Destination Maternity Corp (DEST) SEC Annual Report (10-K) for 2018

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION  

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended February 3, 2018

or

For the transition period from    to 

Commission file number 0-21196

Destination Maternity Corporation

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

(856) 291-9700

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

(Title of class)

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ☐     No   ☒

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

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   ☒     No   ☐ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   ☒     No   ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     ☐

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(1) of the Exchange Act ☐

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

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed using $1.71, the price at which the common equity was last sold as of July 28, 2017 (the last trading day of the Registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter), was approximately $24,000,000.

On April 6, 2018 there were 14,677,265 shares of the Registrant's common stock, $.01 par value, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant's Proxy Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with our next Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Proxy Statement") are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART  I

We define our fiscal year as the 52 or 53 week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31.  This annual report is for the 53 week fiscal year ended February 3, 2018 (fiscal 2017).  The fiscal years ended January 31, 2017 (fiscal 2016) and January 30, 2016 (fiscal 2015) consisted of 52 weeks.  In December 2014 we announced a change of our fiscal year end from September 30 to the Saturday closest to January 31.  We had a transition period from October 1, 2014 through January 31, 2015 and filed a Transition Report on Form 10-Q for such transition period.  References in this Form 10-K to our fiscal years prior to fiscal 2015 refer to the fiscal years ended on September 30 in those years.

As used in this report, the term "retail locations" includes our stores and leased departments and excludes international franchised locations. As used in this report, "stores" means our stand-alone stores that we operate in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. As used in this report, the term "GAAP" refers to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

Overview

We are the leading designer and omni-channel retailer of maternity apparel in the United States, with the only nationwide chain of maternity apparel specialty stores, as well as a deep and expansive assortment available through multiple online distribution points, including our three brand-specific websites. As of February 3, 2018 we operate 1,124 retail locations, including 487 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and 637 leased departments located within department stores and baby specialty stores throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico. We also sell our merchandise on the Internet, primarily through our Motherhood.com, APeaInThePod.com and DestinationMaternity.com websites. We also sell our merchandise through our Canadian website, MotherhoodCanada.ca, through Amazon.com in the United States, and through websites of certain of our retail partners, including Macys.com.  Our 487 stores operate under three retail nameplates: Motherhood Maternity ® , A Pea in the Pod ® and Destination Maternity ® . We also operate 637 leased departments within leading retailers such as Macy's ® , buybuy BABY ® and Boscov's ® . Generally we are the exclusive maternity apparel provider in our leased department locations.

We maintain our leading position through our two key brands, which enable us to reach a broad range of maternity customers. Through our stores and certain of our leased departments, we offer maternity apparel under one or both of our two primary brands, Motherhood Maternity ("Motherhood" or "Motherhood Maternity") at value prices and A Pea in the Pod ("Pea" or "A Pea in the Pod") at both contemporary and premium prices. Our A Pea in the Pod Collection ® ("Pea Collection") is the distinctive premier maternity apparel line within the A Pea in the Pod brand, featuring exclusive designer label product at premium prices.

We believe that one of our key competitive advantages is our ability to fulfill, in a high-service store environment, all of an expectant or nursing mother's clothing needs, including casual and career wear, formal attire, lingerie, sportswear and outerwear, in sizes that cover all trimesters of the maternity cycle. We believe that our vertically-integrated business model enables us to offer the broadest assortment of fashionable maternity apparel. We design and contract the manufacture of over 90% of the merchandise we sell using factories located throughout the world, predominantly outside of the United States.

In fiscal 2017 we opened seven stores and closed 35 stores, primarily consisting of closings of underperforming stores. In recent years we have evaluated our retail store base to identify and, in many cases, close underperforming stores where we can do so without disproportionate exit cost.

Currently, we operate 28 stores and five leased departments in Canada, including 24 Motherhood stores, three Destination Maternity combo stores and one Destination Maternity superstore, and a Motherhood website under a Canadian URL (MotherhoodCanada.ca). In addition, we have international store and product supply relationships in the Middle East, South Korea, Mexico, Israel and India. As of February 3, 2018, we have 188 international franchised locations, comprised of 15 stand-alone stores  173 shop-in-shop locations, in which we have a Company-branded department operated by our franchise partners within other retail stores.

We believe that our customers, particularly first-time mothers, are entering a new life stage that drives widespread changes in purchasing needs and behavior, thus making our maternity customer and her family a highly-valued demographic for a range of consumer products and services companies. As a result, we have been able to expand and leverage the relationship we have with our customers and generate incremental revenues and earnings by offering other value-added baby and parent-related products and services through a variety of marketing partnership programs utilizing our extensive opt-in customer database and various in-store marketing initiatives.

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The Company was founded in 1982 as a mail-order maternity apparel catalog. We began operating retail stores in 1985 and completed our initial public offering in 1993. To address multiple price points in maternity apparel and improve operating productivity, we acquired Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod in 1995 and acquired other maternity apparel specialty chains from 1994 to 2001. Since the acquisitions of Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod, we have developed and grown these brands. Also, since the 1990s we have partnered with other retailers to sell our products through maternity apparel departments within their stores.

Industry Overview

We are unaware of any reliable external data on the size of the maternity apparel business. We believe that there is an opportunity to grow our business by selling maternity clothes to those pregnant women who currently purchase loose-fitting or larger-sized non-maternity clothing as a substitute or partial substitute for maternity wear. We also believe that our business can grow by reducing the amount of "hand-me-down" and "borrowing" associated with maternity apparel, particularly in the value-priced segment. Additionally, although we are not wholly unaffected by external factors (such as fluctuations in the birth rate), we believe that the demand for maternity apparel is relatively stable when compared to non-maternity apparel.

Our Competitive Strengths

We are the leader in maternity apparel.      We are the leading designer and omni-channel retailer of maternity apparel in the United States, with the only nationwide chain of maternity apparel specialty stores, as well as a deep and expansive assortment available through multiple online distribution points, including our three brand-specific websites. We believe that our brands are the most recognized in maternity apparel. We have established a broad and diverse distribution network, with stores and leased departments in a wide range of geographic areas and retailing venues (both within and outside of the United States), as well as e-commerce sales through our own brand-specific web-sites, and third-party e-commerce sites includingMacys.com and Amazon.com. In addition, we have a leading position across all major price points of maternity apparel through our retail store nameplates and our brands. Our exclusive focus on maternity apparel and our leadership position enable us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the needs of our maternity customers and keep abreast of fashion and product developments that meet her style.

We offer a comprehensive assortment of maternity apparel and accessories.      A primary consideration for expectant mothers shopping for maternity clothes is product assortment, as pregnant women typically need to replace at least a portion of their wardrobe. We believe that we offer the widest selection of merchandise in the maternity apparel business. We also offer product for multiple seasons, as pregnant women's clothing needs vary depending on their due date. Our ability to offer a broad assortment of product is due, in large part, to our vertically-integrated business model, which includes our extensive in-house design and contract manufacturing capabilities.

We are vertically integrated.      We design and contract for the manufacture of over 90% of the merchandise we sell. We believe that vertical integration enables us to offer the broadest assortment of maternity apparel, to respond quickly to fashion trends, to ensure product quality, to improve product gross margins and to optimize in-stock levels.

We are able to enhance our leadership position by distributing our products through multiple distribution points, including online as well as through our leased department relationships.   In addition to our 487 stores, we distribute our product online through our ecommerce websites (Motherhood.com, APeaInThePod.com, DestinationMaternity.com and MotherhoodCanada.ca) and third party websites (such as Amazon.com and Macys.com), as well as through our 637 leased departments located within department stores and baby specialty stores throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico, namely Macy's, buybuy BABY and Boscov's. Generally we are the exclusive maternity apparel provider in our leased department locations. We believe that we have an opportunity to increase the sales and profit we generate from our current online distribution points and leased department relationships by growing and improving our performance in these channels.  In addition we believe we have the opportunity to increase our sales and profit further through the select addition of new digital and brick and mortar distribution points with new retail partners.

We have an experienced management team.      We have an executive management team with significant experience in all aspects of the retail and apparel business, including our interim Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") Melissa Payner-Gregor, who has over 20 years of experience in specialty retail, our Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), David Stern, who has over 15 years of senior financial management experience, including over nine years of experience with retail organizations, and our Chief Administrative Officer, Ronald Masciantonio, who has over a decade of senior management experience at Destination Maternity.  Our executive management team is complemented by experienced specialty retail executives across all disciplines of our Company.

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Our Brands

We believe that our brands are the most recognized brands in the maternity apparel business. We sell our merchandise under the following two distinct brands:

Motherhood Maternity.      Our Motherhood Maternity brand serves the moderate priced portion of the maternity apparel business, which has the greatest number of customers. The Motherhood brand is positioned with an expansive on-trend fashion assortment ranging from wardrobe essentials to special occasion, offering quality merchandise at affordable value. We believe that the Motherhood customer shops at moderate-priced department stores, specialty stores and discount stores when she is not expecting.

A Pea in the Pod.      Our A Pea in the Pod brand is a contemporary, fashion-forward assortment including a curated selection of exclusive designer labels at better and premium pricing, offering customers fashionable maternity pieces that reflect her uncompromising sense of style in both casual and career apparel. In our stores that carry A Pea in the Pod brand merchandise, we also offer exclusive maternity versions of select styles from well-known designer and contemporary brands, where we have assisted in developing these maternity versions. We believe that the typical Pea customer shops at upscale department stores and specialty apparel chains when she is not expecting, with the Pea Collection customer typically shopping at higher-end department stores and designer boutiques when she is not expecting.

Retail Nameplates

We sell maternity apparel through our stores, and our leased department and licensed brand relationships, identified in the table below.

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The following table sets forth our store count by nameplate as of February 3, 2018.

We believe our ability to lease attractive real estate locations is enhanced due to the brand awareness of our concepts, our multiple price point approach, our highly sought-after maternity customer and our real estate management and procurement capabilities. We are the only maternity apparel retailer to provide mall operators with differently priced retail concepts, depending on the mall's target demographics. We are also able to provide varied store formats for malls whose maternity customers seek a wide range of price alternatives. In addition, in the case of multi-mall operators, we have the flexibility to provide several stores across multiple malls.

Motherhood Maternity Stores.      Motherhood Maternity is our largest chain with 385 stores as of February 3, 2018. Our Motherhood Maternity brand serves the moderate priced portion of the maternity apparel business, which has the greatest number of customers. The Motherhood brand is positioned with an expansive on-trend fashion assortment ranging from wardrobe essentials to special occasion, offering quality merchandise at affordable value. Motherhood stores average approximately 1,800 square feet and are located primarily in mid-priced and moderate regional malls, strip and power centers, and central business districts. Motherhood stores include 96 outlet locations that carry Motherhood-branded merchandise as well as some closeout merchandise. In fiscal 2017 we opened five new Motherhood stores including outlets and closed 29 Motherhood stores including outlets. As of February 03, 2018, we operated 24 Motherhood stores in Canada and believe that market opportunities may permit us to open additional stores in Canada in the future.

