UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended March 30, 2024

OR

Commission File Number 0-19357

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Monro, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (585) 647-6400

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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 x   No o

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

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 x   No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§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 x   No o

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.  o

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. x

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.  o

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).  o

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of the shares of common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market on September 22, 2023, was $878,500,000.

As of May 17, 2024, 29,916,345 shares of registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share, were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held hereafter are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they address future events, developments, and results and do not relate strictly to historical facts. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements preceded by, followed by, or including words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “design,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “invest,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “strive,” “vision,” “will,” “would,” and variations thereof and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. For example, our forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding:

•the impact of competitive services and pricing;

•the effect of economic conditions and geopolitical uncertainty, seasonality, and the impact of weather conditions and natural disasters on customer demand;

•advances in automotive technologies including adoption of electronic vehicle technology;

•our dependence on third-party vendors for certain inventory;

•the risks associated with vendor relationships and international trade, particularly imported goods such as those sourced from China;

•the impact of changes in U.S. trade relations and the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China, and other potential impediments to imports;

•our ability to service our debt obligations, including our expected annual interest expense, and to comply with the debt covenants of our Credit Facility;

•our cash needs, including our ability to fund our future capital expenditures and working capital requirements;

•our anticipated sales, comparable store sales, gross profit margin, costs of goods sold (including product mix), operating, selling, general and administrative (“OSG&A”) expenses and other fixed costs, and our ability to leverage those costs;

•management’s estimates and expectations as they relate to income tax liabilities, deferred income taxes, and uncertain tax positions;

•management’s estimates associated with our critical accounting policies, including business combinations, insurance liabilities, and valuations for our long-lived assets impairment analyses;

•the impact of industry regulation, including changes in environmental, consumer protection, and labor laws;

•potential outcomes related to pending or future litigation matters;

•business interruptions;

•risks relating to disruption or unauthorized access to our computer systems;

•our ability to protect customer and employee personal data;

•risks relating to acquisitions and the integration of acquired businesses with ours;

•our growth plans, including our plans to add, renovate, re-brand, expand, remodel, relocate, or close stores and any related costs or charges, our leasing strategy for future expansion, and our ability to renew leases at existing store locations;

•the impact of costs related to planned store closings or potential impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets, and long-lived assets;

•expected dividend payments;

•our ability to protect our brands and our reputation;

•our ability to attract, motivate, and retain skilled field personnel and our key executives; and

•the potential impacts of climate change on our business.

Any of these factors, as well as such other factors as discussed in Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors” and throughout Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”), as well as in our periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), could cause our actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. The information provided in this Form 10-K is based upon the facts and circumstances known as of the date of this report, and any forward-looking statements made by us in this Form 10-K speak only as of the date on which they are made. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-K to reflect events or circumstances after such date, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Introductory Note

Unless otherwise stated, references to “we,” “our,” “us,” “Monro” or the “Company” generally refer to Monro, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, any references to “2024” or “fiscal 2024,” “2023” or “fiscal 2023,” and “2022” or “fiscal 2022” relate to the years ended March 30, 2024, March 25, 2023, and March 26, 2022, respectively.

Item 1. Business

General

We are a leading nation-wide operator of retail tire and automotive repair stores in the United States. We offer to our customers, referred to as “guests”, replacement tires and tire related services, automotive undercar repair services, and a broad range of routine maintenance services, primarily on passenger cars, light trucks, and vans. We also provide other products and services for brakes; mufflers and exhaust systems; and steering, drive train, suspension, and wheel alignment.

We believe the convenience and value we offer are key factors in serving and growing our base of customers. At March 30, 2024, we operated 1,288 retail tire and automotive repair stores and serviced approximately 4.7 million vehicles in fiscal 2024.

Our retail tire and automotive repair stores operate primarily under the brands “Monro Auto Service and Tire Centers,” “Tire Choice Auto Service Centers,” “Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers,” “Car-X Tire & Auto,” “Tire Warehouse Tires for Less,” “Ken Towery’s Tire & Auto Care,” “Mountain View Tire & Auto Service,” and “Tire Barn Warehouse”.

(a)Includes recently acquired stores to be converted to certain brands named above.

The typical format for a Monro store is a free-standing building consisting of a sales area, fully equipped service bays and a parts/tires storage area. Most service bays are equipped with above-ground electric vehicle lifts. Generally, each store is located within 25 miles of a “key” store which carries approximately double the inventory of a typical store and serves as a mini-distribution point for slower moving inventory for other stores in its area. Individual store sizes, number of bays, and stocking levels vary greatly and are dependent primarily on the availability of suitable store locations, population, demographics, and intensity of competition among other factors.

A certain number of our retail locations also service commercial customers. Our locations that serve commercial customers generally operate consistently with our other retail locations, except that the sales mix for these locations includes a higher number of commercial tires.

As of March 30, 2024, Monro had two retread facilities and 50 Car-X franchised locations.

In June 2022, we completed the divestiture of assets relating to our wholesale operations (seven locations) and internal tire distribution operations to American Tire Distributors, Inc. (“ATD”). For details regarding the divestiture, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements. We also entered into additional agreements with ATD, including a managed services agreement, under which ATD provides category management, ordering, dashboard, and inventory managed services to us, and an agreement relating to preferred data services provided to us by ATD.

Our operations are organized and managed in one operating segment. The internal management financial reporting that is the basis for evaluation to assess performance and allocate resources by our chief operating decision maker consists of consolidated data that includes the results of our retail and commercial locations. As such, our one operating segment reflects how our operations are managed, how resources are allocated, how operating performance is evaluated by senior management, and the structure of our internal financial reporting.

Monro incorporated in New York in 1959. We maintain our corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York.

Business Strategy

Our vision is to be America’s leading auto and tire service center, trusted by consumers as the best place in their neighborhoods for quality automotive service and tires. We believe that success in this vision will position Monro to deliver consistent and sustainable organic growth as well as lead to strong, long-term financial performance. Specifically, we are committed to seeing this vision executed across all aspects of the business, through the following actions:

•Exceed guest expectations. We will continue to invest in and execute strategic initiatives to improve our guests’ in-store experience. This includes leveraging our scale and the strength of our financial position to make critical investments in our business, our technicians and technology, allowing us to further execute on our operational excellence initiatives in 2024.

•Provide consistent value. We intend to be able to offer better value than new car dealers to more price-sensitive consumers. Vehicles generally need more service and repairs as they advance in age. However, as consumers’ vehicles age, the consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices decreases. Monro’s service menu is focused on items that are purchased frequently, like oil changes and other scheduled services, along with higher value services like tires, brakes, and other undercar services. We have rolled out several enhanced offerings, including a walk-in oil service option to provide hassle-free service, which is in addition to our existing online appointment system, and Good, Better, Best oil service package updates to give guests competitively priced options to meet their budgets. We also offer combined tire and related service packages, including installation, alignment, and brake service packages, to better connect tire sales to service categories. Additionally, our tire pricing and category management system allows us to dynamically track demand trends and make rapid adjustments to optimize our tire assortment by leveraging our direct access to tire brands from ATD’s nationwide distribution network and express tire delivery program as well as other tire brands in our tire portfolio to offer the right tires at what we believe are the right price points.

•Build a committed, knowledgeable organization of friendly and professional teammates. We will continue to invest in technology and training to accelerate productivity and team engagement. This includes our data-driven cloud-based store staffing and scheduling software that re-balances our store technician labor to meet customer demand as well as utilizing Monro University, an extensive cloud-based learning curriculum, to provide our employees, referred to as “teammates,” with the technical training needed to effectively serve our customers today and into the future.

We are committed to building an omni-channel presence through our primary brand websites to create a seamless buying experience for our customers. With responsive optimized design for mobile users, a streamlined tire search and improved content and functionality, our brand websites better position us to address our customers’ needs. These websites, aligned with our primary brand names, help customers search for store locations, access coupons, make service appointments, shop for tires, and access information on our services and products, as well as car care tips. Importantly, they better showcase the solutions we provide to our customers, including our Good, Better, Best product and service packages.

