Amcon Distributing Co: Form 10-K for the period ended Sep 30, 2024

COMPANY OVERVIEW

AMCON Distributing Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1986 and our common stock is listed on NYSE American under the symbol “DIT.” The Company serves customers in 33 states through two business segments:

• Our wholesale distribution segment (the “Wholesale Segment”), which includes our Team Sledd, LLC (“Team Sledd”) and Henry’s Foods, Inc. (“Henry’s”) subsidiaries, distributes consumer products and provides a full range of programs and services to our customers that are focused on helping them manage their business and increase their profitability. We serve customers primarily in the Central, Rocky Mountain, Great Lakes, Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.
• Our retail health food segment (the “Retail Segment”) operates 15 health food retail stores located throughout the Midwest and Florida.

WHOLESALE SEGMENT

Our Wholesale Segment is one of the largest wholesale distributors in the United States serving approximately 7,900 retail outlets including convenience stores, grocery stores, liquor stores, drug stores, and tobacco shops. We currently distribute over 20,000 different consumer products, including cigarettes and tobacco products, candy and other confectionery products, beverages, groceries, paper products, health and beauty care products, frozen and refrigerated products and institutional foodservice products. We have licenses, and operate, in 33 states, are the third (3rd) largest convenience store distributor by geographic territory served, and in December 2023, Convenience Store News ranked us as the sixth (6th) largest convenience store distributor in the United States based on annual sales.

Our Wholesale Segment offers retailers the ability to take advantage of manufacturer- and Company-sponsored sales and marketing programs, merchandising and product category management services, and the use of information systems and data services that are focused on minimizing retailers’ investment in inventory, while seeking to maximize their sales and profits. In addition, our wholesale distributing capabilities provide valuable services to both manufacturers of consumer products and convenience retailers. Manufacturers benefit from our broad retail coverage, inventory management, efficiency in processing small orders, and frequency of deliveries. Convenience retailers benefit from our distribution capabilities by gaining access to a broad product line, inventory optimization and merchandising expertise, information systems, and accessing trade credit.

Our Wholesale Segment operates 13 distribution centers located in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia. These distribution centers, combined with cross-dock facilities, include approximately 1.7 million square feet of permanent floor space. Our principal suppliers include Altria, RJ Reynolds, ITG Brands, Hershey, Kellanova, Kraft Heinz, and Mars Wrigley. We also market private label lines of water, candy products, batteries, and other products. We do not maintain any long-term purchase contracts with our suppliers.

RETAIL SEGMENT

Our Retail Segment, through our Healthy Edge Retail Group subsidiary, is a specialty retailer of natural/organic groceries and operates 15 retail health food stores under the Chamberlin’s Natural Foods, Akin’s Natural Foods, and Earth Origins Market banners. We operate within the natural products retail industry, which is a subset of the United States grocery industry. This industry includes conventional, natural, gourmet and specialty food markets, mass and discount retailers, warehouse clubs, health food stores, dietary supplement retailers, drug stores, farmers markets, mail order and online retailers, and multi-level marketers. These stores carry over 32,000 different national and regionally branded and private label products including high-quality natural, organic, and specialty foods consisting of produce, baked goods, frozen foods, nutritional supplements, personal care items, and general merchandise.

COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS

We believe that we benefit from a number of competitive strengths, including the following:

Industry Experience

The management teams for both of our business segments possess substantial depth of experience in the areas of finance, information technology, business development, retail store support, logistics, sales, and marketing. This experience is beneficial for the management of vendor and customer relationships as well as overall operational execution.

Flexible Distribution Capabilities and Customer Service Programs

Wholesale distributors typically provide convenience store retailers access to a broad product line, the ability to place small quantity orders, inventory management, and access to trade credit. As a large, full-service wholesale distributor, we offer retailers a wide array of manufacturer- and Company-sponsored sales and marketing programs, merchandising and product category management services, and the use of information systems that are focused on minimizing retailers’ investment in inventory, while seeking to maximize their sales and profit.

The wholesale distribution industry is highly fragmented and historically has consisted of a small number of large, full service wholesale distributors serving multiple geographic regions and a large number of small, privately-owned businesses. Relative to smaller competitors, large distributors such as our Company benefit from several competitive advantages including: increased purchasing power, the ability to service large chain accounts, economies of scale in sales and operations, and the resources to invest in information technology and other productivity-enhancing technologies.

Broad Product Selection

Our retail health foods business prides itself in carrying a broad and superior-quality selection of organic and natural food products and vitamin supplements. The breadth of our product offerings, combined with highly trained and knowledgeable in-store associates, has created a loyal customer following where our stores are sought out destinations, providing a personalized shopping experience.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Our business strategy focuses on short, medium, and long-term objectives designed to create shareholder value. Our strategic objectives are:

• Maximizing liquidity and generating cash flow from operations in the short term.
• Developing new customer-focused technology applications, expanding our foodservice platform, and investing in our infrastructure in the medium term.
• Growing both organically and through acquisitions, and expanding our geographic footprint in the long term.

To execute this strategy, our Company has rigorous operational processes in place designed to control costs, manage credit risk, monitor inventory levels, and maintain maximum liquidity. The success of our strategy, however, is ultimately dependent on our ability to provide superior service, develop leading edge technologies, and maintain an exceptional array of product offerings.

PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS

The sales of cigarettes represented approximately 62% of our consolidated revenue in both fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023. Sales of candy, beverages, foodservice, groceries, health food products, paper products, health and beauty care products, and tobacco products represented approximately 38% of our consolidated revenue in both fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023.

INFORMATION ON SEGMENTS

Information about our segments is presented in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report.

COMPETITION—Wholesale Segment

Our Wholesale Segment has a significant presence in the regions in which we operate. There are, however, a number of both national and regional wholesale distributors operating in the same geographical regions as our Company, resulting in a highly competitive marketplace. Our principal competitors are national wholesalers such as McLane Co., Inc. (Temple, Texas) and Performance Food Group (Richmond, Virginia), as well as regional wholesalers such as H.T. Hackney Company (Knoxville, Tennessee) and Imperial Super Regional Distributors (Elmwood, Louisiana) along with a host of smaller grocery and tobacco wholesalers. We also face competition from Amazon™ which pursues a vertical, multi-channel sales strategy targeting both retail consumers and business level customers.

Competition within the wholesale distribution industry is primarily based on the range and quality of the services provided, pricing, variety of products offered, and the reliability of deliveries. Our larger competitors principally compete on pricing and breadth of product offerings, while our smaller competitors focus on customer service and their delivery arrangements.

We believe our business model positions us to compete with a wide range of competitors including national, regional, and local wholesalers. As the third (3rd) largest convenience store distributor in the United States based on geographic territory served and the sixth (6th) largest in annual sales (according to Convenience Store News), our wholesale distribution business has sufficient economies of scale to offer competitive pricing as compared to national wholesalers. Our ability to service multiple territories of larger customers, combined with our flexible distribution and support model, enables us to provide the highest level of service and customized merchandising solutions within our industry.

COMPETITION—Retail Segment

Natural food and supplement retailing is an intensely competitive business. We face competition from a variety of sales channels including local, regional, and national retailers, specialty supermarkets, membership clubs, farmers markets, other natural foods stores, and internet and/or digital direct-to-consumer retailers, each of which competes with us on the basis of product selection, quality, customer service, and price. These competitors include companies such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Natural Grocers, General Nutrition Centers and Vitamin Shoppe. We also face competition from AmazonTM and other online competitors which continue to pursue vertical, multi-channel sales strategies targeting both retail consumers and business level customers. We also compete with specialty supermarkets, other independent natural foods store chains, small specialty stores, and restaurants. In recent years, conventional supermarkets and mass market outlets such as Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, Publix, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Costco have significantly increased their offerings of organic and natural products adding another layer of competition.

SEASONALITY

Sales in the wholesale distribution industry are somewhat seasonal and tend to be higher in warm weather months during which our convenience store customers experience increased customer traffic. The warm weather months generally fall within the Company’s third and fourth fiscal quarters. Our retail health food business does not generally experience significant seasonal fluctuations in its business.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

AMCON is subject to regulation by federal, state and local governmental agencies, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (“ATF”) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”). These regulatory agencies generally impose standards for product quality and sanitation, workplace safety, and security and distribution policies.

The Company operates in 33 states and is subject to state regulations related to the distribution and sale of cigarettes and tobacco products, generally in the form of licensing and bonding requirements. Additionally, both state and federal regulatory agencies have the ability to impose excise taxes on cigarette and tobacco products. In recent years, a number of states have increased the excise taxes levied on cigarettes and tobacco products. We expect this trend to continue as legislators look for alternatives to fund budget shortfalls and as a mechanism to discourage tobacco product use.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

All of AMCON’s facilities and operations are subject to state and federal environmental regulations. The Company believes it is in compliance with all such regulations and is not aware of any violations that could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations. Further, the Company has not been notified by any governmental authority of any potential liability or other claim in connection with any of its properties. The costs and effect on the Company to comply with state and federal environmental regulations were not significant during either fiscal 2024 or fiscal 2023.