A Pea in the Pod Stores.      As of February 3, 2018, we had 27 A Pea in the Pod stores. Our A Pea in the Pod brand is a contemporary, fashion-forward assortment including a curated selection of exclusive designer labels at better and premium pricing, offering customers fashionable maternity pieces. A Pea in the Pod stores average approximately 2,100 square feet and are located in mid-priced regional malls, lifestyle centers and central business districts while others are located in upscale venues, including Beverly Hills, Water Tower Place (Chicago), South Coast Plaza (Orange County, California) and Newbury Street (Boston). In fiscal 2017 we opened two Pea stores and closed one Pea store.

Destination Maternity Stores.      As of February 3, 2018, we had 75 Destination Maternity nameplate stores averaging approximately 4,200 square feet, including 43 Destination Maternity combo stores and 32 Destination Maternity superstores. Our Destination Maternity stores carry both of our primary brands (Motherhood and Pea). Our Destination Maternity combo stores are larger (average of approximately 2,900 square feet) than our single-brand stores. Our Destination Maternity superstores carry both of our primary brands, plus an expanded line of maternity-related accessories, nursing products, health and fitness products, books, and body and nutritional products. Our Destination Maternity superstores also typically feature a "relax area" for husbands and shoppers alike, and an inside play area for the pregnant mom's toddlers and young children. Destination Maternity superstores average  approximately 5,700 square feet for the 32 stores open as of February 3, 2018. In fiscal 2017 we did not open any Destination Maternity stores and closed five Destination Maternity stores.

Leased Departments.      In addition to the stores we operate, we have arrangements with department stores and baby specialty stores, including Macy's, buybuy BABY and Boscov's to operate maternity apparel departments in their stores. Generally, we are the exclusive maternity apparel provider in our leased department locations. We staff these leased departments at varying levels and maintain control of the pricing and promotional terms, as well as the timing and degree of the markdowns of our merchandise that is sold in the leased departments. We operate our leased departments during the same hours and days as the host store and are responsible for replenishment of the merchandise in the leased departments. These leased departments typically involve the lease partner collecting all of the revenue from the leased department. The revenue is remitted to us, less a fixed percentage of the net sales earned by the lease partner as stipulated in each agreement.

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The following table sets forth our leased department count by retail partner as of February 3, 2018.

International.      Currently, we operate 28 stores and five leased departments in Canada, including 24 Motherhood stores, three Destination Maternity combo stores and one Destination Maternity superstore, and a Motherhood website under a Canadian URL (MotherhoodCanada.ca).

We have a franchise agreement with Multi Trend, a member of the Al-Homaizi Group, covering six key markets in the Middle East. As of February 3, 2018, our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is offered in 14 franchise stores operating in the Middle East.

We have a franchise agreement with Agabang & Company to sell our brands in South Korea. Our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is available for sale in maternity shop-in-shops operated by Agabang in its Agabang Gallery and Nextmom stores (which carry infant and children's apparel and non-apparel merchandise, as well as maternity apparel) and other retail stores, and in franchise stores in South Korea. As of February 3, 2018, our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is offered in 38 shop-in-shops and one franchise store in South Korea.

We have a franchise agreement with El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V., the largest department store company in Mexico. Our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is available for sale primarily in maternity shop-in-shops located in Liverpool's department stores (which carry a wide range of products, including infant and children's apparel and non-apparel merchandise, as well as maternity apparel) throughout Mexico. As of Feburary3, 2018 our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is offered in 102 shop-in-shops in Mexico.

We have a franchise agreement with H&O Fashion Ltd., one of Israel's largest and dominant fashion-retail chains. Our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is offered through shop-in-shops in select H&O stores. As of February 03, 2018, our Motherhood and Pea merchandise is offered in 33 shop-in-shops in Israel.

We have a franchise agreement with Rhea Retail Private Limited, a leader in the sale of women's, children's, and infants' clothing and accessories in India, however, as of February 3, 2018, our merchandise is not offered in any locations.

We continue to evaluate other international sales opportunities. As our franchise relationships to date demonstrate, our initial international strategy has primarily consisted of franchising, licensing or similar arrangements with foreign partners. Our future international strategy may include increased e-commerce distribution, franchising or licensing arrangements with foreign partners, as well as potentially entering into wholesale business arrangements, entering into joint ventures or developing our own operations in certain countries.

Internet Operations

We sell our merchandise on the Internet primarily through our brand-specific websites, Motherhood.com and APeaInThePod.com, as well as through our DestinationMaternity.com website. We also sell our merchandise through our Canadian website, MotherhoodCanada.ca, as well as through Amazon.com and Macys.com in the United States. We believe that many pregnant women, particularly millennials, use the Internet to find maternity-related information and to purchase maternity clothes. Our websites are therefore important tools for educating existing and potential customers about our brands and driving traffic to our stores. Our marketing and technology capabilities and the replenishment capabilities of our distribution facilities and stores enable us to incorporate Internet design, operations and fulfillment into our existing operations. Our brand-specific sites were re-launched in in the first quarter of 2017 after a complete re-platforming of each of our sites through integration with a best-in-class enterprise cloud commerce solution. The provider is the category-defining leader of enterprise cloud commerce solutions used by a variety of best-in-class Internet retailers, including a significant number of fashion focused specialty retailers. We believe this integration is currently helping and will continue to help us keep current with the ever-changing digital landscape while focusing our efforts on our core merchandising and operational strengths.   We believe that our Internet operations (both through our existing ecommerce distribution points and, perhaps, new ecommerce distribution points) represent a continued growth opportunity for us to increase sales and profit in all channels.  

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Marketing Partnerships

We believe our customers, particularly first-time mothers, are entering a new life stage that drives widespread changes in purchasing needs and behavior, thus making our maternity customer and her family a highly-valued demographic for a range of consumer products and services companies. We have been able to leverage the relationship we have with our customers to earn incremental revenues. We expect to continue to expand and leverage the relationship we have with our customers and earn incremental revenues through a variety of marketing partnership programs utilizing our extensive opt-in customer database and various in-store and online marketing initiatives, which help introduce our customers to various baby and parent-related products and services offered by leading third-party consumer products companies.

Operations

Merchandising Operations Teams.      To obtain maximum efficiencies, we are organized primarily along functional lines, such as merchandising, design, planning and allocation, and production. Our merchandising, design, and planning and allocation teams are organized on a brand-specific basis. Each brand team is led by the head merchant and includes a brand-specific head designer and head planner. These teams are also supported by centralized production, purchasing, marketing and other necessary professionals.

Store Operations.      The typical maternity customer, especially the first-time mother, seeks more advice and assistance than the typical non-maternity customer. Therefore, we aim to employ passionate, skilled and inspirational store team members who are trained to provide the high level of attentive service and reassurance needed by our customers. Our goal is to provide a boutique or personalized level of service that differentiates us from our competitors. Our centralized merchandising, store operations and visual presentation departments also enable our field leadership and store team members to focus primarily on selling and maintaining consistency from store to store on their appearance and operational execution. In addition, our visual presentation department coordinates with the merchandising department to develop floor-sets, design store display windows and place marketing materials to better define and enhance the product presentation.

The field/store leadership reporting structure consists of regional directors, district managers, leased area managers and store managers. Generally, these members of the field/store leadership team are each eligible to receive incentive-based compensation related to store, district and regional performance for both our stores and leased department groups.

Merchandising, Design and Inventory Planning and Allocation

Merchandising.      Our product styling decisions are based on current fashion trends, as well as input from our designers and outside vendors as we seek to create fashionable product that flatters and comfortably fits the pregnant woman's body, allowing her to maintain her pre-pregnancy sense of style. We strive to maintain an appropriate balance between introducing new and proven styles, as well as between basic essential wardrobe pieces and fashion items. Each brand has its own team of merchants and designers. The merchandising and design teams each report to our Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Design.

Design.      The design of our products begins with a review of global runway trends, current non-maternity retail fashion trends, fashion reporting service information and fabric samples. The designers review our best-selling items from prior seasons and integrate current fashion ideas from the non-maternity apparel business.

Planning and Allocation.      Our inventory planning and allocation department is responsible for planning future inventory purchases and pricing, as well as targeting overall inventory levels and turnover. We establish target inventories for storefronts within each channel with the goals of optimizing our merchandise assortment and turnover, maintaining adequate depth of merchandise by style and managing closeout and end-of-season merchandise consolidation. Our planning and allocation team continually monitors and responds to consumer demand through utilization of available tools. Our capabilities to perform these tasks were significantly enhanced with the implementation of our new cloud-based allocation tool and related processes in fiscal 2016. The planning and allocation department reports to our Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocation.

Production and Distribution

Our direct supply chain manufactures over 90% of our apparel, predominantly outside of the United States. In fiscal 2017 we continued to focus on the supply chain reducing the number of factories and balance our global footprint, to improve costs, streamline operations, ensure quality and improve speed to market. We maintain the flexibility to add new contractors, if necessary, to fulfill our sourcing needs. No individual vendor/factory represents a material portion of our production. A majority of our merchandise is purchased "full package" as finished product made to our specifications, typically utilizing our designs. Substantially all the merchandise produced outside of the United States is paid for in US dollars.

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Our production personnel work with our supply chain to ensure, compliance with our design specifications and timely delivery of finished goods from concept through to finished product . We use a third-party consulting firm to help monitor working conditions at our contractors' facilities on a gl obal basi s ensuring social compliance standards are followed.

Finished garments from manufacturers and vendors are received at our distribution center in Florence, New Jersey. Garments are inspected and then channeled into our automated storage and retrieval devices, as well as traditional bulk storage. The Florence distribution facility utilizes a fully-integrated equipment and software system capable of servicing all business channels. This integrated system allows for optimum inventory utilization, rapid replenishment and extremely accurate fulfillment of all orders. Retail location replenishment decisions are made based upon target inventories established by our planning and allocation department and individual retail location sales data and were enhanced with the implementation of our new cloud-based allocation tool. Freight is routed through small parcel carriers while utilizing zone-skipping methodologies, which improves cost effectiveness and speed to market.

