 13.0 | % |
NetComm Products | | 1,246.4 |
| | 13.0 |
| | 1,149.9 |
| | 13.1 |
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Data Storage/Drives | | 925.6 |
| | 9.6 |
| | 838.5 |
| | 9.5 |
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Other Hardware | | 4,061.9 |
| | 42.3 |
| | 3,793.0 |
| | 43.1 |
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Total Hardware | | $ | 7,573.9 |
| | 78.9 | % | | $ | 6,923.9 |
| | 78.7 | % |
Software | | 1,757.1 |
| | 18.3 |
| | 1,608.5 |
| | 18.3 |
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Services | | 256.8 |
| | 2.7 |
| | 217.0 |
| | 2.4 |
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Other (1) | | 14.6 |
| | 0.1 |
| | 51.8 |
| | 0.6 |
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Total net sales | | $ | 9,602.4 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | 100.0 | % |
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(1) | Includes items such as delivery charges to customers and certain commission revenue. |
Hardware
Through our broad portfolio of hardware products and strong relationships with industry leading vendor partners, we are able to provide our customers with multi-brand solutions across multiple product categories. We currently offer our customers a comprehensive selection of hardware from leading brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Lenovo, EMC, IBM and Apple. Our hardware offerings include products across multiple categories such as network communications, notebooks/mobile devices (including tablets), data storage, video monitors, printers, desktops and servers, among others. Our multi-brand approach enables our sales force to identify the right products or combination of products to best address each customer’s specific organizational challenges, without being constrained by a particular brand. Key advantages of this strategy include the ability to satisfy customer-specific preferences and requirements, to meet compatibility needs of a customer’s existing technology infrastructure, and to offer best pricing and product availability options. In addition, our scale, strong vendor partner relationships and highly efficient sales and delivery model enable us to consistently offer competitive prices. Our strategically located distribution facilities allow us to meet even the most challenging customer requests. We also leverage drop-ship arrangements with many of our OEMs and distributors that allow us to offer even greater selection to our customers without our having to physically hold the inventory.
Software
CDW helps customers maximize their software investment by supporting them through the complexities of the entire software lifecycle. We offer software solutions from the largest and category-leading software publishers, including Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, Oracle, VMware and IBM. Our software lifecycle services include assessment and validation, procurement, deployment and contract management. We work closely with our customers to evaluate their software needs, navigate them through various complex licensing options, and procure the best software arrangements for their business. We help customers optimize software license procurement by consolidating vendors and recommending the most appropriate licensing contracts. In addition to deployment and migration services, we assist our customers in realizing the value of their purchases through ongoing contract management to ensure they maximize their contract benefits and renew on a timely basis. For example, our customers may purchase maintenance contracts which allow them to receive new versions, upgrades or updates of software products released during the maintenance period.
Value-added services and solutions
We believe customers are increasingly looking for solutions from their technology providers in order to optimize their technology investments and best achieve their business objectives. CDW offers a full suite of value-added services, which typically are delivered as part of a technology solution, to help our customers meet their specific needs. CDW solutions can range from the expert configuration and delivery of 100 laptops overnight; to the custom configuration and staggered deployment of 25,000 notebooks to over 12 locations nationally; to specialized technical advice and product procurement, including associated warranties, for an enterprise network; to very complex, fully integrated technology solutions such as virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing. We also offer a complementary set of services, including installations, sales of warranties and managed services, such as remote network and data center monitoring.
We offer our value-added services and solutions primarily through a team of technology specialists and engineers with more than 3,400 industry-recognized certifications, who bring deep product and solution knowledge and capabilities to the
technology challenges of our customers. Our technology specialists work with customers and our direct selling organization to design solutions and provide recommendations in the selection and procurement process. We have almost 800 highly qualified and certified specialists, supporting numerous solutions and product categories, including unified communication, security, networking, wireless, server/storage, virtualization, mobility, power and cooling, desktop, notebook, point-of-sale, managed print services, digital signage and software. Our team of engineers, project managers, consultants and technicians in geographic markets across the U.S. support design, implementation and long-term solution management. These coworkers are continually developing and implementing customized solutions which are leveraged so that multiple customers can benefit from our implementation innovation and experience.
Customers
We serve over 250,000 customers in the U.S. and Canada. Excluding sales to the federal government, which are diversified across multiple agencies and departments and collectively accounted for approximately 10% of 2011 net sales, we are not reliant on any one customer as our next five largest customers comprised less than 2% of net sales in 2011.
Inventory Management/Distribution
We utilize our information technology systems to manage our inventory in a cost-efficient manner, resulting in a rapid-turn inventory model. We generally only stock items that have attained a minimum sales volume.
Our distribution process is highly automated. Once a customer order is received and credit approved, orders are automatically routed to one of our distribution centers for picking and shipping as well as configuration and imaging services. We operate two distribution centers: an approximately 450,000 square foot facility in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and an approximately 513,000 square foot facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada. We ship over 35 million units annually on an aggregate basis from our two distribution centers. We believe that the location of our distribution centers allows us to efficiently ship products throughout the U.S. and provide timely access to our principal distributors. Our locations enable us to obtain and ship non-stocked items quickly and efficiently. We believe that competitive sources of supply are available in substantially all of the product categories we offer. We continue to improve the productivity of our distribution centers as measured by key performance indicators such as units shipped per hour worked and bin accuracy.
Information Technology Systems
Our proprietary information technology systems are a key element in our ability to be a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider. Our customized information technology and unified communication systems enhance our ability to provide prompt, efficient and expert service to our customers. In addition, these systems enable centralized management of key functions, including purchasing, inventory management, and billing, collection of accounts receivable, sales and distribution. Our systems provide us with thorough, detailed and real-time information regarding key aspects of our business, enabling us to continuously enhance productivity, ship customer orders quickly and efficiently, respond appropriately to industry changes and provide high levels of customer service. Our websites, which provide electronic order processing and many advanced tools, such as order tracking, reporting and asset management, make it easy for customers to transact business with us and ultimately enhance our customer relationships.
Sales and Customer Service
We have almost 2,900 coworkers in our direct selling organization, consisting of account managers and field account executives. Including almost 800 additional customer-facing coworkers, such as our technology specialists, our total sales force exceeds 3,600. Account managers provide inside sales coverage to customers, including developing customer relationships by calling existing and potential customers, providing advice on products and services and partnering with specialists to develop and sell more complex solutions. Field account executives work within an assigned territory and interact with customers in-person, usually focusing on solutions that require a face-to-face interaction to sell to customers. Together, account managers and field account executives help us combine the benefits of a national technology solutions provider with a local presence.
Our goals are to simplify the complexities of technology across design, selection, procurement, integration and ongoing management and to be viewed as an indispensible extension of our customers’ IT staffs, regardless of their size. We achieve this objective by providing superior service, industry-specific knowledge and technical expertise with experienced sales people. The scale of our business allows us to segment our sales teams into customer channels so that we better understand the unique needs of customers and to provide extensive, targeted technical training to our direct selling organization.
Purchasing, Vendor Partner and Distributor Relationships
We purchase products for resale from vendor partners, which include OEMs and software publishers, and wholesale
distributors. For the year ended December 31, 2011, we purchased approximately 52% of the products we sold directly from vendor partners and the remaining amount from wholesale distributors. Purchases from wholesale distributors Ingram Micro, Tech Data and SYNNEX represented approximately 11%, 10% and 9%, respectively, of our total purchases. Sales of products manufactured by Hewlett-Packard comprised approximately 24% of our 2011 net sales. We are authorized by OEMs to sell via direct marketing all or selected products offered by the manufacturer. Our authorization with each OEM provides for certain terms and conditions, which may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also operate as a reseller for major software publishers that allows the end-user customer to acquire packaged software or licensed products and services. Vendor incentive programs are at the discretion of our vendor partners and usually require the achievement of a specified sales volume or growth rate within a specified period of time to qualify for all, or some, of the incentive programs.
Competition
The market for technology products and services is highly competitive. Competition is based on the ability to tailor specific solutions to customer needs, quality and breadth of product and service offerings, knowledge and expertise of sales force, customer service, price, product availability, speed of delivery and credit availability. Our competition includes:
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• | direct marketers such as Insight Enterprises, PC Connection, PC Mall, Softchoice and GTSI; |
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• | value-added resellers, including larger ones such as Logicalis, Agilysis, Sirius, and many regional and local value-added resellers; |
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• | manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple, who sell directly to customers; |
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• | e-tailers such as Tiger Direct, Buy.com, Amazon and Newegg; |
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• | large service providers and system integrators such as IBM, Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Dell; and |
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• | retailers such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco. |
We expect the competitive landscape in which we compete to continue to change as new technologies are developed. While innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors. For a discussion of the risks associated with competition, see “Risk Factors” included elsewhere in this report.
Coworkers
As of December 31, 2011, we employed more than 6,700 coworkers, none of whom is covered by collective bargaining agreements. We consider our coworker relations to be good.
Intellectual Property
The CDW trademark and certain variations thereon are registered or subject to pending trademark applications. We believe our trademarks have significant value and are important factors in our marketing programs. In addition, we own domain names, including cdw.com and cdwg.com, for our primary trademarks. Finally, we have unregistered copyrights in our website content.
Equity Sponsors
Madison Dearborn, based in Chicago, is one of the most experienced and successful private equity investment firms in the United States. Madison Dearborn has raised over $18 billion of capital since its formation in 1992 and has invested in more than 100 companies. Madison Dearborn-affiliated investment funds invest in businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including basic industries, consumer, financial services, health care and telecom, media and technology services. Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. is a leading global private equity firm focused on media, communications, information and education investments. Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. has $23 billion of equity under management and has invested in more than 100 companies over its 20-year history. Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. is headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and New Delhi.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There are many factors that affect our business and the results of operations, some of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of some important factors that may cause the actual results of operations in future periods to differ materially from those currently expected or desired.
Risks Related to Our Indebtedness
Our substantial indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and our business and our ability to incur additional indebtedness could intensify these risks.
We are a highly leveraged company, and our substantial level of indebtedness increases the risk that we may be unable to generate sufficient cash to pay amounts due in respect of our indebtedness. As of December 31, 2011, we had $4.1 billion of total long-term debt outstanding, as defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and $278.7 million of obligations outstanding under our trade financing agreements, and we had the ability to borrow an additional $679.3 million under our senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Loan”). Subject to the limits contained in our senior credit facilities and indentures, we may be able to incur additional debt from time to time, including drawing on our Revolving Loan, to finance working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or for other purposes. If we do so, the risks related to our business associated with our high level of debt could intensify. Specifically, our high level of debt could have important consequences, including the following:
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• | making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt; |
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• | requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to debt service payments on our and our subsidiaries' debt, which reduces the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
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• | requiring us to comply with restrictive covenants in our senior credit facilities and indentures, which limit the manner in which we conduct our business; |
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• | making it more difficult for us to obtain vendor financing from our vendor partners; |
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• | limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the industry in which we operate; |
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• | placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to any of our less leveraged competitors; |
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• | increasing our vulnerability to both general and industry-specific adverse economic conditions; and |
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• | limiting our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate requirements and increasing our cost of borrowing. |
Restrictive covenants under our senior credit agreements and indentures may adversely affect our operations and liquidity.
