ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of WESCO have been prepared in accordance with Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The unaudited condensed consolidated financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in WESCO’s 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on March 1, 2021. The Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2020 was derived from the audited Consolidated Financial Statements as of that date, but does not include all of the disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2021, the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) and Comprehensive Income (Loss), the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, in the opinion of management, have been prepared on the same basis as the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and include all adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the results of the interim periods presented herein. All adjustments reflected in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial information are of a normal recurring nature unless indicated. The results for the interim periods presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.

Prior to the completion of its merger with Anixter International Inc. ("Anixter") on June 22, 2020, as described in Note 4, "Acquisitions and Disposals", WESCO had four operating segments that had been aggregated as one reportable segment. Effective on the date of acquisition, the Company added Anixter as a separate reportable segment for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2020. At the beginning of the third quarter of 2020, the Company identified new operating segments organized around three strategic business units consisting of EES, CSS and UBS. These operating segments are equivalent to the Company's reportable segments. The operating segments in the respective periods were determined in accordance with the manner in which WESCO's chief operating decision maker ("CODM") reviewed financial information during those periods. The financial information used by the CODM to evaluate the performance of the Company's operating segments is disclosed in Note 13, "Business Segments". The applicable comparative financial information reported in the Company's previously issued interim financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 has been recast in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to conform to the basis of the new segments.

Reclassifications [Text Block]

Reclassifications

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, $0.7 million and $0.8 million, respectively, of other non-operating income has been reclassified from "net interest and other" to "other income, net" in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, stock-based compensation of $9.5 million and amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs of $2.1 million have been reclassified from other operating activities in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. These reclassifications have been made to conform to the current period presentation.

Change in Estimates

During the second quarter of 2021, the Company established a new corporate brand strategy that will result in migrating certain legacy WESCO sub-brands to a master brand architecture. The Company accounts for the trademarks associated with these sub-brands as intangible assets. As of December 31, 2020, $39.1 million of the trademarks impacted by the master brand strategy had indefinite lives and $9.5 million had remaining estimated useful lives ranging from 3 to 8 years. The Company continually evaluates whether events or circumstances have occurred that would require a change to the estimated useful lives of indefinite-lived and definite lived intangible assets. When such a change is warranted, the remaining carrying amount of the intangible asset is amortized prospectively over the revised remaining useful life. Accordingly, during the second quarter of 2021, the Company changed the estimated useful lives of the trademarks affected by the new corporate brand strategy to coincide with the expected period of time to migrate such sub-brands to the master brand architecture. The Company assigned remaining estimated useful lives to these trademarks, including those that previously had indefinite lives, ranging from less than one year to 5 years. The Company assessed these intangible assets for impairment prior to amortizing them over their revised estimated remaining useful lives. No impairment losses were identified as a result of these tests.

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which removes certain exceptions to the general principles of Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740, Income Taxes, and simplifies other aspects of accounting for income taxes. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted in any interim or annual period, with any adjustments reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2021. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto presented herein.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional guidance for a limited period of time to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Management is currently evaluating the impact related to the replacement of London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and whether the Company will elect the adoption of the optional guidance.

Other pronouncements issued by the FASB or other authoritative accounting standards groups with future effective dates are either not applicable or are not expected to be significant to WESCO’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.