Growth Strategy

Executing on accretive acquisition opportunities remains a key element of our long-term growth strategy. We believe the fragmentation of our industry allows for many opportunities for consolidation. Using consumer demographic analytics, we believe we can better identify targets that operate in the markets with favorable demographics and customer trends, allowing us to enter regions from which we are poised to benefit most.

During the last five years, we have completed 10 acquisitions, adding 156 locations and approximately $224 million in annualized revenue. Additionally, during this time, we have entered three states, solidifying our presence in existing markets as well as expanding into the Western region. We did not complete any acquisitions in fiscal 2024. As of March 30, 2024, we have stores in 32 states.

In addition to our plan to continue to seek suitable acquisitions, we plan to add new greenfield stores. Greenfield stores include new construction as well as the acquisition of one to four store operations.

Key factors in market and site selection for selecting new greenfield store locations include population, demographic characteristics, vehicle population, and the intensity of competition. We partner with a customer analytics firm to provide market segmentation and demographic data specific to a geographic area near a Monro location to identify high value lookalike customers and market directly to them. We attempt to cluster stores in market areas to achieve economies of scale in advertising and supervision costs. All new greenfield sites presently under consideration are within our established market areas.

Purchasing and Distribution

We believe that our substantial economies of scale and our flexibility in making sourcing decisions contributes to our successful purchasing strategy. We also believe our ability to negotiate with our vendor partners allows us to ensure we are receiving competitive pricing and terms as well as minimize the margin impact of economic pressures such as tariffs, inflation, and supply chain disruptions.

We purchase most of the tires we sell to our guests through a distribution agreement under which ATD supplies and sells certain tires to our retail locations. ATD also provides tire category management, ordering and inventory management services to us. We also select and purchase parts (including oil) and supplies for all Company-operated stores on a centralized basis through an automatic replenishment system based on operational data we collect from stores daily which allows us to control store inventory on a near real-time basis. National vendors ship most of our parts supply directly to our stores. Additionally, each store has access to the inventory carried by up to the 14 stores nearest to it. Management believes that this feature improves customer satisfaction and store productivity by reducing the time required to locate out-of-stock parts and tires. It also improves profitability because it reduces the amount of inventory which must be purchased outside Monro from local vendors. Local vendor purchases are made when needed at the store level and accounted for approximately 29 percent of all parts and tires purchased in 2024.

Our ten largest vendors accounted for approximately 95 percent of our total stocking purchases, with the largest vendor accounting for approximately 38 percent of total stocking purchases in 2024. We purchase parts (including oil) and tires from approximately 56 vendors. Management believes that our relationships with vendors are excellent and that alternative sources of supply exist, at comparable cost, for substantially all parts used in our business.

We enter into contracts with certain parts and tire suppliers, some of which require us to buy (at market competitive prices) up to 100 percent of our annual purchases of specific products. These agreements expire at various dates. We believe these agreements provide us with high quality, branded merchandise at preferred pricing, along with strong marketing and training support.

Human Capital

At Monro, our business success is built upon our dedicated, passionate, and diverse teammates who work and live in the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a safe, healthy, inclusive, and supportive work environment where teammates embrace our core value of collaboration, feel empowered, and are motivated to have enriching and successful careers. We seek to be an employer of choice to attract and retain top talent. To that end, we strive to provide an engaging work experience that excites and motivates our teammates to deliver their best every day as well as provides opportunities for learning and growth, to ensure our team is always the best in the business.

As of March 30, 2024, Monro had approximately 7,660 employees, of whom 7,470 were employed in the field organization, 170 were employed at our corporate headquarters, referred to as “store support center”, and 20 were employed in other offices. Monro’s employees are not members of any union.

Teammate Retention

We believe that effective human capital management includes preventing situations of understaffing or excessive overtime, teammate burnout or poor work life balance. For this reason, through our continued investment in store staffing to allow for more available workers as well as an increase in scheduling flexibility, we aim to grow teammate satisfaction.

In addition to enhancing the resources available to support our teammates, we have made improvements to our scheduling system which allows teammates to have longer visibility into their schedules and plan for occasions that require an absence.

We also understand that our teammates will benefit from a clear path to advancement and from investments in their continuous learning to allow them to achieve their personal development needs and career growth. To that end, we invest in training and development programs at all levels within the Company. We also leverage annual processes that support individual performance planning, individual professional development planning, and conduct a broad review of talent throughout our organization.

In recent years, we have expanded our online training program, Monro University, to be a comprehensive, company-wide training program not only focused on the technical and operational excellence training that technicians need to effectively serve our customers today and prepare them to handle future requirements, but also committed to developing leadership and excellence at all levels within our Company through a wide variety of topics accessible to our teammates in our stores and store support center.

New technician development has been an area of particular focus for Monro to increase productivity and retention and make it easier for technicians to overcome barriers of joining the industry. One way we do this is by offering a tool purchase program through which trainee technicians can acquire their own set of tools. We also provide Automotive Service Excellence (“ASE”) certification in eight different categories as technicians advance in their careers.

Store and operations managers also have courses available through Monro University that are supplemented with live and on-line vendor training courses. Management training covers topics including safety, customer service, human resources, leadership, and scheduling and is delivered on a regular basis. We believe that involving operations management in the development and delivery of these sessions results in more relevant and actionable training for store managers, helping improve staff retention as well as overall performance.

Monro University also provides targeted training for corporate management and staff, including diversity training, harassment prevention training, and people manager training. We also foster development through annual reviews at which time employees can discuss with their manager goals for aligning their own development with our business objectives. We believe our teammates are compensated in a fair manner which increases along with productivity. Our store compensation plan also streamlines bonus programs, creating consistency and increasing human capital productivity across our stores.

In addition to providing ongoing learning and development opportunities, ensuring our teammates feel supported is also important in teammate retention. Besides standard employee benefits we offer a confidential Employee Assistance Program with 24/7 support, financial counseling, estate planning, and online resources for parents whose children struggle with developmental disabilities, as well as other services aimed at enhancing our teammates’ mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

One of the ways we embrace our teammates’ well-being is through the administration of our own Teammate Assistance Fund, a third-party 501(c)(3) organization available for all our teammates. This fund provides an opportunity for all teammates to take care of each other through tax-deductible payroll and other one-time contributions. Through donations from Monro and contributions from our teammates, members of our Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) and others, the Teammate Assistance Fund provides timely financial assistance to teammates impacted by financially devastating circumstances beyond their control and their means.

Workplace Safety

We are committed to providing a safe and secure work environment and have specific safety programs focused on increasing consistency of policies and procedures across our stores. Our safety standards and policies are based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines as well as the American National Standards Institute, and we have a national safety supplies program which will help ensure consistent standards of safety preparedness (such as eye wash stations and first aid kits) at every store should an incident occur.

To identify elevated safety-related risk areas more effectively, we have increased our focus on data gathering, tracking, and analysis. With greater insight into real-time data, we can prioritize focus on areas that present the biggest potential hazards to our teammates and identify process improvements. We identified a key area of focus in our stores: ergonomics (to reduce sprains and strains) and have an ergonomic training program for all store locations accordingly.

Monro’s training programs are key to our strong safety culture. Training increases awareness and helps to reduce and eliminate workplace accidents and injuries. Our Monro University platform has allowed us to conduct more robust and structured trainings based on a teammates’ job position, and Monro’s safety manuals are available at every workstation within our stores and serve as the basis for our safety training and protocols.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity is one of our core values, and we believe that a workplace in which diverse backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking are embraced and valued increases productivity and promotes awareness of our guests’ and communities’ unique needs. Our commitment is to have a workforce and leadership team that closely resembles our growing group of loyal customers we are working hard to attract and retain. This commitment will continue to be supported by training and awareness programs as well as focused efforts to recruit, retain, develop, and promote a diverse workforce. Our Code of Ethics lays out a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment behavior.

