crws20220403

crws20220403_10k.htm

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

	☑	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
		OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

		For the fiscal year ended April 3, 2022

	☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
		OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File No. 1-7604

Crown Crafts, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	58-0678148
(State of Incorporation)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

916 S. Burnside Ave.
Gonzales, Louisiana	70737
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant's Telephone Number, including area code: (225) 647-9100

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value	CRWS	Nasdaq Capital Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-Accelerated filer	☑	Smaller Reporting Company	☑
		Emerging Growth Company	☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

The approximate aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of September 24, 2021 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was $65.1 million.

As of June 2, 2022, 10,076,496 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference:

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated into Part III hereof by reference.

	TABLE OF CONTENTS
		Page
	PART I
Item 1.	Business.	3
Item 1A.	Risk Factors.	7
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments.	12
Item 2.	Properties.	12
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings.	12
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures.	12

	PART II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.	12
Item 6.	Reserved.	12
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.	13
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.	18
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.	18
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures.	18
Item 9B.	Other Information.	19
Item 9C.	Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.	19

	PART III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.	19
Item 11.	Executive Compensation.	19
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.	19
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.	20
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services.	20

	PART IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.	21
Item 16.	Form 10-K Summary.	26

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Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere, including information incorporated herein by reference to other documents, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions and future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which may be beyond our control and which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Crown Crafts, Inc. (the “Company”) to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking. Such statements are based upon management’s current expectations, projections, estimates and assumptions, and may be identified as forward-looking through the Company’s use of words such as “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “indicate,” “assume,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “believe” and “intend.” Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks include those described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and elsewhere in this Annual Report and those described from time to time in our future reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of additional factors that may impact the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

All written or oral forward-looking statements that are made by or are attributable to the Company are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice. The Company’s forward-looking statements apply only as of the date of this Annual Report or the respective date of the document from which they are incorporated herein by reference. The Company has no obligation and does not undertake to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this Annual Report, or after the respective dates on which such statements are otherwise made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PART I

ITEM 1. Business

Description of Business

The Company was incorporated as a Georgia corporation in 1957 and was reincorporated as a Delaware corporation in 2003. The Company’s executive offices are located at 916 South Burnside Avenue, Suite 300, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737, its telephone number is (225) 647-9100 and its internet address is www.crowncrafts.com.

The Company operates indirectly through two of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, NoJo Baby & Kids, Inc. (“NoJo”) and Sassy Baby, Inc. (“Sassy”), in the infant, toddler and juvenile products segment within the consumer products industry. The infant, toddler and juvenile products segment consists of infant and toddler bedding and blankets, bibs, soft bath products, disposable products, developmental toys and accessories. Sales of the Company’s products are generally made directly to retailers, such as mass merchants, large chain stores, mid-tier retailers, juvenile specialty stores, value channel stores, grocery and drug stores, restaurants, wholesale clubs and internet-based retailers. The Company’s products are marketed under a variety of Company-owned trademarks, under trademarks licensed from others and as private label goods.

The Company's fiscal year ends on the Sunday nearest to or on March 31. References herein to “fiscal year 2022” or “2022” represent the 53-week period ended April 3, 2022, and references herein to “fiscal year 2021” or “2021” represent the 52-week period ended March 28, 2021.

During fiscal 2021 and the first 54 days of fiscal 2022, the Company also operated indirectly through Carousel Designs, LLC (“Carousel”), a wholly-owned subsidiary that manufactured and marketed infant and toddler bedding directly to consumers online from a facility in Douglasville, Georgia. On May 5, 2021, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved the closure of Carousel due to a history of high costs, declining sales and operating and cash flow losses, as well as management’s determination that such losses were likely to continue. Accordingly, the operations of Carousel ceased at the close of business on May 21, 2021.

The Company makes its annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act available free of charge on its website at www.crowncrafts.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such material has been electronically filed with the SEC. These reports are also available without charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

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International Sales

Sales to customers in countries other than the U.S. represented 4% and 3% of the Company’s total gross sales during fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively, which included 1% of sales to the customers set forth below that represented at least 10% of the Company’s gross sales during fiscal year 2022. International sales are based upon the location that predominately represents what the Company believes to be the final destination of the products delivered to the Company’s customers.

Company Response to COVID-19

The Company continues to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its supply chain, manufacturing and distribution operations, customers and employees, as well as the U.S. economy in general. However, due to the uncertainty as to the duration and widespread nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the success rates of the vaccines on COVID-19 and the variants thereof, and the extent to which the vaccines will be accepted and effectively administered, the Company cannot currently predict the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial results.

On April 19, 2020, the Company executed a Note (the “Note”) in connection with a loan made pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Loan”), which is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) and the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020. The Note was entered into with CIT Bank, N.A. (the “Lender”) for the principal amount of $1,963,800 and bore a 1.0% interest rate.

As authorized by the provisions of the CARES Act, the Company applied to the Lender for forgiveness of the PPP Loan. The Note would have matured on April 20, 2022, but on May 20, 2021, the PPP Loan was forgiven in full and the SBA remitted to the Lender on that date the principal amount of the Note of $1,963,800 and interest of $21,000 that had accrued from the funding date of April 20, 2020 through the forgiveness date of May 20, 2021. During fiscal year 2022, the Company recorded a gain on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $1,985,000 associated with the forgiveness of the PPP Loan, which has been presented below income from operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of income.

The uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic include potential adverse effects on the overall economy, the impact on the Company’s supply chain, manufacturing and distribution operations, transportation services, customers and employees, as well as consumer sentiment in general and traffic within the retail stores that carry the Company’s products. The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect the Company’s revenues, earnings, liquidity and cash flows and may require significant actions in response, including employee furloughs, closings of Company facilities, expense reductions or discounts of the pricing of the Company’s products, all in an effort to mitigate such effects. Conditions surrounding COVID-19 change rapidly, and additional impacts of which the Company is not currently aware may arise. Based on the operational and financial plans that management has developed, the Company expects to be able to meet its obligations as they become due over the next 12 months.

Competition

The infant, toddler and juvenile consumer products industry is highly competitive. The Company competes with a variety of distributors and manufacturers (both branded and private label), including large infant, toddler and juvenile product companies and specialty infant, toddler and juvenile product manufacturers, on the basis of quality, design, price, brand name recognition, service and packaging. The Company’s ability to compete depends principally on styling, price, service to the retailer and continued high regard for the Company’s products and trade names.

Human Capital Resources

As of June 2, 2022, the Company had 126 employees, all of whom are full-time and none of whom is represented by a labor union or is otherwise a party to a collective bargaining agreement. The Company attracts and maintains qualified personnel by paying competitive salaries and benefits and offering opportunities for advancement. The Company considers its relationship with its employees to be good.

Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents

The Company considers its intellectual property to be of material importance to its business. Sales of products marketed under the Company’s trademarks, including NoJo®, Neat Solutions®, Carousel Designs® and Sassy®, accounted for 30% and 38% of the Company’s total gross sales during fiscal years 2022 and 2021, respectively. Protection for these trademarks is obtained through domestic and foreign registrations. The Company also markets designs that are subject to copyrights and design patents owned by the Company.

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Product Sourcing

Foreign and domestic contract manufacturers produce most of the Company’s products, with the largest concentration being in China. The Company makes sourcing decisions on the basis of quality, timeliness of delivery and price, including the impact of ocean freight and duties. Although the Company maintains relationships with a limited number of suppliers, the Company believes that its products may be readily manufactured by several alternative sources in quantities sufficient to meet the Company’s requirements. The Company’s management and quality assurance personnel visit the third-party facilities regularly to monitor and audit product quality and to ensure compliance with labor requirements and social and environmental standards. In addition, the Company closely monitors the currency exchange rate. The impact of future fluctuations in the exchange rate or changes in safeguards cannot be predicted with certainty.

The Company maintains a foreign representative office located in Shanghai, China, which is responsible for the coordination of production, purchases and shipments, seeking out new vendors and overseeing inspections for social compliance and quality.

The Company’s products are warehoused and distributed from a leased facility located in Compton, California.

Licensed Products

Certain products are manufactured and sold pursuant to licensing agreements for trademarks. Also, many of the designs used by the Company are copyrighted by other parties, including trademark licensors, and are available to the Company through copyright license agreements. The licensing agreements are generally for an initial term of one to three years and may or may not be subject to renewal or extension. Sales of licensed products represented 40% of the Company’s gross sales in fiscal year 2022, which included 33% of sales under the Company’s license agreements with affiliated companies of The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”), which expire as set forth below:

License Agreement	Expiration
Infant Bedding	December 31, 2022
Infant Feeding and Bath	December 31, 2023
Toddler Bedding	December 31, 2023
STAR WARS Toddler Bedding	December 31, 2023

Customers

The Company’s customers consist principally of mass merchants, large chain stores, mid-tier retailers, juvenile specialty stores, value channel stores, grocery and drug stores, restaurants, internet accounts and wholesale clubs. The Company does not enter into long-term or other purchase agreements with its customers. The table below sets forth those customers that represented at least 10% of the Company’s gross sales in fiscal years 2022 and 2021.

	Fiscal Year
	2022			2021
Walmart Inc.		52	%		43	%
Amazon.com, Inc.		21	%		25	%

Products

The Company’s primary focus is on infant, toddler and juvenile products, including the following:

●

infant and toddler bedding

●

blankets and swaddle blankets

●

nursery and toddler accessories

●

room décor

●

reusable and disposable bibs

●

burp cloths

●

hooded bath towels and washcloths

●

reusable and disposable placemats and floor mats

●

disposable toilet seat covers and changing mats

●

developmental toys

●

feeding and care goods

●

other infant, toddler and juvenile soft goods

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Seasonality and Inventory Management

There are no significant variations in the seasonal demand for the Company’s products from year to year. Sales are generally higher in periods when customers take initial shipments of new products, as these orders typically include enough products for initial sets for each store and additional quantities for the customer’s distribution centers. The timing of these initial shipments varies by customer and depends on when the customer finalizes store layouts for the upcoming year and whether the customer has any mid-year introductions of products. Sales may also be higher or lower, as the case may be, in periods when customers are restricting internal inventory levels. Customer returns of merchandise shipped are historically less than 1% of gross sales.

Consistent with the expected introduction of specific product offerings, the Company carries necessary levels of inventory to meet the anticipated delivery requirements of its customers. The Company will also typically increase the purchases and inventory levels of its products in the months prior to the Lunar New Year, a celebration beginning in late January to mid-February during which the Company’s contract manufacturers in China cease operations for 2-4 weeks.

Government Regulation and Environmental Control

The Company is subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, which regulate, among other things, product safety and the discharge, storage, handling and disposal of a variety of substances and wastes, and to laws and regulations relating to employee safety and health, principally the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act and regulations thereunder. The Company believes that it currently complies in all material respects with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and that future compliance with such existing laws or regulations will not have a material adverse effect on its capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position. However, there is no assurance that such requirements will not become more stringent in the future or that the Company will not have to incur significant costs to comply with such requirements.

Product Design and Styling

The Company believes that its creative team is one of its key strengths. The Company’s product designs are primarily created internally and are supplemented by numerous additional sources, including independent artists, decorative fabric manufacturers and apparel designers. Ideas for product design creations are drawn from various sources and are reviewed and modified by the design staff to ensure consistency within the Company’s existing product offerings and the themes and images associated with such existing products. In order to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences, the Company’s designers and stylists attempt to stay abreast of emerging lifestyle trends in color, fashion and design. When designing products under the Company’s various licensed brands, the Company’s designers coordinate their efforts with the licensors’ design teams to provide for a more fluid design approval process and to effectively incorporate the image of the licensed brand into the product. The Company’s designs include traditional, contemporary, textured and whimsical patterns across a broad spectrum of retail price points. Utilizing state of the art computer technology, the Company continually develops new designs throughout the year for all of its product groups. This continual development cycle affords the Company design flexibility, multiple opportunities to present new products to customers and the ability to provide timely responses to customer demands and changing market trends. The Company also creates designs for exclusive sale by certain of its customers under the Company’s brands, as well as the customers’ private label brands.

Sales and Marketing

The Company’s products are marketed through a national sales force consisting of salaried sales executives and employees located in Compton, California; Gonzales, Louisiana; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Bentonville, Arkansas and by independent commissioned sales representatives located throughout the United States.

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ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

The following risk factors as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report and other filings made by the Company with the SEC should be considered in evaluating the Company’s business. Additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known or that are not currently considered material may also impair the Company’s business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, then operating results may be affected in future periods.

Risks Associated with the Company, Business and Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect the Company’s business operations, employee availability, financial condition, liquidity and cash flow.

Due to the uncertainty as to the duration and widespread nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of the vaccines on COVID-19 and variants thereof, and the extent to which the vaccines will be administered, the Company cannot currently predict the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial results.

The uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have included adverse effects on the overall economy, the impact on the Company’s supply chain, manufacturing and distribution operations, transportation services, customers and employees, as well as consumer sentiment in general and traffic within the retail stores that carry the Company’s products. The COVID-19 pandemic has led global government authorities to implement numerous public health measures, including quarantines, business closures, travel bans and lockdowns to confront the pandemic. China’s unwavering commitment to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus by locking down its largest cities has placed a strain on already-stressed global supply chains. Several of the Company’s customers have experienced financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If these difficulties persist, these customers may close their retail stores permanently, reduce orders, file for bankruptcy or liquidate, any of which may negatively impact the Company’s sales. The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect the Company’s revenues, earnings, liquidity and cash flows and may require significant actions in response, including employee furloughs, closings of Company facilities, expense reductions or discounts of the pricing of the Company’s products, all in an effort to mitigate such effects. Conditions surrounding COVID-19 change rapidly, and additional impacts of which the Company is not currently aware may arise.

The loss of one or more of the Company’s key customers could result in a material loss of revenues.

The Company’s top two customers represented approximately 73% of gross sales in fiscal year 2022. Although the Company does not enter into contracts with its key customers, it expects its key customers to continue to be a significant portion of its gross sales in the future. The loss of, or a decline in orders from, one or more of these customers could result in a material decrease in the Company’s revenue and operating income.

The loss of one or more of the Company’s licenses could result in a material loss of revenues.

Sales of licensed products represented 40% of the Company’s gross sales in fiscal year 2022, which included 33% of sales associated with the Company’s license agreements with Disney. The Company could experience a material loss of revenues if it is unable to renew its major license agreements or obtain new licenses. The volume of sales of licensed products is inherently tied to the success of the characters, films and other licensed programs of the Company’s licensors. A decline in the popularity of these licensed programs or the inability of the licensors to develop new properties for licensing could also result in a material loss of revenues to the Company. Additionally, the Company’s license agreements with Disney and others require a material amount of minimum guaranteed royalty payments. The failure by the Company to achieve the sales envisioned by the license agreements could result in the payment by the Company of shortfalls in the minimum guaranteed royalty payments, which would adversely impact the Company’s operating results.

The Company’s inability to anticipate and respond to consumers’ tastes and preferences could adversely affect the Company’s revenues.

Sales are driven by consumer demand for the Company’s products. There can be no assurance that the demand for the Company’s products will not decline or that the Company will be able to anticipate and respond to changes in demand related to consumers’ tastes and preferences. The infant and toddler consumer products industry is characterized by the continual development of cutting-edge new products to meet the high standards of parents. The Company’s failure to adapt to these changes or to develop new products could lead to lower sales and excess inventory, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and operating results.

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The Company’s business is impacted by general economic conditions and related uncertainties, including a declining birthrate, affecting markets in which the Company operates.

The Company’s growth is largely dependent upon growth in the birthrate, and in particular, the rate of first births. Economic conditions, including the real and perceived threat of a recession, could lead individuals to decide to forgo or delay having children. Even under optimal economic conditions, shifts in demographic trends and preferences could have the consequence of individuals starting to have children later in life and/or having fewer children. In recent years, the birthrate in the United States has steadily declined. These conditions could result in reduced demand for some of the Company’s products, increased order cancellations and returns, an increased risk of excess and obsolete inventories and increased pressure on the prices of the Company’s products. Also, although the Company’s use of a commercial factor significantly reduces the risk associated with collecting accounts receivable, such factor may at any time terminate or limit its approval of shipments to a particular customer, and the likelihood of such factor doing so may increase due to a change in economic conditions. Such an action by the factor could result in the loss of future sales to the affected customer.

Economic conditions could result in an increase in the amounts paid for the Company’s products.

Significant increases in freight costs and the price of raw materials that are components of the Company’s products, including cotton, oil and labor, could adversely affect the amounts that the Company must pay its suppliers for its finished goods. If the Company is unable to pass these cost increases along to its customers, its profitability could be adversely affected.

The Company’s sourcing and marketing operations in foreign countries are subject to anti-corruption laws.

The Company’s foreign operations are subject to laws prohibiting improper payments and bribery, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws and regulations in foreign jurisdictions, which apply to the Company’s directors, officers, employees and agents acting on behalf of the Company. Failure to comply with these laws could result in damage to the Company’s reputation, a diversion of management’s attention from its business, increased legal and investigative costs, and civil and criminal penalties, any or all of which could adversely affect the Company’s operating results.

The strength of the Company’s competitors may impact the Company’s ability to maintain and grow its sales, which could decrease the Company’s revenues.

The infant and toddler consumer products industry is highly competitive. The Company competes with a variety of distributors and manufacturers, both branded and private label. The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends principally on styling, price, service to the retailer and continued high regard for the Company’s products and trade names. Several of these competitors are larger than the Company and have greater financial resources than the Company, and some have experienced financial challenges from time to time, including servicing significant levels of debt. Those facing financial pressures could choose to make particularly aggressive pricing decisions in an attempt to increase revenue. The effects of increased competition could result in a material decrease in the Company’s revenues.

The Company’s success is dependent upon retaining key management personnel.

Certain of the Company’s executive management and other key personnel have been integral to the Company’s operations and the execution of its growth strategy. The departure from the Company of one or more of these individuals, along with the inability of the Company to attract qualified and suitable individuals to fill the Company’s open positions, could adversely impact the Company’s growth and operating results.

The Company may need to write down or write off inventory.

If product programs end before the inventory is completely sold, then the remai

SEC Form 10-K filed by Crown Crafts Inc