Edgar Filing: COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR CO

COLM-2014.12.31-10K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

——————————————

FORM 10-K


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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014


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

For the transition period from_______to_______

Commission file number 0-23939

—————————————

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

—————————————



Oregon		93-0498284
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(IRS Employer Identification Number)
14375 Northwest Science Park Drive Portland, Oregon		97229
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(503) 985-4000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)



Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock	The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such short period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer x Accelerated filer o

Non-accelerated filer o (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2014, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $1,158,487,198 based on the last reported sale price of the Company’s Common Stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market System on that day.

The number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on February 13, 2015 was 69,901,076.

Part III is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s proxy statement for its 2015 annual meeting of shareholders to be filed with the Commission within 120 days of December 31, 2014.

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

DECEMBER 31, 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS



Item		Page
	PART I
Item 1.	Business	2
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	9
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	21
Item 2.	Properties	21
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	21
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	21
Item 4A.	Executive Officers and Key Employees of the Registrant	21
	PART II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	25
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	28
Item 7.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	29
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk	43
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	43
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	76
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	76
Item 9B.	Other Information	78
	PART III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance	79
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	79
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	79
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence	79
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	79
	PART IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule	81
Signatures	.	82

PART I

Item 1. BUSINESS

General

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, as a small, family-owned, regional hat distributor and incorporated in 1961, Columbia Sportswear Company has grown to become a global leader in designing, sourcing, marketing and distributing outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “we”, “us”, “our”, “the Company” and “Columbia” refer to Columbia Sportswear Company, together with its wholly owned subsidiaries and entities in which it maintains a controlling financial interest.

As one of the largest outdoor and active lifestyle apparel and footwear companies in the world, our products have earned an international reputation for innovation, quality and performance. We design, source, market and distribute outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment under four primary brands:

Columbia^®

The Columbia brand is our largest brand, offering performance and casual products, including outerwear, sportswear, footwear, accessories and equipment, for a wide variety of activities and consumers.

Sorel^®

Acquired in 2000, the Sorel brand offers premium fashion, casual and cold weather footwear for a wide demographic, with a primary emphasis on young, fashion-forward female consumers.

Mountain Hardwear^®

Acquired in 2003, the Mountain Hardwear brand, headquartered in Richmond, California, offers premium apparel, accessories and equipment primarily for the high performance needs of mountaineering enthusiasts, as well as for consumers who are inspired by the outdoor lifestyle.

prAna^®

Acquired in 2014, the prAna brand, headquartered in Carlsbad, California, offers stylish and functional active lifestyle apparel and accessories designed and manufactured with an emphasis on sustainable materials and processes.

Other Brands

The Montrail^® brand, acquired in 2006, offers high-performance running footwear, with an emphasis on trail-running. The OutDry^® brand, acquired in 2010, holds various patents pertaining to processes for manufacturing waterproof and breathable footwear, gloves and accessories. We have incorporated OutDry in select Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and Montrail products, and also license the product to other parties. The Pacific Trail^® brand, acquired in 2006, is licensed to third parties across a range of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment.

Our brands complement each other to address the diverse performance needs of a wide variety of outdoor and active lifestyle consumers.

We distribute our products through a mix of wholesale distribution channels, our own direct-to-consumer channels (retail stores and e-commerce), independent distributors and licensees. In 2014, our products were sold in approximately 100 countries, 72 of which are managed by independent distributors. Substantially all of our products are manufactured by contract manufacturers located outside the United States.

Consumer desire for our products is affected by a number of variables, including the popularity of outdoor activities and active lifestyles, weather, changing design trends, consumer adoption of innovative performance technologies and the availability and desirability of competitor alternatives. Therefore, we seek to drive, anticipate and respond to trends and shifts in consumer preferences by developing new products with innovative performance features and designs, creating persuasive and memorable marketing communications to generate consumer awareness, demand and retention, and adjusting

the mix and price points of available product offerings. Failure to anticipate or respond to consumer needs and preferences in a timely and adequate manner could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

Our business is subject to many risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Some of these risks and uncertainties are described below under Item 1A, Risk Factors.

Seasonality and Variability of Business

Our business is affected by the general seasonal trends common to the industry and is heavily dependent upon seasonal weather and discretionary consumer shopping and spending patterns. Our products are marketed on a seasonal basis and our sales are weighted substantially toward the third and fourth quarters, while our operating costs are more equally distributed throughout the year. The expansion of our direct-to-consumer operations has increased the proportion of sales, profits and cash flows that we generate in the fourth calendar quarter. As a result, our sales and profits tend to be highest in the third and fourth calendar quarters. In 2014, approximately 60 percent of our net sales and approximately 90 percent of our profitability were realized in the second half of the year, illustrating our dependence upon sales results in the second half of the year, as well as the less seasonal nature of our operating costs.

Results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period, particularly in light of persistent volatility in economic and geopolitical conditions. Sales of our products are subject to substantial cyclical fluctuation, the effects of unseasonable weather conditions, the relative popularity of competitors' brands and the continued popularity of outdoor and active lifestyles in key markets. Volatile economic and geopolitical environments in key markets, seasonal weather patterns and inflationary or volatile input costs reduce the predictability of our business.

For further discussion regarding the effects of the macro-economic environment on our business, see Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Products

We provide high quality apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment for use in a wide range of outdoor and active lifestyle activities by men, women and youth, designed to keep consumers warm or cool, dry and protected. A large percentage of our products are also worn for casual or leisure purposes. The durability and functionality of our products make them ideal for a wide range of outdoor and active lifestyle activities, serving a broad range of consumers, including elite skiers and mountain climbers, outdoor enthusiasts, hunting and fishing enthusiasts, top endurance trail runners and outdoor-inspired consumers. We also market licensed collegiate apparel and accessories under our Columbia brand.

We develop and manage our merchandise in two principal categories: (1) apparel, accessories and equipment and (2) footwear. The following table presents the net sales and approximate percentages of net sales attributable to each of our principal product categories for each of the last three years ended December 31 (dollars in millions).



	2014				2013				2012
	Net Sales		% of Sales		Net Sales		% of Sales		Net Sales		% of Sales
Apparel, accessories and equipment	$	1,676.2	79.8	%	$	1,374.6	81.6	%	$	1,347.0	80.7	%
Footwear	424.4		20.2		310.4		18.4		322.6		19.3
Total	$	2,100.6	100.0	%	$	1,685.0	100.0	%	$	1,669.6	100.0	%

Apparel, accessories and equipment

We design, develop, market and distribute apparel, accessories and equipment for men and women under our Columbia, Mountain Hardwear and prAna brands, and for youth under our Columbia and Mountain Hardwear brands. Our products incorporate the cumulative design, fabrication, fit and construction technologies that we have pioneered over several decades and that we continue to innovate. Our apparel, accessories and equipment are designed to be used during a wide variety of outdoor activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, hunting, fishing, trail running, water sports and adventure travel.

Footwear

We design, develop, market and distribute footwear products for men and women under our Columbia, Sorel and Montrail brands and for youth under our Columbia and Sorel brands. Our footwear products seek to address the needs of outdoor consumers who participate in activities that typically involve challenging or unusual terrain in a variety of weather and trail conditions. Our footwear products include durable, lightweight hiking boots, trail running shoes, rugged cold weather boots for activities on snow and ice, sandals for use in amphibious activities, and casual shoes for everyday use. Our Sorel brand primarily offers premium cold weather and casual footwear for men, women and youth, with a focus on young, fashion-conscious female consumers.

Product Design and Innovation

We are committed to designing innovative and functional products for consumers who participate in a wide range of outdoor activities, enabling them to enjoy those activities longer and in greater comfort by keeping them warm or cool, dry and protected. We also place significant value on product design and fit (the overall appearance and image of our products) that, along with technical performance features, distinguish our products in the marketplace.

Our research and development efforts are led by an internal team of specialists who work closely with independent suppliers to conceive, develop and commercialize innovative technologies and products that provide the unique performance benefits needed by consumers during outdoor activities. We have established working relationships with specialists in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, industrial design, materials research, graphic design, electronics and related fields. We utilize these relationships, along with consumer feedback, to develop and test innovative performance products, processes, packaging and displays. We believe that these efforts, coupled with our technical innovation efforts, represent key factors in the past and future success of our products.

Intellectual Property

We own many trademarks, including Columbia Sportswear Company^®, Columbia^®, Sorel^®, Mountain Hard Wear^®, prAna^®, Montrail^®, OutDry^®, Pacific Trail^®, the Columbia diamond shaped logo, the Mountain Hardwear nut logo and the Sorel polar bear logo, as well as many other trademarks relating to our brands, products, styles and technologies. We believe that our trademarks are an important factor in creating a market for our products, in identifying our Company, and in differentiating our products from competitors’ products. We have design, process and utility patents as well as pending patent applications in the United States and other nations. We file applications for United States and foreign patents for inventions, designs and improvements that we believe have commercial value; however, these patents may or may not ultimately be issued, enforceable or used in our business. We believe our success primarily depends on our ability to continue offering innovative solutions to consumer needs through design, research, development and production advancements rather than our ability to secure patents. The technologies, processes and designs described in our patents are incorporated into many of our most important products and expire at various times. We vigorously protect these proprietary rights against counterfeit reproductions and other infringing activities. Additionally, we license some of our trademarks across a range of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment.

Sales and Distribution

We sell our products through a mix of wholesale distribution channels, our own direct-to-consumer channels, independent distributors and licensees. The majority of our sales are generated through wholesale channels, which include small, independently operated specialty outdoor and sporting goods stores, regional, national and international sporting goods chains, large regional, national and international department store chains and internet retailers. We sell our products to independent distributors in various countries where we generally do not have direct sales and marketing operations.

We also sell our products directly to consumers through our own network of branded and outlet retail stores and online in each of our geographic segments. Our direct-to-consumer operations are designed to elevate consumer perception of our brands, manage inventory, increase consumer and retailer awareness of and demand for our products, model compelling retail environments for our products and build stronger emotional brand connections with consumers over time. Our branded retail stores and e-commerce sites allow us to showcase a broad selection of products and to support the brand’s positioning with fixtures and imagery that may then be replicated and offered for use by our wholesale customers. These stores and sites provide high visibility for our brands and products and help us to monitor the needs and preferences of consumers. In

addition, we operate outlet stores, which serve an important role in our overall inventory management by allowing us to sell a significant portion of excess, discontinued and out-of-season products while maintaining the integrity of our brands in wholesale and distributor channels.

We operate in four geographic segments: (1) the United States, (2) Latin America and Asia Pacific (“LAAP”), (3) Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”), and (4) Canada, which are reflective of our internal organization, management, and oversight structure. Each geographic segment operates predominantly in one industry: the design, development, marketing and distribution of outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. The following table presents net sales to unrelated entities and approximate percentages of net sales by geographic segment for each of the last three years ended December 31 (dollars in millions):



	2014				2013				2012
	Net Sales		% of Sales		Net Sales		% of Sales		Net Sales		% of Sales
United States	$	1,198.4	57.1	%	$	971.3	57.7	%	$	946.7	56.7	%
LAAP	491.6		23.4		354.4		21.0		377.6		22.6
EMEA	259.2		12.3		240.7		14.3		230.6		13.8
Canada	151.4		7.2		118.6		7.0		114.7		6.9
Total	$	2,100.6	100.0	%	$	1,685.0	100.0	%	$	1,669.6	100.0	%

United States

The United States accounted for 57.1% of our net sales for 2014. We sell our products in the United States to approximately 3,300 wholesale customers and through our own direct-to-consumer channels. As of December 31, 2014, our United States direct-to-consumer operations consisted of 74 outlet retail stores, 19 branded retail stores and 5 brand-specific e-commerce websites. In addition, we earn licensing income in the United States based on our licensees’ sale of licensed products.

We distribute the majority of our products sold in the United States from distribution centers that we own and operate in Portland, Oregon and Robards, Kentucky, as well as one that we lease in Carlsbad, California. In some instances, we arrange to have products shipped from contract manufacturers through third party logistics vendors and/or directly to wholesale customer-designated facilities in the United States.

LAAP

The LAAP region accounted for 23.4% of our net sales for 2014. We sell our products in the LAAP region to approximately 300 wholesale customers in Japan and Korea and to 13 independent distributors that sell to approximately 500 wholesale customers in locations throughout the LAAP region, including Australia, New Zealand, Latin America and Asia. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, there were 151 and 256 dealer-operated, branded, outlet and shop-in-shop locations in Japan and Korea, respectively. We also sell Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and Montrail products through e-commerce websites in Japan and Korea. In addition, we earn licensing income in our LAAP region based on our distributors’ production and sale of licensed products.

We distribute our products to wholesale customers, our own retail stores and licensed stores in Japan through an independent logistics company that owns and operates a warehouse located near Tokyo, Japan. We distribute our products to wholesale customers, our own retail stores and licensed stores in Korea from a leased warehouse facility near Seoul, Korea. The majority of sales to our LAAP distributors are shipped directly from the contract manufacturers from which we source our products.

On January 1, 2014, we commenced operations of a majority-owned joint venture with Swire Resources Limited ("Swire") for purposes of continuing the development of our business in China. The joint venture operates approximately 80 retail locations and a branded e-commerce website, and has distribution relationships with approximately 50 wholesale dealers that operate approximately 700 retail locations. As a 60% majority-owned entity that we control, the joint venture's operations are included in our consolidated financial results. We distribute our products to wholesale customers and our own retail stores in China through independent logistic companies that own and operate warehouses in Shanghai and

Guangzhou, China, and from leased facilities in Shanghai and Beijing, China that are operated by our joint venture partner, Swire.

EMEA

Sales in our EMEA region accounted for 12.3% of our net sales for 2014. We sell our products in the EMEA region to approximately 4,000 wholesale customers and to 10 independent distributors that sell to approximately 800 wholesale customers in locations throughout the EMEA region, including Russia, portions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, we operated 5 outlet retail stores and 1 branded retail store in various locations in Western Europe. We also sell Columbia and Sorel products through brand-specific e-commerce websites in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

We distribute the majority of our products sold to EMEA wholesale customers and our own retail stores from a distribution center that we own and operate in Cambrai, France. The majority of sales to our EMEA distributors are shipped directly from the contract manufacturers from which we source our products.

Canada

Sales in Canada accounted for 7.2% of our net sales for 2014. We sell our products in Canada to approximately 1,000 wholesale customers. In addition, as of December 31, 2014, we operated 3 outlet retail stores in Canada. We also sell Columbia and Sorel products through brand-specific e-commerce websites in Canada.

We distribute the majority of our products sold in Canada from a distribution center that we own in London, Ontario.

Marketing

Our portfolio of brands enables us to target a wide range of consumers across the globe with differentiated products. Marketing supports and enhances our competitive position in the marketplace, drives global alignment through seasonal initiatives, builds brand equity, raises global brand relevance and awareness, infuses our brands with excitement and, most importantly, stimulates consumer demand for our products worldwide. During 2014, the cost of our marketing programs represented approximately 5.2% of net sales.

