23. IT’SUGAR Bankruptcy

In March 2020, as a result of various factors, including government-mandated closures and Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization advisories in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, IT’SUGAR closed all of its retail locations and furloughed all store employees and the majority of its corporate employees. Between May 2020 and September 2020, IT’SUGAR reopened nearly all of its approximately 100 locations that were open prior to the pandemic as part of a phased reopening plan which included revised store floor plans, increased sanitation protocols, and the gradual recall of furloughed store and corporate employees to full or part-time employment.

IT’SUGAR ceased paying rent to the landlords of its closed locations in April 2020 and engaged in negotiations with its landlords for rent abatements, deferrals, and other modifications for both the period of time that the locations were closed and the subsequent period that the locations had been opened and operating under conditions which had been affected by the pandemic. In addition to its unpaid rental obligations, IT’SUGAR ceased paying various outstanding obligations to its vendors.

Although IT’SUGAR was able to reopen its retail locations and received an advance of $2.0 million from a subsidiary of BBX Capital under an existing credit facility, IT’SUGAR was unable to maintain sufficient liquidity to sustain its operations. In particular, although a significant portion of its retail locations were reopened during the three months ended September 30, 2020, IT’SUGAR’s total revenues for the period declined by approximately 50.4% as compared to the comparable period in 2019. As a result, on September 22, 2020, IT’SUGAR and its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court.

In connection with the Bankruptcy Cases, on October 7, 2020, IT’SUGAR obtained approval by the Bankruptcy Court of a $4.0 million debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) credit facility to be made available by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and the entire $4.0 million available under the DIP credit facility was funded to IT’SUGAR during the three months ended December 31, 2020.

As a result of the filings, the uncertainties surrounding the nature, timing, and specifics of the Bankruptcy Cases, and the Company’s resulting loss of control and significant influence over IT’SUGAR, the Company determined that IT’SUGAR is a VIE in which the Company is not the primary beneficiary and deconsolidated IT’SUGAR in connection with the filings. In connection with the deconsolidation of IT’SUGAR, the Company recognized a noncontrolling equity investment in IT’SUGAR at its estimated fair value of $12.7 million and a $3.3 million loss based upon the difference between the carrying amount of IT’SUGAR (including its assets and liabilities and the redeemable noncontrolling interest in it) and the Company’s estimated fair value of its noncontrolling equity investment.

Following the deconsolidation of IT’SUGAR, the Company’s noncontrolling equity investment in IT’SUGAR was being accounted for at cost less impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. Equity investments are accounted for at cost less impairment when the investor does not have significant influence over the investee and the equity investment has no readily determinable fair value. Under this method, equity investments are accounted for at historical cost and adjusted if there is evidence that the fair market value of the equity investment has declined below the historical cost.

IT’SUGAR’s results of operations, and cash flows through September 22, 2020 are included in the Company’s financial statements, as the Company continued to hold a substantive equity investment in IT’SUGAR during that period. 

The following table summarizes the assets, liabilities, and net equity of IT’SUGAR as of September 22, 2020, the date it was deconsolidated from the Company’s financial statements (in thousands):

Included in total liabilities in the above table are approximately $11.7 million of pre-petition liabilities, of which $7.7 million are pre-petition lease payments and $4.0 million are pre-petition obligations to other creditors, including supplies and vendors.

Emergence from Bankruptcy and Reconsolidation of IT’SUGAR

Emergence from Bankruptcy

In April 2021, IT’SUGAR filed its proposed plan of reorganization with the Bankruptcy Court. Following approval of the proposed plan by IT’SUGAR’s unsecured creditors, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order (the “Confirmation Order”) on June 16, 2021 confirming the plan of reorganization filed by IT’SUGAR, as modified by the Confirmation Order (the “Plan”), and the Plan became effective on June 17, 2021 (the “Effective Date”).

Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, claims against IT’SUGAR were treated as follows:

Payments of claims made pursuant to the Plan, along with the payment of administrative expenses and professional fees, were funded by IT’SUGAR’s cash on-hand and net proceeds from the Exit Facility provided by the Company.

Exit Facility

On the Effective Date, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary entered into a secured exit credit facility with IT’SUGAR (the “Exit Facility”) which provided for advances to IT’SUGAR of up to $13.0 million. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary advanced $13.0 million to IT’SUGAR under the Exit Facility, less the repayment of the $4.0 million DIP credit facility due from IT’SUGAR and the $6.0 million pre-petition line of credit due from IT’SUGAR (both of which were superseded and replaced by the Exit Facility). Amounts outstanding under the Exit Facility bear interest at 5% per annum. In addition to monthly payments of interest due under the facility, the Exit Facility requires monthly payments of principal of $325,000 commencing on January 1, 2022. The Exit Facility matures on April 1, 2025. The Exit Facility had an outstanding balance of $7.1 million and $11.0 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 which was eliminated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Ownership and Reconsolidation of IT’SUGAR

Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, the Company’s equity interests in IT’SUGAR were revested on the Effective Date, and all organizational documents of IT’SUGAR were assumed, ratified, and reinstated.

