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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

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For the transition period from             to           

Commission File Number: 001-38163

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

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 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 Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes   ⌧    No   ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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.

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. ☐

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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. ☒ 

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

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As of June 30, 2021, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $1,030.5 million. Shares of Class A common stock held by each executive officer, director and by certain persons that own 10 percent or more of the outstanding Class A common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

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As of March 1, 2022 we had 29,157,448 shares of Class A common stock and 252,540 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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We intend to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not later than 120 days after the close of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, a definitive proxy statement or an amendment to this report filed under cover of Form 10-K/A containing the information required to be disclosed under Part III of Form 10-K.

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PetIQ, Inc.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements about our plans, objectives, expectations, assumptions or future events. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,” “ongoing,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could” and similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include, without limitation:

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Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performances, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made or management’s good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events, are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, factors discussed under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; the impact of COVID-19 on our business and the global economy and our ability to successfully grow our business through acquisitions; our dependency on a limited number of customers; our ability to implement our growth strategy effectively; disruptions in our manufacturing and distribution chains; competition from veterinarians and others in our industry; reputational damage to our brands; economic trends and spending on pets; the effectiveness of our marketing and trade promotion programs; recalls or withdrawals of our products or product liability claims; our ability to manage our manufacturing and supply chain effectively; disruptions in our manufacturing and distribution chains; our ability to introduce new products and improve existing products; our failure to protect our intellectual property; costs associated with governmental regulation; our ability to keep and retain key employees; our ability to sustain profitability; and the risks set forth under the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report.

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Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or operating results. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Consequently, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

PART I

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following discussion includes certain forward-looking statements. For a discussion of important factors, including the continuing development of our business and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results referred to in the historical information and the forward-looking statements presented herein, see “Item 1A, Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” contained in this Annual Report. 

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Unless the context requires otherwise, references to ‘‘PetIQ, Inc.,’’ ‘‘PetIQ,’’ the ‘‘Company,’’ ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘our’’ or ‘‘us’’ refer collectively to PetIQ, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, including PetIQ Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which we refer to as “HoldCo.”

Item 1 - Business  

Business Overview

PetIQ is a leading pet medication and wellness company delivering a smarter way for pet parents to help their pets live their best lives through convenient access to affordable veterinary products and services. We engage with customers through more than 60,000 points of distribution across retail and e-commerce channels with our branded and distributed medications as well as health and wellness items, which are further supported by our world-class medications manufacturing facility in Omaha, Nebraska and health and wellness manufacturing facility in Springville, Utah. Our national veterinarian service platform operates in over 2,900 retail partner locations in 42 states providing cost effective and convenient veterinary wellness services.  PetIQ believes that pets are an important part of the family and deserve the best products and care we can provide.

We have two reporting segments: (i) Products; and (ii) Services. The Products segment consists of our manufacturing and distribution businesses. The Services segment consists of veterinary services and related product sales provided by the Company directly to consumers.

We are the sole managing member of PetIQ Holdings, LLC (“HoldCo”), a Delaware limited liability company, which is the sole member of PetIQ, LLC (“Opco”) and, through Holdco, operate and control all of the business and affairs of Opco.

Our Industry

Attractive Pet Industry Trends. By year-end 2020, in the wake of a pet acquisition surge triggered by COVID-19, approximately 56.4% of total U.S. households owned a dog or a cat, compared to 50% of total U.S. households in 2010, according to Packaged Facts. Stay-at-home/work-from-home trends, demographic trends in pet ownership and changing attitudes toward pets support our continued growth, through the following:

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Strong Growth in Pet Products. According to Packaged Facts, the $107.3 billion U.S. consumers spent on pet products and services in 2021 nearly doubled 2010 spending of $53.7 billion. Veterinary channel sales of pet medications grew from an estimated $6.7 billion in 2018 to $7.8 billion in 2020, and overall retail and veterinary channel sales of pet medications and supplements are estimated to have grown from $9.7 billion in 2018 to $11.6 billion in 2020, according to Packaged Facts, with pet supplement sales growing from $626 million in 2018 to $791 million in 2020 in keeping with increasing consumer attention to pet health and wellness. Additionally, our innovative pet treats compete in the U.S. dog and cat treat market, which has grown every year since 2012.  

Growth of Pet Medication Purchases from Retail and E-commerce Channels. U.S. retail sales of pet medications reached $10.8 billion in 2020, inclusive of sales through veterinarians, brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers. The market has increased at a robust pace since 2016, with a CAGR rate of 9.2% for the five year period due in large part to the gains made during 2020. Packaged Facts projects that pet medication sales will grow to $14.8 billion by 2025. The COVID pandemic has accelerated pet owner purchases of veterinary-grade pet products from retail and e-commerce channels including both brick-and-mortar and online offerings. We believe this migration will continue in the future as more consumer take advantage of the convenience of their local retail store and online.

Our Business Strategy

There are significant opportunities to grow our brand awareness, increase our net sales and profitability and deliver shareholder value by executing on the following initiatives:

Grow Consumer Awareness of Our Products in the Retail & E-commerce Channels. We are an established category leader in the pet health and wellness and medication market.  We maintain strong relationships with the top distributors to the veterinary channel, we have strong penetration of the retail and e-commerce channels and high awareness among pet parents. We believe we will increase our share of the overall pet Rx and OTC medications and health and wellness products market through our broad network that includes leading U.S. retailers and e-commerce partners. We are increasingly focused on  building consumer awareness,  converting more pet owners to use  products we manufacture or distribute and providing excellent value. In addition, our retail and e-commerce partners continue to see that our proprietary manufactured products bring significant value to their pet health and wellness category sales and profit.  We continue to build pet owner awareness that our proprietary manufactured products offer the same quality and active ingredients at a significant savings versus national veterinary brands.

Increase Volume of Products with Existing Retailer & E-commerce Partners. We conduct business with the majority of leading U.S. retailers and e-commerce partners with our core product offerings. We believe our net sales and profitability will continue to grow as we expand the number of products we have available for sale. We have recently increased our research and development investments to support our own proprietary manufactured products that we expect to help us expand SKU placement within new and existing accounts. Additionally, we believe we are positioned to gain additional item placement and distribution in retail partners where we are also operating our veterinarian services offering.

Provide Veterinarian Services in Conjunction with our Retail Partners. Through our Services segment, we participate in the veterinary services industry, which grew from $28.5 billion in 2018 to $32.3 billion in 2020, according to Packaged Facts.  This growth equally reflects increased consumer focus on pet health and wellness. We provide a comprehensive suite of services at 2,900 community clinic locations and wellness centers hosted at retailers across 42 states. Our services include diagnostic tests, vaccinations, prescription medications, microchipping and wellness checks. We believe we have the ability to expand these offerings within new and existing retailers which we expect to help drive pet parent traffic to our retail partners for the purchase of pet medication and health and wellness products, thereby expanding the sales of our product offerings through our retail partners. In addition, we opened 98 wellness centers within retail partners in 2021. We expect to continue to open new wellness centers over the next several years with the potential to have approximately 1,000 wellness centers. We believe that our wellness centers will help us address the $10.0 billion underserved veterinary market

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according to L.E.K. Consulting, consisting of an estimated $7.4 billion of services and an estimated $2.6 billion in related product revenue generated from such services based on management estimates.

Human Capital

The Company employed approximately 1,929 people as of December 31, 2021, of which 1,890 are employed within the United States. Our workforce is comprised of approximately 44% full time and 56% part time employees. Of our total employees, approximately 1,422 of our employees worked in our Services division. In addition, we regularly contract with veterinarians to provide veterinary services in our mobile community clinics and wellness centers.  During the year ending December 31, 2021, we had approximately 1,600 veterinarians that were independent contractors.

The animal health industry is highly competitive and PetIQ is a fast growing company. We hired 1,481 new team members in 2021.  PetIQ’s benefit offerings are designed to meet the evolving needs of a diverse workforce across the Company. Attraction and retention of key talent is a focal point for the Company. To support these objectives, our human resources programs are designed to reward and support employees through competitive pay and benefits; support and facilitate internal talent mobility; and evolve and invest in technology, tools, and resources to enable employees at work. Some examples of key programs and initiatives that are focused to attract and retain our workforce include:

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Seasonality

While many of our products are sold consistently throughout the year, we do experience seasonality in the form of increased demand for our flea and tick product offerings in the first half of the year, both leading up to and throughout the spring and summer seasons. Additionally we may experience fluctuations in net sales related to the inventory management strategies of our retail customers.

Similarly, the practice of veterinary medicine is subject to seasonal fluctuation. In particular, demand for veterinary services is significantly higher during the warmer months as there are more fleas, ticks, and mosquitos during these months and products and services sold to prevent or treat illness or diseases related to these insects.

Our Products

Through our Products segment, we are a manufacturer and distributor of pet medication and health and wellness products to the retail and e-commerce channels.  We focus our offerings on innovative, proprietary value-branded products, and leading third-party branded products for dogs and cats, including pet Rx medications, OTC medications, and wellness products. We offer and supply these products to customers primarily in the United States.

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Rx Medications

Our Rx pet medications include flea and tick control, heartworm preventatives, arthritis, thyroid, diabetes and pain treatments, antibiotics and other specialty medications, all of which require a prescription from a veterinarian. We develop and manufacture our own proprietary value-branded products and distribute well-known leading third-party branded medications.

Our proprietary value-branded Rx medications allow consumers to care for their pets with the same quality and active ingredients of national branded medications at a lower cost. We plan to continue to develop and manufacture our own proprietary manufactured products available at a value to pet parents which compete with other national branded pet Rx medication currently available.

We sell over 350 SKUs of the most popular pet Rx medications to retailers and e-commerce partners, in multiple formats, that previously had been available primarily through the veterinarian channel. Our partners  then sell these pet Rx medications to pet owners who have a prescription. We source these pet Rx medications directly from manufacturers or through licensed distributors. Several of the top-selling Rx pet medications that we distribute include Nexgard®, Heartgard® Plus and Vetmedin®.

OTC Medications and Supplies

The pet OTC medications we sell are primarily within the flea and tick control and behavior management categories of the broader pet Health & Wellness industry. These products are available in multiple forms that consumers choose between, such as spot on (topical) treatments, chewables, oral tablets and collars.

We sell over 320 SKUs of the leading OTC-branded and value-branded medications within the Animal Health OTC category to the retail and e-commerce channels. With the 2019 acquisition of the Perrigo Animal Health business unit, we have now expanded our manufacturing capabilities to include multiple product forms within flea & tick control. Most of our manufactured OTC Medication volume is represented by PetArmor, Capstar, Sentry and Sergeants brands.