Our integrated marketing efforts deliver consistent messages about the performance benefits, features, and styling of our products within each of our brands. Our target audiences vary by brand and we utilize a variety of means to deliver our marketing messages, including online advertising and social media; television and print publications; experiential events; branded retail stores in selected high-profile locations; enhanced product displays in partnership with various wholesale customers and distributors; and consumer focused public relations efforts.

We work closely with our key wholesale customers to reinforce our brand messages through cooperative online, television, radio and print advertising campaigns, as well as in stores using branded visual merchandising display tools. We also employ teams that visit our customers’ retail locations in major cities around the world to facilitate favorable in-store presentation of our products.

We operate branded e-commerce websites and marketing websites in North America, Europe, Japan, Korea, and China and maintain a presence on a variety of global social media platforms to connect with consumers. In addition, we authorize many of our wholesale customers and independent distributors to operate e-commerce and/or marketing websites and to maintain a presence on social media platforms that help to reinforce our brand messages. Through digital media, consumers are able to interact with content created to inform and entertain them about our brands and products, to be directed to nearby retailers or to directly purchase our products. Use of digital marketing and social media has become increasingly important within each of our brands’ global efforts to build strong emotional connections with consumers through consistent, brand-enhancing content.

Working Capital Utilization

We design, develop, market and distribute our products, but do not own or operate manufacturing facilities. As a result, most of our capital is invested in short-term working capital assets, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term

investments, accounts receivable from customers, and finished goods inventory. At December 31, 2014, working capital assets accounted for approximately 71% of total assets. Accordingly, the degree to which we efficiently utilize our working capital assets can have a significant effect on our profitability, cash flows and return on invested capital. The overall goals of our working capital management efforts are to maintain the minimum level of inventory necessary to deliver goods on time to our customers to satisfy end consumer demand, and to minimize the cycle time from the purchase of inventory from our suppliers to the collection of accounts receivable balances from our customers.

Demand Planning and Inventory Management

As a branded consumer products company, inventory represents one of the largest and riskiest capital commitments in our business model. We begin designing and developing our seasonal product lines approximately 12 months prior to soliciting advance orders from our wholesale customers and approximately 18 months prior to the products' availability to consumers in retail stores. As a result, our ability to forecast and produce an assortment of product styles that matches ultimate seasonal wholesale customer and end-consumer demand and to deliver products to our customers in a timely and cost-effective manner can significantly affect our sales, gross margins and profitability. For this reason, we maintain and continue to make substantial investments in information systems, processes and personnel that support our ongoing demand planning efforts. The goals of our demand planning efforts are to develop a collaborative forecast that drives the timely purchase of an adequate amount of inventory to satisfy demand, to minimize transportation and expediting costs necessary to deliver products to customers by their requested delivery dates, and to minimize excess inventory to avoid liquidating excess, end-of-season goods at discounted prices. Failure to achieve our demand planning goals could reduce our revenues and/or increase our costs, which would negatively affect our gross margins, profitability and brand strength.

In order to manage inventory risk, we use incentive discounts to encourage our wholesale customers and independent distributors to place orders at least six months in advance of scheduled delivery. We generally solicit advance orders from wholesale customers and independent distributors for the fall and spring seasons based on seasonal ordering deadlines that we establish to aid our efforts to plan manufacturing volumes to meet demand for each of our selling seasons.

We use those advance orders, together with forecasted demand from our direct-to-consumer operations, market trends, historical data, customer and sales feedback and other important factors to estimate the volumes of each product to purchase from our suppliers around the world. From the time of initial order through production, receipt and delivery, we attempt to manage our inventory to reduce risk. We typically ship the majority of our advance fall season orders to customers beginning in July and continuing through December. Similarly, the majority of our advance spring season orders ship to customers beginning in January and continuing through June. Generally, orders are subject to cancellation prior to the date of shipment.

Our inventory management efforts cannot entirely eliminate inventory risk due to the inherently unpredictable nature of unseasonable weather, consumer demand, the ability of customers to cancel their advance orders prior to shipment, and other variables that affect our customers’ ability to take delivery of their advance orders when originally scheduled. To minimize our purchasing costs, the time necessary to fill customer orders and the risk of non-delivery, we place a significant amount of orders for our products with contract manufacturers prior to receiving our customers’ advance orders and we maintain an inventory of select products that we anticipate will be in greatest demand. In addition, we build calculated amounts of inventory to support estimated at-once orders from customers and auto-replenishment orders on certain long-lived styles.

Credit and Collection

We extend credit to our customers based on an assessment of each customer’s financial condition, generally without requiring collateral. To assist us in scheduling production with our suppliers and delivering seasonal products to our customers on time, we offer customers discounts for placing advance orders and extended payment terms for taking delivery before peak seasonal shipping periods. These extended payment terms increase our exposure to the risk of uncollectable receivables. In order to manage the inherent risks of customer receivables, we maintain and continue to invest in information systems, processes and personnel skilled in credit and collections. In some markets and with some customers we use credit insurance or standby letters of credit to minimize our risk of credit loss.

Sourcing and Manufacturing

We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities and virtually all of our products are manufactured to our specifications by contract manufacturers located outside the United States. We seek to establish and maintain long-term relationships with key manufacturing partners, but generally do not maintain formal long-term manufacturing volume commitments. We believe that the use of contract manufacturers enables us to substantially limit our capital expenditures and avoid the costs and risks associated with owning and operating large production facilities and managing large labor forces. We also believe that the use of contract manufacturers greatly increases our production capacity, maximizes our flexibility and improves our product pricing. We manage our supply chain from a global and regional perspective and adjust as needed to changes in the global production environment, including political risks, factory capacity, import limitations and costs, raw material costs, availability and cost of labor and transportation costs. Without long-term commitments, there is no assurance that we will be able to secure adequate or timely production capacity or favorable pricing terms.

Our apparel, accessories and equipment are manufactured in approximately 17 countries, with Vietnam and China accounting for approximately 68% of our 2014 apparel, accessories and equipment production. Our footwear is manufactured in five countries, with China and Vietnam accounting for substantially all of our 2014 footwear production.

Our five largest apparel, accessories and equipment factory groups accounted for approximately 30% of 2014 global apparel, accessories and equipment production, with the largest factory group accounting for 11% of 2014 global apparel, accessories and equipment production. Our five largest footwear factory groups accounted for approximately 85% of 2014 global footwear production, with the largest factory group accounting for 41% of 2014 global footwear production. Most of our largest suppliers have multiple factory locations, thus reducing the risk that unfavorable conditions at a single factory or location will have a material adverse effect on our business.

We maintain 11 manufacturing liaison offices in a total of seven Asian countries. Personnel in these manufacturing liaison offices are direct employees of Columbia and are responsible for overseeing production at our contract manufacturers. We believe that having employees physically located in these regions enhances our ability to monitor factories for compliance with our policies, procedures and standards related to quality, delivery, pricing and labor practices. Our quality assurance process is designed to ensure that our products meet our quality standards. We believe that our quality assurance process is an important and effective means of maintaining the quality and reputation of our products. In addition, independent contractors that manufacture products for us are subject to standards of manufacturing practices (“SMP”). Columbia sources products around the world and values legal, ethical and fair treatment of people involved in manufacturing our products. Each factory producing products for us is monitored regularly against these standards. Additional information about SMP and corporate responsibility programs may be found at www.columbia.com and www.prana.com. The content on our websites is not incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K unless expressly noted.

Competition

The markets for apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment are highly competitive. In each of our geographic markets, our brands face significant competition from numerous competitors, some of which are larger than we are and have greater financial, marketing and operational resources with which to compete, and others that are smaller with fewer resources, but that may be deeply entrenched in local markets. Our China and Korea markets have grown significantly in recent years and have attracted a large number of competitive local and global brands. In other markets, such as Europe, we face competition from smaller brands that hold significant market share in one or several European markets, but are not significant competitors in other key markets. Some of our large wholesale customers also market competitive apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment under their own private labels. In addition, our direct-to-consumer channels expose us to branded competitors who operate retail stores in outlet malls and key metropolitan markets, as well as competitors who sell product online. Our international distributors and licensees also operate in very competitive markets. We believe that the primary competitive factors in the end-use market for outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment are brand strength, product innovation, product design, functionality, durability, marketing effectiveness and price.

In addition to competing for end-consumer and wholesale market share, we also compete for manufacturing capacity of independent factory groups, primarily in Asia; for retail store locations in key markets; and for experienced management, staff and suppliers to lead, operate and support our global business processes. Each of these areas of competition requires distinct operational and relational capabilities and expertise in order to create and maintain long-term competitive advantages.

Government Regulation

Many of our international shipments are subject to existing or potential governmental tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, such as import duties and potential safeguard measures that may limit the quantity of various types of goods that may be imported into the United States and other countries. These trade barriers often represent a material portion of the cost to manufacture and import our products. Our products are also subject to domestic and foreign product safety and environmental standards, laws and other regulations, which are increasingly restrictive and complex. As we strive to achieve technical innovations, we face a greater risk of compliance issues with regulations applicable to products with complex technical features, such as electrical heating components and insect-protective materials. Although we diligently monitor these standards and restrictions, a state, federal or foreign government may impose new or adjusted quotas, duties, safety requirements, material restrictions, or other restrictions or regulations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Employees

At December 31, 2014, we had 5,326 full-time equivalent employees.

Available Information

We file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports, proxy statements and registration statements. You may read and copy any material we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically. We make available free of charge on or through our website at www.columbia.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we file these materials with the SEC.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other information contained in this Form 10-K, the following risk factors should be considered carefully in evaluating our business. Our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows may be materially adversely affected by these and other risks. Please note that additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business and operations.

We Face Many Challenges Executing Growth Strategies

Our business strategies aim to achieve sustainable, profitable growth by creating innovative products at competitive prices, focusing on product design, utilizing innovations to differentiate our brand from competitors, working to ensure that our products are sold through strong distribution partners capable of effectively presenting our brands to consumers, increasing the impact of consumer communications to drive demand for our brands and sell-through of our products, making sure our products are merchandised and displayed appropriately in retail environments, expanding our presence in key markets around the world, and continuing to build a brand enhancing direct-to-consumer business. We intend to pursue these strategies across our portfolio of brands, product categories and geographic markets. Our failure to implement our business strategies successfully could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

To implement our business strategies, we must continue to modify and fund various aspects of our business, to maintain and enhance our information systems and supply chain operations to improve efficiencies, and to attract, retain and manage qualified personnel. These efforts, coupled with cost containment measures, place increasing strains on management, financial, product design, marketing, distribution, supply chain and other resources, and we may have operating difficulties as a result. For example, in support of our strategic initiatives, we are making significant investments in our business processes and information technology infrastructure that require significant management attention and corporate resources. These changes may make it increasingly difficult to pursue acquisitions or adapt our information technology systems and business processes to integrate an acquired business. These integration challenges may also be present as we continue to

fully integrate operations of our joint venture arrangement in China, which began operations in January 2014, and of prAna, which we acquired in May of 2014. These business initiatives involve many risks and uncertainties that, if not managed effectively, may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business strategies and related increased expenditures could also cause our operating margin to decline if we are unable to offset our increased spending with increased sales or gross profit, or comparable reductions in other operating costs. If our sales or gross profit decline or fail to grow as planned and we fail to sufficiently leverage our operating expenses, our profitability will decline. This could result in a decision to delay, reduce, modify or terminate our strategic business initiatives, which could limit our ability to invest in and grow our business and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Initiatives to Upgrade Our Business Processes and Information Technology Infrastructure Involve Many Risks Which Could Result In, Among Other Things, Business Interruptions and Higher Costs

We regularly implement business process improvement initiatives to optimize our performance. Our current business process initiatives include plans to improve business results through standardization of business processes and technologies that support our supply chain and go-to-market strategies through implementation of an integrated global enterprise resource planning ("ERP") software solution and other complementary information technology systems over the next several years. Implementation of these solutions and systems is highly dependent on coordination of numerous contractors and software and system providers. The interdependence of these solutions and systems is a significant risk to the successful completion of the initiatives and the failure of any one contractor or system could have a material adverse effect on the implementation of our overall information technology infrastructure. We may experience difficulties as we transition to these new or upgraded systems and processes, including loss or corruption of data, delayed shipments, decreases in productivity as our personnel implement and become familiar with new systems, increased costs and lost revenues. In addition, transitioning to these new or upgraded systems requires significant capital investments and personnel resources. Difficulties in implementing new or upgraded information systems or significant system failures could disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our capital resources, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Implementation of this new information technology infrastructure has a pervasive impact on our business processes and information systems across a significant portion of our operations. As a result, we are undergoing significant changes in our operational processes and internal controls as our implementation progresses, which in turn require significant change management, including training of our personnel. If we are unable to successfully manage these changes as we implement these systems, including harmonizing our systems, data, processes and reporting analytics, our ability to conduct, manage and control routine business functions could be negatively affected and significant disruptions to our business could occur. In addition, we could incur material unanticipated expenses, including additional costs of implementation or costs of conducting business. These risks could result in significant business disruptions or divert management's attention from key strategic initiatives and have a material adverse effect on our capital resources, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We Rely on Our Highly Customized Information Management Systems

Our business is increasingly reliant on information technology. Information systems are used across our supply chain and retail operations, from design to distribution and sales, and are used as a method of communication among employees, with our subsidiaries and liaison offices overseas and with our customers and retail stores. We also rely on our information systems to allocate resources, pay vendors and collect from customers, manage product data, develop demand and supply plans, forecast and report operating results and meet regulatory requirements. System failures, breaches of confidential information or service interruptions may occur as the result of a number of factors, including our failure to properly maintain systems redundancy or to protect, repair, maintain or upgrade our systems, computer viruses, programming errors, hacking or other unlawful activities by third parties, and disasters. Any breach or interruption of critical business information systems could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our legacy product development, retail point-of-sale and other systems, on which we continue to manage a substantial portion of our business activities, are highly customized. As a result, the availability of internal and external resources with the expertise to maintain these systems is limited. Our legacy systems may not support desired functionality for our operations and may inhibit our ability to operate efficiently, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of

operations or cash flows. As we transition from our legacy ERP systems to new ERP systems and supporting systems and third-party systems that interface with our new ERP systems, certain functionality and information from our legacy systems may not be fully compatible with the new systems. As a result, temporary processes may be required, including manual operations, which could significantly increase the risk of human errors in information used by the business and/or result in business disruptions, which could have a material adverse effect on our capital resources, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

System Security Risks, Data Breaches and Cyber Attacks Could Disrupt Our Operations

We manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data relating to our business, including sensitive and personally identifiable information. Breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about us, our customers or our employees, including the potential loss or disclosure of such information or data as a result of hacking, fraud, trickery or other forms of deception, could expose us, our customers or the individuals affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, damage our brand and reputation or otherwise harm our business. In addition, our current data protection measures might not protect us against increasingly sophisticated and aggressive threats and the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant.

Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information or that of third parties, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. Computer programmers and hackers also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs that attack or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities of our systems. In addition, sophisticated hardware and operating system software and applications that we procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including "bugs" and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the system. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate cyber or other security problems, bugs, viruses, worms, malicious software programs and security vulnerabilities could be significant, and our efforts to address these problems may not be successful and could result in significant financial losses and expenses, interruptions, delays, cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers that may impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution or other critical functions.

