Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended May 31, 2024

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is qualified by reference and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report and the audited consolidated financial statements and notes, and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, filed with the SEC on June 13, 2024, for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, the following discussion contains certain forward-looking information. See "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in this Quarterly Report for certain information concerning forward-looking statements.

Overview

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries (including its operating subsidiary with the same name, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc., a Colorado corporation (“RMCF”) (referred to as the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is an international franchisor, confectionery producer and retail operator. Founded in 1981, we are headquartered in Durango, Colorado and produce an extensive line of premium chocolate products and other confectionery products (“Durango Products”). Our revenues and profitability are derived principally from our franchised/licensed system of retail stores that feature chocolate and other confectionery products including gourmet caramel apples. We also sell our confectionery products in select locations outside of our system of retail stores and license the use of our brand with certain consumer products. As of May 31, 2024, there was 2 Company-owned, 115 licensee-owned and 147 franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory stores operating in 36 states and the Philippines.

On May 1, 2023, subsequent to the end of ("fiscal year") FY 2023, the Company completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of its wholly-owned subsidiary and frozen yogurt business, U-Swirl International, Inc. The aggregate sale price of U-Swirl was $2.75 million, consisting of (i) $1.75 million in cash and (ii) $1.0 million evidenced by a three-year secured promissory note. The business divestiture of the U-Swirl segment was preceded by a separate sale of the Company’s three owned U-Swirl locations on February 24, 2023. The consolidated financial statements present the historical financial results of the former U-Swirl segment as discontinued operations for all periods presented. See Note 15 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 "Financial Statements", of this Quarterly Report for information on this divestiture.

With the sale of U-Swirl, we continue to focus on our confectionery franchise business to further enhance our competitive position and operating margin, simplify our business model, and deliver sustainable value to our stockholders.

Current Trends Affecting Our Business and Outlook

As a result of recent macroeconomic inflationary trends and disruptions to the global supply chain, we have experienced and expect to continue experiencing higher raw material, labor, and freight costs. We have seen labor and logistics challenges, which have contributed to lower factory, retail and e-commerce sales of our products due to the availability of material, labor and freight. In addition, we could experience additional lost sale opportunities if our products are not available for purchase as a result of continued disruptions in our supply chain relating to an inability to obtain ingredients or packaging, labor challenges at our logistics providers or our production facility, or if we or our franchisees experience delays in stocking our products.

We are subject to seasonal fluctuations in sales because of key holidays and the location of our franchisees, which have traditionally been located in high traffic areas such as resorts or tourist locations, and the nature of the products we sell, which are highly seasonal. Historically, the strongest sales of our products have occurred during key holidays and summer vacation seasons. Additionally, quarterly results have been, and in the future are likely to be, affected by the timing of new store openings and sales of franchises. Because of the seasonality of our business and the impact of new store openings and sales of franchises, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results that may be achieved in other quarters or for a full fiscal year.

The most important factors in continued growth in our earnings are our ability to increase the sales of premium chocolate products produced in our Durango production facility, the ability to produce more efficiently, supporting our franchisees in increasing the frequency and average value of customer transactions, ongoing online revenue growth, and franchise store growth.

Our ability to successfully achieve expansion of our franchise systems depends on many factors not within our control including the availability of suitable sites for new store establishment and the availability of qualified franchisees to support such expansion.

Efforts to reverse the decline in same store pounds purchased from our production facility by franchised stores and to increase total Durango production depend on many factors, including new store openings, competition, the receptivity of our franchise system to our product introductions and promotional programs.