We have added resources to our recruitment team to implement hiring initiatives aimed at reaching diverse groups and expanded the recruitment platforms we use to broaden our pool of candidates. We also view training as a tool to foster inclusion and, through Monro University, we provide Unconscious Bias Diversity and Inclusion Awareness courses to all our teammates.

Competition

Our segment of the retail industry is fragmented and highly competitive, and the number, size, and strength of competitors vary widely from region to region. We operate in the automotive repair service and tire industry, which is currently and is expected to continue to be highly competitive with respect to price, store location, name awareness, and customer service. Our competitors include service centers operated by national and regional undercar, tire specialty and general automotive service chains, both franchised and company-operated, mass merchandisers, car dealerships, independent garages, and gas stations. We also compete with online merchandisers of tires and automotive parts, which increasingly partner with local service centers to provide installation services for parts and tires purchased online.

Regulation

We maintain programs to facilitate compliance with various federal, state, and local laws and governmental regulations relating to the operation of our business, including, among other things, those regarding employment and labor practices, workplace safety, building and zoning requirements, the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances contained in the products that we sell and use in our service bays, the recycling of batteries, tires and used lubricants, and the ownership and operation of real property. We believe that we are in compliance with these applicable laws and regulations, and our related compliance costs are not material.

Monro stores new oil and recycled antifreeze and generates and/or handles used tires and automotive oils, antifreeze, and certain solvents, which are disposed of and/or recycled by licensed third-party contractors. In certain states, even where not required, we also recycle oil filters. Accordingly, we are subject to numerous federal, state, and local environmental laws including the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act. In addition, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA"), under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ("RCRA"), as well as various state and local environmental protection agencies, regulate our handling and disposal of certain waste products and other materials. The EPA, under the Clean Air Act, also regulates the installation of catalytic converters, engines, and equipment sold or distributed in the United States by periodically spot-checking repair jobs, and may impose sanctions, including but not limited to civil penalties of tens of thousands of dollars per violation, for violations of the RCRA and the Clean Air Act.

Monro strives to maintain an environmentally conscious corporate culture, demonstrated by our recycling policies at our offices and stores. In 2024, Monro recycled approximately 2.1 million gallons of oil and 3.7 million tires, as well as approximately 79,000 vehicle batteries and 383 tons of cardboard, all as part of our commitment to the environment.

Seasonality

Although our business is not highly seasonal, customers do purchase more undercar service during the period of March through October than the period of November through February, when miles driven tend to be lower. Sales of tires are more heavily weighted in the months of May through August, and October through December. The slowest months are typically January through April and September. As a result, profitability is typically lower during slower sales months, or months where mix is more heavily weighted toward tires, which is a lower margin category.

Sales can also be volatile in areas in which we operate because of warmer weather in winter months, which typically causes a decline in tire sales, or severe weather, which can result in store closures.

Given our use of a fiscal calendar, there may be some fluctuations between quarters due to holiday shifts in the calendar year and the number of days in a particular fiscal quarter or year.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are available free of charge on our website at www.monro.com as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing of such reports with the SEC. Our filings with the SEC, including our reports and proxy statement, are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Our investor presentation regarding the financial results for the fiscal year ended March 30, 2024 is available and accessible at Monro's Investor Relations page at https://corporate.monro.com/investors under the Events and Presentations tab. Information available on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Form 10-K. We intend to make future investor presentations available exclusively through our Investor Relations page.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In addition to the risks discussed elsewhere in this annual report, the following are the important factors that could cause Monro’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements:

Risks Related to our Business

We operate in the highly competitive automotive repair industry.

The automotive repair industry in which we operate is generally highly competitive and fragmented, and the number, size and strength of our competitors vary widely from region to region. We face competition from a diversity of business models. Our competitors include service centers operated by national and regional undercar, tire specialty and general automotive service chains, both franchised and company-operated, mass merchandisers, car dealerships, independent garages, and gas stations. We also compete with online merchandisers of tires and automotive parts, which partner with local service centers to provide installation services for parts and tires purchased online. We believe that competition in the industry is based primarily on price, reputation, name awareness, customer service and store location. The significance of any individual dimension of competition may vary by competitors’ business models. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources, have access to more developed distribution networks, have business models with lower operating costs, are more geographically diverse and have better name recognition than we do, which might place us at a competitive disadvantage to those competitors. Because we seek to offer competitive prices, if our competitors reduce prices, we may be forced to reduce our prices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, our success within this industry also depends upon our ability to respond in a timely manner to changes in customer demands for both products and services. If our customers must “trade down” in the price of products or services purchased to fit their budgets, in order to compete, we must be able to cost effectively supply that product or service without losing the customer’s business. We cannot assure that we, or any of our stores, will be able to compete effectively. If we are unable to compete successfully in new and existing markets, we may not achieve our projected revenue and profitability targets.

Changes in economic conditions that impact consumer spending could harm our business.

The automotive repair industry and our financial performance are sensitive to changes in overall economic conditions that impact consumer spending, including inflation, changes in interest rates and economic volatility. Future economic conditions affecting consumer income such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, inflation and tax rates could reduce consumer spending or cause consumers to shift their spending to other products. Historic increases in inflation following the COVID-19 pandemic have caused and may continue to cause consumers to be more sensitive to price changes and cause consumers to “trade down” in the price of products or services purchased or to delay or forgo vehicle maintenance entirely. Alternatively, during periods of good economic conditions, consumers may decide to purchase new vehicles rather than servicing their older vehicles. In addition, if automobile manufacturers offer lower pricing on new or leased cars, more consumers may purchase or lease new vehicles rather than servicing older vehicles. A general reduction in the level of consumer spending or shifts in consumer spending to other services could have a material adverse effect on our growth, sales, and profitability.

We are subject to cycles in the general economy and customers’ use of vehicles and seasonality, which may impact demand for our products and services.

Our industry is influenced by the number of miles driven by automobile owners. Factors that may cause the number of miles driven by automobile owners to decrease include the weather, travel patterns, gas prices, trends toward remote work and fluctuations in the general economy. When the retail cost of gasoline increases, such as after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia and companies affiliated with the Russian government in addition to other geopolitical events, the number of miles driven by automobile owners may decrease, which could result in less frequent service intervals and fewer repairs. The number of vehicle miles driven may also decrease if consumers begin to rely more heavily on mass transportation.

Sales can decline in areas in which we operate because of warmer weather in winter months or severe weather, which can result in store closures. Although our business is not highly seasonal, our customers typically purchase more undercar services during the period of March through October than the period of November through February, when miles driven tend to be lower. Further, customers may defer or forego vehicle maintenance at any time during periods of inclement weather. Sales of tires are more heavily weighted in the months of May through August, and October through December. The slowest months are typically January through April and September. As a result, profitability is typically lower during slower sales months or months where mix is more heavily weighted toward tires, which is a lower margin category. Any continued significant reduction in the number of miles driven by automobile owners will have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Adoption of electric vehicle technology may adversely affect the demand for our services.

Advances in electric vehicle technology and production may adversely affect the demand for our services because electric vehicles do not have traditional engines, transmissions, and certain related parts. The adoption of electric vehicles may accelerate in coming years because of decreases in upfront costs for electric vehicles, tax incentives and other legislative action, such as proposed legislation in multiple states to prohibit the sale or disincentivize the purchase of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. An increase in the proportion of electric vehicles sold could decrease our service-related revenue. As the proportion of electric vehicles on the road increases, we expect the demand for transmission and exhaust services and oil changes will decrease. Although we may experience an increase in demand for other services, there can be no assurance that the demand will be sufficient to maintain our historical sales performance. Even when electric vehicles need repairs, given the cost to replace some battery-related components, an electric vehicle owner’s insurance provider may not approve the cost to repair the vehicle. If drivers must replace their vehicles instead of servicing older vehicles, demand for our services would decrease. Even if the electric vehicle can be repaired, original vehicle manufacturers may restrict us from acquiring the necessary diagnostic tools, repair information, or certifications required to repair the vehicle. If we are restricted from repairing certain vehicles, our sales and profitability may decrease.