We Depend on Contract Manufacturers

Our products are manufactured by contract manufacturers worldwide. Although we enter into purchase order commitments with these contract manufacturers each season, we generally do not maintain long-term manufacturing commitments with them. Without long-term or reserve commitments, there is no assurance that we will be able to secure adequate or timely production capacity or favorable pricing if growth or product demand differs from our forecasts. Contract manufacturers may fail to perform as expected or our competitors may obtain production capacities that effectively limit or eliminate the availability of these resources to us. If an independent manufacturer fails to ship orders in a timely manner or to meet our standards or if we are unable to obtain necessary capacities, we may miss delivery deadlines or incur additional costs, which may cause our wholesale customers to cancel their orders, refuse to accept deliveries, or demand a reduction in purchase prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Reliance on contract manufacturers also creates quality control risks. Contract manufacturers may need to use sub-contracted manufacturers to fulfill demand and these manufacturers may have less experience producing our products or possess lower overall capabilities, which could result in compromised quality of our products. A failure in our quality control program could result in diminished product quality, which in turn could result in increased order cancellations, price concessions and returns, decreased consumer demand for our products, non-compliance with our product standards or regulatory requirements or product recalls (or other regulatory actions), any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We also have license agreements that permit unaffiliated parties to manufacture or contract to manufacture products using our trademarks. We impose standards of manufacturing practices on our contract manufacturers and licensees for the benefit of workers and require compliance with our restricted substances list and product safety and other applicable environmental, health and safety laws. We also require our contract manufacturers and licensees to impose these practices,

standards and laws on their contractors. If an independent manufacturer, licensee or subcontractor violates labor or other laws, or engages in practices that are not generally accepted as safe or ethical, they and their employees may suffer serious injury due to industrial accidents, the manufacturer may suffer disruptions to its operations due to work stoppages or employee protests and we may experience production disruptions, significant negative publicity or lost sales that could result in long-term damage to our brands and corporate reputation. In some circumstances parties may attempt to assert that we are liable for our independent manufacturers', licensees' or subcontractors' labor and operational practices, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Volatility in Global Production and Transportation Costs and Capacity

Our product costs are subject to substantial fluctuation based on:


•	Availability and quality of raw materials;


•	The prices of oil, leather, natural down, cotton and other raw materials whose prices are determined by global commodity markets and can be very volatile;


•	Changes in labor markets and wage rates paid by our independent factory partners, which are often mandated by governments in the countries where our products are manufactured, particularly in China and Vietnam;


•	Disruption to shipping and transportation channels utilized to bring our product to market;


•	Interest rates and currency exchange rates;


•	Availability of skilled labor and production capacity at contract manufacturers; and


•	General economic conditions.

Prolonged periods of inflationary pressure on some or all input costs will result in increased costs to produce our products that may result in reduced gross profit or necessitate price increases for our products that could adversely affect consumer demand for our products.

In addition, since the majority of our products are manufactured outside of our principal sales markets, our products must be transported by third parties over large geographical distances. Shortages in ocean or air freight capacity and volatile fuel costs can result in rapidly changing transportation costs. For example, disruption to shipping and transportation channels due to labor disputes at ports on the west coast of the United States could cause us to rely more heavily on airfreight to achieve timely delivery to our customers, resulting in significantly higher freight costs. Because we price our products in advance and changes in transportation and other costs may be difficult to predict, we may not be able to pass all or any portion of these higher costs on to our customers or adjust our pricing structure in a timely manner in order to remain competitive, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Volatile Economic Conditions

We are a consumer products company and are highly dependent on consumer discretionary spending patterns and the purchasing patterns of our wholesale customers as they attempt to match their seasonal purchase volumes to volatile consumer demand. In addition, as we have expanded our direct-to-consumer operations, we have increased our direct exposure to the risks associated with volatile and unpredictable consumer discretionary spending patterns. Consumer discretionary spending behavior is inherently unpredictable and consumer demand for our products may not reach our sales targets, or may decline, especially during periods of heightened economic uncertainty in our key markets. Our sensitivity to economic cycles and any related fluctuation in consumer demand may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our Sales Are Subject to Cancellation

We do not have long-term contracts with any of our wholesale customers. We do have contracts with our distributors, typically with terms ranging up to five years; however, although these contracts may have annual purchase minimums which must be met in order to retain the distribution rights, the distributors are not otherwise obligated to purchase product. Sales to our retailers and distributors are generally on an order-by-order basis and are subject to rights of cancellation and

rescheduling by our wholesale customers. We consider the timing of delivery dates in our wholesale customer orders when we forecast our sales and earnings for future periods. If any of our major customers, including independent distributors, experience a significant downturn in business or fail to remain committed to our products or brands, these customers could postpone, reduce, cancel or discontinue purchases from us. As a result, we could experience a decline in sales or gross profit, write-downs of excess inventory, increased discounts, extended credit terms to our customers, or uncollectable accounts receivable, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and our common stock price.

Our Retail Operations May Not Realize Returns on Our Investments

In recent years, our direct-to-consumer business has grown substantially and we anticipate further growth in the future. Accordingly, we continue to make significant investments in our online platforms and physical retail locations, including system upgrades, entering into long-term store leases, constructing leasehold improvements, purchasing fixtures and equipment, and investing in inventory and personnel. Since many of our retail costs are fixed, if we have insufficient sales we may be unable to reduce expenses in order to avoid losses or negative cash flows. If we are unable to operate profitable stores or if we close a store, we may incur significant write-downs of inventory, severance costs, lease termination costs, impairment losses on long-lived assets or loss of working capital, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In addition, from time to time we license the right to operate retail stores for our brands to third parties, primarily to our international independent distributors. We provide training to support these stores, and set and monitor operational standards. However, these third parties may not operate the stores in a manner consistent with our standards, which could harm their sales and as a result harm our results of operations or cause damage to our brands.

Our Results of Operations Could Be Materially Harmed If We Are Unable to Accurately Match Supply Forecast with Consumer Demand for Our Products

Many factors may significantly affect demand for our products, including, among other things, economic conditions, fashion trends, the financial condition of our distributors and wholesale customers, consumer and customer preferences and weather, making it difficult to accurately forecast demand for our products and our future results of operations. To minimize our purchasing costs, the time necessary to fill customer orders and the risk of non-delivery, we place a significant amount of orders for our products with contract manufacturers prior to receiving orders from our customers, and we maintain an inventory of various products that we anticipate will be in greatest demand. In addition, customers are generally allowed to cancel orders prior to shipment.

Factors that could affect our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products include:


•	Unseasonable weather conditions;


•	Our reliance, for certain demand and supply planning functions, on manual processes and judgment that are subject to human error;


•	Consumer acceptance of our products or changes in consumer demand for products of our competitors;


•	Unanticipated changes in general market conditions or other factors, which may result in lower advance orders from wholesale customers and independent distributors, cancellations of advance orders or a reduction or increase in the rate of reorders placed by retailers; and


•	Weak economic conditions or consumer confidence, which could reduce demand for discretionary items such as our products.

In some cases, we may produce quantities of product that exceed actual demand, which could result in higher inventory levels that we need to liquidate at discounted prices. During periods of unseasonable weather conditions, weak economic conditions, or unfavorable geopolitical conditions in key markets, we may experience a significant increase in the volume of order cancellations by our customers, including cancellations resulting from the bankruptcy, liquidation or contraction of some customers’ operations. We may not be able to sell all of the products we have ordered from contract manufacturers or that we have in our inventory. Inventory levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs and

the sale of excess inventory at discounted prices through our owned outlet stores or third-party liquidation channels, which could have a material adverse effect on our brand image, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Conversely, if we underestimate demand for our products or if our contract manufacturers are unable to supply products when we need them, we may experience inventory shortages. Inventory shortages may prevent us from fulfilling customer orders, delay shipments to customers, negatively affect customer relationships, result in increased costs to expedite production and delivery, and diminish our ability to build brand loyalty. Shipments delayed due to limited factory capacity, transportation or port disruption or other factors could result in order cancellations by our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Weather Conditions, Including Global Climate Change Trends

Our business is adversely affected by unseasonable weather conditions. A significant portion of the sales of our products is dependent in part on the weather and likely to decline in years in which weather conditions do not stimulate demand for our products. Periods of unseasonably warm weather in the fall or winter or unseasonably cold or wet weather in the spring and summer may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Unintended inventory accumulation by our wholesale customers resulting from unseasonable weather in one season generally negatively affects orders in future seasons, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

A significant portion of our business is highly dependent on cold-weather seasons and patterns to generate consumer demand for our cold-weather apparel and footwear. Consumer demand for our cold-weather apparel and footwear may be negatively affected to the extent global weather patterns trend warmer, reducing typical patterns of cold-weather events, or increasing weather volatility, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Acquisitions are Subject to Many Risks

From time to time, we may pursue growth through strategic acquisitions of assets or companies. Acquisitions, including our acquisition of prAna in May 2014, are subject to many risks, including potential loss of significant customers or key personnel of the acquired business as a result of the change in ownership; difficulty integrating the operations of the acquired business or achieving targeted efficiencies; the incurrence of substantial costs and expenses related to the acquisition effort and diversion of management's attention from other aspects of our business operations.

Acquisitions may also cause us to incur debt or result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities. Our acquisitions may cause large one-time expenses or create goodwill or other intangible assets that could result in significant impairment charges in the future. We also make various estimates and assumptions in order to determine purchase price allocation and estimate the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. If our estimates or assumptions used to value these assets and liabilities are not accurate, we may be exposed to losses that could be material.

We do not provide any assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate the operations of any acquired businesses into our operations or achieve the expected benefits of any acquisitions. The failure to successfully integrate newly acquired businesses or achieve the expected benefits of strategic acquisitions in the future could have an adverse effect on our business, capital resources, cash flows, results of operations and financial position. We may not complete a potential acquisition for a variety of reasons, but we may nonetheless incur material costs in the preliminary stages of such an acquisition that we cannot recover.

We May Not Succeed in Realizing the Anticipated Benefits of Our New Joint Venture in China

Effective January 2014, our joint venture in China with Swire began operations. The joint venture, in which we hold a 60% interest, is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the following:

•

Our ability to operate the joint venture is dependent upon, among other things, our ability to attract and retain personnel with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to carry out the operations of the joint venture. Approximately 600 employees working with, or for Swire, became employees of, or provide services to, the joint venture. Our ability to effectively operate the joint venture depends upon our ability to manage the employees

of the joint venture, and to attract new employees as necessary to supplement the skills, knowledge and expertise of the existing management team and other key personnel. We face intense competition for these individuals worldwide, including in China. We may not be able to attract qualified new employees or retain existing employees to operate the joint venture. Additionally, turnover in key management positions in China could impair our ability to execute our growth strategy, which may negatively affect the value of our investment in the joint venture and the growth of our sales in China.

•

Initially, we are relying in part on the operational skill of our joint venture partner. Additionally, because our joint venture partner has protective voting rights with respect to specified major business decisions of the joint venture, we may experience difficulty reaching agreement as to implementation of various changes to the joint venture’s business. For these reasons, or as a result of other factors, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of the joint venture, and our participation in the joint venture could adversely affect the results of our operations.

•

Continued sales growth in China is an important part of our expectations for our joint venture business. Although China has experienced significant economic growth in recent years, that growth is slowing. Slowing economic growth in China could result in reduced consumer discretionary spending, which in turn could result in less demand for our products, and thus negatively affect the value of our investment in the joint venture and the growth of our sales in China.

•

Although we believe we have achieved a leading market position in China, many of our competitors who are significantly larger than we are and have substantially greater financial, distribution, marketing and other resources, more stable manufacturing resources and greater brand strength are also concentrating on growing their businesses in China. In addition, the number of competitors in the marketplace has increased significantly in recent years. Increased investment by our competitors in this market could decrease our market share and competitive position in China.

Our International Operations Involve Many Risks

We are subject to risks generally associated with doing business internationally. These risks include the effects of foreign laws and regulations, foreign government fiscal and political crises, political and economic disputes and sanctions, changes in consumer preferences, foreign currency fluctuations, managing a diverse and widespread workforce, political unrest, terrorist acts, military operations, disruptions or delays in shipments, disease outbreaks, natural disasters and changes in economic conditions in countries in which we manufacture or sell products. These factors, among others, may affect our ability to sell products in international markets, our ability to collect accounts receivable, our ability to manufacture products or procure materials, and our cost of doing business. For example, political and economic uncertainty in certain South American distributor markets have resulted in currency and import restrictions, limiting our ability to sell products in some countries in this region. Also, Russia constitutes a significant portion of our non-U.S. sales and operating income and a significant change in conditions in that market could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If any of these or other factors make the conduct of business in a particular country undesirable or impractical, our business may be materially and adversely affected. As we expand our operations in geographic scope and product categories, we anticipate intellectual property disputes will increase, making it more expensive and challenging to establish and protect our intellectual property rights and to defend against claims of infringement by others.

In addition, many of our imported products are subject to duties, tariffs or other import limitations that affect the cost and quantity of various types of goods imported into the United States and other markets. Any country in which our products are produced or sold may eliminate, adjust or impose new import limitations, duties, anti-dumping penalties or other charges or restrictions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Have Additional Tax Liabilities

As a global company, we determine our income tax liability in various competing tax jurisdictions based on an analysis and interpretation of local tax laws and regulations. This analysis requires a significant amount of judgment and estimation and is often based on various assumptions about the future actions of the local tax authorities. These determinations are the subject of periodic domestic and foreign tax audits. Although we accrue for uncertain tax positions, our accrual may be insufficient to satisfy unfavorable findings. Unfavorable audit findings and tax rulings may result in payment of taxes, fines and penalties for prior periods and higher tax rates in future periods, which may have a material adverse effect on our

financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Changes in tax law or our interpretation of tax laws and the resolution of current and future tax audits could significantly affect the amounts provided for income taxes in our consolidated financial statements.

We earn a significant amount of our operating income from outside the United States, and any repatriation of funds currently held in foreign jurisdictions may result in higher effective tax rates for us. If we encounter a significant need for liquidity domestically or at a particular location that we cannot fulfill through borrowings, equity offerings or other internal or external sources, we may experience unfavorable tax and earnings consequences as a result of cash transfers. These adverse consequences would occur, for example, if the transfer of cash into the United States is taxed and no offsetting foreign tax credit is available to offset the U.S. tax liability, resulting in lower earnings. Furthermore, foreign exchange ceilings imposed by local governments and the sometimes lengthy approval processes that foreign governments require for international cash transfers may delay or otherwise limit our internal cash transfers from time to time.

We Operate in Very Competitive Markets

The markets for apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment are highly competitive, as are the markets for our licensed products. In each of our geographic markets, we face significant competition from global and regional branded apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment companies, including competition from companies with significantly greater resources than ours.