Since 2003 we have been certified to participate in Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism ("C-TPAT"), a United States Department of Homeland Security sponsored program, with United States Customs and Border Protection ("U.S. Customs"), through which we implement and monitor our procedures to manage the security of our supply chain as part of the effort to protect the United States and our imported products against potential acts of terrorism. Since 2005 we have been certified to participate in the Importer Self-Assessment Program ("ISA"), a U.S. Customs program available only to C-TPAT participants with strong internal controls. Through our participation in the ISA program, we assume responsibility for monitoring our own compliance activities with applicable U.S. Customs regulations in exchange for certain benefits, which may help increase efficiency in importing. These benefits include exemption from certain government audits, increased speed of cargo release from U.S. Customs, front of the line access to U.S. Customs cargo exams, enhanced prior disclosure rights from U.S. Customs in the event of alleged trade violations, availability of voluntary additional compliance guidance from U.S. Customs, and less intrusive government oversight of trade compliance. In 2010 we were granted Tier 3 Status within the C-TPAT program, the highest level of recognition currently available. Our Tier 3 Status was revalidated in January 2018. In 2013 we participated in a revalidation of our C-TPAT process in Vietnam with U.S. Customs.

In 2007 we were accepted to participate in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Drawback Compliance Program. The benefits of this program include 1) waiver of prior notice where we do not have to notify U.S. Customs at the time of export of product to Canada and 2) accelerated payment privileges to receive drawback refunds of United States import duties previously paid within 30 days of filing the claim for refund, with respect to goods we export from the United States that we previously imported into the United States.

Information Technology Systems

Historically, our information technology systems have been developed in-house or highly customized versions of external software with our custom Enterprise Resource Planning ("ERP") system serving as the central brain of most of our systems, including our core merchandising system. Our current ERP system manages our production inventories, documentation, purchase orders and scheduling. In addition, we have an in-house developed Internet-based point-of-sale system that provides daily access to financial and merchandising information in addition to payment processing. This point-of-sale system feeds information back to the ERP for use in our core merchandising tasks.

Although our current systems, including our in-house developed ERP and point of sale systems, are serviceable and adequate to meet our business needs, we continue to move forward with plans for modernization of our technology portfolio. In fiscal 2016 we completed the implementation of a best-in-class tool for inventory allocation. In addition, we have implemented a market leading payment processing solution which greatly improves the security of cardholder data and enables EMV-compliant payment processing in our stores. We also did substantial work in implementing our new web platform and re-launching each of our ecommerce sites,  which went live in the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

Given the importance of our information technology systems, we continue to take extensive measures to ensure their responsiveness and security. Our hardware and communications systems are based on a redundant and multiprocessing architecture, which allows their continued operation on a parallel system in the event that there is a disruption within the primary system. We have two data centers supporting our business functions: one in our corporate headquarters location in Moorestown, New Jersey and the second in our distribution center in Florence, New Jersey. The data centers communicate via diverse broadband connections using multiple service providers. In addition, our software programs and data are backed up and securely stored off-site.

Advertising and Marketing

Our advertising and marketing program serves to strengthen the power of our brands, to drive traffic to our stores, to increase customer loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals, and to support our e-commerce platforms. The key objectives of our marketing strategy are helping every new customer discover our brands and recognize us as the authority in maternity fashion; motivating her to purchase; reaffirming that her decision to shop with us was the right one; and creating a memorable experience that she will share.

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We understand that our customers have a limited window of need, so we target our messaging through a robust customer relationship management (CRM) program that utilizes focused email messaging and traditional direct-mail advertising. In addition, we advert ise on her favorite websites and provide social media content to ensure that our messaging reaches and engages her. On our own e-commerce sites we have additional marketing opportunities through exclusive sales and on-site features that help our customer d iscover the right fashion to fit her style based on her pregnancy stage.

In our stores we use inspirational imagery and informative signage to enhance each customer's shopping experience and to encourage her to buy. Our in-store signage provides visuals of seasonal collections and new styles. Our publicity efforts generate editorial coverage locally and nationally in a variety of media formats for our brands. In addition, our public relations efforts and partnerships with bloggers, celebrities and other third parties expand our reach.

Competition

Our business is highly competitive and characterized by low barriers to entry, especially online. The following are several factors important to competing successfully in the retail apparel industry: ability to anticipate fashion trends and customer preferences; product procurement and pricing; breadth of selection in sizes, colors and styles of merchandise; inventory control; quality of merchandise; store design and location; visual presentation and advertising; customer service; and reputation. We face competition in our maternity apparel lines from various sources, including department stores, specialty retail chains, discount stores, independent retail stores and catalog and Internet-based retailers, from both new and existing competitors. Many of our competitors are larger and have substantially greater financial and other resources than us. Our better and premium-priced merchandise faces a highly fragmented competitive landscape that includes locally based, single unit retailers, as well as a handful of multi-unit maternity operations. In the value-priced maternity apparel business, we currently face competition on a nationwide basis from retailers such as Gap ® , H&M ® , Old Navy ® , Target ® and Wal-Mart ® . Substantially all these competitors also sell maternity apparel on their websites. We also face increasing competition from Internet-based retailers such as ASOS, Pink Blush, Zulily and Hatch.

Employees

As of February 3, 2018, we had approximately 1,100 full-time and 2,600 part-time employees. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our employee relations to be good.

Executive Officers of the Company

The following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our executive officers:

Melissa Payner-Gregor was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer on January 3, 2018.  Ms. Payner-Gregor has served as a director of the Destination Maternity Board since August 2009.  Prior to her appointment Ms. Payner-Gregor was working as a consultant for several retail/e-commerce companies.  She served as an advisor to Bluefly, Inc. in 2015, having previously served as the company's Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to 2012 and as President in 2003.  Prior to joining Bluefly, Ms. Payner-Gregor held senior management positions with prominent retail and consumer products companies, including Chief Executive Officer and President of Spiegel Catalog and President of Chico's FAS.

David Stern has served as our Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer since August 2016. From 2012 to 2016 Mr. Stern served as Executive Vice President – Chief Financial Officer of Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack. Prior to joining Pep Boys, Mr. Stern served as Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of A.C. Moore Arts and Crafts. From 2007 until 2009, Mr. Stern held roles at Coldwater Creek, including Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis and Corporate Controller. From 2000 to 2007 Mr. Stern was the Chief Financial Officer of Petro Services. Mr. Stern began his career as an internal auditor and gained experience as a financial analyst, accounting manager and corporate controller at several companies, including Delhaize America, before joining Petro Services. Mr. Stern is a member of the Board of Directors of Beck Supplies, Inc. and is a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Finance Committee of Camp Ockanickon, a not-for-profit organization. Mr. Stern has earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Wake Forest University, and has earned a Certified Public Accountant designation.

Ronald J. Masciantonio has served as our Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer since November 2012. From November 2012 to August 2013 Mr. Masciantonio also served as our General Counsel. From November 2011 until November 2012 Mr. Masciantonio served as our Executive Vice President & General Counsel, having previously served as our Senior Vice President & General Counsel from April 2010 to November 2011 and, prior to that, as our Vice President & General Counsel from August 2006. In August 2006 Mr. Masciantonio rejoined us, after having previously served as our Assistant General Counsel from February 2004 to May 2005. From May 2005 to August 2006 Mr. Masciantonio was Assistant General Counsel, North America for

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Taylor Nelson Sofres, N.A., a market research company with global headquarters in London, England. Prior to joining us originally in February 2004 Mr. Masciantonio was an Associate at the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from September 2001 to February 2004. Mr. Masciantonio earned a Juris Doctorate legal degree from Temple University School of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Masc iantonio is also Vice Chairman Finance & Treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern Jersey.

Our executive officers are appointed annually by our Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. There are no family relationships among any of our executive officers.

Intellectual Property

We own trademark and service mark rights that we believe are sufficient to conduct our business as currently operated. We own several trademarks, including Destination Maternity Corporation ® , A Pea in the Pod ® , A Pea in the Pod Collection ® , Motherhood ® , Motherhood Maternity ® , Destination Maternity ® , Motherhood Maternity Outlet ® and Secret Fit Belly ® .

Seasonality

Our business, like that of many other retailers, is seasonal. Our quarterly net sales were historically highest in the peak Spring selling season during our third fiscal quarter that previously ended on June 30 of our fiscal years that ended on September 30. Under our 4-5-4 retail fiscal calendar ending on the Saturday nearest January 31 of each year, the peak Spring selling season generally occurs during our first and second fiscal quarters. Given the historically higher sales level in that timeframe and the relatively fixed nature of most of our operating expenses, we have typically generated a very significant percentage of our full year operating income and net income during the calendar months of March through May. Results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year. Quarterly results may fluctuate materially depending upon, among other things, increases or decreases in comparable sales, the timing of new store openings and closings, new leased department openings and closings, net sales and profitability contributed by new stores and leased departments, the timing of the fulfillment of purchase orders under our product and license arrangements, adverse weather conditions, shifts in the timing of certain holidays and promotions, changes in inventory and production levels and the timing of deliveries of inventory, and changes in our merchandise mix.

Securities and Exchange Commission Filings

Our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings are available free of charge on our website, investor.destinationmaternity.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are posted on our website as soon as practicable after we furnish such materials to the SEC.

You should consider carefully all of the information set forth or incorporated by reference in this document, and in particular, the following risk factors associated with our business and forward-looking information in this document (see also "Forward-Looking Statements" included in Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations). The risks described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we do not currently consider significant may also have an adverse effect on us. If any of the risks below actually occur, our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition or stock price could suffer.

Our performance may be affected by general economic conditions and financial difficulties.

Our performance is subject to worldwide economic conditions and their impact on levels of consumer spending. Some of the factors that have, or have had, an impact on discretionary consumer spending include general economic conditions, employment, consumer debt, changes in personal net worth based on changes in securities market price levels, residential real estate and mortgage markets, taxation, healthcare costs, fuel and energy prices, interest rates, credit availability, consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors.

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The worldwide apparel industry is heavily influenced by general economic cycles. Apparel retailing is a cyclical industry that is heavily dependent upon the overall level of consumer spending. Purchases of special ty apparel and related goods tend to be highly correlated with the cycles of the levels of disposable income of consumers. As a result, any substantial deterioration in general economic conditions could materially and adversely affect our net sales and res ults of operations. Downturns, or the expectation of a downturn, in general economic conditions could materially and adversely affect consumer spending patterns, our sales and our results of operations.

Consumer purchases of discretionary items generally decline during recessionary periods and other periods where disposable income is adversely affected. Any downturn in the economy may affect consumer purchases of our merchandise and have an adverse impact on our sales, results of operations and cash flow. Because apparel generally is a discretionary purchase, declines in consumer spending may have a more negative effect on apparel retailers than on other retailers. A decline in consumer spending may negatively affect our profitability.

Future increases in interest rates or other tightening of the credit markets, or future turmoil in the financial markets, could make it more difficult for us to access funds, to refinance our indebtedness (if necessary), to enter into agreements for new indebtedness, or to obtain funding through the issuance of our securities. Any such adverse changes in the credit or financial markets could also impact the ability of our suppliers to access liquidity, or could result in the insolvency of suppliers, which in turn could lead to their failure to deliver our merchandise. Worsening economic conditions could also result in difficulties for financial institutions (including bank failures) and other parties that we may do business with, which could potentially impair our ability to access financing under existing arrangements or to otherwise recover amounts as they become due under our other contractual arrangements. Additionally, either as a result of, or independent of, any financial difficulties and economic weakness in the United States, material fluctuations in currency exchange rates could have a negative impact on our business.