Health and Wellness Products

Our health and wellness products include specialty treats and other pet products such as dental treats and nutritional supplements (including hip and joint, vitamins and skin and coat products). We manufacture and distribute more than 400 SKUs of proprietary wellness products for dogs and cats, mainly under our PetArmor, VetIQ, Minties and Sentry product lines.

Specific products in this category include dental treats; nutritional supplements, hip and joint chews, vitamin chews and treats that disguise medication to aid in pets’ pill ingestion; and treats.

Product Innovation

We offer a broad portfolio of pet medications and health and wellness products to our retail and e-commerce customers, including an array of products that we develop, manufacture and distribute. To continue to grow our pet Rx medication, OTC medications and other health and wellness product offerings, we invest in research and development on an ongoing basis. We use a combination of in-house specialists, third-party consultants and animal health research and development experts to expand our proprietary value-branded portfolio and develop next-generation versions of our existing pet products.

In addition, we have harnessed our position to emerge as an attractive partner for outside research and development researchers and entrepreneurs developing and manufacturing new products and technologies in the strategic pet health and wellness field. We believe these scientists and entrepreneurs seek out our partnership on innovative products given our experience in proprietary value-branded manufacturing and relationships with key retail and e-commerce channel contacts. Our process of assessing partnerships with any outside research and development opportunity includes performing our own internal research and development review, testing and quality control procedures.

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Channels

Traditional industry sales channels for pet Rx medications, OTC medications, and other health and wellness products include sales through the veterinarian, retail and e-commerce channels, depending primarily on the product involved.  In recent years the retail and e-commerce channels have become intertwined with brick and mortar retailers expanding their online presence and online retailers opening brick and mortar stores.  

Historically, pet Rx and flea and tick medications have been sold through veterinarian offices and, to a lesser extent, e-commerce. We have focused on making these products, as well as our proprietary value-branded products, available directly to consumers through retail and e-commerce partners , which offer consumers convenient access to these products at lower prices. Our sales channels are primarily concentrated in five sub-channels of retail: (i) food, drug and mass market sales (e.g., Walmart, Target and Kroger); (ii) club stores (e.g., Sam’s Club, Costco Wholesale and BJ’s Wholesale Club); (iii) pet specialty stores (e.g., PetSmart, Petco and independent pet stores); (iv) e-commerce (e.g., Chewy.com and Amazon.com); and (v) independent pharmacies and pharmacy distributors. We believe we are a key participant in the sales growth of pet medication products to the retail channel, with the additional benefit of having access to the veterinary channel through solid relationships with established distributors.

Customers

Approximately 99% of our 2021 and 2020 net sales were generated from customers located in the United States and Canada, with the remainder from foreign locations. Our customers are primarily national superstore chains, e-commerce, and national pet superstore chains, such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Costco, PetSmart, Petco, Kroger, Target, Chewy.com, Amazon, and The Tractor Supply Company. We supply each of these customers on a national basis. Our largest retail customers in 2021 were Chewy.com and Walmart, which represented 26% and 9%, respectively, of our net sales. Our largest retail customers in 2020 were Chewy.com and Walmart, which represented 31% and 11%, respectively, of our net sales.

Finally, we believe that maintaining our level of customer care is critical in retaining and expanding our relationships with our key customers. Our in-house customer care representatives participate in ongoing training programs under the supervision of our training managers. These training sessions include a variety of topics such as product knowledge, computer usage and customer service tips. Our customer care representatives promptly respond to customer inquiries related to products, order status, prices and shipping. We believe that our customer care representatives are a valuable source of feedback regarding customer satisfaction.

Supply Chain

Proprietary Value-Branded Products

None of our suppliers for our proprietary value-branded products are individually significant. We believe there is ample available capacity, including of active pharmaceutical ingredients (“API”), for our value-added products, including at contract manufacturing organizations around the world. Our proprietary value-branded products are currently manufactured by us at our facilities in Omaha, Nebraska, Daytona Beach, Florida and Springville, Utah and through a network of manufacturing facilities owned and operated by contract manufacturing partners across the United States and in Europe. We expect that the combined capacities of our facilities and those of our contract manufacturing partners will meet our forecasted needs for our proprietary value-branded products for the foreseeable future.

Distributed Products

We purchase branded and other products that we distribute, but do not manufacture, from a variety of sources in the United States and Europe, including certain manufacturers and licensed distributors. We believe that having strong relationships with our suppliers will ensure the availability of an adequate volume of products ordered by our retail customers and will enable us to provide more and better product information.

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Fulfillment, Warehousing and Shipping

To accomplish efficient fulfillment for Rx medication products across the United States into retail, we utilize our established medication distribution channels with our distribution partner, Anda, Inc. We have a multi-year contract with Anda, Inc., which automatically renews for successive two year terms.

For most products, our in-house fulfillment and distribution operations manage the entire supply chain, beginning with the placement of the order, continuing through order processing and then fulfilling and shipping of the product to the customer. All customer orders are processed by our customer service team. We inventory our products at, and fill most customer orders from our distribution centers in Daytona Beach, Florida, Omaha, Nebraska and Springville, Utah. We also use third-party warehouse providers to fulfill a small amount of our orders. We ship our products using common carriers.

Product Quality and Safety

We believe that product safety and quality are critical. We have developed, implemented and enforced a robust product safety and quality program. We have established critical control points throughout the entire supply chain from ingredient sourcing to finished goods to ensure compliance with our quality program.

The food safety program at our Utah plant, where our pet treats are made, is certified at Safe Quality Food (“SQF”) Level II (Food Safety) under Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Benchmarks. To achieve this qualification level, our Utah facility has been built to comply with particular food safety specifications and allows for correct airflow to prevent cross-contamination, among other things. This qualification level also requires us to have certain standard operating procedures in place written to SQF code specifications, hold regular training seminars for manufacturing employees and maintain reporting documentation evidencing compliance with such standard operating procedures.

In addition, our food safety and quality program includes strict guidelines for incoming ingredients, batching, processing, packaging and finished goods. As part of our focus on food safety and quality, we have implemented batch and lot traceability controls across our manufacturing network, including at our manufacturing facilities, where such controls have been implemented into our enterprise resource planning system. These controls allow us to track and tie discreet, inbound raw material components through the manufacturing process to the ultimate finished product, allowing us to maintain and control all finished product lot details and quickly access process manufacturing details.

At the Florida facility where our Rx and some OTC medications are held for distribution, we maintain a Veterinary Prescription Drug Wholesale Distributor license with the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which is the same government entity that regulates distribution facilities for human medications. In connection with our maintenance of this license, the State of Florida conducts random inspections of our facility. To pass these inspections, we must demonstrate safety compliance at the highest standard, including maintaining correct plant temperatures and environmental controls.

As described above, we use contract manufacturers to produce certain of our proprietary value-branded products. To ensure product quality, consistency and safety standards, we actively monitor each contract manufacturer’s operations through the standard operating procedures and facility audits described above.

At our Omaha location EPA and FDA regulated products are produced, packaged, and distributed from our nearby state of the art distribution center. Products include dog and cat flea and tick spot-on, shampoo, collars, toothpaste and hairball paste. We have a robust quality management program that includes quality processes for the laboratory, incoming inspection, manufacturing and packaging inspections, supplier quality, change control, deviations, and corrective and preventative actions (CAPA). We manage customer interaction through our call centers and social media to ensure that products maintain the highest quality. All call data is tracked, trended and reviewed for signals that may indicate product quality issues. The Omaha site is inspected several times annually by external auditors and we perform annual internal audits and mock recalls. We have received high marks and consistently maintain compliance with cGMPs and retain certifications as required.

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All of our contract manufacturing facilities are required to have quality control standard operating procedures in place. We require our contract manufacturing facilities to maintain third-party certifications and pass our own quality system and safety audits, and for FDA-regulated products, to comply with the Good Manufacturing Practices of the FDA. Third-party certifications provide an independent and external assessment that a product and/or process complies with applicable safety regulations and standards, although a regulatory authority may disagree with that assessment. In addition, our quality control team conducts reviews of all aspects of our supply chain to ensure that ingredients, finished goods and manufacturing processes meet our strict safety and quality requirements and that all of our ingredients are rigorously tested prior to being used in our products.

Any consumer may call our customer service line, where we have trained representatives on staff. Any call reporting an adverse event relating to our products is further addressed by our third-party vendor, SafetyCall, through its own on-site veterinarians. On a quarterly basis, we submit filings in accordance with the EPA specifications reporting any adverse event associated with our flea and tick products.

Marketing and Advertising

Our marketing strategy largely focuses on building awareness and educating pet owners about our various brands and products. To accomplish this goal, we use a combination of television, digital marketing (e.g. digital coupons, display ads, pay per click, email), social media marketing and in-store displays and promotions. Our marketing message highlights the quality and cost-savings our products offer customers such as our proprietary, value-branded flea and tick products that contain the same active ingredients as leading brands at lower prices.

Competition

The pet medication and health and wellness industry is highly competitive. In our Products segment, we compete on the basis of product quality, product availability, palatability, loyalty and trust, product variety and ingredients, product packaging and design, shelf space, reputation and brand, price point and promotional efforts. We compete directly and indirectly with both manufacturers and distributors of pet medication and health and wellness products and online distributors, as well as with veterinarians. We directly face competition from companies that distribute various pet medications and pet health and wellness products to traditional retailers such as Elanco (formerly Bayer AG), Central Garden and Pet Company, Hartz (Unicharm Corp.), Mars, Inc. (“Mars”), Manna Pro, Nestlé S.A. (“Nestlè”), Spectrum Holdings, Promika LLC, Tevra Brands (“Tevra”), and The J.M. Smucker Company (“Smucker”), most of which are larger than we are and have greater financial resources. Similarly, we face intense competition from manufacturers who sell pet medications and pet health and wellness products to e-commerce and other retailers and to veterinarians, who compete directly with our retailers to offer consumers pet flea and tick and other pet health and wellness products.

Our retail customers compete with veterinarians for the sale of Rx and OTC pet medications and other health and wellness products. Many pet owners may prefer the convenience of purchasing their pet medications or other health products during a veterinarian visit. In order to effectively compete with veterinarians, we and retail partners must continue to price competitively and to educate pet owners about the product availability, service and savings offered by purchasing pet medications and other health products in their retail stores or from their websites.

Within our Services segment, we compete directly with veterinarians. Our primary competitors for our veterinary clinics in most markets are individual practitioners or small, regional multi-clinic practices. In addition, some national companies such as Banfield Pet Hospitals, VCA Animal Hospitals, or Petco are developing or have developed networks of veterinary clinics or hospitals in markets in which we currently operate.

Our Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property

We believe that our intellectual property is valuable and has contributed to the success of our business. Our primary trademarks include “PetIQ,” “PetArmor,” “VIP Petcare,” “VetIQ PetCare,” “VetIQ,” “Capstar,” “Advecta,” “SENTRY,” “Sergeants,” “TruProfen,” “Betsy Farms,” “PetAction,” “Minties,” “Vera” and “Delightibles” all of which are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. We also have numerous other trademark registrations and pending applications, in the U.S., Canada and Europe, for product names that are central to our branding. Our trademarks are assets

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that reinforce our brand, our sub-brands and our consumers’ perception of our products. The current registrations of these trademarks in the U.S. and foreign countries are effective for varying periods of time and may be renewed periodically, provided that we, as the registered owner, or our licensees where applicable, comply with all applicable renewal requirements including, where necessary, the continued use of the trademarks in connection with the goods or services identified in the applicable registrations. In addition to trademark protection, we own numerous URL designations, including www.petarmor.com, www.vetiqpetcare.com, www.vippetcare.com, www.petvet.vippetcare.com, www.vetiq.com, www.advecta.com, www.sentrypetcare.com, www.sergeants.com, www.delightibles.com and www.mintiestreats.com, which are important to the successful implementation of our marketing and advertising strategy. We also have patents and pending patent applications for products, formulas and packaging that we consider important to our business.  Including various methods of use, interomone, pheromone compositions and spot-on pesticide compositions. We rely on and carefully protect unpatented proprietary expertise, recipes and formulations, continuing innovation and other trade secrets to develop and maintain our competitive position. The contents of our websites are not intended to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Government Regulation

Along with our contract manufacturers, ingredient and packaging suppliers and third-party shipping providers, we are subject to a broad range of laws and regulations, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, intended to protect public health and safety, natural resources and the environment. Our products and operations in the U.S. are subject to regulation by the FDA, the EPA, the Florida Department of Health and the USDA and by various other federal, state, local and foreign authorities regarding the registration, manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, labeling and export of our products, including drug and food safety standards.

All Rx animal drugs are required to be approved by the FDA through either a New Animal Drug Application or, in the case of generic Rx animal drugs, an Abbreviated New Animal Drug Application (“ANADA”). Two of our proprietary value-branded products, TruProfen and Heart Shield Plus, have been approved by the FDA under ANADAs submitted to the FDA by third parties. We have agreements with these third parties that hold approved ANADAs to private label or proprietary value-branded products under such ANADAs. However, the third parties that hold the ANADAs are ultimately responsible for compliance with regulatory obligations associated with these products.

In addition, our foreign subsidiaries are subject to the laws of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the European Union, as well as provincial and local regulations.

Under various statutes and regulations, these agencies and authorities, among other things, (i) prescribe the requirements for registration and establish the standards for quality and safety, (ii) regulate our marketing, advertising and sales to consumers and (iii) control the importing and exporting of our products. Certain of these agencies, in certain circumstances, must not only approve our products, but also review the manufacturing processes and facilities used to produce these products before they can be marketed in the United States and elsewhere. In particular, certain of our pet products require EPA or FDA approval prior to marketing. To market such a regulated pet product, the regulatory agency must approve a new product, supported by data from animal safety and effectiveness studies that adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy of that product in the target animal for the intended indication; or, in the case of generic versions of previously approved reference-listed pet products, the regulatory agency, supported by data to demonstrate, among other things, that the proposed generic product has the same active ingredients in the same concentration as the reference-listed product and is bioequivalent to the reference listed product. After approval, manufacturers are required to collect reports of adverse events and submit them on a regular basis to either the EPA or FDA. Some of the approved products we distribute are held by third parties with whom we contract to distribute those products under our own label.

We are subject to labor and employment laws, safety and health regulations and other laws, including those promulgated by the EPA and the National Labor Relations Board. Our operations, and those of our contract manufacturers, ingredient and packaging suppliers and third-party shipping providers, are subject to various laws and regulations relating to worker health and safety matters as well as environmental and natural resource protection, including the availability and use of pesticides, emissions and discharges to the environment, and the treatment, handling, storage and disposal of materials and wastes. We monitor changes in these laws and believe that we are in material compliance with applicable laws and

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regulations. No assurance can be given, however, that material costs and liabilities will not arise in the future, such as due to a change in the law or the discovery of currently unknown conditions.

Certain states have laws, rules and regulations which require that veterinary medical practices be either wholly-owned or majority-owned by licensed veterinarians and that corporations which are not wholly-owned or majority-owned by licensed veterinarians refrain from providing, or holding themselves out as providers of, veterinary medical care. In these states and provinces, we provide management and other administrative services to veterinary practices rather than owning such practices or providing such care. In some cases, in addition to providing management and administrative services we may lease the veterinary facility and equipment to the veterinary practice. Although we have structured our operations to comply with our understanding of the veterinary medicine laws of each state and province in which we operate, interpretive legal precedent and regulatory guidance varies by jurisdiction and is often sparse and not fully developed.

In addition, all of the states in which we operate impose various registration permit and/or licensing requirements. To fulfill these requirements, we have registered each of our facilities with appropriate governmental agencies and, where required, have appointed a licensed veterinarian to act on behalf of each facility. All veterinarians practicing in our animal wellness centers are required to maintain valid state licenses to practice.

Our Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 230 East Riverside Drive, Eagle, Idaho 83616. Our telephone number is 208-939-8900. The address of our corporate website is www.petiq.com, and our investor relations website is located at http://ir.petiq.com. The contents of our website are not intended to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, annual proxy statements and related proxy cards are made available on our website at the same time they are mailed to stockholders. Our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, periodic reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports that we file or furnish pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are available through our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after they have been electronically filed or furnished to the SEC. Our website also provides access to reports filed by our directors, executive officers and certain significant shareholders pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, General Code of Ethics and charters for the committees of our board of directors are available on our website as well as other shareholder communications. The information contained in or that can be accessed through our website does not constitute a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report. The SEC maintains an internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy information statements and other information related to issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

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Item 1A – Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other information set forth in this Annual Report. If any of the risks, events, and uncertainties described in the risk factors listed below actually occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. The risk factors listed below are not exhaustive. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we presently deem immaterial may emerge or become material at any time and may negatively impact our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or the trading price of our common stock

Business and Industry

There is significant uncertainty regarding the extent to which and how long the COVID-19 pandemic and its related effects will impact the U.S. economy and related demand for our products and services and, as a result, our business and future operating results and financial condition.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility, disruption and uncertainty. There is significant uncertainty regarding the extent to which and how long COVID-19 and its related effects will impact the U.S. economy and related impacts for our products and services businesses. The extent to which COVID-19 will continue to impact our business and operating results during 2022 will depend on future developments, including the duration and continued spread of COVID-19, the availability and effectiveness of vaccines, and the impact on our customers and employees, as well as the U.S. economy, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have other adverse effects on our business, operating results and financial condition, including changes in customer and consumer behavior related to pandemic fears, quarantines and market downturns, as well as impacts on our workforce if the virus becomes widespread in any of our markets. For example, the Company has experienced an elevated level of clinic closures due to labor shortages in the Services segment. If the virus were to affect a significant amount of the workforce employed or operating at our manufacturing and distribution facilities, we may experience delays or the inability to produce and deliver products to our retail partners on a timely basis. In addition, one or more of our customers, service providers or suppliers may experience financial distress, file for bankruptcy protection, go out of business, or suffer disruptions in their business due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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We are uncertain of the potential full magnitude or duration of the business and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. This inherent uncertainty, due in part to rapidly changing governmental directives, public health challenges and progress, including the availability and effectiveness of vaccines, and market reactions thereto, makes it challenging for our management to estimate the future performance of our business and plan accordingly. Should the potential adverse impacts described above (or others that are currently unknown) occur, whether individually or collectively, it is likely to result in an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, at least for the near term.

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Finally, the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain it heighten the risks described in other risk factors in this Annual Report.

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We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of or investments in new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies or products, or through strategic alliances, and the failure to manage acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material adverse effect on us.

From time to time we may consider opportunities to acquire or make investments in new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies or products, or enter into strategic alliances, that may enhance our capabilities, expand our manufacturing network, complement our current products or expand the breadth of our markets. Potential and completed acquisitions and investments and other strategic alliances involve numerous risks, including:

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We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions or strategic relationships we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such transactions on favorable terms or at all or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, facilities, technologies or products into our business or retain any key personnel, suppliers or customers. Our ability to successfully grow through strategic transactions depends upon our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate suitable target businesses, facilities, technologies and products and to obtain any necessary financing. These efforts could be expensive and time-consuming and may disrupt our ongoing business and prevent management from focusing on our operations. If we are unable to integrate any acquired businesses, facilities, technologies and products effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Completed acquisitions may result in additional goodwill and/or an increase in other intangible assets on our balance sheet. We are required annually, or as facts and circumstances exist, to test goodwill and other intangible assets to determine if impairment has occurred. If the testing performed 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 the fair value of other intangible assets in the period the determination is made. Should the value of goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, there could be a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are dependent on a relatively limited number of customers for a significant portion of our net sales.

Our largest retail customers in 2021 were Chewy.com and Walmart, which accounted for 26% and 9% respectively, of our net sales. Our largest retail customers in 2020 were Chewy.com and Walmart, which accounted for 31% and 11%, respectively, of our net sales. No other retail customer has accounted for 10% or more of our net sales during these two years. If we were to lose any of our key customers, or if any of our key customers reduce the amount of their orders, consolidate, reduce their store footprint, experience financial or operational difficulties or generate less traffic, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, we generally do not enter into long-term contracts with our retail customers. As a result, we rely on consumers’ continuing demand for our products and our position in the market for all purchase orders. Our customers are sophisticated and have the ability to replace our proprietary value brands with various other supply options if we do not compete aggressively for their business. If our retail customers change their pricing, margin expectations or business terms (including through the imposition of warehouse and other fees), change their business strategies as a result of industry consolidation or otherwise, reduce the number of brands or product lines they carry, decrease their advertising or promotional efforts for, or the amount of shelf space they allocate to, our products or allocate greater shelf space to other products, our net sales could decrease and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy in our Products segment on a timely basis or at all.

Our future success depends, in large part, on our ability to implement our growth strategy, including introducing products and expanding into new markets, attracting new consumers to our brand and sub-brands, improving placement of our products in the stores of our retail customers, and expanding our distribution and online sales through our retail partners. Our ability to implement this growth strategy depends, among other things, on our ability to:

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We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy and may need to change our strategy in order to maintain our growth. If we fail to implement our growth strategy or if we invest resources in a growth strategy that ultimately proves unsuccessful, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may be unsuccessful in opening new wellness centers, which could adversely affect our growth

One of the means to achieving our growth strategy is through opening new clinics, both wellness centers and mobile clinics, and operating those on a profitable basis. During 2021, we opened 98 new wellness centers within retail partners compared to 27 in 2020.  We expect to continue to open new wellness centers over the next several years with the potential to have approximately 1,000 wellness centers. Our ability to open new clinics is dependent upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including our ability to:

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There is no guarantee that a sufficient number of suitable sites or hosts will be available in desirable areas or on terms that are acceptable to us in order to achieve our growth plan. If we are unable to open new wellness centers, or if openings are significantly delayed, our earnings or revenue growth and our business could be materially and adversely affected, as we expect a portion of our growth to come from new locations. There is also no guarantee that, once open, wellness centers will be profitable, which may require us to incur costs to close wellness centers and may cause revenue to decline.  

As part of our longer-term growth strategy, we may enter into geographic markets in which we have little or no prior operating history. The challenges of entering new markets include (i) difficulties in hiring experienced personnel, (ii) lack of familiarity with local real estate markets and demographics, (iii) lack of consumer familiarity with our brand, and (iv) competitive and economic conditions, and discretionary spending patterns that are different from and more difficult to predict or satisfy than in our existing markets. In addition, wellness centers that we open in new markets may take longer to reach expected sales and profit levels on a consistent basis, and may have higher construction, occupancy, and operating costs, than wellness centers that we open in existing markets, thereby affecting our overall profitability. Any failure on our part to recognize or respond to these challenges may adversely affect the success of any new wellness centers.

If we continue to grow, we may not be able to manage our growth effectively.

Our historical growth has placed and, if continued, may continue to place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Our organizational structure may become more complex as we add additional

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staff, and we would likely require more resources to grow and continue to improve our operational, management and financial controls. If we are not able to manage our growth effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and may lose market share or experience margin erosion if we are unable to compete effectively.

The pet products and services retail industry is highly competitive. In our Products segment, we compete on the basis of product quality, product availability, palatability, loyalty and trust, product variety and ingredients, product packaging and design, shelf space, reputation and brand, price point and promotional efforts. We compete directly and indirectly with both manufacturers and distributors of pet medication and health and wellness products and online distributors, as well as with veterinarians. We directly face competition from companies that distribute various pet medications and pet health and wellness products to traditional retailers such as Elanco (formerly Bayer AG), Central Garden and Pet Company, Hartz (Unicharm Corp.), Mars, Inc., Nestlé S.A, Promika LLC, Tevra Brands, and The J.M. Smucker Company, most of which are larger than we are and have greater financial resources. Similarly, we face intense competition from manufacturers who sell pet medications and pet health and wellness products to e-commerce and other retailers and to veterinarians, who compete directly with our retailers to offer consumers pet flea and tick and other pet health and wellness products.

Our retail customers compete with online retailers and veterinarians for the sale of Rx and OTC pet medications and other health and wellness products. Veterinarians hold a competitive advantage over us because many pet owners may find it more convenient or preferable to purchase these products directly from their veterinarians at the time of an office visit.  In order to effectively compete with veterinarians, we and retail partners must continue to price competitively and to educate pet owners about the product availability, service and savings offered by purchasing pet medications and other health products in their retail stores.

Within our Services segment, we compete directly with veterinarians. Our primary competitors for our veterinary clinics in most markets are individual practitioners or small, regional multi-clinic practices. In addition, some national companies such as Banfield Pet Hospitals, VCA Animal Hospitals, or Petco are developing or have developed networks of veterinary clinics in markets in which we currently operate.

These competitors may be able to identify and adapt to changes in consumer preferences more quickly than us due to their resources and scale. They may also be more successful in marketing and selling their products, better able to increase prices to reflect cost pressures and better able to increase their promotional activity, which may impact us and the entire pet health and wellness industry. If these or other competitive pressures cause our products to lose market share or experience margin erosion, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Resistance from veterinarians to authorize prescriptions, or attempts/efforts on their part to discourage pet owners to purchase from retailers and pharmacies could cause our net sales to decrease and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Since we began our operations, some veterinarians have resisted providing, or simply refuse to provide, pet owners with a copy of their pet’s prescription or authorizing the prescription to an outside pharmacy, thereby effectively preventing outside pharmacies from filling such prescriptions under state law. We have also been informed by customers and consumers that veterinarians on certain occasions have tried to discourage pet owners from purchasing from the retail channel. If the number of veterinarians who refuse to authorize prescriptions should increase, or if veterinarians are successful in discouraging pet owners from purchasing from outside retailers and pharmacies, our net sales could decrease and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Any damage to our reputation or our brand or sub-brands may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Maintaining, developing and expanding our reputation with consumers, our retail customers and our suppliers is critical to our success. Our brand and sub-brands may suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives are not successful. The importance of our brand and sub-brands may decrease if competitors offer more products with formulations similar to the

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products that we manufacture. Further, our brand and sub-brands may be negatively impacted due to real or perceived quality issues or if consumers perceive us as being untruthful in our marketing and advertising, even if such perceptions are not accurate. Product contamination, the failure to maintain high standards for product quality, safety and integrity, including raw materials and ingredients obtained from suppliers, or allegations of product quality issues, mislabeling or contamination, even if untrue or caused by our contract manufacturing partners or raw material suppliers, may reduce demand for our products or cause production and delivery disruptions. We maintain guidelines and procedures to ensure the quality, safety and integrity of our products. However, we may be unable to detect or prevent product and/or ingredient quality issues, mislabeling or contamination, particularly in instances of fraud or attempts to cover up or obscure deviations from our guidelines and procedures. If any of our products become unfit for consumption, cause injury or are mislabeled, we may have to engage in a product recall and/or be subject to liability. Damage to our reputation or our brand or sub-brands or loss of consumer confidence in our products for any of these or other reasons could result in decreased demand for our products and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our growth and business are dependent on trends that may change, and our historical growth may not be indicative of our future growth.

The growth of our business depends primarily on the continued shift from consumers purchasing pet health and wellness products from veterinarians to purchasing such products through traditional retail channels, growth of the pet health and wellness products market and popularity of pet ownership, transitions from traditional veterinarians to mobile clinics and wellness centers, as well as on general economic conditions. These trends may not continue or may change. In the event of a decline in consumers purchasing pet health and wellness products through traditional retail channels, a change in pet health and wellness trends or a decrease in the overall number of pets, or during challenging economic times, we may be unable to persuade our retail customers and consumers to purchase our products, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected and our growth rate may slow or stop.

There may be decreased spending on pets in a challenging economic climate.

The United States has from time to time experienced challenging economic conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic,  and the global financial markets have recently undergone and may continue to experience significant volatility and disruption. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by a challenging economic climate, including adverse changes in interest rates, volatile commodity markets and inflation, contraction in the availability of credit in the market and reductions in consumer spending. The keeping of pets and the purchase of pet-related products may constitute discretionary spending for some consumers and any material decline in the amount of consumer discretionary spending may reduce overall levels of pet ownership or spending on pets. As a result, a slow-down in the general economy may cause a decline in demand for our products. In addition, we cannot predict how worsening economic conditions would affect consumer behavior and our retail customers and suppliers, generally. If economic conditions result in decreased spending on pets and have a negative impact on our retail customers and suppliers, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business depends, in part, on the sufficiency and effectiveness of our marketing and trade promotion programs and incentives.

Due to the competitive nature of our industry, we must effectively and efficiently promote and market our products through television, internet and print advertisements as well as through trade promotions and incentives to sustain and improve our competitive position in our market. Marketing investments may be costly. In addition, we may, from time to time, change our marketing strategies and spending, including the timing or nature of our trade promotions and incentives. We may also change our marketing strategies and spending in response to actions by our customers, competitors and other companies that manufacture and/or distribute pet health and wellness products. The sufficiency and effectiveness of our marketing and trade promotions and incentives are important to our ability to retain and improve our market share and margins. If our marketing and trade promotions and incentives are not successful or if we fail to implement sufficient and effective marketing and trade promotions and incentives or adequately respond to changes in industry marketing strategies, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

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To the extent our retail customers purchase products in excess of consumer consumption in any period, our net sales in a subsequent period may be adversely affected as our retail customers seek to reduce their inventory levels.

From time to time, our retail customers may purchase more products than they expect to sell to consumers during a particular time period. Our retail customers may grow their inventory in anticipation of, or during, our promotional events, which typically provide for reduced prices during a specified time or other incentives. Our retail customers may also increase inventory in anticipation of a price increase for our products, or otherwise over-order our products as a result of overestimating demand for our products. If a retail customer increases its inventory during a particular reporting period as a result of a promotional event, anticipated price increase or otherwise, then our net sales during the subsequent reporting period may be adversely impacted as our retail customers seek to reduce their inventory to customary levels. This effect may be particularly pronounced when the promotional event, price increase or other event occurs near the end or beginning of a reporting period or when there are changes in the timing of a promotional event, price increase or similar event, as compared to the prior year. To the extent our retail customers seek to reduce their usual or customary inventory levels or change their practices regarding purchases in excess of consumer consumption, our net sales and results of operations may be materially adversely affected in that or subsequent periods.

We may not be able to manage our manufacturing and supply chain effectively, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We must accurately forecast demand for all of our products in order to ensure that we have enough products available to meet the needs of our retail customers. Our forecasts are based on multiple assumptions that may cause our estimates to be inaccurate and affect our ability to obtain adequate manufacturing capacity (whether our own manufacturing capacity or contract manufacturing capacity) in order to meet the demand for our proprietary value-branded products, which could prevent us from meeting increased retail customer or consumer demand and harm our brand, our sub-brands and our business. If we do not accurately align our manufacturing capabilities with demand, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

If for any reason we were to change any one of our contract manufacturers, we could face difficulties that might adversely affect our ability to maintain an adequate supply of our proprietary value-branded products, and we would incur costs and expend resources in the course of making the change. Moreover, we might not be able to obtain terms as favorable as those received from our current contract manufacturers, which in turn would increase our costs.

In addition, we must continuously monitor our inventory and product mix against forecasted demand. If we underestimate demand, we risk having inadequate supplies. We also face the risk of having too much inventory on hand that may reach its expiration date and become unsalable, and we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow-moving inventory. If we are unable to manage our supply chain effectively, our operating costs could increase and our profit margins could decrease.

We rely on third parties to provide us with materials and services, and are subject to increased labor and material costs and potential disruptions in supply.

The materials used to manufacture our products may be subject to availability constraints and price volatility caused by changes in demand, weather conditions, supply conditions, government regulations, economic climate and other factors, including any impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, labor costs may be subject to volatility caused by the supply of labor, governmental regulations, economic climate and other factors. Increases in the demand for, availability or the price of, materials used to manufacture our products and increases in labor costs could increase the costs to manufacture our products, result in product delivery delays or shortages, and impact our ability to launch new products on a timely basis or at all. We may not be able to pass all or a material portion of any higher material or labor costs on to our customers, which could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

Certain third-party suppliers are the sole or exclusive source of certain materials and services necessary for production of our products. We may be unable to meet demand for certain of our products if any of our third-party suppliers cease or interrupt operations, fail to renew contracts with us or otherwise fail to meet their obligations to us.

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Shipping is a critical part of our business and any changes in, or disruptions to, our shipping arrangements could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We currently rely on third-party national and regional logistics providers to deliver products to our manufacturing and distribution warehouses from our third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers and to deliver products from our manufacturing and distribution warehouses to our retail customers. If we are not able to negotiate acceptable pricing and other terms with these providers, or if these providers experience performance problems or other difficulties in processing our orders or delivering our products, it could negatively impact our results of operations and our customers’ experience. For example, changes to the terms of our shipping arrangements may adversely impact our margins and profitability. In addition, our ability to receive inbound inventory efficiently and ship merchandise to our retail customers may be negatively affected by factors beyond our and these providers’ control, including inclement weather, fire, flood, power loss, earthquakes, acts of war or terrorism or other events specifically impacting our or other shipping partners, such as labor disputes, financial difficulties, system failures and other disruptions to the operations of the shipping companies on which we rely. We are also subject to risks of damage or loss during delivery by our shipping vendors. If any of the foregoing occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

The growth of our business depends in part on our ability to accurately predict consumer trends, successfully introduce new products and improve existing products, and expand into new offerings.

Our growth depends, in part, on our ability to successfully introduce new products, including our manufactured products, and improve and reposition our existing products to meet the requirements of our retail partners and those of pet parents.  This, in turn, depends on our ability to predict and respond to evolving consumer trends, demands and preferences. The success of our innovation and product development efforts is affected by the technical capability of our product development staff and third-party consultants in developing and testing new products, including complying with governmental regulations, our attractiveness as a partner for outside research and development scientists and entrepreneurs and the success of our management and sales team in introducing and marketing new products.

We may be unable to determine with accuracy when or whether any of our products now under development will be approved or launched, and we may be unable to develop or otherwise acquire product candidates or products. Additionally, we cannot predict whether any such products, once launched, will be commercially successful. Furthermore, the timing and cost of our R&D initiatives may increase as a result of additional government regulation or otherwise, making it more time-consuming and/or costly to research, test and develop new products. If we are unable to successfully develop or otherwise acquire new products, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

A failure of one or more key information technology systems, networks or processes may materially adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.

The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage our sales and marketing, accounting and financial and legal and compliance functions, engineering and product development tasks, research and development data, communications, supply chain, order entry and fulfillment and other business processes. We also rely on third parties and virtualized infrastructure to operate and support our information technology systems. The failure of our information technology systems to perform as we anticipate could disrupt our business and could result in transaction errors, processing inefficiencies and the loss of sales and customers, causing our business and results of operations to suffer.

In addition, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including fire, natural disasters, power outages, systems failures, security breaches, cyberattacks and computer viruses. The failure of our information technology systems to perform as a result of any of these factors or our failure to effectively restore our systems or implement new systems could disrupt our entire operation and could result in decreased sales, increased overhead costs, excess inventory and product shortages and a loss of important information. Further, to the extent that we have customer information in our databases, any unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, such information could result in claims under data protection laws and regulations and could damage our reputation and result in lost sales. If any of these risks materialize, our reputation and our ability to conduct our business may be materially adversely affected.

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Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key employees and the succession of senior management.

Our continued growth and success requires us to hire, retain and develop our leadership team. If we are unable to attract and retain talented, highly qualified senior management and other key executives, as well as provide for the succession of senior management, our growth and results of operations may be adversely impacted.

We may experience difficulties hiring skilled veterinarians due to shortages that could disrupt our business. 

From time to time we may experience shortages of skilled veterinarians in markets in which we operate mobile clinics and wellness centers, which may require us to enhance wages and benefits to recruit and retain enough qualified veterinarians to adequately staff mobile clinics and wellness centers. If we are unable to recruit and retain qualified veterinarians, or to control our labor costs, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Legal and Regulatory

If our products or services are alleged to cause injury or illness or our products fail to comply with governmental regulations, we may need to recall our products and/or may experience related claims and reputational damage.

Our products may be subject to product recalls, including voluntary recalls or withdrawals, if they are alleged to pose a risk of injury or illness, or if they are alleged to have been mislabeled, misbranded or adulterated or to otherwise be in violation of governmental regulations. We may also voluntarily recall or withdraw products in order to protect our brand or reputation if we determine that they do not meet our standards, whether for quality, palatability, appearance or otherwise. If there is any future product recall or withdrawal, it could result in substantial and unexpected expenditures, destruction of product inventory, damage to our reputation and lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for a period of time, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In addition, a product recall or withdrawal may require significant management attention and could result in enforcement action by regulatory authorities.

We also may be subject to product liability claims if the consumption or use of our products is alleged to cause injury or illness. Although we carry product liability insurance, our insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur in connection with product liability claims. For example, punitive damages are generally not covered by insurance. If we are subject to substantial product liability claims in the future, we may not be able to continue to maintain our existing insurance, obtain comparable insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all, or secure additional coverage. This could result in future product liability claims being uninsured. If there is a product liability judgment against us or a settlement agreement related to a product liability claim, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In addition, even if product liability claims against us are not successful or are not fully pursued, these claims could be costly and time-consuming and may require management to spend time defending claims rather than operating our business.

Additionally, we may be subject to claims for veterinary malpractice or negligence in the event as a result of services provided by our veterinarians. Although we carry appropriate insurance, our insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur in connection with veterinary malpractice or negligence claims. Additionally, any such claims may result in reputational damage to our services segment and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our competitive position or require us to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.

Our success depends in part on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights. Our trademarks such as “PetIQ,” “PetArmor,” “VIP Petcare,” “VetIQ PetCare,” “VetIQ,” “Capstar,” “Advecta,” “SENTRY,” “Sergeants,” “TruProfen,” “Betsy Farms,” “PetAction,” “Minties,” and “Delightibles” and others are assets that support our brand, sub-brands and consumers’ perception of our products. We rely on trademark, copyright, trade secret, patent and other intellectual property laws, as well as nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other methods, to protect our trademarks, trade names, proprietary information, technologies and/or processes. Our non-disclosure agreements and

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confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information, which could harm our competitive position. In addition, effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited for some of our intellectual property rights and trade secrets in foreign countries. We may need to engage in litigation or similar activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others. Any such litigation could require us to expend significant resources and divert the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel from our business operations. If we fail to protect our intellectual property, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations, which could result in substantial damages and diversion of management’s efforts and attention.

We have obligations to respect third-party intellectual property. The steps we take to prevent misappropriation, infringement or other violation of the intellectual property of others may not be successful. From time to time, third parties have asserted intellectual property infringement claims against us, our suppliers, or our retail customers and may continue to do so in the future. Although we believe that our products and manufacturing processes do not infringe in any material respect upon proprietary rights of other parties and/or that meritorious defenses would exist with respect to any assertions of infringement of other parties, we may from time to time be found to infringe on the proprietary rights. For example, patent applications in the United States and some foreign countries are generally not publicly disclosed until the patent application is published, and we may not be aware of currently filed patent applications that relate to our products or processes. If patents later issue on these applications, we may be found liable for subsequent infringement. Such claims that our products or processes infringe these rights, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be costly and may divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. In part due to the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation, we cannot predict whether we will prevail in such proceedings. If such proceedings result in an adverse outcome, we could, among other things, be required to:

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If any of the foregoing occurs, our ability to compete could be affected and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Adverse litigation judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings relating to our business operations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time, we are subject to allegations, and may be party to legal claims and regulatory proceedings, relating to our business operations. Such allegations, claims and proceedings may be brought by third parties, including our customers, employees, governmental or regulatory bodies or competitors. Defending against such claims and proceedings, regardless of their merits or outcomes, is costly and time consuming and may divert management’s attention and personnel resources from our normal business operations, and the outcome of many of these claims and proceedings cannot be predicted. If any of these claims or proceedings were to be determined adversely to us, a judgment, a fine or a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money were to occur, or injunctive relief were issued against us, our reputation could be affected and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

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We are subject to extensive and ongoing governmental regulation and we may incur material costs in order to comply with existing or future laws and regulations, and our failure to comply may result in enforcement, recalls and other adverse actions or significant penalties.

We are subject to a broad range of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations intended to protect public health and safety, natural resources and the environment. See “Business—Government Regulation.” Our operations are subject to extensive and ongoing regulation by the FDA, EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the “USDA”), the Florida Department of Health and by various other federal, state, local and foreign authorities regarding the manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, labeling and import and export of our products, including drug and food safety standards. Our operations also are subject to regulation regarding the availability and use of pesticides, emissions and discharges to the environment, and the treatment, handling, storage and disposal of materials and wastes. Many of these laws and regulations are becoming increasingly stringent and compliance with them is becoming increasingly expensive. Costs of compliance, and the impacts on us of any non-compliance, with any such laws and regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with our third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:

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Regulatory policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of any current or future product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained, which would adversely affect our business.

Our business is also affected by export and import controls and similar laws and regulations, both in the United States and elsewhere. Issues such as national security or health and safety, which may slow or otherwise restrict imports or exports, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Violations of or liability under any of these laws and regulations may result in administrative, civil or criminal fines or penalties against us, revocation or modification of applicable permits, environmental investigations or remedial activities, voluntary or involuntary product recalls, warning or untitled letters or cease and desist orders against or restrictions on operations that are not in compliance, among other things. Liability may be imposed under some laws and regulations regardless of fault or knowledge and regardless of the legality of the original action. These laws and regulations, or their interpretation, may change in the future and we may incur (directly, or indirectly through our contract manufacturers) material costs to comply with current or future laws and regulations or in any required product recalls.

Certain states have laws, rules and regulations which require that veterinary medical practices be owned by licensed veterinarians and that corporations which are not owned by licensed veterinarians refrain from providing, or holding themselves out as providers of, veterinary medical care. We may experience difficulty in expanding our operations into other states or provinces with similar laws, rules and regulations. Although we have structured our operations to comply with our understanding of the veterinary medicine laws of each state and province in which we operate, interpretive legal precedent and regulatory guidance varies by jurisdiction and is often sparse and not fully developed. A determination that we are in violation of applicable restrictions on the practice of veterinary medicine in any jurisdiction in which we operate,

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could have a material adverse effect on us, particularly if we are unable to restructure our operations to comply with the requirements of that jurisdiction.

All of the states in which we operate impose various registration permit and/or licensing requirements. To fulfill these requirements, we have registered each of our facilities with appropriate governmental agencies and, where required, have appointed a licensed veterinarian to act on behalf of each facility. All veterinarians practicing in our animal hospitals are required to maintain valid state licenses to practice.