Retailers who are our customers often pose our most significant competitive threat by designing and marketing apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories under their own private labels. For example, in the United States and Europe, several of our largest customers have developed significant private label brands during the past decade that compete directly with our products. These retailers have assumed an increasing degree of inventory risk in their private label products and, as a result, may first cancel advance orders with us in order to manage their own inventory levels downward during periods of unseasonable weather or weak economic cycles. As our direct-to-consumer businesses grow, we also experience direct competition from retailers who are our customers, some of which primarily operate e-commerce operations and employ aggressive pricing strategies. We also compete with other companies for the production capacity of contract manufacturers from which we source our products and for import capacity. Many of our competitors are significantly larger than we are and have substantially greater financial, distribution, marketing and other resources, more stable manufacturing resources and greater brand strength than we have. In addition, when our competitors combine operations through mergers, acquisitions or other transactions, their competitive strengths may increase.

Increased competition may result in reduced access to production capacity, challenges in obtaining favorable locations for our retail stores, reductions in display areas in retail locations, reductions in sales, or reductions in our profit margins, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Be Adversely Affected by the Financial Health of our Customers

In recent periods, sluggish economies and consumer uncertainty regarding future economic prospects in our key markets had an adverse effect on the financial health of our customers, some of whom filed or may file for protection under bankruptcy laws, which may in turn have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We extend credit to our customers based on an assessment of the customer’s financial condition, generally without requiring collateral. To assist in the scheduling of production and the shipping of seasonal products, we offer customers discounts for placing advance orders and extended payment terms for taking delivery before the peak shipping season. These extended payment terms increase our exposure to the risk of uncollectable receivables. In addition, we face increased risk of order reduction or cancellation or reduced availability of credit insurance coverage when dealing with financially ailing retailers or retailers struggling with economic uncertainty. Some of our significant wholesale customers and distributors have liquidated or reorganized, while others have had financial difficulties in the past or have experienced tightened credit markets and sales declines and reduced profitability, which in turn has had an adverse effect on our business. We may reduce our level of business with customers and distributors experiencing financial difficulties and may not be able to replace that business with other customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Global Credit Market Conditions

Economic downturns and economic uncertainty generally affect global credit markets. Our vendors, customers and other participants in our supply chain may require access to credit markets in order to do business. Credit market conditions may slow our collection efforts as customers find it more difficult to obtain necessary financing, leading to higher than normal accounts receivable. This could result in greater expense associated with collection efforts and increased bad debt expense. Credit conditions may impair our vendors’ ability to finance the purchase of raw materials or general working capital needs to support our production requirements, resulting in a delay or non-receipt of inventory shipments during key seasons.

Historically, we have limited our reliance on debt to finance our working capital, capital expenditures and investing activity requirements. We expect to fund our future capital expenditures with existing cash, expected operating cash flows and credit facilities, but if the need arises to finance additional expenditures, we may need to seek additional funding. Our ability to obtain additional financing will depend on many factors, including prevailing market conditions, our financial condition, and our ability to negotiate favorable terms and conditions. Financing may not be available on terms that are acceptable or favorable to us, if at all.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Retailer Consolidation

When our wholesale customers combine their operations through mergers, acquisitions, or other transactions, their consolidated order volume may decrease while their bargaining power and the competitive threat they pose by marketing products under their own private labels may increase. Some of our significant customers have consolidated their operations in the past, which in turn has had a negative effect on our business. Future customer consolidations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We Rely on Innovation to Compete in the Market for Our Products

To distinguish our products in the marketplace and achieve commercial success, we rely on product innovations, including new or exclusive technologies, inventive and appealing design, or other differentiating features. Although we are committed to designing innovative and functional products that deliver relevant performance benefits to consumers who participate in a wide range of competitive and recreational outdoor activities, if we fail to introduce technical innovation in our products that address consumers’ performance expectations, demand for our products could decline.

As we strive to achieve product innovations, we face a greater risk of inadvertent infringements of third party rights or compliance issues with regulations applicable to products with technical innovations such as electrical heating components and material treatments. In addition, technical innovations often involve more complex manufacturing processes, which may lead to higher instances of quality issues, and if we experience problems with the quality of our products, we may incur substantial expense to address the problems and any associated product risks. For example, in recent years we incurred costs in connection with recalls of some of our battery-powered electrically heated apparel. Failure to successfully bring to market innovations in our product lines could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We Face Risks Associated with Consumer Preferences and Fashion Trends

Changes in consumer preferences or consumer interest in outdoor activities may have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, changes in fashion trends may have a greater impact than in the past as we expand our offerings to include more product categories in more geographic areas, particularly with the Sorel and prAna brands, which are generally more sensitive to fashion trends. We also face risks because our business requires us and our customers to anticipate consumer preferences. Our decisions about product designs often are made far in advance of consumer acceptance. Although we try to manage our inventory risk by soliciting advance order commitments by retailers, we must generally place a significant portion of our seasonal production orders with our contract manufacturers before we have received all of a season’s advance orders from customers, and orders may be canceled by customers before shipment. If we or our customers fail to anticipate and respond to consumer preferences, we may experience lower sales, excess inventories and lower profit margins in current and future periods, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our Success Depends on Our Use and Protection of Intellectual Property Rights

Our registered and common law trademarks and our patented or patent-pending designs and technologies have significant value and are important to our ability to differentiate our products from those of our competitors and to create and sustain demand for our products. We also place significant value on our trade dress, the overall appearance and image of our products. We regularly discover products that are counterfeit reproductions of our products or that otherwise infringe on our proprietary rights. Counterfeiting activities typically increase as brand recognition increases, especially in markets outside the United States. Increased instances of counterfeit manufacture and sales may adversely affect our sales and our brand and result in a shift of consumer preference away from our products. The actions we take to establish and protect trademarks and other proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others or to prevent others from seeking to block sales of our products as violations of proprietary rights. In markets outside of the United States, it may be more difficult for us to establish our proprietary rights and to successfully challenge use of those rights by other parties. We also license our proprietary rights to third parties. Failure to choose appropriate licensees and licensed product categories may dilute or harm our brands. In addition to our own intellectual property rights, many of the intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacture our products are generally owned or controlled by our suppliers and are generally not unique to us. In those cases, we may not be able to adequately protect our products or differentiate their performance characteristics and fabrications from those of our competitors. The management of our intellectual property portfolio may affect the strength of our brands, which may in turn have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Although we have not been materially inhibited from selling products in connection with patent, trademark and trade dress disputes, as we focus on innovation in our product lines, extend our brands into new product categories and expand the geographic scope of our marketing, we may become subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement or other improper use of intellectual property rights of third parties, including third party trademark, copyright and patent rights. An increasing number of our products include technologies and/or designs for which we have obtained or applied for patent protection. Failure to successfully obtain and maintain patents on these innovations could negatively affect our ability to market and sell our products. Future litigation also may be necessary to defend against claims of infringement or to enforce and protect our intellectual property rights. As we utilize e-commerce and social media to a greater degree in our sales and marketing efforts, we face an increasing risk of patent infringement claims from non-operating entities and others covering broad functional aspects of internet operations. Intellectual property litigation may be costly and may divert management’s attention from the operation of our business. Adverse determinations in any litigation may result in the loss of our proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities or require us to seek licenses from third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Any of these outcomes may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our Success Depends on Our Distribution Facilities

Our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and achieve objectives for operating efficiencies depends on the proper operation of our existing distribution facilities, the development or expansion of additional distribution capabilities and services, such as the transition of value-added services functions from contract manufacturers to our distribution centers, and the timely performance of services by third parties, including those involved in shipping product to and from our distribution facilities. In the United States, we rely primarily on our distribution centers in Portland, Oregon, Robards, Kentucky and a leased facility in Carlsbad, California; in Canada, we rely primarily on our distribution facility in London, Ontario; in Europe, we rely primarily on our distribution center in Cambrai, France; in Japan, we rely primarily on a third-party logistics distribution provider in Tokyo; in Korea, we rely primarily on one leased distribution facility near Seoul that we manage and operate; and in China, we rely primarily on four distribution centers, two of which are managed by third-parties and two of which are operated by our joint venture partner.

Our primary distribution facilities in the United States, France and Canada are highly automated, which means that their operations are complicated and may be subject to a number of risks related to computer viruses, the proper operation of software and hardware, electronic or power interruptions, and other system failures. Risks associated with upgrading or expanding these facilities may significantly disrupt or increase the cost of our operations. For example, in addition to supporting our traditional wholesale business, our existing distribution facilities have been modified to enable them to also support our e-commerce business in the United States. Failure to successfully maintain and update these modifications could disrupt our wholesale and e-commerce shipments and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

The fixed costs associated with owning, operating and maintaining these large, highly automated distribution centers during a period of economic weakness or declining sales can result in lower operating efficiencies, financial deleverage and potential impairment in the recorded value of distribution assets. This has occurred in recent years in Europe, where our distribution center is underutilized. This fixed cost structure globally may make it difficult for us to achieve or maintain profitability if sales volumes decline for an extended period of time and could have material adverse effects on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our distribution facilities may also be interrupted by disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes or fires. We maintain business interruption insurance, but it may not adequately protect us from the adverse effect that may be caused by significant disruptions in our distribution facilities.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Currency Exchange Rate Fluctuations

Although the majority of our product purchases are denominated in U.S. dollars, the cost of these products may be affected by relative changes in the value of the local currencies of our subsidiaries and our manufacturers. Price increases caused by currency exchange rate fluctuations may make our products less competitive or have an adverse effect on our margins. Our international revenues and expenses generally are derived from sales and operations in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Because the functional currency of many of our subsidiaries is not the U.S. dollar, we are exposed to the potential of material gains or losses from the remeasurement of U.S. dollar monetary transactions into the respective functional currencies. Currency exchange rate fluctuations may also disrupt the business of the contract manufacturers from which we source our products by making their purchases of raw materials more expensive and more difficult to finance. As a result, currency fluctuations may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

All of our independent distributors purchase the vast majority of their inventory from us in U.S. dollars and, therefore, are dependent upon their ability to exchange their functional currency for U.S. dollars on global currency exchanges. Some of our distributors have experienced periods during which they have been unable to obtain U.S. dollars in sufficient quantity to complete their purchase of goods or to pay amounts owed for past deliveries. In addition, sudden significant weakening of a distributor's functional currency makes it more expensive for it to purchase our products and may result in significant reductions in their future purchases and/or cancellations of prior advance orders. For example, recent economic turmoil has significantly devalued the Russian ruble, resulting in reduced orders from our Russian distributor. Disruptions in currency exchange markets may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Our Investments May Be Adversely Affected by Market Conditions

Our investment portfolio is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Changes in market conditions, such as those that accompany an economic downturn or economic uncertainty, may negatively affect the value and liquidity of our investment portfolio, perhaps significantly. Our ability to find diversified investments that are both safe and liquid and that provide a reasonable return may be impaired, potentially resulting in lower interest income, less diversification, longer investment maturities and/or other-than-temporary impairments.

We May Be Adversely Affected by Labor Disruptions

Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely manner. While a majority of our own operations are not subject to organized labor agreements, our relationship with our Cambrai distribution center employees is governed by French law, including a formal representation of employees by a Works Council and the application of a collective bargaining agreement. Labor disputes at contract manufacturers where our goods are produced, shipping ports, transportation carriers, retail stores or distribution centers create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak manufacturing, shipping and selling seasons. For example, recent work slowdowns and stoppages at ports on the west coast of the United States have resulted in product delays and increased costs. Labor disruptions may have a material adverse effect on our business, potentially resulting in cancelled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation, and reduced revenues and earnings.

We Depend on Key Suppliers

Some of the materials that we use may be available from only one source or a very limited number of sources. For example, some specialty fabrics are manufactured to our specification by one source or a few sources, and a single vendor supplies the majority of the zippers used in our products. From time to time, we have difficulty satisfying our raw material and finished goods requirements. Although we believe that we can identify and qualify additional contract manufacturers to produce these materials as necessary, there are no guarantees that additional contract manufacturers will be available. In addition, depending on the timing, any changes in sources or materials may result in increased costs or production delays, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We Depend on Key Personnel

Our future success will depend in part on the continued service of key personnel and our ability to attract, retain and develop key managers, designers, sales and information technology professionals and others. We face intense competition for these individuals worldwide, and there is a significant concentration of well-funded apparel and footwear competitors in and around our headquarters in Portland, Oregon. We may not be able to attract qualified new employees or retain existing employees, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our Business Is Affected by Seasonality

Our business is affected by the general seasonal trends common to the outdoor industry. Our products are marketed on a seasonal basis and our annual net sales are weighted heavily toward the fall/winter season, while our operating expenses are more equally distributed throughout the year. As a result, the majority, and sometimes all, of our operating profits are generated in the second half of the year. The expansion of our direct-to-consumer operations and sales growth in our winter footwear business has increased the proportion of sales and profits that we generate in the fourth calendar quarter. This seasonality, along with other factors that are beyond our control and that are discussed elsewhere in this section, may adversely affect our business and cause our results of operations to fluctuate. As a result, our profitability may be materially affected if management is not able to timely adjust expenses in reaction to adverse events such as unfavorable weather, weak consumer spending patterns or unanticipated levels of order cancellations. Results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

Our Products Are Subject to Increasing Product Regulations and We Face Risks of Product Liability and Warranty Claims

Our products are subject to increasingly stringent and complex domestic and foreign product labeling and performance and safety standards, laws and other regulations. These requirements could result in greater expense associated with compliance efforts, and failure to comply with these regulations could result in a delay, non-delivery or recall or destruction of inventory shipments during key seasons, or in other financial penalties. Significant or continuing noncompliance with these standards and laws could disrupt our business and harm our reputation and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our products are used in outdoor activities, sometimes in severe conditions. Product recalls or product liability claims resulting from the failure, or alleged failure, of our products could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Most of our products carry limited warranties for defects in quality and workmanship. We maintain a warranty reserve for future warranty claims, but the actual costs of servicing future warranty claims may exceed the reserve, which may also have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our Common Stock Price May Be Volatile

The price of our common stock has fluctuated substantially since our initial public offering. Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Factors such as general market conditions, actions by institutional investors to rapidly accumulate or divest of a substantial number of our shares, fluctuations in financial results, variances from financial market expectations, changes in earnings estimates or recommendations by analysts, or announcements by us or our competitors may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, perhaps substantially.

Insiders Control a Majority of Our Common Stock and May Sell Shares

Four related shareholders, Timothy Boyle, Gertrude Boyle, Sarah Bany and Joseph Boyle, beneficially own a majority of our common stock. As a result, if acting together, they can effectively control matters requiring shareholder approval without the cooperation of other shareholders. Shares held by these four insiders are available for resale, subject to the requirements of, and the rules under, the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The sale or the prospect of the sale of a substantial number of these shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

Item 2. PROPERTIES

Following is a summary of principal properties owned or leased by us:



Corporate Headquarters:	Europe Headquarters:
Portland, Oregon (1 location)—owned	Geneva, Switzerland (1 location)—leased ⁽¹⁾
U.S. Distribution Facilities:	Europe Administrative Operation:
Portland, Oregon (1 location)—owned	Strasbourg, France (1 location)—owned
Robards, Kentucky (1 location)—owned	Europe Distribution Facility:
Canadian Operation and Distribution Facility:	Cambrai, France (1 location)—owned
London, Ontario (1 location)—owned

—————

⁽¹⁾ Lease expires in June 2020

In addition, as of December 31, 2014, we leased approximately 300 locations globally for the operation of our branded and outlet retail stores. We also have several leases globally for office space, warehouse facilities, storage space, vehicles and equipment, among other things. See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further lease-related disclosures.

Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are involved in litigation and various legal matters arising in the normal course of business, including matters related to employment, retail, intellectual property, contractual agreements and various regulatory compliance activities. We have considered facts related to legal and regulatory matters and opinions of counsel handling these matters, and do not believe the ultimate resolution of these proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

Item 4A. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND KEY EMPLOYEES OF THE REGISTRANT

The following table sets forth information about our executive officers and certain key employees. All information is as of the date of the filing of this report.



Name	Age	Position
Gertrude Boyle	90	Chairman of the Board (1)
Timothy P. Boyle	65	President, Chief Executive Officer, Director (1)
Michael W. Blackford	46	Vice President of Global Apparel Innovation and Design, Product Design
Joseph P. Boyle	34	Vice President of Global Apparel Merchandising
Peter J. Bragdon	52	Senior Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary (1)
D. Shawn Cox	51	Senior Vice President of Retail–North America/EMEA (1)
Joseph R. Craig	60	Vice President of United States Apparel Sales
Thomas B. Cusick	47	Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer (1)
Daniel A. Dougherty	62	Vice President of Global Distribution
Franco Fogliato	45	Senior Vice President, General Manager of EMEA Direct Sales (1)
Christopher A. Gaylord	45	President of Mountain Hardwear, Inc. (1)
Patricia E. Higgins	47	Vice President of E-Commerce
Russell B. Hopcus	55	Senior Vice President of North America Sales (1)
Scott W. Kerslake	49	President of prAna Living, LLC
Lisa A. Kulok	49	Vice President of Global Marketplace Planning and Customer Operations
Mark J. Nenow	57	Vice President of Global Footwear Merchandising and Design
Fredrick R. Pond	57	Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Susan G. Popp	59	Vice President of Global Human Resources
Stuart B. Redsun	49	Chief Marketing Officer
Bryan L. Timm	51	Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (1)
William Tung	50	Vice President of International Distributors and Asia Direct
Stephen P. Woodside	50	Vice President of Global Product Manufacturing

—————


(1)	These individuals are considered Executive Officers of Columbia.

Gertrude Boyle has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1983. Columbia was founded by her parents in 1938 and managed by her husband, Neal Boyle, from 1964 until his death in 1970. Mrs. Boyle also served as our President from 1970 to 1988. Mrs. Boyle is Timothy P. Boyle’s mother.

Timothy P. Boyle joined Columbia in 1971 as General Manager and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 1988. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1978. Mr. Boyle is also a member of the Board of Directors of Northwest Natural Gas Company and Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc. Mr. Boyle is Gertrude Boyle’s son.

Michael W. Blackford joined Columbia in September 2005 as a Senior Apparel Designer and was promoted to Design Director of Men’s Apparel & Equipment in May 2006. In February 2008 he was promoted to Director of Global Innovation and named Vice President of Global Innovation in August 2010. In August 2013, Mr. Blackford was promoted to Vice President of Global Apparel Innovation and Design, Product Design. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Blackford held various positions in design, brand management and sourcing at Sierra Designs.

Joseph P. Boyle joined Columbia in 2005 and was named Vice President of Apparel Merchandising in August 2013. Mr. Boyle previously served at Columbia in a variety of capacities, including brand management, sales, planning, and General Merchandising Manager of Outerwear, Accessories, Equipment, Collegiate and Licensing. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Boyle served in a business development role for Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects. Mr. Boyle is the son of Timothy P. Boyle and the grandson of Gertrude Boyle.

Peter J. Bragdon became Vice President and General Counsel, Secretary of Columbia in July 2004 and was named Senior Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary in January 2010. From 1999 to January 2003, Mr. Bragdon served as Senior Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property for Columbia. Mr. Bragdon served as Chief of Staff in the Oregon Governor’s office from January 2003 through June 2004. From 1993 to 1999, Mr. Bragdon was an attorney in the corporate securities and finance group at Stoel Rives LLP. Mr. Bragdon served as Special Assistant Attorney General for the Oregon Department of Justice for seven months in 1996.

D. Shawn Cox joined Columbia in May 2013 as Senior Vice President of Retail–North America/EMEA. From 2009 to 2013, Mr. Cox served in Amsterdam, Holland as Global Retail Senior Vice President with contemporary lifestyle retailer

MEXX. Mr. Cox served in London as Global Chief Retail Officer for Samsonite Corporation from 2007 to 2009 and in Amsterdam as Vice President of Tommy Hilfiger’s European retail division from 2000 to 2006.

Joseph R. Craig joined Columbia in 2009 as Men's Apparel Sales Manager, served in various sales management positions and was named Vice President of United States Apparel Sales in July 2013. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Craig served as an independent sales representative for Columbia in nine states as co-owner of CW Outdoors. Earlier in his career, Mr. Craig was an independent sales representative for various brands in the outdoor industry including Rocky Boots, Eureka, Old Town, Slumberjack, Grandoe, Skyr and Duofold.

Thomas B. Cusick joined Columbia in September 2002 as Corporate Controller, was named Vice President and Corporate Controller in March 2006, was named Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer in May 2008, was named Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2009, and was named Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in January 2010. Mr. Cusick delegated the Treasurer duties in 2011. From 1995 to 2002, Mr. Cusick worked for Cadence Design Systems (and OrCAD, a company acquired by Cadence in 1999), which operates in the electronic design automation industry, in various financial management positions. From 1990 to 1995, Mr. Cusick was an accountant with KPMG LLP.

Daniel A. Dougherty joined Columbia in December 1997 and was named Vice President of Global Distribution in October 2009. From 1989 to 1996, Mr. Dougherty worked for Glen Oaks Industries, Inc., where he served as Vice President of Distribution. Prior to that, Mr. Dougherty served as Vice President at both Fussell & Associates, Inc. and Burton & Associates, Inc.

Franco Fogliato joined Columbia in November 2013 as Senior Vice President and General Manager of EMEA Direct sales. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Fogliato served as general manager of Europe for the Billabong Group and as a member of that company's executive board. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Fogliato held various European leadership positions with The North Face brand culminating as general manager of Western Europe.

Christopher A. Gaylord joined Columbia in March 2010 as President of its wholly owned subsidiary Mountain Hardwear, Inc. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Gaylord had held various positions at The North Face brand since 1993, where he served as managing director of that company's EMEA region from 2000 to 2005. He served as president of VF Corporation's Outdoor & Action Sports International brands, including The North Face, Vans, Reef and Jansport, from 2006 through September 2008, and became president of 7 For All Mankind within VF Corporation's Contemporary Brands coalition in October 2008.

Patricia E. Higgins joined Columbia in September 2012 as Vice President of E-Commerce. Prior to joining Columbia, Ms. Higgins served as Senior Vice President, E-Commerce at TOMS Shoes, Inc. and in various leadership roles in E-Commerce, retail and customer service operations at Guess?, Inc., Hot Topic, Inc., Cooking.com and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

Russell B. Hopcus joined Columbia in July 2013 as Senior Vice President of North America Sales. From 2010 to 2013, Mr. Hopcus was the Vice President of Global Sales and Market Development for KEEN Footwear. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Hopcus served as North America President at Icebreaker Nature Clothing. Mr. Hopcus joined adidas America, Inc. in 2002 where he rose to Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales. From 1991 to 2001, Mr. Hopcus held various sales management positions with NIKE, Inc.

Scott W. Kerslake joined Columbia as President and Chief Executive Officer of the prAna brand following its acquisition by the Company in May 2014, having served in that role since 2009 under the brand’s prior ownership. Prior to prAna, he founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Athleta, Inc. from 1997 to 2004, and served as President of Miraval Spa & Resort from 2004 to 2006.

Lisa A. Kulok joined Columbia in February 2008 as Senior Director of Global Planning and was named Vice President of Global Marketplace Planning and Customer Operations in October 2009. From 1987 to 2007, Ms. Kulok held various leadership positions at NIKE, Inc., including USA Apparel Marketplace Planning Director and Director of Regional Planning.

Mark J. Nenow joined Columbia in May 2007 as Vice President of Global Footwear Merchandising. From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Nenow served as Vice President of Global Footwear Merchandising at Brooks Sports. From 1995 to 2006, Mr. Nenow worked for NIKE, Inc., where he held various product line management positions in the running and outdoor categories. Prior to his footwear career, Mr. Nenow was a professional track and field athlete and held the American track record for the 10,000 meters from 1986 to 2001.

Fredrick R. Pond joined Columbia in April 2010 as Senior Director Global IT and was named Vice President, Chief Information Officer in November 2011. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Pond served as Chief Information Officer for the North Pacific Group from January 2006 to March 2010 and as Director of Information Services for the Schnitzer Group of Companies between March 1997 and December 2005.

Susan G. Popp joined Columbia in April 1997 as Human Resources Manager and was named Human Resources Director in May 2004. In March 2006, Ms. Popp was named Vice President of Global Human Resources. Prior to joining Columbia, Ms. Popp held various Human Resource positions, including at NIKE, Inc. from 1996 to 1997.

Stuart B. Redsun joined Columbia in October 2014 as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Redsun held numerous marketing leadership positions, including Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at TuneIn, Inc. from 2013 to 2014, Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing at Under Armour, Inc. from 2011 to 2012 and Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sony Electronics from 2006 to 2011. Between 1989 and 2006, Mr. Redsun held various marketing roles at Helio, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Gateway, Inc. and NIKE, Inc.

Bryan L. Timm joined Columbia in June 1997 as Corporate Controller and was named Chief Financial Officer in July 2002. In 2003 Mr. Timm was named Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer and in October 2008 he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and continued to serve in the role of Chief Financial Officer until January 2009. From 1991 to 1997, Mr. Timm held various financial management positions for Oregon Steel Mills, Inc. From 1986 to 1991, Mr. Timm was an accountant with KPMG LLP.

William Tung joined Columbia in September 2003 and was named Vice President of International Sales and Operations in December 2004. In October 2008, he was named Vice President of Latin America and Asia Pacific and in January 2013 was named Vice President of International Distributors and Asia Direct. From 2002 to 2003, Mr. Tung worked for The Body Shop International PLC as Regional Director of North Asia. He was employed by The Rockport Company from 1994 to 2002 where he served in a variety of capacities, most recently as Vice President of Europe. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Tung worked for Prince Racquet Sports (a division of Benetton Sportsystems) as Sales and Marketing Manager of Asia-Pacific.

Stephen P. Woodside joined Columbia in August 2014 as Vice President of Global Product Manufacturing. Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Woodside served as Vice President Global Manufacturing at VF Corporation from 2013 to 2014 and General Manager of Greater China at Nike, Inc. from 2009 to 2013, and held various other senior sourcing and supply chain roles at NIKE, Inc. between 1994 and 2009.

PART II


Item 5.	MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and trades under the symbol “COLM.” At February 13, 2015, we had approximately 313 shareholders of record. All references below to per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect our September 26, 2014 two-for-one stock split.

Following are the quarterly high and low sale prices for our common stock for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:



	HIGH	LOW	DIVIDENDS DECLARED
2014
First Quarter	$44.13	$36.09	$0.14
Second Quarter	$44.98	$38.72	$0.14
Third Quarter	$42.69	$35.14	$0.14
Fourth Quarter	$45.87	$34.25	$0.15
2013
First Quarter	$29.97	$23.86	$0.11
Second Quarter	$31.64	$28.06	$0.11
Third Quarter	$33.35	$27.79	$0.11
Fourth Quarter	$39.74	$28.94	$0.13

Our current dividend policy is dependent on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, restrictions imposed by our credit agreements, and other factors considered relevant by our Board of Directors. For various restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, see Note 9 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Performance Graph

The line graph below compares the cumulative total shareholder return of our common stock with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”) 400 Mid-Cap Index and the Russell 3000 Textiles Apparel Manufacturers for the period beginning December 31, 2009 and ending December 31, 2014. The graph assumes that $100 was invested on December 31, 2009, and that any dividends were reinvested.

Historical stock price performance should not be relied on as indicative of future stock price performance.

Columbia Sportswear Company

Stock Price Performance

December 31, 2009—December 31, 2014

Total Return Analysis



	12/31/2009	12/31/2010	12/31/2011	12/31/2012	12/31/2013	12/31/2014
Columbia Sportswear Co.	$100.00	$161.08	$126.22	$147.23	$220.57	$252.97
S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index	$100.00	$126.64	$124.73	$146.70	$195.84	$214.97
Russell 3000 Textiles Apparel Mfrs.	$100.00	$131.73	$147.45	$165.07	$242.74	$269.90

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities



Period	Total Number of Shares Purchased	Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs ⁽¹⁾	Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs
October 1, 2014 through October 31, 2014	365,902	$	35.63	365,902	$	43,557,000
November 1, 2014 through November 30, 2014	—	—		—	43,557,000
December 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014	—	—		—	43,557,000
Total	365,902	$	35.63	365,902	$	43,557,000


⁽¹⁾	Since the inception of our stock repurchase plan in 2004 through December 31, 2014, our Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to $500,000,000 of our common stock. In January 2015, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $200,000,000 of our common stock, which is not included in the table above. As of

December 31, 2014, we had repurchased 19,607,058 shares under this program for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $456,443,000. Shares of our common stock may be purchased in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, subject to market conditions. The repurchase program does not obligate us to acquire any specific number of shares or to acquire shares over any specified period of time.

Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The selected consolidated financial data presented below for, and as of the end of, each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2014 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes that appear elsewhere in this annual report and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations set forth in Item 7. All references below to share or per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect our September 26, 2014 two-for-one stock split.



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014		2013		2012		2011		2010
	(In thousands, except per share amounts)
Statement of Operations Data:
Net sales	$	2,100,590	$	1,684,996	$	1,669,563	$	1,693,985	$	1,483,524
Net income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company	137,173		94,341		99,859		103,479		77,037
Per Share of Common Stock Data:
Earnings per share attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company:
Basic	$	1.97	$	1.37	$	1.48	$	1.53	$	1.14
Diluted	1.94		1.36		1.46		1.51		1.13
Cash dividends per share	0.57		0.46		0.44		0.43		1.12
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	69,807		68,756		67,680		67,616		67,450
Diluted	70,681		69,434		68,264		68,408		68,184



	December 31,
	2014		2013		2012		2011		2010
Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets	$	1,792,209	$	1,605,588	$	1,458,842	$	1,382,542	$	1,294,754
Note payable to related party	15,728		—		—		—		—

Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

This annual report, including Item 1 of Part I and Item 7 of Part II, contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include any statements related to our expectations regarding future performance or market position, including any statements regarding anticipated sales, gross margins and operating margins across markets, including from the operations of our China joint venture and prAna subsidiary, profitability and the effect of specified factors on profitability for 2015, expenses, input costs, effects of unseasonable weather on our results of operations, inventory levels, investments in our business, investments in and implementation of our information technology systems, our direct-to-consumer channels and other capital expenditures, access to raw materials and factory capacity, financing and working capital requirements and resources, tax rates and pre-tax income, and our exposure to market risk associated with interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.