Our sales, comparable sales and quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past and can be expected to continue to fluctuate in the future, and as a result, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate or decline substantially.

Our sales, comparable sales and quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past and can be expected to continue to fluctuate in the future and are affected by a variety of factors, including:

If, at any time, our sales, comparable sales or quarterly results of operations decline or do not meet the expectations of investors, the price of our common stock could decline substantially.

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Our business depends on sustained demand for maternity clothing and is sensitive to birth rates, women's fashion trends, economic conditions and consumer spending.

Our business depends upon sustained demand for maternity clothing. Our future performance will be subject to a number of factors beyond our control, including demographic changes, fashion trends, economic conditions, consumer spending and general health concerns that may impact the number of pregnant women. If demand for maternity clothing were to decline for any reason, such as a decrease in the number of pregnancies, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. For example, according to the United States Census Bureau and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, births declined a total of approximately 8.6% from calendar 2007 to calendar 2016. Although recent statistics suggest that this trend has slowed or reversed, if this trend had continued it could negatively affect our business and results of operations. Additionally, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected if certain non-maternity women's apparel fashions have a more pregnancy-friendly fit. For example, at times, when fashion trends favored, we have been negatively impacted by the popularity of many looser-fitting fashion trends in the non-maternity women's apparel market, such as maxi dresses, baby doll dresses, active bottoms with elastic waists, other soft knit elastic-waist bottoms and shorts, and oversized peasant-style woven tops, all of which can more readily fit a pregnant woman than typical non-maternity fashions, and could thus be purchased in numerous non-maternity retail stores. Downturns, or the expectation of a downturn, in general economic conditions could materially and adversely affect consumer spending patterns, our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the specialty apparel retail business historically has been subject to cyclical variations. Consumer purchases of specialty apparel products, including maternity wear, may decline during recessionary periods and at other times when disposable income is lower. Declines in consumer spending patterns may have a more negative effect on apparel retailers than some other retailers. Therefore, we may not be able to maintain our historical sales and earnings, or remain as profitable, if there is a decline in consumer spending patterns. A prolonged economic downturn could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Our business depends on effective marketing and high customer traffic.

We have many initiatives in our marketing programs particularly with regard to our ecommerce websites, and our social media presence. If our competitors increase their spending on marketing, if our marketing expenses increase, if our marketing becomes less effective than that of our competitors, if search engine algorithms change to our detriment, or if we do not adequately leverage technology and data analytics capabilities needed to generate concise competitive insight, we could experience a material adverse effect on our results of operations. A failure to sufficiently innovate or maintain adequate, effective and efficient marketing strategies could inhibit our ability to maintain brand relevance and drive increased sales.  In addition, U.S. and foreign laws and regulations that make it more difficult or costly to digitally market may impact our ability to maintain brand relevance and drive increased sales.

We depend heavily on locating our stores in successful shopping malls in order to generate customer traffic. Sales at these stores are derived, in part, from the volume of traffic in those malls. We cannot control the development of new shopping malls, the availability or cost of appropriate locations within existing or new shopping malls or the success of existing or new mall stores.

The success of all of our mall stores will depend, in part, on the ability of each mall's anchor tenants, such as large department stores, other tenants and area attractions to generate consumer traffic in the vicinity of our stores, and the popularity of malls as shopping destinations. Our sales volume and mall traffic have been and may in the future be adversely affected by, among other things, economic downturns in a particular area, the closing of anchor tenants, competition from e-commerce retailers, non-mall retailers and other malls where we do not have stores, increases in gasoline prices and the closing or decline in popularity of other stores in the malls in which we are located. Many malls are experiencing significantly lower levels of customer traffic than in the past, driven by overall poor economic conditions as well as the closure of certain mall anchor tenants. An uncertain economic outlook could curtail new shopping mall development, decrease shopping mall traffic, reduce the number of hours that shopping mall operators keep their shopping malls open or force them to cease operations entirely. A continued reduction in mall traffic as a result of these or any other factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our success depends on our ability to identify and respond to fashion trends on a timely basis.

The apparel industry is subject to rapidly changing fashion trends and shifting consumer demands. Accordingly, our success depends on the priority that our target customers place on fashion and our ability to anticipate, identify and capitalize on emerging fashion trends. Our ability or our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately to changes in styles or trends could lead to, among other things, excess inventories and higher markdowns, as well as the decreased appeal of our brands. Particular fashion trends, or an inaccuracy of our forecasts regarding fashion trends, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, at times, when fashion trends favored, we have been negatively impacted by the popularity of many looser-fitting fashion trends in the non-maternity women's apparel market, such as maxi dresses, baby doll dresses, active bottoms with elastic waists, other soft knit elastic-waist bottoms and shorts, and oversized peasant-style woven tops, all of which can more readily fit a pregnant woman than typical non-maternity fashions, and could thus be purchased in numerous non-maternity retail stores.

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Our failure to successfully manage and expand our e-commerce business and its connectivity with our brick-and-mortar stores experience could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The expansion of our ecommerce business is one of our key strategic initiatives, as is furthering the connectivity between our ecommerce and brick-and-mortar stores (including, without limitation, through our fulfill from store and buy-online-pickup-in-store initiatives).  The successful operation of our e-commerce business depends on our ability to maintain the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our online order-taking and our fulfillment operations, and on our ability to provide a shopping experience that will generate orders and return visits to our sites and stores, including by updating our e-commerce platform to stay abreast of changing consumer shopping habits such as the significantly increased use of mobile devices to shop online.  Risks associated with our e-commerce business include:

Problems in any one or more of these areas could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows, and could damage our reputation and brand.

We may not be successful in maintaining and expanding our business.

Any future growth depends significantly on:

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This growth, if it occurs, will place increased demands on our management, operational and administrative resources. These increased demands and operati ng complexities could cause us to operate our business less effectively, which, in turn, could cause a deterioration in our financial performance and negatively impact our growth. Any planned growth will also require that we continually monitor and upgrade our management information and other systems, as well as our procurement and distribution infrastructure.

Our ability to establish and operate new stores and our leased department relationships successfully depends on many factors, including, among others, our ability to:

The success and profitability of our e-commerce business depends on many factors, including, those identified previously above as well as, our ability to:

There can be no assurance that we will be able to grow our business and achieve our goals. For example, as part of Macy's previously announced closure of approximately 100 stores, early in fiscal 2017 Macy's completed closure of 68 stores, which included 59 locations where we had a leased department within the store. Even if we succeed in establishing new stores, further developing our leased department relationships, and further expanding our wholesale relationships, we cannot assure that these initiatives will achieve planned revenue or profitability levels in the time periods estimated by us, or at all. If any of these initiatives fails to achieve or is unable to sustain acceptable revenue and profitability levels, we may incur significant costs.

Our Share price may be volatile and could decline substantially.

The market price of our common stock has been, and is expected to continue to be, volatile, both because of actual and perceived changes in our financial results and prospects, and because of general volatility in the stock market. The factors that could cause fluctuations in our share price may include, among other factors discussed in this section, the following:

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In addition, the stock markets have experienced significant price and trading volume fluctuations from time to time, and the market prices of the equity securities of retailers have been extremely volatile and are sometimes subject to sharp price and trading volume changes. These broad market fluctuations may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Changes to federal, state or provincial income tax legislation could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations

From time to time, new tax legislation is adopted by the federal government and various states or other regulatory bodies. Significant changes in tax legislation could adversely affect our business or results of operations in a material way. On December 22, 2018, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "TCJA"). The changes included in the TCJA are broad and complex. The final transition impacts of the TCJA may differ from the estimates provided elsewhere in this report, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations of the TCJA, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the TCJA, any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the TCJA, or any updates or changes to estimates we have utilized to calculate the transition impacts, including impacts from changes to current year earnings estimates. As these and other tax laws and related regulations change, our financial results could be materially impacted. Give the unpredictability of possible changes and their potential interdependency, it is very difficult to assess whether the overall effect of such potential tax changes would be cumulatively positive or negative for our earnings and cash flow, but such changes could adversely impact our financial results.

Changes in accounting standards could significantly affect our results of operations and the presentation of those results.

Changes in accounting standards, including new interpretations and applications of accounting standards, may have adverse effects on our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity. The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") have issued and/or adopted new pronouncements that proposes numerous significant changes to current accounting standards. These new standards could significantly change the presentation of financial information and our results of operations. Additionally, the new standards may require us to make systems and other changes that increase our operating costs. Specifically, implementing the new accounting standards related to leases could require us to make significant changes to our lease management system or other accounting systems.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely impacted at any time by a significant number of competitors.

We operate in a highly competitive environment characterized by few barriers to entry. We compete against department stores, specialty retail chains, discount stores, independent retail stores and catalog and Internet-based retailers. Many of our competitors are larger and have substantially greater financial and other resources than us. Further, we do not typically advertise using television and radio media and thus do not reach customers through means our competitors may use. Our mid- and premium-priced merchandise faces a highly fragmented competitive landscape that includes locally-based, single-unit retailers, as well as a handful of multi-unit maternity operations. In the value-priced maternity apparel business, we face competition on a nationwide basis from retailers such as Gap, H&M, Old Navy, Target and Wal-Mart. Substantially all of these competitors also sell maternity apparel on their websites. We also face increasing competition from Internet-based retailers such as ASOS, Pink Blush, Zulily and Hatch, as well as various competitors who sell through marketplace sites.  Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected by this competition, including the potential for increased competition in the future. For example, the maternity apparel business has previously experienced oversupply conditions due to increased competition, which resulted in a greater level of industry-wide markdowns and markdowns recognized by us on sales from our retail locations. There can be no assurance that these conditions will not occur again or worsen.

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Our relationships with third-party retailers may not be successful.

We cannot guarantee successful results from or the continuation of our leased department relationships with third-party retailers such as Macy's, buybuy BABY and Boscov's or any of our wholesale relationships. Under our agreements with our retail partners, those partners do not make any promises or representations as to the potential amount of business we can expect from the sale of our product through their distribution points. The success of our business third-party retailers is highly dependent on the actions and decisions of such third-party retailers, which are outside of our control. The retailers could limit the merchandise carried, close stores, go out of business or terminate their agreements with us. Our failure to properly manage our third-party retailer business (including any failure by us in timely delivering goods to any third-party retailer or any failure to respond to the actions of, or changes in, business conditions at third-party retailers) would have a direct impact on the profitability and continuation of these relationships.

Our relationships with third-party retailers may be terminated at any time.

