YETI Holdings Inc

Overview

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, YETI is a global designer, retailer, and distributor of innovative outdoor products. From coolers and drinkware to bags and apparel, YETI products are built to meet the unique and varying needs of diverse outdoor pursuits, whether in the remote wilderness, at the beach, or anywhere life takes you. By consistently delivering high-performing, exceptional products, we have built a strong following of brand loyalists throughout the world, ranging from serious outdoor enthusiasts to individuals who simply value products of uncompromising quality and design. We have an unwavering commitment to outdoor and recreation communities, and we are relentless in our pursuit of building superior products for people to confidently enjoy life outdoors and beyond.

We were founded in 2006 by avid outdoorsmen, Roy and Ryan Seiders, who were frustrated with equipment that could not keep pace with their interests in hunting and fishing. By utilizing forward-thinking designs and advanced manufacturing techniques, they developed a nearly indestructible hard cooler with superior ice retention. Our original hard cooler not only delivered exceptional performance, it anchored an authentic, passionate, and durable bond among customers and our company.

Our principal corporate offices are located in Austin, Texas. Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “YETI,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” used herein refer to YETI Holdings, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

We have a 52- or 53-week period that ends on the Saturday closest in proximity to December 31, such that each quarterly period will be 13 weeks in length, except during a 53-week period when the fourth quarter will be 14 weeks. Our fiscal years ended December 30, 2023 (“2023”), December 31, 2022 (“2022”) and January 1, 2022 (“2021”) spanned 52 weeks each. Our fiscal year ending December 28, 2024 (“2024”) will span 52 weeks. Unless otherwise stated, references to particular years, quarters, months and periods refer to our fiscal years ended in December and the associated quarters, months, and periods of those fiscal years.

Our Products

Our product portfolio is comprised of three categories: Coolers & Equipment; Drinkware; and Other. We have a history of consistently broadening our high-performance, premium-priced product portfolio to meet our expanding customer base and their evolving pursuits. Our culture of innovation and success in identifying customer needs and wants drives our robust product roadmap. In 2023, net sales of Coolers & Equipment, Drinkware, and Other represented 36%, 62%, and 2% of net sales, respectively. Refer to Note 2 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for net sales by product category.

Coolers & Equipment

Our Coolers & Equipment family is comprised of hard coolers, soft coolers, cargo, bags, outdoor living, and associated accessories.

Hard Coolers. Our hard coolers are built with seamless rotomolded construction or injection molding construction, making them nearly indestructible. For superior ice retention, we pressure-inject up to two inches of commercial-grade polyurethane foam into the walls and lid and utilize a freezer-quality gasket to seal the lid. Our hard cooler category includes YETI Tundra, YETI Roadie, YETI V Series hard coolers, YETI TANK ice bucket, and YETI Silo 6G water cooler. We also offer related accessories, including locks, dry baskets, beverage holders, dividers, an ice scoop, and other add-ons, to enhance our products’ versatility.

Soft Coolers. The Hopper is our line of soft coolers, which are designed to be leakproof and provide superior durability and ice retention compared to ordinary soft coolers. The Hopper soft cooler product line includes: Hopper M15 Soft Cooler, Hopper M12 Soft Backpack Cooler, Hopper M30 Soft Cooler, Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler, Hopper Flip Soft Cooler, Daytrip Lunch Bag, and Daytrip Lunch Box. Our soft coolers also include related accessory options such as the Rambler Bottle Sling, MOLLE Zinger retractable lanyard, and a mountable MOLLE Bottle Opener.

In March 2023, we announced separate, voluntary recalls of our Hopper M30 Soft Cooler, Hopper M20 Soft Backpack Cooler, and SideKick Dry gear case (the “affected products”) in collaboration with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”). In the fourth quarter of 2023, we introduced the redesigned and improved versions of the affected products, and also launched two new sizes with the Hopper M15 Soft Cooler and the Hopper M12 Soft Backpack Cooler. For additional information on the financial impact of the voluntary recalls, see Part II, Item 7, “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Cargo, Bags, and Outdoor Living. Our cargo, bags, and outdoor living product category includes: LoadOut Bucket, LoadOut GoBox, the Panga submersible duffel bag, Panga Backpack, Crossroads Collection of backpacks, duffel bags, luggage, and packing cubes, Camino Carryall, Hondo Base Camp Chair, Trailhead Camp Chair, Lowlands Blanket, Trailhead Dog Bed, Boomer Dog Bowls, and SideKick Dry gear case.

Drinkware

Most of our Drinkware products are made with durable, kitchen-grade, 18/8 stainless-steel, double-wall vacuum insulation, and our innovative No Sweat design. The result is high-performing drinkware products that keep beverages at their preferred temperature — whether hot or cold — for hours at a time without condensation. During 2022, we introduced Yonder Water Bottles, our first lightweight water bottle made of durable and safe BPA-free material. During 2023, we introduced several tableware products such as the Rambler beverage bucket, Rambler wine chiller, and Rambler cocktail shaker, and also expanded size offerings of various mugs, cups, and water bottles. Our Drinkware product line also includes the Rambler Colsters, Rambler Lowball, Rambler Wine Tumbler, Rambler Stackable Pints, Rambler Mugs, Rambler Tumblers, Rambler Straw Mugs & Cups, Rambler Bottles, Rambler Jugs, and Yonder Water Bottles. Related accessories include the Rambler Bottle Straw Cap, Rambler Bottle Chug Cap, Rambler Magslider Lid, Rambler Straw Lid, Rambler Magslider color pack, Rambler Tumbler Handles, and Rambler Jug Mount.

Other

Our Other category offers an array of apparel and gear, such as hats, shirts, bottle openers, and ice substitutes.

Segment Information

We operate as one reportable segment.

Sales Channels

We offer our products in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Japan through a diverse omni-channel strategy, comprised of our wholesale and our direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) channels. In 2023 and 2022, our DTC channel accounted for 60% and 58% of our net sales, respectively, and our wholesale channel accounted for 40% and 42% of our net sales, respectively. As part of our commitment to premium positioning, we maintain supply discipline, consistently enforce our minimum advertised price (“MAP”) policy, and primarily sell through one-step distribution.

In our wholesale channel, we sell to several large retailers with a national presence, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, REI, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops, Ace Hardware, Scheels, and Tractor Supply Company, and an assemblage of independent retail partners throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and Japan, among others. We carefully evaluate and select retail partners that have an image and approach that are consistent with our premium brand and pricing, while also seeking new retail partners that create access to unique shopping experiences or customer bases. Our network of independent retail partners includes outdoor specialty, hardware, sporting goods, and farm and ranch supply stores, among others. As of December 30, 2023, we sold through a diverse base of approximately 4,500 retail partners in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of our gross sales in 2023.

We sell our products in our DTC channel to customers on YETI.com, country and region-specific YETI websites, and YETI Authorized on the Amazon Marketplace, as well as in our retail stores. Additionally, we offer customized products with licensed marks and original artwork through our corporate sales program, on YETI.com, certain country-specific YETI websites, and at select retail stores. Our corporate sales program offers customized products to corporate customers for a wide-range of events and activities, and in certain instances may also offer products to re-sell. Additionally, we sell our full line of products at our retail stores. Our DTC channel enables us to directly interact with our customers, more effectively deliver our brand experience, better understand consumer behavior and preferences, and offer exclusive products, content, and customization capabilities. We believe our control over our DTC channel provides our customers the highest level of brand engagement and further builds customer loyalty, while generating attractive margins.

Our Market

Our premium products are designed for use in a wide variety of activities, from professional to recreational and outdoor to indoor, and can be used year round. As a result, the markets we serve are broad as well as deep, including, for example, outdoor, housewares, home and garden, outdoor living, industrial, and commercial. While our product reach extends into numerous and varied markets, we currently primarily serve the North American outdoor recreation market. The outdoor recreation products market is a large, growing, and diverse economic sector, which includes consumers of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and income levels.

Additionally, we continue to expand internationally and grow our presence in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe, among others. We are expanding internationally by focusing on brand awareness, wholesale expansion, and our DTC channel. We believe there are meaningful growth opportunities in expanding into additional international markets, such as Asia, as many of the market dynamics and premium, performance-based consumer needs that we have successfully identified domestically are also valued in these markets.

Product Design and Development

We design and develop our products to provide superior performance and functionality in a variety of environments. Our products are carefully designed and rigorously tested to maximize performance while minimizing complexity, allowing us to deliver highly functional products with simple, clean, and distinct designs.

We expand our existing product families and enter new product categories by designing solutions grounded in consumer insights and relevant product knowledge. We use high-quality materials, as well as advanced design and manufacturing processes, to create premium products that redefine consumer expectations and deliver best-in-class product performance. We continue to expand our product line by introducing anchor products, followed by product expansions, such as additional sizes and colorways, and then offering corresponding accessories.

To ensure our continued success in bringing category-redefining products to market, our marketing and product development teams collaborate to identify consumer needs and wants to drive our robust product roadmap. We use our purpose-built, state-of-the-art research and development centers to generate design prototypes and test performance. We follow a disciplined, stage-gate product development process that is designed to provide consistent quality control while optimizing speed-to-market. We collaborate with our YETI Ambassadors, a diverse group of people throughout the United States and select international markets, comprised of world-class anglers, hunters, rodeo cowboys, barbecue pitmasters, surfers, brewmasters, fitness experts, skateboarders, and outdoor adventurers who embody our brand, and industry professionals to test our prototypes and provide feedback that is incorporated into final product designs. Once we approve the final design and specifications of a new product, we partner with global suppliers and specialized manufacturers to produce our products according to our exacting performance and quality standards.

Marketing

We employ a wide range of marketing tactics and outlets to cultivate our relationships with experts, serious enthusiasts, and everyday consumers, including a combination of traditional, digital, social media, and grass-roots initiatives to support our premium brand, in addition to original short films and high-quality content on YETI websites.

Supply Chain and Quality Assurance

We manage a global supply chain of highly qualified, third-party manufacturing and logistics partners to produce and distribute our products. The primary raw materials and components used by our manufacturing partners include polyethylene, polyurethane foam, stainless-steel, polyester fabric, zippers, magnets, and other plastic materials and coatings. We believe these materials are readily available from multiple vendors. We stipulate approved suppliers and control the specifications for key raw materials used in our products. We do not directly source significant amounts of these raw materials and components.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We match sourcing partnerships to deliver flexibility and scalability to support multiple product introductions and evolving channel strategies. Our global supply chain management team researches materials and equipment, qualifies raw material suppliers, vets potential manufacturing partners for advanced production and quality assurance processes, directs our production planning, approves and manages product purchasing plans, and oversees product transportation. Additionally, we work closely with our manufacturing partners regarding product quality and manufacturing process efficiency.

Many of our core products are manufactured in China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Poland, Mexico, Thailand, and Malaysia. In addition, we have other key third-party manufacturing partners in Mexico and Italy. We continue to mitigate the concentration risk in our supply chain by pursuing a higher diversification of manufacturing partners, with both sourcing and geographical advantages. See Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for further discussion of concentration risk. We hold our manufacturers to rigorous quality and product conformance standards through frequent involvement and regular product inspecting. We own the molds and tooling used in the production of our products, create and provide the specifications for our products, and work closely with our manufacturing partners to improve production yields and efficiency. Our manufacturers do not have unique skills, technologies, processes, or intellectual property that prevent us from migrating to other manufacturing partners.

To ensure consistent product quality, we provide detailed specifications for our products and inspect finished goods both at our manufacturing partners as well as periodically upon delivery to our third-party logistics partners. As part of our quality assurance program, we have developed and implemented comprehensive product inspection and facility oversight processes that are performed by our employees and third-party service providers who work closely with our suppliers to assist them in meeting our quality standards, as well as improving their production yields and throughput.

Distribution and Inventory Management

We utilize global third-party logistics providers to warehouse and distribute finished products from our distribution facilities in Memphis, Tennessee and Salt Lake City, Utah to support our domestic operations, and in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the Netherlands to support our international operations. These logistics providers manage various distribution activities, including product receipt, warehousing, certain limited product inspection activities, and coordinating outbound shipping.

We manage our inventory levels by analyzing product sell-through, forecasting demand, and placing orders with our manufacturers before we receive firm orders from customers to ensure sufficient availability.

Competition

We compete in the large outdoor and recreation market and may compete in other related markets. Competition in our markets is based on a number of factors including product quality, performance, durability, styling, and price, as well as brand image and recognition. We believe that we have been able to compete successfully on the basis of our brand, superior design capabilities and product development, our DTC capabilities, as well as the breadth of our national, regional, and independent retail partners.

In the Coolers & Equipment category, we compete against established, well-known, and legacy cooler brands, such as Igloo and Coleman, as well as numerous other brands and retailers that offer competing products. The popularity of YETI products and the YETI brand has attracted numerous new competitors including Pelican, OtterBox, and others, as well as private label brands. In the Drinkware category, we compete against well-known brands such as HydroFlask, Stanley, and Owala, as well as numerous other brands and retailers that offer competing products.

The outdoor and recreation market is highly fragmented and highly competitive, with low barriers to entry. Our current and potential competitors may be able to develop and market superior products or sell similar products at lower prices. These companies may have competitive advantages, including larger retailer bases, global product distribution, greater financial strength, superior relations with suppliers and manufacturing partners, or larger marketing budgets and brand recognition.

Seasonality

Historically, we have experienced our highest levels of net sales in the fourth quarter of the year coinciding with the seasonal holiday shopping season. In 2023, our net sales in the first, second, third, and fourth quarters represented 18%, 24%, 26%, and 32%, respectively, of our total net sales for the year. In 2022, our net sales in the first, second, third, and fourth quarters represented 18%, 26%, 27%, and 29%, respectively, of our total net sales for the year.

Intellectual Property and Brand Protection

We own patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights that support key aspects of our brand and products. We believe these intellectual property rights, combined with our innovation and distinctive product design, performance, and brand name and reputation, provide us with a competitive advantage. We protect our intellectual property rights in the United States and certain international jurisdictions on all new products.

We aggressively pursue and defend our intellectual property rights to protect our distinctive brand, designs, and inventions. We have processes and procedures in place to identify, protect, and optimize our intellectual property assets on a global basis. Our experienced legal and brand protection teams initiate claims and litigation to protect our intellectual property assets. In the future, we intend to continue to seek intellectual property protection for our new products and enforce our rights against those who infringe on these valuable assets.

All product designs, specifications, and performance characteristics are developed and documented. After these aspects of the process are complete, we seek intellectual property protection to the fullest extent possible, including applying for patents and for registration of trademarks and copyrights.

We have a proactive online marketplace monitoring and seller/listing termination program to disrupt any online counterfeit offerings. In addition, we work to shut down websites selling counterfeit products through litigation.

Human Capital Resources

At YETI, we have an unwavering commitment to outdoor and recreation communities, and we are relentless in our pursuit of building superior products for people to confidently enjoy life outdoors and beyond. We are proud of our unique company culture, where ideas, innovation, collaboration and personal development are essential. We believe our brand, culture, and employees are central to our success and our ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly-skilled talent.

As of December 30, 2023, we employed approximately 1,050 people worldwide, representing eight countries. Of these, approximately 88% of our workforce was located in the United States. None of our employees are currently covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have no labor-related work stoppages and believe our relations with our employees are positive and stable.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DE&I”). We believe that an equitable, inclusive, and culturally diverse environment is imperative and key to our long-term growth. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse culture through a variety of initiatives on employee recruitment, employee training and development. Our DE&I Council is composed of a group of employees representing different demographics, backgrounds, and teams that provides perspective and counsel on DE&I-related topics. We continue to support our voluntary, employee-led affinity groups that foster a diverse and inclusive workplace aligned with our core values, goals, and business practices.

Compensation and Benefits. We strive to hire, develop and retain top talent. We attract and reward our employees by providing competitive benefits, including market-competitive compensation, healthcare, 401(k) program, paid time off, bonding leave, as well as health, wellness, and financial planning programs.

Communication and Engagement. We actively communicate and listen to employees through multiple internal channels and encourage employees to provide feedback about their experiences through ongoing employee engagement activities, including employee satisfaction surveys. We strive to address feedback in real time and provide an environment where our employees can have fulfilling careers and be more productive, creative, happy, and healthy.

Consistent with our focus on employee growth and development, we offer employees the opportunity to participate in educational activities and periodic trainings. Additionally, we employ a variety of recognition programs to recognize leadership and other employees who best exemplify our core values. We also encourage and provide opportunity for our employees to give back to the communities that support us. We provide up to four hours of paid time off to vote, as part of our participation in Time to Vote, and offer employees the chance to dedicate one full day of work to volunteering for an organization of their choice.

For more detailed information regarding our programs and initiatives related to human capital management, please see the “People” section of our 2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report (“ESG Report”), located on our website at www.yeti.com/en_US/esg.html. Our ESG Report does not constitute part of, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Compliance with Government Regulations

Our business activities are global and are subject to various federal, state, local, and foreign laws, rules and regulations. For example, substantially all of our import operations are subject to complex trade and customs laws, regulations and tax requirements. In addition, the countries in which our products are manufactured or imported may from time to time impose additional duties, tariffs or other restrictions on our imports or adversely modify existing restrictions. Changes in tax policy or trade regulations, or the imposition of new tariffs on imported products, could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, we are subject to changing regulatory restrictions and requirements, including in the areas of data privacy, sustainability and responses to climate change. Compliance with laws, rules and regulations could harm our current and future business and operations. For additional information, see Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors - Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Industry,” included herein for updates to our risk factors regarding the potential impact of government regulations on our business.

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Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other documents with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the“SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the“Exchange Act”). The public can obtain any documents that we file with the SEC at www.sec.gov. We also make available free of charge our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such materials with, or furnishing such materials to, the SEC, on or through our website, www.YETI.com. We are not including the information contained on, or accessible through, any website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Report, unless expressly noted.