Our senior credit agreements and our indentures contain, and any future indebtedness of ours may contain, various covenants that limit our ability to, among other things:
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• | incur or guarantee additional debt; |
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• | pay dividends or make distributions to holders of our capital stock or to make certain other restricted payments or investments; |
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• | repurchase or redeem capital stock; |
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• | prepay, repurchase or redeem debt; |
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• | make loans, capital expenditures or investments or acquisitions; |
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• | enter into transactions with affiliates; |
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• | merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets; and |
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• | transfer or sell assets, including capital stock of subsidiaries. |
Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our senior credit agreements or indentures, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all amounts outstanding to be due and payable, require us to apply all of our available cash to repay these amounts and exercise other remedies. If such indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay this indebtedness in full.
Variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
Certain of our borrowings, primarily borrowings under our senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. As of December 31, 2011, we had $1,540.5 million of variable rate debt outstanding. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income would decrease. Although we have entered into interest rate cap agreements on our term loan facility to reduce interest rate volatility, we cannot assure you we will be able to do so in the future on acceptable terms or that such caps or the caps we have in place now will be effective.
Risks Related to Our Business
General economic conditions could negatively affect technology spending by our customers and put downward pressure on prices, which may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Weak economic conditions generally, sustained uncertainty about global economic conditions or a prolonged or further tightening of credit markets could cause our customers and potential customers to postpone or reduce spending on technology products or services or put downward pressure on prices, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. For example, during the economic downturn at the end of 2008 and in 2009, due to a number of factors, including declines in the availability of credit, weakening consumer and business confidence and increased unemployment, we experienced significantly reduced revenue and gross margins when our customers and potential customers reduced their spending on technology and put downward pressure on prices.
Our financial performance could be adversely affected by decreases in spending on technology products and services by our Public segment customers.
Our sales to our Public segment customers are impacted by government spending policies, budget priorities and revenue levels. Although our sales to the federal government are diversified across multiple agencies and departments, they collectively accounted for approximately 10% of 2011 net sales. An adverse change in government spending policies, budget priorities or revenue levels could cause our Public segment customers to reduce their purchases or to terminate or not renew their contracts with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our business depends on our vendor partner relationships and the availability of their products.
We purchase products for resale from vendor partners, which include OEMs and software publishers, and wholesale distributors. For the year ended December 31, 2011, we purchased approximately 52% of the products we sold directly from vendor partners and the remaining amount from wholesale distributors. We are authorized by vendor partners to sell all or some of their products via direct marketing activities. Our authorization with each vendor partner is subject to specific terms and conditions regarding such things as sales channel restrictions, product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor partner programs and funding, including purchase rebates, sales volume rebates, purchasing incentives and cooperative advertising reimbursements. However, we do not have any long-term contracts with our vendor partners and many of these arrangements are terminable upon notice by either party. A reduction in vendor partner programs or funding or our failure to timely react to changes in vendor partner programs or funding could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, a reduction in the amount of credit granted to us by our vendor partners could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
From time to time, vendor partners may terminate or limit our right to sell some or all of their products or change the terms and conditions or reduce or discontinue the incentives that they offer us. For example, there is no assurance that, as our vendor partners continue to sell directly to end users and through resellers, they will not limit or curtail the availability of their products to resellers like us. Any such termination or limitation or the implementation of such changes could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Although we purchase from a diverse vendor base, in 2011, products we purchased from distributors Ingram Micro, Tech Data and SYNNEX represented 11%, 10% and 9%, respectively, of our total purchases. In addition, sales of Apple,
Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Microsoft products comprise a substantial portion of our sales, representing approximately 53% of net sales in 2011. Sales of products manufactured by Hewlett-Packard represented approximately 24% of our 2011 net sales. The loss of, or change in business relationship with, any of these or any other key vendor partners, the diminished availability of their products, or backlogs for their products leading to manufacturer allocation, could reduce the supply and increase the cost of products we sell and negatively impact our competitive position.
Additionally, the relocation of key distributors utilized in our purchasing model could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. Further, the sale, spin-off or combination of any of our vendor partners and/or certain of their business units, including any such sale to or combination with a vendor with whom we do not currently have a commercial relationship or whose products we do not sell, could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Our sales are dependent on continued innovations in hardware, software and services offerings by our vendor partners and the competitiveness of their offerings.
The technology industry is characterized by rapid innovation and the frequent introduction of new and enhanced hardware, software and services offerings. We have been and will continue to be dependent on innovations in hardware, software and services offerings, as well as the acceptance of those innovations by customers. A decrease in the rate of innovation, or the lack of acceptance of innovations by customers, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition, if we are unable to keep up with changes in technology and new hardware, software and services offerings, for example by providing the appropriate training to our account managers, sales technology specialists and engineers to enable them to effectively sell such new offerings to customers, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
We also are dependent upon our vendor partners for the development and marketing of hardware, software and services to compete effectively with hardware, software and services of vendors whose products and services we do not currently offer or that we are not authorized to offer in one or more customer channels. To the extent that a vendor's offering that is highly in demand is not available to us for resale in one or more customer channels, and there is not a competitive offering from another vendor that we are authorized to sell in such customer channels, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely impacted.
Substantial competition could reduce our market share and significantly harm our financial performance.
Our current competition includes:
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• | direct marketers, such as Insight Enterprises, PC Connection, PC Mall, Softchoice and GTSI; |
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• | value-added resellers, including larger ones such as Logicalis, Agilysis, Sirius and many regional and local value-added resellers; |
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• | manufacturers, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Apple, who sell directly to customers; |
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• | e-tailers, such as Tiger Direct, Buy.com, Amazon and Newegg; |
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• | large service providers and system integrators, such as IBM, Accenture, Hewlett-Packard and Dell; and |
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• | retailers such as Best Buy, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Costco. |
We expect the competitive landscape in which we compete to continue to change as new technologies are developed. While innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors.
Some of our hardware and software vendor partners sell, and could intensify their efforts to sell, their products directly to our customers. In addition, traditional OEMs are increasing their services capabilities through mergers and acquisitions with service providers, which could potentially increase competition in the market to provide comprehensive technology solutions to customers. Moreover, newer, potentially disruptive technologies exist and are being developed that deliver technology solutions as a service, for example, software as a service (SaaS) and hardware as a service (HaaS). These technologies could increase the amount of sales directly to customers rather than through resellers like us, or could lead to a reduction in our profitability. If any of these trends becomes more prevalent, it could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We focus on offering a high level of service to gain new customers and retain existing customers. To the extent we face increased competition to gain and retain customers, we may be required to reduce prices, increase advertising expenditures or take other actions which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Additionally, some of our competitors may reduce their prices in an attempt to stimulate sales, which may require us to reduce prices. This would require us to sell a greater number of products to achieve the same level of net sales and gross profit. If such a reduction in prices occurs and we are unable to attract new customers and sell increased quantities of products, our sales growth and profitability could be adversely affected.
The success of our business depends on the continuing development, maintenance and operation of our information technology systems.
Our success is dependent on the accuracy, proper utilization and continuing development of our information technology systems, including our business systems, Web servers and voice and data networks. The quality and our utilization of the information generated by our information technology systems, and our success in implementing new systems and upgrades, affects, among other things, our ability to:
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• | conduct business with our customers; |
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• | manage our inventory and accounts receivable; |
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• | purchase, sell, ship and invoice our hardware and software products and provide and invoice our services efficiently and on a timely basis; and |
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• | maintain our cost-efficient operating model. |
The integrity of our information technology systems is vulnerable to disruption due to forces beyond our control. While we have taken steps to protect our information technology systems from a variety of threats, including computer viruses and malicious hackers, there can be no guarantee that those steps will be effective. Furthermore, although we have redundant systems at a separate location to back up our primary systems, there can be no assurance that these redundant systems will operate properly if and when required. Any disruption to or infiltration of our information technology systems could significantly harm our business and results of operations.
Breaches of data security could impact our business.
Our business involves the storage and transmission of proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data, including personal information of coworkers, customers and others. In addition, we operate three customer data centers which may store and transmit both business-critical data and confidential information of our customers. In connection with our services business, our coworkers also have access to our customers' confidential data and other information. We have privacy and data security policies in place that are designed to prevent security breaches; however, breaches in security could expose us, our customers or other individuals to a risk of public disclosure, loss or misuse of this information, resulting in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers and damage to our brand and reputation. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant. Such breaches, costs and consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
The failure to comply with our Public segment contracts or applicable laws and regulations could result in, among other things, fines or other liabilities, and changes in procurement regulations could adversely impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
Revenues from our Public segment customers are derived from sales to governmental departments and agencies, educational institutions and healthcare customers, through various contracts and open market sales. Sales to Public segment customers are highly regulated. Noncompliance with contract provisions, government procurement regulations or other applicable laws or regulations (including but not limited to the False Claims Act and the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Kickback Statute) could result in civil, criminal and administrative liability, including substantial monetary fines or damages, termination of government contracts or other Public segment customer contracts, and suspension, debarment or ineligibility from doing business with the government and other customers in the Public segment. In addition, generally contracts in the Public segment are terminable at any time for convenience of the contracting agency or group purchasing organization or upon default. The effect of any of these possible actions could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, the adoption of new or modified procurement regulations and other requirements may increase our compliance costs and reduce our gross margins, which could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
If we fail to provide high-quality services to our customers, or if our third-party service providers fail to provide high-quality services to our customers, our reputation, business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
Our service offerings include field services, managed services, warranties, configuration services and partner services. Additionally, we deliver and manage mission critical software, systems and network solutions for our customers. Finally, we also offer certain services, such as implementation and installation services and repair services, to our customers through various third-party service providers engaged to perform these services on our behalf. If we or our third-party service providers fail to provide high quality services to our customers or such services result in a disruption of our customers' businesses, our reputation with our customers and our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.
If we lose any of our key personnel, or are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our business could be disrupted and our financial performance could suffer.
Our success is heavily dependent upon our ability to attract, develop and retain key personnel to manage and grow our business, including our key executive, management, sales, services and technical coworkers.
Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the efforts of Thomas E. Richards, our newly appointed Chief Executive Officer effective October 1, 2011, as well as the continued service and support of John A. Edwardson, our retired Chief Executive Officer who is expected to remain as Chairman of our Board through 2012, and our other executive officers. Our future success also will depend on our ability to retain our customer-facing coworkers, who have been given critical CDW knowledge regarding, and the opportunity to develop strong relationships with, many of our customers. In addition, as we seek to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions, our success will even more heavily depend on attracting and retaining highly skilled technology specialists and engineers, for whom the market is extremely competitive.
