SHOE CARNIVAL INC (SHOE) Risk Factors

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

Carefully consider the following risk factors and all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before making an investment decision with respect to our common stock. Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. If any of the following risks actually occur, we may not be able to conduct our business as currently planned and our financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected. See PART I, “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information” at the beginning of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our risk factors are categorized as follows: Operational and Strategic Risks, Compliance and Litigation Risks, Human Capital Risks, Financial and Liquidity Risks and Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common Stock.

Operational and Strategic Risks

We may not realize the expected operating results from, and planned growth of, our Shoe Station banner, including planned growth and expected inventory reductions, cost savings and synergies from our evolving rebanner strategy. Our current growth strategy is based on growing our Shoe Station banner through rebannering stores into Shoe Station stores, acquisitions and organic growth and continuing to operate Shoe Carnival stores where customer data supports it.

We have rebannered, and are planning to continue to rebanner, Shoe Carnival stores to Shoe Station stores. Over time this rebanner strategy has evolved. Previous expectations were that approximately 70 additional stores would rebanner before Back-to-School in Fiscal 2026, with Shoe Station stores then representing 51% of the current store fleet and that over 90% of our fleet would operate as a Shoe Station store by the end of Fiscal 2028 with remaining locations to be evaluated for potential rebannering, outlet repositioning, or closure. This transition to substantially all Shoe Station stores was expected to generate both inventory reductions, as Shoe Station’s merchandising model requires less inventory per store, as well as cost savings from reduced dual-brand complexity across merchandising, marketing, systems, supply chain and back office.

In evaluating the performance of the 101 stores that were rebannered in Fiscal 2025, particularly Net Sales in the second-half of Fiscal 2025, we observed significant variability in in-store sales performance across rebannered locations, with some stores performing well and others not achieving anticipated results. As a result, we made the strategic decision to slow the pace of store rebanners in Fiscal 2026 from our previously announced timelines, and we now expect to rebanner approximately 21 stores during the first half of Fiscal 2026 and to utilize Shoe Station as our primary growth vehicle. We also now expect to continue to operate legacy Shoe Carnival stores in locations supported by our CRM customer data.

We continue to expect cost savings and synergies as Shoe Station grows, by incurring less rebanner costs and through disciplined expense management. We also continue to expect inventory reduction as Shoe Station grows and as excess inventory not part of our ongoing assortment is sold, of which $50 to $65 million in inventory reduction is expected in Fiscal 2026.

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Our ability to execute this evolved strategy will depend, in part, on our ability to:

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identify Shoe Carnival stores that will operate better as Shoe Station stores;

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realize the expected operating results from rebannered stores;

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organically grow our Shoe Station physical stores and e-commerce sales channel;

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find suitable acquisition partners that fit into the Shoe Station model; and

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continue to operate our legacy Shoe Carnival physical stores and e-commerce sales channel, efficiently and effectively.

The objectives of this strategy may not be realized within our expected time frames, or at all, and the strategy may further evolve. In addition, the costs incurred to implement this strategy and the promotional intensity required to sell through our excess inventory not part of our ongoing assortment may be greater than we anticipate. Any of these impacts could have an adverse effect on our growth, business, results of operations and financial condition.

A failure to increase sales at our existing stores may adversely affect our stock price and affect our results of operations. A number of factors have historically affected, and will continue to affect, our comparable stores Net Sales results, including:

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competition;

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timing of holidays, including sales tax holidays;

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general regional and national economic conditions, including inflation;

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inclement weather and/or unseasonable weather patterns;

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consumer trends, including the impact of higher prices on consumer goods;

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the impact of, and regional and national government response to, a crisis;

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fashion trends;

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changes in our merchandise mix;

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our ability to efficiently distribute merchandise;

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timing and type of, and customer response to, sales events, promotional activities or other advertising;

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the effectiveness of our inventory management;

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new merchandise introductions; and

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our ability to execute our business strategy effectively.

Our comparable stores Net Sales results have fluctuated in the past, and in recent years, our Shoe Carnival banner comparable stores Net sales have declined, and we believe such fluctuations or declines may continue. The unpredictability of our comparable stores Net Sales may cause our revenue and results of operations to vary from quarter to quarter and year to year, and declines in Net Sales or Operating Income may cause our stock price to fluctuate significantly.