Our business is affected by advances in automotive technology.

The demand for our products and services could be adversely affected by continuing developments in automotive technology. Automotive manufacturers are producing cars that last longer and require service and maintenance at less frequent intervals in certain cases. Quality improvement of manufacturers’ original equipment parts has in the past reduced, and may in the future reduce, demand for our products and services, adversely affecting our sales. For example, manufacturers’ use of stainless-steel exhaust components has significantly increased the life of those parts, thereby decreasing the demand for exhaust repairs and replacements. Longer and more comprehensive warranty or service programs offered by automobile manufacturers and other third parties also could adversely affect the demand for our products and services. We believe that most new automobile owners have their cars serviced by a dealer during the period that the car is under warranty. In addition, advances in automotive technology continue to require us to incur additional costs to update our diagnostic capabilities and technical training programs. Changes in vehicle and powertrain technology and advances in accident-avoidance technology, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and mobility could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or investors’ perception of our business, any of which could have an adverse effect upon the price of our common stock.

We depend on our relationships with our vendors for certain inventory.

We depend on close relationships with our vendors for parts, tires and supplies and for our ability to purchase products at competitive prices and terms. Our ability to purchase at competitive prices and terms results from the volume of our purchases from these vendors. We entered into various contracts with parts suppliers that require us to buy from them (at market competitive prices) up to 100 percent of our annual purchases of specific products. These agreements expire at various dates.

For example, under the distribution agreement with American Tire Distributors, we rely on American Tire Distributors for most of certain passenger car tires, light truck replacement tires, and medium truck tires that we sell to our customers. Our company-owned stores must purchase at least 90% of their forecasted requirements for these tires from or through American Tire Distributors, subject to some exceptions. If this supplier were to experience shortages and we are unable to purchase our desired volume of tires on the same or better terms, or at all, our sales and ability to service our customers could suffer considerably.

We believe that alternative sources exist for most of the products we sell or use at our stores, and we would not expect the loss of any one supplier to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. If any of our suppliers do not perform adequately or otherwise fail to distribute parts or other supplies to our stores, our inability to replace the suppliers in a timely manner and on acceptable terms could increase our costs and could cause shortages or interruptions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Because we purchase products such as oil and tires, which are subject to cost variations related to commodity costs, if we cannot pass along cost increases, our profitability would be negatively impacted.

Our business may be negatively affected by the risks associated with vendor relationships and international trade.

We depend on several products (e.g. brake parts, tires, oil filters) produced in foreign markets. Any changes in U.S. trade policies, or uncertainty with respect to the future of U.S. trade policies, resulting in increased costs which we are not able to offset with pricing increases of our own could adversely affect our financial performance.

We also face other risks associated with the delivery of inventory originating outside the United States, including:

potential economic and political instability in countries where our suppliers are located or along the shipping routes used to deliver the products;

increases in shipping costs;

transportation delays and interruptions, including those occurring as a result of geopolitical events, like the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war or public health emergencies;

compliance with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which generally prohibits U.S. companies from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials; and

significant fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies.

Changes in the U.S. trade environment, including the imposition of import tariffs, could adversely affect our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.

In recent years, trade tensions between the U.S. government and China have increased as the U.S. government has implemented and proposed tariffs and the Chinese government proposed retaliatory tariffs. Although we have no foreign operations and do not manufacture any products, tariffs imposed on products that we sell, such as tires, may cause our expenses to increase, which could adversely affect our profitability unless we are able to raise our prices for these products. If we increase the price of products impacted by tariffs, our service offerings may become less attractive relative to services offered by our competitors or cause our customers to trade down in price or delay needed maintenance. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these trade actions by the U.S. or other countries, the impact of these trade actions on our operations or results remains uncertain. However, the tariffs, along with any additional tariffs or retaliatory trade restrictions implemented by other countries, could adversely affect the operating profits of our business, which could have an adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations and cash flows.

If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations, our liquidity will suffer and we may be unable to satisfy our obligations.

We currently rely on cash flow from operations and our revolving credit facility with nine banks (the “Credit Facility”) to fund our business. Amounts outstanding on the Credit Facility are reported as debt on our balance sheet. While we believe that we have the ability to sufficiently fund our planned operations and capital expenditures for the foreseeable future, various risks to our business could result in circumstances that would materially affect our liquidity. For example, cash flows from our operations could be affected by changes in consumer spending habits, macroeconomic conditions, the failure to maintain favorable vendor payment terms or our inability to successfully implement sales growth initiatives, among other factors. We may be unsuccessful in securing alternative financing when needed on terms that we consider acceptable.

As of March 30, 2024, there was $102 million outstanding under the Credit Facility. Any significant increase in our leverage could have the following risks:

our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, store renovations, acquisitions or general corporate purposes may be impaired in the future;

our failure to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants governing our debt, which, among other things, require us to comply with certain financial ratios and limit our ability to incur additional debt and sell assets, could result in an event of default that, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations; and

our exposure to certain financial market risks, including fluctuations in interest rates associated with bank borrowings could become more significant.

If we are not able to remain in compliance with our debt covenants, our lenders may restrict our ability to draw on our Credit Facility, which could have a negative impact on our operations, ability to pay dividends, and growth potential, including our ability to complete acquisitions.

Covenants in the agreements governing our Credit Facility restrict the manner in which we conduct our business.

The Credit Facility contains covenants that may limit, subject to certain exemptions, our ability to incur other indebtedness or liens; make investments; repurchase our common stock; acquire stores or other businesses; prepay other indebtedness; and to declare dividends and other distributions, subject to certain exceptions.

The Credit Facility contains certain financial covenants that require us to maintain a minimum interest coverage ratio and a maximum ratio of adjusted debt to EBITDAR, as defined in the Credit Facility. The restrictions of the Credit Facility could adversely affect our ability to:

finance our operations;

make capital expenditures;

acquire stores or other businesses;

maintain the current rate or frequency of dividends;

withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general;

engage in business activities, including future opportunities, that may be in our interest; and

plan for or react to market conditions or otherwise execute our business strategies.

Our ability to comply with the covenants, restrictions and specified financial ratios in the Credit Facility may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial, and industry conditions. A breach of any of these covenants, subject to certain cure rights of the Company, could result in a default under the Credit Facility. Further, any indebtedness that we may incur in the future may subject us to further covenants. If a default under any such debt agreement is not cured or waived, the default could result in the acceleration of debt, which could require us to repay debt prior to the date it is otherwise due and that could adversely affect our financial condition. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from our operations, we may breach financial covenants under the Credit Facility, and we may not have sufficient cash on hand or available liquidity that could be utilized to repay our outstanding indebtedness, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

Failure to protect our brands and our reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We believe we have built an excellent reputation as a leading nation-wide operator of retail tire and automotive repair stores in the United States. We believe our continued success depends, in part, on our ability to preserve, grow, and leverage the value of the several brands our retail tire and automotive repair stores primarily operate under. Negative publicity and other reputational harm relating to events or activities attributed to us, our policies, our employees or others associated with us, whether or not justified, may diminish the value of our brands. If any of our brands are negatively impacted, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Legal, Regulatory and Technological Risks

Our industry is subject to environmental, consumer protection and other regulation.

We are subject to various federal, state, and local environmental laws, building and zoning requirements, employment and labor laws and other governmental regulations regarding the operation of our business. The compliance costs and operational burdens associated with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations could be significant. For example, we are subject to rules governing the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous substances contained in some of the products such as motor oil that we sell and use at our stores, the recycling of batteries, tires and used lubricants, and the ownership and operation of real property.