Results of Continuing Operations

Three Months Ended May 31, 2024 Compared To the Three Months Ended May 31, 2023

Results Summary

Basic loss per share increased from a loss from continuing operations of $(0.24) per share for the three months ended May 31, 2023 to a loss from continuing operations of $(0.26) per share for the three months ended May 31, 2024. Revenues decreased by 0.5% from $6.4 million for the three months ended May 31, 2023 to $6.4 million for the three months ended May 31, 2024. Operating loss was $1.5 million for the three months ended May 31, 2023 compared to an operating loss of $1.6 million for the three months ended May 31, 2024. Loss from continuing operations increased from a loss of $1.5 million for the three months ended May 31, 2023 to a loss of $1.7 million for the three months ended May 31, 2024.

REVENUES

($'s in thousands)

Durango Product and Retail Sales

The increase in Durango product and retail sales of 5.2%, or $0.3 million for the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023 was primarily due to improved year over year franchisee demand and improved inventory management.

Royalties, Marketing Fees and Franchise Fees

Royalty and marketing fees decreased $0.3 million during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023, primarily due to a decrease in stores year over year that are subject to royalty fees. The increase in franchise fee revenue of $25 thousand during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023 was primarily the result of store ownership transfer fees received.

COSTS AND EXPENSES

($'s in thousands)

($'s in thousands)

($'s in thousands)

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to the results provided in accordance with GAAP, we provide certain non-GAAP measures, which present results on an adjusted basis. These are supplemental measures of performance that are not required by or presented in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted gross margin is a non-GAAP measure. Adjusted gross margin is equal to the sum of our total gross margin plus depreciation and amortization calculated in accordance with GAAP. We believe adjusted gross margin is helpful in understanding our past performance as a supplement to gross margin, and other performance measures calculated in conformity with GAAP. We believe that adjusted gross margin is useful to investors because they provide a measure of operating performance and our ability to generate cash that is unaffected by non-cash accounting measures. Additionally, we use adjusted gross margin rather than gross margin to make incremental pricing decisions. Adjusted gross margin has limitations as analytical tools because they exclude the impact of depreciation and amortization expense and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for any measure reported under GAAP. Our use of capital assets makes depreciation and amortization expense a necessary element of our costs and our ability to generate income. Due to these limitations, we use adjusted gross margin as measures of performance only in conjunction with GAAP measures of performance such as gross margin.

Cost of Sales and Gross Margin

Total gross margin percentage decreased to (5.8)% for the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to a gross margin of 5.1% during the three months ended May 31, 2023, due primarily to increased raw material and labor costs.

Franchise Costs

The decrease in franchise costs for the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023 was due primarily to operational efficiencies, but we continue to build our franchise network as we focus on identifying new franchisees. As a percentage of total royalty and marketing fees and franchise fee revenue, franchise costs increased to 48.0% for the three months ended May 31, 2024 from 47.9% for the three months ended May 31, 2023. This increase as a percentage of royalty, marketing and franchise fees is primarily a result of higher royalty fees partially offset by higher costs.

Sales and Marketing

The decrease in sales and marketing costs during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023 was due primarily to operational efficiencies and cost cutting measures.

General and Administrative

The decrease in general and administrative costs during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023, was due primarily to a decrease in legal fees that were incurred in the prior year related to contested solicitation of proxies. As a percentage of total revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased to 19.3% during the three months ended May 31, 2024, compared to 30.0% during the three months ended May 31, 2023.

Retail Operating Expenses

Retail operating expenses increased 93.2% during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to the three months ended May 31, 2023. This increase is primarily the result of two retail stores in the current year with the addition of the Corpus Christi location.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization, exclusive of depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales was $42 thousand during the three months ended May 31, 2024, an increase of 35.5% from $31 thousand during the three months ended May 31, 2023. Depreciation and amortization included in cost of sales increased 14.6% from $0.2 million during the three months ended May 31, 2023 to $0.2 million during the three months ended May 31, 2024. This increase was the result of investment in production equipment.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) was $(28) thousand during the three months ended May 31, 2024, compared to other income of $14 thousand during for the three months ended May 31, 2023. This represents interest income of $7 thousand for the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to $20 thousand for the three months ended May 31, 2023, and interest expense of $35 thousand for the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to $6 thousand during for the three months ended May 31, 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of May 31, 2024, working capital was $0.8 million compared with $1.5 million as of February 29, 2024. The decrease in working capital was due primarily to a strategic reduction of inventory on hand, commensurate with the current product assortments actively marketed by us and our franchisees, and continued capital investment in the Durango production facility.