We cannot guarantee the continuation of our relationships with third-party retailers.   Such retailers can discontinue our products at any time and offer a competitor's maternity apparel products, or none at all. The contractual commitments of our retailer customers are not long-term in nature. Continued positive relations with a retailer depend upon various factors, including price, customer service, consumer demand and competition. Certain of our third-party retailer partners have multiple vendor policies and may seek to offer a competitor's products or services at new or existing locations. If any significant retailer materially reduces, terminates or is unwilling to expand its relationship with us, or requires price reductions or other adverse modifications in our selling terms, our sales would suffer.

Additionally, most major retailers continually evaluate and often modify their in-store retail strategies, including product placement, store set-up and design, promotions and demographic targets. Our business could suffer significant setbacks in net sales and operating income if one or more of our major retail customers modified its current retail strategy resulting in a termination or reduction of its business relationship with us, a reduction in store penetration or an unfavorable product placement within such retailer's stores, any or all of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We may not be successful in maintaining and expanding our marketing partnership programs.

We cannot guarantee successful results from the continuation of, or the expansion of, our marketing partnership programs which utilize our opt-in customer database and various in-store marketing initiatives. The success of our marketing partnership programs is highly dependent on the actions and decisions of the third-party consumer products companies to whom we provide these services. Should these third-party consumer products companies decide to limit the services provided by us, go out of business or terminate their agreements with us, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Further, there is no guarantee that we will be able to expand this part of our business through agreements with new third parties. In addition, our ability to provide the services is highly dependent on our successful collection of opt-in customer data (which is a direct result of customer traffic to our stores and, to a lesser extent, our websites) as well as applicable law relating to the collection and transfer of the personally identifiable information of our customers. A failure on our part to collect adequate amounts of customer data or any change in state, local or federal law which further restricts our ability to collect this information could cause us to terminate or limit the services we can provide to the third-party consumer products companies and would ultimately adversely affect our revenue from these relationships. Further, although we believe there may be an opportunity to more actively market our full customer database to a much broader range of consumer products and services companies that market to families with children, we cannot guarantee that these efforts will be successful.

We require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations and future growth.

Our ability to fund our operations and future growth, depends upon our ability to generate cash. Our success in generating cash depends upon the results of our operations and the amount of cash we use in investing activities, as well as upon general economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control.

An inability to generate sufficient cash could have important consequences. For example, it could:

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If we do not comply with the terms of our existing debt agreements, and such debt agreements cannot be amended or replaced with new indebtedness, we may be in default of our obligations under such debt agreements.

Our existing debt agreements (including our credit facility and our term loan agreement) contain a number of affirmative and negative covenants and representations and warranties. We have, in the past, been required to seek waivers of compliance with, or amendments of, certain of the financial covenants in the debt agreements, and we may be required to seek such waivers or amendments in the future. Our ability to meet these financial covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, and there can be no assurance that the lenders will grant any required waivers under, or amendments to, the debt agreements if for any reason we are unable to meet the requirements of such covenants.

If we fail to comply with covenants, representations or warranties under our debt agreements and do not either receive a waiver or amendment from our lenders or refinance the indebtedness subject to such agreements, such failure could trigger a default under our debt agreements. If we default, the lenders under those debt agreements could declare all borrowings owed to them, including accrued interest and other fees, to be due and payable, which declaration could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Our $25.0 million term loan bears interest at a variable rate equal to a LIBOR rate plus 9.00%. Borrowings under our $50.0 million revolving credit facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to, at our election, either the lender's base rate plus 0.50%, or a LIBOR rate plus 1.50%. Additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility, which could significantly increase in the future, would bear interest at a variable rate. We have exposure for the variable interest rate indebtedness under these debt instruments and, as a result, an increase in interest rates could result in a substantial increase in interest expense, especially if borrowings under our revolving credit facility increase.

The terms of our debt instruments impose financial and operating restrictions.

Our term loan and credit facility agreements each contain restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. These covenants limit or restrict, among other things, our ability to:

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These limitations and restrictions may materia lly and adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs or engage in other business activities that may be in our best interests. In addition, our ability to borrow under the credit facility is subject to the borrowing base r equirements of both our term loan and our credit facility agreements. If we breach any of the covenants under our term loan and credit facility agreements, we may be in default under either or both of these agreements. If we default, the lenders under our term loan agreement and the lender under our credit facility agreement could declare all borrowings owed to them, including accrued interest and other fees, to be due and payable. Moreover, our term loan and credit facility agreements provide the lenders c onsiderable discretion to impose reserves or availability blocks, which could materially impair the amount of borrowings that would otherwise be available to us. There can be no assurance that the lenders under the term loan and credit facility agreements will not impose such actions during the term of the debt facility and further, were they to do so, the resulting impact of this action could materially and adversely impair our liquidity.

We depend on our senior leadership team and may not be able to retain or replace these employees or recruit additional qualified personnel, which would harm our business.

Our business and success is materially dependent on attracting and retaining members of our senior leadership team to formulate and execute the Company's strategic and business plans.  In particular, although we currently have a director serving as our interim Chief Executive Officer, we are currently without a permanent Chief Executive Officer.  The failure to recruit and hire a new Chief Executive Officer in a timely manner, or the loss of the services of any of our other senior executives, particularly during this transitionary period, could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.  Leadership changes can be inherently difficult to manage and may cause material disruption to our business or management team.  Changes in senior management could lead to an environment that lacks inspiration and/or a lack of commitment by our employees, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.  

Our operations in international markets, and our earnings in those markets, may be affected by legal, regulatory, political and economic risks.

We design and contract the manufacture of over 90% of the merchandise we sell using factories located throughout the world, predominantly outside of the United States. As a result, our business is subject to risks associated with international operations. These risks include the burdens of complying with foreign laws and regulations, unexpected changes in tariffs, taxes or regulatory requirements, and political unrest and corruption.

Regulatory changes could limit the countries in which we sell, produce or source our products or significantly increase the cost of operating in or obtaining materials originating from certain countries. Restrictions imposed by such changes can have a particular impact on our business when, after we have moved our operations to a particular location, new unfavorable regulations are enacted in that area or favorable regulations currently in effect are changed.

Countries in which our products are manufactured or sold may from time to time impose additional new regulations, or modify existing regulations, including:

In addition, political and economic changes or volatility, geopolitical regional conflicts, terrorist activity, political unrest, civil strife, acts of war, public corruption and other economic or political uncertainties could interrupt and negatively affect our business operations. All of these factors could result in increased costs or decreased revenues and could materially and adversely affect our product sales, financial condition and results of operations.

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Recently, political discourse in the United States has increasingly focused on ways to discourage United States corporations from outsourcing manufacturing and production activit ies to foreign jurisdictions. Tax proposals may include changes, which could, if implemented, have an adverse impact on us, or new import tariffs, which could adversely affect us because we sell products that are principally manufactured outside the United States. It has also been suggested that the United States may materially modify or withdraw from some of its existing trade agreements. Any of these actions, if ultimately enacted, could adversely affect our results of operations or profitability. Further , our image, the reputation of our brands and our stock price may be adversely affected if we are publicly singled out for criticism by government officials as a result of our foreign operations.

We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, in addition to the anti-corruption laws of the foreign countries in which we operate. Although we implement policies and procedures designed to promote compliance with these laws, our employees, contractors and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, may take actions in violation of our policies. Any such violation could result in sanctions or other penalties and have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and operating results.

We may not actually collect the incentive package benefits offered to us in connection with the relocations of our headquarters and distribution facility.

In fiscal 2015 we completed the relocation of our corporate headquarters and distribution operations from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to southern New Jersey. To help us offset the costs of these relocations, the Board of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved us for an incentive package of $40 million in benefits, over a 10-year period, from the State of New Jersey under the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program. In order to receive the benefits of the incentive package we need to meet certain levels of annual jobs and other requirements. If we do not meet these job levels or other requirements on an annual basis, we will not receive some or all of the benefits. Our inability to receive these benefits could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We are heavily dependent on our information technology systems and our ability to effectively maintain and upgrade these systems from time to time. Upgrades to our inventory planning and allocation systems and e-commerce platform may not be successful.

Historically, the operation of our vertically-integrated business model relied heavily on our internally-developed information technology systems ("IT Systems"). In particular, we have relied on point-of-sale terminals, which provide information to our core merchandise system used to track sales and inventory, and on our Internet websites through which we sell merchandise to our customers. In order to ensure that our systems are adequate to handle our anticipated business growth and are upgraded as necessary to effectively manage our store inventory and our e-commerce operations, we decided to augment our internal IT Systems with best-in-class third party solutions. In fiscal 2016 we completed the implementation of a best-in-class tool for inventory allocation. In the first quarter of fiscal 2017 we re-platformed our historically internally-managed e-commerce website to a leading third-party digital commerce solution provider, to be integrated with a third-party e-commerce order management system. The cost of these system upgrades and enhancements was significant. There can be no assurance that our investment in these new systems will be successful or that the transition to these new systems will not result in disruptions to our business. If these systems are not successful or if we suffer any such disruptions, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We have two data centers supporting our business functions: one in our corporate headquarters location in Moorestown, New Jersey and the second in our distribution center in Florence, New Jersey. Although our software programs and data are backed up and securely stored off-site, our servers and computer systems, and our operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from:

Any disruption in the operation of our IT Systems, the loss of employees knowledgeable about such systems or our failure to continue to effectively modify such systems could interrupt our operations or interfere with our ability to monitor inventory, which could result in reduced net sales and affect our operations and financial performance. Our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if our servers and systems were inoperable, inaccessible, or inadequate. In addition, any interruption in the operation of our Internet websites could cause us to lose sales due to the inability of customers to purchase merchandise from us through our websites during such interruption.

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From time to time, we improve and upgrade our IT Systems and the functionality of our Internet websites. For example, we completed the implementation of a new planning and allocation tool and w e re-platformed our retail websites from a customized in-house system to a SaaS platform. If we are unable to maintain and upgrade our systems, to integrate new and updated systems, or to successfully re-platform our Internet websites in an efficient and t imely manner, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Failure to improve and adapt our inventory management practices to evolving business needs could adversely affect our business.

We design and contract the manufacture of over 90% of the merchandise we sell using factories located throughout the world, predominantly outside of the United States. Fluctuations in the maternity apparel retail market impact the levels of inventory we hold, as merchandise is typically ordered from our contract manufacturers well in advance of the applicable selling season and frequently before fashion trends are confirmed by customer purchases. In addition, the nature of the retail maternity apparel business requires us to carry a significant amount of inventory. As a result, we are vulnerable to demand and pricing shifts and to suboptimal selection and timing of merchandise purchases. In the past, we have not always predicted our customers' preferences and acceptance levels of our merchandise with accuracy. If sales do not meet expectations, too much inventory may cause excessive markdowns and, therefore, lower than planned margins.