These laws and regulations can impose fines and criminal sanctions for violations as well as require the installation of pollution control equipment or operational changes to decrease the likelihood of accidental hazardous substance releases. Accordingly, we could become subject to material liabilities relating to the investigation and cleanup of contaminated properties, and to claims alleging personal injury or property damage because of exposure to, or release of, hazardous substances. In addition, stricter interpretation of existing laws and regulations, new laws and regulations, the discovery of previously unknown contamination or the imposition of new or increased requirements could require us to incur costs or become the basis of new or increased liabilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

National automotive repair chains have also been the subject of investigations and reports by consumer protection agencies and the Attorneys General of various states. Publicity in connection with these kinds of investigations could have an adverse effect on our sales and, consequently, our business, financial condition, and results of operations. State and local governments have also enacted numerous consumer protection laws with which we must comply.

The costs of operating our stores may increase if there are changes in laws governing minimum hourly wages, working conditions, overtime, workers’ compensation and health insurance rates, unemployment tax rates or other laws and regulations.

We have experienced and expect further increases in payroll expenses because of federal, state, and local mandated increases in the minimum wage, inflation, and demand for workers in the current labor market. Our vendors are also subject to these factors, which may increase the prices we pay for their products. A material increase in these costs that we were unable to offset by increasing our prices or by other means could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are involved in litigation from time to time arising from the operation of our business and, as such, we could incur substantial judgments, fines, legal fees, or other costs.

We are sometimes the subject of complaints or litigation from customers, employees or other third parties for various actions. From time to time, we are involved in litigation involving claims related to, among other things, breach of contract, negligence, tortious conduct and employment and labor law matters, including payment of wages. The damages sought against us in some of these proceedings could be substantial. Although we maintain liability insurance for some litigation claims, if one or more of the claims were to greatly exceed our insurance coverage limits or if our insurance policies do not cover a claim, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Business interruptions and unavailability of products would negatively impact our store operations, which may have a material negative effect on our business.

If any of our locations in a particular region are unexpectedly closed permanently or for a period of time, it could have a negative impact on our business. Such closures could occur because of circumstances out of our control, including war, acts of terrorism, local and global health crises, extreme weather conditions, including extreme weather events caused by climate change, and other natural disasters. Further, if our ability to obtain products and merchandise for use in our stores is impeded, it could have a negative impact on our business. Factors that could negatively affect our ability to obtain products and merchandise include the sudden inability to import goods into the United States for any reason and the curtailment or delay of commercial transportation. While we do maintain business interruption insurance, there is no guarantee that we will be able to use such insurance for any particular location closure or other interruption in operations.

Any interruption to the operability or breach of our computer systems could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Given the number of individual transactions we process each year, it is critical that we maintain uninterrupted operation of our computer and communications hardware and software systems. Our systems could be subject to damage or interruption from power outages, technology and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches, including breaches of our transaction processing or other systems that result in the compromise of confidential customer data, catastrophic events such as fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, and usage errors by our employees. If our systems are breached, damaged or cease to function properly, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, we may suffer interruptions in our operations in the interim, we may face costly litigation, and our reputation with our customers may be harmed. The risk of disruption is increased in periods where complex and significant systems changes are undertaken. Even if we attempt to recover costs incurred as a result of any interruption or breach from an insurer, there can be no guarantee that any or all of those costs would be insured or recoverable. Any material interruption in our computer operations may have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

If we experience a data security breach and confidential customer or employee information is disclosed, we may be subject to penalties and experience negative publicity, which could affect our customer relationships and have a material adverse effect on our business. We may incur increasing costs in an effort to minimize these cybersecurity risks.

The nature of our business involves the receipt and storage of personally identifiable data of our customers and employees. This type of data is subject to legislation and regulation in many jurisdictions. We have been subject to cyber-attacks in the past and we may suffer data security breaches arising from future attacks. We may currently be at a higher risk of a security breach due to cyber-attacks related to the ongoing geopolitical uncertainty. Data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting state and federal legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security. We may become exposed to potential liabilities with respect to the data that we collect, manage and process, and may incur legal costs if our information security policies and procedures are not effective or if we are required to defend our methods of collection, processing, and storage of personal data. Future investigations, lawsuits or adverse publicity relating to our methods of handling personal data could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows due to the costs and negative market reaction relating to such developments.

We may not have the resources or technical expertise to anticipate or prevent rapidly evolving types of cyber-attacks. Attacks have been targeted at us, our customers, or others who have entrusted us with information.

Actual or anticipated attacks will cause us to incur increased costs, including costs to hire additional personnel, purchase additional protection technologies, train employees, and engage third-party experts and consultants. In addition, data and security breaches can also occur because of non-technical issues, including breach by us or by persons with whom we have commercial relationships that result in the unauthorized release of personal or confidential information. Any compromise or breach of our security could result in violation of applicable privacy and other laws, significant legal and financial exposure, and a loss of confidence in our security measures, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our reputation.

Risks Related to our Strategic Initiatives

We may not be successful in integrating new and acquired stores.

Management believes that our continued growth in sales and profit is dependent, in large part, upon our ability to operate new stores that we open or acquire on a profitable basis. To do so, we must find reasonably priced new store locations and acquisition candidates that meet our criteria and we must integrate any new stores (opened or acquired) into our system. Our growth and profitability could be adversely affected if we are unable to open or acquire new stores or if new or existing stores do not operate at a sufficient level of profitability.

In addition, our profitability could be adversely affected if we fail to retain key personnel from acquired stores or assume unanticipated liabilities of acquired businesses. To the extent we acquire stores or expand into new geographic regions, we must anticipate the needs of customers and the vehicle population in those regions, which may differ from our existing customers and the vehicle populations we serve, while integrating the stores in the new geographic region into our existing network of stores. If new stores do not achieve expected levels of profitability or we are unable to integrate stores in new geographic regions into our business, our ability to remain in compliance with our debt covenants or to make required payments under our Credit Facility may be adversely impacted, and our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely impacted.

If our capital investments in remodeling existing or acquired stores, building new stores, and improving technology do not achieve appropriate returns, our competitive position, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business depends, in part, on our ability to remodel existing or acquired stores and build new stores in a manner that achieves appropriate returns on our capital investment. Pursuing the wrong remodel or new store opportunities and any delays, cost increases, disruptions or other uncertainties related to those opportunities could adversely affect our results of operations.

We are currently making, and expect to continue to make, investments in technology to improve customer experience and certain management systems. The effectiveness of these investments can be less predictable than remodeling stores and might not provide the anticipated benefits or desired rates of return.

Pursuing the wrong investment opportunities, making an investment commitment significantly above or below our needs, or failing to effectively incorporate acquired businesses into our business could result in the loss of our competitive position and adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

Any impairment of goodwill, other intangible assets or long-lived assets could negatively impact our results of operations.

Our goodwill is subject to an impairment test on an annual basis. Goodwill, other intangible assets, and long-lived assets are also tested whenever events and circumstances indicate that goodwill, other intangible assets and/or long-lived assets may be impaired. Any excess goodwill resulting from the impairment test must be written off in the period of determination. Intangible assets (other than goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets) and other long-lived assets are generally amortized or depreciated over the useful life of such assets. We assess potential impairments to our long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset group may not be recoverable. For example, in fiscal 2024, we incurred store impairment charges of approximately $1.9 million after considering changes in their actual and forecasted financial performance, reassessing their recoverability using an undiscounted cash flow model, and determining their carrying value may not be recoverable. In addition, from time to time, we may acquire or make an investment in a business that will require us to record goodwill based on the purchase price and the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We have significantly increased our goodwill because of our acquisitions. We may subsequently experience unforeseen issues with the businesses we acquire, which may adversely affect the anticipated returns of the business or value of the intangible assets and trigger an evaluation of recoverability of the recorded goodwill and intangible assets. Future determinations of significant write-offs of goodwill, intangible assets, or other long-lived assets, because of an impairment test or any accelerated amortization or depreciation of other intangible assets or other long-lived assets could have a material negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition. 

