Accounts receivable

6 Months Ended

Aug. 04, 2018

Receivables [Abstract]

Accounts receivable

Credit transaction, net

During Fiscal 2018, Signet announced a strategic initiative to outsource its North America private label credit card programs and sell the existing in-house finance receivables. Below is a summary of the transactions the Company has entered into as a result of this strategic initiative:

Fiscal 2018

In October 2017, Signet, through its subsidiary Sterling, completed the sale of the prime-only credit quality portion of Sterling’s in-house finance receivable portfolio to Comenity. The following events summarize the credit transaction:

Receivables reclassification: In the second quarter of Fiscal 2018, certain in-house finance receivables that met the criteria for sale to Comenity were reclassified from "held for investment" to "held for sale." Accordingly, the receivables were recorded at the lower of cost (par) or fair value, resulting in the reversal of the related allowance for credit losses.

Proceeds received: In October 2017, the Company received $952.5 million in cash consideration reflecting the par value of the receivables sold. In addition, the Company recognized a beneficial interest asset representing the present value of the cash flows the Company expects to receive under the economic profit sharing agreement related to the receivables sold.

Asset-backed securitization facility termination: In October 2017, the Company terminated the asset-backed securitization facility in order to transfer the receivables free and clear. The asset-backed securitization facility had a principal balance outstanding of $600.0 million at the time of termination. The payoff was funded through the proceeds received from the par value of receivables sold.

Program agreement: Comenity provides credit to prime-only credit quality customers for an initial term of seven years under the Program Agreement and, unless terminated by either party, additional renewal terms of two years. Under the Program Agreement, Comenity established a program to issue Sterling credit cards to be serviced, marketed and promoted in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Subject to limited exceptions, Comenity is the exclusive issuer of private label credit cards or an installment or other closed end loan product in the United States bearing specified Company trademarks, including “Kay”, “Jared” and specified regional brands, but excluding “Zale”, during the term of the agreement. The pre-existing arrangement with Comenity for the issuing of Zale credit cards will be unaffected by the execution of the Program Agreement. Upon expiration or termination by either party of the Program Agreement, Sterling retains the option to purchase, or arrange the purchase by a third party of, the program assets from Comenity on terms that are no more onerous to Sterling than those applicable to Comenity under the Purchase Agreement, or in the case of a purchase by a third party, on customary terms. Additionally, the Company received a signing bonus, which may be repayable under certain conditions if the Program Agreement is terminated, and a right to receive future payments related to the performance of the credit program under an economic profit sharing agreement. The Program Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants.

Additionally, Signet and Genesis Financial Solutions (“Genesis”) entered into a five-year servicing agreement in October 2017, under which Genesis will provide credit servicing functions for Signet’s existing non-prime accounts receivable, as well as future non-prime account originations.

Fiscal 2019

During March 2018, the Company, through its subsidiary Sterling, entered into a definitive agreement with CarVal to sell all eligible non-prime in-house accounts receivable. In May 2018, the Company exercised its option to appoint a minority party, Castlelake, to purchase 30% of the eligible receivables sold to CarVal under the Receivables Purchase Agreement. In June 2018, the Company completed the sale of the non-prime in-house accounts receivable at a price expressed as 72% of the par value of the accounts receivable. The purchase price was settled with 95% received as cash upon closing. The remaining 5% of the purchase price was deferred until the second anniversary of the closing date. Final payment of the deferred purchase price is contingent upon the non-prime in-house finance receivable portfolio achieving a pre-defined yield. The agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants.

Receivables reclassification: In March 2018, the eligible non-prime in-house accounts receivables that met the criteria for sale were reclassified from "held for investment" to "held for sale" on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Accordingly, the receivables were recorded at the lower of cost (par) or fair value as of the date of the reclassification with subsequent adjustments to the asset fair value as required through the closing date of the transaction. During the 13 and 26 weeks ended August 4, 2018, total valuation losses of $19.4 million and $160.4 million, respectively, were recorded within credit transaction, net in the condensed consolidated income statement.

Proceeds received: In June 2018, the Company received $445.5 million in cash consideration for the receivables sold based on the terms of the agreements with CarVal and Castlelake described above. The Company also recorded a receivable related to the deferred purchase price payment within other assets and will adjust the asset to fair value in each period of the performance period. See Note 17 for additional information regarding the fair value of deferred purchase price.

Expenses: During the 13 and 26 weeks ended August 4, 2018, the Company incurred $4.5 million and $6.6 million, respectively, of transaction-related costs, which were recorded within credit transaction, net in the condensed consolidated income statement.

In addition, for a five-year term, Signet will remain the issuer of non-prime credit with investment funds managed by CarVal and Castlelake purchasing forward receivables at a discount rate determined in accordance with their respective agreements. Signet will hold the newly issued non-prime credit receivables on its balance sheet for two business days prior to selling the receivables to the respective counterparty in accordance with the agreements. Servicing of the non-prime receivables, including operational interfaces and customer servicing, will continue to be provided by Genesis.

Accounts receivable

Prior to the second quarter of Fiscal 2019, Signet’s accounts receivable primarily consisted of US customer in-house financing receivables. This accounts receivable portfolio historically consisted of a population that was of similar characteristics and was evaluated collectively for impairment.

In October 2017, the Company completed the sale of the prime portion of the Sterling Jewelers customer in-house finance receivables. The receivables sold, which were classified as "held for sale" as of the second quarter of Fiscal 2018, are no longer reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets. See Note 4 for additional information regarding the sale of the prime portion of the customer in-house finance receivable portfolio.

In June 2018, the Company completed the sale of the remaining Sterling Jewelers and Zale customer in-house finance receivables. See Note 4 for additional information regarding the agreement. For a five-year term, Signet will remain the issuer of non-prime credit with investment funds managed by CarVal and Castlelake purchasing forward flow receivables at a discount rate determined in accordance with their respective agreements. Receivables issued by the Company but pending transfer to Carval and Castlelake as of period end are classified as “held for sale” in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. As of August 4, 2018, the accounts receivable held for sale were recorded at fair value. See Note 17 for additional information regarding the assumptions utilized in the calculation of fair value of the finance receivables held for sale.

(in millions)	August 4, 2018		February 3, 2018		July 29, 2017
Accounts receivable by portfolio segment, net:
Legacy Sterling Jewelers customer in-house finance receivables	$	—	$	649.4	$	622.6
Legacy Zale customer in-house finance receivables	$	—	33.5		34.0
North America customer in-house finance receivables	$	—	$	682.9	$	656.6
Other accounts receivable	6.5		9.6		7.9
Total accounts receivable, net	$	6.5	$	692.5	$	664.5
Accounts receivable, held for sale	$	4.6	$	—	$	1,055.6

Prior to the end of the second quarter of Fiscal 2019, Signet granted credit to customers based on a variety of credit quality indicators, including consumer financial information and prior payment experience. Management monitored the credit exposure based on past due status and collection experience, as it had found a meaningful correlation between the past due status of customers and the risk of loss.

Other accounts receivable is comprised primarily of accounts receivable relating to the insurance loss replacement business in the International segment of $5.8 million (February 3, 2018 and July 29, 2017: $9.3 million and $6.9 million, respectively).

The activity in the allowance for credit losses on Sterling Jewelers customer in-house finance receivables is shown below:

	26 weeks ended
(in millions)	August 4, 2018			(1)	July 29, 2017
Beginning balance	$	(113.5	)		$	(138.7	)
Charge-offs, net	56.3				103.9
Recoveries	4.2				17.8
Provision	(54.6		)		(118.0		)
Reversal of allowance on receivables previously held for sale	107.6				20.7
Ending balance	$	—			$	(114.3	)
Ending receivable balance evaluated for impairment	—				736.9
Sterling Jewelers customer in-house finance receivables, net	$	—			$	622.6

⁽¹⁾  Amounts reflected for Fiscal 2019 represent activity for the period prior to the reclassification of the in-house finance receivables portfolio to held for sale during the first quarter of Fiscal 2019 when the allowance was reversed.

As a result of the sale of the prime-only credit portion of the customer in-house finance receivable portfolio and the outsourcing of the credit servicing on the remaining in-house finance receivable portfolio in October 2017 as disclosed in Note 4, the Company revised its methodology for measuring delinquency to be based on the contractual basis.

As of August 4, 2018, the customer in-house finance receivables were held for sale and recorded at fair value in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. As such, no valuation allowance for credit losses was required to be recorded. The credit quality indicator and age analysis of customer in-house finance receivables as of February 3, 2018 are shown below under the contractual basis:

	February 3, 2018
(in millions)	Gross		Valuation allowance
Performing (accrual status):
0 - 120 days past due	$	703.4	$	(54.0	)
121 or more days past due	59.5		(59.5		)
	$	762.9	$	(113.5	)
Valuation allowance as a % of ending receivable balance			14.9		%

Prior to the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018, the Company’s calculation of the allowance for credit losses was based on a recency measure of delinquency. The credit quality indicator and age analysis of customer in-house finance receivables prior to the sale of the prime-only credit portion of the in-house receivable portfolio as of July 29, 2017 are shown below under the recency basis:

	July 29, 2017
(in millions)	Gross		Valuation allowance
Performing (accrual status):
Current, aged 0 – 30 days	$	1,394.2	$	(42.8	)
Past due, aged 31 – 60 days	264.6		(8.6		)
Past due, aged 61 – 90 days	52.5		(2.4		)
Non Performing:
Past due, aged more than 90 days	81.2		(81.2		)
	$	1,792.5	$	(135.0	)
Valuation allowance as a % of ending receivable balance			7.5		%