Our current strategic initiatives (which include further expansion of our ecommerce business, increasing the connectivity between our ecommerce business and our brick-and-mortar stores, and our expansion of our wholesale business) further emphasize the importance of increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of our supply chain. These initiatives will challenge our systems and operational approach. If we are unable to adopt our supply chain to meet the demands of these initiatives successfully our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

As an apparel retailer, we rely on numerous third parties in the supply chain to produce and deliver the products that we sell, and our business may be negatively impacted by disruptions in the supply chain.

If we lose the services of one or more of our significant suppliers or one or more of them fail to meet our product needs, we may be unable to obtain replacement merchandise in a timely manner. If our existing suppliers cannot meet our increased needs and we cannot locate alternative supply sources, we may be unable to obtain sufficient quantities of the most popular items at attractive prices, which could negatively impact our sales and results of operations. We obtain apparel and other merchandise from foreign sources, both purchased directly in foreign markets and indirectly through domestic vendors with foreign sources. To the extent that any of our vendors are located overseas or rely on overseas sources for a large portion of their products, any event causing a disruption of imports, including the imposition of import restrictions, could harm our ability to source product. This disruption could materially limit the merchandise that we would have available for sale and reduce our sales and earnings. The flow of merchandise from our vendors could also be materially and adversely affected by financial or political instability, or war, in or affecting any of the countries in which the goods we purchase are manufactured or through which they flow. Trade restrictions in the form of tariffs or quotas, embargoes and customs restrictions that are applicable to the products that we sell also could affect the import of those products and could increase the cost and reduce the supply of products available to us. Any material increase in tariff levels, or any material decrease in quota levels or available quota allocation, could negatively impact our business. Further, changes in tariffs or quotas for merchandise imported from individual foreign countries could lead us to shift our sources of supply among various countries. Any such shift we undertake in the future could result in a disruption of our sources of supply and/or an increase in product costs, and lead to a reduction in our sales and earnings. Supply chain security initiatives undertaken by the United States government that impede the normal flow of product could also negatively impact our business. In addition, decreases in the value of the United States dollar against foreign currencies could increase the cost of products that we purchase from overseas vendors.

We also face a variety of other risks generally associated with relying on vendors that do business in foreign markets and import merchandise from abroad, such as:

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The United States may impose new initiatives that adversely affect the trading status of countries where apparel is manufactured. These initiatives may include retaliatory duties or other trade sanctions that, if enacted, would increase the cost of products imported from countries where our vendors acquire merchandise. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business and resul ts of operations.

We could be materially and adversely affected if our distribution operations are disrupted.

To support our distribution of product throughout the world, we currently operate a distribution facility in Florence, New Jersey. Finished garments from contractors and other manufacturers are inspected and stored in our distribution facility. We do not have other distribution facilities to support our distribution needs. If our distribution facility were to shut down or otherwise become inoperable or inaccessible for any reason (such as due to natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy, which affected our region in early fiscal 2013), we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with the distribution of our products to our stores and to our third-party retailers during the time it takes to reopen or replace this facility. In light of our strategic emphasis on rapid replenishment as a competitive strength, a distribution disruption might have a disproportionately adverse effect on our operations and profitability relative to other retailers. In addition, the loss or material disruption of service from any of our shippers for any reason, whether due to freight difficulties, strikes, natural disaster or other difficulties at our principal transport providers or otherwise, could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

We could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to obtain sufficient raw materials or maintain satisfactory manufacturing arrangements.

We do not own any manufacturing facilities and therefore depend on third parties to manufacture our products. We place our orders for production of merchandise and raw materials by purchase order and do not have any long-term contracts with any manufacturer or supplier. We compete with many other companies, many of which are larger and have substantially greater financial and other resources than us, for production facilities and raw materials. Furthermore, we have received in the past, and may receive in the future, shipments of products from manufacturers that fail to conform to our quality control standards or environmental standards. In such event, unless we are able to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we may lose sales. We have no ability to control the environmental compliance (including compliance with climate change requirements) of these third-party manufacturers. If we fail to maintain favorable relationships with these third parties, or if we cannot obtain an adequate supply of quality raw materials on commercially reasonable terms, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Fluctuations in commodity prices could result in an increase in component costs, delivery costs and overall product costs.

The results of our business operations could suffer due to significant increases or volatility in the prices of certain commodities, including but not limited to cotton, wool and other ingredients used in the production of fabric and accessories, as well as fuel, oil and natural gas. In addition, increases in the price of food and food commodities may result in increased labor rates related to textile and apparel production. Increases in prices of these commodities or other inflationary pressures may result in significant cost increases for our raw materials, product components and finished products, as well as increases in the cost of distributing merchandise to our retail locations and shipping products to our customers. For example, in the latter part of fiscal 2011 and for most of fiscal 2012, we experienced product cost of sales increases due, in part, to the increased cost of cotton as well as, to a lesser extent, increased labor rates in certain production countries. To the extent we are unable to offset any such increased costs through value engineering and similar initiatives, or through price increases, our profitability, cash flows and financial condition may be materially and adversely impacted. If we choose to increase prices to offset the increased costs, our unit sales volumes could be adversely impacted.

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Our quarterly operating results and inventory levels may fluctuate significantly as a result of seasonality in our business.

Our business, like that of other retailers, is seasonal. Results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for a full fiscal year. Quarterly results may fluctuate materially depending upon, among other things, increases or decreases in comparable sales, the timing of new retail location openings, the timing of retail location closings, net sales and profitability contributed by new retail locations, the timing of the fulfillment of purchase orders under our product, license brand and international business arrangements, adverse weather conditions, shifts in the timing of certain holidays and promotions, changes in inventory and production levels and the timing of deliveries of inventory, and changes in our merchandise mix. Our quarterly net sales were historically highest in the peak Spring selling season during our third fiscal quarter that previously ended on June 30 of our fiscal years that ended on September 30. Under our new 4-5-4 retail fiscal calendar ending on the Saturday nearest January 31, of each year, the peak Spring selling season will generally occur during our new first and second fiscal quarters. Given the historically higher sales level in that timeframe and the relatively fixed nature of most of our operating expenses, we have typically generated a very significant percentage of our full year operating income and net income during the calendar months of March through May. Thus, any factors which result in a material reduction of our sales during the first and second fiscal quarters could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations for our fiscal year as a whole. Seasonal fluctuations in sales also affect our inventory levels, as we usually order merchandise in advance of peak selling periods and sometimes before new fashion trends are confirmed by customer purchases. We must carry a significant amount of inventory, especially before the peak Spring selling season. If we are not successful in selling our inventory during this period, we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to sell the excess inventory or we may not be able to sell the inventory at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in regulatory and statutory laws, such as increases in the minimum wage, proposed changes to overtime requirements, and new health care laws, and the costs of compliance and non-compliance with such laws, may result in increased costs to our business.

Labor is a primary component in the cost of operating our business.  Increased labor costs, whether due to competition, unionization, increased minimum wage, overtime requirements, state unemployment rates, employee benefits costs, employment taxes, or otherwise, may adversely impact our operating expenses. A considerable amount of our store team members are paid at rates related to the federal or state minimum wage and any changes to the minimum wage rate may increase our operating expenses.  A number of states and cities in which we do business have recently increased or are considering increasing the minimum wage, with increases generally phased over several years depending upon the size of the employer. We are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs such matters as minimum wages, overtime and other working conditions, along with the ADA, family leave mandates and a variety of other laws enacted by the states that govern these and other employment law matters. The Department of Labor is also proposing changes to the technical requirements for classification of employees deemed to be exempt from the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act that could increase the number of employees eligible to receive overtime pay. Increases in minimum wages and overtime pay could significantly increase our costs, and our ability to offset these increases through price increases is limited. Changes in labor laws could also increase the likelihood of some or all of our employees being subjected to greater organized labor influence. If a significant portion of our employees were to become unionized, it could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "ACA") requires employers such as us to provide health insurance for all qualifying employees or pay penalties for not providing coverage. These costs were incurred beginning in fiscal 2016; however, there is no assurance that we will be able to absorb and/or pass through the costs of future heath care legislation in a manner that will not adversely impact our results or operations. Additionally, there are ongoing efforts to modify or eliminate the ACA. It is unknown what form any such modifications or any law proposed to replace the ACA would take, and how or whether it may affect our business in the future.

In addition to employment laws, we are also subject to a wide range of federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations, including those affecting public companies, product manufacture and sale, and employment matters in the jurisdictions in which we operate, as well as foreign laws and regulations governing our franchisor-franchisee relationships. Compliance with new, complex and changing laws may cause our expenses to increase. In addition, any non-compliance with laws or regulations could result in penalties, fines, product recalls and enforcement actions or otherwise restrict our ability to market certain products or attract or retain employees, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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If an independent contract manufacturer violates labor or other laws, or is accused of violating any such laws, or if their labor practices diverge from those generally accepted as ethical, it could harm our business and brand image.

While we maintain policies and guidelines with respect to labor practices that independent manufacturers that produce goods for us are contractually required to follow, and while we have an independent firm and Company employees inspect certain manufacturing sites to monitor compliance, we cannot control the actions of such manufacturers or the public's perceptions of them, nor can we assure that these manufacturers will conduct their businesses using ethical or legal labor practices. Apparel companies can be held jointly liable for the wrongdoings of the manufacturers of their products. While many of our independent manufacturers are routinely monitored by buying representatives, who assist us in the areas of compliance, garment quality and delivery, we do not control the manufacturers' business practices or their employees' employment conditions, and manufacturers act in their own interest which may be in a manner that results in negative public perceptions of us, and/or employee allegations against us, or court determinations that we are jointly liable. Violations of law by our importers, buying agents, independent manufacturers or distributors could result in delays in shipments and receipt of goods and could subject us to fines or other penalties, any of which could restrict our business activities, increase our operating expenses or cause our sales to decline.

We may be unable to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property and may be subject to liability if we are alleged to have infringed on another party's intellectual property.

