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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration No. 333-218714

12,500,000 Shares

 

Canada Goose Holdings Inc.

Subordinate Voting Shares

 

 

The selling shareholders named in this prospectus, which include our principal shareholders and certain members of management, are offering all of the subordinate voting shares offered hereby and will receive all of the proceeds from this offering. We will not receive any proceeds from the subordinate voting shares sold by the selling shareholders. Our subordinate voting shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States and the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada under the symbol “GOOS.” On June 23, 2017 the last reported per share sale prices of our subordinate voting shares on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States and the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada were US$21.92 and C$29.00, respectively.

We have two classes of shares outstanding: multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares. The rights of the holders of our multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares are substantially identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. The subordinate voting shares have one vote per share and the multiple voting shares have 10 votes per share. The subordinate voting shares are not convertible into any other class of shares, while the multiple voting shares are convertible into subordinate voting shares on a one-for-one basis at the option of the holder and under certain other circumstances, including at the time our significant shareholders respectively cease to hold 15% of the total number of multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares outstanding. See “Description of Share Capital.” After giving effect to the sale of the subordinate voting shares offered hereby, the subordinate voting shares will collectively represent approximately 34% of our total issued and outstanding shares and 5% of the voting power attached to all of our issued and outstanding shares (35% and 5%, respectively, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) and the multiple voting shares will collectively represent approximately 66% of our total issued and outstanding shares and 95% of the voting power attached to all of our issued and outstanding shares (65% and 95%, respectively, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). See “Description of Share Capital—Authorized Share Capital.”

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and, as a result, are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer.”

Following this offering we will remain a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the New York Stock Exchange. See “Management—Director Independence.”

 

 

Investing in our subordinate voting shares involves risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14.

 

		Per share				Total
Public offering price		US$	20.75			US$	259,375,000
Underwriting commissions (1)		US$	0.881875			US$	11,023,438
Proceeds to the selling shareholders, before expenses		US$	19.868125			US$	248,351,563

 

(1)	We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting” for additional information regarding underwriting compensation.

The underwriters have the option to purchase up to an aggregate of 1,875,000 additional subordinate voting shares from certain of the selling shareholders at the public offering price, less the underwriting commissions, for 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed on the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the subordinate voting shares to investors on or about July 5, 2017.

 

 

 

CIBC Capital Markets		Credit Suisse		Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC		RBC Capital Markets

 

BofA Merrill Lynch		Morgan Stanley		Barclays		BMO Capital Markets		TD		Wells Fargo Securities

Baird		Canaccord Genuity		Cowen

Prospectus dated June 27, 2017

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		Page
Prospectus Summary			1
The Offering			8
Summary Historical Consolidated Financial and Other Data			10
Risk Factors			14
Exchange Rate Information			36
Use of Proceeds			37
Dividend Policy			39
Recapitalization and IPO			40
Capitalization			41
Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data			42
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			44
Business			70
Management			85
Executive Compensation			97
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions			109
Principal and Selling Shareholders			112
Description of Indebtedness			116
Description of Share Capital			123
Comparison of Shareholder Rights			134
Shares Eligible for Future Sale			148
Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders			150
Canadian Tax Implications For Non-Canadian Holders			156
Underwriting			158
Legal Matters			165
Experts			165
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities			165
Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution			166
Where You Can Find More Information			166
Incorporation By Reference			167
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedules			F-1

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus and in any free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. Neither we, the selling shareholders nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we, the selling shareholders nor the underwriters take responsibility for any other information others may give you. We are not, and the selling shareholders and underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information in this prospectus is only accurate as of the date of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

We expect that delivery of the subordinate voting shares will be made against payment therefor on or about the date specified on the cover page of this prospectus, which will be the fourth business day following the date of pricing of the subordinate voting shares (such settlement code being herein referred to as “T + 4”). Pursuant to SEC Rule 15c6-1 under the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in three business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the subordinate voting shares on the date of pricing or the next succeeding business day will be required, by virtue of the fact that the subordinate voting shares initially will settle T + 4, to specify an alternate settlement cycle at the time of any such trade to prevent a failed settlement and should consult their own advisor.

 

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Industry and Market Data

This prospectus includes market data and forecasts with respect to the apparel industry including outerwear and luxury segments of the industry. Although we are responsible for all of the disclosure contained in this prospectus, in some cases we rely on and refer to market data and certain industry forecasts that were obtained from third party surveys, market research, consultant surveys, publicly available information and industry publications and surveys that we believe to be reliable. Unless otherwise indicated, all market and industry data and other statistical information and forecasts contained in this prospectus are based on independent industry publications, reports by market research firms or other published independent sources and other externally obtained data that we believe to be reliable. Some market and industry data, and statistical information and forecasts, are also based on management’s estimates, which are derived from our review of customer surveys commissioned by us and conducted on our behalf as well as the independent sources referred to above. Any such market data, information or forecast may prove to be inaccurate because of the method by which we obtain it or because it cannot always be verified with complete certainty given the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties, including those discussed under the captions “Risk Factors.” As a result, although we believe that these sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information.

Trademarks and Service Marks

This prospectus contains references to a number of trademarks which are our registered trademarks or trademarks for which we have pending applications or common law rights. Our major trademarks include the CANADA GOOSE word mark and the ARCTIC PROGRAM & DESIGN trademark (our disc logo consisting of the colour-inverse design of the North Pole and Arctic Ocean). In addition to the registrations in Canada and the United States, our word mark and design are registered in other jurisdictions which cover approximately 37 jurisdictions. Furthermore, in certain jurisdictions we register as trademarks certain elements of our products, such as fabric, warmth categorization and style names such as our Snow Mantra parka.

Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are listed without the ^®, (sm) and (TM) symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks and trade names.

Basis of Presentation

Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this prospectus to “Canada Goose,” “we,” “our,” “us,” “the company” or similar terms refer to Canada Goose Holdings Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

We publish our consolidated financial statements in Canadian dollars. In this prospectus, unless otherwise specified, all monetary amounts are in Canadian dollars, all references to “$,” “C$,” “CDN$,” “CAD$,” and “dollars” mean Canadian dollars and all references to “US$” and “USD” mean U.S. dollars.

On December 9, 2013, investment funds advised by Bain Capital L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, “Bain Capital”), acquired a majority equity interest in our business. We refer to this as the Acquisition.

In connection with our March 21, 2017 initial public offering (the “IPO”), we redesignated our Class A common shares into multiple voting shares. In addition, we eliminated all of our previously outstanding series of common and preferred shares and created our subordinate voting shares. See “Description of Share Capital.” The subordinate voting shares to be sold by the selling shareholders holding multiple voting shares as part of the offering will result from the conversion of multiple voting shares into subordinate voting shares prior to the closing of the offering.

We report under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”). None of the financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. Our fiscal year ends on March 31 of each calendar year. Our most recent fiscal year, which we refer to as fiscal 2017, ended on March 31, 2017. We refer to the years ended March 31, 2016, March 31, 2015 and March 31, 2014 as fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively.

 

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Risk Factors

This offering and investing in our subordinate voting shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing at the end of this prospectus, before deciding to invest in our subordinate voting shares. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially, the trading price of our subordinate voting shares could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Please also see “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to our Business

Our business depends on a strong brand, and if we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand we may be unable to sell our products, which would adversely affect our business.

The Canada Goose name and premium brand image are integral to the growth of our business, and to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. We believe that the brand image we have developed has significantly contributed to the success of our business and is critical to maintaining and expanding our customer base. Maintaining and enhancing our brand may require us to make substantial investments in areas such as product design, store openings and operations, marketing, e-commerce, community relations and employee training, and these investments may not be successful.

We anticipate that, as our business continues to expand into new markets and new product categories and as the market becomes increasingly competitive, maintaining and enhancing our brand may become difficult and expensive. Conversely, as we penetrate these new markets and our brand becomes more widely available, it could potentially detract from the appeal stemming from the scarcity of our brand. Our brand may also be adversely affected if our public image or reputation is tarnished by negative publicity. In addition, ineffective marketing, product diversion to unauthorized distribution channels, product defects, counterfeit products, unfair labour practices, and failure to protect the intellectual property rights in our brand are some of the potential threats to the strength of our brand, and those and other factors could rapidly and severely diminish consumer confidence in us. Maintaining and enhancing our brand will depend largely on our ability to be a leader in the premium outerwear industry and to continue to offer a range of high quality products to our customers, which we may not execute successfully. Any of these factors could harm our sales, profitability or financial condition.

A key element of our growth strategy is expansion of our product offerings into new product categories. We may be unsuccessful in designing products that meet our customers’ expectations for our brand or that are attractive to new customers. If we are unable to anticipate customer preferences or industry changes, or if we are unable to modify our products on a timely basis or expand effectively into new product categories, we may lose customers. As of March 31, 2017, our brand is sold in 37 countries through over 2,500 points of distribution. As we expand into new geographic markets, consumers in these new markets may be less compelled by our brand image and may not be willing to pay a higher price to purchase our premium functional products as compared to traditional outerwear. Our operating results would also suffer if our investments and innovations do not anticipate the needs of our customers, are not appropriately timed with market opportunities or are not effectively brought to market.

Because our business is highly concentrated on a single, discretionary product category, premium outerwear, we are vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences that could harm our sales, profitability and financial condition.

Our business is not currently diversified and consists primarily of designing, manufacturing and distributing premium outerwear and accessories. In fiscal 2017, our main product category across all seasons, our jackets, was made up of over 100 styles and comprised the majority of our sales. Consumer preferences often change rapidly. Therefore, our business is substantially dependent on our ability to attract customers who are willing to

 

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pay a premium for our products. Any future shifts in consumer preferences away from retail spending for premium outerwear and accessories would also have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

In addition, we believe that continued increases in sales of premium outerwear will largely depend on customers continuing to demand technical superiority from their luxury products. If the number of customers demanding premium outerwear does not continue to increase, or if our customers are not convinced that our premium outerwear is more functional or stylish than other outerwear alternatives, we may not achieve the level of sales necessary to support new growth platforms and our ability to grow our business will be severely impaired.

A downturn in the economy may affect customer purchases of discretionary items, which could materially harm our sales, profitability and financial condition.

Many factors affect the level of consumer spending for discretionary items such as our premium outerwear and related products. These factors include general economic conditions, interest and tax rates, the availability of consumer credit, disposable consumer income, unemployment and consumer confidence in future economic conditions. Consumer purchases of discretionary items, such as our premium outerwear, tend to decline during recessionary periods when disposable income is lower. During our 60-year history, we have experienced recessionary periods, but we cannot predict the effect on our sales and profitability. A downturn in the economy in markets in which we sell our products may materially harm our sales, profitability and financial condition.

We operate in a highly competitive market and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of our market share and a decrease in our revenue and profitability.

The market for outerwear is highly fragmented. We compete directly against other wholesalers and direct retailers of premium functional outerwear and luxury apparel. Because of the fragmented nature of the marketplace, we also compete with other apparel sellers, including those who do not specialize in outerwear. Many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including longer operating histories, larger and broader customer bases, more established relationships with a broader set of suppliers, greater brand recognition and greater financial, research and development, store development, marketing, distribution, and other resources than we do.

Our competitors may be able to achieve and maintain brand awareness and market share more quickly and effectively than we can. Many of our competitors have more established and diversified marketing programs, including with respect to promotion of their brands through traditional forms of advertising, such as print media and television commercials, and through celebrity endorsements, and have substantial resources to devote to such efforts. Our competitors may also create and maintain brand awareness using traditional forms of advertising more quickly than we can. Our competitors may also be able to increase sales in their new and existing markets faster than we can by emphasizing different distribution channels than we can, such as catalog sales or an extensive retail network, and many of our competitors have substantial resources to devote toward increasing sales in such ways.

If we fail to attract new customers, we may not be able to increase sales.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to attract new customers. In order to expand our customer base, we must appeal to and attract consumers who identify with our products. We have made significant investments in enhancing our brand and attracting new customers. We expect to continue to make significant investments to promote our current products to new customers and new products to current and new customers, including through our e-commerce platforms and retail store presence. Such campaigns can be expensive and may not result in increased sales. Further, as our brand becomes more widely known, we may not attract new customers as we have in the past. If we are unable to attract new customers, we may not be able to increase our sales.

 

 

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We have grown rapidly in recent years. If we are unable to manage our operations at our current size or to manage any future growth effectively, the pace of our growth may slow.

We have expanded our operations rapidly since 2013 and have been developing a DTC channel with the launch of our four e-commerce stores in Canada and the United States as well as the United Kingdom and France in August 2014, September 2015 and September 2016, respectively, and the opening of our first two retail stores in October and November 2016 in Toronto and New York City, respectively. Our revenue increased from $218.4 million for fiscal 2015 to $403.8 million for fiscal 2017, a CAGR of 36.0%, including $115.2 million of revenue generated from our DTC channel in fiscal 2017.

If our operations continue to grow, of which there can be no assurance, we will be required to continue to expand our sales and marketing, product development, manufacturing and distribution functions, to upgrade our management information systems and other processes, and to obtain more space for our expanding administrative support and other personnel. Our continued growth could increase the strain on our resources, and we could experience operating difficulties, including difficulties in hiring, training and managing an increasing number of employees and manufacturing capacity to produce our products, and delays in production and shipments. These difficulties may result in the erosion of our brand image, divert the attention of management and key employees and impact financial and operational results. In addition, in order to continue to expand our DTC channel, we expect to continue to add selling, general & administrative expenses to our operating profile. These costs, which include lease commitments, headcount and capital assets, could result in decreased margins if we are unable to drive commensurate growth.

Our growth strategy involves expansion of our DTC channel, including retail stores and on-line, which may present risks and challenges that we have not yet experienced.

Our business has only recently evolved from one in which we only distributed products on a wholesale basis for resale by others to one that also includes a multi-channel experience, which includes retail physical and online stores operated by us. Growing our e-commerce platforms and number of physical stores is essential to our growth strategy, as is expanding our product offerings available through these channels. However, we have limited operating experience executing this strategy, which we launched with our first e-commerce store in August 2014 and our first retail store in October 2016. This strategy has and will continue to require significant investment in cross-functional operations and management focus, along with investment in supporting technologies and retail store spaces. If we are unable to provide a convenient and consistent experience for our customers, our ability to compete and our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, if our e-commerce store design does not appeal to our customers, reliably function as designed, or maintain the privacy of customer data, or if we are unable to consistently meet our brand promise to our customers, we may experience a loss of customer confidence or lost sales, or be exposed to fraudulent purchases, which could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.

We currently operate our online stores in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, and are planning to expand our e-commerce platform to other geographies. These countries may impose different and evolving laws governing the operation and marketing of e-commerce websites, as well as the collection, storage and use of information on consumers interacting with those websites. We may incur additional costs and operational challenges in complying with these laws, and differences in these laws may cause us to operate our businesses differently in different territories. If so, we may incur additional costs and may not fully realize the investment in our international expansion.

Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly variations in our revenue and operating income, which could cause the price of our subordinate voting shares to decline.

Our business is seasonal and, historically, we have realized approximately three quarters of our revenue and earnings for the fiscal year in the second and third fiscal quarters, due to the impact of wholesale orders in

 

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anticipation of the Winter and holiday selling season. Many of these orders are not subject to contracts and, if cancelled for any reason, could result in harm to our sales and financial results. Any factors that harm our second and third fiscal quarter operating results, including disruptions in our supply chain, unseasonably warm weather or unfavourable economic conditions, could have a disproportionate effect on our results of operations for the entire fiscal year. In addition, we typically experience net losses in our first and fourth fiscal quarters as we invest ahead of our most active season. Disrupted sales in our second and third fiscal quarters could upset our seasonal balance leading to an adverse effect on our financial and operating results.

In order to prepare for our peak shopping season, we must maintain higher quantities of finished goods. As a result, our working capital requirements also fluctuate during the year, increasing in the first and second fiscal quarters and declining significantly in the fourth fiscal quarter.

Our quarterly results of operations may also fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of other factors, including the sales contributed by our DTC channel. As a result, historical period-to-period comparisons of our sales and operating results are not necessarily indicative of future period-to-period results. You should not rely on the results of a single fiscal quarter as an indication of our annual results or our future performance.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.

We had $8.7 million of borrowings outstanding under our Revolving Facility (as defined below), and $141.3 million of unused commitments under our Revolving Facility, $151.6 million of term loans under our Term Loan Facility (as defined below), and total indebtedness of $160.3 million as of March 31, 2017. Our debt could have important consequences, including:

 

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limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate requirements and increasing our cost of borrowing;

 

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requiring a portion of our cash flow to be dedicated to debt service payments instead of other purposes, thereby reducing the amount of cash flow available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

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requiring the net cash proceeds of certain equity offerings to be used to prepay our debt as opposed to other purposes;

 

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exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings, including borrowings under our senior secured credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest; and

 

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limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in the industry in which we compete.

The credit agreements governing our senior secured credit facilities contain a number of restrictive covenants that impose operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to incur certain liens, make investments and acquisitions, incur or guarantee additional indebtedness, pay dividends or make other distributions in respect of, or repurchase or redeem our common or preferred shares, or enter into certain other types of contractual arrangements affecting our subsidiaries or indebtedness. In addition, the restrictive covenants in the credit agreement governing our Revolving Facility require us to maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio if excess availability under our Revolving Facility falls below a specified threshold.

Although the credit agreements governing our senior secured credit facilities contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, those restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions and the additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with those restrictions could be substantial. We may also seek to amend or refinance one or more of our debt instruments to permit us to finance our growth strategy or improve the terms of our indebtedness.

 

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Our plans to improve and expand our product offerings may not be successful, and implementation of these plans may divert our operational, managerial and administrative resources, which could harm our competitive position and reduce our revenue and profitability.

In addition to our DTC strategy and the expansion of our geographic footprint, we plan to grow our business by expanding our product offerings. The principal risks to our ability to successfully carry out our plans to expand our product offering include:

 

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if our expanded product offerings fail to maintain and enhance our distinctive brand identity, our brand image may be diminished and our sales may decrease;

 

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implementation of these plans may divert management’s attention from other aspects of our business and place a strain on our management, operational and financial resources, as well as our information systems; and

 

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incorporation of novel materials or features into our products may not be accepted by our customers or may be considered inferior to similar products offered by our competitors.

In addition, our ability to successfully carry out our plans to expand our product offerings may be affected by economic and competitive conditions, changes in consumer spending patterns and changes in consumer preferences and styles. These plans could be abandoned, could cost more than anticipated and could divert resources from other areas of our business, any of which could negatively impact our competitive position and reduce our revenue and profitability.

We rely on a limited number of third-party suppliers to provide high quality raw materials.

Our products require high quality raw materials, including cotton, polyester, down and coyote fur. The price of raw materials depends on a wide variety of factors largely beyond the control of Canada Goose. A shortage, delay or interruption of supply for any reason could negatively impact our ability to fulfill orders and have an adverse impact on our financial results.

In addition, we rely on a very small number of direct suppliers for our raw materials. As a result, any disruption to these relationships could have a material adverse effect on our business. Events that adversely affect our suppliers could impair our ability to obtain inventory in the quantities and at the quality that we desire. Such events include difficulties or problems with our suppliers’ businesses, finances, labour relations, ability to import raw materials, costs, production, insurance and reputation, as well as natural disasters or other catastrophic occurrences. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that our suppliers will continue to provide fabrics and raw materials or provide products that are consistent with our standards.

More generally, if we need to replace an existing supplier, additional supplies or additional manufacturing capacity may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, and any new supplier may not meet our strict quality requirements. In the event we are required to find new sources of supply, we may encounter delays in production, inconsistencies in quality and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers in our methods, products and quality control standards. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of our raw materials could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower sales and profitability both in the short and long-term.

We could experience significant disruptions in supply from our current sources.

We generally do not enter into long-term formal written agreements with our suppliers, and typically transact business with our suppliers on an order-by-order basis. There can be no assurance that there will not be a disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, that we would be able to locate alternative suppliers of materials of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. Identifying a suitable supplier is an involved process that requires us to become satisfied with their quality

 

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control, responsiveness and service, financial stability and labour and other ethical practices. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet customer demand for our products and result in lower revenue and operating income both in the short and long-term.

Our business or our results of operations could be harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast demand for our products.

To ensure adequate inventory supply, we and our retail partners forecast inventory needs, which are subject to seasonal and quarterly variations. If we fail to accurately forecast retailer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of product to deliver to our retail partners and through our DTC channel.

If we underestimate the demand for our products, we may not be able to produce products to meet our retail partner requirements, and this could result in delays in the shipment of our products and our failure to satisfy demand, as well as damage to our reputation and retail partner relationships. If we overestimate the demand for our products, we could face inventory levels in excess of demand, which could result in inventory write-downs or write-offs and the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices, which would harm our gross margins and our brand management efforts. In addition, failures to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could cause a decline in revenue and harm our profitability and financial condition.

If we are unable to establish and protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights, counterfeiters may produce copies of our products and such counterfeit products could damage our brand image.

Given the increased popularity of our brand, we believe there is a high likelihood that counterfeit products or other products infringing on our intellectual property rights will continue to emerge, seeking to benefit from the consumer demand for Canada Goose outerwear. These counterfeit products do not provide the functionality of our products and we believe they are of substantially lower quality, and if customers are not able to differentiate between our products and counterfeit products, this could damage our brand image. In order to protect our brand, we devote significant resources to the registration and protection of our trademarks and to anti-counterfeiting efforts worldwide. We actively pursue entities involved in the trafficking and sale of counterfeit merchandise through legal action or other appropriate measures. In spite of our efforts, counterfeiting still occurs and, if we are unsuccessful in challenging a third-party’s rights related to trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, this could adversely affect our future sales, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot guarantee that the actions we have taken to curb counterfeiting and protect our intellectual property will be adequate to protect the brand and prevent counterfeiting in the future or that we will be able to identify and pursue all counterfeiters who may seek to benefit from our brand.

Competitors have and will likely continue to attempt to imitate our products and technology and divert sales. If we are unable to protect or preserve our intellectual property rights, brand image and proprietary rights, our business may be harmed.

As our business has expanded, our competitors have imitated, and will likely continue to imitate, our product designs and branding, which could harm our business and results of operations. Competitors who flood the market with products seeking to imitate our products could divert sales and dilute the value of our brand. We believe our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights are extremely important to our success and our competitive position.

However, enforcing rights to our intellectual property may be difficult and costly, and we may not be successful in stopping infringement of our intellectual property rights, particularly in some foreign countries, which could make it easier for competitors to capture market share. Intellectual property rights necessary to protect our products and brand may also be unavailable or limited in certain countries. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and

 

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countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our trademark and other intellectual property rights. Continued sales of competing products by our competitors could harm our brand and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Labour-related matters, including labour disputes, may adversely affect our operations.

As of June 1, 2017, less than 25% of our employees are members of labour unions, and additional members of our workforce may become represented by unions in the future. The exposure to unionized labour in our workforce nonetheless presents an increased risk of strikes and other labour disputes, and our ability to alter labour costs will be subject to collective bargaining, which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, potential labour disputes at independent factories where our goods are produced, shipping ports, or transportation carriers create risks for our business, particularly if a dispute results in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak manufacturing, shipping and selling seasons. Any potential labour dispute, either in our own operations or in those of third parties, on whom we rely, could materially affect our costs, decrease our sales, harm our reputation or otherwise negatively affect our sales, profitability or financial condition.

In addition, on May 30, 2017, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced a plan to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 1, 2019. The legislative proposals under the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 include broad ranging amendments to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act. Since we conduct a significant portion of our manufacturing labour in Ontario, we expect that, if enacted, this new legislation will increase our manufacturing costs and such increase may be material. We are continuing to monitor the proposed legislation and evaluate the potential impact the proposed legislation would have on our business and results of operations.

We rely significantly on information technology systems for our distribution systems and other critical business functions, and are increasing our reliance on these functions as our DTC channel expands. Any failure, inadequacy, or interruption of those systems could harm our ability to operate our business effectively.

We rely on information systems to effectively manage all aspects of our business, including merchandise planning, manufacturing, allocation, distribution and sales. Our reliance on these systems, and their importance to our business, will increase as we expand our DTC channel and global operations. We rely on a number of third parties to help us effectively manage these systems. If information systems we rely on fail to perform as expected, our business could be disrupted. The failure of us or our vendors to manage and operate our information technology systems as expected could disrupt our business, result in our not providing adequate product, losing sales or market share, and reputational harm, causing our business to suffer. Any such failure or disruption could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our information technology systems and vendors also may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our or their control, including fire, flood, natural disasters, systems failures, network or communications failures, power outages, viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks and terrorism. We maintain disaster recovery procedures intended to mitigate the risks associated with such events, but there is no guarantee that these procedures will be adequate in any particular circumstance. As a result, such an event could materially disrupt, and have a material adverse effect on, our business.

We depend on our retail partners to display and present our products to customers, and our failure to maintain and further develop our relationships with our retail partners could harm our business.

We sell our products in our wholesale segment through knowledgeable local, regional, and national retail partners. Our retail partners service customers by stocking and displaying our products, and explaining our product attributes. Our relationships with these retail partners are important to the authenticity of our brand and the marketing programs we continue to deploy. Our failure to maintain these relationships with our retail partners or financial difficulties experienced by these retail partners could harm our business.

 

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Our sales depend, in part, on retailer partners effectively displaying our products, including providing attractive space in their stores, including shop-in-shops, and training their sales personnel to sell our products. If our retail partners reduce or terminate those activities, we may experience reduced sales of our products, resulting in lower revenue and gross margins, which would harm our profitability and financial condition.

We also have key relationships with national retail partners. For fiscal 2017, our largest Canadian wholesale customer accounted for 20.4% of our wholesale revenue in Canada, and our largest U.S. wholesale customer accounted for 21.0% of our wholesale revenue in the United States. If we lose any of our key retail partners, or if any key retail partner reduces their purchases of our existing or new products, or their number of stores or operations or promotes products of our competitors over ours, or suffers financial difficulty or insolvency, our sales would be harmed. The recent decline in the overall retail industry has been challenging for some of our retail partners and caused us to negotiate shortened payment terms and reduce credit limits with certain of our retail partners. If the overall retail environment continues to decline or if one or more of our retail partners is unable or unwilling to meet our payment terms, our business and results of operations could be harmed.

The majority of our sales are to retail partners.

The majority of our sales are made to retail partners who may decide to emphasize products from our competitors, to redeploy their retail floor space to other product categories, or to take other actions that reduce their purchases of our products. We do not receive long-term purchase commitments from our retail partners, and confirmed orders received from our retail partners may be difficult to enforce. Factors that could affect our ability to maintain or expand our sales to these retail partners include: (a) failure to accurately identify the needs of our customers; (b) lack of customer acceptance of new products or product expansions; (c) unwillingness of our retail partners and customers to attribute premium value to our new or existing products or product expansions relative to competing products; (d) failure to obtain shelf space from our retail partners; and (e) new, well-received product introductions by competitors.

We cannot assure you that our retail partners will continue to carry our products in accordance with current practices or carry any new products that we develop. If these risks occur, they could harm our brand as well as our results of operations and financial condition.

Our marketing programs, e-commerce initiatives and use of customer information are governed by an evolving set of laws and enforcement trends and unfavorable changes in those laws or trends, or our failure to comply with existing or future laws, could substantially harm our business and results of operations.

We collect, process, maintain and use data, including sensitive information on individuals, available to us through online activities and other customer interactions in our business. Our current and future marketing programs may depend on our ability to collect, maintain and use this information, and our ability to do so is subject to evolving international, U.S., Canadian, European and other laws and enforcement trends. We strive to comply with all applicable laws and other legal obligations relating to privacy, data protection and customer protection, including those relating to the use of data for marketing purposes. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, may conflict with other rules, may conflict with our practices or fail to be observed by our employees or business partners. If so, we may suffer damage to our reputation and be subject to proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. Any such proceeding or action could hurt our reputation, force us to spend significant amounts to defend our practices, distract our management or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.

Certain of our marketing practices rely upon e-mail to communicate with consumers on our behalf. We may face risk if our use of e-mail is found to violate the applicable law. We post our privacy policy and practices concerning the use and disclosure of user data on our websites. Any failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policy or other privacy-related laws and regulations could result in proceedings which could potentially harm our business. In addition, as data privacy and marketing laws change, we may incur additional costs to

 

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ensure we remain in compliance. If applicable data privacy and marketing laws become more restrictive at the international, federal, provincial or state levels, our compliance costs may increase, our ability to effectively engage customers via personalized marketing may decrease, our investment in our e-commerce platform may not be fully realized, our opportunities for growth may be curtailed by our compliance burden and our potential reputational harm or liability for security breaches may increase.

Data security breaches and other cyber security events could negatively affect our reputation, credibility and business.

We collect, process, maintain and use sensitive personal information relating to our customers and employees, including their personally identifiable information, and rely on third parties for the operation of our e-commerce site and for the various social media tools and websites we use as part of our marketing strategy. Any perceived, attempted or actual unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding our employees, customers or website visitors could harm our reputation and credibility, reduce our e-commerce sales, impair our ability to attract website visitors, reduce our ability to attract and retain customers and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of significant fines or penalties.

Recently, data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting new foreign, federal, provincial and state laws and legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security, as well as increased data protection obligations imposed on merchants by credit card issuers. As a result, we may become subject to more extensive requirements to protect the customer information that we process in connection with the purchase of our products, resulting in increased compliance costs.

Our on-line activities, including our e-commerce websites, also may be subject to denial of service or other forms of cyber attacks. While we have taken measures we believe reasonable to protect against those types of attacks, those measures may not adequately protect our on-line activities from such attacks. If a denial of service attack or other cyber event were to affect our e-commerce sites or other information technology systems, our business could be disrupted, we may lose sales or valuable data, and our reputation may be adversely affected.

A significant portion of our business functions operate out of our headquarters in Toronto. As a result, our business is vulnerable to disruptions due to local weather, economics and other factors.

All of our significant business functions reside at our headquarters in Toronto, Canada. Events such as extreme local weather, natural disasters, transportation strikes, acts of terrorism, significant economic disruptions or unexpected damage to the facility could result in an unexpected disruption to our business as a whole. Although we carry business interruption insurance, if a disruption of this type should occur, our ability to conduct our business could be adversely affected or interrupted entirely and adversely affect our financial and operating results.

Our success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management.

Our success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management, including Dani Reiss, who is our third-generation President and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of the services of our senior management could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals. We also may be unable to retain existing management, technical, sales and client support personnel that are critical to our success, which could result in harm to our customer and employee relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and training costs.

We have not obtained key man life insurance policies on any members of our senior management team. As a result, we would not be protected against the associated financial loss if we were to lose the services of members of our senior management team.

 

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We rely on payment cards to receive payments, and are subject to payment-related risks.

For our DTC sales, as well as for sales to certain retail partners, we accept a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards and electronic funds transfers. Accordingly, we are, and will continue to be, subject to significant and evolving regulations and compliance requirements relating to payment card processing. This includes laws governing the collection, processing and storage of sensitive consumer information, as well as industry requirements such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI-DSS”). These laws and obligations may require us to implement enhanced authentication and payment processes that could result in increased costs and liability, and reduce the ease of use of certain payment methods. For certain payment methods, including credit and debit cards, we pay interchange and other fees, which may increase over time. We rely on independent service providers for payment processing, including credit and debit cards. If these independent service providers become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us or if the cost of using these providers increases, our business could be harmed. We are also subject to payment card association operating rules and agreements, including PCI-DSS, certification requirements and rules governing electronic funds transfers, which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, or if our data security systems are breached or compromised, we may be liable for losses incurred by card issuing banks or consumers, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, lose our ability to accept credit or debit card payments from our consumers, or process electronic fund transfers or facilitate other types of payments. Any failure to comply could significantly harm our brand, reputation, business, and results of operations.

If our independent manufacturers or our suppliers fail to use ethical business practices and fail to comply with changing laws and regulations or our applicable guidelines, our brand image could be harmed due to negative publicity.

Our core values, which include developing the highest quality products while operating with integrity, are an important component of our brand image, which makes our reputation sensitive to allegations of unethical or improper business practices, whether real or perceived. We do not control our suppliers and manufacturers or their business practices. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee their compliance with our guidelines or the law. A lack of compliance could lead to reduced sales or recalls or damage to our brand or cause us to seek alternative suppliers, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations.

In addition, many of our products include materials that are heavily regulated in many jurisdictions. Certain jurisdictions in which we sell have various regulations related to manufacturing processes and the chemical content of our products, including their component parts. Monitoring compliance by our manufacturers and suppliers is complicated, and we are reliant on their compliance reporting in order to comply with regulations applicable to our products. This is further complicated by the fact that expectations of ethical business practices continually evolve and may be substantially more demanding than applicable legal requirements. Ethical business practices are also driven in part by legal developments and by diverse groups active in publicizing and organizing public responses to perceived ethical shortcomings. Accordingly, we cannot predict how such regulations or expectations might develop in the future and cannot be certain that our guidelines or current practices would satisfy all parties who are active in monitoring our products or other business practices worldwide.

Our current and future products may experience quality problems from time to time that can result in negative publicity, litigation, product recalls and warranty claims, which could result in decreased revenue and operating margin, and harm to our brand.

There can be no assurance we will be able to detect, prevent, or fix all defects that may affect our products. Failure to detect, prevent, or fix defects, or the occurrence of real or perceived quality, health or safety problems or material defects in our current and future products, could result in a variety of consequences, including a greater number of product returns than expected from customers and our retail partners, litigation, product

 

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recalls, and credit, warranty or other claims, among others, which could harm our brand, sales, profitability and financial condition. We stand behind every Canada Goose product with a full lifetime warranty against defects. Because of this comprehensive warranty, quality problems could lead to increased warranty costs, and divert the attention of our manufacturing facilities. Such problems could hurt our premium brand image, which is critical to maintaining and expanding our business. Any negative publicity or lawsuits filed against us related to the perceived quality and safety of our products could harm our brand and decrease demand for our products.

Our business could be adversely affected by protestors or activists.

We have been the target of activists in the past, and may continue to be in the future. Our products include certain animal products, including goose and duck feathers in all of our down-filled parkas and coyote fur on the hoods of some of our parkas, which has drawn the attention of animal welfare activists. In addition, protestors can disrupt sales at our stores, or use social media or other campaigns to sway public opinion against our products. If any such activists are successful at either of these our sales and results of operations may be adversely affected.

The cost of raw materials could increase our cost of goods sold and cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer.

The fabrics used by our suppliers and manufacturers include synthetic fabrics and natural products, including cotton, polyester, down and coyote fur. Significant price fluctuations or shortages in the cost of these raw materials may increase our cost of goods sold and cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer. In particular, in our experience, pricing for fur products tends to be unpredictable. If we are unable to secure coyote fur for our jackets at a reasonable price, we may have to alter or discontinue selling some of our designs, or attempt to pass along the cost to our customers, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Additionally, increasing costs of labour, freight and energy could increase our and our suppliers’ cost of goods. If our suppliers are affected by increases in their costs of labour, freight and energy, they may attempt to pass these cost increases on to us. If we pay such increases, we may not be able to offset them through increases in our pricing, which could adversely affect our results of operation and financial condition.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could harm our results of operations as well as the price of our subordinate voting shares.

The presentation currency for our consolidated financial statements is the Canadian dollar. Because we recognize sales in the United States in U.S. dollars, if the U.S. dollar weakens against the Canadian dollar it would have a negative impact on our U.S. operating results upon translation of those results into Canadian dollars for the purposes of financial statement consolidation. We may face similar risks in other foreign jurisdictions where sales are recognized in foreign currencies. Although we engage in short-term hedging transactions for a large portion of our foreign currency denominated cash flows to mitigate foreign exchange risks, depending upon changes in future currency rates, such gains or losses could have a significant, and potentially adverse, effect on our results of operations. Foreign exchange variations (including the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar) have been significant in the past and current foreign exchange rates may not be indicative of future exchange rates.

Our earnings per share are reported in Canadian dollars, and accordingly may be translated into U.S. dollars by analysts or our investors. As a result, the value of an investment in our subordinate voting shares to a U.S. shareholder will fluctuate as the U.S. dollar rises and falls against the Canadian dollar. Our decision to declare a dividend depends on results of operations reported in Canadian dollars. As a result, U.S. and other shareholders seeking U.S. dollar total returns, including increases in the share price and dividends paid, are subject to foreign exchange risk as the U.S. dollar rises and falls against the Canadian dollar.

 

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Unexpected obstacles in new markets may limit our expansion opportunities and cause our business and growth to suffer.

Our future growth depends in part on our expansion efforts outside of North America. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices outside of this region, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in any new market, as a result of unfamiliar regulation or other unexpected barriers to entry. In connection with our expansion efforts we may encounter obstacles, including cultural and linguistic differences, differences in regulatory environments, economic or governmental instability, labour practices and market practices, difficulties in keeping abreast of market, business and technical developments, and foreign customers’ tastes and preferences. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into new international markets because of limited brand recognition leading to delayed acceptance of our outerwear by customers in these new international markets. Our failure to develop our business in new international markets or experiencing disappointing growth outside of existing markets could harm our business and results of operations.

We may become involved in legal or regulatory proceedings and audits.

Our business requires compliance with many laws and regulations, including labour and employment, sales and other taxes, customs, and consumer protection laws and ordinances that regulate retailers generally and/or govern the importation, promotion and sale of merchandise, and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to lawsuits and other proceedings, and could also lead to damage awards, fines and penalties. We may become involved in a number of legal proceedings and audits, including government and agency investigations, and consumer, employment, tort and other litigation. The outcome of some of these legal proceedings, audits, and other contingencies could require us to take, or refrain from taking, actions that could harm our operations or require us to pay substantial amounts of money, harming our financial condition. Additionally, defending against these lawsuits and proceedings may be necessary, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, harming our financial condition. There can be no assurance that any pending or future legal or regulatory proceedings and audits will not harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to many hazards and operational risks that can disrupt our business, some of which may not be insured or fully covered by insurance.

Our operations are subject to many hazards and operational risks inherent to our business, including: general business risks, product liability, product recall and damage to third parties, our infrastructure or properties caused by fires, floods and other natural disasters, power losses, telecommunications failures, terrorist attacks, human errors and similar events.

Our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover our liabilities related to such hazards or operational risks. In addition, we may not be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates we consider reasonable and commercially justifiable, and insurance may not continue to be available on terms as favorable as our current arrangements. The occurrence of a significant uninsured claim, or a claim in excess of the insurance coverage limits maintained by us could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As a newly public company, we are incurring significant expenses and devoting other significant resources and management time that was not required as a private company, which may negatively impact our financial performance and could cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer.

We will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses as a result of being a public company. The rules implemented by the SEC, and by the NYSE, and the securities regulators in each of the provinces and territories of Canada and by the TSX have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect that compliance with these laws, rules and regulations will substantially increase our expenses, including our legal and accounting costs, and make some activities more time-consuming and costly, and these new obligations will require attention from our senior management and could divert their attention

 

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away from the day-to-day management of our business. We also expect these laws, rules and regulations to make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as officers. As a result of the foregoing, we expect a substantial increase in legal, accounting, insurance and certain other expenses in the future, which will negatively impact our financial performance and could cause our results of operations and financial condition to suffer. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our subordinate voting shares, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and if we fail to remediate these weaknesses and maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired, which could harm our operating results, our ability to operate our business and investors’ views of us.

Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that needs to be evaluated frequently. In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2017, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

We did not have in place an effective control environment with formal processes and procedures or an adequate number of accounting personnel with the appropriate technical training in, and experience with, IFRS to allow for a detailed review of complex accounting transactions that would identify errors in a timely manner, including inventory costing and business combinations. We did not design or maintain effective controls over the financial statement close and reporting process in order to ensure the accurate and timely preparation of financial statements in accordance with IFRS. In addition, information technology controls, including end user and privileged access rights and appropriate segregation of duties, including for certain users the ability to create and post journal entries, were not designed or operating effectively.

We have taken steps to address these material weaknesses and continue to implement our remediation plan, which we believe will address their underlying causes. We have hired personnel with requisite skills in both technical accounting and internal control over financial reporting. In addition, we have engaged external advisors to provide financial accounting assistance in the short term and to evaluate and document the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls and assist with the remediation and implementation of our internal controls as required. We are evaluating the longer term resource needs of our various financial functions.

Implementing any appropriate changes to our internal controls and continuing to update and maintain our internal controls may distract our officers and employees, entail substantial costs to implement new processes and modify our existing processes and take significant time to complete. If we fail to enhance our internal control over financial reporting to meet the demands that are placed upon us as a public company, including the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), we may be unable to report our financial results accurately, which could increase operating costs and harm our business, including our investors’ perception of our business and our share price. The actions we plan to take are subject to continued management review supported by confirmation and testing, as well as audit committee oversight. While we expect to fully remediate these material weaknesses, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so in a timely manner, which could impair our ability to report our financial position. For a more detailed discussion of our material weaknesses, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.”

 

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Failure to maintain adequate financial and management processes and controls could lead to errors in our financial reporting, which could harm our business and cause a decline in our share price.

Reporting obligations as a public company and our anticipated growth have placed and are likely to continue to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel. In addition, as of March 31, 2018 we will be required to document and test our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act so that our management can certify the effectiveness of our internal controls. As a result, we will be required to continue to improve our financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures, to incur substantial expenses to test our systems and to make such improvements and to hire additional personnel. If our management is unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls or if additional material weaknesses in our internal controls are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence, which could harm our business and cause a decline in our share price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our share price and harm our ability to raise capital. Failure to accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis could also jeopardize our continued listing on the TSX, the NYSE or any other exchange on which our subordinate voting shares may be listed. Delisting of our subordinate voting shares from any exchange would reduce the liquidity of the market for our subordinate voting shares, which would reduce the price of our subordinate voting shares and increase the volatility of our share price.

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting will prevent all error or fraud. A control system, no matter how well-designed and implemented, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Due to the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues within an organization are detected. Due to the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected in a timely manner or at all. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results could be materially adversely affected, which could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which in turn could result in a reduction in the trading price of the subordinate voting shares.

Risks Related to This Offering and Our Subordinate Voting Shares

The dual-class structure contained in our articles has the effect of concentrating voting control and the ability to influence corporate matters with Bain Capital and our President and Chief Executive Officer, who held our shares prior to our IPO.

Our multiple voting shares have 10 votes per share and our subordinate voting shares have 1 vote per share. Shareholders who hold multiple voting shares (Bain Capital and our President and Chief Executive Officer (including their respective affiliates)), will together hold approximately 95% of the voting power of our outstanding voting shares following this offering (or, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, 95% of the voting power of our outstanding voting shares), and therefore will continue to have significant influence over our management and affairs and over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions.

In addition, because of the 10-to-1 voting ratio between our multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares, the holders of our multiple voting shares will continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our voting shares even where the multiple voting shares represent a substantially reduced percentage of our total outstanding shares. The concentrated voting control of holders of our multiple voting shares limits the ability of our subordinate voting shareholders to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future, including the election of directors as well as with respect to decisions regarding amending of our share capital, creating and issuing additional classes of shares, making significant acquisitions, selling significant assets or parts of our business, merging with other companies and undertaking other significant transactions. As a result, holders of

 

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multiple voting shares will have the ability to influence or control many matters affecting us and actions may be taken that our subordinate voting shareholders may not view as beneficial. The market price of our subordinate voting shares could be adversely affected due to the significant influence and voting power of the holders of multiple voting shares. Additionally, the significant voting interest of holders of multiple voting shares may discourage transactions involving a change of control, including transactions in which an investor, as a holder of the subordinate voting shares, might otherwise receive a premium for the subordinate voting shares over the then-current market price, or discourage competing proposals if a going private transaction is proposed by one or more holders of multiple voting shares.

Future transfers by holders of multiple voting shares, other than permitted transfers to such holders’ respective affiliates or direct family members or to other permitted holders, will result in those shares automatically converting to subordinate voting shares, which will have the effect, over time, of increasing the relative voting power of those holders of multiple voting shares who retain their multiple voting shares. See “Description of Share Capital—Authorized Share Capital—Conversion.”

Bain Capital will continue to have significant influence over us after this offering, including control over decisions that require the approval of shareholders, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of matters submitted to shareholders for a vote.

We are currently controlled, and after this offering is completed will continue to be controlled, by Bain Capital. Upon completion of this offering, Bain Capital will beneficially own approximately 67% of our outstanding multiple voting shares, or approximately 64% of the combined voting power of our multiple voting and subordinate voting shares outstanding after this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full, Bain Capital will beneficially own approximately 63% of the combined voting power of our multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares outstanding after this offering. In addition, our President and Chief Executive Officer will beneficially own approximately 33% of our outstanding multiple voting shares or approximately 31% of the combined voting power of our outstanding voting shares. As long as Bain Capital owns or controls at least a majority of our outstanding voting power, it will have the ability to exercise substantial control over all corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, irrespective of how our other shareholders may vote, including the election and removal of directors and the size of our board of directors, any amendment of our certificate of incorporation, notice of articles and articles, or the approval of any merger or other significant corporate transaction, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. Even if its ownership falls below 50% of the voting power of our outstanding voting shares, Bain Capital will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions. Bain Capital’s multiple voting shares convert automatically to subordinate voting shares at the time that Bain Capital and its affiliates no longer beneficially own at least 15% of the outstanding subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares on a non-diluted basis. Even once Bain Capital’s multiple voting shares convert into subordinate voting shares we may continue to be a controlled company so long as an entity or entities controlled by our President and Chief Executive Officer continues to hold multiple voting shares. See “Description of Share Capital.”

Additionally, Bain Capital’s interests may not align with the interests of our other shareholders. Bain Capital is in the business of making investments in companies and may acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. Bain Capital may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.

We are a controlled company within the meaning of the listing rules of the NYSE and, as a result, we qualify for, and intend to continue to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. Our shareholders will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

Because Bain Capital will continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our outstanding multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares after completion of this offering, we will remain a

 

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controlled company within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that, within one year of the date of the listing of our subordinate voting shares:

 

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we have a board of directors that is composed of a majority of independent directors, as defined under the NYSE Listing Rules;

 

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we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors; and

 

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we have a nominating and governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.

We are eligible to be treated as an emerging growth company, as defined in the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our subordinate voting shares less attractive to investors.

We are eligible to be treated as an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”), and we take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding shareholder advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information that they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following our IPO, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if our total annual gross revenues exceed US$1.07 billion, if we issue more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during any three-year period, or if we are a large accelerated filer and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the end of any second quarter before that time. We cannot predict if investors will find our subordinate voting shares less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our subordinate voting shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our subordinate voting shares and our share price may be more volatile.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to certain U.S. securities law disclosure requirements that apply to a domestic U.S. issuer, which may limit the information publicly available to our shareholders.

As a foreign private issuer we are not required to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and therefore there may be less publicly available information about us than if we were a U.S. domestic issuer. For example, we are not subject to the proxy rules in the United States and disclosure with respect to our annual meetings will be governed by Canadian requirements. In addition, our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder. Therefore, our shareholders may not know on a timely basis when our officers, directors and principal shareholders purchase or sell our subordinate voting shares. Furthermore, as a foreign private issuer, we take advantage of certain provisions in the NYSE Listing Rules that allow us to follow Canadian law for certain governance matters.

An active market for our subordinate voting shares may not be sustained, and the market price of our subordinate voting shares may be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.

Prior to our IPO, there was no public trading market for our subordinate voting shares. Although our subordinate voting shares are now listed on the NYSE and on the TSX, we cannot assure you that an active trading market for our subordinate voting shares will continue to be sustained after this offering. If an active market does not develop or is not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your subordinate voting shares. This may affect the

 

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pricing of the subordinate voting shares in the secondary market, the transparency and availability of trading prices, the liquidity of the subordinate voting shares and the extent of regulation applicable to us. We cannot predict the prices at which our subordinate voting shares will trade, and shareholders may not be able to sell their subordinate voting shares at the time or price they would like to sell.

Our operating results and share price may be volatile, and the market price of our subordinate voting shares after this offering may drop below the price you pay.

Our quarterly operating results are likely to fluctuate in the future in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including each of the factors set forth above.

In addition, securities markets worldwide have experienced, and are likely to continue to experience, significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could subject the market price of our subordinate voting shares to wide price fluctuations regardless of our operating performance. Our operating results and the trading price of our subordinate voting shares may fluctuate in response to various factors, including the risks described above.

These and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, may cause our operating results and the market price and demand for our subordinate voting shares to fluctuate substantially. Fluctuations in our quarterly operating results could limit or prevent investors from readily selling their subordinate voting shares and may otherwise negatively affect the market price and liquidity of subordinate voting shares. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the shares. If any of our shareholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.

Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or our stockholders in the public market could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

Sales of a substantial number of our subordinate voting shares in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of subordinate voting shares or securities convertible into subordinate voting shares intend to sell subordinate voting shares, could reduce the market price of our subordinate voting shares.

Following the consummation of this offering, our directors, executive officers and holders of all of our multiple voting shares will be subject to a 90 day lock-up period provided under lock-up agreements executed in connection with this offering described in “Underwriting.” All of these shares will, however, be able to be resold after the expiration of the lock-up period, as well as pursuant to customary exceptions thereto or upon the waiver of the lock-up agreement by certain of the underwriters, subject to any restrictions imposed on sales by our affiliates under applicable securities laws as described in “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

Because we have no current plans to pay regular cash dividends on our subordinate voting shares following this offering, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your subordinate voting shares for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We do not anticipate paying any regular cash dividends on our subordinate voting shares following this offering. 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, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is, and may be, limited by covenants of existing and any future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. Therefore, any return on investment in our subordinate voting shares is solely dependent upon the appreciation of the price of our subordinate voting shares on the open market, which may not occur. See “Dividend Policy” for more detail.

 

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Our articles, and certain Canadian legislation contain provisions that may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control.

Certain provisions of our articles, together or separately, could discourage potential acquisition proposals, delay or prevent a change in control and limit the price that certain investors may be willing to pay for our subordinate voting shares. For instance, our articles contain provisions that establish certain advance notice procedures for nomination of candidates for election as directors at shareholders’ meetings. A non-Canadian must file an application for review with the Minister responsible for the Investment Canada Act and obtain approval of the Minister prior to acquiring control of a “Canadian business” within the meaning of the Investment Canada Act, where prescribed financial thresholds are exceeded. Furthermore, limitations on the ability to acquire and hold our subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares may be imposed by the Competition Act (Canada). This legislation permits the Commissioner of Competition, or Commissioner, to review any acquisition or establishment, directly or indirectly, including through the acquisition of shares, of control over or of a significant interest in us. Otherwise, there are no limitations either under the laws of Canada or British Columbia, or in our articles on the rights of non-Canadians to hold or vote our subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares. Any of these provisions may discourage a potential acquirer from proposing or completing a transaction that may have otherwise presented a premium to our shareholders. See “Description of Share Capital—Certain Important Provisions of Our Articles and the BCBCA.”

Because we are a corporation incorporated in British Columbia and some of our directors and officers are resident in Canada, it may be difficult for investors in the United States to enforce civil liabilities against us based solely upon the federal securities laws of the United States. Similarly, it may be difficult for Canadian investors to enforce civil liabilities against our directors and officers residing outside of Canada.

We are a corporation incorporated under the laws of British Columbia with our principal place of business in Toronto, Canada. Some of our directors and officers and the auditors or other experts named herein are residents of Canada and all or a substantial portion of our assets and those of such persons are located outside the United States. Consequently, it may be difficult for U.S. investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or our directors or officers or such auditors who are not residents of the United States, or to realize in the United States upon judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon civil liabilities under the Securities Act. Investors should not assume that Canadian courts: (1) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or the securities or blue sky laws of any state within the United States or (2) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such persons predicated upon the U.S. federal securities laws or any such state securities or blue sky laws.

Similarly, some of our directors and officers are residents of countries other than Canada and all or a substantial portion of the assets of such persons are located outside Canada. As a result, it may be difficult for Canadian investors to initiate a lawsuit within Canada against these non-Canadian residents. In addition, it may not be possible for Canadian investors to collect from these non-Canadian residents judgments obtained in courts in Canada predicated on the civil liability provisions of securities legislation of certain of the provinces and territories of Canada. It may also be difficult for Canadian investors to succeed in a lawsuit in the United States, based solely on violations of Canadian securities laws.

Changes in U.S. tax laws and regulations or trade rules may impact our effective tax rate and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Changes in tax laws in any of the multiple jurisdictions in which we operate, or adverse outcomes from tax audits that we may be subject to in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate, could result in an unfavorable change in our effective tax rate, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. Additionally, results of the November 2016 U.S. elections have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to tax and trade policies, tariffs and government regulations affecting trade between the United States and other

 

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countries. Major developments in tax policy or trade relations, such as the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement or the imposition of unilateral tariffs on imported products, could have a material adverse effect on our growth opportunities, business and results of operations.

There could be adverse tax consequence for our shareholders in the United States if we are a passive foreign investment company.

Under United States federal income tax laws, if a company is, or for any past period was, a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), it could have adverse United States federal income tax consequences to U.S. shareholders even if the company is no longer a PFIC. The determination of whether we are a PFIC is a factual determination made annually based on all the facts and circumstances and thus is subject to change, and the principles and methodology used in determining whether a company is a PFIC are subject to interpretation. We do not believe that we currently are or have been a PFIC, and we do not expect to be a PFIC in the future, but we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC in the future. United States purchasers of our subordinate voting shares are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning United States federal income tax consequences of holding our subordinate voting shares if we are considered to be a PFIC. See the discussion under “Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders.”

If we are a PFIC, U.S. holders would be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, such as ineligibility for any preferred tax rates on capital gains or on actual or deemed dividends, interest charges on certain taxes treated as deferred, and additional reporting requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws or regulations. Whether or not U.S. holders make a timely qualified electing fund (“QEF”), election or mark-to-market election may affect the U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders with respect to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our subordinate voting shares and any distributions such U.S. holders may receive. Investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding all aspects of the application of the PFIC rules to our subordinate voting shares.

Canada Goose Holdings Inc. is a holding company with no operations of its own and, as such, it depends on its subsidiary for cash to fund its operations and expenses, including future dividend payments, if any.

As a holding company, our principal source of cash flow will be distributions from our operating subsidiary, Canada Goose, Inc. Therefore, our ability to fund and conduct our business, service our debt and pay dividends, if any, in the future will depend on the ability of our subsidiary to generate sufficient cash flow to make upstream cash distributions to us. Our subsidiary is a separate legal entity, and although it is wholly-owned and controlled by us, it has no obligation to make any funds available to us, whether in the form of loans, dividends or otherwise. The ability of our subsidiary to distribute cash to us will also be subject to, among other things, restrictions that may be contained in our subsidiary agreements (as entered into from time to time), availability of sufficient funds in such subsidiary and applicable laws and regulatory restrictions. Claims of any creditors of our subsidiary generally will have priority as to the assets of such subsidiary over our claims and claims of our creditors and shareholders. To the extent the ability of our subsidiary to distribute dividends or other payments to us is limited in any way, our ability to fund and conduct our business, service our debt and pay dividends, if any, could be harmed.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our subordinate voting shares adversely, the price and trading volume of our subordinate voting shares could decline.

The trading market for our subordinate voting shares is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. If any of the analysts who cover us or may cover us in the future change their recommendation regarding our subordinate voting shares adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our subordinate voting shares would likely decline. If any analyst who covers us or may cover us in the future were to cease coverage of

 

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our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the price or trading volume of our subordinate voting shares to decline.

Our constating documents permit us to issue an unlimited number of subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares without additional shareholder approval.

Our articles permit us to issue an unlimited number of subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares. We anticipate that we will, from time to time, issue additional subordinate voting shares in the future. Subject to the requirements of the NYSE and the TSX, we will not be required to obtain the approval of shareholders for the issuance of additional subordinate voting shares. Although the rules of the TSX generally prohibit us from issuing additional multiple voting shares, there may be certain circumstances where additional multiple voting shares may be issued, including upon receiving shareholder approval. Any further issuances of subordinate voting shares or multiple voting shares will result in immediate dilution to existing shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of their shareholdings. Additionally, any further issuances of multiple voting shares may significantly lessen the combined voting power of our subordinate voting shares due to the 10-to-1 voting ratio between our multiple voting shares and subordinate voting shares.

 

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, and other future conditions. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “envision,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” “contemplate” and other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectation concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, among other things, statements relating to:

 

•

expectations regarding industry trends and the size and growth rates of addressable markets;

 

•

our business plan and our growth strategies, including plans for expansion to new markets and new products; and

 

•

expectations for seasonal trends.

Although we base the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus on assumptions that we believe are reasonable, we caution you that actual results and developments (including our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate) may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. In addition, even if results and developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, those results and developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. Certain assumptions made in preparing the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include:

 

•

our ability to implement our growth strategies;

 

•

our ability to maintain good business relationships with our suppliers, wholesalers and distributors;

 

•

our ability to keep pace with changing consumer preferences;

 

•

our ability to protect our intellectual property; and

 

•

the absence of material adverse changes in our industry or the global economy.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We believe that these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus beginning on page 17, which include, but are not limited to, the following risks:

 

•

we may be unable to maintain the strength of our brand or to expand our brand to new products and geographies;

 

•

we may be unable to protect or preserve our brand image and proprietary rights;

 

•

we may not be able to satisfy changing consumer preferences;

 

•

an economic downturn may affect discretionary consumer spending;

 

•

we may not be able to compete in our markets effectively;

 

•

we may not be able to manage our growth effectively;

 

•

we may not be able to open new retail stores or e-commerce stores at the times or on the terms we expect;

 

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•

poor performance during our peak season may affect our operating results for the full year;

 

•

our indebtedness may adversely affect our financial condition;

 

•

our ability to maintain relationships with our select number of suppliers;

 

•

our ability to manage our product distribution through our retail partners and international distributors;

 

•

the success of our marketing programs;

 

•

the risk our business is interrupted because of a disruption at our headquarters; and

 

•

fluctuations in raw materials costs or currency exchange rates.

These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read with the other cautionary statements in this prospectus. Although we have attempted to identify important risk factors, there may be other risk factors not presently known to us or that we presently believe are not material that could also cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. If any of the these risks materialize, or if any of the above assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results and developments may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus.

Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place substantial weight or undue reliance on these forward-looking statements when making an investment decision. Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of this prospectus, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless specifically expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

Any references to forward-looking statements in this prospectus include forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws.

 

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Exchange Rate Information

The following table sets forth, for each period indicated, the high and low exchange rate for U.S. dollars expressed in Canadian dollars, and the average exchange rate for the periods indicated. Averages for year-end periods are calculated by using the exchange rates on the last day of each full month during the relevant period and the last available exchange rate in March during the relevant fiscal year. These rates are based on the noon buying rate certified for custom purposes by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of New York set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. These rates are provided solely for your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that we used in preparation of our consolidated financial statements or elsewhere in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you. We make no representation that any Canadian dollar or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Canadian dollars, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.

On June 16, 2017, the noon buying rate was US$1.00 = C$1.3235.

 

Year Ended		Period End				Period Average Rate				High Rate				Low Rate
March 31, 2014		$	1.1053			$	1.0580			$	1.1251			$	1.0023
March 31, 2015		$	1.2681			$	1.1471			$	1.2803			$	1.0633
March 31, 2016		$	1.2969			$	1.3128			$	1.4592			$	1.1950
March 31, 2017		$	1.3321			$	1.3149			$	1.3581			$	1.2544
Last Six Months
December 2016		$	1.3426			$	1.3339			$	1.3555			$	1.3119
January 2017		$	1.3030			$	1.3183			$	1.3437			$	1.3030
February 2017		$	1.3247			$	1.3109			$	1.3247			$	1.3003
March 2017		$	1.3321			$	1.3387			$	1.3468			$	1.3278
April 2017		$	1.3669			$	1.3437			$	1.3669			$	1.3266
May 2017		$	1.3498			$	1.3606			$	1.3745			$	1.3454

 

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Use of Proceeds

The selling shareholders, including certain members of our board of directors and management, will receive all of the proceeds from this offering. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of subordinate voting shares by the selling shareholders. See “Principal and Selling Shareholders.”

 

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Price Range of Subordinate Voting Shares

Our subordinate voting shares have been listed on both the NYSE and the TSX since March 16, 2017 under the symbol “GOOS.” The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the reported high and low market prices of our subordinate voting shares on the NYSE in U.S. dollars.

 

		Price Per Subordinate voting share																Aggregate Monthly Trading Volume
		High								Low
Quarterly:
Fourth Quarter 2017 (From March 16, 2017)		US$					18.40			US$					15.20
Monthly:
March 16, 2017 through March 31, 2017		US$					18.40			US$					15.20				43,846,200
April 3, 2017 through April 28, 2017		US$					17.23			US$					15.50				10,702,200
May 1, 2017 through May 31, 2017		US$					18.72			US$					15.98				11,321,600
June 1, 2017 through June 23, 2017		US$					24.32			US$					18.02				20,373,625

The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the reported high and low market prices of our subordinate voting shares on the TSX in Canadian dollars.

 

		Price Per Subordinate voting share																Aggregate Monthly Trading Volume
		High								Low
Quarterly:
Fourth Quarter 2017 (From March 16, 2017)		C$					23.98			C$					20.32
Monthly:
March 16, 2017 through March 31, 2017		C$					23.98			C$					20.32				11,160,619
April 3, 2017 through April 28, 2017		C$					23.00			C$					20.75				1,767,581
May 1, 2017 through May 31, 2017		C$					25.47			C$					21.97				2,509,907
June 1, 2017 through June 23, 2017		C$					32.80			C$					24.26				4,824,641

On June 23, 2017, the last reported per share sale prices of our subordinate voting shares on the NYSE in the United States and the TSX in Canada were US$21.92 and C$29.00, respectively.

On June 1, 2017, we had 1 and 2 registered shareholders with addresses in the United States and Canada, respectively (which may include addresses of investment managers holding securities on behalf of non-U.S. or non-Canadian beneficial owners). 14,985,820 and 8,103,252 subordinate voting shares are held in the United States and Canada, respectively. Residents of the United States and Canada may beneficially own subordinate voting shares registered in the names of non-residents of the United States or Canada respectively, and non-U.S. residents and non-Canadian residents may beneficially own subordinate voting shares registered in the names of U.S. or Canadian residents respectively.

 

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Dividend Policy

In December 2016 in connection with the Recapitalization, we made certain distributions on our then outstanding classes of common shares. See “Recapitalization.” Following completion of the offering, our board of directors does not currently intend to pay dividends on our subordinate voting shares or multiple voting shares. We currently intend to retain any future earnings to fund business development and growth, and we do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to declare cash dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Currently, the provisions of our senior secured credit facilities place certain limitations on the amount of cash dividends that our operating subsidiary can pay. See “Description of Indebtedness.”

 

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Recapitalization and IPO

Recapitalization

On December 2, 2016, we completed a series of share capital and debt transactions (collectively, the “Recapitalization”) to simplify our share capital structure and return capital to our shareholders. The effect of these transactions is summarized as follows.

We entered into the Term Loan Facility (as defined below).

 

•

With the proceeds of the Term Loan Facility, we repaid our subordinated debt and accrued interest.

 

•

We amended our articles of incorporation to permit a share capital reorganization and effected a 1-for-10,000,000 split of our Class A common shares and a 1-for-10,000,000 split of our Class B common shares.

 

•

The proceeds of the Term Loan Facility were also used in connection with the Recapitalization to redeem certain outstanding shares, to make certain return of capital distributions on outstanding common shares, and to fund a secured, non-interest bearing loan to DTR LLC, an entity indirectly controlled by our President and Chief Executive Officer which was subsequently extinguished on January 31, 2017 by a settlement against the redemption of preferred shares issued in the Recapitalization.

 

•

We amended the terms of the company’s stock option plan and changed the terms of outstanding stock options to conform to the revised share capital terms.

 

•

At the conclusion of the Recapitalization, and after the redemption of all the Class D preferred shares on January 31, 2017, we had 100,000,000 Class A common shares and no preferred shares outstanding. As at March 31, 2017 there were stock options outstanding to purchase 5,810,777 subordinate voting shares at exercise prices ranging from $0.02 to $8.94 per share.

Initial public offering of shares of Canada Goose

Transactions taken to effect the IPO are summarized as follows:

 

•

On March 13, 2017 we further amended our articles of incorporation to redesignate its Class A common shares as multiple voting shares and to create a class of subordinate voting shares. All previously authorized classes of preferred shares were eliminated.

 

•

In connection with the IPO, 16,691,846 multiple voting shares were converted into subordinate voting shares. On March 21, 2017, we sold 6,308,154 subordinate voting shares at $17.00 per share, for net proceeds of $100.0 million and the principal shareholders sold 16,691,846 subordinate voting shares.

 

•

On March 21, 2017, we repaid $65.0 million of the outstanding balance owing on the Term Loan Facility and $35.0 million of the outstanding balance owing on the Revolving Facility.

 

•

As of March 31, 2017, we had 83,308,154 multiple voting shares, 23,088,883 subordinate voting shares and no preferred shares outstanding.

 

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our cash and capitalization at March 31, 2017, as follows:

 

•

on an actual basis; and

 

•

as adjusted to reflect (a) the conversion of multiple voting shares into subordinate voting shares by the principal selling shareholders and (b) the exercise of stock options by certain selling shareholders, and the payment of approximately $1.6 million in transaction expenses incurred in connection with this offering. The table assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares.

You should read this table in conjunction with the information contained in “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

CAD $000s		Actual				As Adjusted
Cash		$	9,678			$	8,095
Long-term debt
Revolving Facility			8,713				8,713
Term Loan			151,581				151,581
Total debt			160,293				160,293
Shareholders’ equity:
Multiple voting shares, no par value; unlimited shares authorized and 83,308,154 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis; 70,894,076 shares issued and outstanding on a pro forma basis			2,209				1,880
Subordinate voting shares, no par value; unlimited shares authorized and 23,088,883 shares issued and outstanding on an actual basis; 35,894,725 shares issued and outstanding on a pro forma basis			101,086				101,433
Contributed surplus			4,074				4,074
Retained earnings			40,101				38,501
Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(1,302	)			(1,302	)
Total shareholders’ equity			146,168				144,586
Total capitalization		$	306,461			$	304,879

 

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Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data

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

We have derived the selected historical consolidated information for the years ended March 31, 2017, March 31, 2016 and March 31, 2015 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS and are presented in thousands of Canadian dollars except where otherwise indicated. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that should be expected in any future period.

 

CAD $000s (except per share data)		Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2017				Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2016				Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2015
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue			403,777				290,830				218,414
Cost of sales			191,709				145,206				129,805
Gross profit			212,068				145,624				88,609
Selling, general and administrative expenses			164,965				100,103				59,317
Depreciation and amortization			6,601				4,567				2,623
Operating income			40,502				40,954				26,669
Net interest and other finance costs(1)			9,962				7,996				7,537
Income before income tax expense			30,540				32,958				19,132
Income tax expense			8,900				6,473				4,707
Net income			21,640				26,485				14,425
Other comprehensive loss			(610	)			(692	)			—
Total comprehensive income			21,030				25,793				14,425
Earnings per share
Basic		$	0.22			$	0.26			$	0.14
Diluted		$	0.21			$	0.26			$	0.14
Weighted average number of shares outstanding
Basic			100,262,026				100,000,000				100,000,000
Diluted			102,023,196				101,692,301				101,211,134
Other Data:
EBITDA(2)			48,914				46,870				30,063
Adjusted EBITDA(2)			81,010				54,307				37,191
Adjusted EBITDA Margin(3)			20.1	%			18.7	%			17.0	%
Adjusted net income(2)			44,147				30,122				21,374
Adjusted net income per share		$	0.44			$	0.30			$	0.21
Adjusted net income per diluted share		$	0.43			$	0.30			$	0.21

 

(1)

Net interest and other finance costs consist of interest expense relating to our subordinated debt, which was refinanced in connection with the Recapitalization, as well as our Revolving Facility and prior credit facility. Interest expense associated with the subordinated debt represented $3,822 in fiscal 2017, $5,598 in fiscal 2016 and $5,398 in fiscal 2015.

 

(2)	See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-IFRS Financial Measures” for a reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure.

 

(3)	See note 3 in “Prospectus Summary—Summary Historical Consolidated Financial and Other Data.”

 

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CAD $000s		As of March 31, 2017				As of March 31, 2016				As of March 31, 2015
Financial Position Information:
Cash		$	9,678			$	7,226			$	5,918
Working capital(1)			98,954				104,751				64,793
Total assets			380,869				353,018				274,825
Total non-current liabilities			170,432				160,335				131,295
Shareholders’ equity			146,168				142,702				114,433

 

(1)	See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-IFRS Financial Measures” for a reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure.

 

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

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly under “Risk Factors.” See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS. All amounts are in Canadian dollars except where otherwise indicated. See “Basis of Presentation.”

Overview

Founded 60 years ago in a small Toronto warehouse, Canada Goose has grown into a highly coveted global outerwear brand. We are recognized for authentic heritage, uncompromised craftsmanship and quality, exceptional warmth and superior functionality. This reputation is decades in the making and is rooted in our commitment to creating premium products that deliver unrivaled functionality where and when it is needed most. Be it Canadian Arctic Rangers serving their country or an explorer trekking to the South Pole, people who live, work and play in the harshest environments on Earth have turned to Canada Goose. Throughout our history, we have found inspiration in these technical challenges and parlayed that expertise into creating exceptional products for any occasion. From research facilities in Antarctica and the Canadian High Arctic to the streets of Toronto, New York City, London, Paris, Tokyo and beyond, people have fallen in love with our brand and made it a part of their everyday lives.

We are deeply involved in every stage of our business as a designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of premium outerwear for men, women and children. This vertically integrated business model allows us to directly control the design and development of our products while capturing higher margins. As of March 31, 2017, our products are sold through select outdoor, luxury and online retailers and distributors in 37 countries, our e-commerce sites in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France and two recently opened retail stores in Toronto and New York City.

Factors Affecting our Performance

We believe that our performance and future success depend on a number of factors that present significant opportunities for us and may pose risks and challenges, including those discussed below and in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus.

 

•

Market Expansion. Our market expansion strategy has been a key driver of our recent revenue growth and we have identified a number of additional high potential markets where we plan to continue to execute our expansion strategy. Across all of our markets, we plan to focus on increasing brand awareness, deepening our wholesale presence and rolling out our DTC channel as market conditions permit. We expect that marketing and selling expenses to support these initiatives will continue to grow in proportion to anticipated revenue growth.

 

•

Growth in our DTC Channel. We introduced our DTC channel in fiscal 2015 with the launch of our Canadian e-commerce store and have since established e-commerce stores in the United States, the U.K. and France. In the fall of 2016, we opened our first two retail stores in Toronto and in New York City and anticipate opening a select number of additional retail locations where we believe they can operate profitably, such as London and Chicago. In fiscal 2018 we are targeting opening a further seven e-commerce sites, with a long-term target of 15 to 20 e-commerce sites. In addition, in fiscal 2018 we are targeting opening three retail stores in new geographies.

 

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•

New Products. The evolution of our heritage line of winter products and expansion of our product assortment across Spring, Fall and new product categories has contributed meaningfully to our performance and we intend to continue investing in the development and introduction of new products. We introduced a new Spring collection in stores in the fourth quarter of 2017 and we expect our new knitwear collection to be rolled out gradually over fiscal 2018 and 2019. As we introduce additional products, we expect that they will help mitigate the seasonal nature of our business and expand our addressable geographic market. We expect these products to be accretive to revenue, but carry a lower margin per unit than our Winter collection.

 

•

Seasonality. We experience seasonal fluctuations in our revenue and operating results and we historically have realized a significant portion of our revenue and earnings for the fiscal year during our second and third fiscal quarters. We generated 83.5%, 77.4%, and 78.1% of our revenues in the second and third fiscal quarters of fiscal 2017, fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, respectively. Our business model also provides meaningful visibility into expected future revenues, with a significant majority of wholesale orders booked during the third and fourth fiscal quarters of the prior fiscal year. In addition, we typically experience net losses in the first and fourth quarters as we invest ahead of our most active season. Working capital requirements typically increase throughout our first and second fiscal quarters as inventory builds to support our peak shipping and selling period from August to November. Cash provided by operating activities is typically highest in our third quarter due to the significant inflows associated with our peak selling season. On an annual basis, changes that impact the gross margin are not significant. However, when these amounts are recorded in the first or fourth quarter, they can have a disproportionate impact on the quarterly results due to the low proportion of revenue recorded in the period.

 

•

Foreign Exchange. We sell a significant portion of our products to customers outside of Canada, which exposes us to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. In fiscal years 2017, 2016 and 2015, we generated 52.2%, 54.6% and 49.3%, respectively, of our revenue in currencies other than Canadian dollars. Our sales outside of Canada also present an opportunity to strategically price our products to improve our profitability. As the vast majority of our wholesale revenue is derived from retailer orders made prior to the beginning of the fiscal year, we have a high degree of visibility into our anticipated future cash flows from operations. In addition, most of our raw materials are sourced outside of Canada, primarily in U.S. dollars.

Selling, General and Administrative (“SG&A”) costs are typically denominated in the currency of the country in which they are incurred. This extended visibility allows us to enter into foreign exchange forward contracts with respect to managing foreign currency exposure.

Segments

We report our results in two segments which are aligned with our sales channels: Wholesale and DTC. We measure each reportable operating segment’s performance based on revenue and segment operating income. Through our wholesale segment we sell to retail partners and distributors in 37 countries, as of March 31, 2017. Our DTC segment is comprised of online sales through our e-commerce sites to customers in Canada, the United States, the U.K. and France and, as of the third quarter of fiscal 2017, in retail stores to customers in Toronto and New York City.

Product variances including raw material inventory provisions are shared pro-rata within segments on the basis of units sold.

Our wholesale segment and DTC segment represented 71.5% and 28.5% of our total revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2017. For fiscal 2016, the wholesale segment and DTC segment contributed 88.6% and 11.4%, of the total revenue respectively and for fiscal 2015, the wholesale segment and DTC segment contributed 96.3% and 3.7% respectively. We expect this trend from wholesale towards DTC to continue as we roll out more retail stores and e-commerce sites.

 

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The following table presents our revenue in each of our geographic segments over the past three fiscal years and CAGR over the three-year period:

 

CAD $000s		Fiscal year ended March 31,												Year-on-year growth								2015-2017
Geographic revenue:		2017				2016				2015				2017 vs. 2016				2016 vs. 2015				CAGR
Canada			155,103				95,238				75,725				59,865				19,513				43.1	%
United States			131,891				103,413				56,990				28,478				46,423				52.1	%
Rest of World			116,783				92,179				85,699				24,604				6,480				16.7	%
			403,777				290,830				218,414				112,947				72,416				36.0	%

The following table presents our retail store and e-commerce site presence at the end of each of the previous three fiscal years:

 

		Fiscal year ended March 31,
		2017				2016				2015
Retail stores			2				—				—
E-commerce sites			4				2				1
Total			6				2				1

Components of Our Results of Operations and Trends Affecting Our Business

Revenue

Revenue in our wholesale channel is comprised of sales to retail partners and distributors of our products. Wholesale revenue from the sale of goods, net of an estimate for sales returns, discounts and allowances, is recognized when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods have passed to the retail partner or distributor which, depending on the terms of the agreement with the reseller, is either at the time of shipment from our third-party warehouse or upon arrival at the reseller’s facilities.

Revenue in our DTC channel consists of sales through our e-commerce operations and, beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, in our retail stores. Revenue through e-commerce operations and retail stores are recognized upon delivery of the goods to the customer and when collection is reasonably assured, net of an estimated allowance for sales returns.

Gross Profit

Gross profit is our revenue less cost of sales. Cost of sales includes the cost of manufacturing our products, including raw materials, direct labour and overhead, plus in-bound freight, duty and non-refundable taxes incurred in delivering the goods to distribution centres managed by third parties. It also includes all costs incurred in the production, design, distribution and merchandise departments, as well as inventory provision expense. The primary drivers of our cost of sales are the costs of raw materials, which are sourced both in Canadian dollars and U.S. dollars, labour in Canada and the allocation of overhead. Gross margin measures our gross profit as a percentage of revenue.

Over the past two fiscal years, our gross margin has improved as a result of an increase in sales attributable to our DTC channel, execution on our geographic expansion strategy, an increase in the average effective price of our products and favourable foreign exchange impacts. We expect to continue to improve gross margin in future periods as a result of expanding DTC sales and strategically increasing the pricing of our products at a rate that exceeds the expected increases in production costs.

 

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (“SG&A”)

SG&A expenses consist of selling costs to support our customer relationships and to deliver our product to our retail partners, e-commerce customers and retail stores. It also includes our marketing and brand investment activities and the corporate infrastructure required to support our ongoing operations.

Selling costs generally correlate to revenue timing and therefore experience similar seasonal trends. As a percentage of sales, we expect these selling costs to increase as our business evolves. This increase is expected to be driven primarily by the growth of our DTC channel, including the investment required to support additional e-commerce sites and retail stores. The growth of our DTC channel is expected to be accretive to net income given the higher gross profit margin of our DTC channel which results from the opportunity to capture the full retail value of our products.

General and administrative expenses represent costs incurred in our corporate offices, primarily related to personnel costs, including salaries, variable incentive compensation, benefits, share-based compensation and other professional service costs. We have invested considerably in this area to support the growing volume and complexity of our business and anticipate continuing to do so in the future. In addition, in connection with the IPO, we incurred transaction costs and stock compensation expenses and, we anticipate a significant increase in accounting, legal and professional fees associated with being a public company. Foreign exchange gains and losses are recorded in SG&A and comprise translation of assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of the entity, including the term loan, mark-to-market adjustments on derivatives contracts, foreign exchange forward contracts, and realized gains on settlement of assets and liabilities.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the jurisdictions in which we operate and, consequently, income tax expense is a function of the allocation of taxable income by jurisdiction and the various activities that impact the timing of taxable events. The primary regions that determine the effective tax rate are Canada, the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Over the long-term, we target our annual effective income tax rate at approximately 25%.

 

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Results of Operations

Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2017 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016

The following table summarizes results of operations and expresses the percentage relationship to revenues of certain financial statement captions. All percentages shown in the table below and the discussion that follows have been calculated using rounded numbers.

 

CAD $000s (except per share data)		Fiscal year ended March 31, 2017				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016				$ Change
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue			403,777				290,830				112,947
Cost of sales			191,709				145,206				46,503
Gross profit			212,068				145,624				66,444
Gross margin			52.5	%			50.1	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses			164,965				100,103				64,862
SG&A expenses as % of revenue			40.9	%			34.4	%
Depreciation and amortization			6,601				4,567				2,034
Operating income			40,502				40,954				(452	)
Operating income as % revenue			10.0	%			14.1	%
Net interest and other finance costs			9,962				7,996				1,966
Income before income tax			30,540				32,958				(2,418	)
Income tax expense			8,900				6,473				2,427
Effective tax rate			29.1	%			19.6	%
Net income			21,640				26,485				(4,845	)
Other comprehensive loss			(610	)			(692	)			82
Total comprehensive income			21,030				25,793				(4,763	)
Earnings per share
Basic		$	0.22			$	0.26			$	(0.04	)
Diluted		$	0.21			$	0.26			$	(0.05	)
Other Data(1)
EBITDA			48,914				46,870				2,044
Adjusted EBITDA			81,010				54,307				26,703
Adjusted EBITDA margin			20.1	%			18.7	%			1.4	%
Adjusted net income			44,147				30,122				14,025
Adjusted net income per share		$	0.44			$	0.30			$	0.14
Adjusted net income per diluted share		$	0.43			$	0.30			$	0.13

 

(1)	EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted net income, Adjusted net income per share and Adjusted net income per diluted share are non-IFRS measures. See—“Non-IFRS Financial Measures” for a description of these measures and a reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure.

Revenue

Revenue for fiscal 2017 increased by $112.9 million, or 38.8%, including the impact of unfavourable currency exchange rates of $8.1 million, compared to fiscal 2016. The strong growth was driven by an increase in revenue in all geographies, and by an increase in revenue in both our wholesale and in particular our DTC channels. On a constant currency basis, revenue increased by 41.6% for fiscal 2017 compared to fiscal 2016.

 

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Revenue for the two business segments as well as discussion of the changes in each segment’s revenue from the prior fiscal year are provided below:

 

		For the fiscal year ended								$ Change				Foreign Exchange Impact				$ Change				% Change
CAD $000s		March 31, 2017				March 31, 2016				As reported								Constant Currency				As reported				Constant Currency
Revenue
Wholesale			288,540				257,807				30,733				(4,642	)			35,375				11.9	%			13.7	%
Direct to consumer			115,237				33,023				82,214				(3,408	)			85,622				249.0	%			259.3	%
Total revenue			403,777				290,830				112,947				(8,050	)			120,997				38.8	%			41.6	%

Revenue in our wholesale channel was $288.5 million, an increase of $30.7 million or 11.9%, compared to fiscal 2016. The increase in revenue in our wholesale channel was driven primarily by sales of new products from our Spring and Fall collections to our retail partners, strong growth outside of North America and, to a lesser extent, by price increases of our products in certain geographies.

Revenue in our DTC channel was $115.2 million, an increase of $82.2 million or 249.0%, compared to fiscal 2016. The growth in revenue reflects strong performance from our e-commerce sites, including U.K. and France sites launched in the second quarter of fiscal 2017 and the full year of activity generated from our U.S. e-commerce site. DTC segment revenue was further buoyed by incremental sales generated from our first two retail stores opened in Toronto and New York in the third quarter of fiscal 2017.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

Gross profit and percentage of segment revenue, of gross margin for each of our two reportable segments are provided below:

 

		For the fiscal year ended
		March 31, 2017								March 31, 2016
CAD $000s		Reported				% of segment revenue				Reported				% of segment revenue				$ Change
Revenue
Wholesale			288,540				71.5	%			257,807				88.6	%			30,733
Direct to consumer			115,237				28.5	%			33,023				11.4	%			82,214
			403,777				100.0	%			290,830				100.0	%			112,947
Cost of sales
Wholesale			163,459				56.7	%			136,396				52.9	%			27,063
Direct to consumer			28,250				24.5	%			8,810				26.7	%			19,440
			191,709				47.5	%			145,206				49.9	%			46,503
Gross profit
Wholesale			125,081				43.3	%			121,411				47.1	%			3,670
Direct to consumer			86,987				75.5	%			24,213				73.3	%			62,774
			212,068				52.5	%			145,624				50.1	%			66,444

Cost of sales for fiscal 2017 increased by $46.5 million, or 32.0%, compared to fiscal 2016. Gross profit was $212.1 million, representing a gross margin of 52.5%, compared with $145.6 million for fiscal 2016, representing a gross margin of 50.1%. The increase in gross margin was primarily attributable to a significant increase in DTC channel revenues and pricing increases across the globe, partially offset by a higher proportion of revenue in CAD, primarily in the DTC channel, a year-over-year decline in the GBP versus the CAD, and inventory adjustments throughout the year related to book-to-physical counts, cost adjustments, and a limited number of products that did not meet our quality standards that were removed from sellable inventory.

 

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Cost of sales in our wholesale channel for fiscal 2017 was $163.5 million, an increase of $27.1 million, compared to fiscal 2016. Segment gross profit was $125.1 million, representing a segment gross margin of 43.3%, compared with $121.4 million for fiscal 2016, representing a segment gross margin of 47.1%. The decline in segment gross margin of 380 basis points was attributable primarily to the items described above related to foreign currencies and inventory adjustments, which was partially offset by pricing increases and lower product costs.

Cost of sales in our DTC channel for fiscal 2017 was $28.3 million, an increase of $19.4 million, compared to fiscal 2016. Segment gross profit was $87.0 million, representing a segment gross margin of 75.5%, compared with $24.2 million for fiscal 2016, representing a segment gross margin of 73.3%.The increase in segment gross profit and gross margin was attributable to higher segment revenue driven by incremental retail store revenue, a full fiscal year of an e-commerce site in the United States, the launch of e-commerce websites in France and the U.K. in September 2016, lower product costs in Canadian dollars, partially offset by higher raw materials costs sourced in U.S. dollars, and by the proportionate share of inventory provision items described above that related to DTC.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses for fiscal 2017 increased by $64.9 million over the same period in fiscal 2016, or 64.8%, representing 40.9% of revenue compared to 34.4% of revenue for fiscal 2016. The overall increase in expenses was attributable to costs associated with operating retail stores, an increase in headcount and brand investment to support operational growth, new marketing initiatives and entry into new markets, establishing our new e-commerce sites, $10.0 million of transaction costs related to the IPO, $5.9 million of share-based compensation costs, and fees of $9.6 million incurred as a result of the termination of the Management Agreement (as defined below) with Bain Capital.

SG&A expenses in our wholesale channel for fiscal 2017 was $30.7 million, an increase of $3.7 million, compared to fiscal 2016, which represents 10.6% of segment revenue for fiscal 2017 compared to 10.5% of segment revenue for the fiscal 2016. The increase in segment costs was attributable to an increase in headcount as well as higher selling and operational expenditures to support wholesale growth initiatives and entry into new markets. The increase was partially offset by $3.1 million of expenses incurred in the comparable prior year period related to the termination of third party sales agents.

SG&A expenses in our DTC channel for fiscal 2017 was $27.5 million, an increase of $13.3 million compared to fiscal 2016, which represents 23.8% of segment revenue for fiscal 2017 compared to 42.8% of segment revenue for fiscal 2016. The increase in segment costs was attributable to increased revenue, establishing our new e-commerce sites in France and the U.K, maintaining our existing e-commerce sites and opening our two retail stores in the United States and Canada.

Operating Income and Margin

Operating income and margin for each of our two reportable segments are provided below.

 

		Fiscal Years ended
		March 31, 2017								March 31, 2016
CAD $000s		Operating Income				Operating Margin				Operating Income				Operating Margin				$ Change
Segment:
Wholesale			94,363				32.7	%			94,366				36.6	%			(3	)
Direct to consumer			59,534				51.7	%			10,081				30.5	%			49,453
			153,897								104,447								49,450
Unallocated corporate expenses			113,395								63,493								49,902
Total operating income			40,502				10.0	%			40,954				14.1	%			(452	)

 

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Wholesale operating income remained flat, but operating margins decreased by 390 basis points in fiscal 2017, primarily due to weaker segment gross margins described above.

DTC operating income increased by $49.5 million resulting from strong performances of new retail stores and new and established e-commerce sites while operating margin increased by 2120 basis points.

Unallocated corporate expenses in fiscal 2017 increased by $49.9 million, and includes $10.0 million of IPO related transaction costs, $10.3 million of management fees including the termination fee paid in connection with our IPO and $5.9 million of share based compensation.

Net Interest and Other Finance Costs

Finance costs for fiscal 2017 increased by $2.0 million, or 24.6%, compared to fiscal 2016, primarily as a result of higher average borrowings of $221.5 million, compared to $147.5 million in fiscal 2016 year, a $3.9 million write off of deferred financing costs resulting from refinancing our previous credit facility and a $65.0 million repayment of the Term Loan Facility from proceeds of the IPO, partially offset by a lower interest rate. The repayment resulted in a permanent reduction in the interest rate margin of the loan and prospectively changed the estimated cash outflows. This required a revaluation of the carrying value of the Term Loan Facility using the original effective interest rate and revised cash flows and resulted in a gain of $5.9 million recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense for fiscal 2017 was $8.9 million compared to $6.5 million for fiscal 2016. For fiscal 2017, the effective tax rate was 29.1% and varied from the statutory tax rate of 25.3%. For fiscal 2016, the effective tax rate was 19.6% versus the statutory tax rate of 25.3%.

The difference between the effective tax rate and the statutory tax rate for fiscal 2017 relates primarily to non-deductible stock compensation expenses of $5.7 million in fiscal 2017.

The difference between the effective tax rate and the statutory tax rate for fiscal 2016 relates primarily to the benefit of a one-time reversal of a deferred tax liability of $3.5 million pertaining to intercompany transactions in the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

Net Income

Net income for fiscal 2017 was $21.6 million compared with $26.5 million in fiscal 2016. The decrease of $4.8 million, or 18.3%, was primarily the result of the factors described above.

 

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Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2016 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

The following table summarizes results of operations and expresses the percentage relationship to revenues of certain financial statement captions. All percentages shown in the below table and the discussion that follows have been calculated using rounded numbers.

 

CAD $000s (except per share data)		Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015				$ Change
Statement of Operations Data:
Revenue			290,830				218,414				72,416
Cost of sales			145,206				129,805				15,401
Gross profit			145,624				88,609				57,015
Gross margin			50.1	%			40.6	%
Selling, general and administrative expenses			100,103				59,317				40,786
SG&A expenses as % of revenue			34.4	%			27.2	%
Depreciation and amortization			4,567				2,623				1,944
Operating income			40,954				26,669				14,285
Operating income as % revenue			14.1	%			12.2	%
Net interest and other finance costs			7,996				7,537				459
Income before income tax			32,958				19,132				13,826
Income tax expense			6,473				4,707				1,766
Effective tax rate			19.6	%			24.6	%
Net income			26,485				14,425				12,060
Other comprehensive loss			(692	)			—				(692	)
Total comprehensive income			25,793				14,425				11,368
Earnings per share
Basic		$	0.26			$	0.14			$	0.12
Diluted		$	0.26			$	0.14			$	0.12
Other data:(1)
EBITDA			46,870				30,063				16,807
Adjusted EBITDA			54,307				37,191				17,116
Adjusted EBITDA margin			18.7	%			17.0	%			1.7	%
Adjusted net income			30,122				21,374				8,748
Adjusted net income per share		$	0.30			$	0.21			$	0.09
Adjusted net income per diluted share		$	0.30			$	0.21			$	0.09

 

(1)	EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted net income, Adjusted net income per share, and Adjusted net income per diluted share are non-IFRS measures. See—“Non-IFRS Financial Measures” for a description of these measures and a reconciliation to the nearest IFRS measure.

Revenue

Revenue for fiscal 2016 increased by $72.4 million, or 33.2%, compared to fiscal 2015, driven by an increase in revenue in our wholesale channel and by growth in our DTC channel. The year on year increase includes a favourable impact from changes in currency exchange rates of $17.4 million. On a constant currency basis, revenue increased 25.2% for fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015.

 

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Revenues for the two business segments as well as discussion of the changes in each segment’s revenues from the prior fiscal year are provided below:

 

		For fiscal year ended								$ Change				Foreign Exchange Impact				$ Change				% Change
CAD $000s		March 31, 2016				March 31, 2015				As reported								Constant Currency				As reported				Constant Currency
Revenue
Wholesale			257,807				210,418				47,389				14,786				32,603				22.5	%			15.5	%
Direct to consumer			33,023				7,996				25,027				2,634				22,393				313.0	%			280.1	%
Total revenue			290,830				218,414				72,416				17,420				54,996				33.2	%			25.2	%

Revenue in our wholesale channel increased $47.4 million, or 22.5%, compared to fiscal 2015. The increase in revenue in our wholesale channel was primarily driven by additional product sales, sales of new products from our Spring and Fall collections to our retail partners and, to a lesser extent, by price increases on our products in certain geographies.

This increase in revenue was also due in part to the inclusion of a full year of performance from our Canadian e-commerce site and the launch of our U.S. e-commerce site in our DTC segment, representing a $25.0 million increase over fiscal 2015.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

Gross profit and margin for each of our two reportable segments are provided below:

 

		For the fiscal year ended
		March 31, 2016								March 31, 2015
CAD $000s		Reported				% of segment revenue				Reported				% of segment revenue				$ Change
Revenue
Wholesale			257,807				88.6	%			210,418				96.3	%			47,389
Direct to consumer			33,023				11.4	%			7,996				3.7	%			25,027
			290,830				100.0	%			218,414				100.0	%			72,416
Cost of sales
Wholesale			136,396				52.9	%			127,675				60.7	%			8,721
Direct to consumer			8,810				26.7	%			2,130				26.6	%			6,680
			145,206				49.9	%			129,805				59.4	%			15,401
Gross profit
Wholesale			121,411				47.1	%			82,743				39.3	%			38,668
Direct to consumer			24,213				73.3	%			5,866				73.4	%			18,347
			145,624				50.1	%			88,609				40.6	%			57,015

Cost of sales for fiscal 2016 increased by $15.4 million, or 11.9%, compared to fiscal 2015, while gross profit was $145.6 million, representing a gross margin of 50.1%, compared with $88.6 million in fiscal 2015, representing a gross margin of 40.6%. The increase in gross profit was attributable to the growth in e-commerce revenue in our DTC channel as well as overall higher revenue in fiscal 2016. Additionally, gross profit was positively impacted by lower production costs, partially offset by an increase in raw materials costs sourced in U.S. dollars.

Cost of sales in our wholesale channel for fiscal 2016 increased by $8.7 million, or 6.8%, compared to fiscal 2015, while segment gross profit was $121.4 million, representing a segment gross margin of 47.1%, compared

 

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with $82.7 million in fiscal 2015, representing a segment gross margin of 39.3%. The increase in segment gross profit was attributable to the overall higher revenue in fiscal 2016. Additionally, segment gross profit was positively impacted by lower production costs, partially offset by an increase in raw materials costs sourced in U.S. dollars.

Cost of sales in our DTC channel for fiscal 2016 increased by $6.7 million, or 313.6%, compared to fiscal 2015, while segment gross profit was $24.2 million, representing a segment gross margin of 73.3%, compared with $5.9 million in fiscal 2015, representing a segment gross margin of 73.4%. The increase in segment gross profit was attributable to the growth in e-commerce revenue in our DTC channel, including the impact of having the U.S. e-commerce store open beginning in September of 2015, as well as overall higher revenue in fiscal 2016.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses for fiscal 2016 increased by $40.8 million over fiscal 2015, or 68.8%, representing 34.4% of revenue in fiscal 2016, compared to 27.2% of revenue in fiscal 2015. The increase in expenses was attributable to an increase in headcount in both segments and our corporate office, and an increase in marketing expenses that were not allocated to a segment and were designed to support an overall investment in our brand and entry into new markets. The increase was also partially attributable to investments in our DTC channel associated with establishing our e-commerce sites and opening our retail stores. In addition, we incurred costs of $3.1 million in our wholesale segment associated with terminating third party sales agents which resulted in indemnities and other termination payments. Also included was $6.9 million of expenses relating to restructuring our international operations to Zug, Switzerland, including closing several offices across Europe, relocating personnel and incurring temporary office costs.

SG&A expenses in our wholesale channel for fiscal 2016 decreased by $10.1 million over fiscal 2015, or 27.2%, representing 10.5% of segment revenue in fiscal 2016 compared to 17.7% of segment revenue in fiscal 2015. The decrease was attributable to the increase in centralized marketing initiatives described above, offset by indemnities and termination payments for third party sales agents.

SG&A expenses in our DTC channel for fiscal 2016 increased by $12.7 million over fiscal 2015, or 920.4%, representing 42.8% of segment revenue in fiscal 2016 compared to 17.3% of segment revenue in fiscal 2015. The increase in expenses was attributable to an increase in headcount and brand investment in our DTC channel associated with establishing our e-commerce sites and opening our retail stores.

Operating Income and Margin

Operating income and margin for each of our two reportable segments are provided below.

 

		Fiscal Years ended
		March 31, 2016								March 31, 2015
CAD $000s		Operating Income				Operating Margin				Operating Income				Operating Margin				$ Change
Segment:
Wholesale			94,366				36.6	%			45,577				21.7	%			48,789
Direct to consumer			10,081				30.5	%			4,481				56.0	%			5,600
			104,447								50,058								54,389
Unallocated corporate expenses			63,493								23,389								40,104
Total operating income			40,954				14.1	%			26,669				12.2	%			14,285

Wholesale operating income increased in fiscal 2016 by $48.8 million and DTC operating income increased by $5.6 million primarily as a result of the increase in the respective segment’s gross margin for reasons described above. Unallocated corporate expenses increased by $40.1 million primarily to support the increase in revenues and for reasons described above.

 

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Net Interest and Other Finance Costs

Finance costs increased by $0.5 million, or 6.1%, during fiscal 2016 primarily as a result of higher borrowings of $25.9 million used to finance working capital, partially offset by a lower interest rate.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense increased by $1.8 million during fiscal 2016 while the net income before taxes increased as compared to fiscal 2015. This is primarily as a result of a decrease in the effective tax rate from 24.6% for fiscal 2015 to 19.6% for fiscal 2016, together with the benefit of a one-time reversal of a deferred tax liability of $3.5 million relating to intercompany transactions during the three months ended September 30, 2015.

Net Income

Net income for fiscal 2016 was $26.5 million compared with $14.4 million in fiscal 2015. The increase of $12.1 million, or 83.6%, was primarily the result of the factors described above.

Quarterly Financial Information

 

CAD $000s (except per share data)		Fiscal 2017																Fiscal 2016
		Fourth Quarter				Third Quarter				Second Quarter				First Quarter				Fourth Quarter				Third Quarter				Second Quarter				First Quarter
Revenue			51,096				209,051				127,935				15,695				41,921				115,504				109,694				23,711
Net Income (Loss)			(23,431	)			39,088				20,019				(14,036	)			(9,202	)			21,446				18,475				(4,234	)
Basic Earnings (Loss) per Share		$	(0.23	)		$	0.39			$	0.20			$	(0.14	)		$	(0.09	)		$	0.21			$	0.18			$	(0.04	)
Diluted Earnings per Share		$	(0.23	)		$	0.38			$	0.20			$	(0.14	)		$	(0.09	)		$	0.21			$	0.18			$	(0.04	)

Eight Quarter Commentary on Trends

Net revenue in our wholesale segment is highest in the second and third quarters as we fulfill wholesale customer orders in time for the fall and winter retail seasons, and, in our DTC segment, in the third and fourth quarters when our DTC channel sales primarily occur. In addition, our net income is typically reduced or negative in the first and fourth quarters as we invest ahead of our peak selling season.

Revenue

Over the last eight quarters, revenue has been impacted by the following:

 

•

rollout of e-commerce in Canada in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, United States in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 and in the United Kingdom and France in the third quarter of fiscal 2017;

 

•

opening of retail stores in Toronto and New York City in the third quarter of fiscal 2017;

 

•

successful execution of pricing strategy across all segments;

 

•

shift in mix of revenue from wholesale to DTC;

 

•

shift in geographic mix of sales to increase sales outside of Canada;

 

•

fluctuation of the U.S. dollar, Pound Sterling and Euro relative to the Canadian dollar; and

 

•

timing of shipments to wholesale customers.

 

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Net Income (loss)

Net income has been affected by the following factors over the last eight quarters:

 

•

impact of the items noted under “Revenue” above;

 

•

increase and timing of our investment in brand, marketing, and administrative support to support our wholesale expansion and DTC channel as well as increased investment in property, plant, and equipment and intangible assets to support growth initiatives;

 

•

impact of foreign exchange on production costs;

 

•

higher average borrowings to address the growing magnitude of inventory needs and higher seasonal borrowings in the first, second and fourth quarters of each fiscal year to address the seasonal nature of revenue;

 

•

vesting of stock options;

 

•

transaction costs in relation to the IPO;

 

•

changes in senior management;

 

•

one-time fee of $9.6 million paid in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 to terminate our Management Agreement; and

 

•

consolidation of our international operations to Zug, Switzerland which included closing offices across Europe and terminating third party sales agents.

Non-IFRS Measures

In addition to our results determined in accordance with IFRS, we believe the following non-IFRS measures provide useful information both to management and investors in measuring the financial performance and financial condition of the Company for the reasons outlined below. These measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other publicly traded companies, and they should not be construed as an alternative to other financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS.

 

CAD$000s except per share data		Year ended March 31, 2017				Year ended March 31, 2016				Year ended March 31, 2015
EBITDA			48,914				46,870				30,063
Adjusted EBITDA			81,010				54,307				37,191
Adjusted EBITDA Margin			20.1	%			18.7	%			17.0	%
Adjusted net income			44,147				30,122				21,374
Adjusted net income per share		$	0.44			$	0.30			$	0.21
Adjusted net income per diluted share		$	0.43			$	0.30			$	0.21
Constant Currency Revenue			411,827				273,410				211,361
Working Capital			98,954				104,751				N/A

Management uses these non-IFRS financial measures (other than Constant Currency Revenue and Working Capital) to exclude the impact of certain expenses and income that management does not believe are reflective of the company’s underlying operating performance and make comparisons of underlying financial performance between periods difficult. From time to time, the company may exclude additional items if it believes doing so would result in a more effective analysis of underlying operating performance.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income are financial measures that are not defined under IFRS. We use these non-IFRS financial measures, and believe they enhance an investor’s understanding of our financial and operating performance from period to period, because they exclude

 

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certain material non-cash items and certain other adjustments we believe are not reflective of our ongoing operations and our performance. In particular, following the Acquisition, we have made changes to our legal and operating structure to better position our organization to achieve our strategic growth objectives which have resulted in outflows of economic resources. Accordingly, we use these metrics to measure our core financial and operating performance for business planning purposes and as a component in the determination of incentive compensation for salaried employees. In addition, we believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income are measures commonly used by investors to evaluate companies in the apparel industry. However, they are not presentations made in accordance with IFRS and the use of the terms EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income vary from others in our industry. These financial measures are not intended to represent and should not be considered as alternatives to net income, operating income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with IFRS as measures of operating performance or operating cash flows or as measures of liquidity.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income have important limitations as analytical tools and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. For example, these financial measures:

 

•

exclude certain tax payments that may reduce cash available to us;

 

•

do not reflect any cash capital expenditure requirements for the assets being depreciated and amortized that may have to be replaced in the future;

 

•

do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;

 

•

do not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debt; and

 

•

other companies in our industry may calculate these measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

Constant Currency Revenue

We present constant currency financial information, which is a non-IFRS financial measure, as a supplement to our reported operating results. We use constant currency information to provide a framework to assess how our business segments performed excluding the effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We believe this information is useful to investors to facilitate comparisons of operating results and better identify trends in our businesses.

Working Capital

The working capital item is presented to provide additional information and is not defined under IFRS. Working Capital is defined as current assets minus current liabilities as noted per table below. This measurement should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. This information is intended to provide investors with information about the company’s liquidity; the company issues this information for the same purpose. See “—Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources—Financial Condition.”

 

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The tables below illustrate a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income for the periods presented:

 

CAD $000s		Fiscal year ended March 31, 2017				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015
Net income		$	21,640			$	26,485			$	14,425
Add the impact of:
Income tax expense			8,900				6,473				4,707
Net interest and other finance costs			9,962				7,996				7,537
Depreciation and amortization			8,412				5,916				3,394
EBITDA			48,914				46,870				30,063
Add the impact of:
Bain Capital management fees (a)			10,286				1,092				894
Transaction costs (b)			10,042				299				—
Purchase accounting adjustments (c)			—				—				2,861
Unrealized (gain)/loss on derivatives (d)			4,422				(4,422	)			(138	)
Unrealized foreign exchange gain on Term loan (e)			(102	)			—				—
International restructuring costs (f)			175				6,879				1,038
Share-based compensation (g)			5,922				500				300
Agent terminations and other (h)			—				3,089				2,173
Non-cash rent expense (i)			1,351				—				—
Adjusted EBITDA			81,010				54,307				37,191

 

CAD $000s		Fiscal year ended March 31, 2017				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2016				Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015
Net income			21,640				26,485				14,425
Add the impact of:
Bain Capital management fees (a)			10,286				1,092				894
Transaction costs (b)			10,042				299				—
Purchase accounting adjustments (c)			—				—				2,861
Unrealized (gain)/loss on derivatives (d)			4,422				(4,422	)			(138	)
Unrealized foreign exchange gain on term loan (e)			(102	)			—				—
International restructuring costs (f)			175				6,879				1,038
Share-based compensation (g)			5,922				500				300
Agent terminations and other (h)			—				3,089				2,173
Non-cash rent expense (i)			1,351				—				—
Amortization on intangible assets acquired by Bain Capital (j)			2,175				2,175				2,175
Non-cash revaluation of carrying value related to change in underlying interest rate (k)			(5,935	)			—				—
Total adjustments			28,336				9,612				9,303
Tax effect of adjustments			(5,829	)			(2,431	)			(2,354	)
Tax effect of one-time intercompany transaction (l)			—				(3,544	)			—
Adjusted net income			44,147				30,122				21,374

 

(a)

Represents the amount paid pursuant to the Management Agreement for ongoing consulting and other services. In connection with the IPO on March 21, 2017, the Management Agreement was terminated in consideration for a termination fee of $9.6 million and Bain Capital no longer receives management fees from the company.

(b)	In connection with the IPO, we incurred expenses related to professional fees, consulting, legal, and accounting that would otherwise not have been incurred. These fees are not indicative of our ongoing costs.

(c)

In connection with the Acquisition, we recognized acquired inventory at fair value, which included a mark-up for profit. Recording inventory at fair value in purchase accounting had the effect of increasing inventory and thereby increasing the cost of sales in subsequent periods as compared to the amounts we would have recognized if the inventory was sold through at cost. The write-up of acquired inventory sold represents the incremental cost of sales that was recognized as a result of purchase accounting. The last of this inventory was sold in fiscal 2015.

(d)

Represents unrealized gains on foreign exchange forward contracts recorded in fiscal 2016 that relate to fiscal 2017. We manage our exposure to foreign currency risk by entering into foreign exchange forward contracts. Management forecasts its net cash flows in foreign currency using expected revenue from orders it receives for future periods. The unrealized gains and losses on these contracts are recognized in net

 

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income from the date of inception of the contract, while the cash flows to which the derivatives related are not realized until the contract settles. Management believes that reflecting these adjustments in the period in which the net cash flows will occur is more appropriate.

(e)	Represents non-cash unrealized gains on the translation of the Term Loan Facility from USD to CAD.

(f)	Represents expenses incurred to establish our European headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, including closing several smaller offices across Europe, relocating personnel, and incurring temporary office costs.

(g)	Represents non-cash share-based compensation expense. Adjustments in fiscal 2017 reflect management’s estimate that certain tranches of outstanding option awards will vest.

(h)

Represents accrued expenses related to termination payments to be made to our third party sales agents. As part of a strategy to transition certain sales functions in-house, we terminated the majority of our third party sales agents and certain distributors, primarily during fiscal 2015 and 2016, which resulted in indemnities and other termination payments. As sales agents have now largely been eliminated from the sales structure, management does not expect these charges to recur in future fiscal periods.

(i)	Represents non-cash amortization charges during pre-opening periods for new store leases.

(j)	As a result of the Acquisition, we recognized an intangible asset for customer lists in the amount of $8.7 million, which has a useful life of four years, and will expire in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.

(k)

We repaid the Term Loan Facility using a portion of the proceeds of the IPO, which resulted in a change to our prospective underlying interest rate and caused a remeasurement of the carrying value of the debt by calculating the net present value using the revised estimated cash flows for both the repayment and change in interest rate and original effective interest rate. The result was a non-cash gain of $5.9 million recorded in net interest and other finance costs.

(l)	During fiscal 2016, we entered into a series of transactions whereby our wholly-owned subsidiary, Canada Goose International AG, acquired the global distribution rights to our products. As a result, there was a one-time tax benefit of $3.5 million recorded during the year.

Constant Currency Revenue. Because we are a global company, the comparability of our revenue reported in Canadian Dollars is also affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations because the underlying currencies in which we transact change in value over time compared to the Canadian Dollar. These rate fluctuations can have a significant effect on our reported results. As such, in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, our revenue discussions often contain references to constant currency measures, which are calculated by translating the current year and prior year reported amounts into comparable amounts using a single foreign exchange rate for each currency calculated based on the average exchange rate over the respective period as measured by the Bank of Canada.

 

CAD $000s		Actual												In Constant Currency
Revenue										% Change								% Change
For the fiscal years ended March 31:			2017				2016								2017
			403,777				290,830				38.8	%			411,827				41.6	%
			2016				2015								2016
			290,830				218,414				33.2	%			273,410				25.2	%
For the three months ended March 31:			2017				2016								2017
			51,096				41,921				21.9	%			53,254				27.0	%
			2016				2015								2016
			41,921				18,778				123.2	%			40,311				114.7	%

 

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FINANCIAL CONDITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Financial condition

The following table represents our working capital position as at March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016:

 

CAD $000’s		March 31, 2017				March 31, 2016				$ Change
Current assets			163,223				154,732				8,491
Current liabilities			64,269				49,981				14,288
Working capital			98,954				104,751				(5,797	)

As at March 31, 2017, we had $9.7 million of cash and $99.0 million of working capital, which is current assets minus current liabilities, compared with $7.2 million of cash and $104.8 million of working capital as at March 31, 2016. The $5.8 million decrease in our working capital was primarily due to a $7.7 million decrease in accounts receivables and a $19.8 million increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities offset by $6.0 million increase in inventory, a $3.5 million increase in other assets and a $11.4 million reduction in income taxes payable. Working capital is significantly impacted by the seasonal trends of our business and has been further impacted in recent quarters by the opening of our retail stores.

We expect that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations, along with our Revolving Facility with unused liquidity of $141.3 million as at March 31, 2017 will be adequate to meet our capital requirements and operational needs for the next 12 months.

Cash flows

The Company’s consolidated statement of cash flows for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 compared to March 31, 2016 and for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 compared to March 31, 2015 are noted below:

 

CAD $000s		Year ended March 31, 2017				Year ended March 31, 2016				Change				Year ended March 31, 2016				Year ended March 31, 2015				Change
Total cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities			39,330				(6,442	)			45,772				(6,442	)			4,960				(11,402	)
Investing activities			(26,979	)			(21,842	)			(5,137	)			(21,842	)			(7,263	)			(14,579	)
Financing activities			(9,899	)			29,592				(39,491	)			29,592				4,951				24,641
Increase (decrease) in cash			2,452				1,308				1,144				1,308				2,648				(1,340	)
Cash, end of period			9,678				7,226				2,452				7,226				5,918				1,308

Our primary need for liquidity is to fund working capital requirements of our business, capital expenditures, debt service and for general corporate purposes. Our primary source of liquidity is funds generated by operating activities. We also use our asset-backed Revolving Facility as a source of liquidity for short-term working capital needs over our annual operating cycle. Our ability to fund our operations, to make planned capital expenditures, to make scheduled debt payments and to repay or refinance indebtedness depends on our future operating performance and cash flows, which are subject to prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Cash generated from operations are significantly impacted by the seasonality of our business, with a disproportionate amount of our operating cash generally coming in the second and third fiscal quarters of each fiscal year. As a result, historically, we have had higher balances under our revolving credit facilities in the first and fourth fiscal quarters and lower balances in the second and third fiscal quarters.

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows generated in operating activities increased from $6.4 million used in fiscal 2016 to $39.3 million generated for fiscal 2017. This period-over-period increase in cash generated from operating activities of $45.8

 

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million was primarily due to a lower use of cash in working capital by $57.7 million, offset by lower net income, higher income tax installments and interest payments.

Cash used in operating activities was $6.4 million in fiscal 2016 compared to cash flows provided by operating activities of $5.0 million in fiscal 2015. The year-over-year decrease of $11.4 million in operating cash inflows was primarily due to an increase in inventory of $49.7 million to support significantly higher sales volumes and preparation for the launch of our e-commerce store in the United States. The aforementioned increase was partially offset by an increase in net income of $12.1 million, as well as increases in accounts payable and accrued liabilities.

Cash flows from investing activities

The year-over-year increase in cash outflows from investing activities during fiscal 2017 of $5.1 million was primarily due to increased activity in the DTC channel as the company prepared for retail store openings in Toronto, New York City and London and opened e-commerce sites in the U.K. and France.

Investments in the comparable period in fiscal 2016 consisted of expenditures related to operating capacity at our manufacturing facilities. We anticipate that these investments will remain consistent as a percentage of revenue as we expand our DTC channel.

The year-over-year increase in cash outflows of $14.6 million in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 was primarily due to increased investments in property and equipment to increase production capacity and in retail store and e-commerce assets, as well as investments in intangible assets related to ERP software.

Cash flows from financing activities

Cash flows from financing activities decreased by $39.5 million year-over-year in fiscal 2017. In the third quarter of fiscal 2017, the $212.6 million net proceeds from the Term Loan Facility were used to repay subordinated debt and return capital to shareholders, for a net increase in cash of $8.0 million, and in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, the $100.0 million of net proceeds from the IPO were used to pay down $35.0 million of the Revolving Facility and $65.0 million of the Term Loan Facility for a net decrease of $1.9 million.

The $24.6 million increase in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 was primarily driven by an increase in borrowings under our credit facility used to finance working capital.

Indebtedness

The following table presents our net debt position as at March 31, 2017 and March 31, 2016.

 

		March 31, 2017				March 31, 2016				$ Change
CAD $000’s
Cash and cash equivalents			9,678				7,226				2,452
Short term debt			—				(1,250	)			1,250
Revolving facility			(6,642	)			—				(6,642	)
Term loan facility			(139,447	)			—				(139,447	)
Credit facility			—				(52,944	)			52,944
Subordinated debt			—				(85,306	)			85,306
Net debt position			(136,411	)			(132,274	)			(4,137	)

Revolving Facility

On June 3, 2016, Canada Goose and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canada Goose Inc. and Canada Goose International AG, entered into a senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility”),

 

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with Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, as administrative agent, and certain financial institutions as lenders, which matures in 2021. The Revolving Facility has commitments of $150.0 million with a seasonal increase of up to $200.0 million during the peak season from June 1 through November 30. In addition, the Revolving Facility includes a letter of credit sub-facility of $25.0 million. All obligations under the Revolving Facility are unconditionally guaranteed by the company and, subject to certain exceptions, our U.S., Swiss, U.K. and Canadian subsidiaries. The Revolving Facility provides for customary events of default.

Loans under the Revolving Facility, at our option may be maintained from time to time as (a) Prime Rate Loans, which bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for Prime Rate Loans plus the Prime Rate, (b) Banker’s Acceptances funded on a discounted proceeds basis given the published discount rate plus a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for stamping fees, (c) ABR Loans, which bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for ABR Loans plus the ABR, (d) European Base Rate Loans, which bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for European Base Rate Loans plus the European Base Rate, (e) LIBOR Loans, which bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for LIBOR Loans plus the LIBOR Rate or (f) EURIBOR Loans, which bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the Applicable Margin for EURIBOR Loans plus the applicable EURIBOR.

A commitment fee will be charged on the average daily unused portion of the Revolving Facility of 0.25% per annum if average utilization under the Revolving Facility is greater than 50% or 0.375% if average utilization under the Revolving Facility is less than 50%. A letter of credit fee, with respect to standby letters of credit will accrue on the aggregate face amount of outstanding letters of credit under the Revolving Facility equal to the Applicable Margin for LIBOR Loans, and, with respect to trade or commercial letters of credit, 50% of the then applicable Applicable Margin on LIBOR Loans. A fronting fee will be charged on the aggregate face amount of outstanding letters of credit equal to 0.125% per annum. In addition, we pay the administrative agent under the Revolving Facility a monitoring fee of $1,000 per month.

The Revolving Facility contains financial and non-financial covenants which could impact the company’s ability to draw funds. At March 31, 2017 and during the period, the company was in compliance with all covenants.

The proceeds from the IPO on March 21, 2017 were partly used to pay down $35.0 million of the Revolving Facility.

As of March 31, 2017, we had $8.7 million outstanding under the Revolving Facility. Amounts under the Revolving Facility may be borrowed, repaid and re-borrowed to fund our general corporate purposes and are available in Canadian dollars, U.S. dollars, and Euros and, subject to an aggregate cap of $40.0 million, such other currencies as are approved in accordance with the credit agreement governing the Revolving Facility.

Term Loan Facility

General

On December 2, 2016, in connection with the Recapitalization, the company and Canada Goose Inc. entered into a senior secured term loan facility (the “Term Loan Facility”), with Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and certain financial institutions as lenders, which matures in 2021. All obligations under the Term Loan Facility are unconditionally guaranteed by the company and, subject to certain exceptions, our U.S., U.K. and Canadian subsidiaries. The Term Loan Facility provides for customary events of default.

The interest rate on the term loans outstanding under the Term Loan Facility is the LIBOR Rate (subject to a minimum rate of 1.00% per annum) plus an Applicable Margin of 4.00%. The term loans can also be maintained as ABR Loans which bear interest at ABR plus an Applicable Margin which is 1.00% less than that for LIBOR loans.

 

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The proceeds from the IPO on March 21, 2017 were partly used to pay down $65.0 million of the term loan under the Term Loan Facility.

The Company has pledged substantially all of its assets as collateral for the Term Loan Facility. The Term Loan Facility contains financial and non-financial covenants which could impact the company’s ability to draw funds. As at March 31, 2017 and during the period, the company was in compliance with all covenants.

As of March 31, 2017, we had approximately $151.6 million aggregate principal amount of term loans outstanding under the Term Loan Facility. Amounts prepaid or repaid under the Term Loan Facility may not be re-borrowed.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes certain of our significant contractual obligations and other obligations as at March 31, 2017:

 

		Fiscal year ended March 31
CAD $000s		2018				2019				2020				2021				2022				Thereafter				Total
Revolving facility			—				—				—				—				8,713				—				8,713
Term loan facility			—				—				—				—				151,581				—				151,581
Interest commitments relating to long-term debt			7,880				7,880				7,880				7,880				5,103				—				36,623
Foreign exchange forward contracts			481				—				—				—				—				—				481
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities			58,223				—				—				—				—				—				58,223
Operating leases			12,050				12,819				12,985				13,139				13,256				56,812				121,061
Pension obligation			—				—				—				—				—				1,036				1,036
Total contractual obligations			78,634				20,699				20,865				21,019				178,653				57,848				377,718

As at March 31, 2017, we had additional long-term liabilities which included provisions for warranty, agent termination fees, sales returns, and asset retirement obligations, and deferred income tax liabilities. These long term liabilities have not been included in the table above as the timing and amount of future payments are uncertain.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We are exposed to certain market risks arising from transactions in the normal course of our business. Such risk is principally associated with foreign exchange.

Foreign currency exchange risk

Our Consolidated Financial Statements are expressed in Canadian dollars, however a portion of the company’s net assets are denominated in U.S. dollars, Euro, Pounds Sterling, and Swiss Francs, through its foreign operations in the U.S. and Switzerland. Net monetary assets denominated in currencies other than CAD, that are held in entities with CAD functional currency are translated into Canadian dollars at the foreign currency exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. As a result, we are exposed to foreign currency translation gains and losses. Revenues and expenses of all foreign operations are translated into Canadian dollars at the foreign currency exchange rates that approximate the rates in effect at the dates when such items are recognized. Appreciating foreign currencies relative to the Canadian dollar will positively impact operating income and net income by increasing our revenue, while depreciating foreign currencies relative to the Canadian dollar will have the opposite impact.

 

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We are also exposed to fluctuations in the prices of U.S. dollar denominated purchases as a result of changes in U.S. dollar exchange rates. A depreciating Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar will negatively impact operating income and net earnings by increasing our costs of raw materials, while an appreciating Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar will have the opposite impact. During fiscal 2017 and 2016, we entered into derivative instruments in the form of forward contracts to manage the majority of our current and anticipated exposure to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar, Pound Sterling, Euro, and Swiss Francs exchange rates for purchases.

Amounts borrowed under the Term Loan Facility are denominated in U.S. dollars. Based on our outstanding balance of $151.6 million under the Term Loan Facility as at March 31, 2017, a 1.0% depreciation in the value of the Canadian dollar compared to the U.S. dollar would result in a decrease in our net income (loss) of $1.5 million solely as a result of that exchange rate fluctuation’s effect on such debt.

We may enter into foreign currency forward exchange contracts and options to reduce fluctuations in our long or short currency positions relating primarily to capital expenditures, accounts receivable, purchase commitments, interest coupon payments, raw materials and finished goods denominated in foreign currencies.

A summary of foreign currency forward exchange contracts and the corresponding amounts as at March 31, 2017 contracted forward rates is as follows:

 

(000s)		Contract Amount		Primary Currencies
Forward exchange contract to purchase currency		CHF 6,600 US$26,250 €1,900 £1,150		Swiss Francs U.S. Dollars Euros Pounds Sterling
Forward exchange contract to sell currency		US$31,700 €21,620 £14,675		U.S. Dollars Euros Pounds Sterling

Interest rate risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk primarily related to the effect of interest rate changes on borrowings outstanding under our Revolving Facility and Term Loan Facility. As at March 31, 2017, we had $8.7 million outstanding under our Revolving Facility with a weighted average interest rate of 3.45% and outstanding debt under our Term Loan Facility of $151.6 million which currently bears interest at 5.00%. Based on the outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Facility during fiscal 2017, a 1.00% increase in the average interest rate on our borrowings would have increased interest expense by $0.8 million in the year. Correspondingly, a 1.00% increase in the Term Loan Facility rate under our Term Loan Facility would have increased interest expense by an additional $0.7 million. The impact on future interest expense as a result of future changes in interest rates will depend largely on the gross amount of our borrowings at that time.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in the notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements, we believe that the following accounting policies and estimates are critical to our business operations and understanding our financial results.

The following are the accounting policies subject to judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty that we believe could have the most significant impact on the amounts recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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Revenue recognition. Wholesale revenue from the sale of goods to third party resellers, net of an estimated allowance for sales returns, is recognized when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods have passed to the reseller, which is as soon as the products have been shipped to the reseller and there is no continuing management involvement or obligation affecting the acceptance of the goods. The Company, at its discretion may cancel all or a portion of any firm wholesale sales order. We are therefore obligated to return any prepayments or deposits made by resellers for which the product is not provided. All advance payments are included in accrued liabilities in the statement of financial position. Revenue through e-commerce operations and retail stores are recognized upon delivery of the goods to the customer and when collection is reasonably assured, net of an estimated allowance for sales returns. Management bases its estimates on historical results, taking into consideration the type of customer, transaction, and specifics of each arrangement. Our policy is to sell merchandise thorough the DTC channel with a limited right to return, typically within thirty days. Accumulated experience is used to estimate and provide for such returns.

Inventories. Inventories are carried at the lower of cost and net realizable value which requires us to utilize estimates related to fluctuations in obsolescence, shrinkage, future retail prices, seasonality and costs necessary to sell the inventory.

We periodically review our inventories and make provisions as necessary to appropriately value obsolete or damaged goods. In addition, as part of inventory valuations, we accrue for inventory shrinkage for lost or stolen items based on historical trends from actual physical inventory counts.

Impairment of non-financial assets (goodwill, intangible assets, and property and equipment). Management is required to use judgment in determining the grouping of assets to identify their cash generating units (“CGU”) for the purposes of testing fixed assets for impairment. Judgment is further required to determine appropriate groupings of CGUs for the level at which goodwill and intangible assets are tested for impairment. For the purpose of goodwill and intangible assets impairment testing, CGUs are grouped at the lowest level at which goodwill and intangible assets are monitored for internal management purposes. In addition, judgment is used to determine whether a triggering event has occurred requiring an impairment test to be completed.

In determining the recoverable amount of a CGU or a group of CGUs, various estimates are employed. The Company determines value-in-use by using estimates including projected future revenues, earnings, working capital and capital investment consistent with strategic plans presented to the board of directors of the company. Discount rates are consistent with external industry information reflecting the risk associated with the specific cash flows.

Income and other taxes. Current and deferred income taxes are recognized in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, except when it relates to a business combination, or items recognized in equity or in other comprehensive income. Application of judgment is required regarding the classification of transactions and in assessing probable outcomes of claimed deductions including expectations about future operating results, the timing and reversal of temporary differences and possible audits of income tax and other tax filings by the tax authorities in the various jurisdictions in which the company operates.

Functional currency. Items included in the consolidated financial statements of the company’s subsidiaries are measured using the currency of the primary economic environment in which each entity operates (the functional currency). The consolidated financial statements are presented in Canadian dollars, which is our functional currency and the presentation currency.

Financial instruments. Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized when the company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the financial instrument.

We enter into financial instruments with highly-rated creditworthy institutions and instruments with liquid markets and readily-available pricing information.

 

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Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value. Transaction costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or issue of financial assets and financial liabilities (other than financial assets and financial liabilities classified at fair value through profit or loss) are added to, or deducted from, the fair value of the financial assets or financial liabilities, as appropriate, on initial recognition. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisition of financial assets or financial liabilities classified at fair value through profit or loss are recognized immediately in profit or loss.

Financial assets and financial liabilities are measured subsequently as described below.

 

a.	Non-derivative financial assets

Non-derivative financial assets include cash and trade receivables and are classified as loans and receivables and measured at amortized cost. The Company initially recognizes receivables and deposits on the date that they are originated. The Company derecognizes a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or it transfers the rights to receive the contractual cash flows on the financial asset in a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are transferred.

 

b.	Non-derivative financial liabilities

Non-derivative financial liabilities include accounts payable, accrued liabilities, revolving facility, term loan, credit facility and subordinated debt. The Company initially recognizes debt instruments issued on the date that they are originated. All other financial liabilities are recognized initially on the trade date at which the company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial liabilities are recognized initially at fair value less any directly attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition, these financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method. The Company derecognizes a financial liability when its contractual obligations are discharged or cancelled or expire.

 

c.	Derivative financial instruments

Derivatives are initially recognized at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently remeasured to their fair value at each reporting date. The method of recognizing the resulting gain or loss depends on whether the derivative is designated and effective as a hedging instrument. When a derivative financial instrument, including an embedded derivative, is not designated and effective in a qualifying hedge relationship, all changes in its fair value are recognized immediately in the statement of income; attributable transaction costs are recognized in the statement of income as incurred. The Company does not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

Embedded derivatives are separated from a host contract and accounted for separately if the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract and the embedded derivative are not closely related.

 

d.	Hedge accounting

The Company is exposed to the risk of currency fluctuations and has entered into currency derivative contracts to hedge its exposure on the basis of planned transactions. Where hedge accounting is applied, the criteria are documented at the inception of the hedge and updated at each reporting date. The Company documents the relationship between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its risk management objectives and strategy for undertaking the hedging transactions. The Company also documents its assessment, at hedge inception and on an ongoing basis, of whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of hedged items.

The fair value of a hedging derivative is classified as a current asset or liability when the maturity of the hedged item is less than twelve months, and as a non-current asset of liability when the maturity of the hedged item is more than twelve months.

 

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The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges is recognized, net of tax, in other comprehensive income. The gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion is recognized immediately in the statement of income. Amounts accumulated in other comprehensive income are transferred to the statement of income in the periods when the hedged item affects earnings. When a forecast transaction that is hedged results in the recognition of a non-financial asset or liability, such as inventory, the amounts previously recognized in other comprehensive income are reclassified and included in the initial measurement of the cost of the related asset or liability. The deferred amounts are ultimately recognized in the statement of income.

Share-based payments. Share-based payments are valued based on the grant date fair value of these awards and we record compensation expense over the corresponding service period. The fair value of the share-based payments is determined using acceptable valuation techniques, which incorporate the company’s discounted cash flow estimates and other market assumptions. There are two types of stock options outstanding: Service-vested options are time based and generally vest over 5 years of service. Performance-based and exit event options vest upon attainment of performance conditions and the occurrence of an exit event. The compensation expense related to the options is recognized ratably over the requisite service period, provided it is probable that the vesting conditions will be achieved and the occurrence of such exit event is probable.

Warranty. The critical assumptions and estimates used in determining the warranty provision at the balance sheet date are: number of jackets expected to require repair or replacement; proportion to be repaired versus replaced; period in which the warranty claim is expected to occur; cost of repair; cost of jacket replacement and risk-free rate used to discount the provision to present value. We update our inputs to this estimate on a quarterly basis to ensure the provision reflects the most current information regarding our products.

Trade receivables. We do not have any customers which account for more than 10% of sales or accounts receivable. We make ongoing estimates relating to the ability to collect our accounts receivable and maintain an allowance for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. In determining the amount of the allowance, we consider our historical level of credit losses and make judgments about the creditworthiness of significant customers based on ongoing credit evaluations. Credit risk arises from the possibility that certain parties will be unable to discharge their obligations. To mitigate this risk, management has entered into an agreement with a third party who has insured the risk of loss for up to 90% of accounts receivable from certain designated customers based on a total deductible of fifty thousand dollars. Since we cannot predict future changes in the financial stability of our customers, actual future losses from uncollectible accounts may differ from our estimates. If the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in their inability to make payments, a larger allowance might be required. In the event we determine that a smaller or larger allowance is appropriate, we would record a credit or a charge to selling, general and administrative expense in the period in which such a determination is made.

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As previously disclosed in our Registration Statement on Form F-1 (File No. 333-216078), which was declared effective by the SEC on March 15, 2017, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim consolidated financial statements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Prior to the IPO, we did not have in place an effective control environment with formal processes and procedures or an adequate number of accounting personnel with the appropriate technical training in, and experience with, IFRS to allow for a detailed review of complex accounting transactions that would identify errors in a timely manner, including inventory costing and business combinations. In addition, information technology controls, including end user and privileged access rights and appropriate segregation of duties, including for certain users the ability to create and post journal entries, were not designed or operating effectively.

 

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We have taken steps to address these material weaknesses and continue to implement our remediation plan, which we believe will address their underlying causes. We have engaged external advisors to provide assistance in the areas of information technology, internal controls over financial reporting, and financial accounting in the short term and to evaluate and document the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls and assist with the remediation and implementation of our internal controls as required. We are evaluating the longer term resource needs of our various financial functions. These remediation measures may be time consuming, costly, and might place significant demands on our financial and operational resources. Although we have made enhancements to our control procedures in this area, the material weaknesses will not be remediated until the necessary controls have been implemented and are operating effectively. We do not know the specific time frame needed to fully remediate the material weaknesses identified. See—“Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended March 31, 2017.

Standards issued and adopted

In December 2014, the IASB issued Disclosure Initiative Amendments to IAS 1, “Presentation of Financial Statements” as part of the IASB’s Disclosure Initiative. These amendments encourage entities to apply professional judgment regarding disclosure and presentation in their financial statements. These amendments were effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2016 and have been applied prospectively. There was no significant impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of the implementation of these amendments.

Standards issued but not yet effective

Certain new standards, amendments, and interpretations to existing IFRS standards have been published but are not yet effective and have not been adopted early by the company. Management anticipates that all of the pronouncements will be adopted in the company’s accounting policy for the first period beginning after the effective date of the pronouncement. Information on new standards, amendments, and interpretations that are expected to be relevant to the company’s financial statements is provided below.

In January 2016, the IASB issued IFRS 16, “Leases” (“IFRS 16”), replacing IAS 17, “Leases” and related interpretations. The standard provides a new framework for lessee accounting that requires substantially all assets obtained through operating leases to be capitalized and a related liability to be recorded. The new standard seeks to provide a more accurate picture of a company’s leased assets and related liabilities and create greater comparability between companies who lease assets and those who purchase assets. IFRS 16 becomes effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019, and is to be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted if IFRS 15, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“IFRS 15”) has been adopted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the IASB issued IFRS 15, “Revenue from contracts with customers”. IFRS 15 replaces the detailed guidance on revenue recognition requirements that currently exists under IFRS. The new standard provides a comprehensive framework for the recognition, measurement and disclosure of revenue from contracts with customers, excluding contracts within the scope of the accounting standards on leases, insurance contracts and financial instruments. IFRS 15 becomes effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018, and is to be applied retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In July 2014, the IASB issued the final version of IFRS 9, “Financial Instruments”, (“IFRS 9”) which reflects all phases of the financial instruments project and replaces IAS 39, “Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement,” and all previous versions of IFRS 9. IFRS 9 introduces new requirements for classification and measurement, impairment, and hedge accounting. The Standard also introduces new impairment requirements that are based on a forward-looking expected credit loss model. IFRS 9 is mandatorily effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

 

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Amendments to IAS 7, “Statement of Cash Flows” (“IAS 7”) were issued by the IASB in January 2016. The amendment clarifies that entities shall provide disclosures that enable users of financial statements to evaluate changes in liabilities arising from financing activities. The amendment to IAS 7 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the new standard on its consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the IASB issued amendments to IAS 12, “Income Taxes”, to clarify the requirements for recognizing deferred tax assets on unrealized losses. The amendments clarify the accounting for deferred tax where an asset is measured at fair value and that fair value is below the asset’s tax base. They also clarify certain other aspects of accounting for deferred tax assets. The amendments are effective for the year beginning on or after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently assessing the impact of these amendments on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the IASB issued an amendment to IFRS 2, “Share-based Payment”, clarifying the accounting for certain types of share-based payment transactions. The amendments provide requirements on accounting for the effects of vesting and non-vesting conditions of cash-settled share-based payments, withholding tax obligations for share-based payments with a net settlement feature, and when a modification to the terms of a share-based payment changes the classification of the transaction from cash-settled to equity-settled. The amendments are effective for the year beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company is currently assessing the impact of these amendments on its consolidated financial statements.

JOBS Act

We will not take advantage of the extended transition period provided under Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Because IFRS standards make no distinction between public and private companies for purposes of compliance with new or revised accounting standards, the requirements for our compliance as a private company and as a public company are the same.

 

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Business

Canada Goose

Founded 60 years ago in a small Toronto warehouse, Canada Goose has grown into a highly coveted global outerwear brand. We are recognized for authentic heritage, uncompromised craftsmanship and quality, exceptional warmth and superior functionality. This reputation is decades in the making and is rooted in our commitment to creating premium products that deliver unrivaled functionality where and when it is needed most. Be it Canadian Arctic Rangers serving their country or an explorer trekking to the South Pole, people who live, work and play in the harshest environments on Earth have turned to Canada Goose. Throughout our history, we have found inspiration in these technical challenges and parlayed that expertise into creating exceptional products for any occasion. From research facilities in Antarctica and the Canadian High Arctic to the streets of Toronto, New York City, London, Paris, Tokyo and beyond, people have fallen in love with our brand and made it a part of their everyday lives.

We are deeply involved in every stage of our business as a designer, manufacturer, distributor and retailer of premium outerwear for men, women and children. This vertically integrated business model allows us to directly control the design and development of our products while capturing higher margins. As of March 31, 2017, our products are sold through select outdoor, luxury and online retailers and distributors in 37 countries, our e-commerce sites in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France, and two recently opened retail stores in Toronto and New York City.

The power of our business model and our ability to profitably scale our operations are reflected in our financial performance. In fiscal 2017, we had revenue of $403.8 million, gross profit of $212.1 million, which represented gross margin of 52.5%, net income of $21.6 million, Adjusted EBITDA of $81.0 million, Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 20.1% and Adjusted Net Income of $44.1 million. We grew our revenue at a 36.0% compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”), net income at a 22.5% CAGR and Adjusted EBITDA at a 47.6% CAGR from fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2017, while expanding our gross margin from 40.6% to 52.5% and our Adjusted EBITDA Margin from 17.0% to 20.1% over the same period. For additional information regarding Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted Net Income, which are non-IFRS measures, including a reconciliation of these non-IFRS measures to net income, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-IFRS Measures.”

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe that the following strengths are central to the power of our brand and business model.

Authentic brand. For decades, we have helped explorers, scientists, athletes and film crews embrace the elements in some of the harshest environments in the world. Our stories are real and are best told through the unfiltered lens of Goose People, our brand ambassadors. The journeys, achievements and attitudes of these incredible adventurers embody our core belief that greatness is out there and inspire our customers to chart their own course.

Uncompromised craftsmanship. Leveraging decades of experience, field testing and obsessive attention to detail, we develop superior functional products. Our expertise in matching our technical fabrics with the optimal blends of down enables us to create warmer, lighter and more durable products across seasons and applications. The commitment to superior quality and lasting performance that initially made us renowned for warmth now extends into breathability and protection from wind and rain.

Beloved and coveted globally. We offer outerwear with timeless style for anyone who wants to embrace the elements. From the most remote regions of the world to major metropolitan centres, we have successfully broadened our reach beyond our arctic heritage to outdoor enthusiasts, urban explorers and discerning consumers globally. Our deep connection with our customers is evidenced by their brand loyalty. Consumer surveys conducted on our behalf in 2016 show that 82% of customers say they love their Canada

 

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Goose jackets and 84% of customers indicate that, when making their next premium outerwear purchase, they would likely repurchase Canada Goose. These results are among the highest in our industry based on this survey.

Proudly made in Canada. Our Canadian heritage and commitment to local manufacturing are at the heart of our business and brand. While many companies in our industry outsource to offshore manufacturers, we are committed to aggressively investing in producing premium, high quality products in Canada, the country from which we draw our inspiration. We believe our Canadian production facilities and craftspeople have set us apart on the international stage and in the minds of our customers.

Flexible supply chain. We directly control the design, innovation, development, engineering and testing of our products, which we believe allows us to achieve greater operating efficiencies and deliver superior quality products. We manage our production through a combination of in-house manufacturing facilities and long-standing relationships with Canadian third party sub-contractors. Our flexible supply chain gives us distinct advantages including the ability to scale our operations, adapt to customer demand, shorten product development cycles and achieve higher margins.

Multi-channel distribution. Our global distribution strategy allows us to reach customers through two distinct, brand-enhancing channels. In our wholesale channel, which as of March 31, 2017 extends into 37 countries, we carefully select the best retail partners and distributors to represent our brand in a manner consistent with our heritage and growth strategy. As a result, our retail partnerships include best-in-class outdoor, luxury and online retailers. Through our fast growing DTC channel, which includes our e-commerce sites in four countries and two recently opened retail stores, we are able to more directly control the customer experience, driving deeper brand engagement and loyalty, while also realizing more favorable margins. We employ product supply discipline across both of our channels to manage scarcity, preserve brand strength and optimize profitable growth for us and our retail partners.

Passionate and committed management team. Through steady brand discipline and a focus on sustainable growth, our management team has transformed a small family business into a global brand. Dani Reiss, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has worked in almost every area of our company and successfully developed our international sales channels prior to assuming the role of CEO in 2001. Mr. Reiss has assembled a team of seasoned executives from diverse and relevant backgrounds who draw on an average of over 15 years’ experience working with a wide range of leading global companies including Marc Jacobs, New Balance, Nike, Patagonia, Ralph Lauren, McKinsey, UFC and Red Bull. Their leadership and passion have accelerated our evolution into a three season lifestyle brand and the rollout of our DTC channel.

Our Growth Strategies

We have built a strong foundation as Canada Goose has evolved into a highly coveted global outerwear brand. Over the past three fiscal years, we have grown our revenue at a 36.0% CAGR, net income at a 22.5% CAGR and Adjusted EBITDA at a 47.6% CAGR. We have also expanded our gross margin from 40.6% to 52.5% and our Adjusted EBITDA Margin from 17.0% to 20.1% over the same period while concurrently making significant long-term investments in our human capital, production capacity, brand building and distribution channels. Leveraging these investments and our proven growth strategies, we will continue to aggressively pursue our substantial global market opportunity.

Execute our proven market development strategy. As we have grown our business, we have developed a successful framework for entering and developing our markets by increasing awareness and broadening customer access. We intend to continue executing on the following tactics as we further penetrate our markets globally:

Introduce and strengthen our brand. Building brand awareness among potential new customers and strengthening our connections with those who already know us will be a key driver of our growth. While our brand has achieved substantial traction globally and those who have experienced our products demonstrate strong loyalty, our presence is relatively nascent in many of our markets. According to an August 2016

 

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consumer survey conducted on our behalf, the vast majority of consumers outside of Canada are not aware of Canada Goose. Through a combination of the organic, word-of-mouth brand building that has driven much of our success to date and a more proactive approach to reaching new audiences through traditional channels, we will continue to introduce the Canada Goose brand to the world.

Enhance our wholesale network. We intend to continue broadening customer access and strengthening our global foothold in new and existing markets by strategically expanding our wholesale network and deepening current relationships. In all of our markets, we have an opportunity to increase sales by adding new wholesale doors and increasing volume in existing retailers. Additionally, we are focused on strengthening relationships with our retail partners through broader offerings, exclusive products and shop-in-shop formats. We believe our retail partners have a strong incentive to showcase our brand as our products drive customer traffic and consistent full-price sell-through in their stores.

Accelerate our e-commerce-led Direct to Consumer rollout. Our DTC channel serves as an unfiltered window into our brand which creates meaningful relationships and direct engagement with our customers. This drives opportunities to generate incremental revenue growth and capture full retail margin. We have rapidly grown our DTC sales to $115.2 million in fiscal 2017, which represented 28.5% of our consolidated revenue. We recently launched new online storefronts in the United Kingdom and France and plan to continue introducing online stores in new markets. In May 2017, we announced our intention to open seven additional e-commerce sites in Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.

Our e-commerce platform is complemented by our two recently opened retail stores, which opened ahead of the 2016 holiday season in Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and Soho in New York City. Our retail stores exceeded our expectations and established themselves as retail destinations, with visits from local consumers and tourists from 31 countries in the first six months. We intend to open a select number of additional retail locations in major metropolitan centres and premium outdoor destinations where we believe they can operate profitably, including London and Chicago in fiscal 2018. We expect to open an additional three flagship locations in fiscal 2018, including London and Chicago, both of which are expected to open their doors to customers in the third quarter.

Strengthen and expand our geographic footprint. We believe there is an opportunity to increase penetration across our existing markets and selectively enter new regions. Although the Canada Goose brand is recognized globally, our recent investments have been focused on North America and have driven exceptional growth in Canada and the United States. Outside of Canada and the United States (“Rest of World”), we have identified an opportunity to accelerate our momentum utilizing our proven growth framework. The following table presents our revenue in each of our geographic segments over the past three fiscal years:

 

(in CAD $millions)		Fiscal year ended March 31,												‘15 – ‘17
		2015				2016				2017				CAGR
Canada			75.7				95.2				155.1				43.1	%
United States			57.0				103.4				131.9				52.1	%
Rest of World			85.7				92.2				116.8				16.7	%
Total			218.4				290.8				403.8				36.0	%

Canada. While we have achieved high brand awareness in Canada, we continue to experience strong penetration and revenue growth driven primarily by expanding access and product offerings. After developing a strong wholesale footprint, we successfully launched our Canadian e-commerce platform in August 2014 and opened our first retail store in Toronto in October 2016. We expect to further develop our presence through increased strategic marketing activities, deeper relationships with our retail partners and continued focus on our DTC channel. Additionally, we intend to continue broadening our product offering, to make Canada Goose a bigger part of our customers’ lives.

United States. As we continue to capture the significant market opportunity in the United States, our focus is on increasing brand awareness to a level that approaches what we have achieved in Canada. According to

 

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an August 2016 consumer survey conducted on our behalf, aided brand awareness in the United States is 16% as compared to 76% in Canada. Our market entry has been staged on a regional basis, with the bulk of our investments and wholesale penetration concentrated in the Northeast, where our aided brand awareness is 25% and as high as 46% in Boston and New York City. This has been the primary driver of our historical growth and momentum in the U.S. and we continue to generate strong growth in the region. Building on this success, we launched our national e-commerce platform in September 2015, opened our first retail store in New York City in November 2016 and announced a second retail store to be opened in Chicago in fiscal 2018. We believe there is a large white space opportunity in other regions such as the Mid-Atlantic as well as the Midwest, where our aided brand awareness is currently 18%, and West, where our aided brand awareness is 14% and as high as 26% in metropolitan markets such as Denver and San Francisco. As we sequentially introduce our brand to the rest of the country, we are focused on expanding our wholesale footprint, including executing our shop-in-shop strategy and continuing to deliver a broader three season product assortment to our partners.

Rest of World. We currently generate sales in every major Western European market and, while this is where the brand first achieved commercial success, we believe there are significant opportunities to accelerate these markets to their full potential. In the United Kingdom and France in particular, we have achieved strong traction through our retail partnerships, but have yet to fully extend our wholesale network and are only in the initial phase of executing on our shop-in-shop strategy. In both markets, we launched our e-commerce platforms in September 2016 and intend to establish our owned retail presence in the near future, including in our first European retail store in London to be opened in fiscal 2018. While the United Kingdom and France are our most developed European markets, we have identified a number of markets with significant near-term development potential, such as Germany, Italy and Scandinavia. We intend to further establish our European presence through opening e-commerce sites in fiscal 2018 in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Sweden.

Outside of Europe, our most established markets are Japan and Korea. Over the past decade, we have grown successfully in Japan and, in both Japan and Korea, recently partnered with world-class distributors. These partners will help us continue to build awareness and access to the brand while ensuring its long term sustainability. Additionally, we currently have a minimal presence in China and other large markets which represent significant future opportunities.

From fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2016, we nearly doubled our market penetration in Canada to reach approximately 35 unit sales per 1,000 addressable customers (people living above the 37th Parallel and with annual household income of greater than $100,000). We have been similarly successful in the United States, Western Europe, Scandinavia and Asia with unit sales per 1,000 addressable customers reaching between 3.5 and 10 units, but we still have room to grow in our current markets. Even without expanding our geographic footprint or our product lines, we believe we have significant opportunity to further increase penetration in the United States, Western Europe, France, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Italy), Scandinavia (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland) and Asia (Japan and South Korea); if we were to achieve 50% of current penetration in Canada in these other geographies, this would result in tripled unit demand within our Fall and Winter product categories.

Enhance and expand our product offering. Continuing to enhance and expand our product offering represents a meaningful growth driver for Canada Goose. Broadening our product line will allow us to strengthen brand loyalty with those customers who already love Canada Goose, drive higher penetration in our existing markets and expand our appeal across new geographies and climates. Drawing on our decades of experience and customer demand for inspiring new functional products, we intend to continue developing our offering through the following:

Elevate Winter. Recognizing that people want to bring the functionality of our jackets into their everyday lives, we have developed a wide range of exceptional winter products for any occasion. While staying true to our tactical industrial heritage, we intend to continue refreshing and broadening our offering with new stylistic variations, refined fits and exclusive limited edition collaborations.

 

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Expand Spring and Fall. We intend to continue building out our successful Spring and Fall collections in categories such as lightweight and ultra-lightweight down, rainwear, windwear and softshell jackets. While keeping our customers warm, comfortable and protected across three seasons, these extensions also increase our appeal in markets with more temperate climates.

Extend beyond outerwear. Our strategy is to selectively respond to customer demand for functional products in adjacent categories. Consumer surveys conducted on our behalf indicate that our customers are looking for additional Canada Goose products, particularly in key categories such as knitwear, fleece, footwear, travel gear and bedding. We believe offering inspiring new products that are consistent with our heritage, functionality and quality represents an opportunity to develop a closer relationship with our customers and expand our addressable market.

Continue to drive operational excellence. As we scale our business, we plan to continue leveraging our brand and powerful business model to drive operational efficiencies and higher margins in the following ways:

Channel mix. We intend to expand our DTC channel in markets that can support the profitable rollout of e-commerce and select retail stores. As our distribution channel mix shifts toward our e-commerce-led DTC channel, we expect to capture incremental gross margin. A jacket sale in our DTC channel provides two-to-four times greater contribution to segment operating income per jacket as compared to a sale of the same product in our wholesale channel.

Price optimization. We intend to continue optimizing our pricing to capture the full value of our products and the superior functionality they provide to our customers. Additionally, we actively balance customer demand with scarcity of supply to avoid the promotional activity that is common in the apparel industry. This allows us and our retail partners to sell our products at full price, avoid markdowns and realize full margin potential.

Manufacturing capabilities. Approximately one-third of Canada Goose products are currently manufactured in our own facilities in Canada. We intend to optimize our domestic manufacturing mix by opportunistically bringing additional manufacturing capacity in-house to capture incremental gross margin.

Operating leverage. We have invested ahead of our growth in all areas of the business including design and manufacturing, multi-channel distribution and corporate infrastructure. For example, our current manufacturing footprint is sufficient to allow us to double our current headcount to support planned revenue growth. As we continue our growth trajectory, we have the opportunity to leverage these investments and realize economies of scale.

 

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History

Over the last 60 years, we have grown from a manufacturer of private label parkas into one of the world’s most desired outerwear brands. Fueled by our core belief that greatness is out there and building on our strength of creating premium functional jackets, we have extended our brand into three seasons and new categories beyond the parka. With the same discipline, we have expanded our sales channels beyond distributors to include a select group of outdoor, luxury and online retailers as well as, more recently, our own DTC channel. At every step, we have stayed true to our heritage, which we believe has set us apart.

 

Our Products

Our arctic heritage. Authenticity is everything to Canada Goose. We began as an outerwear manufacturer focused primarily on providing parkas to people working in the harshest environment on Earth—the Arctic. From

 

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the crew of a northern Canadian airline, First Air, to Canadian Arctic Rangers, we have been trusted to help keep people warm. For decades, this utilitarian, functional history has been core to our heritage. To ensure we deliver a product that performs when and where it is needed most, we strive to make the best products of their kind by using the highest quality raw materials and craftsmanship.

The precision of every cut, fold and stitch in our products is guided by decades of experience. From zipper to button and stitch to stitch, every element is carefully chosen and meticulously put into place by hand. Every Canada Goose jacket passes through the hands of multiple craftspeople, all united by our commitment to uncompromising quality. Our quality assurance team inspects every jacket to ensure no detail is overlooked. We believe our best-in-class Canadian manufacturing capabilities and partnerships afford us increased quality control and direct involvement in all stages of the process, enabling us to stand behind our outerwear with a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.

Our evolution. As a global three-season outerwear brand, our product offering has evolved significantly since the days of solely making specialty jackets such as the Snow Mantra and Expedition parkas for the severe Arctic environment. We leveraged our tactical industrial heritage, including our long relationship with the Canadian military and law enforcement, to inspire, develop and refine functionally superior in-line collections for extreme conditions and beyond.

Recognizing our customers want to bring the functionality of our jackets into their everyday lives, we expanded our offering to include products for outdoor enthusiasts, urban explorers and discerning consumers everywhere. True to our heritage, we partnered with extraordinary Goose People as a source of inspiration and real-world testing. Whether developing novel HyBridge products for Ray Zahab to run the Sahara or custom-designing Laurie Skreslet’s coat to summit Everest, which inspired our Altitude line, Canada Goose has found inspiration in every technical challenge and parlayed that expertise into creating exceptional products for any occasion.

The uncompromised craftsmanship and quality of the Canada Goose brand is preserved in new products and high performance materials to keep our customers warm and comfortable no matter how low the temperature drops. According to our customers who responded to our consumer survey our jackets are the warmest as compared to other outerwear brands. As we evolved and expanded our winter assortment to suit new uses, climates and geographies, we also refreshed our core offerings with the introduction of our Black Label collection, enhancing our classic products with a focus on elevated style, luxurious fabrics and refined fits.

Our broad set of manufacturing capabilities and access to innovative materials ranging from ArcticTech and Tri-Durance fabrics to luxury Loro Piana wool enable us to meet customers’ needs in the Arctic, on designer runways and nearly everywhere in between. At the same time as our coats keep Canadian law enforcement warm and equip Goose People on epic adventures, our collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Levi’s, musician Drake’s October’s Very Own (OVO) fashion brand, professional baseball player José Bautista and others have been met with strong acclaim. These collaborations help extend our brand to new audiences and introduce inspiring new styles to those who already love Canada Goose.

Expansion into three seasons. As our heritage line has expanded significantly, Canada Goose has also developed a reputation for superior quality and exceptional functionality across Spring and Fall. No matter the season, people trust Canada Goose to keep them warm, comfortable and protected. Our Spring and Fall products enable consumers to embrace the elements in every season, with a wide selection of lightweight and ultra-lightweight down, rainwear, windwear and other down hybrid and softshell jackets.

Our Spring and Fall collections have demonstrated meaningful traction with consumers. They have also been met with great critical acclaim: HyBridge Lite won the Gear of The Year Award from Outside Magazine in 2011 and our Spring 2017 collection was named Editor’s Pick by World’s Global Style Network (WGSN), a leading trend forecaster.

 

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Beyond outerwear. Canada Goose has launched a refined line of accessories in response to customer demand for products to complement their outerwear. Our accessories focus on handwear, headwear and neckwear, and offer unparalleled warmth, function and timeless style to our customers, consistent with the heritage of our core products. Beyond accessories, we continue to selectively respond to customer demand for new product categories. Our customers have shown meaningful interest in key new product categories including knitwear and fleece, which we are developing, as well as footwear, travel gear and bedding, which we may pursue in the future. As we expand the Canada Goose brand to serve new uses, wearing occasions, geographies and consumers, we will always stay true to who we are and what the Canada Goose brand stands for: authentic heritage, uncompromised craftsmanship and quality, exceptional warmth and superior functionality.

 

Sourcing and Manufacturing

Uncompromised craftsmanship begins with sourcing the right raw materials. We use premium fabrics and finishings that are built to last. Our blends of down and fabrics enable us to create warmer, lighter and more

 

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durable products across seasons and applications. Our products are made with down because it is recognized as the world’s best natural insulator, providing approximately three times the warmth per ounce as synthetic alternatives and, when necessary, trimmed with real fur to protect the skin from frostbite in harsh conditions.

We are committed to the sustainable and ethical sourcing of our raw materials. We have introduced comprehensive traceability programs for fur and down throughout our supply chain which came into effect during the spring of 2017. We only use down that is a byproduct of the poultry industry and we only purchase down and fur from suppliers who adhere to our stringent standards regarding fair practices and humane treatment of animals.

As of June 1, 2017, we operate five production facilities in Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal, manufacturing approximately one-third of our products in-house. We also work with 30 Canadian and 7 international highly qualified subcontractors who offer specialized expertise, which provides us with flexibility to scale our production of parkas and non-core products, respectively. We employ 1,495 manufacturing employees as of June 1, 2017, and have been recognized by the Government of Canada for supporting the apparel manufacturing industry in Canada. We have invested ahead of our growth and more than doubled our in-house and contract manufacturing unit production capacity, respectively, in the past five years.

Multi-Channel Distribution Network

We sell our products through our wholesale and DTC channels. In fiscal 2017, our wholesale channel accounted for 71.5% of our revenue and our DTC channel contributed 28.5% of our revenue. Across both channels we are very selective with the distribution and supply of our products.

Wholesale. The wholesale channel allows us to enter and develop new markets, maintain a leading position within our geographies and make informed investments in our DTC infrastructure. As we have grown, we have evolved what was originally a generalist approach to account management through specialist capabilities that are better aligned with the needs of specific markets and retail formats. These capabilities allow us to develop strategic relationships directly with retailers and distributors. We work with a select set of partners who respect our heritage, share our values and strengthen our market presence. As of March 31, 2017, through our global network of over 2,500 points of distribution with retailers such as Sporting Life, Harry Rosen, Gorsuch, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Selfridges and Lane Crawford we reach customers across 37 countries. Our wholesale distribution includes a mix of outdoor, luxury and online retailers. We drive traffic for our retail partners and leverage our mutually beneficial relationships to receive prime placement within their stores, showcase a broader product offering and establish Canada Goose shops-in-shops. Careful planning with our wholesale network allows us to manage scarcity and maintain high levels of full-price sell-through. Over the past three years, we have been in the process of enhancing our wholesale network to bring all of our accounts in-house with enhanced management. This allows us to deepen the relationships with our retailers by strategizing on product assortment, shop-in-shop presentation and rollout, and creates opportunities to increase our three season penetration and to offer new products through our retail partners.

Direct to Consumer. We operate an e-commerce-led DTC channel, which has grown rapidly since its launch in fiscal 2015. Our online store features our full product offering and grants us the ability to build valuable intelligence through a direct conversation with our customers. We rolled out our e-commerce platforms in Canada and the United States as well as the United Kingdom and France in August 2014, September 2015 and September 2016, respectively. We intend to continue building out our e-commerce infrastructure in new markets where we have an established wholesale presence.

Our e-commerce rollout is complemented by our retail stores in premium high traffic locations. We opened our first two retail stores in Toronto and New York City in the fall of 2016. Going forward, we plan to open a limited number of additional retail stores in other major metropolitan centres as well as premium outdoor destinations where we believe they can operate profitably. We have announced planned new locations in London and Chicago

 

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in fiscal 2018. This unfiltered window into our brand will allow us to develop a closer relationship with our customers through unique experiences, feature our full product offering and drive revenue growth across both channels.

 

Marketing

We have never taken a traditional marketing approach to driving consumer awareness. We have told real stories in authentic ways, fueling brand awareness and affinity through creative marketing initiatives and developing strategic relationships in relevant industries. Our success has been driven organically by word-of-mouth marketing. We have found that the experience people have with Canada Goose products is something they eagerly and passionately share with others, which we believe generates exceptional demand for our products.

Powerful and creative storytelling. To us, marketing is about telling stories—interesting stories with genuine impact. As a result of the love for our products and the deep relationships we have developed, our brand has been featured extensively in a wide range of media around the world including documentaries, feature films, commercials and magazines.

We also create original content to drive awareness and understanding of Canada Goose. In celebration of our 50th anniversary, we published Goose People, a coffee table book highlighting 50 people from around the world who embody our values. This cemented one of our key marketing initiatives as Goose People continue to be an important way for us to authentically tell our stories. In 2015, we brought some of these stories to life on the big screen through our collaboration with Oscar-winning director, Paul Haggis, and our production of the film, Out There, which was awarded two Cannes Gold Lions.

Goose People. Goose People are a diverse group of global brand ambassadors—adventurers, athletes, scientists and artists—who embody our values and lifestyle, stand for something bigger than themselves and inspire others through epic adventures and accomplishments. We consider them the epitome of our core belief that greatness is out there. They have become a platform to showcase our brand’s heritage, authentic story and uncompromised craftsmanship.

 

Film and entertainment. For more than three decades, our jackets have been a staple on film sets around the world and are known as the unofficial jacket of film crews anywhere it is cold. Our jackets offer crew and talent the warmth and functionality they need to survive long shoots in the most demanding environments. Due to this

 

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long-standing and organic seeding relationship, we have not paid for product placement, but our products have naturally transitioned from behind the scenes to on-camera as a way to authenticate cold weather scenes. We also support the industry as an official sponsor of a number of international film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.

Investing for the future. Moving forward, our marketing focus is on continuing to tell our stories in unique, creative and authentic ways that engage and inspire customers. As our distribution model has shifted from pure wholesale to multi-channel, our business needs have evolved. We have supported this shift through digital first marketing that scales quickly and globally while maintaining a consistent and authentic brand experience for our customers. We have also taken a more proactive and sophisticated approach to understanding our customers and utilizing insights to inform how we deliver new products. This allows us to be present in their preferred digital platforms and to engage our fans and maintain their loyalty for years to come. We will continue to strategically invest in reaching new audiences in developing markets and boosting affinity around the world. Our marketing efforts, like our products, will always be subject to the brand discipline and stewardship that have guided us throughout our history.

Our Market

Strongly positioned in large and growing apparel market segment. Our focus on functionality and quality broadens our reach beyond people working in the coldest places on earth to outdoor enthusiasts, urban explorers and discerning consumers globally. Our uncompromised craftsmanship positions our products as premium technical garments and coveted luxury items in the eyes of our customer. We believe the staying power of our brand strongly positions us to compete in the growing outerwear and luxury apparel markets.

Current Global Market Penetration

 

Proven growth framework to further penetrate geographic markets. While we have a global distribution network in place, we recognize the potential for significant penetration upside across all of our markets. Our tailored approach to market development is informed by prevailing awareness and distribution. We cost-effectively develop initial awareness in new markets by building strong relationships with carefully selected partners within our wholesale channel. Wholesale momentum informs our incremental brand building investments in each

 

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region. As our market presence grows, we evaluate the opportunity to roll out our DTC channel. The first step in this process is the introduction of our e-commerce platform which is followed by the evaluation of select retail store opportunities. With increased customer awareness and access, we begin to introduce a broader product offering.

For example, as we continue to capture the significant market opportunity in the United States, we are pursuing a staged regional expansion. Our initial entry into the U.S. market was concentrated in the Northeast where we grew our wholesale network to 125 doors as of March 31, 2017 and, according to a survey conducted on our behalf in August 2016 of consumers that have purchased premium outerwear, achieved aided brand awareness of 46% in Boston and New York City. Building on this, we have begun to focus on expanding customer access via our e-commerce site and retail store in New York City. Our successful execution in this region has been the primary driver of our 52.1% revenue CAGR in the United States from fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2017.

Moving beyond our success in the Northeast, we recognize a significant whitespace opportunity across the United States. We continue to focus on introducing and strengthening the Canada Goose brand given relatively low aided brand awareness levels of 26% in key metropolitan markets such as Denver and San Francisco. In these rapidly developing markets, we remain focused on expanding our wholesale footprint, including executing our shop-in-shop strategy and continuing to drive a broader product assortment to our partners. Our national e-commerce presence offers us a direct connection to our customers and informs our efforts in high potential regions such as the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Pacific Northwest. As we continue to expand to regions with diverse and temperate climates, our product offering will include a stronger emphasis on our expanding Spring and Fall collections.

The success we have achieved in North America has allowed us to refine and strengthen our framework for market development. We will continue to aggressively pursue our substantial global market opportunity using our proven growth strategies.

Competition

The market for outerwear is highly fragmented. We principally operate in the market for premium outerwear, which is part of the broader apparel industry. We compete directly against other manufacturers, wholesalers and direct retailers of outerwear, premium functional outerwear and luxury outerwear. We compete both with global brands and with regional brands operating only in select markets. Because of the fragmented nature of our marketplace, we also compete with other apparel sellers, including those who do not specialize in outerwear. While we operate in a highly competitive market, we believe there are many factors that differentiate us from other manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of outerwear, including our brand, our heritage and history, our focus on functionality and craftsmanship and the fact that our core products are made in Canada.

Intellectual Property

We own the trademarks used in connection with the marketing, distribution and sale of all of our products in the United States, Canada and in the other countries in which our products are sold. Our major trademarks include the CANADA GOOSE word mark and the ARCTIC PROGRAM & DESIGN trademark (our disc logo consisting of the colour-inverse design of the North Pole and Arctic Ocean). In addition to the registrations in Canada and the United States, our word mark and design are registered in other jurisdictions which cover approximately 37 jurisdictions. Furthermore, in certain jurisdictions we register as trademarks certain elements of our products, such as fabric, warmth categorization and style names such as our Snow Mantra parka.

We enforce our trademarks and we have taken several measures to protect our customers from counterfeiting activities. Since 2011 we have sewn a unique hologram, designed exclusively for us, into every jacket and accessory as proof of authenticity. Additionally, our website has a tool for potential online customers to verify the integrity of third party retailers that purport to sell our products. We are also active in enforcing rights on a global basis to our trademarks and taking action against counterfeiters, online and in physical stores.

 

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Government Regulation

In Canada and in the other jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to labour and employment laws, laws governing advertising, privacy and data security laws, safety regulations and other laws, including consumer protection regulations that apply to retailers and/or the promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of stores and warehouse facilities. Our products sold outside of Canada are subject to tariffs, treaties and various trade agreements as well as laws affecting the importation of consumer goods. We monitor changes in these laws, regulations, treaties and agreements, and believe that we are in material compliance with applicable laws.

Our Employees

As of March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, we had 1,716, 1,192, and 851 employees, including both full-time and part-time employees. The number of employees by function as of the end of the period for our fiscal years ended March 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was as follows:

 

		2017				2016				2015
By Function:
Canadian manufacturing			1,340				970				690
Selling and retail			107				33				26
Corporate Head Office			269				189				135
Total			1,716				1,192				851

Corporate Information and Structure

Our company was founded in Toronto, Canada in 1957. In December 2013, we partnered with Bain Capital through a sale of a 70% equity interest in our business to accelerate our growth. In connection with such sale, Canada Goose Holdings Inc. was incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the “BCBCA”) on November 21, 2013. The IPO of our subordinate voting shares in the United States and Canada was completed on March 21, 2017.

Our principal office is located at 250 Bowie Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6E 4Y2 and our telephone number is (416) 780-9850. Our registered office is located at Suite 1700, Park Place, 666 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 2X8.

 

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The following chart reflects our organizational structure (including the jurisdiction of formation or incorporation of the various entities), after the completion of this offering and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares:

 

Leased Properties

We maintain the following leased facilities for our corporate headquarters and to conduct our principal manufacturing and retail activities, which we believe are in good condition and working order:

 

Location		Principal Activity		Square Feet				Lease Expiration Date
Canada
Toronto, Ontario		Corporate Headquarters, Showroom and Manufacturing			190,978 square feet				June 30, 2023
Scarborough, Ontario		Manufacturing			84,800 square feet				May 31, 2020
Scarborough, Ontario		Logistics			117,179 square feet				August 31, 2027
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto, Ontario		Retail Store			4,503 square feet				October 31, 2026
Winnipeg, Manitoba		Manufacturing			82,920 square feet				November 12, 2022
Winnipeg, Manitoba		Manufacturing			94,541 square feet				September 30, 2025
Boisbriand, Québec		Manufacturing			94,547 square feet				July 31, 2023
United States
New York, NY		Office and showroom			4,040 square feet				December 31, 2024
New York, NY		Retail Store			6,970 square feet				March 31, 2027
Chicago, IL		Retail Store			10,188 square feet				July 31, 2027
Rest of World
Hong Kong, China		Office			1,492 square feet				July 22, 2018
Paris, France		Office and Showroom			4,090 square feet				March 15, 2018
London, U.K.		Retail Store			6,000 square feet				September 28, 2027
Zug, Switzerland		Office and Showroom			7,545 square feet				January 31, 2021

 

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Seasonality

Our business is seasonal in nature. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting Performance—Seasonality.”

Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Matters

From time to time, we may be subject to legal or regulatory proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business, including proceedings to protect our intellectual property rights. As part of our monitoring program for our intellectual property rights, from time to time we file lawsuits for acts of trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, trademark dilution, patent infringement or breach of other state or foreign laws. These actions often result in seizure of counterfeit merchandise and negotiated settlements with defendants. Defendants sometime raise the invalidity or unenforceability of our proprietary rights as affirmative defenses or counterclaims. We currently have no material legal or regulatory proceedings pending.

 

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Management

Executive Officers and Directors

The following table sets forth certain information relating to our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus. Unless otherwise stated, the business address for our directors and officers is c/o Canada Goose Holdings Inc., 250 Bowie Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6E 4Y2.

 

Name and Province or State and Country of Residence		Age				Position
Dani Reiss Ontario, Canada			43			President and Chief Executive Officer and Director
John Black Ontario, Canada			59			Chief Financial Officer
Pat Sherlock Ontario, Canada			44			Senior Vice President, Global Wholesale
Ana Mihaljevic Ontario, Canada			36			Senior Vice President, Planning and Sales Operations
Jacqueline Poriadjian-Asch Ontario, Canada			39			Chief Marketing Officer
Jacob Pat Ontario, Canada			38			Senior Vice President, Information Technology
Lee Turlington California, United States			62			Chief Product Officer
Kara MacKillop Ontario, Canada			41			Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Scott Cameron Ontario, Canada			39			Executive Vice President e-Commerce, Stores and Strategy
David Forrest Ontario, Canada			38			Senior Vice President, General Counsel
Carrie Baker Ontario, Canada			41			Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President
John Moran Ontario, Canada			54			Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Spencer Orr Ontario, Canada			39			Senior Vice President, Merchandising and Product Strategy
Ryan Cotton Massachusetts, United States			38			Director
Joshua Bekenstein Massachusetts, United States			58			Director
Stephen Gunn Ontario, Canada			62			Director
Jean-Marc Huët Guildford, England			48			Director
John Davison			58			Director
Ontario, Canada

Dani Reiss C. M. (Member of the Order of Canada), President and Chief Executive Officer and Director

The grandson of our founder, Mr. Reiss, joined the company in 1997 and was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in 2001. Mr. Reiss has worked in almost every area of the company and successfully developed our international sales channels prior to assuming the role of President and Chief

 

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Executive Officer. Mr. Reiss received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto. Mr. Reiss is the Chairman of our board of directors and brings leadership and operational experience to our board of directors as our President and Chief Executive Officer.

John Black, Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Black joined the company in August 2013 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Black served as the Chief Financial Officer of Protenergy Natural Foods Corp., from May 2011 to August 2013, and at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation from April 2005 to April 2010. From March 2001 to April 2005 Mr. Black served as Chief Financial Officer of Trimark Sportswear Group. Mr. Black brings to our team a results-focused approach and strong negotiation skills as well as a track record of improving performance at companies. Mr. Black received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree and Bachelor of Administration degree from The University of Ottawa, and is a CPA-CA.

Pat Sherlock, Senior Vice President, Global Wholesale

Mr. Sherlock joined the company in November 2012 as the Director of Canadian Sales and was named Senior Director of Sales in May 2014, Vice President of Sales Canada in May 2015 and Senior Vice President of Global Wholesale in April 2016. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Sherlock served as the National Sales Manager of New Balance Canada Inc., from January 2008 to November 2012 and Managing Director, Central Eastern Canada for Lothar Heinrich Agencies Ltd. (Warsteiner) from December 2006 to January 2008. He spent 10 years at InBev (Labatt), from 1997 to 2007 most recently as National Field Sales Manager. Mr. Sherlock received a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management from University of Winnipeg.

Ana Mihaljevic, Senior Vice President, Planning and Sales Operations

Ms. Mihaljevic joined the company in April 2015 as Vice President of Planning and became Vice President of Planning and Sales Operations in April 2016 and Senior Vice President of Planning and Sales Operations in April 2017. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Mihaljevic served as the Director of Business Planning at Marc Jacobs International, a designer apparel company, from March 2013 to March 2015, the Director of Sales and Planning at Jones Apparel Group, a women’s apparel company, from May 2011 to March 2013, and as an Account Executive at Ralph Lauren from April 2008 to May 2011. Ms. Mihaljevic received a Bachelor in Commerce from Queen’s University.

Jacqueline Poriadjian-Asch, Chief Marketing Officer

Ms. Poriadjian-Asch joined the company in April 2016 as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining the company, Ms. Poriadjian-Asch spent nine years at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from February 2007 to November 2015 and served as the Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing from July 2012 to November 2015. Prior to that she spent six years at iN DEMAND, LLC from January 2001 to February 2007. Ms. Poriadjian-Asch received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Queens College (NY) and a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School.

Jacob Pat, Senior Vice President, Information Technology

Mr. Pat joined the company as Director of Information Technology in March 2013, and was named Vice President of Information Technology in March 2014 and Senior Vice President of Information Technology in April 2017. Prior to joining our team, Mr. Pat served as the Director of Enablement at Momentum Advanced Solutions Inc., a division of OnX, from April 2012 to March 2013, and Manager of QA/Information Technology at Trimble Navigation from August 2008 to April 2012.

 

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Lee Turlington, Chief Product Officer

Mr. Turlington began working with Canada Goose in October 2015 as an independent consultant, and formally joined the company as Chief Product Officer in March 2016. Prior to joining the company Mr. Turlington spent seven years as independent consultant with TURLINGTON, Inc., advising companies such as International Marketing Partners Ltd., Mission Athlete Care, Ape & Partners S.P.A/Parajumpers, Quiksilver Inc., Ironclad Performance Wear Corporation, Haglofs, and LK International AG/KJUS. He spent five years at Patagonia Inc. from 2008-2013, most recently serving as Vice President, Global Product. From March 1999 to April 2007, Mr. Turlington served as a Global Director and General Manager for Nike Inc. Prior to that, he served at Fila Sport S.P.A. from March 1994 to February 1999, as Senior Vice President, Fila Apparel. From June 1977 to April 1992, he served as Vice President, Sales, Marketing, Global Product and various other executive roles at The North Face. Mr. Turlington received a Bachelor of Economics from Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Kara MacKillop, Senior Vice President, Human Resources

Ms. MacKillop joined the company in September 2014 as the Vice President of Human Resources. She was promoted to Senior Vice President of Human Resources in 2016. Prior to joining our team, Ms. MacKillop served as the Director of Human Resources for Red Bull Canada, a company that produces and sells energy drinks, from September 2010 to September 2014, and as Director of Human Resources for Indigo Books and Music from August 2003 until September 2010. Ms. MacKillop received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario.

Scott Cameron, Executive Vice President e-Commerce, Stores and Strategy

Mr. Cameron joined the company in December 2015 as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer and has served as Executive Vice President e-Commerce, Stores and Strategy since July 2016. Prior to joining our team, Mr. Cameron spent eight years focused on luxury and apparel retail brands at McKinsey & Co. Toronto, a management consulting firm, most recently as a principal. Mr. Cameron received a Bachelor in Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

David Forrest, Senior Vice President, General Counsel

Mr. Forrest joined the company in May 2014 as Director, Legal and was named Senior Director, Legal in May 2015, Vice President, Legal in October 2016 and Senior Vice President, General Counsel in April 2017. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Forrest served as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Thomas Cook North America from May 2012 to May 2014, prior to which he practiced law at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, August 2006 until May 2012. Mr. Forrest received a Bachelor of Laws (with distinction) from Western University in 2006 and a Honours Bachelor of Arts, Applied Economics from Queen’s University in 2002.

Carrie Baker, Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President

Ms. Baker joined the company in May 2012 as the Vice President of Communications and now serves as Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President. Prior to joining the company Ms. Baker spent 12 years at High Road Communications, a North American communications agency, from May 2000 to April 2012, serving most recently as Senior Vice President. Ms. Baker received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario.

John Moran, Senior Vice President Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Mr. Moran joined the company in November 2014 as Vice President of Manufacturing and was promoted in January 2017 to Senior Vice President, Manufacturing and Supply Chain. Prior to joining the company,

 

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Mr. Moran served as Chief Operating Officer at Smith & Vandiver Corp. in 2014 and as Vice President, Operations from October 2003 to March 2011 and later Chief Operating Officer from April 2011 to April 2013 at Robert Talbott Inc. in Monterey, California, a renowned producer of men’s and women’s luxury apparel. Throughout his time with Robert Talbott Inc., Mr. Moran’s responsibilities ranged from strategic planning and business development to sales, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and finance. Prior to his time with Robert Talbott Inc., Mr. Moran was employed full-time with Gitman Brothers Shirt Company, based in Ashland, Pennsylvania, from 1984 to October 2003 holding positions of varying levels of responsibility in manufacturing, distribution and finance. At the time of his departure in October 2003 he held the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Spencer Orr, Senior Vice President, Merchandising and Product Strategy

Mr. Orr joined the company in January 2009 as Product Manager. He was promoted to Vice President of Design and Merchandising in 2012, Vice President of Merchandising and Product Strategy in June 2016 and Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Product Strategy in April 2017. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Orr served as the Manager of Product Design and Development at Sierra Designs, an industry leading outerwear and outdoor equipment brand. Mr. Orr received an Honours Bachelors in Outdoor Recreation from Lakehead University and a Masters in Business Administration from Ivey Business School at University of Western Ontario.

Ryan Cotton, Director

Mr. Cotton has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2013. He joined Bain Capital in 2003, and is currently a Managing Director. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Mr. Cotton was a consultant at Bain & Company from 2001 to 2003. He is a director at Apple Leisure Group, TOMS Shoes Holdings, LLC, and International Market Centers, Inc. Mr. Cotton received a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mr. Cotton provides strong executive and business operations skills to our board of directors and valuable experience gained from previous and current board service.

Joshua Bekenstein, Director

Mr. Bekenstein has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2013. He is a Managing Director at Bain Capital. Prior to joining Bain Capital, in 1984, Mr. Bekenstein spent several years at Bain & Company, Inc., where he was involved with companies in a variety of industries. Mr. Bekenstein serves as a director of The Michaels Companies, Inc., BRP Inc., Dollarama Inc., Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. and The Gymboree Corporation. He previously served as a member of the board of directors of Burlington Stores, Inc. and Waters Corporation. Mr. Bekenstein received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Mr. Bekenstein provides strong executive and business operations skills to our board of directors and valuable experience gained from previous and current board service.

Stephen Gunn, Director

Mr. Gunn has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2017. He serves as a Co-Chair of Sleep Country Canada Inc. (“Sleep Country”). He co-founded Sleep Country, in 1994 and served as its Chair and Chief Executive Officer from 1997 to 2014. Prior to founding Sleep Country Mr. Gunn was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company from 1981 to 1987 and then co-founded and was President of Kenrick Capital, a private equity firm. Mr. Gunn also serves as the lead director of Dollarama Inc. and is the Chair of the audit committee of Cara Operations Limited, and served as a director of Golf Town Canada Inc. from 2008 to 2016. He received a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Queens University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. Mr. Gunn provides strong executive and business operations skills to our board of directors and valuable experience gained from previous and current board service.

 

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Jean-Marc Huët, Director

Mr. Huët has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2017. He serves as a supervisory board member of Heineken N.V. and of SHV Holdings N.V. Mr. Huët served as a director of Formula One from 2012 to January 2017, and was an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Unilever N.V. from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Huët was also Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company from 2008 to 2009 and as a member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of Royal Numico N.V. from 2003 to 2007. Prior to that, he worked at Goldman Sachs International. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. Mr. Huët provides strong executive, consumer and financial expertise to our board of directors and valuable experience gained from previous and current board service

John Davison, Director

Mr. Davison has served as a member of our board of directors since May 2017. Mr. Davison is currently the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Four Seasons Holdings Inc., the luxury hotel and resort management company, a position he has held since 2005 after joining the company as Senior Vice President, Project Financing in 2002. In addition to managing the group’s financial activities, John oversees the company’s information systems and technology area. Prior to joining Four Seasons Holdings Inc., John spent four years as a member of the Audit and Business Investigations Practice at KPMG in Toronto, followed by 14 years at IMAX Corporation from 1987 to 2001, ultimately holding the position of President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Currently he also serves on the board of IMAX China. John has been a Chartered Professional Accountant since 1986, and a Chartered Business Valuator since 1988. He received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto. Mr. Davison provides strong executive and business operations skills to our board of directors.

Bankruptcies

None of our directors or executive officers is, as at the date of this prospectus, or has been, within the 10 years prior to the date of this prospectus, a director or executive officer of any company (including Canada Goose companies), that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets, except for Mr. Gunn who was a director of Golf Town Canada Inc. which filed for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act on September 14, 2016 and Mr. Bekenstein who serves as a director of The Gymboree Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on June 11, 2017.

Foreign Private Issuer Status

The listing rules of the NYSE, which we also refer to as the NYSE Listing Rules, include certain accommodations in the corporate governance requirements that allow foreign private issuers, such as us, to follow “home country” corporate governance practices in lieu of the otherwise applicable corporate governance standards of the NYSE. The application of such exceptions requires that we disclose any significant ways that our corporate governance practices differ from the NYSE Listing Rules that we do not follow. We are a “controlled company” under the NYSE Listing Rules. We intend to continue to follow Canadian corporate governance practices in lieu of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE in respect of the following:

 

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the majority independent director requirement under Section 303A.01 of the NYSE Listing Rules;

 

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the requirement under Section 303A.05 of the NYSE Listing Rules that a compensation committee be comprised solely of independent directors; and

 

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the requirement under Section 303A.04 of the NYSE Listing Rules that director nominees be selected or recommended for selection by a nominations committee comprised solely of independent directors.

 

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Corporate Governance

Section 310.00 of the NYSE Listing Rules generally requires that a listed company’s by-laws provide for a quorum for any meeting of the holders of the company’s voting shares that is sufficiently high to ensure a representative vote. Pursuant to the NYSE Listing Rules we, as a foreign private issuer, have elected to comply with practices that are permitted under Canadian law in lieu of the provisions of Section 310.00. Our articles provide that a quorum of shareholders shall be the holders who, in the aggregate hold at least 25% of the issued shares plus at least a majority of multiple voting shares entitled to be voted at the meeting, irrespective of the number of persons actually present at the meeting.

Except as stated above, we have elected to comply with the rules generally applicable to U.S. domestic companies listed on the NYSE. We may in the future decide to use other foreign private issuer exemptions with respect to some of the other NYSE listing requirements. Following our home country governance practices, as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a company listed on the NYSE, may provide less protection than is accorded to investors under the NYSE listing requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

The Canadian Securities Administrators have issued corporate governance guidelines pursuant to National Policy 58-201 Corporate Governance Guidelines, or the Corporate Governance Guidelines, together with certain related disclosure requirements pursuant to National Instrument 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices, or NI 58-101. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are recommended as “best practices” for issuers to follow.

We recognize that good corporate governance plays an important role in our overall success and in enhancing shareholder value and, accordingly, we have adopted certain corporate governance policies and practices which reflect our consideration of the recommended Corporate Governance Guidelines. The disclosure set out below includes disclosure required by NI 58-101 describing our approach to corporate governance in relation to the Corporate Governance Guidelines.

Composition of our Board of Directors

Under our articles, our board of directors will consist of a number of directors as determined from time to time by the directors, and is currently comprised of six directors. Our articles provide that a director may be removed with or without cause by a resolution passed by a special majority comprised of 66 ²⁄₃% of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or by proxy at a meeting and who are entitled to vote. The directors will be elected by the shareholders at each annual general meeting of shareholders, and all directors will hold office for a term expiring at the close of the next annual shareholders meeting or until their respective successors are elected or appointed. Under the BCBCA and our articles, between annual general meetings of our shareholders, the directors may appoint one or more additional directors, but the number of additional directors may not at any time exceed one-third of the number of current directors who were elected or appointed other than as additional directors.

Certain aspects of the composition and functioning of our board of directors may be subject to the rights of our principal shareholders under agreements with the company. For example, the principal shareholders and the company have entered into an investor rights agreement providing for certain director nomination rights. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Investor Rights Agreement.” Subject to such agreements, nominees for election as directors will be recommended to our board of directors by our nominating and governance committee in accordance with the provisions of applicable corporate law and the charter of our nominating and governance committee. See “Board Committees—Nominating and Governance Committee.”

Majority Voting Policy

In accordance with the requirements of the TSX, our board of directors has adopted a majority voting policy to the effect that a nominee for election as a director of our company who does not receive a greater number of votes “for” than votes “withheld” with respect to the election of directors by shareholders will be expected to

 

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offer to tender his or her resignation to the Chairman of our board of directors promptly following the meeting of shareholders at which the director was elected. The nominating and governance committee will consider such offer and make a recommendation to our board of directors whether to accept it or not. Our board of directors will promptly accept the resignation unless it determines, in consultation with the nominating and governance committee, that there are exceptional circumstances that should delay the acceptance of the offer to resign or justify rejecting it. Our board of directors will make its decision and announce it in a press release within 90 days following the applicable meeting of shareholders. A director who tenders a resignation pursuant to our majority voting policy will not participate in any meeting of our board of directors or the nominating and governance committee at which the resignation is considered. Our majority voting policy applies for uncontested director elections, being elections where (a) the number of nominees for election as director is the same as the number of directors to be elected, as determined by the board of directors, and (b) no proxy materials are circulated in support of one or more nominees who are not part of the director nominees supported by the board of directors.

Director Term Limits and Other Mechanisms of Board Renewal

Our board of directors has not adopted director term limits, a retirement policy for its directors or other automatic mechanisms of board renewal. Rather than adopting formal term limits, mandatory age-related retirement policies and other mechanisms of board renewal, the nominating and governance committee of our board of directors will develop appropriate qualifications and criteria for our board as a whole and for individual directors. The nominating and governance committee will also conduct a process for the assessment of our board of directors, each committee and individual director regarding his, her or its effectiveness and contribution, and will also report evaluation results to our board of directors on a regular basis. It is further the responsibility of the nominating and governance committee to develop a succession plan for the board of directors, including maintaining a list of qualified candidates for director positions. The company is not in the practice of providing any severance benefits upon termination of service.

Director Independence

We are a “controlled company” under the NYSE Listing Rules because more than 50% of the voting power of our shares is held by Bain Capital. See “Principal and Selling Shareholders.” We rely upon the “controlled company” exception relating to the board of directors and committee independence requirements under the NYSE Listing Rules. Pursuant to this exception, we are exempt from the rules that would otherwise require that our board of directors consist of a majority of independent directors and that our compensation committee and nominating and governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors. The “controlled company” exception does not modify the independence requirements for the audit committee, and so we have elected to comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules of the NYSE and the BCBCA, which require that our audit committee have exclusively independent directors within one year following the effective date of the registration statement relating to our IPO.

Under the NYSE Listing Rules, an independent director means a person who, in the opinion of our board of directors, has no material relationship with our company. Under NI 58-101, a director is considered to be independent if he or she is independent within the meaning of Section 1.4 of National Instrument 52-110—Audit Committees, or NI 52-110. Pursuant to NI 52-110, an independent director is a director who is free from any direct or indirect material relationship with us which could, in the view of our board of directors, be reasonably expected to interfere with the exercise of a director’s independent judgment.

Based on information provided by each director concerning his or her background, employment and affiliations, our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Gunn, Davison and Huët, representing three of the six members of our board of directors, are “independent” as that term is defined under the NYSE Listing Rules and NI 58-101. In making this determination, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each such non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence. Mr. Reiss is considered not independent by reason

 

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of the fact that he is our President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bekenstein and Mr. Cotton are considered not independent under NI 52-110, NI 58-101 and the BCBCA, by reason of their relationships with Bain Capital. Five of the six members of our board of directors are not members of our company’s management.

Our company has taken steps to ensure that adequate structures and processes are in place to permit our board of directors to function independently of management, including for purposes of encouraging an objective process for nominating directors and determining executive compensation. It is contemplated that the independent members of our board of directors will consider, on the occasion of each meeting, whether an in camera meeting without the non-independent directors and members of management would be appropriate and that they will hold an in camera meeting without the non-independent directors and members of management where appropriate.

Members of our board of directors are also members of the boards of other public companies. See “Management—Executive Officers and Directors.” Our board of directors has not adopted a formal director interlock policy, but is keeping informed of other directorships held by its members.

The Chairman of our board directors is not considered an independent director by reason of the fact that he is our President and Chief Executive Officer. However our board of directors continues to take steps for facilitating the exercise of independent judgment by the board of directors, providing leadership for independent directors and ensuring that the directors who are independent of management have opportunities to meet without management present, as appropriate.

Mandate of the Board of Directors

Our board of directors is responsible for supervising the management of our business and affairs, including providing guidance and strategic oversight to management. Our board of directors holds regularly scheduled meetings as well as ad hoc meetings from time to time. Our board has adopted a formal mandate for the board of directors. The responsibilities of our board of directors include:

 

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adopting a strategic planning process, approving the principal business objectives for the company and approving major business decisions and strategic initiatives;

 

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appointing the President and Chief Executive Officer of the company and developing the corporate goals and objectives that the President and Chief Executive Officer is responsible for meeting, and reviewing the performance of the President and Chief Executive Officer against such goals and objectives;

 

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overseeing communications with shareholders, other stakeholders, analysts and the public, including the adoption of measures for receiving feedback from stakeholders; and

 

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monitoring the implementation of procedures, policies and initiatives relating to corporate governance, risk management, corporate social responsibility, health and safety, ethics and integrity.

The responsibilities of the Chairman of our board of directors are set out in a written position description, which provides that the Chairman is expected to provide leadership to the board of directors, and to set the tone for the board of directors to foster effective, ethical and responsible decision-making by them. Among other things, the Chairman presides at meetings of the board of directors and generally oversees board direction and administration, ensuring that the board of directors works as a cohesive team, builds a strong corporate governance culture and carries out its duties. The Chairman acts as liaison between the board of directors and management, and provides advice and counsel to the President and Chief Executive Officer, committee chairpersons and fellow directors. The Chairman works with the President and Chief Executive Officer and senior management team to monitor progress on strategic planning and implementation. The Chairman also works with board committees to ensure appropriate and effective committee structure and composition.

Our board of directors has also developed and approved written position descriptions for the committee chairpersons. See “Board Committees—Audit Committee,” “Board Committees—Compensation Committee” and “Board Committees—Nominating and Governance Committee.”

 

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In connection with our IPO, our board of directors developed and approved written position descriptions for the President & Chief Executive Officer and for the Chief Financial Officer. The board of directors intends that the role and responsibilities of the President & Chief Executive Officer are to develop the company’s vision and strategy and to establish the strategic and operational priorities of the company and provide leadership support to the company’s officers for the effective overall management of the business. The board of directors intends that the Chief Financial Officer will have full oversight of the company’s finance function, including accounting and controls, planning and analysis and tax and treasury. In addition, the Chief Financial Officer will be a critical leader in the creation, execution and support of the company’s global growth strategy. To this end, the Chief Financial Officer will act as a business partner to the President & Chief Executive Officer and the company’s officers, providing broad oversight and trusted advice, both at a strategic and tactical level.

Orientation and Continuing Education

We have implemented an orientation program for new directors under which each new director meets separately with the Chairman of our board of directors, individual directors and members of the senior management team. New directors are provided with comprehensive orientation and education as to our business, operations and corporate governance (including the role and responsibilities of the board of directors, each committee, and directors individually).

The Chairman of our board of directors is responsible for overseeing director continuing education designed to maintain or enhance the skills and abilities of our directors and to ensure that their knowledge and understanding of our business remains current. The chairperson of each committee is responsible for coordinating orientation and continuing director development programs relating to the committee’s mandate.

Business Conduct and Ethics

Our board of directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions. This code is intended to qualify as a “code of ethics” within the meaning of the applicable rules of the SEC.

Our board of directors has also adopted a Code of Conduct that sets out our fundamental values and standards of behavior that are expected from our directors, officers and employees with respect to all aspects of our business. The Code of Conduct provides guidelines for maintaining our integrity, reputation and honesty with a goal of honoring others’ trust in us at all times. The Code of Conduct sets out guidance with respect to conflicts of interest, protection and proper use of corporate assets and opportunities, confidentiality of corporate information, fair dealing with third parties, compliance with laws and reporting of any illegal or unethical behaviour.

The full text of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the Code of Conduct are available on our website at www.canadagoose.com and our SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference herein.

Monitoring Compliance with the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our audit committee is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the Code of Conduct periodically and recommends any necessary or appropriate changes thereto to our board of directors for consideration. The audit committee also assists our board of directors with the monitoring of compliance with the Code of Conduct, and is responsible for considering any waivers of the Code of Conduct (other than waivers applicable to our directors or executive officers, which shall be subject to review by our board of directors as a whole).

 

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Interests of Directors

A director who has a material interest in a matter before our board of directors or any committee on which he or she serves is required to disclose such interest as soon as the director becomes aware of it. In situations where a director has a material interest in a matter to be considered by our board of directors or any committee on which he or she serves, such director may be required to excuse himself or herself from the meeting while discussions and voting with respect to the matter are taking place. Directors are also required to comply with the relevant provisions of the BCBCA regarding conflicts of interest. See “Description of Share Capital—Certain Important Provisions of Our Articles and the BCBCA—Directors.”

Complaint Reporting and Whistleblower Policy

In order to foster a climate of openness and honesty in which any concern or complaint pertaining to a suspected violation of the law, our Code of Conduct or any of our policies, or any unethical or questionable act or behavior, the board of directors has adopted a whistleblower policy that requires that our employees promptly report such violation or suspected violation. In order to ensure that violations or suspected violations can be reported without fear of retaliation, harassment or an adverse employment consequence, our whistleblower policy contains procedures that are aimed to facilitate confidential, anonymous submissions by our employees.

Diversity

We believe that having a diverse board of directors can offer a breadth and depth of perspectives that enhance our performance. The nominating and governance committee values diversity of abilities, experience, perspective, education, gender, background, race and national origin. Recommendations concerning director nominees are based on merit and past performance as well as expected contribution to the board’s performance and, accordingly, diversity is taken into consideration. At closing of this offering, none of the members of our board of directors will be women.

We similarly believe that having a diverse and inclusive organization overall is beneficial to our success, and we are committed to diversity and inclusion at all levels of our organization to ensure that we attract, retain and promote the brightest and most talented individuals. We have recruited and selected senior management candidates that represent a diversity of business understanding, personal attributes, abilities and experience. Currently, 4 out of 13 members of our senior management team are women.

We do not currently have a formal policy for the representation of women on our board of directors or senior management. The nominating and governance committee and our senior management team already takes gender and other diversity representation into consideration as part of their overall recruitment and selection process. We have not adopted targets for gender or other diversity representation in part due to the need to consider a balance of criteria for each individual appointment.

We anticipate that the composition of the board of directors will in the future be shaped by the selection criteria to be developed by our board of directors and nominating and governance committee, ensuring that diversity considerations are taken into account in senior management, monitoring the level of women representation on the board and in senior management positions, continuing to broaden recruiting efforts to attract and interview qualified female candidates, and committing to retention and training to ensure that our most talented employees are promoted from within our organization, all as part of our overall recruitment and selection process to fill board or senior management positions as the need arises and subject to the rights of our principal shareholders under agreements with the company.

Board Committees

Our board of directors has three standing committees: the audit committee; the compensation committee; and the nominating and governance committee. Each of the committees operates under its own written charter adopted by our board of directors, each of which is available on our website.

 

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Audit Committee

Our audit committee is composed of Mr. Cotton, Mr. Davison, Mr. Gunn and Mr. Huët with Mr. Gunn serving as chairperson of the committee. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Gunn, Mr. Davison and Mr. Huët meet the independence requirements under the rules of the NYSE, the BCBCA and under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Within one year following the effective date of the registration statement relating to our IPO, our audit committee is required to consist exclusively of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Gunn is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of the SEC’s regulations and applicable Listing Rules of the NYSE. The audit committee’s responsibilities include:

 

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appointing, compensating, retaining and overseeing the work of any registered public accounting firm engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attest services and reviewing and appraising the audit efforts of our independent accountants;

 

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pre-approving audit and permissible non-audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;

 

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establishing procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and (ii) confidential and anonymous submissions by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;

 

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engaging independent counsel and other advisers, as necessary and determining funding of various services provided by accountants or advisers retained by the committee;

 

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reviewing our financial reporting processes and internal controls;

 

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establishing, overseeing and dealing with issues related to the company’s code of ethics for managers and financial officers;

 

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reviewing and approving related-party transactions or recommending related-party transactions for review by independent members of our board of directors; and

 

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providing an open avenue of communication among the independent accountants, financial and senior management and the board.

The responsibilities of the chairperson of the audit committee are set forth in a written position description, which provides that the chairperson of the audit committee presides at meetings of the committee, ensures the efficiency of the committee and that the committee carries out its duties. The chairperson of the audit committee also acts as liaison between the committee and the board of directors.

Compensation Committee

Our compensation committee is composed of Mr. Bekenstein and Mr. Cotton, with Mr. Bekenstein serving as chairperson of the committee. Its primary purpose, with respect to compensation, is to assist our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities and to make recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation of our directors and executive officers. The principal responsibilities and duties of the compensation committee include:

 

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evaluating our President and Chief Executive Officer’s and other executive officer’s performance in light of the goals and objectives established by our board of directors and, based on such evaluation, with appropriate input from other independent members of our board of directors, determining the President and Chief Executive Officer’s and other executive officer’s compensation;

 

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administering our equity-based plans and management incentive compensation plans and making recommendations to our board of directors about amendments to such plans and the adoption of any new employee incentive compensation plans; and

 

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engaging independent counsel and other advisers, as necessary and determining funding of various services provided by accountants or advisers retained by the committee.

 

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The responsibilities of the chairperson of the compensation committee are set forth in a written position description, which provides that the chairperson of the compensation committee presides at meetings of the committee, ensures the efficiency of the committee and that the committee carries out its duties. The chairperson of the compensation committee also acts as liaison between the committee and the board of directors.

Nominating and Governance Committee

Our nominating and governance committee is composed of Mr. Bekenstein, Mr. Cotton and Mr. Reiss, with Mr. Cotton serving as chairperson of the committee. The Nominating and Governance Committees responsibilities include:

 

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developing and recommending to the board of directors criteria for board and committee membership;

 

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recommending to the board of directors the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the committees of the board of directors;

 

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assessing the independence of directors within the meaning of securities laws and stock exchange rules as applicable;

 

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considering resignations by directors submitted pursuant to our majority voting policy, and making recommendations to our board of directors as to whether or not to accept such resignations;

 

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reviewing and making recommendations to the board of directors in respect of our corporate governance principles;

 

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providing for new director orientation and continuing education for existing directors on a periodic basis;

 

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performing an evaluation of the performance of the committee; and

 

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overseeing the evaluation of the board of directors and its committees.

The responsibilities of the chairperson of the nominating and governance committee are set forth in a written position description, which provides that the chairperson of the nominating and governance committee presides at meetings of the committee, ensures the efficiency of the committee and that the committee carries out its duties. The chairperson of the nominating and governance committee also acts as liaison between the committee and the board of directors.

 

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Executive Compensation

Overview

The following tables and discussion relate to the compensation paid to or earned by our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dani Reiss, and our two most highly compensated executive officers (other than Mr. Reiss) who were serving as executive officers on the last day of fiscal 2017. They are Lee Turlington, our Chief Product Officer, and Jacqueline Poriadjian-Asch, our Chief Marketing Officer. The following tables and discussion also relate to the compensation paid to or earned by Paul Riddlestone, our former Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Riddlestone’s employment with us terminated on January 10, 2017. Messrs. Reiss, Turlington and Riddlestone and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch are referred to collectively in this prospectus as our named executive officers.

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information about certain compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to our named executive officers during fiscal 2017:

 

Name and principal position		Year				Salary ($)				Bonus ($) (1)				Option awards ($) (2)				Non-equity incentive plan compensation ($) (3)				All other compensation ($) (4)				Total ($)
Dani Reiss,(5)			2017				1,009,772				—				—				1,452,900				40,158				2,502,830
President & Chief Executive Officer			2016				1,020,180				150,000				—				600,000				421				1,770,601
Lee Turlington,(6)			2017				250,545				265,726				683,960				—				118,939				1,319,170
Chief Product Officer
Jacqueline Poriadjian-Asch,(7)			2017				262,115				165,416				427,419				—				322				855,272
Chief Marketing Officer
Paul Riddlestone,(8)			2017				228,102				159,712				—				—				2,705,715				3,093,529
Former Chief Operating Officer			2016				273,946				87,696				—				—				430				362,072

 

(1)	Amounts shown reflect the bonuses earned by our named executive officers in respect of the applicable fiscal year.

(2)	Amounts shown reflect the grant date fair value of options to purchase subordinate voting shares granted to Mr. Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch in fiscal 2017. The values were determined in accordance with IFRS 2 “Share-based Payment”.

(3)	Amounts shown reflect the non-equity incentive plan compensation earned by Mr. Reiss in respect of the applicable fiscal year.

(4)

Amounts shown include company-paid life insurance premiums of $430, $76, $322 and $430 paid on behalf of Mr. Reiss, Mr. Turlington, Ms. Poriadjian-Asch and Mr. Riddlestone, respectively. Amount shown for Mr. Reiss includes the incremental cost to the company of his health and welfare benefits ($100), his use of supplemental health coverage ($4,090) and complimentary jackets to which he was entitled in fiscal 2017 ($35,538). Amount shown for Mr. Turlington includes his accommodation and travel allowances ($115,764), described below under “Agreements with our Named Executive Officers”, as well as a foreign exchange conversion amount ($3,099) paid to Mr. Turlington, a U.S. employee, in fiscal 2017. Amount shown for Mr. Riddlestone includes severance paid in connection with his termination of employment, including a cashout of his accrued vacation and a cash payment in exchange for the cancellation of certain of his stock options.

(5)

Amount shown includes salary paid to Mr. Reiss as our President and Chief Executive Officer ($1,000,000) and fees paid in connection with his service on the board of Canada Goose International AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company (aggregate of $9,772). Amount shown for board fees is in Canadian dollars, but was paid to Mr. Reiss in two equal payments in Swiss Francs (CHF). The exchange rate was calculated based on the daily noon exchange rate on each of July 25, 2016 and December 23, 2016 of C$1.00 = CHF 0.75 and C$1.00 = CHF 0.76, respectively, as published by the Bank of Canada.

 

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(6)	Mr. Turlington commenced employment with the company on July 24, 2016. Prior to that date, he provided services to the company under a consulting agreement.

(7)	Ms. Poriadjian-Asch commenced employment with the company on April 25, 2016.

(8)	Mr. Riddlestone’s employment with the company terminated on January 10, 2017.

2017 Base Salaries

Base salaries provide our named executive officers with a fixed amount of compensation each year. Base salary levels reflect the executive’s title, experience, level of responsibility, and performance. Initial base salaries for our named executive officers were set forth in their employment agreements, as described below under “Agreements with our Named Executive Officers”. Messrs. Reiss and Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch received base salary increases, Mr. Reiss’s base salary increased to $1,020,000, Mr. Turlington’s base salary increased to US$357,000 and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch’s base salary increased to $300,000, in each case, effective as of April 1, 2017.

2017 Bonuses

Each named executive officer is (or was, in Mr. Riddlestone’s case) eligible to receive an annual bonus pursuant to his or her employment agreement, as described below under “Agreements with our Named Executive Officers”. Fiscal 2017 bonuses earned by Messrs. Reiss and Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch are reflected in the compensation table above. Mr. Riddlestone is eligible to receive a bonus in connection with the termination of his employment.

For fiscal 2017, Mr. Reiss was eligible to earn a target annual bonus equal to $750,000, based on the achievement of pre-established fiscal 2017 EBIT targets. Target EBIT was approved by our board of directors at the beginning of fiscal 2017 in connection with the annual budgeting process, with target EBIT set at $61.734 million and payout of Mr. Reiss’s bonus being earned at 100% upon achievement of EBIT of 100% of target. No portion of Mr. Reiss’s bonus was eligible to be earned if EBIT was determined to have been achieved at 85% or less below target. Achievement of EBIT between 85% of target and less than 100% of target would have resulted in Mr. Reiss’s bonus being earned on a straight-line basis between 0% and 100%. Achievement of EBIT above 100% of target would have resulted in the EBIT component of Mr. Reiss’s bonus being earned at 100% of target plus 4.4% of target for each 1% over target EBIT. Our board of directors determined that Mr. Reiss earned a fiscal 2017 bonus of 194% of target based on a deemed achievement of 2017 EBIT, as adjusted, of 121% of target.

Mr. Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch were eligible to earn annual bonuses for fiscal 2017 under a broad-based annual bonus plan for salaried employees targeted at 40% of their base salaries, respectively. Bonuses were eligible to be earned under the plan based on the achievement of pre-established EBIT targets and a participant’s individual performance review for fiscal 2017. Target EBIT for purposes of our fiscal 2017 annual bonus plan was determined the same as for Mr. Reiss, with target EBIT also set at $61.734 million. No bonuses were eligible to be paid under the plan for achievement of EBIT at less than 80% of target or an individual performance rating of “needs immediate improvement”. Upon achievement of EBIT of at least 80% of target, a participant could receive an annual bonus of between 0% and 192% of his or her targeted bonus, depending on an individual performance rating of “exceptional,” “leading,” “tracking,” or “inconsistent,” with ranges of bonuses as a percentage of target eligible to be earned at each performance rating. Mr. Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch were determined to earn fiscal 2017 bonuses each equal to 143% of target, respectively.

Under an agreement between the company and Mr. Riddlestone, described below, Mr. Riddlestone was eligible to receive a lump sum amount in respect of his fiscal 2017 bonus under the annual bonus plan within an assumed annual performance rating of “leading”.

 

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Equity-Based Compensation

Mr. Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch were our only named executive officers granted equity awards in fiscal 2017. In April 2016, each was granted options to purchase our subordinate voting shares.

One-third of Mr. Turlington’s award is eligible to vest on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date, subject to the achievement of certain performance milestones tied to product development and organization. One-third of Ms. Poriadjian-Asch’s award is subject to time-based vesting, and two-thirds is subject to time-based and performance-based vesting, with the performance-based component tied to the achievement by Bain Capital of certain returns on its investment in Canada Goose.

The options granted to Mr. Turlington will vest in full upon a change of control, subject to his continued employment through such date. The time-based vesting options and the time-vesting component of the options subject to time-based and performance-based vesting held by Ms. Poriadjian-Asch will accelerate in full upon a change of control, subject to her continued employment through such date.

Employee Benefits

Our full-time employees, including our named executive officers, are eligible to participate in our health and welfare benefit plans, which include medical, dental, vision, basic and dependent life, supplemental life, accidental death, dismemberment and specific loss, long-term disability, and optional critical illness insurance. Employees are also eligible to receive continuing education support and to participate in our employee purchase program, which allows employees to purchase a specified number of jackets and accessories at 50% of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Our named executive officers, other than Mr. Turlington, participate in these plans on a slightly better basis than other salaried employees, including in some instances with slightly lower deductibles, better cost-sharing rates and the ability to purchase supplemental health coverage. Our named executive officers, other than Mr. Reiss, are also entitled to three complimentary jackets each calendar year. Mr. Reiss is entitled to 100 complimentary jackets each calendar year

Retirement Plans

In fiscal 2017, none of our named executive officers participated in a retirement plan sponsored by Canada Goose. We do not sponsor or maintain any qualified or non-qualified defined benefit plans or supplemental executive retirement plans.

Agreements with our Named Executive Officers

We have entered into an employment agreement with each of our named executive officers. The terms of the agreements are as follows.

Compensation and Bonus Opportunities

Under his amended and restated employment agreement, effective March 9, 2017, Mr. Reiss is entitled to an annual base salary of $1,000,000, subject to annual review and increase by our board of directors. Mr. Reiss is also eligible for an annual incentive bonus targeted at 75% of his annual base salary. The employment agreement also provides for participation by Mr. Reiss in our long-term equity incentive plans.

Under his employment agreement, effective March 16, 2016, Mr. Turlington is entitled to an annual base salary of US$350,000, subject to annual review and increase. Mr. Turlington is also eligible to participate in our annual bonus plan, with an annual incentive bonus targeted at 40% of his annual base salary and potential payouts ranging from 0% to 160% of his targeted annual bonus (or, based on current plan terms, up to 192 % of his targeted annual bonus). Mr. Turlington’s employment agreement further provides for reimbursement of up to

 

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$60,000 per year for accommodations and reasonable transportation while in Toronto for Canada Goose business, as well as a travel allowance of up to $30,000 for Mr. Turlington and his family to travel between their home in the United States and Toronto.

Under her employment agreement, effective March 28, 2016, Ms. Poriadjian-Asch is entitled to an annual base salary of $290,000, subject to annual review. Ms. Poriadjian-Asch is also eligible to participate in our annual bonus plan, with an annual incentive bonus targeted at 40% of her annual base salary and potential payouts ranging from 0% to 160% of her targeted annual bonus (or, based on current plan terms, up to 192 % of her targeted annual bonus).

Under his employment agreement, effective October 21, 2010 and which terminated in connection with the termination of his employment on January 10, 2017, Mr. Riddlestone was entitled to an annual base salary of $190,000, subject to bi-annual review. Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr. Riddlestone was also eligible to participate in our annual bonus plan, with an annual incentive bonus targeted at 15% of his annual base salary and an additional 5% of annual base salary based on achievement of our gross margin goals.

Messrs. Reiss and Turlington and Ms. Poriadjian-Asch each received a base salary increase in fiscal 2017 as described above under “2017 Base Salaries” and continue to have a target annual incentive bonus at the same level as specified in their employment agreements. As of his separation date, Mr. Riddlestone’s annual base salary had since increased to $280,000 and his target annual incentive bonus had since increased to 40% of his annual base salary.

Severance

If Mr. Reiss’s employment were terminated by us without cause or he resigned for good reason, he would be entitled to (i) a severance amount representing two times Mr. Reiss’s annual base salary plus two times the average amount of the annual bonus earned by Mr. Reiss in the two complete fiscal years preceding the date of his termination of employment, (ii) a pro rata bonus amount for the year in which the termination occurs, based on the actual bonus amount paid in the prior year and (iii) continued participation in our benefit plans for a period of 24 months following the date of termination of employment.

If Mr. Turlington’s employment were terminated by us without cause, he would be entitled to base salary continuation for one year, as well as continuation of his insured benefits (other than disability coverage and global medical coverage) for one year. In addition, he would be entitled to receive a bonus in respect of the fiscal year in which he receives notice of termination, pro-rated for the number of whole or partial months that he is employed by us during that fiscal year up until the date on which he receives notice of termination, so long as all bonus criteria are otherwise met by him and by Canada Goose.

If Ms. Poriadjian-Asch’s employment were terminated by us without cause, she would be entitled to notice or pay in lieu of notice and benefits continuance equal to six months’ notice as well as continuation of her insured benefits (other than disability coverage and global medical coverage) for six months.

Mr. Riddlestone’s employment agreement provided that we may terminate his employment without cause by providing notice or pay in lieu of notice and benefits continuance in accordance with the provisions of applicable employment standards legislation. In connection with Mr. Riddlestone’s departure, we terminated his employment agreement and entered into a new settlement agreement. The Termination Letter and the Settlement Agreement are filed as exhibits 10.23 and 10.24 to the registration statement relating to our IPO. In addition, the portion of his options subject to time-based vesting that were vested as of the termination date remain outstanding and exercisable upon the earlier of (i) 15 months after the date of his termination of employment and (ii) the termination of all lock-up periods applicable to any shareholders or other beneficial owners of our securities in connection with our IPO, while the portion of his options subject to both time-based and performance-based vesting were cancelled in exchange for a cash payment of $2,647,885.

 

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Restrictive Covenants

Under his employment agreement, Mr. Reiss is subject to non-competition obligations during and for one year following his termination of employment, restrictions on soliciting our customers, prospective customers, employees or consultants during and for two years following his termination of employment, as well as intellectual property assignment and confidentiality obligations.

Under his employment agreement, Mr. Turlington is subject to non-competition obligations during and for two years following his termination of employment, restrictions on soliciting our customers or employees for two years following his termination of employment, intellectual property assignment obligations during and for two years following his termination of employment, and confidentiality obligations.

Under her employment agreement, Ms. Poriadjian-Asch is subject to non-competition obligations during and for one year following her termination of employment, restrictions on soliciting our customers or employees for one year following her termination of employment, intellectual property assignment obligations during and for six months following her termination of employment, and confidentiality obligations.

Under his employment agreement, Mr. Riddlestone is subject to non-competition obligations during and for one year following his termination of employment, restrictions on soliciting our customers or employees for one year following his termination of employment, intellectual property assignment obligations during and for one year following his termination of employment, and confidentiality obligations.

In addition, as a condition to receiving his Canada Goose Holdings Inc. option awards, Mr. Riddlestone entered into a restrictive covenant agreement binding him to non-competition obligations with respect to our business beginning on the first date on which any options granted pursuant to the award vest and continuing for 12 months following his termination of employment, restrictions on soliciting customers, prospective customers, employees and independent contractors beginning on the first date on which any options granted pursuant to the award vest and continuing for 24 months following his termination of employment, as well as confidentiality obligations during and after his employment with us.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth information regarding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of March 31, 2017.

 

Name		Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) exercisable				Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) unexercisable				Equity incentive plan awards: Number of securities underlying unexercised unearned options (#)				Option exercise price ($)				Option expiration date
Dani Reiss			—				—				—				—				—
Lee Turlington (1)			—				—				253,773				4.62				4/1/2026
Jacqueline Poriadjian-Asch (2)			—				52,862				105,725				4.62				4/25/2026
Paul Riddlestone (3)			148,364				—				—				0.19				4/17/2024

 

(1)

Mr. Turlington was granted 192,664 options to purchase Class B Common Shares and 288,998 options to purchase Class A Preferred Shares on April 1, 2016, which options were exchanged for options to purchase 253,773 subordinate voting shares in connection with a recapitalization of the company’s authorized and outstanding share capital on December 2, 2016 (the “Recapitalization”). His options are subject to both time-based and performance-based vesting, with one-third of his options becoming eligible to vest on each

 

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of the first, second and third anniversary of the grant date, provided that the performance milestones described in the award agreement are met prior to the applicable vesting date. The performance milestones include specific product development and organization goals. The vesting of Mr. Turlington’s options will accelerate in full upon a change of control.

(2)

Ms. Poriadjian-Asch was granted 120,400 options to purchase Class B Common Shares and 180,599 options to purchase Class A Preferred Shares on April 25, 2016, which options were exchanged for 158,587 options to purchase subordinate voting shares in connection with the Recapitalization. One-third of her options are subject to time-based vesting of 40% on the second anniversary of the grant date and 20% on each anniversary of the grant date thereafter (“Poriadjian-Asch Time-Based Options”). The remaining two-thirds of her options are subject to both time-based and performance-based vesting with the performance metrics reflecting a multiple of Bain Capital’s return on its investment in us (“Poriadjian-Asch Performance-Based Options”). The Poriadjian-Asch Performance-Based Options are subject to the same time-based vesting schedule as the Poriadjian-Asch Time-Based Options. The Poriadjian-Asch Time-Based Options and the time-vesting component of the Poriadjian-Asch Performance-Based Options will accelerate in full upon a change of control.