Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Nature of Business

Hooker Furniture Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”) design, import, manufacture and market residential household furniture, hospitality and contract furniture for sale to wholesale and retail merchandisers located principally in North America.

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Hooker Furniture Corporation and our wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All references to the Company refer to the Company and our consolidated subsidiaries, unless specifically referring to segment information.

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Operating Segments

As a public entity, we are required to present disaggregated information by segment using the management approach. The objective of this approach is to allow users of our financial statements to see our business through the eyes of management based upon the way management reviews performance and makes decisions. The management approach requires segment information to be reported based on how management internally evaluates the operating performance of the company’s business units or segments. The objective of this approach is to meet the basic principles of segment reporting as outlined in ASC 280 Segments (“ASC 280”), which are to allow the users of our financial statements to:

■ better understand our performance;

■ better assess our prospects for future net cash flows; and

■ make more informed judgments about us as a whole.

We define our segments as those operations our chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) regularly reviews to analyze performance and allocate resources. We measure the results of our segments using, among other measures, each segment’s net sales, gross profit and operating income, as determined by the information regularly reviewed by the CODM.

For financial reporting purposes, we are organized into three operating segments and “All Other”, which includes the remainder of our businesses:

■ Hooker Branded, consisting of the operations of our imported Hooker Casegoods and Hooker Upholstery businesses;  

■ Home Meridian, a stand-alone, mostly autonomous business that serves a different type or class of customer than do our other operating segments and at much lower margins;

■ Domestic Upholstery, which includes the domestic upholstery manufacturing operations of Bradington-Young, Sam Moore and Shenandoah Furniture; and

■ All Other, consisting of H Contract and Lifestyle Brands. Neither of these operating segments were individually reportable; therefore, we combined them in “All Other” in accordance with ASC 280.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We consider cash on hand, demand deposits in banks and all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents.

Receivable [Policy Text Block]

Trade Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are reported net of the allowance for doubtful accounts and sales-related allowances. Substantially all of our trade accounts receivable are due from retailers and dealers that sell residential home furnishings or commercial purchasers of our hospitality and senior living products, and consist of a large number of entities with a broad geographic dispersion. We perform credit evaluations of our customers and generally do not require collateral. We regularly review and revise accounts receivable for doubtful accounts and customer allowances based upon historical bad debts and customer allowances and any agreements with specific customers. If the financial condition of a customer or customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, additional bad debt allowances may be required. In the event a receivable is determined to be potentially uncollectible, we engage collection agencies or law firms to attempt to collect amounts owed to us after all internal collection attempts have ended. Once we have determined the receivable is uncollectible, it is charged against the allowance for doubtful accounts.

Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value Measurements

We utilize valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible. We determine fair value based on assumptions that we believe market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels:

■ Level 1 Inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities accessible to the reporting entity at the measurement date.

■ Level 2 Inputs: Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

■ Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at measurement date.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying value of certain of our financial instruments (cash and cash equivalents, trade accounts receivable and payable, and accrued liabilities) approximates fair value because of the short-term nature of those instruments. The carrying value of Company-owned life insurance is marked to market each reporting period and any change in fair value is reflected in income for that period. See Note 10 for details.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories

Inventories, consisting of finished furniture for sale, raw materials, manufacturing supplies and furniture in process, are stated at the lower of cost, or market value, with cost determined using the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method. Under this method, inventory is valued at cost, which is determined by applying a cumulative index to current year inventory dollars. We review inventories on hand and record an allowance for slow-moving and obsolete inventory based on historical experience and expected sales.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, less allowances for depreciation. Provision for depreciation has been computed at annual rates using straight-line or declining balance depreciation methods that will amortize the cost of the depreciable assets over their estimated useful lives.

Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]

Leases

Leases are classified as either finance leases or operating leases based on criteria in Topic 842. All of our current leases are classified as operating leases. We do not currently have finance leases but could in the future.

Operating lease right-of-use ("ROU") assets and liabilities are recognized on the adoption date based on the present value of lease payments over the remaining lease term. As interest rates are not explicitly stated or implicit in any of our leases, we utilized our incremental borrowing rate at the adoption date of February 4, 2019. For leases without explicitly stated or implicit interest rates that commenced after the adoption date, we use our incremental borrowing rate which was one-month LIBOR at the lease commencement date plus 1.5%. ROU assets also include any lease payments made and exclude lease incentives. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option.