We believe that our trademarks, service marks and other intellectual property are important to our continued success and our competitive position due to their recognition with our customers. We devote substantial resources to the establishment and protection of our trademarks, service marks and other intellectual property. Although we actively protect our intellectual property, there can be no assurance that the actions that we have taken to establish and protect our trademarks, service marks and other intellectual property, including our rights in our IT Systems and our proprietary rights in products for which we have applied for or received patent protection will be adequate to prevent imitation of our marks, products or services by others or to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as a violation of their trademarks, service marks or other proprietary rights. Also, others may assert rights in, or ownership of, our trademarks and other proprietary rights or may allege that we have or are infringing on their intellectual property rights and we may not be able to successfully resolve these types of conflicts. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries may not protect our trademarks and proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. We cannot assure that these registrations will prevent imitation of our name, merchandising concept, store design or private label merchandise, or the infringement of our other intellectual property rights by others. Imitation of our name, merchandising concept, store design or private label merchandise in a manner that projects lesser quality or carries a negative connotation of our brand image could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, the high expense in both prosecuting and defending against, and potential liability related to, alleged infringements of intellectual property rights could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A cybersecurity incident could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

A cyber-attack may bypass the security for our IT Systems causing an IT System security breach and lead to a material disruption of our IT Systems and/or the loss of business information and/or Internet sales. Such a cyber-attack could result in any of the following:

As a result, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

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If climate change laws or regulations were to become applicable to our business, or if any third party with whom we have a leased departmen t or international business relationship imposed reporting or other obligations on us due to their own compliance programs, we could incur additional expense to meet the requirements and our failure to comply could have a material adverse effect on our bus iness.

With respect to manufacturing within the United States, United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") greenhouse gas ("GHG") emission reporting rules require certain United States manufacturers to report GHG emissions. These rules are unlikely to require reporting of our third-party contract apparel manufacturers because the amount of emissions from retail stores and apparel manufacturing facilities are currently estimated to be below the EPA reporting threshold. With respect to manufacturing outside of the United States, international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Copenhagen Protocol, do not currently require the countries in which our non-United States contract apparel manufacturers are located to control GHG emissions and it is unlikely that climate change requirements in the foreseeable future will require significant GHG emission reductions on our non-United States contract apparel manufacturers. Our manufacturers are required to follow all applicable laws, including climate change laws. If domestic or international laws or regulations were expanded to require GHG emission reporting or reduction by us or our third-party contract apparel manufacturers, or if we engage third-party contract manufacturers in countries that have existing GHG emission reporting or reduction laws or regulations, we would need to expend financial and other resources to comply with such regulations and/or monitor our third-party contract apparel manufacturers' compliance with such regulations. In addition, we cannot control the actions of our third-party manufacturers or the public's perceptions of them, nor can we assure that these manufacturers will conduct their businesses using climate change proactive or sustainable practices. Violations of climate change laws or regulations by third parties with whom we do business could result in negative public perception of us and/or delays in shipments and receipt of goods, and could subject us to fines or other penalties, any of which could restrict our business activities, increase our operating expenses or cause our sales to decline.

Some retailers have adopted "sustainability" or other policies that encourage or require suppliers to report and/or reduce GHG emissions. No third party with whom we have a leased department, licensed brand or international franchise relationship currently requires us to report GHG emissions to them. However, we expect that certain of these third parties may do so in the future, which would require us to expend financial and other resources to comply with such requirements. In addition, if such requirements are imposed on us, our relationship with such third parties could be damaged if we were unable to comply.

War, acts of terrorism or other types of mall violence or the threat of any such hostilities may negatively impact availability of merchandise and otherwise adversely impact our business.

Most of our stores are located in shopping malls. Any threat of terrorist attacks or actual terrorist events, or other types of mall violence, such as shootings in malls, particularly in public areas, could lead to lower customer traffic in shopping malls. In addition, our ability to obtain merchandise available for sale and consumer demand for our merchandise may be negatively affected. Local authorities or mall management could close shopping malls in response to security concerns. Mall closures, as well as lower customer traffic due to security concerns, could result in decreased sales. Additionally, the armed conflicts and civil unrest in the Middle East, or the threat, escalation or commencement of war or other armed conflict elsewhere, could significantly diminish consumer spending, and result in decreased sales for us. Decreased sales could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A substantial portion of our merchandise is imported from other countries. In addition, we not only generate sales in the United States and Canada through our own retail locations, but also in foreign countries through our leased department or international franchise relationships. If goods become difficult or impossible to import into the United States, and if we cannot obtain such merchandise from other sources at similar costs, our sales and profit margins may be materially and adversely affected. Further, if consumer demand in any country where we do business is negatively affected, our sales in such country would suffer. In the event that commercial transportation is curtailed or substantially delayed, our business may be materially and adversely impacted, as we may have difficulty shipping merchandise to our main distribution facility, retail locations, and international business partners, as well as fulfilling Internet orders.

Our charter documents contain certain anti-takeover provisions, and we are entitled to certain other protective provisions under Delaware law.

We are a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire control of the Company, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition involving us that our stockholders may consider favorable by, among other things:

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These provisions may also reduce the market value of our common stock.

We have been and may continue to be the subject of actions taken by so-called "activist" stockholders, which may cause us to incur substantial costs which could harm our business and which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We have been and may continue to be the subject of actions taken by so-called "activist" stockholders. Future actions may include, but are not limited to, making public demands that we consider certain strategic alternatives for the Company, engaging in public campaigns to attempt to influence our corporate governance and/or our management, and commencing proxy contests to attempt to elect the activists' representatives or others to our Board of Directors. Responding to actions by activist stockholders can be costly and time-consuming, disrupting our operations and diverting the attention of management and our employees. Such actions may materially harm our relationships with current and potential customers, current and potential stockholders, current and potential lenders, and others, may otherwise materially harm our business, and may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. In addition, the perceived uncertainties as to our future direction also could affect the market price and volatility of our securities.

The increase in our sales and marketing efforts that target markets outside the United States and Canada expose us to additional risks associated with international operations.

Although an immaterial amount of our sales are currently derived from international sales outside of Canada, we have franchise arrangements in the Middle East, South Korea, Mexico, Israel and India. International operations and sales subject us to risks and challenges that we would otherwise not face if we conducted our business only in the United States. For example, we may depend on third parties to market our products through foreign sales channels, and we may be challenged by laws and business practices favoring local competitors. In addition, our ability to succeed in foreign markets will depend on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We must also adapt our pricing structure to address different pricing environments and may face difficulty in enforcing revenue collection internationally. To the extent emerging markets are a part of our international growth strategy, the developing nature of these markets presents a number of risks. Deterioration of social, political, labor or economic conditions in a specific country or region and difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations may also materially and adversely affect our operations or financial results or those of our franchisees. Operations outside the United States may be affected by changes in trade protection laws, policies and measures, and other regulatory requirements affecting trade and investment, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments. To the extent we achieve significant sales outside of the United States in the future, we may have significant exposure to fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates.

Although our initial international strategy has consisted primarily of franchising, licensing or similar arrangements with foreign partners, for certain markets we may consider direct investment in international operations, such as by entering into joint ventures or developing our own operations in certain countries.  This approach will expose us to the risks identified above with respect to franchising as well as to the risk of loss of our direct investment (such as, for example, loss on investments made through capital contributions in a joint venture, and/or in connection with capital expenditures to develop our own operations in certain countries).  Further, the risk of direct investment in a joint venture in which we are a minority owner presents the unique risk of having a significant investment in a business that is controlled by, and effectively operated by, an unrelated third party.

We could have failures in our system of internal controls causing us to inaccurately report our financial results or to fail to prevent fraud.

We maintain a documented system of internal controls which is reviewed and monitored by management, who meet regularly with our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. We believe we have a well-designed system to maintain adequate internal controls over the business. We cannot assure you that there will not be any control deficiencies in the future. Should we become aware of any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses, we would report them to the Audit Committee and recommend prompt remediation. We devote significant resources to document, test, monitor and improve our internal controls and will continue to do so; however, we cannot be certain that these measures will ensure that our controls are adequate in the future or that adequate controls will be effective in preventing fraud. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. Any failures in the effectiveness of our internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or operating results or cause us to fail to meet reporting obligations.

Not applicable.

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In 2013 we entered into a Lease Agreement ("HQ Lease") to lease a 74,000 square foot Class A office building located  Moorestown, New Jersey. After completion of renovations, we moved into this facility in 2015 and it now serves as our corporate headquarters. The HQ Lease had an initial term of eleven years with an option to extend for an additional ten years at the expiration of the initial term.  In fiscal 2017 this lease was amended to extend the expiration date to December 2023.

In 2013 we entered into a Single-Tenant Industrial Lease ("DC Lease") to lease a new 406,000 square foot build-to-suit building located in Florence, New Jersey. After completion of building construction and the installation and testing of our fully-integrated material handling equipment and software system, in 2015 we completed the move into our distribution center. The DC Lease has a term of 15 years. In addition, we have three option periods, each for five years, to extend the DC Lease for a total of an additional 15 years after the expiration of the initial term. We believe that our facilities will be adequate to support our anticipated distribution needs. In the event we need additional space to meet our future distribution needs, we believe that such space would be readily available.

Previously our principal executive offices and distribution facility were located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To help us offset the costs of our relocations, the Board of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority ("NJEDA") approved us for an incentive package of up to $40 million in benefits, over a 10-year period, from the State of New Jersey under the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program ("Grow NJ").

Our facilities are subject to state and local regulations that range from building codes to health and safety regulations.

We lease our store premises for initial terms averaging from five to ten years. Certain leases allow us to terminate or reduce our obligations at specified points in time in the event that the applicable store does not achieve a specified sales volume. Some of our store leases also provide for contingent payments based on sales volume, escalations of the base rent, as well as increases in operating costs, marketing costs and real estate taxes.

As of February 3, 2018, the following numbers of store leases are set to expire during our future fiscal years ending on the Saturday nearest January 31 of each year, as listed in the table below. We do not expect the expiration of any leases to have a material adverse impact on our business or operations.

In addition to the stores we operate, we have arrangements with department and specialty stores, including Macy's, buybuy BABY and Boscov's to operate maternity apparel departments in their stores. These leased departments typically involve the retail partner collecting all of the revenue from the leased department. The revenue is remitted to us, less a fixed percentage of the net sales earned by the retail partner as stipulated in the agreement. We provide at least some amount of staffing for each of the leased departments, with the amount varying depending on the specific arrangement. Generally, under each of our leased department agreements, our retail partner has the right to terminate any or all of our rights to operate our leased departments in their stores subject to varying notice requirements.

From time to time, we are named as a defendant in legal actions arising from our normal business activities. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and although the amount of any liability that could arise with respect to currently pending actions cannot be accurately predicted, we do not believe that the resolution of any pending action will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

Not applicable.

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PART  II

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "DEST." The following table sets forth for the periods indicated below the reported high and low sales prices of our common stock, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and the per share amount of cash dividends paid on our common stock:

As of April 11, 2017, there were 1,107 holders of record and 2,296 estimated beneficial holders of our common stock.

Our Term Loan Agreement, originally entered into in March 2016 and subsequently amended, prohibits the payment of dividends through February 1, 2021.  Accordingly, no cash dividends were paid by the Company during fiscal 2016 or fiscal 2017. We intend to retain all future earnings to finance the growth of our business, and do not, therefore, anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.  Future cash dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors and will be based upon our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, debt covenants and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

Under our Amended and Restated 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2005 Plan") awards may be granted in the form of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units or deferred stock units. Up to 3,550,000 shares of our common stock may be issued in respect of awards under our 2005 Plan. No more than 2,250,000 of those shares are permitted to be issued in respect of restricted stock, restricted stock units or deferred stock units, with a limit of 177,500 shares that may be issued with service requirements of less than one year.