These forward-looking statements, and others we make from time to time, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements, including the risks described above in Item 1A, Risk Factors. We do not undertake any duty either to update forward-looking statements after the date they are made or to conform them to actual results or to changes in circumstances or expectations.

On September 26th, 2014, we completed a two-for-one stock split in the form of a 100% stock dividend. All references made to share or per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the stock split.

Our Business

As one of the largest outdoor and active lifestyle apparel and footwear companies in the world, we design, source, market and distribute outdoor and active lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment under the Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel, prAna and Montrail brands. Our products are sold through a mix of wholesale distribution channels, independent distributors, and our own direct-to-consumer channels. In addition, we license some of our trademarks across a range of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment.

The popularity of outdoor activities, weather, changing design trends, consumer adoption of innovative performance technologies and the availability and desirability of competitor alternatives affect consumer desire for our products. Therefore, we seek to drive, anticipate and respond to trends and shifts in consumer preferences by adjusting the mix and price points of available product offerings, developing new products with innovative performance features and designs, and creating persuasive and memorable marketing communications to generate consumer awareness, demand and retention. Failure to anticipate or respond to consumer needs and preferences in a timely and adequate manner could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

Seasonality and Variability of Business

Our business is affected by the general seasonal trends common to the industry and is heavily dependent upon seasonal weather and discretionary consumer shopping and spending patterns. Our products are marketed on a seasonal basis and our sales are weighted substantially toward the third and fourth quarters, while our operating costs are more equally distributed throughout the year. The expansion of our direct-to-consumer operations has increased the proportion of sales, profits and cash flows that we generate in the fourth calendar quarter. As a result, our sales and profits tend to be highest in the third and fourth calendar quarters. In 2014, approximately 60 percent of our net sales and approximately 90 percent of our profitability was realized in the second half of the year, illustrating our dependence upon sales results in the second half of the year, as well as the less seasonal nature of our operating costs.

We generally solicit orders from wholesale customers and independent distributors for the fall and spring seasons based on seasonal ordering deadlines that we establish to aid our efforts to plan manufacturing volumes to meet demand. We typically ship the majority of our advance fall season orders to customers beginning in July and continuing through December. Similarly, the majority of our advance spring season orders ship to customers beginning in January and continuing through June. Generally, orders are subject to cancellation prior to the date of shipment.

Results of operations in any period should not be considered indicative of the results to be expected for any future period, particularly in light of persistent volatility in economic and geopolitical conditions. Sales of our products are subject to substantial cyclical fluctuation, the effects of unseasonable weather conditions, the relative popularity of competitors' brands, and the continued popularity of outdoor and active lifestyles in key markets. Volatile economic and geopolitical environments in key markets, seasonal weather patterns and inflationary or volatile input costs reduce the predictability of our business.

Business Developments

On January 1, 2014 we commenced operations of a majority-owned joint venture in mainland China with Swire Resources Limited ("Swire"). As a 60% majority-owned entity that we control, the joint venture's operations are included in our consolidated financial results.

On May 30, 2014, we purchased 100% of the equity interest in prAna Living LLC (“prAna”) for $188.5 million, net of acquired cash. PrAna is a lifestyle apparel brand sold through approximately 1,400 select specialty and online retailers across North America, as well as through five company-owned retail stores, an e-commerce site and direct-mail catalogs. The acquisition of prAna strengthens and diversifies our brand portfolio and generally offsets some of the more seasonal sales effects found within our existing portfolio of brands. The acquisition was funded with cash on hand.

Business Outlook

We expect 2015 profitability to be affected by the following major factors:


•	Net sales growth in the Columbia and Sorel brands in our United States and Canada wholesale channels;


•	Continued growth and increased investment in our direct-to-consumer businesses in the United States and Canada;


•	Difficult economic and/or competitive environments in certain key international markets, particularly Korea, Russia and China;


•	Incremental financial results from the prAna business, which was acquired on May 30, 2014; and


•	The unfavorable effects of foreign currency exchange rates on gross margin and translation of operating results.

Consistent with the historical seasonality of the business, we anticipate 2015 profitability and profitability growth to be heavily concentrated in the second half of the year.

We implemented our new ERP system in the United States in early April 2014 which, when combined with our Canadian operation, brings our North American wholesale business and the majority of our global supply chain operations onto our new platform. The next planned phase of our global ERP system initiative is to transition our global distributor business to our new ERP system in 2015.

The global business climate continues to present us with a great deal of uncertainty, making it difficult to predict future results. Factors that could significantly affect our full year 2015 outlook include:


•	Unseasonable weather conditions or other unforeseen factors affecting consumer demand and the resulting effect on order cancellations, sales returns, customer accommodations, reorders, direct-to-consumer sales and suppressed demand in subsequent seasons;


•	Macroeconomic trends affecting consumer traffic and spending in brick and mortar retail channels;


•	The rate of new store expansion and performance of our existing stores and e-commerce sites in our global direct-to-consumer operations;


•	Changes in mix and volume of full price sales in relation to closeout product sales and promotional sales activity;


•	Production capacity constraints and associated risks, including timely delivery, quality and non-compliance;


•	Costs and business interruption risks related to our supply chain, including work slowdowns and stoppages due to labor disputes at west coast ports in the United States;


•	Risks associated with information technology infrastructure investments and projects, including our multi-year global ERP system implementation;


•	Our ability to effectively manage operating costs;


•	Continued political and economic uncertainty, which is creating headwinds in key global markets; and


•	Fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates.

These factors and others may have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, particularly with respect to quarterly comparisons.

We remain focused on driving sustainable, profitable sales growth by providing innovative products at accessible prices, transforming our global supply chain and information technology platforms, managing inventory, and nurturing stronger emotional connections with consumers through compelling marketing communications.

Results of Operations

The following discussion of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes that appear elsewhere in this annual report. All references to years relate to the calendar year ended December 31.

Highlights of the Year Ended December 31, 2014


•	Net sales increased $415.6 million, or 25%, to $2,100.6 million in 2014 from $1,685.0 million in 2013. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared with 2013 negatively affected the consolidated net sales comparison by approximately one percentage point.


•	Net income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company increased 45% to $137.2 million in 2014 from $94.3 million in 2013, and diluted earnings per share increased to $1.94 in 2014 compared to $1.36 in 2013.


•	We paid cash dividends totaling $39.8 million, or $0.57 per share, in 2014.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the percentage relationship to net sales of specified items in our Consolidated Statements of Operations:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014		2013		2012
Net sales	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%
Cost of sales	54.5		55.9		57.1
Gross profit	45.5		44.1		42.9
Selling, general and administrative expense	36.3		37.1		35.7
Net licensing income	0.3		0.8		0.8
Income from operations	9.5		7.8		8.0
Interest income, net	—		—		—
Interest expense on note payable to related party	(0.1	)	—		—
Other non-operating expense	—		—		—
Income before income tax	9.4		7.8		8.0
Income tax expense	(2.7	)	(2.2	)	(2.0	)
Net income	6.7		5.6		6.0
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	0.2		—		—
Net income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company	6.5	%	5.6	%	6.0	%

Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2013

Net Sales: Consolidated net sales increased $415.6 million, or 25%, to $2,100.6 million in 2014 from $1,685.0 million in 2013. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared with 2013 negatively affected the net sales comparison by approximately one percentage point.

Sales by Geographic Region

Net sales by geographic region are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014		2013		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
United States	$	1,198.4	$	971.3	23%
LAAP	491.6		354.4		39%
EMEA	259.2		240.7		8%
Canada	151.4		118.6		28%
	$	2,100.6	$	1,685.0	25%

Net sales in the United States increased $227.1 million, or 23%, to $1,198.4 million in 2014 from $971.3 million in 2013. The increase in net sales in the United States was led by a net sales increase in apparel, accessories and equipment, followed by footwear, and was led by a net sales increase in our direct-to-consumer channel, followed by our wholesale business and $53.7 million of incremental prAna brand net sales. The increase in direct-to-consumer net sales was led by increased net sales within our retail stores, followed by increased e-commerce net sales. At December 31, 2014, we operated 93 retail stores, including 5 prAna branded stores, compared with 72 stores at December 31, 2013. The increase in wholesale net sales was due to shipments of increased fall season advance orders.

Net sales in the LAAP region increased $137.2 million, or 39%, to $491.6 million in 2014 from $354.4 million in 2013. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates negatively affected the LAAP net sales comparison by approximately two percentage points. The net sales increase in the LAAP region was led by a net sales increase in apparel, accessories and equipment, followed by a net sales increase in footwear. The LAAP net sales increase was concentrated in the Columbia brand, followed by the Sorel brand, partially offset by a net sales decrease in the Mountain Hardwear brand. The LAAP net sales increase consisted of $161.4 million of incremental net sales by our joint venture in China, partially offset by net sales decreases in Korea and to our LAAP distributors. The decrease in Korea net sales was primarily due to business weakness amid the extremely competitive nature of the outdoor sector in that country. Net sales to our LAAP distributors decreased primarily due to ongoing currency constraints and import restrictions in key Latin American distributor markets that have severely restricted trade and the transition to a joint venture in China from our previous distributor model.

Net sales in the EMEA region increased $18.5 million, or 8%, to $259.2 million in 2014 from $240.7 million in 2013. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared to 2013 contributed approximately one percentage point of benefit to the EMEA net sales comparison. The increase in net sales in the EMEA region was led by footwear, followed by apparel, accessories and equipment. The net sales increase was concentrated in the Columbia brand and was led by a net sales increase in our EMEA distributor business, followed by our EMEA direct business.

Net sales in Canada increased $32.8 million, or 28%, to $151.4 million in 2014 from $118.6 million in 2013. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared to 2013 negatively affected the Canada net sales comparison by approximately eight percentage points. The increase in net sales was led by apparel, accessories and equipment, followed by footwear, and was led by the Columbia brand, followed by the Sorel brand, partially offset by a net sales decrease in the Mountain Hardwear brand. The Canada net sales increase was led by wholesale net sales, followed by an increase in direct-to-consumer net sales.

Sales by Brand

Net sales by brand are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014		2013		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
Columbia	$	1,750.3	$	1,412.9	24%
Sorel	166.2		128.7		29%
Mountain Hardwear	119.8		132.5		(10)%
prAna	53.7		—		—
Other	10.6		10.9		(3)%
	$	2,100.6	$	1,685.0	25%

The net sales increase in 2014 compared to 2013 was led by the Columbia brand, followed by incremental net sales from the prAna brand and increased Sorel net sales, partially offset by decreased Mountain Hardwear net sales. The increase in Columbia brand net sales was primarily the result of incremental net sales by our China joint venture and increased wholesale and direct-to-consumer net sales in the United States.

Sales by Product Category

Net sales by product category are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014		2013		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
Apparel, Accessories and Equipment	$	1,676.2	$	1,374.6	22%
Footwear	424.4		310.4		37%
	$	2,100.6	$	1,685.0	25%

Net sales of apparel, accessories and equipment increased $301.6 million, or 22%, to $1,676.2 million in 2014 from $1,374.6 million in 2013. The increase in apparel, accessories and equipment net sales was led by a net sales increase in the Columbia brand, followed by $53.7 million of incremental prAna brand net sales, and was led by the United States, followed by the LAAP region, Canada and the EMEA region. The net sales increase in apparel, accessories and equipment in the United States was led by our direct-to-consumer business, followed by our wholesale business and incremental prAna brand net sales. The apparel, accessories and equipment net sales increase in the LAAP region consisted of incremental sales by our China joint venture.

Net sales of footwear increased $114.0 million, or 37%, to $424.4 million in 2014 from $310.4 million in 2013. The increase in footwear net sales was led by the Columbia brand, followed by the Sorel brand. The footwear net sales increase was led by the LAAP region, followed by the United States, Canada and the EMEA region. The LAAP footwear net sales increase primarily consisted of incremental sales by our China joint venture. The net sales increase in footwear in the United States was led by our wholesale business, followed by our direct-to-consumer business.

Gross Profit: Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 45.5% in 2014 from 44.1% in 2013. Gross margin expansion was primarily due to:


•	Improved direct-to-consumer gross margins driven by a stronger product assortment and less promotional activity;


•	The effect of including in gross profit amounts that were previously recognized as licensing income prior to commencement of the China joint venture; and


•	A higher proportion of full-price wholesale sales;

partially offset by:


•	Increased inventory valuation reserves in our Korean business; and


•	Unfavorable foreign currency hedge rates.

Our gross profit may not be comparable to those of other companies in our industry because some of these companies include all of the costs related to their distribution network in cost of sales while we, like many others, include these expenses as a component of selling, general and administrative ("SG&A") expense.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense: SG&A expense includes all costs associated with our design, merchandising, marketing, distribution and corporate functions, including related depreciation and amortization.

SG&A expense increased $137.4 million, or 22%, to $763.1 million, or 36.3% of net sales, in 2014, from $625.7 million, or 37.1% of net sales, in 2013. The SG&A expense increase was primarily due to:


•	Incremental operating costs associated with the China joint venture and prAna;


•	Increased demand creation expenses;


•	The expansion of our direct-to-consumer operations globally;


•	Increased operating costs of our new ERP and related information technology initiatives; and


•	Increased personnel and incentive compensation costs;

partially offset by:


•	Non-recurrence of a 2013 impairment charge to write-down the carrying amount of our Europe distribution center; and


•	Favorable foreign currency exchange rates.

Depreciation and amortization included in SG&A expense totaled $49.2 million in 2014, compared to $39.6 million in 2013.

Net Licensing Income: Net licensing income decreased $6.8 million to $7.0 million in 2014, compared to $13.8 million in 2013. The decrease in net licensing income was concentrated in the LAAP region and was a result of the effect of including in gross profit amounts that were previously recognized in licensing income prior to the commencement of our China joint venture.

Income Tax Expense: Income tax expense increased to $56.7 million in 2014 from $37.8 million in 2013. Our effective income tax rate decreased to 28.5% from 28.8% in 2013.

Net Income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company: Net income increased $42.9 million, or 45%, to $137.2 million in 2014 from $94.3 million in 2013. Diluted earnings per share was $1.94 in 2014 compared to $1.36 in 2013.

Year Ended December 31, 2013 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2012

Net Sales: Consolidated net sales increased $15.4 million, or 1%, to $1,685.0 million in 2013 from $1,669.6 million in 2012. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared with 2012 negatively affected the net sales comparison by approximately one percentage point.

Sales by Geographic Region

Net sales by geographic region are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2012		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
United States	$	971.3	$	946.7	3%
LAAP	354.4		377.6		(6)%
EMEA	240.7		230.6		4%
Canada	118.6		114.7		3%
	$	1,685.0	$	1,669.6	1%

Net sales in the United States increased $24.6 million, or 3%, to $971.3 million in 2013 from $946.7 million in 2012. The increase in net sales in the United States consisted of a net sales increase in our direct-to-consumer channel across all brands and both product categories, partially offset by a net sales decrease in our wholesale business across all brands and both product categories. The increase in direct-to-consumer net sales was led by increased net sales within our retail stores, followed by increased e-commerce net sales. At December 31, 2013, we operated 72 retail stores, compared with 63 stores at December 31, 2012. The decrease in net sales in our wholesale business was driven by a decline in advance wholesale orders following mild winter weather in 2012.