At the inception of a lease, we allocate the consideration in the contract to each lease and non-lease component based on the component's relative stand-alone price to determine the lease payments. Lease and non-lease components are accounted for separately. Lease expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Included in lease expense are any variable lease payments incurred in the period that were not included in the initial lease liability. Some of our real estate leases contain variable lease payments, including payments based on the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”). We used February 2019 CPI-U issued by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure lease payments and calculate lease liabilities upon adoption of this standard. Additional payments based on the change in an index or rate, or payments based on a change in our portion of the operating expenses, including real estate taxes and insurance, are recorded when incurred.

We have a sub-lease at one of our warehouses. In accordance with the provisions of Topic 842, since we have not been relieved as the primary obligor of the warehouse lease, we cannot net the sublease income against our lease payment to calculate the lease liability and ROU asset. Our practice is to straight-line the sub-lease income over the term of the sublease.

Our leases have remaining lease terms of less than one year to seven years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to seven years. We have elected not to recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities that arise from short term leases for any class of underlying asset. Short term leases are leases with lease terms of 12 months or less with either (a) no renewal option or (b) a renewal option which we are not reasonably certain to exercise.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment and definite-lived assets, are evaluated for impairment annually or more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets or asset groups may not be recoverable through the estimated undiscounted future cash flows from the use of those assets. When any such impairment exists, the related assets are written down to fair value. Long-lived assets subject to disposal by sale are measured at the lower of their carrying amount or fair value less estimated cost to sell, are no longer depreciated, and are reported separately as “assets held for sale” in the consolidated balance sheets.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Intangible Assets, Indefinite-Lived, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Intangible Assets and Goodwill

We own both definite-lived (amortizable) assets and indefinite-lived intangible assets. Our amortizable intangible assets are related to the Shenandoah and Home Meridian acquisitions and includes customer relationships and trademarks. Our indefinite lived assets include goodwill related to the Shenandoah and Home Meridian acquisitions, as well as the Bradington-Young and Sam Moore tradenames. We may acquire additional amortizable assets and/or indefinite lived intangible assets in the future. Our indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired.

Our goodwill, trademarks and trade names are tested for impairment annually as of the first day of our fourth quarter or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Circumstances that could indicate a potential impairment include, but are not limited to:

■ a significant adverse change in the economic or business climate either within the furniture industry or the national or global economy;

■ significant changes in demand for our products;

■ loss of key personnel; and

■ the likelihood that a reporting unit or significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or otherwise subject to disposal.

The assumptions used to determine the fair value of our intangible assets are highly subjective and judgmental and include long-term growth rates, sales volumes, projected revenues, assumed royalty rates and factors used to develop an applied discount rate. If the assumptions that we use in these calculations differ from actual results, we may realize additional impairment on our intangible assets that may have a material-adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Liability for Future Policy Benefit [Policy Text Block]

Cash Surrender Value of Life Insurance Policies

We own seventy-seven life insurance policies on certain of our current and former executives and other key employees. These policies had a carrying value of $25.5 million at January 31, 2021 and have a face value of approximately $54 million as of that date. Proceeds from the policies are used to fund certain employee benefits and for other general corporate purposes. We account for life insurance as a component of employee benefits cost. Consequently, the cost of the coverage and any resulting gains or losses related to those insurance policies are recorded as a decrease or increase to operating income. Cash payments that increase the cash surrender value of these policies are classified as investing outflows on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, with amounts paid in excess of the increase in cash surrender value included in operating activities. Gains on life insurance policies, which typically occur at the time a policy is redeemed, are included in the reconciliation of net income to net cash used in or provided by operating activities. Substantially all of the cash value of our company owned life insurance is pledged as collateral for our secured term loan.

Revenue [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification 606, which requires revenue to be recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for transferring goods or services to our customers. Our policy is to record revenue when control of the goods transfers to the customer. We have a present right to payment at the time of shipment as customers are invoiced at that time. We believe the customer obtains control of goods at the time of shipment, which is typically when title passes. While the customer may not enjoy immediate physical possession of the products, the customers’ right to re-direct shipment indicates control. In the very limited instances when products are sold under consignment arrangements, we do not recognize revenue until control over such products has transferred to the end consumer. Orders are generally non-cancellable once loaded into a shipping trailer or container.

The transaction price for each contract is the stated price of the product, reduced by any stated discounts or allowances at that point in time. We do not engage in sales of products that attach a future material right which could result in a separate performance obligation for the purchase of goods in the future at a material discount. The implicit contract with the customer, as reflected in the order acknowledgement and invoice, states the final terms of the sale, including the description, quantity, and price of each product purchased. The transaction price reflects the amount of estimated consideration to which we expect to be entitled. This amount of variable consideration included in the transaction price, and measurement of net sales, is included in net sales only to the extent that it is probable that there will be no significant reversal in a future period.

