Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Basis of Presentation (Policies)

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Basis of Presentation (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
VF Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, collectively known as “VF” or “the Company”) uses a 52/53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to December 31 of each year. For presentation purposes herein, all references to periods ended September 2017, December 2016 and September 2016 relate to the fiscal periods ended on September 30, 2017, December 31, 2016 and October 1, 2016, respectively. During the first quarter of 2017, the Company approved a change in fiscal year end to the Saturday closest to March 31 from the Saturday closest to December 31. Accordingly, the Company’s 2017 fiscal year will end as planned on December 30, 2017, followed by a three-month transition period from December 31, 2017 through March 31, 2018. The Company’s next fiscal year will run from April 1, 2018 through March 30, 2019 (“fiscal 2019”).
On April 28, 2017, VF completed the sale of its Licensed Sports Group (“LSG”) business. As a result, VF reported the operating results for this business in the income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax line item in the Consolidated Statements of Income for all periods presented. In addition, the related assets and liabilities have been reported as assets and liabilities of discontinued operations in the Consolidated Balance Sheets through the date of sale. In conjunction with the LSG divestiture, VF executed its plan to entirely exit the licensing business and has included the JanSport® brand collegiate business as discontinued operations in our Consolidated Statements of Income and Consolidated Balance Sheets for all periods presented.
In addition, VF completed the sale of its Contemporary Brands coalition on August 26, 2016, and has reported the operating results for this business in the income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax line item in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended September 2016. Unless otherwise noted, discussion within these notes to the consolidated financial statements relates to continuing operations. Refer to Note C for additional information on discontinued operations.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X and do not include all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements. Similarly, the December 2016 condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived from audited financial statements but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to fairly state the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows of VF for the interim periods presented. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 2017 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the year ending December 30, 2017. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes included in VF’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 2016 (“2016 Form 10-K”).
Fair Value Measurement
Financial assets and financial liabilities measured and reported at fair value are classified in a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation process. A financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The hierarchy is based on the observability and objectivity of the pricing inputs, as follows:
 
Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 — Significant directly observable data (other than Level 1 quoted prices) or significant indirectly observable data through corroboration with observable market data. Inputs would normally be (i) quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, (ii) quoted prices in inactive markets for identical or similar assets or liabilities or (iii) information derived from or corroborated by observable market data.
Level 3 — Prices or valuation techniques that require significant unobservable data inputs. These inputs would normally be VF’s own data and judgments about assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards and Recently Issued Accounting Standards
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
In July 2015, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance related to inventory that changes the measurement principle from lower of cost or market to lower of cost or net realizable value. This guidance became effective in the first quarter of 2017, but did not impact VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on equity method accounting. The guidance eliminates the requirement to retroactively apply the equity method when an entity obtains significant influence over a previously held investment. This guidance became effective in the first quarter of 2017, but did not impact VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on derivative financial instruments when there is a change in the counterparty to a derivative contract (novation). The new guidance clarifies that the novation of a derivative contract that has been designated as a hedging instrument does not, in and of itself, require dedesignation of that hedging relationship, provided that all other hedge accounting criteria continue to be met. This guidance became effective in the first quarter of 2017, but did not impact VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on derivative financial instruments that clarifies the steps required to determine bifurcation of an embedded derivative. This guidance became effective in the first quarter of 2017, but did not impact VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In October 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for intra-entity asset transfers. The new guidance requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. The Company early adopted this guidance in the first quarter of 2017 using the modified retrospective method, which requires a cumulative adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The cumulative adjustment to the January 1, 2017 Consolidated Balance Sheet was a reduction in both the other assets and retained earnings line items of $237.8 million.
In October 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance that changes how a single decision maker will consider its indirect interests when performing the primary beneficiary analysis under the variable interest entity model. This guidance became effective in the first quarter of 2017, but did not impact VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In November 2016, the FASB issued an update that requires restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents to be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period amounts shown on the statements of cash flows. The Company early adopted this guidance in the first quarter of 2017 on a retrospective basis and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows included herein reflect $4.1 million and $4.4 million of restricted cash for September 2017 and September 2016, respectively. The Company’s restricted cash is generally held as collateral for certain transactions.