As a result of the confirmation and effectiveness of the Plan and the revesting of its equity interests in IT’SUGAR, the Company was deemed to have reacquired a controlling financial interest in IT’SUGAR and consolidated the results of IT’SUGAR into its consolidated financial statements as of the Effective Date, the date that the Company reacquired control of IT’SUGAR.

Allocation of IT’SUGAR’s Fair Value upon Consolidation

The Company accounted for the consolidation of IT’SUGAR upon the revesting of its equity interests under the acquisition method of accounting, which requires that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with an acquiree be recognized at their fair values at the consolidation date. As a result, the Company remeasured the carrying value of its equity interests in IT’SUGAR at fair value as of the Effective Date, with the remeasurement adjustment recognized in the Company’s statement of operations, and recognized goodwill based on the difference between (i) the fair values of IT’SUGAR’s identifiable assets and liabilities at the consolidation date and (ii) the fair values of the Company’s interests in IT’SUGAR and the noncontrolling interests in IT’SUGAR.

The following table summarizes the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed of IT’SUGAR at the consolidation date (in thousands):

The fair values reported in the above table were estimated by the Company using available market information and applicable valuation methods. As considerable judgment is involved in estimates of fair value, the fair values presented above are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the Company could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methods could have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.

The following summarizes the Company’s methodologies for estimating the fair values of certain assets and liabilities associated with the consolidation of IT’SUGAR and the fair value of BBX Capital’s existing investment in IT’SUGAR.

Property and Equipment – Property and equipment acquired consists primarily of leasehold improvements at IT’SUGAR’s retail locations. The fair value of IT’SUGAR’s property and equipment was estimated based on the replacement cost approach.

Identifiable Intangible Assets – The primary identifiable intangible asset acquired consists of IT’SUGAR’s trademark. The fair value of the acquired trademark was estimated using the relief-from-royalty method, a form of the income approach. Under this approach, the fair value was estimated by calculating the present value using a risk-adjusted discount rate of the expected future royalty payments that would have to be paid if the IT’SUGAR trademark was not owned.

Operating Lease Assets and Lease Liabilities – Operating lease assets and lease liabilities were measured based on the present value of the fixed lease payments included in IT’SUGAR’s lease agreements pursuant to the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification 842, Leases. In addition, IT’SUGAR’s operating lease assets have been adjusted to reflect an estimate of favorable or unfavorable terms of IT’SUGAR’s lease agreements when compared with market terms. These adjustments were estimated by calculating the present value using a risk-adjusted discount rate of the difference between the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the lease agreements and the estimate of market lease rates at the consolidation date.

Goodwill – Goodwill recognized in connection with the consolidation of IT’SUGAR reflects the difference between the (i) the fair values of IT’SUGAR’s identifiable assets and liabilities at the consolidation date and (ii) the fair values of the Company’s existing interests and any noncontrolling interests in IT’SUGAR at the consolidation date.

Remeasurement of Existing Investment in IT’SUGAR – As part of the acquisition method of accounting, the Company is required to remeasure the carrying value of its existing interests in IT’SUGAR at fair value as of the consolidation date, with the remeasurement adjustment recognized in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. The Company applied an income approach utilizing a discounted cash flow methodology to estimate the fair value of its investment in IT’SUGAR as of the consolidation date. The Company’s discounted cash flow methodology established an estimate of the fair value of IT’SUGAR by estimating the present value of the projected future cash flows to be generated from IT’SUGAR. The discount rate applied to the projected future cash flows to arrive at the present value is intended to reflect all risks of ownership and the associated risks of realizing the stream of projected future cash flows associated with IT’SUGAR. The most significant assumptions used in the discounted cash flow methodology to estimate the preliminary fair value of IT’SUGAR were the terminal value, the discount rate, and the forecast of future cash flows.

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest – Redeemable noncontrolling interest represents a 9.65% interest in IT'SUGAR’s Class B Units adjusted for the cumulative Class A Units preferred return outstanding.

The results of operations of IT’SUGAR are included in the Company’s consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2022, but are not included in the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income during the year ended December 31, 2021 for the period from January 1, 2021 to June 16, 2021 and not included in the Company's consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income during the year ended December 31, 2020 for the period from September 20, 2020 to December 31, 2020.  The following table shows IT’SUGAR’s trade sales and income before income taxes included in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for the dates indicated (in thousands):

The following unaudited financial data presents the Company's actual revenues and earnings for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the Company's pro forma revenues and earnings for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 as if the Company consolidated IT’SUGAR as a result of its emergence from bankruptcy on January 1, 2020 (in thousands):

The unaudited pro forma financial data for the year ended  December 31, 2020 includes $3.7 million in legal, advisory, and other costs related to the bankruptcy proceedings, while the unaudited pro forma financial data for the year ended December 31, 2021 excludes gains related to the extinguishment of certain of IT’SUGAR’s obligations pursuant to the Plan and the gain recognized by the Company upon the consolidation of IT’SUGAR.

The unaudited pro forma financial data reported in the above table does not purport to represent what the actual results of the Company’s operations would have been assuming that the consolidation date was January 1, 2020, nor does it purport to predict the Company’s results of operations for future periods.