Planned store closings have resulted in acceleration of costs and future store closings could result in additional costs.

From time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, we close certain stores, generally based on considerations of store profitability, competition, strategic factors and other considerations. Closing a store could subject us to costs including the write-down of leasehold improvements, equipment, furniture, and fixtures. In addition, we could remain liable for future lease obligations.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

The amount and frequency of our common stock repurchases and dividend payments may fluctuate or cease.

The amount, timing and execution of our common stock repurchase program may fluctuate based on our priorities for using cash. We may need to use these funds for other purposes, such as operational expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions or repayment of indebtedness. Changes in operational results, cash flows, tax laws and the market price of our common stock could also impact our common stock repurchase program and other capital activities. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 imposed a 1% excise tax on certain common stock repurchases. In addition, our Board of Directors determines whether the return of capital to shareholders, through our common stock repurchase program or dividends on the common stock, is in the best interest of shareholders and in compliance with our legal and contractual obligations. Our Credit Facility contains covenants that may limit, subject to certain exemptions, our ability to repurchase our common stock, and to declare dividends and other distributions. Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Although we have historically declared cash dividends on our common stock, we are not required to do so and may reduce or eliminate our common stock dividend in the future. This could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

The multi-class structure of our capital stock has the effect of concentrating power with holders of our Class C Convertible Preferred Stock, which severely limits the ability of our common shareholders to influence or direct the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval.

At least 60% of the shares of Class C Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Class C Preferred”) must vote as a separate class or unanimously consent to effect or validate any action taken by our common shareholders. Therefore, the Class C Preferred holders have an effective veto over all matters put to a vote of our common stock and could use that veto power to block any matter that the holders of common stock may approve. As of March 30, 2024, Peter J. Solomon, one of our directors, and members of his family beneficially own all of the outstanding shares of Class C Preferred. Although the Class C Preferred shares are subject to mandatory conversion prior to an agreed sunset date expected in 2026 (see Note 17 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for further detail), until the Class C Preferred shares are converted into common stock after the sunset period, Mr. Solomon will be able to control matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of members of our Board of Directors, the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation, and the approval of any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transaction. Mr. Solomon may have interests that differ from our common shareholders and may vote in a way with which our other shareholders disagree or adverse to our shareholders’ interests. The concentration of voting control will limit or preclude our common shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and could have the effect of delaying, preventing, or deterring a change in control of our company, could deprive holders of our common stock of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and could negatively affect the market price of our common stock. In addition, this concentration of voting power may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our capital stock that our other shareholders or the Board of Directors may feel are in our best interest.

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may prevent or delay an acquisition of us, which could decrease the price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws contain provisions intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors rather than to attempt an unsolicited takeover not approved by our Board of Directors. These provisions include:

the concentration of voting power in the Class C Preferred shares;

our classified Board of Directors, with approximately half of our Board of Directors elected at each year’s annual meeting;

the vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of common stock required to approve amendments to certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation;

the Board of Directors’ ability to issue shares of serial preferred stock without shareholder approval; and

the advance notice required by our bylaws for any shareholder who wishes to bring business before a meeting of shareholders or to nominate a director for election at a meeting of shareholders.

Although shareholders approved an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to declassify our Board of Directors, annual elections of all of our directors will not begin until our 2025 annual meeting of shareholders (see Note 17 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for further detail). These provisions will apply even if a takeover offer may be considered beneficial by some shareholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our Board of Directors determines is in the best interests of us and our shareholders. These provisions may also prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors. These provisions may decrease the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could expose us to shareholder action including securities class action litigation.

The stock market and the price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations based upon general economic and market conditions. Downturns in the stock market may cause the price of our common stock to decline. The market price of our stock may also be affected by our ability to meet analysts’ expectations. Failure to meet such expectations, even slightly, could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, shareholder action including securities class action litigation has often been instituted against such a company. If similar litigation were instituted against us, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business.

General Risk Factors

We rely on an adequate supply of skilled field personnel.

To continue to provide high quality services, we require an adequate supply of skilled field managers and technicians. Trained and experienced automotive field personnel are in high demand, and may be in short supply in some areas, a challenge that has been highlighted by the tight labor market in recent years. We have experienced and expect to continue to experience more difficulty hiring skilled technicians than pre-pandemic and may be unable to replace employees as quickly as we need to fill positions in our stores. We cannot assure that we will be able to attract, motivate and maintain an adequate skilled workforce necessary to operate our existing and future stores efficiently, or that labor expenses will not continue to increase because of a shortage in the supply of skilled field personnel, thereby adversely impacting our financial performance. While the automotive repair industry generally operates with high field employee turnover, any material increases in employee turnover rates in our stores, inability to recruit new employees or any widespread employee dissatisfaction could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We depend on the services of our key executives.

Our senior executives are important to our success because they have been instrumental in setting our strategic direction, operating our business, identifying, recruiting and training key personnel, identifying expansion opportunities and arranging necessary financing. Losing the services of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business until a suitable replacement is found. It may be difficult to replace them quickly with executives of comparable experience and capabilities. Although we have employment agreements with certain of our executives, we cannot prevent them from terminating their employment with us. To the extent we have turnover within our management team, we may have to spend more time and resources training new members of management and integrating them in our company. The loss of service of any one of our key executives would likely cause a disruption in our business plans and may adversely impact our results of operations.

We have had significant changes in executive leadership, and more changes could occur. Changes to strategic or operating goals, which can occur with the appointment of new executives, can create uncertainty, and may ultimately be unsuccessful. In addition, executive leadership transition periods, including adding new personnel, could be difficult as new executives gain an understanding of our business and strategy. Difficulty integrating new executives, or the loss of key individuals could limit our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and could have an adverse effect on our overall financial condition.

Challenging financial market conditions and changes in long-term interest rates could adversely impact the funded status of our pension plan.

We have a defined benefit pension plan covering employees who met eligibility requirements but is closed to new participants. As of March 30, 2024, the pension plan was overfunded on a projected benefit obligation basis by approximately $0.8 million. Included in our financial results are pension plan costs that are measured using actuarial valuations. The actuarial assumptions used may differ from actual results. In addition, because our pension plan assets are invested in marketable securities, fluctuations in market values can negatively impact our funded status, recorded pension liability, and future required minimum contribution levels. Similar to fluctuations in market values, a decline in the discount rate used in the actuarial assumptions can negatively impact our funded status, recorded pension liability and future contribution levels.

Also, continued changes in the mortality assumptions can impact our funded status. Further volatility in the performance of financial markets, changes in actuarial assumptions or changes in regulations regarding minimum funding requirements could require material increases to our expected cash contributions to the pension plans in future years.

We are subject to the short- and long-term risks of climate change.

In the short term, extreme weather conditions resulting from climate change could result in store closures, make it difficult for our teammates and customers to travel to our stores, and negatively impact customers’ disposable income, thereby reducing our sales. If we continually experience unseasonable weather, our forecasts of predicting customer behavior may prove incorrect and cause us to inefficiently allocate our resources, which could adversely impact our results of operations. In the long term, we are subject to the risk that our stores are physically located in areas that could be threatened by heat and extreme weather events that make those areas uninhabitable. We are also subject to transition risks, such as changes in energy prices, which could cause more customers to reduce overall miles driven, increase reliance on public transportation or ride sharing, or drive electric or alternative fuel vehicles, any of which could harm our profitability; prolonged climate-related events affecting macroeconomic conditions with related effects on consumer spending and confidence; stakeholder perception of our engagement in climate-related policies; and new regulatory requirements resulting in higher compliance risk and operational costs. The realization of any of these short- or long-term risks could materially adversely affect our financial condition.

We may be unable to achieve the priorities and initiatives set forth in our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) report or otherwise meet the expectations of our stakeholders with respect to ESG matters.