The following table provides information about purchases by us during the quarter ended February 3, 2018 of equity securities that are registered by us pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act:

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Stock Price Performance Graph

The graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on our common stock for the period from September 30, 2012 to February 3, 2018 with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Standard & Poor's 500 Apparel Retail Index. The comparison assumes $100 was invested on September 30, 2011 in our common stock and in each of the foregoing indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends. The stock performance shown in the graph is not intended to forecast or be indicative of future performance.  

COMPARISON OF CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Among Destination Maternity Corporation, the S&P 500 Index

and the S&P 500 Apparel Retail Index

Fiscal periods ended as follows:

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The following tables set forth selected consolidated statement of operations data, operating data, other consolidated financial data, and consolidated balance sheet data as of and for the periods indicated. The selected consolidated statement of operations and balance sheet data for each of the periods presented below are derived from our consolidated financial statements. You should read this information in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report.

29

30

31

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted EBITDA

and Adjusted EBITDA Before Other Charges

(in thousands)

(unaudited)

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and

Net Income (Loss) Per Share – Diluted to Adjusted Net Income (Loss) Per Share – Diluted

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

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We define our fiscal year as the 52 or 53 week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31.  This annual report is for the 53 week fiscal year ended February 3, 2018 (fiscal 2017).  The fiscal years ended January 31, 2017 (fiscal 2016) and January 30, 2016 (fiscal 2015) consisted of 52 weeks.  In December 2014 we announced a change of our fiscal year end from September 30 to the Saturday closest to January 31.  We had a transition period from October 1, 2014 through January 31, 2015 and filed a Transition Report on Form 10-Q for such transition period.  References in this Form 10-K to our fiscal years prior to fiscal 2015 refer to the fiscal years ended on September 30 in those years.

Overview

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and their related notes included elsewhere in this report.

We are the leading designer and omni-channel retailer of maternity apparel in the United States, with the only nationwide chain of maternity apparel specialty stores, as well as a deep and expansive product assortment available through multiple online distribution points, including our three brand-specific websites. As of February 3, 2018, we operated 1,124 retail locations, including 487 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and 637 leased departments located within department stores and baby specialty stores throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico. We also sell our merchandise on the Internet, primarily through our Motherhood.com, APeaInThePod.com and DestinationMaternity.com websites. We also sell our merchandise through our Canadian website, MotherhoodCanada.ca, through Amazon.com in the United States, and through websites of certain of our retail partners, including Macys.com.  Our 487 stores operate under three retail nameplates: Motherhood Maternity ® , A Pea in the Pod ® and Destination Maternity ® . We also operate 637 leased departments within leading retailers such as Macy's ® , buybuy BABY ® and Boscov's ® . Generally, we are the exclusive maternity apparel provider in our leased department locations.

Currently, we operate 28 stores and five leased departments in Canada, including 24 Motherhood stores, three Destination Maternity combo stores and one Destination Maternity superstore, and a Motherhood website under a Canadian URL (MotherhoodCanada.ca). In addition, we have international store and product supply relationships in the Middle East, South Korea, Mexico, Israel and India. As of February 3, 2018, we had 188 international franchised locations, comprised of 15 stand-alone stores 173 shop-in-shop locations, in which we have a Company-branded department operated by our franchise partners within other retail stores. We design and contract the manufacture of over 90% of the merchandise we sell using sewing factories located throughout the world, predominantly outside of the United States. Substantially all of the merchandise produced outside of the United States is paid for in United States dollars.

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of operational and financial measures. The key measures for determining how our business is performing are net income (loss) determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("net income (loss)") and the corresponding net income (loss) (or earnings (loss)) per share (diluted), net income (loss) before certain charges or credits, when applicable, such as other charges, loss on extinguishment of debt and certain infrequent income tax adjustments ("adjusted net income (loss)") and the corresponding earnings (loss) per share (diluted), Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA before other charges, net sales, and comparable sales (which consists of comparable store sales and Internet sales). Adjusted EBITDA represents operating income (loss) before deduction for the following non-cash charges: 1) depreciation and amortization expense, 2) loss on impairment of tangible and intangible assets, 3) loss (gain) on disposal of assets, and 4) stock-based compensation expense.

Comparable sales figures represent sales at retail locations (which does not include licensed brand or international franchise relationships) that have been in operation by us for at least 13 full months, as well as Internet sales. Our comparable sales figures generally do not include: 1) retail locations which change location type or format, 2) retail locations which are expanded, contracted or relocated if the square footage of the retail location has changed by 20% or more, or, if in the judgment of management, such expansion, contraction or relocation materially alters the comparability of the retail location (either with respect to the manner of its operation or otherwise), 3) in the case of relocations only, retail locations which are not in the same immediate geographical vicinity (such as, without limitation, the same mall, the same part of a mall, or the same street) after the relocation, 4) retail locations that have temporarily closed for any reason for 30 days or more, or 5) retail locations which, in the judgment of management, have undergone other significant changes which materially alter the comparability of the retail location (either with respect to the manner of its operation or otherwise) (such as, for example only, in the case of closure of retail locations in connection with the cessation of a leased department relationship where the manner of operation of such retail location has been materially altered prior to closure, or in the case of construction in, on or near a retail location, which significantly interferes with the customer traffic, visibility or operation of a retail location). Comparable sales exclude the 53 rd week of sales for 53-week fiscal years. In the 52-week fiscal year subsequent to a 53-week fiscal year, we exclude the sales in the non-comparable week from the comparable sales calculation. There may be variations in the way in which other retailers calculate comparable sales. As a result, data in this quarterly report regarding our comparable sales may not be comparable to similar data made available by other retailers.

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Termination of Planned Merger

On December 19, 2016 we entered into the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, a subsidiary of Orchestra would merge with and into the Company, with the Company surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orchestra. Despite substantial and sustained efforts by both parties since execution of the Merger Agreement, and in light of the challenges of satisfying applicable securities regulations in France and in the U.S. as well as the uncertainty as to whether those regulatory requirements could be satisfied without unreasonable effort and expense, particularly in connection with the completion of the registration and listing of Orchestra securities in the U.S., where such securities previously have not been publicly traded, the parties determined that it was in the best interests of their respective stockholders to terminate the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, on July 27, 2017 the Company, Orchestra, and certain other affiliates of Orchestra entered into a Termination Agreement pursuant to which the parties agreed to terminate the Merger Agreement and various ancillary agreements entered into in connection with and in contemplation of the Merger. Orchestra and the Company agreed to reimburse each other for certain costs incurred in connection with their effort to implement the Merger Agreement, with a net amount of $1.0 million paid to the Company on July 31, 2017. Orchestra and its affiliates last reported they continue to own 1.9 million shares of the outstanding common stock of Destination Maternity. In fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016 we recognized $1.2 million and $3.2 million, respectively, of charges related to the Merger, including $0.6 million of charges in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2017 related to a contested proxy solicitation initiated by Orchestra.

Turnaround Plan

While we have succeeded in maintaining our leadership position within this specialty retail sector, in an effort to enhance our competitive position, in late fiscal 2014 we commenced a program, which we sometimes refer to as our "turnaround plan" or "turnaround" to actively focus on improving our business processes, key management personnel and planning resources. These efforts became increasingly challenged by a number of external factors and industry trends, including the overall weakness in the women's specialty apparel retail space as well as declining mall-based traffic. These challenges have led to a slower pace of progress than originally planned, resulting in a decline in net sales from fiscal 2016 and underperformance to 2017 expectations.

In order to address the challenges that we and other retailers are facing, we have taken decisive action to best position us for profitable, long-term growth, with a focus on improving inventory management, driving sales productivity, optimizing real estate, expanding our online presence and controlling costs. Among other efforts, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of our key apparel brands and business relationships, resulting in strategic phase-outs and the elimination of certain non-core brands.

During late fiscal 2016 and the first half of fiscal 2017 we incurred significant expenses and expended substantial management time, attention and energy in seeking to complete the Merger. Those expenditures, although made in pursuit of a transaction we believed would be in the best interest of our stockholders, nevertheless had a negative impact on the execution of our operations and turnaround plan. After termination of the Merger we have taken actions focused on preserving and creating value for our stockholders. We retained a leading consulting firm to review our costs and business strategy in order to implement an organizational transformation. We are in the process of executing a CEO transition having announced on September 7, 2017 the resignation of Anthony M. Romano as our Former CEO. B. Allen Weinstein, then a member of our Board of Directors, served as our Interim CEO from September 7, 2017 until his retirement on January 2, 2018. Since that date, Melissa Payner-Gregor, an independent director since 2009, has served as our interim Chief Executive Officer. We also paid one-time retention bonuses with service conditions to certain key management personnel, while reducing our overall headcount to create a more efficient and effective operating structure. Through these actions we are identifying further opportunities to improve profitability, by growing both top line and gross margins while reducing expenses. We expect this transformation to yield approximately $10 to $11 million per year in annualized expense savings primarily starting in fiscal 2018.

During fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016 we recognized $3.7 million and $1.8 million, respectively, of charges related to our turnaround plan.

Fiscal 2017 Financial Results

Presented below is a summary of our results for the years ended February 3, 2018 and January 28, 2017 with regard to each of the key measures noted above.

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Leased Department and Licensed Relationships

In addition to the stores we operate, we have arrangements with department stores and baby specialty stores, including Macy's, buybuy BABY and Boscov's to operate maternity apparel departments in their stores. Generally, we are the exclusive maternity apparel provider in our leased department locations. We staff these leased departments at varying levels and maintain control of the pricing and promotional terms, as well as the timing and degree of the markdowns of our merchandise that is sold in the leased departments. We operate our leased departments during the same hours and days as the host store and are responsible for replenishment of the merchandise in the leased departments. These leased departments typically involve the lease partner collecting all of the revenue from the leased department. The revenue is remitted to us, less a fixed percentage of the net sales earned by the lease partner as stipulated in each agreement.

We previously had an exclusive product and license agreement with Kohl's, to which we sold maternity apparel under the Oh Baby by Motherhood® brand.  We phased out production of our Oh Baby line during fiscal 2016 after being informed that Kohl's had elected to scale back and ultimately discontinue its exclusive license with us for this line. Our license agreement with Kohl's ended in February 2017.  We are not a party to any other similar licensed relationship at this time.

Fiscal Year Ended February 3, 2018 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended January 28, 2017        

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth certain operating data from our consolidated statements of operations in thousands of dollars, as a percentage of net sales and as a percentage change for the periods indicated: