Edgar Filing: RALPH LAUREN CORP

As
Reported

Constant
Currency

Total comparable store sales^(a)

Document

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)



þ	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018



o	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 001-13057

RALPH LAUREN CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



Delaware		13-2622036
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
650 Madison Avenue, New York, New York		10022
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(212) 318-7000

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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



Title of Each Class		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Class A Common Stock, $.01 par value		New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None



Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.		Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.		Yes o No þ
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 þ No o
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 (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).		Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) 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.		o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.
Large accelerated filer þ	Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company o
	Emerging growth company o
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.		o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).		Yes o No þ
The aggregate market value of the registrant's voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $4,868,476,408 as of September 29, 2017, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter based on the closing price of the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange.
At May 18, 2018, 55,673,351 shares of the registrant's Class A common stock, $.01 par value and 25,881,276 shares of the registrant's Class B common stock, $.01 par value were outstanding.
Part III incorporates information from certain portions of the registrant's definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Various statements in this Form 10-K or incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K, in future filings by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in our press releases, and in oral statements made from time to time by us or on our behalf constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "we believe," "is or remains optimistic," "currently envisions," and similar words or phrases and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance, or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others:


•	the loss of key personnel, including Mr. Ralph Lauren, or other changes in our executive and senior management team or to our operating structure, and our ability to effectively transfer knowledge during periods of transition;


•	our ability to successfully implement our long-term growth strategy and achieve anticipated operating enhancements and cost reductions from our restructuring plans;


•	the impact to our business resulting from investments and other costs incurred in connection with the execution of our long-term growth strategy, including restructuring-related charges, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term;


•	our ability to continue to expand or grow our business internationally and the impact of related changes in our customer, channel, and geographic sales mix as a result;


•	our ability to open new retail stores, concession shops, and digital commerce sites in an effort to expand our direct-to-consumer presence;


•	the impact to our business resulting from changes in consumers' ability, willingness, or preferences to purchase premium lifestyle products that we offer for sale and our ability to forecast consumer demand, which could result in either a build-up or shortage of inventory;


•	our ability to continue to maintain our brand image and reputation and protect our trademarks;


•	our ability to effectively manage inventory levels and the increasing pressure on our margins in a highly promotional retail environment;


•	the impact to our business resulting from potential costs and obligations related to the early closure of our stores or termination of our long-term, non-cancellable leases;


•	the impact of economic, political, and other conditions on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders;


•	our ability to secure our facilities and systems and those of our third-party service providers from, among other things, cybersecurity breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, or similar Internet or email events;


•	our efforts to successfully enhance, upgrade, and/or transition our global information technology systems and digital commerce platform;

•

a variety of legal, regulatory, tax, political, and economic risks, including risks related to the importation and exportation of products, tariffs, and other trade barriers which our operations are currently subject to, or may become subject to as a result of potential changes in legislation, and other risks associated with our international operations, such as compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or violations of other anti-bribery and corruption laws prohibiting improper payments, and the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws and regulations, including tax laws, trade and labor restrictions, and related laws that may reduce the flexibility of our business;


•	changes in our tax obligations and effective tax rate due to a variety of other factors, including potential additional changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws and regulations, accounting rules, or the mix and level of earnings by jurisdiction in future periods that are not currently known or anticipated;


•	the impact to our business resulting from the recently enacted U.S. tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including related changes to our tax obligations and effective tax rate in future periods, as well as the enactment-related charges that were recorded during Fiscal 2018 on a provisional basis based on a reasonable



	2

estimate and are subject to change, all of which could differ materially from our current expectations and/or investors' expectations;


•	the impact to our business resulting from the United Kingdom's decision to exit the European Union and the uncertainty surrounding the terms and conditions of such a withdrawal, as well as the related impact to global stock markets and currency exchange rates;


•	the impact to our business resulting from increases in the costs of raw materials, transportation, and labor;


•	our exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations from both a transactional and translational perspective;


•	the potential impact to our business resulting from the financial difficulties of certain of our large wholesale customers, which may result in consolidations, liquidations, restructurings, and other ownership changes in the retail industry, as well as other changes in the competitive marketplace, including the introduction of new products or pricing changes by our competitors;


•	the potential impact on our operations and on our suppliers and customers resulting from natural or man-made disasters;


•	the impact to our business of events of unrest and instability that are currently taking place in certain parts of the world, as well as from any terrorist action, retaliation, and the threat of further action or retaliation;


•	our ability to maintain our credit profile and ratings within the financial community;


•	our ability to access sources of liquidity to provide for our cash needs, including our debt obligations, tax obligations, payment of dividends, capital expenditures, and potential repurchases of our Class A common stock, as well as the ability of our customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders to access sources of liquidity to provide for their own cash needs;


•	the potential impact to the trading prices of our securities if our Class A common stock share repurchase activity and/or cash dividend payments differ from investors' expectations;


•	our intention to introduce new products or enter into or renew alliances;


•	changes in the business of, and our relationships with, major department store customers and licensing partners; and


•	our ability to make certain strategic acquisitions and successfully integrate the acquired businesses into our existing operations.

These forward-looking statements are based largely on our expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. A detailed discussion of significant risk factors that have the potential to cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations is described in Part I of this Form 10-K under the heading of "Risk Factors." We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

WEBSITE ACCESS TO COMPANY REPORTS AND OTHER INFORMATION

Our investor website is http://investor.ralphlauren.com. We were incorporated in June 1997 under the laws of the State of Delaware. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed with or furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are available at our investor website under the caption "SEC Filings" promptly after we electronically file such materials with or furnish such materials to the SEC. Information relating to corporate governance at Ralph Lauren Corporation, including our Corporate Governance Policies, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for all directors, officers, and employees, our Code of Ethics for Principal Executive Officers and Senior Financial Officers, and information concerning our directors, Committees of the Board of Directors, including Committee charters, and transactions involving Ralph Lauren Corporation securities by directors and executive officers are available at our website under the captions "Corporate Governance" and "SEC Filings." Paper copies of these filings and corporate governance documents are available to stockholders without charge by written request to Investor Relations, Ralph Lauren Corporation, 625 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022.



	3

In this Form 10-K, references to "Ralph Lauren," "ourselves," "we," "our," "us," and the "Company" refer to Ralph Lauren Corporation and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Due to the collaborative and ongoing nature of our relationships with our licensees, such licensees are sometimes referred to in this Form 10-K as "licensing alliances." Our fiscal year ends on the Saturday closest to March 31. All references to "Fiscal 2019" represent the 52-week fiscal year ending March 30, 2019. All references to "Fiscal 2018" represent the 52-week fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. All references to "Fiscal 2017" represent the 52-week fiscal year ended April 1, 2017. All references to "Fiscal 2016" represent the 53-week fiscal year ended April 2, 2016.

PART I


Item 1.	Business.

General

Founded in 1967 by Mr. Ralph Lauren, we are a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products, including apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product categories. Our long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across an expanding number of products, brands, sales channels, and international markets. We believe that our global reach, breadth of product offerings, and multi-channel distribution are unique among luxury and apparel companies.

We diversify our business by geography (North America, Europe, and Asia, among other regions) and channels of distribution (wholesale, retail, and licensing). This allows us to maintain a dynamic balance as our operating results do not depend solely on the performance of any single geographic area or channel of distribution. Our wholesale sales are made principally to major department stores and specialty stores around the world. We also sell directly to consumers through our integrated retail channel, which includes our retail stores, concession-based shop-within-shops, and digital commerce operations around the world. In addition, we license to unrelated third parties for specified periods the right to operate retail stores and/or to use our various trademarks in connection with the manufacture and sale of designated products, such as certain apparel, eyewear, fragrances, and home furnishings.

We organize our business into the following three reportable segments: North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments. See "Our Segments" for further discussion of our segment reporting structure.

Our global reach is extensive, with merchandise available through our wholesale distribution channels at over 12,000 doors worldwide, the majority in specialty stores, as well as through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers. We also sell directly to customers throughout the world via our 472 retail stores and 632 concession-based shop-within-shops, as well as through our own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. In addition to our directly-operated stores and shops, our international licensing partners operate 88 Ralph Lauren stores, 54 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 136 Club Monaco stores and shops.

We continue to invest in our business. Over the past five fiscal years, we have invested approximately $1.723 billion for capital improvements, acquisitions, and ventures, primarily funded through strong operating cash flow. We also continue to return value to our shareholders through our common stock share repurchases and payment of quarterly cash dividends. Over the past five fiscal years, the cost of shares of Class A common stock repurchased pursuant to our common stock repurchase program was approximately $1.727 billion and dividends paid amounted to approximately $805 million.

We have been controlled by the Lauren family since the founding of our Company. As of March 31, 2018, Mr. R. Lauren, or entities controlled by the Lauren family, held approximately 82% of the voting power of the Company's outstanding common stock.



	4

Objectives and Opportunities

We believe that our size and the global scope of our operations provide us with design, sourcing, and distribution synergies across our different businesses. Our core strengths include a portfolio of global premium lifestyle brands, a well-diversified global multi-channel distribution network, an investment philosophy supported by a strong balance sheet, and an experienced management team. Despite the various risks and uncertainties associated with the current global economic environment, as discussed further in Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Global Economic Conditions and Industry Trends," we believe our core strengths will allow us to execute our long-term growth strategy.

We have developed a long-term growth strategy with the objective of delivering sustainable, profitable growth and long-term value creation for shareholders. Our strategy includes the following key strategic initiatives:


•	Elevating our brand through improved quality of sales, distribution, and product;


•	Evolving product, marketing, and shopping experience to increase reach and appeal with new consumers;


•	Expanding our digital and international presence; and


•	Working in new ways to drive productivity and agility.

Recent Developments

U.S. Tax Reform

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "TCJA"), which became effective January 1, 2018. The TCJA significantly revised U.S. tax law by, among other provisions, lowering the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate from 35% to 21%, creating a territorial tax system that includes a one-time mandatory transition tax on previously deferred foreign earnings, and eliminating or reducing certain income tax deductions.

During Fiscal 2018, we recorded net charges of $221.4 million within our income tax provision in connection with the TCJA, of which $209.3 million related to the mandatory transition tax, which we expect to pay over an eight-year period. These charges, which were recorded on a provisional basis as permitted by SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"), negatively impacted our effective tax rate by 4,520 basis points and lowered our diluted earnings per share by $2.68 during Fiscal 2018. The provisional amounts were based on our present interpretations of the TCJA, current available information, and assumptions about future events, and are subject to further refinement as additional information becomes available and further analyses are completed.

Despite these enactment-related charges, we expect the TCJA will ultimately benefit our results of operations and financial condition in future periods, primarily due to the lower U.S. federal statutory income tax rate.

Additionally, we reevaluated our permanent reinvestment assertion and determined that undistributed foreign earnings that were subject to the one-time mandatory transition tax were no longer considered to be permanently reinvested, effective December 31, 2017. In connection with this decision, we repatriated $252.0 million of cash to the U.S. from certain of our foreign subsidiaries during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2018, and we repatriated an additional $400.0 million during the first quarter of Fiscal 2019.

See Note 10 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional discussion regarding the TCJA.

Change in Chief Executive Officer

Effective May 2017, Mr. Stefan Larsson departed as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors. In connection with Mr. Larsson's departure, we recorded cumulative other charges of $17.0 million, of which $5.6 million and $11.4 million were recorded during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017, respectively. We do not expect to incur additional charges related to Mr. Larsson's departure. See Note 9 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion of the charges recorded in connection with Mr. Larsson's departure.

Subsequent to Mr. Larsson's departure, Mr. Patrice Louvet was appointed as the Company's new President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors, effective July 2017.



	5

Way Forward Plan

On June 2, 2016, our Board of Directors approved a restructuring plan with the objective of delivering sustainable, profitable sales growth and long-term value creation for shareholders (the "Way Forward Plan"). We are refocusing on our core brands and evolving our product, marketing, and shopping experience to increase desirability and relevance. We are also evolving our operating model to enable sustainable, profitable sales growth by significantly improving quality of sales, reducing supply chain lead times, improving our sourcing, and executing a disciplined multi-channel distribution and expansion strategy. As part of the Way Forward Plan, we are rightsizing our cost structure and implementing a return on investment-driven financial model to free up resources to invest in the brand and drive high-quality sales. The Way Forward Plan includes strengthening our leadership team and creating a more nimble organization by moving from an average of nine to six layers of management. The Way Forward Plan also includes the discontinuance of our Denim & Supply brand and the integration of our denim product offerings into our Polo Ralph Lauren brand. Collectively, these actions, which were substantially completed during Fiscal 2017, resulted in a reduction in workforce and the closure of certain stores and shop-within-shops, as well as gross annualized expense savings of approximately $200 million.

On March 30, 2017, our Board of Directors approved the following additional restructuring-related activities associated with the Way Forward Plan: (i) the restructuring of our in-house global digital commerce platform which was in development and shifting to a more cost-effective, flexible platform through a new agreement with Salesforce's Commerce Cloud, formerly known as Demandware; (ii) the closure of our Polo store at 711 Fifth Avenue in New York City; and (iii) the further streamlining of the organization and the execution of other key corporate actions in line with the Way Forward Plan. These actions, which are expected to result in additional expense savings of approximately $140 million, are an important part of our efforts to achieve our stated objective to return to sustainable, profitable growth and invest in the future. These additional restructuring-related activities were largely completed during Fiscal 2018 and resulted in a further reduction in workforce and the closure of certain corporate office and store locations. The remaining activities, which are primarily lease-related, are expected to be completed during Fiscal 2019.

In connection with the Way Forward Plan, we currently expect to incur total estimated charges of approximately $770 million, comprised of cash-related restructuring charges of approximately $450 million and non-cash charges of approximately $320 million. Cumulative charges incurred since inception were $669.2 million, of which $102.8 million and $566.4 million were incurred during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017, respectively, and we expect to incur the remaining charges of approximately $100 million during Fiscal 2019. In addition to these charges, we also incurred an additional non-cash charge of $155.2 million during Fiscal 2017 associated with the destruction of inventory out of current liquidation channels in line with our Way Forward Plan. See Notes 8 and 9 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for detailed discussions of the charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan.

Our Brands and Products

Our products, which include apparel, accessories, and fragrance collections for men and women, as well as childrenswear and home furnishings, comprise one of the most widely recognized families of consumer brands. Reflecting a distinctive American perspective, we have been an innovator in aspirational lifestyle branding and believe that, under the direction of internationally renowned designer Mr. Ralph Lauren, we have had a considerable influence on the way people dress and the way that fashion is advertised throughout the world.

We combine consumer insight with our design, marketing, and imaging skills to offer, along with our licensing alliances, broad lifestyle product collections with a unified vision:


•	Apparel — Our apparel products include extensive collections of men's, women's, and children's clothing, which are sold under various brand names, including Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, RLX Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others;

•

Accessories — Our range of accessories encompasses men's, women's, and children's, including footwear, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, umbrellas, and leather goods, including handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts, which are sold under the Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Double RL, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco;


•	Home — Our coordinated home products include bedding and bath products, furniture, fabric and wallpaper, lighting, tabletop, floorcovering, and giftware;



	6

•

Fragrance — Our fragrance offerings capture the essence of Ralph Lauren's men's and women's brands with numerous labels, designed to appeal to a variety of audiences. Women's fragrance products are sold under our Ralph Lauren Collection, Woman by Ralph Lauren, Romance Collection, Ralph Collection, and Big Pony Women's brands. Men's fragrance products are sold under our Polo Blue, Safari, Purple Label, Polo Red, Polo Green, Polo Black, Polo Supreme, Polo Sport, and Big Pony Men's brands; and


•	Restaurants — Our restaurants translate Ralph Lauren's distinctive vision into places to gather with family and friends to enjoy fine food. Our restaurant concepts include The Polo Bar in New York City, RL Restaurant located in Chicago, Ralph's located in Paris, and our Ralph's Coffee concept, with locations in London and Hong Kong.

Our lifestyle brand image is reinforced by our distribution through our stores and concession-based shop-within-shops, our wholesale channels of distribution, our global digital commerce sites, and our Ralph Lauren restaurants. We sell our products under the following key brand platforms:


1.	Ralph Lauren Luxury — Our Luxury group includes:

Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label. The runway sets the stage for each season's Ralph Lauren Collection designs, which includes handmade evening gowns with exquisite detail and refined, hand-tailored suitings. For men, Ralph Lauren Purple Label offers refined suitings, custom tailored made-to-measure suits, and sophisticated sportswear, as well as benchmade footwear and made-to-order dress furnishings, accessories, and luggage. Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label are available in Ralph Lauren stores around the world, an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.

Double RL. Founded in 1993 and named after Ralph Lauren and his wife Ricky's "RRL" ranch in Colorado, Double RL offers a mix of selvedge denim, vintage apparel, sportswear, and accessories, with roots in workwear and military gear. Double RL is available at Double RL stores, at select Ralph Lauren stores, and an exclusive selection of the finest specialty stores around the world, as well as online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.

Ralph Lauren Home. Ralph Lauren Home presents home furnishings and accessories that reflect the style and craftsmanship synonymous with the name Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren Home includes furniture, bed and bath linens, china, crystal, silver, decorative accessories and gifts, as well as lighting, fabric, wallcovering, and floorcovering. Ralph Lauren Home offers exclusive luxury goods at select Ralph Lauren stores, home specialty stores, trade showrooms, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. The complete world of Ralph Lauren Home can be explored online at RalphLaurenHome.com.

Ralph Lauren Watches and Fine Jewelry. We offer a premier collection of timepieces, which embody Ralph Lauren's passion for impeccable quality and exquisite design. We also offer premium collections of fine jewelry, which capture the glamour and craftsmanship of Ralph Lauren's most luxurious designs. Ralph Lauren watches and fine jewelry are available at select Ralph Lauren stores and flagship locations around the world. A selection of watches is also available online at RalphLauren.com and the finest watch retailers.