Cash and cash equivalent balances decreased from $2.1 million as of February 29, 2024 to $0.6 million as of May 31, 2024 primarily as a result of cash used by operating activities. Our current ratio was 1.10 to 1.0 on May 31, 2024 compared to 1.19 to 1.0 on February 29, 2024. We monitor current and anticipated future levels of cash and cash equivalents in relation to anticipated operating, financing and investing requirements.

During the three months ended May 31, 2024, we had a consolidated net loss of $1.7 million. Operating activities used cash of $2.2 million, with the principal adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities being depreciation and amortization of $0.2 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities resulted in a net cash outflow of $0.8 million from cash used in the normal course of business. During the three months ended May 31, 2023, we had a consolidated net loss of $0.8 million. Operating activities used cash of $0.4 million, with the principal adjustment to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities being depreciation and amortization of $0.2 million, and stock compensation expense of $0.2 million.

During the three months ended May 31, 2024, investing activities used cash of $(38) thousand, primarily due to the purchases of property and equipment of $0.4 million. In comparison, investing activities provided for cash of $0.9 million during the three months ended May 31, 2023, primarily due cash flows from discontinued operations of $1.4 million, partially offset by purchases of property and equipment of $0.6 million.

There were $0.8 million cash flows from financing activities during the three months ended May 31, 2024 compared to no cash flows from financing activities during the prior year. The Company drew down $0.8 million on its revolving line of credit during the three months ended May 31, 2024 as discussed further below.

The conditions above raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm, in their report on the Company’s February 29, 2024, audited financial statements, raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Revolving Line of Credit

Pursuant to a credit agreement, as amended (the “Credit Agreement”), with Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (the “Lender”), we have a $4.0 million credit line for general corporate and working capital purposes, of which $2.0 million was available for borrowing (subject to certain borrowing-based limitations) as of May 31, 2024 (the “Credit Line”). The Credit Line is secured by substantially all of our assets, except retail store assets. Interest on borrowings is at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 2.37% (7.71% at May 31, 2024 and 7.69% at February 29, 2024). Additionally, the Credit Line is subject to various financial ratio and leverage covenants. Per the Credit Agreement, the maturity date is September 30, 2024.

As of May 31, 2024 we were not in compliance with the requirement under the Credit Agreement to maintain a ratio of total current assets to total current liabilities of at least 1.5 to 1. Our current ratio as of May 31, 2024 was 1.10 to 1. The Company has requested a waiver from the Lender regarding its compliance with this covenant, however no assurance can be given that the Lender will issue a waiver. Except as described above, we were in compliance with all other aspects of the Credit Agreement.

As a result of our noncompliance, under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Lender has the option, but not the obligation, to immediately demand repayment of all funds drawn down under the Credit Line. As of May 31, 2024 and as of the date of this Quarterly Report, we did not have enough cash on hand to satisfy our obligations under the Credit Line if the Lender exercised its option to demand repayment. Additionally, if the Lender exercises its option and demands repayment at some time in the future, we may not have sufficient funds available to make the payments required. If we are unable to repay amounts owed, the Lender may be entitled to foreclose on and sell substantially all of our assets, which secure our borrowings under the Credit Agreement.

The Lender also retains the right to act on covenant violations that occur after the date of delivery of any waiver. If the Lender were to decline to grant us a waiver and instead demand repayment in the future, we may need to seek alternative financing to pay these obligations as the Company may not have sufficient facilities or sufficient cash on hand at that time to satisfy these obligations.