Our inability to attract, develop and retain key personnel could have an adverse effect on our relationships with our vendor partners and customers and adversely affect our ability to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions. Moreover, our inability to train our sales, services and technical personnel effectively to meet the rapidly changing technology needs of our customers could cause a decrease in the overall quality and efficiency of such personnel. Such consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
The interruption of the flow of products from suppliers could disrupt our supply chain.
A significant portion of the products we sell are manufactured or purchased by our vendor partners outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia. Political, social or economic instability in Asia, or in other regions in which our vendor partners purchase or manufacture the products we sell, could cause disruptions in trade, including exports to the U.S. Other events that could also cause disruptions to our supply chain include:
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• | the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations; |
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• | the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports; |
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• | foreign currency fluctuations; |
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• | natural disasters or other adverse occurrences at any of our suppliers' facilities; |
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• | restrictions on the transfer of funds; |
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• | the financial instability or bankruptcy of manufacturers; and |
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• | significant labor disputes, such as strikes. |
We cannot predict whether the countries in which the products we sell are purchased or manufactured, or may be purchased or manufactured in the future, will be subject to new or additional trade restrictions or sanctions imposed by the U.S. or foreign governments, including the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions. Trade restrictions, including new or increased tariffs or quotas, embargos, sanctions, safeguards and customs restrictions against the products we sell, as well as foreign labor strikes and work stoppages or boycotts, could increase the cost or reduce the supply of product available to us and adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at one of our primary facilities or customer data centers could damage our business.
Substantially all of our corporate, warehouse and distribution functions are located at our Vernon Hills, Illinois facilities and our second distribution center in North Las Vegas, Nevada. If the warehouse and distribution equipment at one of
our distribution centers were to be seriously damaged by a natural disaster or other adverse occurrence, we could utilize the other distribution center or third-party distributors to ship products to our customers. However, this may not be sufficient to avoid interruptions in our service and may not enable us to meet all of the needs of our customers and would cause us to incur incremental operating costs. In addition, we operate three customer data centers and numerous sales offices which may contain both business-critical data and confidential information of our customers. A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at any of the customer data centers or at any of our major sales offices could negatively impact our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We are heavily dependent on commercial delivery services.
We generally ship hardware products to our customers by FedEx, United Parcel Service and other commercial delivery services and invoice customers for delivery charges. If we are unable to pass on to our customers future increases in the cost of commercial delivery services, our profitability could be adversely affected. Additionally, strikes or other service interruptions by such shippers could adversely affect our ability to deliver products on a timely basis.
We are exposed to accounts receivable and inventory risks.
We extend credit to our customers for a significant portion of our net sales, typically on 30-day payment terms. We are subject to the risk that our customers may not pay for the products they have purchased, or may pay at a slower rate than we have historically experienced, the risk of which is heightened during periods of economic downturn or, in the case of Public segment customers, during periods of budget constraints.
We are also exposed to inventory risks as a result of the rapid technological changes that affect the market and pricing for the products we sell. We seek to minimize our inventory exposure through a variety of inventory management procedures and policies, including our rapid-turn inventory model, as well as vendor price protection and product return programs. However, if we were unable to maintain our rapid-turn inventory model, if there were unforeseen product developments that created more rapid obsolescence or if our vendor partners were to change their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. We also periodically take advantage of cost savings associated with certain opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by our vendor partners or we may decide to carry high inventory levels of certain products that have limited or no return privileges due to customer demand. These bulk purchases could increase our exposure to inventory obsolescence.
We could be exposed to additional risks if we make acquisitions or enter into alliances.
We may pursue transactions, including acquisitions or alliances, in an effort to extend or complement our existing business. These types of transactions involve numerous risks, including finding suitable transaction partners and negotiating terms that are acceptable to us, the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns, extending our product or service offerings into areas in which we have limited experience, entering into new geographic markets, the potential loss of key coworkers or business relationships and successfully integrating acquired businesses, any of which could adversely affect our operations.
Our future operating results may fluctuate significantly.
We may experience significant variations in our future quarterly results of operations. These fluctuations may result from many factors, including the condition of the technology industry in general, shifts in demand and pricing for hardware, software and services and the introduction of new products or upgrades.
Our operating results are also highly dependent on our level of gross profit as a percentage of net sales. Our gross profit percentage fluctuates due to numerous factors, some of which may be outside of our control, including pricing pressures; changes in product costs from our vendor partners; the availability of price protection, purchase discounts and incentive programs from our vendor partners; changes in product, order size and customer mix; the risk of some items in our inventory becoming obsolete; increases in delivery costs that we cannot pass on to customers; and general market and competitive conditions.
In addition, our cost structure is based, in part, on anticipated sales and gross margins. Therefore, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure quickly enough to compensate for any unexpected sales or gross margin shortfall, and any such inability could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We are exposed to risks from legal proceedings and audits.
We are party to various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, which include commercial, employment, tort and other litigation.
We are subject to intellectual property infringement claims against us in the ordinary course of business, either because of the over 100,000 products we sell or the business systems we use to sell such products, in the form of cease-and-desist letters, licensing inquiries, lawsuits and other communications and demands. In our industry, such intellectual property claims have become more frequent as the complexity of technological products and the intensity of competition in our industry have increased. Increasingly, many of these assertions are brought by non-practicing entities whose principal business model is to secure patent licensing revenue.
Because of our significant sales to governmental entities, we also are subject to audits by federal, state and local authorities. We also are subject to audits by various vendor partners and large customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts.
Current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims that we face may result in substantial costs and expenses and significantly divert the attention of our management regardless of the outcome. In addition, current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims could lead to increased costs or interruptions of our normal business operations. Litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings, audits or indemnification claims involve uncertainties and the eventual outcome of any litigation, infringement claim, governmental proceeding, audit or indemnification claim could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
We are controlled by the Equity Sponsors, whose interests may differ from our other stakeholders.
Substantially all of the common stock of Parent is held indirectly by investment funds affiliated with, or co-investment vehicles controlled by, the Equity Sponsors. As a result, the Equity Sponsors control us and have the power to elect all of the members of Parent's board of directors and approve any action requiring the approval of the holders of Parent's stock, including approving acquisitions or sales of all or substantially all of our assets. The directors appointed by the Equity Sponsors have the ability to control decisions affecting our capital structure, including the issuance of additional debt and capital stock, the declaration of dividends, and to appoint new management. If we encounter financial difficulties, or we are unable to pay our debts as they mature, the interests of the Equity Sponsors might conflict with the interests of our other equity holders, debt holders or other stakeholders. Additionally, the Equity Sponsors are in the business of investing in companies and may, from time to time, acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. The Equity Sponsors may also separately pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. Since our equity securities, which are not registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, are not listed on any U.S. securities exchange, we are not subject to any of the corporate governance requirements of any U.S. securities exchange.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
As of December 31, 2011, we owned or leased a total of approximately 2.1 million square feet of space throughout the U.S. and Canada. We own two properties: a combined office and an approximately 450,000 square foot distribution center in Vernon Hills, Illinois, and an approximately 513,000 square foot distribution center in North Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition, we conduct sales, services and administrative activities in various leased locations throughout North America, including data centers in Madison, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
We believe that our facilities are well maintained, suitable for our business and occupy sufficient space to meet our operating needs. As part of our normal business, we regularly evaluate sales center performance and site suitability.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We are party to legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, including various pending litigation matters. We are also subject to audit by federal, state and local authorities, by various customers, including government agencies, relating to sales under certain contracts and by vendors. In addition, from time to time, certain of our customers file voluntary petitions for reorganization or liquidation under the U.S. bankruptcy laws. In such cases, certain pre-petition payments received by us could be considered preference items and subject to return to the bankruptcy administrator.
As of December 31, 2011, we do not believe that there is a reasonable possibility that any material loss exceeding the amounts already recognized for these proceedings and matters, if any, has been incurred. However, the ultimate resolutions of these proceedings and matters are inherently unpredictable. As such, our financial condition and results of operations could be
adversely affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings or matters.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our outstanding common stock is privately held, and there is no established public trading market for our common stock.
Holders
All of our outstanding common stock is owned by CDW Holdings LLC.
Dividends
We did not pay any dividends in 2011 or 2010.
Our senior credit agreements and indentures impose restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, and thus our ability to pay dividends on our common stock will depend upon, among other things, our level of indebtedness at the time of the proposed dividend and whether we are in default under any of our debt instruments. Our future dividend policy will also depend on the requirements of any future financing agreements to which we may be a party and other factors considered relevant by our board of directors. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, business opportunities, provision of applicable law and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. For a discussion of our cash resources and needs, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources” included elsewhere in this report.
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The selected financial data set forth below are not necessarily indicative of the results of future operations and should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report.
The application of purchase accounting in connection with the Acquisition resulted in a new entity for financial reporting purposes. We refer to CDW Corporation and its subsidiaries prior to the Acquisition as the “Predecessor.” We refer to CDW Corporation and its subsidiaries following the Acquisition as the “Successor.” We have derived the selected financial data presented below as of December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011 and for the years ended December 31, 2009, 2010 and 2011 from our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included elsewhere in this report. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2008 and for the period October 12, 2007 through December 31, 2007 have been derived from Successor’s audited consolidated financial statements as of and for those periods, which are not included in this report. The selected financial data as of October 11, 2007 and for the period January 1, 2007 through October 11, 2007 have been derived from Predecessor’s audited consolidated financial statements as of and for those periods, which are not included in this report. As part of the Acquisition on October 12, 2007, we entered into various financing arrangements and, as a result, we now have a different capital structure than we had prior to the Acquisition. Accordingly, the results of operations for periods subsequent to the Acquisition will not necessarily be comparable to prior periods.
The following are some of the items affecting comparability of the selected financial data for the periods presented:
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• | In connection with the Acquisition, the purchase price of Predecessor was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair market values on October 12, 2007. This purchase price allocation resulted in significant changes to certain balance sheet items, including deferred income tax assets and liabilities, property and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill. |
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• | In connection with the Acquisition, we entered into various financing arrangements on October 12, 2007, of which $4,640.0 million was funded at closing of the Acquisition. This resulted in significantly increased interest expense for all periods subsequent to the Acquisition. |
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• | In connection with the Acquisition, we recorded customer relationships, trade names, internally developed software and other intangible assets with an estimated fair value of $2,323.8 million. These assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives which range from five to twenty years. |
This resulted in significantly increased amortization expense for all periods subsequent to the Acquisition.