Failure to comply with federal, state and international laws and regulations relating to permit and/or licensing requirements, or the expansion of existing or the enactment of new laws or regulation relating to permit and/or licensing requirements, could adversely affect our business and our financial condition.

We strive to comply with all applicable laws, regulations and other legal obligations relating to permit and/or licensing requirements. It is possible, however, that these requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another or may conflict with other rules or our practices. We cannot guarantee that our practices have complied, comply or will comply fully with all such laws, regulations, requirements and obligations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our filed permits and licenses with any applicable federal, state or international related laws, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection could adversely affect our reputation, brand and business, and may result in claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others or other liabilities. Any such claim, proceeding or action could hurt our reputation, brand and business, force us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceedings, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, result in a loss of customers and suppliers and may result in the imposition of monetary liability. We may also be contractually liable to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any laws, regulations or other legal obligations relating to permit and/or licensing requirements. In addition, various federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies may expand existing laws or regulations, enact new laws or regulations or issue revised rules or guidance regarding permit and/or licensing requirements. Any such changes may force us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices. This could compromise our ability to pursue our growth strategy effectively and may adversely affect our ability to acquire customers or otherwise harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to comply with governmental regulations applicable to our Services business, various governmental agencies may impose fines, institute litigation or preclude us from operating in certain states.

Certain states and provinces have laws, rules and regulations which require that veterinary medical practices be owned by licensed veterinarians and that corporations which are not owned by licensed veterinarians refrain from providing, or holding themselves out as providers of, veterinary medical care. We may experience difficulty in expanding our operations into other states or provinces with similar laws, rules and regulations. Although we have structured our operations to comply with our understanding of the veterinary medicine laws of each state in which we operate, interpretive legal precedent and regulatory guidance varies by jurisdiction and is often sparse and not fully developed. A determination that we are in violation of applicable restrictions on the practice of veterinary medicine in any jurisdiction in which we operate, could have a material adverse effect on us, particularly if we are unable to restructure our operations to comply with the requirements of that jurisdiction. All of the states in which we operate impose various registration requirements. To fulfill these requirements, we have registered each of our facilities with appropriate governmental agencies and, where required, have appointed a licensed veterinarian to act on behalf of each facility. All veterinarians practicing in our animal hospitals are required to maintain valid state licenses to practice.

Finance and Accounting

Changes affecting the availability of the London Inter-bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) may have consequences for us that cannot yet be reasonably predicted.

We have outstanding debt with variable interest rates based on LIBOR. Advances under our revolving credit facility and our term loan facility generally bear interest based on (i) the Adjusted Eurodollar Rate (as defined in our credit agreements

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and calculated using LIBOR) or (ii) the Base Rate (as defined in our credit agreements). The LIBOR benchmark has been the subject of national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals to reform. In July 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the authority that regulates LIBOR) announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator for LIBOR, ceased publishing United States Dollar LIBOR (“USD LIBOR”) for one week and two-month tenors after December 31, 2021, and confirmed its intention to cease all remaining USD LIBOR tenors after June 30, 2023. Concurrently, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority announced the cessation or loss of representativeness of the USD LIBOR tenors from those dates. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a group of market participants convened by the United States Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has recommended the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a rate calculated based on repurchase agreements backed by United States Treasury securities, as its recommended alternative benchmark rate to replace USD LIBOR. At this time, it is not known whether or when SOFR or other alternative reference rates will attain market traction as replacements for LIBOR. These reforms may cause LIBOR to perform differently than it has in the past, and LIBOR will cease to exist after June 30, 2023. After the cessation of LIBOR, alternative benchmark rates will replace LIBOR and could affect our debt securities, debt payments and receipts. At this time, it is not possible to predict the effect of any changes to LIBOR, any phase out of LIBOR or any establishment of alternative benchmark rates. Any new benchmark rate will likely not replicate LIBOR exactly, which could impact our contracts that terminate after June 30, 2023. There is uncertainty about how applicable law and the courts will address the replacement of LIBOR with alternative rates on variable rate retail loan contracts and other contracts that do not include alternative rate fallback provisions. After June 30, 2023, the interest rates on our revolving credit facility and our term loan facility will be based on the Base Rate or an alternative benchmark rate (which may or may not be based on SOFR), which may result in higher interest rates. In addition, any changes to benchmark rates may have an uncertain impact on our cost of funds and our access to the capital markets, which could impact our results of operations and cash flows. Uncertainty as to the nature of such potential changes may also adversely affect the trading market for our securities.

We have incurred net losses in the past and may be unable to sustain profitability in the future.

We incurred a net loss of $16.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $114.5 million. We expect to continue to incur significant product commercialization and regulatory, sales and marketing, clinic opening, and other expenses. In addition, our selling, general and administrative expenses increased following prior acquisitions to support the larger combined Company and product portfolio. The net income (loss) we earn may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. We will need to generate additional net sales or increased gross margin to attain and sustain profitability, and we cannot be sure that we will remain profitable for any substantial period of time. Our failure to maintain profitability could negatively impact the value of our Class A common stock.

If our cash from operations is not sufficient to meet our current or future operating needs, expenditures and debt service obligations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our ability to generate cash to meet our operating needs, expenditures and debt service obligations will depend on our future performance and financial condition, which will be affected by financial, business, economic, legislative, regulatory and other factors, including potential changes in costs, pricing, the success of product innovation and marketing, competitive pressure and consumer preferences. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations and other cash needs, we could face substantial liquidity problems and could be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures or to dispose of material assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our credit facility restricts our ability to take these actions and we may not be able to affect any such alternative measures on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, the lenders under our senior secured credit facilities can terminate their commitments to loan money, can declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable, foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. In addition, any downgrade of our debt ratings by any of the major rating agencies, which could result from our financial performance, acquisitions or other factors, would also negatively impact our access to additional debt financing (including leasing) or refinancing on favorable terms, or at all. Even if we are successful in taking any such alternative actions, such actions may not allow us to meet our scheduled debt

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service obligations and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

The trading price of our Class A common stock is highly volatile and could reduce the market price of our shares of Class A common stock in spite of our operating performance.

The volatility in the trading price of our Class A common stock, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our Class A common stock in spite of our operating performance. In addition, our results of operations could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including variations in our quarterly results of operations, additions or departures of key management personnel, failure to meet analysts’ earnings estimates, publication of research reports about our industry, litigation and government investigations, changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof affecting our business, adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, changes in market valuations of similar companies or speculation in the press or investment community, announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments and adverse publicity about our industry in or individual scandals, and in response the market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decrease significantly.

In the past few years, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to seasonality and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:

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Seasonal factors and the timing of holidays cause our revenue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Our flea and tick product offerings are most significant in the first half of the year, both leading up to and throughout the spring and summer seasons. Adverse weather conditions may also affect customer traffic to our customers or our ability to meet customer delivery requirements.

Our Organizational Structure

Our principal asset is our interest in HoldCo, and, accordingly, we depend on distributions from HoldCo to pay our taxes and expenses. HoldCo’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions.

We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our ownership of LLC Interests of HoldCo. As such, we have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay our taxes and operating expenses or declare and pay dividends in the future, if any, will be dependent upon the financial results and cash flows of HoldCo and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from HoldCo. There can be no assurance that our subsidiaries will generate

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sufficient cash flow to distribute funds to us or that applicable state law and contractual restrictions, including negative covenants in our debt instruments, will permit such distributions.

HoldCo is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to holders of LLC Interests, including us. Accordingly, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of HoldCo. Under the terms of the HoldCo Agreement, HoldCo will be obligated to make tax distributions to holders of LLC Interests, including us. These tax distributions are funded from available cash of HoldCo and its subsidiaries. These tax distributions will be computed, for us, based on our actual tax liability as a result of the net taxable income allocated to us as a result of owning interests in HoldCo and, for all Continuing LLC Owners, based on the net taxable income of HoldCo allocated to such holder of LLC Interests multiplied by an assumed, combined tax rate equal to the maximum rate applicable to an individual resident in New York, New York (taking into account the deductibility of state and local taxes and other applicable adjustments). In addition to tax expenses, we will also incur expenses related to our operations. We intend, as its managing member, to cause HoldCo to make cash distributions to the owners of LLC Interests in an amount sufficient to (i) fund all or part of their tax obligations in respect of taxable income allocated to them and (ii) cover our operating expenses. However, HoldCo’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions, such as restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which HoldCo is then a party, including debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering HoldCo insolvent. Our credit agreements do not currently restrict our ability to make tax distributions. If we do not have sufficient funds to pay tax or other liabilities or to fund our operations, we may have to borrow funds, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such lenders. In addition, if HoldCo does not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends will also be restricted or impaired.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a result of our ownership of HoldCo, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (i) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (ii) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.

As the sole managing member of HoldCo, we will control and operate HoldCo. On that basis, we believe that our interest in HoldCo is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of HoldCo, our interest in HoldCo could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.

We and HoldCo intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the merger or acquisition of the Company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors. Among other things:

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These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management, and may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change of control of our Company that is in the best interest of our stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our Class A common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we have opted out of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).

Our board of directors is authorized to issue and designate shares of our preferred stock in additional series without stockholder approval.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors, without the approval of our stockholders, to issue shares of our preferred stock, subject to limitations prescribed by applicable law, rules and regulations and the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as shares of preferred stock in series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such series and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The powers, preferences and rights of these additional series of preferred stock may be senior to or on parity with our Class A common stock, which may reduce its value.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to taxes by the U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities, and our tax liabilities will be affected by the allocation of expenses to differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

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In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal, state and local taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

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Item 2 - Properties

The following table sets forth the location, size, use and lease expiration date of our material properties as of December 31, 2021.

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We are obligated under non-cancelable leases for the facilities we do not own. Our leases have varying terms, typically with three to five year renewal options.  

We believe that our current properties are adequate for our intended purposes and represent sufficient capacity for our near term plans.

Item 3 – Legal Proceedings

For a discussion of our “Legal Proceedings,” refer to Note 13 – Commitments and Contingencies in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements of this Annual Report.

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Item 4 – Mine Safety Disclosures

Not Applicable

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PART II

Item 5 – Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

As of March 1, 2022, there were approximately 10 holders of record of our Class A common stock and 6 holders of record of our Class B common stock. The holders of our Class B common stock also hold LLC interests in Holdco.  There is no public market for these interests. A substantially greater number of holders of our stock are held in “street name” and held of record by banks, brokers, and other financial institutions. 

Dividend Policy

We have not historically paid cash dividends on our common stock, and have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our Class A common stock. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors. Our board of directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us, including restrictions under our senior secured credit facilities and other indebtedness we may incur, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant.

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Stock Performance Graph

The information contained in the following chart is not considered to be “soliciting material,” or “filed,” or incorporated by reference in any past or future filing by the Company under the Securities Act or Exchange Act unless and only to the extent that, the Company specifically incorporates it by reference.

The following graph compares our total common stock return with the total return for (i) the NASDAQ Composite Index (the “NASDAQ Composite”) and (ii) the Russell 2000 Index (the “Russell 2000”) for the period from July 26, 2017 (the date our common stock commenced trading on the NASDAQ Global Market) through December 31, 2021. The figures represented below assume an investment of $100 in our common stock at the closing price of $23.64 on July 26, 2017 and in the NASDAQ Composite and the Russell 2000 on July 26, 2017. The comparisons in the table are required by the SEC and are not intended to forecast or be indicative of possible future performance of our common stock.

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Item 6 – [Reserved]

Item 7 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

We conduct our business through PetIQ, LLC and its subsidiaries. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our financial statements and related notes and other financial information appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. This section of this Annual Report generally discusses 2021 and 2020 items and year-to-year comparisons of 2021 to 2020. Discussions of 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons of 2020 and 2019 that are not included in this Annual Report can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 on our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs and involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Business Overview

PetIQ is a leading pet medication and wellness company delivering a smarter way for pet parents to help their pets live their best lives through convenient access to affordable veterinary products and services. We engage with customers through more than 60,000 points of distribution across retail and e-commerce channels with our branded and distributed medications as well as health and wellness items, which are further supported by our world-class medications manufacturing facility in Omaha, Nebraska and health and wellness manufacturing facility in Springville, Utah. Our national veterinarian service platform operates in over 2,900 retail partner locations in 42 states providing cost effective and convenient veterinary wellness services.  PetIQ believes that pets are an important part of the family and deserve the best products and care we can provide.

We have two reporting segments: (i) Products; and (ii) Services. The Products segment consists of our manufacturing and distribution business. The Services segments consists of veterinary services, and related product sales, provided by the Company directly to consumers.

We are the sole managing member of Holdco, which is the sole member of Opco and, through Holdco, operate and control all of the business and affairs of Opco.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Considerations

The global COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility, disruption and uncertainty. The Company has continued to experience certain negative effects as a result of the pandemic, including employee absenteeism in excess of historical averages, a shortage of skilled veterinarians, and certain supply chain delays.  

Nonetheless, COVID-19 has presented new opportunities for our business as it has accelerated pet owner purchases of veterinary-grade pet products from retail and e-commerce channels. In addition, with COVID-19 vaccinations becoming more widespread and various restrictions continuing to ease, consumers have started to resume normal activities, including seeking in person veterinary care for their companion animals, and more businesses have commenced resuming operations. There can be no assurance that such positive trends will continue or that there will not be any increases of new infections or new variants that may impede or reverse recovery and such positive trends.

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Since the beginning of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, the Company implemented various policies and procedures designed to ensure the safety of our customers and team members. With COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths declining through the United States, as well as expanded access to vaccines, we have begun to roll back certain policies that created additional costs, such as incremental team members at veterinary services clinics and wellness centers to ensure social distancing and enhanced sanitation. We continue to monitor the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic and state, local and federal government regulatory and public health responses thereto. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties to our business and results of operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic are set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report.

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Components of our Results of Operations

Net Sales

Our Product Segment net sales consist of our total product sales net of product returns, allowances (discounts), trade promotions and incentives. We offer a variety of trade promotions and incentives to our customers, such as cooperative advertising programs and in-store displays. We recognize revenue when control transfers to our customers, in accordance with the terms of our contracts, which generally occurs upon shipment of product. Most contracts contain variable consideration, which is estimated at the time of sale and updated at each period end. Trade promotions are used to increase our aggregate net sales. Our net sales are periodically influenced by the timing, extent and amount of such trade promotions and incentives.

Key factors that may affect our future Product sales growth include: new product introductions; expansion into other customer bases; expansion of items sold to existing customers, addition of new retail customers; aggressive pricing by our competitors; as well as whether maintaining and developing positive relationships with key retail customers. In addition, our products are primarily consumables and, as such, they experience a replenishment cycle.

Our Service Segment revenue consists of providing veterinary services to consumers and selling products to the consumer in conjunction with those services.  The customer generally renders payment at the time the service is provided.  Services Segment revenue is dependent on the number of clinics and wellness centers we run and the number of pets we see in our clinics and wellness centers.  

While many of our products are sold consistently throughout the year, we experience seasonality in the form of increased demand for our flea and tick product offerings in the first half of the year, both leading up to and throughout the spring and summer seasons.  Additionally our veterinary services experience seasonality as consumers typically seek more services in the warmer months. 

Gross Profit

Gross profit is our net product sales plus service revenue less cost of product sales and services. Our cost of product sales consists primarily of costs of raw goods, finished goods, packaging materials, manufacturing, shipping and handling costs and costs associated with our warehouses and distribution network. Cost of services are comprised of all service and product costs related to providing veterinary services, including but not limited to, salaries or contract costs of veterinarians, technicians and other clinic based personnel, transportation and delivery costs, facilities rent, occupancy costs, supply costs, depreciation and amortization of clinic assets, certain marketing and promotional expenses and costs of goods sold. 

Gross margin measures our gross profit as a percentage of net sales. With respect to our proprietary products, we have a manufacturing network that includes leased and owned manufacturing facilities where we manufacture finished goods, as well as third-party contract manufacturing facilities from which we purchase finished products predominately on a dollar-per-unit basis. The gross margin on our proprietary value-branded products is higher than on our distributed products. For distributed products, our costs are driven by the extent of value-added products and services we render with the distributed product. Gross profit in the services segment is driven by the number of pets that seek services in the individual clinics and wellness centers due to the relatively fixed cost nature of operating the clinic or wellness center.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Our selling, general and administrative expenses primarily consist of employee compensation and benefits expenses, sales and merchandizing expenses, advertising and marketing expenses, rent and lease expenses, information technology (“IT”) and utilities expenses, professional fees, insurance costs, R&D costs, host fees, banking charges, and consulting fees. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales have increased to 18.3% in 2021 from 17.7% in 2020. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in 2021 compared to 2020 was primarily driven by increased marketing and selling costs as a result of supporting our proprietary brands, notably Capstar, which was purchased in July 2020, incremental amortization expense on the newly acquired intangible assets for the full year, and

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general growth in corporate services to correspond with the growth in the Company, partially offset by a decrease in acquisition and integration costs.  

Our advertising and marketing expenses primarily consist of digital marketing (e.g. social, display and search, etc.), online video and Streaming TV, e-mail, in-store merchandising and trade shows in an effort to build awareness and drive demand for our products and services. These expenses may vary from quarter to quarter but are typically higher in the second and third quarters. Our Product Segment focuses on promoting PetArmor direct-to-consumer, supported by trade promotions and merchandising. Our Services Segment focuses on promoting our veterinary services direct-to-consumer, geo-targeted around our retail locations, supported by in-store signage. We generally expect our marketing expenses to increase commensurate with increases in revenue and market share for both segments. In 2022 the Company is planning to increase advertising and marketing expenses at a rate in excess of the rate of anticipated sales growth in order to invest in our own manufactured brands.

As noted above, we experience seasonality in the form of increased demand for our flea and tick product offerings in the first half of the year, both leading up to and throughout the spring and summer seasons and, as a result, the sales and merchandizing expenses component of our selling, general and administrative expenses generally increases during this period due to promotional spending relating to our flea and tick product lines.

Net (Loss) Income

Our net (loss) income for future periods will be affected by the various factors described above. In addition, our historical results are impacted by Opco’s status as a pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes and our ownership percentage of Holdco. During 2020, we recorded a valuation allowance which effectively removed our deferred tax assets based on the likelihood of realization.  Improved profitability could reverse that allowance, resulting in significant swings in net (loss) income.  Our tax expense is impacted by our structure and, as a result, we expect our tax expense to fluctuate on a quarterly basis depending on the number of Exchanges that occur during each period.

Non-Controlling Interest

We consolidate the financial position and results of operations of HoldCo. Our Continuing LLC Owners hold their equity investment in us primarily through LLC Interests in the Company’s subsidiary, HoldCo, and an equal number of shares of the Company’s Class B common stock. Our Class B Stock has voting, but no economic rights. Each LLC Interest, together with a share of Class B Stock held by the Continuing LLC, is exchangeable for a share of the Company’s Class A common stock (or at the option of the Company, the cash equivalent thereof). The Company is the managing member of HoldCo and owns a majority of the LLC Interests, and consolidates HoldCo in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. The interest of the Continuing LLC Owners in HoldCo is reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements as a non-controlling interest.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our consolidated statements of operations in dollars and as a percentage of net sales for the periods presented:

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Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared With Year Ended December 31, 2020

Net sales

Consolidated Net Sales

Consolidated net sales increased approximately $152.5 million, or 20%, to $932.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $780.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was driven by growth in distributed and manufactured products.  Additionally the Services segment grew revenue significantly on reduced impact from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Products Segment

Product sales increased approximately $99.7 million, or 14%, to $825.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $725.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was driven by accelerated growth in distributed products, as well as growth in manufactured products, particularly Capstar, which was purchased in the middle of 2020.

Services Segment

Service revenue increased approximately $52.8 million, or 97%, from $54.3 million to $107.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Same-store sales increased approximately $36.6 million, or 81%, to $82.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $45.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in same-store sales was driven by reduced impact from COVID-19 related closures in 2021 as compared to 2020. Non same-store sales increased approximately $16.2 million, or 180%, to $25.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $9.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in non same-store sales was a result of opening 98 additional wellness centers in 2021, as well as the maturation of clinics that

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have not been open for six quarters, partially offset by wellness centers maturing into the same store sales category.  Services revenue has rebounded to nearly the levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, although the Company is continuing to experience unplanned clinic closures due to absenteeism.  

Gross profit

Gross profit increased by approximately $51.2 million, or 38%, to $186.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $135.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase is largely due to the increase in sales of manufactured products within our product segment which carry a higher margin than our distributed product sales.  Increase in manufactured products was positively impacted by sale of products acquired as part of the Capstar acquisition in 2020.  Additionally, our services segment contributed to our gross profit increase due to improvements in operations as COVID-19 related closures lessened during 2021.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) increased approximately $32.1 million, or 23%, to $170.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $138.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. As a percentage of net sales, G&A increased from approximately 17.7% in 2020 to 18.3% in 2021, driven by additional sales and marketing costs to support our brands, incremental amortization expense on the newly acquired intangible assets and general growth in corporate services to correspond with the growth in the Company, partially offset by a decrease in acquisition and integration costs.

Products Segment

Products segment SG&A increased approximately $6.9 million, or 23%, to $37.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $30.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was driven primarily by selling and marketing costs to promote sales growth in our own brands.

Services Segment

Services segment SG&A increased approximately $8.7 million, or 52%, to $25.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $16.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was primarily driven by higher variable selling costs such as host fees to partners and credit card fees, which are typically based on a percentage of sales.  Additionally the Company has increased marketing spend to support opening new wellness centers.  As a percentage of Service Revenue G&A decreased from 31% to 24% as sales growth outpaced the growth in SG&A.

Unallocated Corporate

Unallocated corporate G&A increased $16.5 million, or 18% to $107.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from $91.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.  The increase is the result of the following:

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Other expenses

Interest expense, net, increased $1.9 million, to $24.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. This increase was driven by additional debt including the Convertible Notes entered into during May 2020 that were outstanding for the full year in 2021 which were outstanding for outstanding for only part of the year in 2020, partially, offset by lower interest rates on the Company’s new credit agreements entered into in April 2021. Additionally the loss on debt extinguishment of $5.5 million in 2021 had no comparable event in 2020.

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Pre-tax net loss

As a result of the factors described above, pre-tax net loss decreased $12.8 million to a pre-tax net loss of $12.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to a pre-tax net loss of $25.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Tax (expense) benefit

As a result of continued exchanges by Continuing LLC Owners of LLC Interests and Class B common shares, the Company now owns approximately 99.1% of Holdco with the LLC Interests not held by the Company considered non-controlling interest. Holdco is treated as a partnership for income tax reporting. Holdco’s members, including the Company, are liable for federal, state, and local income taxes based on their share of Holdco’s taxable income.

Income tax (expense) benefit totaled (30.9%) and (238.7%) of pretax earnings for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The tax rate is affected primarily by the changes in valuation allowance during the year ended December 31, 2021 and the portion of income and expense allocated to the non-controlling interest. It is also affected by discrete items that may occur in any given year such as stock based compensation, but are not consistent from year to year.

Segment Adjusted EBITDA

Products Segment

Products segment Adjusted EBITDA increased approximately $32.1 million, or 27.4%, to $149.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $117.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The significant growth in Products segment Adjusted EBITDA relates to significant sales growth of manufactured products, primarily Capstar branded products, as well as growth of distributed items.

Services Segment

Services segment Adjusted EBITDA increased approximately $8.3 million, or 245%, to $11.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Services segment earnings are impacted by the Company’s growth strategy of opening new wellness centers and the impact of the Company’s same store portfolio, discussed further below under “Consolidated Non-GAAP Financial Measures”. Services segment Adjusted EBITDA was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 closures in 2020.

Unallocated Corporate

Unallocated corporate expenses consist of expenses incurred by centrally-managed departments, including accounting, legal, human resources, information technology, and headquarters expenses, as well as executive and incentive compensation expenses and other miscellaneous costs. Unallocated corporate costs have primarily grown due to the growth in the size of the Company, including adding to administrative headcount through acquisitions, as well as headquarters growth to support the Company’s growth. Adjustments to unallocated corporate expenses include costs related to specific events, such as acquisition expenses, and integration costs. Adjustments also include non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, amortization, and stock based compensation.

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The following tables reconcile segment pre-tax net income to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented.

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Consolidated Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. EBITDA represents net income before interest, income taxes and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA plus adjustments for transactions that management does not believe are representative of our core ongoing business. Adjusted EBITDA is utilized by management: (i) as a factor in evaluating management’s performance when determining incentive compensation and (ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies.

The Company presents EBITDA because it is a necessary component for computing Adjusted EBITDA. We believe that the use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends. In addition, you should be aware when evaluating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA that in the future we may incur expenses similar to those excluded when calculating these measures. Our presentation of these measures should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by these or other unusual or non-recurring items. Our computation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures computed by other companies, because all companies do not calculate EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner.

Our management does not, and you should not, consider EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA in isolation or as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The principal limitation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is that they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded in our financial statements. Some of these limitations are:

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Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA only supplementally. You should review the reconciliations of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA below and not rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

The following table reconciles net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented.

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Financial Condition, Liquidity, and Capital Resources

Historically, our primary sources of liquidity have been cash flow from operations, borrowings, and equity contributions. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, our cash and cash equivalents were $79.4 million and $33.5 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had an unused revolving credit facility with availability of $125.0 million, $298.5 million outstanding under a term loan, $143.8 million of outstanding 4.0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”), and $23.5 million in other debt. The debt agreements bear interest at rates between 2.1% and 4.75%.

Our primary cash needs are for working capital and to support our growth plans, which may include acquisitions. Our maintenance capital expenditures have typically been less than 1.0% of net sales, but we may make additional capital expenditures as necessary to support our growth, such as the investment in additional veterinary clinics that is currently ongoing or the construction of new corporate headquarters, which was completed in 2021. Our primary working capital requirements are to carry inventory and receivable levels necessary to support our increasing Product net sales. Fluctuations in working capital are primarily driven by the timing of new product launches and seasonal retailer demand. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had working capital (current assets less current liabilities) of $200.5 million and $141.2 million, respectively.

We believe that our operating cash flow, cash on hand, and debt proceeds from our borrowings under our credit facility will be adequate to meet our operating, investing, and financing needs for the foreseeable future. To the extent additional funds are necessary to meet long-term liquidity needs as we continue to execute our business strategy, we anticipate that they will be obtained through the incurrence of additional indebtedness, additional equity financings or a combination of these potential sources of funds, although we can provide no assurance that these sources of funding will be available on reasonable terms.  As in the past, we will continue to explore opportunities to optimize our capital structure.

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Cash Flows

Cash provided by or used in Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $23.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $4.6 million used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020. The change in operating cash flows primarily reflects higher pre-tax earnings, lower non-cash items primarily due to the lower deferred tax adjustment, and improvement in cash used in working capital. Working capital changes are driven by lower growth in accounts receivable, lower inventory due to timing and composition of expected sales in 2022, partially offset by reduction in accounts payable changes.

Cash used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $26.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $118.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in net cash used in investing activities is primarily a result of the acquisition of Capstar® in the prior year with no similar acquisition occurring in 2021, partially offset by increased purchase of property, plant, and equipment, primarily to support the launch of additional wellness centers and the construction of the new corporate headquarters.

Cash provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $48.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $128.8 million in net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020. The change in cash provided by financing activities is primarily driven by the Company’s issuance of Notes and the purchase of capped call options to finance the Capstar Acquisition in the prior year with only the refinance transaction occurring in 2021.

Description of Indebtedness

For a discussion of our “Indebtedness,” refer to Note 5 – “Debt” in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements of this Annual Report.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the revenue and expenses incurred during the reported periods. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to accrued expenses and stock-based compensation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not apparent from other sources. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results for the period in which they become known. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. 

While our significant accounting policies are described in the notes to our financial statements appearing in this Annual Report, we believe that the following critical accounting policies are most important to understanding and evaluating our reported financial results.

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Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes product sales when product control is transferred to the customer, which is generally upon delivery or shipment of goods, depending on terms with a customer. Many customer contracts include some form of variable consideration such as discounts, rebates, and sales returns and allowance. Variable consideration is treated as a reduction in revenue when product revenue is recognized. Depending on the specific type of variable consideration, we use either the expected value or most likely amount method to determine the variable consideration.  

Revenue for services is recognized over time as the service is delivered, typically over a single day. Payment is typically rendered at the time of service.

Trade marketing expense, consisting primarily of customer pricing allowances and merchandising funds are offered through various programs to customers and are designed to promote our products. They include the cost of in-store product displays, feature pricing in retailers' advertisements and other temporary price reductions. These programs are offered to our customers both in fixed and variable (rate per case) amounts. The ultimate cost of these programs depends on retailer performance and is subject to management estimates.

Certain retailers require the payment of product introductory fees in order to obtain space for the Company's products on the retailer's store shelves. This cost is typically a lump sum and is determined using the expected value based on the contract between the two parties.

Both trade marketing expense and product introductory fees are recognized as reductions of revenue at the time the transfer of control of the associated products occurs. Accruals for expected payouts, or amounts paid in advance, under these programs are included as other current assets or accounts payable in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The Company does not grant a general right of return. However, customers may return defective or non-conforming products. Customer remedies may include either a cash refund or an exchange of the product. As a result, the right of return and related refund liability is estimated and recorded as a reduction in revenue. This return estimate is reviewed and updated each period and is based on historical sales and return experience. 

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined on the first-in first-out (“FIFO”) method and includes estimated rebate amounts. The Company maintains reserves for estimated obsolete or unmarketable inventory based on the difference between the cost of inventory and its estimated net realizable value. In estimating the reserves, management considers factors such as excess or slow-moving inventories, product expiration dating, and market conditions. Changes in these conditions may result in additional reserves.

Accounting for Income Taxes

The Company’s annual income tax rate is based on its income, statutory tax rates, changes in prior tax positions and tax planning opportunities available in the various jurisdictions in which it operates. Significant judgment and estimates are required to determine the Company’s annual tax rate and evaluate its tax positions. Despite the Company’s belief that its tax return positions are fully supportable, these positions are subject to challenge, and the Company may not be successful in defending these challenges.

Deferred income taxes arise from temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the financial statements, which will result in taxable or deductible amounts in the future. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets in the jurisdiction from which they arise, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. In the event that it is determined that an asset is not more likely than not to be realized, a valuation allowance is recorded against the asset.  Valuation allowances related to deferred tax assets can be impacted by changes to tax laws, changes to statutory tax rates and future taxable income levels.  In the event the Company were to determine that it would not be able to realize all or a portion of its deferred tax assets in the future, the unrealizable

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amount would be charged to earnings in the period in which that determination is made.  Conversely, if the Company were to determine that it would be able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of the net carrying amounts, it would decrease the recorded valuation allowance through a favorable adjustment to earnings in the period that the determination was made. The Company has assessed the realizability of the net deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2021 and in that analysis has considered the relevant positive and negative evidence available to determine whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred income tax assets will not be realized. The Company believes it is more likely than not that the benefit from the recorded deferred tax assets will not be realized and has recorded a valuation allowance. In future periods, if we conclude we have future taxable income sufficient to recognize the deferred tax assets, we may reduce or eliminate the valuation allowance.

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Item 7A – Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are exposed to certain market risks arising from transactions in the normal course of our business. Such risk is principally associated with interest rates. We currently do not enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to changes in interest rates because the indebtedness incurred under our ABL Facility and Term Loan B are variable rate debt. Interest rate changes generally do not affect the market value of our credit agreement but do affect the amount of our interest payments and, therefore, our future earnings and cash flows. As of December 31, 2021, we had variable rate debt of approximately $300.0 million under our ABL Facility and Term Loan B. An increase of 1% would have increased our interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 by approximately $2.8 million.

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Item 8 – Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

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