Net sales in the LAAP region decreased $23.2 million, or 6%, to $354.4 million in 2013 from $377.6 million in 2012. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates negatively affected the LAAP net sales comparison by approximately seven percentage points. The net sales decrease in the LAAP region was led by a net sales decrease in apparel, accessories and equipment, followed by a net sales decrease in footwear. The LAAP net sales decrease was concentrated in the Columbia brand, followed by the Mountain Hardwear brand, partially offset by a net sales increase in the Sorel brand. The LAAP net sales decrease was led by our LAAP distributor business, followed by Japan, partially offset by a net sales increase in Korea. Net sales to our LAAP distributors decreased primarily due to import restrictions and currency constraints in key South American distributor markets, the transition to a joint venture in China from our previous distributor model and a transition to a new distributor in Australia. The decrease in Japan net sales was due to unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates that more than offset a net sales increase in local currency. The increase in Korea net sales was primarily due to a greater number of retail stores operating during 2013 than in 2012 and a benefit from changes in currency exchange rates.

Net sales in the EMEA region increased $10.1 million, or 4%, to $240.7 million in 2013 from $230.6 million in 2012. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates contributed approximately two percentage points of benefit to the EMEA net sales comparison. The increase in net sales in the EMEA region consisted of a net sales increase in apparel, accessories and equipment, partially offset by a net sales decrease in footwear. The net sales increase consisted of a net sales increase in our EMEA distributor business that was concentrated in the Columbia brand. This increase was partially offset by a net sales decrease in our EMEA direct business reflecting a decline in advance orders placed for the Sorel and Columbia brands.

Net sales in Canada increased $3.9 million, or 3%, to $118.6 million in 2013 from $114.7 million in 2012. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared to 2012 negatively affected the Canada net sales comparison by approximately four percentage points. The increase in net sales consisted of an increase in footwear, partially offset by a net sales decrease in apparel, accessories and equipment, and was led by the Sorel brand, followed by the Columbia brand, partially offset by a net sales decrease in the Mountain Hardwear brand. The Canada net sales increase was led by direct-to-consumer sales driven by the opening of a second retail store during 2013, followed by an increase in wholesale net sales.

Sales by Brand

Net sales by brand are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2012		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
Columbia	$	1,412.9	$	1,391.1	2%
Mountain Hardwear	132.5		141.5		(6)%
Sorel	128.7		127.0		1%
Other	10.9		10.0		9%
	$	1,685.0	$	1,669.6	1%

The net sales increase in 2013 compared to 2012 primarily consisted of a net sales increase in the Columbia brand which was favorably affected by cold winter weather in North America late in 2013, resulting in increased direct-to-consumer net sales. The Mountain Hardwear brand net sales decrease was led by the LAAP region, followed by the United States and Canada, partially offset by a net sales increase in the EMEA region.

Sales by Product Category

Net sales by product category are summarized in the following table:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2012		% Change
	(In millions, except for percentage changes)
Apparel, Accessories and Equipment	$	1,374.6	$	1,347.0	2%
Footwear	310.4		322.6		(4)%
	$	1,685.0	$	1,669.6	1%

Net sales of apparel, accessories and equipment increased $27.6 million, or 2%, to $1,374.6 million in 2013 from $1,347.0 million in 2012. The increase in apparel, accessories and equipment net sales consisted of a net sales increase in the Columbia brand and was led by the United States, followed by the EMEA region, partially offset by net sales decreases in the LAAP region and Canada. The net sales increase in apparel, accessories and equipment in the United States consisted of a net sales increase in our direct-to-consumer business, partially offset by a net sales decrease in our wholesale business. The apparel, accessories and equipment net sales increase in the EMEA region consisted of an increase in our EMEA distributor business, partially offset by a net sales decrease in our EMEA direct business.

Net sales of footwear decreased $12.2 million, or 4%, to $310.4 million in 2013 from $322.6 million in 2012. The decrease in footwear net sales primarily consisted of a net sales decrease in the Columbia brand. The footwear net sales decrease was led by the United States, followed by the LAAP region and the EMEA region, partially offset by a net sales increase in Canada. The net sales decrease in footwear in the United States consisted of a net sales decrease in our wholesale business, partially offset by a net sales increase in our direct-to-consumer business. The LAAP footwear net sales decrease was led by our LAAP distributor business, followed by Japan, partially offset by a net sales increase in Korea.

Gross Profit: Gross profit as a percentage of net sales increased to 44.1% in 2013 from 42.9% in 2012. Gross margin expansion was primarily due to:


•	Lower provisions for inventory;


•	A higher proportion of full-price wholesale sales;


•	A higher proportion of direct-to-consumer sales, which generate higher gross margins; and


•	Decreased promotional selling activities;

partially offset by:


•	Unfavorable foreign currency hedge rates.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense: SG&A expense increased $29.1 million, or 5%, to $625.7 million, or 37.1% of net sales, in 2013, from $596.6 million, or 35.7% of net sales, in 2012. The SG&A expense increase was primarily due to:


•	The expansion of direct-to-consumer operations globally;


•	Increased incentive compensation; and


•	Higher impairment charges resulting from the write-down in 2013 of our Europe distribution center;

partially offset by:


•	Favorable foreign currency hedge rates; and


•	Decreased operating costs in our Europe operations.

Depreciation and amortization included in SG&A expense totaled $39.6 million in 2013, compared to $39.9 million in 2012.

Net Licensing Income: Net licensing income was flat at $13.8 million in both 2013 and 2012. Increases in domestic licensing income were offset by a decrease in LAAP licensing income due to the deferral of 2013 licensing income that will be recognized in gross profit in future periods beginning in 2014 in connection with our transition to a joint venture in China.

Income Tax Expense: Income tax expense increased to $37.8 million in 2013 from $34.0 million in 2012. Our effective income tax rate increased to 28.8% from 25.4% in 2012, primarily due to changes in the geographic mix of income and decreased tax benefits from the resolution of uncertain tax positions.

Net Income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company: Net income decreased $5.6 million, or 6%, to $94.3 million in 2013, including an impairment charge of approximately $5.6 million, net of tax, from $99.9 million in 2012. Diluted earnings per share was $1.36 in 2013, including an impairment charge of $0.08 per share, net of tax, compared to $1.46 in 2012.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary ongoing funding requirements are for working capital, investing activities associated with our ongoing ERP system implementation, general corporate needs, and the expansion of our global operations, including our joint venture in China. At December 31, 2014, we had total cash and cash equivalents of $413.6 million compared to $437.5 million at December 31, 2013. In addition, we had short-term investments of $27.3 million at December 31, 2014 compared to $91.8 million at December 31, 2013. At December 31, 2014, approximately 43% of our cash and short-term investments were held by our foreign subsidiaries where a repatriation of those funds to the United States would likely result in a significant tax expense for us. However, based on the capital and liquidity needs of our foreign operations, as well as the status of current tax law, we intend to indefinitely reinvest these funds outside the United States. In addition, our United States operations do not require the repatriation of these funds to meet our currently projected liquidity needs.

2014 compared to 2013

Net cash provided by operating activities was $185.8 million in 2014 compared to $274.3 million in 2013. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to increases in inventory and accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to decreases in the prior year, partially offset by an increase in net income and a larger increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the prior year.

Net cash used in investing activities was $184.0 million in 2014 compared to $116.1 million in 2013. For 2014, net cash used in investing activities primarily consisted of $188.5 million for the net cash purchase of prAna and $60.3 million for capital expenditures, including development of our ongoing global ERP system and investments in our direct-to-consumer businesses, partially offset by $64.7 million of net sales of short-term investments. For 2013, net cash used in investing

activities primarily consisted of $69.4 million for capital expenditures and $46.8 million for net purchases of short-term investments.

Net cash used in financing activities was $14.6 million in 2014 compared to $4.7 million in 2013. For 2014, net cash used in financing activities primarily consisted of dividend payments of $39.8 million and the repurchase of common stock at an aggregate price of $15.0 million, partially offset by net proceeds of $19.1 million from the issuance of common stock related to our stock compensation programs and proceeds from a related party note from our China joint venture partner of $16.1 million. For 2013, net cash used in financing activities primarily consisted of dividend payments of $31.3 million, partially offset by net proceeds of $17.2 million from the issuance of common stock and an $8.0 million capital contribution from our China joint venture partner.

2013 compared to 2012

Net cash provided by operating activities was $274.3 million in 2013 compared to $148.7 million in 2012. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to larger decreases in inventory and accounts receivable for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to the prior year and an increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2013 compared to a decrease in the prior year.

Net cash used in investing activities was $116.1 million in 2013 compared to $85.0 million in 2012. For 2013, net cash used in investing activities primarily consisted of $69.4 million for capital expenditures, including development of our ongoing global ERP system, project and maintenance capital expenditures and investments in our direct-to-consumer business, and $46.8 million for net purchases of short-term investments. For 2012, net cash used in investing activities primarily consisted of $50.5 million for capital expenditures and $41.7 million for net purchases of short-term investments.

Net cash used in financing activities was $4.7 million in 2013 compared to $15.7 million in 2012. For 2013, net cash used in financing activities primarily consisted of dividend payments of $31.3 million, partially offset by net proceeds of $17.2 million from the issuance of common stock related to our stock compensation program and an $8.0 million capital contribution from our China joint venture partner, which was recorded in equity as a non-controlling interest. For 2012, net cash used in financing activities primarily consisted of dividend payments of $29.8 million, partially offset by net proceeds of $13.1 million from the issuance of common stock.

Short-term borrowings and credit lines

We have an unsecured, committed $125.0 million revolving line of credit available to fund our domestic working capital requirements. At December 31, 2014, no balance was outstanding under this line of credit and we were in compliance with all associated covenants. Internationally, our subsidiaries have operating lines of credit in place guaranteed by the parent company with a combined limit of approximately $92.6 million at December 31, 2014, of which $2.8 million is designated as a European customs guarantee. At December 31, 2014, there was no balance outstanding under these lines of credit.

We expect to fund our future working capital expenditures with existing cash, operating cash flows and credit facilities. If the need arises, we may need to seek additional funding. Our ability to obtain additional financing will depend on many factors, including prevailing market conditions, our financial condition, and our ability to negotiate favorable terms and conditions. Financing may not be available on terms that are acceptable or favorable to us, if at all.

Our operations are affected by seasonal trends typical in the outdoor apparel and footwear industry and have historically resulted in higher sales and profits in the third and fourth calendar quarters. This pattern has resulted primarily from the timing of shipments of fall season products to wholesale customers in the third and fourth quarters and proportionally higher sales in our direct-to-consumer operations in the fourth quarter, combined with an expense base that is spread more evenly throughout the year. We believe that our liquidity requirements for at least the next 12 months will be adequately covered by existing cash, cash provided by operations and existing short-term borrowing arrangements.

Contractual obligations

The following table presents our estimated contractual commitments (in thousands):



	Year ended December 31,
	2015		2016		2017		2018		2019		Thereafter		Total
Inventory purchase obligations (1)	$	287,002	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	287,002
Operating leases (2)	51,765		49,851		45,748		41,181		32,629		114,600		335,774

—————

(1) See Inventory Purchase Obligations in Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

(2) See Operating Leases in Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

We have recorded long-term liabilities for net unrecognized tax benefits related to income tax uncertainties in our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2014 of approximately $9.4 million; however, they have not been included in the table above because we are uncertain about whether or when these amounts may be settled. See Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

In the normal course of business, our financial position and results of operations are subject to a variety of risks, including risks associated with global financial and capital markets, primarily currency exchange rate risk and, to a lesser extent, interest rate risk and equity market risk. We regularly assess these risks and have established policies and business practices designed to mitigate their effects. We do not engage in speculative trading in any financial or capital market.

Our primary currency exchange rate risk management objective is to mitigate the uncertainty of anticipated cash flows attributable to changes in exchange rates. We focus on mitigating changes in functional currency equivalent cash flows resulting from anticipated U.S. dollar denominated inventory purchases by subsidiaries that use European euros, Canadian dollars, Japanese yen or Korean won as their functional currency. We manage this risk primarily by using currency forward contracts. Additionally, we use foreign currency forward contracts to hedge net balance sheet exposures related primarily to non-functional currency denominated monetary assets and liabilities consisting primarily of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, payables and intercompany loans for subsidiaries that use euros, Canadian dollars, yen, Korean won or Chinese renminbi as their functional currency.

The net fair value of our derivative contracts was favorable by approximately $11.8 million at December 31, 2014. A 10% unfavorable exchange rate change in the euro, Canadian dollar, yen and renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have resulted in the net fair value declining by approximately $18.4 million at December 31, 2014. Changes in fair value resulting from foreign exchange rate fluctuations would be substantially offset by the change in value of the underlying hedged transactions.

Our negotiated credit facilities generally charge interest based on a benchmark rate such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). Fluctuations in short-term interest rates cause interest payments on drawn amounts to increase or decrease. At December 31, 2014, our credit facilities did not have an outstanding balance.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make various estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. We believe that the estimates and assumptions involved in the accounting policies described below have the greatest potential impact on our financial statements, so we consider these to be our critical accounting policies and estimates. Because of the uncertainty inherent in these matters, actual results may differ from the estimates we use in applying these critical accounting policies. We base our ongoing estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be important in the circumstances. Many of these critical accounting policies affect working capital account balances, including the policy for revenue recognition, the allowance for doubtful accounts, the provision for potential excess, closeout and slow moving inventory, product warranty, income taxes and stock-based compensation.

Management regularly discusses with our Audit Committee each of our critical accounting estimates, the development and selection of these accounting estimates, and the disclosure about each estimate in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. These discussions typically occur at our quarterly Audit Committee meetings and include the basis and methodology used in developing and selecting these estimates, the trends in and amounts of these estimates, specific matters affecting the amount of and changes in these estimates, and any other relevant matters related to these estimates, including significant issues concerning accounting principles and financial statement presentation.

Revenue Recognition

We record wholesale, distributor, e-commerce and licensed product revenues when title passes and the risks and rewards of ownership have passed to the customer. Title generally passes upon shipment to or upon receipt by the customer depending on the terms of sale with the customer. Retail store revenues are recorded at the time of sale. Revenue is recorded net of sales taxes, value added taxes or similar taxes, which are collected on behalf of local taxing authorities.

Where title passes upon receipt by the customer, predominantly in our European wholesale business, precise information regarding the date of receipt by the customer is not readily available. In these cases, we estimate the date of receipt by the customer based on historical and expected delivery times by geographic location. We periodically test the accuracy of these estimates based on actual transactions. Delivery times vary by geographic location, generally from one to five days. To date, we have found these estimates to be materially accurate.

At the time of revenue recognition, we also provide for estimated sales returns and miscellaneous claims from customers as reductions to revenues. The estimates are based on historical rates of product returns and claims, as well as events and circumstances that indicate changes to historical rates of returns and claims. However, actual returns and claims in any future period are inherently uncertain and thus may differ from the estimates. If actual or expected future returns and claims are significantly greater or lower than the reserves that we have established, we will record a reduction or increase to net revenues in the period in which we make such a determination.