Net sales are comprised of gross revenues from sales of home furnishings and hospitality furniture products and are recorded net of allowances for trade promotions, estimated product returns, rebate advertising programs and other discounts. Physical product returns are very rare due to the high probability of damages to our products in return transit. Other revenues, primarily royalties, are immaterial to our overall results. Payment is typically due within 30-60 days of shipment for customers qualifying for payment terms. Collectability is reasonably assured since we extend credit to customers for whom we have performed credit evaluations and/or from whom we have received a down payment or deposit. Due to the highly-customized nature of our hospitality products, we typically require substantial prepayments on these orders, with the balance due within 30 days of delivery.

Cost of Goods and Service [Policy Text Block]

Cost of Sales

The major components of cost of sales are:

■ the cost of imported products purchased for resale;

■ raw materials and supplies used in our domestically manufactured products;

■ labor and overhead costs associated with our domestically manufactured products;

■ the cost of our foreign import operations;

■ charges associated with our inventory reserves;

■ warehousing and certain shipping and handling costs; and

■ all other costs required to be classified as cost of sales.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Selling and Administrative Expenses

The major components of our selling and administrative expenses are:

■ the cost of our marketing and merchandising efforts, including showroom expenses;

■ sales and design commissions;

■ the costs of administrative support functions including, executive management, information technology, human resources and finance; and

■ all other costs required to be classified as selling and administrative expenses.

Advertising Cost [Policy Text Block]

Advertising

We offer advertising programs to qualified dealers under which we may provide signage, catalogs and other marketing support to our dealers and may reimburse some advertising and other costs incurred by our dealers in connection with promoting our products. The cost of these programs does not exceed the fair value of the benefit received. We charge the cost of point-of-purchase materials (including signage, catalogs, and fabric and leather swatches) to selling and administrative expense as incurred. Advertising costs charged to selling and administrative expense for fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $2.1 million, $3.4 million, and $3.3 million, respectively. The costs for other advertising allowance programs are charged against net sales. We also have arrangements with some dealers to reimburse them for a portion of their advertising costs, which provides advertising benefits to us. Costs for these arrangements are expensed as incurred and are netted against net sales in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income/(loss).

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

At times, tax law and generally accepted accounting principles differ in the treatment of certain income and expense items. These items may be excluded or included in taxable income at different times than is required for GAAP or “book” reporting purposes. These differences may be permanent or temporary in nature.

We determine our annual effective income tax rate based on pre-tax book income and permanent book and tax differences.

To the extent any book and tax differences are temporary in nature, that is, the book realization will occur in a different period than the tax realization, a deferred tax asset or liability is established. To the extent a deferred tax asset is created, we evaluate our ability to realize this asset. If we determine that we will not be able to fully utilize deferred tax assets, we establish a valuation reserve. In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is primarily dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which those temporary differences reverse. Currently, we have $14.2 million deferred tax assets related to net operating loss carryforwards that can be used to offset taxable income and reduce our income tax liabilities in the future periods. All deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current on our consolidated balance sheets. See Note 16 Income Taxes for additional details.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings Per Share

We use the two-class method to compute basic earnings per share.  Under this method we allocate earnings to common shares and participating securities according to their participation rights in dividends declared and undistributed earnings and divide the income available to each class by the weighted average number of common shares for the period in each class.  Unvested restricted stock grants made to our non-employee directors and certain employees are considered participating securities because the shares have the right to receive non-forfeitable dividends.  Because the participating shares have no obligation to share in net losses, we do not allocate losses to our common shares in this calculation. 

Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilutive effect of securities that could share in our earnings.  Restricted stock awarded to non-employee directors and certain employees and restricted stock units granted to employees that have not yet vested are considered when computing diluted earnings per share.  We use the treasury stock method to determine the dilutive effect of both unvested restricted stock and unvested restricted stock units. Shares of unvested restricted stock and unvested restricted stock units under a stock-based compensation arrangement are considered options for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share and are considered outstanding shares as of the grant date for purposes of computing diluted earnings per share even though their exercise may be contingent upon vesting. Those stock-based awards are included in the diluted earnings per share computation even if the non-employee director may be required to forfeit the stock at some future date, or no shares may ever be issued to the employees. Unvested restricted stock and unvested restricted stock units are not included in outstanding common shares in computing basic earnings per share. 

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of: (i) assets and liabilities, including disclosures regarding contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements; and (ii) revenue and expenses during the reported periods. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include useful lives of fixed and intangible assets; allowance for doubtful accounts; deferred tax assets; the valuation of fixed assets and goodwill; our pension and supplemental retirement income plans; and stock-based compensation. These estimates and assumptions are based on our best judgments. We evaluate these estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment, which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. We adjust our estimates and assumptions as facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ from our estimates.