EMPLOYEES

At September 2024, the Company had 1,362 full-time and 201 part-time employees, which together serve in the following areas:

Approximately thirty of our wholesale delivery employees in our Quincy, Illinois distribution center are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAMAW”). The current labor agreement with the union is effective through November 2026.

CORPORATE AND AVAILABLE INFORMATION

The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 7405 Irvington Road, Omaha, Nebraska 68122. The telephone number at that address is 402-331-3727 and our website address is www.amcon.com (http://www.amcon.com). We provide free access to the various reports we file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) through our website. These reports include, but are not limited to, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Please note that any internet addresses provided in this report are for information purposes only and are not intended to be hyperlinks. Accordingly, no information found and/or provided at such internet addresses is intended or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov) which contains reports, proxies and other company information.

IN GENERAL

You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision concerning our securities.

If any of the following risks actually materialize, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. This Annual Report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including the risks described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report. See “Forward-Looking Statements” under Item 7 of this report for a discussion of forward-looking statements.

RISK FACTORS RELATED TO THE WHOLESALE BUSINESS

• Regulation of Cigarette, Tobacco and Tobacco-Related Products by the FDA May Negatively Impact Our Operations.

In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed into law, which granted the FDA the authority to regulate the production, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products in the United States. Specifically, the legislation established an FDA office to regulate changes to nicotine yields, chemicals, flavors, ingredients, and the labeling used to produce and market tobacco products. The FDA office is financed through user fees paid by tobacco companies, which is passed on to wholesale distributors and end consumers in the form of higher costs.

To date, most of the regulatory and compliance burden related to this legislation has fallen upon product manufacturers. However, if the FDA were to impose new regulations impacting wholesale distributors that we are not able to comply with, we could face remedial actions such as fines, suspension of product distribution rights, and/or termination of operations. Further, if the FDA were to issue product bans or product restrictions on cigarettes, tobacco or other nicotine delivery devices, our future revenue stream could materially decrease. If any of these items were to occur, our results from operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted.

• The Regulation of Vaping Products May Negatively Impact Our Results of Operations.

The regulation of vaping product categories by federal, state, and local governmental agencies, as well as potential litigation against product manufacturers and/or entities which distribute or sell such products, may negatively impact our sales, costs, results of operations, and cash flows should the current regulatory environment persist or expand, or if related litigation should arise.

• Our Sales Volume Is Largely Dependent upon the Distribution of Cigarette Products, Which is a Declining Sales Category.

The distribution of cigarettes represents a significant portion of our business. During fiscal 2024, approximately 62% of our consolidated revenues came from the distribution of cigarettes, which generated approximately 18% of our consolidated gross profit. Due to manufacturer price increases, restrictions on advertising and promotions, regulation, higher excise and other taxes, health concerns, smoking bans, and other factors, the demand for cigarettes may continue to decline. If this occurs, our results from operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted.

• Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Are Subject to Substantial Excise Taxes and If These Taxes Are Increased, Our Sales of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Could Decline.

Cigarette and tobacco products (including vaping products) are subject to substantial excise taxes and future legislation could significantly increase such taxes. Significant increases in cigarette and tobacco-related taxes and fees have been proposed and enacted by city, state, and federal governments in recent years. Further, the evolving regulatory responsibilities of the FDA are being funded by fees imposed on tobacco companies. These fees have been passed on to wholesale distributors and end consumers in the form of higher prices for cigarette and tobacco products.

Increases in excise taxes and other tobacco-related taxes and fees imposed by the FDA and other governmental authorities may reduce the long-term demand for cigarette and tobacco products and/or result in a sales shift from higher margin premium cigarette and tobacco products to lower margin deep-discount brands, while at the same time increasing the Company’s accounts receivable risk and inventory carrying costs. If any of these events were to occur, our results from operations, cash flow, liquidity position, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted.

• Divestiture and Consolidation Trends Within the Convenience Store Industry May Negatively Impact Our Operations.

Divestitures and consolidations within the convenience store industry reflect trends that may result in customer attrition if the acquiring entity is served by another wholesale distributor and we are unable to retain the business. If we were to lose a substantial volume of business because of these trends, our results from operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted.

• Volatility in Fuel Prices Could Reduce Profit Margins and May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Business.

Increases or decreases in fuel prices impact our profit margins. Inflation can also impact fuel prices. If we are not able to meaningfully pass on these costs to customers, it could adversely impact our business, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.

• The Wholesale Distribution of Convenience Store Products Is Significantly Affected by Pricing Decisions and Promotional Programs Offered by Manufacturers and State Taxing Authorities.

We are subject to changes in pricing strategies utilized by manufacturers of the products we distribute. We also receive payments from these manufacturers including allowances, discounts, volume rebates, and other merchandising incentives in connection with various incentive programs. In addition, we receive discounts from states in connection with the purchase of excise stamps for cigarettes. If the pricing strategies of the manufacturers change or the manufacturers or states change or discontinue these promotional programs or we are unable to maintain the volume of our sales, our results of operations, business, cash flow, and financial condition could be negatively affected. There are no assurances that the manufacturers or states will maintain these promotional programs.

• Competition Within The Wholesale Distribution Industry May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Business.

The wholesale distribution industry is highly competitive. There are many distribution companies operating in the same geographical regions as our Company. Our Company’s principal competitors are national and regional wholesalers, along with a host of smaller grocery and tobacco wholesalers. We also face competition from Whole Foods Market and/or its parent company Amazon™, which pose a threat to the supply chains of food and grocery retailers as well as convenience stores served by wholesale distribution companies as they continue to pursue a vertical, multi-channel sales strategy targeting both retail consumers and business level customers. Most of our wholesale distribution competitors generally offer a wide range of products at prices comparable to those we offer. Some of our competitors have substantial financial resources and long-standing customer relationships. This competition may reduce our margins and/or cause a loss in market share, adversely impacting our results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.

• We Occasionally Purchase Cigarettes From Manufacturers Not Covered by The Tobacco Industry’s Master Settlement Agreement (“MSA”), Which May Expose Us to Certain Potential Liabilities and Financial Risks for Which We Are Not Indemnified.

In 1994, the Mississippi attorney general brought an action against various tobacco industry members on behalf of the state to recover state funds paid for health-care costs related to tobacco use. Subsequently, most other states sued the major U.S. cigarette manufacturers based on similar theories. The cigarette manufacturer defendants settled the first four of these cases with Mississippi, Florida, Texas and Minnesota by separate agreements. These states are referred to as non-MSA states. In November 1998, the major U.S. tobacco product manufacturers entered into the MSA with the remaining 46 states, the

District of Columbia and certain U.S. territories. The MSA and the other state settlement agreements settled health-care cost recovery actions and monetary claims relating to future conduct arising out of the use of, or exposure to, tobacco products, imposed a stream of future payment obligations on major U.S. cigarette manufacturers and placed significant restrictions on the ability to market and sell cigarettes. The payments required under the MSA resulted in the products sold by the participating manufacturers being priced at higher levels than the products sold by non-MSA manufacturers.

In order to limit our potential tobacco-related liabilities, we try to limit our purchases of cigarettes from non-MSA manufacturers for sale in MSA states. The benefits of liability limitations and indemnities we are entitled to under the MSA do not apply to sales of cigarettes manufactured by non-MSA manufacturers. From time-to-time, however, we find it necessary to purchase a limited amount of cigarettes from non-MSA manufacturers. For example, during a transition period while integrating distribution operations from an acquisition we may need to purchase and distribute cigarettes manufactured by non-MSA manufacturers to satisfy the demands of customers of the acquired business. With respect to sales of such non-MSA cigarettes, we could be subject to litigation that could expose us to liabilities for which we would not be indemnified.

• If the Tobacco Industry’s Master Settlement Agreement Is Invalidated, or Tobacco Manufacturers Cannot Meet Their Obligations to Indemnify Us, We Could Be Subject to Substantial Litigation Liability.

In connection with the MSA, we are indemnified by many of the tobacco product manufacturers from whom we purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products for liabilities arising from the sale of the tobacco products that they supply to us. However, if litigation challenging the validity of the MSA were to be successful and all or part of the MSA is invalidated, we could be subject to substantial litigation due to the sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products, and we may not be indemnified for such costs by the tobacco product manufacturers in the future. In addition, even if we continue to be indemnified by cigarette manufacturers that are parties to the MSA, future litigation awards against such cigarette manufacturers could be so large as to eliminate the ability of the manufacturers to satisfy their indemnification obligations. Our results of operations, business, cash flow, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted due to increased litigation costs and potential adverse rulings against us.

