Item 1. Business
General
Tweeter is a national specialty consumer
electronics retailer providing audio and video solutions for the
home and mobile environment. Tweeter believes that We can
untangle your mind by using our expertise to explain
it all, deliver it all, and install it all for our
customers.
As of September 30, 2004, we operated 176
stores in twenty-one states under the Tweeter, HiFi Buys, Sound
Advice, Bang & Olufsen, Electronic Interiors, Showcase
Home Entertainment and Hillcrest names in New England, the
Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Texas, California, greater Chicago,
Florida and Arizona. Tweeter operates in a single business
segment of retailing audio and video consumer electronics
products. The Companys stores feature a selection of
quality home and mobile audio and video products including
cutting edge HDTV, plasma and LCD televisions, DVD players and
recorders, surround sound systems, audio components, digital
video satellite systems, satellite radios, personal video
recorders and digital camcorders. We differentiate ourselves by
focusing on consumers who seek audio and video products with
advanced features, functionality and performance. These products
tend to be more expensive within their category of products and
will often have newer or more advanced technology. An example of
this would be the KVH TracVision A5, which is satellite TV for
the car. We have created an inviting retail environment in each
store with specially designed home theater rooms, allowing our
customers to visualize the technology in a more natural home
setting. The stores average 10,000 square feet and are staffed
with highly trained sales and installation professionals. Our
goal is to ensure that each customer receives the best possible
experience through their entire purchase and installation
process. We believe this commitment to service, along with
Tweeters competitive prices and Automatic Price Protection
program will continue to build customer loyalty and Tweeter
brand awareness nationwide.
In 1972, we opened our first store in Boston
under the Tweeter name and over the next two decades grew
exclusively through new store openings in New England, expanding
to eighteen stores by 1995. In 1995, we adopted an aggressive
growth strategy to (i) open new stores in current regional
markets and relocate certain stores to more favorable sites and
(ii) selectively pursue acquisitions in new regional
markets and achieve operating improvements by converting the
acquired companies to our core operating model and leveraging
distribution, marketing and corporate infrastructure. We
completed the acquisition of Bryn Mawr Radio and Television,
Inc. (Bryn Mawr) in May 1996, HiFi Buys Incorporated
(HiFi Buys) in May 1997, Home Entertainment of
Texas, Inc. (Home Entertainment) in February 1999,
DOW Stereo/ Video, Inc. (Dow) in July 1999, United
Audio Centers, Inc. (United Audio Centers) in April
2000, Douglas T.V. & Appliance, Inc. and Douglas Audio
Video Centers, Inc. (collectively, Douglas) in
October 2000, The Video Scene, Inc. (Big Screen
City) in May 2001, SMK Marketing, Inc. (Audio Video
Systems) in June 2001, Sound Advice, Inc. (Sound
Advice) in August 2001, Hillcrest High Fidelity, Inc.
(Hillcrest) in March 2002, and Sumarc Electronics
Incorporated d/b/a NOW! Audio Video (NOW!) in July
2004. In September 2002, the Company re-launched the Tweeter Web
site to market and sell consumer electronics over the Internet.
The tweeter.com site is designed to mirror the in-store
experience as well as the look and feel of its brick and mortar
counterparts.
2
Tradenames.
We
currently operate under several tradenames. The large majority
(125) of our stores are operated as Tweeter. Four stores in
Arizona are operated as Showcase Home Entertainment
(Showcase), two stores in Dallas are operated as
Hillcrest, 25 stores in Florida are operated as Sound Advice, 14
stores in metro Atlanta are operated as HiFi Buys, two stores in
Florida are operated as Electronic Interiors, and one store in
Florida and one store in Arizona are operated as Bang &
Olufsen. Within the next 18 months we plan to convert to
the Tweeter brand name all of our remaining stores that do not
currently operate under the Tweeter name. During the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2004 we chose to exit the Bang &
Olufsen store format and we sold two stores and closed another.
In October 2004, we sold an additional Bang & Olufsen
store, one is scheduled to close on December 31, 2004 and
we are actively pursuing a buyer for the last store.
We have registered the Tweeter etc.
service mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Its registration number is 2097801 and the renewal due date is
September 16, 2007. We have also registered the
AVi.d. Member, Slamfest, Wise
Buys and Picture Perfect service marks with
the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Tweeter has not
registered HiFi Buys, Sound Advice and some of
its other service marks. We are aware that other consumer
electronics retailers use the name HiFi Buys and Sound Advice.
Tweeter has submitted applications for registration of some of
its other service marks, which applications are currently
pending. Tweeter may be unable to successfully register such
service marks. In addition our service marks, whether registered
or unregistered, and patents may not be effective to protect our
intellectual property rights, and infringement or invalidity
claims may be asserted by third parties in the future.
Competition.
Tweeter
is a relatively small player in the national (United States)
landscape of consumer electronics. The overall industry is
approximately $100 billion in sales (data provided by
Consumer Electronics Association Market Research) and we account
for less than 1% of that total. Several large players, including
Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Wal-Mart, dominate the
industry and have significantly greater resources than Tweeter.
Tweeter does not compete with these larger players in all
categories, but there is some overlap between products that are
sold by the big players and those that Tweeter, sells.
Typically, the overlap includes the higher-end (more
sophisticated, with more features and options) of the larger
players products and the lower end (more entry level, with
fewer features and options) of our products. One advantage we
believe we have over the larger players is the ability to
service our customers, because we believe that the larger
players often do not offer as high a level of customer service
as we do.
Seasonality.
Our
business is subject to seasonal variations. Historically, we
have realized a significant portion of our total revenue and net
income for the year during the first and second fiscal quarters,
with a majority of net income for such quarters realized in the
first fiscal quarter. Due to the importance of the holiday
shopping season, any factor tending to reduce the level of
holiday shopping season could have an adverse effect on our
revenues and our ability to generate a profit. Our quarterly
results of operations may also fluctuate significantly due to a
number of factors, including the timing of new store openings
and acquisitions, and unexpected changes in volume-related
rebates or changes in cooperative advertising policies from
suppliers. In addition, operating results may be negatively
affected by increases in merchandise costs, price reductions we
institute in response to competitive factors and unfavorable
local, regional or national economic developments that result in
reduced consumer spending.
Purchases and Returns.
Tweeter, like most of the consumer
electronics retail industry, allows its customers to return
products within a specified amount of time from the initial
retail sale. This is typically thirty days, although this can
vary for some product categories such as speakers, where we have
a trade up policy available. We also offer extended payment
terms and other promotional offers as an inducement to purchase.
We partner with GE Capital Services to run our private label
credit card; GE Capital Services bears all credit risk under the
terms of this agreement.
3
Business Strategy
Our goal is to become the leading national
specialty retailer of high quality audio and video products as
well as to be known as the national leader of In-Home
Services and Education. The key elements of our business
strategy are as follows:
Extensive Selection of Mid- to High-End Audio
and Video Products.
We concentrate on
mid- to high-end audio and video consumer electronics products.
This focus differentiates us from larger format superstores and
mass merchandisers, who offer a broad array of consumer
electronics and non-electronics products with an emphasis on
products priced at introductory price levels. Our emphasis on
mid- to higher-end products positions us attractively to
manufacturers seeking to sell more advanced or limited
distribution products as part of their distribution strategy. As
a result of our mid- to higher-end product focus, a historical
early adopter customer base and our extensively trained sales
force, we are often among the earliest retailers to offer new
product innovations on behalf of manufacturers. Tweeter has a
long tradition of catering to the audio and/or video enthusiast,
and over the last thirty-two years we have introduced many new
technologies to the marketplace. We were among the first
retailers to see the flat panel plasma and LCD televisions, the
DVD player, the CD player, the camcorder and the VCR. We will
often hold a market share in new technology that is out of
proportion to our less than 1% share of consumer electronics
retailing overall. Our share of these new and generally
expensive technologies declines as the retail prices decrease
and the technology becomes more familiar to a mainstream
customer. In addition, we believe that our focused product
offering allows for higher gross margin opportunities, appeals
to a more service-conscious consumer and results in enhanced
brand awareness of our regional names among members of our
targeted customer group.
In-Home Installation Business.
As consumer electronics products have
become more sophisticated and complex, we are aware of a
corresponding tendency for customers to be deterred from
purchasing integrated audio/video systems because of the
perceived difficulty in setting the systems up properly in their
homes. We have sought to address this problem, and to increase
sales of such sophisticated systems, by offering home
installation services. During the twelve months ended
September 30, 2004 we have increased the number of our
employees in our in-home service department by 130 in order to
provide our customers with integrated solutions and a full suite
of do it for me services.
Exceptional Customer Service.
We believe that the quality and
knowledge of our sales associates is critical to our success and
represents a significant competitive advantage. Our
relationship-selling model encourages sales associates to
promote a comfortable, trusting, low-pressure environment. We
provide new sales associates with intensive classroom training,
and all sales associates receive four to six days of ongoing
training per year, both at the store and at our regional
training centers. Our sales force receives technical product and
sales training prior to our introduction of significant new
products. We believe that our superior customer service has
enabled us to engender long-term customer loyalty.
Dynamic, Inviting Stores.
Our stores display products in a
dynamic and inviting setting intended to encourage the customer
to view and hear products in sound rooms architecturally and
acoustically designed to simulate the customers home or
mobile environment. The store prototype blends a colorful,
comfortable lifestyle environment, with innovative and
interactive product displays, which enable customers to audition
and compare a sample of products. Each store contains a flat
panel technology showcase, which displays an extensive selection
of plasma, LCD and related products, and every store contains a
home theatre vignette, which showcase our home theater products.
Everyday Competitive Pricing.
We utilize an everyday
competitive pricing strategy with fixed prices clearly
marked on our products. Store managers regularly visit local
competitors to ensure that our pricing remains competitive
within the stores local market. In addition, our patented
Automatic Price Protection program backs all product sales.
Under this program, if a customer purchases a consumer
electronics product from one of our stores and a competitor
within twenty-five miles of the store advertises a lower price
within thirty days, we
automatically
send a check to the
customer for the difference without requiring the customer to
request payment. The Automatic Price Protection program is
designed to remove pricing concerns from the purchase decision
and, as a result, allows customers and the sales staff to focus
on an integrated solution, performance and quality.
4
Automatic Price Protection has not been
implemented at the Sound Advice stores in Florida, or the
Showcase Home Entertainment stores in Arizona. We are evaluating
whether to implement our Automatic Price Protection strategy in
these markets.
Growth Strategy
Our current growth strategy is to capitalize on
new technologies and home installation services to drive
comparable store sales. A store is included as a comparable
store after it has been in operation for twelve full months from
the date of opening, acquisition, or relocation. When products
such as CD players, DVD players, plasma televisions, digital
televisions, mobile video and satellite radio were first
introduced, we were one of the first retailers to sell these
products. We expect that we will continue to be among the first
retailers to offer new consumer electronics products as they are
developed, and continue to put considerable effort into having a
knowledgeable sales team able to explain new technologies to
customers. We believe that as a result we will continue to
attract buyers who wish to be early adopters of new
products.
New Stores.
We
intend to open new stores and relocate a limited number of
stores within existing markets in order to increase penetration
and leverage regional advertising, distribution, and operating
efficiencies. During fiscal 2004, we opened or acquired eight
stores and closed six stores in the following regions:
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Region
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New Stores Opened
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Closed Stores
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Acquired Stores
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New England
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1
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Mid Atlantic
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1
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1
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Southeast
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6
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Florida
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1
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4
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Total
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2
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6
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6
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We intend to open six stores, relocate one store,
sell two stores, and close one store in fiscal year 2005.
Recent Acquisitions
Acquisition of NOW!.
On July 1, 2004, Tweeter
completed the acquisition of Sumarc Electronics Incorporated
d/b/a NOW! Audio Video, a six-store specialty retailer located
in the greater Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina,
Greensboro-Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Knoxville,
Tennessee markets. NOW! a specialty retailer with a significant
focus on custom installation, had annual sales of approximately
$21 million, as of the acquisition date, and had operated
in North Carolina for 30 years. NOW! was the recipient of
the annual Top Ten Retailer Award from AudioVideo International.
Store Format and Operations
As of September 30, 2004, we operated 176
stores, consisting of 125 Tweeter stores in New England, the
Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Texas, Southern California and in
the greater Chicago area; 14 HiFi Buys stores in the
Southeast; 25 Sound Advice stores in Florida; three
Bang & Olufsen stores in Florida; two Electronic
Interiors stores in Florida; four Showcase Home Entertainment
stores in Phoenix, Arizona; one Bang & Olufsen store in
Phoenix, Arizona and two Hillcrest stores in Dallas, Texas.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, we chose to exit the
Bang & Olufsen store format and we sold two stores and
closed another. In October 2004 we sold an additional
Bang & Olufsen store, one is scheduled to close on
December 31, 2004 and we are actively pursuing a buyer for
the last store. It is our plan to evolve the remaining acquired
stores that do not have the Tweeter name on the storefront to
the Tweeter brand within the next eighteen months. While our
stores vary in size, the current prototype is 10,000 square
feet, with approximately 70% of our square footage devoted to
selling space.
Our store concept combines the comfort of the
home environment with practical displays enabling consumers to
sample and compare the features and functions of products in
various combinations. The store prototype blends a colorful,
comfortable lifestyle environment with innovative and
interactive product displays
5
that enable customers to audition and compare a
sample of products. Unlike many of our competitors stores,
which contain large, open spaces in which many different audio
and video products are tested and sampled, our stores feature
individual sound rooms. The sound rooms architecturally and
acoustically resemble a home environment to enable the customer
to see and hear how products will perform at home. These sound
rooms allow the customer to listen to and compare various
combinations of receivers, CD and DVD players and speakers. In
addition, each store contains a flat panel technology showcase,
which displays an extensive selection of plasma, LCD and related
video products, and every store contains home theatre vignettes,
which showcases our home theater products. The majority of our
stores have areas that feature state-of-the-art audio and video
mobile systems, which serve to exhibit our mobile installation
capabilities. Most stores provide mobile systems installation
through on-premises installation bays.
Stores are typically staffed with a store
manager, an assistant manager, approximately twelve sales
associates and mobile electronics installers. Some associates
specialize in either in-home or mobile systems. We provide new
sales associates with four weeks of intensive classroom
training, and all sales associates receive four to six days of
ongoing training per year, both at the store and at the regional
training centers. The sales force receives technical product and
sales training prior to the introduction of significant new
products. All stores are open seven days a week.
Most of our store managers are compensated
through base pay, commissions and monthly bonuses based on store
performance. Store managers can earn a substantial portion of
their annual compensation through such bonuses. Sales associates
are compensated through a commission program that is based on
the gross margins and retail prices of products sold.
Merchandise
Our stores feature home audio systems and
components, mobile audio and video systems, video products such
as large screen televisions, including flat panel plasma, LCD,
digital projection and digital tube televisions, digital
satellite systems, digital video recorders, digital cameras,
camcorders, DVD players and other consumer electronics products
such as wireless networking devices, IPODs, home audio
speakers, stereo and surround sound receivers and portable audio
equipment. We offer home and mobile stereo installation services
and provide warranty and non-warranty repair services through
all of our stores. Our in-home installation business provides
design, installation and educational services in connection with
new construction and home renovations, as well as for existing
homes. Products provided by our in-home installation group
include whole-house music systems, home theatre systems,
satellite TV, Internet access systems, and touch screen
controls. Additionally, we have a corporate sales division,
which markets and sells to businesses, institutions and other
organizations. Our emphasis on mid- to high-end products enables
us to offer limited distribution products and to be among the
earliest retailers to offer new product innovations on behalf of
manufacturers.
We stock products from many suppliers, including,
Alpine, B&K, Bose, Boston Acoustics, Clarion, Denon, Mirage,
Martin Logan, Mitsubishi, Monster Cable, Panasonic, Philips,
Pioneer, Polk, Samsung, Sharp, Sonus Faber, Sony, Velodyne and
Yamaha. We seek to manage our product mix to maximize gross
margin performance and inventory turns. Historically, video
products have yielded lower gross margin than audio products.
Total sales of video products have increased at rates faster
than the increases in audio product sales during the last
several years as a result of the increased customer interest in
big screen televisions. Accordingly, we have enhanced our
in-home installation business and adopted a Sell Audio
with Video strategy in order to enhance our overall gross
margin through increased sales of higher margin audio products
and in-home services. The strategy involves training and
incentive program for sales associates to work with customers to
demonstrate audio products that enhance the performance of the
video products they are purchasing, so that a customer
purchasing a video product is more likely to purchase an audio
product as well. In addition, the sales team has developed a
Power Rank measurement tool that scores every store
in the chain both regionally and nationally on specific company
sales development goals. Some measurement examples are the
attachment of accessories and performance guarantees (extended
warranties), penetration of in-home labor as a percentage of
sales and maintaining minimum levels of discontinued inventory.
6
The table below sets forth the approximate
percentage of revenues for each of our primary product
categories for our fiscal years ended September 30, 2002,
2003 and 2004, respectively. The percentage of retail revenues
represented by each product category may be affected by, among
other factors, competition, economic conditions, consumer
trends, the introduction into the market of new products,
changes in our product mix, and the timing of marketing events.
The percentages are also affected by our acquisitions of stores
offering different mixes of products. Retail revenue consists of
all revenue earned at the Companys retail stores. The
historical percentages set forth below may not be indicative of
revenue percentages for future periods:
Percentage of Retail Revenues
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Fiscal Years Ended
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September 30,
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Product Category
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2002
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2003
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2004
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Audio Equipment(1)
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25
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%
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22
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%
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19
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%
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Video Equipment(2)
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51
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%
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54
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%
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56
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%
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Mobile Equipment and Other(3)
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24
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%
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24
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%
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25
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%
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(1)
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Includes speakers, cassette decks, receivers,
compact disc players, amplifiers, turntables, preamplifiers,
home theater in a box, and portable audio equipment.
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(2)
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Includes televisions, projection televisions,
video recording devices, camcorders, digital cameras, DVD
players, satellite dishes and video accessories.
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(3)
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Includes mobile decks, amplifiers and speakers,
mobile security products, navigation equipment, audio and mobile
accessories, installation and service labor, and extended
performance guarantees.
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Purchasing and Inventory
Our purchasing and inventory control functions
are based out of our executive offices in Canton, Massachusetts.
The purchasing decisions are made by our buying team, which has
primary responsibility for product selection, stocking levels
and pricing. Purchasing decisions are facilitated by our
information systems, which analyze stocking levels and product
sell-through. The purchasing group continuously reviews new and
existing products with a view towards maintaining a wide range
of high quality, brand-name consumer electronics products within
the product mix. In order to remain current with new and
developing products, we regularly host presentations by our
major suppliers. In the recent years, we have traveled to the
Far East to assist in product development issues surrounding
product innovation for our class of products.
In addition to making direct purchases, we are a
member of the Progressive Retailers Organization
(PRO) group, a volume-buying group of eighteen
specialty electronics retailers across the country. This
affiliation often provides us with the opportunities to obtain
additional supplier rebates, product discounts and promotional
products. We are not obligated to make purchases through PRO.
Our President and Chief Executive Officer also serves on the
Board of Directors of PRO.
We source products from many suppliers, the
largest of whom, Sony, accounted for 23% of fiscal 2004
purchases. We do not maintain long-term commitments or exclusive
contracts with any particular supplier, but instead consider
numerous factors, including price, credit terms, distribution,
quality and compatibility within the existing product mix in
making our purchasing decisions. We utilize an automatic
replenishment system for store inventory, maintaining stock
levels and minimizing total dollars invested in inventory. We
believe that our relationship with our large suppliers is
excellent and that our focused merchandising and high degree of
customer service makes us an important distribution channel,
particularly for the introduction of new products.
We distribute products to stores through our
regional distribution centers. The Canton, Massachusetts
distribution center is 80,000 square feet and services the
New England stores. The King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
distribution center is 50,000 square feet and services the
Mid-Atlantic stores. The Atlanta, Georgia facility is
80,000 square feet and the Charlotte, North Carolina
distribution center is 15,000 square
7
feet, both servicing the Southeast stores. The
Houston, Texas distribution center is 64,000 square feet
and services the Houston area stores. The Dallas, Texas
distribution center is 25,600 square feet and services the
Dallas area stores. The San Diego, California facility is
57,200 square feet and services the Nevada, Arizona and the
Southern California stores. The Chicago, Illinois facility is
122,000 square feet and services the Illinois stores. The
Pembroke Park, Florida distribution center and other small
Florida outlet facilities total approximately
234,000 square feet and service all the Florida stores. We
believe that these facilities are sufficient to handle any
expansion in these markets through at least the year 2005.
Advertising and Marketing
Tweeter targets consumers seeking informed advice
concerning product selection and system integration of audio and
video consumer electronics products. We started changing our
marketing strategy in fiscal 2004 and are once again utilizing
electronic media and radio to reach our consumers instead of the
newspaper print strategy used in fiscal 2003 and 2004. We plan
to complement our new approach with the occasional use of
strategic newspaper inserts and print ads during key retail
selling periods. We also use catalogs and direct mail to
emphasize education and expertise. In fiscal 2004, we allocated
less than one-third of our overall advertising budget to
broadcast media, but we expect this percentage to increase
significantly in fiscal 2005. Radio advertisements are running
in all of our markets. The specific allocation of advertising
dollars among the various types of advertising media is reviewed
from time to time by management and, if necessary, adjusted to
reflect our assessment of advertising results and market
conditions.
Providing competitive product pricing is a
critical component of our marketing and advertising strategy.
Store managers regularly visit the local competition to ensure
the stores pricing remains competitive. At the same time,
our uniquely executed Automatic Price Protection program backs
our competitive prices. Under the Automatic Price Protection
program, if a customer purchases a consumer electronics product
from a Tweeter store and a competitor within twenty-five miles
of that store advertises a lower price in the newspaper within
thirty days of the customers purchase, we
automatically
send a check to the customer for the difference. Unlike
other price guarantee programs in place within the industry, the
refund process does not require the customer to call or return
to the store of purchase and request a price match refund. The
Automatic Price Protection program is intended to be
hassle-free, customer friendly and viewed as a reflection of
Tweeters commitment to customer service. In fiscal 1997,
we implemented a Wise-Buys program. Under this
program, Tweeters merchandise buyers identify special,
reduced-priced items, often closeouts or last years
top-of-the-line models, which are purchased from the
manufacturer and offered to the consumer at a substantial
discount from the original retail price. We believe that the
pricing of the Wise-Buys items represents substantial value to
the consumer with little or no negative impact to gross margin.
Our advertisements frequently describe or refer to the Automatic
Price Protection and Wise-Buys programs.
Automatic Price Protection has not been
implemented at the Sound Advice stores in Florida, or the
Showcase Home Entertainment stores in Arizona. We are evaluating
whether to implement our Automatic Price Protection strategy in
these markets.
Site Selection
Our stores average approximately
10,000 square feet and are typically located in
freestanding buildings or strip shopping centers within high
traffic shopping areas. New store sites are selected on the
basis of several factors, including physical location,
demographic characteristics of the local market, proximity to
superstore competitors, access to highways or other major
roadways and available lease terms. We look for co-tenants that
are likely to draw customers whom we would otherwise target
within the sites relevant market and believe that the
proximity of superstore competitors is, on balance, a positive
factor due to increased customer traffic. We lease substantially
all of our stores.
8
The following table presents the number and
location of stores we operated at the end of each of the last
three fiscal years:
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September 30,
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State
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2002
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2003
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2004
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Alabama
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3
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3
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3
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Arizona
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5
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5
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5
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California
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15
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15
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15
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Connecticut
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7
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7
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7
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Delaware
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2
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2
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2
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Florida
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32
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33
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30
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Georgia
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|
|
14
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
Illinois
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
Maine
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
Maryland
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
Massachusetts
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
15
|
|
|
New Hampshire
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
New Jersey
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
New York
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
North Carolina
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
14
|
|
|
|
13
|
|
|
Rhode Island
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
South Carolina
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
Tennessee
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
Texas
|
|
|
17
|
|
|
|
17
|
|
|
|
17
|
|
|
Virginia
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
167
|
|
|
|
174
|
|
|
|
176
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Information Systems
We utilize a sophisticated, fully integrated
mainframe based management information system which updates
after every transaction, and which is accessible on a real time
basis to management, sales associates and product buyers.
Extensive sales reporting and sales tracking are provided real
time on screen to store managers and individual sales
associates. The screen tracks category sales and benchmarks key
sales data. This system enables management and store managers to
review sales volume, gross margin and product mix on a per store
or per sales associate basis, allows for the viewing of open
orders, inventory value and mix and tracks sales by product
category, by sales associate, and by store. We provide ongoing
training and support in the use of this system and compensate
and benchmark the store managers based upon this information.
Employees
As of September 30, 2004, we had 3,671
employees, consisting of 3,588 full-time and
83 part-time employees. None of our employees are covered
by collective bargaining agreements, and we believe our
relations with our employees are good.
Tweeter.com Web Site
Our commercial web site address is
www.tweeter.com.
Our investor relations web site is
www.twtr.com.
We make our Annual Report on
Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our
Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports
filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or
Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
available on our Web sites as soon as reasonably practicable
after we electronically file such documents with, or furnish
them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
9
RISK FACTORS
The value of an investment in Tweeter will be
subject to the significant risks inherent in its business.
Investors should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties
described below.
This Annual Report contains forward-looking
statements regarding Tweeters performance, strategy,
plans, objectives, expectations, beliefs and intentions. The
actual outcome of the events described in these forward-looking
statements could differ materially from our expectations. The
following is a discussion of some of the factors and risks that
could contribute to those differences.
We may not be able to open new stores and,
even if we do open new stores, we may not be able to operate
those stores profitably.
While the opening of new stores has slowed
considerably, we expect to continue to open new stores from time
to time. The opening of additional stores in new geographical
markets could present competitive and merchandising challenges
different from those we currently or previously faced within our
existing geographic markets. In addition, we may incur higher
costs related to advertising, administration and distribution as
we enter new markets.
There are a number of factors that could affect
our ability to open or acquire new stores. These factors also
affect the ability of any newly opened or acquired stores to
achieve sales and profitability levels comparable with our
existing stores, or to become profitable at all. These factors
include:
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The identification and acquisition of suitable
sites and the negotiation of acceptable leases for such sites;
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The obtaining of governmental and other
third-party consents, permits and licenses needed to operate
such additional sites;
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The hiring, training and retention of skilled
personnel;
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The availability of adequate management and
financial resources;
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The adaptation of our distribution and other
operational and management systems to an expanded network of
stores;
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The ability and willingness of suppliers to
supply products on a timely basis at competitive prices; and
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Continued consumer demand for our products at
levels that can support acceptable profit margins.
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Our success depends on our ability to increase
sales in our existing stores. We may not be able to do
so.
Our continued growth also depends on our ability
to increase sales in our existing stores. The opening of
additional stores in an existing market could result in lower
net sales at our existing stores in that market.
Our ability to increase sales in existing stores
may also be affected by:
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Our success in driving customers into our stores;
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|
|
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Not maintaining fully staffed and trained
employees;
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|
|
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Our inability to keep stores stocked with the
correct merchandise; and
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Our ability to choose the correct mix of products
to sell.
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We depend on key personnel and our business
may be severely disrupted if we lose the services of our key
executives.
Our success depends upon the active involvement
of senior management personnel, particularly Samuel Bloomberg,
Tweeters Chairman of the Board, Jeffrey Stone,
Tweeters President and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph
McGuire, Tweeters Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, Philo Pappas, Tweeters Senior Vice
President and Chief Merchandising Officer, Mark Richardson,
Tweeters Vice President of Marketing,
10
and Judy Quye, Tweeters Senior Vice
President of Retail Operations. The loss of the full-time
services of Messrs. Bloomberg, Stone, McGuire, Pappas,
Richardson, Ms. Quye, or other members of senior
management, could severely disrupt our business, as we may not
be able to replace them. Tweeter has employment or severance
agreements with Messrs. Bloomberg, Stone, McGuire, Pappas
and Ms. Quye. Tweeter has no other employment agreements
with any members of its senior management team. Tweeter
currently maintains key-man life insurance on the lives of
Messrs. Bloomberg and Stone in the amounts of $1,000,000
and $5,000,000, respectively.
We face intense competition that could reduce
our market share.
Tweeter competes against a diverse group of
retailers, including several national and regional large format
merchandisers and superstores, such as Circuit City and Best
Buy, which sell, among other products, audio and video consumer
electronics products similar and often identical to those
Tweeter sells. Tweeter also competes in particular markets with
a substantial number of retailers that specialize in one or more
types of consumer electronics products that Tweeter sells.
Certain of these competitors have substantially greater
financial resources than Tweeter that may increase their ability
to purchase inventory at lower costs or to initiate and sustain
predatory price competition. In addition, the large format
stores are continuing to expand their geographic markets, and
this expansion may increase price competition within those
markets.
Our business is subject to quarterly
fluctuations and seasonality.
Seasonal shopping patterns affect our business.
The fourth calendar quarter, which is Tweeters first
fiscal quarter and which includes the December holiday shopping
period, has historically contributed, and is expected to
continue to contribute, a significant portion of our total
revenue and more than half of our operating and net income for
our entire fiscal year. As a result, any factors negatively
affecting Tweeter during the fourth calendar quarter of any
year, including adverse weather or unfavorable economic
conditions, would have a material adverse impact on our revenues
for the entire year.
More generally, Tweeters quarterly results
of operations may fluctuate based upon such factors as:
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The amount of net sales contributed by stores;
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The mix of consumer electronics products sold in
its stores;
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Profitability of sales of particular products;
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|
|
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Changes in volume-rebates from
manufacturers; and
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|
Local weather conditions (such as the Florida
hurricanes which took place in August and September of 2004 and
resulted in the closure of many of our Florida stores on certain
days).
|
Our comparable store sales results may
fluctuate significantly.
Comparable store sales is a term we
use to compare the year over year sales performance of our
stores. A store is included in the comparable store sales base
after it is in operation for twelve full months. An acquired
store is included after twelve full months from the date of
acquisition. Remodeled or relocated stores are excluded from the
comparable store base until they have completed twelve full
months of operation from the date the remodeling was completed
or the store re-opened after relocation.
A number of factors have historically affected,
and will continue to affect, Tweeters comparable store
sales results, including, among other factors:
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Competition: well-established competitors with an
abundance of resources may enter markets in which stores are
located and provide products at lower prices. This competition
may cause sales to decline from prior year sales;
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|
General regional and national economic
conditions: severe regional weather conditions such as floods,
hurricanes or tornados, or regional business crises causing
large layoffs or work stoppages may cause regional comparable
store sales declines, while exceptional regional business
success may cause
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11
|
|
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|
|
|
comparable store sales increases. In addition,
national economic crises, such as a recession, may cause
comparable store sales declines while favorable economic events,
such as a stock market surge, may cause comparable store sales
increases;
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Consumer trends: if consumer trends shift to a
new product technology, we will likely see an increase in
comparable store sales. However, if trends shift from a high
average sale price product one year to a middle average sale
price product the next, comparable store sales will likely
decrease;
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Changes in Tweeters product mix: if Tweeter
changes product mix in a way that results in higher or lower
average sale price, comparable store sales will tend to follow
this change;
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Timing of promotional events: if a promotional
event held one year is not held the following year, then
comparable store sales may be reduced by not having the same
promotional sale base. Conversely, if an event which
is not held one year is held the following year, then comparable
store sales may be higher; and
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|
|
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New product introductions: new product
introductions may increase comparable store sales by providing
customers with an incentive to replace their existing systems.
New product introductions may cause comparable store sales to
decrease, however, if the product is a lower-priced item that
replaces a higher priced product.
|
Recent economic conditions make forecasting
comparable store sales particularly difficult. Comparable store
sales, as they did in fiscal 2002, 2003 and 2004, may decrease
in the future. Changes in Tweeters comparable store sales
results could cause the price of our common stock and
profitability to fluctuate substantially.
We may need additional capital and we may not
be able to obtain it on acceptable terms, if at all.
Financing for the opening and acquisition of new
stores may be in the form of debt or equity or both and may not
be available on terms acceptable to Tweeter, if at all. We
estimate that the average cash investment, including pre-opening
expenses for tenant fit-out and inventory (net of payables),
required to open a store is approximately $1.4 million. The
actual cost of opening a store may be significantly greater than
such estimates, however, and we may need to seek additional debt
and/or equity financing in order to fund our continued expansion
through 2005 and beyond. Tweeter estimates that it requires an
average of $1.4 million cash investment to open a new
store. Some stores have been opened for as little as $600,000
and some have cost as much as $3.9 million. The differences
in cost result from the specific circumstances relating to the
store opening. In some cases, stores are leased in an existing
building and costs are incurred to Tweeterize the
space. In other cases, Tweeter might enter into a ground lease
where the site is a piece of land that has to be fully
developed. In connection with some of these ground leases,
Tweeter has built multi-tenant facilities in which Tweeter will
only occupy one of the spaces and sublet the remaining space.
Additional factors that vary depending on the region in which a
new store is being opened, and can therefore cause a
corresponding region-to-region variation in the cost of opening
a new store, including the following:
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Labor cost, regional cost of living, and the use
of union or non-union labor;
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Material cost (which can vary by state and
region); and
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General contractors fees and volume benefits
(e.g. a contractor building more than one store).
|
In addition, our ability to incur additional
indebtedness or issue equity or debt securities could be limited
by covenants in present and future loan agreements and debt
instruments.
We may not be able to anticipate and respond
to changes in consumer demand, preference and
patterns.
Tweeters success depends on its ability to
anticipate and respond in a timely manner to consumer demand and
preferences regarding audio and video consumer electronics
products and changes in consumer demand and preferences.
Consumer spending patterns, particularly discretionary spending
for products such as those Tweeter markets, are affected by,
among other things, prevailing economic conditions. In addition,
the
12
periodic introduction and availability of new
products and technologies at price levels that generate wide
consumer interest stimulate the demand for audio and video
consumer electronics products. Also, many products that
incorporate the newest technologies, such as high-definition
television, are subject to significant technological and pricing
limitations and to the actions and cooperation of third parties
such as television broadcasters. It is possible that these
products or other new products will never achieve widespread
consumer acceptance. Furthermore, the introduction or expected
introduction of new products or technologies may depress sales
of existing products and technologies. Significant deviations
from the projected demand for products Tweeter sells would
result in lost sales or lower margins due to the need to mark
down excess inventory.
If any of our relationships with our key
suppliers are terminated, we may not be able to find suitable
replacements.
The success of Tweeters business and growth
strategy depends to a significant degree upon its suppliers,
particularly its brand-name suppliers of audio and video
equipment. Tweeter does not have any supply agreements or
exclusive arrangements with any suppliers. Tweeter typically
orders its inventory through the issuance of individual purchase
orders to suppliers. In addition, Tweeter relies heavily on a
relatively small number of suppliers. Tweeters two largest
suppliers accounted for approximately 35% of its sales during
fiscal 2004. The loss of any of these key suppliers could affect
our business, as we may not be able to find suitable
replacements.
Suppliers may not be willing to supply
products to stores at acceptable prices.
It is possible that Tweeter will be unable to
acquire sufficient quantities or an appropriate mix of consumer
electronics products at acceptable prices, if at all.
Specifically, Tweeters ability to establish additional
stores in existing markets and to penetrate new markets depends,
to a significant extent, on the willingness and ability of
suppliers to supply those additional stores at acceptable
prices, and suppliers may not be willing or able to do so.
Our service marks and patents may not be
effective to protect our intellectual property rights.
Our Tweeter etc.,
AVi.d. Member, Slamfest, Wise
Buys and Picture Perfect service marks have
been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark
Office. Tweeter has not registered HiFi Buys,
Sound Advice and some of its other service marks. We
are aware that other consumer electronics retailers use the name
HiFi Buys and Sound Advice. Tweeter
has submitted applications for registration of some of its other
service marks, which applications are currently pending. Tweeter
may be unable to successfully register such service marks. In
addition our service marks, whether registered or unregistered,
and patents may not be effective to protect our intellectual
property rights, and infringement or invalidity claims may be
asserted by third parties in the future.
Tweeter has a patent on its method of Automatic
Price Protection, but we do not think the patent, in and of
itself, provides us with a significant benefit or advantage.
Anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware
General Corporation Law, our certificate of incorporation and
our shareholders rights agreement could delay or deter a
change in control.
Our corporate charter and by-laws, as well as
certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law,
contain provisions which may deter, discourage or make more
difficult a change in control of Tweeter, even if such a change
in control would be in the interest of a significant number of
our stockholders or if a change in control would provide
stockholders with a substantial premium for their shares over
then current market prices. For example, our charter authorizes
our Board of Directors to issue one or more classes of preferred
stock, having such designations, rights and preferences as they
determine.
Our stockholders have no right to take action by
written consent and may not call special meetings of
stockholders. Any amendment of the by-laws by the stockholders
or certain provisions of the charter requires the affirmative
vote of at least 75% of the shares of voting stock then
outstanding. Our charter also provides for
13
the staggered election of directors to serve for
one, two and three-year terms, and for successive three-year
terms thereafter, subject to removal only for cause upon the
vote of not less than 75% of the shares of common stock
represented at a stockholders meeting.
In addition, under the terms of our
shareholders rights agreement, in general, if a person or
group acquires more than 15% of the outstanding shares of our
common stock, all other stockholders of Tweeter would have the
right to purchase securities from Tweeter at a discount to such
securities fair market value, thus causing substantial
dilution to the holdings of the acquiring person or group.