Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business

As used herein, “Cott,” “the Company,” “our Company,” “Cott Corporation,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refers to Cott Corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries. Cott is a water, coffee, tea, extracts and filtration service company with a leading volume-based national presence in the North American and European home and office delivery industry for bottled water and a leader in custom coffee roasting, blending of iced tea and extract solutions for the U.S. foodservice industry. Our platform reaches over 2.4 million customers or delivery points across North America and Europe supported by strategically located sales and distribution facilities and fleets, as well as wholesalers and distributors. This enables us to efficiently service residences, businesses, restaurant chains, hotels and motels, small and large retailers, and healthcare facilities.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying interim unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial reporting. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair statement of our results of operations for the interim periods reported and of our financial condition as of the date of the interim balance sheet have been included. The Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 30, 2017 included herein was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2017 (“2017 Annual Report”). This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the annual audited Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in our 2017 Annual Report. The accounting policies used in these interim Consolidated Financial Statements are consistent with those used in the annual Consolidated Financial Statements.

The presentation of these interim Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes.

Changes in Presentation

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. These reclassifications had no effect on net cash provided by operating activities.

On January 30, 2018, we sold our carbonated soft drinks and juice businesses via the sale of our North America, United Kingdom (“U.K.”) and Mexico business units (including the Canadian business) and our Royal Crown International (“RCI”) finished goods export business (collectively, “Traditional Business” and such transaction, the “Transaction”). As a result, the Company has reclassified the financial results of the Traditional Business to net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended April 1, 2017. Cash flows from the Company’s discontinued operations are presented in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended April 1, 2017. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on discontinued operations.

Significant Accounting Policies

Included in Note 1 of the 2017 Annual Report is a summary of the Company’s significant accounting policies. Provided below is a summary of additional accounting policies that are significant to the financial results of the Company.

Cost of sales

We record costs associated with the manufacturing of our products in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs incurred to store, prepare and move products between production facilities or from production facilities to branch locations or storage facilities are recorded in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs incurred to deliver products from our Route Based Services and Coffee, Tea and Extract Solutions reporting segment branch locations to the end-user consumer of those products are recorded in selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses. All other costs incurred in shipment of products from our production facilities to customer locations are reflected in cost of sales. Shipping and handling costs included in SG&A were $113.8 million and $106.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2017, respectively. Finished goods inventory costs include the cost of direct labor and materials and the applicable share of overhead expense chargeable to production.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess purchase price of acquired businesses over the fair value of the net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but instead is tested for impairment at least annually. The following table summarizes our goodwill on a reporting segment basis as of March 31, 2018:


	Reporting Segment
(in millions of U.S. dollars)	Route Based Services		Coffee, Tea and Extract Solutions		All Other		Total
Balance December 30, 2017	$	936.7	$	117.8	$	50.2	$	1,104.7
Goodwill acquired during the year		18.9		—		3.3		22.2
Foreign exchange		8.5		—		1.9		10.4

Balance March 31, 2018	$	964.1	$	117.8	$	55.4	$	1,137.3

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

Update ASU 2014-09 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) amended its guidance regarding revenue recognition and created a new Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The objectives for creating Topic 606 were to remove inconsistencies and weaknesses in revenue recognition, provide a more robust framework for addressing revenue issues, provide more useful information to users of the financial statements through improved disclosure requirements, simplify the preparation of financial statements by reducing the number of requirements to which an entity must refer, and improve comparability of revenue recognition practices across entities, industries, jurisdictions and capital markets. The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve the core principle, an entity should apply the following steps: 1) identify the contract(s) with a customer; 2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; 3) determine the transaction price; 4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and 5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. For public entities, the amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The amendments may be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the amendment recognized at the date of initial application.

Effective December 31, 2017 we adopted FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). ASC 606 was applied using the modified retrospective method. Adoption of this standard did not result in a cumulative adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings at December 31, 2017 and did not have any other material effect on the results of operations, financial position or cash flows of the Company for the three months ended April 1, 2017 (see Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

Update ASU 2017-01 – Business Combinations (Topic 805)

In January 2017, the FASB amended its guidance regarding business combinations. The amendment clarified the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The amendments provide an analysis of fair value of assets acquired to determine when a set of assets is not a business, and uses more stringent criteria related to inputs, substantive process, and outputs to determine if a business exists. We adopted the guidance in this amendment effective December 31, 2017, and applied it prospectively to all periods presented. Adoption of this new standard may result in more transactions being accounted for as asset acquisitions versus business combinations; however, the impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements in future periods will depend on the facts and circumstances of future transactions.

Update ASU 2017-07 – Compensation—Retirement Benefits (Topic 715)

In March 2017, the FASB issued an update to its guidance on presentation of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement pension cost, and requires the service cost component to be presented in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. The amendments in this update also allow only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable.

Effective December 31, 2017, we adopted the guidance in this amendment retrospectively. The new standard requires that only the service cost component of periodic benefit cost is recorded in SG&A expenses. All other components of net periodic benefit cost are excluded from operating income. The adoption of ASU 2017-07 did not have a material impact on operating income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 or April 1, 2017.

Update ASU 2017-09 – Stock Compensation – Scope of Modification Accounting (Topic 718)

In May 2017, the FASB amended its guidance regarding the scope of modification accounting for share-based compensation arrangements. The amendments provide guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period, for public entities for reporting periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued. We adopted the guidance in this amendment effective December 31, 2017, and applied it prospectively to all periods presented. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Recently issued accounting pronouncements

Update ASU 2016-02 – Leases (Topic 842)

In February 2016, the FASB issued an update to its guidance on lease accounting for lessees and lessors. This update revises accounting for operating leases by a lessee, among other changes, and requires a lessee to recognize a liability to make lease payments and an asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term in the balance sheet. The distinction between finance and operating leases has not changed and the update does not significantly change the effect of finance and operating leases on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Additionally, this update requires both qualitative and specific quantitative disclosures. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available.

We are currently assessing the impact of adoption of this standard on our Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company is evaluating the standard’s applicability to our various contractual arrangements. We currently believe that the most significant changes relate to the recognition of new right of use assets and lease liabilities for real estate and equipment leases, which will result in increases to our assets and liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We believe that substantially all of our lessee lease arrangements will continue to be classified as operating leases under the new standard. Additionally, we had $19.9 million of deferred gains at December 31, 2016 associated with sale-leaseback transactions which are currently being amortized over the leaseback term. Upon adoption of this standard, we will be required to recognize the unamortized deferred gain at January 1, 2017 as a cumulative effect adjustment to equity. In addition, upon adoption of this standard, deferred gains related to the sale-leaseback transactions completed in 2017 of $7.9 million at December 30, 2017 will be recognized in net income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 30, 2017.

The standard also requires lessors to classify leases as sales-type, direct financing or operating leases, similar to existing guidance. We believe that substantially all of our lessor lease arrangements will continue to be classified as operating leases under the new standard.

Update ASU 2016-13 – Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326)

In June 2016, the FASB amended its guidance to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Entities will now use forward-looking information to better form their credit loss estimates. The amended guidance also requires enhanced disclosures to help financial statement users better understand significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses, as well as the credit quality and underwriting standards of an entity’s portfolio. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption will be permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. This guidance will be applied using a prospective or modified retrospective transition method, depending on the area covered in this update. We are currently assessing the impact of adoption of this standard on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Update ASU 2017-08 – Receivables—Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20)

In March 2017, the FASB amended its guidance on accounting for debt securities. The amendments shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. Specifically, the amendments require the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. The amendments do not require an accounting change for securities held at a discount; the discount continues to be amortized to maturity. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. At adoption, this update will be applied using a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. Additionally, in the period of adoption, an entity should provide disclosures about a change in accounting principle. We are currently assessing the impact of adoption of this standard on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Update ASU 2018-02 – Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)

In February 2018, the FASB amended its guidance which allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the comprehensive tax legislation enacted by the U.S. government on December 22, 2017 commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) and requires certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. For public entities, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted, and may be applied in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate tax rate in the Tax Act is recognized. We are currently assessing the impact of adoption of this standard on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Update ASU 2018-05 – Income Taxes—Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (Topic 740)

In March 2018, the FASB amended its guidance regarding Accounting Standards Codification 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted the Tax Act, which makes broad and complex changes to the U.S. tax code that will affect the Company’s fiscal year 2018. The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (“SAB 118”), which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for entities to complete the accounting under ASC 740. In accordance with SAB 118, an entity must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Tax Act for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that an entity’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete, but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in its financial statements. If an entity cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740 on the basis of the provisions of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act. The Company has applied SAB 118, and has recorded a provisional estimate related to certain 2017 effects of the Tax Act, and has provided the required disclosures (see Note 5 of the Consolidated Financial Statements).