• We Face Competition From Sales of Deep-Discount Brands and Other Low Priced Sales of Cigarettes.

Increased selling prices for cigarettes and higher cigarette taxes have resulted in the growth of deep-discount cigarette brands, which may be sold by our competitors or other retailers. Deep-discount cigarette brands are brands generally manufactured by companies that are not original participants to the MSA, and accordingly, do not have cost structures burdened by the MSA. Since the MSA was signed, the category of deep-discount brands manufactured by smaller manufacturers or supplied by importers has grown substantially. If this growth continues, our business, results of operations, cash flows, and overall financial condition would be negatively impacted.

RISK FACTORS RELATED TO THE RETAIL BUSINESS

• Increased Competition in the Retail Health Food Industry May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Business.

In our retail health food business, we compete with a wide range of well-financed regional and national competitors such as Whole Foods Markets, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, Natural Grocers, General Nutrition Centers, Vitamin Shoppe, and other online competitors such as Amazon™ who all have embarked on aggressive expansion strategies. Additionally, we compete with specialty supermarkets, other independent natural foods store chains, small specialty stores, and restaurants. Conventional supermarkets and mass market outlets such as Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, and Costco have also significantly increased their offerings of organic and natural products providing another layer of competition. Finally, if online shopping, direct-to-consumer, and home delivery models continue to grow in popularity thereby further disrupting traditional sales channels, it may present a significant direct risk to brick and mortar retailers like the Company. We also face competition from Whole Foods Market and/or its parent company Amazon™, which pose a threat to the supply chains of the grocery and natural foods business as they continue to pursue a vertical, multi-channel sales strategy targeting both retail consumers and business level customers. Most of these competitors may have greater financial and marketing resources than the Company and may be able to devote greater resources to sourcing, promoting, and selling their products. In response to heightened competition, the Company is continuing to implement a repositioning strategy for its retail business. This repositioning strategy calls for a wide range of initiatives including the possible addition of one or more of our new retail store prototypes per year into the foreseeable future. The opening of new retail stores inherently brings additional risk to the business. Further, if our repositioning strategy in response to this increase in competition is not successful, it may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, business, cash flow, and financial condition, and could potentially result in the impairment of assets within this business segment.

• Changes in the Availability of Quality Natural and Organic Products Could Impact Our Business.

There is no assurance that quality natural and organic products including dietary supplements, fresh and processed foods and vitamins will be available to meet our stores’ future needs. If conventional supermarkets increase their natural and organic product offerings or if new laws require the reformulation of certain products to meet tougher standards, the supply of these products may be constrained. Any significant disruption in the supply of quality natural and organic products could have a material adverse impact on our overall sales and product costs.

• Perishable Food Product Losses Could Materially Impact Our Results.

Our retail stores carry many perishable products which may result in significant product inventory losses in the event of extended power outages, natural disasters, or other catastrophic occurrences.

• A Reduction in Traffic to Anchor Stores in the Shopping Areas in Close Proximity to Our Stores Could Significantly Reduce Our Sales and Leave Us With Unsold Inventory, Which Could Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Business, Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Many of our stores are located in close proximity to shopping areas that also accommodate other well-known anchor stores. Sales at our stores are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic generated by the other anchor stores in these shopping areas. Customer traffic may be adversely affected by local and regional economic downturns in the areas where our stores are located, long-term nearby road construction projects, the closing of nearby anchor stores or other nearby stores or the decline of the shopping environment in a particular shopping area. Any of these events could reduce our sales and leave us with excess inventory, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In response to such events, we may be required to increase markdowns or initiate marketing promotions to reduce excess inventory, which would further decrease our gross profits and net income.

• If We Are Unable to Successfully Identify Market Trends and React to Changing Consumer Preferences in a Timely Manner, Our Sales May Decrease.

We believe our success depends, in substantial part, on our ability to:

• anticipate, identify and react to natural and organic grocery and dietary supplement trends and changing consumer preferences in a timely manner;
• translate market trends into appropriate, saleable product and service offerings in our stores before our competitors; and
• develop and maintain vendor relationships that provide us access to the newest merchandise on reasonable terms.

If we are unable to anticipate and satisfy consumer merchandise preferences in the regions where we operate, our sales may decrease, and we may be forced to increase markdowns of slow-moving merchandise, either of which could negatively impact our business, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.

• If We or Our Third-Party Suppliers Fail to Comply With Regulatory Requirements, or are Unable to Provide Products that Meet Our Specifications, Our Business and Our Reputation Could be Negatively Impacted.

If we or our third-party suppliers, including suppliers of our private label products, fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements or to meet our specifications for quality, we could be required to take costly corrective action and our reputation could be negatively impacted. We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities, and therefore depend upon independent third-party vendors to produce our private label branded products, such as vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, body care products, food products and bottled water. Third-party suppliers of our private label products may not maintain adequate controls with respect to product specifications and quality. Such suppliers may be unable to produce products on a timely basis or in a manner consistent with regulatory requirements. Additionally, there are no assurances that we would be successful in finding new third-party suppliers that meet our quality guidelines if needed. If any of these events were to occur, our results from operations, cash flow, liquidity position, and overall financial condition could be negatively impacted.

RISK FACTORS RELATED TO ALL OF OUR BUSINESSES

• Significant or Prolonged Periods of Higher Interest Rate Environments May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Profitability.

Interest rates have a direct impact on our business based on the amount of variable debt the Company utilizes in its operations. Prolonged periods of high interest rates may have a negative impact on the Company’s results of operations, balance sheet, and cash flows.

• We May Be Impacted by Acts of Civil Unrest or Violence.

Our business operations could be negatively impacted by acts of civil unrest or violence, which are beyond our control. Such acts could threaten our supply chain, may result in property damage and/or insurance claims to the facilities of the Company or our customers, impact the safety of our workforce or the workforces of our customers, and may also have indirect impacts on customer demand for the products we sell, or our ability to collect on accounts receivable or finance our operations.

• A Major Epidemic or Pandemic or other Widespread Public Health Issue Could Adversely Affect Our Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

The emergence and spread of a major epidemic or pandemic (such as COVID-19) or other widespread public health issue could affect our employees, suppliers and/or customers and cause disruption in our operations including, but not limited to, travel restrictions, temporary closing of one or more of our distribution warehouses or retail stores, labor shortages, supply chain interruptions, business shutdowns, or regional quarantines. These disruptions could negatively affect our ability to service our customers, could contribute to adverse economic conditions including decreases in demand for the products we distribute, resulting in lower sales and profitability, or could present increased credit risk to the Company from customer credit defaults resulting from an economic downturn. In addition to the potential operational risks described above, disruptions caused by a widespread public health issue could present increased reputational risk to the Company or result in legal claims or costly response measures.

• We May Be Subject to Risks Associated with Equity Investments or the Acquisition of Assets or New Businesses.

From time to time, one or both of the Company’s business segments may acquire assets from other businesses, all or a portion of the ownership of another business, or make an equity investment in another business through the purchase of equity or other means. The purchase of assets, of all or a portion of a business, or an equity investment in another business can bring significant risks to the Company in a number of areas including purchase price, amount of equity investment, business valuation and recording risks, customer retention risks, risks associated with the assumption of liabilities or obligations, integration risks, technology risks, risks associated with the addition of new employees such as health care costs, and a wide range of other risks and considerations. While the Company strives to minimize the risks associated with its acquisition or equity investment activities, issues may arise which could have a material negative impact on the Company’s results of operations, balance sheet, and cash flows.

• We May Be Subject to Risks Associated with Trade Tariffs.

The Company purchases products from a wide range of vendors in both of its businesses. Some of our vendors may import certain products as part of their manufacturing processes and could be impacted by higher costs resulting from trade tariffs. Further, the impact of higher costs at the retail level may negatively impact consumer discretionary spending and demand. In the event that our product purchase costs from our vendors increase and we cannot pass on those price increases to our customers, or if the retail level demand for the products we sell decreases, the Company’s results of operations, balance sheet, and cash flows could be negatively impacted.

• Employee Healthcare Benefits Represent a Significant Expense for Our Company and May Negatively Affect Our Profitability.

Healthcare represents a significant expense item for our Company and there is a general upward trend in healthcare costs nationwide. While we strive to control these costs through modifications to insurance coverage, including co-pays and deductibles, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully control such costs in the future. Continued increases in healthcare costs, as well as changes in laws, regulations, and assumptions used to calculate health and benefit expenses, may adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

• We May Be Subject to Product Liability Claims That May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Business.

We may face exposure to product liability claims if the use of any product we sell is alleged to cause injury or illness. However, product liability insurance may not continue to be available at a reasonable cost, or, if available, may not be adequate to cover all of our liabilities. We generally seek contractual indemnification and insurance coverage from parties supplying the products we sell, but this indemnification or insurance coverage is limited, as a practical matter, to the creditworthiness of the indemnifying party and the insurance limits of any insurance provided by suppliers. If we do not have adequate insurance or if contractual indemnification is not available or if the counterparty cannot fulfill its indemnification obligation, product liability relating to allegedly defective products could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, cash flow, business, and overall financial condition.

• We May Be Subject to Risks Associated with Insurance Plans Claims.

The Company uses a combination of insurance and self-insurance plans to provide for the potential liabilities for workers’ compensation, general liability, property insurance, director and officers’ liability insurance, vehicle liability, and employee health care benefits. Liabilities associated with these risks are estimated by the Company, in part, by considering historical claims experience, demographic factors, severity factors, and other assumptions. Our results could be materially impacted by claims and other expenses related to such insurance plans if future occurrences and claims differ from these assumptions and historical trends.

• We May Be Subject to Risks Associated with Insurance Renewals.

The Company uses a combination of insurance and self-insurance plans to provide for the potential liabilities for workers’ compensation, general liability, property insurance, director and officers’ liability insurance, vehicle liability, and employee health care benefits. The Company may not be able to renew various forms of insurance with adequate levels of coverage, at favorable rates, or obtain insurance at all based upon market conditions within the insurance industry and/or because of the industry in which the Company operates.

• A Deterioration in Economic Conditions May Negatively Impact Sales in Both Our Business Segments.

Our results of operations and financial condition are particularly sensitive to changes in the overall economy, including the level of consumer discretionary spending. Consumer discretionary spending may be negatively impacted by inflation, rising interest rates, recessions or other general economic uncertainties or downturns. Changes in discretionary spending patterns may decrease demand from our convenience store customers and/or impact the demand for natural food products in our retail health food stores as customers purchase less expensive product alternatives.

Additionally, many of our Wholesale Segment customers are thinly capitalized and their access to credit may be impacted by changes in economic conditions, systemic pressures in the banking system, including disruptions in the credit markets, rising interest rates or other factors, which may affect their ability to operate as a going concern, presenting additional credit risk for the Company. A period of economic downturn or economic deterioration could result in lower sales and profitability as well as customer credit defaults.

• Periods of Significant or Prolonged Inflation or Deflation Affect Our Product Costs and Profitability.

Volatile product costs have a direct impact on our business. Prolonged periods of product cost inflation may have a negative impact on our profit margins and earnings to the extent that we are unable to pass on all or a portion of such product cost increases to our customers, which may have a negative impact on our business and our profitability. In addition, product cost inflation may negatively impact consumer discretionary spending, which could adversely impact our sales. Conversely, our business may be adversely impacted by periods of prolonged product cost deflation because we make a significant portion of our sales at prices that are based on the cost of products we sell plus a percentage markup. As a result, our profit levels may be negatively impacted during periods of product cost deflation, even though our gross profit percentage may remain relatively constant.

• We Rely Heavily on Information Technology Systems to Operate Our Business. Any Disruptions to These Technology Systems or if These Systems were Made Unavailable for Use, May Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Business.

We rely extensively on our information technology systems and those of third parties to operate our business. We have had and may have disruptions to our information technology systems due to a number of factors including but not limited to electricity outages, equipment failure, telecommunications failures, security breaches, cyber-attacks, computer viruses, malware or other methods and causes. Although we make efforts to maintain the security, integrity and redundancy of our systems and have implemented various measures to manage the risk of system disruptions or failures, there can be no assurance that our efforts and measures will be effective. If any of our information technology systems or those of third parties on which we rely are damaged or made unavailable to us, it could have a material negative impact on our operations and profits.

• Adverse Publicity About the Company or Lack of Confidence in The Products We Carry May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Reputation and Reduce Earnings.

Maintaining a good reputation and public confidence in the products we distribute is critical to our business. Anything that damages that reputation or the public’s confidence in the products we carry, whether or not justified, including adverse publicity about the quality, safety or integrity of our products, could quickly and adversely affect our revenues and profits. In addition, such adverse publicity may result in product liability claims, a loss of reputation, and product recalls which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and operations.

• Impairment Charges for Goodwill or Other Intangible Assets May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

We annually test goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives to determine if impairment has occurred. Additionally, we perform interim reviews whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. If our testing indicates that impairment has occurred, we are required to record a non-cash impairment charge for the difference between the carrying value of the goodwill or other intangible assets and the implied fair value of the goodwill or other intangible assets in the period the determination is made.

The testing of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment requires management to make significant estimates about our future performance and cash flows, as well as other assumptions. These estimates can be affected by numerous factors, including potential changes in economic, industry or market conditions, changes in business operations, changes in competition or changes in our stock price and market capitalization. Changes in these factors, or changes in actual performance compared with estimates of our future performance, may affect the fair value of goodwill or other intangible assets, which may result in impairment charges. Additionally, we may not be able to accurately predict the amount and timing of any impairment of assets. Should the value of goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

• Capital Needed for Expansion May Not Be Available.

Acquiring other distributors or existing retail stores, developing and opening new retail stores and distribution facilities, and expanding existing distribution facilities requires significant amounts of capital. Historically, our growth has been funded primarily through proceeds from bank debt, private placements of equity and debt and internally generated cash flow. These and other sources of capital may not be available to us on satisfactory terms, or at all, in the future, particularly in light of current economic conditions, including systemic pressures in the banking system, disruptions in the credit markets and rising interest rates, which could impair our ability to further expand our business.

• Covenants in Our Revolving Credit Facilities or Other Debt Agreements May Restrict Our Ability to React to Changes Within Our Business or Industry.

Our revolving credit facilities and other debt agreements impose certain restrictions on us that could increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions by limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and industry. Specifically, these restrictions limit our ability, among other things, to incur additional indebtedness, make distributions, pay dividends, issue stock of subsidiaries, make investments, repurchase stock, create liens, enter into transactions with affiliates, merge or consolidate, or transfer and sell our assets.

• Failure to Meet Restrictive Covenants in Our Revolving Credit Facilities Could Result in Acceleration of the Facilities and We May not be Able to Find Alternative Financing.

Under our credit facilities, we are required to maintain a minimum debt service ratio if our excess availability falls below 10% of the maximum loan limit as defined in our revolving credit agreements. Our ability to comply with this covenant may be affected by factors beyond our control. If we breach, or if our lender contends that we have breached this covenant or any other restrictions, it could result in an event of default under our revolving credit facilities, which would permit our lenders to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be immediately due and payable, and our lenders under our revolving credit facilities could terminate their commitments to make further extensions of credit under our revolving credit facilities and foreclose on collateral securing those loans. In such an event, there can be no assurances that we would be able to obtain waivers for any such breach or default, refinance such indebtedness or obtain alternative financing on satisfactory terms or at all.

• We May Not Be Able to Obtain Capital or Borrow Funds to Provide Us with Sufficient Liquidity and Capital Resources Necessary to Meet Our Future Financial Obligations.

We expect that our principal sources of funds will be cash generated from our operations and, if necessary, borrowings under our revolving credit facilities or other debt financing arrangements. However, the current and future conditions in the credit markets, including systemic pressures in the banking system, disruptions in the credit markets and rising interest rates may impact the availability of capital resources required to meet our future financial obligations, or to provide funds for our working capital, capital expenditures and other needs for the foreseeable future. We may require additional equity or debt financing to meet our working capital requirements or to fund our capital expenditures. We may not be able to obtain financing on terms satisfactory to us, or at all.

• We Depend on Relatively Few Suppliers for a Large Portion of Our Products, and Any Interruptions in the Supply of the Products We Sell May Have an Adverse Effect on Our Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

We do not have any significant long-term contracts with suppliers in our wholesale business committing them to provide products to us. Although our purchasing volume can provide leverage when dealing with suppliers, suppliers may not provide the products we sell in the quantities we request or on favorable terms. Because we do not control the actual production of the products we sell, we are also subject to delays caused by interruption in production based on conditions beyond our control. These conditions include but are not limited to labor disputes (strikes), labor shortages, supply chain and transportation disruptions, inclement weather, drought, natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics or other widespread public health issues, or other catastrophic events and the adverse effects of climate change. Our inability to obtain adequate supplies of the products we sell, as a result of any of the foregoing factors or otherwise, could cause us to fail to meet our obligations to our customers.

• We Would Lose Business if Cigarette or Other Manufacturers That We Use Decide to Engage in Direct Distribution of Their Products.