2.	Polo Ralph Lauren — The Polo Ralph Lauren group includes:

Polo Ralph Lauren. Men's Polo combines Ivy League classics and time-honored English haberdashery with downtown styles and all-American sporting looks in sportswear and tailored clothing. Women's Polo represents the epitome of classic and iconic American style with a modern and cool twist. Polo's signature aesthetic includes our renowned polo player logo. Men's and Women's Polo apparel and accessories are available in Polo and Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department and specialty stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com.

Polo Ralph Lauren Children. Polo Ralph Lauren Children is designed to reflect the timeless heritage and modern spirit of Ralph Lauren's collections for men and women. Signature classics include iconic polo knit shirts and luxurious cashmere cable-knit sweaters. Polo Ralph Lauren Children is available in a full range of sizes, from baby to girls 2-16 and boys 2-20. Polo Ralph Lauren Children can be found in select Polo and Ralph Lauren stores around the world, better department stores, and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com, as well as certain of our retailer partner digital commerce sites.



	7

Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren. Tested and worn by top-ranked professional golfers, Polo Golf Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Golf, and RLX Ralph Lauren for men and women define excellence in the world of golf. With a sharpened focus on the needs of the modern player but rooted in the rich design tradition of Ralph Lauren, the Golf collections combine state-of-the-art performance wear with luxurious finishing touches. The Polo and RLX Golf collections are available in select Polo stores, exclusive private clubs and resorts, and online at RalphLauren.com.

Pink Pony. Established in 2000, the Pink Pony campaign is our worldwide initiative in the fight against cancer. In the U.S., a percentage of sales from Pink Pony products benefit the Pink Pony Fund of The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation, which supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment, and research, and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities. Internationally, a network of local cancer charities around the world benefit from the sale of Pink Pony products. Pink Pony consists of dual gender sportswear and accessories. Pink Pony items feature our iconic pink polo player – a symbol of our commitment to the fight against cancer. Pink Pony is available at select Polo and Ralph Lauren stores and online at our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. Pink Pony is also available at select Macy's stores and online at Macys.com.


3.	Lauren Ralph Lauren — Our Lauren group includes:

Lauren Ralph Lauren. Lauren for women combines timeless style with modern femininity in a lifestyle collection of sportswear, denim, and dresses, as well as accessories and footwear at a more accessible price point. Lauren for women is available in select department stores around the world and on-line at select digital commerce sites, including RalphLauren.com. Lauren for men offers a complete collection of men's tailored clothing, including suits, sport coats, dress shirts, dress pants, tuxedos, topcoats, and ties at a more accessible price point. Lauren for men is available at select department stores in North America and Europe.

Lauren Home. Launched in 2017, the Lauren Home collection includes accessibly-priced, timeless bath and bedding designs, updated with a fresh, modern spirit. The collection is built upon an assortment of essentials that is designed to be periodically augmented with trend-relevant colors and patterns.


4.	Chaps — Launched in 1978 and celebrating its 40th anniversary, Chaps presents a vision of timeless, all-American style for men, women, children and home. The complete lifestyle collection offers casual sportswear, workday essentials, tailored clothing, and occasion dresses. Chaps effortless and spirited style is available in over 2,000 doors across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and China.

Club Monaco — Founded in 1985, Club Monaco is a celebration of the individual. It designs and markets its own clothing and accessories for a new generation of women and men who value versatile, thoughtful design that can take them through every moment of life. Club Monaco apparel and accessories are available at Club Monaco stores and select department stores in North America and around the world, as well as online at ClubMonaco.com and ClubMonaco.ca.

Our Segments

We organize our business into the following three reportable segments:

•

North America — Our North America segment, representing approximately 52% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Club Monaco. In North America, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. Our retail business in North America is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, and our digital commerce site, www.RalphLauren.com.

•

Europe — Our Europe segment, representing approximately 26% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in Europe and the Middle East, excluding Club Monaco. In Europe, our wholesale business is comprised of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country. Our retail business in Europe is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, our concession-based shop-within-shops, and our various digital commerce sites.


•	Asia — Our Asia segment, representing approximately 15% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Our retail business in Asia is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, and our



	8

concession-based shop-within-shops. In addition, we sell our products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites. In Asia, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, with related products distributed through shop-within-shops.

No operating segments were aggregated to form our reportable segments. In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments, representing approximately 7% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, which primarily consist of (i) sales of Club Monaco branded products made through our retail businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and our licensing alliances in Europe and Asia, (ii) sales of Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale business in Latin America, and (iii) royalty revenues earned through our global licensing alliances, excluding Club Monaco.

This segment structure is consistent with how we establish our overall business strategy, allocate resources, and assess performance of our Company.

Approximately 45% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues were earned outside of the U.S. See Note 19 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for a summary of net revenues and operating income by segment, as well as net revenues and long-lived assets by geographic location.

Our Wholesale Business

Our wholesale business sells our products globally to leading upscale and certain mid-tier department stores, specialty stores, and golf and pro shops. We have continued to focus on elevating our brand by improving in-store product assortment and presentation, as well as full-price sell-throughs to consumers. As of the end of Fiscal 2018, our wholesale products were sold through over 12,000 doors worldwide, with the majority in specialty stores. Our products are also increasingly being sold through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers.

The primary product offerings sold through our wholesale channels of distribution include apparel, accessories, and home furnishings. Our luxury brands, including Ralph Lauren Collection and Ralph Lauren Purple Label, are distributed worldwide through a limited number of premier fashion retailers. In North America, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, and to a lesser extent, specialty stores. In Europe, our wholesale business is comprised of a varying mix of sales to both department stores and specialty stores, depending on the country. In Asia, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, with related products distributed through shop-within-shops. We also distribute our wholesale products to certain licensed stores operated by our partners in Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

We sell the majority of our excess and out-of-season products through secondary distribution channels worldwide, including our retail factory stores.

Worldwide Wholesale Distribution Channels

The following table presents by segment the number of wholesale doors in our primary channels of distribution as of March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2017:



	March 31, 2018	April 1, 2017
North America	6,848	7,018
Europe	4,928	5,690
Asia	341	187
Other non-reportable segments	109	171
Total	12,226	13,066

We have three key wholesale customers that generate significant sales volume. During Fiscal 2018, sales to our largest wholesale customer, Macy's, Inc. ("Macy's"), accounted for approximately 8% of our total net revenues. Further, during Fiscal 2018, sales to our three largest wholesale customers, including Macy's, accounted for approximately 19% of our total net revenues, as compared to approximately 21% during Fiscal 2017. Substantially all sales to our three largest wholesale customers related to our North America segment.

Our products are sold primarily by our own sales forces. Our wholesale business maintains its primary showrooms in New York City. In addition, we maintain regional showrooms in Bologna, Geneva, London, Madrid, Munich, Panama, Paris, and Stockholm.



	9

Shop-within-Shops. As a critical element of our distribution to department stores, we and our licensing partners utilize shop-within-shops to enhance brand recognition, to permit more complete merchandising of our lines by the department stores, and to differentiate the presentation of our products.

The following table presents by segment the number of shop-within-shops in our primary channels of distribution as of March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2017:



	March 31, 2018	April 1, 2017
North America	16,276	18,979
Europe	5,302	6,164
Asia	499	339
Other non-reportable segments	311	372
Total	22,388	25,854

The size of our shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 50 to 9,200 square feet. Shop-within-shop fixed assets primarily include items such as customized freestanding fixtures, wall cases and components, decorative items, and flooring. We normally share in the cost of building out these shop-within-shops with our wholesale customers.

Basic Stock Replenishment Program. Basic products such as knit shirts, chino pants, oxford cloth shirts, select accessories, and home products can be ordered by our wholesale customers at any time through our basic stock replenishment program. We generally ship these products within two to five days of order receipt.

Our Retail Business

Our retail business sells directly to customers throughout the world via our 472 retail stores and 632 concession-based shop-within-shops, totaling approximately 3.8 million and 0.6 million square feet, respectively, as well as through our own digital commerce sites and those of various third-party digital partners. We operate our business using a global omni-channel retailing strategy that seeks to deliver an integrated shopping experience with a consistent message of our brands and products to our customers, regardless of whether they are shopping for our products in physical stores or online.

Ralph Lauren Stores

Our Ralph Lauren stores feature a broad range of apparel, accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments in an atmosphere reflecting the distinctive attitude and image of the Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Double RL brands, including exclusive merchandise that is not sold in department stores. During Fiscal 2018, we opened 14 new Ralph Lauren stores and closed 12 stores. Our Ralph Lauren stores are primarily situated in major upscale street locations and upscale regional malls, generally in large urban markets.

The following table presents the number of Ralph Lauren stores by segment as of March 31, 2018:



		Ralph Lauren Stores
North America		41
Europe		19
Asia		51
Total		111

Our eight flagship Ralph Lauren regional store locations showcase our iconic styles and products and demonstrate our most refined merchandising techniques. In addition to generating sales of our products, our worldwide Ralph Lauren stores establish, reinforce, and capitalize on the image of our brands. Our Ralph Lauren stores range in size from approximately 700 to 37,900 square feet.



	10

Factory Stores

We extend our reach to additional consumer groups through our 290 factory stores worldwide, which are principally located in major outlet centers. Our worldwide factory stores offer selections of our apparel, accessories, and fragrances. In addition to these product offerings, certain of our factory stores in North America offer home furnishings. During Fiscal 2018, we opened 22 new factory stores and closed 10 factory stores.

The following table presents the number of factory stores by segment as of March 31, 2018:



		Factory Stores
North America		174
Europe		62
Asia		54
Total		290

Our factory stores range in size from approximately 1,400 to 28,300 square feet. Factory stores obtain products from our suppliers, our product licensing partners, and our other retail stores and digital commerce operations, and also serve as a secondary distribution channel for our excess and out-of-season products.

Concession-based Shop-within-Shops

The terms of trade for shop-within-shops are largely conducted on a concession basis, whereby inventory continues to be owned by us (not the department store) until ultimate sale to the end consumer. The salespeople involved in the sales transactions are generally our employees and not those of the department store.

The following table presents the number of concession-based shop-within-shops by segment as of March 31, 2018:



		Concession-based Shop-within-Shops
North America		2
Europe		25
Asia		603
Other non-reportable segments		2
Total^(a)		632


^(a)	Our concession-based shop-within-shops were located at approximately 295 retail locations.

The size of our concession-based shop-within-shops ranges from approximately 100 to 3,300 square feet. We may share in the cost of building out certain of these shop-within-shops with our department store partners.

Club Monaco Stores

Our Club Monaco stores feature fashion apparel and accessories for both men and women with clean and contemporary signature styles. During Fiscal 2018, we opened one new Club Monaco store and closed nine stores. Our Club Monaco stores range in size from approximately 900 to 17,400 square feet.

The following table presents the number of Club Monaco stores by geographic location as of March 31, 2018:



		Club Monaco Stores
North America		67
Europe		4
Total^(a)		71


^(a)	Our Club Monaco business has been aggregated with other non-reportable segments.



	11

Directly-Operated Digital Commerce Websites

In addition to our stores, our retail business sells products online in North America and Europe through our various directly-operated digital commerce sites, which include www.RalphLauren.com and www.ClubMonaco.com, among others.

Our Ralph Lauren digital commerce sites offer our customers access to a broad array of Ralph Lauren, Polo, and Double RL apparel, accessories, watch and jewelry, fragrance, and home product assortments, and reinforce the luxury image of our brands. While investing in digital commerce operations remains a primary focus, it is an extension of our investment in the integrated omni-channel strategy used to operate our overall retail business, in which our digital commerce operations are interdependent with our physical stores.

Our Club Monaco digital commerce sites offer our domestic and Canadian customers access to our global assortment of Club Monaco apparel and accessories product lines, as well as select online exclusives.

In addition to our directly-operated platforms, our retail business in Asia sells products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites.

Our Licensing Business

Through licensing alliances, we combine our consumer insight, design, and marketing skills with the specific product or geographic competencies of our licensing partners to create and build new businesses. We generally seek out licensing partners who are leaders in their respective markets, contribute the majority of the product development costs, provide the operational infrastructure required to support the business, and own the inventory. Our licensing business has been aggregated with other non-reportable segments.

Product Licensing

We grant our product licensees the right to manufacture and sell at wholesale specified categories of products under one or more of our trademarks. Each product licensing partner pays us royalties based upon its sales of our products, generally subject to a minimum royalty requirement for the right to use our trademarks and design services. In addition, our licensing partners may be required to allocate a portion of their revenues to advertising our products and sharing in the creative costs associated with these products. Larger allocations typically are required in connection with launches of new products or in new territories. Our license agreements generally have one to five-year terms and may grant the licensees conditional renewal options.

We work closely with all of our licensing partners to ensure that their products are developed, marketed, and distributed to reach the intended consumer and are presented consistently across product categories to convey the distinctive identity and lifestyle associated with our brands. Virtually all aspects of the design, production quality, packaging, merchandising, distribution, advertising, and promotion of Ralph Lauren products are subject to our prior approval and continuing oversight. We perform a broader range of services for most of our Ralph Lauren Home licensing partners than we do for our other licensing partners, including design, operating showrooms, marketing, and advertising.

The following table lists our largest licensing agreements as of March 31, 2018. Except as noted in the table, these product licenses cover North America only.



Category	Licensed Products	Licensing Partners
Men's Apparel	Underwear and Sleepwear	Hanesbrands, Inc. (includes Japan)
	Chaps, Lauren, and Ralph Tailored Clothing	Peerless Clothing International, Inc.

Beauty Products	Fragrances, Cosmetics, Color, and Skin Care	L'Oreal S.A. (global)

Accessories	Eyewear	Luxottica Group, S.p.A. (global)

Home	Bedding and Bath	Ichida Co., Ltd.
	Utility and Blankets	Hollander Sleep Products LLC and Ichida Co., Ltd.
	Fabric and Wallpaper	P. Kaufmann, Inc.



	12

International Licensing

We believe that international markets offer additional opportunities for our iconic designs and lifestyle image. Our international licensing partners acquire the right to sell, promote, market, and/or distribute various categories of our products in a given geographic area and source products from us, our product licensing partners, and independent sources. The international licensees' rights may include the right to own and operate retail stores. As of March 31, 2018, our international licensing partners operated 88 Ralph Lauren stores, 54 Ralph Lauren concession shops, and 136 Club Monaco stores and shops.

Digital Ecosystem

Investing in our digital ecosystem remains a primary focus and is a key component of our integrated global omni-channel strategy that spans across owned and partnered channels, both physical and digital. Our digital ecosystem is comprised of directly-operated platforms, wholesale partner websites, third-party digital pure players, and social commerce.

Our directly-operated digital commerce sites represent our digital flagships, displaying the most elevated expression of our brands. The strategy for our digital flagships is to emphasize brand experience, develop digital content that drives deeper consumer engagement and conversion, as well as broaden our omni-channel service offerings, such as pickup and return in store.

Our products are also sold through the digital commerce sites of many of our wholesale customers. We collaborate with our key wholesale partners to leverage consumer insights to extend our reach and improve traffic conversion.

We also sell products online through various third-party digital pure-play sites, which have a higher penetration of younger consumers. On many of these sites, we have created digital shop-in-shop environments with a consistent brand experience, tailored product stories, and an assortment that is carefully curated by our merchants. We also partner closely with our pure-play customers on marketing events, as well as optimizing search and other data analysis to drive higher traffic and conversion for our brands.

In connection with our digital commerce operations, we engage consumers through various digital and social media platforms, which are supported through our collaboration with influencers who have an authentic connection to our brand.

Seasonality of Business

Our business is typically affected by seasonal trends, with higher levels of wholesale sales in our second and fourth fiscal quarters and higher retail sales in our second and third fiscal quarters. These trends result primarily from the timing of seasonal wholesale shipments and key vacation travel, back-to-school, and holiday shopping periods impacting our retail business. As a result of changes in our business, consumer spending patterns, and the macroeconomic environment, historical quarterly operating trends and working capital requirements may not be indicative of our future performance. In addition, fluctuations in sales, operating income, and cash flows in any fiscal quarter may be affected by other events affecting retail sales, such as changes in weather patterns.

Working capital requirements vary throughout the year. Working capital requirements typically increase during the first half of the fiscal year as inventory builds to support peak shipping/selling periods and, accordingly, typically decrease during the second half of the fiscal year as inventory is shipped/sold. Cash provided by operating activities is typically higher in the second half of the fiscal year due to reduced working capital requirements during that period.

Product Design

Our products reflect a timeless and innovative interpretation of American style with a strong international appeal. Our consistent emphasis on new and distinctive design has been an important contributor to the prominence, strength, and reputation of the Ralph Lauren brands.

Our Ralph Lauren products are designed by, and under the direction of, Mr. Ralph Lauren and our design staff. We form design teams around our brands and product categories to develop concepts, themes, and products for each brand and category. Through close collaboration with merchandising, sales, and production staff, these teams support all of our businesses in order to gain market information and other valuable input.



	13

Marketing and Advertising

Our marketing and advertising programs communicate the themes and images of our brands and are integral to the success of our product offerings. The majority of our advertising program is created and executed by our in-house creative and advertising agency to ensure consistency of presentation, which is complemented by our marketing experts in each region who help to execute our international strategies.

We create distinctive image advertising for our brands, conveying the particular message of each one within the context of the overall Ralph Lauren aesthetic. Advertisements generally portray a lifestyle rather than a specific item and include a variety of products offered by ourselves and, in some cases, our licensing partners. Our communication campaigns are increasingly being executed through digital and social media platforms to drive further engagement with the younger consumer, with a focus on influencers. In regards to influencers, we believe in investing in long-term relationships with those who have an authentic connection to our brand and influence the areas of culture that matter most to our audiences. We also continue to advertise through print and outdoor media, and, to a lesser extent, through television and cinema.

Our digital advertising programs focus on high impact and innovative digital media outlets, which allow us to convey our key brand messages and lifestyle positioning. We also develop digital editorial initiatives that allow for deeper education and engagement around the Ralph Lauren lifestyle, including the RL Magazine, RL Style Guide, and a wide array of video and social media content. We deploy these marketing and advertising initiatives through online, mobile, email, and social media. Our digital commerce sites present the Ralph Lauren lifestyle online, while offering a broad array of our apparel, accessories, and home product lines.

Additionally, we advertise in consumer and trade publications, and participate in cooperative advertising on a shared cost basis with some of our retail and licensing partners. We also provide point-of-sale fixtures and signage to our wholesale customers to enhance the presentation of our products at their retail locations. In addition, when our licensing partners are required to spend an amount equal to a percentage of their licensed product sales on advertising, we coordinate the advertising placement on their behalf. We believe our investments in shop-within-shop environments and retail stores, including our global flagship locations, contribute to and enhance the themes of our brands to consumers.

We also conduct a variety of public relations activities. Each spring and fall, our Ralph Lauren Women's Collection is presented during New York Fashion Week. We also introduce each of the spring and fall menswear and womenswear collections at press presentations in major cities such as New York City and Milan. These fashion events, in addition to celebrity red carpet dressing moments, model appearances, and events hosted in our stores and restaurants, including The Polo Bar in New York City, generate extensive domestic and international media and social coverage.

We continue to be the official outfitter for all on-court officials at both the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open tennis tournaments. Both tournaments provide worldwide exposure for our brand in a relevant lifestyle environment. We also continue to be the exclusive Official Parade Outfitter for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, with the right to manufacture, distribute, advertise, promote, and sell products in the U.S. which replicate the Parade Outfits and associated leisure wear. Most recently, we dressed Team U.S.A. for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. As part of our involvement with Team U.S.A., we have established a partnership with athletes serving as brand ambassadors and as the faces of our advertising, marketing, and public relations campaigns. Additionally, under our agreement with the United States Golf Association ("USGA"), we continue to be the official apparel outfitter for the USGA and the U.S. Open Championships and serve as the championship's largest on-site apparel supplier.

We believe our partnerships with such prestigious global athletic events reinforce our brand's sporting heritage in a truly authentic way and serve to connect our Company and brands to our consumers through their individual areas of passion.



	14

Sourcing, Production and Quality

We contract for the manufacture of our products and do not own or operate any production facilities. Over 500 different manufacturers worldwide produce our apparel, accessories, and home products, with no one manufacturer providing more than 4% of our total production during Fiscal 2018. We source both finished products and raw materials. Raw materials include fabric, buttons, and other trim. Finished products consist of manufactured and fully assembled products ready for shipment to our customers. In Fiscal 2018, over 97% of our products (by dollar value) were produced outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. See "Import Restrictions and Other Government Regulations" and Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications."

Most of our businesses must commit to the manufacturing of our garments before we sell finished goods, whether to wholly-owned retail stores or to wholesale customers. We also must commit to the purchase of fabric from mills well in advance of our sales. If we overestimate our primary customers' demand for a particular product or the need for a particular fabric or yarn, we primarily sell the excess products or garments made from such fabric or yarn in our factory stores or through other secondary distribution channels.

Suppliers operate under the close supervision of our global manufacturing division and buying agents headquartered in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe. All products are produced according to our specifications and standards. Production and quality control staff in Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe monitor manufacturing at supplier facilities in order to correct problems prior to shipment of the final product. Procedures have been implemented under our vendor certification and compliance programs so that quality assurance is reviewed early in the production process, allowing merchandise to be received at the distribution facilities and shipped to customers with minimal interruption.

Competition

Competition is very strong in the segments of the fashion and consumer product industries in which we operate. We compete with numerous designers and manufacturers of apparel and accessories, fragrances, and home furnishing products, both domestic and international. We also face increasing competition from companies selling our product categories through the Internet. Some of our competitors may be significantly larger and have substantially greater resources than us. We compete primarily on the basis of fashion, quality, value, and service, which depend on our ability to:


•	anticipate and respond to changing consumer demands in a timely manner;


•	create and maintain favorable brand recognition, loyalty, and reputation for quality;


•	develop and produce innovative, high-quality products that appeal to consumers of varying age groups;


•	competitively price our products and create an acceptable value proposition for consumers;


•	provide strong and effective marketing support;


•	obtain additional points of distribution and sufficient retail floor space, and effectively present our products to consumers;


•	attract consumer traffic to both retail stores and websites;


•	source raw materials at cost-effective prices;


•	anticipate and maintain proper inventory levels; and


•	ensure product availability and optimize supply chain and distribution efficiencies.

See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — We face intense competition worldwide in the markets in which we operate."



	15

Distribution

To facilitate global distribution, our products are shipped from manufacturers to a network of distribution centers around the world for inspection, sorting, packing, and delivery to our retail locations and digital commerce and wholesale customers. This network includes the following primary distribution facilities:



Facility Location	Geographic Region Serviced	Facility Ownership
Greensboro, North Carolina	U.S.	Owned
N. Pendleton Street, High Point, North Carolina	U.S.	Owned
NC Highway 66, High Point, North Carolina	U.S.	Leased
Eagle Hill Drive, High Point, North Carolina	U.S.	Leased
Chino Hills, California	U.S.	Third-party
Miami, Florida	U.S.	Third-party
Toronto, Ontario	Canada	Third-party
Parma, Italy	Europe	Third-party
Yokohama, Japan	Japan	Third-party
Bugok, South Korea	South Korea	Leased
Tuen Mun, Hong Kong	Greater China and Southeast Asia^(a)	Third-party
Colón, Panama	Latin America	Third-party


^(a)	Includes Australia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

All facilities are designed to allow for high-density cube storage and value-added services, and utilize unit and carton tracking technology to facilitate process control and inventory management. The distribution network is managed through globally integrated information technology systems.

Management Information Systems

Our management information systems make the design, marketing, manufacturing, importation, and distribution of our products more efficient by providing, among other things:


•	comprehensive order processing;


•	production and design information;


•	accounting information; and


•	an enterprise view of information for our design, marketing, manufacturing, importing, and distribution functions.

The point-of-sale registers, in conjunction with other systems in our stores, enable us to track inventory from store receipt to final sale on a real-time basis. We believe our merchandising and financial systems, coupled with our point-of-sale registers and software programs, allow for efficient stock replenishment, effective merchandise planning, and real-time inventory and sales accounting.

In the U.S. and Europe, we utilize an automated replenishment system to facilitate the processing of basic stock replenishment orders from our retail business and wholesale customers, the movement of goods through distribution channels, and the collection of information for planning and forecasting purposes. In the U.S. and Europe, we also utilize an automated allocation system to facilitate the flow of inventory for our retail business.



	16

We are continually improving and upgrading our computer systems and software. For example, as part of a multi-year plan to integrate and upgrade our global systems and processes, we recently completed the migration of our European operations to SAP, the operating and financial reporting information technology system used by our North America operations. We also transitioned our North America digital commerce operations to a third-party cloud-based platform during Fiscal 2018, and we have plans to transition our other digital commerce operations during Fiscal 2019 and beyond.

See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — A data security or privacy breach could damage our reputation and our relationships with our customers or employees, expose us to litigation risk, and adversely affect our business," "Risk Factors — Risks and uncertainties associated with the implementation of information systems may negatively impact our business," and "Risk Factors — Our business could suffer if our computer systems and websites are disrupted or cease to operate effectively."

Wholesale Credit Control

We manage our own credit function. We sell our merchandise principally to major department stores and extend credit based on an evaluation of the wholesale customer's financial capacity and condition, usually without requiring collateral. We monitor credit levels and the financial condition of our wholesale customers on a continuing basis to minimize credit risk. We do not factor or underwrite our accounts receivables, or maintain credit insurance to manage the risk of bad debts. In North America, collection and deduction transactional activities are provided through a third-party service provider. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from a limited number of large wholesale customers. Our business could be adversely affected as a result of consolidations, liquidations, restructurings, other ownership changes in the retail industry, and/or any financial instability of our large wholesale customers."

Wholesale Backlog

We generally receive wholesale orders approximately three to five months prior to the time the products are delivered to customers, with the exception of orders received through our basic stock replenishment program, which ship within two to five days of order receipt. Our wholesale orders are generally subject to broad cancellation rights.

The following table presents our wholesale backlog by segment as of March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2017:



	March 31, 2018		April 1, 2017
	(billions)
North America	$	0.6	$	0.8
Europe	0.4		0.4
Total	$	1.0	$	1.2

We expect that substantially all of our backlog orders as of March 31, 2018 will be filled within the next fiscal year.

The size of our order backlog depends upon a number of factors, including the timing of the market weeks for our particular lines during which a significant percentage of our orders are received and the timing of shipments, which varies from year-to-year with consideration for holidays, consumer trends, concept plans, and the basic stock replenishment program's usage. As a consequence, a comparison of the size of our order backlog from period-to-period may not be meaningful, nor may it be indicative of eventual shipments.

Trademarks

We own the RALPH LAUREN, POLO, POLO BY RALPH LAUREN DESIGN, and the famous polo player astride a horse trademarks in the U.S. and approximately 120 countries worldwide. Other trademarks that we own include:


•	PURPLE LABEL;


•	DOUBLE RL;


•	RRL;



	17


•	RLX;


•	LAUREN RALPH LAUREN;


•	PINK PONY;


•	LAUREN;


•	RALPH;


•	CHAPS;


•	CLUB MONACO; and


•	Various other trademarks, including those pertaining to fragrances and cosmetics.

Mr. Ralph Lauren has the royalty-free right to use as trademarks RALPH LAUREN, DOUBLE RL, and RRL in perpetuity in connection with, among other things, beef and living animals. The trademarks DOUBLE RL and RRL are currently used by the Double RL Company, an entity wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren. In addition, Mr. R. Lauren has the right to engage in personal projects involving film or theatrical productions (not including or relating to our business) through RRL Productions, Inc., a company wholly owned by Mr. R. Lauren. Any activity by these companies has no impact on us.

Our trademarks are the subject of registrations and pending applications throughout the world for use on a variety of items of apparel, apparel-related products, home furnishings, restaurant and café services, online services and online publications, and beauty products, as well as in connection with retail services, and we continue to expand our worldwide usage and registration of related trademarks. In general, trademarks remain valid and enforceable as long as the marks are used in connection with the related products and services and the required registration renewals are filed. We regard the license to use the trademarks and our other proprietary rights in and to the trademarks as extremely valuable assets in marketing our products and, on a worldwide basis, vigorously seek to protect them against infringement. As a result of the appeal of our trademarks, our products have been the object of counterfeiting. While we have a broad enforcement program which has been generally effective in protecting our intellectual property rights and limiting the sale of counterfeit products in the U.S. and in most major markets abroad, we face greater challenges with respect to enforcing our rights against trademark infringement in certain parts of Asia.

In markets outside of the U.S., our rights to some or all of our trademarks may not be clearly established. In the course of our international expansion, we have experienced conflicts with various third parties who have acquired ownership rights in certain trademarks, including POLO and/or a representation of a Polo Player Design, which impede our use and registration of our principal trademarks. While such conflicts are common and may arise again from time to time as we continue our international expansion, we have, in general, successfully resolved such conflicts in the past through both legal action and negotiated settlements with third-party owners of the conflicting marks (see Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not be adequately protected outside the U.S." and Item 3 — "Legal Proceedings" for further discussion). Although we have not suffered any material restraints or restrictions on doing business in desirable markets in the past, we cannot assure that significant impediments will not arise in the future as we expand product offerings and introduce trademarks to new markets.

Import Restrictions and Other Government Regulations

Virtually all of our merchandise imported into the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand is subject to duties. In addition, most of the countries to which we ship could impose safeguard quotas and duties to protect their local industries from import surges that threaten to create market disruption. The U.S. and other countries may also unilaterally impose additional duties in response to a particular product being imported (from China or other countries) at unfairly traded prices in such increased quantities that would cause (or threaten) injury to the relevant domestic industry (generally known as "anti-dumping" actions). If dumping is suspected in the U.S., the U.S. government may self-initiate a dumping case on behalf of the U.S. textile industry which could significantly affect our costs. Furthermore, additional duties, generally known as countervailing duties, can also be imposed by the U.S. government to offset subsidies provided by a foreign government to foreign manufacturers if the importation of such subsidized merchandise injures or threatens to injure a U.S. industry.

In addition, each of the countries in which our products are sold has laws and regulations covering imports. Because the U.S. and the other countries in which our products are manufactured and sold may, from time to time, impose new duties, tariffs, surcharges, or other import controls or restrictions, including the imposition of a "safeguard quota," or adjust presently prevailing duty or tariff rates or levels, we maintain a program of intensive monitoring of import restrictions and opportunities. We seek to



	18

minimize our potential exposure to import-related risks through, among other measures, adjustments in product design and fabrication, shifts of production among countries and manufacturers, and through geographical diversification of our sources of supply.

As almost all of our products are manufactured by foreign suppliers, the enactment of new legislation or the administration of current international trade regulations or executive action affecting textile agreements, or changes in sourcing patterns could adversely affect our operations. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our ability to conduct business globally may be affected by a variety of legal, regulatory, political, and economic risks" and "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications."

We are also subject to other international trade agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement and other special trade preference programs. A portion of our imported products are eligible for certain of these duty-advantaged programs. Apparel and other products sold by us are under the jurisdiction of multiple governmental agencies, including, in the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

Our products are also subject to regulation in the U.S. and other countries, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which relate principally to product labeling, licensing requirements, and consumer product safety requirements and regulatory testing, particularly with respect to products used by children. Any failure to comply with such requirements could result in significant penalties and require us to recall products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with these regulations, as well as applicable federal, state, local, and foreign rules and regulations governing the discharge of materials hazardous to the environment. We do not anticipate any significant capital expenditures for environmental control matters either in the next fiscal year or in the near future. Our licensed products, licensing partners, buying/sourcing agents, and the vendors and factories with which we contract for the manufacture and distribution of our products are also subject to regulation. Our agreements require our licensing partners, buying/sourcing agents, vendors, and factories to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and we are not aware of any violations which could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results.

We are also subject to disclosure and reporting requirements, established under existing or new federal or state laws, such as the requirements to identify the origin and existence of certain "conflict minerals" under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and disclosures of specific actions to eradicate abusive labor practices in our supply chain under the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act. While we require our suppliers to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and our operating guidelines which promote ethical and socially responsible business practices, any violation of labor, environmental, health, and safety or other laws, or any divergence by an independent supplier's labor practices from generally accepted industry standards, could damage our reputation, disrupt our sourcing capabilities, and increase the cost of doing business, adversely affecting our results of operations. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business could suffer if we fail to comply with labor laws or if one of our manufacturers fails to use acceptable labor or environmental practices."

Although we have not suffered any material restriction from doing business in desirable markets in the past, we cannot assure that significant impediments will not arise in the future as we expand product offerings and introduce additional trademarks to new markets.

Employees

As of March 31, 2018, we had approximately 23,500 employees, comprised of approximately 12,800 full-time and approximately 10,700 part-time employees. Approximately 13,500 of our employees are located in the U.S. and approximately 10,000 are located in foreign countries. Approximately 25 of our U.S. production employees in the womenswear business are members of Workers United (which was previously known as UNITE HERE) under an industry association collective bargaining agreement, which our womenswear subsidiary has adopted. We consider our relations with both our union and non-union employees to be good.



	19

Executive Officers

The following are our current executive officers and their principal recent business experience:



Ralph Lauren	Age 78	Mr. Ralph Lauren founded our business in 1967 and, for five decades, has cultivated the iconography of America into a global lifestyle brand. He has been our Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer since November 2015, and a director of the Company since prior to our initial public offering in 1997. He had previously been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since prior to our initial public offering in 1997 until November 2015. In addition, he was previously a member of our Advisory Board or the Board of Directors of our predecessors since their organization.

Patrice Louvet	Age 53	Mr. Louvet has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and a director of the Company since July 2017. Prior to joining the Company, he served as the Group President, Global Beauty, of Procter & Gamble Co. ("P&G") since February 2015. Prior to that role, Mr. Louvet held successively senior leadership positions at P&G, including the roles of Group President, Global Grooming (Gillette), and President of P&G's Global Prestige Business. Before he joined P&G, he served as a Naval Officer, Admiral Aide de Camp in the French Navy from 1987 to 1989. Mr. Louvet graduated from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and received his M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. He has served as a member of the board of directors of Bacardi Limited since July 2012.

Valérie Hermann	Age 55	Ms. Hermann has been our President, Global Brands since September 2016, with responsibility for all aspects of the development of our global brand groups, including Ralph Lauren Luxury, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lauren, Chaps, and Ralph Lauren Home. She served as our Global Brand President of Luxury, Women's Collections, and World of Accessories from May 2016 through September 2016, and was our President of Luxury Collections from April 2014 through April 2016. Ms. Hermann was President and Chief Executive Officer of Reed Krakoff Co. from April 2011 through March 2014. From 2005 to 2011, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Saint Laurent Paris. Prior to that, Ms. Hermann held various positions at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, including Director of Women's Ready to Wear at Dior.

David Lauren	Age 46	Mr. David Lauren is our Chief Innovation Officer, Strategic Advisor to the CEO, and Vice Chairman of the Board. He has served as our Chief Innovation Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board since October 2016. From November 2010 to October 2016, he served as our Executive Vice President of Global Advertising, Marketing and Communications. Prior to that, he served in numerous leadership roles at the Company with responsibility for advertising, marketing, and communications. He has been a director of the Company since August 2013. Mr. D. Lauren oversees the Company's innovation processes and capabilities to drive its brand strength and financial performance across all channels. He has been instrumental in growing the Company's global digital commerce business and pioneering our technology initiatives. He serves on the board of trustees of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention and the board of directors of The National Museum of American History. Mr. D. Lauren is also the Head of The Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation. Before joining the Company in 2000, he was Editor-In-Chief and President of Swing, a general interest publication for Generation X. Mr. D. Lauren is the son of Mr. R. Lauren.

Jane Hamilton Nielsen	Age 54	Ms. Nielsen has been our Chief Financial Officer since September 2016. She served as Chief Financial Officer of Coach, Inc. from September 2011 to August 2016. From 2009 to 2011, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of PepsiCo Beverages Americas and the Global Nutrition Group, divisions of PepsiCo, Inc., with responsibility for all financial management including financial reporting, performance management, capital allocation, and strategic planning. Prior to that, Ms. Nielsen held various senior roles in finance at PepsiCo, Inc. and Pepsi Bottling Group starting in 1996. She also serves on the board of directors of Pinnacle Foods Inc. Ms. Nielsen received her M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and B.A. from Smith College.



	20


Item 1A.	Risk Factors

There are risks associated with an investment in our securities. The following risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business and the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Any of the following risk factors could materially adversely affect our business, our prospects, our results of operations, our financial condition, our liquidity, the trading price of our securities, and/or the actual outcome of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made in this report. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently view as immaterial may also materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition in future periods or if circumstances change.

The loss of the services of Mr. Ralph Lauren, members of our executive management team, or other key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Mr. Ralph Lauren's leadership in the design and marketing areas of our business has been a critical element of our success since the inception of our Company. Mr. R. Lauren is instrumental to, and closely identified with, our brand that bears his name. Our ability to maintain our brand image and leverage the goodwill associated with Mr. R. Lauren's name may be damaged if we were to lose his services. The death or disability of Mr. R. Lauren or other extended or permanent loss of his services, or any negative market or industry perception with respect to him or arising from his loss, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We also depend on the service and management experience of other key executive officers and other members of senior management who have substantial experience and expertise in our industry and our business and have made significant contributions to our growth and success. Competition in our industry to attract and retain these employees is intense and is influenced by our reputation, our ability to offer competitive compensation and benefits, and economic conditions, among other factors. The loss of the services of any of our key executive officers or other members of senior management, or one or more of our other key personnel, or the concurrent loss of several of these individuals or any negative public perception with respect to these individuals, could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We are not protected by a material amount of key-man or similar life insurance covering our executive officers, including Mr. R. Lauren, or other members of senior management. We have entered into employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, but competition for experienced executives in our industry is intense and the non-compete period with respect to certain of our executive officers could, in some circumstances in the event of their termination of employment with our Company, end prior to the employment term set forth in their employment agreements.

Recent changes in our executive and senior management team, including the departure of Mr. Stefan Larsson and the appointment of Mr. Patrice Louvet, may be disruptive to, or cause uncertainty in, our business.

Effective May 2017, Mr. Stefan Larsson departed as the Company's President and CEO and as a member of our Board of Directors. Subsequent to Mr. Larsson's departure, Mr. Patrice Louvet was appointed as the Company's new President and CEO and as a member of our Board of Directors, effective July 2017. Our ability to continue to execute our growth strategy may be adversely affected or delayed by the uncertainty associated with this transition. In addition to Mr. Larsson's departure, certain other members of our executive and senior management team have departed in recent years, and we may implement other management and organizational changes in connection with our growth strategy. Any changes in our executive and senior management team may be disruptive to, or cause uncertainty in, our business and future strategic direction. The departure of certain key individuals and the failure to ensure a smooth transition and effective transfer of knowledge involving senior employees could hinder or delay our strategic planning and execution, as well as adversely affect our ability to attract and retain other experienced and talented employees. Any such disruption or uncertainty could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, such disruption may hinder our ability to maintain an effective system of internal controls and compliance with the requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

We cannot assure the successful implementation of our growth strategy.

We have developed a long-term growth strategy with the objective of delivering sustainable, profitable growth and long-term value creation for shareholders, as described in Item 1 — "Business — Objectives and Opportunities." Our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy is subject to various risks and uncertainties, as described within this "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K.



	21

Although we believe that our growth strategy will lead to long-term growth in revenue and profitability, there can be no assurance regarding the timing of or extent to which we will realize the anticipated benefits, if at all. Our failure to realize the anticipated benefits, which may be due to our inability to execute the various elements of our growth strategy, changes in consumer preferences, competition, economic conditions, and other risks described herein, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Our failure could also result in the implementation of additional restructuring-related activities, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term.

Achievement of our growth strategy may require investment in new capabilities, distribution channels, and technologies. These investments may result in short-term costs without accompanying current revenues and, therefore, may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term. There can be no assurance regarding the timing of or extent to which we will realize the anticipated benefits of these investments and other costs, if at all.

We may not fully realize the expected cost savings and/or operating efficiencies from our restructuring plans.

We have implemented restructuring plans to support key strategic initiatives, such as the Way Forward Plan, as described in Item 1 — "Business — Recent Developments." Although designed to deliver long-term sustainable growth, restructuring plans present significant potential risks that may impair our ability to achieve anticipated operating enhancements and/or cost reductions, or otherwise harm our business, including:


•	higher than anticipated costs in implementing planned workforce reductions, particularly in highly regulated locations outside the U.S.;


•	higher than anticipated lease termination and store closure costs (see "Our business is subject to risks associated with leasing real estate and other assets under long-term, non-cancellable leases");


•	failure to meet operational targets or customer requirements due to the loss of employees or inadequate transfer of knowledge;


•	failure to maintain adequate controls and procedures while executing, and subsequent to completing, our restructuring plans;


•	diversion of management attention and resources from ongoing business activities and/or a decrease in employee morale;


•	attrition beyond any planned reduction in workforce; and


•	damage to our reputation and brand image due to our restructuring-related activities, including the closure of certain of our stores.

If we are not successful in implementing and managing our restructuring plans, we may not be able to achieve targeted operating enhancements, sales growth, and/or cost reductions, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Our failure to achieve targeted results could also lead to the implementation of additional restructuring-related activities, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term.

We may not be successful in the expansion of our multi-channel distribution network.

Implementation of our growth strategy involves the continuation and expansion of our multi-channel distribution network, including within international markets such as China, which is subject to many factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to:


•	identify new or underpenetrated markets where our products and brand will be accepted by consumers;


•	attract customers, particularly in new markets;


•	identify desirable freestanding and department store locations, the availability of which may be out of our control;


•	negotiate acceptable lease terms, including desired tenant improvement allowances;


•	efficiently and cost effectively build-out stores and shop-within-shop locations;


•	source sufficient inventory levels to meet the needs of the new stores and shop-within-shops;



	22


•	hire, train, and retain competent store personnel; and


•	integrate new stores and shop-within-shops into our existing systems and operations.

Any of these challenges could delay or otherwise prevent us from successfully executing our distribution expansion strategy. There can be no assurance that our new stores and shop-within-shops will be successful and profitable or if the capital costs associated with the build-out of such new locations will be recovered. Further, entry into new markets may bring us into competition with new or existing competitors that have a more established market presence than us or other competitive advantages. Other risks related to our international expansion plans include general economic conditions in specific countries or markets, changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, political instability, and foreign government regulation, among other risks described herein. If our expansion plans are unsuccessful or do not deliver an appropriate return on our investments, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The success of our business also depends on our ability to continue to maintain, enhance, and expand our digital footprint and capabilities. Consumers are increasingly shopping online using computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Any failure on our part, or on the part of our third party digital partners, to provide attractive, reliable, secure, and user-friendly digital commerce platforms could negatively impact our customers' shopping experience resulting in reduced website traffic, diminished loyalty to our brands, and lost sales. In addition, as we continue to expand and increase the global presence of our digital commerce business, sales from our brick and mortar stores and wholesale channels of distribution in areas where digital commerce sites are introduced may decline due to changes in consumer shopping habits and cannibalization.

The success of our business depends on our ability to respond to constantly changing fashion and retail trends and consumer demands in a timely manner, develop products that resonate with our existing customers and attract new customers, and provide a seamless shopping experience to our customers.

The industries in which we operate have historically been subject to rapidly changing fashion trends and consumer preferences. Our success depends in large part on our ability to originate and define fashion product and home product trends, as well as to anticipate, gauge, and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. Our products must appeal to a broad range of consumers worldwide whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to rapid change, influenced by fashion trends, current economic conditions, and weather conditions, among other factors. This issue is further compounded by the increasing use of digital and social media by consumers and the speed by which information and opinions are shared across the globe. We cannot assure that we will be able to continue to develop appealing styles or successfully meet constantly changing consumer demands in the future. In addition, we cannot assure that any new products or brands that we introduce will be successfully received by consumers. Any failure on our part to anticipate, identify, and respond effectively to changing consumer demands and fashion trends could adversely affect retail and consumer acceptance of our products and leave us with a substantial amount of unsold inventory or missed opportunities. Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our products or if manufacturers fail to supply quality products in a timely manner, we may experience inventory shortages. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. For a discussion of risks related to our inventory management, see "Our profitability may decline if we are unable to effectively manage inventory or as a result of increasing pressure on margins."

Our marketing and advertising programs are integral to the success of our product offerings and on our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers. Our communication campaigns are increasingly being executed through digital and social media platforms to drive further engagement with the younger consumer, with a focus on influencers. However, we cannot assure that our marketing and advertising programs will be successful or appeal to consumers.

The success of our business also depends on our ability to continue to develop and maintain a reliable omni-channel experience for our customers. Our business has evolved from an in-store experience to a shopping experience through multiple technologies, including computers, smartphones, tablets, and other devices, as our customers have become increasingly technologically savvy. We are increasingly using digital and social media platforms to interact with customers and as a means to enhance their shopping experience. If we are unable to develop and continuously improve our customer-facing technologies, we may not be able to provide a convenient and consistent experience to our customers regardless of the sales channel. This could negatively affect our ability to compete with other retailers and result in diminished loyalty to our brands, which could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We have also implemented, and expect to continue to implement, new store design concepts as part of our growth strategy. There can be no assurance that any of our new store designs will resonate with customers or otherwise achieve the desired sales and profitability measures necessary to recover our initial capital investments. If we are unable to successfully develop new store designs, or if customers are not receptive to the design layout or visual merchandising, our business, results of operations, and



	23

financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, the failure of new store designs to achieve acceptable results could lead to our decision to close a store prior to the lease expiration date. For additional discussion of risks related to the early termination of our leases, see "Our business is subject to risks associated with leasing real estate and other assets under long-term, non-cancellable leases."

The success of our business depends on our ability to retain the value and reputation of our brands.

Our success depends on the value and reputation of our brands and our ability to consistently anticipate, identify, and respond to customers' demands, preferences, and fashion trends in the design, pricing, and production of our products, including the preference for certain products to be manufactured in the U.S. As the Ralph Lauren name is integral to our business, any negative publicity regarding Mr. R. Lauren or our Company, especially through social media which accelerates and increases the potential scope of negative publicity, could negatively impact the image of our brands with our customers and result in diminished loyalty to our brands, even if the subject of such publicity is unverified or inaccurate. Additionally, our failure to comply with ethical, social, product safety, labor, health, environmental or other standards and regulations could damage the reputation of our brands and lead to adverse consumer actions, as well as expose us to government enforcement action and/or private litigation. Even if we react appropriately to negative publicity, our customers' perception of our brand image and our reputation could be negatively impacted. Any failure on our part to retain the value and reputation of brands could adversely impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We face intense competition worldwide in the markets in which we operate.

We face increasing competition from companies selling apparel, accessories, home, and other of our product categories through the Internet. Although we sell our products through the Internet, increased competition and promotional activity in the worldwide apparel, accessory, and home product industries from Internet-based competitors could reduce our sales, prices, and margins and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. We also face intense competition from other domestic and foreign fashion-oriented apparel, footwear, accessory, and casual apparel producers that sell products through brick and mortar stores and wholesale and licensing channels. We compete with these companies primarily on the basis of:


•	anticipating and responding in a timely fashion to changing consumer demands and shopping preferences, including the increasing shift to digital brand engagement, social media communications, and online shopping;


•	creating and maintaining favorable brand recognition, loyalty, and a reputation for quality;


•	developing and producing innovative, high-quality products in sizes, colors, and styles that appeal to consumers of varying age groups;


•	competitively pricing our products and creating an acceptable value proposition for consumers;


•	providing strong and effective marketing support;


•	obtaining sufficient retail floor space and effective presentation of our products at retail stores;


•	attracting consumer traffic to both retail stores and websites;


•	sourcing raw materials at cost-effective prices;


•	anticipating and maintaining proper inventory levels;


•	ensuring product availability and optimizing supply chain and distribution efficiencies with third-party manufacturers and retailers;


•	recruiting and retaining key employees;


•	maintaining and growing market share; and


•	protecting our intellectual property.

Some of our competitors may be significantly larger and more diversified and may have greater financial, marketing, and distribution resources, more desirable store locations, and/or greater digital commerce presence than us, among other competitive advantages. Such competitive advantages may enable them to better withstand unfavorable economic conditions, compete more effectively on the basis of price and production, and/or more quickly respond to rapidly changing fashion trends and consumer



	24

demands than us. In addition, technological advances and the retail industry's low barriers to entry allow for the introduction of new competitors and products at a rapid pace.

Any increased competition, or our failure to adequately address any of these competitive factors, could result in reduced market share or sales, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our profitability may decline if we are unable to effectively manage inventory or as a result of increasing pressure on margins.

We have implemented key strategic initiatives designed to optimize our inventory levels and improve the efficiency and responsiveness of our supply chain. Although we have shortened lead times for the design, sourcing, and production of certain of our product lines, we expect to continue to place orders with our vendors for the majority of our products in advance of the related selling season. As a result, we are vulnerable to changes in consumer preferences and demand and pricing shifts. Our failure to continue to shorten lead times or to correctly anticipate consumer preferences and demand could result in the build-up of excess inventory. If that occurs, we may be forced to rely on less preferred distribution channels, markdowns, promotional sales, destruction, or donations to dispose of excess, slow-moving inventory, which may negatively impact our overall profitability and/or impair the image of our brands. Conversely, if we underestimate consumer demand for our products or if manufacturers fail to supply quality products in a timely manner, we may experience inventory shortages, which may negatively impact customer relationships, diminish brand loyalty, and result in lost sales. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Additionally, our industry is subject to significant pricing pressure caused by many factors, including intense competition and a highly promotional retail environment, consolidation in the retail industry, pressure from retailers to reduce the costs of products, and changes in consumer spending patterns. Although we have reduced our promotional activity in connection with our quality of sales initiatives, these factors may cause us to reduce our sales prices to retailers and consumers, which could cause our gross margin to decline if we are unable to appropriately manage inventory levels and/or otherwise offset price reductions with comparable reductions in our costs. If our sales prices decline and we fail to sufficiently reduce our product costs or operating expenses, our profitability will decline. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, changes in our customer, channel, and geographic sales mix could have a negative impact on our profitability.

Our business is subject to risks associated with leasing real estate and other assets under long-term, non-cancellable leases.

We generally operate most of our retail stores and corporate facilities under long-term, non-cancellable leasing arrangements. Our retail store leases typically require us to make minimum rental payments, and often contingent rental payments based upon sales. In addition, our leases generally require us to pay our proportionate share of the cost of insurance, taxes, maintenance, and utilities. We generally cannot cancel our leases at our option. If we decide to close a store, or if we decide to downsize, consolidate, or relocate any of our corporate facilities, we may be required to record an impairment charge and/or exit costs associated with the disposal of the store or corporate facility. In addition, we may remain obligated under the applicable lease for, among other things, payment of the base rent for the remaining lease term, even after the space is exited. Such costs and obligations related to the early closure of our stores or termination of our leases, such as the recent closing of our Polo store at 711 Fifth Avenue in New York City, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, as each of our leases naturally expires, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms or at all, which could lead store closures resulting in lost sales.

Economic, political, and other conditions may adversely affect the level of consumer purchases of discretionary items and luxury retail products, including our products.

The industries in which we operate are cyclical. Many economic and other factors outside of our control affect the level of consumer spending in the apparel, cosmetic, fragrance, accessory, jewelry, watch, and home product industries, including, among others:


•	actual and perceived economic conditions;


•	employment levels and wage rates;


•	stock market performance;


•	inflation;


•	interest rates;



	25


•	foreign currency exchange rates;


•	the housing market;


•	consumer debt levels;


•	the availability of consumer credit;


•	commodity prices, including fuel and energy costs;


•	taxation;


•	consumer confidence in future economic conditions;


•	general domestic and international political conditions;


•	the threat, outbreak, or escalation of terrorism, military conflicts, or other hostilities; and


•	weather conditions.

Consumer purchases of discretionary items and luxury retail products, including our products, tend to decline during recessionary periods and at other times when disposable income is lower. Unfavorable economic conditions and other factors may also reduce consumers' willingness and ability to travel to major cities and vacation destinations in which our stores are located. Further, consumers may prefer to spend more of their discretionary income on "experiences," such as dining and entertainment, over consumer goods. A downturn or an uncertain outlook in the economies in which we, or our wholesale and licensing partners, sell our products may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. See Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Global Economic Conditions and Industry Trends" for further discussion.

A data security or privacy breach could damage our reputation and our relationships with our customers or employees, expose us to litigation risk, and adversely affect our business.