The Company is exploring various means of strengthening its liquidity position and ensuring compliance with its debt financing covenants, which may include the obtaining of waivers from the Lender and/or amending our Credit Line facility. We are also exploring supplemental debt facilities for other operational activities which could give us the ability to repay the Credit Line as needed.

Significant Accounting Policies

The preparation of consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP and the Company’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition and operating results require the Company’s management to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the amounts reported. Note 1, “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report and in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024 describe the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. There have been no material changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of May 31, 2024, except for the purchase obligations as described below, we had no material off-balance sheet arrangements or obligations.

As of May 31, 2024, we had purchase obligations of approximately $0.3 million. These purchase obligations primarily consist of contractual obligations for future purchases of commodities for use in our manufacturing.

Impact of Inflation

Inflationary factors such as increases in the costs of ingredients and labor directly affect the Company's operations. Most of the Company's leases provide for cost-of-living adjustments and require it to pay taxes, insurance and maintenance expenses, all of which are subject to inflation. Additionally, the Company’s future lease cost for new facilities may include potentially escalating costs of real estate and construction. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to pass on increased costs to its customers.

Depreciation expense is based on the historical cost to the Company of its fixed assets and is therefore potentially less than it would be if it were based on the current replacement cost. While property and equipment acquired in prior years will ultimately have to be replaced at higher prices, it is expected that replacement will be a gradual process over many years.

Seasonality

We are subject to seasonal fluctuations in sales, which cause fluctuations in quarterly results of operations. Historically, the strongest sales of our products have occurred during key holidays and the summer vacation season. In addition, quarterly results have been, and in the future are likely to be, affected by the timing of new store openings and sales of franchises. Because of the seasonality of our business and the impact of new store openings and sales of franchises, results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results that may be achieved in other quarters or for a full fiscal year.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Disclosure Controls and Procedures — The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), that are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the officers who certify the Company’s financial reports and to other members of senior management and the Board of Directors. These disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act, are recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has conducted an evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, our Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of May 31, 2024.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting — There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the quarter ended May 31, 2024, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting

In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part 1, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024, filed with the SEC on June 13, 2024. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29, 2024.

Pursuant to a credit agreement, as amended (the “Credit Agreement”), with Wells Fargo Bank N.A. (the “Lender”), we have a $4.0 million credit line for general corporate and working capital purposes, of which $2.0 million was available for borrowing (subject to certain borrowing-based limitations) as of May 31, 2024 (the “Credit Line”). The Credit Line is secured by substantially all of our assets, except retail store assets. Interest on borrowings is at the Secured Overnight Financing Rate plus 2.37% (7.71% at May 31, 2024 and 7.69% at February 29, 2024). Additionally, the Credit Line is subject to various financial ratio and leverage covenants.

As of May 31, 2024, we were not in compliance with the requirement under the Credit Agreement to maintain a ratio of total current assets to total current liabilities of at least 1.5 to 1. Our current ratio as of May 31, 2024 was 1.10 to 1. In the past, we have requested, and the Lender has granted, waivers of our compliance with this requirement. There can be no assurance that the Lender will grant us a waiver for our current noncompliance or waivers for future noncompliance.

As a result of our noncompliance, under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Lender has the option, but not the obligation, to immediately demand repayment of all funds drawn down under the Credit Line. As of the date of this Quarterly Report, we do not have enough cash on hand to satisfy our obligations under the Credit Line if the Lender exercised its option to demand repayment. If the Lender exercises its option and demands repayment at some time in the future, however, we may not have sufficient funds available to make the payments required. If we are unable to repay amounts owed, the Lender may be entitled to foreclose on and sell substantially all of our assets, which secure our borrowings under the Credit Agreement which would have an adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the Lender retains the right to act on covenant violations that occur after the date of delivery of any waiver. If the Lender were to decline to grant us a waiver and instead demand repayment in the future, we may need to seek alternative financing to pay these obligations as we may not have sufficient facilities or sufficient cash on hand at that time to satisfy these obligations.