Historically, some large manufacturers of the products we carry have decided to engage in direct distribution of their products and eliminate distributors such as the Company. If other manufacturers make similar product distribution decisions in the future, our revenues and profits could be adversely affected and there can be no assurance that we will be able to take action to compensate for such losses.

• We Depend on Our Senior Management and Key Personnel.

We depend on the continued services and performance of our senior management and other key personnel. While we have employment agreements with certain key personnel, the loss of service from any of our executive officers or key employees could harm our business.

• We Operate in a Competitive Labor Market and Some of Our Employees Are Covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements.

We compete with other businesses in each of our markets with respect to attracting and retaining qualified employees, particularly in the area of truck drivers and warehouse workers. A shortage of qualified employees could require us to enhance our wage and benefits packages to compete effectively in the hiring and retention of qualified employees or to hire more expensive temporary employees.

In addition, at September 2024, approximately thirty of our delivery drivers in our Wholesale Segment are covered by a collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization, which expires in November 2026. Strikes, work stoppages, or other business interruptions could occur if we are unable to renew these agreements on satisfactory terms or enter into new agreements on satisfactory terms, which could impair distribution of our products or result in a loss of sales, which could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations. The terms and conditions of existing, renegotiated or new collective bargaining agreements could also increase our costs or otherwise affect our ability to fully implement future operational changes to enhance our efficiency or to adapt to changing business needs or strategy.

• We Are Subject to Significant Governmental Regulation and If We Are Unable to Comply with Regulations That Affect Our Business or If There Are Substantial Changes in These Regulations, Our Business Could Be Adversely Affected.

As a distributor and retailer of food products, we are subject to regulation by the FDA. Our operations are also subject to regulation by the USDA, OSHA, ATF, DOT and other federal, state and local agencies. Each of these regulatory authorities has broad administrative powers with respect to our operations. If we fail to adequately comply with government regulations or regulations become more stringent, we could experience increased inspections, regulatory authorities could take remedial action including imposing fines or shutting down our operations or we could be subject to increased audit and compliance costs. If any of these events were to occur, our results of operations, business, cash flow, and financial condition would be adversely affected.

The Company operates and plans based on the current structure of government and other regulatory agencies and their related framework of oversight and standards setting. We cannot predict how any changes to any of these governmental or regulatory frameworks, or changes in laws, regulations, administrative orders or the interpretation or application of such items, may impact our business. Any changes in the current regulatory environment may change, restrict, or discontinue which products the Company is allowed to sell. Additionally, certain products we sell may require reformulation to meet new standards or comply with new regulations or administrative orders. As such, any related product recalls or product reformulations could result in additional record keeping costs, expanded documentation and tracking costs, and expanded or changed product labeling and/or scientific substantiation. Any such changes in our regulatory schemes could disrupt our supply chain and sales and have an adverse impact on our results of operations, business, cash flow, and financial condition.

RISK FACTORS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK

• The Company Has Few Shareholders of Record And, If this Number Remains below 300, as was true as of September 30, 2024, the Company Will No Longer Be Obligated to Report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and in Such Case We May Be Delisted from NYSE American, Reducing the Ability of Investors to Trade in Our Common Stock.

If the number of owners of record (including direct participants in the Depository Trust Company) of our common stock remains below 300, as was true as of September 30, 2024, our obligation to file reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 could be suspended. If we take advantage of this right we will likely reduce administrative costs of complying with public company rules, but periodic and current information updates about the Company would not be available to investors. In addition, the common stock of the Company would be removed from listing on NYSE American. This would likely impact investors’ ability to trade in our common stock.

• We Have Various Mechanisms in Place to Discourage Takeover Attempts, Which May Reduce or Eliminate Our Stockholders’ Ability to Sell Their Shares for a Premium in a Change of Control Transaction.

Various provisions of our bylaws and of corporate law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control or takeover attempt of the Company by a third party that is opposed by our management and Board of Directors. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to benefit from a change of control or change in our management and Board of Directors. These provisions include:

• supermajority voting requirements to amend certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation;
• non-cumulative voting for directors;
• control by our Board of Directors of the size of our Board of Directors;
• limitations on the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders; and
• advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by our stockholders at stockholder meetings.

Risk Management and Strategy

In the ordinary course of our business, the Company is subject to cybersecurity threats and risks which it manages as an important component of its overall enterprise risk management strategy. To identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity threats and risks to our business, the Company has made significant investments in its processes, control environment, and technology solutions to help prevent and mitigate the impact of any such threats and risks. These processes include the use of sophisticated third-party software for continuous monitoring, the use of expert outside consultants, ongoing training and educational programs, regular and periodic updates on new cybersecurity threats and risks, incident response procedures, and the implementation of other cybersecurity best practices wherever possible. These processes also cover risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of information technology systems of third-parties upon which we rely.

The day-to-day management of the Company’s cybersecurity framework is managed by the Company’s information technology team while operational oversight of its design and function are managed by the Company’s management team including, but not limited to, its Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Director of Industrial Engineering, and Director of Information Technology, all of whom have substantial experience managing enterprise risk, including cybersecurity risks. Our management team is informed about and monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity incidents in accordance with our incident response procedures.

Governance

The Company’s Board of Directors, working in conjunction with its Audit and Corporate Governance Committees, oversees the Company’s overall enterprise risk management program, including the evaluation of cybersecurity related risks. Our Board receives periodic updates from the Company’s management team regarding technology matters including its cybersecurity framework, and the notification of any material cybersecurity events and/or risks.

While the Company believes it has adequate processes and technology in place to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats, the Company is continually at risk given an ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. Accordingly, the Company can provide no assurances that a future cyber-attack would not impact the Company's business in a material manner. At the effective date of this report filing, however, the Company is not aware of any current or past cybersecurity incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including its business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. For more information on risks related to the Company's information technology systems, including cybersecurity threats that may materially affect the Company's business, see the risk factors included under Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“We Rely Heavily on Information Technology Systems to Operate Our Business. Any Disruptions to These Technology Systems or if These Systems were Made Unavailable for Use, May Have a Material Adverse Effect on Our Business”).

The location and approximate square footage of the Company’s 13 distribution centers and 15 retail stores at September 2024 are set forth below:

The Company leases certain distribution facilities, retail stores, offices, and certain equipment under operating leases. As further described in Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, certain of our distribution facilities in Quincy, Illinois, Springfield, Missouri, Bismarck, North Dakota, Rapid City, South Dakota, Colorado City, Colorado, East Peoria, Illinois and Fairview Heights, Illinois are owned by the Company and are included as collateral under AMCON’s credit facility (“the AMCON Facility”). Henry’s distribution center in Alexandria, Minnesota is owned by the Company and is included as collateral under Henry’s credit facility (“the Henry’s Facility”). Team Sledd’s principal office and warehouse in

Wheeling, West Virginia are collateral against two separate notes payable and Team Sledd’s credit facility (the “Team Sledd Facility”). Management believes that its existing facilities are adequate for the Company’s current level of operations, however, larger facilities and additional cross-dock facilities and retail stores may be required if the Company experiences growth in certain market areas.

Overview

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 and other information in this report, including Critical Accounting Estimates and Cautionary Information included at the end of this Item 7. The following discussion and analysis includes the results of operations for the twelve month periods ended September 2024 and September 2023. For more information regarding our business segments, see Item 1 “Business” of this Annual Report.

Business Update

Our business continues to be impacted by macroeconomic factors and certain manufacturer supply chain limitations. The cumulative effect of sustained inflation across various consumer product categories has impacted discretionary spending and the related retail level demand for the convenience store customers we serve. These same inflationary pressures have also increased our operating costs, particularly as it relates to labor, equipment, insurance, interest, and the cost of the products we sell.

We continue to closely monitor regulatory actions and proposals from federal and state governmental and regulatory bodies, including the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), which is evaluating the possible prohibition and/or limitations on the sale of certain cigarette, e-cigarette, tobacco, and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. If such further regulations or further product sale limitations were to be implemented, they may limit the range of products we are able to sell in related product categories and decrease overall consumer demand. Any such changes may negatively impact our revenues, gross margins, and financial results.

During fiscal year 2024, the Company continued to make targeted investments in conjunction with its long-term growth strategy.

The Company purchased and is currently building out a 250,000 square foot distribution facility in Colorado City, Colorado, which will play a central role in the Company’s long-term geographic expansion initiatives. In addition, the Company’s new 175,000 square foot distribution facility located in Springfield, Missouri became fully operational at the end of the fiscal period. This new facility will enhance our foodservice capabilities in that region.

The Company also acquired Burklund Distributors, Inc. (“Burklund”), a wholesale distributor based in East Peoria, Illinois and Richmond Master Distributors, Inc. (“Richmond Master”), a wholesale distributor based in South Bend, Indiana. These acquisitions will expand the Company’s regional footprint and provide customers with an enhanced range of products and services over time.

Lastly, the Company opened a new retail store under the Chamberlin’s Natural Foods banner in Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth an analysis of various components of the Company’s Statement of Operations as a percentage of sales for fiscal years 2024 and 2023:

The following table presents selected statement of operations data for fiscal years 2024 and 2023:

($ in millions)

(1) Sales are reported net of costs associated with incentives provided to retailers. These incentives totaled $41.1 million and $40.4 million in fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively.

(2) Calculated based on rounded numbers as presented in the table.

SALES

Changes in sales are primarily driven by:

(i) changes to selling prices, which are largely controlled by our product suppliers, and excise taxes imposed on cigarettes and tobacco products by various states;

(ii) changes in the volume and mix of products sold to our customers, either due to a change in purchasing patterns resulting from shifting consumer preferences or the fluctuation in the comparable number of business days in our reporting period; and

(iii) acquisitions

SALES—Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

Sales in our Wholesale Segment increased $171.6 million during fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023. Significant items impacting sales during fiscal 2024 included a $103.1 million increase in comparative sales related to the acquisition of Henry’s Foods, Inc. (“Henry’s") during Q2 2023, a $98.6 million increase in sales related to the combined acquisitions of Burklund and Richmond Master during fiscal 2024, a $116.6 million increase in sales related to price increases implemented by cigarette manufacturers, and a $2.9 million increase in sales related to higher sales volumes in our tobacco, confectionary, foodservice, and other categories (“Other Products”), partially offset by a $149.6 million decrease in sales related to the volume and mix of cigarette cartons sold.

Sales in our Retail Segment decreased $0.6 million in fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023. This change was primarily due to a $5.5 million decrease related to the closure of five stores between the comparative periods, partially offset by a $2.4 million increase related to higher sales volumes in our existing stores, a $2.0 million increase related to the re-opening of our Port Charlotte store that was damaged during Hurricane Ian, and a $0.5 million increase related to the opening of our new Lakewood Ranch store.

GROSS PROFIT—Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

Our gross profit does not include fulfillment costs and costs related to the distribution network which are included in selling, general and administrative costs, and may not be comparable to those of other entities. Some entities may classify such costs as a component of cost of sales. Cost of sales, a component used in determining gross profit, for the Wholesale and Retail Segments includes the cost of products purchased from manufacturers, less incentives we receive which are netted against such costs.

Gross profit in our Wholesale Segment increased $11.5 million during fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023. Significant items impacting gross profit during fiscal 2024 included an $11.9 million increase in comparative gross profit related to the acquisition of Henry’s in Q2 2023, a $5.1 million increase in gross profit related to the combined acquisitions of Burklund and Richmond Master during fiscal 2024, and a $0.1 million increase in gross profit due to the timing and related benefits of cigarette manufacturer price increases between the comparative periods, partially offset by a $5.3 million decrease in gross profit related to the mix of volumes and promotions in our Other Products category and a $0.3 million decrease in gross profit related to the volume and mix of cigarette cartons sold between the comparative periods. Gross profit in our Retail Segment increased $0.1 million in fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023. This change was primarily related to a $1.0 million increase in realized margins in our existing stores, a $0.7 million increase related to the re-opening of our Port Charlotte store that was damaged during Hurricane Ian, and a $0.3 million increase related to the opening of our new Lakewood Ranch store, partially offset by a $1.9 million decrease related to the closure of five stores between the comparative periods.

OPERATING EXPENSE—Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

Operating expense includes selling, general and administrative expenses and depreciation and amortization. Selling, general, and administrative expenses primarily consist of costs related to our sales, warehouse, delivery and administrative departments, including purchasing and receiving costs, warehousing costs and costs of picking and loading customer orders. Our most significant expenses relate to costs associated with employees, facility and equipment leases, transportation, fuel, and insurance.

Our fiscal 2024 consolidated operating expenses increased $19.5 million as compared to fiscal 2023. Significant items impacting operating expenses during fiscal 2024 included a $10.6 million increase in operating expenses related to the acquisition of Henry’s during Q2 2023, a $4.5 million increase related to the combined acquisitions of Burklund and Richmond Master during fiscal 2024, a $3.2 million increase related to employee compensation and benefit costs, a $1.3 million increase in insurance costs and a $0.6 million increase in other Wholesale Segment operating expenses, partially offset by a $0.7 million decrease in our Retail Segment operating expenses. The decrease in our Retail Segment was primarily due to a $2.8 million decrease related to the closure of five stores between the comparative periods, partially offset by an increase of $1.1 million in our existing stores, a $0.5 million increase related to the re-opening of our Port Charlotte store that was damaged during Hurricane Ian and a $0.5 million increase related to the opening of our new Lakewood Ranch store.

INTEREST EXPENSE — Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

Interest expense increased $1.9 million during fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023, primarily related to higher interest rates, increased capital expenditures, and higher outstanding debt balances in the current year period related to the acquisitions of Burklund and Richmond Master in fiscal 2024 and the acquisition of Henry’s in Q2 2023.

OTHER INCOME — Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

The change in other income was primarily related to differences in the amounts of insurance recoveries between the comparative periods.

INCOME TAX EXPENSE — Fiscal 2024 vs. Fiscal 2023

The change in the Company’s effective tax rate during fiscal 2024 as compared to fiscal 2023 was primarily related to non-deductible compensation expense in relation to the amount of income from operations before income tax expense and variances in the average effective state income tax rates between the comparative periods.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company’s variability in cash flows from operating activities is dependent on the timing of inventory purchases and seasonal fluctuations. For example, periodically we have inventory “buy-in” opportunities which offer more favorable pricing terms. As a result, we may have to hold inventory for a period longer than the payment terms. This generates a cash outflow from operating activities that we expect to reverse in later periods. Additionally, during our peak time of operations in the warm weather months, we generally carry higher amounts of inventory to ensure high fill rates and customer satisfaction.

The Company primarily finances its operations through three credit facility agreements (a) a facility that is an obligation of AMCON Distributing Company (the “AMCON Facility”), (b) a facility that is an obligation of Team Sledd (the “Team Sledd Facility”) and (c) a facility that is the obligation of Henry’s (the “Henry’s Facility”), and collectively together (the “Facilities”) and long-term debt agreements with banks. The Team Sledd Facility and The Henry’s Facility are non- recourse to AMCON Distributing Company, are not guaranteed by AMCON Distributing Company and have no cross default provisions applicable to AMCON Distributing Company.

At September 2024, the Facilities have a total combined borrowing capacity of $300.0 million, which includes provisions for up to $30.0 million in credit advances for certain inventory purchases, which are limited by accounts receivable and inventory qualifications, and the value of certain real estate collateral. The Henry’s Facility matures in February 2026, the AMCON Facility matures in June 2027, and the Team Sledd Facility matures in March 2028, each without a penalty for prepayment. Obligations under the Facilities are collateralized by substantially all of the Company’s respective equipment, intangibles, inventories, accounts receivable, and certain real estate. The Facilities each feature an unused commitment fee and springing financial covenants. Borrowings under the Facilities bear interest at either the bank’s prime rate or the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), plus any applicable spreads.

The amount available for use from the Facilities at any given time is subject to a number of factors, including eligible accounts receivable and inventory balances that fluctuate day-to-day, as well as the value of certain real estate collateral. Based on the collateral and loan limits as defined in the Facility agreements, the credit limit of the combined Facilities at September 2024 was $212.4 million, of which $121.3 million was outstanding, leaving $91.1 million available.

The average interest rate of the Facilities was 6.82% at September 2024. During fiscal 2024, the peak borrowings under the Facilities was $181.8 million, and the average borrowings and average availability under the Facilities was $134.5 million and $81.0 million, respectively.

Cross Default and Co-Terminus Provisions

Team Sledd’s two notes payable and the Team Sledd Facility contain cross default provisions. The Henry’s note payable and the Henry’s Facility contain cross default provisions. There were no such cross defaults for either Team Sledd or Henry’s at September 2024. Additionally, the Team Sledd Facility and the Henry’s Facility are non-recourse to AMCON Distributing Company, are not guaranteed by AMCON Distributing Company and have no cross default provisions applicable to AMCON Distributing Company. The Company and its subsidiaries, including Team Sledd and Henry’s, were in compliance with all of the financial covenants under the Facilities at September 2024.

Dividend Payments

The Company paid cash dividends of $0.6 million, or $1.00 per common share, and $3.5 million, or $5.72 per common share, during fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively.

Other

The Company has issued letters of credit to its workers’ compensation insurance carriers as part of its self-insured loss control program totaling $2.4 million and $0.5 million as of September 2024 and September 2023, respectively.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Liquidity Risk

The Company’s liquidity position is significantly influenced by its ability to maintain sufficient levels of working capital. For our Company and our industry in general, customer credit risk and ongoing access to bank credit heavily influence liquidity positions.

The Company does not currently hedge its exposure to interest rate risk or fuel costs. Accordingly, significant price movements in these areas can and do impact the Company’s profitability.

While the Company believes its liquidity position going forward will be adequate to sustain operations in both the short- and long-term, a precipitous change in the operating environment could materially impact the Company’s future revenue streams as well as its ability to collect on customer accounts receivable or secure bank credit.

OTHER MATTERS—Critical Accounting Estimates

GENERAL

The Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require the Company to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net revenue and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The Company believes that the accounting estimates employed and the resulting balances are reasonable; however, actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The Company believes the following critical accounting policies reflect the significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements. Our critical accounting estimates are set forth below.

ALLOWANCE FOR EXPECTED CREDIT LOSSES

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. The allowance for expected credit losses represents our estimate of uncollectible accounts receivable at the balance sheet date. We monitor our credit exposure on a daily basis and regularly assess the adequacy of our allowance for expected credit losses. Because credit losses can vary significantly over time, estimating the required allowance requires a number of assumptions that are uncertain.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. We estimate our required allowance for expected credit losses using the following key assumptions:

• Historical collections—Represented as the amount of historical uncollectible accounts as a percent of total accounts receivable.
• Specific credit exposure on certain accounts—Identified based on management’s review of the accounts receivable portfolio and taking into account the financial wherewithal of particular customers that management deems to have a higher risk of collection.
• Market conditions—We consider a broad range of industry trends and macro-economic issues which help formulate reasonable and supportable forecasts and also may impact the creditworthiness of our customers.

INVENTORIES

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. In our businesses, we carry large quantities and dollar amounts of inventory. Inventories primarily consist of finished products purchased in bulk quantities to be sold to our customers. Given the large quantities and broad range of products we carry, there is a risk that inventory may become impaired because it has become unsaleable or unrefundable, slow moving, obsolete, or because it has been discontinued. The use of estimates is required in determining either the net realizable value (for our wholesale business) or the lower of cost or market (“LCM”) under the retail method (for our retail business) of this inventory.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. We estimate our inventory obsolescence reserve at each balance sheet date based on the following criteria:

• Slow moving products—Items identified as slow moving are evaluated on a case-by-case basis for impairment.
• Obsolete/discontinued inventory—Products identified that are near or beyond their expiration dates. We may also discontinue carrying certain product lines for our customers. As a result, we estimate either the net realizable value or the LCM of this inventory as if it were to be liquidated.
• Estimated net realizable value—For our wholesale business, the net realizable value of the inventory is estimated using management’s evaluation of the congestion in the distribution channels and experience with brokers and inventory liquidators to determine the net realizable value of the inventory.

DEPRECIATION, AMORTIZATION AND IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS, INCLUDING GOODWILL AND LEASED RIGHT-OF-USE ASSETS

Long-lived assets consist primarily of property and equipment, leased right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, intangible assets, and goodwill acquired in business combinations. Property and equipment, ROU assets and amortizable identified intangible assets are assigned useful lives ranging from one to 40 years. Indefinite-lived intangible assets and goodwill are not amortized. Impairment of the Company’s long-lived assets is assessed during the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, or whenever events or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value of such long-lived assets may not be recoverable.

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. Management has to estimate the useful lives of the Company’s long-lived assets. In regard to the Company’s impairment analysis, the most significant assumptions include management’s estimate of the annual growth rate used to project future sales and expenses.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. For property and equipment, depreciable lives are based on our accounting policy which is intended to mirror the expected useful life of the asset. In determining the estimated useful life of ROU assets and amortizable intangible assets such as customer lists, we rely on our historical experience in addition to estimates of how long certain assets will generate cash flows. If impairment indicators arise, we then evaluate the potential impairment of property and equipment, ROU assets and amortizable identifiable intangible assets using an undiscounted future cash flow approach.

When evaluating the potential impairment of non-amortizable indefinite-lived assets and goodwill, the Company first assesses a range of qualitative factors, including but not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry conditions, the competitive environment, changes in the market for the Company’s products and services, market prices, regulatory and political developments, entity specific factors such as strategy and changes in key personnel, and the overall financial performance for each of the Company’s reporting units. If after completing this assessment, the Company determines that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, a quantitative evaluation is performed using the income approach (discounted cash flow method).

A discounted cash flow methodology requires the estimation of a wide range of factors including but not limited to: (i) forecasting future earnings and cash flows (ii) determining the discount rate applicable to the earnings stream being discounted, and (iii) computing a terminal value at some point in the future. These estimations require significant judgment and include making assumptions such as sales growth rates including the addition of new retail stores, future store profitability, planned capital expenditures, our ability to control costs, the successful implementation of initiatives designed to enhance sales and improve inventory management, gross profit estimates, macroeconomic conditions, industry conditions, the competitive environment, changes in the market for the Company’s products and services, regulatory and political developments, entity specific factors such as strategy and changes in key personnel, working capital requirements, weighted average cost of capital, and current and anticipated operating conditions. The use of different assumptions or estimates for future cash flows could produce different results.

Goodwill recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet represents amounts allocated to its wholesale reporting unit which totaled $5.8 million at both September 2024 and September 2023. The Company determined that the estimated fair value of its wholesale reporting unit exceeded its carrying value at both September 2024 and September 2023.

INSURANCE

The Company’s insurance for employee-related health care benefits, workers’ compensation, and general liability is provided through high-deductible or self-insured programs. The Company accrues for employee-related health care costs utilizing a claims reserve methodology and prepays insurance carriers for all workers’ compensation and general liability coverage as part of its insurance program. All claims activity and any related reserves are evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Due to the uncertainty involved with claims activity and the realization of claims incurred but unreported, management is required to make estimates of these claims.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. In order to estimate our reserve for incurred but unreported employee health care claims we consider the following key factors:

• Historical claims experience—We review loss runs for each month to calculate the average monthly claims experience.
• Lag period for reporting claims—Based on our analysis, our experience is such that we have a minimum of a one-month lag period in which claims are reported.

INCOME TAXES

The Company accounts for its income taxes by recording taxes payable or refundable for the current year and deferred tax assets and liabilities for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. These expected future tax consequences are measured based on provisions of tax law as currently enacted; the effects of future changes in tax laws are not anticipated. Future tax law changes, such as a change in the corporate tax rate, could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

On a periodic basis, we assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and establish a related valuation allowance as appropriate. In performing our evaluation, we consider all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether, based on the weight of the evidence, a valuation allowance is needed. Evidence used includes information about our current financial position and our results of operations for the current and preceding years, as well as all currently available information about future years, including our anticipated future performance, the reversal of deferred tax liabilities and tax planning strategies. When appropriate, we record a valuation allowance against deferred tax assets to offset future tax benefits that may not be realized.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. In determining whether a valuation allowance is appropriate, we consider whether it is more likely than not that all or some portion of our deferred tax assets will not be realized, based in part upon management’s judgments regarding future events.

In making that estimate we consider the following key factors:

• our current financial position;
• historical financial information;
• future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences;
• future taxable income exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards;
• taxable income in prior carryback years; and
• tax planning strategies.

REVENUE RECOGNITION

We recognize revenue in both our Wholesale Segment and our Retail Segment when the performance obligation is satisfied, which is the point at which control of the promised goods or services are transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods and services. For the majority of our customer arrangements, control transfers to customers at a point-in-time when goods have been delivered, as that is generally when legal title, physical possession and risks and rewards of goods and services transfers to the customer. Sales are shown net of returns, discounts, and sales incentives to customers.

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. We estimate and reserve for anticipated sales discounts. We also estimate and provide a reserve for anticipated sales incentives to customers when earned under established program requirements.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. We estimate the sales reserves using the following criteria:

• Sales discounts—We use historical experience to estimate the amount of accounts receivable that will not be collected due to customers taking advantage of authorized term discounts.
• Volume sales incentives—We use historical experience in combination with quarterly reviews of customers’ sales progress in order to estimate the amount of volume incentives due to the customers on a periodic basis.

Our estimates and assumptions for each of the aforementioned critical accounting estimates have not changed materially during the periods presented, nor are we aware of any reasons that they would be reasonably likely to change in the future.

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed as part of a business acquisition are generally recorded at their fair value at the date of acquisition. Determining fair value of identifiable assets acquired, particularly intangibles, and liabilities assumed also requires management to make estimates, which are based on all available information and in some cases assumptions with respect to the timing and amount of future revenues and expenses associated with an asset.