Increasing governmental and societal attention to ESG matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, and disclosure topics such as climate change, sustainability, natural resources, waste reduction, energy, human capital, and risk oversight could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess, and report. We strive to create long-term value for our guests, employees and shareholders, and we report on certain priorities and initiatives related to ESG matters in our ESG report (which is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Form 10-K), such as plans relating to employee safety and energy efficiency. Our stakeholders expect us to make progress on our ESG priorities and initiatives. A failure or a perceived failure to meet these expectations could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 1C Cybersecurity

Risk Management and Strategy

We execute a comprehensive cybersecurity program designed to provide structured and thorough cybersecurity risk management and governance. Our cybersecurity program is aligned with industry-wide recognized standards, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. Our program prioritizes, among other things, prevention of unauthorized access; protection of sensitive information; detection, assessment, and response to cybersecurity threats; and continuous improvement of our cybersecurity measures. The Company has established comprehensive incident response and recovery plans, regularly tests and evaluates the effectiveness of those plans, and maintains cybersecurity risk insurance.

Our cybersecurity program has a set of controls and priorities with a multi-pronged approach that includes:

●Quarterly cybersecurity awareness training for teammates, monthly phishing simulation testing and other cybersecurity awareness campaigns (e.g., articles, flyers, cybersecurity awareness month);

●A dedicated security operations team to monitor, analyze, and respond to security threats 24/7;

● Security governance to manage and maintain security processes;

● Intrusion, detection, and prevention systems;

● A vulnerability management program to identify and remediate security liabilities;

● A configuration management program to harden systems based on industry standards;

● Industry-leading email security, endpoint detection, and response platforms;

● Threat intelligence from multiple resources to identify and anticipate emerging threats;

● Network and web application firewalls;

● Multi-factor authentication; and

● Network segmentation to isolate and safeguard critical systems and sensitive data.

The Company assesses cybersecurity risks on an ongoing basis, including assessing and deploying technical safeguards designed to protect its information systems from cybersecurity threats. We regularly evaluate new and emerging risks and ever-changing legal and compliance requirements and examine the effectiveness and maturity of our cyber defenses through various means, including internal audits, targeted testing, incident response exercises, maturity assessments, and industry benchmarking.

The Company engages with a range of external professionals, including cybersecurity experts, consultants, auditors, and legal counsel to leverage specialized knowledge, experience and insights, to help ensure our cybersecurity strategies and processes remain current. This includes:

●Engaging third-party experts to periodically advise and train our Board and management regarding the structure and oversight of our cybersecurity program, Incident Response Plan (“IRP”) and various cybersecurity-related matters;

●Retaining data security and data privacy legal counsel whose practice focuses on data breach response, information security compliance, and compliance with the data privacy laws in the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates; and

●Utilizing specialized consultants and third-party managed service providers to assist us with projects that will improve the Company’s IT infrastructure, strengthen our security posture and cybersecurity incident investigations, and improve our cyber readiness.

The Company has implemented processes to identify, prioritize, assess, mitigate and remediate risks associated with third-party service providers. As part of these processes, we conduct security assessments of critical third-party providers before engagement and contractually require third parties we engage to implement security programs commensurate with their risk.

In the event of a cybersecurity incident, a cross-functional team - led by the Senior Vice President - Chief Information Officer (our “CISO”) and Chief Legal Officer (“CLO”) - is equipped with a well-defined IRP. The IRP includes immediate actions to mitigate the impact of the incident, and long-term strategies for remediation and prevention of future incidents. Among other things, the IRP sets forth roles and responsibilities in connection with detecting, assessing, and mitigating cybersecurity incidents and outlines applicable communication and escalation protocols. The IRP includes controls and procedures that are designed to ensure prompt escalation of certain cybersecurity incidents to our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and to the Audit Committee so that, among other things, decisions regarding public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made in a timely manner. The Company regularly tests and evaluates the effectiveness of the IRP and the Company’s recovery plan.

Our cybersecurity program is designed to prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive information, with a focus on continuous improvement of our cybersecurity measures. While we have not experienced any material cybersecurity threats or incidents to date, we can give no assurance that we will be able to prevent, identify, respond to, or mitigate the impact of all cybersecurity threats or incidents. To the extent future cybersecurity threats or incidents result in significant disruptions and costs to our operations, reduce the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, or otherwise substantially impact our business, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, liquidity, financial condition, and/or results of operations. For additional discussion on our cybersecurity risks, refer to Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Form 10-K.

Governance

Board Oversight

The Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business, with a focus on the most significant risks that we face, including those related to cybersecurity. The Board of Directors has delegated oversight of cybersecurity, including privacy and information security, to the Audit Committee. As such, the Audit Committee is central to the Board of Directors oversight of cybersecurity risks and bears primary responsibility for this area. The Audit Committee is composed of independent directors with diverse expertise including risk management, strategic planning, finance, and accounting and controls, in addition to relevant experience of board practices of other public companies. Audit Committee members also attend both in-house and external training on cybersecurity matters which we believe equips them to oversee cybersecurity risks effectively.

Management’s Role

Our CISO has primary operational responsibility for the Company’s cybersecurity function. The CISO has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 34 years, with eight years’ experience specifically in cybersecurity. The CISO, together with the Senior Director - Infrastructure & Security - who has 29 years’ experience in various information technology and information security roles and 10 years of cybersecurity experience - and the CLO have primary responsibility for assessing and managing material cybersecurity risks. This group, and their supporting teams, meet regularly to review security performance metrics, identify security risks, and assess the status of approved security enhancements. This group also considers and makes recommendations on security policies and procedures, security service requirements, and risk mitigation strategies.

The CISO plays a pivotal role in informing the Audit Committee on cybersecurity risks. She provides comprehensive presentations to the Audit Committee on a quarterly basis, or as needed. These presentations encompass a broad range of cybersecurity topics, which may include our cybersecurity program and governance processes; cyber risk monitoring and management; the status of projects to strengthen our cybersecurity and privacy capabilities; recent significant incidents or threats impacting our operations, industry, or third-party suppliers; and the emerging threat landscape. The Audit Committee actively participates and offers guidance in strategic decisions related to cybersecurity. This involvement helps ensure that cybersecurity considerations are integrated into our broader strategic and risk management objectives. Our CISO also meets with other senior leadership team members on a weekly basis. In addition, she meets with the Board of Directors on an annual basis, and as needed, where she reports on significant cybersecurity matters and strategic risk management decisions.

Item 2. Properties

Our policy is to situate new Company-operated stores in the best locations, without regard to the form of ownership required to develop the locations. In general, we lease store sites for a five-year period with various renewal options. Giving effect to all renewal options, approximately 59 percent of the store leases (569 stores) expire after March 2034.

We own our corporate headquarters building located in Rochester, New York, and we lease and own additional office space elsewhere in the U.S. We also lease two retread facilities located in Florida and Tennessee.

Assets held for sale

We classify long-lived assets to be sold as held for sale in the period in which all of the required criteria are met. We initially measure a long-lived asset that is classified as held for sale at the lower of its carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell. Any loss resulting from this measurement is recognized in the period in which the held-for-sale criteria are met. Conversely, gains are not recognized on the sale of a long-lived asset until the date of sale. Upon determining that a long-lived asset meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale, we cease depreciation and report long-lived assets, if material, as Assets held for sale in our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

On June 1, 2023, we announced the planned sale of our corporate headquarters at 200 Holleder Parkway in Rochester, New York and our plan to relocate our corporate headquarters to another location in the greater Rochester area. We determined that the related assets of $5.9 million met the criteria to be classified as held for sale as of March 30, 2024.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time we are a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business. We do not believe that such claims or lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Legal matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and there exists the possibility that the ultimate resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse impact on us and our financial condition and results of operations.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Company's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol "MNRO". We are authorized to issue up to 65,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01, and up to 150,000 shares of Class C Preferred Stock, par value $1.50. In May 2023, we entered into an agreement to reclassify our equity capital structure to eliminate the Class C Preferred. The Class C Preferred shares are subject to mandatory conversion prior to an agreed sunset date expected in 2026. For additional information regarding the equity capital structure reclassification, see Note 17 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Share Repurchase Activity

On May 19, 2022, our Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program for the repurchase of up to $150 million of shares of our common stock with no stated expiration. Under the program, we have repurchased 3.7 million shares of common stock at an average price of $37.61, for a total investment of $140.9 million. As of March 30, 2024, the dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the program is $9.1 million. We are currently prohibited from repurchasing our securities if there are outstanding amounts under the Credit Facility immediately before or after giving effect to the repurchase. For additional information regarding our Stock Repurchase Plan, see Note 16 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Holders of Record

As of May 17, 2024, our common stock was held by approximately 44 shareholders of record. This figure does not include an estimate of the indeterminate number of beneficial holders whose shares may be held of record by brokerage firms and clearing agencies.