Allowance for Uncollectable Accounts Receivable

We make ongoing estimates of the collectability of our accounts receivable and maintain an allowance for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. In determining the amount of the allowance, we consider our historical level of credit losses and we make judgments about the creditworthiness of customers based on ongoing credit evaluations. We analyze specific customer accounts, customer concentrations, credit insurance coverage, standby letters of credit and other forms of collateral, current economic trends, and changes in customer payment terms. Continued uncertainty in credit and market conditions may slow our collection efforts if customers experience difficulty accessing credit and paying their obligations, leading to higher than normal accounts receivable and increased bad debt expense. Because we cannot predict future changes in the financial stability of our customers, actual future losses from uncollectable accounts may differ from our estimates and may have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. If the financial condition of our customers deteriorates and results in their inability to make payments, a larger allowance may be required. If we determine that a smaller or larger allowance is appropriate, we will record a credit or a charge to SG&A expense in the period in which we make such a determination.

Excess, Close-Out and Slow Moving Inventory

We make ongoing estimates of potential excess, close-out or slow moving inventory. We evaluate our inventory on hand considering our purchase commitments, sales forecasts, and historical liquidation experience to identify excess, close-out or slow moving inventory and make provisions as necessary to properly reflect inventory value at the lower of cost or estimated market value. If we determine that a smaller or larger reserve is appropriate, we will record a credit or a charge to cost of sales in the period in which we make such a determination.

Product Warranty

We make ongoing estimates of potential future product warranty costs. When we evaluate our reserve for warranty costs, we consider our product warranty policies, historical claim rates by season, product category and mix, current warranty claim trends, and the historical cost to repair, replace, or refund the original sale. If we determine that a smaller or larger reserve is appropriate, we will record a credit or a charge to cost of sales in the period in which we make such a determination.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets, Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Long-lived assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives and are measured for impairment only when events or circumstances indicate the carrying value may be impaired. In these cases, we estimate the future undiscounted cash flows to be derived from the asset or asset group to determine whether a potential impairment exists. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset, we recognize an impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset.

We review and test our intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and goodwill for impairment in the fourth quarter of each year and when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may be impaired. Our intangible assets with indefinite lives consist of trademarks and trade names. Substantially all of our goodwill is recorded in the United States segment and impairment testing for goodwill is performed at the reporting unit level. In the impairment test for goodwill, the two-step process first compares the estimated fair value of the reporting unit with the carrying amount of that reporting unit. We estimate the fair value of our reporting units using a combination of discounted cash flow analysis, comparisons with the market values of similar publicly traded companies and other operating performance based valuation methods, as necessary. If step one indicates impairment, step two compares the estimated fair value of the reporting unit to the estimated fair value of all reporting unit assets and liabilities, except goodwill, to determine the implied fair value of goodwill. We calculate impairment as the excess of carrying amount of goodwill over the implied fair value of goodwill. In the impairment tests for trademarks and trade names, we compare the estimated fair value of each asset to its carrying amount. The fair values of trademarks and trade names are generally estimated using a relief from royalty method under the income approach. If the carrying amount of a trademark or trade name exceeds its estimated fair value, we calculate impairment as the excess of carrying amount over the estimate of fair value.

If events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of intangible assets with finite lives may be impaired, we estimate the future undiscounted cash flows to be derived from the asset or asset group to determine whether a potential impairment exists. If the sum of the estimated undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset, we recognize an impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset.

Impairment charges are classified as a component of SG&A expense. The impairment tests and related fair value estimates are based on a number of factors, including assumptions and estimates for projected sales, income, cash flows, discount rates, remaining useful lives and other operating performance measures. Changes in estimates or the application of alternative assumptions could produce significantly different results. These assumptions and estimates may change in the future due to changes in economic conditions, changes in our ability to meet sales and profitability objectives or changes in our business operations or strategic direction.

Acquisition Accounting

We account for business combinations using the purchase method, which requires us to allocate the cost of an acquired business to the acquired assets and liabilities based on their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. We recognize the excess of an acquired business' cost over the fair value of the acquired assets and liabilities as goodwill. Determining the fair value of certain assets and liabilities acquired is judgmental in nature and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. We use a variety of information sources to determine the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities and we generally use third party appraisers to assist us in the determination of the fair value and useful lives of identifiable intangible assets.

Income Taxes

We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, we recognize income tax expense for the amount of taxes payable or refundable for the current year and for the amount of deferred tax liabilities and assets for the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in our financial statements or tax returns. We make assumptions, judgments and estimates to determine our current provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and our uncertain tax positions. Our judgments, assumptions and estimates relative to the current provision for income tax take into account current tax laws, our interpretation of current tax laws and possible outcomes of current and future audits conducted by foreign and domestic tax authorities. Changes in tax law or our interpretation of tax laws and the resolution of current and future tax audits could significantly affect the amounts provided for income taxes in our consolidated financial statements. Our assumptions, judgments and estimates relative to the value of a deferred tax asset

take into account predictions of the amount and category of future taxable income. Actual operating results and the underlying amount and category of income in future years could cause our current assumptions, judgments and estimates of recoverable net deferred taxes to be inaccurate. Changes in any of the assumptions, judgments and estimates mentioned above could cause our actual income tax obligations to differ from our estimates, which could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.

Our tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimate of our annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. As the calendar year progresses, we periodically refine our estimate based on actual events and earnings by jurisdiction. This ongoing estimation process can result in changes to our expected effective tax rate for the full calendar year. When this occurs, we adjust the income tax provision during the quarter in which the change in estimate occurs so that our year-to-date provision equals our expected annual effective tax rate.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation cost is estimated at the grant date based on the award’s fair value and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period using the straight-line attribution method. We estimate stock-based compensation for stock awards granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires various highly subjective assumptions, including volatility and expected option life. Further, we estimate forfeitures for stock-based awards granted, but which are not expected to vest. If any of these inputs or assumptions changes significantly, stock-based compensation expense may differ materially in the future from that recorded in the current period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The information required by this item is included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and is incorporated herein by this reference.

Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Our management is responsible for the information and representations contained in this report. The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which we consider appropriate in the circumstances and include some amounts based on our best estimates and judgments. Other financial information in this report is consistent with these financial statements.

Our accounting systems include controls designed to reasonably assure that assets are safeguarded from unauthorized use or disposition and which provide for the preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These systems are supplemented by the selection and training of qualified financial personnel and an organizational structure providing for appropriate segregation of duties.

The Audit Committee is responsible for appointing the independent registered public accounting firm and reviews with the independent registered public accounting firm and management the scope and the results of the annual examination, the effectiveness of the accounting control system and other matters relating to our financial affairs as they deem appropriate.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders

Columbia Sportswear Company

Portland, Oregon

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Columbia Sportswear Company and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15. These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Columbia Sportswear Company and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2014, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated February 26, 2015, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP

Portland, Oregon

February 26, 2015

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)



	December 31,
	2014		2013
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	413,558	$	437,489
Short-term investments	27,267		91,755
Accounts receivable, net (Note 6)	344,390		306,878
Inventories	384,650		329,228
Deferred income taxes (Note 11)	57,001		52,041
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	39,175		33,081
Total current assets	1,266,041		1,250,472
Property, plant, and equipment, net (Note 7)	291,563		279,373
Intangible assets, net (Notes 3, 8)	143,731		36,288
Goodwill (Notes 3, 8)	68,594		14,438
Other non-current assets	22,280		25,017
Total assets	$	1,792,209	$	1,605,588
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	214,275	$	173,557
Accrued liabilities (Note 10)	144,288		120,397
Income taxes payable (Note 11)	14,388		7,251
Deferred income taxes (Note 11)	169		49
Total current liabilities	373,120		301,254
Note payable to related party (Note 22)	15,728		—
Other long-term liabilities (Notes 12, 13)	35,435		29,527
Income taxes payable (Note 11)	9,388		13,984
Deferred income taxes (Note 11)	3,304		7,959
Total liabilities	436,975		352,724
Commitments and contingencies (Note 14)
Shareholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock; 10,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding	—		—
Common stock (no par value); 250,000 shares authorized; 69,828 and 69,190 issued and outstanding (Note 15)	72,700		52,325
Retained earnings	1,255,070		1,157,733
Accumulated other comprehensive income (Note 18)	15,833		35,360
Total Columbia Sportswear Company shareholders’ equity	1,343,603		1,245,418
Non-controlling interest (Note 5)	11,631		7,446
Total equity	1,355,234		1,252,864
Total liabilities and equity	$	1,792,209	$	1,605,588

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Net sales	$	2,100,590		$	1,684,996		$	1,669,563
Cost of sales	1,145,639			941,341			953,169
Gross profit	954,951			743,655			716,394
Selling, general and administrative expenses	763,063			625,656			596,635
Net licensing income	6,956			13,795			13,769
Income from operations	198,844			131,794			133,528
Interest income, net	1,004			503			379
Interest expense on note payable to related party (Note 22)	(1,053		)	—			—
Other non-operating expense	(274		)	(871		)	—
Income before income tax	198,521			131,426			133,907
Income tax expense (Note 11)	(56,662		)	(37,823		)	(34,048		)
Net income	141,859			93,603			99,859
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	4,686			(738		)	—
Net income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company	$	137,173		$	94,341		$	99,859
Earnings per share attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company (Note 17):
Basic	$	1.97		$	1.37		$	1.48
Diluted	1.94			1.36			1.46
Weighted average shares outstanding (Note 17):
Basic	69,807			68,756			67,680
Diluted	70,681			69,434			68,264

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Net income	$	141,859		$	93,603		$	99,859
Other comprehensive loss:
Unrealized holding gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities (net of tax (expense) benefit of ($5), ($2), and $4, respectively)	10			3			(7		)
Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative transactions (net of tax (expense) benefit of ($1,507), $9 and ($171), respectively)	7,751			(1,261		)	(4,745		)
Foreign currency translation adjustments (net of tax benefit (expense) of $1,023, ($191) and ($59), respectively)	(27,789		)	(9,861		)	4,518
Other comprehensive loss	(20,028		)	(11,119		)	(234		)
Comprehensive income	121,831			82,484			99,625
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest	4,185			(554		)	—
Comprehensive income attributable to Columbia Sportswear Company	$	117,646		$	83,038		$	99,625

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$	141,859		$	93,603		$	99,859
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	54,017			40,871			40,892
Loss on disposal or impairment of property, plant, and equipment	481			9,344			1,582
Deferred income taxes	(6,978		)	8,818			7,140
Stock-based compensation	11,120			8,878			7,833
Excess tax benefit from employee stock plans	(4,927		)	(1,532		)	(1,016		)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(31,478		)	27,442			18,166
Inventories	(62,086		)	34,089			2,951
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	(4,869		)	5,166			(2,025		)
Other assets	4,291			(4,215		)	(1,259		)
Accounts payable	41,941			31,711			(12,330		)
Accrued liabilities	35,051			12,210			(5,199		)
Income taxes payable	1,166			5,534			(11,052		)
Other liabilities	6,195			2,356			3,126
Net cash provided by operating activities	185,783			274,275			148,668
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired	(188,467		)	—			—
Purchases of short-term investments	(48,243		)	(125,390		)	(83,969		)
Sales of short-term investments	112,895			78,636			42,319
Capital expenditures	(60,283		)	(69,443		)	(50,491		)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant, and equipment	71			111			7,099
Net cash used in investing activities	(184,027		)	(116,086		)	(85,042		)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from credit facilities	52,356			69,136			100,654
Repayments on credit facilities	(52,205		)	(69,292		)	(100,498		)
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under employee stock plans	22,277			19,537			14,600
Tax payments related to restricted stock unit issuances	(3,141		)	(2,291		)	(1,486		)
Excess tax benefit from employee stock plans	4,927			1,532			1,016
Repurchase of common stock	(15,000		)	—			(206		)
Proceeds from note payable to related party	16,072			—			—
Capital contribution from non-controlling interest	—			8,000			—
Cash dividends paid	(39,836		)	(31,298		)	(29,780		)
Net cash used in financing activities	(14,550		)	(4,676		)	(15,700		)
Net effect of exchange rate changes on cash	(11,137		)	(6,805		)	1,821
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(23,931		)	146,708			49,747
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year	437,489			290,781			241,034
Cash and cash equivalents, end of year	$	413,558		$	437,489		$	290,781
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Cash paid during the year for income taxes	$	53,958		$	22,771		$	43,696
Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing activities:
Capital expenditures incurred but not yet paid	7,196			5,195			5,313

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY

(In thousands)



	Columbia Sportswear Company Shareholders' Equity
	Common Stock					Retained Earnings			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income			Non-Controlling Interest			Total
	Shares Outstanding		Amount			Retained Earnings			Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income			Non-Controlling Interest			Total
BALANCE, JANUARY 1, 2012	67,276		$	3,037		$	1,024,611		$	46,897		$	—		$	1,074,545
Net income	—		—			99,859			—			—			99,859
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized holding losses on available-for-sale securities, net	—		—			—			(7		)	—			(7		)
Unrealized holding losses on derivative transactions, net	—		—			—			(4,745		)	—			(4,745		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	—		—			—			4,518			—			4,518
Cash dividends ($0.44 per share)	—		—			(29,780		)	—			—			(29,780		)
Issuance of common stock under employee stock plans, net	882		13,114			—			—			—			13,114
Tax adjustment from stock plans	—		1,036			—			—			—			1,036
Stock-based compensation expense	—		7,833			—			—			—			7,833
Repurchase of common stock	(8	)	(206		)	—			—			—			(206		)
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 2012	68,150		24,814			1,094,690			46,663			—			1,166,167
Net income (loss)	—		—			94,341			—			(738		)	93,603
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities, net	—		—			—			3			—			3
Unrealized holding losses on derivative transactions, net	—		—			—			(1,261		)	—			(1,261		)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	—		—			—			(10,045		)	184			(9,861		)
Cash dividends ($0.46 per share)	—		—			(31,298		)	—			—			(31,298		)
Issuance of common stock under employee stock plans, net	1,040		17,246			—			—			—			17,246
Capital contribution from non-controlling interest	—		—			—			—			8,000			8,000
Tax adjustment from stock plans	—		1,387			—			—			—			1,387
Stock-based compensation expense	—		8,878			—			—			—			8,878
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 2013	69,190		52,325			1,157,733			35,360			7,446			1,252,864
Net income	—		—			137,173			—			4,686			141,859
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities, net	—		—			—			10			—			10
Unrealized holding gains on derivative transactions, net	—		—			—			7,751			—			7,751
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net	—		—			—			(27,288		)	(501		)	(27,789		)
Cash dividends ($0.57 per share)	—		—			(39,836		)	—			—			(39,836		)
Issuance of common stock under employee stock plans, net	1,059		19,136			—			—			—			19,136
Tax adjustment from stock plans	—		5,119			—			—			—			5,119
Stock-based compensation expense	—		11,120			—			—			—			11,120
Repurchase of common stock	(421	)	(15,000		)	—			—			—			(15,000		)
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 2014	69,828		$	72,700		$	1,255,070		$	15,833		$	11,631		$	1,355,234

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements