New Chapter 11 Bankruptcy - The Walking Company Holdings Inc.

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The Walking Company Holdings Inc.

3/8/18 Recap: Another retailer - this time a repeat offender - will be walking into bankruptcy court (see what we did there?). Here, the California-based once-publicly-traded ($WALK) manufacturer of footwear like Birkenstock and ASICS has filed for bankruptcy with a plan on file and an equity sponsor in tow to the tune of $10mm. 

This is a story of staggered disruption. In the first instance, the company expanded via acquisition and grew from 2005-2008 to over 200 stores. To fund the expansion, the company issued $18.5mm of convertible notes and transferred the proceeds of the liquidation of its Big Dog entity to The Walking Company, the use of proceeds including the buildout of omni-channel distribution and vertical integration. But,

As a result of many factors including- among them, challenging negotiations with landlords which did not provide the Debtors with the rent relief they believe they needed, and the state of the national economy, by late 2008 TWC found that nearly 100 of the newer stores it opened during this expansion period were not generating the sales and profits expected.

Moreover, 

...by 2008, Big Dogs' business had collapsed more rapidly than the Debtors had anticipated. Big Dogs was in the business of selling moderately priced, casual apparel through a chain of specialty retail stores (Big Dogs stores) located around the country. The rapid growth of big-box, mass-market retailers during this period put great pricing pressure on retailers of moderately priced, casual apparel, putting many of them out of business.

Walmart ($WMT). Target ($TGT). Just say it broheims. Never understand the reluctance in these filings. Anyway, the upshot of all of this? Once the Great Recession hit, mall traffic fell off a cliff, revenue declines accelerated, landlords proved obstinate, and the company filed for bankruptcy in December 2009. 

In bankruptcy, the company reached accommodations with certain landlords and received a $10mm capital infusion from Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP. 

Subsequent to the bankruptcy, the company apparently thrived from 2013 through 2017. It had a better rent structure, it ceased expansion, and it focused on successful brands (e.g., ABEO) and the wholesaling and international licensing thereof. But then the realities of e-commerce struck. Per the company,

During this period, however, the increasing power of Internet retailers made traditional business of retail stores selling products manufactured by others increasingly difficult, and it also had an increasingly negative impact on customer traffic in shopping malls. 

Indeed, Deckers Outdoor Corporation ($DECK)(the manufacturer of UGG footwear) terminated its relationship with the company. The company couldn't replace those lost sales fast enough - through third party or private label sales - and the dominos started to fall. The company sought rent concessions and landlords, for the most part, told it to pound sand. Holiday sales declined. Appraisers reduced the valuation of inventory and, in turn, the company had diminished access to its bank credit line. Cue the Scarlet 22.

The company intends to use the bankruptcy to obtain "substantial rent relief by conforming their lease portfolio to market rents." Notably, two of the initial 5 leases that the company seeks to reject in the first instance are Simon Property Group locations in Dallas and Oklahoma City and one Taubman location. Other creditors appear to be your standard retail slate: Chinese manufacturers, trade vendors (ECCO, Rockport) and other landlords (General Growth Properties is a prominent one with locations listed as 9 of the top 30 creditors). 

The company otherwise has agreement with its large shareholders (including another $10mm equity infusion) and Wells Fargo to provide DIP and exit credit. 

  • Jurisdiction: D. of Delaware 
  • Capital Structure: $40.3mm RCF & $7.25mm TL (Wells Fargo Bank NA), $11.74mm 8.375% '19 convertible notes    
  • Company Professionals:
    • Legal: Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP (Jeffrey N Pomerantz, Jeffrey W Dulberg, Victoria A Newmark, James E ONeill) 
    • Financial Advisor: Consensus Advisors LLC
    • Claims Agent: KCC (*click on company name above for free docket access)
  • Other Parties in Interest:
    • DIP Agent, DIP Term Agent, Prepetition Senior Agent: Wells Fargo Bank NA
      • Legal: Choate Hall & Stewart LLP (Kevin Simard) & (local) Womble Bond Dickinston (Matthew Ward)
    • Prepetition Subordinated Noteholders (Simon Property Group, Galleria Mall Investors LP)
      • Legal: Irell & Manella LLP (Jeffrey Reisner)