Dividends

Dividends declared per share for 2024, 2023, and 2022 are disclosed in our Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity. The declaration of future dividends will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, compliance with charter and contractual restrictions, and such other factors as the Board of Directors deems relevant. Our Credit Facility contains covenants that may limit, subject to certain exemptions, our ability to declare dividends and other distributions. For additional information regarding our Credit Facility, see Part II, Item 7, “Credit Facility” of this report and Note 6 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Stock Performance Graph

The graph above compares the cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock for the last five fiscal years ended March with the cumulative return on (i) the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and (ii) the S&P Composite 1500 Specialty Retail Index. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in Monro common stock, the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and the S&P Composite 1500 Specialty Retail Index, and reinvestment of all dividends.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Executive Overview

We continue to make strategic investments to support our operating and financial model designed to drive sustainable sales and profit growth. We have done this through our investment strategy focused on improving guest experience, enhancing customer-centric engagement, optimizing product and service offerings, and accelerating productivity and team engagement, as well as our growth strategy, including executing on accretive acquisition opportunities.

Recent Developments

On May 23, 2024, we entered into a Fourth Amendment to our Credit Facility, which, among other things, amends the terms of certain of the financial and restrictive covenants in the credit agreement to provide us with additional flexibility to operate our business from the first quarter of fiscal 2025 through the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. See additional discussion under Part II, Item 9B, “Other Information”, and Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements.

2023 Divestiture

On June 17, 2022, we completed the sale of assets relating to our wholesale tire operations and internal tire distribution operations to ATD. The total purchase price was $102 million, consisting of $62 million paid by ATD at closing, of which $5 million was held in escrow, and the remaining $40 million to be paid quarterly over approximately three years based on our tire purchases from or through ATD pursuant to a distribution and fulfillment agreement. For details regarding the sale and subsequent proceeds, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements.

Economic Conditions

The United States economy has experienced high inflation during fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024 and there are market expectations that inflation may remain at elevated levels for a sustained period. In addition, labor availability has continued to be constrained and market labor costs have continued to increase. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board also has increased interest rates during fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024 and interest rate changes may occur in the coming months. These conditions may give rise to an economic slowdown, and perhaps a recession, and could further increase our costs and/or impact our revenues. It is unclear whether the current economic conditions and government responses to these conditions, including inflation, changing interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty, will result in an economic slowdown or recession in the United States. If that occurs, demand for our products and services may decline, possibly significantly, which may significantly and adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial position.

Financial Summary

We operate on a 52/53-week fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in March. Fiscal year 2024 contained 53 weeks and fiscal 2023 contained 52 weeks. Any amounts noted as adjusted for days have been adjusted to remove the impact of the 53^rd week in fiscal 2024.

Fiscal 2024 included the following notable items:

Diluted earnings per common share (“EPS”) were $1.18.

Adjusted diluted EPS, a non-GAAP measure, were $1.33.

Sales decreased 3.7 percent, primarily due to closed stores and lower overall comparable store sales.

Comparable store sales decreased 2.0 percent from the prior year, or a decrease of 3.9 percent when adjusted for days.

Operating income of $71.4 million was 10.4 percent lower than the prior year.

Net income was $37.6 million. 

Adjusted net income, a non-GAAP measure, was $42.4 million.

Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding.

Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS, each of which is a measure not derived in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“GAAP”), exclude the impact of certain items. Management believes that adjusted net income and adjusted diluted EPS are useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of our operations by excluding certain non-recurring items, such as costs related to shareholder matters from our equity capital structure recapitalization, transition costs related to back-office optimization, corporate headquarters relocation costs, and items related to store closings, as well as acquisition initiatives. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures are provided beginning on page 27 under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We define comparable store sales as sales for locations that have been opened or owned at least one full fiscal year. We believe this period is generally required for new store sales levels to begin to normalize. Management uses comparable store sales to assess the operating performance of the Company’s stores and believes the metric is useful to investors because our overall results are dependent upon the results of our stores. Comparable sales measures vary across the retail industry. Therefore, our comparable store sales calculation is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Analysis of Results of Operations

We have elected to omit discussion on the earliest of the three years covered by the consolidated financial statements presented. The discussion of our fiscal 2023 performance compared to our fiscal 2022 performance and our financial condition as of March 25, 2023 is incorporated herein by reference to Part I, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” located in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 25, 2023, filed on May 22, 2023. 

Sales

Sales include automotive undercar repair, tire replacement and tire related service sales, net of discounts, returns, etc., and revenue from the sale of warranty agreements and commissions earned from the delivery of tires. See Note 7 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for additional information. We use comparable store sales to evaluate the performance of our existing stores by measuring the change in sales for a period over the comparable, prior-year period of equivalent length. There were 368 selling days in 2024 and 361 selling days in 2023.

Sales growth – from both comparable store sales and new stores – represents an important driver of our long-term profitability. We expect that comparable store sales growth will significantly impact our total sales growth. We believe that our ability to successfully differentiate our guests’ experience through a careful combination of merchandise assortment, price strategy, convenience, and other factors will, over the long-term, drive both increasing guest traffic and the average ticket amount spent.

The sales decrease was due to a decrease in sales from closed stores from the prior year, as well as a decrease in comparable store sales. The decrease in sales from closed stores was driven primarily by the sale of our wholesale tire locations, representing approximately $23.9 million in sales for fiscal 2023. The decrease in comparable store sales is primarily driven by a strained low-to-middle income consumer that disproportionately traded-down to tires at opening price points as the industry worked to clear-through an oversupply of lower-margin tires. Additionally, milder weather contributed to the general tire deferral cycle. This put pressure on overall tire units industry-wide across all regions of the country. This led to weaker store traffic, which was not supportive to sales of our higher-margin service categories. These decreases were partially offset by an increase in sales from new stores and franchise royalties. The following table shows the primary drivers of the change in sales between 2024 and 2023.

(a)The change in closed store sales is primarily due to sales from the wholesale locations sold to American Tire Distributors (“ATD”).

(b)Comparable store sales decreased by 3.9 percent when adjusted for days.

(c)Sales from the fiscal 2023 acquisitions primarily represent the change.

Broad-based inflationary pressures impacting consumers partly led to lower demand in tires and our higher margin service categories during fiscal 2024. We expect the inflationary environment to continue to impact our customers in fiscal 2025.

(a)The comparable store product category sales change for the year ended March 30, 2024 are adjusted for days.

(a) Steering product category includes front end/shocks and alignment product category sales.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

Gross profit, as a percentage of sales, increased 100 basis points (“bps”) in 2024 as compared to the prior year. Retail material costs, as a percentage of sales, decreased due primarily to tire mix improvement and opportunistic pricing actions. Partially offsetting this increase in gross profit, as a percentage of sales, were increased retail occupancy costs, as a percentage of sales, as we lost leverage on these largely fixed costs with lower overall comparable store sales, as well as an increase in technician labor costs, as a percentage of sales, due to the impact from wage inflation.

Operating, Selling, General and Administrative Expenses