We face significant competition in our markets, and we may be unable to compete favorably. The retail footwear industry is highly competitive with few barriers to entry. We compete primarily with department stores, shoe stores, sporting goods stores, e-commerce retailers, off-price retailers and mass merchandisers. Many of our competitors are significantly larger and have substantially greater resources than we do. Our Gross Profit margin has been a key driver of our profitability. If our competitors become more promotional than we are, or if we match our competitors’ promotional intensity, and lower margins are not offset with increased sales or lower operating expenses, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Adverse impacts on consumer spending may significantly harm our business and impact our promotional strategies and intensity. The success of our business depends to a significant extent upon the level of consumer spending.

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Consumer confidence is hypersensitive to a wide variety of influences that may affect the level of consumer spending for merchandise that we offer, including, among other factors:

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military conflicts, including war, terrorism, civil unrest, other hostilities and security concerns;

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inflation and tariffs;

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gasoline prices;

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energy costs, which affect home heating and cooling prices;

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general economic and industry conditions and recessionary fears;

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unemployment trends and salaries and wage rates;

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the level of consumer debt;

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consumer credit availability;

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real estate values and foreclosure rates;

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consumer confidence in future economic conditions, including macroeconomic and political uncertainty and instability;

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interest rates;

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health care costs;

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tax rates, policies and timing and amounts of tax refunds and other government stimulus; and

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natural disasters, changing weather patterns and catastrophic events, including the possibility of a pandemic resurgence.

Any adverse change in these factors, such as a significant increase in gasoline and/or other energy-related prices, could result in a decrease in consumer demand for our merchandise. Reduced consumer demand could result in reduced traffic in our stores and to our e-commerce platform and increased selling and promotional expenses and inventory markdowns, and could cause us to close underperforming stores, which could result in higher than anticipated closing costs. Reduced demand may result in higher than normal inventory positions across our competitive landscape and may limit the prices we can charge for our merchandise and force us to adjust our promotional intensity. Adverse changes in these factors, such as a significant increase in gasoline and/or other energy-related prices, could also negatively impact our operating expenses. Any of these factors, including becoming more promotional, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to successfully manage and execute our marketing and pricing strategies could have a negative impact on our business. Our success and growth are partially dependent on generating customer traffic in order to gain sales momentum in our stores and drive traffic to our e-commerce platform. Effective use of CRM data and successful marketing efforts are necessary for us to reach customers through their desired mode of communication. Our inability to accurately predict our customers’ preferences, to utilize their desired mode of communication, or to ensure availability of advertised products at effective price points could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We depend on our key suppliers for merchandise and advertising support, and the loss of any of our key suppliers could adversely affect our business. Our business depends upon our ability to purchase fashionable, name brand and other merchandise at competitive prices from our suppliers. Three branded suppliers, Nike, Skechers and Crocs, collectively accounted for approximately 46% of our Net Sales in Fiscal 2025, 48% of our Net Sales in Fiscal 2024 and 45% of our Net Sales in Fiscal 2023. Name brand suppliers also provide us with cooperative advertising and visual merchandising funds. Certain key suppliers’ business models are changing and such changes include, but are not limited to, increased direct-to-consumer initiatives, changes in planned product allocations and reductions in the number of retailers with which they are choosing to do business. A loss of any of our key suppliers in certain product categories or our inability to obtain name brand or other merchandise from suppliers at competitive prices could have an adverse effect on our business. As is common in the industry, we do not have any long‑term contracts with our suppliers.

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Changes in the cost, or a disruption in the flow, of imported goods as a result of trade policy and/or tariffs may impact our sales and profits. We rely on imported merchandise to sell in our stores. Substantially all of our footwear product is manufactured overseas, including the merchandise we purchase from domestic vendors and the smaller portion we import directly from overseas manufacturers. Our primary footwear manufacturers are located in China and Vietnam.

In 2025, the United States government’s executive branch announced additional tariffs on goods imported from countries that manufacture footwear, including China and Vietnam. These United States tariffs and the response by impacted countries has caused, and may continue to cause, uncertainty and disruption in our supply chain. While we took actions in Fiscal 2025 to mitigate this uncertainty and disruption, including actions impacting our inventory purchases and the prices we charged our customers, there can be no assurance that these pricing and purchasing strategies will have similar impacts in future periods or that we will be able to timely implement other strategies or that any strategies implemented will be successful.

The United States Supreme Court’s recent ruling regarding tariffs and the United States executive branch’s reaction to that ruling has resulted in considerable uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of current and potential tariffs and the impact on us. This uncertainty may result in future increases in the cost of the goods we purchase, changes in our ability to acquire merchandise, decreases in our sales and profits, and/or a decrease in our liquidity. It is also possible that if imported merchandise becomes more expensive or unavailable, the transition to alternative sources may not occur in time to meet our demands. Products from alternative sources may be of lesser quality and more expensive than those we currently purchase and import. Any of these impacts could be material to our results of operations, cash flow and stock price.

