Culp (CULP) Risk Analysis

We rely on outside sources for various products and services, including yarn and other raw materials, greige (unfinished) fabrics, finished fabrics, cut and sewn upholstery kits, sewn mattress covers, and services such as weaving and finishing. As part of the Fiscal 2025 restructuring, we transitioned all of our internal production of jacquard (damask) fabric to strategic outside suppliers. Increased reliance on outsourcing lowers our capital investment and fixed costs, but it decreases the amount of control that we have over certain elements of our production capacity. Interruptions in our ability to obtain raw materials or other required products or services from our outside suppliers on a timely and cost-effective basis, especially if alternative suppliers cannot be immediately obtained, could disrupt our production and damage our financial results. In addition, while we are committed to ensuring that all of our manufacturing facilities comply with our internal code of conduct and applicable laws and regulations, and we require our suppliers and independent contractors to operate their businesses in compliance with the laws and regulations that apply to them, we do not control these suppliers and independent contractors. A violation of our policies, applicable manufacturing or employee safety standards and codes of conduct, labor laws or other laws or regulations by our suppliers or independent contractors could interrupt or otherwise disrupt our operations. Negative publicity regarding the production or operating methods of any of our suppliers or independent contractors or their failure to comply with our policies, applicable manufacturing or employee safety standards and codes of conduct, labor laws or other laws or regulations could adversely affect our reputation, brands, sales and partner relationships, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Higher prices for electricity, natural gas, and fuel increase our production and shipping costs. A significant shortage, increased prices, or interruptions in the availability of these energy sources would increase the costs of producing and delivering products to our customers and would be likely to adversely affect our earnings. In many cases, we are not able to pass along the full extent of increases in our production costs to customers through price increases. Energy costs have varied significantly during recent fiscal years and remain a volatile element of our costs. Increases in energy costs could have a negative effect on our earnings.

Our domestic and foreign operations are subject to risks of unsettled political conditions, civil unrest or instability in countries in which we operate, natural or man-made disasters, armed conflicts or acts of war, and terrorism. As an example, we maintain an active production facility in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, on the Dominican Republic border. Severe political instability in Haiti, along with recent natural disasters, has created a crisis in the country, subjecting our operations there to heightened risk. While operations at our production facility have not been directly affected, ongoing political and civil unrest in Haiti could cause manufacturing disruptions at our Haiti facility. In addition, public health concerns and pandemics have in the past disrupted and may again disrupt our business. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we temporarily shut down certain of our facilities, as did certain of our sourcing partners and customers, which prevented us from shipping goods in both our residential upholstery fabrics business and our sewn mattress cover business. Moreover, the effects of climate change and actions taken to combat climate change could exacerbate these risks, including by increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme weather events. Civil instability, public health concerns, natural disasters, armed conflicts or acts of war, terrorism or other adverse events could cause disruption at our manufacturing or distribution facilities, or at the facilities of our suppliers and distribution channels. The materialization of any of these risks could result in additional expense to us, limit our supply of necessary goods and raw materials, and otherwise affect our ability to meet the needs of our customers, and our results of operations may be materially adversely affected as a result.

Many of our products are manufactured or sourced outside of the U.S. The U.S. government has imposed certain tariffs on imports from various countries, including China, where a significant amount of our products is manufactured, and recently imposed significant additional tariffs on products imported from China that temporarily increased the tariff rate on certain of our products to well above 100%. Certain of those tariff rates have since been paused and/or reduced, but remain at elevated levels. These recent tariff actions compelled us to raise prices on our products and, as a result, our sales and gross margins on certain products are likely to be impacted. The U.S. government has announced additional tariffs that have not yet gone into effect and may consider re-imposing certain tariffs, imposing additional tariffs or extending the timeline for continuation of existing tariffs. Any tariffs that result in increased costs of imported products and materials could require us to further increase prices to our domestic customers. If we are unable to pass along these additional costs, our sales and gross margins may be adversely affected. Further, while a significant portion of our products produced in China are not sold directly into the U.S., and therefore may not be directly impacted by certain U.S. imposed tariffs, most of our products are sold to manufacturers for end use in the U.S. If our customers' sales are adversely affected by tariffs, our sales may also be adversely impacted. As discussed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," tariffs have had an adverse impact on our business in fiscal 2025, and may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the future. In addition to tariffs, the U.S. government has considered, and is expected to continue to consider, other proposals for substantial changes to its trade and tax policies, which could include import restrictions, changes to or withdrawal from existing trade agreements, and border-adjustment taxes, among other possible measures. Material changes in these policies could increase our tax obligations, require us to source materials from different regions, or increase prices to customers, which could adversely affect sales. Any significant change in U.S. trade or tax policy related to imported products could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results. There are also a number of trade regulations and duties currently in place to protect the U.S. textile industry against competition from low-priced foreign producers, such as those in China and Vietnam, but violations of these trade regulations and duties by foreign producers has had, and may in the future have, a material adverse effect on our operations. In May of 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed punitive anti-dumping measures against China mattress imports to address violations of trade regulations. Despite the imposition of these duties, we believe that some China producers have moved their production out of China and continue to engage in competitive activity inconsistent with trade regulations between the U.S. and other countries, including transshipments of mattress products into the United States that circumvent imposed duties by falsely claiming that mattresses are products of a particular country of origin. In response to low-priced mattress imports that moved out of China to other countries in an effort to circumvent U.S. duties, the U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed anti-dumping duties on mattress imports from countries other than China. While we believe the domestic mattress industry and, in turn, our business, began to realize some benefits from these duties starting in 2021, low-priced imports continue to adversely affect our sales. We can offer no assurance that such trends will abate, nor can we offer assurance that the U.S. Department of Commerce can effectively limit the dumping of low-priced imports into the U.S. market. If supply chains are moved out of China to countries without anti-dumping duties and producers continue to supply low-priced imports in violation of U.S. trade laws, and if illegal transshipments are not monitored and enforcement is not effective to limit them, these shipments could have a material adverse effect on the company's business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Demand for various types of upholstery fabrics and mattress coverings changes over time due to fashion trends and changing consumer tastes for furniture and bedding. Our success in marketing our fabrics depends upon our ability to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to fashion trends in home furnishings. If we fail to identify and respond to these changes, our sales of these products may decline. In addition, inaccurate projections about the demand for certain products could cause the accumulation of excess raw material or finished goods inventory, which could lead to inventory mark-downs and decreases in earnings.