We are dependent on information technology systems and networks, including the Internet, for a significant portion of our direct-to-consumer sales, including our digital commerce operations and retail business credit card transaction authorization and processing. We are also responsible for storing data relating to our customers and employees and rely on third parties for the operation of our digital commerce websites and for the various social media tools and websites we use as part of our marketing strategy. In our normal course of business, we often collect, retain, and transmit certain sensitive and confidential customer information, including credit card information, over public networks. There is significant concern by consumers, employees, and lawmakers alike over the security of personal information transmitted over the Internet, consumer identity theft, and user privacy, as cyber-criminals are becoming increasingly more sophisticated in their attempts to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and confidential or sensitive data.

We have a longstanding information security risk program committed to regular risk management practices surrounding the protection of confidential data. This program includes various technical controls, including security monitoring, data leakage protection, network segmentation and access controls around the computer resources that house confidential or sensitive data. We have also implemented employee awareness training programs around phishing, malware, and other cyber risks. We continually evaluate the security environment surrounding the handling and control of our critical data, especially the private data we receive from our customers, employees and partners, and have instituted additional measures to help protect us from system intrusion or data breaches. Additionally, we have purchased network security and cyber liability insurance in order to provide a level of financial protection, should a data breach occur.

Despite the security measures we currently have in place, our facilities and systems and those of our third-party service providers may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism, phishing attacks, computer viruses, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors, or other Internet or email events. The increased use of smartphones, tablets, and other devices may also heighten these and other operational risks. The retail industry in particular continues to be the target of many cyber-attacks, which are becoming increasingly more difficult to anticipate and prevent due to their rapidly evolving nature. The technology we use to protect our systems from being breached or compromised could become outdated as a result of advances in computer capabilities or other technological developments. Additionally, measures we implement to protect our computer systems against cyber-attacks may make them harder to use or reduce the speed at which they operate, which in turn could negatively impact our customers' shopping experience resulting in reduced website traffic, diminished loyalty to our brands, and lost sales.



	26

Any perceived or actual electronic or physical security breach involving the misappropriation, loss, or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information, including penetration of our network security, whether by us or by a third party, could disrupt our business, severely damage our reputation and our relationships with our customers or employees, expose us to risks of litigation, significant fines and penalties, and liability, and result in deterioration in our customers' and employees' confidence in us, and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Since we do not control third-party service providers and cannot guarantee that no electronic or physical computer break-ins and security breaches will occur in the future, any perceived or actual unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information regarding our employees, customers or website visitors could harm our reputation and credibility, result in lost sales, impair our ability to attract website visitors, and/or reduce our ability to attract and retain employees and customers. As these threats develop and grow, we may find it necessary to make significant further investments to protect data and our infrastructure, including the implementation of new computer systems or upgrades to existing systems, deployment of additional personnel and protection-related technologies, engagement of third-party consultants, and training of employees. In addition, as the regulatory environment relating to information security and privacy is becoming increasingly more demanding, we may also incur significant costs in complying with the various applicable state, federal, and foreign laws regarding protection of, and unauthorized disclosure of, personal information.

Risks and uncertainties associated with the implementation of information systems may negatively impact our business.

Implementation of new information systems, such as the global operating and financial reporting system recently implemented, or the transition to a new digital commerce platform, involves risks and uncertainties. Any disruptions, delays, or deficiencies in the design, implementation, or transition of such systems could result in increased costs, disruptions in the sourcing, sale, and shipment of our product, delays in the collection of cash from our customers, and/or adversely affect our ability to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, all of which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. For additional discussion of risks related to our information systems, see "Our business could suffer if our computer systems and websites are disrupted or cease to operate effectively."

Our business could suffer if our computer systems and websites are disrupted or cease to operate effectively.

We are dependent on our computer systems to record and process transactions and manage and operate our business, including in designing, marketing, manufacturing, importing, tracking, and distributing our products, processing payments, accounting for and reporting financial results, and managing our employees and employee benefit programs. We also utilize an automated replenishment system to facilitate the processing of basic replenishment orders from our retail business and our wholesale customers, the movement of goods through distribution channels, and the collection of information for planning and forecasting. In addition, we have digital commerce and other informational Internet websites in North America, Europe, and Asia, including Australia and New Zealand, and have plans for additional digital commerce sites in the future. Given the complexity of our business and the significant number of transactions that we engage in on a daily basis, it is imperative that we maintain uninterrupted operation of our computer hardware and software systems. Despite our preventative efforts, our systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from, among other things, security breaches, computer viruses, technical malfunctions, inadequate system capacity, power outages, natural disasters, and usage errors by our employees or third-party consultants. If our information technology systems become damaged or otherwise cease to function properly, we may have to make significant investments to repair or replace them. Additionally, confidential or sensitive data related to our customers or employees could be lost or compromised. Any material disruptions in our information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our ability to conduct business globally may be affected by a variety of legal, regulatory, political, and economic risks.

Our ability to capitalize on growth in new international markets and to maintain our current level of operations in our existing markets is subject to certain risks associated with operating in various locations around the globe. These include, but are not limited to:


•	complying with a variety of U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, trade, labor, and product safety trading restrictions, as well as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits U.S. companies from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and similar



	27

foreign country laws, such as the U.K. Bribery Act, which prohibits U.K. and related companies from any form of bribery;


•	adapting to local customs and culture;


•	unexpected changes in laws, judicial processes, or regulatory requirements;


•	the imposition of additional duties, tariffs, taxes, and other charges or other barriers to trade;


•	changes in diplomatic and trade relationships;


•	political instability and terrorist attacks; and


•	general economic fluctuations in specific countries or markets.

Changes in regulatory, geopolitical, social, economic, or monetary policies and other factors may have a material adverse effect on our business in the future, or may require us to exit a particular market or significantly modify our current business practices. For example, there are growing concerns regarding trade relations between the U.S. and China, as both countries recently indicated their intention to impose significant tariffs on the importation of certain product categories. Although the U.S. has not proposed new tariffs on apparel-related imports, it had indicated that it was considering expanding the product categories that would be subject to new tariffs. As approximately one-third of our products are sourced from China, the U.S.'s imposition of new tariffs on apparel or other goods imported from China could have a material adverse effect on our cost of sales and profitability. Although we are actively reviewing options to mitigate this risk, including diverting production to other countries, there can be no assurance that we will be able to offset any increased costs through pricing actions or other means. For a discussion of risks associated with the importation of products, see "Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications."

Our business could also be impacted by changes to the tax laws and regulations in the countries where we operate. For example, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which represents a coalition of member countries, is supporting changes to numerous long-standing tax principles through its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, which is focused on a number of issues, including the shifting of profits among affiliated entities located in different tax jurisdictions. Taxing authorities of certain foreign jurisdictions may also decide to modify existing tax laws in response to the recently enacted U.S. tax legislation commonly referred to as the TCJA, as described in Item 1 — "Business — Recent Developments." We cannot predict which, if any, of these items will be enacted into law or the resulting impact any such enactment will have on our consolidated financial statements. However, if new legislation were enacted, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. For a discussion of risks related to the TCJA, see "The impact to our business of recently enacted U.S. tax legislation could differ materially from our current estimates."

Additionally, in June 2016, voters in the United Kingdom approved an advisory referendum to withdraw from the European Union, commonly referred to as "Brexit." Subsequently, in March 2017, the United Kingdom's government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, which formally triggered the two-year negotiation process to exit the European Union. Negotiations to determine the United Kingdom's future relationship with the European Union, including terms of trade, are complex and there can be no assurance regarding the terms or timing of any such arrangements. A withdrawal could significantly disrupt the free movement of goods, services, and people between the United Kingdom and the European Union, and result in increased legal and regulatory complexities, as well as potential higher costs of conducting business in Europe. The uncertainty surrounding the terms of the United Kingdom's withdrawal and its consequences could adversely impact consumer and investor confidence, and the level of consumer purchases of discretionary items and luxury retail products, including our products. Any of these effects, among others, could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Brexit has also contributed to significant volatility and uncertainty in global stock markets and currency exchange rates, and such volatility could continue to occur as the negotiation process progresses. For a discussion of risks related to currency exchange fluctuations, see "Our business is exposed to domestic and foreign currency fluctuations."

Our business is subject to risks associated with importing products and the ability of our manufacturers to produce our goods on time and to our specifications.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and depend exclusively on independent third parties for the manufacture of our products. Our products are manufactured to our specifications through arrangements with over 500 foreign manufacturers in various countries. In Fiscal 2018, over 97% of our products (by dollar value) were produced outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Risks inherent in importing our products include:



	28


•	changes in social, political, and economic conditions or terrorist acts that could result in the disruption of trade from the countries in which our manufacturers or suppliers are located;


•	the imposition of additional regulations, quotas, or safeguards relating to imports or exports, and costs of complying with such regulations and other laws relating to the identification and reporting of the sources of minerals used in our products;


•	the imposition of additional duties, tariffs, taxes, and other charges on imports or exports;


•	unfavorable changes in the availability, cost, or quality of raw materials and commodities;


•	increases in the cost of labor, travel, and transportation;


•	disruptions of shipping and international trade caused by natural and man-made disasters, labor strikes, or other unforeseen events;


•	heightened terrorism-related security concerns, which could subject imported or exported goods to additional, more frequent, or more thorough inspections, leading to delays in the delivery of cargo;


•	decreased scrutiny by customs officials for counterfeit goods, leading to lost sales, increased costs for our anti-counterfeiting measures, and damage to the reputation of our brands;


•	pandemic and epidemic diseases, which could result in closed factories, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials, and scrutiny or embargoing of goods produced in infected areas;


•	the imposition of anti-dumping or countervailing duty proceedings resulting in the potential assessment of special duties; and


•	the imposition of sanctions in the form of additional duties either by the U.S. or its trading partners to remedy perceived illegal actions by national governments.

Any one of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. For a discussion of risks related to the potential imposition of additional regulations and laws, see "Our ability to conduct business globally may be affected by a variety of legal, regulatory, political, and economic risks."

In addition, the inability of a manufacturer to ship orders of our products in a timely manner or to meet our strict quality standards could cause us to miss the delivery date requirements of our customers for those items, which could result in cancellation of orders, refusal to accept deliveries, or a substantial reduction in purchase prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Prices of raw materials used to manufacture our products may also fluctuate, and increases in prices of such raw materials could have a material adverse effect on our cost of sales. Furthermore, the cost of labor at many of our third-party manufacturers has been increasing significantly and, as the middle class in developing countries such as China continues to grow, it is unlikely that such cost pressure will abate. The cost of transportation remains significant as well, and it is likely that such cost will fluctuate significantly if oil prices remain volatile. We may not be able to offset such increases in raw materials, freight, or labor costs through pricing actions or other means.

Fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate may result in volatility of our operating results.

We are subject to income taxes in many U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions, with the applicable tax rates varying by jurisdiction. We record tax expense based on our estimates of future payments, which include reserves for uncertain tax positions in multiple tax jurisdictions. At any one time, multiple tax years are subject to audit by various taxing authorities. The results of these audits and negotiations with taxing authorities may affect the ultimate settlement of these issues. As a result, we expect that throughout the year there could be ongoing variability in our quarterly tax rates as events occur and exposures are evaluated. Our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period may also be materially impacted by changes in the mix and level of earnings by jurisdiction or by changes to existing accounting rules. For example, Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2016-09"), which became effective for our Company during the first quarter of Fiscal 2018, has resulted in, and is expected to continue to result in, increased volatility in the provision of income taxes. See Note 4 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion of ASU 2016-09.

In addition, the tax laws and regulations in the countries where we operate may change, such as the recently enacted U.S. tax legislation commonly referred to as the TCJA, or there may be changes in interpretation and enforcement of existing tax laws, which could materially affect our income tax expense in our consolidated financial statements. For a discussion of risks related



	29

to the potential imposition of additional regulations and laws, see "Our ability to conduct business globally may be affected by a variety of legal, regulatory, political, and economic risks" and "The impact to our business of recently enacted U.S. tax legislation could differ materially from our current estimates."

The impact to our business of recently enacted U.S. tax legislation could differ materially from our current estimates.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new tax legislation commonly referred to as the TCJA, as described in Item 1 — "Business — Recent Developments." The TCJA is complex and widely considered to be the most significant overhaul to the U.S. federal tax code since 1986.

Although we expect the TCJA will ultimately benefit our results of operations and financial condition in future periods, primarily due to it reducing the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate from 35% to 21%, its enactment resulted in the recognition of net charges of $221.4 million within our income tax provision during Fiscal 2018. These charges were recorded on a provisional basis, as permitted by SAB 118, based on our present interpretations of the TCJA, current available information, and assumptions about future events. Although we believe these provisional amounts represent a reasonable estimate of the ultimate enactment-related impact the TCJA will have on our consolidated financial statements, the amounts could be adjusted materially as additional information becomes available and further analyses are completed. The impact of the TCJA to our business in future periods is also subject to a variety of factors beyond our control including, but not limited to, (i) potential amendments to the TCJA; (ii) potential changes to state, local, and foreign tax laws in response to the TCJA; and (iii) potential new or interpretative guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or the Internal Revenue Service and other tax agencies. Any of these factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from our current expectations and/or investors' expectations and there can be no assurance that the TCJA will ultimately benefit our business, results of operations, and financial condition in future periods.

Our business is exposed to domestic and foreign currency fluctuations.

Our business is exposed to foreign currency exchange risk. Specifically, changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies impact our financial results from a transactional perspective, as our foreign operations generally purchase inventory in U.S. dollars, as is common for most apparel companies. Given that we source most of our products overseas, the cost of these products may be affected by changes in the value of the relevant currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates may also impact consumers' willingness or ability to travel abroad and/or purchase our products while traveling, as well as affect the U.S. Dollar value of the foreign currency denominated prices at which our international businesses sell products. Additionally, the operating results and financial position of our international subsidiaries are exposed to foreign exchange rate fluctuations as their financial results are translated from the respective local currency into U.S. Dollars during the financial statement consolidation process. The foreign currencies to which we are exposed to from a transactional and translational perspective primarily include the Euro, the Japanese Yen, the South Korean Won, the Australian Dollar, the Canadian Dollar, the British Pound Sterling, the Swiss Franc, the Swedish Krona, the Chinese Renminbi, the New Taiwan Dollar, and the Hong Kong Dollar. The expansion of our international business increases our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk.

Although we hedge certain exposures to changes in foreign currency exchange rates arising in the ordinary course of business, we cannot fully anticipate all of our currency exposures and therefore foreign currency fluctuations may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, factors that could impact the effectiveness of our hedging activities include the volatility of currency markets, the accuracy of forecasted transactions, and the availability of hedging instruments. As such, our hedging activities may not completely mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations on our results of operations. See Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Market Risk Management."

A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from a limited number of large wholesale customers. Our business could be adversely affected as a result of consolidations, liquidations, restructurings, other ownership changes in the retail industry, and/or any financial instability of our large wholesale customers.

Several of our department store customers, including some under common ownership, account for a significant portion of our wholesale net sales. A substantial portion of sales of our licensed products by our domestic licensing partners are also made to our largest department store customers. During Fiscal 2018, sales to our largest wholesale customer, Macy's, accounted for approximately 8% of total net revenues. Further, sales to our three largest wholesale customers, including Macy's, accounted for approximately 19% of total net revenues for Fiscal 2018, and constituted approximately 29% of our total gross trade accounts receivable outstanding as of March 31, 2018. Substantially all sales to our three largest wholesale customers related to our North America segment.



	30

We typically do not enter into long-term agreements with our customers. Instead, we enter into a number of purchase order commitments with our customers for each of our product lines every season. A decision by the controlling owner of a group of stores or any other significant customer, whether motivated by competitive conditions, financial difficulties, or otherwise, to decrease or eliminate the amount of merchandise purchased from us or our licensing partners or to change their manner of doing business with us or our licensing partners or their new strategic and operational initiatives, including their continued focus on further development of their "private label" initiatives, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

In addition, as a result of unfavorable economic conditions, certain of our large wholesale customers, particularly those located in the U.S., have been highly promotional in recent years and have aggressively marked down their merchandise, including our products. Such promotional activity could negatively impact our brand image and/or lead to requests from those customers for increased markdown allowances at the end of the season, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In response and in connection with our growth plan, we began to strategically reduce shipments to certain of our customers during Fiscal 2018.

The department store sector has also experienced numerous consolidations, restructurings, reorganizations, and other ownership changes in recent years. Any such actions in the future could result in a reduction in the number of stores that carry our products, and the stores that remain open may purchase fewer of our products and/or reduce the retail floor space designated to our brands. There can be no assurance that consolidations, restructurings, reorganizations, or other ownership changes in the department store sector will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We sell our wholesale merchandise primarily to major department stores across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, and extend credit based on an evaluation of each wholesale customer's financial condition, usually without requiring collateral. However, the financial difficulties of a wholesale customer could cause us to limit or eliminate our business with that customer. We may also assume more credit risk relating to that customer's receivables. Our inability to collect on our trade accounts receivable from any one of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. See Item 1 — "Business — Wholesale Credit Control."

Economic conditions could have a negative impact on our major customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business.

Although we believe that our cash provided by operations and available borrowing capacity under our credit facilities and commercial paper borrowing program will provide us with sufficient liquidity, the impact of economic conditions on our major customers, suppliers, vendors, and lenders and their ability to access global capital markets cannot be predicted. The inability of major manufacturers to ship our products could impair our ability to meet the delivery date requirements of our customers. Deterioration in global financial markets could affect our ability to access sources of liquidity to provide for our future cash needs, increase the cost of any future financing, or cause our lenders to be unable to meet their funding commitments under our credit facilities. A disruption in the ability of our significant customers to access liquidity could cause serious disruptions or an overall deterioration of their businesses which could lead to a significant reduction in their future orders of our products and the inability or failure on their part to meet their payment obligations to us, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our business could suffer if we need to replace manufacturers or distribution centers.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and depend exclusively on independent third parties for the manufacture of our products. We compete with other companies for the production capacity of our manufacturers. Some of these competitors have greater financial and other resources than we have, and thus may have an advantage in securing production capacity. If we experience a significant increase in demand, or if an existing manufacturer of ours must be replaced, we may have to expand our third-party manufacturing capacity. We cannot guarantee that this additional capacity will be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us. See Item 1 — "Business — Sourcing, Production and Quality." We enter into a number of purchase order commitments each season specifying a time for delivery, method of payment, design and quality specifications, and other standard industry provisions, but do not have long-term contracts with any manufacturer. None of the manufacturers we use produce our products exclusively.

In addition, we rely on a number of owned and independently-operated distribution facilities around the world to warehouse and ship products to our customers and perform other related logistic services. Our ability to meet the needs of our customers depends on the proper operation of these distribution centers. If any of our distribution centers were closed or were to become inoperable or inaccessible for any reason, we could experience a substantial loss of inventory, disruption of deliveries to our customers and our retail stores, increased costs, and longer lead times associated with the distribution of products during the period



	31

that would be required to reopen or replace the facility. These disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our business could be adversely affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events in the locations in which we or our customers or suppliers operate.

We have operations, including retail, distribution, and warehousing operations, in locations subject to natural disasters, such as severe weather, geological events, and epidemic diseases, and other catastrophic events, such as terrorist attacks and military conflict, any of which could disrupt our operations. In addition, our customers and suppliers also have operations in these locations and could experience similar disruptions. The occurrence of natural disasters or other catastrophic events may result in sudden disruptions in the business operations of the local economies affected, as well as of the regional and global economies. In addition, our business can be affected by unseasonable weather conditions, such as extended periods of unseasonably warm temperatures in the winter or unseasonably cold temperatures in the summer. Any of these events could result in decreased demand for our products and disruptions in our sales channels and manufacturing and distribution networks, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not be adequately protected outside the U.S.

We believe that our trademarks, intellectual property, and other proprietary rights are extremely important to our success and our competitive position. We devote substantial resources to the establishment and protection of our trademarks and anti-counterfeiting activities worldwide. However, significant counterfeiting and imitation of our products continues to exist. In the course of our international expansion we have experienced conflicts with various third parties that have acquired or claimed ownership rights to some of our key trademarks that include Polo and/or a representation of a polo player astride a horse, or otherwise have contested our rights to our trademarks. We have resolved certain of these conflicts through both legal action and negotiated settlements. We cannot guarantee that the actions we have taken to establish and protect our trademarks and other proprietary rights will be adequate to prevent counterfeiting, lost business, or brand dilution, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business. We expect to continue to devote substantial resources to challenge brands arising from imitation of our products. Also, there can be no assurance that others will not assert rights in, or ownership of, trademarks and other proprietary rights of ours or that we will be able to successfully resolve these types of conflicts to our satisfaction or at all. In addition, the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect trademarks or other proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the U.S. and, as a result, our intellectual property may be more vulnerable and difficult to protect in such countries. See Item 1 — "Business — Trademarks," and Item 3 — "Legal Proceedings."

Our business could suffer if we fail to comply with labor laws or if one of our manufacturers fails to use acceptable labor or environmental practices.

We are subject to labor laws governing relationships with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions, and citizenship requirements. Compliance with these laws may lead to increased costs and operational complexity and may increase our exposure to governmental investigations or litigation.

In addition, we require our licensing partners and independent manufacturers to operate in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. While our internal and vendor operating guidelines promote ethical business practices and our employees periodically visit and monitor the operations of our independent manufacturers, we do not control these manufacturers or their labor practices. The violation of labor, environmental, or other laws by an independent manufacturer used by us or one of our licensing partners, or the divergence of an independent manufacturer's or licensing partner's labor or environmental practices from those generally accepted as ethical or appropriate in the U.S., could interrupt or otherwise disrupt the shipment of finished products to us or damage our reputation. Any of these events, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Certain legal proceedings, regulatory matters, and accounting changes could adversely affect our business.

We are involved in certain legal proceedings and regulatory matters and are subject from time to time to various claims involving alleged breach of contract claims, intellectual property and other related claims, escheatment and unclaimed property, credit card fraud, security breaches in certain of our retail store information systems, employment issues, consumer matters, and other litigation. Certain of these lawsuits and claims, if decided adversely to us or settled by us, could result in material liability to our Company or have a negative impact on our reputation or relations with our employees, customers, licensees, or other third parties. In addition, regardless of the outcome of any litigation or regulatory proceedings, such proceedings could result in substantial costs and may require our Company to devote substantial time and resources to defend itself. Further, changes in governmental regulations both in the U.S. and in other countries where we conduct business operations could have an adverse impact on our



	32

business, results of operations, and financial condition. See Item 3 — "Legal Proceedings" for further discussion of our Company's legal matters.

In addition, we are subject to changes in accounting rules and interpretations issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and other regulatory agencies. If and when effective, such changes to accounting standards could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. See Note 4 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for a description of certain recently issued or proposed accounting standards.

The trading prices of our securities periodically may rise or fall based on the accuracy of predictions of our earnings or other financial performance, including our ability to return value to shareholders.

Our business planning process is designed to maximize our long-term strength, growth, and profitability, and not to achieve an earnings target in any particular fiscal quarter. We believe that this longer-term focus is in the best interests of our Company and our stockholders. At the same time, however, we recognize that, from time to time, it may be helpful to provide investors with guidance as to our quarterly and annual forecast of net sales and earnings. While we generally expect to provide updates to our guidance when we report our results each fiscal quarter, we do not have any responsibility to update any of our forward-looking statements at such times or otherwise. In addition, any longer-term guidance that we provide is based on goals that we believe, at the time guidance is given, are reasonably attainable. However, such long-range targets are more difficult to predict than our current quarter and full fiscal year expectations. If, or when, we announce actual results that differ from those that have been predicted by us, outside analysts, or others, the market price of our securities could be adversely affected. Investors who rely on these predictions when making investment decisions with respect to our securities do so at their own risk. We take no responsibility for any losses suffered as a result of such changes in the prices of our securities.

In addition, we periodically return value to shareholders through our payment of quarterly cash dividends and common stock share repurchases. Investors may have an expectation that we will continue to pay quarterly cash dividends, further increase our cash dividend rate, and/or repurchase shares available under our Class A common stock repurchase program. Our ability to pay quarterly cash dividends and repurchase our Class A common stock will depend on our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations in the future. This ability may be subject to certain economic, financial, competitive, and other factors that are beyond our control. Further, our Board of Directors may, at its discretion, elect to suspend or otherwise alter these programs at any time. The market price of our securities could be adversely affected if our cash dividend payments and/or Class A common stock share repurchase activity differ from investors' expectations.

The voting shares of our Company's stock are concentrated in one majority stockholder.

As of March 31, 2018, Mr. Ralph Lauren, or entities controlled by the Lauren family, held approximately 82% of the voting power of the outstanding common stock of our Company. In addition, Mr. R. Lauren serves as our Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Mr. R. Lauren's son, Mr. David Lauren, serves as our Chief Innovation Officer, Strategic Advisor to the CEO, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, and we employ other members of the Lauren family. From time to time, we may have other business dealings with Mr. R. Lauren, members of the Lauren family, or entities affiliated with Mr. R. Lauren or the Lauren family. As a result of his stock ownership and position in our Company, Mr. R. Lauren has the ability to exercise significant control over our business, including, without limitation, (i) the election of our Class B common stock directors, voting separately as a class and (ii) any action requiring the approval of our stockholders, including the adoption of amendments to our certificate of incorporation and the approval of mergers or sales of all or substantially all of our assets.

We rely on our licensing partners to preserve the value of our licenses. Failure to maintain licensing partners could harm our business.

The risks associated with our own products also apply to our licensed products in addition to any number of possible risks specific to a licensing partner's business, including risks associated with a particular licensing partner's ability to:


•	obtain capital;


•	execute its business plans;


•	manage its labor relations;


•	maintain relationships with its suppliers and customers; and


•	manage its credit and bankruptcy risks effectively.



	33

Although a number of our license agreements prohibit our licensing partners from entering into licensing arrangements with our competitors, our licensing partners generally are not precluded from offering, under other non-competitor brands, the types of products covered by their license agreements with us. A substantial portion of sales of our products by our domestic licensing partners are also made to our largest customers. While we have significant control over our licensing partners' products and advertising, we rely on our licensing partners for, among other things, operational and financial control over their businesses. Changes in management, reduced sales of licensed products, poor execution, or financial difficulties with respect to any of our licensing partners could adversely affect our revenues, both directly from reduced licensing revenue received and indirectly from reduced sales of our other products.

Although we believe that we could replace our existing licensing partners in most circumstances, if necessary, our inability to do so for any period of time could adversely affect our revenues, both directly from reduced licensing revenue received and indirectly from reduced sales of our other products. See Item 1 — "Business — Our Licensing Business."


Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments.

Not applicable.


Item 2.	Properties.

We lease space for our retail stores, showrooms, warehouses, and offices in various domestic and international locations. We do not own any real property except for our distribution facility and an adjacent parcel of land in Greensboro, North Carolina; our retail digital commerce call center and distribution facility in High Point, North Carolina; and our retail stores in Southampton and Easthampton, New York, and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

We believe that our existing facilities are well maintained, in good operating condition, and are adequate for our present level of operations.

The following table sets forth information relating to our key properties as of March 31, 2018:



Location	Use	Approximate Square Feet

Greensboro, NC	Wholesale and retail distribution facility	1,300,000
NC Highway 66, High Point, NC	Wholesale and retail distribution facility	847,000
N. Pendleton Street, High Point, NC	Retail digital commerce call center and distribution facility	805,000
625 Madison Avenue, NYC	Corporate offices and showrooms	362,000
Eagle Hill Drive, High Point, NC	Wholesale distribution facility	343,000
650 Madison Avenue, NYC	Executive and corporate offices, design studio, and showrooms	270,000
Lyndhurst, NJ	Corporate and retail administrative offices	178,000
601 West 26th Street, NYC	Corporate offices	137,800
Geneva, Switzerland	European corporate offices	107,000
7th Avenue, NYC	Corporate offices, design studio, and Women's showrooms	104,000
Manhattan Place, Hong Kong	Asia sourcing offices	46,000
Gateway Office, Hong Kong	Asia corporate offices	37,500
888 Madison Avenue, NYC	Retail flagship store	37,900
N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago	Retail flagship store	37,500
New Bond Street, London, UK	Retail flagship store	31,500
867 Madison Avenue, NYC	Retail flagship store	27,700
Paris, France	Retail flagship store	25,700
Tokyo, Japan	Retail flagship store	25,000
N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills	Retail flagship store	19,400
Regent Street, London, UK	Retail flagship store	19,000



	34

As of March 31, 2018, we directly operated 472 retail stores, totaling approximately 3.8 million square feet. We anticipate that we will be able to extend our retail store leases, as well as those leases for our non-retail facilities, which expire in the near future on satisfactory terms or relocate to desirable alternate locations. We generally lease our freestanding retail stores for initial periods ranging from 5 to 15 years, with renewal options. See Item 1A — "Risk Factors — Our business is subject to risks associated with leasing real estate and other assets under long-term, non-cancellable leases."


Item 3.	Legal Proceedings.

We are involved, from time to time, in litigation, other legal claims, and proceedings involving matters associated with or incidental to our business, including, among other things, matters involving credit card fraud, trademark and other intellectual property, licensing, importation and exportation of products, taxation, unclaimed property, and employee relations. We believe at present that the resolution of currently pending matters will not individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. However, our assessment of any litigation or other legal claims could potentially change in light of the discovery of facts not presently known or determinations by judges, juries, or other finders of fact which are not in accord with management's evaluation of the possible liability or outcome of such litigation or claims.


Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.



	35

PART II


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

Our Class A common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol "RL." The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices per share of our Class A common stock, as reported on the NYSE Composite Tape, and the cash dividends per common share declared for each quarterly period in our two most recent fiscal years:



	Market Price of Class A Common Stock				Dividends Declared per Common Share
	High		Low		Dividends Declared per Common Share
Fiscal 2018:
First Quarter	$	84.47	$	66.06	$	0.50
Second Quarter	92.55		70.36		0.50
Third Quarter	105.52		83.26		0.50
Fourth Quarter	119.33		100.09		0.50
Fiscal 2017:
First Quarter	$	98.50	$	83.66	$	0.50
Second Quarter	109.85		87.26		0.50
Third Quarter	114.00		89.24		0.50
Fourth Quarter	93.05		75.62		0.50

Since 2003, we have maintained, and intend to continue to maintain, a regular quarterly cash dividend program on our common stock. However, any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant.

As of May 18, 2018, there were 694 holders of record of our Class A common stock and 6 holders of record of our Class B common stock. All of our outstanding shares of Class B common stock are owned by Mr. Ralph Lauren, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, and entities controlled by the Lauren family. Shares of our Class B common stock may be converted immediately into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis by the holder. There is no cash or other consideration paid by the holder converting the shares and, accordingly, there is no cash or other consideration received by the Company. The shares of Class A common stock issued by the Company in such conversions are exempt from registration pursuant to Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. No shares of our Class B common stock were converted into Class A common stock during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2018.

The following table sets forth repurchases of shares of our Class A common stock during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2018:



	Total Number of Shares Purchased^(a)	Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs	Approximate Dollar Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs^(b)
					(millions)
December 31, 2017 to January 27, 2018	—	$	—	—	$	100
January 28, 2018 to February 24, 2018	639	116.20		—	100
February 25, 2018 to March 31, 2018	7,098	108.46		—	100
	7,737			—


^(a)	Represents shares surrendered to or withheld by the Company in satisfaction of withholding taxes in connection with the vesting of awards issued under its long-term stock incentive plans.


^(b)	Repurchases of shares of Class A common stock are subject to overall business and market conditions.



	36

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return (stock price appreciation plus dividends) on our Class A common stock to the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and a peer group index of companies that we believe are closest to ours (the "Peer Group") for the period from March 30, 2013, the last day of our 2013 fiscal year, through March 31, 2018, the last day of our 2018 fiscal year. Our Peer Group consists of Burberry Group PLC, Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Hermes International, Kering, Luxottica Group, LVMH, PVH Corp., Tapestry, Inc., Tiffany & Co., Tod's S.p.A., and V.F. Corporation. All calculations for foreign companies in our Peer Group are performed using the local foreign issue of such companies. The returns are calculated by assuming a $100 investment on March 30, 2013 in Class A common stock or March 31, 2013 in an index, with all dividends reinvested.

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Among Ralph Lauren Corporation, the S&P 500 Index, and a Peer Group


Item 6.	Selected Financial Data

See the "Index to Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Information," and specifically "Selected Financial Information" appearing at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with Item 7 — "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Item 8 — "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Historical results may not be indicative of future results.



	37


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

The following management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations ("MD&A") should be read together with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We utilize a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the Saturday closest to March 31. As such, Fiscal 2018 ended on March 31, 2018 and was a 52-week period; Fiscal 2017 ended on April 1, 2017 and was a 52-week period; Fiscal 2016 ended on April 2, 2016 and was a 53-week period; and Fiscal 2019 will end on March 30, 2019 and will be a 52-week period.

INTRODUCTION

MD&A is provided as a supplement to the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes thereto to help provide an understanding of our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity. MD&A is organized as follows:

•

Overview. This section provides a general description of our business, global economic conditions and industry trends, and a summary of our financial performance for Fiscal 2018. In addition, this section includes a discussion of recent developments and transactions affecting comparability that we believe are important in understanding our results of operations and financial condition, and in anticipating future trends.


•	Results of operations. This section provides an analysis of our results of operations for Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 as compared to the respective prior fiscal year.

•

Financial condition and liquidity. This section provides a discussion of our financial condition and liquidity as of March 31, 2018, which includes (i) an analysis of our financial condition as compared to the prior fiscal year-end; (ii) an analysis of changes in our cash flows for Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 as compared to the respective prior fiscal year; (iii) an analysis of our liquidity, including the availability under our commercial paper borrowing program and credit facilities, common stock repurchases, payments of dividends, and our outstanding debt and covenant compliance; and (iv) a summary of our contractual and other obligations as of March 31, 2018.


•	Market risk management. This section discusses how we manage our risk exposures related to foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates, and our investments as of March 31, 2018.

•

Critical accounting policies. This section discusses accounting policies considered to be important to our results of operations and financial condition, which typically require significant judgment and estimation on the part of management in their application. In addition, all of our significant accounting policies, including our critical accounting policies, are summarized in Note 3 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.


•	Recently issued accounting standards. This section discusses the potential impact on our reported results of operations and financial condition of certain accounting standards that have been recently issued or proposed.

OVERVIEW

Our Business

Our Company is a global leader in the design, marketing, and distribution of premium lifestyle products, including apparel, accessories, home furnishings, and other licensed product categories. Our long-standing reputation and distinctive image have been developed across an expanding number of products, brands, sales channels, and international markets. Our brand names include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others.



	38

We organize our business into the following three reportable segments:

•

Asia — Our Asia segment, representing approximately 15% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, primarily consists of sales of our Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale and retail businesses in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Our retail business in Asia is comprised of our Ralph Lauren stores, our factory stores, and our concession-based shop-within-shops. In addition, we sell our products through various third-party digital partner commerce sites. In Asia, our wholesale business is comprised primarily of sales to department stores, with related products distributed through shop-within-shops.

In addition to these reportable segments, we also have other non-reportable segments, representing approximately 7% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues, which primarily consist of (i) sales of Club Monaco branded products made through our retail businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and our licensing alliances in Europe and Asia, (ii) sales of Ralph Lauren branded products made through our wholesale business in Latin America, and (iii) royalty revenues earned through our global licensing alliances, excluding Club Monaco.

Approximately 45% of our Fiscal 2018 net revenues were earned outside of the U.S. See Note 19 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our segment reporting structure.

Global Economic Conditions and Industry Trends

The global economy and our industry are impacted by many different influences. Most recently, the U.S. enacted new tax legislation known as the TCJA (as defined within "Recent Developments"), which is intended to stimulate economic growth and capital investment in the U.S. by, among its other provisions, lowering tax rates for both corporations and individuals alike. Certain other worldwide events, including political unrest, acts of terrorism, monetary policy changes, and currency and commodity price changes, increase volatility in the global economy. In addition, the current domestic and international political environment, including potential changes to other U.S. policies related to global trade, immigration, and healthcare, have also resulted in uncertainty surrounding the future state of the global economy. As our international business continues to grow, and because the majority of our products are produced outside of the U.S., major changes in global tax policies or trade relations could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results. Our results also have been, and are expected to continue to be, impacted by foreign exchange rate fluctuations.

In addition, the retail landscape in which we operate is evolving, with consumers continuing to diversify the channels in which they transact and shifting their shopping preference from physical stores to online. This, along with other factors, has resulted in many retailers, including certain of our large wholesale customers, becoming highly promotional and aggressively marking down their merchandise in an attempt to offset declines in physical store traffic. The retail industry, particularly in the U.S., has also experienced numerous bankruptcies, restructurings, and ownership changes in recent years. Certain of our operations, including our North America wholesale business, have been negatively impacted by these dynamics. The continuation of these industry trends could further impact consumer spending and consumption behavior in our industry, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or operating results. Additionally, changes in economic conditions, including those that may result from the TCJA, can further impact consumer discretionary income levels and spending. While we are optimistic that the TCJA will stimulate economic growth, it is still too early to determine the resulting impact on consumer spending and consumption behavior.



	39

We have implemented various operating strategies globally to help address many of these current challenges, and continue to build a foundation for long-term profitable growth centered around strengthening our consumer-facing areas of product, stores, and marketing across channels and driving a more efficient operating model. In connection with these strategies, we are taking deliberate actions to ensure promotional consistency across channels and enhance the overall brand and shopping experience, including reducing shipments to better align with underlying demand and lower inventory levels. Additionally, we are optimizing our wholesale distribution channel, and closed approximately 25% of our underperforming U.S. department store points of distribution during Fiscal 2018. Further, in October 2017, we began to shift to a more cost-effective and flexible platform for our directly operated digital businesses, which is expected to deliver a more brand-enhancing and consistent customer experience across our global digital ecosystem. See our restructuring activities as described within "Recent Developments" below for further discussion. Although the investments that we are making in our business and our quality of sales initiatives may create operating profit pressure in the near-term, we expect that these initiatives will create longer-term shareholder value.

We will continue to monitor these conditions and trends and evaluate and adjust our operating strategies and foreign currency and cost management opportunities to help mitigate the related impact on our results of operations, while remaining focused on the long-term growth of our business and protecting the value of our brand.

For a detailed discussion of significant risk factors that have the potential to cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations, see Part I, Item 1A — "Risk Factors" included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Summary of Financial Performance

Operating Results

In Fiscal 2018, we reported net revenues of $6.182 billion, net income of $162.8 million, and net income per diluted share of $1.97, as compared to net revenues of $6.653 billion, a net loss of $99.3 million, and net loss per diluted share of $1.20 in Fiscal 2017. The comparability of our operating results has been affected by TCJA enactment-related charges recorded during Fiscal 2018, as well as restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges recorded during both Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017, as discussed further below.

During Fiscal 2018, net revenues declined 7.1% on a reported basis and 8.4% on a constant currency basis, as defined within "Transactions and Trends Affecting Comparability of Results of Operations and Financial Condition" below. The decline in reported net revenues during Fiscal 2018 was primarily due to lower sales from our North America segment driven by the impact of our quality of distribution and sales initiatives, including lower levels of promotional activity and a strategic reduction in shipments, as well as brand discontinuances and lower consumer demand.

Our gross profit as a percentage of net revenues increased by 580 basis points to 60.7% during Fiscal 2018, primarily driven by lower non-cash inventory-related charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan, lower levels of promotional activity in connection with our long-term growth strategy, favorable geographic and channel mix, and lower sourcing costs.

Selling, general, and administrative ("SG&A") expenses as a percentage of net revenues increased by 240 basis points to 50.1% during Fiscal 2018, primarily due to operating deleverage on lower net revenues and the unfavorable impact attributable to geographic and channel mix, as a greater portion of our revenue was generated by our international retail businesses (which typically carry higher operating expense margins). These increases were largely offset by our operational discipline and cost savings associated with our restructuring activities.

Net income increased by $262.1 million to $162.8 million in Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, primarily due to a $590.5 million increase in operating income, partially offset by a $332.0 million increase in our income tax provision largely driven by TCJA enactment-related charges.

Net income per diluted share increased by $3.17 to $1.97 per share in Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, due to higher net income and lower weighted-average diluted shares outstanding during Fiscal 2018.

Net income during Fiscal 2018 reflected TCJA enactment-related charges of $221.4 million, or $2.68 per diluted share. Our operating results during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 were also negatively impacted by restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges totaling $165.6 million and $770.3 million, respectively, which had an after-tax effect of reducing net income by $113.3 million, or $1.38 per diluted share, and $592.1 million, or $7.10 per diluted share, respectively. In addition, our net loss during Fiscal 2017 reflected the favorable impact of $15.9 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, related to the reversal of an income tax reserve resulting from a change in tax law that impacted an interest assessment on a prior year withholding tax.



	40

Financial Condition and Liquidity

We ended Fiscal 2018 in a net cash and investments position (cash and cash equivalents plus short-term and non-current investments, less total debt) of $1.494 billion, compared to $786.2 million as of the end of Fiscal 2017. The increase in our net cash and investments position was primarily due to our operating cash flows of $975.1 million, partially offset by our use of cash to invest in our business through $161.6 million in capital expenditures and to make cash dividend payments of $162.4 million.

We generated $975.1 million of cash from operations during Fiscal 2018, compared to $952.6 million during Fiscal 2017. The increase in our operating cash flows was due to a net favorable change related to our operating assets and liabilities, including our working capital, as compared to the prior fiscal year, partially offset by a decline in net income before non-cash charges.

Our equity increased to $3.457 billion as of March 31, 2018, compared to $3.300 billion as of April 1, 2017, primarily due to our comprehensive income and the net impact of stock-based compensation arrangements, partially offset by our dividends declared during Fiscal 2018.

Recent Developments

U.S. Tax Reform

See Note 10 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional discussion regarding the TCJA.

Change in Chief Executive Officer

Subsequent to Mr. Larsson's departure, Mr. Patrice Louvet was appointed as the Company's new President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors, effective July 2017.



	41

Way Forward Plan

Global Reorganization Plan

On May 12, 2015, our Board of Directors approved a reorganization and restructuring plan comprised of the following major actions: (i) the reorganization of the Company's operating structure in order to streamline our business processes to better align our cost structure with our long-term growth strategy; (ii) a strategic store and shop-within-shop performance review conducted by region and brand; (iii) a targeted corporate functional area review; and (iv) the consolidation of certain of our luxury lines (collectively, the "Global Reorganization Plan"). The Global Reorganization Plan has resulted in a reduction in workforce and the closure of certain stores and shop-within-shops. Actions associated with the Global Reorganization Plan were substantially completed during Fiscal 2016 and resulted in improved operational efficiencies by reducing annual operating expenses by approximately $125 million.

Since its inception, we have recorded total cumulative charges of $147.4 million in connection with the Global Reorganization Plan, of which $4.9 million and $142.5 million were recorded during Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2016, respectively. Actions associated with the Global Reorganization Plan were completed by the end of the first quarter of Fiscal 2017 and no additional charges are expected to be incurred in relation to this plan. See Notes 8 and 9 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements for detailed discussions of the charges recorded in connection with the Global Reorganization Plan.



	42

Transactions and Trends Affecting Comparability of Results of Operations and Financial Condition

The comparability of our operating results for the three fiscal years presented herein has been affected by certain events, including:


•	charges incurred in connection with our restructuring plans, as well as certain other asset impairments and other charges, as summarized below (references to "Notes" are to the notes to the accompanying consolidated financial statements):



	Fiscal Years Ended
	March 31, 2018			April 1, 2017			April 2, 2016
	(millions)
Impairment of assets (see Note 8)	$	(50.0	)	$	(253.8	)	$	(48.8	)
Restructuring and other charges (see Note 9)	(108.0		)	(318.6		)	(142.6		)
Restructuring-related inventory charges (see Note 9)^(a)	(7.6		)	(197.9		)	(20.4		)
Total charges	$	(165.6	)	$	(770.3	)	$	(211.8	)


^(a)	Non-cash restructuring-related inventory charges are recorded within cost of goods sold in the consolidated statements of operations.


•	TCJA enactment-related charges of $221.4 million recorded within the income tax provision in the consolidated statements of operations during Fiscal 2018;


•	the reversal of an income tax reserve resulting from a change in tax law that impacted an interest assessment on a prior year withholding tax, which favorably impacted our income tax benefit by $15.9 million during Fiscal 2017; and


•	the inclusion of the 53rd week in Fiscal 2016, which resulted in incremental net revenues of $72.2 million and net income of $8.3 million.

Since we are a global company, the comparability of our operating results reported in U.S. Dollars is also affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations because the underlying currencies in which we transact change in value over time compared to the U.S. Dollar. These rate fluctuations can have a significant effect on our reported results. As such, in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("U.S. GAAP"), our discussions often contain references to constant currency measures, which are calculated by translating the current-year and prior-year reported amounts into comparable amounts using a single foreign exchange rate for each currency. We present constant currency financial information, which is a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, as a supplement to our reported operating results. We use constant currency information to provide a framework to assess how our businesses performed excluding the effects of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We believe this information is useful to investors to facilitate comparisons of operating results and better identify trends in our businesses. The constant currency performance measures should be viewed in addition to, and not in lieu of or superior to, our operating performance measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Reconciliations between this non-U.S. GAAP financial measure and the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure are included in the "Results of Operations" section where applicable.

Our discussion also includes reference to comparable store sales. Comparable store sales refer to the growth of sales in stores that are open for at least one full fiscal year. Sales for stores that are closed during a fiscal year are excluded from the calculation of comparable store sales. Sales for stores that are either relocated, enlarged (as defined by gross square footage expansion of 25% or greater), or generally closed for 30 or more consecutive days for renovation are also excluded from the calculation of comparable store sales until such stores have been in their new location or in their newly renovated state for at least one full fiscal year. Sales from our digital commerce sites are included within comparable store sales for those geographies that have been serviced by the related site for at least one full fiscal year. Sales for digital commerce sites that are shut down during a fiscal year are excluded from the calculation of comparable store sales. We use an integrated omni-channel strategy to operate our retail business, in which our digital commerce operations are interdependent with our physical stores. All comparable store sales metrics were calculated on a 52-week basis.

Our "Results of Operations" discussion that follows includes the significant changes in operating results arising from these items affecting comparability. However, unusual items or transactions may occur in any period. Accordingly, investors and other financial statement users should consider the types of events and transactions that have affected operating trends.



	43

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Fiscal 2018 Compared to Fiscal 2017

The following table summarizes our results of operations and expresses the percentage relationship to net revenues of certain financial statement captions. All percentages shown in the below table and the discussion that follows have been calculated using unrounded numbers.



	Fiscal Years Ended
	March 31, 2018			April 1, 2017			$ Change			% / bps Change
	(millions, except per share data)
Net revenues	$	6,182.3		$	6,652.8		$	(470.5	)	(7.1	%)
Cost of goods sold	(2,430.6		)	(3,001.7		)	571.1			(19.0	%)
Gross profit	3,751.7			3,651.1			100.6			2.8	%
Gross profit as % of net revenues	60.7		%	54.9		%				580 bps
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	(3,095.5		)	(3,171.0		)	75.5			(2.4	%)
SG&A expenses as % of net revenues	50.1		%	47.7		%				240 bps
Impairment of assets	(50.0		)	(253.8		)	203.8			(80.3	%)
Restructuring and other charges	(108.0		)	(318.6		)	210.6			(66.1	%)
Operating income (loss)	498.2			(92.3		)	590.5			NM
Operating income (loss) as % of net revenues	8.1		%	(1.4		%)				950 bps
Interest expense	(18.2		)	(12.4		)	(5.8		)	46.8	%
Interest income	12.3			7.3			5.0			69.0	%
Other expense, net	(3.1		)	(7.5		)	4.4			(57.9	%)
Income (loss) before income taxes	489.2			(104.9		)	594.1			NM
Income tax benefit (provision)	(326.4		)	5.6			(332.0		)	NM
Effective tax rate^(a)	66.7		%	5.3		%				6,140 bps
Net income (loss)	$	162.8		$	(99.3	)	$	262.1		NM
Net income (loss) per common share:
Basic	$	1.99		$	(1.20	)	$	3.19		NM
Diluted	$	1.97		$	(1.20	)	$	3.17		NM


^(a)	Effective tax rate is calculated by dividing the income tax benefit (provision) by income (loss) before income taxes.

NM Not meaningful.

Net Revenues. Net revenues decreased by $470.5 million, or 7.1%, to $6.182 billion in Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $86.5 million. On a constant currency basis, net revenues decreased by $557.0 million, or 8.4%.

The following table summarizes the percentage change in our Fiscal 2018 consolidated comparable store sales as compared to the prior fiscal year on both a reported and constant currency basis:



	As Reported		Constant Currency
Digital commerce comparable store sales	(15	%)	(16	%)
Comparable store sales excluding digital commerce	(2	%)	(3	%)
Total comparable store sales	(4	%)	(5	%)



	44

Our global average store count increased by two stores and concession shops during Fiscal 2018 compared with the prior fiscal year, primarily due to new openings in Asia, largely offset by global closures primarily associated with the Way Forward Plan. The following table details our retail store presence by segment as of the periods presented:



	March 31, 2018	April 1, 2017
Freestanding Stores:
North America	215	216
Europe	81	82
Asia	105	89
Other non-reportable segments	71	79
Total freestanding stores	472	466

Concession Shops:
North America	2	1
Europe	25	31
Asia	603	586
Other non-reportable segments	2	2
Total concession shops	632	620
Total stores	1,104	1,086

In addition to our stores, we sell products online in North America and Europe through our various digital commerce sites, which include www.RalphLauren.com and www.ClubMonaco.com, among others. In Asia, we sell products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites.

Net revenues for our segments, as well as a discussion of the changes in each reportable segment's net revenues from the prior fiscal year, are provided below:



	Fiscal Years Ended				$ Change			Foreign Exchange Impact		$ Change			% Change
	March 31, 2018		April 1, 2017		As Reported			Foreign Exchange Impact		Constant Currency			As Reported		Constant Currency
	(millions)
Net Revenues:
North America	$	3,231.0	$	3,783.0	$	(552.0	)	$	3.0	$	(555.0	)	(14.6	%)	(14.7	%)
Europe	1,585.0		1,543.4		41.6			81.2		(39.6		)	2.7	%	(2.6	%)
Asia	933.7		882.5		51.2			1.9		49.3			5.8	%	5.6	%
Other non-reportable segments	432.6		443.9		(11.3		)	0.4		(11.7		)	(2.5	%)	(2.6	%)
Total net revenues	$	6,182.3	$	6,652.8	$	(470.5	)	$	86.5	$	(557.0	)	(7.1	%)	(8.4	%)

North America net revenues — Net revenues decreased by $552.0 million, or 14.6%, during Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $3.0 million. On a constant currency basis, net revenues decreased by $555.0 million, or 14.7%.

The $552.0 million net decline in North America net revenues was driven by:


•	a $435.0 million net decrease related to our North America wholesale business, largely driven by a strategic reduction of shipments (including within the off-price channel) and points of distribution in connection with our long-term growth strategy, the impact of brand discontinuances, and the continued challenging department store traffic trends;

•

a $115.0 million net decrease in comparable store sales, primarily driven by lower sales from our Ralph Lauren digital commerce operations and certain of our retail stores due in part to a decline in traffic, as well as lower levels of promotional activity and a planned reduction in inventory in connection with our long-term growth strategy. The following table summarizes the percentage change in comparable store sales related to our North America retail business on both a reported and constant currency basis:



	45



	As Reported		Constant Currency
Digital commerce comparable store sales	(22	%)	(22	%)
Comparable store sales excluding digital commerce	(3	%)	(3	%)
Total comparable store sales	(7	%)	(7	%)


•	a $2.0 million net decrease in non-comparable store sales.

Europe net revenues — Net revenues increased by $41.6 million, or 2.7%, during Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $81.2 million. On a constant currency basis, net revenues decreased by $39.6 million, or 2.6%.

The $41.6 million net increase in Europe net revenues was driven by:


•	a $43.5 million net increase in non-comparable store sales, primarily driven by new store openings and net favorable foreign currency effects of $10.1 million; and


•	a $15.2 million net increase related to our Europe wholesale business, largely driven by net favorable foreign currency effects of $45.1 million, partially offset by the impact of brand discontinuances and a strategic reduction of shipments within the off-price channel in connection with our long-term growth strategy.

These increases were partially offset by:

•

a $17.1 million net decrease in comparable store sales, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $26.0 million. Our comparable store sales decreased by $43.1 million on a constant currency basis, primarily driven by lower sales from certain of our retail stores due in part to lower levels of promotional activity and a planned reduction in inventory in connection with our long-term growth strategy. The following table summarizes the percentage change in comparable store sales related to our Europe retail business on both a reported and constant currency basis:



	As Reported		Constant Currency
Digital commerce comparable store sales	4	%	(2	%)
Comparable store sales excluding digital commerce	(4	%)	(8	%)
Total comparable store sales	(3	%)	(7	%)

Asia net revenues — Net revenues increased by $51.2 million, or 5.8%, during Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $1.9 million. On a constant currency basis, net revenues increased by $49.3 million, or 5.6%.

The $51.2 million net increase in Asia net revenues was driven by:


•	a $21.4 million net increase in non-comparable store sales, primarily driven by new store openings;

•

an $18.3 million net increase in comparable store sales, including net favorable foreign currency effects of $1.0 million. Our comparable store sales increased by $17.3 million on a constant currency basis, primarily driven by higher sales from certain of our retail locations due in part to improved conversion, partially offset by the impact of lower levels of promotional activity in connection with our long-term growth strategy. The following table summarizes the percentage change in comparable store sales related to our Asia retail business on both a reported and constant currency basis:


^(a)	Comparable store sales for our Asia segment were comprised primarily of sales made through our stores and concession shops.


•	an $11.5 million net increase related to our Asia wholesale business, largely driven by our expansion in Japan.



	46

Gross Profit. Gross profit increased by $100.6 million, or 2.8%, to $3.752 billion in Fiscal 2018. Gross profit during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 reflected non-cash inventory-related charges of $7.6 million and $197.9 million, respectively, recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan. The increase in gross profit also included a net favorable foreign currency effect of $64.2 million. Gross profit as a percentage of net revenues increased to 60.7% in Fiscal 2018 from 54.9% in Fiscal 2017. The 580 basis point increase was primarily driven by the lower non-cash inventory-related charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan during Fiscal 2018 as compared to Fiscal 2017, lower levels of promotional activity in connection with our long-term growth strategy, favorable geographic and channel mix, and lower sourcing costs.

Gross profit as a percentage of net revenues is dependent upon a variety of factors, including changes in the relative sales mix among distribution channels, changes in the mix of products sold, the timing and level of promotional activities, foreign currency exchange rates, and fluctuations in material costs. These factors, among others, may cause gross profit as a percentage of net revenues to fluctuate from year to year.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses. SG&A expenses include compensation and benefits, advertising and marketing, rent and occupancy, distribution, information technology, legal, depreciation and amortization, bad debt, and other selling and administrative costs. SG&A expenses decreased by $75.5 million, or 2.4%, to $3.096 billion in Fiscal 2018. This decrease included a net unfavorable foreign currency effect of $31.8 million. SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenues increased to 50.1% in Fiscal 2018 from 47.7% in Fiscal 2017. The 240 basis point increase was primarily due to operating deleverage on lower net revenues, as previously discussed, and the unfavorable impact attributable to geographic and channel mix, as a greater portion of our revenue was generated by our international retail businesses (which typically carry higher operating expense margins). These increases were partially offset by our operational discipline and cost savings associated with our restructuring activities.

The $75.5 million net decline in SG&A expenses was driven by:



	Fiscal 2018 Compared to Fiscal 2017
	(millions)
SG&A expense category:
Depreciation and amortization expense	$	(26.1	)
Shipping and handling costs	(18.4		)
Compensation-related expenses	(16.4		)
Non-income tax related expenses	(9.4		)
Selling-related expenses	(8.3		)
Rent and occupancy expenses	(6.9		)
Marketing and advertising expenses	21.3
Other	(11.3		)
Total decline in SG&A expenses	$	(75.5	)

In Fiscal 2019, we remain committed to spending on key strategic initiatives including marketing, digital, expanding and renovating our global retail stores and concession shops, and investing in productivity-enhancing infrastructure. We expect to make these investments while continuing to manage our cost base with discipline.

Impairment of Assets. During Fiscal 2018, we recorded non-cash impairment charges of $41.2 million to write off certain fixed assets related to our domestic and international stores, shop-within-shops, and corporate offices. Additionally, as a result of a change in the planned usage of a certain intangible asset, we recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $8.8 million during Fiscal 2018 to reduce the value of the intangible asset to its estimated fair value. During Fiscal 2017, we recorded non-cash impairment charges of $248.6 million to write off certain fixed assets related to our domestic and international stores, shop-within-shops, and corporate offices, as well as our in-house global digital commerce platform which was in development. Additionally, as a result of the realignment of our segment reporting structure, we recorded a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $5.2 million during Fiscal 2017. See Note 8 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Restructuring and Other Charges. During Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017, we recorded restructuring charges of $79.2 million and $294.0 million, respectively, in connection with our restructuring plans, consisting of severance and benefits costs, lease termination and store closure costs, other cash charges, and non-cash accelerated stock-based compensation expense. In addition, during Fiscal 2018, we recorded net other charges of $28.8 million primarily related to depreciation expense associated with our



	47

former Polo store at 711 Fifth Avenue in New York City, our pending customs audit, the departure of Mr. Stefan Larsson, and the reversal of reserves associated with the settlement of certain non-income tax issues. During Fiscal 2017, we recorded other charges of $24.6 million related to the anticipated settlement of certain non-income tax issues and the departure of Mr. Stefan Larsson. See Note 9 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Operating Income (Loss). During Fiscal 2018, we reported operating income of $498.2 million, as compared to an operating loss of $92.3 million during Fiscal 2017. Our operating results during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 were negatively impacted by restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges totaling $165.6 million and $770.3 million, respectively, as previously discussed. The $590.5 million increase in operating income also included a net favorable foreign currency effect of $32.4 million. Operating income as a percentage of net revenues was 8.1% during Fiscal 2018, reflecting a 950 basis point increase from the prior fiscal year. The overall increase in operating income as a percentage of net revenues was primarily driven by the net decline in restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges and the increase in our gross profit margin, partially offset by the increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenues, all as previously discussed.

Operating income (loss) and margin for our segments, as well as a discussion of the changes in each reportable segment's operating margin from the prior fiscal year, are provided below:



	Fiscal Years Ended
	March 31, 2018				April 1, 2017
	Operating Income (Loss)			Operating Margin	Operating Income (Loss)			Operating Margin	$ Change		Margin Change
	(millions)				(millions)				(millions)
Segment:
North America	$	677.6		21.0%	$	666.8		17.6%	$	10.8	340 bps
Europe	356.7			22.5%	305.2			19.8%	51.5		270 bps
Asia	137.2			14.7%	(86.3		)	(9.8%)	223.5		2,450 bps
Other non-reportable segments	107.5			24.9%	81.0			18.2%	26.5		670 bps
	1,279.0				966.7				312.3
Unallocated corporate expenses	(672.8		)		(740.4		)		67.6
Unallocated restructuring and other charges	(108.0		)		(318.6		)		210.6
Total operating income (loss)	$	498.2		8.1%	$	(92.3	)	(1.4%)	$	590.5	950 bps

North America operating margin improved by 340 basis points, primarily due to the favorable impact of 100 basis points related to our retail business, largely driven by the increase in our gross profit margin. The increase also reflected the favorable impact of 240 basis points related to lower non-cash charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan during Fiscal 2018 as compared to the prior fiscal year. Our wholesale business did not have a meaningful impact on the change in our North America operating margin, as the improved gross margin was offset by operating expense deleverage on lower net revenues.

Europe operating margin improved by 270 basis points, primarily due to the favorable impact of 130 basis points related to lower non-cash charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan during Fiscal 2018 as compared to the prior fiscal year, as well as the favorable impact of 120 basis points related to our retail business, largely driven by the increase in our gross profit margin, partially offset by an increase in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenues. The increase also reflected favorable foreign currency effects of 20 basis points. Our wholesale business did not have a meaningful impact on the change in our Europe operating margin.

Asia operating margin improved by 2,450 basis points, primarily due to the favorable impact of 2,000 basis points related to lower non-cash charges recorded in connection with the Way Forward Plan during Fiscal 2018 as compared to the prior fiscal year. The increase also reflected the favorable impact of 350 basis points related to our retail business, largely driven by the increase in our gross profit margin and a decline in SG&A expenses as a percentage of net revenues. The improvement also reflected favorable foreign currency effects of 140 basis points. These increases in operating margin were partially offset by a 40 basis point decline related to our wholesale business.



	48

Unallocated corporate expenses decreased by $67.6 million to $672.8 million in Fiscal 2018, primarily due to lower impairment of asset charges of $96.3 million, lower non-income tax related expenses of $9.4 million, and lower other expenses of $10.7 million, partially offset by lower intercompany sourcing commission income of $31.9 million (which is offset at the segment level and eliminates in consolidation), higher consulting fees of $8.7 million, and higher compensation-related expenses of $8.2 million.

Unallocated restructuring and other charges decreased by $210.6 million to $108.0 million in Fiscal 2018, as previously discussed above and in Note 9 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Non-operating Expense, Net. Non-operating expense, net is comprised of interest expense, interest income, and other expense, net, which includes foreign currency gains (losses), equity in losses from our equity-method investees, and other non-operating expenses. Non-operating expense, net, decreased by $3.6 million to $9.0 million in Fiscal 2018 from $12.6 million in Fiscal 2017. The decline in non-operating expense, net, was driven by:


•	a $5.0 million increase in interest income driven by the increase in our cash, cash equivalents, and investments as compared to the prior fiscal year; and

•

a $3.4 million increase in foreign currency gains, largely related to the net favorable revaluation and settlement of foreign currency-denominated intercompany receivables and payables, inclusive of the impact of forward foreign currency exchange contracts, as compared to the prior fiscal year (foreign currency gains (losses) do not result from the translation of the operating results of our foreign subsidiaries to U.S. Dollars).

These declines in non-operating expense were partially offset by:


•	a $5.8 million increase in interest expense driven by the less favorable impact of our swap contracts during Fiscal 2018 as compared to the prior fiscal year. See Note 13 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our swap contracts.

Income Tax Benefit (Provision). The income tax benefit (provision) represents federal, foreign, state and local income taxes. During Fiscal 2018, we reported an income tax provision of $326.4 million and an effective tax rate of 66.7%, as compared to an income tax benefit of $5.6 million and an effective tax rate of 5.3% during Fiscal 2017. The $332.0 million increase in the income tax provision was primarily due to enactment-related charges of $221.4 million recorded during Fiscal 2018 in connection with the TCJA (as discussed within "Recent Developments"), which negatively impacted our effective tax rate by 4,520 basis points, as well as the increase in pretax income. The 66.7% effective tax rate for Fiscal 2018 was higher than our blended statutory tax rate of 31.5% primarily due to TCJA enactment-related charges, the adoption of Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2016-09"), and the unfavorable impact of additional income tax reserves associated with certain income tax audits, partially offset by the tax impacts of earnings in lower taxed foreign jurisdictions versus the U.S. and tax benefits associated with adjustments recorded on deferred tax assets and provision to tax return adjustments. See Note 4 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional information relating to our adoption of ASU 2016-09. The 5.3% effective tax rate for Fiscal 2017 was lower than the statutory tax rate of 35.0% primarily due to the tax impact of earnings in lower taxed foreign jurisdictions versus the U.S., valuation allowances and adjustments recorded on deferred tax assets, and income tax reserves largely associated with an income tax settlement and certain income tax audits, partially offset by the reversal of an income tax reserve resulting from a change in tax law that impacted an interest assessment on a prior year withholding tax. Our effective tax rate will change from period to period based on various factors including, but not limited to, the geographic mix of earnings, the timing and amount of foreign dividends, enacted tax legislation, state and local taxes, tax audit findings and settlements, and the interaction of various global tax strategies.

Net Income (Loss). During Fiscal 2018, we reported net income of $162.8 million, as compared to a net loss of $99.3 million during Fiscal 2017. The $262.1 million increase in net income was primarily due to the $590.5 million increase in operating income, partially offset by the $332.0 million increase in our income tax provision, as previously discussed. Net income in Fiscal 2018 reflected TCJA enactment-related charges of $221.4 million. Our operating results during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 were also negatively impacted by restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges totaling $165.6 million and $770.3 million, respectively, which had an after-tax effect of reducing net income by $113.3 million and $592.1 million, respectively. In addition, our net loss during Fiscal 2017 reflected the favorable impact of $15.9 million related to the reversal of an income tax reserve resulting from a change in tax law that impacted an interest assessment on a prior year withholding tax.



	49

Net Income (Loss) per Diluted Share. During Fiscal 2018, we reported net income per diluted share of $1.97, as compared to a net loss per diluted share of $1.20 during Fiscal 2017. The $3.17 per share increase was due to the higher level of net income, as previously discussed, and lower weighted-average diluted shares outstanding during Fiscal 2018, driven by the weighted-average impact of our share repurchases during Fiscal 2017. Net income per diluted share during Fiscal 2018 was negatively impacted by $2.68 per share as a result of TCJA enactment-related charges. Net income (loss) per diluted share during Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2017 were also negatively impacted by $1.38 per share and $7.10 per share, respectively, as a result of restructuring-related charges, impairment of assets, and certain other charges. In addition, our net loss per diluted share during Fiscal 2017 reflected the favorable impact of $0.19 per share related to the reversal of an income tax reserve resulting from a change in tax law that impacted an interest assessment on a prior year withholding tax.

Fiscal 2017 Compared to Fiscal 2016



	Fiscal Years Ended
	April 1, 2017			April 2, 2016			$ Change			% / bps Change
	(millions, except per share data)
Net revenues	$	6,652.8		$	7,405.2		$	(752.4	)	(10.2	%)
Cost of goods sold	(3,001.7		)	(3,218.5		)	216.8			(6.7	%)
Gross profit	3,651.1			4,186.7			(535.6		)	(12.8	%)
Gross profit as % of net revenues	54.9		%	56.5		%				(160 bps)
Selling, general, and administrative expenses	(3,171.0		)	(3,412.5		)	241.5			(7.1	%)
SG&A expenses as % of net revenues	47.7		%	46.1		%				160 bps
Impairment of assets	(253.8		)	(48.8		)	(205.0		)	NM
Restructuring and other charges	(318.6		)	(142.6		)	(176.0		)	123.4	%
Operating income (loss)	(92.3		)	582.8			(675.1		)	(115.8	%)
Operating income (loss) as % of net revenues	(1.4		%)	7.9		%				(930 bps)
Interest expense	(12.4		)	(21.0		)	8.6			(41.0	%)
Interest income	7.3			6.3			1.0			14.9	%
Other expense, net	(7.5		)	(16.3		)	8.8			(53.9	%)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(104.9		)	551.8			(656.7		)	(119.0	%)
Income tax benefit (provision)	5.6			(155.4		)	161.0			(103.6	%)
Effective tax rate^(a)	5.3		%	28.2		%				(2,290 bps)
Net income (loss)	$	(99.3	)	$	396.4		$	(495.7	)	(125.1	%)
Net income (loss) per common share:
Basic	$	(1.20	)	$	4.65		$	(5.85	)	(125.8	%)
Diluted	$	(1.20	)	$	4.62		$	(5.82	)	(126.0	%)


^(a)	Effective tax rate is calculated by dividing the income tax benefit (provision) by income (loss) before income taxes.

NM Not meaningful.

Net Revenues. Net revenues decreased by $752.4 million, or 10.2%, to $6.653 billion in Fiscal 2017. This decrease reflected net unfavorable foreign currency effects of $21.2 million, as well as the absence of the 53rd week, which resulted in incremental net revenues of $72.2 million during the prior fiscal year. On a constant currency basis, net revenues decreased by $731.2 million, or 9.9%.



	50

The following table summarizes the percentage change in our Fiscal 2017 consolidated comparable store sales as compared to the prior fiscal year on both a reported and constant currency basis:



	As Reported		Constant Currency
Digital commerce comparable store sales	(10	%)	(10	%)
Comparable store sales excluding digital commerce	(7	%)	(7	%)
Total comparable store sales	(7	%)	(7	%)

Our global average store count increased by 44 stores and concession shops during Fiscal 2017 compared with the prior fiscal year, due to new global store openings, primarily in Asia, partially offset by store closures, primarily associated with our Way Forward Plan. The following table details our retail store presence by segment as of the periods presented:



	April 1, 2017	April 2, 2016
Freestanding Stores:
North America	216	224
Europe	82	87
Asia	89	105
Other non-reportable segments	79	77
Total freestanding stores	466	493

Concession Shops:
North America	1	2
Europe	31	34
Asia	586	545
Other non-reportable segments	2	2
Total concession shops	620	583
Total stores	1,086	1,076

In addition to our stores, we sold products online in North America and Europe through our various digital commerce sites, which include www.RalphLauren.com and www.ClubMonaco.com, among others. In Asia, we sell products online through various third-party digital partner commerce sites.

Net revenues for our segments, as well as a discussion of the changes in each reportable segment's net revenues from the prior fiscal year, are provided below:



	Fiscal Years Ended				$ Change			Foreign Exchange Impact			$ Change			% Change
	April 1, 2017		April 2, 2016		As Reported			Foreign Exchange Impact			Constant Currency			As Reported		Constant Currency
	(millions)
Net Revenues:
North America	$	3,783.0	$	4,479.6	$	(696.6	)	$	(0.4	)	$	(696.2	)	(15.6	%)	(15.5	%)
Europe	1,543.4		1,561.7		(18.3		)	(64.3		)	46.0			(1.2	%)	2.9	%
Asia	882.5		892.4		(9.9		)	43.6			(53.5		)	(1.1	%)	(6.0	%)
Other non-reportable segments	443.9		471.5		(27.6		)	(0.1		)	(27.5		)	(5.8	%)	(5.8	%)
Total net revenues	$	6,652.8	$	7,405.2