Our reliance on imported goods is subject to a number of other risks that could impact our sales and profits. Other risks associated with our use of imported goods include, but are not limited to:

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disruptions in the flow of imported goods because of factors such as electricity or raw material shortages, work stoppages, strikes, political unrest, war, pandemics and natural disasters;

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changes in the political and economic environments in China, Vietnam and other countries which are the major manufacturers of footwear;

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import duties, import quotas, anti-dumping duties and other trade sanctions;

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modifications to international trade policy and/or existing trade agreements and other changes affecting United States trade relations with other countries;

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problems with oceanic shipping, including shipping container shortages and piracy;

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port congestion at arrival ports causing delays;

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additional oceanic shipping costs to reach non-congested ports;

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inland transit costs and delays resulting from port congestion;

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economic crises and international disputes;

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currency exchange rate fluctuations;

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increases in the cost of purchasing or shipping foreign merchandise resulting from the failure to maintain normal trade relations with source countries;

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increases in shipping rates imposed by the trans-Pacific shipping cartel; and

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our non-compliance with the laws and regulations, and changes to such laws and regulations, in the United States and the countries where our manufacturers are located, including but not limited to requirements relating to shipping security, product safety testing, environmental requirements and anti-corruption laws.

Any of these risks could impact our ability to acquire merchandise or increase the cost of goods we purchase, which could have an adverse effect on our sales and profits.

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Our failure to identify fashion trends could result in lower sales, higher markdowns and lower gross profits. Our success depends upon our ability to anticipate and react to the fashion tastes of our customers and provide merchandise that satisfies consumer demand. Our failure to anticipate, identify or react appropriately to changes in consumer fashion preferences may result in lower sales, higher markdowns to reduce excess inventories and lower gross profits. Conversely, if we fail to anticipate or react to consumer demand for our products, we may experience inventory shortages, which would result in lost sales and could negatively affect our customer goodwill, our brand image and our profitability. Moreover, our business relies on continuous changes in fashion preferences. Stagnating consumer preferences could also result in lower sales and would require us to take higher markdowns to reduce excess inventories.

Our failure to effectively manage our real estate portfolio may negatively impact our results of operations. Effective management of our real estate portfolio is critical to our omnichannel strategy. All of our stores are subject to leases and are primarily located in open-air shopping centers. If we fail to effectively implement our real estate strategies or negotiate appropriate lease terms or if unforeseen changes arise, the consequences could have an adverse effect on our profitability, cash flows and liquidity. The financial impact of exiting a leased location can vary greatly depending on, among other factors, the terms of the lease, the condition of the local real estate market, demand for the specific property and our relationship with the landlord, and influencing these factors is difficult. In addition to rent, we could still be responsible for the maintenance, taxes, insurance and common area maintenance (“CAM”) charges for vacant properties until the lease commitment expires or is terminated.

We locate our stores primarily in open-air shopping centers where we believe our customers and potential customers shop. The success of an individual store can depend on favorable placement within a given open-air shopping center and the volume of traffic generated by the other retailers in the open-air shopping centers where our stores are located. We cannot control the development of alternative shopping destinations near our existing stores or the availability or cost of real estate within existing or new shopping destinations. If one or more of the other retailers located in the open-air shopping centers where our stores are located close or leave, or if there is significant deterioration of the surrounding areas in which our stores are located, our business may be adversely affected. In addition, if our store locations fail to attract sufficient customer traffic or we are unable to locate replacement locations on terms acceptable to us, our business could suffer.

Various risks associated with our e-commerce platform may adversely affect our business and results of operations. E-commerce has been an important sales channel for us. We sell shoes and related accessories through websites that we control, and that are hosted by a leading provider, including www.shoecarnival.com and www.shoestation.com and through our related mobile app. We fulfill substantially all e-commerce orders from our store locations and from our Evansville distribution center. If we are unable to continue to grow our e-commerce sales or effectively manage the impact that rebannering our stores might have on our e-commerce sales channel, our sales, comparable stores Net Sales and Gross Profit may decline, and our stock price may decrease, any of which could negatively impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our e-commerce operations are subject to numerous other risks that could have an impact on our results of operations, including:

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unanticipated operating problems;

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reliance on third-party computer hardware, software and service providers;

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the need to continually invest in technology and security;

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our ability to hire, retain and train personnel to conduct our e-commerce operations;

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diversion of sales from our physical stores;

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our ability to manage any upgrades or other technological changes;

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our ability to provide customer-facing technology systems, including mobile technology solutions, that function reliably and provide a convenient and consistent experience for our customers;

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exposure to potential liability for online content;

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risks related to the failure of the computer systems that operate our e-commerce platform and the related support systems, including computer viruses, telecommunication failures and cyberattacks and break-ins and similar disruptions; and

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security risks related to our electronic processing and transmission of confidential customer information.

Any significant interruptions in the operations of our third-party providers, over which we have no control, could have an adverse effect on our e-commerce operations. Any breach involving our customer information could harm our reputation or result in liability including, but not limited to, fines, penalties and costs of litigation, any of which could have an adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

Members in our Shoe Perks customer loyalty program account for a significant portion of our sales, and any material decline in sales from our Shoe Perks members could have an adverse impact on our results of operations. We believe our Shoe Perks rewards program provides our customers with a heightened shopping experience, which includes exclusive offers and personalized messaging. Rewards are earned by making purchases and participating in other point earning opportunities that facilitate engagement with our brand. We remain focused on expanding our Shoe Perks enrollment. In Fiscal 2025, purchases from Shoe Perks members were approximately 78% of our comparable stores Net Sales. If our Shoe Perks members do not continue to shop with us, our sales may be adversely affected, which could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.

We may not be able to successfully execute our strategies to grow our business, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We plan to continue to invest in omnichannel initiatives, which requires a substantial investment in technology, to expand and improve our operating and financial systems and expand, train and manage our employee base. In addition, as we create more opportunities to connect with our customers through omnichannel initiatives and as we grow the number of our stores, we may be unable to hire a sufficient number of qualified personnel or successfully integrate the omnichannel initiatives or new or acquired stores into our business.

If we fail to successfully grow our business, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. Success will depend on a number of other factors, some of which are out of our control, including, among other things:

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the acceptance of our banners and concepts in new markets, including as a result of our rebanner strategy;

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our ability to provide adequate distribution to support growth;

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our ability to source sufficient levels of inventory and profitably sell through existing inventory;

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our ability to resolve downtime or technical issues related to our e-commerce platform, our order management and fulfillment systems and all other related systems that support our omnichannel strategy;

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our ability to execute omnichannel advertising and marketing campaigns to effectively communicate our message to our customers and our employees;

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our ability to locate suitable store sites and negotiate store leases (for new stores and renewals) on favorable terms;

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particularly if we expand into new markets, our ability to open a sufficient number of new stores to provide the critical mass needed for efficient advertising and effective brand recognition;

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the availability of financing for capital expenditures and working capital requirements;

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our ability to improve costs and timing associated with opening new stores; and

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the impact of new stores on sales or profitability of existing stores in the same market.

We may not be able to identify or consummate future acquisitions or achieve expected benefits from or effectively integrate future acquisitions. From time to time, we expect to evaluate selective acquisitions and strategic investments. Future acquisitions involve many risks that could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition, including:

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our ability to identify suitable acquisition candidates, prevail against competing potential acquirers and negotiate and consummate acquisitions on terms attractive to us;

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any acquired business not achieving anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flow or market share;

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the potential loss of key employees, vendors or suppliers of the acquired company or adverse effects on our existing relationships with our vendors and suppliers;

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the failure of our due diligence procedures to detect material issues related to the acquired business, including exposure to legal claims for activities of the acquired business prior to the acquisition;

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unexpected liabilities resulting from the acquisition for which we may not be adequately indemnified;

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the integration of the personnel, operations, logistics, information technologies, communications, purchasing, accounting, marketing, administration and other systems and the establishment of internal controls into the acquired company’s operations;

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the diversion of management attention and financial resources from our current operations;

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the potential incurrence of debt to fund an acquisition;

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any unforeseen management and operational difficulties; and

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incorrect estimates made in accounting for acquisitions, incurrence of non-recurring charges and write-offs of significant amounts of goodwill or other assets that could adversely affect our financial results.

Our inability to achieve the anticipated benefits of any future acquisitions and other investments could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Natural disasters, public health crises, political crises and other catastrophic events or other events outside of our control may damage our facilities or the facilities of third parties on which we depend and could impact our supply chain and access to customers. Our facilities, including our Evansville distribution center, our corporate headquarters and other offices and our retail stores, and the facilities of our third-party vendors and service providers could suffer if affected by:

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natural disasters, such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, hurricanes, power shortages or outages, floods, monsoons, ice storms or tornadoes;

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public health crises such as pandemics and epidemics;

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political crises such as terrorism, war, political instability, civil unrest or other conflict; or

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other events outside of our control.

We currently operate a single distribution center located in Evansville, Indiana. Virtually all merchandise received by our stores is, and will be, shipped through this distribution center. A disaster occurring at this distribution center would be significant and we could be unable to effectively deliver merchandise to our stores for an extended period. Disasters occurring at this distribution center, our corporate headquarters and other offices, our retail stores or the infrastructure of a key third-party vendor or service provider also could impact our reputation and our customers’ perception of our brand. In the event of a severe disruption resulting from such events, we have contingency plans and employ crisis management to respond and recover operations. Despite these measures, if such an occurrence were to occur, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We could be adversely affected if our information technology systems fail to operate effectively, are disrupted or are compromised. We rely on our information technology systems in operating and monitoring major aspects of our business, including sales, warehousing, distribution, purchasing, inventory control, merchandise planning and replenishment, point-of-sale support and financial systems. We regularly make investments to upgrade, enhance or replace our systems as well as leverage new technologies to support our operational strategies. Any delays or difficulties with such projects could have an adverse effect on our operational results, financial position and cash flows.

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The reliability and capacity of our information technology systems, and in particular our distribution technology operations, are critical to our continued operations, and we rely on both internally developed software and third party software and software-as-a-service arrangements to operate it. Virtually all merchandise received by our stores is, and will be, shipped through our distribution center located in Evansville, Indiana. We fulfill substantially all of our e-commerce orders from our store locations and this distribution center. Given that we have one distribution center, virtually any technology disruption there could be significant to our operations. Our corporate computer network is essential to our distribution process. In addition, we routinely possess sensitive consumer and employee information. Customers are also increasingly using mobile devices and applications to shop online and do comparison shopping.

Despite our precautionary efforts, our information technology systems are vulnerable from time to time to damage or interruption from, among other things, natural or man-made disasters, technical malfunctions, inadequate systems capacity, power outages, terrorist attacks, computer viruses and security breaches, which may require significant investment to fix or replace. In addition, we are required to comply with increasingly complex regulations designed to protect our business and personal data.

If our distribution center is shut down for any reason, if our information technology systems do not operate effectively or if we are the target of attacks or security breaches, we may suffer the loss of critical data and/or our customers’ or employees’ personal information, we could incur increased costs associated with implementing additional protections and processes, we could incur significantly higher costs and longer lead times associated with distributing our products to our stores, our ability to operate our e-commerce platform may be impacted, we could experience other interruptions or delays to our operations, we could receive negative media attention or be the subject of lawsuits or regulatory actions against us, and our relationships with our customers and employees and our reputation may be harmed, any of which could have an adverse effect on our operating and financial performance.

We outsource certain business processes to third-party vendors and have certain business relationships that subject us to risks, including disruptions to our business and increased costs. We rely on third-party suppliers for our merchandise and outsource some of our business processes to third-party vendors, including processes involving our e-commerce platform and supply chain. Our relationships with these business partners expose us to risks, including disruptions in our business and increased costs. In addition, other matters involving our business partners could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. These include, but are not limited to:

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changes in the public’s perception of the reputation and brand of the business partner as a result of matters such as its labor and wage standards, business practices, including their use or misuse of artificial intelligence (“AI”) or marketing campaigns;

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our inability to properly manage a business partner relationship;

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any data losses or information security lapses by a business partner that results in the compromise of personal information or the improper use or disclosure of sensitive information; and

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any misconduct by a business partner involving matters such as fraud or other improper or unethical activities conducted by the business partner or its non-compliance with our policies and procedures or with laws and regulations, including laws and regulations regarding the use and safeguarding of information and AI, labor practices, environmental, health or safety matters and lobbying or similar activities.

Failure of our business partners to provide adequate services or our inability to arrange for alternative providers on favorable terms in a timely manner could disrupt our business, increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business, our financial results and reputation.

Failure to maintain positive brand perception and recognition could have a negative impact on our business. Maintaining a good reputation is critical to our business. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media platforms, including blogs, chat platforms, social media websites and other forms of internet-based communications that provide access to a broad audience of consumers and other persons. The popularity of social media and other consumer-oriented technologies has increased the speed and accessibility of information dissemination. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to the dissemination of negative information about us via social media or any other incidents negatively impacting our reputation and brand, we may suffer declines in customer loyalty and traffic and we may experience vendor relationship issues and other issues, regardless of the

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information’s accuracy, all of which could negatively affect our financial results. In addition, we frequently use social media to communicate with customers and the public in general. Failure to use social media effectively could negatively impact our brand value and revenues.

Emerging technologies may create disruption to our operations and the retail industry. New and emerging technologies may enable new approaches or choices for how our customers procure goods and services and pay for those goods and services and how we serve our customers. We may be unable to quickly adapt to rapid change resulting from AI, blockchain, Internet of Things, including voice and smart home devices, and other advanced technologies. We may not timely or effectively develop or enhance our business processes to take advantage of these emerging technological trends, or our competitors may be able to develop or enhance their business processes sooner or more effectively, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

In addition, we are making investments in certain AI tools and solutions to utilize in our business. The rapid advancement of these technologies presents opportunities for us, but there are risks associated with the development and deployment of AI. Our AI-related efforts, including those of our business partners, may give rise to risks related to accuracy, harmful bias, discrimination, intellectual property infringement, data privacy and cybersecurity, among others. In addition, we may be subject to new or enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, litigation or other liability and ethical concerns, and negative consumer perceptions as to the use of automation and AI, which could adversely affect our business, reputation or financial results. Any inadequacy in or failure to comply with our AI policies and procedures, which are continuing to develop as AI evolves and our use of it evolves, or with emerging laws, regulations and standards governing AI use could cause our technology not to operate as intended or to produce outcomes that could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Our quarterly operating results can fluctuate due to seasonality, weather conditions and other factors. Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future, primarily as a result of seasonal variances, weather conditions and the timing of sales and costs associated with opening new stores and closing existing stores.

We have three distinct peak selling periods: Easter, back-to-school and Christmas. To prepare for our peak shopping seasons, we must order and keep in stock significantly more merchandise than we would carry during other periods of the year. Reductions in demand for our merchandise during these peak shopping seasons could require us to sell excess inventory at a substantial markdown, which could reduce our Net Sales and margins and negatively affect our profitability. Our operating results depend significantly upon the sales generated during these periods, and our quarterly results may be impacted by calendar shifts of holiday or seasonal periods.

We also increase our inventory levels to offer styles particularly suited for the relevant season, such as sandals in the early summer season and boots during the winter season. If the weather conditions for a particular season vary significantly from those typical for such season, such as an unusually cold early summer or an unusually warm winter, consumer demand for the seasonally appropriate merchandise that we have available in our stores has been in the past, and in the future could be, adversely affected, which could negatively impact Net Sales and margins. Lower demand for seasonally appropriate merchandise may leave us with an excess inventory of our seasonally appropriate products, forcing us to sell these products at significantly discounted prices and adversely affecting our Net Sales, margins and operating cash flow.

Conversely, if weather conditions permit us to sell our seasonal product early in the season, this may reduce inventory levels needed to meet our customers’ needs later in that same season. Consequently, our results of operations are highly dependent on somewhat predictable weather conditions and our ability to react to changes in weather conditions.

Other factors that may affect our quarterly results of operations include:

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fashion trends;

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the timing and amount of income tax refunds to customers;

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the effectiveness of our inventory management and promotional intensity;

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changes in general economic conditions, including inflation, gasoline and energy prices, and consumer spending patterns; and

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actions of competitors or co-tenants.

If our future quarterly results fail to meet the expectations of research analysts, then the market price of our common stock could decline substantially.

We are exposed to physical and financial risks related to the uncertainty of climate change. A changing climate creates uncertainty and could result in broad changes, both physical and financial in nature, to our retail, distribution and corporate locations. These impacts could include, but are not limited to:

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population shifts;

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changes in the level of annual rainfall;

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changes in the overall average temperature; and

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changes to the frequency and severity of weather events such as hurricanes and other wind related events, thunderstorms, tornadoes and ice storms that can damage our facilities and impact our supply chain and distribution channels.

Such changes could impact us in a number of ways including limiting available real estate; changing the demographics of our customer base and employees; increasing the likelihood of capital expenditures to replace damaged infrastructure; and increasing the cost of insurance.

Compliance and Litigation Risks

Failure to protect the integrity and security of individually identifiable data of our customers and employees could expose us to litigation and damage our reputation. We receive and maintain certain personal, sensitive and confidential information about our customers, vendors and employees. The collection and use of this information are regulated and are subject to certain contractual restrictions in third-party contracts. Non-compliance with these regulations and contractual restrictions may subject us to fines, penalties, restrictions and expulsion from credit card acceptance programs and civil liability. Although we have implemented processes to collect and protect the integrity and security of this personal information, there can be no assurance that this information will not be obtained by unauthorized persons, or collected or used inappropriately, including as a result of cybersecurity breaches, acts of vandalism, computer viruses, credit card fraud or phishing. Advanced cybersecurity threats are persistent and continue to evolve, making them increasingly difficult to identify and prevent. If our security and information systems or the systems of our employees or external business partners are compromised or our employees or external business partners fail to comply with these laws and regulations and this information is obtained by unauthorized persons, or collected or used inappropriately, our reputation, as well as our operations and financial results, could be negatively affected and litigation or regulatory action against us or the imposition of costs, fines or other penalties could also occur. As privacy and information security laws and regulations change, we may incur additional costs to remain in compliance.

We may not have adequate insurance coverage for all potential liabilities. Natural risks, as well as other hazards associated with our operations, can result in personal injury, severe damage or destruction to our owned assets, leasehold improvements and inventory, suspension of our operations, and cybersecurity breaches. Our insurance covers costs relating to specified, limited matters, such as events involving casualty losses and property losses due to fire and windstorms, as well as securities litigation and certain cybersecurity incidents, but does not cover other events such as acts of war or terrorist attacks. We maintain an amount of insurance protection we believe is appropriate, but there can be no assurance that the amount of insurance will be sufficient or effective under all circumstances and against all hazards or liabilities to which we may be subject. A claim for which we are not adequately insured could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. Further, due to the cyclical nature and a hardening of the insurance markets, we cannot provide assurance that insurance coverage will continue to be available on terms similar to those presently in place.

We are subject to periodic litigation and other regulatory proceedings, which could result in the unexpected expenditure of time and resources. We are a defendant from time to time in lawsuits and regulatory actions relating

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to our business. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of such proceedings. An unfavorable outcome could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, regardless of the outcome of any litigation or regulatory proceedings, such proceedings are expensive and will require us to devote substantial resources and executive time to defend, thereby diverting management’s attention and resources that are needed to successfully run our business.

Human Capital Risks

Our failure to manage key executive succession and retention could adversely affect our business. Our business would be adversely affected if we fail to retain key executives, to adequately plan for the succession of members of our executive management team, or attract new members to our executive management team, including a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Clifton E, Sifford, the Vice Chairman of our Board and our former President and Chief Executive Officer, has served as our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since February 24, 2026. Mr. Sifford was appointed to this role following the separation of our previous President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sifford is expected to continue to serve in this role until a permanent successor is identified. This change in executive leadership may result in changes and/or disruptions to our operations, including organizational changes or changes in business strategy. We can provide no assurances that any such changes will be beneficial or will have the desired impact. Additionally, during this transition period, substantial effort and time will be invested by our Board and by our executive management team in finding a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer, which may divert attention from other matters.

We have succession plans in place for other members of our executive management team, which we continue to review and update, and we have employment agreements with certain key executive officers. These plans and agreements do not guarantee the continued employment of current executive officers or that we will be able to find suitable management personnel to replace departing executive officers on a timely basis.

Our failure to attract and retain qualified personnel and control labor costs could adversely affect our business. Our business model requires us to train, motivate and manage our employees and to attract, motivate and retain additional qualified managerial and merchandising personnel. Our ability to control costs and meet our labor needs is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates paid by those with whom we compete for talent, health care and minimum wage legislation, changing demographics and general wage inflationary pressure. If we are unable to attract and retain quality sales associates and management, embrace automation, such as robot, artificial intelligence, and self-checkout technology, as necessary, or if market conditions or changes to minimum wage laws result in the need for higher wages paid to employees, our ability to meet our growth goals or to sustain expected levels of profitability may be compromised and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.

Financial and Liquidity Risks

We will require significant funds to implement our business strategy and meet our other liquidity needs. We may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or obtain sufficient borrowings under our credit agreement to finance our business strategy, including our rebanner strategy, and meet our other liquidity needs. Failure to generate or raise sufficient funds may require us to modify, delay or abandon some of our future growth or expenditure plans. We may utilize our credit agreement to fund working capital, including inventory purchases, and special purpose standby letters of credit, as needed. Significant decreases in cash flow from operations could result in our borrowing under the credit agreement to fund operational needs. If we borrow funds under our credit agreement and interest rates materially increase, our financial results could be adversely affected.

Financial market volatility could have an adverse effect on the sources and costs of financing available to us. The capital and credit markets have experienced, and may continue to experience, volatility and disruption, which could, among other impacts, make obtaining other sources of debt more difficult and increase our borrowing costs or limit other potential sources of financing available to us.

If our long-lived assets become impaired, we may need to record significant non-cash impairment charges. Periodically, we review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever economic events or changes in circumstances

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indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable, and certain intangible assets, such as goodwill and non-amortizing trade names, are evaluated annually regardless of triggering events. Significant negative industry or general economic trends, disruptions to our business and unexpected significant changes or planned changes in our use of the assets (such as store relocations or closures) have resulted, and in the future may result, in impairment charges. Any such impairment charges, if significant, would adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in a loss of investor confidence in our financial reports and have an adverse effect on our stock price. We must continue to document, test and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires annual reports by management regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm attesting to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We have expended, and expect that we will continue to expend, significant management time and resources documenting and testing our internal control over financial reporting. If we conclude in future periods that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, it could result in lost investor confidence in the accuracy, reliability and completeness of our financial reports. Any such events could have an adverse effect on our stock price.

Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

We are controlled by our principal shareholders. J. Wayne Weaver, our Chairman of the Board of Directors, and his spouse together beneficially own approximately 31.7% of our outstanding common stock. In addition, Mr. Weaver's adult daughter is the sole trustee of several grantor retained annuity trusts and, as a result, beneficially owns less than 5% of our outstanding common stock held by such trusts. Accordingly, the Weaver family is able to exert substantial influence over our management and operations. In addition, their interests may differ from, or be opposed to, the interests of our other shareholders, and their ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control that may be favored by other shareholders.

Perception of the overall retail industry and other macroeconomic conditions may impact our stock price and operations. The retail industry continues to evolve and undergo structural change. This evolution and structural change have resulted in the bankruptcy and/or reorganization of various footwear specific and other publicly traded retailers. Despite our best efforts to differentiate our business model and processes, our stock price has fluctuated as a result of perceptions of the overall retail environment and investor confidence in the retail sector. The volatility in our stock price could be exacerbated by macroeconomic conditions that affect the market generally or our industry in particular and could have the effect of diverting management’s attention and could harm our business. We cannot provide any assurance that perception of the retail industry overall and other macroeconomic conditions will not continue to impact our stock price or our ability to engage business partners on terms acceptable to us.

Our stock price may be volatile and could decline substantially. The stock market has, from time to time, experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Many factors may cause the market price for our common stock to decline, including:

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operating results failing to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors in any quarter;

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downward revisions in securities analysts’ estimates;

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material announcements by us or our competitors; and

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the other risk factors cited in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The price of our common stock may decline and the value of any investment in our common stock may be reduced regardless of our performance. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been the subject of securities class action litigation. If we become involved in securities class action litigation in the future, it could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, thus harming our business.

We cannot guarantee that we will continue to make dividend payments or that we will repurchase stock pursuant to our stock repurchase program. Our Board of Directors determines if it is in our best interest to pay a dividend to

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our shareholders and the amount of any dividend and declares all dividend payments. In the future, our results of operations and financial condition may not allow for a dividend to be declared, or the Board of Directors may decide not to continue to declare dividends. In addition, our current share repurchase program authorizes the purchase of up to $50 million of our common stock through December 31, 2026. However, we are not obligated to make any purchases under the share repurchase program and the program may be amended, suspended or discontinued at any time.

Provisions of our organizational documents and Indiana law might deter acquisition bids for us. Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, our By-Laws and Indiana corporate laws contain provisions that may discourage other persons from attempting to acquire control of us, including, without limitation, a Board of Directors that has staggered three-year terms for its members, supermajority voting provisions, restrictions on the ability of shareholders to call a special meeting of shareholders and advance notice requirements in connection with shareholder proposals or director nominations. Additionally, the Board of Directors has the authority to issue preferred stock in one or more series without the approval of the holders of our common stock. Further, Indiana corporate law contains business combination provisions that, in general, prohibit for five years any business combination with a beneficial owner of 10% or more of our common stock unless the holder’s acquisition of the stock was approved in advance by our Board of Directors. Indiana corporate law also contains control share acquisition provisions that limit the ability of certain shareholders to vote their shares unless their control share acquisition is approved. In certain circumstances, the fact that corporate devices are in place that inhibit or discourage takeover attempts could reduce the market value of our common stock.

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