In January 2017, the FASB issued an update that simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating the second step from the quantitative goodwill impairment test. The single quantitative step test requires companies to compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and record an impairment charge for the amount that the carrying amount exceeds the fair value, up to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. VF will continue to have the option of first performing a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is necessary to complete the quantitative goodwill impairment test. The Company early adopted this guidance in the third quarter of 2017 by applying the single quantitative step test to our interim goodwill impairment analysis and recorded an impairment charge of $104.7 million.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In May 2014, the FASB issued a new accounting standard on revenue recognition that outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. The FASB has subsequently issued updates to the standard to provide additional clarification on specific topics. The standard prescribes a five-step approach to revenue recognition: (1) identify the contracts with the customer; (2) identify the separate performance obligations in the contracts; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to separate performance obligations; and (5) recognize revenue when, or as, each performance obligation is satisfied. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. A cross-functional implementation team has completed VF’s impact analysis and is commencing the disclosure assessment phase of the project. The new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on VF’s significant revenue streams within the wholesale, direct-to-consumer and royalty channels. VF is in the process of concluding on the impact on less significant revenue streams within those channels. The Company expects to adopt the new standard utilizing the modified retrospective method in the first quarter of fiscal 2019.
In January 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance related to the recognition and measurement of certain financial instruments. This guidance affects the accounting for equity investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this accounting guidance to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In February 2016, the FASB issued a new accounting standard on leasing. This new standard will require companies to record most leased assets and liabilities on the balance sheet, and also retains a dual model approach for assessing lease classification and recognizing expense. The Company has formed a cross-functional implementation team to address the standard and has started the design and assessment phase of the project. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 with early adoption permitted. The standard requires use of the modified retrospective transition approach. Given the Company’s significant number of leases, VF expects this standard will have a material impact on VF’s Consolidated Balance Sheets but does not expect it to have a material impact on the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company expects to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
In March 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on extinguishments of financial liabilities that exempts prepaid stored-value products, or gift cards, from the existing guidance. The updated guidance requires that gift card liabilities be subject to breakage accounting, consistent with the new revenue recognition standard discussed above. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this accounting guidance to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance on the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments, which amends the impairment model by requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that adopting this guidance will have on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In August 2016, the FASB issued an update to their accounting guidance addressing how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued an update that provides a more narrow framework to be used in evaluating whether a set of assets and activities constitutes a business. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The Company will apply this guidance to any transactions after adoption but does not expect it to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2017, the FASB issued an update which requires employers to disaggregate the service cost component from other components of net periodic benefit costs and to disclose the amounts of net periodic benefit costs that are included in each income statement line item. The standard requires employers to report the service cost component in the same line item as other compensation costs and to report the other components of net periodic benefit costs (which include interest cost, expected return on plan assets, amortization of prior service costs or credits and actuarial gains and losses) separately and outside of operating income. The amendments in this update specify that only the service cost component is eligible for capitalization, which is consistent with VF’s current practice. The presentation change in the Consolidated Statements of Income will be applied on a retrospective basis. This guidance will be effective for VF beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. Upon adoption, VF will reclassify the other components of net periodic benefit costs from the selling, general and administrative expenses line item in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Except for the reclassification within the Consolidated Statements of Income noted above, the Company does not expect the adoption of this accounting guidance to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In May 2017, the FASB issued an update that amends the scope of modification accounting for share-based payment arrangements. This update provides guidance on the types of changes to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards to which an entity would be required to apply modification accounting. This guidance will be effective for VF beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 with early adoption permitted. The guidance is required to be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The Company will apply this guidance to any future changes made to the terms or conditions of share-based payment awards after adoption but does not expect it to have a significant impact on VF’s consolidated financial statements.
In August 2017, the FASB issued an update that amends and simplifies certain aspects of hedge accounting rules to better portray the economic results of risk management activities in the financial statements. This guidance will be effective for VF in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact that adopting this guidance will have on VF’s consolidated financial statements.