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• | In connection with the Acquisition, we incurred certain Acquisition-related costs. This included investment banking, legal and other third-party costs, along with non-cash equity-based compensation expense resulting from the accelerated vesting of stock options and restricted stock units in connection with the Acquisition. During the periods January 1, 2007 to October 11, 2007, and October 12, 2007 to December 31, 2007, we incurred $144.4 million and $26.7 million, respectively, of these Acquisition-related costs. |
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• | During the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2009, we recorded goodwill impairment charges of $1,712.0 million and $241.8 million, respectively. These impairments were primarily attributable to deterioration in macroeconomic conditions and overall declines in net sales. |
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• | During the year ended December 31, 2011, we recorded a net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt of $118.9 million. The loss represented the difference between the amount paid upon extinguishment, including call premiums and expenses paid to the debt holders and agents, and the net carrying amount of the extinguished debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs. |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Predecessor | | | Successor |
| | Period from January 1, 2007 to October 11, | | | Period from October 12, 2007 to December 31, | | Year Ended December 31, |
(in millions) | | 2007 | | | 2007 | | 2008 | | 2009 | | 2010 | | 2011 |
Statement of Operations Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net sales | | $ | 6,344.3 |
| | | $ | 1,800.2 |
| | $ | 8,071.2 |
| | $ | 7,162.6 |
| | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | $ | 9,602.4 |
|
Cost of sales | | 5,320.8 |
| | | 1,505.8 |
| | 6,710.2 |
| | 6,029.7 |
| | 7,410.4 |
| | 8,015.0 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Gross profit | | 1,023.5 |
| | | 294.4 |
| | 1,361.0 |
| | 1,132.9 |
| | 1,390.8 |
| | 1,587.4 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Selling and administrative expenses | | 656.0 |
| | | 221.8 |
| | 894.8 |
| | 821.1 |
| | 932.1 |
| | 994.0 |
|
Advertising expense | | 97.3 |
| | | 27.0 |
| | 141.3 |
| | 101.9 |
| | 106.0 |
| | 122.7 |
|
Goodwill impairment | | — |
| | | — |
| | 1,712.0 |
| | 241.8 |
| | — |
| | — |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) from operations | | 270.2 |
| | | 45.6 |
| | (1,387.1 | ) | | (31.9 | ) | | 352.7 |
| | 470.7 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Interest income (expense), net | | 16.8 |
| | | (104.6 | ) | | (390.3 | ) | | (431.7 | ) | | (391.9 | ) | | (324.2 | ) |
Net gain (loss) on extinguishments of long-term debt | | — |
| | | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | 2.0 |
| | (118.9 | ) |
Other (expense) income, net | | (0.6 | ) | | | 0.2 |
| | 0.2 |
| | 2.4 |
| | 0.2 |
| | 0.7 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) before income taxes | | 286.4 |
| | | (58.8 | ) | | (1,777.2 | ) | | (461.2 | ) | | (37.0 | ) | | 28.3 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Income tax (expense) benefit | | (112.1 | ) | | | 18.5 |
| | 12.1 |
| | 87.8 |
| | 7.8 |
| | (11.2 | ) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net income (loss) | | $ | 174.3 |
| | | $ | (40.3 | ) | | $ | (1,765.1 | ) | | $ | (373.4 | ) | | $ | (29.2 | ) | | $ | 17.1 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Balance Sheet Data (at period end): | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities | | $ | 664.3 |
| | | $ | 15.6 |
| | $ | 94.4 |
| | $ | 88.0 |
| | $ | 36.6 |
| | $ | 99.9 |
|
Working capital | | 1,418.3 |
| | | 836.0 |
| | 877.6 |
| | 923.2 |
| | 675.4 |
| | 538.2 |
|
Total assets | | 2,615.2 |
| | | 8,296.4 |
| | 6,276.3 |
| | 5,976.0 |
| | 5,943.8 |
| | 5,949.6 |
|
Total debt and capitalized lease obligations (1) | | 0.3 |
| | | 4,617.7 |
| | 4,633.5 |
| | 4,621.9 |
| | 4,290.0 |
| | 4,066.0 |
|
Total shareholders’ equity (deficit) | | 1,737.4 |
| | | 2,068.9 |
| | 262.2 |
| | (44.7 | ) | | (43.5 | ) | | (7.3 | ) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Other Financial Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Capital expenditures | | $ | 38.7 |
| | | $ | 8.0 |
| | $ | 41.1 |
| | $ | 15.6 |
| | $ | 41.5 |
| | $ | 45.7 |
|
Depreciation and amortization | | 33.7 |
| | | 46.3 |
| | 218.4 |
| | 218.2 |
| | 209.4 |
| | 204.9 |
|
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales | | 16.1 | % | | | 16.4 | % | | 16.9 | % | | 15.8 | % | | 15.8 | % | | 16.5 | % |
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges (2) | | 63:1 |
| | | (a) |
| | (a) |
| | (a) |
| | (a) |
| | 1:1 |
|
EBITDA (3) | | 303.3 |
| | | 92.1 |
| | (1,168.5 | ) | | 188.7 |
| | 564.3 |
| | 557.4 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA (3) | | 456.9 |
| | | 125.0 |
| | 570.6 |
| | 465.4 |
| | 601.8 |
| | 717.3 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Statement of Cash Flows Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net cash provided by (used in): | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Operating activities (4) | | $ | 198.8 |
| | | $ | (123.7 | ) | | $ | 215.4 |
| | $ | 107.6 |
| | $ | 423.7 |
| | $ | 214.7 |
|
Investing activities | | 200.0 |
| | | (6,399.6 | ) | | (60.3 | ) | | (82.6 | ) | | (125.4 | ) | | (56.0 | ) |
Financing activities (4) | | 115.9 |
| | | 6,539.0 |
| | (75.8 | ) | | (31.9 | ) | | (350.1 | ) | | (95.4 | ) |
| |
(1) | Excludes borrowings of $122.8 million, $75.3 million, $34.1 million, $25.0 million, $28.2 million and $278.7 million, as of October 11, 2007, December 31, 2007, December 31, 2008, December 31, 2009, December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011, respectively, under our inventory financing agreements. We do not include these borrowings in total debt because we have not in the past incurred, and in the future do not expect to incur, any interest expense or late fees under these agreements. |
| |
(2) | For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings consist of earnings before income taxes |
minus income from equity investees plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expensed and the portion of rental expense we believe is representative of the interest component of rental expense.
| |
(a) | For the period October 12, 2007 to December 31, 2007 and the years ended December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010, earnings available for fixed charges were inadequate to cover fixed charges by $58.8 million, $1,777.2 million, $461.2 million and $37.0 million, respectively. |
| |
(3) | EBITDA is defined as consolidated net income (loss) before interest income (expense), income tax benefit (expense), depreciation, and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure defined in our credit agreements, is calculated by adjusting EBITDA for certain items of income and expense including (but not limited to) the following: (a) non-cash equity-based compensation; (b) goodwill impairment charges; (c) sponsor fees; (d) certain consulting fees; (e) debt-related legal and accounting costs; (f) equity investment income and losses; (g) certain severance and retention costs; (h) gains and losses from the early extinguishment of debt; (i) gains and losses from asset dispositions outside the ordinary course of business; (j) Acquisition-related costs; (k) equity compensation payroll taxes; and (l) non-recurring, extraordinary or unusual gains or losses or expenses. |
We have included a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in the table below. Both EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance, financial position or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our credit agreements.
The following unaudited table sets forth reconciliations of net income (loss) to EBITDA and EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Predecessor | | | Successor |
| | Period from January 1, 2007 to October 11, | | | Period from October 12, 2007 to December 31, | | Year Ended December 31, |
(in millions) | | 2007 | | | 2007 | | 2008 | | 2009 | | 2010 | | 2011 |
Net income (loss) | | $ | 174.3 |
| | | $ | (40.3 | ) | | $ | (1,765.1 | ) | | $ | (373.4 | ) | | $ | (29.2 | ) | | $ | 17.1 |
|
Depreciation and amortization | | 33.7 |
| | | 46.3 |
| | 218.4 |
| | 218.2 |
| | 209.4 |
| | 204.9 |
|
Income tax expense (benefit) | | 112.1 |
| | | (18.5 | ) | | (12.1 | ) | | (87.8 | ) | | (7.8 | ) | | 11.2 |
|
Interest (income) expense, net | | (16.8 | ) | | | 104.6 |
| | 390.3 |
| | 431.7 |
| | 391.9 |
| | 324.2 |
|
EBITDA | | 303.3 |
| | | 92.1 |
| | (1,168.5 | ) | | 188.7 |
| | 564.3 |
| | 557.4 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Non-cash equity-based compensation | | 7.5 |
| | | 4.2 |
| | 17.8 |
| | 15.9 |
| | 11.5 |
| | 19.5 |
|
Acquisition-related costs (i) | | 144.4 |
| | | 26.7 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Sponsor fees | | — |
| | | 2.0 |
| | 5.0 |
| | 5.0 |
| | 5.0 |
| | 5.0 |
|
Consulting and debt-related professional fees | | — |
| | | — |
| | 4.3 |
| | 14.1 |
| | 15.1 |
| | 5.1 |
|
Goodwill impairment | | — |
| | | — |
| | 1,712.0 |
| | 241.8 |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Net (gain) loss on extinguishments of long-term debt | | — |
| | | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | (2.0 | ) | | 118.9 |
|
Other adjustments (ii) | | 1.7 |
| | | — |
| | — |
| | (0.1 | ) | | 7.9 |
| | 11.4 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA | | $ | 456.9 |
| | | $ | 125.0 |
| | $ | 570.6 |
| | $ | 465.4 |
| | $ | 601.8 |
| | $ | 717.3 |
|
| |
(i) | Non-cash equity-based compensation expense of $25.3 million related to the Acquisition is included in Acquisition-related costs in the Predecessor period from January 1, 2007 to October 11, 2007. |
| |
(ii) | Includes certain severance and retention costs, equity investment income and the gain related to the sale of the Informacast software and equipment for periods subsequent to the Acquisition. Includes equity compensation |
payroll taxes for the period prior to the Acquisition.
The following unaudited table sets forth a reconciliation of EBITDA to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities for the periods presented:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Predecessor | | | Successor |
| | Period from January 1, 2007 to October 11, | | | Period from October 12, 2007 to December 31, | | Year Ended December 31, |
(in millions) | | 2007 | | | 2007 | | 2008 | | 2009 | | 2010 | | 2011 |
EBITDA | | $ | 303.3 |
| | | $ | 92.1 |
| | $ | (1,168.5 | ) | | $ | 188.7 |
| | $ | 564.3 |
| | $ | 557.4 |
|
Depreciation and amortization | | (33.7 | ) | | | (46.3 | ) | | (218.4 | ) | | (218.2 | ) | | (209.4 | ) | | (204.9 | ) |
Income tax benefit (expense) | | (112.1 | ) | | | 18.5 |
| | 12.1 |
| | 87.8 |
| | 7.8 |
| | (11.2 | ) |
Interest income (expense), net | | 16.8 |
| | | (104.6 | ) | | (390.3 | ) | | (431.7 | ) | | (391.9 | ) | | (324.2 | ) |
Net income (loss) | | 174.3 |
| | | (40.3 | ) | | (1,765.1 | ) | | (373.4 | ) | | (29.2 | ) | | 17.1 |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Depreciation and amortization | | 33.7 |
| | | 46.3 |
| | 218.4 |
| | 218.2 |
| | 209.4 |
| | 204.9 |
|
Goodwill impairment | | — |
| | | — |
| | 1,712.0 |
| | 241.8 |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Equity-based compensation expense | | 32.8 |
| | | 4.2 |
| | 17.8 |
| | 15.9 |
| | 11.5 |
| | 19.5 |
|
Amortization of deferred financing costs | | — |
| | | 13.4 |
| | 38.6 |
| | 16.2 |
| | 18.0 |
| | 15.7 |
|
Deferred income taxes | | (24.1 | ) | | | (12.6 | ) | | (39.9 | ) | | (94.4 | ) | | (4.3 | ) | | (10.2 | ) |
Allowance for doubtful accounts | | (3.9 | ) | | | — |
| | 0.4 |
| | (0.2 | ) | | (1.3 | ) | | 0.4 |
|
Realized loss on interest rate swap agreements | | — |
| | | — |
| | 18.6 |
| | 103.2 |
| | 51.5 |
| | 2.8 |
|
Mark to market loss on interest rate derivatives | | — |
| | | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | 4.7 |
| | 4.2 |
|
Net (gain) loss on extinguishments of long-term debt | | — |
| | | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | (2.0 | ) | | 118.9 |
|
Gross excess tax benefits from equity-based compensation | | (73.6 | ) | | | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Net loss (gain) on sale and disposal of assets | | 0.6 |
| | | — |
| | 0.5 |
| | (1.7 | ) | | 0.7 |
| | 0.3 |
|
Changes in assets and liabilities | | 59.0 |
| | | (134.8 | ) | | 14.1 |
| | (18.0 | ) | | 165.3 |
| | (158.3 | ) |
Other non-cash items | | — |
| | | 0.1 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | (0.6 | ) | | (0.6 | ) |
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities (4) | | $ | 198.8 |
| | | $ | (123.7 | ) | | $ | 215.4 |
| | $ | 107.6 |
| | $ | 423.7 |
| | $ | 214.7 |
|
| |
(4) | Amounts have been revised. For further information and a summary of the revisions for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2010, see Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in this report. The revision for the period from January 1, 2007 to October 11, 2007 resulted in a decrease to cash flows from operating activities of $14.7 million with an equal and offsetting increase to cash flows from financing activities. The revision for the period from October 12, 2007 to December 31, 2007 resulted in an increase to cash flows from operating activities of $47.5 million with an equal and offsetting decrease to cash flows from financing activities. The revision for the year ended December 31, 2008 resulted in an increase to cash flows from operating activities of $41.2 million with an equal and offsetting decrease to cash flows from financing activities. |
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, as used in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” the terms “we,” “us,” “the Company,” “our,” “CDW” and similar terms refer to CDW Corporation and its subsidiaries. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Statements” at the end of this discussion.
Overview
We are a leading multi-brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the U.S. and Canada. We provide comprehensive and integrated solutions for our customers’ technology needs through our extensive hardware, software and value-added service offerings. Our breadth of offerings allows our customers to streamline their procurement processes by partnering with us as a complete technology solutions provider. Our hardware offerings include products with leading brands across multiple categories such as network communications, notebooks/mobile devices (including tablets), data storage, video monitors, printers, desktops and servers, among others. Our software offerings include licensing, licensing management and software solutions and services that help our customers to optimize their software investments. We offer a full-suite of value-added services, which typically are delivered as part of a technology solution, to help our customers meet their specific needs. Our solutions range from configuration services for computer devices to fully-integrated solutions such as virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing. We also offer complementary services including installations, sales of warranties and managed services such as remote network and data center monitoring. We believe both software and service offerings will be important growth areas for us in the future.
We have two reportable segments: Corporate, which is comprised primarily of business customers, and Public, which is comprised of government entities and education and healthcare institutions. Our Corporate segment is divided into a medium-large business customer channel, primarily serving customers with more than 100 employees, and a small business customer channel, primarily serving customers with up to 100 employees. We also have two other operating segments, CDW Advanced Services and Canada, which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are combined together as “Other.” The CDW Advanced Services business consists primarily of customized engineering services delivered by CDW professional engineers and managed services, including hosting and data center services. Revenues from the sale of hardware, software, custom configuration and third-party provided services are recorded within our Corporate and Public segments.
Our business is well-diversified across customers, product and service offerings and vendors from whom we purchase products and software for resale. We have aligned our sales and marketing functions around customer channels to retain and increase our sales to existing customers and to acquire new customers. We have an experienced and dedicated direct selling organization consisting of account managers who provide inside sales coverage, and field account executives who work within an assigned territory and interact with customers in person. Our direct selling organization is supported by a team of technology specialists who design solutions and provide recommendations in the selection and procurement processes. We purchase products for resale from OEMs and distributors. We believe that effective purchasing from a diverse vendor base is a key element of our business strategy. We are authorized by OEMs to sell via direct marketing all or selected products offered by the manufacturer. We also operate as a reseller for major software publishers that allows the end-user customer to acquire packaged software or licensed products and services. Our authorization with each OEM or software publisher may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as volume rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements.
We market the CDW brand on a national basis through a variety of public and community relations and corporate communications efforts, and through brand advertising that includes the use of print, broadcast, online, social and other media. We also market to current and prospective customers through integrated marketing programs that include print and online media, events and sponsorships. As a result of our relationships with our vendors, a substantial portion of our advertising and marketing expenses are reimbursed through cooperative advertising reimbursement programs. Such programs are at the discretion of our vendors and are typically tied to sales or purchasing volumes or other commitments to be met by us within a specified period of time.
An important factor affecting our ability to generate sales and achieve our targeted operating results is the impact of general economic conditions on our customers' willingness to spend on information technology. During the economic downturn beginning in late 2008 and into 2009, we experienced significantly lower net sales and gross profit as our customers generally
reduced spending on information technology products and services. Net sales and gross profit declined 11.3% and 16.8%, respectively, in 2009 compared to 2008. During 2010, we experienced significant increases in net sales, gross profit and operating income compared to 2009 partially driven by general growth and higher demand in the information technology industry overall. Net sales, gross profit and operating income increased 22.9%, 22.8% and 1,205.3%, respectively, in 2010 compared to 2009. During 2011, we continued to experience year-over-year increases in net sales, gross profit and operating income at a more moderate level compared to the higher growth rates we experienced in 2010. Net sales, gross profit and operating income increased 9.1%, 14.1% and 33.5%, respectively, in 2011 compared to 2010. While the U.S. economy did not grow as rapidly in 2011 as it did in 2010, our results benefited from higher demand in the information technology industry overall, as well as our focus on growing market share. Our Corporate segment grew net sales by 10.4% driven by hardware unit volume growth, and our Public segment grew net sales by 5.5% driven by 22.7% growth in the healthcare customer channel. Government and education net sales declined 1.8% and 0.2%, respectively, primarily due to budget pressures in these customer channels. Gross profit increased 70 basis points as a percentage of net sales to 16.5%, driven by favorable price/mix changes within product margin and a higher mix of commission and net service contract revenue. Operating income increased by 33.5% driven by sales growth, gross margin expansion and our continued focus on cost management.
While economic conditions and our recent operating results have generally improved, competitive pricing pressures continue in the market. Downturns in the global economy, declines in the availability of credit, weakening consumer and business confidence or increased unemployment could result in reduced spending by our customers on information technology products and services and increased competitive pricing pressures. Our Public segment sales are impacted by government spending policies, budget priorities and revenue levels. Although our sales to the federal government are diversified across multiple agencies and departments, they collectively accounted for approximately 10% of our net sales in 2011. Further, our sales to state and local governments accounted for approximately 4% of our net sales in 2011. An adverse change in any of these factors could cause our Public segment customers to reduce their purchases or to terminate or not renew contracts with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. See “Risk factors-Risks related to our business” for further discussion.
Our management monitors a number of financial and non-financial measures and ratios on a regular basis in order to track the progress of our business and make adjustments as necessary. We believe that the most important of these measures and ratios include average daily sales, gross margin, operating margin, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, cash and cash equivalents, net working capital, cash conversion cycle (defined to be days of sales outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable), debt levels including available credit and leverage ratios, sales per coworker and coworker turnover. These measures and ratios are compared to standards or objectives set by management, so that actions can be taken, as necessary, in order to achieve the standards and objectives. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our senior credit facilities. In addition to net sales, gross profit and operating income discussed above, the following key measures improved in 2011 compared to 2010:
| |
• | Average daily sales increased 8.7% to $37.7 million |
| |
• | Adjusted EBITDA increased 19.2% to $717.3 million
|
| |
• | The cash conversion cycle decreased from 32 days to 27 days |
| |
• | Availability under the senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility at the end of the year increased from $548 million to $679 million |
| |
• | The senior secured leverage ratio decreased from 3.9 to 2.7 |
Results of Operations
Year Ended December 31, 2011 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2010
The following table presents our results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Year Ended December 31, 2011 | | Year Ended December 31, 2010 |
| | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales |
Net sales | | $ | 9,602.4 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | 100.0 | % |
Cost of sales | | 8,015.0 |
| | 83.5 |
| | 7,410.4 |
| | 84.2 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Gross profit | | 1,587.4 |
| | 16.5 |
| | 1,390.8 |
| | 15.8 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Selling and administrative expenses | | 994.0 |
| | 10.3 |
| | 932.1 |
| | 10.6 |
|
Advertising expense | | 122.7 |
| | 1.3 |
| | 106.0 |
| | 1.2 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Income from operations | | 470.7 |
| | 4.9 |
| | 352.7 |
| | 4.0 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Interest expense, net | | (324.2 | ) | | (3.4 | ) | | (391.9 | ) | | (4.4 | ) |
Net (loss) gain on extinguishments of long-term debt | | (118.9 | ) | | (1.2 | ) | | 2.0 |
| | — |
|
Other income, net | | 0.7 |
| | — |
| | 0.2 |
| | — |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) before income taxes | | 28.3 |
| | 0.3 |
| | (37.0 | ) | | (0.4 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Income tax (expense) benefit | | (11.2 | ) | | (0.1 | ) | | 7.8 |
| | 0.1 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Net income (loss) | | $ | 17.1 |
| | 0.2 | % | | $ | (29.2 | ) | | (0.3 | )% |
Net sales
The following table presents our net sales by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of total net sales, and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Years Ended December 31, | | | | |
| 2011 | | 2010 | | | | |
| Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollar Change | | Percent Change (1) |
Corporate | $ | 5,334.4 |
| | 55.6 | % | | $ | 4,833.6 |
| | 54.9 | % | | $ | 500.8 |
| | 10.4 | % |
Public | 3,757.2 |
| | 39.1 |
| | 3,560.6 |
| | 40.5 |
| | 196.6 |
| | 5.5 |
|
Other | 510.8 |
| | 5.3 |
| | 407.0 |
| | 4.6 |
| | 103.8 |
| | 25.5 |
|
Total net sales | $ | 9,602.4 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 801.2 |
| | 9.1 | % |
| |
(1) | There were 255 and 254 selling days in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. On an average daily basis, total net sales increased 8.7%. |
The following table presents our net sales by customer channel for our Corporate and Public segments and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(in millions) | | Years Ended December 31, | | | | |
| | 2011 | | 2010 | | Dollar Change | | Percent Change |
Corporate: | | | | | | | | |
Medium / Large | | $ | 4,287.1 |
| | $ | 3,867.3 |
| | $ | 419.8 |
| | 10.9 | % |
Small Business | | 1,047.3 |
| | 966.3 |
| | 81.0 |
| | 8.4 |
|
Total Corporate | | $ | 5,334.4 |
| | $ | 4,833.6 |
| | $ | 500.8 |
| | 10.4 | % |
| | | | | | | | |
Public: | | | | | | | | |
Government | | $ | 1,343.5 |
| | $ | 1,368.6 |
| | $ | (25.1 | ) | | (1.8 | )% |
Education | | 1,197.7 |
| | 1,200.6 |
| | (2.9 | ) | | (0.2 | ) |
Healthcare | | 1,216.0 |
| | 991.4 |
| | 224.6 |
| | 22.7 |
|
Total Public | | $ | 3,757.2 |
| | $ | 3,560.6 |
| | $ | 196.6 |
| | 5.5 | % |
Total net sales in 2011 increased $801.2 million, or 9.1%, to $9,602.4 million, compared to $8,801.2 million in 2010. There were 255 and 254 selling days in the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. On an average daily basis, total net sales increased 8.7%. The increase in total net sales was the result of general volume growth and increased demand in the information technology industry overall, in addition to our focus on growing market share. The most significant drivers of sales growth in 2011 were hardware unit volume growth in notebook/mobile devices, desktop computers and netcomm products, along with growth in software products.
Corporate segment net sales in 2011 increased $500.8 million, or 10.4%, compared to 2010. Within our Corporate segment, net sales to medium / large customers increased 10.9% between years, and net sales to small business customers increased 8.4% between years. These increases were primarily a result of hardware unit volume growth, most notably in notebook/mobile devices and netcomm products, and growth in software products as we continued to benefit from increased demand from our Corporate customers. Public segment net sales in 2011 increased $196.6 million, or 5.5%, between years as growth in the healthcare customer channel more than offset slight declines in the government and education customer channels. Net sales to healthcare customers increased $224.6 million, or 22.7%, between years, primarily driven by hardware unit volume increases in desktop computers, notebook/mobile devices and netcomm products, growth in software products and additional sales from an expanded relationship with a group purchasing organization. Net sales to government customers decreased $25.1 million, or 1.8%, in 2011 compared to 2010 driven by a 10.2% decline between years for the first nine months of 2011, partially offset by net sales growth of 22.8% between years for the fourth quarter of 2011. Although government spending was impacted negatively throughout 2011 as a result of budget constraints and uncertainty, net sales to federal government customers drove the fourth quarter increase of 22.8% in the government customer channel. The fourth quarter of 2011 benefited from increased orders placed late in the third quarter, the end of the federal government's fiscal year, that shipped during the fourth quarter, compared to the same period of the prior year. Net sales to education customers decreased $2.9 million, or 0.2%, between years, due to continuing budget pressures.
Gross profit
Gross profit increased $196.5 million, or 14.1%, to $1,587.4 million in 2011, compared to $1,390.8 million in 2010. As a percentage of total net sales, gross profit was 16.5% in 2011, up from 15.8% in 2010. Gross profit margin increased 70 basis points between years, primarily due to favorable price/mix changes within product margin across most product categories of 30 basis points, and a higher mix of commission and net service contract revenue of 20 basis points. Commission revenue, including agency fees earned on sales of software licenses and software assurance under enterprise agreements, has a positive impact on our gross profit margin as we record the fee or commission as a component of net sales when earned and there is no corresponding cost of sales amount. Net service contract revenue, including items such as third-party services and warranties, also has a positive impact on gross profit margin as our cost paid to the vendor or third-party service provider is recorded as a reduction to sales, resulting in net sales being equal to the gross profit on the transaction.
The gross profit margin may fluctuate based on various factors, including vendor incentive and inventory price protection programs, cooperative advertising funds classified as a reduction of cost of sales, product mix, net service contract revenue, commission revenue, pricing strategies, market conditions, and other factors, any of which could result in changes in
gross profit margins.
Selling and administrative expenses
Selling and administrative expenses increased $61.9 million, or 6.6%, to $994.0 million in 2011, compared to $932.1 million in 2010. The increase was primarily due to higher payroll costs of $62.1 million driven by increased sales commissions and other variable compensation costs consistent with higher sales and gross profit and an increase in the number of coworkers in 2011. Our sales force increased to 3,636 coworkers at December 31, 2011, compared to 3,405 coworkers at December 31, 2010, while total coworker count increased to 6,745 coworkers at December 31, 2011, compared to 6,268 coworkers at December 31, 2010. We also had increases in profit sharing/401(k) expense of $4.9 million, travel and entertainment expense of $3.7 million and bad debt expense of $2.7 million. These increases were partially offset by lower consulting and debt-related professional fees of $10.0 million, lower depreciation and amortization expense of $4.2 million, lower healthcare benefits expense of $3.6 million and lower sales and use tax expense of $3.3 million.
Advertising expense
Advertising expense increased $16.7 million, or 15.7%, to $122.7 million in 2011, compared to $106.0 million in 2010. Higher expenses were due to increased spending on web-based advertising, TV advertising and customer-focused marketing events. As a percentage of net sales, advertising expense was 1.3% in 2011, compared to 1.2% in 2010.
Income (loss) from operations
The following table presents income (loss) from operations by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, and the year-over-year percentage change in income (loss) from operations for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Year Ended December 31, 2011 | | Year Ended December 31, 2010 | | |
| | Dollars in Millions | | Operating Margin Percentage | | Dollars in Millions | | Operating Margin Percentage | | Percent Change in Income (Loss) from Operations |
Segments: (1) | | | | | | | | | | |
Corporate | | $ | 331.6 |
| | 6.2 | % | | $ | 256.2 |
| | 5.3 | % | | 29.4 | % |
Public | | 233.3 |
| | 6.2 |
| | 193.0 |
| | 5.4 |
| | 20.9 |
|
Other | | 17.5 |
| | 3.4 |
| | 14.3 |
| | 3.5 |
| | 22.3 |
|
Headquarters (2) | | (111.7 | ) | | nm |
| | (110.8 | ) | | nm |
| | (0.8 | ) |
Total income (loss) from operations | | $ | 470.7 |
| | 4.9 | % | | $ | 352.7 |
| | 4.0 | % | | 33.5 | % |
| |
(1) | Segment income (loss) from operations includes the segment’s direct operating income (loss) and allocations for Headquarters’ costs, allocations for logistics services, certain inventory adjustments, and volume rebates and cooperative advertising from vendors. |
| |
(2) | Includes Headquarters’ function costs that are not allocated to the segments. |
Income from operations was $470.7 million in 2011, an increase of $118.0 million, or 33.5%, compared to $352.7 million in 2010. This increase was driven by higher net sales and gross profit, partially offset by higher advertising expense and selling and administrative expenses.
Corporate segment income from operations was $331.6 million in 2011, an increase of $75.4 million, or 29.4%, compared to $256.2 million in 2010. The increase in Corporate segment income from operations was primarily driven by higher net sales and gross profit margin, partially offset by higher selling and administrative costs, resulting in a net increase before allocations of $49.6 million in 2011 compared to 2010. In addition, Corporate segment income from operations benefited from an increase of $28.3 million in income allocations from our logistics operations in 2011 compared to 2010. The improved profitability of our logistics operations was driven by stronger operating leverage given higher purchase volumes while support structure costs remained flat. Partially offsetting the above items was an increase in Headquarters' expense allocations to the Corporate segment of $2.5 million.
Public segment income from operations was $233.3 million in 2011, an increase of $40.3 million, or 20.9%, compared to $193.0 million in 2010. The increase reflected higher operating income before allocations of $25.9 million as a result of higher net sales and gross profit margin, partially offset by higher selling and administrative costs. In addition, Public segment income from operations benefited from an increase of $15.1 million in income allocations from our logistics operations in 2011 compared to 2010.
The loss from operations for our Headquarters' function of $111.7 million in 2011 was flat compared to the loss from operations of $110.8 million in 2010.
Interest expense, net
At December 31, 2011, our outstanding long-term debt, excluding capital leases, totaled $4,066.0 million. Net interest expense in 2011 was $324.2 million, a decrease of $67.7 million compared to $391.9 million in 2010. Interest expense was reduced by $19.4 million in 2011 due to a decrease in the long-term accrued interest liability associated with the extinguishment of $1,078.0 million of senior notes due 2015. The long-term accrued interest liability represents the difference between interest expense previously recognized under the effective interest method and actual interest paid. The remaining decrease of $48.3 million was primarily due to lower effective interest rates in 2011 resulting from the termination of our interest rate swaps in January 2011 and the debt refinancing activities completed during the first half of 2011, partially offset by non-cash gains on hedge ineffectiveness recorded to interest expense in the prior year.
Net (loss) gain on extinguishments of long-term debt
During 2011, we recorded a net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt of $118.9 million in 2011 compared to a net gain on extinguishments of long-term debt of $2.0 million in 2010.
In March 2011, we amended our senior secured term loan facility and recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $3.2 million, representing a write-off of a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs on this facility.
In April and May 2011, we purchased $1,078.0 million of senior notes due 2015, funded with the issuance of $1,175.0 million of senior notes due 2019. As a result, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $114.1 million, representing the difference between the purchase price of the senior notes due 2015 at 109% of par value and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs.
In June 2011, we entered into a new $900.0 million senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility, replacing the existing $800.0 million facility. As a result, we recorded a loss on extinguishment of long-term debt of $1.6 million representing a write-off of a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs related to the previous facility.
During 2010, we recorded a net gain of $2.0 million on the extinguishments of long-term debt resulting from two transactions. In March 2010, we repurchased $28.5 million of principal amount of senior subordinated debt for a purchase price of $18.6 million. We recorded a gain of $9.2 million representing the difference between the purchase price, including expenses paid to the debt holders and agent, and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs. The $28.5 million in principal amount of senior subordinated debt that was repurchased was exchanged for increasing rate notes and subsequently surrendered to the indenture trustee for cancellation. In December 2010, we extinguished $500.0 million of the outstanding principal balance of our senior secured term loan facility funded by proceeds from the issuance of 8.0% senior secured notes due 2018. We recorded a loss of $7.2 million on the extinguishment of the senior secured term loan facility, representing a write-off of a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs. There was no additional gain or loss resulting from the paydown of the debt balance, as the cash paid equaled the principal amount of the debt extinguished.
Income tax (expense) benefit
Income tax expense was $11.2 million in 2011, compared to an income tax benefit of $7.8 million in 2010. The effective income tax rate, expressed as a percentage of income before income taxes, was 39.7% in 2011. An effective tax rate of 21.1% was recognized in 2010, reflecting the impact of permanent items in relation to a relatively small pre-tax loss.
Net income (loss)
Net income was $17.1 million in 2011, compared to a net loss of $29.2 million in 2010.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA was $717.3 million in 2011, an increase of $115.4 million, or 19.2%, compared to $601.8 million in 2010. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA was 7.5% and 6.8% in 2011 and 2010, respectively.
We have included a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2011 and 2010 in the table below. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure defined in our credit agreements, means EBITDA adjusted for certain items which are described in the table below. Both EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical
measure of a company's performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures, and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our credit agreements. See “Selected Financial Data” included elsewhere in this report for a reconciliation of EBITDA to cash flows from operating activities.
|
| | | | | | | |
(in millions) | Year Ended December 31, |
| 2011 | | 2010 |
Net income (loss) | $ | 17.1 |
| | $ | (29.2 | ) |
Depreciation and amortization | 204.9 |
| | 209.4 |
|
Income tax expense (benefit) | 11.2 |
| | (7.8 | ) |
Interest expense, net | 324.2 |
| | 391.9 |
|
EBITDA | 557.4 |
| | 564.3 |
|
| | | |
Adjustments: | | | |
Non-cash equity-based compensation | 19.5 |
| | 11.5 |
|
Sponsor fee | 5.0 |
| | 5.0 |
|
Consulting and debt-related professional fees | 5.1 |
| | 15.1 |
|
Net loss (gain) on extinguishments of long-term debt | 118.9 |
| | (2.0 | ) |
Other adjustments (1) | 11.4 |
| | 7.9 |
|
Total adjustments | 159.9 |
| | 37.5 |
|
| | | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 717.3 |
| | $ | 601.8 |
|
(1)Other adjustments include certain retention costs and equity investment income.
Year Ended December 31, 2010 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2009
The following table presents our results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Year Ended December 31, 2010 | | Year Ended December 31, 2009 |
| | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales |
Net sales | | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 7,162.6 |
| | 100.0 | % |
Cost of sales | | 7,410.4 |
| | 84.2 |
| | 6,029.7 |
| | 84.2 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Gross profit | | 1,390.8 |
| | 15.8 |
| | 1,132.9 |
| | 15.8 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Selling and administrative expenses | | 932.1 |
| | 10.6 |
| | 821.1 |
| | 11.4 |
|
Advertising expense | | 106.0 |
| | 1.2 |
| | 101.9 |
| | 1.4 |
|
Goodwill impairment | | — |
| | — |
| | 241.8 |
| | 3.4 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Income (loss) from operations | | 352.7 |
| | 4.0 |
| | (31.9 | ) | | (0.4 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Interest expense, net | | (391.9 | ) | | (4.4 | ) | | (431.7 | ) | | (6.0 | ) |
Net gain on extinguishments of long-term debt | | 2.0 |
| | — |
| | — |
| | — |
|
Other income, net | | 0.2 |
| | — |
| | 2.4 |
| | — |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Loss before income taxes | | (37.0 | ) | | (0.4 | ) | | (461.2 | ) | | (6.4 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Income tax benefit | | 7.8 |
| | 0.1 |
| | 87.8 |
| | 1.2 |
|
| | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (29.2 | ) | | (0.3 | )% | | $ | (373.4 | ) | | (5.2 | )% |
Net sales
The following table presents our net sales by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of total net sales, and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Year Ended December 31, 2010 | | Year Ended December 31, 2009 | | | | |
| Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollars in Millions | | Percentage of Net Sales | | Dollar Change | | Percent Change (1) |
Corporate | $ | 4,833.6 |
| | 54.9 | % | | $ | 3,818.2 |
| | 53.3 | % | | $ | 1,015.4 |
| | 26.6 | % |
Public | 3,560.6 |
| | 40.5 |
| | 3,035.5 |
| | 42.4 |
| | 525.1 |
| | 17.3 |
|
Other | 407.0 |
| | 4.6 |
| | 308.9 |
| | 4.3 |
| | 98.0 |
| | 31.8 |
|
Total net sales | $ | 8,801.2 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 7,162.6 |
| | 100.0 | % | | $ | 1,638.5 |
| | 22.9 | % |
| |
(1) | There were 254 selling days in both the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009. |
The following table presents our net sales by customer channel for our Corporate and Public segments and the dollar and percentage change between periods in net sales for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
(in millions) | | Years Ended December 31, | | | | |
| | 2010 | | 2009 | | Dollar Change | | Percent Change |
Corporate: | | | | | | | | |
Medium / Large | | $ | 3,867.3 |
| | $ | 3,014.8 |
| | $ | 852.5 |
| | 28.3 | % |
Small Business | | 966.3 |
| | 803.4 |
| | 162.9 |
| | 20.3 |
|
Total Corporate | | $ | 4,833.6 |
| | $ | 3,818.2 |
| | $ | 1,015.4 |
| | 26.6 | % |
| | | | | | | | |
Public: | | | | | | | | |
Government | | $ | 1,368.6 |
| | $ | 1,270.7 |
| | $ | 97.9 |
| | 7.7 | % |
Education | | 1,200.6 |
| | 1,040.5 |
| | 160.1 |
| | 15.4 |
|
Healthcare | | 991.4 |
| | 724.3 |
| | 267.1 |
| | 36.9 |
|
Total Public | | $ | 3,560.6 |
| | $ | 3,035.5 |
| | $ | 525.1 |
| | 17.3 | % |
Total net sales in 2010 increased $1,638.5 million, or 22.9%, to $8,801.2 million, compared to $7,162.6 million in 2009. There were 254 selling days in both 2010 and 2009. The increase in total net sales was the result of general growth and increased demand in the information technology industry overall, in addition to our focus on growing our market share. The most significant driver of sales growth in 2010 was the rebound by our Corporate segment, which was significantly impacted by the economic downturn in the U.S. that began in late 2008 and continued through 2009.
Corporate segment net sales in 2010 increased $1,015.4 million, or 26.6%, compared to 2009. Within our Corporate segment, net sales to medium / large customers increased 28.3% between years, while net sales to small business customers increased 20.3%. These increases were driven by hardware unit volume growth, most notably in notebook/mobile devices and desktop computers, as we benefited from increased demand during 2010 from our Corporate segment customers who had generally postponed spending on information technology in 2009 as a result of the economic downturn. Public segment net sales in 2010 increased $525.1 million, or 17.3%, between years driven by growth across all customer channels. Within our Public segment, sales to government customers increased 7.7% between years, but at a lesser rate than other channels, as Federal sales in 2009 included a relatively high volume of large one-time orders. Net sales to healthcare customers increased $267.1 million, or 36.9%, between years driven by volume increases and additional sales resulting from an expanded relationship with a group purchasing organization beginning in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Gross profit
Gross profit increased $258.0 million, or 22.8%, to $1,390.8 million in 2010, compared to $1,132.9 million in 2009, which reflected increased sales across our hardware, software and services categories. The increase in gross profit dollars was driven primarily by unit growth and favorable price/mix within the hardware sales category. Consolidated product margin remained relatively flat between years, as sustained competitive pressures in the marketplace continued to impact average
selling prices. As a percentage of total net sales, gross profit was 15.8% in both 2010 and 2009. Vendor funding, including purchase discounts, volume rebates and cooperative advertising, increased in 2010, but was relatively flat as a percentage of net sales between years. Gross margin was favorably impacted by higher volume rebates both in terms of dollars and as a percentage of sales, largely offset by the impact of lower cooperative advertising income as a percentage of sales. Following the first quarter of 2010, gross profit margin by quarter improved on a year-over-year basis, as general economic conditions improved.
The gross profit margin may fluctuate based on various factors, including vendor incentive and inventory price protection programs, cooperative advertising funds classified as a reduction of cost of sales, product mix, net service contract revenue, commission revenue, pricing strategies, market conditions and other factors, any of which could result in changes in gross profit margins.
Selling and administrative expenses
Selling and administrative expenses increased $111.0 million, or 13.5%, to $932.1 million in 2010, compared to $821.1 million in 2009. The increase was primarily due to higher payroll costs of $100.6 million as a result of higher sales compensation and increases in other variable compensation costs such as incentive bonuses consistent with higher sales and gross profit. In addition, coworker-related costs increased $15.5 million in 2010 compared to 2009, primarily due to an increase of $11.9 million in profit sharing/401(k) costs, while travel and entertainment expense increased $2.5 million and sales and use tax expense increased $2.1 million. These increases were partially offset by lower depreciation expense of $8.2 million and lower bad debt expense of $3.0 million in 2010 compared to 2009. Throughout 2010, we continued to cautiously make selective investments in our coworkers as our outlook improved. Our sales force increased to 3,405 coworkers at December 31, 2010, compared to 3,307 coworkers at December 31, 2009, and total coworker count also increased to 6,268 coworkers at December 31, 2010, compared to 6,173 coworkers at December 31, 2009.
Advertising expense
Advertising expense increased $4.0 million, or 4.0%, to $106.0 million in 2010, compared to $101.9 million in 2009. Increased expenses related to the production of a new advertising campaign, e-commerce support and customer-focused marketing events were partially offset by decreased spending in catalog production and circulation. As a percentage of net sales, advertising expense was 1.2% in 2010, compared to 1.4% in 2009.
Goodwill impairment
We did not record any goodwill impairment charges in 2010, as we performed and passed the annual evaluation of goodwill as of December 1, 2010. The goodwill balances at December 31, 2010 for our Corporate, Public and Other segments were $1,223.0 million, $907.3 million and $78.8 million, respectively.
We recorded goodwill impairment charges of $241.8 million in 2009. Continued deterioration in macroeconomic conditions and the overall decline in our net sales during the first half of 2009 indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value of certain of our reporting units was reduced to below the respective carrying amount. We considered this a triggering event under generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and performed an interim evaluation of goodwill as of June 1, 2009. As a result of that goodwill impairment evaluation, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $235.0 million in the second quarter of 2009. This charge was comprised of $207.0 million for our Corporate segment, or 14% of the total goodwill for that segment, and $28.0 million for the CDW Advanced Services business, or 38% of the total goodwill for that operating segment. In addition to the goodwill evaluation noted above, we recorded $6.8 million of goodwill in the fourth quarter of 2009 for certain trade credits for periods prior to the Acquisition which was immediately impaired upon recognition.
Income (loss) from operations
The following table presents income (loss) from operations by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of net sales, and the year-over-year percentage change in income (loss) from operations for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Year Ended December 31, 2010 | | Year Ended December 31, 2009 | | |
| | Dollars in Millions | | Operating Margin Percentage | | Dollars in Millions | | Operating Margin Percentage | | Percent Change in Income (Loss) from Operations |
Segments: (1) | | | | | | | | | | |
Corporate | | $ | 256.2 |
| | 5.3 | % | | $ | (56.7 | ) | | (1.5 | )% | | 551.8 | % |
Public | | 193.0 |
| | 5.4 |
| | 150.7 |
| | 5.0 |
| | 28.0 |
|
Other | | 14.3 |
| | 3.5 |
| | (23.2 | ) | | (7.5 | ) | | 161.6 |
|
Headquarters (2) | | (110.8 | ) | | nm |
| | (102.7 | ) | | nm |
| | (7.8 | ) |
Total income (loss) from operations | | $ | 352.7 |
| | 4.0 | % | | $ | (31.9 | ) | | (0.4 | )% | | 1,205.3 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Goodwill impairment included in loss from operations: | | | | | | | | | | |
Corporate | | $ | — |
| | — | % | | $ | (212.4 | ) | | (5.6 | )% | | nm |
|
Public | | — |
| | — |
| | (1.1 | ) | | — |
| | nm |
|
Other | | — |
| | — |
| | (28.3 | ) | | (9.2 | ) | | nm |
|
Total goodwill impairment | | $ | — |
| | — | % | | $ | (241.8 | ) | | (3.4 | )% | | nm |
|
| |
(1) | Segment income (loss) from operations includes the segment’s direct operating income (loss) and allocations for Headquarters’ costs, allocations for logistics services, certain inventory adjustments and volume rebates and cooperative advertising from vendors. |
| |
(2) | Includes Headquarters’ function costs that are not allocated to the segments. |
Income from operations was $352.7 million in 2010, an increase of $384.6 million compared to a loss from operations of $31.9 million in 2009. This increase was primarily due to the prior period containing the previously discussed goodwill impairment charge of $241.8 million. Excluding the goodwill impairment charge, operating income increased $142.9 million, or 68.1% in 2010, compared to 2009. This increase was driven by higher net sales and gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher selling and administrative expenses, although we continued to contain our selling and administrative expenses through tight cost control.
Corporate segment income from operations was $256.2 million in 2010, an increase of $313.0 million compared to a loss from operations of $56.7 million in 2009. The operating loss in 2009 was due to the goodwill impairment charge of $212.4 million. Excluding the goodwill impairment charge, Corporate segment income from operations increased $100.6 million, or 64.6%, between years. The most significant driver of our Corporate segment’s increase in operating income between years was the rebound in net sales, which increased 26.6% in 2010 compared to 2009 following the economic downturn. The combination of the increased net sales and the associated gross profit dollars along with continued control of selling and administrative costs increased operating income by $60.8 million. Selling and administrative expenses were lower as a percentage of net sales in 2010 compared to 2009 despite the increased investment in coworkers discussed above. In addition, our Corporate segment income from operations benefited in 2010 from an increase of $46.0 million in income allocations from our logistics operations compared to 2009. The improved profitability of our logistics operations was driven by increased operating leverage given higher purchase volumes in 2010 while support structure costs decreased between years. Partially offsetting the above items was an increase in headquarters’ allocations of $6.2 million.
Public segment income from operations was $193.0 million in 2010, an increase of $42.3 million, or 28.0%, compared to $150.7 million in 2009. This increase reflected higher operating income of $20.4 million as a result of higher net sales and gross profit dollars, while continuing to control selling and administrative costs. Selling and administrative expenses were lower as a percentage of net sales in 2010 compared to 2009 despite the increased investment in coworkers discussed above. In addition, our Public segment income from operations benefited in 2010 from an increase of $28.9 million in income allocations from our logistics operations compared to 2009. Partially offsetting the above items was an increase in headquarters’
allocations of $7.0 million.
The income from operations within our Other segment was $14.3 million in 2010, compared to a loss from operations of $23.2 million in 2009. The operating loss for 2009 was a result of the goodwill impairment charge of $28.3 million for the CDW Advanced Services business.
The loss from operations for our Headquarters’ function of $110.8 million was $8.1 million higher than the loss of $102.7 million in 2009. The incremental loss of $8.1 million in 2010 reflected an increase in costs of $23.0 million, partially offset by higher intercompany allocations to the operating segments of $14.9 million. The $23.0 million cost increase in 2010 was driven by additional investments in coworkers primarily related to incentive compensation and profit sharing/401(k).
Interest expense, net
At December 31, 2010, our outstanding long-term debt, excluding capital leases, totaled $4,289.1 million. Net interest expense was $391.9 million in 2010, compared to $431.7 million in 2009. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to the year-over-year change in the net non-cash impact of hedge ineffectiveness recorded in interest expense on the interest rate swap agreements which resulted in a gain of $25.8 million in 2010, compared to a loss of $28.7 million in 2009. Also contributing to the decrease were lower average outstanding debt balances during 2010 compared to 2009. Partially offsetting these items was a higher interest rate on the senior secured term loan facility as a result of a November 2009 amendment to this facility and increased expense due to changes in the fair value of the interest rate cap agreements.
Net gain on extinguishments of long-term debt
We recorded a net gain of $2.0 million on the extinguishment of long-term debt resulting from two transactions during 2010.
In March 2010, we repurchased $28.5 million of principal amount of the outstanding senior subordinated debt for a purchase price of $18.6 million. We recorded a gain of $9.2 million on the extinguishment of this debt in our consolidated statement of operations during the first quarter of 2010. The gain represents the difference between the purchase price, including expenses paid to the debt holders and agent, and the net carrying amount of the purchased debt, adjusted for a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs. The $28.5 million in principal amount of debt was exchanged for increasing rate notes and subsequently surrendered to the indenture trustee for cancellation.
In December 2010, we extinguished $500.0 million of the outstanding principal balance of our senior secured term loan facility funded by proceeds from the issuance of 8.0% senior secured notes due 2018. We recorded a loss of $7.2 million on the extinguishment of this debt in our consolidated statement of operations during the fourth quarter of 2010. This loss represents a write-off of a portion of the unamortized deferred financing costs on the senior secured term loan facility. There was no additional gain or loss resulting from the paydown of the debt balance, as the cash paid equaled the principal amount of the debt extinguished.
Income tax benefit
The income tax benefit was $7.8 million in 2010, compared to $87.8 million in 2009. The effective income tax rate, expressed by calculating the income tax benefit as a percentage of loss before income taxes, was 21.1% in 2010, compared to 19.0% in 2009. The change in the effective rate from 2009 to 2010 was due to the nondeductible goodwill charge in 2009 and a relatively higher impact on the effective tax rate of permanent items in 2010 due to the relatively small pre-tax loss. In addition, state taxes in 2010 were higher due to changes in state rates and apportionment.
Net loss
The net loss was $29.2 million in 2010, compared to a net loss of $373.4 million in 2009. The year-over-year change was primarily due to the impairment charges discussed above.
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA was $601.8 million in 2010, an increase of $136.5 million, or 29.3%, compared to $465.4 million in 2009. As a percentage of net sales, Adjusted EBITDA was 6.8% in 2010, compared to 6.5% in 2009.
We have included a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for 2010 and 2009 in the table below. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure defined in our credit agreements, means EBITDA adjusted for certain items which are described in the table below. Both EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical
measure of a company’s performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide helpful information with respect to our operating performance and cash flows including our ability to meet our future debt service, capital expenditures and working capital requirements. Adjusted EBITDA also provides helpful information as it is the primary measure used in certain financial covenants contained in our credit agreements. See “Selected Financial Data” included elsewhere in this report for a reconciliation of EBITDA to cash flows from operating activities.
|
| | | | | | | |
(in millions) | Year Ended December 31, |
| 2010 | | 2009 |
Net loss | $ | (29.2 | ) | | $ | (373.4 | ) |
Depreciation and amortization | 209.4 |
| | 218.2 |
|
Income tax benefit | (7.8 | ) | | (87.8 | ) |
Interest expense, net | 391.9 |
| | 431.7 |
|
EBITDA | 564.3 |
| | 188.7 |
|
| | | |
Adjustments: | | | |
Goodwill impairment | — |
| | 241.8 |
|
Non-cash equity-based compensation | 11.5 |
| | 15.9 |
|
Sponsor fee | 5.0 |
| | 5.0 |
|
Consulting and debt-related professional fees | 15.1 |
| | 14.1 |
|
Net gain on extinguishments of long-term debt | (2.0 | ) | | — |
|
Other adjustments (1) | 7.9 |
| | (0.1 | ) |
Total adjustments | 37.5 |
| | 276.7 |
|
| | | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 601.8 |
| | $ | 465.4 |
|
| |
(1) | Other adjustments include certain severance and retention costs, equity investment income and the gain related to the sale of Informacast software and equipment in 2009. |
Seasonality
While we have not historically experienced significant seasonality throughout the year, sales in our Corporate segment, which primarily serves business customers, are typically higher in the fourth quarter than in other quarters due to customers spending their remaining technology budget dollars at the end of the year. Additionally, sales in our Public segment have historically been higher in the third quarter than in other quarters primarily due to the buying patterns of the federal government.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
We finance our operations and capital expenditures through a combination of internally generated cash from operations and from borrowings under our senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility. We believe that our current sources of funds will be sufficient to fund our cash operating requirements for the next year. In addition, we believe that, in spite of the uncertainty of future macroeconomic conditions, we have adequate sources of liquidity and funding available to meet our longer-term needs. However, there are a number of factors that may negatively impact our available sources of funds. The amount of cash generated from operations will be dependent upon factors such as the successful execution of our business plan and general economic conditions.
Cash Flows
We have revised our consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009. See Notes 1 and 20 to the consolidated financial statements for further information.
Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities were as follows:
|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
(in millions) | Years Ended December 31, |
| 2011 | | 2010 | | 2009 |
Net cash provided by (used in): | | | | | |
Operating activities | $ | 214.7 |
| | $ | 423.7 |
| | $ | 107.6 |
|
Investing activities | (56.0 | ) | | (125.4 | ) | | (82.6 | ) |
Financing activities | (95.4 | ) | | (350.1 | ) | | (31.9 | ) |
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents | — |
| |