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. We allocate the purchase price of acquired companies to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and intangible assets acquired, based on their estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over these fair values is recorded as goodwill. Such valuations require management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. Critical estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include but are not limited to the projected growth factors, future expected cash flows, discount rates, potential competitive and regulatory environment developments, and changes in the market for the Company’s products and services. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates. Additionally, estimates associated with the accounting for acquisitions may change as new information becomes available regarding the assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

MANDATORILY REDEEMABLE NON-CONTROLLING INTEREST

Mandatorily redeemable non-controlling interest represents the non-controlling interest in the Company’s strategic investment in Team Sledd.

NATURE OF ESTIMATES REQUIRED. We record the mandatorily redeemable non-controlling interest at fair value. This valuation requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to the timing of future redemptions and discount rates.

ASSUMPTIONS AND APPROACH USED. Critical estimates in valuing the mandatorily redeemable non-controlling interest include but are not limited to the projected growth factors, future expected cash flows, discount rates, potential competitive and regulatory environment developments, and changes in the market for the Company’s products and services. Management’s estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable and, as a result, actual results may differ from estimates.

ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments”, which introduces a forward-looking approach, based on expected losses, to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables. The estimate of expected credit losses requires entities to incorporate considerations of historical information, current information and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This ASU also expands the disclosure requirements to enable users of financial statements to understand the entity’s assumptions, models and methods for estimating expected credit losses. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on October 1, 2023. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Recently Announced Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280) – Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures”, which improves reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses. This ASU also expands disclosure requirements to enable users of financial statements to better understand the entity’s measurement and assessment of segment performance and resource allocation. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 (fiscal 2025 for the Company), and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 (fiscal 2026 for the Company), with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently reviewing this ASU and its potential impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740) – Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures”, which enhances the transparency, effectiveness and comparability of income tax disclosures by requiring consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information related to income tax rate reconciliations and the jurisdictions in which income taxes are paid. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024 (fiscal 2026 for the Company), with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently reviewing this ASU and its potential impact on our consolidated financial statements.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and other sections, contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties and which reflect management’s current beliefs and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, Company performance and financial results. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the possible or assumed future results of operations of the Company and those statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “future,” “position,” “anticipate(s),” “expect(s),” “believe(s),” “see,” “plan,” “further improve,” “outlook,” “should” or similar expressions. For these statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions.

It should be understood that the following important factors, in addition to those discussed elsewhere in this document, could affect the future results of the Company and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements:

• risks associated with all forms of insurance renewals and the risk that the Company may not be able to renew various insurance with adequate levels of coverage, at favorable rates, or obtain insurance at all based upon market conditions within the insurance industry and/or because of the industry in which the Company operates,
• risks associated with unrest in certain global regions which could further disrupt world supply chains, manufacturing centers, and shipping routes, impacting commodity/product availability and/or cost, as well as consumer demand trends,
• risks associated with higher interest rates or prolonged periods of higher interest rates and the related impact on demand, customer credit risk, profitability, and cash flows for both the Company and its customer base, particularly as it relates to variable interest rate borrowings, as well as the risk that such borrowings may not be renewed in the future on favorable terms or at all,
• risks associated with any systemic pressures in the banking system, particularly as they relate to customer credit risk and any resulting impact on our cash flow and our ability to collect on our receivables,
• risks associated with an inflationary operating environment, particularly as it relates to wages, fuel, interest, commodity prices, and customer credit risk, which impact our operating cost structure and could impact food ingredient costs and demand for many of the products we sell,
• regulations, potential bans, limitations and/or litigation related to the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of certain cigarette, e-cigarette, tobacco, and vaping products imposed by the FDA, state or local governmental agencies, or other parties, including proposed and pending regulations and/or product approvals/authorizations related to the manufacturing, distribution and sale of certain menthol, vaping, and flavored tobacco products,
• risks associated with the threat or occurrence of epidemics or pandemics (such as COVID-19 or its variants) or other public health issues, including the continued health of our employees and management, the reduced demand for our goods and services or increased credit risk from customer credit defaults resulting from an economic downturn,
• risks associated with the imposition of governmental orders restricting our operations and the operations of our suppliers and customers, in particular, disruptions to our supply chain or our ability to procure products or fulfill orders due to labor shortages in our warehouse operations,
• risks associated with events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the Company experienced both higher sales volumes and labor costs but then subsequently experienced a decline in sales volumes, with limited ability to offset or pass on higher operating costs,
• risks associated with the acquisition of businesses or assets, capital asset expenditure projects by either of our business segments such the development of new facilities/locations or upgrades to distribution centers or retail stores, including, but not limited to, risks associated with consummating such transactions on expected terms or timing, purchase price and business valuation and recording risks, and risks related to the assumption of certain liabilities or obligations,
• risks associated with the integration of new businesses or equity investments by either of our business segments including, but not limited to, risks associated with vendor and customer retention, technology integration, and the potential loss of any key management personnel or employees,
• increasing competition and market conditions in our wholesale and retail health food businesses and any associated impact on the carrying value and any potential impairment of assets (including intangible assets) within those businesses,
• risk that our repositioning strategy for our retail business will not be successful,
• risks associated with opening new retail stores,
• risks to our brick and mortar retail business and potentially to our wholesale distribution business if online shopping formats such as Amazon™ continue to grow in popularity and further disrupt traditional sales channels,
• the potential impact that ongoing or proposed increases in trade tariffs and/or changes to trade policies may have on raw materials or finished goods sourced from abroad which could result in higher prices for the products we sell while also decreasing consumer disposable income and demand,
• increasing product and operational costs resulting from ongoing supply chain disruptions, an intensely competitive labor market with a limited pool of qualified workers, and higher incremental costs associated with the handling and transportation of certain product categories such as foodservice,
• increases in state and federal excise taxes on cigarette and tobacco products and the potential impact on demand, particularly as it relates to current legislation under consideration which could significantly increase such taxes,
• risks associated with disruptions to our technology systems or those of third parties upon which we rely, including security breaches, cyber and ransomware attacks, malware, or other methods by which such information systems could or may have been compromised or impacted,
• increases in inventory carrying costs and customer credit risks,
• changes in pricing strategies and/or promotional/incentive programs offered by cigarette and tobacco manufacturers,
• changing demand for the Company’s products, particularly cigarette, tobacco and vaping products,
• risks that product manufacturers may begin selling directly to convenience stores and bypass wholesale distributors,
• changes in laws and regulations and ongoing compliance related to health care and associated insurance,
• increasing health care costs for both the Company and consumers and its potential impact on discretionary consumer spending,
• decreased availability of capital resources,
• domestic regulatory and legislative risks,
• poor weather conditions, and the adverse effects of climate change,
• consolidation trends within the convenience store, wholesale distribution, and retail health food industries,
• risks associated with labor disputes (strikes), natural disasters, domestic/political unrest and incidents of violence, or any restrictions, regulations, or security measures implemented by governmental bodies in response to these items, and
• other risks over which the Company has little or no control, and any other factors not identified herein.

Changes in these factors could result in significantly different results. Consequently, future results may differ from management’s expectations. Moreover, past financial performance should not be considered a reliable indicator of future performance. Any forward-looking statement contained herein is made as of the date of this document. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or correct any of these forward-looking statements in the future to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of material events or changes in future operating results, financial conditions or business over time.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As required by Rules 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) under the Exchange Act, an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2024 was made under the supervision and with the participation of our senior management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and fraud. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management’s override of the control.

The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and the dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that our transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with appropriate authorizations; and

(3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, a system of internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance and may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Further, because of changes in conditions, effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting may vary over time.

We have completed our evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley and Item 308(a) of Regulation S-K. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, we assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2024. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO 2013). Based on its assessment, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2024.

This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Other than changes implemented related to the consolidation of Burklund and Richmond Master, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2024, that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

On April 5, 2024 and June 21, 2024, the Company completed its acquisitions of Burklund and Richmond Master, respectively. The Company is in the process of evaluating the existing controls and procedures of Burklund and Richmond Master and integrating Burklund and Richmond Master into the internal control over financial reporting processes of the Company. In accordance with SEC Staff guidance permitting a company to exclude an acquired business from management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting for the year in which the acquisition is completed, the Company has excluded Burklund and Richmond Master from the assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2024. Burklund and Richmond Master accounted for $27.0 million and $10.0 million of our consolidated total assets and $73.4 million and $25.2 million of our consolidated sales as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, respectively. The scope of management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2024 includes all of the Company’s consolidated operations except for those disclosure controls and procedures of Burklund and Richmond Master that are included in internal control over financial reporting.